Harvest……
Maria was tired. Her head hurt. She needed sleep. She and
Michael had stayed up all night outside Courtney’s apartment waiting for the
stalker Skingirl to return home to the scene of the crime. Maria was rousted out
of her walking sleep by the appearance of her friend Liz.
“You ok?” Damn, Liz looked bad. Really bad. She
actually had a gray sheen under her skin.
“Oh, I didn't get much sleep last night.”
“You look like you got your heart stomped on. No, wait
… that will be me once I find the man destined to grind me into the ground.
Well, if it's possible, you look worse.” Maria took a breath to rant about her
prospects of a life full of misery when Liz interrupted her basic neuronal
process.
“Have you seen Max today?”
Maria stopped, staring at her friend, the pallor and
unhappiness. “He did this to you?”
“No, uh … well, yeah. I just … I can't even explain
it.”
“You can't explain?” Maria grabbed Liz by both
shoulders giving her a good shake. “This is me you're talking to here.”
“I just want to make sure that he's ok. But, if you see
him, just don't tell him I asked.” Liz quickly sped off before she saw Max, or
didn’t see him. Oh damn. Either or. It didn’t matter. Nothing did.
Michael walked up to Maria. He frowning at Liz’s
retreating back. She was looking dumpier than usual today, in his opinion.
“Hey.”
“Whatever, dude. I am not spending another night freezing
my tush off outside that shank’s place.” Maria waved at Michael
dramatically. “Do you not see the bags under my eyes? Here, any moment ‘the
man’ is coming into my life, and look at me!”
“You look like a dreamgirl,” Michael assured her. More
like a nightmare, but he wasn’t going to actually say that. His alien mom
didn’t shake and bake no fool. “I just wanted to ask when do you think we
should break the invasion news to the others.”
“God. Like life isn’t a nice stinking sinkwell already?
Hey, let’s have a party and share the misery!”
Michael smiled walking Maria to her first class.
“That’s my girl!”
Maria snorted. “That is not a compliment. From where
I’m standing, you aren’t too discriminating over who’s your girl. Anything
a fly would land and lay maggots on sounds like your speed. Nice and
mulching.”
“Are you gonna let this go?”
Maria made a huffing noise. “Remember last term when
Dennis Matthews backed me up against the wall and kissed me? You laughed! And
you kept harping on it forever.”
“Hey, I lost ten bucks. I swore you would knee the guy,
but no … you had to do a right cross to the chops.”
“I hurt my hand, and don’t think I don’t know who
came up with the idea to egg Dennis Matthews on to kiss me in the first
place!”
“Did I not put ice on your hand?” Michael asked
innocently, reminding her that he was on her side. “If you had sunk your knee
into his crotch like I taught you, I would have made ten bucks and ol’ Dennis
would’ve had surgery to retract his balls from his throat.”
“Pig,” Maria muttered under her breath. “All men are
pigs. Even the alien version… still a pig.”
~~~
It wasn’t a happy meeting. The aliens and Maria were
there, and Maria was half paying attention as she made a list of possible men,
not boys who could be her mystery man.
“I knew there was something wrong about her, even before
I found her picture in Whitaker's office.” Michael was telling the others.
“Where's Courtney now?” Max asked, his voice quiet as
Tess seemed to be hovering near him.
“I don't know. She went out the window. I tried chasing
her …”
“But it was hard to run with his pants around his
ankles,” Maria added as she scratched two men off the list as highly
unfeasible. They were obviously gay.
“You were there! My pants weren’t around my damn
ankles!”
Maria shrugged. “What do I know?” Maria pointedly
looked at the exceptionally quite Max and the lurking alien girl, who was not
Liz. “Maybe it’s in your alien nature to feel attraction for the enemy?”
Maria didn’t notice Isabel’s apparent flinch.
“Settle the personal crap on your own time,” Tess
retorted. “If Courtney's a Skin, it means she was working with Whitaker.”
“You're right,” Isabel said agreeing with Tess.
“There's no way two Skins would just happen to be in
Michael had his eye on their fearless leader who seemed to
be in a funk. “Maxwell, are we disturbing you?”
“Leave him alone. He's had a rough night.”
“Really?” Michael was seeing what had set Maria off.
Tess was acting like a pit bull around the quiet Max and the ‘Personal
Property’ sign was literally being stamped on Max’s ass as the moments
ticked down. “Something you wanna share with the class?”
“No,” Max said irritably, finally getting into the
conversation. “Look, if Courtney is a Skin and she was working with Whitaker,
the first question is, does she know that Whitaker's dead?”
“If she didn't before, she does now.” Maria walked over
to the television turning the sound up.
“We have this story just in. A controversial
The group was speechless except for Michael who sat back on
a table, his arms crossed in front of him. “Well, we’re in a shit storm
now.” Maria came to stand beside him, her hand unconsciously finding his as
the news report came back on.
“Widowed just six months before her husband John
Whitaker's upcoming election, she took his place on the ballot and won the
election by a higher margin than any Democrat in fifteen years. But all that
ended yesterday, just outside her hometown of Copper
“A car crash?” Tess looked at the others in confusion.
“In other national news, the Department of Transportation
took …” Maria
reached over and turned off the television.
“She died two weeks ago. I was there.” Isabel wasn’t
likely to forget it. She killed Vanessa Whitaker.
Max squeezed Isabel’s hand. “We were all there.”
“How could she be in a car accident if she's dust?”
Michael rubbed his forehead, frowning at an uncharacteristic headache slowly
worked its way to a harsh pounding.
Tess paced a little. “So who's conveniently covering up
her death for us?”
“Nasedo said the Skins were among us.” Isabel reminded
them. Michael rolled his eyes. Yeah, he had sort of mentioned that before, but
did anyone notice? Nope, when he said it they all acted like he was paranoid.
“Skins. Plural. Maybe other Skins created a fake car accident to keep the Feds
from looking too closely into Whitaker's background.”
“Max …” Tess asked trying to get his attention,
“what do we do?”
Michael made a sound of disgust watching the quiet Max
hardly register the conversation. “Uh, let me guess. Nothing.”
“Liz.” Max told the others.
~~~
Michael stopped to talk to Maria alone while the others
called around to locate Liz. Something was up not only with Max, but with Maria.
“Hey, how long are you going to bust my chops over
Courtney?”
Maria looked him over critically. “I don’t know. The
rest of the day, maybe longer.”
“You sent me there.”
“Michael, I really don’t want to talk about it. I know
I am being unfair, and I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t know it would bother me.
Maybe I’m jealous or something? Or maybe I’m just disappointed that you
weren’t the one that Madam Vivian was talking about.”
“You wanted me to be that person?”
Maria shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. I mean I know
you’re leaving someday, so maybe it’s best that you aren’t ‘him’. I
just know that I love you, and it wouldn’t take much to make me be ‘in
love’ with you. Or it wouldn’t have. But thinking of you kissing Courtney? I
dunno. It makes me think that I really don’t know you that well.”
Michael felt it again. The feeling that he had lessened
himself in her eyes, that he had somehow cheated on something they were, even if
it was unspoken. But still, there it was. “Maria...”
