something from the archives: say goodbye - part 41

this part is heavy on mythology/backstory...

parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,  31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40 can be read at the links.

read on for part 41...

Part 41

Liz lay her head down on the cool surface of her desk. It was the fifth time the computer had crashed in the last hour, and she was still no closer to decoding the encryption buried in the translation Alex had left them. At least the fact that there was an encryption was painfully obvious, she’'d gotten far enough to realize that there was another level only someone with Alex’'s computer savvy would be able to detect.

She missed him. The truth was she didn’'t know nearly enough about coding to be of any use. She wondered what could possibly be buried in the so-called Destiny Book that had needed to be protected. —What had Alex strived to keep from Tess? From all of them? And why hadn’'t he left more clues behind? The measures he had taken seemed to clearly illuminate the fact that he had not only suspected, but anticipated his death at the hands of Tess.

“"Baby, what’'s wrong?”" Michael asked, concerned, as he walked into Liz’'s bedroom.

She lifted her head from the desk and moved to where he had taken a seat on her bed, “"Nothing. The stupid computer keeps crashing, only I can’'t figure out whether it’'s that I’'m running into a security trap within the code itself or if it’'s my own hardware that’'s causing the problem.”"

“"You need a break, sweetheart,”" Michael said as he gathered her in his embrace.

"“I know. I’'m glad you came up. Was Dad driving you crazy?”"

“"No, not really. I mean...he’'s giving me all this...us all this, there’'s so much I need to learn to be able to take care of you properly.”"

“"You already do, babe. Do you think we’ll be okay?”"

“"Okay, how?"

"“It’'s just that it’s a lot—what we’'re getting into. Marriage, running this place, finishing up high school, and add all the other stuff we deal with on a daily basis...do you ever think it’'s too much?”"

Michael sighed and absently ran his fingers through Liz’'s hair as she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. “"If it were anyone else but us, I might say it was. But baby, you and me, we can make it. We can make it good.”"

“"You and me,”" Liz echoed with a whispered smile as she turned her face up to Michael’'s for a kiss. Their lips meeting, their hearts touching, their souls seeing, reeling from the emotion, the feeling, the passion of something so small, so simple, so great.

They made love slowly, tenderly. Their bodies fit together perfectly. Liz wrapped her legs around his waist. Michael clasped her fisted hands in his, as he thrust in and out of her. Every movement was sublime, every sensation exquisite, and as they climaxed looking into each other’'s eyes, they poured forth the love that had staked claim to their hearts.

Afterward they lay together in a mess a bedsheets.

"“Mmm.”" Liz murmured as she lethargically stretched her arms over her head.

Michael smiled, “"Feeling better?”" he asked.

“"You know I am. I can totally withstand the temptation to throw the stupid computer out the window now.”"

“"I'’ve got to get back downstairs. I’'ve got to go over payroll with your father.”"

“"Well, have fun, and feel free to visit anytime you need a break.”"

“"Don’'t tempt me. And baby, don’'t stress over the whole translation thing, you’'ll figure it out. Alex knew you would, like he knew you’'d figure out what happened to him.”"

Liz silently watched as he pulled on his pants and t-shirt. Michael was right. Alex knew she’'d figure it out. She just had to go back to the original clues: the poems, the concert tickets, and the binary code. "“You’'re absolutely right. I will figure this out. Now go, we don’'t want my Dad to come looking for you.”"

"“I'’ll see you later,”" Michael said as he kissed Liz on the forehead and left the room. Liz smiled at him as he left, and then turned her thoughts back to Alex and the clues she had.

*****

Liz wrapped a sheet around herself and grabbed the collection of Robert Frost poems she’'d left on her nightstand since Alex had died. Turning to the earmarked page that held the now familiar words to “Stopping by on a Snowy Evening,” she perused them once more, struggling to capture the message they enclosed.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. 

The heavy regularity of the iambic pentameter and the fixed rhyme scheme were easily discerned but revealed nothing Liz hadn’'t looked at before. She had already figured out that Alex suspected he wasn’'t going to survive, but what other clues had he left her?

