Off the Menu………

Max strolled through the UFO Center , whistling, on his way to Brody’s office door. Things were quiet, and in the calm after Vegas, everyone seemed to be getting along. He wasn’t back with Liz, but at least it wasn’t as strained. Michael actually played basketball with him, and Michael and Maria were back on their course to become young con artists.

“Brody?” Max knocked on the office door. “Brody, you in there?”

“Max, Hi!” Brody said putting a visor on the desk behind him and leading Max out of the office.

“Hey. You wanted me to reorganize your crop circle files tonight?”

“I did?” Brody said absentmindedly, distracted by other things. “Oh, right, uh--well forget about that. You go off home.”

“Home? I still have three hours left on the clock.”

“Oh, work, work, work. Don’t you have a life?” Brody asked immediately seeing who he was talking to. “O.K., I’ll tell you what, uh, why don’t you fix the weather balloon?”

“Okay.” Max left Brody who hurried back into his office. Excited, he sat down and put on a Virtual Reality visor.

“Computer, run abduction simulation 1.5.” Brody said to his computer in his best Star Trek voice as he typed in the command. “All right, I was home, minding my own business. Suddenly I’m gone for three days. Where did I go?” Brody entered more commands. “Computer, run simulation 1.6.” Brody nodded. That was closer. That was it. “Yes, something like this. I remember being in a room like this, but, but this doesn’t look very alien, more like a warehouse. And there were other people here. Humans.” Brody added more parameters to the simulation. “Computer, add human forms to program, three male, three female. Yes, I was here, doing something. I was talking! If I could just remember what I was …” Brody frowned when the computer gave a loud beeping warning for memory disk full. “Override, continue simulation. Yes, I was sitting here. And to my left I remember a boy. Nicolas! And at the end of the table was … Oh, my god, Max! How could Max be in …”

Brody never completed the thought as he was cut off by a zapped by a bolt of electricity. He moaned as, all the lights went out, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Max, who was working in the museum, walked to the fuse box to try and figure out what was wrong.

Brody woke, confused, his eyes dilated and not quite right. Opening a file cabinet, he took out a gun and checked the chamber before loading a clip into it.

Max was still messing with the fuse box as footsteps approached. He stopped working when Tess’s voice interrupted him.

“It’s not a fuse; the lights are out all over town, the streetlights and everything.” Tess handed him a gift. “Oh, this is for you.”

“What is it?” Max asked, uncomfortable receiving presents from Tess.

“You have to open it to find out.”

Max frowned at the present. “What’s the occasion?”

“Does there have to be an occasion, Max? It’s just a gift.” Irritated by his reaction to something as simple as a gift, she sighed. “You know, I saw a black sweater on sale, v-neck, and I thought of you. If you don’t want it I can just give it to Kyle.” Tess took the box and started to walk away from him.

“Tess …”

“What?”

“Sorry. Thank you.” He took the box back to look at the sweater. “This was, uh, very thoughtful. I’ll turn on the emergency power.”

Neither of them noticed Brody slowly entering the room moving up on them until he spoke. “Why did you lie to me?” he demanded.

“Brody, what’s wrong?” Max asked moving in front of Tess facing Brody.

“You’re an alien, aren’t you?” Brody seemed disoriented.

Max and Tess both froze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Max told the man, denying everything.

“Yes you do. New York City .” Brody told him, and his eyes seemed to finally notice Tess as well. “We were all there. You and you and me. We were there with the other aliens.”

“Larek?” Max said trying to understand how Brody could remember if he wasn’t Larek.

“There! That’s an alien name. That makes you an alien.” Brody took the gun out from behind his back. “How else could you know that?” He pointed the gun at Max and Tess as Max raised his hand.

“Brody, just put the gun down.” Max ordered the older man trying to reason with him. “I am not an alien and neither is Tess.”

Brody fired the gun, and Max reacted naturally in response to a threat. His force field came up deflecting the bullet from them into a picture. It shattered the glass.

“So how do you explain that?” Brody asked. He gestured to the security computer’s screen as it replayed the confrontation between Brody and Max, showing Max using his powers. “Security cameras are on backup power. It’s all on disk.”

“Brody, please, what do you want?” Max begged, not knowing what else to do. He was exposed and killing Brody wasn’t an option.

“I want you to tell me who I really am.” Brody said, his eyes dilated wrong and confused. “Am I Brody, or am I Larek? What am I?”

~~~

Outside the UFO center Maria, her mother, and Sean got out of the Jetta. Sean was carrying a large box, and Amy shoved a bag into Maria’s hands.

“Oh my god, Mom. No offense, but nobody is going to be clamoring through a black-out to buy one of your ‘George W. is an Alien’ T-shirts.’”

Sean had to agree with his skinny cousin. “Not even if you were giving them away.”

“Oh, come on!” Amy said opening the door to the UFO Center . “It’s called an entrepreneurial spirit, people.” They entered as Brody, Max and Tess looked their way.

Amy was still lecturing, pleased to have a captive audience to her views. “Puts food on the table and gas in the Jetta. These T-shirts are hot off the presses; I want them on the market right now  …” Amy saw Brody with the gun pointed at Max and Tess, “or later! Uh, Come on kids …”

“Hey!” Brody called threateningly shooting a warning shot. “Nobody’s going anywhere.”

