Rating: PG-13. Violence and the occasional swear word.

Summary: A Crossover between Roswell and First Wave. The Twice-Blessed Man (First Wave) comes to Roswell in search of "children" prophecied in the book of Nostradamus. Gua Acolytes are searching for those "children" too. Mostly action, but there is some romantic focus. Takes place right after River Dog, but before Blood Brothers.

Disclaimer: The Gua, the First Wave characters and stuff don't belong to me. Cade Foster will be returned fairly unharmed. I give my word. :) Same for the brief appearances of Crazy Eddie and Joshua. And that goes for the Roswell people too. Though honestly I wouldn't -mind- keeping Michael. O:) Heh, but I won't. I'll give them all back. They are not mine. No profit being made here. This is just my way of celebrating two great Alien-themed shows and possibly converting a few Roswellians over to the First Wave and a few Twice-Blessed Man followers over to Roswell. The Quatrains are original, except for the Twice-Blessed Man one. There are also a few quotes from various episodes of First Wave.

Category: Action/Crossover/SciFi-ish. Some romantic undertones. Liz/Max and Michael/Maria mainly.

Author's Notes: The story switches between Cade Foster, Liz Parker and Max, Michael and Isabel with a little Maria thrown in for flavor. Joshua, Sheriff Valenti and Eddie also get a crack in. Don't confuse Crazy Eddie with "Freakin'" Eddie. Two totally different people. If you haven't seen First Wave I'm trying to fill in any holes you might not understand, but here's the brief (including basic spoilers for the first season):

In 1564, Nostradamus predicted the destruction of Earth in three terrifying waves. The First Wave is here. These "Waves" are basically alien invasions. The First Wave is study from the shadows, the second is invasion from above, and the Third is Armageddon. The Alien Invaders are called the Gua, which means in their tongue "Power to Overcome". The Gua leadership on Earth is called The Assembly. They are split into three factions, but the only one you really need to know about are the Acolytes, who are the miltary leaders and assassins and warriors of the Gua. The Gua have been "testing" Earth for decades, testing the defenses and the species that live on the planet, to see if it is viable for domination and repopulation.

Hundreds of years before the Gua ever came to Earth they were invaded by a un-named Alien race who conquered them. One Gua stood up and fought back, leading them to freedom. And now their planet is dying. And their eyes have turned to ours.

The Gua look just like us. Their consciousness is sent to this planet through "White Holes" in space (Worm Holes) and then "downloaded" into a human husk. A clone. With a small precentage of their alien DNA mixed in. Just enough so that modern medicine would not identify them as aliens. They have super-natural powers, including: Pyrokensis that is only effective with eye contact, enhanced senses, super-strength and speed, and self-healing. Their technology is also greatly advanced in all ways. If they are killed (a gunshot to the heart will kill one instantly) their body dissolves, taking their clothing and anything else on their person with them.

Now Nostradamus also predicted a way to -stop- the First Wave. And if the First Wave is stopped, the others won't happen. Namely the weapon to stop the First Wave is in the form of a Twice-Blessed Man. And that Twice-Blessed Man is Cade Foster, former professional thief, on the run from the law for the murder of his wife (the Gua framed him). Cade has the help of the Editor of an Internet Website called "The Paranoid Times" by the name of Crazy Eddie, as well as an Acolyte Gua by the name of Joshua, who is starting to doubt the fact that his people can win this battle, mainly because of Foster and his ability to hunt down Gua experiments and put a stop to him. He even addressed the Assembly to vote against launching the Second Wave. His statements at the Assembly meeting lead to a vote that defeated the launch by a margin of one.

He also believes Foster is a prophecied one from the Gua Oracles. The One Who Can Destroy Them. Together with his allies, and using the prophecies of Nostradamus as his guide, Foster is their worst enemy. Or is he? What ever happened to those others who invaded the Gua first? This fic means to answer that.

.~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Prologue:

Quatrain 27, Century 8

Survivors of slain ancient enemy,
Hunted by all, though known by few.
Children of energy and light,
Fiery avengers of their ancestors' fate.

"Three months after my "near-death" experience and the discovery of the Aftertime from a messenger from the future, I'm getting off the bus in the infamous town of Roswell, New Mexico on a hunch. A substantiated hunch, but still a hunch. There's no proof this Quatrain has anything to do with Roswell, or the UFO sightings and supposed cover-ups in that area. In fact, if it wasn't for a phone call from Joshua tipping me off, I probably wouldn't have made the connection between the two.

"Crazy Eddie thinks the government cover-up of what really happened at Roswell has something to do it. I have yet to be convinced it wasn't just a Gua "test" like the one I got stuck in near Washington, DC months back. What the rest of it means, is anyone's guess. But I have a feeling it could be a key to defeating the Gua and ending the First Wave, though I'm not getting my hopes up.

