That was the only thing Kyle could make sense out of for several minutes.

He couldn’t even open his eyes. They felt heavy as lead and he just wanted to go back to sleep. Well, except for the ringing ache in his head, and the numbness taking over his brain, both of which made him frantic to run a few miles to clear it all out.

But his legs were stuck. And so were his arms. Whoa. They weren’t numb; he knew they weren’t. They just wouldn’t move.

Kyle struggled and finally got his eyes open. He found himself immediately squinting against the bright light trained on him. It was so familiar... oh yeah, it reminded him of the operation he’d had on his knee a few years back. His eyes gradually adjusted and he looked around in amazement.

It looked a whole lot like the operating room he remembered, only it had bleachers up above the walls. Like some freaky nightmare where someone nasty opens you up and shows the home crowd exactly what your gut looks like.

The groaning was getting louder and Kyle tried to turn his head to see who it was. No good. Something was digging into his neck when he turned his head, holding it flat against the table.

A cold, metal table, he suddenly realized. And that- that was a restraint around his neck... and his arms... and his legs.

Cold fear hit Kyle like a physical blow. He couldn’t move. He was helpless. Like that alien in the display at the UFO Center.

Helpless and just waiting to be opened up.

Oh, god.

Just then, the door opened- no, it slid open and three men came in. Kyle could see nothing but figures in the darkness beyond the light, but he heard their low voices.

“...awake now but...”

“...should know something...”

“..ready. Phase two...”

Then a tall, thin man stepped into the light. He was wearing a suit and his black hair was combed over the balding spot on his head. His piercing black eyes held Kyle’s gaze with a fierce casualness that was pretty damn scary.

Or was it just the plastic gloves he was putting on that made Kyle want to puke?

Kyle swallowed, feeling cold metal against his Adam’s apple.

“So tell me, Mr. Valenti, what do you know about Liz Parker?”

Kyle knew that his face was registering complete shock, because only one thing was going through his mind: they know about Liz.

Not Liz. Oh, sh*t.

Stall. Lie. Play it off, Valenti.

“Liz Parker,” he finally with a hopefully convincing grin. “Well, the one thing I know for sure about her is that she’s taken. Getting married tomorrow, as a matter of fact. But isn’t she a tad young for you? I mean, there’s plenty of fresh meat over at the Shady Oaks retirement home, if you know what I mean.” Kyle saw a glint of fire in the man’s cold eyes and smirked. “Yeah, and I think comb-overs are actually considered a turn-on there. So you’d be set.”

Too far, Kyle registered right before the plastic-covered hand grasped his hair and ripped it back. He felt like his scalp might be pulled off if the grip was any tighter.

“Who do you think you’re talking to, huh? I should probably remind you that Daddy isn’t here to save your butt, so I think you’d better shut up and cooperate. Surely Daddy has mentioned some of the horrible things bad people do to good little boys like you when they don’t cooperate.”

At that moment, Kyle felt his desperate hope deflate. Sounded like they were willing to kill him if he didn’t talk and he wasn’t going to tell them sh*t.

Stand-off.

And he’d be willing to bet that the guy strapped to the table always loses in a stand-off.

“Now, let’s start over,” the painful grip was released and Kyle fought to keep sudden tears out of his eyes. That had hurt like hell. “Mr. Valenti, let me show you a video taken just earlier tonight. Maybe that will show you what we‘re looking for from you.”

Kyle sucked in a slow breath, wondering which of his alien friends had been stupid enough to show off their powers in front of an FBI agent. But the video screen they rolled forward showed Larry Trilling bound to a similar table in the same room. Of course, the groaning he’d heard earlier...

In the tape, the same evil genius was standing over Larry. The camera started zooming in until Trilling’s ugly, anxious face was the only thing on the screen.

“You think I‘m a crackpot, like everyone else,” he said. “I’m telling you I had proof in my hands that Max Evans is an alien.”

Kyle bit back the curses and schooled his expression to be one of disbelief.

Larry continued in a pleading voice. “But they found out I knew somehow. They’ve been threatening me and following me.”

Kyle’s eyes darted around nervously as he felt himself enter the equation suddenly. He had been the one following Larry...

“Why would they follow you,” the cold voice came from off camera.

“Because I know something has happened, something they didn’t expect. Something no one would believe,” Larry’s eyes lit up with fearful glee. “Liz Parker has become one of them.”

Kyle felt his blood run cold.

“Really,” the voice remained dispassionate. “How interesting. And what makes you think that?”