~~~

“Hey Sheriff,” Hanson said when Jim opened the door. “How you doin’ tonight?”

Jim frowned at his ex-deputy standing on his doorstep during a black-out. “Good, what can I do for you dep-Sheriff?”

“Well, we kind of have a situation brewin’ …” Hanson informed Jim. “Turns out this power outage is pretty serious; an entire grid was somehow taken out.”

“Uh-huh.” Jim wasn’t getting where this was any of his problem.

“Entire town’s totally dark. New Mexico DWP’s a little stumped, so I was thinkin’ that this may be this is what you call a F-E-M-A situation?” Hanson inquired.

Jim sighed, unhappy to help in a job that was no longer his, but then again, it was all about serving and protecting. “Call Ralph. Electrician? Big guy who rewired the station last spring? He’ll know what to do.”

“No FEMA. Ralph.” Hanson repeated.

“Ralph.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“Um … I’m not the sheriff anymore.” Jim reminded Hanson, the new Roswell Sheriff.

“Right, sorry.” Hanson had the grace to look embarrassed as he wore Jim’s old badge. “Thanks … Jim.” Jim nodded, shutting his door.

~~~

“I have memories of things I’m not supposed to know, but I do know them.” Brody explained to Max desperately. “I know that you’re Max Evans and I also know you’re Zan. None of it makes any sense. All I know is that you’ve been lying to me. And now I want the truth or this is going to the FBI.” Brody said showing Max the security disk.

Sean made a face saying to his aunt, “What the hell is this guy talking about?”

“Too much time at the UFO Center .” Amy guessed.

“Stop talkin’ over there!” Brody yelled at them as he walked over to the DeLuca family.

Max quickly tried to distract Brody from the human bystanders. There was only so much he could do without exposing himself further to both Amy and Sean, and to the security cameras. “Ok, look. Look, I can help.”

“Yeah, well you better.” Brody said to Max angrily. “I want these aliens out of my head.”

“Maybe it would be better if we left you aliens alone.” Amy suggested helpfully.

Brody took some duct tape handing it to Max. “Tie them up.” Max did as instructed and Tess helped him.

“Brody,” Maria said desperately as her eyes met Max’s, and she understood the dilemma he was in with her mother and Sean there. “Brody, we’re close. We’re friends.”

“I’m not close to anyone right now.” Brody told Maria.

She noticed a wound on his temple. “What happened to you?” Maria’s phone rang, and she didn’t know what to do, answer it or not. Brody held the gun on Maria threateningly as she took out her phone.

“Don’t point that gun at my daughter.” Amy said her voice shaking with anger.

“I should get it.” Maria told Brody.

Brody’s head shook no with this hand holding the gun. “No way.”

“I always pick up my cell phone, if I don’t pick it up whoever is calling will know something is wrong.” Maria lied. “They’re probably going to try to come and find me.”

Brody shook his head confused, as he tried to think straight. He nodded gesturing to her to answer. “You tell them you’re busy and they’re not to come looking for you.”

“Hello.” Maria said, hoping it was Michael.

“Maria!” Liz’s voice said over the phone. “You will never believe what happened to me in Bio today.”

Maria sighed. No. Liz would do. “Yeah, I bet I won’t.” Staring at the gun, Maria hurried before Brody lost his patience. “Listen, I’m a little tied up right now so I think I’m going to be late for my shift. Actually, um, I don’t think I’m going to make it to work at all.”

“What’s the matter, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking’ about the menu lately and you know the Galaxy Sub with pepperjack …” Maria said stressing the ‘pepperjack’ part of the message. “It’s not selling all that well, so maybe we should take it off the menu.”

Liz frowned. “Off the menu?”

“That’s enough.” Brody said taking the phone and disconnecting, leaving a confused Liz on the other end staring at her phone. “What was that about?” Brody demanded.

“It was just shoptalk. It’s nothing.” Maria lied, hoping Liz figured out the message.

~~~

“That was weird.” Liz said.

“What was?” Michael asked as he passed the burger to Liz for Isabel. Grabbing extra napkins and condiments, he took a seat too with his own plate.

Liz sat the food down in front of the alien girl. “Maria just hung up on me.”

Michael shrugged. “Happens to me all the time.”

“This burger isn’t cooked.” Isabel complained. “The cheese isn’t even melted.” Isabel went to use her powers to finish cooking the burger.

“Don’t!” Michael warned. “That makes it taste like crap.”

“I want it cooked.” Isabel demanded.

“It’s fine this way because you still get the taste of the grill.” Michael told her as he doctored his meal.

