we're close to the end of this story, if you haven't read any of it before catch up from the beginning at the links: 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, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46.
part 47 continues after the jump...
It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Michael and Liz stood on her balcony greeting the day. Knowing that it might be their last. They’d spent the last two days closer than they’d ever been before. Michael grew irritable as soon as Liz left the room. Liz knew he needed her. They were closer than ever, and their need to be together was greater.
They didn’t need words to tell each other that it would last a lifetime. They just knew.
Today they’d face the threat that had been hanging over all their heads since they’d activated the orbs last summer. Today they’d know the truth.
Michael and Liz shared a brief but intense kiss before climbing back inside to join Nancy and Jeff for breakfast.
*****
Max signed his name to the sheet of paper before him. He folded it into squares and with a worn printout stuffed them into an envelope. He wrote a name on the envelope and left it by his bed.
He pulled on his favorite black t-shirt and walked down the hall into Isabel’s room. She looked at him wordlessly as he entered.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“No, but I have to be don’t I?”
“We have to go. Valentis are expecting us.”
Isabel nodded and tied her hair back into a ponytail. She needed to see Kyle.
*****
Kyle looked out the window for the fifth time in the last two minutes. Jim looked at his son and shook his head, “A watched pot never boils,” he said sardonically.
“I know. They should be here already.”
“Why are you so antsy?”
“It’s nothing Dad. Just sometimes, I can’t believe all this alien shit I’m involved with. Then I think of Isabel and I know there’s no place I’d rather be. Today’s the day.”
“Are you proposing?”
“No Dad. The threat, remember?”
Before Jim had a chance to reply Michael and max simultaneously pulled into the Valentis' driveway.
“They’re here,” Kyle said unnecessarily as he pulled open the door and caught Isabel as she threw her arms around him. The group filed into the Valentis' living room.
*****
They’d decided to walk to the desert. They wanted to avoid problems, and they knew they could get out of there quickly if they needed to—if they vanished they thought it would be easier to leave no trace.
They told the Sheriff everything that was going on. They told him what could happen. He’d wanted to come along. He’d wanted to help them fight. He wanted to protect these kids who’d come to mean so much to him.
They needed him to stay safe. They needed him in case everything went wrong and the worst happened. They needed him to be there to comfort their families.
It had been hard for him to let them go. He wanted to keep them safe—these kids—his kid. But he knew he couldn’t hold them back. The truth was he was damned proud of them.
He’d let them go. He hugged his son. And watched them leave. Then his eyes glinted a dark black.
*****
They stood at the appointed spot. It was near high noon and they hadn’t seen any sign of any evil-minded aliens. They stood in the V-formation—Max in the center, Michael and Liz on his right, Isabel and Kyle to his left. And they waited.
From the shimmering heat of the desert they could see a form approaching. It was completely human in appearance. It was also horrifyingly familiar.
At first they were confused. They’d told Valenti to stay behind. He wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Max,” he said in greeting.
“Sheriff—what are you doing here? Did you follow us?” Isabel asked confused.
Valenti’s thin lips stretched into a smile eerily reminiscent of the times he hadn’t been on their side.
“Oh Buddha,” Kyle breathed anguished, as understanding dawned, “Father and son will meet. Bastards. It was my father they were talking about. My father.” Kyle watched as his father’s eyes glinted black at his words, thus confirming his every suspicion.
Liz and Isabel let out gasps. Walking towards them were their parents. Jeff, Nancy, Phillip and Diane strode forward like automatons. Their eyes black with an alien rage. They were unrecognizable. Comprehension dawned; there had been no preparing for this. There was no way they could win. Because they couldn’t hurt their parents. They couldn’t kill their parents.
When the parents stood less than a foot behind him Valenti spoke, “You poor useless hybrids. You pitiful excuse for foes, “ his voice was clipped, precise, as if he were unfamiliar with the language and yet knew precisely what to say. “You’ve been the bane of my existence. All I wanted was to rule. Quite simple really. But no, you had to keep the crown for yourself. You wouldn’t even share it with your dear sister, Vilandra, after I had spent all that time seducing her. She still fought on your side, she still believed in you. Thank heavens for that whore of a wife you had. She was—well—instrumental. It was quite sad she had to die too. And I still didn’t get what I wanted. All that trouble and you still kept it from me. Genetically re-engineered and stranded on an utterly backwards planet and you still keep it from me.”