"Joshua's conversation was brief, and consisted of many riddles, but in the short sense he asked me to go to Roswell and follow a lead there. A lead that the Gua themselves are following up. With Acolytes. Alien Assassins, like Joshua. Whether it's renegade Gua or a human who's threatening their presence on Earth or lone survivors from another future Earth perhaps? I don't know. I only hope to find out."

Cade Foster

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chapter One
The Crashdown

Roswell, New Mexico. It was warmer then he'd thought it would be, especially in mid-November. But then growing up in Chicago hadn't prepared him for this kind of weather. Cade Foster took off his leather jacket and slung it over his shoulder as he stepped off the bus. His fake ID for this town had him down as one Kincaid Nichols, a freelance researcher of paranormal phenomenon focusing on proving the existence of extraterrestrial lifeforms.

He even had a instant Doctorate in the subject of parapsychology. He found the idea rather ironic when Crazy Eddie handed him the new ID. An Alien Hunter by trade, pretending to be an Alien Hunter. Of course Dr. Nichols was renowned for writing dozens of credible papers on the subject. Cade dreaded the day someone actually tried to hunt down those papers, instead of just getting a list of his credentials.

Touching the microphone Eddie had planted on his T-shirt, Cade whispered subtly, "Testing. Do you still got me, Eddie?"

A moment later that well-known voice buzzed in his ear from the nearly invisible ear piece. "Got you loud and clear, buddy. Where do you want to go first? There's all kinds of UFO museums and terrorist traps around the place."

"I was actually thinking of getting something to eat first. Haven't had anything to eat for a whole state." Which meant dinner the night before. It was rather early morning, 6:30, give or take a few minutes. He wanted some breakfast. "Know any places that are open this early that are close on foot?"

"Just a minute, let me check the city map." There was the sound of fingers running across a keyboard, then the voice returned triumphantly, "Just a block away, go left, then turn right at the first corner, there's a place called the Crashdown Cafe. It's a theme restaurant. The opening time only started about three minutes ago, so you might be the only customer."

Cade started in the direction of the Cafe he mentioned, and responded, "All right, I'm gonna be quiet for a while so people don't start thinking I'm insane."

The Crashdown Cafe wasn't hard to spot. Not at all. Big Flying Saucer shaped awning hanging over the doorway kind of gave it away. It looked rather... corny. But then almost every Theme Restaurant he'd ever been to was like that. Even the Pirate themed one he went to with Hannah one year.

He gave a distant sigh at the thought of his dead wife, murdered at the hands of the aliens. He glanced around an extra time at the memory, checking to make sure there where no police officers in sight. The last thing he needed was to get IDed as Cade Foster, wife murderer, and hauled in again. Or chased through three counties like when he was in Montana.

There was only one vehicle in front of the restaurant. A jeep. Almost all metal. Nothing flashy. He saw the Open sign was turned to face outward, so he headed in, seeing five teenagers talking in the restaurant. All eyes turned on him, and the voices stopped.

Two of the teenagers, girls; onewith short blond hair, the other with long brown, were in waitress uniforms, with Alien Antennai sticking off their heads. The other three were garbed in dark attire. Jackets and sweaters. Odd. But then he assumed they were used to the heat, so it didn't bother them. Two teenage boys, and another girl. One of the boys was leaner then the other, more clean cut in appearance. The girl was dressed fashionably in dark leather jackets and tight jeans, long blond hair braided. And the other... well... he reminded Cade far too much of himself when he had been sixteen. Which was a scary thought.

At their continued stares, Cade motioned towards the sign, "It said 'Open' so I just walked on in. I just got off the bus and am looking for some breakfast." He felt kind of awkward having to explain that. It was a restaurant. Not like it was customary to knock before entering or anything.

One of the waitresses, the dark haired one, jumped slightly and made 'come on in' motions, "Sorry, just it's a little early. Not used to people coming until at least seven."

He offered her his kindest smile, and moved to find a seat, a decent distance from the teenagers. The girl who spoke fetched a menu and handed it to him, saying, "That's the breakfast choices." she pointed at a section of the menu.

The Menu. Now there was something even more cheesy then the outfits and the decorations. Will Smith Burger? Scrambled Alien Brains? Blood of Alien Smoothie? He ordered what he -hoped- were some kind of egg and a cup of coffee.

That little voice in the back of his head, also known as Crazy Eddie, said amusingly, "I really should drop by that place sometime. Sounds like I'd enjoy it." Cade smirked and shook his head, not noticing the weird looks the three "non-waitresses" were giving him.

When he finally did glance at them to buy the time, he noticed something very odd. The clean cut boy was pouring Tabasco sauce all over his eggs. Not just a touch for flavor. The whole bottle! Now that was weird. There was another empty bottle laying against the table.

When his breakfast finally came, the girl, Liz according to her name tag smiled at him and said, "So anything else I can help you with, sir?"

