The Enemy Unknown...(TEEN/MATURE) ~Pt 60 ~ 3/24/06 COMPLETE

[Angelzbabe]

EVIL EVIL CLIFFIE QUEEN!!!!

That's just cruel Tracie - leaving us hanging like this. Get back here soon and tell us what happened!!!!

[Ti88]

Tracie...what are you doing to me? To us? To your fans? What's going to happen. Now is not the time to have a major injury. Wait I know that really isn't Max. Its some evil shapeshifter right?

I loved Isabl and Alex together. That was a very touching part.

‘we always had Antar

that cracked me up.

[Pooh]

You get back RIGHT NOW! I just have no words....just keep in mind in one story I can deal with it for the story line but in 2 : You still love me right?

[majiklmoon]

The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen

Chapter Forty-Six – Recovery

The door in the wall swung open, and Maria prepared to step through, when Max reached out and pushed her down. He stepped out in front of her, knowing somehow that something wasn’t right. It was almost like slow motion, on television. He watched as Maria fell to the ground, and he heard Isabel scream out his name in warning. At the same time, he saw both Alex and Isabel’s concentration falter, and the protective shield they had put up weaken slightly.

Without thinking, Max stepped past Maria and added his shield to that of Alex and Isabel’s just as an explosion filled the room. The combined strength of the three shields kept the explosion from rocketing upward, but the ground beneath the package shuddered violently, and a large crater formed. He watched in horror as both Isabel and Alex were thrown off their feet, landing near the edge of the widening hole.

Alex recovered first and jumped away from the edge. He surveyed the wreckage around him and summoning his last reserves of strength, found a way over the gaping hole to Isabel’s side. He dragged her to safety.

“Is Maria all right?” Alex asked Max, even as Maria was pulling herself to her feet. She slapped Max on the arm and started yelling, and Alex grinned and looked at Isabel.

“I’m taking that as yes,” he said. “How about you, are you okay?”

“Yeah, except for I almost killed us all, yelling like an idiot when I saw Max,” Isabel said.

“Isabel, you saw your brother walking into a dangerous situation, you warned him. What were you supposed to do?” Alex asked, reasonably. “Let him get blown up?”

“I could have found a better way to handle it,” Isabel said.

“You know what, Isabel?” asked Alex. “I really don’t have time for this. There’s a gaping whole separating us from Max and Maria. We don’t know if Liz, Michael, Ava and Kyle are okay. Zan and Shandar are God knows where, and your parents, aunt, uncle and nephew are buried somewhere in the rubble that used to be our only safe place to hide. So excuse me if I focus on those problems instead of the fact that you’re sitting here feeling sorry for yourself!” Alex exploded. “Now unless you have a way of getting us over there to where they are,” he pointed to Maria and Max who were both staring at Alex in shock, “Then I suggest you shut up!”

“No just a second, Alex Whitman!” Isabel began.

“Isabel, don’t,” interrupted Maria. “And Alex, just shut the hell up. We need to find a way to get on the same side of cavern, and I am so not up for a game of leapfrog. Any suggestions?”

“You have any more of those secret passages of yours?” asked Max, half joking, half hopeful.

“No,” Maria said, looking excited. “But maybe, just maybe we have something better.” She ducked back into the passageway that she and Max had traversed and came out with an Earth type backpack stuffed so full, it’s sides were bulging.

“What is that?” asked Max. He was positive it was one of their emergency packs they had assembled when they fought Kivar on Antar, but the way their luck was running, he couldn’t be sure.

“It’s exactly what you think it is,” said Maria, rummaging through the pack. “When the shit hit the fan, we snuck into the Training Academy and removed as much of our stuff as we could. We only left enough there for you, Michael, Liz and Kyle.”

“Maria, I could kiss you,” said Max.

“Ewww, sorry, I don’t kiss my girlfriends,” Maria said with a smile. “Let’s see, clothing, a first aid kit, a couple of extremely squished HoHo’s courtesy of Kyle and yeah, here we go, rope.” She held up the coil of nylon rope the way a triumphant runner holds up a trophy at the end of a race.

“Are we allowed to talk now?” Alex asked. “Because if we are, you may want to know that the passageway behind us is blocked.”

“Damn, so is the one we came through,” said Max. “Maria, any ideas?” He turned to look at Maria, but she was no longer at his side. Instead, the petite blonde was looking down into the gaping hole blow into the ground by the explosives.

“What do you think, Isabel, down or up?” she asked. She knew her friend’s confidence was badly shaken by what happened, and she hoped that by prodding her to make a decision, it would give her ego a much-needed boost.

“Well, down would be easier, given the fact that we have a hole, but I think up would be better. The only question is how do we manage it? We can’t just randomly blast our way through. There might be people above us,” Isabel said.

“There’s a little bit of a hole up there already,” Alex pointed out. “From the first blast, whatever that was. Maybe we can widen the opening just a little bit and try and see what’s above us.”

“That’s great,” said Max. “But you’re over there, and we’re over here.”

“Piece of cake, girlfriend,” said Maria. Using her powers, she carved a ring into the rocks and passed one end of the rope through the ring and fastened it securely. She tied the other end around a rock and tossed it across the gaping hole to Alex and Isabel.

Isabel caught the rock and quickly untied the rope and fastened it to the holder she had carved into the rocks. When the knots were secure, Maria walked to the edge of the hole, grabbed the rope and began t make her way, hand over hand, to the other side. Once she was across, Max did the same, and they set to work, carefully widening the opening above them.

** * ** * ** *

“We need to head down into the city,” Zan said to Shandar, once he was certain her injuries weren’t severe.

“Into the city, Zan? We have to get back down below. Our son is down there,” cried Shandar. She began to climb over the debris, trying to locate the hidden entrance that provided them with access to Sanctuary.

“Shandar, stop, we can’t!” Zan yelled. “We can’t go back in there. Not like this. We have no supplies, nothing. We have no idea of what happened. We need to go find Liz and the others and try and figure this out. We could be walking into a trap.”

“And we could be saving our son,” Shandar whispered. “Zan, we have to go back in there.”

“I agree with you, we do, but not like this. Think for a minute. Think with your head, not your heart, no matter how hard it is. Valrik was with my parents, and Michael and Ava’s parents. Do you think any of them would let anything happen to him?”

