FLASH

As a small child, being led out of a cave, looking up to see a man

FLASH

The badge of a police officer

FLASH

A large woman with black hair and a toothy grin

FLASH

Sleeping on a park bench, feeling cold and lonely

FLASH

A black leather coat

FLASH

The alien dissection exhibit at the UFO Center, extreme feelings of fear and self-awareness

Then the flashes stopped. Max stumbled back from the door and immediately felt Liz grab his arm to steady him. “She’s here,” he whispered, feeling the familiar hum in his body begin.

“Who is she,” Liz asked as he looked down at her.

Max swallowed hard. “She’s one of us. We have to find her.”

Liz nodded and turned to reach for the door handle.

Max was quicker, pulling her back against him. She smiled just a little as he leaned down to look her in the eyes. “Are you okay with this,” he had to ask.

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Satisfied by the strength in her eyes, he turned and led the way, keeping her hand safely tucked in his own.

******

Joey turned the strange rock over and over in her hands. It was comfortingly heavy and slick. And maybe it would spring to life and tell her something if she handled it enough. Because heaven knows, nothing else had worked. Her powers couldn’t even touch it. It wouldn’t get hot, get cold, levitate or break.

Okay, trying to break it was probably the stupidest thing she had done in a while, but she was getting desperate.

The symbol on top was so familiar... and yet she couldn’t ever remember seeing anything like it before. But why would that guy have insisted she take it unless it was important?

Joey shook her head. She hated that she had just run off like that. That guy had some answers, knew something important. If only the psycho-lookin’ guy hadn’t been chasing her, she would have stayed and gotten the truth out of him. But then again, that was probably the whole reason the rock guy was there, right? He looked completely prepared to step in between the two of them... as though he expected it and was there for just that reason.

Weird.

Maybe her next step should be to go back, try and find that guy again.

A sudden noise made her entire body quiver with fear.

It had sounded close by... and it was a voice.

Someone knew she was here. They were calling for her. After a moment of fierce indecision, Joey put away the rock and forced herself from the couch in the library.

She cautiously headed toward the door. She would see them first, and then get ready to do... whatever it took to get away from them.

She gulped and froze as she heard a voice calling again, so quietly.

******

“Where is he going,” Isabel said in frustration.

“I don’t like this,“ Alex mumbled. The man had suddenly sped up. It appeared that he now had a direction, and a purpose. They had spent a long time just weaving around the town aimlessly after this guy, who appeared either lost or crazy. But now, something had changed. He turned down a very familiar road.

“Okay, if he‘s some big, bad alien hunter,” Alex eased the car forward slowly, “why is he heading for the W. Roswell? What’s he going to do, paint alien graffiti on the lockers?”

But he wasn’t turning off and W. Roswell was dead ahead. Alex shook his head in frustration. “Try calling Kyle again. Why isn’t he answering?”

They continued to creep forward, the school was still about a hundred feet away.

“Now, it’s busy,” Isabel huffed. Suddenly, she grabbed Alex’s arm.

“That’s Max’s Jeep!”

Alex followed her gaze to the parking lot and felt his heart sink.

Great.

Max and Liz were inside.

“At least now we know we know why he’s here,” Alex said quietly.

******

“We know who you are and we want to help you,” Max whispered as loud as possible in the darkened hallway.

The sound echoed slightly and Liz shivered a bit. Without the warm, noisy student bodies there, the school was a dark, dead shell of itself. She pressed into Max even closer, eyeing each dark doorway as they passed.

They were trying to look as much unlike alien hunters as possible. But who knew what this girl was thinking, or if she was even alone. The sudden thought gripped Liz and she stopped in her tracks. They could be facing an unknown quantity here...

Max was looking at her with concern, but she just shook her head and began walking again. Maybe if they put a few feelers out for power, or body heat... could they do that? Liz decided to try. She closed her eyes as they moved forward and sent her mind outwards. Max tightened his grip on her hand in mute approval. Then it happened. An echo of her thoughts came back to her. From behind them. She yanked Max to a halt and whirled around. There she was, the girl, standing in the shadows of the hallway, turned halfway to the side as though she might bolt at any second. Liz let out her breath slowly.

“What did you just do,” the girl gestured at Liz. “What was that? I felt it.”

Liz looked up at Max quickly and saw his guarded expression, but she decided to go with the truth. “I’m not sure what it was. I’ve never done it before. But you felt it?”

“Yeah. What are you,” she asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

But Liz couldn’t answer that question directly. Not ever. Max stayed silent beside her. “The same as you.”

A long silence ensued. Liz tried to peer through the semi-darkness, but it was impossible to really see her at this distance.

