"What?" Alex asked sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He'd spent the last half-hour napping.

"They're here," Maria said as she opened her door and climbed out.

In moments, Alex joined her and they waited side by side for the others to pull up.

"Wait here," Max said to the others as he pulled the Jeep to a stop about thirty yards away from where their human friends waited. He quickly jogged over to the Jetta.

"Max, what's going on?"

"It's a very long story. Will you two do me a favor? No questions asked?"

"Of course," Alex said automatically while Maria looked at him suspiciously.

"What favor?"

"Go back to Roswell and wait for us there. It's too dangerous for you guys to stay with us on this one."

"What about Liz?" the blond girl asked.

"She's staying with us."

"What? Why does she get to stay?"

"I can't explain it right now. Please. We need to know that you're safe. Go back to Roswell."

"No. If Liz is going, then I'm going." Maria announced.

"Alex?" Max look to the other boy for help.

"Have to say I'm agreeing with Maria on this one. The three of us should stick together."

Max sighed. He had a feeling that they would argue with him. How was he supposed to rule an entire planet if he can't even get two of his closest friends to do what he asked of them? "Fine. But here's the sitch. If you're coming, you have to do what I say. No questions, no arguments. Got it? You know how Brody talks about being abducted?"

"Yeah, and you said he gets possessed by an alien from your home planet," Maria affirmed.

"Right. Well, Liz has been possessed by an alien named Rina, and with Kyle being out here somewhere, we think another alien named Zelwyn has him, too."

"Wait, you mean..."

"Liz isn't Liz right now. She's someone named Rina. Supposedly she's helping us look for Zelwyn..."

"Kyle," Alex stated, just to make sure he was getting this.

"Right. He's her cousin or something. None of us want either of them to know how important the three of you are to us, it will only put you in more danger than you are already. We really want you guys to go home and be safe..." He looked at them pleadingly as he said it, but Maria just shook her head stubbornly. "Fine, then here's what I want you to do: Sheriff Valenti is a little ways behind us. Wait for him. Fill him in on what's happening. Then you are to stay with him.

"This Zelwyn guy is looking for the granilith and no matter what happens, we are not going to let him have it. So stay away from the pod chamber and stick close to Valenti. Got it?"

They both agreed.

"Good. Now have you seen any sign of Kyle or anyone else?"

"Nothing other than the Mustang," Alex said indicating Kyle's car.

"Ok. Thanks guys."

"Be careful, Max," Maria admonished. He just smiled at her as if to say, 'Of course, it's me you're talking to.' Seeing it, Maria said, "Right."

Max hurried back to the Jeep. He figured the sheriff would be coming along any second, and he didn't want to still be here when he did.

"What was that about, Max," Rina asked curiously when Max rejoined them.

He restarted the car and pulled away before answering, "Nothing. They were keeping an eye out for Zelwyn when they spotted this car left out here. They haven't seen any sign of its owner, though."

"Who are they?"

"Informants. Followers. Humans who think it's cool to help us. You know, the aliens." His voice implied a mild contempt for them. Max shrugged. "They have their uses from time to time."

Rina looked away, saddened by how different things were for her beloved Zan here. Back home, he'd had entire armies at his command, and here all he had were a couple of lowly human spies who would probably sell him out to his enemies if the price was right. It was practically sickening. When this was over, she resolved to pop in on him from time to time and offer any assistance she could.

Speaking of which, "Zelwyn is getting close now, Max three or four more miles at the most."

* * * * * * * * * * *

If the situation were different, Maria would have had a good laugh at the look on Sheriff Valenti's face when he rounded the bend and saw her and Alex sitting on the trunk of his son's car, apparently waiting for him.

"Hi Sheriff," Alex said as he stepped over to the cruiser and opened the door. The two teens slid into their seats without asking permission.

"Maria. Alex," he said by way of greeting. "You guys want to tell me what you're doing out here?"

"We were waiting for you."

The two of them got him up to speed on the whole situation as they knew it.

"So Kyle's been possessed?" he asked after they were done.

"Looks like it. I mean, Liz for sure, but with Kyle's car out here, it seems to be the obvious answer."

"He told me he hadn't been sleeping very well, lately. I didn't think anything about it."

"You couldn't have known, Sheriff."

"We have to find him. I have to have my son back."

"We will."

Alex added, "For now, Max wants us to stay back. He's afraid that if his enemies realize how close we are to them, then they might try to use us against him. And I don't know about you guys, but I would prefer not to have the word 'bait' stenciled on my forehead."

"Ok. We'll follow and see what happens," Valenti said. He could see that Max had a point. His enemies could use his friends against him, and Max is the kind of guy to do almost anything to protect those he cared about. Staying away was the best option, but he wasn't going to just turn around and leave his son out here. In the middle of nowhere. With an alien controlling him.

Pressing his lip together in a tight line, Valenti once again put his cruiser in gear and continued on down the empty dirt road.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Here. He's close, I feel it," Rina announced excitedly.

They were almost to the turn off which led to the pod chamber and the granilith. The three aliens crowded into the back of the Jeep exchanged worried looks. It seemed that Zelwyn didn't have any trouble finding what he'd been looking for.

"There. Turn off there," Rina said pointing to a trail which left the main road off to the right. The pod chamber was on the left.

"Over here? You're sure?" Max asked. He risked a glance over his shoulder at Michael. His friend just shrugged to indicate he had no idea why Zelwyn would be on the right.

"Yes. Here. Not too far ahead."

Max pulled off the main road as instructed and the Jeep bounced and jounced down the pothole-riddled trail. The jutting crest of the rock formation that housed the granilith was in his rear view mirror, but he didn't take his eyes off the road long enough to even glance at it.

Max realized that the trail they were on was the most direct path to the crash site on Pohlman Ranch. That must be where Zelwyn was headed. He sent up a quick 'thank you' that the granilith's location was still a secret.

After a few minutes of holding on for dear life in the back of the Jeep, Michael spotted someone on foot a ways up ahead. "Max, I think I see him. Look ahead to the right."

"I see him," Max replied.