“Perhaps not, but we can’t know that something didn’t happen to them,” Shandar argued.

“You’re right, we can’t, Zan admitted. “But how do you feel, Shandar, can you feel him? Can you feel Valrik? You’ve bonded with him so much more than I have. I think I can feel him, can you?”

Shandar tried. She opened her heart to Valrik, searching her soul to see if she could feel her child. Her heart swelled with joy when she felt a soothing, relaxing feeling rush through her body. She knew with all certainty that Valrik was alive, not only alive, but safe.

“You’re right, Zan. He is all right. Our baby is all right. He is safe, and surrounded by love. I’ll go wherever you want, now. I’ll go anywhere with you.”

[Angelzbabe]

Ok - Maria is a comic genius. It's official. Not only does she have a sensible brain that thinks fast on it's feet, but she manages to retain pure Maria wackness at the same time. Amazing.

Alex shouting at Isabel - mmm.. not too sure how I feel about him right now. Although I know it was a tense situation, I'm not sure that was helpful in any way.

Zan and Shandar. Awwwwwwww. Those two better hurry up and get together officially because my poor heart can't take much more.

Love the update Tracie, and I can't wait to see where this story goes next.

[Island Breeze]

Ok - Maria is a comic genius. It's official. Not only does she have a sensible brain that thinks fast on it's feet, but she manages to retain pure Maria wackness at the same time. Amazing.

I have to agree with Angelzbabe! I couldn't have said it better!

And as for this scene:

“You know what, Isabel?” asked Alex. “I really don’t have time for this. There’s a gaping whole separating us from Max and Maria. We don’t know if Liz, Michael, Ava and Kyle are okay. Zan and Shandar are God knows where, and your parents, aunt, uncle and nephew are buried somewhere in the rubble that used to be our only safe place to hide. So excuse me if I focus on those problems instead of the fact that you’re sitting here feeling sorry for yourself!” Alex exploded. “Now unless you have a way of getting us over there to where they are,” he pointed to Maria and Max who were both staring at Alex in shock, “Then I suggest you shut up!”

I'm wondering if Alex has been replaced by a shape shifter!
Well, in your stories, Tracie, I've learned to never take ANYTHING for granted!

Great part!

[majiklmoon]

The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen

Chapter Forty-Seven – Hook Up

Zan thought long and hard about where they could go to possibly hook up with Liz, Michael and the others. He could think of two places they were certain to go. The first was their secret room in the Training Academy. The second was the small café where they used to meet Che’koth, when they thought he was just a resistance fighter. The trouble was, he wasn’t sure which one to check out first, and he was afraid they would miss them in passing. He explained his dilemma to Shandar, and she came up with a solution so obvious, he felt stupid for missing it.

“Why not go to your secret room first, and if they’re not there, just leave them a message. You can leave it in English so nobody else will be able to read it,” she suggested.

“I am three different kinds of stupid,” Zan said. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”

“Because I’m smarter than you,” Shandar said, impishly.

“Is that any way to talk to your King?” Zan demanded with mock ferocity as they began their long walk back to the city.

“It is if the king is as think headed as you,” said Shandar.

“Nice,” said Zan. “Well, if we’re done maligning my character, do you think we could discuss your stay with the Gadori’s while we walk? I was serious when I said I wanted to find out as much about them as I possibly could.”

“What do you want to know?” Shandar asked. She was willing to share whatever information she had, but it would be helpful if Zan could give her an idea of what he was looking for.

“Well, every day was pretty much the same as the others,” said Shandar.

“That boring, huh?” asked Zan.

“Yeah, but that’s not what I mean,” said Shandar. I mean everything was exactly the same. We ate the same food every day, they followed the same routine, the temperature in the lab where I was kept stayed the same, and any deviation from the routine really set the Gadori off. It was like yeah, they could shape shift, but when they were in their natural form, the craved the consistency or something.”

“Really?” asked Zan, at a loss for what to say.

“It was horrible,” said Shandar. “I felt like I was going to die from the sameness of it all. One day, I screamed. I just stood in the middle of a room and screamed and screamed. It felt so good.”

“What happened then?” Zan asked curiously.

“I didn’t see the guard who was with me for over a sortar,” she said, using the Antarian word for month. “I think he had a nervous breakdown or something. And they watched me very closely after that,” she rubbed her wrist subconsciously, remembering the electronic device they had fastened there that shot bolts of energy into her body.

“What do you mean, ‘watched you very closely?’” Zan demanded. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“Well,” hedged Shandar, still rubbing her wrists.

Like a snake, Zan reached out and grabbed Shandar’s hand and pushed back the sleeve of her garment. Burns and scars encircled her wrists, telling Zan their tale of horror.

“They did this to you?” he asked in horror. “Here on Antar, on this beautiful peaceful world, you were tortured?”

“I – I’m sorry, Zan. I didn’t want you or anybody to find out,” said Shandar. “It’s over now, it doesn’t matter.”

“Why did they do it, Shandar? Certainly not because you screamed one night?”

“That’s exactly why,” Shandar said. “Apparently the screaming uncontrollably really did something to their nervous systems. When I said my guard had some kind of a nervous breakdown, I wasn’t really kidding.”

“Did they do this to my son?” Zan demanded, his voice cold. “Did they hurt my baby? Surely a baby’s constant crying must have been stress to them,” he said contemptuously.

“That’s part of the reason that I ran,” said Shandar. “I did everything I could to keep him quite. The second he so much as whimpered, I picked him up and fed or changed him. But he’s a child. He needs to cry and make noise. And, I – I couldn’t let them hurt him.” The unspoken, like they hurt me, hung in the air between them.

Zan reached out and took her hand again, this time more gently. He turned it so the palm faced upward and brought it up to his mouth and kissed it gently.

“They’ll never hurt you again,” he said, his eyes a cold hard brown. “We’re going to destroy them. They will never hurt anyone I care about again.”

His words sent a shiver of pleasure through Shandar. Nobody had ever cared for or about her before. Not her family who focused only on Kivar; and not her friends who had used her to get close to her brother. This was a new experience for her, and even though they were in terrible danger, she took a moment to enjoy the new feeling.

