Man: “She is the one, the link. They will figure it out but not in time, I will get to her first. Everything depends her destruction.”

LATER THAT DAY AFTER SCHOOL AT THE CRASHDOWN Liz and Maria had just shown up for their shift at the café, both girls feeling a little less than enthused about having to give up their Friday night to work the closing shift.

Maria: “Hey Liz, have you talked to Max at all since lunch? I was wondering if, you know, maybe him and Michael were gonna stop by at all tonight.”

Liz: “Why Maria, if I didn’t know better I’d swear you were secretly hoping to see Michael tonight.”

Maria: “Ohhh, is that what you think? That I’m still waiting around for that emotionally retarded and emotionally stunted, big oaf of a space-boy to finally come to his senses and admit that he might actually need someone in his life besides Max and Isabel to confide in and trust and love and be loved in return…then yes, I am.”

Maria walks over to Liz and grabs her by the silver collar of her uniform, she looks desperate.

Maria: “Liz, help me! I so need to get over it, it’s like he’s stuck in my head 24/7. And no matter what I do everything reminds me of him.”

Liz: “I know exactly how you feel, all to well. Especially after Max found out the truth about Kyle and me. Things have finally gotten back to the way they were before. Tess has even stopped hanging all over him and seems to be content with Kyle at the moment. Max and I can finally be together but were not. I know he loves me and he knows I that I love him but still nothings happened yet.”

Maria: “Amen to that, I hear ya sister. Looks like were in the same boat.”

Liz: “Yeah, but tonight you and I can relax and look forward to a night free of the drama that seems to come along with the joy of guys because I talked to Max today at lunch, and he said he had to work tonight too and that Michael was going to hang out with him at work. I guess Michael had some flash in the hallway today and they’re going to try to figure out if it means anything.”

Maria: “Wait, Michael had a flash! Why am I always the last to know? What was it of?”

Liz: “Well I guess it wasn’t very clear, just shadows and dark images and then some kind of vortex or something, at least he thought it looked liked a vortex.”

Maria: “I think I need to sniff my cypress oil.”

Liz: “Don’t worry, I’m sure Max and Michael will figure it out it. Everything will be fine.”

Liz and Maria get back to work happy to be doing something to take their minds of the subject. Meanwhile Max and Michael just showed up at the UFO Center.

UFO CENTER, AROUND 4:30PM

Max: “Ok Michael, lets go in the back room, a shipment of fake aliens arrived yesterday for the new display and I still have to unpack them. Come on, you can help and we can discuss what you saw.”

Michael: “Yeah fine, whatever Maxwell. Lead the way.”

Max and Michael talk about what Michael’s flash could have meant and what triggered it, they realize that it does have something to do with the granolith because Michael insists that the dark shadows were the same cone shape and lights seemed to match up as well, the only thing they couldn’t figure out right away was the vortex. Then it hit Max.

Max: “I know.”

Michael looked up when he heard Max, anxious to hear what he had to say.

Max: “What if it isn’t a way home but a way into the future or even the past. Remember when the future me came back to warn Liz, well what if someone or something else has come back from the future again?”

Michael agrees and they continue to discuss it and decide to call a meeting at the Crashdown after work. Michael leaves to call everyone; by 10:00pm tonight Liz, Maria, Isabel, Alex and Tess will know what the flash meant.

CRASHDOWN CAFÉ 9:00PM

Liz and Maria had just closed the doors, eager to get the last customer out so they could count the money and clean up and change before everyone arrived.

Maria: “So Liz, what time are the ‘rents coming home on Sunday? I can’t believe they left you that note asking both of us to close again tomorrow night. You know now that not only are we going to have to give up our Friday night to close but also our Saturday as well, why’d they have to choose this weekend to run off on a romantic stargazing camping trip or whatever it is, I wanted to sit in my room Saturday night and mope.”

Liz: “First of all they went because it’s their anniversary, and they wanted to relive the first weekend that they went away together and besides it’s not so bad. Your Mom’s letting you stay over here, plus now we can mope together after work, think of it as a double night of girl fun.”

Maria: “True that.”

Just then the girls here a rattle at the door, thinking it’s their friends. Maria goes to open the door. Liz glances at the clock realizing that it only 9:15pm, thinking to herself that they must have gotten impatient and showed up early, they hadn’t planned on meeting until 10pm. Just then Liz hears Maria scream.

Maria: “LIZ!!!”

Standing just inside the door is one very large man who doesn’t look too happy. Liz is frozen by fear. The man knocks Maria out of the way, backhanding her and sending her flying into a nearby table. The man continues to head for Liz, he holds up his had and starts to speak.

Man: “You. You are the one who will link the present with the new future. But I’m about to change that.”

Just as the man finishes an energy bolt shoots from his hand knocking Liz into the wall behind her, rendering her unconscious. Leaving one very deep gash on the back of her head from the framed poster that no longer found its home hanging on the wall but resting next to Liz on the floor, her blood pooling out around her head and soaking into her hair.