"Wait a second. We can't have you walking around looking like that. You'll draw too much attention."

Atherton's face was pretty battered from their confrontation yesterday.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now, is there?" Atherton asked sarcastically.

"Probably not, but you're not me." Mr. Skinny waved a hand in front of the human's face slowly.

Suddenly, his face felt completely normal. In shock, he pulled the rearview mirror around and looked into it. There was no evidence left on his face of the fight. Disbelieving what his eyes were telling him, he brought his hand up to touch skin that until a second ago was painfully discolored. He was completely healed. "What... How did you..."

"How do you think? What did you think this was about all this time? What, did you think we were government agents, or something?" Atherton just sat there with his mouth hanging open. "Read your book by the way. It was highly entertaining. I couldn't stop laughing. Where ever did you get your ideas? I especially like the part where you said that... what was it? 'Aliens had neither the lung capacity nor the brain capacity to survive here on Earth'. Very funny."

"Come on, let's go." Bubba had already climbed down.

With shaking fingers, Atherton was barely able to get his door open. He stumbled out of the RV and walked on shaking legs over to the first person he saw. "Excuse me, but do you know where I can find..."

"Go away! You're not welcome here."

"What?"

"I remember you. You came here years ago, and told us you were going to write a book about our tribe. We welcomed you, and in return you betrayed our people." It was Fire Shadow.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Look, I need..." he didn't get to finish.

Riverdog's father spat on the ground between Atherton's feet and walked away.

"Who was that? Is he the one?"

"No. Let me go ask someone else."

Atherton stepped into the small village store. Within a minute, he stepped back out again. "Come on," he said climbing back into the RV.

"Now where are we going?"

"You better not be trying to pull anything."

"He's back in town," was all that Atherton would say.

They climbed back into the RV and returned to Roswell. On Main Street, they pulled up and got out. Atherton didn't know where Riverdog might be in town, but he figured the stores along the strip were the best place to start.

Fifteen minutes later, Atherton had just entered the town's only diner when the door slammed shut behind him. The two aliens at his heels were immediately locked out. He didn't have anytime to react to this before a man he instantly recognized stepped out from the kitchen. "Well, well, who would have thought? I could have sworn that you were smarter than that, Jim. What are you doing here?" It was Nasedo.

His tone seemed almost friendly. Atherton wasn't sure what to think. Mr. Skinny and Bubba were banging on the door, trying to get inside. Somehow, without appearing to try, Nasedo was using his powers to hold it closed.

The alien grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the kitchen of the restaurant and out the back door. When they were standing in the alley behind the restaurant he was released. Atherton took a step back. "Nasedo, those men are looking for you," Atherton warned him.

"And it was so good of you to lead them right to me."

"No, no. I was..." He couldn't think up a lie fast enough.

Nasedo didn't have time for whatever stories the man was concocting. "Where is the stuff you took from my cave on the reservation?"

"They... they have the scrolls."

"And the rest?" Nasedo snapped out.

"I'll take you to it. I was going to give it back..."

"Yeah, I just bet you were."

All of a sudden, they heard footsteps running toward them. Nasedo got in his face and demanded, "Tell me what you've done with the Sword."

"Sword?" Atherton was completely confused. "What sword? I don't have any sword."

"The bracelet, you idiot! Tell me where it is! Now."

"I'll tell you if you let me go. I'll take you right to it, I swear."

"No. This isn't negotiable. Tell me right now."

Atherton wasn't about to give up his only chance of getting out of this alive. "No. First, you release me. Then I'll talk."

Over Nasedo's shoulder, he saw the two other aliens turn into the alleyway. They had some distance to cover, but were quickly approaching. Behind them, there was a young man tall in stature with long dark hair. Riverdog.

"Release me!" Atherton cried.

"As you wish." Nasedo put his hand on his chest. Suddenly there was a burning pain that eclipsed anything he'd ever felt. As he breathed his last breath, he heard Nasedo say, "Consider yourself released."

The screen in front of them went blank. Isabel jumped to her feet. "Oh my god, Alex, he's dead!"

"Of course, I'm dead." Atherton's ghost said from behind them. Isabel jumped to her feet.

"You're not getting Alex." Isabel said.

"You can't stop me now. He's already mine."

Isabel looked to where Alex had been sitting next to her on the sofa. Alex was sitting ridgidly, staring straight ahead. "Alex?" He didn't respond.

Isabel was panicked. How could she have let this happen? The voice that she'd heard earlier had warned her what would happen if Atherton finished pouring all of his memories into Alex's subconscious. Isabel had been so mesmerized by the events taking place on the screen that she had completely forgotten the danger that Alex was in. It was too late. She didn't know how to fight a ghost intent on possessing Alex's body. "Alex, I am so sorry."

"Isabel, it's not too late. You can still save him." It was the same, sweet voice that had warned her that Alex was in danger. Whoever it was was speaking directly into her mind.