“It’s okay,” Max finally ventured, taking a step forward. “We’re just here to help, if you need it.”

A small gasp from across the hall made Liz’s skin tingle with excitement. The girl had just seen Max and was walking forward in response. She had to know who they were now.

Her steps were slow and cautious as she came closer, crossing into a sudden pool of moonlight. It was Liz’s turn to gasp. Max’s hand was squeezing hers so tightly that the blood was pounding. But she didn’t care.

Liz studied the girl as she continued to walk toward them, seemingly drawn to Max despite her fears.

Jet black curls held back from a pale face, marked by a straight nose, slightly down-turned mouth and the most beautiful eyes Liz had ever seen... on a girl, that is. Large and expressive, thickly-lashed and round with amazement at the moment... she was a thinner, more feminine version of Max... just like Kyle had said.

Liz stepped to the side and looked from one to the other as the girl came to a halt in front of Max. They were so close, they could reach out and touch each other. But they didn’t.

“I’m Joey. Who are you,” she said, this time to Max.

“Max. I think... I may be your brother,” his voice was choked with emotion, but a smile was hovering around his mouth.

Joey smiled in return, but Liz could see the tears threatening to spill over. Without even looking at him, Liz knew Max would embrace Joey and help her. He was so kind that way.

But before Max could make a move, Joey froze in place. She looked terrified as she stared at Max.

What? Liz looked over at Max and then past him, where Joey’s gaze was riveted. Fear slammed into her.

A man was walking down the hallway, dark hair flipped down over his fierce eyes... and his hands were glowing.

******

Alex knew he was going to lose this fight before it even began, but he held on to Isabel, anyway.

“Alex, I’m going in,” Isabel shoved at him, forcing him to let go of her arm. “Max is in there. He needs me.”

“Isabel,” Alex whispered fiercely as she took off across the schoolyard. “I need you, too. Aw, god- Iz!”

She didn’t even look back as she started to run toward the building.

To face the alien hunter.

And he- he was standing in the parking lot. Uh-huh, Alex shook his head. This is not happening. He groaned.

He, Alex Whitman, was going to have to walk into that school and fight for his woman or be marked for life as a total wuss.

“Alright, alright. I’d probably look good with a scorched handprint on my chest,” he decided out loud as he headed across the schoolyard. “It’s got to be better than a chicken tattoo.”

Isabel disappeared into the building and Alex sped up to catch her.

“Alex,” came a shout from behind him.

He whipped around to see Michael screeching his motorcycle to a halt in the parking lot. “About time you showed up,” Alex called, still glad for a reason to stop, in an admitted cowardly way.

Man, at this rate he was going to use up all his wussy lifelines before they even met Mr. Predator.

“Don’t go in there,” Michael yelled as he stumbled off the seat and tried to put down the kick stand. One try, two tries, a mumbled curse and a slamming kick to the bike finally worked. Alex wiped the smile off his face as Michael lurched toward him and yelled, “He’s in there, one of the hunters. Liz is freakin‘ out.”

The thought made Alex suddenly angry. He turned back to face the school. “Right. Then that’s where I want to be.”

******

Joey started moving backwards without conscious thought.

It was him, the man at the train station who had been fighting to get to her. She had somehow managed to convince herself that he might just be some normal guy who had been late for the train. But oh god, there was no mistaking the malevolence in that face. And he was only about ten feet away!

“Max, run,” Joey said sharply and grabbed the girl’s arm, urging her to flee. They ran a few steps before she realized Max had stayed behind. She whirled to see Max standing in between them and the man like some sort of bodyguard.

“MAX,” the girl screamed and started to run back. Then the man just sort of blurred into nothingness. Joey gasped. One second he was there, heading right for Max, and then he was gone.

The girl slammed to a halt and turned to Joey. “He’s an alien hunter. He could be anywhere.”

Alien hunter? But-

“Max, Liz,” came a shout from down the hall. Another girl, a tall, curvy blonde came running towards them.

Where did she come from? “Did you see him?”

“Isabel, get out of here,” Max said tersely and headed for her. Then he stopped and looked back at Joey and the girl, Liz. He was obviously torn, trying to protect everyone. “We need to form a connection. That’s the only way we’ll-”

Joey felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

“Joey,” Liz screamed.

Then the hand burned and pain unlike anything she had ever felt before ripped through her body.

******

Max launched himself forward as soon as the man materialized behind Joey, but he was too late to stop the connection from forming. By the time he took the several steps to get to her, she was already frozen and slack-jawed.

The hunter was in.

“Max, connect with her,” Liz pressed him urgently. “You can help her fight. When Michael gets here, we’ll come help.”