“It’s all right. I’m being irrational. I know.”
Maria put her hand on her stomach. “It’s just upsetting my stomach, the
thought that out there somewhere might be my Mr. Right, and I am so not ready
for him. I’m afraid that when I find him, I’ll be so scared to do anything
about it, that he’ll pass me by.”
“You just need to calm down. Ignore Madam Vivian. She’s
a quack. Remember this summer when she told me that I already found my home, and
I would never venture further than a hand’s link away?” Michael reminded
Maria. “Now how wrong was she?”
“You’re probably right.” Maria took a calming breath.
Reaching up, she kissed him on his lips, both of them unconsciously opening
their mouths. Quickly stepping away, Maria could feel the rising heat on her
face. “I guess after I talked to her, I decided that if I was going to finally
fall in love I wanted it to be you. Then I got slapped in the face with you
kissing Courtney, and it felt … I don’t know. Like you somehow belonged to
me, and …” Maria laughed ruefully unwilling to finish that thought.
“I’ve got to go to work. Let me know how it goes.”
Michael nodded as she walked away, his eyes serious and
intense. Strange as it was, he had felt the same way. If she was to finally fall
in love, he’d rather she fell for him.
~~~
Liz looked at the alien invasion as she fielded the flood
of phone calls since the announcement of Whitaker’s death. Avoiding Max’s
eyes, she couldn’t quell the rising nausea of seeing him with Tess, and Tess
so close.
“Yeah, we …” Liz said in the phone, “we're in total
shock. No, we haven't set a date for the memorial service yet. Yes, I will let
you know as soon as we do. Of course. Ok.” Liz hung up the phone. “The
phone's been ringing off the hook for the past hour.”
“Somebody covered up Whitaker's death,” Max told Liz.
“Why?”
Max shrugged, his body almost too tired to stand, let alone
answer probing questions. “Has anybody been asking questions over the past few
days?”
“People have been calling. I just have been saying that
she's on vacation, just like we said.”
“Well, somehow the Skins know that she's dead.” Max
pointed out to Liz. “None of us has said anything … unless it came from
here.”
“You mean, from me?” Liz asked sharply, upset at the
unfairness of the accusation.
Tess had been looking through the mail. “Look at this.
The postmark says Copper Summit. It's from something called the Universal
Friendship League.”
Liz took the envelope. “Whitaker never mentioned it.”
Isabel peered over Liz’s shoulder. “What the hell is
the Universal Friendship League? Could it sound any creepier?”
“Marked "Personal".” Tess observed.
Max took the envelope and opened it. “Dear Member: Your
failure to report as scheduled violates protocol. We must receive word by the
25th of this month or terminate your membership, effective that date.”
“The 25th was yesterday.” Isabel mumbled reading the
letter again.
Tess walked over to stand next to Max again. “That's when
they say she died.”
“Sincerely, T. Greer, senior coordinator, Vilandra
project.” Max finished.
Isabel suddenly was alert. “Vilandra?”
Max glanced at his sister and her reaction. “Does that
mean something to you?”
“No,” Isabel denied. “We should call.”
Liz shrugged picking up the phone. Dialing, she waited for
it to be answered as a man on the other end answered.
“Yes?” The man’s voice was unfriendly and cold.
“Hi, um, is this the …” Liz read the name from the
envelope. “The Universal Friendship League?”
“Who is this?”
“I … I'm calling from Congresswoman Vanessa Whitaker's
office. We just, um, opened this letter this morning and … I wanted to call
and apologize for not responding sooner.” Liz made a face at her long
explanation. Maria would’ve shot back a quick response.
“Yes?” The person on the other end didn’t give much encouragement for
chattiness.
“We just wanted to let you know that, unfortunately,
Congresswoman has passed away.”
“Thank you for calling.” The person at the other end abruptly disconnected.
Liz glanced at the others. “They just hung up.”
“We're going to
“Hey,” Michael protested, “I'm not going anywhere
until I find …”
“Courtney.” Max finished. “That's right, you're
staying.”
“So we agree.”
“Yeah.”
“There's a first.” Michael snorted.
Max ignored him turning to Liz. “But we do need you to
come with us, Liz. You're the only one of us who has a legitimate connection to
Whitaker.”
~~~
Max, Isabel, Tess, and Liz were in the jeep on their way to
“Your name … was Vilandra. And you were beautiful …
even more beautiful than you are now. You had a great love, and for him, for us,
you betrayed your brother, your race. You sacrificed him. You sacrificed
everyone, even yourself. And history, my dear … always repeats itself.”
Isabel rested her head against the glass unable to find
order to her thoughts. Vilandra. Betrayer. Her great love, Khivar. It made no
sense. How could Khivar be her great love if she had been engaged to Michael in
a past life and destined to be with him? She sacrificed herself and all the
others for Khivar, so it sounded like it was a current love affair at the time
of her death. Isabel rubbed the area between her eyes as a headache hit her
hard. Maybe that explained the lack of attraction between her and Michael, the
fact that most the time they were on opposite sides. Destiny? Isabel shook her
head. It made no sense. Vilandra made no sense. If history could repeat itself,
then was she destined to betray the others, betray Max?
“Max, could we stop for a refuel? I’m feeling a little
sick.”
Max glanced at his sister in concern. “Yeah, next one is
up in a mile.”
After the stop, Isabel and Tess had fallen asleep. Max and
Liz had switched places, and Max was in the back with the sleeping Tess. Liz was
driving, but it was difficult to concentrate on the road with Max staring at her
from the backseat.
“I'm … I'm ok up here … if you want to get some
sleep.” Liz told Max’s reflection.
“I haven't slept since I saw you with Kyle.” Max
confessed. “Liz, I know you, and I don't believe that you would do that to me.
It doesn't make sense. Tell me what happened.”
Liz stared at his reflection for a moment and though she
was tempted to confess about Future Max, but she held her silence.
~~~
Maria bumped into Michael’s back as he unlocked the door
into Courtney’s apartment. Reaching behind him, he scooped Maria forward into
the dark room. quickly glancing around to make sure no one saw them breaking and
entering the low rent apartment.
Maria turned on the new flashlight Michael bought her. It
was slim and formfitting to her hand, so easy to hold unlike the older version
that weighed on her arm and made her complain if she had to hold it still.
Lifting it up by her head, she moved it around the room. “Michael! I feel like
we're Scully and Mulder or something.”
“Shhh!” Michael shut the door turning on his matching
flashlight. “Would you shut up?”
“Ok.” Maria whispered back in a whisper so loud it was
hardly worth pretending. Mumbling under her breath about cranky aliens who were
sexually frustrated because they tried to bang their mortal enemy, she quickly
stopped that too when Michael sent her a glare having heard everything she
mumbled.
“Nobody's home,” Michael said trying to get them back
to their familiar ground of easy camaraderie.
Maria picked up some CDs flipping through them her face
taking on a combination of horror and repulsion. “Oh, god! You felt attracted
to someone that listens to Culture Club? Wham? The Backstreet Boys?” She
cleared her throat with a gagging noise. “God, she really is an alien, this
one.”
