Cheyenne, Wyoming Liz watched Kyle spin the wheel, making the van lurch to the side and screech down a curving ramp. She attempted to keep her balance in the back, but she fell against the side wall, the still-unconscious Maria moving with her.
'Ow!' Liz exclaimed as she tried to steady herself. Everyone else who was conscious grabbed hold of whatever they could to stay steady.
'Sorry about that,' Kyle yelled back. 'But if we don't get out of here soon, we probably never will. “
'The last agent I just saw had a cell phone,' Max said, pulling the back window blind aside so he could look out. 'Keep an eye out in case we pick up a tail. “
'Got it,' Isabel said, shifting in the front passengers seat.
Michael looked toward Liz and Maria. Liz could see that Michael's attention was torn between his urge to stand and fight and his need to get the girl he loved to safety.
'I think she'll be fine,' Liz said, smoothing Maria's hair away from her closed eyes. 'Her pulse is strong, and she's groaned a few times. Maybe she'll be coming around soon. “
'Good,' Michael said. He looked vulnerable for a moment, a side that most of them rarely ever saw. Then, setting his jaw with grim determination, he moved to the back of the van, where he crouched beside Max.
'Hold on, everybody!' Kyle yelled. Moments later, the van turned sharply again, tires screaming.
'They're blocking the exit!' Isabel said, pointing straight ahead. Liz could only wonder what obstacle fate had dropped into their path this time.
'We've got a car on our tail too,' Max said.
'Ever see that Blues Brothers movie?' Kyle asked as the van continued toward the waiting cars. 'Maybe I should take a detour through the mall. “
Liz scowled. 'Focus, Zen master,' she said.
'This is going to be tight,' Kyle said, ignoring the reprimand. Grabbing one of the van's walls, Liz moved up onto her knees, just in time to see through the windshield that they were facing certain doom. A pair of police squad cars was parked nose-to-nose in the driveway of the mall lot. But there was an escape route.
Kyle took it. Veering to the side, the van smashed through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of a store display at the corner of the mall. Mannequins dressed in mall couture were knocked aside like bowling pins. The right-side wheels of the van ran up onto the raised floor, and for a fleeting second, Liz was terrified that the vehicle would flip over.
The moment was brief, and before the glass and mannequins had hit the ground behind them, the van had landed on the sidewalk, then the street. Revving the engine, Kyle began speeding down the street, directly toward an intersection.
Liz saw Kyle's grin reflected at her in the rear-view mirror. 'We're on a mission from God,' he said, quoting The Blues Brothers. Before Liz could reach forward and slap him on the back of the head, he added, 'Four-way light coming up. Which way? “
Liz turned to see Max cursing under his breath. He was still looking through the back window shade. 'We've got at least one car tailing us, and they're going to call reinforcements. Take whatever way will get us to hiding. “
'That's helpful,' Kyle muttered, then slammed the pedal to the floor. Liz nearly fell over from the acceleration.
The van came to a red light, but Kyle barely slowed before merging into the somewhat dense traffic headed to the right. 'Liz heard angry honks and brakes squealing, and realized that no matter how deftly Kyle had moved the van, the lives of innocent bystanders were at risk. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes. Why won't they just leave us alone? She knew that the answer could be summed up in a single word: 'fear.' She had felt that fear, as had Maria and Kyle and Alex and Sheriff Valenti. Sure, their friends had grown to understand that the half-aliens who lived among them meant no harm. Most of the time, they didn't even want to be aliens. But in the beginning, she, too, had experienced that very same fear. So how could she blame others now for reacting in the same way? 'They're still on us,' Max said, looking out the back window. 'Eight cars back and gaining.' Just then, Liz could hear the rising wail of a siren.
Liz decided to pay more attention to what was ahead than what lay behind. Looking forward, she watched as Isabel scanned through the scratched windshield, then pointed out to Kyle's left.
'Up there,' Isabel said. 'If you can get in front of that semi, you can use it to block them and make a turn. “
Honking the horn, Kyle accelerated the van. Liz could see that cars were pulling to the side to let them pass, and then she saw the truck Isabel was talking about.
Moments later, Kyle swerved in front of the truck. In the back, Michael jumped as the truck blew its air horn, its brakes squealing. Through the windows, Liz could see its front grille looming behind them, much too close for comfort.
'Hang on,' Kyle said again, swerving the van. Liz saw a yellow light flash by as he turned, apparently racing through another intersection. The minibus shuddered, tires scratching rubber across the asphalt, but kept its balance and much of its forward momentum.
Then Liz heard an impact, followed by the unmistakable grinding sound of metal on metal. For a moment she wondered if something had blown up in the van's engine, like the time they'd all been stranded in the little town of Stonewall.
Liz turned to see both Michael and Max glued to the windows. 'What happened?' she asked, her voice more shrill than she wanted it to be.
'We just lost our pursuer,' Max said. 'Literally. They hit an SUV “
'Ouch,' Kyle said. 'Let that be a lesson to both alien-hunters and gas guzzlers. “
'Anyone else following us?' Isabel asked.
'No, but we still have to get to safety. Find us a place to hide, Kyle,' Max said, his voice firm and in control. He wasn't just requesting it; he was commanding it. Despite his protestations to the contrary, Liz knew that at times like these, his leadership instincts simply took over. She didn't mind. It felt right. She turned back toward the front of the van.
'You got it, Max,' Kyle said, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
Liz heard a groan behind her and turned to see Maria groggily waking up. Michael moved swiftly over to her side.
'Wha… what happened?' she asked weakly. 'Did I just miss the really exciting part? “
Perhaps ironically, Kyle found refuge for the Microbus behind an abandoned church. The driveway was blocked by a fence, but it was easily unlocked with a flick of Isabel's hand.
Because of his automotive expertise, Kyle took the lead in all matters related to the care and feeding of the van. The first order of business was disguising it. While Max and Michael changed the color of the paint… their slightly glowing palms wiping the vehicle's light green away in favor of a dull red… Isabel used her powers to mend the nicks and dents in the windshield and body of the van. It wasn't the first time they had recolored their transportation, but it was the most extensive body-repair they'd ever had to do.
Looking briefly at the engine, Kyle was relieved to discover that nothing essential had been broken during the chase.
So jar, he thought.
Michael knew how tired he was, and imagined that Max and Isabel were probably feeling every bit as drained as he was. He knew that using their powers as much as they had today generally required a good eight-hour sleep for a complete recharge. But he also knew that they might not have that much time.
