It was a somber group that sat in Michael’s apartment. They had locked Tess in his bathroom as it had no windows or any other way to escape except through the door, and that the three remaining aliens had used their powers to seal shut, though everyone knew in the long run that Tess could escape if she pleased. Michael and Maria were situated on the couch, their hands entwined as they watched Kyle pace as his father spoke in hushed whispers over a cell phone. Across from them were Isabel and Max who were also waiting anxiously to find out the rest to this sordid story.
It confused Max to no end as to why he never knew any of this about Liz. He believed he would have seen it in her memories as he had seen everything else. He also wondered why she had trusted Valenti an Kyle enough to tell when she couldn’t even tell him, especially when they were supposed to have loved one another. But then, they had been keeping a lot of secrets from each other, however this secret seemed too big for her to keep from him. Max just prayed that Kyle or Valenti would know why and how she kept this from him.
Once Valenti was finally finished with his phone conversation he turned and solemnly shook his head at Kyle in confirmation, letting Kyle know that they were gone. Not a trace was left of the Manticore children whom had escaped. No one had been able to track them thus far, and not even some of the loyal Manticore children who had remained with Lydecker knew where they were. It were as though they had vanished into thin air, as was appropriate to do at this time.
Sighing in relief, Kyle closed his eyes for a moment and said a silent thank you to whoever had helped them escaped, as well as prayed that they make it safely to wherever they were going. Once he was finished he signaled to his father to come and join them, as he knew it was time to fill in the other’s about Liz’s mysterious past. He knew it was going to be hard, but somehow…
"Are we going to get an explanation any time soon?" Max snapped, interrupting Kyle’s thoughts as he spoke the one question on everyone’s mind.
"Well, what do you want to know exactly?" Kyle finally replied. He was unsure of where to start and answering their questions seemed like the easiest thing to do.
"What the fuck is she?" Max asked bluntly causing Maria to gasp, Isabel to gasp, and Michael to glare at his once best friend and brother. With that Max relented. "Is…is she human?"
"Mostly human…" Kyle answered as best he could. This was a hard subject to broach, as no one knew just what was in these engineered kids. But at the imploring looks of the others he continued on. "Back in 40’s, after world war 2, the government decided to start a branch of the government called Manticore so as to try and create the perfect soldier as they didn’t want to be in the trap they were in with Hitler or the Japanese, or whoever, again. Most of their attempts failed… until around 1970 or so. In 1972 they successfully created their first genetically engineered soldier."
"Genetically engineered?" Max asked, the fear evident in his voice.
"An embryo was created and placed in a woman’s body. They had tried simply caring for the baby in other environments, but found that the baby had a better chance of survival if it was in a natural environment. Everything that the government wanted in a soldier they created." Jim explained.
"Bu… no, that’s not possible. The government just admitted to figuring out…" Isabel started only to stop, as Kyle shook his head no.
"The government lies about a lot of things, and this isn’t the first. They knew how to reproduce and regenerate, whatever, different types of genes and DNA strands they might need for their children." Jim explained.
"After the initial success, the baby died and the government was left wondering what they had done wrong. So they took some time off and perfected what they knew. Each group was named with a letter followed by a number, and all children were branded, in a sorts, with a bar code." Kyle went on to clarify so as to give his father a break. They were both worried and tired, so it wasn’t making for the best time to explain things.
"So Liz is like government property? Bu… but how?" Mara asked. She was shocked and unsure of how to take this news. She had believed she knew her best friend, but now it appeared as though she didn’t know the first thing about Liz Parker, if that was even her name.
"Born and bred. She is actually their second batch of successful soldiers. The X5’s were the first successful bunch. After the X5’s came to X6, 7 and 8’s. Only somehow something had gone wrong and one of the mothers from the X5’s became pregnant afterwards. When she went to the doctor’s they found some abnormalities and when Manticore caught wind of this they brought her in." Kyle stated. "After giving birth the women weren’t supposed to be able to become pregnant again, which is why this woman intrigued Manticore so much. Somehow or another residue of the woman’s previous pregnancy had remained in her body, thus making her stronger as well as her child. Manticore decided to further this child’s abilities and injected the still growing fetus with some sort of DNA which was a mix between the X5’s and X6 technology."
