2. Sidney, Nebraska
I hey had all sat in silence ever since leaving the Bushnell, Nebraska, picnic spot in their VW Microbus. As Michael Guerin drove, Max Evans sat in the front passengers seat, feeling more determined than ever before in his young life.
He looked back toward the others, and forced back a sudden pang of guilt.
I'm the reason this has happened. It's my fault. I was deposed as the king on Antar, and now I've been driven from my home all over again. Just like everyone I love, and everybody who's stood by me ever since all this alien-hunting crazxness started.
Liz Parker slumped in the Microbus's middle seat, staring abstractedly out the darkened side window. Though her forehead was clearly showing worry lines, she was as beautiful to him as ever. He had harbored feelings for her since the third grade, but it wasn't until three years ago that he had expressed them to her. 0/ course «expressing myself meant healing her bullet wound and revealing to her that I'm actually half-alien, Max thought with a wan smile.
Leaning against Liz was Maria DeLuca, her hair wavy and tinted a coppery red thanks to Isabel's powers. Maria appeared to be asleep, but Max wasn't sure. She was the only one of the humans Max hadn't healed, and thus was the only member of the group who had shown no sign of developing extra- human abilities. He knew that her lack of alien powers made her feel like the odd person out in the group, and that this was one of the things that fueled her temper. Michael was the other thing that got her itching for confrontation; even though Max knew they loved each other, their relationship was tempestuous at best.
Gazing toward the back of the van, Max caught the eye of Kyle Valenti. They certainly had come a long way over the last several years. Kyle had been Liz's boyfriend prior to Max, and he had been a sore loser at first after she'd left him. Max knew that Kyle's father's obsession about the strange goings-on around Max, Isabel, and Michael hadn't helped matters, even after the truth of their half-alien natures stood revealed. Kyle had been pulled into the cover-up against his wishes, and once Max healed him from an accidental gunshot wound, Kyle had become a part of the «team» for better or for worse. Lately, Kyle had been showing signs of manifesting psychic abilities of some sort, a development no doubt spurred by Max's healing touch.
Isabel Evans's head was on Kyle's chest as she attempted to sleep, but Max could see that his sister was as restless as any of them. Max didn't remember much about their past life on their homeworld of Antar, but he did know that Isabel believed that she had unwittingly betrayed the Royal Four, leading to their deaths and their genetic essences subsequently being sent to Earth.
But Isabel hadn't been the one who had betrayed them here on Earth; Tess Harding the replica of the woman who had been Max's wife during his previous life on Antar was the one who had brought their lives crashing down around them. Max was well aware that Isabel, more than any of the others, wanted to be normal, to lead an ordinary existence with her human husband, Jesse Ramirez, whom she hadn't seen during the months since the Special Unit had forced the group to flee Roswell.
Max's gaze returned to Michael, who was steadily guiding the VW down the road as the afternoon shadows lengthened. The wind coming through the open driver's side window blew Michael's long hair, creating an odd tangled halo behind him. But Max could never see Michael wearing a halo. On Antar he had been Max's or, more correctly, King Zan's second-in-command, the man in charge of the troops. As with Isabel, Max didn't remember much of Michael's Antarian past, but he imagined that to command Zan's armies of Antar meant that Michael had been as potentially violent there as he was here on Earth.
Max sometimes thought that Michael was never far from striking out against anyone and everything he perceived as a threat. Sometimes, that quality had been a definite liability. But maybe that ferocity is exactly what we need, now that we've decided to stand our ground against the Special Unit, Max thought.
«We're coming up on Sidney in another ten miles or so,' Michael said, turning his head briefly toward Max.
«Unless I read the map wrong, we can find the train stations there.» He held Max's gaze for a moment, and Max saw the energy of a chained tiger flickering in Michael's eyes.
«Let's get some food before we figure out what we're going to do next,' Max said.
«Should we wake them now?» Michael asked, gesturing toward the back.
Max was about to say, «No,' when Maria spoke up. «I don't think any of us are really asleep. The lack of music didn't really help.» She cast a wistful eye toward her guitar case, as though wishing the van had enough room to allow her to remedy the problem herself.
Isabel chimed in from the back. «Not to mention the other problems we have on our mind right now.» Michael made a sour face, and Max leaped to his defense. «Sorry. I thought it would be better for you guys to rest without a lot of noise.» He clicked on the radio and the strains of an ancient Pat Benatar song immediately filled the Microbus. Other than «Hit Me with Your Best Shot,' the next several minutes passed in silence.
Michael suddenly let out a snort. «Look up ahead,' he said, pointing.
Up the road next to several small retail businesses was an old-fashioned fast- food place. Max felt himself smiling at the same thing Michael had. The neon sign that stood atop two poles had a UFO mounted on it, and bore a logo that read, ORBIT BURGERS. Just beneath it was a Coca-Cola sign.
«Looks like home,' Max said. «I almost think we're fated to eat there.» The others leaned forward to get a better view as the van neared the restaurant. Maria rolled her eyes and put up her hands, palms outward, as if to push the vision away. «Tell me they don't have waitresses wearing alienhead aprons and bouncing dealy-bobber tiaras.» «Yeah, that would be too much of a coincidence,' Liz said, smiling.
Michael pulled into the Orbit's driveway and parked the Microbus as far back in the parking lot as he could.
Piling out of the VW, everyone grunted and stretched to shake out their cramped muscles.
Michael walked forward, his head swiveling from side to side. «You all order your food. I'm going to get a paper from across the street.» Max didn't argue with him, nor did any of the others.
Max didn't think Michael was being antisocial; he was being proactive. Since their pictures had been broadcast on the news the previous night, Max knew they needed to find out how much of their Wyoming adventures had made it into the papers way out here in the Midwest. Were they wanted fugitives everywhere? As Kyle and Isabel ordered, Maria excused herself to use the bathroom. Max came up from behind Liz and put his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her long hair.
Isabel had changed Liz's hair color last night, before they had sneaked into the hospital.
«How you doing, Blondie?» he asked, his voice a low growl.
Liz crossed her arms over his and pulled him in tighter against her. «Much better now that you're holding me,' she said, smiling.
«I love you,' he said into her ear.
«I love you too,' she replied quickly.
«Your turn to order, guys,' Kyle said, stepping aside.
Max couldn't be sure whether he'd just seen a flicker of jealousy in his eyes or not. He thought that Kyle was long over Liz especially now that Max had married her but he knew that none of Kyle's romantic overtures toward other women had succeeded. Max had witnessed the sexual tension between Kyle and Tess, back when Max himself had been blinded by his own «predestined love» for the reincarnation of his Antarian wife. He still didn't know for sure whether their romance had been natural, genetically preprogrammed, or was the result of one of Tess's mindwarps. He doubted the last possibility, even though Tess had certainly turned out to be far more manipulative than anyone could have guessed.
«I'll have a Starship Chicken Burger Meal, but can you substitute Moon Rings for the Space Fries?» Liz asked.