"You can call me Cade. Cade Nichols. I'm just in town for a few days, so if you could point me towards areas of interest I would greatly appreciate it."

Crazy Eddie's voice filled his ear and said, sounding insulted, "I thought that's what I was for?"

He pushed the a retort out of his mind as the girl asked, "Well what are you interested in exactly?"He instantly pulled out his card, which read:
Dr. Kincaid R. Nichols
Parapsychologist

"Um... Dr. Nichols..." Liz sounded a little awkward, then it instantly vanished and she said, "Well, there's a UFO museum across the street. Though it's mostly for the tourists. You can sign up for a tour of Roswell there, and that will take you to all the sights of interest for your field. Other then that, can't help you. Never studied up on much parapsychology. I'm more into conventional science."

Crazy Eddie's voice rang out again, "She's lying. I can hear it in her voice."

But Cade wasn't paying attention. At the words "parapsychology" the boy that reminded him too much of himself looked over and gave a rather intimidating glare. The blond waitress looked startled, and the other two tensed slightly. The reactions, topped with Eddie's paranoid response to the girl, tipped him off. His Alien Hunter senses were going wild. He needed to find out who these teenagers were.

Showing no visual reaction besides a nod, Cade pocketed the card again and said, "Thank you, young lady. I'll be sure to go look at the museum later."

She went back to the group, talked with them, the blond waitress, Maria, came over and offered him refills on his coffee every time it got low. He stayed put for at least thirty minutes. Two other customers came in between those times, and he got the names of the other three teenagers. Or at least their first names. The clean cut one was Max, the girl was Isabel and the "little Cade" was Michael. After he got the last of their names, he paid for his meal, and gave both the girls a generous tip, then left to see the sights Roswell had to offer. Starting in the most un-paranormal place. The High School. Cause one of the teens, Maria, mentioned they had to be there in an hour.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Cade Foster stepped foot into West Roswell High the same time Eddie finished with the check of the school's database. A Super Hacker like him had no problem getting past the minimal security measures and getting the information he wanted. Namely a list of all the students in W. Roswell High that match the descriptions of the five he met in the Cafe. "There were five matches. DeLuca, Maria. Evans, Isabel. Evans, Max. Guerin, Michael. Parker, Liz."

Whispering as subtly as possible into the microphone, Cade told him, "Pull as much of their records as you can get. Then check the local hospitals. Birth records, dental, the works."

"Piece of cake. Now if you want to see if the FBI have files on them, that would be a real challenge." And he sounded like he wanted the challenge, which Cade didn't doubt at all.

"Local records for now. No reason to chance you getting caught until we have something to go on. They could just be teenagers after all."

"Hah. 'Just teenagers'. There's no such thing, Foster."

"Just do it!" Cade said a little too loudly and earned a glance from a woman standing not too far away. She was of teacher age, probably mid-twenties. Long blond hair. He offered a half smile and said, "Just talking to a little voice in my head. My genius."

"Oh, you're flattering me, now hush up, I got work to do." said 'genius' replied before the teacher could.

When she did she just raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Well, normally I would ask you to come to my office so we could talk about these voices, but you are obviously not a student. I'm Kathleen Topulski. The Guidance Counselor here at West Roswell High."

Guidance Counselor hmm? Bet she knows a lot about the students. Might be able to help me out... Now which ID should he pull was the question? He had so many, and Eddie could write up a file in a few minutes and make sure it's in every computer someone would check before they had time to finish the conversation. But then he decided to keep with his identity. "I'm Kincaid Nichols. I was just going to look around the school for a few minutes. I'm visiting." No need to give his profession until she asks.

Suddenly that voice rang in his ear again, "This Topulski lady isn't who she says she is. Just ran a computer check on her. It's all way too clean, Foster."

And at the same time she was speaking. Filtering both speakers at once was almost impossible, so he filtered only Eddie for the moment. But he caught the gist of what the woman had said. He needed to check into the office first, then he could have a tour. He offered his best smile, and said, "Thank you, Ms. Topulski. I'll go do that. I hope I see you again later."

He really did. Even if she wasn't who she said she was. Cause then she could be the Acolyte Joshua had warned him against. He started in the direction of the office, as a arrow pointed towards, then ducked around the hall and found a broom closet to hide in, so he could talk with Eddie without any strange looks.

"Alright, talk now. What do you mean she's not who she says she is?"

"Just a minute... running a code..."

Cade paced impatiently, waiting. Waiting... waiting. Finally five minutes later Eddie made a sharp yell and said, "Damnit, Foster! You just talked to an FBI agent!"

"Are you kidding? She's a little young to be in the FBI..." But then again there were Agents as young as twenty-six. Even younger. Just not too many.

"She's twenty-eight, Foster. And she's a psychologist. The rest of her file is completely locked up though. I could try to get into it some more, but it would take a little longer, and I'd have to take a few more precautions..."