“Yeah, and the possibility of contracting E-coli or Mad Cow disease? No, thank you.” She used her powers to cook the burger.

~~~

Tess and Max were sitting together away from the DeLucas. Brody waited until they were bound before having Max tape up Tess, and then Brody finished with Max. Tess sat next to Max watching Brody carefully.

“I think it’s time we used my Mind Warp on Brody. We’ll walk right out of here.”

“Do it.” Max told her. “Just be careful.”

Tess concentrated trying to get into Brody’s mind to leave a suggestion, but Brody’s mind was fragmented, full of images from New York … from the Summit . He glanced at Tess sharply knowing that she was trying to walk into his mind.

Brody waved his gun at Tess. “Don’t try your mind games on me.”

Tess collapsed on Max, out of breath. He looked down at the girl. “Tess?”

“His mind,” she told Max, “it’s too crowded. I can’t get in.”

Brody walked over to them crouching down to Max. “You really want to help me Max, or Zan, or whatever your name is?” Max struggled to his feet putting himself in front of Tess. “Tell me why I have all this information in my head. Tell me why I know that this thing is called a trithium amplification generator and that when I turn it like this …” The object emitted a light flash that sent Max sprawling on the floor and knocked Tess over. “… you can’t use you’re powers anymore. How do I know that, huh?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Max breathed, in pain. “I really don’t.”

Max strained against the tape around his wrists. So, a mystery was solved. The device had worked against Michael, not because it was responding to him and not Max, but simply because Brody had accidentally turned it on when Michael was near, and not when Max was. Max whispered to Tess. “He’s right. My powers aren’t working.”

Across the room, Maria was trying to comfort her mother, reassure her that they would be freed. “Mom, don’t worry. I gave Liz a coded message. Any minute now fifty cops will be busting down that door and getting us all out of here.”

“What coded message?” Sean asked stopping his struggle with the duct tape around his wrists.

“The Galaxy Sub with pepperjack, it’s what Brody always orders.” Maria explained.

“And?” Sean didn’t get it.

“Liz is one of my best friends, we have our own language. She’ll understand. Trust me.”

~~~

“Maria said something strange.” Liz told them as she watched the two aliens gorging themselves on fattening burgers and cleared her throat. “Galaxy Sub with Pepper Jack. Does that mean anything to you?”

Isabel shrugged biting into her burger and talking with her mouth full. “I don’t really listen to Maria when she’s talking. I’m probably the wrong person to ask.”

“Michael?” Liz asked.

“Pepperjack? What did she say about pepperjack?” Michael asked between chews.

“Something about how we needed to take it off the menu.” Liz repeated shaking her head confused.

“Off the Menu! Are you sure she said that?” Michael quizzed Liz.

“Yeah. Off the menu.”

Michael was quiet for a moment, thinking. Brody. Pepperjack Man. She wanted his order removed … so that meant somehow Brody did something to Maria, something to make her rethink her friendship with him, especially to rethink that he could be ‘the man’ Madam Vivian warned about. Michael put down his burger quickly wiping his hands on the napkin. “I’m outta here.” He was going to find that little Irish accented alien freak and find out what the hell he did to Maria.

“No, wait, we’re still on duty.” Liz reminded him. “We don’t close for another four hours.”

“Come on Liz, there’s no power.” Michael said gesturing to the diner in general. “There are no customers. There’s nothin’ to do.”

“But the power could come back any time.” Liz reasoned.

Isabel made a bad face staring at her burger in disgust.

“I’m sure you can handle the dinner rush.” Max looked at Isabel. “I need to go to the UFO Center . Wait here and I’ll let Max know you’re waiting.”

“Okay.” Isabel said with her mouth still full of burger. “You were right, this is really bad.” Isabel tossed the burger in her plate wiping her mouth. “I’ll come with you.”

“No. There is something I need to do alone. You stay with Liz.” Michael was up and out the door before either girl could protest. Michael moved quickly, upset and wanting to find Brody. He didn’t want any witnesses.

Liz just shook her head at Isabel. They both paused for a moment, then both of them got up to follow Michael. Nothing else going on, they might as well go for a walk to check out the rest of Roswell .

Michael tried to open the door the Center, but it was locked. Thinking it automatically locked when the power went out, he opened it with his powers on the electronic lock pad.

The control pad beeped and Michael opened the door slamming it behind him … the door relocked behind him. Rushing down the stairs, he didn’t notice the group of people tied up, or Brody who was messing with his gun. Brody looked up when he heard the door slam.

“See, I told you, the cavalry was on the way.” Maria reassured her mom, half coming to her feet. Maria saw Michael, and at the same time watched in horror as Brody raised his arm aiming the gun at Michael.

Brody fired and Michael hit the ground trying to use his powers but they wouldn’t work because of the trithium amplification generator.

Maria screamed Michael’s name seeing Brody take a better aim at Michael, helpless on the floor. Maria moved, rushing to her feet, she hit Brody hard with her body messing up his shot, both of them hitting the ground. Michael was stunned waiting for the bullet to impact his body. When it didn’t, he looked to see where the bullet went seeing Maria on the floor.

“Maria!” Michael rushed to her, pushing Brody aside. Picking her up, he moved back from Brody as the man picked up his gun and aimed it at Michael again.

Liz and Isabel heard the gunshots from the Crashdown.

“Were those gunshots? What’s going on?” cried Isabel. They ran across the street to the UFO Center . The door was locked. Isabel opened the door, and she and Liz slipped inside. They glanced down into the main room seeing Brody holding a gun on Michael who was holding Maria in his arms. Isabel made a gesture to remove Brody’s gun, but nothing happened. Liz and Isabel shared a look, and they left quietly.

