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![]() The night air feels warm against Liz's face as Max drives to Roswell. The ache grows in her head--too much information and too little information. It makes senses that the aliens had or have an underground railway of support and it confirms the hologram's message. How could they have survived so long in this world without help from it, even with their special powers. That her grandmother helped also didn't surprise her. Grandma had had a strong sense of justice and would have championed any underdog. But what part did she play in all this "alien chaos?" She didn't know much more than she did before. What could Grandma Claudia possibly have that was so important and how was she going to get her hands on it now? Her birthday was still months away.
Liz looks at Max and knows he's thinking, too. There is still too much to wrap around their heads and sort it out.
"What are you thinking?" asks Liz.
"I don't know what to think."
"I know what you mean. I'm so confused. There's someone else out there, Max. A third shapeshifter."
"You think it's the man in the photograph."
"Don't you?"
"Yes."
"He's probably the one that lives in the cliff dwelling."
"If he is, why hasn't he made himself known?"
"Maybe he has and we just didn't recognize it."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember the sighting in the woods?"
"When Michael contacted Nasedo?
"Well, what if it wasn't Nasedo?"
Max pulls off the road and stops.
"What do you mean?" he asks, turning to Liz.
"We've always assumed that it was Nasedo, right? But how could it be Nasedo if Tess said that Nasedo had never left here, Earth? According to her school records, she was miles from here."
"We don't actually know if those records were real or not."
"Even if they weren't, Tess said the Special Unit had been chasing them for years and Nasedo did leave a trail of bodies across the southwest. He didn't stay in Roswell and they didn't go home, at least as far as we know."
"But they did show up after the sighting."
"What if someone else had told them where to find you. What if that alien contacted Nasedo and Tess and told them to come to Roswell."
"So you're saying that this "third" alien landed in Roswell during the 1999 sighting, then contacted Nasedo, and set up housekeeping in the cliff dwelling."
"Yes ... I think."
But you're not sure."
"No, I'm not sure. Everytime I think it makes senses, it doesn't. It sounds silly."
"Welcome to my world."
Charles couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Exactly!" he confirms. "You've heard of the SETI program?"
"The what?" asks Michael.
"Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence," says Maria.
"Very good," says a delighted Charles.
"So what do you hear?"
"Gaussian waves, transforms, triplets."
"English?" says Maria.
"Sound emissions. By looking for repeat patterns like triplets, we can isolate sophisticated microwave signals from random noise or static."
"What for?" asks Michael.
"To make contact, Mr. Guerin."
"Isn't that impossible?"
"I wouldn't say that. It appears that someone is doing just that ... right here in Roswell."
Liz sneaks up the fire escape, Max behind her. They pause at the balcony. Liz quickly looks toward the window.
"I'd better go in."
Max nods and begins to turn.
"My folks will be gone this weekend," says Liz.
Max turns back. Is that an invitation?
"Tempting, but I thought we might be able to check the house undisturbed."
Max hides his disappointment.
"Sure."
He turns again.
"Max?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Max nods.
Maria gives Michael a furtive, guilty look. It doesn't go unnoticed. Michael looks as if he's deer in the headlights.
"Well," says Mr. Seligman, "I think we've taken up enough of Mr. Guerin and Ms. DeLuca's time, don't you, Charles?"
"Yes," he agrees. "Of course. We can continue this conversation another time."
"Yes, that's right," jumps Maria, itching at the possibility to be free of this awkward, dangerous situation.
"So what makes you think someone's doing the ET phone home here?" pushes Michael.
"Michael, come on," says Maria, "I have to get home." Michael tries to push her off, but Maria nudges him off the sofa.
"Perhaps another time," says Charles, "when time isn't so pressing."
Michael realizes he's not about to learn anymore. He's annoyed with Maria's practically pushing him toward the door.
"You WILL be in summer school tomorrow, Mr. Guerin," says Mr. Seligman forcefully as he opens the door.
"Yes, he will," says Maria as she exits, shoving Michael out in front of her. The door closes behind them.
"What the hell are you trying to do? He knows something."
"And so does Mr. Seligman."
Liz begins to dream. It's the crash sight. She's running ... just like the vision she had before. The military is hot on her trail. She hears her breathing, ragged short breaths. She's digging, covering something up, then she's running again. She hears a shot, feels it tear through her shoulder. Her heart beats, but it feels strange. The rhythm is wrong. She stumbles, gasps for air, rolls over, stares at the one sun, so bright, so warm, so far ... a shadow. Something blocks the sun. The air feels cooler. There's someone standing over her. Need to see, try to focus. He/she kneels, comes close to her face. The eyes, they appear warm and friendly, dancing. There's a reassuring smile. The face, it's familiar to her, this young face she's seen before. It's ... it's young Claudia.
Michael opens the door of his apartment and finds Max raiding the refrigerator.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
"What did you find out?" asks Max.
"I've never been so scared in my life," says Maria as she breezes past Max and pulls a Peach Snapple from the fridge.
Max looks concerned.
"Relax, Maxwell. It's under control."
"Like so not," says Maria.
Michael frowns at Maria.
"Will you let me tell it?" says an annoyed Michael.
"Where's Liz?" asks Maria, looking around and finding Max Lizless.
"I took her home. She's still pretty wiped."
"What did Riverdog have to say?"
"They're might be another alien out there."
"Alive?" says Maria.
Max nods.
"How about you?"
"We found one of the men in the photograph," says Michael.
"At Mr. Seligman's?"
"Yep."
"This is soo not good," says Maria.
"What was he doing at Mr. Seligman's?" asks Max.
"That's what I'd like to know," says Michael.
"He's a radio space jockey," says Maria.
"A what?"
"He's looking for us."
Max's concern grows to alarm.
"Not us, us. ET phone home," says Michael, mimicking a phone and pointing upward.
"I wouldn't be so fast there, buckaroo," chimes Maria.
"Why not?" asks Max.
"It's the way they were behaving, asking questions."
"You WERE inside? Michael, ..."
"Hanson caught us looking through the window," says Michael.
"And Mr. Seligman made some excuse about tutoring us," adds Maria.
"It was weird, Maxwell," continues Michael.
"Concerned teacher?" asks Max.
"Mr. Seligman HATES me. Why would he do that if he didn't know something?"
Max goes pale.
"What's wrong, Maxwell?"
"Liz and I ran into Mr. Seligman in Frazier Woods near the cave."
"OMG," says Maria, "he's following us?"
"He knows," says Max.
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