“We’re almost there,” said Zan, pulling her from her thoughts. “We should probably change the way we look. He passed his hand over his hair and changed its color to a faded brown/gray, and changed his eyes to a steel blue.

Shandar watched in amazement as the few simple changes he made completely altered his look.

“If we do that,” she said. “How will we recognize the others?”

“Don’t worry,” said Zan with a grin. “We always seem to find each other. Now what about you? What are we going to do with you?”

With a touch of her hand, Shandar’s hair went from it’s long and glorious red to a short brown tousled mop. She smiled impishly at Zan, “How’s that?” she asked.

“Perfect,” said Zan. “Listen, Shandar, before we go any further, I just want to say you’re being really great about all of this. I know it was hard for you to even trust us with everything, but you did, and now you’re a part of us. One thing I learned from Max and the others, we’re stronger together than apart. That’s why it’s so important for us to find the others as quick as possible.”

“I understand Zan, I really do,” Shandar responded. “It’s just so hard to walk in the opposite direction of where Valrik is. I know that he’s safe, but he’s not with me.”

“I know,” Zan agreed. “Whether you believe it or not, it’s hard for me too, Shandar. Everything in me is saying go back there, but I know he’s safe. Barring anything else, Max will protect him with his life.”

“You’re so certain Max is alive then?” Shandar asked. “How?”

“I’m him, he’s me,” Zan said. “We’re more than twins, Max and I, and I would know if he were dead. But I know that he’s not, and I know that he’ll do anything and everything to protect our son. He still feels the loss of his own child deeply. He wouldn’t want us to go through what he and Liz did.”

“They lost a child?” Shandar asked. “What happened?”

As they made their way to the Training Academy, Zan told her about Tess, and her betrayal, and how in a final showdown between her and Liz, Liz was hit with an energy bolt, but her unborn child managed to absorb the energy of the bolt, protecting Liz, but dying in the process.

“And you, where were you when this happened?” Shandar asked, tears glistening on the tips of her thick eyelashes.

“I wasn’t with them at that time, I was in another part of our world, but I could feel Max’s pain. I didn’t realize what it was at that time, but I was incredibly sad for a very long time after that.”

“I’m sorry, Zan. I just assumed you really didn’t know what I was feeling, but if you and Max are as connected as you say then you do know what it’s like to care about a child,” said Shandar. “I’ll do what –“

“We’re here,” Zan interrupted. He led Shandar though a hidden opening and down a network of tunnels emerging in the secret room where he spent so much time the previous year.

“Have they been here?” Shandar asked, looking around the cramped room.

“It doesn’t look like it,” Zan said, his voice filled with regret.

“Zan, don’t,” Shandar said. “We have a plan. You’ll leave a message and we’ll go to the other place you mentioned.”

“You’re right,” said Zan. He looked around and found some paper and a pencil among their old belongings and started to scribble a message for Liz and the others. When he finished, he used his powers to drive the pencil through the paper, pinning it to one of the walls. Turning to leave, Zan reached out and took Shandar’s hand. They started down the passage, and then stopped when they became aware of voices coming towards them.

[Angelzbabe]

Ok - firstly you're being an evil cliffie queen again. What have I told you about that huh?? *glares*

But other than that - I came up with a plan to defeat the Gandori - set Maria onto them. If a little screaming caused a mental breakdown, imagine what a full force Hurricane Deluca would do!! It's infallible!!

Love the new update Tracie, and can't wait to see what happens with this story next!

[majiklmoon]

The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen

Chapter Forty-Eight – Disturbing Behaviour

Zan reacted without even thinking. He grabbed Shandar’s hand and pulled her over to a corner. He reached into a small storage bin and pulled a belt out and strapped it around her waist.

“If anything happens,” he whispered in Antarian. “Activate this button. It will take you back to Earth. Find Jim Valenti. He’ll help you.”

“I won’t leave without my son,” Shandar whispered.

“You will if you want your son to have one live parent,” said Zan. “Now, stay here, and if anything happens, I want you to do what I said.” He grabbed her and kissed her before pushing her back behind the storage locker.

He crept forward cautiously, trying to identify the voices. He held up a hand to Shandar, reminding her to stay hidden. He crouched down behind one of the dilapidated chairs they had brought in, and waited.

The wait wasn’t long however, and within seconds, the shadows of the approaching figures flitted across the walls of the tunnel. Zan counted four shadows, and his heart sank. He was outnumbered. He wasn’t even certain Shandar would have an opportunity to escape.

It wasn’t long before the first figure appeared, and Zan stood and prepared to fire an energy bolt. He may die, but he didn’t plan on going down without one hell of a fight.

“Zan, wait!” a voice shouted as a shield went up, deflecting the energy bolt. “It’s me!”

Zan refused to lower his guard and waited for the figure to identify himself.

“Zan, it’s Ava,” the voice called out. He looked around through the smoke, but he was unable to see clearly.

“Damn it, Zan, will you please try and not kill me,” the voice called again. “ I swear if you do, Kyle is going to be all kinds of cranky with you.”

“Woohoo!” Zan shouted. “Shandar, come out, it’s them!” He raced forward and grabbed Ava and spun her around. Placing her gently on the ground, he reached out and grabbed Liz and spun her as well.

When he was done, and both girls recovered their equilibrium, Liz looked at Ava.

“Did he just say, ‘woohoo’?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m embarrassed to admit that he did,” said Ava.

“Hmm, how unkinglike was that? Imagine, someone of royal linage letting his emotions show in that way,” Liz replied, affecting a snobbish tone.

“Yeah, well both of you can bite me,” said Zan. “We’ve been under a little pressure here, ya know.”

“Oh, and look at this,” said Kyle, noticing the belt that Shandar wore. “Did he get all caveman protective on you and tell you if he didn’t make it to save yourself?”

“I don’t know what you mean by caveman,” said Shandar. “But Zan was incredibly noble. He wanted to send me to safety to ensure that our child would have at least one parent.”

As she spoke, her skin flushed a delicate shade of red, and Liz and Ava were quick to note the change. Ava reached out and quickly silenced Kyle, while Liz stepped on Michael’s foot as a not too subtle warning to keep his mouth shut.

“Owww!” Michael sputtered. “That hurt.”

“What hurt?” asked a totally clueless Zan.