“A little help here?” Michael asked not so pleasantly,
not wanting to know if the alien owned a Partridge Family Album, more afraid the
answer was yes.
“Fine,” Maria looked around the small one room
apartment. “What are we looking for?”
“Clues? You know … an address book or a calendar
somewhere. You know the drill.”
“Of course. Like she's gonna write her hideout in an
address book, oh ho!” Maria made a face. “You superior beings are so
sneaky!”
“Hey, are you just gonna rag on me or are you gonna
help?”
Maria leaned down seeing something. Picking it up, she held
a piece of shed skin. “Michael … What is this?”
Michael glanced at the shedding. “That's why they call 'em
Skins. She's shedding.”
“Eww, it's so gross! Eww!” Maria tossed it on the floor
as it disintegrated, rubbing her hands on clothing. “And you pulled a piece
off her?”
“Yeah. It just peeled off without much effort.”
“Just her back? So what? Her shirt was already off?”
“You saw her go out my window fully clothed, Maria. Did
you see her discarded top? When are you gonna get off this?”
“Not for a very, very long time, Mikey G. How long did
you rag me about Andy Carson?”
“That was different. You don’t date, remember? And I
find you at the movies with him!”
“I told you, he was there to see the movie when I picked
up my ticket … which I wouldn’t have had to do if you had gone with me. We
were both alone so we saw the movie together and went to discuss it over coffee.
So not a date!” Maria emphasized the point. Was it her fault Michael changed
his mind at the last moment and came to find her? If he had gotten there on
time, she wouldn’t have had to pay for the ticket, and she would’ve never
agreed to sit with Andy. “It was more a chance meeting between two people
appreciating a special genre of film.”
“Chick flick. He’s gay, has to be.” Michael quickly
picked up on Maria’s explanation. “There's nothing going on between me and
Courtney. There was never a date. I dropped her off at her apartment, and she
found her own way to mine. I definitely did not ask her to meet me anywhere.”
Maria sniffed, not appreciating having to give up the
teasing. Michael had cruelly teased her for over a week until she dumped his
dinner in his lap.
Maria and Michael resumed their search. As Michael searched
for a hiding Courtney in her trashcan, Maria opened a storage cabinet, her mouth
opening in an involuntary scream.
“Ohh! Ohh!”
Michael rushed to her side, his arm immediately circling
her waist to pull her back from harm. They both stood there staring in disbelief
at what appeared to be a Michael shrine in the closet. There were numerous
pictures of him, as well as some of his belongings tacked to the walls.
“That's the shirt I lost at work.” Michael picked up
his shirt. “What the hell is this?”
“It's
“Wow,” Michael murmured in wonder at the full display
of his life capitalized in an obsessive display.
“Wow? Is that all you can say right now, is ‘wow’?”
Maria shook her head at the oozing sickness, apparent by the display. “She's
obsessed with you. She's, like, an alien stalker. She's been spying on you for
weeks. She's been dreaming about you, fantasizing about you …”
“You don’t know she’s been fantasizing about me.”
Michael couldn’t help but be a little flattered by the attention.
Maria peered closer. There were pictures of her too. A
picture of her and Michael laughing at a party they had gone to a few weeks
back. A picture of them walking down the street and Michael was pulling her
along by her hand while she was eating an ice cream cone. The picture that
disturbed her the most was a picture of them sleeping together. “She was in
the apartment while we were sleeping!”
“Hey, shut up for a second.” Michael said frowning at
the pictures of Maria’s home and the fact that Courtney had marked out
Maria’s face on the pictures she was in. He quickly assessed the greater
majority. “Take a look at the pictures. Almost all were shot from the
apartment across the street from my building.”
“So?” Maria was too distracted by the picture of her
sleeping with Michael in his bed. It took a moment for what he was saying to
sink in. “Oh! That's where she goes to spy on you.”
“Yep,” Michael lifted a brow, a slow smile moving over
his face.
“Ohh!” Maria reached out and took the picture of them
sleeping together, the only one where her face hadn’t been mutilated. She put
it in her pocket as Michael dragged her through the door.
~~~
Max and company arrived at Copper Summit. They stopped at
the
“Actually, we're looking for the Universal Friendship
League.” Max told the local man.
“Here for the harvest, then?”
Isabel leaned forward to look at the man. “Harvest?”
“Uh, Friendship League's a members-only outfit. Very
hush-hush. They don't like outsiders, especially with all the press around here
these days.”
“Actually, we've been invited.” Isabel informed the
man.
“That right?”
Isabel smiled charmingly. “Yeah.”
“It ain't hard to find. Big old building.”
“Stay on this street?” Max asked.
“Well, I did say this was the main drag, didn't I?”
“Thank you.” Max pulled the jeep away heading further
into town. The man watched the jeep for a moment before going inside the museum
to make a call.
“Four on the way.” He said in the phone.
“Non-members.”
~~~
Max parked near the UFL, which was literally across the
street and up a block from the museum. Strange town. The man had been right. It
wasn’t very big and almost appeared deserted.
“I'll go.” Isabel said unfastening her seatbelt.
“Wait.” Max looked at Isabel and the other two in the
backseat. “We all have to watch our step. From this point on, trust only each
other. Be aware, be careful, and don't go anywhere alone. All right?” They all
nodded, and Tess and Liz stayed in the jeep while Max and Isabel went inside.
Tess glanced at Liz clearing her throat. “So … you and
Kyle?”
“Yeah,” Liz didn’t really want to talk about it, and
definitely not in detail. “Oh, Kyle … he told me that you two were, uh,
getting involved.”
“Oh, it's ok, don't worry about it.”
“I'm sorry.” Liz said more than a little sorry. She
hadn’t meant her messed up life to mess up both Kyle’s and Tess’s as well.
“About what? All you did was sleep with him.” Curiosity
moved over Tess’s face. “How was he, anyway?”
“Oh, I, um … I … we …” Liz could feel the heat
moving up her neck and face. She was too stunned to find an answer, but then
again she really owed Kyle. “He was great.”
“Noted,” Tess lifted her brow looking at the front of
the building housing the UFL.
Max and Isabel had walked up to the Universal Friendship
League and knocked on the door. Mr. Greer opened the door to address them.
“I'm sorry, we didn't mean to bother you.” Isabel said.
“We're looking for a Mr. Greer, the senior coordinator?”
“Yeah, that's me. T. Greer.” The man greeted them.
“Welcome to Copper
“Could we come in for just a minute and talk to …”
Isabel suggested.
“Uh … we're a private organization. Members only.”
“What exactly is the Universal Friendship League?
Max asked, his voice suspicious.
“The friendship league is a private organization, and we
ask all our valued visitors to avail themselves of all the tourist opportunities
here in Copper Summit and to grant us our privacy.”
Max glanced at Isabel who shrugged. “Coming through town,
it seemed like all the tourist attractions were closed.”
“Then maybe the best thing to do is just head on down the
highway.” Greer said suddenly not so friendly. “Try
“What's the Vilandra project?” Isabel interjected
before the man could shut the door on them.