“We gotta get Valenti.” Isabel told Liz.

~~~

Inside the UFO center, Brody pointed his gun at Michael and pulled the trigger. It just clicked.  All the hostages flinched.

“What are you doing here?” Brody asked, recognizing Michael from the Summit , but not recognizing him. He shook his head confused. He took out the clip and puts a new one in loading a bullet into the chamber. “Sit down before I shoot you!”

Michael backed away taking Maria with him. He sat down next to Amy still holding Maria as Amy hugged her daughter and Michael.

Brody turned on Max. “You try to contact your alien friends again, you’ll only make it worse for them.”

Maria’s cell phone rang again. Brody glanced at the phone in his hand, almost as if he was confused what it was.

“My god, he’s crazy.” Amy said hugging her daughter and Michael. The cell phone continued ringing.

“What?!” Brody yelled in the phone, highly agitated.

“Brody, that you?” Jim’s voice inquired over the phone.

“I don’t know. It might be Larek.” Brody said truthfully, missing Michael’s reaction.

“Larek? Ok, uh …” Liz and Isabel exchanged a knowing look. Larek, this couldn’t be good. “This is Jim Valenti.”

“So?”

“I understand you’re having a bit of a problem down there tonight.”

Brody paced nervously. “And you’re going to solve it?”

“Well, I’m gonna try. Why don’t you start by telling me what you’re after?”

“What I’m after?” Brody shook his head agitated and angry as he yelled into the phone. “What do you mean, ‘What I’m after?’”

“Well, as I understand it, you’re holding some people hostage. There’s usually a reason, you know?” Jim said trying to be reasonable. “List of demands?”

“Demands?!” Brody looked at the others. “He wants a list of demands.”

“I could use a burger.” Sean suggested.

“Sean!” Maria whispered loudly.

“Yeah, yeah, right. We got a bunch of hungry people down here, and we want burgers all around.” Brody told Jim.

“And fries.” Sean added.

Brody nodded. “Good. Good. And fries.”

Valenti repeated the order to Isabel and Liz while he tried to talk to Brody. “Right, listen um-couldn’t we at least talk about …”

“No! No talking until we get our food. And when it’s delivered, I don’t want to see any cops.” As an afterthought, Brody screamed into the phone. “And no aliens either, I can tell.” He disconnected the phone. Brody paced for a moment talking to himself as he finally began to move things.

Michael glanced at Maria who was literally in this lap. His hands weren’t bound, and Brody seemed to forget that. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Maria nodded. “You could’ve been killed!”

“I got the pepperjack message and came to check it out.” Michael told her.

“God! I wanted Liz to call the police, not send you!” Maria leaned into him, still upset how close it had been.

“My fault. I read the message wrong. I was actually coming to check on Brody.” Michael glanced over to see Amy chastising Sean for ordering fries. “Why aren’t my powers working?” Michael asked as he glanced over at Max and Tess, both of them shaking their head. Theirs were gone as well.

“Brody turned on that device thing … the one that hurt you before. It is like this dampening field that turns them off.” Maria quickly explained.

“Then we’re helpless. Powerless.”

Maria sniffed. “Yeah. Welcome to the human race.”

The both turned as Brody’s babbling continued while he was piling stuff up at the bottom of the stairs.

“Nobody comes in, and nobody goes out. We’ll all just stay here together. Like one big, happy family.” Brody said with labored breathing. He walked over to Tess and Max. Talking to Tess while taking an alien mannequin next to her, “Excuse me, love. Just need to borrow your cousin for a while.” He started back toward the pile but stopped walking suddenly and turned back around. A knowing look moved over his face. “That’s it!”

“What?” Max said, almost afraid to ask.

“Dimaras rock. I couldn’t remember before but the name just came to me. Dimaras, after the third moon. That’s where you two first met. You must remember? Dimaras rock, it... it juts out over the water.” Brody said looking off. “Ah, I can see it so clearly. The moon hanging over the horizon.” Tess closed her eyes, remembering. “And the color of the water … crimson red. I was there with you before you were king.” Max gave Brody an incredulous look. “We were swimming, and you looked up, and saw her on a rock. You said she was the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen.” Max and Tess shared a look, Tess’s eyes bright. “But of course you were too afraid to go talk to her. I offered to make the approach on your behalf, but you told me not to.” Brody laughed as Max broke his eye contact with Tess to glance back. “Back then you were always so nervous and quiet. But lucky for you I was neither shy nor obedient. So I went and met her and introduced you two the same night …” Brody chuckled as if it were a good memory.

“… at a party.” Tess said quietly remembering it all. Max looked at her, dumbfounded. He turned to Brody.

“That’s a nice story.”

“It’s not a story. It’s the truth.” Brody was even more confused. “Don’t you remember?” Tess glanced at Max, but he wouldn’t look at her. That hurt. Tears filled her eyes. “Please, Zan, I have to know that what’s in my head is real.”

“I’m sorry, Brody.” Max told the man quietly. “But none of that is real. None of that happened.” Tess stared at him, even more hurt than before.

“But you do love her. I know you do.” Brody insisted. “I was there when you met!”

“You’re wrong. We’re not in love. We never have been.” Max repeated at Brody glanced at a visibly upset Tess, who looked away with tears in her eyes, defeated by a knowledge that Max would never want to know, and refused to remember.