He sounded worried, and no doubt was. He was paranoid after all. "Might be best to high-tail it, Foster. You are near the top of the FBI most wanted list, you know. Joshua could be wrong. Or this could be a trap. You were almost killed on the last goose chase he sent you on."

"Correction, Eddie: I was killed. In one timeline at least." Cade still thought that was funny. Saved by a woman from the future. Reminded him of a movie he saw once. "And he might not be wrong or setting me up. And if there are these so-called 'Children of energy and light' here, then I should find them before the Gua do, don't you think?"

"It's just you almost didn't get out when you were caught back in Chicago, Cade."

Oh. He was really worried. Eddie almost never called him by his first name. It was usually 'Foster-this and Foster-that'.

"Don't worry," Cade tried to ease his friend's paranoia on the subject. "If she starts acting suspiciously I'll leave. Now tell me what you have on the kids."

"All right... all right. Do you want the brief or long form?"

"Long. I got plenty of time." That is of course if the battery on these things didn't run out.

But they didn't, and he got information on all five. Everything from address, to phone number, to dental records, to doctor appointments, to class schedules to grades....

Liz was a straight-A student. Excelling in all subjects, but even more in science. Treasurer of the Roswell Science Club. Parents owned the Crashdown Cafe and they lived above it. Lived in Roswell all her life. Her dental records were normal with that of a teenager. A few cavities, fillings, braces a few years back. Yearly appointments. She'd had a broken arm back when she was eleven, and recently her paternal grandmother died from complications after a stroke. She was present when her grandmother died. Birth records were all fine, nothing to tip off Eddie or Cade's senses.

Maria had a few problems here and there. Decent grades, but nowhere near stellar. Father left when she was young. Worked at the Crashdown with her friend. A few minor medical problems, a few deep cuts from a bike accident when she was thirteen that required stitches. Mother made alien accessories and sold them locally, a job not uncommon in Roswell. Maria was in a fender bender with the town Sheriff a few weeks back. Minor damage to the car.

The other three though. That's where things got strange. Eddie saved them for a reason. First he explained the Evanses.

Isabel and Max were found on the side of the road at the age of six by the Evans family. They had no injuries, no memories of their life before that, and no records. No birth records. No medical records. No finger prints on file. They were adopted as brother and sister, but if they really were was unknown. There was no blood test to see if they could be. Nothing. They had almost no medical records at all. Same with dental. No police records. Their school files were fairly decent. Medium to excellent in range. Max's grades were better then his sisters.

Then there was Michael. Also found at the age of six with no previous records. He was found in a town bordering Roswell. For the next few years he was passed in and out of foster homes every few months, at the age of nine he came to Roswell to live with a family there, until finally settling in the one who he's been with a little over a year now.

Same as the others. Very few records. Though he was caught breaking the town curfew more then once, but the penalties had been minor. A couple arrests here and there. Breaking and entering, trespassing, vandalism, one assualt charge for decking a teacher back in Middle School.

Michael spent more time on his hair then his classes, which wasn't saying much. The only class he seemed to care about at all recently was an Art Class. He even had his work displayed. He was in trouble of being expelled if he didn't start coming to classes.

By the time Crazy Eddie was done with his recital of what he had found, Cade was hooked. Max, Isabel and Michael. Something was definitely not right with them. They could be Gua, he guessed. But it was unlikely. The Gua would never leave a big gaping hole in their backgrounds. Perhaps an escaped experiment? DNA remapped half-breeds, like Julia Loomis maybe? That could explain why Acolytes would be after them. If it was them the prophecy was referring to.

The bell outside rang, and after waiting a few minutes to make sure the students were in class, he snuck out of the High School again.

Chapter 2
The Holder

Pacing outside the school building, trying to decide whether or not to actually go to classes, was one Michael Guerin. Why he didn't like going to classes was a little hard to put in words. He just usually didn't see a reason for it. He went to classes when he felt like it. Mainly whenever he needed to do something. It rarely had anything to do with grades or tests or homework. He often stayed close by outside the school though. To visit with Max and Isabel between classes, eat lunches with them, make sure everything was fine.

He'd had more reason lately to show up at the school then usual. Today, he was outside the school for a reason, but the reason why quickly dissolved from his mind as he saw someone step out of the side exit.

Someone. More specifically someone suspicious. Liz had said his name was Cade Nichols. And that on his card his profession was Parapsychology. Well, while Isabel and Max may have dismissed it after a few minutes, he hadn't.

They seemed to be under the idea that someone who was really hunting aliens wouldn't go around saying they were a parapsychologist. Especially not in front of suspects. But there was something about him Michael didn't like.

First, the way he walked. He didn't walk like some scientist hiding behind a desk reading through books and messing with chemicals. He walked like a thief. And having dabbled some in the 'art' himself -- with the help of his powers -- he knew a few things about that. Also, when he walked into the Crashdown and said he came by bus... What man with a Doctorate in Parapsychology rode the bus? And how many of them dressed in leather jackets and jeans? Michael bet he could count them on his hands, and he didn't think Dr. Kincaid Nichols was on that list. If that was really his name at all.

