“Hello?” Tess shouted.

“Anyone here?” Isabel cried. There was a long silence.

Michael shook his head. “Forget it, he’s not here.”

“I was wondering when you would show up,” a voice said from behind them. They turned around and saw Ed Harding standing by the stairs. “Sorry if I startled you.”

“We were hoping you’d be here,” Tess said.

“So, what have you gotten yourselves into now?”

“We made the orbs work,” Max said. Nasedo raised his eyebrows. “And?”

“Me and Max’s mother told us that we needed to free our planet from slavery,” Isabel began, “There is an evil race of aliens here on Earth that we need to fight.” Isabel couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Saving the planet? Fighting evil aliens? Exactly which bad sci-fi movie was she living, anyway?

“Just as I thought,” Nasedo said. “You’re about to face something far more dangerous than FBI agents.”

“What do you mean?” Michael asked.

“You have aliens to deal with, now. Smart ones. With powers. And they know exactly who you are and what you look like,” Nasedo said. Isabel’s distress and worry was made evident by the expression on her face.

“How do we recognize them?” Max asked.

“Well, they could be anyone, at any time. They have shape-shifting abilities just like I do, only they’re not on your side.”

“Oh my God,” Isabel said running her hands through her hair. Max tried to comfort her by placing his hand on her shoulder.

“Try to think, now. Did she give you any hint as to how to identify the enemy?” Nasedo asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, she did,” Isabel said.

“The evil within,” Tess stated. Nasedo nodded.

“A lot of help that is,” Michael said.

“Aw, but it may be more help than you may think,” Nasedo said.

“We can sense evil,” Max said incredulously.

“You’ll see when the time comes,” Nasedo said.

“What do you mean,” Michael said.

Nasedo smiled. “The four of you are very smart kids,” he said. “You don’t need me to explain everything to you. This isn’t my responsibility, it’s yours. I can only show you the door, you have to walk through it.”

Michael nodded. “Great. That’s great,” he said sarcastically.

“I think I understand,” Max said.

“But this may go down sooner than you think,” Nasedo continued, “I’m telling you right now, it’s your lives. Be aware all the time. Trust no one.”

“Some things never change,” Max said.

“Life isn’t always fair, Max,” Nasedo said.

“So that’s it, that’s all we can do,” Michael said.

“Yes. Good luck,” Nasedo said. “I have business to take care of.” And with that, Nasedo turned and walked towards the wall. Max, Michael, and Isabel watched with interest as he closed his eyes, placed his hand against the wall, and was quickly absorbed into it.

“If there ever was a time to wish I led a normal life, now would be the time,” Isabel said.

“Let’s just relax and go get something to eat. Wanna head to the Crash—“ Michael cut himself off. Max, Isabel, and Tess stared at Michael, knowing what he was about to say. Max sighed. “Want to find a place to eat?” Michael said instead.

“Sounds great,” Tess said. Of course Tess would think it was a good idea. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Liz, Maria, or Alex.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Max said half-hearted.

As soon as Liz walked into her bedroom after her shift she broke down. She didn’t even see the tears coming, but by the time she felt them coming on, she couldn’t stop them. She buried her face in her pillow, hoping her mother wouldn’t be able to hear her cries.

“I love you so much, Max,” Liz whispered. “I just hope I made the right decision.”

She continued to weep into her pillow, unable to control her sobbing. It took all of her will to keep her from running to Max’s and begging him to take her back. She sniffled as she turned to lie on her back so she could take in a fresh breath. Memories of Max suddenly came to her: Max looking so sweet pleading with her not to tell anyone before he ran from the Crashdown the day she was shot. Max looking down in embarrassment after he let Liz see who he really was for the first time. Max’s intense, burning eyes looking into hers with such amazing passion. The way the heat from Max’s body felt when it was pressed against hers. Max embracing her after her grandmother died, sharing her pain. Their first kiss on her balcony, and how it brought their connection and her feelings for him to a new level. They way his lips felt against hers, his tongue stroking hers gently. Max telling her with such sincerity that she was what kept him alive in the compound. They way she could just feel his love for her.

Then emptiness. Then the realization that she will never make any more memories with Max or experience the gentleness and warmth of him ever again. Then more tears. She almost lost herself in her own self-pity when the phone brought her back to reality. She reached for the receiver.

“Hello?” She managed to say.

“Are you okay?” Alex’s voice sounded worried.

“Fine, Alex. What’s up?”

“Movies in fifteen. I’m picking you and Maria up.”

"I don't know, Alex--"

“Uh uh uh!” Alex interrupted, “You’re coming. See you soon,” Alex said before he hung up the phone. Well, if Liz was going to the movies, she might as well make an attempt to look like she gave a damn. She sat up, stretched, wiped a fresh tear from her eye and headed towards her bathroom so she could wash her face and put on some fresh make-up.

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

A long black limousine parked down a dark alleyway, one of its back windows down just slightly. A tall man stepped out of the darkness and advanced towards the opened window. He was wearing a long, black trench coat and sunglasses, although the only light to speak of was the dim beam of the headlight. His face was unidentifiable with the long shadow that was cast over it.

“Good Evening,” the man in the trench coat said. His voice was cool, calm. He spoke slowly and without emotion. “I suppose you know why I asked you here.”

“I do,” a voice from the limousine responded.

“We are here mainly to discuss part one of our operation,” the man said.

“What does part one consist of?”

“Well, part one consists mainly of you, Mr. Romero.”

“Where do we begin?”

“They’re in Roswell.”

Tess was spending the night again. Max was lying on his bed and he could hear her and Isabel talking in the living room. They were talking about normal, every day things. It was strange to hear them talk about anything but Pierce, or how we’re going to stay a live, or destiny. Destiny. Max sighed. He officially hated that word. That was what got him into this situation. Because of destiny he had to watch his back for evil, and it was because of destiny he couldn’t be with Liz. Or at least Liz believed they couldn’t be together because of it. He didn’t care what his destiny was. He loved Liz, and nothing would ever change that.

He heard Tess and Isabel laugh out loud. Tess was a part of his life, now. A big part of it. It was still so strange for him to think that he was supposed to be with her. He had to admit, she was a beautiful girl, and he was still very drawn to her. But he didn’t love her. And physical attraction or even the bond that connected them wasn’t enough to overlook that.