Joey saw Nathan fly back as though he’d been jerked by some invisible string. “NO!” Kyle was holding her back, keeping her from running to Nathan.

“Be still. There’s guns everywhere.” Joey looked around with tearful eyes to see the other guards had drawn their guns on Sheriff Valenti. The guard who’d shot Nathan was writhing on the ground, a wound in his upper shoulder keeping him from shooting again. The Sheriff was walking slowly to Nathan and it was obvious no one knew what to do about it.

“How is he?”

Justin looked up at the Sheriff. “He’s out cold- one shot through the chest.”

“Sheriff,” a loud voice called out. “You just move out of the way and we’ll take him into the hospital where he can get some help.” A gurney and a team of scrubs were standing on the outside edge of the crowd.

Oh no. Joey felt panic overtake her. They couldn’t take him. Something had to happen.

The Sheriff was shaking his head. “He would not want to be admitted here. He has a private physician that I’ll contact AFTER we leave the premises.”

“Bullsh*t!” The guard on the ground struggled to a sitting position. “He’s an alien and you don’t want everyone to find out. His name and picture were in that envelope, weren’t they? That’s why you’re trying to get him out of here.”

A murmur went through the crowd. Back behind the Sheriff, Justin trying to connect with Nathan. Joey felt Kyle stiffen as he saw it, too.

Her gaze went over to the van, where her Mom and Dad watching her and talking in low voices. She knew they couldn’t risk drawing attention to her. All the parents looked stunned and helpless. No one knew what to do.

Joey shook her head and pulled away from Kyle. She was going to do something.

“Joey, no.“ Kyle grasped at her arms. “You can’t-“

She jerked away and concentrated. There was something building inside her... something that burned to be released. She grew still as it spread throughout her body- pulsing power in a rhythm she’d never felt before. It was feeding her energy. She could send out a pulse and knock everyone out. She sent a little jolt through Kyle’s hand that was again trying to hold her back. He jerked away and cried out. She walked forward.

“Joey!” It was her Mom.

The Sheriff looked at Joey’s approach wildly. She was too far away for him to protect. But that’s okay.

She kept walking until most of the people were looking in her direction.

Then she drew in a deep breath. She made sure to speak loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I’m the alien.”

******

Max stood as if in a trance, his gaze fixed on that gleaming, metal box. He kept seeing images of Liz as she might be, lifeless in that thing, eyes and mouth open as Kate’s had been. He let out a short puff of air.

No. Liz is alive. I can feel her... almost.

He steeled himself and walked forward, feeling the air grow colder around him. He was almost to it now... there was the window on the side of the box... and a face... dark hair...

He lurched forward and slammed his hands on the box.

Liz! Even this close, he couldn’t feel a thing from her. Her eyes were closed and she was so pale. Max let the pulsating power take over again. It spread through his fingers and onto the metal, instantly warming it and dissolving it away. In seconds, Liz’s body was visible through the plastic left covering her, still dressed in a hospital gown.

He drew away the clear sheet, a cry of desperate hope escaping him. Then he gently picked her up and cradled her to his chest. She was so cold that his chest automatically pulled away from her. But he grit his teeth and held her to him. After a few seconds, he leaned over against the wall and slid down to curl her up in his lap.

Her whole tiny body was between his legs and his arms. Every point of contact was agony but he concentrated on being what she needed him to be- warmth, safety, protection. He surged power into her and tried to warm her that way.

But he couldn’t feel anything from her still. No thoughts, no emotions- nothing. What had that bastard done to her?

A quiet stirring in his mind made him gasp. It was her. She was trying. She was still in there, somewhere.

And then, he felt it.

Someone else was in there, too.

******

Isabel was falling, falling far and fast. She was exhausted, but alive. He had been here to kill her. He almost had, looking like Max and draining her almost lifeless. Croazoh.

“Isabel?”

She could hear whispers from far away. Who was that? It was someone familiar. But she had to rest now. She had to push blood through her veins and inflate her lungs and just... stay alive.

It was an effort. Everything was an effort. But she had to. Croazoh was gone because he had felt Liz waking. He was going to kill Max, and... do horrible things to Liz.

Isabel tried to stay calm.

*Isabel?*

Someone had connected with her. There was a rush of images- from Delia.

FLASH

Seeing Michael for the first time and feeling angry and happy and scared.

FLASH

Meeting Max and feeling stirrings of attraction and desire.

FLASH

Fearfully watching over her shoulder as they all gathered around Max on the side of the road.

FLASH

Blasting away at the men in the lab with gusto for their part in hurting Max.

Isabel was reeling from the images and feelings they provoked in her. Seeing her brother as Delia saw him was disconcerting, almost nauseating. God, Delia, he’s engaged to Liz.

*What? Oh, right. And?*

Okay, Isabel shook her head mentally. Forget about that now. The hunter is going after Max and Liz. They’re upstairs in a room... I think off to the right?

Weakness was taking over. Everything was spinning.

*Okay, we’ll deal with that in a sec. Right now, you need help.*

No! Forget about me! He’s going to... to kill Max! She had seen from that monster’s head where Liz was and the fact that he knew Max was with her now. They had to get there and help them- now.

*Izzy, shut up! This won’t take long at all.*

Then there was a surge of protective feelings and caring from Delia and power spread throughout Isabel’s body. She felt strange, as if she was leeching off someone else’s power. But if this would help her get to Max sooner, she was all for it.