“Never mind, I – uh, I stubbed my toe,” Michael said, lamely.

“Okay,” Zan said slowly, shooting Michael a strange look. “Whatever. Look, do any of you have any idea what’s going on. Do you know what happened?”

“Do we know exactly, no,” said Kyle. “What we do know is that Max, Maria, Alex and Isabel are okay. Right now, that’s about all we do know. We were going to try and find some information but we wanted to secure a place to work from first. We knew we couldn’t stay here, but Liz remembered there are still some of those pills she created that make Antarian food palatable for us mere Earthlings, and we wanted to get them. Our inability to eat the slop you guys call food would be a dead giveaway as to our identities.”

“Last time Kyle and I were in town, we hooked up with an old resistance leader named Wandred,” added Michael. “We were going to try and track him down and see what we could find out.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Zan. “Grab what you need, and let’s get out of here. This place just isn’t the same any more.” He looked around the room sadly. It was here that he first felt like he had something to contribute to the tightly formed group. They were great and did everything they could to make him feel like he belonged, but it took a long time for him to allow himself to belong. He was determined that Shandar’s entry into the group would be easier. Not that the others were doing anything to exclude her, but he wanted Shandar to feel as comfortable with them as he did.

“Well, are you coming?” Michael asked, looking back at Zan.

Zan shook himself from his reverie, and realized that the others were halfway down the tunnel.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Zan said. He broke into a half jog and caught up with the others.

Once out of the tunnels, they made their way back into the crowded city, not talking, just listening for any bit of information about what happened out in the valley. The wandered around for a while, then made their way to the old café. Shandar placed their orders in her faultless Antarian, and Kyle and Liz surreptitiously the food modification pills into their mouths.

A server brought their food, and Zan, Ava, Michael and Shandar dug in, enjoying ever morsel, while Kyle and Liz picked at their food, trying to make it look like they enjoyed it. Michael had just poured himself a glass of something that could only be described as jalapeno flavored Kool-Aid when he noticed Wandred standing in the doorway of the café. He was about to give Wandred a sign of recognition when he realized Kyle was subtly shaking his head. Michael was confused, but he’d learned to trust Kyle’s judgment over the past year.

They continued eating quietly, keeping conversation to a minimum when Wandred sat down at a table nearby. He was joined by a group of men, all wearing the insignia of the former freedom fighters. Michael shot Kyle a curious glance, unsure of why his friend didn’t want him to say anything. Kyle simply held a finger up to his lip and shook his head. It wasn’t until Wandred began to talk that Michael realized what Kyle already knew. Wandred was a traitor, and it was he who planted the explosives in their hidden Sanctuary. The very people that they had counted on to help them had tried to kill them.

[Island Breeze]

Et tu, Wandred? So now they know Wandred is a traitor. That's a good thing, at least... that they know it, I mean. Now they can do something about it!

And jalapeno Kool Aid? That does sound like something Michael would go for! Come to think of it, I'll bet there are some people who would like it that I know!

“Zan, it’s Ava,” the voice called out. He looked around through the smoke, but he was unable to see clearly.

“Damn it, Zan, will you please try and not kill me,” the voice called again. “ I swear if you do, Kyle is going to be all kinds of cranky with you.”

That was funny! But pretty true, I'd say!

And I have to quote this!

“Woohoo!” Zan shouted. “Shandar, come out, it’s them!” He raced forward and grabbed Ava and spun her around. Placing her gently on the ground, he reached out and grabbed Liz and spun her as well.

When he was done, and both girls recovered their equilibrium, Liz looked at Ava.

“Did he just say, ‘woohoo’?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m embarrassed to admit that he did,” said Ava.

“Hmm, how unkinglike was that? Imagine, someone of royal linage letting his emotions show in that way,” Liz replied, affecting a snobbish tone.

“Yeah, well both of you can bite me,” said Zan. “We’ve been under a little pressure here, ya know.”

: : :

Great parts, Tracie!

[Angelzbabe]

Love the new chapter. That Wandred was a traitor was a great twist, and that Kyle was able to tell before Michael revealed them to him was a very useful power. Can't wait to see what they are gonna do now.

[majiklmoon]

The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen

Author’s Note: Thanks to everyone for waiting patiently. I’m not ignoring this story. It’s just that my UC muse has been shouting louder than my CC muse lately.

Chapter Forty-Nine – Power Boost

“Zan, you and Shandar, get out of here. We can’t risk anything happening to you,” Michael added. “Besides, if we travel in a group, we’re more likely to draw attention to ourselves.

“We’ll meet you on the outskirts of the city,” Zan whispered. “By the abandoned storage buildings.”

He picked up his glass, and downed the contents, and slammed it back on the table. Laughing, he reached out and grabbed Shandar by the arm and pulled her along with him to the door of the café, causing a slight disturbance as they went.

“Pretend like nothing’s happening,” Kyle whispered.

“And how are we supposed to do that?” demanded Michael

“How the hell should I know? Eat casual, I guess,” Kyle said, paraphrasing the line from Star Wars.

“Eat casual?” Michael asked incredulously. “Are you freaking insane?”

“Will you two please shut up,” Ava hissed. “Number one, you’re calling attention to us, and number two, you’re making it freaking impossible for me to eavesdrop on them.”

“What’s to eavesdrop on?” Michael asked. “They’re bad guys.”

“They are,” Ava said, slowly as if explaining something to a child. “But that doesn’t mean the real Wandred isn’t still around. I’m fairly certain Kyle would have known if the man you spoke to before was a Gadori or not.”

“Don’t you think they probably killed him?” Michael asked, slightly amused at the idea of his sister playing the strategist.

“No, I don’t,” Ava answered after several minutes of listening. “In fact, I think the real Wandred is out there somewhere. Those guys are here on a fishing trip. They know we’re around somewhere, and they’re just hoping to flush us out by changing into Wandred and acting as if they betrayed us.”

Without warning, Liz reached across the table and slapped Michael across the face.

“Hey, what was that for,” he whispered.

“If you don’t want to spend the next feast day with my family, that’s fine!” she shouted. “There are plenty of men who will!”

She jumped up and looked around, to make certain the Gadori were watching her. “I hate you, and I never want to see you again. My mother was right about you.” Liz looked at Michael and winked at him imperceptibly. “Follow me,” she mouthed to him. “I hope I never see you again.”