~~~

Jim, Liz and Isabel watched as Hanson went to the UFO Center and pulled on the doors.

“Dammit, it’s Hanson.” Jim said more to himself. Jim took the cell phone and dialed.

“Hello?” Hanson said as he answered the phone.

“Step away from the door.” Jim told Hanson.

“Sheriff?” Hanson circled around looking for Jim. “Where are you?” He glanced up and saw Valenti waving at him from the roof outside Liz’s bedroom. “Oh, there you are. I had Ralph look into the power outage. Turns out the surge that cause all this emanated from the UFO Center here. Figured I check it out.”

“Turn your flashlight off and get up here.”

Isabel frowned as she watched the new Sheriff coming to join them. “This could be alien related. You shouldn’t have invited him into this.”

Jim didn’t agree. “It’s safer having him up here then goin’ in there with his gun, stirring things up.” Jim waited until Hanson climbed up to the room. “The UFO Center is an old fallout shelter. So it only has one set of doors and they automatically lock whenever the power goes out. Now I think there might be some people trapped in there.” Jim informed him.

“You need any help?” Hanson asked happy to have someone who knew what was going on.

“Sure, sure, but, uh -- with traffic lights out all over town, I think you’re going to have your hands full.” Jim told the Sheriff.

“Right, traffic control. I should probably take care of that one first.”

“Good, good.” Jim encouraged Hanson. “Yeah I got this one covered I think.”

“Thank you, Sheriff. Uh, Jim.” Hanson climbed back down the fire escape, off to direct traffic.

“Watch yourself, now.” Jim called to his ex-deputy.

~~~

In the kitchen of the Crashdown, Isabel and Liz were hurrying to finish the food order as Isabel passed her hand over the burger cooking them, despite what Michael told her about them tasting bad.

“What about the fries?” Liz asked.

Isabel used her powers to heat the oil under the fries while Jim repaired a small camera to be attached to Liz. His face appeared on a small screen.

Jim smiled encouragingly. “I’ll be able to see whatever you see. And I’ll be …”

“… watching the whole time.” Liz said as Jim attached it to her coat.

“All I want you to do is deliver the food. Let me get a good look at the layout of the room,” He adjusted the camera, “what’s goin’ on down there, who’s positioned where.”

“And then I want you …” Liz and Jim said at the same time.

“To get right out, you told me.” Liz reminded Jim.

“Right.” Jim got the food from Isabel, and they sent Liz in.

~~~

“Ah, supper’s here. I’ll buzz her in.” Brody said almost socially as the door buzzed. Amy glanced at Maria literally sitting on Michael. Brody had bound Michael’s hands after he ordered food, so he and Maria were discretely struggling together trying to undo the other’s duct tape.

“When he goes to get the food use your teeth, and bite through the tape.” Michael told Maria.

“No. Mine have been bound longer. I can maybe control Brody. You … you, he’ll just shoot. You bite through mine, and …”

“Maria, I have a better chance of getting us free, now …”

Amy shook her head as the two next to her continued arguing as Brody called to Liz Parker from the top of the stairs. “Yeah, yeah, come down. I’ll, uh, I’ll move some of this stuff. Mind your head there. Here, I’ll give you a hand.” Amy watched the man with something akin to horror on her face at the change in his tone, the nice pleasant voice and polite manners. He was deranged, a split personality. God! They were dead.

“Okay …” Liz said looking around at everyone.

“So, what have we got here?” Brody asked looking at the box full of takeout.

“Oh, we have got, uh, seven burgers and seven fries.” Liz told him.

“Great, lovely, uh … now, great.” Brody began counting his money to pay and Amy shook her head unable to associate a bill paying polite man to the maniac ranting about aliens and holding a gun on her daughter.

“Oh, oh no. It’s … it’s on the house.” Liz said nervously.

“Oh, no, no. I insist, please.” Brody handed her a large bill. “And, uh, keep the change. I think I’m rich.” Liz glanced at the hundred dollar bill. Okay, no wonder Brody was Maria’s favorite customer, or used to be, if he tipped this well all the time.

“So, um, is that it? Can … can I get you something else?” Liz asked wanting to get enough time to show Jim everything.

“No, no that’s fine. You can go. And thanks for the food.” Liz nodded and looked around the room before heading for the door. Brody tasted a burger, a dissatisfied look on his face. “Is there a new cook at the Crashdown?”

Startled, Liz stuttered a little. “Excuse me?”

“These burgers, they taste different.” Brody commented.

Maria realized what happened, that an alien … or specifically Isabel must have cooked the burgers due to the power outage, shook her head furiously at Liz. Oh, no. Alien cooked burgers sucked in taste. Liz didn’t catch Maria’s frantic gesture. “Oh, oh well see there’s no power over there either so we had to use a little butane grill.”