“What is it you want Kivar?” Max asked calmly. Ignoring the venom spewing from Valenti’s lips.
“You know who I am then,” he grinned grimly, “What I’ve always wanted—I want it all.”
“Then take it. I don’t want it. I never have.”
“You were always a fool. As Zan it was all you wanted. It was your reason for living. And now you throw it all away.”
“No, I was a coward then. I know what I have to do this time.”
“And what is that?”
“The right thing. You can have it. Only you have to promise me that you’ll leave Earth and never come back. That you won’t hurt any of them.”
Valenti laughed humorlessly, “You do realize—“
“Yes. Send them back first. When it’s just you we’ll trade. You’ll have everything you need to rule on Antar, the Royal Seal.”
“Maybe those engineers did make you sensible after all. Very well,” Valenti stretched his hand out and emitted a red glow. Jeff, Nancy, Phillip and Diane disappeared as quickly as they had shown up. “They’re quite safe now. Only a little confused.”
“Max what are you doing?” Michael asked as Max started walking forward to meet Valenti.
Isabel collapsed into Kyle’s arms when she understood what her brother was doing. She knew she couldn’t stop him. He’d known it would end this way for days now. He’d tried to warn her. She just hadn’t wanted to listen.
Kyle held Isabel closely. He was helpless. He’d come to appreciate Max over time, and didn’t want to face the truth about what he knew was going to happen.
Liz grabbed Michael’s arm when he made a movement to pull Max back. Tears were streaming down her face. “Let him go Michael. He knew.”
Michael turned to Liz, “I don’t understand,” he whispered painfully.
They watched with horror as Max stood before Valenti and bowed his head. Valenti’s hands emitted the red glow and clasped Max’s head between them. With a blast of light the Royal Seal began to glow, first a white light and then a deepening green and then slowly infused with red. Valenti let go of Max allowing his body to fall to the ground. The Royal Seal was now glowing on his forehead.
He smiled ironically and took in the scene, the two couples staring at the body lying on the floor. He sent a blast of power up towards the atmosphere and opened a wormhole that would take him off the planet. “It was a pleasure doing business with you,” he cackled maniacally before stepping into the wormhole and leaving Valenti’s body slumped on the desert floor with Max’s.
The sound of Isabel’s keening sobs breaking the stunned silence of the group.
Part 47
It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Michael and Liz stood on her balcony greeting the day. Knowing that it might be their last. They’d spent the last two days closer than they’d ever been before. Michael grew irritable as soon as Liz left the room. Liz knew he needed her. They were closer than ever, and their need to be together was greater.
They didn’t need words to tell each other that it would last a lifetime. They just knew.
Today they’d face the threat that had been hanging over all their heads since they’d activated the orbs last summer. Today they’d know the truth.
Michael and Liz shared a brief but intense kiss before climbing back inside to join Nancy and Jeff for breakfast.
*****
Max signed his name to the sheet of paper before him. He folded it into squares and with a worn printout stuffed them into an envelope. He wrote a name on the envelope and left it by his bed.
He pulled on his favorite black t-shirt and walked down the hall into Isabel’s room. She looked at him wordlessly as he entered.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“No, but I have to be don’t I?”
“We have to go. Valentis are expecting us.”
Isabel nodded and tied her hair back into a ponytail. She needed to see Kyle.
*****
Kyle looked out the window for the fifth time in the last two minutes. Jim looked at his son and shook his head, “A watched pot never boils,” he said sardonically.
“I know. They should be here already.”
“Why are you so antsy?”
“It’s nothing Dad. Just sometimes, I can’t believe all this alien shit I’m involved with. Then I think of Isabel and I know there’s no place I’d rather be. Today’s the day.”
“Are you proposing?”
“No Dad. The threat, remember?”
Before Jim had a chance to reply Michael and max simultaneously pulled into the Valentis' driveway.
“They’re here,” Kyle said unnecessarily as he pulled open the door and caught Isabel as she threw her arms around him. The group filed into the Valentis' living room.
*****
They’d decided to walk to the desert. They wanted to avoid problems, and they knew they could get out of there quickly if they needed to—if they vanished they thought it would be easier to leave no trace.
They told the Sheriff everything that was going on. They told him what could happen. He’d wanted to come along. He’d wanted to help them fight. He wanted to protect these kids who’d come to mean so much to him.
They needed him to stay safe. They needed him in case everything went wrong and the worst happened. They needed him to be there to comfort their families.