Liz threw her napkin down on the table and ran from the café, tears streaming down her face. Michael gave her a disgusted look but stood up and tossed his napkin down on the table.

“Women,” he said to the patrons of the café in general.

“Better go after her,” the faux Wandred advised with a leer. “Before one of us does. She is a fine looking woman.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Michael said dryly on his way out of the café.

Kyle struggled to contain his mirth looked at Ava. “And what do you want to do for the next feast day, my love. Whatever you want to do is fine with me,” he said.

“Oh ho, listen to this one,” the fake Wandred shouted. “He’s no fool.”

“That’s right,” Kyle said, agreeably. “Learn from your brother’s mistakes, that’s what I always say.”

“Oh mashka, Ava said, using an Antarian endearment. “I don’t care what we do, as long as I’m with you.” She smiled up at him, trying to make herself look like a total airhead. “But do you think we should go after your brother and make sure he’s okay?”

“If that’s what you want to do, mashka,” Kyle said, dropping a kiss on Ava’s lips. “But I can think of a few other things I’d rather go and do.” He shot a lewd glance in Ava’s direction and the fake Wandred and his companions roared with laughter. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said.

Kyle grabbed Ava’s hand and practically dragged her through the small café. Outside, they looked around but didn’t see Liz or Michael anywhere.

“I figured they’d wait for us. You don’t think they were captured, do you?” Ava asked her voice filled with worry.

“No,” Kyle said uncertainly at first and then with more conviction. “No they didn’t. Come on, they’re at the storage buildings. Zan and Shandar are there too.”

“Are you sure?” Ava asked doubtfully. “What if something happened to them?”

“I can feel Liz as clearly as if I were touching her with my hand,” Kyle said. “Ava, it’s incredible, this power is growing stronger. I think Liz’s is too, and that’s why I can feel her so strongly. It’s almost like we can communicate or something.”

“Great,” Ava said softly. She was aware that she was feeling jealous, and on a certain level, she knew it was totally unnecessary. But even after all this time, she was still uncertain about her place in this tightly woven group. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to push those feelings down. There wasn’t any place for them here. Not now, at any rate. “Well, come on, let’s get going then,” she said to Kyle.

“You do know I love you, Ava, right?” Kyle asked suddenly.

“Of course I,” Ava stopped. “Don’t ever do that again. My feelings, my emotions are private, unless I choose to share them, and I do not choose to share them with you. Do you understand me, Kyle Valenti?”

“Ava, look, I understand you,” said Kyle, his face a mixture of pain and panic. “But stop shouting out my name, and stop being so angry at me. I can’t handle it.”

She shot Kyle an angry look and stomped off, going in the opposite direction from the storage area.

“You’re going the wrong way,” Kyle called after her.

Ava stopped momentarily and glared back at him.

“I know that,” she shouted. “I’m going that way on purpose!”

Kyle watched helplessly for a second, looked back in the direction they were supposed to be going then jogged off after Ava.

** * ** *

“Where the hell are they?” Michael asked. “They were supposed to be right behind us. At least that was the plan, wasn’t it? The plan nobody but you seems to know about.”

“Kyle knows about it too,” Liz said defensively. “And he and Ava are fine. They’re just having a fight.”

“How the hell are you knowing all of this?” demanded Michael. “Being a crystal ball wasn’t enough, now you have to develop a thing with Valenti. Maxwell is gonna love that.”

“It’s not a thing,” Liz said, her face flushed. “I’m just, I don’t know, in tune with his emotions or something.”

“Well, where the hell are they then?” demanded Michael. “Can’t they fight and walk at the same time?”

“They can, and they are,” said Liz. They’re just not coming this way.”

“This is just freaking great,” Michael said. “Why did Kyle have to go and piss Ava off, anyhow?”

“How’d you know that, Michael?” Liz asked.

“I don’t know, I just did,” said Michael.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” asked Zan. “This means your developing a stronger empath power too. This is excellent, someone else who can ferret out the Gadori for us. I wonder if Max’s is getting stronger too?”

“Do you suppose it’s getting stronger because we’re on Antar?” asked Liz. “Or do you think it’s because we used the Granolith to amplify Kyle’s powers?”

“What did you say?” Shandar asked, suddenly.

“Nothing, really, I was just wondering if this new power was developing because we’re here, or because we used the Granolith to try and boost Kyle’s power and transfer it to us. Why?”

“Transfer it,” Shandar whispered, more to herself than anything else. “I wonder if it’s even possible. It may be possible, just maybe.”

[Island Breeze]

Hmm... transference... sounds like a plan!

Great chapter, Tracie! Loved the bickering to throw the Gadori off!

Without warning, Liz reached across the table and slapped Michael across the face.

“Hey, what was that for,” he whispered.

“If you don’t want to spend the next feast day with my family, that’s fine!” she shouted. “There are plenty of men who will!”

She jumped up and looked around, to make certain the Gadori were watching her. “I hate you, and I never want to see you again. My mother was right about you.” Liz looked at Michael and winked at him imperceptibly. “Follow me,” she mouthed to him. “I hope I never see you again.”

Liz threw her napkin down on the table and ran from the café, tears streaming down her face. Michael gave her a disgusted look but stood up and tossed his napkin down on the table.

“Women,” he said to the patrons of the café in general.

“Better go after her,” the faux Wandred advised with a leer. “Before one of us does. She is a fine looking woman.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Michael said dryly on his way out of the café.

Kyle struggled to contain his mirth looked at Ava. “And what do you want to do for the next feast day, my love. Whatever you want to do is fine with me,” he said.

“Oh ho, listen to this one,” the fake Wandred shouted. “He’s no fool.”

“That’s right,” Kyle said, agreeably. “Learn from your brother’s mistakes, that’s what I always say.”

“Oh mashka, Ava said, using an Antarian endearment. “I don’t care what we do, as long as I’m with you.” She smiled up at him, trying to make herself look like a total airhead. “But do you think we should go after your brother and make sure he’s okay?”

“If that’s what you want to do, mashka,” Kyle said, dropping a kiss on Ava’s lips. “But I can think of a few other things I’d rather go and do.” He shot a lewd glance in Ava’s direction and the fake Wandred and his companions roared with laughter. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said.

