When Duff was gone, Amy looked at Jim, squinting her eyes in the fading afternoon sunlight. «Are you sure you trust her, Jim?» «Duff? Yeah, I do.» Jim leaned forward and took Amy's hands in his, squeezing them slightly. «She saw some things, did some things here at Laurie's house that never made it into any report. She's protected Michael's and Isabel's secrets for over a year now. And she was the one who warned me that the Special Unit takedown was coming. We wouldn't be here now if not for her.» Amy sighed. «It's just hard to… you know I was never one to completely trust the government anyhow. And now I have to trust her, and…» Her voice trailed off. Jim smiled at her, remembering their checkered past together. «You forget, Ms. DeLuca, that I am a government employee too. I've even handcuffed you before.» He paused for a second, then grinned very slightly as he added, «One time, it was even on official business.» Amy blushed, and Jim smiled widely. A moment passed, and Valenti's pager began beeping. He looked down at it. A Boston number? Only one person I know up there. Valenti dialed the number on his cell phone and was pleased to hear a familiar voice at the other end of the line. «Deputy Valenti?» «Hey, Jesse, are you all right?» A heavy sigh, and then Jesse said, «I've been dodging Special Unit agents this morning, and making the acquaintance of one of Phillip Evans's old friends. Are you okay?» «Yeah, just a bit shaken up," Valenti said. «I got Amy DeLuca out with me, but I wasn't able to save any of the others. The feds took Phillip and Diane and the Parkers.» «I already knew that. Phillip's friend told me. Did you hear about what happened with Isabel and the others in Wyoming?» Jesse asked. «Yep. Just recently. A friend of mine from the FBI is here keeping us up to date.» «Does he know anything about where the gang is now?» Jesse sounded worried. «No, she doesn't," Valenti said, gently correcting him. «We're pretty sure they got away clean, which seems to be why the Special Unit has moved on to terrorizing the folks. I think they're upping the stakes.» Valenti saw Amy pointing back behind him. He turned and saw Duff and Laurie returning to the veranda. Duff was smiling and holding her thumb aloft. «I think we might be about to find out where they're holding the parents," Valenti said. «Good," Jesse said. «We have a pretty radical plan here, one that Phillip came up with a few months ago. Lucky for us he prepared for the worst.» «Amen. Let's compare notes and start drawing up a battle plan," Valenti said, grinning. For the first time today, he began to feel some real hope that they might succeed in turning the tables on the Special Unit. 7. Harvard, California Michael checked the rearview mirror again and frowned. «Somebody is following us," he said. «On a motorcycle. And whoever it is keeps getting closer.» He felt his adrenaline racing, perhaps a reminder of the warrior instincts of his former life. «Why don't you pull off at the rest area ahead?» Maria asked, pointing to a roadside sign just before the Microbus passed it. «That way, you might be able to find out who it is, and if I'm not running for my life, I'll at least be able to get out and pee.» Michael winced, then spared a glance over his shoulder at Max, who nodded quickly. «Go ahead, Michael.» Two miles later, Michael veered the Microbus off the highway and down a sloping off-ramp to a rest area. He parked as far away from the other cars and trucks already there as he could. «The bike's still behind us," he said. «Let's get out, Maxwell. I'd say we should be ready for anything.» Max clambered out the van's side door, while Michael jumped out the driver's side. They both quickly made their way to the back of the van. The motorcycle Michael had spotted was coming toward them, but slowing down as the rider braked. The helmeted rider appeared to be male, and he stopped fifteen feet or so back from them. Michael put out his hand, palm first, determined to make short work of this newcomer should the need arise. «Whoever you are, you'd better not make any fast moves.» Very slowly, the rider reached up to remove his helmet. «Chill out, Michael," he said. «I didn't ride all this way to pick a fight with you.» His shoulder-length dark hair came into view first, then his distinctive angular features. «Eddie?» Max said, lowering his own arm from its defensive posture. Michael recognized the rider as well. He was River Dog's young protege from the reservation. The junior shaman. «What are you doing following us? And how'd you find us?» Eddie unzipped his leather jacket, flapping it a bit to cool himself down in the warm evening air. «I guess you could say that Nasedo sent me.» A bolt of anger ripped through Michael. Nasedo had been his mentor, and had pushed him to expand the limits and nature of his powers. And no matter what Tess had said about him at the end, Nasedo had always seemed to have a real affinity for Michael, and to favor him over the other half-alien teens. «Nasedo is dead," Michael said, trying to keep his darker emotions in check. Eddie gave him a half-smile. «From what I understand, some of you have been dead in the past as well. Death is the end of one's life in this body, but not the end of the energy one brings to the universe.» He shrugged, and added, «Or so River Dog tells me.» Maria and Liz had crept out of the VW by now, joining Max and Michael. Maria looked surprised. «Eddie? What are you doing here?» Eddie grabbed a heavy-looking bag off the back of his motorcycle, and then pulled at something that was ducttaped onto the bike's fairing, next to the speedometer. «Why don't we sit on the grass over there and talk? I can explain everything all at once. And maybe work out the cramps in my legs.» The group moved over to a grassy area, and Michael looked to make sure no other tourists were nearby. Eddie unwound the duct tape on the thing he'd pulled from his bike, and Michael suppressed a gasp when he caught sight of the object it had concealed. It was a black pentagonal device; inset into the center was a five-part white node. Surrounding the node, and etched into the black casing, were alien symbols, the runes of the Antarian alphabet. «Nasedo left this with River Dog long ago. It led me here, to you," Eddie