The Crab Nebula lies 6000 light years away and appears as a misty patch in a moderate sized telescope.

Ten friends assemble in ceremonial pomp in hopes of contacting a distant planet through a wormhole that may or may not exist in the remnants of an exploding star that occurred close to 1000 years ago.

The spokes of the Ritual Wheel are set at arm length apart in order to allow the group to hold hands.

"Okay, it's now or never." Michael takes a deep breath and is the first to reach for a human hand and its Maria's.

Max reminds everyone, "Relax and concentrate," as he takes Liz's hand in his and brings it to his lips to pass a light kiss on their entwined knuckles.

Long moments of silence pass before the first inkling that their mission will be fruitful occurs.

The feeling starts in the pit of their stomachs and spreads quickly through the body. The familiar golden glow starts at the fingertips and spread up the arm, through the body and deep into the recesses of their souls until the Ten are fused into a decagon of energy. (NOTE: A crab has ten legs.)

The Orb, which has been idle since Liz and Max discovered it inside the alien chest, starts to spin and emit a blue beam of light upward and into the heavens.

The darkness before the dawn is true in that the Orb light is the beacon that parts the vast dark sky, folds it, and brings the heavens parallel to earth. The crescent moon that was low in the sky appears 1000 times lower and nears enough to reach out and touch.

The constellation Taurus is clearly seen and is the backdrop that frames the leader and his mate. The V shaped Hyades cluster forms the face of the bull while the smaller Pleiades cluster lies on the bull's back.

The brightest star is Aldebaran, a red giant (one of the four Royal Stars of the ancient Persians) which marks one of the bull's eyes.

Aldebaran-of Arabic origin- means "he who follows", because it follows the Pleiades in the sky. Currently it appears directly above Michael.

Near the tip of the Bull's right horn, the star Zeta Tauri, lies the remarkable Crab Nebula which suddenly changes from a fuzzy mass of colored mist to wave upon wave of downward spiraling froth.

This froth tunnels downward through space and directly through the center of the Ritual Wheel, subterranean for moments before resurfacing ten feet outside of the wheel then spiraling upward again into the heavens.

Once the downward froth tunnel and the upward spiraling tunnel become equally parallel they disappear.

The darkness before dawn gives way to the rising sun and the release of the Alien/Human alliance from the fused energy decagon.

"What a rush," Alex exclaims as he pulls Isabel into his arms and holds her close. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear before lifting her chin for a light kiss. "Are you okay?"

She nods her head yes before leaning up and wrapping her arms around him and offering him a more generous kiss. "Yes, I'm fine," With her arms still around his neck she looks around to verify that everyone else is okay."

"The Orb is gone," Michael acknowledges as he ventures to the center of the wheel. He expands his search to include the immediate area but that search is also in futile.

Everyone soon joins him but is at a lost as to what was the significance of what just happened.

The couples as usual are lending support to one another even Kyle has his arms around Teresa and she him.

The Sheriff looks outside of the circle to where the froth tunnel surfaced.

"Max, were you expecting a package from home?" He points to an area approximately ten feet away from The Ritual Wheel.

All heads turn in the direction the Sheriff is pointing and are taken aback to see a metal chest exactly like the one Claudia Parker had found in the Chaco Canyons.

Hand in hand Max and Liz begin to follow the others when he suddenly stops and faces her stopping her progress.

"Liz," her name tumbles off his lips as he reaches for and pulls aside the mock turtleneck. "You have a hickey."

"Yea I know. I was going to ask you to get rid of it before we go to the lake." The look on his face alerts her that something is wrong.

"It's not glowing is it?" Liz fumbles in her pocket for her compact.

"No, it's not glowing. I was just wondering who put it there?" A muscle twitches high on his cheek and his face is a plane of seriousness.

"Oh, Max. Stop playing around." She playfully pushes at his shoulder and turns to follow the others.

Max lightly grabs her by the upper arm and pulls her around to face him. "Liz, I'm serious who put it there?"

"Max what is wrong with you?" She pulls out of his grasp.