She fingered the receipt for Thai food that he had signed in the binary code when it struck her that it might function as a decoder if she applied the code to the poem itself. She gazed at the series of zeros and ones as if it might tell her where to begin: 010110001100101100100.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed in RobertFrost.exe and gazed at the screen as she willed something to happen.

The cursor blinked as it prompted her for a password. Liz thought quickly, if she wrote out the binary code over the words of the poem and discounted the zeros as being unimportant, the first word she had to consider was woods. She entered it and was surprised to have the screen open to another page. Again it prompted her for a password, following the code the next succession of significant words were: are, I, his, and house. None seemed to be appropriate to a password.

She glared at the group of words, she’d come so far, and she wasn’t about to be thwarted now. Are, or phonetically an R, but what would the I mean, she doubted he meant Rhode Island. His house easily grouped together, but how would that fit with R and I. Suddenly it made sense, she typed Roswell into the field and the computer opened a new page onto her screen. Again it prompted her for a password. She looked at the last group of words from the poem: the, he, will, and me.

Liz couldn’t make heads or tails of that one. She decided to take a chance and typed in a phrase only she or Alex would know. True blue. It worked.

Suddenly she was not only staring at the real translation of the Destiny Book, she was reading Alex’'s last words to her.

Dear Liz,

If you’'re reading this then the worst happened. I wish I could have been stronger for you, I wish I were there now to help you. I want you to know I didn’'t leave willingly, and I only survived as long as I did because you needed me. 

I finished translating the book, but managed to break free of Tess’'s mind control long enough to hide the real meanings. By now you must know Tess is evil, that her mission has always been to destroy Max, Michael, and Isabel.

There are other reasons as to why this was so well hidden. It’'s not called the Destiny Book for nothing. And all that has happened has happened because it was meant to. This thing has a way of foretelling the future, but it’'s not a future set in stone, that’s why it’'s so dangerous. For that reason I only directly translated the passages relating to the creation of the hybrids and their mission on Earth.

Unlike what Tess and Nasedo said, the hybrids were never meant to mate with each other, Truth is they can’'t have children with each other, as hybrids they don't work together biologically. They were sent to Earth to choose their lifemates. Now this is where it gets tricky, the wording is ambiguous so that it seems there is something special about the mates they choose. There is either a change or a special ability that is connected to the process. 

Once the hybrids choose their lifemates, the full extent of their powers will mature and their lifemates will exhibit some of the same characteristics. Lifemates need each other to function and to use their powers. It is a powerful connection, not one to be taken lightly.

The Granolith had a one-time use as a vessel to leave the planet. However its casing can be rebuilt and restructured easily by the hybrids' powers, especially when assisted by their lifemates. This restructured ship can be used for a variety of things, however I believe it’s uses are better left unsaid, only that it cannot be used to leave Earth, the metals would collapse as soon as the ship breaks through the atmosphere.

Finally, this is about who the hybrids are. Max was a king once, Isabel, a princess, and Michael, a fierce warrior. This holds true here on Earth. But they shouldn’'t worry about their pasts on Antar. Max was noble and good. Isabel never betrayed anyone. And Michael was loyal and strong. 

They are who they are. They are expected to live life the way humans do. This was a way of giving them a chance, what they do with it is up to them. Every choice they make affects the Destiny Book, it alters the future it foretells. 

Liz, this is all I can share with you. But it is the truth. And now that you know, maybe I can rest in peace. 

Be happy. Love well.

Congratulations on finding Michael.

I love you. I love you all.

Alex 

Liz finished reading Alex’'s letter through the tears that flooded her eyes. Quietly she printed the document and curled up in the middle of the bed as wracking sobs shook her body.

*****

Michael excused himself from the in-depth accounting lesson he was receiving from Jeff, pleading exhaustion and enough for one day.

Liz needed him.

He could feel the aching pain, the grief, and the sadness emanating from her soul in his.

He ran up the stairs into her bedroom.

He wrapped her in his arms and held her until her sobs quieted.

He held her for a long time after that.

Finally she stood and brought him Alex’s letter.

Michael read it without comment. When he finished he looked at her and said, “"He knew. He knew about us.”"

She smiled sadly at him and nodded before burying herself in his arms once again.