“I wouldn't know.”
“We were friends of Congresswoman Whitaker's.” Max told
the man frowning slightly at Isabel and her questioning about Vilandra.
“Before we leave town, we'd like to pay our respects to the family.”
“That'll be the Crawfords.” Greer said. “Two blocks
down, turn left, red mailbox.”
“Appreciate it.” Max thanked the man taking Isabel’s
arm to lead her away. The man wasn’t going to talk to them. Greer closed the
doors to the UFL.
~~~
Max, Tess, Isabel, and Liz made their way to the Crawford's
residence. They found a mailman leaving the house while a woman was at the door
looking through her mail.
“Excuse me,” Max said to the mailman, “is this the
Crawford's?” The mailman nodded gesturing to the house.
“Thanks.” Max said pleasantly to the mailman before
turning to Liz. “You're on.”
Liz slowly approached the house and woman. “Ms.
Crawford?” The woman nodded frowning at the four teenage strangers on her
doorstep. “Hi, I'm Liz Parker. Vanessa's assistant. We talked on the phone?”
“Oh, sure. Liz Parker.”
“I'm really sorry to hear what happened to your daughter.
It's so terrible.”
“Oh, thank you, dear.” She glanced at the small group
of teens. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, um, I just wanted to drop off some of your
daughter's personal effects.”
“Oh, honey, that is so sweet. Well, you didn't have to
come clear up here. My gosh, it must be 400 miles!” The woman seemed genuinely
touched, she called into the house. “Walt! Visitors!” Smiling at the teens,
she looked them over. “Did you kids work for Vanessa?”
“No, not exactly.” Isabel said.
Liz quickly did introductions. “Oh, um, this is Max,
Isabel, and, uh, and Tess.”
“Walt …” Ida Crawford called to a man in the house. A
large man appeared staring at the group of teens.
“Hmm?”
“These young people drove all the way up here to bring
home some of Vanessa's things.”
Walt scratched his stomach. “Why didn't they just send
them?”
“What a thing to say!” Ida said covering Walt’s lack
of gratitude. “After they went to all that trouble. You must be so tired and
hungry after that long drive. Come on in the house. I want to make you something
to eat.”
Liz, Tess, and Isabel entered the house following Ida. Walt
commented to Max as he was entering.
“I guess you're the man in charge.” Max frowned at the
man uncertain how to respond. Was the man probing him as the leader, the King,
or was he making an offhanded remark about his harem of women he was traveling
with? It was hard to say. Copper
Inside the house the four teens sat on a sofa facing Ida
and Walt with Ida offering them refreshments.
“Did you take the 70?” Walt asked Max.
“No, the...uh...the 10.”
Walt nodded his face suddenly serious. “Ah, you don't
wanna do that.”
“I don't?”
“You wanna go over to Lordsburg, hook onto the 70, stay
on that ‘til you see the model reservoir sign, and that'll shoot you right on
to Artesia.” Walt seemed pleased to find something to talk about, something
that was a comfort to him. Directions. A man’s topic.
“Walt, did you hear that?” Ida asked Walt who was busy
talking to Max to pay attention to Ida and the girls. He didn’t do well
talking to girls.
“Hmmm.”
“They came all this way for her service.”
“Huh.” Walt’s face took on a blank look as if he had
no concept of what service they were talking about.
Liz felt the uncomfortable conversation and the silence on
their part so she quickly stammered through an explanation. “Well, we felt
like … like we should come. You know, the congresswoman, she was very …”
Liz licked her lips trying to find a word that worked, “she was special … to
all of us.”
“Like a mother.” Isabel added.
Ida sat up at that. “Really?”
Isabel nodded, but her eyes moved to the doorway where a
young boy was peeking in at them. Isabel smiles at the seemingly shy boy.
“Hi.”
Ida turned to see the young boy and waved him into the
room. “Nicholas, there you are! Come on in here. Come on, say hello.”
“No, ma'am.” The young boy took off before anyone could
demand he enter the room and socialize.
“Nicholas!” Walt called after him.
“He took it real hard.” Ida explained to the teens.
“He and his sister were very close.”
Max started to stand. “Maybe we'd better just find a
hotel.”
“There ain't but one.” Walt informed Max.
“All four of you? At that old Motor Inn?” Ida said
shaking her head. “I won't hear of it! You're all gonna spend the night here,
and then tomorrow we can go to the memorial service together.”
Liz seemed uncertain. “Are you sure?”
“If Vanessa was like your mother, we're like your
grandparents. We'll treat you just the way Vanessa would have wanted.” Ida
said giving the impression that the matter was settled. “Well, ok, let's eat
up, there!”
Walt nodded to the plate on the coffee table. “Get you
one of those crispy treats there.”
“Yeah, and I made all those gherkins myself.” Ida
informed them with pride. “The crispy treats and the …” Trapped in the
house of the Crawfords, they were at a loss as to how to untangle themselves
from the invitation without appearing suspicious.
~~~
Michael and Maria were back at Michael’s place staking
out the building across the street from Michael's apartment. Occasionally they
had a little spat over the binoculars, but otherwise it was uneventful.
“This isn't gonna work. She's not just gonna stroll up to
her hideout while we're sitting here watching her.”
“This was your idea.” Michael reminded her.
“That's not the way I remember it.”
Michael shrugged. He was resigned to put up with a pissy
Maria for at least another six days. “Ok, so now it's my fault.”
“Yes. You know what? Just to make things simpler, from
now on you should consider everything to be your fault, k?” Maria smiled
happily. “K.”
“Well, I know one way to make the time go faster,”
Michael suggested lifting a brow.
“Oh, funny.” She was used to his flirting, but at this
moment in time? Uh-huh. “Like I would kiss lips that touched Courtney? You
know my gag reflex is very sensitive.”
“I know.” Yeah, he could take some evil pleasure in
seeing her toss her stomach. Maybe it would remove all her ill will. “You
realize all this started because you went to Madam Vivian’s.”
“What did we just agree on?” Maria asked. “Your
fault. That is not attributable to you, so we ignore it.” She sighed. So she
had a small reprieve from her anxiety over a possible future and he went and
ruined it. “You want me to feel better?”
Michael nodded. Hell yeah. Maria in a snit was intolerable,
actually fun to watch, but essentially intolerable. Her good cheer was what
fueled his days. He liked it when she stayed over his place. It made his
apartment feel like a home.
“Okay. Good. Promise me that if you see me allowing some
total loser into my life, or obsessing over a freak … stop me. I don’t care
what you have to do. Just stop me!”
“What’s really bothering you, Maria?” Michael stopped
watching the other building. “You must have imagined that one day you’d fall
in love or find someone to be with. Why is the thought totally making you
neurotic?”
What to say, and how to say it delicately? Maria felt a
need to cry, and that was so not good. “Truth?”
“Please. I know this isn’t about me kissing Courtney
since you practically ordered me to lay my body down and get the goods on her.
So what is this?”
“If I was to fall I wanted it to be you.” Maria said
simply. “I needed it to be you.”
“You know I’m off this planet if I can get a ride.”