******

Michael crushed Maria to him and rode out the waves of agony. He was breathless and he couldn’t even feel her in his arms by the time it was done. He fell back against the wall still holding Maria to him. A thousand little knives were poking into his skull.

Dammit, couldn‘t the orb pick a better time?

Maria’s entire body was slack and he had to hold onto her hard to keep her from falling. The effort made his head pound even more.

He cursed very slowly and very loudly, in between the throbs of pain. He couldn’t stand around right now. He had to help Liz. He couldn’t screw up this time.

But Maria needs me, too. And- oh god, my head is killing me.

He rested his head back against the wall and took a few deep breaths. At least the orb hadn’t forced him to kiss Maria, like it had Liz. No violation this time, just an influx of power from his body into Maria’s. Of course, it still hurt like hell. And the timing was crappy...

He eyed Maria’s beautiful, flushed face lying against his chest. She was his life, his future.

So he went with his guts. He picked Maria up and shifted her until she lay over his shoulder with her butt up in the air. He rested one hand on her rear and walked slowly toward the Liz-signal.

Yeah, Maria would be pissed. He knew that. But if they actually lived through this, he wouldn’t care if he was the pisser or the pissee. Because if Maria was actually transformed, he already had a pretty good idea of how to make things up to her.

******

Kyle was still cradling his hand from that sting Joey had given him. Yeah, she felt strongly about what she was doing. But, unfortunately, what she was doing was suicide and there was no freakin’ way he was going to let her do it, at least not alone. Kyle Valenti was not about to pansy out on her now.

He walked forward, his eyes cutting to his Dad’s in a plea for protection.

“Son-“ his Dad’s voice was a warning.

“You’re an alien?“ Several of the guards trained their guns on Joey. Kyle sped up and jumped in front of her.

“No, Kyle,” she hissed.

Kyle looked down the barrels of about six guns and cleared his throat. “She’s lying to protect me. I’m the alien.”

The looks on the crowd in front of him were pret-ty damn hysterical. He could see them putting two and two together- his Dad’s willingness to protect them and Kyle’s earlier attempt to stop Garrett from revealing the secret. It all added up to some serious E.T. credibility.

Kyle almost laughed out loud. Yeah, if I was an alien, this is exactly what I’d be doing right now- facing down a mad crowd on the front lawn of the local hospital.

“Alright, then, let’s get the other young man into the hospital. He needs medical treatment.” A doctor stepped out of the crowd and stopped as Valenti trained his gun on him.

“I already said that we will be leaving shortly and he will receive medical attention somewhere else. Now, back off! Kyle, Joey, stop lying to everyone and come on back here so we can leave.”

“No- that’s it! His son is an alien and he’s trying to keep it from being discovered!” The cry was followed by several assenting voices and the crowd began to surge forward. Kyle took several steps backward, carefully moving Joey behind him. His jaw tightened. They were NOT going to take her-

Suddenly, a man in a three-piece suit stepped out from the crowd and stood in front of Kyle. Kyle stopped in shock and saw the crowd do the same.

Something about the man just seemed to command attention.

“Excuse me, folks. I’m Agent Stephen Case, here as a representative of the Federal Government.” He flipped out a badge that Kyle couldn’t see from where he was. “And I have jurisdiction to make decisions on behalf of the Director of the Special Division.”

“What the hell?” Kyle saw the same amazement on everyone’s face that was on his own.

He felt Joey’s trembling hand on his back. “It’s Nasedo. It has to be.”

Then Kyle remembered what the slacker-protector had said: “It takes time to infiltrate the FBI... Be assured, we have not been idle.”

Oh. It was one of them, the shapeshifting guardians. Kyle relaxed just a bit as the man continued. “These people have been investigated thoroughly and have been cleared. I believe there will be no more trouble from them. I do understand the need you have to seek out that which is different, and destroy it. An alien is a danger that you feel is intolerable simply because it is unknown. Very well. If you wish to study an alien, to document and study one- your alien lies there, dead.“ He pointed to dramatically to Garrett’s body on the ground, still glowing faintly from the orb’s attack on him through Nathan.

Kyle watched the people turn to Garrett’s body and consider the words. Those who hadn’t seen the glowing corpse until now were stunned and looked persuaded.

But several had seen Nathan throw Garrett back like a rag doll BEFORE he started glowing.

“No, that’s not right.” Several guards were moving again, weapons trained on Case, on the Sheriff and on he and Joey. None of them could move. Joey’s hands buried themselves in the back of Kyle’s shirt. And- oh crap, Joey’s power was juicing up again behind him. The hairs on the back of Kyle’s neck were doing the lambada.

“Joey, stop it!”

But it was too late. A glowing was coming from behind Kyle and he saw with a sinking heart that all the guns were swinging in their direction. Kyle lowered his head and faced the guns closing in on them with more determination that he’d ever felt in his life. He heard yelling- his Dad, the Evans, and Amy, but he focused on the coming danger. Every nerve in his body was jangling, waiting for the first shot. He took a deep breath and felt an implosion behind him and a roar that drowned out every other sound.

The look on the men’s faces was almost comical. They lowered their guns and backed away. Kyle laughed nervously. He actually wanted to do the same thing- run. Whatever the force was- it was starting to pull at him, drawing him in. Not willing to leave Joey, he finally threw himself on the ground and looked back over his shoulder.

Joey was glowing, her bright energy making the natural light around them look dim in comparison. Every line of her body was golden, so filled with light that it was impossible to see any distinction between clothing and skin.

Or... wait... was there any clothing there? Kyle swallowed hard and felt a stirring of pride. “That’s my girl.”