[majiklmoon]

The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen



Chapter Fifty

Isabel coughed when a cloud of dust filled her lungs, but she choked it back and continued climbing. She, like the others, was anxious to find any survivors from the explosion. She paused to catch her breath and Maria stopped beside her.

“You okay?” Maria asked, sounding slightly winded herself.

“I’m fine,” Isabel snapped. “I’m not a pampered princess, Maria.”

“I never said you were,” Maria said, sounding hurt. “I only meant you just had a cave fall on you, and maybe you were starting to feel it, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry,” Isabel said, sounding contrite, and feeling ashamed of her snarky attitude. “I guess I’m just more than a little stressed, and damn it, I just broke a nail.”

“Luckily you have that built in alien manicure going for you,” quipped Maria.

“Maria, how are you doing it?” Isabel asked. “How are you remaining so calm? I mean, under normal circumstances, you’d have gone through an entire vat of cedar oil by now.”

Maria thought for a minute trying to find the right words to tell Isabel what she was feeling. She scrambled over a particularly large boulder before answering.

“Mostly, I keep telling myself that we’re going to get through it, we always do. But when fear sets in, I just tell myself that on the off chance we don’t make it, at least I’m going to die with my seven best friends around me. It’s kind of reassuring, actually.”

Isabel looked at Maria with something akin to awe. She was amazed at the other girl’s attitude, as well as her acceptance of her possible demise.

“Hey, will you two stop gabbing,” said Max. “We think we found a way through.”

Isabel and Maria broke into a slow jog and quickly caught up to the aria where Max and Alex stood waiting for them.

“I think,” Max said, “That we should find the main chamber right through here.” He pointed at a large boulder that completely blocked their path.

“Uh, Max. I could diet forever and still not fit through there,” Maria said, pointing to the small gap between the boulder and the cavern wall.

“I thought maybe we could use our powers to take way the boulder piece by piece,” said Alex, “That way we can control how much is taken out and we don’t have to worry about what may be on the other side.”

“Sounds good, Alex,” said Maria. “Where do you think we should start?”

“Well, like I said, I’m not sure about what we’re going to find on the other side. I was thinking if maybe we started down here,” he pointed to the lower right quadrant of the boulder, near the gap. “Maybe we can tunnel our way thorough without disturbing the structure too much.”

The others were in agreement, and Alex knelt down and began to use his powers to widen the gap. It didn’t take long, and within a few minutes, he had a tunnel large enough for them to squeeze through.

Maria wriggled through the hole first, and called to the others and told them it was safe, but her voice sounded peculiar. Isabel made her way through next, followed by Max, and Alex brought up the rear.

The carnage that greeted them was horrific. Maria moved from body to body, inventorying the dead and cataloguing the injuries of the survivors for Max to heal. Her jaw was set tightly as she worked, and it was easy to see how distraught she was. She paused from her task long enough to wave off Alex and Isabel’s offer to help.

“Why don’t you two see if you can get into the living quarters,” she suggested.

“No, we can stay and help,” Isabel said.

“Isabel, Maria’s right. We need to start looking for other survivors. Max and Maria can handle it out here.”

Isabel agreed reluctantly, and she began to follow Alex, picking her way carefully around the rubble in the large cavern. When they reached the path that led to the living quarters, they were unsurprised to find large pile of rubble, but also disappointed. Maybe if the pile had shown some signs of being disturbed, it might have indicated survivors on the other side.

Alex examined the ruble, looking for the safest place to begin removing the stones. Making a decision, he began disintegrating stone after stone. It was almost as taxing on him as moving them physically, but he kept on working. After a short time, he had an opening large enough to look through. Alex quickly climbed up and peered through the opening. What he saw made his heart pound and he scrambled down the rocks rapidly.

“Go get Max!” he yelled. “Now!”

Something in his voice warned Isabel not to question, and she took off at a run down the rock-strewn path. Watching the ground to avoid the stones, she barely avoided crashing into Max who had come running from the main chamber.

“A-Alex wanted me to get you,” Isabel gasped.”

“I know,” Max replied. “Maria is right behind me. Come on, we don’t have much time to waste.”

“Wait, what’s wrong, and how did you know?” Isabel asked.

“I felt it,” Max replied cryptically before running down the path toward Alex.

Isabel started to follow after Max, but paused when she heard Maria calling her name. One the petite blond was in sight, Isabel started back down the path, but Maria shouted for her to stop.

“What the hell is going on?” she demanded.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Isabel answered. “All I know is Alex sent me to come get Max, and judging from his voice, it was urgent.”

“It was the strangest thing,” said Maria. Max was healing somebody when he suddenly stood up and said we needed to get down here.”

“He left injured people?” Isabel started to ask in an aghast tone.

“No, he found a couple of people with healing abilities, and they took over.”

“Well we’re not going to find anything out standing here,” said Isabel. “Let’s get down there.”

The two women proceeded down the path back toward the entrance of the living quarters. What they saw caused them to stop in their tracks. Alex had managed to remove more of the rock, revealing the royal family’s less than royal living quarters, and in them, chaos prevailed. Cal lay on the ground, shielding Valrik with his body, while the other adults used their powers to keep a large boulder from crushing them to death.

[Island Breeze]

Wow! That was awesome, Tracie! What else can I say? It looks like they've definitely got their hands full at the moment! So Cal shielded Valrik, but now is Cal alive or dead :?: Questions, questions!
Got to love Maria's comment about Isabel breaking a nail...

“Luckily you have that built in alien manicure going for you,” quipped Maria.

[majiklmoon]

The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen



Chapter Fifty-One

They stood, frozen in fear by the scene before them. At first Max was unsure why his parents hadn’t simply used their powers to destroy the large rock that was poised to fall on Cal and little Valrik. However, after closer examination, he realized that while their powers had stopped the rock from falling by creating a shield around it, they weren’t able to do anything about the large pack of explosives that were attached to the boulder.

His gaze shifted to Cal, and he saw that the other man was severely injured, and it was only sheer willpower that was keeping him conscious so that he could continue to shield the child.

“Isabel, you and Maria get in there and get Cal and the baby out. I don’t care how, I don’t care what you have to do, just get them out of here!” Max ordered.