“I know. That is a problem, but when weighed against the
alternative?” Maria sniffed. “Do you even know the type of men my mother has
dragged home? The type of man my own father was?”
Michael shared a look with her. He knew. He had had flashes
from her. They usually were strongest when her mother ended or started a new
relationship, then he got a full barrage of her past. There were some very scary
choices along the way. It hadn’t always been very good for Maria. Her young
life was a story of being ignored, found a bother, and abused, not sexually, but
verbally, plus one disturbing incident with a cigarette. She still had the scar.
Her mother had been quick to get rid of the worst of them, but not without
leaving scars behind.
“What if I’m like her? What if I’m attracted to the
same type of men as my father, or the ones that seem to always appeal to my mom?
I love my mom, and she always tries her best, but when it comes to men … she
sucks. What if I suck?”
“You won’t. I know you. You would never love a total
jerk.”
Maria closed her eyes for a moment. Laughing, she shook her
head. “I wanted it to be you, because you I know. You I trust. And no matter
what, I know that you would never let anything hurt me … not even you,
especially not you.” Maria stared out the window. “The unknown has me
paralyzed in fear.”
Michael couldn’t take his eyes off her. He never … no
one ever trusted him so completely, without question … unconditionally.
“Maria …” His voice caught in his throat.
“But if we can talk reality here for a second, I think
she booked.” Maria said trying to change the subject. “Out of town.”
Michael respected the move away from a subject that was
hard for Maria. It was only fair. She respected his ‘keep off’ signs in
regard to Hank and his past life in foster care. He had told her things, and he
suspected she knew more than she admitted to, but never did she cross the line
into what made him uncomfortable.
“No dice. She wouldn't do that. She's obsessed with
me.”
Maria lifted a sleek groomed brow at his smug tune.
“Well, I guess that makes two of you, then, doesn't it? Is this a ‘I got a
fan’ thing?”
“Bite me.” Michael pinched Maria’s side. “She'll
show up sooner or later.”
“How 'bout sooner?” Courtney said from the door,
unhappy to see Maria there.
Michael and Maria turned at her voice. Michael’s hand
immediately went into his energy blast pose ready to turn Courtney into flakes.
“Whoa!” Courtney held up her hands. “Hey, truce.”
“Don't move.” Michael warned putting Maria behind him.
“Don't worry. I won't.” Courtney noticed the binoculars
and that they were watching out the window. “You're watching the building. You
figured out where I'd be from the pictures.” Courtney’s voice held
admiration. “That's very good, Mikey G. You're everything I thought you'd be
and more.”
Maria made a gagging noise. “Oh, please! Do your lips not
get chapped from all the ass-kissing?”
“Sit down.” Michael told Courtney, pushing Maria back
behind him.
“Anything you say.” Maria rolled her eyes, yeah, good
luck to Courtney on him giving her an order she wanted. That ship had sailed.
“So you're a Skin, like Whitaker.” Michael stated. So
why did Whitaker have Courtney’s picture in a file if she was a confederate?
Courtney looked impressed. “How'd you get onto
Whitaker?”
Maria put a restraining hand on Michael’s back before he
confessed their involvement in Whitaker’s death. “We're asking the questions
here, ok? Now, why are you in
Michael didn’t even flinch at Maria calling him her
boyfriend. Technically, it was true. Not in the romantic sense, but true in the
practical.
“I'm not obsessed with him, ok?” Maria shook her head.
Yeah right. So what was Michael-land about? “I follow him in the … political
sense.”
Maria’s eyes narrowed. “Our leader?”
“We're not with the other Skins.” Courtney explained to
Michael ignoring Maria, though answering her questions. “We're renegades who
believe that if you were in charge instead of Max in the first place, that none
of this would have ever happened.”
“What are you talking about?” Michael asked in
confusion. None of what would’ve happened? “In charge of what?”
“Our planet, Michael.” Courtney said, her eyes suddenly
understanding something that eluded her before. “You don't remember any of
this, do you?”
“Suppose you tell me.”
“Yeah, the short version, please.” Maria suggested not
up to a long history of a world that sent skin shedding aliens to hers.
“The short version … is that our planet was on the
brink of a golden age, and then it all fell apart. You were the one who could
have united our planet, pulled together the warring factions, brought peace. But
you weren't on the throne.
“Max.” Michael said bitterly to Maria.
“You wouldn't betray him. That loyalty cost your lives
and those of everyone you loved.” Maria waited for it, but Michael didn’t
ask. He didn’t ask who was it he loved, who his parents were, or anything.
Frowning Maria listened as Courtney continued. “Please, just don't let history
repeat itself. You're the one we need. You're our leader, our salvation.”
Maria grabbed Michael, screaming in his ear, giving his
body a little shake to wake him up. “Michael, if you can hear me now over the
sound of your rapidly inflating ego, could you please tell me that you do not
believe what this …” Maria was loss for any new words to describe Courtney,
“this Michael-worshipper here has to say?”
“No …” Michael visibly shook himself awake, “no ...
no way. No, this is just part of your plan to divide and conquer.”
“I knew you weren't ready to hear this.” Courtney said
under her breath.
“And you knew that how?” Maria asked. “Until a few
moments ago, you implied you hadn’t realized he had no memories of his past
life.” Courtney made a face at Maria, her eyes narrowing as the two women
faced off. Michael ignored them.
“What's in Copper
“Copper
“What's there?” Michael demanded, on the same wave
length with Maria. Courtney wasn’t saying, and that implied something they
needed to know.
“I'd stay away from there.”
“Why?” Michael asked, his interest piqued since Max and
the others had gone there. Maria was practically hanging off him, her body still
confrontational.
“Yeah, why?”
“Power it down a bit, Scooby-Do,” Michael said to her
softly. Maria usually approached things with offers of honey, but obviously the
other girl made her put her teeth on edge … she was pure vinegar.
“Let's just say there aren't any Michael-worshippers in
Copper Summit.” Courtney told them.
Michael and Maria shared a look. “We’re going,” they
said in unison.
Maria went off to do the mandatory phone calling and excuse
making for a roadtrip while Michael looked at his not so honest or forthcoming
follower. “And so are you.”
Courtney signed shaking her head. Those two wouldn’t be
happy until they were all dead.
~~~
Tess was looking at an old picture of Vanessa Whitaker. She
closed her eyes and tried to use her powers to glean some information, when Mrs.
Crawford surprised her. Tess quickly covered by asking questions about Vanessa,
and Ida Crawford was more than happy to share information. Tess settled down to
a long winding reminiscing. Sighing, she smiled pleasantly wondering where the
others were.
Outside, Liz was walking down the street unable to stay
still much longer. Max called out to her and then ran up to her.
“Liz! Liz, what are you doing? We agreed none of us would
go anywhere alone.”
“Fine.” Sighing, Liz turned back towards the house. She
had needed a breather from Max, and especially from Max and Tess. She wasn’t
going to make it. There was no way she could live in the same town and watch
them become close. At a loss for what to do, she felt her life weighing on her
like a heavy load, drowning her in memories of what might have been, and what
was she knew was lost.