“So how did you cook the fries?” Brody asked suspicious, his demeanor changing, as Maria groaned and hid her head against Michael. Max finally clued in that something was about to happen.

“The same way?” Liz said more as a question than a statement.

“No, no, you didn’t. You used alien power to cook this food. You’re one of them!” Brody yelled his gun turning on Liz. He gestured for Liz to move. “Come on-get!”

“No!” Liz’s hands went up in fear.

Max quickly stood up to distract Brody. “Brody, let her go. Larek!” Max called, desperate.

“Get down!” Brody screamed pushing Max to the floor. Sean reached out with his feet and tripped Brody as he walked by. Brody dropped his gun and Sean scrambled to get it first. Brody beat Sean to it pointing it at Sean who struggled to his feet to stand between Liz and Brody. “That was a stupid thing to do.” Brody told Sean.

“She’s not an alien. She’s just an innocent girl.” Sean told the crazy man. “Leave her alone.”

Before Brody could react, the cell phone rang again. “What!?” Brody screamed into the phone irritated by everything.

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure you got the food, and that everything was okay.” Jim said.

“Okay? No, everything is pretty far from okay.” Brody continued to rant into the phone, his voice rising in a loud cadence, almost unintelligible.

Sean whispered quietly to Liz, “Reach into my coat pocket.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.” Liz reached in careful to keep an eye on Brody as she pulled out a knife.

“You talk to me about trust, then you send aliens in here.” Brody said to Jim as Liz started to cut Sean’s hands free. “What do you think I am? An idiot? You’ll be lucky if anyone comes out of here alive, ever!”

Freed, Sean slowly and carefully moved up behind Brody with the knife in hand. Brody disconnected in anger, still not seeing Sean.

Seeing Sean’s intentions, Max yelled, “Sean, no!”

Brody turned in time to see Sean, and the two men struggled over the knife. Sean and Brody fell to the floor wrestling for the knife when Brody suddenly sat up. He looked in  shock as he stared at the bloody knife in his hand. Sean moved on the floor in pain, having been stabbed in the stomach. Maria, Amy and Liz all stood up in shock, all of them horrified.

“Sean!!” Liz screamed as Maria tried to get to her cousin, but Michael held her back. He went instead, pushing her back to safety away from the deranged Brody. Liz glanced at Max, her eyes were full of accusations and anger.

Michael grabbed Sean and quickly pulled him away from the shocked Brody, back to his family as both Amy and Maria moved to be beside him, both women pale and trembling, tears filling their eyes as they saw the blood.

“Michael,” Maria whispered in pain. Michael took off his over shirt leaving himself in only a tank. Using his shirt as a bandage he looked at the knife wound. It was a clean cut across the abdomen. Adding pressure, he looked at Sean.

“I think it’s a clean wound, easy to fix if we can get you to a doctor. It doesn’t look too deep.” Michael glanced over at the angry Brody tossing boxes all about the place mumbling loudly to himself.

“Oh, my God, Sean, are you okay?” Amy asked searching her nephew’s face.

“Yeah,” Sean reassured his aunt, hating the fear he saw in her eyes and in Maria’s.

Liz looked to Max, and with some determination goes over to him. “Max, heal him.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?” She demanded. “It’s your fault he got stabbed. Heal him!”

“I can’t use my powers.” Max motioned towards the device. “Brody activated that device. Brody’s a good man. This isn’t his fault. Sean might’ve killed him.”

“But it’s okay for Sean to get stabbed?” Liz reasoned, upset with Max’s decisions.

“Of course not,” Max said hating to see the disbelief in her eyes as she returned to sit with the others as Michael continued to fashion a tight bandage around Sean. Her belief that he didn’t care about Sean hurt.

“Too tight?” Michael asked Sean.

“Nah, it stings a bit, but surprisingly only painful when I move too much.”

“Yeah, well then don’t move so much.” Michael told him. “What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know. Freedom? Get my damn family away from a madman?” Sean looked over at Max, as did the others. “What is with your friend, Max?”

“Hard to say. I think he didn’t want you to kill Brody, and more than he wants Brody to kill you.” Michael helped Sean back into his shirt. “Maybe you have two people,” he glanced at the concerned Liz, almost in tears, “or maybe even three people who worry about you … who care that you live.”

Sean met Michael’s eyes, and the two men shared an understanding. “I wasn’t planning on dying.” Sean told Michael.

“Yeah, well most people who die from violent crimes rarely do.” Michael told him, having some experience with that himself. “I do know that Maria doesn’t handle loss very well, and maybe you should remember that.”

“Maybe you should too.” Sean said to Michael.

Liz came to kneel beside Sean. “Are you okay?” 