It had been hard for him to let them go. He wanted to keep them safe—these kids—his kid. But he knew he couldn’t hold them back. The truth was he was damned proud of them.
He’d let them go. He hugged his son. And watched them leave. Then his eyes glinted a dark black.
*****
They stood at the appointed spot. It was near high noon and they hadn’t seen any sign of any evil-minded aliens. They stood in the V-formation—Max in the center, Michael and Liz on his right, Isabel and Kyle to his left. And they waited.
From the shimmering heat of the desert they could see a form approaching. It was completely human in appearance. It was also horrifyingly familiar.
At first they were confused. They’d told Valenti to stay behind. He wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Max,” he said in greeting.
“Sheriff—what are you doing here? Did you follow us?” Isabel asked confused.
Valenti’s thin lips stretched into a smile eerily reminiscent of the times he hadn’t been on their side.
“Oh Buddha,” Kyle breathed anguished, as understanding dawned, “Father and son will meet. Bastards. It was my father they were talking about. My father.” Kyle watched as his father’s eyes glinted black at his words, thus confirming his every suspicion.
Liz and Isabel let out gasps. Walking towards them were their parents. Jeff, Nancy, Phillip and Diane strode forward like automatons. Their eyes black with an alien rage. They were unrecognizable. Comprehension dawned; there had been no preparing for this. There was no way they could win. Because they couldn’t hurt their parents. They couldn’t kill their parents.
When the parents stood less than a foot behind him Valenti spoke, “You poor useless hybrids. You pitiful excuse for foes, “ his voice was clipped, precise, as if he were unfamiliar with the language and yet knew precisely what to say. “You’ve been the bane of my existence. All I wanted was to rule. Quite simple really. But no, you had to keep the crown for yourself. You wouldn’t even share it with your dear sister, Vilandra, after I had spent all that time seducing her. She still fought on your side, she still believed in you. Thank heavens for that whore of a wife you had. She was—well—instrumental. It was quite sad she had to die too. And I still didn’t get what I wanted. All that trouble and you still kept it from me. Genetically re-engineered and stranded on an utterly backwards planet and you still keep it from me.”
“What is it you want Kivar?” Max asked calmly. Ignoring the venom spewing from Valenti’s lips.
“You know who I am then,” he grinned grimly, “What I’ve always wanted—I want it all.”
“Then take it. I don’t want it. I never have.”
“You were always a fool. As Zan it was all you wanted. It was your reason for living. And now you throw it all away.”
“No, I was a coward then. I know what I have to do this time.”
“And what is that?”
“The right thing. You can have it. Only you have to promise me that you’ll leave Earth and never come back. That you won’t hurt any of them.”
Valenti laughed humorlessly, “You do realize—“
“Yes. Send them back first. When it’s just you we’ll trade. You’ll have everything you need to rule on Antar, the Royal Seal.”
“Maybe those engineers did make you sensible after all. Very well,” Valenti stretched his hand out and emitted a red glow. Jeff, Nancy, Phillip and Diane disappeared as quickly as they had shown up. “They’re quite safe now. Only a little confused.”
“Max what are you doing?” Michael asked as Max started walking forward to meet Valenti.
Isabel collapsed into Kyle’s arms when she understood what her brother was doing. She knew she couldn’t stop him. He’d known it would end this way for days now. He’d tried to warn her. She just hadn’t wanted to listen.
Kyle held Isabel closely. He was helpless. He’d come to appreciate Max over time, and didn’t want to face the truth about what he knew was going to happen.
Liz grabbed Michael’s arm when he made a movement to pull Max back. Tears were streaming down her face. “Let him go Michael. He knew.”
Michael turned to Liz, “I don’t understand,” he whispered painfully.
They watched with horror as Max stood before Valenti and bowed his head. Valenti’s hands emitted the red glow and clasped Max’s head between them. With a blast of light the Royal Seal began to glow, first a white light and then a deepening green and then slowly infused with red. Valenti let go of Max allowing his body to fall to the ground. The Royal Seal was now glowing on his forehead.
He smiled ironically and took in the scene, the two couples staring at the body lying on the floor. He sent a blast of power up towards the atmosphere and opened a wormhole that would take him off the planet. “It was a pleasure doing business with you,” he cackled maniacally before stepping into the wormhole and leaving Valenti’s body slumped on the desert floor with Max’s.
The sound of Isabel’s keening sobs breaking the stunned silence of the group.
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