Max looked at her and nodded. “Max,” he heard Liz scream. Then he was flying through the air, his mind frantically trying to make sense of the feeling.

He landed hard on the floor, dazed and unable to do anything but lay there as wave after wave of pain slid over his body. He was paralyzed.

******

Liz watched Max hit the ground and saw Isabel run over to him. She was barely able to breathe until Isabel looked up and nodded that he was okay. Liz took a deep breath.

She wanted to go to him, but someone had to help Joey.

Isabel will heal Max, she told herself, he’ll be fine.

But it took every ounce of willpower to turn and face the young girl and her attacker. The memory of the fight with Doug was still fresh and she had just seen evidence of his superior power. Liz found herself hesitating as she reached out to Joey, unable to look away from the hazel eyes frozen open in terror. They were so much like Max’s, and the anger she felt at the hunter gave her sudden strength. She grasped Joey’s arm, immediately closing her eyes. They were both aliens; it should be easy to connect. Liz tried to relax and reach out to Joey with her mind. But just as she felt a ripple of awareness, a sudden jolt of electricity threw her back, hard enough to slam her against the lockers.

Liz gasped for breath as she slid to the floor, but had only a moment to process it before he turned to look at her. His wild, dark hair fell forward over his piercing blue eyes. They were filled with hate... Liz was scrambling to her feet in an instant, power flooding through her in anticipation of a fight. Without enough time, she’d never-

With a loud roar, blinding light enveloped her, pressing in against the barely-generated shield of power Liz had managed to put up. His attack forced her back against the lockers slowly.

It was crushing her, and she turned her face away as the coolness of it began to touch her cheeks. It was so close...

“Isabel,” Liz finally managed to scream and then it broke through and she was flooded with light and she couldn’t look away. It was beautiful... so achingly beautiful, so bright... too bright... It flooded into her eyeballs and down into her body, cooling everything it touched.

She was cold. Too cold.

Her body was shutting down... from the inside out.

******

Michael suddenly collapsed to his knees inside the doorframe, completely blocking the way.

“Uh, Michael...” Alex goaded him a bit in his frustration. “The way this works is... you walk through the door, then we go stop the bad alien.” If they were going to be suicidal, Alex at least wanted to be in on the whole long, drawn-out process of it.

But Michael didn’t move.

“To re-cap,” Alex said tensely. “Through the door, stop the alien.”

“Isabel,” Alex heard Liz scream.

“Michael,” he said forcefully, finding lower registers in his voice to express his terror. “Get the hell out of the way.”

But Michael was jerking and holding his hands over his eyes.

Oh, god, Alex suddenly realized. That’s coming from Liz.

Great. So, she’s feeling *that.*

Alex brushed at an eyebrow and paused before shoving Michael completely out of the way. Then it hit him. Liz needed Michael. They could help each other.

Alex turned and had Michael up in a heartbeat. He ignored his groans and propelled him forward to what looked like a dark, strangely silent battleground. Max was down, and Isabel was over him, as still as Alex had ever seen her. Was she okay? Liz was past them, up against the wall in a shrinking ball of pain. And across from her, at the other end of a mean-looking stream of energy, was the hunter he recognized attached to a girl he didn’t. By this time, he had pushed and limped and somehow managed to get himself and Michael over to Liz.

Then he hesitated. They were both catatonic at this point.

He threw Michael down beside Liz, hoping they could help each other. Then he circled back around the alien hunter, trying to avoid looking directly at the blinding beam that looked like it might be killing one of his best friends.

Because everyone knows you never look directly into the center of an evil alien’s power blast.

Or was that a solar eclipse?

Guffaw.

At least luck was on his side. So far, Mork from Ork was completely ignoring the little powerless human who had now moved behind him.

Good alien... nice alien...

Alex looked around the hallway and spotted a fire hose.

Oh yeah, baby.

He grabbed the stupid little hammer and slammed it into the glass. Shards scattered all around the floor. Alex grabbed the end of the hose and pulled out a few kinks.

Man, how old is this thing, he wrinkled his nose at the dank smell of it and then studied the contraption. Finally, he grabbed the wheel at the top of the faucet-thing. He looked up to find his target and aimed for Mr. Sunshine.

“Here goes somethin’...”

He turned the wheel and grabbed the hose with both hands.

Nothing happened.

Then a sound like a mating whale came vibrating from underneath the floor. Alex looked down and over at the wall nervously. It sounded like the pipes might have a better chance of doing the nasty with Shamu than carrying water to the hose.

Great. His eyes automatically went to Liz and Michael, just one big pile of pained bodies. “Come on,” he prayed to Anyone listening. “Come on, please. They don’t deserve this. Just give me a little water... please?“