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Atherton's Underground, Part 5 Banner

Liz picks up Grandma's Claudia's last finished  book. The last time Liz had picked up the book was when she had showed it to Maria during her grandmother's last visit -- just before Grandma Claudia died. It had sat on her bookshelf for two years -- not because she couldn't bear to look at it, but maybe some innate sense in herself knew that it might reveal something for which she, Liz, was unprepared to deal.
She has yet to open the book, but seems to be absorbed in the title. "Lost Treasures of the Southwest Indians." She pulls the Antarian pendant out from beneath her pajamas. Liz has kept it on her person since that terrible night Max gave it to her -- that night which was to have been their farewell. Thank God she, Maria and Kyle were able to stop Max, Michael, and Isabel from going back to Antar.
Liz looks at the symbol, then the book. What was it that the computer geek said at Los Alamos  -- about the destiny book? She thinks back, then the light switch comes on. "It looks like some sort of Native American language." Of course! The cave map flashes in her mind and she looks back at the book.
Almost gingerly, Liz leafs through "Lost Treasures", searching the illustrations and photos until her hands intuitively rest on one particular plate: Plate 9. She places the book on her dresser and turns on the lamp. She takes the necklace off and places next to Plate #9. The symbols are identical.
"Okay, Maxwell, " says Michael, "let's put it to a vote. I say, we go check this place out again. If, like you said, the person who lived there is gone, then there's no danger. And it gives us a chance to really scope out the place."
"There's nothing more to find, Michael. Whoever was there wanted us to find the book. If there was something else to be found, then he or she would have left it for us to find. I vote no." says Max. "It looks too suspicious if we went back so soon."
"I vote yes," says Isabel. Max slightly lowers his head, then looks up at Isabel.
"You could have overlooked something, Max. If there was one room, there may be others. I found the Granolith by accident. ... We could always make up some excuse about you trying to find something you lost when you and Liz got swept away."
"Two to one. We go," says Michael victoriously.
"Hey, don't I get to vote?" asks Maria.
"This is an aliens only decision."
Maria pleadingly pouts.
"Okay, okay," Michael concedes. Isabel exchanges looks with Max. Michael giving in to Maria?
"What?" says Michael to Isabel.
"I vote yes," says Maria whose curiosity was killing her. More than anything, she just didn't want to be left out. She had to know what was going on.
"Three to one, Maxwell."
"All right, Michael," says Max, admitting defeat.
"Great, I can check it out tomorrow."
"No, we'll go together. We'll wait til next weekend."
Michael frowns.
"That will give us a chance to plan. We'll make it a camping trip. No one will get suspicious."
"We wait a week and that gives them a chance to clean everything out."
"Michael, Max is right," says Isabel.
"He or she would have cleared out anything important by now. It's been almost a full day. If there was anything else to be found, it's gone now," says Max.
Michael shakes his head in disgust and heads out the door.
"Where are you going?" asks Michael.
"Out!," he says, kicking a hub cap out the door with him.
Maria rolls her eyes and puts her hand on Max's shoulder.
"It's okay, boss. I got it covered."
Max nods as his cell phone rings. He answers it.
It's Liz.
"Hi," he says, "Are you okay?"
He looks at Isabel.
"Okay, I'll be right there," Max hangs up the phone.
Isabel looks at Max quizzically.
"Liz," he says. "She has something to show me. Can I borrow the car?"
When Max climbs over the top of the fire escape, he see Liz already waiting for him.
"Have you got a car?" asks Liz. "I can call Maria ... if you don't ..."
"Yeah, Isabel is letting me use the car. She's at Michael's."
"Okay," says Liz.
"Liz, you said you have something to show me."
Liz pulls out Grandma's Claudia's book from her book bag and shows Max the photograph. He recognizes it immediately.
"I think it's from the cave map. We have to go out there, Max. I have to be sure."
"Sure of what?"
"Well, you know when Michael said the painting was a map ..."
"Yes," says Max.
"We all took Michael's word that the locations were places in Roswell."
Max looks at her puzzled.
"I think Michael was half right."