Brody stopped his raging and tossing boxes for a moment to notice his hostages were moving around freely. He noticed Sean’s hands were  free, as were Liz, Michael and Maria’s. They had yet to free Amy. “Who said you could unbind yourselves?” The poor confused man grieved. His eyes moved to Liz, who originally was unbound and freed Sean. Troublemaking alien.

~~~

 “Hey,” Sean said weakly to Liz as she hovered over him. Occasionally he glanced to the side noticing Max watching them.

“Hey.” Liz answered, smiling. He had come between her and Brody, and he didn’t have to do that. Unlike Max and the others, he had no special powers, no advantages except his own courage.

“When this is all over do you wanna grab dinner?” Sean asked.

Maria’s mouth flew open in disbelief, as Michael looked away chuckling. “How can you be wounded and on the make at the same time?” Maria asked, astounded at men.

“Are you serious?” Liz asked, equally astounded as Maria.

Sean motioned to his bleeding stomach. “I’m bleedin’ here. Doesn’t get much more serious than that.”

“Yeah, let me think about it.” Liz told him.

“Hey, aren’t you involved with someone?” Maria asked motioning to Max. She loved Liz, but a girl who carried pictures of a certain alien in her pocket and was obsessing about said alien, wasn’t necessarily the best choice for her cousin.

~~~

Tess watched the others and then glanced at Max whose eyes never left Liz as she sat next to the wounded Sean. “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”

“It’s hard to describe what I feel for Liz.” Max answered.

“I know. It’s what you and I used to have.”

“Tess …” Max didn’t want to talk about the past, about another life that was over.

“You know, everything Brody said is true. I know it is.” Tess told him as Max glanced at her, and then back to Liz.

“I have to do something before more people get hurt.”

“Way to change the subject.” Tess mumbled upset by how resistant he was to any mention of their past and Liz.

Max slowly got to his feet. “I’m gonna talk to Brody.”

“And what are you gonna tell him?”

“The truth.”

~~~

Jim was still watching with Isabel everything happening inside the UFO Center . Hanson had come by, and he was going to be a problem. The new Roswell Sheriff figured out that something was going on, that there might be hostages, and Jim was unable to stop him from leaving. Jim watched as Sean DeLuca was stabbed. He tried to see the wound better through the camera on Liz’s jacket. He didn’t notice Kyle at first coming through Liz’s bedroom window.

“I wish I could see that wound better.” Jim told Isabel who was nervously chewing on her nails watching her brothers in a hostage situation. “We gotta get in there.”

“Dad! Dad!”

“Kyle!” Jim said turning to Kyle as he came out on the roof. “What are you doin’ here?”

“I heard over the scanner that the cops are getting ready to storm the UFO Center . They called sharpshooters in from the State Police.”

Jim groaned. Guess he now knew what Hanson meant about having to do something. “Damn it. Those guys will shoot anything that moves.”

“What’s goin’ on down there?” Kyle asked joining his dad and Isabel to look at the screen.

“Hey, I think we’re about to find out.” Jim said as they all watched the screen. The camera moved around the wall and Jim pointed to a box. “I thought Brody got rid of that thing.”

“What is that?” Isabel asked.

“You see that panel?” Jim asked as both Kyle and Isabel nodded. “That controls the fallout shelter’s lockdown mechanism.”

“You think it still works?” Isabel asked.

Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. If it does, it could be a way to keep the cavalry out long enough to end this thing without anybody getting’ killed.”

“Well, great.” Kyle said. “How do we get to it?”

“It’s too risky to try to get inside. There might be a way to activate it from the outside.” Jim seemed to consider their options. “Kyle! You think you can get me the blueprints for that place?”

“Where am I supposed to get those?”

“Library, third floor, in the back.”

“The library’s closed.”

“Kick the window in!” Jim told his son. “Go!” Kyle quickly scrambled back through Liz’s window as Jim and Isabel went back to watching the computer screen. They watched as Max stood up and approached Brody while Liz pointed the camera at them.

~~~

“Everything you’ve been saying tonight is true.” Max told Brody. “I am an alien. I’m the king of another planet. Tess is my wife.” Max didn’t notice Liz flinching at him calling Tess his wife.

“So these memories I have are real?” Brody said.

Amy nodded, leaning over to whisper to Michael, Maria, Liz and Sean. “Reverse psychology, it’s the oldest trick in the book.”

“Yes, all of them.” Max confirmed.

“But if I’m Larek, an alien, and you’re Zan, also an alien, w-what are we doing here?” Brody was confused … so confused.

“Surviving. Biding our time until we return.”

“So we’re going back to our home planet, someday?”

“Yes. You, Me, Tess.” Max said, hoping the answer would be one Brody wanted to hear.

“And the others?”

“All of us.”

Brody seemed to relax. “It’s incredible.”

“Now I think it’s time you put down the gun.” Max ordered softly.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Brody relaxed, almost ready to give up his gun when he suddenly spotted Liz trying to point the camera in his direction, her actions bumbling and in no way discrete. “What’s that? What have …” Brody stood up in anger holding the gun forcibly again, waving it at Liz. “What’s that?! She’s wearing a camera! I’m going to kill you!” he yelled at Liz, pointing the gun.

Max quickly moved between Liz and Brody, the gun resting on his chest. “You want to shoot someone, shoot me. This is my fault.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Brody warned his head moving to the side as they heard sirens approaching. “Cops.” He waved his gun at the group. “Get in the office! All of you! Go! Move now! Go! Get in there! Move!” 

