Inside the car, Kyle was singing loudly to himself.

“Oops, I did it again! I played with your heart, got lost in the game, oh baby, baby! Oops, you think I’m in love. That I’m sent from above, I’m not that innocent!”

Kyle bounced his head along to the tune playing in his mind, as the words flowed from his lips. To say the least, he was bored. Being granted the latest membership to the Pod Squad and also being the only complete human, he was stuck with escape car duty. Though, it wasn’t so bad other than the dreadful wait. He and his dad watched COPS all the time. He was sure he could do those speedy car tricks like the criminals. Couldn’t be that hard, could it?

Dealing with this alien business was more than Kyle expected it to be. Then again, he wasn’t sure what he expected. Just a few weeks ago he had been planning to go off to college on a basketball scholarship, never knowing little green men existed. And BAM! Not only was he surrounded by Marvin the Martian but all his little Commander K-9’s too.

Kyle knew the Pod Squad was more than surprised when he willingly accepted the group, well… after his initial freak out and mostly shock. It was sort of enthralling, the whole taking-care-of-alien-business thing. Instead of shooting endless, boring, insignificant hoops with his drinking buddies, he was Super Kyle, fighting the evil nemesis Khivar of Antar. Kyle should really have his own theme song. Or at least a cape. A really cool cape with a decorative K on the back, maybe with sequins or something.

But on the other hand, he was afraid that if he kept spending so much time with these ET guys, he might end up acquiring powers of his own. You know, by the process of osmosis. Because Maria was acting really weird with all her new, freaky powers and this dream thing.

The whole group had gathered together in Ben and Sandy’s house after deciding that hugging and crying on their front lawn wasn’t very beneficial in the plan to save Liz and Alex. That, and the fact that Adam and Michael didn’t want to kill Max in broad daylight if they didn’t have to. Sure, they knew it wasn’t really Max’s fault that Liz was in the hands of Khivar, but they needed to place blame somewhere. Max was the only logical target.

Maria, on the other hand, escaped to one of the bedrooms, effectively slamming it with all the constrained rage and despair her body possessed. Kyle resumed his position on his favorite squeaky couch.

Manika and Owen discussed their plans on the breakout of Liz and Alex to the rest of the Squad. Max sat there beside Isabel, closed off with no expression of attention or care, and Isabel clung to her brother as a lifeline. Sandy clung to Owen, excessively elated over the discovery of Owen’s status of breathing. Ben, though, stayed pretty neutral through the whole encounter.

Yet their meeting was to be cut short by a shrill cry of torture that came from Maria’s place of isolation, which caused Michael to go bolting to her side, soon followed by the rest of the Squad. Tracks of tears pursued Maria’s face, and a look of horror cast itself upon her body. A shaking calmness overpowered Maria, and nothing but a shadow of fear and constant tears streamed in her eyes.

“God, no…” Maria whispered, seemingly oblivious to her new company. “Liz… Alex… please, no…”

The mention of Liz’s name snapped Max back into place and he too knelt by Maria’s side, ignoring Michael’s eye daggers.

“Maria, what? What happened?” Maria’s haunted eyes locked onto Max’s and she grabbed his wrist aggressively.

“Go. Go get her now, before it’s too late.” Maria’s stern façade collapsed and she broke into another round of sobs, flinging herself into Michael’s arms and thoroughly soaking it.

“I saw it, I saw it,” Maria cried into Michael’s shirt.

“What did you see, Maria?” Max asked patiently, putting a consoling hand on her back while Michael tried to soothe her.

“Him. LIZ. And HIM. In my dream.”

“What? What dream? What are you saying?” Maria closed her eyes tiredly for a moment before answering Max.

“It’s the reason why Alex and I left. I had a dream that night that Liz had been captured by Khivar. She kept screaming and screaming, yelling at me to help her. I-I tried to help her, I did! I swear I did! But he stopped me.” Maria whipped around and grabbed Max by the collar. “He’s going to hurt her, he already has. He ruthless and will do anything to get that heir. But that’s not all. He’s going to hurt Alex. Max! Listen to me, go get her, now! We don’t have time on our side.”

“You saw this in another one of your dreams? Were you even asleep?” Michael asked, pulling her back into the comfort of his arms.

Maria nodded her head, adding with a muffled voice against Michael’s chest, “I crashed when I came into here. Then the dream came.” Maria let out a wailing sob. “Save her, someone, please save her.”