Maria nodded, "We've got to get out of here, somewhere safe."

Sheriff Valenti knew of a place, "I know somewhere safe. It's an old silver mine in Galinas off Horseshoe Road. If we make it there, it will buy some time."

"How much time? I know from experience that the Special Unit is everywhere," Maria questioned not knowing if they should trust the Sheriff.

"Well then we should split up and make it harder for them to follow," he suggested.

Liz rushed over to Max who looked completely tired and defeated. "Max are you alright?"

Maria helped Michael put Max in Liz's jetta when Tess came over to her, "Where's Nasedo?"

Maria hesitated to tell her, by then Michael took her by the hand and practically dragged her to the jeep with Tess following. "Just get in the jeep," he commanded her, because they had to get out of there fast.

Maria made Tess sit between her and Alex as they piled into the jeep. "Is Max going to be okay?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"He'll be fine," Maria told her.

Tess asked, Maria I want the truth, where's Nasedo? Why didn't he come out with you?"

Maria didn't want to tell her, but she knew Tess needed to know, "He said he had something else to do, so he told to go without him."

Tess grew wide-eyed, "And so you left him there. How could you leave Nasedo there?"

"It's not like I wanted to Tessie, but it was the only way to save Max," Maria defended.

Michael didn't like the way Tess was being towards Maria, "Listen he might not have made it alright? We heard gunshots."

Tess shook her head, "Michael, listen to me. We have to turn around. We have to go to the pod chamber. Maria you remember what Nasedo said."

"What are you talking about?" Michael demanded.

Tess explained, "Nasedo told us that if anything ever happened to him to go to the pod chamber."

"But Tess the situation isn't about Nasedo it's about getting you, Max, Michael, and Isabel away from the Special Unit," Maria pointed out.

"Maria's right, besides what are we supposed to do? Just go there and wait? How will anyone know where we are?" Isabel challenged.

"Max will know. He'll find us," Tess reassured.

"Tess there are other people involved now. We can't let anything happen to them," Maria told her.

Alex intervened, "No, look, we said we'd meet at Galinas. If we don't go now, we may never see them again."

Isabel nodded, "Alex is right, we don't do anything without everyone."

Tess looked at Maria for assistance, "Nasedo is our protector, and without him we have nothing. Michael I'm telling you, turning around. Our lives depend on it. Everything depends on it."

Michael exploded with frustration, as he drove the jeep, "No we are not leaving anyone behind anymore. All right? We're going to the mine."

"Tessie, don't worry everything will work out the way is should, you'll see," Maria reassured her even though hers and Liz's feelings may be crushed at the end.

*****************

"Where's Max and Liz?" Michael demanded when he found only the sheriff at the silver mine.

Valenti replied, "They're not here yet."

Isabel looked really worried, "I don't understand we took the long way. They should have gotten here before us."

"It'll be light in an hour and they're still out there," Michael declared.

"I'm going back and retrace the route," Valenti decided before he left the mine.

Michael confirmed, "I'm going with you, you may need me."

Valenti ordered the rest of them; "The rest of you wait here. Don't make a move without us."

"Michael, wait!" Maria called after him. "Maybe I should come with you guys you know for extra firepower."

"The Special Unit could be lurking around and I think it would be better if you stayed here with Isabel and Tess. I'll be back with them soon. Don't worry," Michael reassured her by briefly stroking her cheek.

"Be careful," she told him as they left the mine.

"We shouldn't be here," Tess paced back and forth.

Isabel said, "Tess we don 't know what condition Nasedo's in he might not even be able to get to the pod chamber. Besides it's better if we stay together."

"Isabel's right we'll be stronger as a group. We just have to hope we'll meet up with Nasedo later," Maria put a sympathizing hand on her shoulder.

"I hope you're right Maria, because our destiny is in jeopardy right now," Tess concluded.

Isabel waited in nervous anticipation for the half-hour hoping Valenti and Michael would return with Max and Liz.

"They should be back by now," Isabel told Alex.

Alex wrapped her in his arms, "Don't worry they'll be here I know it."

Maria waited by the stairs in front of the entrance for Michael's return when Tess came and sat beside her. "How you holding up Tessie?"

"I've been better," Tess gave her a weak smile.

Maria stared at her hands, "I didn't think it would be like this. I actually believed that we could be normal for once in our lives."

"Normal…that's a category I don't think we'll ever fit in," Tess leaned her head against Maria's shoulder.

"Michael!" Isabel announced when he appeared in the entrance. Maria and Tess quickly stood up just as Liz appeared.

"Where's Max?" Tess questioned.

Michael gave Maria a relieved look as he answered, "He's outside talking with Valenti."

"Are you okay Liz?" Maria asked her.

Liz nodded, "It's been hell, but we're alive."

"The Special Unit seems to be everywhere they were chasing Max and Liz when we found them," Michael started to explain.

"What did you do?" Maria asked.

"I used my firepower," Michael told her.

Tess jumped in, "I thought you didn't know how to use your powers."

Michael continued, "I don't know how I did it. I don't even know what I was trying to do. It just happened."

Tess delivered the news; "It's just your own energy, Michael and how you focus it. That was what Nasedo was trying to teach you."

Isabel was soaking all this information in when she realized, "So you did this in front of Valenti?"

Michael nodded his head; "Well I couldn't let them get caught."

"This changes everything," Isabel nervously played with her necklace.

Michael ran his hand apprehensively through his hair, "Yeah, don't you think I know that?"

Alex chimed in, "So what is Valenti going to do? What are we all going to do?"

Max came inside, and no one wanted to point out that he looked like hell, "We are going to think this through, and we're not going to panic."

Isabel couldn't believe it, "So you think we should trust Valenti?"

"We have no choice," Max told her.

Tess disagreed and declared, "Yes we do. We can go to the chamber and be safe, just the five of us. Nasedo will rescue us, and Pierce doesn't want the rest of you."

"Well, Nasedo isn't here, and Pierce will do anything to anybody if he thinks he can get to us. I don't want anyone else to go through what I had to go through," Max explained.

Michael pointed out; "Well we sure as hell can't stay here the rest of our lives."

"What do you mean?" Isabel questioned. "Leave Roswell for good?"

"Maybe Tess is right. If the five of us leave, maybe the rest of you could…" Michael started.

Maria interrupted, "You don't get it Michael. Your problems won't just go away because you leave Roswell. I know because I've lived through it my whole life."

"So where do we go?" he asked.

"We're not going anywhere. We're taking our lives back," Max declared and Maria admired him for that.

"And how do we do that?" Isabel asked her brother.

Max didn't answer. "Then we have to run," she concluded.

"No, Maria's right, if we run then Pierce will just keep hunting us and there's no coming back. Are you willing to leave and never see home again?" Isabel shook her head. "Then we have to fight."

"Fight the most elite unit in the FBI," Alex pointed out.

"Who by the way knows now who we are and everything about us," Isabel began to feel sick to her stomach.