“Wait.”
“Max, look. There's just … there's nothing left to
say.”
“Except the truth.” Liz closed her eyes at the look on
his face. Of course he couldn’t believe it of her. He had put her on some
pedestal, and in his mind she was perfect … beyond reproach. That was a hard
place to live, and it wasn’t a place she wanted to be in any circumstance. She
had flaws, made mistakes, wrong choices, and it was so much easier to handle
when everyone around her didn’t expect her to never take a misstep.
“We’ve already been through this!”
“So far, all I know is what I saw, and what I saw can't
be true, because it means everything I felt in my heart for the last year is a
lie!” Max’s voiced raised in anger and hurt, so confused by what his eyes
physically told him and what his heart knew had to be true. “Now, you owe me
an explanation, and I want it right now!”
“Please quit shouting, Max.” Liz said, needing him to
step back from her, give her space. “You're scaring me.”
“That's a lie, too! You're not scared. You're hiding
something.”
“I'm not.”
Max knew better. Liz Parker was the world’s worst liar.
“What the hell is going on with you, Liz? We never lied to each other, never
kept a secret from each other.”
“You know, you’ve got me up on this pedestal, Max, and
… I'm not this perfect person. I made a mistake.” God, Liz knew that was
wrong. It was as if she was asking for his forgiveness, admitting it was a
mistake, and she and Max were not a mistake. The whole damn world ended, how
could they not be the mistake? “Look, Kyle and I made love. The end. I'm
sorry.”
“You bitch.” Max shook his head, the betrayal and pain
deep grooves etched on his face as he backed up and then walked away without a
word.
Devastated, Liz watched him walk away leaving her in the
deserted road as a tear ran down her face. Oh god, she couldn’t … wouldn’t
survive this.
~~~
Isabel was in a room organizing her stuff when Nicholas
stopped by peeking in. He told her that the room had once been his sister’s,
Vanessa’s.
“I'm so sorry about your sister.” Isabel truly was
sorry for the part she played in the young boy’s pain.
“I was gonna visit her in
Isabel smiled, unable to imagine a Skin as someone with
family, someone that did normal everyday ordinary things. “Did you get a lot
of time with her, growing up?”
“When she'd visit, she'd make time. She always told me
there's this whole wide world out there. She didn't want me stuck in Copper
Summit for the rest of my life.” The young boy lacked any real inflection in
his tone, but he seemed enthusiastic about his sister. “She used to tell me
stories about this planet in another galaxy, how there was this war going on,
like a revolution.”
“True stories?” Isabel asked without thought. News of a
revolution was something that peaked her interest.
“How could they be true?”
Isabel quickly distracted him with another topic important
to her. “Did she ever mention Vilandra?”
“How do you know about Vilandra?” Nicholas asked as he
entered the room finally instead of hovering at the door.
“Vanessa told me some stories, too.” Isabel said hoping
to inspire the young boy to have him retell stories his sister told him except
before he could Tess walked in ending the conversation.
“Hey.” Tess noticed the end of the conversation. “Oh,
sorry.”
“I have to go.” Nicholas was gone before Isabel could
stop him.
“I've been looking all over the house for you.” Tess
told Isabel. “I was worried. I just found out that Whitaker was adopted. Ida
told me.”
“That means that Ida, Walt, and Nicholas could be
human.”
“Exactly. And the Universal Friendship League. It's
supposed to be a civic organization, like the Elks. Ida says they've been
handling all the arrangements for the funeral.” Tess came in eager to impart
the information she found intriguing. “She and Walt haven't even seen the
body.”
“Because there is no body.”
“Right, but as long as the League handles everything,
nobody has to know that.” Tess nodded towards the empty door. “What about
the kid?”
“I don't know. You came crashing in before I had a chance
to start a real conversation.” Isabel stared at the door wishing she had time
to ask Nicholas a lot more about Vilandra.
~~~
Michael and Maria were on their way to Copper Summit.
Normally they would’ve taken Michael’s bike, but they were forced to take
Courtney with them. It didn’t take long for both of them to regret taking the
Skin with them. She never shut up.
“This is a huge mistake.” Courtney told Michael from
the backseat, for the umpteenth time. “You're gonna get yourself killed.”
“Yeah, well, that's my problem.”
“I didn't spend fifty years finding you so that you could
throw your life away out of misplaced loyalty.”
“Fifty years?” Maria repeated, suddenly curious as she
glanced back at the Michael-bum-sucking Skin.
“Yeah, we came here in 1950. Do the math.”
“So, what? That would make you sixty-five, seventy?
You're old enough to be Michael's grandmother.” Maria laughed seeing the look
on Michael’s face. “I just … I love that. I do.”
“Hey, husks don't age.”
“Husks?”
“Yeah, me.” Courtney told Maria. “My skin … this
thing that I'm wearing. It never ages.”
“What is your point?”
“The point is, I've been a babe for fifty years. What are
you gonna look like in fifty years from now?”
“I won’t be mulching like a beady-eyed snake.” Maria
gave the girl a look over. “Babe? Think a little highly of yourself, don’t
you? I saw your music selection, so it’s not like I expect you to actually
have any real concept of taste. Backstreet Boys?” Maria gave a rueful laugh.
“Tell me, did they give you a chance to pick that moldy old skin you’re
wearing, or did someone just dump you into it? Are you even female? Or are you
unisex? Bet on your planet you were Michael’s parents’ age. You realize
he’s only seventeen, so an old dinosaur like you searching for boytoy material
is just obscene.” Maria was warming up, her mind racing with questions.
“Would you two let it go? You're giving me a headache!”
Michael complained, about ready to toss them out of the car. To change and
redirect the conversation, he looked in the rearview mirror at Courtney.
“Yeah, what the hell is a husk?”
“It's basically a shell. It protects us from the
environment.” Courtney said, happy to talk to Michael and not Maria.
“Like a space suit.”
“Yeah. This planet's atmosphere is hostile to our race.
The husks are a lifeform technology that we can genetically manipulate to
resemble human bodies. Our relationship to it is essentially parasitic.”
“So you’re saying your skin is alive?” Maria asked.
“Because, news flash, my skin is alive too. It’s actually an organ, part of
what is called the integumentary system. So you’re saying that yours is
actually like another organism?”
“Like the trees are alive.”
“Great so you’re like a mistletoe clinging to this tree
for life, and yet you claim your outer husk is you … the babe?” Maria gave
Michael a look. “So which one did you kiss? The inner alien, small and gray
with big black eyes, or the walking hull?” Michael made a face at Maria, but
didn’t comment. News to him. He had no clue, but the thought was …
disturbing. Maria scoffed. “Take it off. Dazzle us with your real beauty.”
Courtney’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Uh-huh, thought so. Bet you look better
as a human even with the peeling skin than you do as your real self.”
Michael seemed to be thinking about what they were talking
about. “So, what's with the peeling? Is that a flaw in the husk’s design or
does this parasite do that naturally?”
“Husks are good for maybe fifty years. But the husks are
dying.”