“Then what?” asked Alex, nervously.

“How the hell should I know?” Max said, almost under his breath. “I’m making this up as I go along.”

Isabel and Maria approached Cal cautiously. Maria reached out to him and carefully moved his body to give her easier access to the baby. Once she had him, Isabel moved in and, using her powers to aid her, began to drag Cal’s body out of the danger zone.

Max and Alex quickly stepped forward and added their shields to that of Drinian, Kitana and Dijanya. Together they lowered the large boulder to the ground.

“My sons,” said Drinian, gasping from his exertions. “You came just in time. I don’t know how much longer we would have been able to hold that boulder off of Cladar.”

“Is he all right?” Dijanya asked. “Are they both all right?”

“The baby’s fine,” Maria said.

“What about Cladar?” Dijanya asked. “What about my husband?”

“I- I’m not sure,” Maria hedged, unwilling to cause her Antarian mother-in-law any pain. “I think Max can probably fix whatever it is,” she added hopefully.

“You know, I really think we need to focus on the matter at hand here,” said Alex. “And that would probably be the very large bomb that we have in front of us.”

“We can’t change it,” said Max. “We need to have some basic idea of its workings before we can modify its molecular structure.”

“Can we do what we did with the other one?” asked Isabel. “Just keep a shield around it until it detonates?”

“We’ve had a shield around it for what seems like forever,” Kitana offered, regretfully. “And it hasn’t gone off yet.”

“Father, if you have any suggestions, and you’re just holding off for fear of stepping on my toes, please feel free to step all you want,” said Max, looking at Drinian hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Max, I don’t,” said Drinian. “My only suggestion is that Maria get the baby as far away from here as possible.”

“Got it,” said Maria. She scrambled and managed to locate some of the necessary things any baby, be he from Earth or Antar needed and made her way back to the main chamber.

“Here’s what I’m thinking,” said Max. “If you can open up your shield just enough to let Alex or I shoot a bolt of energy at it, and then we close the shield right away, maybe we can force it to blow and still contain the explosion.”

“It beats my idea,” said Alex.

“What’s that?” asked Drinian, his lips twitching slightly despite the precariousness of the situation. He knew whatever Alex said was going to do much to relieve the tension in the small chamber.

“Well, I was going to go with the run like hell theory,” said Alex. “Followed by the whatever it takes to save my sorry ass plan. But Max’s idea sounds good too.”

“Isabel, I want you to shield yourself and Cal,” said Max, going into king mode. “Keep him protected as best you can. Alex, add your shield to theirs. On my word, I want all of you to open up a small opening directly in front of me. Does everybody understand?”

He waited until each of them nodded that they understood before giving the signal. On three, they created an opening in the force field just large enough for Max to fire one single bolt of energy. As soon as he did, they closed the shield and watched as the energy bolt struck the detonator pack. The resulting explosion filled the contained area, and they struggled to maintain their shields against the blast.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in actuality was only several minutes, Max finally gave the signal to lower the shields. The room immediately filled with a cloud of choking dust from the exploded boulder. A coughing and gasping Max made his way over to Cal and began to work tirelessly over his damaged body. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and streaked down his face.

Several more minutes passed as the others watched in silence as Max did his best to heal Cal. Drinian wrapped his arms around Dijanya trying to comfort his sister as she realized that the husband she had so recently found would be lost to her again.

Kitana knelt down beside Max and placed her hands along side his on Cal’s body. Together their combined healing power did what his could not do alone. Max could see Cal’s wounds in his mind and began to work to repair the damage. The older man’s eyes fluttered open, and his gaze flew straight to Dijanya.

“You haven’t lost me yet,” he whispered.

“Oh, Cladar!” Dijanya cried. She flew from the shelter of her brother’s arms and knelt down beside Cal, showering him with her tears.

“Wh-where’s the baby?” Cal asked. “Please tell me I didn’t fail again?”

“He’s fine, Prija,” Max said, using the formal Antarian word for Uncle as a sign of respect. “You saved him, and it almost cost you your life. Valrik is with Maria.”

“Valrik is right here,” said Alex, with Maria and the baby in tow. Alex nudged Maria forward, and she knelt down beside Cal to show in that Valrik was indeed alive and well.

“He owes you his life,” Maria said.

“And I apparently owe mine to all of you,” said Cal, struggling to sit up.

“Damn straight you do,” Maria said. “And don’t you ever forget it.”

Maria shoved Valrik into Isabel’s arms and stormed out of the decimated living quarters.

“One thing you can say for Maria,” Isabel said to no one in particular. “She sure knows how to hold a grudge.”

** * ** * ** *

Max formally addressed the remaining survivors, reminding them that this was a setback, not a loss.

“We will not let this small setback stop us in our fight to free our world from the Gadori,” he said as cheers filled the demolished chamber. “Hold strong to the knowledge that we have always worked toward peaceful co-existence with our Gadori neighbors, but that does not mean we will allow them to take away our home! We will reassemble in two days time at our new rendezvous point in eight hours time. Be safe my friends.”

Cheers erupted in the cavern as the survivors showed their support for Max and the royal family. When the cheers died out, the survivors crept out of the cavern in small groups of two and three until all that were left were Max and the others.

“What do we,” began Isabel.

“Don’t say it,” said Max.

“Do now, Max?” Isabel finished with a grin.

“We try and find the others and tell them what’s going on,” said Max. “Zan had a list of places to meet if we got separated, so I think we should go to the first one on the list and then go from there. They must be crazy by now trying to figure out what’s happened to us.”

They made short work of changing their appearances, and gathering the remaining supplies that had survived the blast before moving out on their journey to locate the others

[Island Breeze]

Love it! They saved Cal by combining their powers! And the baby was safe. I liked Max's comment, too, about making it up as he goes.

“How the hell should I know?” Max said, almost under his breath. “I’m making this up as I go along.”

Great part, Tracie, as always!

[majiklmoon]

The Enemy Unknown The Enemy Unseen

Author’s Note: This is happening while Max and the others are dealing with the fall out in the underground cavern.


Chapter Fifty-Two

“Nice quarters, Your Majesty,” Michael said in a deadpan voice as she surveyed the decrepit building.

“Stuff it,” Zan responded. “Before I let Shandar beat you up.”