Going to classes completely vanished from his mind at the sight of him coming out of the school. So did almost everything else. The only thing that latched on was the fact that he had to follow this man. After checking to make sure none of those people the trio of aliens had noticed following them around he took off on his own "tracking" mission.

As far as he knew the man had no idea he was being followed. He followed him all the way back to the Crashdown, or more accurately, the UFO Center across the street from the Crashdown. He moved to follow, keeping a good distance back, but as he passed the small alley between the UFO center and another building, someone grabbed him from the side. He cursed himself silently for being so careless.

Whoever it was who grabbed him shoved him deeper into the alley, then pulled out a... gun. A .45 with a silencer on it. Uh. That wasn't good. The person was a woman, short brown hair, in her mid-thirties. Was she one of those people following them lately? He raised his hands and said, "Whatever it was, I didn't do it lady."

And he could say that with almost all honesty. She didn't look like a cop, and he'd never seen her before.

"Shut up, kid. Now tell me where the others are?"

Definitely not good. He had to get his hands on the gun, then he could melt it and she wouldn't be a threat to him, but she was keeping further then hand's reach. He tried to take a step forward saying, "What others?" but she raised the gun to point it at his face and said, "Not a inch closer or they won't even be able to ID you."

That got him listening. This was really bad. But Michael tried to still look confused, "Look, lady, I don't know who you're talking about. Now point that thing somewhere else."

The woman managed a small smirk, "Maybe this'll get you talking..." then with a silenced *piff* she fired a shot. He recoiled at the hit, not moving fast enough to dodge it, and realized she's shot him in left shoulder.

Damn... Damn... Damn... Damn that hurts! He was still recoiled, grabbing his shoulder and trying to remain on his feet, so he never got to see the man he was following come into the alley with a crowbar in hand, knocking the gun out of the woman's hand.

"Well, that wasn't very nice." When Michael finally looked up to see what had happened, he saw the Cade person had the woman who just shot him shoved up against the side of the alley. "Now who sent you? The Assembly?"

"Well if it isn't the infamous Cade Foster." He -KNEW- Nichols wasn't the guys name. Now who this lady was, was anyone's guess. The Assembly? "I wasn't sent here for you, but I'll probably get a few marks for bringing you in as well."

Foster gave a small nod, as if that's what he expected to hear then said, "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you won't get the chance to tell them I'm here. Now are there any others with you?"

Her eyes flared for a moment, and then... then her face... her face shifted. Like something crawling under the skin. Rippling as if to reveal something under it. Then she shoved him away from her so hard he impacted against the other side. Michael was moving towards her in a second. He wasn't about to let the woman who shot him get away. He grabbed onto her arm and started to use his heating powers on her.

And as soon as her flesh started to sizzle and burn a vision flooded his mind. It happened sometimes. When emotions were strong. And these were strong. He could feel how the woman felt about him. She -hated- him. And she was scared of him too. And Foster as well. He saw flashes of a desolate red planet, like pictures of Mars, and this strange white whirlpool in mid-air. A metal sphere. A group of people standing around a table with their arms pointed outward at glowing spheres that looked like the Earth.

The vision ended when she recoiled with a loud roar which deformed her face in the glowing ripples again. A second later there was another *piff* and she fell back with a gunshot in her chest and... dissolved.

Dissolved. That's the best word he could come up with. One minute she was laying there with a hole in her sweater. The next the ripples of red were running over her and making a hissing noise. The next there was nothing there but a puff of smoke. Even her clothing was gone. Did he somehow burn her up from the inside out? Whatever it was the Foster-guy didn't seem shocked to have just seem someone vanish into nothingness.

They looked at each other, then he offered an arm and said, "I better get you to a hospital."

It was only then that Michael remembered the gunshot in his shoulder. He could easily surpress the pain from his mind when he didn't think about it, but at the reminder it returned, causing him to grit his teeth and cover the wound with his hand again. He shook his head, knowing a hospital equaled a very bad idea, especially when one factored in the part that he wasn't human into the equation.

So to change the subject he pointed towards where the woman had been and said, "Forget me, what the -hell- was that?"

"That, my boy, was an alien."

Michael stared. Foster must have taken it for disbelief or shock but it was neither. Well, shock yes, but not disbelief.

"Don't worry. She won't be coming back. They don't hold well after they die. I guess it helps them in the end, cause afterwards no one would have any bodies to examine. No proof of their existence."

He was -right-. This Cade Foster was an alien hunter. But... but if that woman was an alien, then why did she try to kill him? And Max and Isabel and him never looked like -that-. All the rippling... So he decided to play naive teenager, "Uh... aliens in Roswell... who knew."