“Oh, then I can answer the question you asked before,”
Maria said. “How will I look in fifty years? Alive, thank you. Feel free to
die anytime.”
“Maria, stop it. Play nice.” Michael told Maria before
looking at Courtney again. “Well, if all the Skins in Copper Summit are about
to die, then all we have to do is wait them out. If the husks die, we're home
free, right?”
Courtney was quiet. Maria stared into the backseat. “Ok,
what are you not telling us?”
“The harvest.”
Michael and Maria looked at each other, “The harvest?”
~~~
It was a long drive to Copper Summit. Courtney became quiet
in the back listening and watching as Michael and Maria talked quietly to each
other. They were talking low, but it was a small car. It wasn’t hard to miss
the easy flow of conversation as they went through major points. It was hard for
Courtney to admit, but they worked well together, working off each other to
solve problems. She remained quiet when they stopped for gas and water.
Maria glanced into the backseat when Michael left the car.
Courtney was watching her.
“What?” Maria demanded in irritation.
“Nothing.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “If you have a question, you might
as well ask.”
“You two are close.”
“I thought I mentioned that to you before, but you chose
to ignore it.” Maria reminded the other girl. “By the way … not that
it’s any of your business, but would you stop calling him Mikey G?”
“Bothers you, huh?” Courtney asked happy that her
little nickname for Michael made Maria feel left outside.
“No, it bothers him. His foster father called him Mikey,
and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Since you’re an alien, and obviously
after fifty years of living as a parasite you still know nothing about human
emotions or feelings, I’ll give you a big hint. It makes him wince in pain.”
“He’s not human.”
Maria scoffed. “Yes he is. His protector, Nasedo told him
that he was re-engineered human with an essence of alien.”
“His alien side will always dominate.”
Maria was slowly getting it. “You don’t know that. Do
you?” Maria turned in her seat. “This whole story of following him might be
true, but why spend fifty years searching for him on a planet that is
inhospitable to you? What do you expect him to do? Go back to your world and
take the throne, be your leader?” Maria gave it some thought. “If you need
husk technology to survive, and Michael doesn’t because he was re-engineered
to be human, then why were you looking for him?”
“I told you, he was our leader.”
“No. No, he wasn’t. He remained loyal to Max, so that
only means he was the King you wanted, but he was never part of your movement.
How could he be? To be part of it would mean he was actively seeking the throne,
but you already said he refused to betray Max, and that led to what happened.”
“Look, I’ve been looking for him for a long time. You
couldn’t understand.”
“What? Bullshit when I hear it? The whole leader crap is
nothing more than you licking his ass again hoping to get him to let you in,
trust you. I’m trying to figure out your agenda. Obviously if you can’t live
here without wearing a meat bag, then how well can my Michael live on his old
planet?”
Courtney made no comment.
“Uh-huh. Okay, so what do you want? Obviously Max is no
longer King, so Michael doesn’t have to dethrone him since he has no throne.
If he was destined to go home, then why didn’t they engineer him to better
survive on his home planet?”
“We are more advanced. We have ways.”
“Sure you are. That’s why you adhere to an outdated
archaic monarchy system. You revolted because the King wouldn’t do what you
want, but guess what? They don’t have to. They answer to no one but their own
needs, especially if they’re a bad King. You didn’t elect them, so you have
no real say in their actions, no more than you had over Michael’s choice in
his past life not to take Max’s throne.”
“You’re too simple to understand what his duty is, and
why he’s important.”
“You think? Why don’t you cut the bullshit and just
tell us what Michael has that you need, and don’t give me any of this come-on
crap. I’ve met you aliens before. You are a cold, heartless people with
nothing but your own self interest to fuel your actions.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Maria watched Michael walked back to the Jetta carrying
bottled water. “Meaning you’ll talk to your leader only? Then you’ll be
talking to me.” Maria said smugly. “He tells me everything. Whether it’s
his plan to play along with a skanky skin peeling barfly to get information or
search her house when he sent her to the shower … alone.”
“Bitch.”
Maria sat back, pleased with herself at getting under
Courtney’s peeling skin. “So Michael had a bet about where your piercing is.
We were arguing whether you were edgy enough to have a clit or tit one. Michael
thinks you’re all talk and easy come-on, but you don’t have any tits but he
voted for them.”
Courtney turned away refusing to talk to the human girl any
longer, her anger flowing off her in waves. She could wipe the smug look off
Maria’s face in a moment with a wave of her hand, but Courtney suspected that
the Commander wouldn’t take that too well, so she refrained.
~~~
The next morning, Max, Isabel, Tess, and Liz attended the
funeral service for Whitaker at the UFL.
“I don't get it.” Tess said staring at the large
gathering crowd. “What's the point of putting on a big show like this?”
Max glanced around too. “That's exactly what this is. A
big show. After this, there won't be any questions about what happened to
Whitaker.”
Isabel noticed Nicholas hanging out at the doorway, staring
at her. She needed to talk to him, and after the funeral they were expected to
leave. “I'll be back.”
“Isabel...” Max called to his sister who was already
across the street.
Isabel followed Nicholas to the back of the
“Nicholas?” Isabel called her eyes moving over the
bodies. Backing up slowly, she moved through the special showcase.
“Hi.” The young boy said coming into view.
“Oh, God, Nicholas.” Isabel put her hand on her chest
in fright.
“I'm glad that you're here.” Nicholas motioned with his
hand and an invisible blast knocked out Isabel.
“Ugh!” Isabel said with her hand going to her hurting
head as she regained consciousness. Looking around she was two rows of
cultivating husks.
“Hello, Vilandra. It's been a long time.” Nicholas said
smiling at Isabel. He noticed her looking at the husks. “It's taken twenty
years, nursing them from spores to maturity. Now, they're almost ready to
harvest.” Nicholas noticed Isabel’s fear. “Don't worry. You're safe here
with us, Vilandra.”
“My name … is Isabel.”
Nicholas shrugged. “For the moment. But when I looked
into your eyes, it was Vilandra who looked back.”
“No.” Isabel denied. She wasn’t that person. She
couldn’t be.
“Your destiny is with us. With Khivar. He's waiting to
hear that we've found you.”
Isabel frowned, confusion moving over her face. “I don't
even know …”
“Who the hell Khivar is?” Nicholas laughed highly
amused. “The Royal Four. If only the people could see you now. Clueless
teenagers groping for their own identities. You'd lose some of that legendary
aura that's sprung up over the years.”
Isabel moved away from the boy and his derision. “What do
you want?”
“It's what you want.” Nicholas reassured her. “You
just can't remember. I'm here to take you back to him, Vilandra. The leader of
the rebellion. The man who currently sits on your brother's tarnished throne.
The man for whom you sacrificed a kingdom. Your lover, Khivar.”
“No.” Isabel shook her head. It couldn’t be. She
couldn’t be that person. Isabel started to stand up, but Nicholas motioned
with his hand dropping Isabel to the ground again.
“Ughh!” She screamed in pain.