said. «It's like a compass or something.» «What do you mean it's like a compass?» Max asked, taking the device when Eddie held it out toward him. «How does it work?» Eddie shrugged. «Whenever I touched it, parts of the white thing in the middle started blinking. And in my head, I suddenly knew which direction to turn, which way to go. I've been driving like a bat out of hell all day to reach you, and this led me to you. I was just trying to figure out which car you guys were in when you pulled over and stopped.» Maria looked skeptical. «Wait a minute. You're saying that this thing is some kind of alien OnStar system or something?» «I can think of weirder things," Eddie said, smiling. He gestured over toward the Microbus. «You guys have any soda or anything? I'm really dry.» Liz got up to retrieve a drink while Eddie took his bag and zipped it open. «I brought you guys all this other stuff as well. Figured you might need it.» Michael looked into the bag and saw a pile of familiar items: the communicator orbs, the alien «Destiny Book» that Tess had pulled from within the wall at the West Roswell High School's library, the healing stone, and one or two other remnants of their alien past. Anger flared in him again. «We buried these! How did you get them?» Eddie remained calm. «I dug them up.» He pointed to the alien compass that was still in Max's hand. «That led me to them. A few months ago, I saw a bunch of government guys combing the desert, looking for something buried. I figured they couldn't be up to anything good. So at night, I went to the spot this compass led me to, and started digging. River Dog and I have been keeping this stuff safe ever since.» Michael's eyes bulged, and he felt as though his head were going to explode. He looked over at Max, and was surprised to see that their fearless leader didn't seem nearly as perturbed as he was. Neither did Maria, who gave Michael a calm down, now look. Michael closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply, wondering momentarily if this was how Kyle Valenti «centered himself in his Buddhist meditations. Liz returned with a six-pack of soda and offered a can to everyone. Michael took one, if only to give his hands something else to do other than repeatedly clench and unclench. «Why did you hunt us down to return this stuff?» Max asked. «Because Chameleon told me to," Eddie said just before taking a swig of his drink. «Chameleon is my spirit guide. It's a Native American thing.» He paused again, and a serious expression crossed his face. «I'm sorry, I don't mean to be flip. I do have some serious news to tell you, if you'll let me.» «Go on," Max said. «Very early this morning, government agents came to Roswell. Looks like they arrested Mr. and Mrs. Parker and Mr. and Mrs. Evans. They also tried to get Deputy Valenti, but he got away, with your mother," Eddie said, looking toward Maria. «Apparently, Valenti got away because another FBI agent tipped him off just before the raids went down. River Dog gave him a car so he and Mrs. DeLuca could meet this FBI agent in Arizona somewhere. I don't know where, but it has something to do with some girl you guys once helped. Just before they left this morning, Valenti called the guy who runs the UFO Museum in Roswell, but I didn't hear what they talked about.» He stopped and held up his hands. «That's it?» Michael said, his voice pitched higher than he'd intended. He felt an urgent need a sensation akin to hunger to strike out at the government who had attacked his friends' families. «That's all you know?» «I only heard what Valenti told River Dog," Eddie said. «After Valenti left, I was doing some chores and Chameleon came to me and told me to help.» «You're saying you came to us because a lizard told you to?» Maria asked, also exasperated. She looked over toward Liz, who had suddenly turned chalk-white. «Oh my Goddess! Liz, are you okay?» Liz started to cry, then fell heavily against Maria, who steadied her on her rubbery legs and began trying to comfort her. Max quickly got up and came around behind Liz, enfolding her in his arms, concern etched on his face. Michael wondered for a moment if she was having another one of her future flashes. «They got my mom and dad, Max!» Liz sobbed, showing that her concerns were rooted firmly in the present. «Why would they do that?» Max closed his eyes and gulped audibly. «They're tired of looking for us. That's why things have gotten tougher the last few weeks. They're trying to run us to ground. Flush us out by attacking our families.» «Are you sure you don't know anything else?» Maria asked Eddie. «Was my mom hurtl Was anyone else hurt?» «Your mom got a little cut on her head, but she's fine now," Eddie said. «I guess she crashed her car while running from the government guys.» Michael remembered all the times when Amy's clunky Jetta had gotten him and the others where they'd needed to go, or out of scrapes. if there's a car heaven, I hope the Jetta made it there, he thought. He turned back toward Eddie. «Can you get in touch with Valenti?» Eddie's eyes brightened. «Oh, yeah.» He fished in his pocket and finally produced a scrap of paper. «This is his pager number.» Maria winced. «Pager? That won't do us a lot of good. We don't have a phone for him to call us back on.» «Can't we use the pay phone?» Michael asked, gesturing toward the main rest-area buildings. «They don't allow incoming calls," Max said, his voice flat, nearly toneless, as though his supply of hope had all but bled away. «Damn!» Michael exclaimed, then got up and began to pace. He was feeling boxed in and trapped, and he had never been able to abide that feeling for long. «Call Brody," Liz said between sobs. «He might know more.» «Good idea," Max said. He looked over at Maria. «Can you handle that?» Maria nodded, then held out her hand to Michael. He helped her up. «Come on, Spaceboy. Help me juice up the phone.» «I'm headed to the bathroom," Eddie said. «Anyone want some of those crappy rest-stop cookies if they're giving them out?» They all shook their heads. «Okay. More for other unsuspecting travelers.» Michael and Maria walked toward the battered pay phone that was mounted on one of the rest room building's exterior walls. «You okay?» he asked her. She sniffed, nodding. «I gue