"I don't understand."
"Lizzie?" says Mr. Parker.
"It's my dad. Hide," she says. "You shouldn't be here now."
"Lizzie?" says Mr. Parker, entering her room.
Liz climbs back into her room as Max leans against the brick wall.
"Yeah, Dad?"
"I thought you were sleeping."
"I was ... but I woke up and I couldn't sleep so ...."
"Well, it's getting chilly out there. So take off your coat and get back under those covers."
Liz begins to protest."
"Liz," says her father, firmly, but kindly.
Liz slips off her jacket and sneakers and gets back into bed.
"That's better," says Jeff. "I'll see you in the morning."
He leaves. Max peers around the corner. Liz sits back up and throws off the covers. She grabs her sneakers and jacket and crawls back out the window.
"Come on," she says, grabbing the book bag and stuffing her sneakers inside.
Max takes it from her hand and slings it over one shoulder and slips over the side onto the fire escape. Liz looks back toward her bedroom room while putting her jacket on, then follows Max quickly down the fire ladder.
Michael's behind the wheel of Maria's car, heading north towards Corona.
"Michael!" cries Maria.
"What!"
"You don't need to go into warp drive and send us into orbit to get to where you want to go."
"The sooner we get there the better."
"Well, yeah, I don't want to be road kill either."
"What's the matter?" asks Michael. "Don't you trust me?"
"Actually, I was thinking about my mom."
Michael scrunches his brow in confusion.
"Never mind. What do you think you're going to find anyway?"
"I don't know. I'll know it when I see it."
"Let's hope so."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Drive on, space cowboy."
Max turned off the lights of the car while Liz ties the laces of her sneakers.
"There's a flashlight in the bag," says Liz.
Max pulls it out and switches it on and off.
"I put fresh batteries in."
Max nods.
"I'm ready," says Liz and opens the door.
Max grabs the bag and exits the car. He switches on the light and leads the way, Liz following close behind. It takes them a half hour to hike in since they chose a remote sight to park the car. Before they enter, Max slings the bag over his shoulder. He shines the light inside and sees no one. He motions for Liz to come closer and takes her hand. They enter the cave. Max finds the torch and hands the flashlight to Liz. He drops the book bag to the ground, takes up the torch, and lights it with his hand. He waits a moment, to make sure the torch stays lit, then nods his head. Liz puts out the flashlight. Max then shines the torch on the map.
"Do you have the stones?" asks Liz.
"Yes," says Max and takes one out of his pocket. He places them in the recesses than Michael had and they light up."
"It's the royal seal," says Liz. "We never made the connection before. What Nasedo did was make a map based on the royal seal."
"So?"
"Well, Michael was partially right. It is a map and the coordinates are locations in the Roswell area."
"And ..."
"What Michael got wrong was the purpose of the map."
"The purpose?"
"Look here, Max. At the apex is the Pod Chamber, right?"
"Yes, that's how Michael identified the location."
"Well, when Michael used this to calculate the location of the library to signal Nasedo, he was wrong. The library is on the map because of The Destiny Book."
Max looks at the map.
"It's so simple. See. Here's the symbol that's on the book. It corresponds with the location. Where do you find a book?"
"In a library."
"Exactly!"
"And you see this series of boxes in the middle?"
"The radio tower."
"Where we found the orb," says Liz. She points to the orb symbol. "And here's the orb. You get it, Max?"
"Each location matches the object found."
"Right! The orb, a communication device, is found next to the radio tower, an object in communications. The cave map is a treasure map and at each of these locations is an alien object and each healing stone pinpoints the location where the object can be found. So there are five objects of importance."
"So what are these?"
"Well, the Pod Chamber is pretty obvious. This is where the pods were found and the Granolith. Here's the symbol.
"And what's this one?"
"Well, I'm not 100% sure on the other two. This one, by its location, I think is Frazier Woods or the Reservation, so I think it's probably the healing stones."
"And?" says Max, pointing to what looks like a galaxy.
"This may sound silly."
"Why?"
"I think it's The Crashdown."

Atherton's Underground, Part 6 Banner
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