"Oh my god, you’re saying that Liz is a mix?" Isabel asked.
"Not a mix, a stronger version then Manticore had ever hoped for. They could never duplicate the strength and knowledge that Liz held. She was what they had always hoped for but could never create." Jim clarified.
"But wait, who were those people with her? And how did they know to come?" Max asked though unsure if he wanted to know. He knew without a doubt he had screwed up any chances with Liz by being with Tess, but he couldn’t help but wonder. The government had created these soldiers, so they must have created them to be with each other as well.
"We don’t know the full story yet and I don’t think we ever will, but what mainly went down was Lydecker, their creator, pretended to befriend them. Only it was a trap, and one of their own, Max, was killed. She had been trying to save Tinga, who had been running from Lydecker along with her husband and son. Lydecker wanted Tinga’s son because he was a hybrid and we are guessing that he was hoping the son would be like Liz. Luckily Tinga’s son and her husband were able to escape, but Tinga died, as did Max by trying to save her." Jim paused for a moment as both he and his son said a silent prayer for Max and Tinga. "Afterwards they ran. Zack, Liz’s brother, knew that Liz was in danger, as was everyone else. He’s been telling her for the last eight years that she’s been in danger, but Liz wasn’t willing to leave, she wanted to stay with the Parker’s and live a normal life, or at least as normal a life she could have."
"But how do you know all of this?" Maria implored. "I mean, Liz would hav--"
"No, she wouldn’t have." Kyle protested. "And the only reason I know is by mistake…"
1989…
Jim walked slowly through the park periodically calling out Kyle's name. They had been playing hide-and-go-seek when a batch of dark black clouds had crowded over the once sunny park. For a moment Jim paused as he heard a soft rustling in the bushes. However when nothing appeared he decided it was nothing more than a squirrel or some other small rodent.
Continuing his search, Jim wandered through the small park hoping to find his son before the bad weather caught up to them. Lately he and Kyle had been spending a lot of time together, if only to get their minds off his wife's departure. Since she had left Kyle hadn't been himself, and neither had Jim. But he was determined to make it without his wife, and he was determined to give Kyle the life he deserved.
"Kyle!" Jim yelled out.
From the bushes, Kyle giggled softly as he watched his father search for him. However he clapped a hand over his mouth as soon as his father drew near. They had been playing for about an hour or so now and Kyle hadn't had this much fun in a long time. Or at least since his mother had left.
As the thought entered his mind, Kyle stared down at the ground, his once jovial mood gone without a trace. He stared at his blue and yellow mock West Roswell High letterman jacket. There was a grape juice stain on the right lapel and a small spaghetti sauce stain on the left pocket. If his mother were still around those stains wouldn't be there.
Suddenly Kyle heard a crunch from beside him He moved to turn and see what it was, but before he could even move a hand was clasped over his mouth and a hand tightly gripped his throat.
"Be quiet and don't make any moves." The male voice said and Kyle merely shook his head in agreement. It sounded like a young voice, almost as though the person whom it belonged to was around the same age as himself. Aside from that, he was scared beyond belief and didn't know what to do. Since his father was the sheriff he knew that as soon as his dad found him he would be all right, but until then he didn't know what to do. Then he heard it. It had to be the sweetest voice, aside from his mothers, that Kyle had ever heard in his life.
"Zack, what are you doing?" The girl's voice was like music to his ears, only there was something wrong. He could hear the sadness and he knew without a doubt that the girl had been crying as he could hear it in her voice, along with concern, fear, and loneliness. But she still had the voice of an angel.
"We're goi..."
"Kyle, is that you?" Jim asked as he pushed the bush aside. A gasp escaped his lips, as he saw a young boy not much older than his son holding Kyle by his throat with a hand clasped over his mouth. Beside the boy was another whose features were more feminine, but her head was shaved just as the young boy's was. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
He tried to sound tough and authoritative, but with one look at what he could only assume was the little girl he caved. There were tears in her big, doe brown eyes, her lower lip was trembling, and her army slacks were soaked through. She was scared and alone, even if it appeared that she was with someone.
Army slacks? What the hell was a young child doing in army slacks?
"Wh..."
