Back in Roswell, the group had assembled at Michael’s apartment to plot out a plan of attack. Not having too much to go on, they just decided to take off and drive to Eagle Rock and wing it. They took three cars, Max, Liz, Isabel, and Michael in the Jeep, Alex and Maria in the Jetta, and Tess, Kyle, and Sheriff Valenti in the Sheriff’s SUV. It was about an hour up to Eagle Rock from the center of Roswell, so they had some time to kill. Alex and Maria were both particularly glum. Maria started to talk.

MARIA: Alex, Alex, wake up! If you were any quieter, you’d be dead.

ALEX: Sorry, just thinking.

MARIA: So what about you and Isabel? You two wouldn’t even look at each other back at the apartment.

ALEX: I really, really, don’t want to talk about it.

MARIA: Come on, we have to have this conversation. I know full well what you’re dealing with. We can help each other.

ALEX: It’s just that Isabel is being unreasonable.

MARIA: I know the feeling. Michael is being the same way. Even I know that he wants to be with me, but he won’t let himself, you know. It’s just completely agonizing.

ALEX: She told me today at the Crash that I can’t understand what they are, what they’re going through. I mean, how can I respond to that?

MARIA: But why should that matter? Everyone’s different, they’re just a little, more different, that’s all.

ALEX: I mean, we’re all a part of this now. Back when we got Max out the last time, I thought that they needed to do this alone, you know, I agreed with her. But then, she came back to me. I completely didn’t expect that, but the letter, we’re all in danger. It’s not just about the four of them anymore. It’s about all of us. I’m really trying to be understanding, but why should it matter?

MARIA: You’re preaching to the choir…I know what I want, you know what you want. We just have to work to convince both of them that they’re being foolish.

ALEX: But I can’t help thinking about what they learned that day at the cave, about how they are supposed to be the ones that are together, Isabel and Michael.

MARIA: Please, I’d prefer not to think about that. Besides, I have confidence, Michael’s going to wake up, and it’s going to be soon.

ALEX: I hope so, for your sake as well as his.

MARIA: Alex, what a nice thing to say.

ALEX: It’s true. If you can both get past this, it will be better for both of you.

MARIA: The same for you and Isabel, the same…wait, we’re here.

The group arrived at Eagle Rock to find that the hole in the fence that they had opened last time was still wide open and unfixed. That was surprising. As they piled out of their cars, none of them saw anyone. In fact, the whole place looked deserted.

MAX: So, what do we do now?

MICHAEL: We go in.

SHERIFF: Wait a minute, Michael. They could have any number of hidden guards, sensors, and other things around. Maybe this is a trap.

MICHAEL: We haven’t come here to be scared by that. If we were worried about that, we shouldn’t have even bothered.

SHERIFF: I know.

MARIA: Well then, what are we waiting for?

Maria walked through the fence.

MAX: Kyle, why don’t you stay here? Liz, give him your cell…if we get in trouble, or Kyle, if you see something, just give us a call.

LIZ: Sure, Max.

KYLE: Yeah…I’d rather wait outside anyway.

Kyle had an odd smirk on his face. He didn’t really want to go in there. It scared him in a way that nothing had scared him before.

SHERIFF: I’ll stay with him. If we need to call in the National Guard, I can do it.

MAX: I don’t know if that will be the case, but that’s probably a good idea.

Michael followed Maria through the fence, and then the rest of them entered. They didn’t see anything or anyone. With Michael in the lead, they got to the front door of the compound.

MARIA: Wait, shouldn’t we try and find another way in, some other way than the front door?

ALEX: That would seem to be a good idea.

But Michael was already at the door. Surprising everyone, the door was open. It wasn’t even locked. He opened the door, and saw, nothing. No guards, no people. Even the handprint reader that had guarded the other end of the hallway simply wasn’t there anymore. Neither were the cameras that they had been videotaping the compound with. The place was completely deserted. Nevertheless, the group moved very carefully down the hallway, ready for anything.