Hoping he hadn't gotten too good a look at his wound, Michael used his powers as best as he could to alter the fabric of his jacket and sweater and flesh to make it look like the shot had just grazed him. He couldn't repair the internal damage. He wasn't good enough, Max would have to fix it later. So it still hurt.

Then he lowered his hand to show the shifted wound. "Anyway, it's not too bad. I don't need a hospital. Just a bandage. Plus how am I supposed to explain to the Sheriff that I got shot by an alien?"

"While you should be at school no less." Foster made a quip, then said seriously, "So why was she after you, anyway?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He answered with total truth. He didn't know. Foster seemed to accept that and said, "Well, you better go get that bandaged up. Hopefully you won't see anymore of her kind around here, but if you do..." He paused for a moment, as if contemplating something, then decided to do it and pulled out a card and handed it to him. "My cellphone number is on there."

This card didn't say 'Kincaid Nichols' or 'Cade Foster' or anything. Just had a phone number typed up on it. Michael gave a shrug, which hurt like hell, then pocketed the card. "All right. I'm Michael, by the way." He saw no reason not to give his name to a guy who just probably saved his life. By killing an alien... That dissolved when it died.

One thing was for sure. He had to talk to Isabel and Max.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When he finally found them it was lunch time, and they were sitting with 'that Maria girl' and Liz. Upon seeing him everyone stood up, and he realized when he stitched up his jacket and shirt, he forgot to make the blood vanish. So he was a little surprised when Max stood up and said, "What happened? Did Hank...?"

Michael glanced at his shoulder and mentally smacked himself. "Uh, no. But I have to talk to you guys. Now."

He had blood all over his hands too. One from covering the wound, the other from where he burned the woman. They all got up, even Maria and Liz, who he hadn't expected to, but he didn't argue.

He had to get out of sight before one of the teachers started questioning him. They made it out to the Evans' jeep before anyone said anything. It was Maria, "Now what happened to you?"

After checking to make sure no one was close enough to see much more then an outline, he took off his jacket and pushed up his sleeve enough to show the slightly fixed wound and said, "I was shot, Max, could you fix the rest of it? I could only alter the skin, and I didn't do that good a job, as you can see. It hurts like hell."

There were worried looks all around, and Max stepped forward and fixed everything, dissolving the bullet lodged in his shoulder blade and fixing all the torn muscles. When he was finished he said, "You shouldn't have tried to fix it, you only made things worse. The blood was backing up under your skin..."

But Michael interrupted, "Look, Maxwell, I had no choice. It was make it look like it was just a graze, or get dragged to the Hospital."

Liz tried to look comforting and asked, "What happened?"

He explained what happened. The woman with the gun. What she'd asked him. The guy they'd seen at the Crashdown coming out of nowhere and saving his life probably. They all stayed silent until he got to the part where the woman's face shifted.

"What? Explain that again?" Isabel asked, sitting up. "Her face shifted? How does someone's face shift?"

"I don't know how, Izz, just trust me on this. Her face shifted. It turned glowing red, and then rippled, like something was moving under it. I don't know any other way to explain it."

Then he went back to explaining, and got as far as him trying to burn her.

"Michael, why did you do that? That Cade-person could have seen you." Max said, going into that 'big brother scolding little brother' voice he often used.

"Will you two shut up and let me finish?"

When no one said anything, he did just that. He skipped the vision by accident and went straight to the dissolving. Foster calling the woman an alien. Why he patched up his arm. Everything. When he was done they were all staring at him like he was a madman. After a few moments of silence, he waved his hand, "Well? Isn't anyone going to say -anything-? How about 'sorry you were shot Michael'?"

It was Maria who spoke first again, "Why would another one of you try to kill you?"

"Good question. She didn't really stick around long enough for me to ask it though." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, "Though, she didn't -seem- like one of us though. The vision I got..."

"What vision?" Max asked, leaning closer.

"Oh, I forgot that part, didn't I? When I burned her I got a short vision. She hated me, and was afraid of me at the same time. But nothing about the vision hinted towards her being anything like us." he shrugged slightly.

Then Liz burst out, "So there's more then one type of alien in Roswell? Is it just me, or is this getting weirder and weirder?"

"It's not just you, Liz." Maria said, looking... perplexed, her lips pursed up in a slight confused pout. He couldn't hold back a half-smirk at the sight of her.

Isabel's voice made him look towards the blond alien, "So you're saying this guy is alien hunter, but he's not after us, he's after other aliens? Aliens that dissolve when bullets hit them? We don't dissolve... do we?"

"Want me to shoot you and find out?" Michael said in a joke, keeping his voice completely serious, lacking sarcasm and everything. When they all looked at him, he raised his hands innocently, "Just kidding."

"Very funny," Isabel said sarcastically, "Now what are we going to do? Now we have to worry about strange 'other Aliens' hunting us too? As if the Sheriff and the rest of the world weren't enough..."