Michael eyed Shandar carefully before he answered. “Well, she looks tough, but I think I can take her.”

Shandar, still unused to the bantering between the friends, looked up in alarm.

“Take me?” she asked Liz. “Where is Lord Michael taking me?”

“First, lose the lord thing, will you please?” said Liz. “We don’t need his head getting any more swelled than it already is. And Zan told Michael that if he continued to criticize the new royal dwelling, he’d let you fight him.”

“Fight Lor, I mean Michael?” asked Shandar, alarmed. “I don’t want to fight him.”

“It’s okay, Shandar, he was only kidding,” said Liz. “It’s just their feeble attempt at humor. And to be honest, if it came right down to it, I really do think you could take him. Michael’s a total wuss. He’d never hit a girl.”

“I’ll make an exception for you, Queen Brat,” said Michael, cuffing her lightly on the shoulder. “But before I do that, does anybody else think we should track down my wayward, headstrong sister, and her husband?”

“Kyle knows where we are,” said Liz, smiling serenely. She was starting to enjoy this new power and couldn’t resist the urge to show it off just a little.

“And how exactly do you know that?” Zan asked, raising one eyebrow. His expression sent a small shiver down Liz’s spine. Usually when she looked at Zan, she saw Zan. She never noticed any resemblance to Max. To her they were two separate individuals. But once in a while, Zan would do or say something that would make her think of Max. This was one of those times.

“Nice trick with the eyebrow,” she responded. “Max teach you that?”

“I taught him,” Zan shot back. Now, how does Kyle know where we are?”

“Oh yeah, about that,” she said, stalling in an entirely un-Liz-like manner. “Well apparently, this empath thing has developed a tad bit more than we had anticipated.”

“Liz!” Zan said in frustration.

“Yeah, don’t bother,” said Michael, grinning. “You’re not going to get it out of her, no matter how hard you try. Might as well just kick back and relax and wait for her to spill.”

“You are such a wise ass, Michael,” Liz said with a pretend pout.

“Wise ass?” queried Michael. “What, are you channeling Valenti now or something?”

“Close,” said Liz. “No, I’m not channeling him, but I am communicating with him.”

“You mean like telepathy?” asked Zan.

“No, not that,” said Liz. “I can’t talk to him or read his mind, but I’m so in tune with his emotions, that I can…damn, I can’t explain it,” Liz ended in frustration. “It’s like, I’m so in tune with him, and he is with me. I can almost, like, see through his eyes, or something.” She sighed with frustration. “I’m not explaining it right at all, but trust me when I say, Kyle knows where we are, and he and Ava will be here shortly.”

“Yeah, thanks so much for clearing that up for us,” Michael said, not unkindly. “But if you say they’re on their way and it’s good, then who am I to argue. Question is, what do we do in the mean time.”

“Actually, I have an idea,” Shandar volunteered. “I don’t know if it will work, or even if you want to do it, but it just might work.”

Liz looked over at their new friend. She was beautiful, but the excitement she was feeling at her plan heightened her beauty. She seemed to sparkle. It was almost if she was lit from inside, and the light was spilling out. Her glance shifted to Zan, and she struggled to smother a laugh. He was clearly besotted with Shandar. From what Liz could see, Shandar could suggest that they all walk naked out into the market place and surrender to the Gadori, and Zan would happily comply. In a way, it was almost like watching her and Max’s relationship. She’d have to remember to apologize to Maria for the gushiness later on.

“Hey, come on, snap out of it,” Zan said, waving his hand in front of Liz’s face. “Are you with us Liz?”

“Uh, oh, sorry,” Liz said, blushing a little. “I kind of got lost in thought there for a minute. What’s up? What’s the plan?”

“I was thinking about the Gadori, and their inability to adapt to rapidly changing weather,” Shandar said. “We can use that. I know we can.”

“It sounds good,” said Liz. “And God knows, we need something against them. We can barely tell who the enemy is anymore. But as advanced as Antarian technology is, I don’t think we can just go somewhere and whip up a weather machine.”

“Liz is right,” said Michael. “It’s a good plan, Shandar. It’s the best we have so far, but I don’t know how we could even begin to implement it. We can’t control the weather.”

Without warning, Liz stood and crossed the large room and peered out one of the grime-encrusted windows. She began to fidget with her hands, aimlessly twisting her wedding ring around on her finger. She turned back toward the others, started to speak, halted abruptly and turned back toward the window. Zan and Shandar stared at each other in confusion, but Michael walked over and joined Liz at the window.

“I know,” he said, softly. “I feel it too. I just don’t know what it is.”

“I’m not sure,” Liz said. “The connection isn’t as strong as with Kyle, but I think they’re in danger.” She held up a hand to forestall the questions she was certain were coming. “No, I don’t think any of them are – well, Max and Maria are alive, I know that for sure. I’m just not sure of anything else other than I’m feeling a lot of fear and tension.”

“What is it?” Zan asked. “Liz, Michael, please. Don’t keep it from us.”

“If we knew what it was, we’d tell you. I promise,” Liz said. “But that’s just it. I don’t know what it is, and I can’t tell you anything concrete.”

“Damn it, don’t give us concrete, just tell us what you’re feeling!” Zan shouted.

Liz’s complexion turned deathly white, and she began to sway on her feet. Without warning, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Michael knelt down beside her and gathered her in his arms as one would a small child and began to stroke her hair gently.

“It’s okay, Liz. It’s okay,” he whispered over and over.

“It is,” Liz said looking up, her face shining with an inner radiance that can only come from joy. “It is okay. They’re all okay, and they’re on their way to find us.”

[Angelzbabe]

Love the update. The banter between the group and Shandar's cluelessness as to Earth terms is amazingly funny.

From what Liz could see, Shandar could suggest that they all walk naked out into the market place and surrender to the Gadori, and Zan would happily comply.

This had me seriously laughing.

Can't wait to see them all re-united.

[Island Breeze]

That was hair-raising, Liz falling to the ground and sobbing then being very happy and saying they're okay. Why was she so upset first, though? She already knew that Max and Maria were okay, and she can feel Kyle's emotions. Maybe her connection to Kyle is causing problems? Interesting idea about using the weather to fight the Gadori's. There must be some way they can use that.

Great chapter, Tracie!