"No! Something is wrong! Her breathing is too shallow and I can't hear her thoughts. The connection is gone! I've tried sending some but she doesn't respond." He slapped her on the face a few times. "Maria! Come on baby, you need to wake up! Please, I need you!" Still, she didn't stir. He looked to the other's for help, white showing all around his eyes. His voice cracked and his eyes grew shiny. "We have to do something!"

Max and Isabel exchanged worried glances. They had never seen their friend like this, never seen him so broken and frail. He had gone through such a transformation in the last week. He was now wearing his frantic heart on his sleeve for them all to see and it was heartbreaking. Max could feel his love for Maria radiating in the room. They all could. "What can we do?" he asked.

Michael shook his head helplessly and squeezed his eyes shut tight. A few moments later he reopened them and looked at them all with anguish in his eyes, his voice desperate. "She won't answer me! I can't get her to hear me. Help!"

Ashtar appeared at Michael's side and lightly placed his hand on Maria's forehead, seemingly searching for something under the surface. Everyone watched on, wondering what he was looking for?

"What do you see?" Michael finally asked not able to wait any longer.

"Power," he whispered, absently.

It made no sense. "Power? What do you mean power?"

Ashtar shook his head, clearing it and then he finally looked at the group. "Power," he repeated. "There is a great power that has her trapped somewhere in her own mind. And the only way to fight power is with power."

Michael didn't hesitate. "What do we do?"

*****

Ashtar drew a circle in the floor with a wand that had a chalky substance on top and told the teenagers to step inside of it and sit knee to knee. The gang filed into the circle and took their places, crossing their legs. Ashtar surrounded the circle with cushions from the furniture and handed them each an Assara crystal "for energy flow," he said.

Michael held Maria in his arms, growing more and more desperate. It just wasn't right. He couldn't connect with her, couldn't sense anything from her.

"With the seven of you connected, you can break her free from her trap."

"Seven?" Liz asked. There were only six of them, weren't there?

"The baby," Michael answered for the older man.

Liz nodded. "Oh. But what about Alex and me? Were not...what I mean to say is we don't have any powers."

"That may be but you are all connected by destiny, and that makes you just as much powers as the others. Now, what you need to do is connect with each other first. That's the easy part. You will not be sharing memories like Michael and Maria did but you will be sharing other things. The hard part is connecting with Maria. I'm not sure exactly how it will work with her unconscious but Michael and the child should be your link."

"Kinda like we did with Michael after he went to the sweat?" Alex said, looking questioningly at the others.

Max nodded. "Yes, just do what we did then. Keep your mind open and concentrate. Give Michael as much power as you can." He looked to Michael. "It will be up to you to get that power to her."

Michael nodded, wondering how difficult it would be?

"Let's start," Ashtar said. "I'll turn the lights down low. Hold the crystals in your right hands and synchronize your breathing."

The lights darkened without the older man even moving and then they were in total darkness.

They all reached for each other's hands, Michael and Liz holding onto Maria's unresponsive hands and began to breathe loudly to get their breathing in sync.

It took a few moments but finally, their began to breathe as one. Three seconds inhale, three seconds exhale. The connection was made immediately.

It was more powerful than Michael could ever imagine. It moved around the circle slow at first but then it grew until it all of their thoughts became one and one person's mind couldn't be distinguished from another.

Ashtar's eyes finally adjusted to the dark and he watched as the entire group fell back onto the pillows he had provided.

He had know that they would probably all slip into a trance but he never expected it to happen so quickly. These children were full of power, a power so strong that it almost scared him.

With the right training, they would be indestructible.

*****

Michael looked around at their surroundings. They were standing in the grass in the middle of a forest. Except this forest was different than any forest he had ever seen. All around them was a kaleidoscope of color. "Where do I know this place?" he asked. It looked very familiar.

"I think were in Wonderland," Liz replied.

"Wonderland?"

Liz shook her head. "Yeah, as is Alice in Wonderland. It's Maria's favorite Disney movie."

"Whooo Areeee Yooouuuuu?" Alex joked and everyone looked at him curiously. "You know, the caterpillar and the pipe with the little letters..." he shook his head when they still didn't get the joke. "Nevermind."

"Anyways, Michael, do you sense anything?"

Every pair of eyes turned to Michael and he searched his mind. At first there was nothing, not a glimmer, but as he searched deeper, he felt something. "Loss," he whispered and his eyes flew open. "Loss, she feeling loss. She's here! We have to find her!" He impulsively jumped into action ready to run.

"Wait! Michael! This place is huge, you can't just run off without a plan!" Isabel called after him but he just kept on running.

"Maybe not so much has really changed," Max sighed. "He still acts without thinking. Come on, let's follow him."

*****

"MARIA!!? WHERE ARE YOU?" Michael called as he ran. He needed to find her. If she was trapped like Ashtar had said, then she probably didn't have much time.

"MARIA!!!!"

"Who's there," he heard a very quiet voice, no louder than a gently whisper say. Maria's voice! He looked around desperately.

"MARIA!! WHERE ARE YOU??"

"You're hurting my ears," the voice said. "It's too loud but I'm right below you."

Michael looked down quickly and frowned. There was no one there! "Where?"

"Down here! On the mushroom!"

He looked down and saw a small red mushroom and an even smaller blue figure sitting on it. He crawled on his knees and looked. It was a tiny Maria. "What the fuck?" he said. "Why are you so small?"

She stood up on her feet and he noticed that she had wings and pointy ears. "What are you supposed to be?" he asked.

"I'm a pixie who can't fly because I can't remember."

"Can't remember what?"

"How I got here," she replied sadly. "And Kyle said I have to remember if I want to get out."

Michael looked around. "Kyle? Where is that bastard?"

"He had to go. He said the guy with the glass jar would hurt him if he found out he talked to me."

"The guy with the what?"

Maria looked at him and her expression clearly showed annoyance. "The glass jar. He had a loud voice and he was mean to me." Her annoyance drained and she continued. "And then, I heard this other voice. A beautiful voice so full of love, and Kyle said that love could save us but I couldn't remember who had ever loved me like that."

"It was me Maria! I tried to reach you but you wouldn't answer. Don't you know who I am?'

She shook her head. "Should I?'

Michael's heart shattered. She didn't even remember him. He had to convince her. "I'm Michael. Do you know that name?"

*****

Maria bit her tiny lip, concentrating hard. *Michael,* she thought. *Michael. Do I know a Michael?*

Nothing came to her and she almost shook her head no but she had a flash.

She was crying, completely broken, and Michael was holding her body in a shower and saying, *Oh, God Maria. I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean a word of it. I do want you, more than you could ever know. I want you more than anything I've ever wanted. I mean that, more than anything, including finding my past. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're the most important thing in my pathetic life. When I'm around you, I go crazy. I can't concentrate on anything else. I'm so sorry I said those horrible things, they were lies. I was just scared. I didn't know how to react, so I yelled. God, I need you. I love you so much*

She could feel her own shock. A rush of images and voices surrounded her head, all from their past and then her wings began to flutter and she was flying!