Chapter 3
The Breaker

Still worried about Michael, Max Evans almost skipped showing up for work all together, but Liz reminded him that the man had said he would drop by the Center. So perhaps going to work would procure some answers to the current mystery engulfing the group of five teens with a secret. A secret which was dangerous. Ever since he'd risked letting the secret get out by saving Liz Parker's life, things had been constantly getting more and more dangerous. For everyone involved. But mostly for the three teenagers who happened to be "not of this Earth."

After making sure none of the displays were damaged by the tourists, as they had a tendency to be, Max began to clean up the area. Picking up gum wrappers and paper cups left laying around by the visitors. He almost had given up the hope that Cade Nichols or Foster, or whatever was actually going to show up. But sure enough, as soon as he thought he wasn't coming, the man clad in leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans strode in.

His light brown hair was slightly ruffled and he glanced around for a long moment, as if taking in everything around him, then he stopped, spotting one employee who drew his attention. Of course that employee was Max himself. For a long moment they just looked at each other.

Max wasn't exactly sure what it was, but there was something... different about this man. A feeling he guessed. He got those sometimes. Not often by any means, but sometimes. Maybe it was just what Michael told of what happened. The whole "alien hunter" business. This was a man who believed. In at least some kind of alien. Perhaps that was it. But he doubted it. It was almost a nagging sensation. He tucked it away into the back of his mind as the man started moving towards him.

"This really is a small town." The man said with a slight grin.

Max stayed silent. He had a tendency not to talk much. Call it shyness, call it politeness. He did it mainly because he usually had no idea what to say.

After he seemed to catch on that Max wasn't saying anything, Cade continued, "I saw you at the Cafe across the street this morning. You work here?"

"Uh.. yeah. The next tour doesn't start for thirty minutes though..." Max said when he finally found something to say.

Sometimes he wished he were more skilled at talking openly with people besides Isabel and Michael and Liz and his parents. It probably came from the fact he had a secret that he always had to be careful to hide. He always had to watch what he said.

Cade continued his slight grin and nodded, "I noticed. I was actually just planning to look around at the exhibits." There was a pause, and then he added, "You're Max, right?"

"Yes." Max said after a blink or two. How had the man gotten his name? Should he start getting all paranoid, or should he just assume the man had heard it back in the Cafe?

He nodded, "I'm Cade. Cade Nichols. Do you have a break coming up soon?"

Nichols. Foster... whichever his last name was, this still seemed very... off to Max. And that tugging sensation was starting to get to him, even tucked away as it was.

"Uh..."

The man turned his head slightly, to look towards one of the exhibits nearby, and that's when Max saw it and stopped talking. A almost invisible, expertly hidden, ear piece. A glance over the man's shirt found a lump of a microphone. God. The man was wired, and likely there was someone else on the other side of the devices. Was the man an Agent? Or was he just working with someone else. Another Alien Hunter maybe? Whatever it was, Max didn't like it.

"Actually, no, I just finished my break." It was a lie, but it was better to lie then to take such a risk.

There was another moment of awkward pauses, then the man nodded and said, "Very well. Perhaps I'll catch you when you get off work." Then he turned around and went to look at some of the other exhibits.

His use of words bothered Max. 'Catch'. Then the rest of his mind dwelled on wondering what the man wanted. His boss came over a few minutes after the man walked away and said, "Your shift was over five minutes ago, you know."

There was a slight jerk into the present and he realized he was. His mind really was wandering. And that man was still watching him even though he was off looking at the Alien Autopsy exhibit.

And he'd heard what his boss just said. Damn. Caught in a lie. "Sorry. I thought it was Tuesday." It was a pathetic excuse, but an attempt at one. He still would have two hours if it was Tuesday.

"Quite all right, Mr. Evans. If you want to spend a while in the Archives you can." Then he walked away.

The Archives. Max found them rather fascinating, but today he didn't really want to read up on alien theories or UFO crashes. He'd rather follow a theory all his own.

After a few steps out the door, just as he figured there would be, Cade's voice rang out behind him, "Looks like I caught you sooner then I was thinking. Think we could talk for a few minutes?"

Max took a deep breath, then turned around and looked at the man. After a few moments he calmed himself down enough to respond levelly, "Of course. Though I will ask you to do me a favor first."

A small smile and a, "What favor?" was all he got from Cade.

And in return he gave a simple, "Turn off the microphone." Cade's smile grew, and he pulled the very small mic off his t-shirt and turned it off, then said, "You are good. I'll assume you know what happened earlier with your friend, Michael?"

"I heard," Max replied, keeping his voice soft and calm, trying not to get too paranoid.

Then he turned and started walking away, expecting the man to follow. He didn't want to talk about whatever the man intended to talk about in the middle of the street. Until they found someplace a little less likely of eavesdroppers he was going to keep the conversation geared away from "back-room talk."