"If you want your son back then you'll walk away and act like you never saw us." Zack instructed. His voice was hard and cold, leaving Jim feeling afraid, which something he had not expected. This child wasn't even ten years old and he was telling him what to do. "I said if you want your son back unharmed then you will walk away and act like you never saw us."
"Please, sir..." Liz pleaded, her eyes begging with him to just let them go. She couldn't stand the thought of returning to Manticore.
For a moment Jim merely stared at the young girl. She had said sir, and in a diminutive tone, as though he were her senior... her commander.
"If you don't do as I say I will break your sons neck... now..."
"Wait!" Jim cried out. Rain began to fall around them in a steady pitter-patter, but the four didn't even notice. He wanted to yell at this boy and girl and tell them to leave his son alone, but there was something that stopped him. And instead of being mad, he was worried. "You kids are soaking wet... and it's raining... d-do you have someplace to go?"
The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. However as he watched them he could see how wary they were of him, and more importantly, even of Kyle. These children were afraid of humans. And no matter how hard Jim tried not to care, he couldn't.
"You can trust me... I'll keep you safe." Jim promised. He watched as the young girl nodded slightly, however the boy beside her only tightened his grip on Kyle and shook his head no.
"Zack, I trust him..." Liz whispered as she laid a hand on his shoulder. Instinctively, Zack loosened his grip on Kyle at the touch of his sister. If he knew anything it was that he could always trust her judgment. She had never been wrong before and she always knew whom to trust.
"So what happened? They came with you?" Maria asked, intrigued by all of this, as was everyone else. "How did you know you could trust them not to hurt you?"
"I don’t know, I just did. Something in me told me to trust them." Jim explained.
"So what happened?" Michael implored.
"Liz and Zack came home with Kyle and I. They had never even been in a home before, so everything was so new…"
From the hallway Kyle and Jim watched as the young boy and girl lay curled up on the couch. The boy, Zack was wide-awake, but the girl, Liz, was dead to the world- or so it appeared. After they had come home from the park, Jim had given them some dry clothes and food. Zack had hardly touched anything until Liz had tried everything first and told him to be considerate and thankful for what Jim was giving them.
"Daddy, why she got lines on her neck?" Kyle asked, referring to the barcode on the back of Zack and Liz's necks. Jim had seen them but he didn't know how to answer his son because he didn't even know why the two children had barcodes. He suspected it might be for the same reason they had been dressed in army uniforms and had shaved heads.
"I don't know son, I don't know." Jim answered honestly. He peered down at his son for a second and smiled sadly. "It's late. Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"Yea daddy..." Kyle answered disappointedly. He had been hoping to continue watching the angel with a shaved head with his father. He hugged his father before rambling off to his bedroom.
For the second time Jim turned his eyes back to the young children, only now it was only the girl. A moment later, without even hearing any footsteps or anything, Jim found Zack standing before him, proud and tall, just like a soldier.
"If you turn us in..."
"I'm not going to turn you in... I don't even know what you are... but I trust you just like you decided to trust me." Jim insisted. "But with trust I need some information. Like if I can help you in any way."
Zack stared at Jim for a moment, contemplating whether or not he truly trusted this man. All the while, neither noticed Liz get up from her spot on the couch. She took the back way and started wandering around the house, staring at everything in amazement. The blanket wrapped around her tiny frame dragged on the ground behind her. Nothing made sense to her, and she was captivated by the idea of a home and not some cell which she had previously been held in. A home was much nicer.
"Why’s you got lines on your 'kin?" Kyle asked, causing Liz to whirl around. She had been so enthralled by everything around her she hadn't even heard Kyle coming up behind her.
"Don't you?" Liz asked with an air of sophistication unknown to Kyle. She looked at him quizzically and then peered at his neck.
"Nuh-uh! Daddy says I can't not get a tutu til I'm really, really, really old, like 15 or 16." Kyle said enthusiastically while stretching out his arms o show how old.
"A tattoo?"
"Uh huh! And why you got no hair? Did it fall out like grand daddies? His does that whenever ya yank on it really really really hard. But now it comes out on its own!" Kyle insisted while grinning at the girl before him. He had never met a girl whom he liked as much as Liz. There was something about her that didn't make Kyle feel as though he would get cooties if she were around him.
She was also very pretty, just like his mom. And that scared Kyle. Why would he find a girl to be pretty?