“Her mother said something once,” Larry jumped in with a desperate air. He‘d obviously expected more excitement over his revelation. “It was just a slip she made, but I knew what it meant. I was telling them how dangerous Max was to her daughter, the unknown quantity of people he’s murdered, the disappearances he’s been responsible for-”

“Yes, please get on with it.”

“Well, she caught on, I knew, because she looked terrified. It took her almost a minute, but she finally asked me, ‘Is it possible for him to... change someone, infect them somehow so that they become... what he is?‘ I stared at her a moment and said I didn’t think so. But then it hit me, she was scared for her daughter, Liz Parker, because they were an item. ‘Is Liz okay,‘ I asked her. And she jumped up from the table, her face guilty as hell. She shouldn’t have asked it because it was dangerous and she knew it. But it was too late. It was written all over her face. Liz is an alien, too.“

Kyle closed his eyes in defeat. They knew everything. There was nothing left to say.

“That’s a sizeable leap there, Mr. Trilling-”

The video was cut off and Kyle found himself the center of attention again.

He forced himself to look cheery. “You guys are buying that? He’s had a few conversations with her mother and suddenly he knows everything? The guy lives in cartoonland. If you want to know anything about Liz Parker in the real world, you ask me. I can tell you.”

“We’re listening,” the cold eyes came closer.

“Well, for one thing, she’s a good lay, but she’s not out-of-this-world, if you know what I mean.”

The hand was back at his scalp. “You’ve had sex with Liz Parker?”

“Yeah,” he grinned cockily despite the pain. “It’s not too bad. Apparently, her fiance ain’t all that or whatever, which doesn’t surprise me in the least-”

The man leaned in closer. “You’re telling me that she is having sexual relations with you and Max Evans simultaneously?”

Kyle felt the control of the conversation leaking out quickly. “Yeah.“ This was supposed to prove her humanness... What was the guy thinking?

“On the contrary, Mr. Valenti,” the man released him and turned his back on Kyle. “What you say is quite impossible. If she were to have relations with Max Evans, she would die- unless Mr. Trilling’s story is true and she is an alien herself now. On the other hand, if she has become one of them and is currently having sex with you,” he turned with an icy smile. “Then you would not be alive to tell the tale. So you are lying... I would wager on both accounts.”

Kyle cursed himself roundly. Too stupid to talk her out of this. Too damn stupid. So he figured he might as well come clean. “Alright, alright. She’s nobody’s hobby horse. But she’s not an alien, either. You have to believe me. I’ve known her almost my whole life-”

But they weren’t listening. “Hutchins- the Translator.”

Kyle felt fear overtake him at the sudden flurry of action. He knew what was coming next. The same thing that had reduced Larry to a groaning pile of bones next to him.

“Mr. Valenti, we think you know more than you’re telling. You’ve been tailing Mr. Trilling for a while now, possibly in the interest of Miss Parker, hmmm?”

But Kyle’s eyes were fixed on what had been loosely referred to as the Translator. It was a big machine with several attachments on either side, all looking painfully invasive and a bit too sharp for Kyle’s taste. One of the men came over and ripped open his shirt and began taping small plastic discs to his abs and pecs. The long wires ran back into the machine.

He could feel the pain already. His breathing was erratic and he started to sweat.

Focus, Valenti. You can handle this. You can handle pain.

“So we’ll start with a basic question, like is Liz Parker an alien?“

What? No warm-ups first?

Kyle met the guy’s eyes with fierce determination. “No, she’s not.“

“Fine, level one, please.“

The machine started to whine. Kyle’s mind automatically clicked into game-day mode and the chant he said before every game began to run through his head.

I AM IN CONTROL.

I RUN THE FIELD.

I OWN THE BALL. The whine was louder... but no pain yet.

I RISK THE PAIN.

I TAKE THE FALL.

THE PAIN IS WORTH IT.

ALL FOR THE BALL.

Pain shot through his torso and he gritted his teeth.

ALL FOR THE GAME.

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL.

Vibrations were tearing through every muscle as he repeated the mantra.

I AM IN CONTROL.

I RUN THE FIELD.

I OWN THE BALL. He cramped until he couldn’t breathe.

I AM IN CONTROL.

I RUN THE FIELD.

I OWN THE BALL.

And then there was relief. He took in deep, gasping breaths but kept his mind trained on his focusing point.

I RISK THE PAIN.

“Tell us the truth about Liz Parker.”

No.

“Level two.”