When they got to the end of the hallway, Max and Michael moved to the front of the group to peer around the corner down both hallways.

MAX: OK…Michael. You, Maria, and Tess take the hallway on your side. Isabel, Liz, and I will go this way. Alex…you stay here, make sure nothing surprises us.

ALEX: You’ll hear me scream, believe you me.

MICHAEL: Sure.

The group split up. Max, Isabel, and Liz walked down the hallway, and past the white room where Max had been kept and tortured. Max stopped right near the entrance.

LIZ: Max…are you OK? What is it?

Max just stopped and stared.

LIZ: Oh my god, Max…this was the room, wasn’t it?

MAX: Yeah.

ISABEL: There’s no one here. We better keep moving.

MAX: Yeah. Let’s go down this hallway. There’s a stairway down to the basement.

The other group was already downstairs, having seen nothing else up on the main level. The first level of the compound apparently wasn’t very big. They hadn’t had a real chance to explore the last time that they were there.

TESS: It’s like they knew that we would be coming here. They’ve taken everything. Not even any rats on the floor.

MICHAEL: Dammit! Now what are we going to do?

MARIA: Let’s keep looking. Maybe we can find out where they went.

MICHAEL: Maria! It’s the FBI. They’re pretty thorough.

MARIA: There has to be something. Just keep looking. Besides, maybe Max and the others are having more luck.

Alex was standing in the main hallway, peering down the hall. He was glancing along the floor when he saw something in the gap between the floor and the wall. He reached over to take a closer look. It was a piece of paper. He carefully took it out of the gap, trying not to rip it. It was a letter, but it was in some sort of strange code. It reminded him of hieroglyphics or something. He took it and put it in his pocket. Maybe it meant something.

Max, Liz, and Isabel went down to the basement. They had searched the supply room, and a few other barracks on the lower level. All of the doors were unlocked, and there was nothing in any of the rooms, not even furniture. They had been swept clean. They ran into the others in the hallway outside the large storage area that they had gotten into the last time that they had been there.

MAX: Find anything?

MICHAEL: Nothing, nada, zip, Maxwell. They knew we were coming.

ISABEL: It was the obvious choice, Max. They had to know that we would try to come out here after they sent you the letter.

MAX: Is, it was the only choice.

MARIA: So what now?

MAX: We go back, get Alex, and get out of here.

MARIA: Yeah…this place gives me the creeps.

The six of them walked back outside out to the main entryway.

ALEX: Guys…did you find anything?

ISABEL: Nothing.

ALEX: I found a message.

MICHAEL: What? Let me see.

ALEX: It was underneath the floor out here. It looks like a coded message or something.

MICHAEL: I don’t understand it at all. Max, what do you think?

MAX: No idea. Take it with us. Maybe we can break the code.

LIZ: Let’s get out of here.

MARIA: I second that motion.

The group left the compound and went back to their cars, seeing or hearing no one. It had been a decidedly weird experience, Max thought to himself. Being back there was odd. He had a few flashes, but he didn’t want to talk about them with anyone. He knew that Liz saw some of what happened to him in the compound. She must have. She was so frightened for him when they had gotten him out of there. But he didn’t want anyone else to have to think about it. He knew what would run through their minds. He worried if it would ever happen again, not just to him, but to all of them. He couldn’t bear the thought of that. He thought to himself about what would happen if they had to go to Frasier Woods, show themselves to the FBI. Maybe he could get them to let them go by himself. No one else should have to go through what he had.

The Special Unit could have picked them up at any time. Why did they want him to come to them? They had his address, knew what he looked like. All they had to do was roll up and take him away. If they really had turned Nasedo, they would know about the rest of them as well. Maybe the Special Unit thought that there were hundreds of aliens on Earth; maybe they thought that he was the kingpin of them all. Maybe the FBI didn’t believe what Nasedo was telling them.