"How?" she thought back.

"The Sword. He's told you how to get it. Use it. It will make you more powerful than he is."

"How?" Isabel was scared.

"You will know. Hurry. Alex's time grows short." Isabel shot a look to Alex's stiff body on the sofa of his mind. "I'll stay with him and help as much as I can, but there is only so much I can do. Hurry." The soft voice urged again.

Isabel broke the connection that she had created between her mind and Alex's, and for the first time in many hours returned to her own body. She opened her eyes and sat up. Michael was leaning over her looking worried, as was Maria. They each were holding one of the Healing Stones. They hadn't known what was wrong with her, but they figured that the Stones could fix whatever it was that was keeping her from responding to them for so long. It was due to the energy provided by the Healing Stones that she had been able to sustain the dream-walk for so long. It was like being plugged in to an unending energy source. A combination of the Stones and Michael and Maria's energy coming through the stones sustained her connection with Alex's subconscious.

Michael asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, but we're running out of time to save Alex." Isabel stood and walked quickly toward the stairs that led to the main floor of the house.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" Maria's worried eyes went to Alex's still form. Up until a few minutes ago he'd been twitching and jerking around. This sudden stillness was frightening.

"Atherton's ghost is trying to possess him." From behind the support beams of the steps, Isabel withdrew a metal rod that was approximately three feet in length.

"What? How" Michael asked.

"I don't know how. All I know is that we have to stop him."

"How do we do that?" Maria wanted to know. She would do anything if it meant saving her friend.

Isabel dragged a chair underneath the two touch plates that were located on the rafters. Climbing up on it, she positioned the rod so that it fit perfectly between the two metal plates. She looked down to where the panel was supposed to open. Nothing had happened. She turned the rod around the other way, and reinserted it. This time, the panel popped open just as she had seen it work for Atherton in the dream-walk.

"How did you..." Michael began to ask.

"It's a long story," she said as she climbed down from the chair. Wasting no time, she reached past several cobwebs, and grabbed the sack from where Atherton had secreted it over forty years earlier.

She reached inside and her fingers instantly found the cold surface of the Sword. The large bracelet began to glow even as she removed it from the sack. She put it on over her right wrist, and the alien metal reshaped itself for a snugger fit.

As soon as she felt it vibrating against her skin, she understood its power and function. The Sword's purpose was to magnify and amplify her own powers. Whoever was wearing the bracelet became a powerful weapon: like a sword. That was how it had gotten its name. Feeling the power swelling inside of her, more than she'd ever felt before, she felt invincible, unstoppable. It was a heady sensation. Both Michael and Maria stepped clear out of her way as she approached Alex's still form. She knelt down, and laid her left hand against his chest, and slipped her right hand behind his neck. She fed some of the power from the Sword into him in tiny increments to give him strength for what was coming.

"Alex. Open your eyes." When he didn't respond right away, she doubled the flow of energy that was entering his body. "Alex."

This time, his eyes opened without being asked. Isabel instantly created a connection between them, and looked deep inside of him.

Atherton's spirit was easy to find in Alex's subconscious. Using her mind, she focused on his form, and sent a wave of negative energy at him. It was something she'd never done before, had never even considered was possible, but without questioning it, she knew that this was the way to remove the spirit from Alex's mind and body.

She needed to be careful, because the negative energy would damage Alex as well as the ghost if she missed or if it spilled over, but the Sword was able to pinpoint its target. Narrowing her eyes, she sent another burst of dark energy at Atherton. Suddenly, he disappeared.

Fearing total annihilation, he released his hold on the human. Maria screamed, alerting Isabel that the ghost had materialized somewhere else in the room. Isabel broke the connection between herself and Alex, stood and turned around.

Atherton's ghost was standing on the other side of the table. He read his destruction in her eyes, and put his hands up, but it was too little, too late. Isabel raised her right hand and let him have it full force. The ghost didn't stand a chance, and dissipated into nothingness. Finally, after forty years, they fulfilled Nasedo's promise, and he was released from his earthly bonds.

Isabel blinked, and looked down at the bracelet that was on her wrist. Quickly, she removed it, and set it on the table, not wanting to prolong the contact. The amount power the Sword generated was seductive. Something like that in the wrong hands... She shivered. They would have to make sure that the Sword was kept well hidden.

Maria was helping Alex to his feet. "Alex, are you ok?"

Isabel rushed over to him.

"Yeah, I think so." He looked at Isabel, and said, "That was weird. Were you there, too, or did I dream you?"

"No, I was there for the end."

"Wild wasn't it." He seemed not to be suffering any side effects from his near-possession.

"Tell you what," she said, "As interesting as watching Atherton's life story was, next time I get to pick the movie."

He hugged her to him and said, "We never did get around to watching 'Notting Hill'."