"Kyle..." Jim said sternly as he came up beside his son. He and Zack had finished their conversation and when Zack had turned to return to the couch they had finally seen and heard Liz and Kyle talking. Zack was immediately beside Liz and Kyle was back beside his father.
"So what happened next?" Michael asked eagerly.
"I don’t know exactly. Kyle went to bed and I remained awake all night watching over Zack and Liz. But sometime I dozed off and when I woke up only Liz was left. There was a note on the table beside me asking me to take care of Liz as I had promised I would the night before." Jim explained.
"Promised? When did you promise?" Maria asked.
"When Zack and I talked I promised that I would do anything to keep them safe. I knew they needed my protection, and I had told Zack I would do anything to keep them safe, and I meant it." Jim clarified. "When I woke up I found the note and I stayed true to my promise. Once Liz woke up, I gave her the note. At first she remained silent and wouldn’t talk. She even tried to leave numerous times over the next week, but I kept a careful watch over her as I had promised. It wasn’t for another week that I over heard Nancy and Jeff talking, saying that they had just come back from the doctors. The doctor had told them that Nancy would never be able to have a child, and they were both devastated beyond belief. Now, I knew Nancy and Jeff and I trusted them. I also knew how much Nancy had always wanted a little girl."
"So you gave Liz to Nancy and Jeff? But I thought you told Zack…" Isabel started only to have Jim stop her.
"In his note, Zack left me a number at which he could be contacted. I called and left a message, telling him of my plan. A few days later he called back saying that if Liz trusted the Parker’s then he trusted them as well. So the next day I brought Liz over to meet Jeff and Nancy. Of course they had questions, but I had warned them ahead of time, telling them that if they were to take this child then it would not be through adoption and that she would come from a shaky background. Of course after they met Liz, Jeff and Nancy fell in love with her and immediately agreed to care for her as though she was their own."
"We still didn’t know anything about her past. And at first Liz wasn’t much better with the Parker’s then she was with us. She didn’t respond well to them and continually tried to run away. But after some time they grew on her, and she began to trust them more and more and she learned how to deal with the fact that Zack had left her in these people’s care." Kyle added.
"Wow, but how did you find out about her heritage?" Max asked in agitation. He just wanted to be over and done with this conversation so that he could get Tess back to the Granolith so he could save his son. He had heard enough about Liz and was growing tired of the subject.
"What the hell is your problem?" Kyle backfired angrily.
"Guys! Not right now." Maria insisted. "Jim, go ahead…"
"It was actually my father who informed me. Liz and Kyle were playing at the park. It was about a year before they were supposed to start school and I had promised Kyle and Liz I’d take them to the park. Liz hadn’t completely adjusted to life outside, but she was doing so quite well. My father was with us and when he saw the barcode on the back of her neck he pulled me to the side and asked me how Liz was out among us. Now at this point I believed my father to be crazy, but something in me told me to trust him when it came to this, just as something told me to trust him about aliens." Jim explained, but paused to catch his breath. "After I told him what happened he told me what he knew. But more importantly he told me to get rid of that bar code, or at least hide it if we wanted Liz to continue to live among regular humans. At first I didn’t believe him, but then I went to some friends and asked around. Soon I found out everything was true. I told the Parker’s everything I knew and they did as my father suggested. They took Liz in to a doctor friend of mine to add an extra layer of skin over the barcode. I had asked Zack which he preferred and he said to keep the barcode as it kept them distinct, but to hide it. And until her hair grew out we didn’t have many other options."
"And that’s why we never saw it. But it’s still there?" Maria asked.
"Yep. It’s how you can tell them all apart from everyone else. It’s the governments property marking… in a sorts." Jim said.
For a moment Michael and Isabel remained silent as the idea of being marked by the government set into their minds. Just the mere thought of being branded by Antar scared the two, as they didn’t want others to know they were different. But to think that Liz had to live with that, scared them as well. They didn’t know how she had dealt with everything as well as she did while being the nice person she was. And to add the scare of always being looked for by the government, that just pushed everything overboard.
"Oh my god… does that mean that the Crashdown shooting…"
"Yes, Maria… it was the work of the US Government at their best…" Kyle said softly, leaving everyone all the more scared, all except Max.
More Coming Soon