The cops arrived with Hanson directing things as helicopters moved overhead and sharpshooters taking location. Isabel and Jim lost the video feed.

~~~

“This is bad.” Sean said as Michael helped him into the back room.

“This is really bad.” Maria said agreeing with her cousin. “They always put you in the back room before they shoot you.”

“No. Stop it. We’re gonna be fine.” Amy told her children trying to stay optimistic. “We’re all gonna get out of here, I promise.” She glanced at the larger teen. “Tell them, Michael.”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, this is bad. We’re done. Stick a fork in us.” Amy hit him on the arm. Couldn’t he lie just once?

Max was wandering around the office. “Look at this.” He said to the others going to the VR assembly picking up the virtual reality visor. “It looks like it short-circuited or overloaded or something.”

Liz walked over with Michael and Maria. They all stared at the visor that had a darkened area from an electrical discharge. “If Brody was wearing this when it short-circuited …” Liz started.

“A powerful jolt of electricity might have been sent right to his brain.” Max concluded.

“That must be how he’s accessing Larek’s memories.” Tess said nodding. It made sense.

“Ahem, Alien 101 for the rest of us not in the know?” Maria suggested, hardly knowing what VR was all about, or caring.

“Humans only use a small percentage of their brains at any given time. Aliens, when they use humans as vessels, tap into this unutilized portion.” Max explained, giving it the best explanation as he got it from the Dupes. “The shock may have somehow given Brody access to a part of his brain only Larek uses.”

“And all of Larek’s memories,” Tess concluded.

“So if this was caused by some sort of injury …” Liz added.

Max nodded knowing where she was going. “That means I can heal him.”

Tess shook her head. “But you can’t. The pentagon.”

Michael frowned staring at the closed door. “We’ve gotta get him to turn it off.”

“I’m gonna go talk to him.” Maria said heading for the door and Brody.

Michael hooked an arm around her center. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting us out of here, and hopefully Brody too.”

“Maria …” Michael held on. “Don’t. He’s not Brody. I don’t know what he is, but his memories are whacked, full of Larek. Name one alien that hasn’t been off.”

“You,” Maria said simply. She smiled and patted his cheek, her eyes serious as they met his. “Brody … he won’t hurt me. I promise.” Maria looked over to where Brody was frantically pacing still mumbling to himself. “Brody?” she called.

The man looked over at her, and Michael almost stepped back. That wasn’t Brody. The body was, but the look, the recognition, was completely Larek.

“Maria,” Larek said.

~~~

Back on the roof, Kyle came through the window. “I’ve got ‘em.” Jim, Isabel and Kyle looked at the chaos in the streets as sirens and the helicopter were heard. 

Jim worked quickly. He went through the plans showing Isabel and Kyle what he was looking for. “I was right. There’s another control panel in the back alleyway.”

Kyle nodded. “Ok, that’s no problem. I can get back there.”

“We can get back there.” Isabel said stressing her involvement as well.

“It’s gonna be pretty dangerous,” Jim warned them. With the insanity Hanson had called, there would be sharpshooters and armed police everywhere.

“We can take care of ourselves.” Kyle said glancing at Isabel who quickly nodded.

“All right, look. Inside the control panel, there’s a lever that activates a set of steel doors. But it hasn’t been activated in years.” Jim warned.

Isabel stood up ready to go. “We’ll activate it.”

“All right. Be quick about it. We’re running outta time.”  Jim reluctantly sent the two teens to get to the back panel while he went to try to redirect and slow Hanson down.

~~~

When Maria approached Brody, he suddenly walked to meet her. Before she could say anything, he went past her and slammed the office door shut, locking the others inside, with Maria and himself on the outside. Maria was momentarily taken aback, but she held her ground, unwilling to leave Brody behind.

“I …”

“Maria.”

Maria blinked. “You … remember me?”

“You are Maria.” Brody shook his head a moment as if to clear it. “I know you, and I don’t. It’s like the memories are there, and if only I could touch them.” Brody sat down dejected.

Hating to see him so upset, Maria sat next to him. “I deliver lunch to you almost every day.”

“I bet I enjoy that.” Brody said his eyes moving over her beautiful young face as both he and Larek stored the memories of her.

“You do.” Maria confessed. “I do too.” She bent her head to keep his attention from wavering. “You … and I, we were building a good friendship. It was a little strange. I’m only seventeen, and you’re … older, but I really enjoy your friendship, the way you listen and talk to me about things. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

Brody sighed. “There’s just so much in my head right now. I can’t figure out who I am anymore.” He stared at Maria. “I look at you, and you … you are familiar.” Brody leaned over and kissed her. Maria held still for a moment, before sitting back her eyes meeting his. “That wasn’t a memory was it?” Brody asked.

“No. You never … we never kissed before,” Maria said carefully, slightly disturbed by the man who looked like Brody, but then suddenly looked completely foreign to her. “It never came to that.”

“Then is must have been a fantasy. Whose? Larek’s or Brody’s?” Brody put his hands to his head shaking it. “I can’t figure it out. There are like two voices in my head, two sets of memories, and both of them have you in them! I can’t understand that. I can’t …” Brody glanced at Maria. “Did you meet Larek?”

“No. Just you.”

“Then I don’t understand how he has memories of you. I don’t understand how he can be in love with you, too.”