“You're not going anywhere.” Nicholas told her. “You
know, on our world, I was considered to be something of a ladies man. I even
remember you giving me the eye now and again. But after spending fifty years as
a teenage misfit, having all the women laugh at me, I've grown far less tolerant
of the female sex.” The little alien tyrant moved on Isabel, his voice
suddenly cold. “Where's the Granilith?”
Isabel looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I don't
know what you're talking about.”
~~~
At the funeral, Max, Tess, and Liz walked up to the casket
where Whitaker's body rested. Upon first glance, it really looked like Whitaker
was there.
“Good-looking pile of dust,” Tess commented.
Liz glanced at the others. “This just can't be
possible.” She touched Whitaker's hand and a piece of it broke off. Liz
panicked for a moment, and then re-arranged the flowers so they covered
Whitaker's hand.
“Let's go.” Max told the two girls. They moved slowly
down the aisle trying not to attract attention as the service began. Looking
around, they noticed all of the people in the UFL were scratching their necks,
peeling off some skin. Max, Tess, and Liz attempted to make a calm retreat.
“Look, look!” Tess said grabbing Max’s arm in fright.
“This place is crawling with them.” Liz agreed noticing
what Tess saw.
Tess stared at the amount of Skins surrounding them.
“There's no way they're going to let us get out of here.”
Greer, the head of the UFL, noticed Max and the girls
retreat. Glancing down into Vanessa’s casket he noticed the cracked husk
realizing that Max and the two girls knew the truth. “Leaving so soon?”
Greer asked. The front doors closed suddenly with a motion of the man’s hand.
Greer turned his power on Max, Tess, and Liz as they crumpled to the ground.
“You mustn't be in such a hurry to leave us. It appears our long search for
the Royal Four has finally ended. How convenient of you to deliver yourselves to
us.”
Max put himself between Liz and the man. “She's not one
of us. Let her go.”
“She's a human who knows too much.” Ida said smiling at
Liz. “It's a darn shame, 'cause she's awfully cute.”
“You must be the once and future king.” Greer said to
Max as he glanced at Tess. “And his bride.”
“That's right.” Tess said with a little defiance in her
voice.
“You won't remember me, but I remember you.” Greer
moved towards them. “This is a moment I've waited for a long time.” Greer
shot a yellow energy blast at Max, who countered with his green energy shield.
The new power was too new for him to hold or control, but he concentrated since
it was all that stood between them and the Skins.
“How long do you think you can hold out against all of
us?” Greer asked.
“As long as I have to.”
Tess put an arm around Max, her hand coming up to extend
her power. “I can help. Let my strength flow into yours.”
~~~
“Where?” Michael asked Courtney when they entered the
town.
“It’ll be guarded! It’s suicide going there.”
Maria looked at the Skin. “We can’t let them harvest
new husks. If their husks are destroyed, then they cease to be a threat. If what
you told us is true, that it takes twenty years to mature a husk to harvest,
then they’ll have no time to start again.”
Michael glanced back at Courtney. “Where are they
manufacturing the husks?”
“Straight down the main road to the
Michael could hear voices coming from below. Taking a short
flight of stairs, Michael and Maria went down the stairs together with Courtney
reluctantly following them. They paused at a door hearing voices, but not able
to hear what was being said.
Nicholas was standing over Isabel, who was kneeling on the
ground. “Where is the Granilith?” The door opened distracting Nicholas.
Isabel grabbed a nearby pipe, and when Nicholas turned back around, she whacked
him with it.
Nicholas easily overcame Isabel again knocking her back
with a wave of his hand.
“Ugh!” Isabel hit the floor hard.
“Ok.” Nicholas said. “Now I'm pissed.” He hit
Isabel again with another movement of his hand.
“Ugh!”
Nicholas stood over the withering Isabel ready to punish
her brutally for her insolence when Michael, Maria, and Courtney made a dramatic
entrance from the door. Michael knocked Nicholas to the ground with an energy
blast as Maria and Courtney quickly helped the injured Isabel to her feet.
“Get her out of here!” Michael told them. His eyes
meeting Maria for a moment before he turned back to Nicholas as he kept his body
between the retreating girls and the Skin.
“And who do we have here?” Nicholas asked slowly
regaining his feet. Wiping a hand across his mouth, his eyes took on a feral
glint. “That gleam of dull stupidity in the eyes. If I'm not mistaken, you
must be the king's second in command.” Nicholas chided Michael, his stance
taking on an offensive stance belying his youthful appearance. Michael
immediately recognized an adversary. “I killed you myself in your last life.
Ready to die again?”
Michael nodded to the young boy. “Bring it on.” Ready
to fight Nicholas in a showdown to the death, Michael didn’t see Courtney
returning to the basement of the museum. Nicholas spied her first, his face
taking on a look of horror as she picked up a pipe and swung at some kind of
crystal.
“No!” he screamed.
The crystal shattered, and the husks around them began to
break down. Nicholas suddenly hunched over in as if in pain grabbing his head.
Courtney did the same. “Run!” she yelled at Michael,
quickly running out of the museum not bothering to see if Michael was following,
but assuming he would be on her heels. Courtney rejoined Maria and Isabel in the
main museum and the three girls exited together.
~~~
Back at the UFL, Max's shield collapsed despite the added
power from Tess. Exhausted, Max and Tess were on the ground in front of the
Skins.
“Well, it's time for this little game to come to an
end.” Greer told Max and Tess. He lifted his hand to finish them when suddenly
he appeared to weaken. His face paled as his hand went down and he seemed to
wince in pain, almost as if a headache was ripping through his head at the same
moment that Courtney destroyed the crystal killing the mental link the Skins had
to their new husks.
Max watched at the Skins became incapacitated. Getting up,
he reached down for Tess, and pulled Liz with them to make a quick escape from
the URL. They dashed outside running into Isabel, Maria, and Courtney, who had
made a quick exit from the museum.
“What are you doing here?” Max demanded. He glanced
back to the Fellowship Hall of the Skins and shook his head. No time. They had
to go. “We gotta go now!”
“Way ahead of you, boss.” Maria told Max opening the
Jetta’s door. Pushing Isabel and then Courtney into the backseat. Maria looked
around realizing someone was missing. “Michael
… where's Michael?” She asked Courtney.
Michael at that moment came out carrying something in his
arms. It appeared to be Courtney's husk.
“Open the trunk!” Michael told Maria.
“Is that what I think it is?” Maria asked catching the
keys Michael tossed at her.
Michael deposited the husk into the trunk and went to get
into the passenger side. “Just drive!”
Maria got into the driver’s side and followed the jeep
out of Copper Summit. She glanced at Michael a few times, but he was lost in his
own thoughts as were the two in the back. Sighing, Maria frowned as she tried to
come to terms with the idea that Michael saved Courtney’s husk.
~~~
The Skins, led by Greer, made their way to the blown up
husk cultivating facility. They found Nicholas there. Pieces of dried skins were
filtering through the air like snowflakes.
“Huh … the husks?” Greer asked.
“Destroyed,” Nicholas told the group dejectedly.
“Well, that's the end of it, then.” Greer said.
“We're all as good as dead.”
Nicholas went to look down the deserted road leading out of
town in the general direction of