Unfortunately, Cade wasn't so subtle about his words, though he did keep them extremely soft and pitched not to carry, "So do -you- know why she was after your friend?"

"I wish I did," Max replied honestly.

He didn't at all like the idea of some woman shooting at Michael, or asking where "the others" are. He had been so sure no one suspected Michael. But if Valenti thought both Isabel and himself were... "different" then perhaps he put one and two together and figured out the third.

Could Valenti have hired someone? It seemed a little low for the Sheriff though, and the woman did dissolve. Normal bounty-hunters don't dissolve, or get called aliens by parapsychologist-Alien hunters.

Sigh. This was getting far too complicated. And he thought his life had been difficult -yesterday-.

There was a long pause as they continued walking side-by-side down the Roswell streets, then Cade asked, "So does 'children of energy and light' mean anything to you?"

There was that tug again. But Max shoved it into the back of his mind again and merely responded, "Is it a new song or something?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

About an hour later, Max found Isabel in his room with Michael, they were discussing something, but whatever it was trailed off when he entered, "So nice to see you all respect the 'no trespassing' sign," he jested softly, then moved to sit down next to Izz on the bed.

From where he was perched on the floor, Michael gave a slight shrug and said, "Well, you were supposed to be back from work an hour ago. We were starting to get worried."

Despite the words, he looked anything but worried. If anything he looked brooding, bored and distant. But then again this -was- Michael.

"Correction: -I- was getting worried." Isabel said. "So what happened? Get caught indulging more 'guilty pleasures'?"

"No. Got side tracked by the resident 'alien hunter.'" When both of them started slightly, he added, "I meant Cade Nichols, or Foster, or whatever. He's quite fascinating. Though we didn't go into the subject of aliens."

"What'd you do then, talk about the weather?" Isabel asked, obviously angry at the idea of her brother talking to the man by himself. A man who'd killed an alien. Even if it likely was some other alien, or not an alien at all, and an alien that had been trying to kill Michael and likely after them too.

"No, Izz, mostly we talked about music and sports." He said, not really joking.

They did talk a lot about normal things. The man was rather nice actually. Not the type he would expect to go around killing aliens for a living.

They both stared at him, and he shrugged, "Just telling the truth. He also wanted to know how Michael was. I told him you were fine."

Michael grinned slightly and said, "It was only a 'flesh wound'."

Even Isabel smiled at the quote, but it was mostly because of the faked accent he'd thrown in with it.

There was a long silence, as they all just sat there, then Max turned towards his sister and decided to ask her the favor he needed, "Could you do something for me, Izz?"

"Not sure I like the sound of that, but what do you want?"

"Could you get into Cade's dreams tonight?"

They both stared at him. He'd never asked Isabel to get into someone's dreams before. It was always her idea, and he'd always tried to talk her out of it. He'd been able to talk her out of taking a peek into Liz's dreams so far at least. Or at least she'd respected that so far as he knew.

After a moment, Isabel said, "You're serious?" She seemed really surprised, then continued, "Well, I need a picture of him... I don't imagine you asked him if you could snap a Polaroid?"

Max shook his head. He hadn't. He forgot about the picture requirement. Though it wasn't really required, just lessened the chances of her jumping into the wrong person's dreams.

Out of nowhere, Michael said, "Would a sketch do?"

"Uh... yeah, I guess so." Isabel said, frowning slightly.

The newly discovered artist in their group shrugged, "Well, I supposedly got all this 'ability'. Might as well put it to some use, don't you think?"

Max couldn't keep from smiling. Even though he had been risking their necks by dabbling in the arts originally to draw that dome, he was glad his best friend had found something he was good at. "I think it's a great idea, I'll go get some paper and pencils."

After returning with the paper and pencils, Max and Isabel's parents announced that dinner was ready, and Michael opted to stay upstairs and draw while they ate.

Thirty minutes later when they got back up there the sketch was done. It was remarkable. Not perfect by any means, but still good for someone who only started drawing a few weeks ago. It looked like Cade. Even Isabel was impressed. And she wasn't exactly easy to impress.

But then Isabel dropped the final requirement, and the obvious one. "I have to wait til I'm sure he's asleep, so probably won't be able to take a peek for at least a few more hours. Do you guys want me to wake you up before I venture in?" It was an assumed fact that Michael would be spending the night with them. They all agreed and went to sleep earlyish, to the shock of their parents.

After a good four hour nap, at around 1:30am, Isabel came back into the room and woke them both up, though Michael took a good few shakes before he eventually opened his eyes.

"You guys have to promise me if things seem to get weird or I sleep longer then an hour that you'll wake me up. I don't want to get stuck in a dream for five hours or anything." A pause, then Isabel added, "And if I get stuck in some sex fantasy you're gonna pay, Max."

They both promised and settled in to seats in her room while she prepared for the dream. A touch of the sketch, watching it ripple briefly, then a second later she was asleep.

Continued next page...

Back to Area 51 (Section III)