Angel S:1 E:16 Season One Finale "The Hero And The Terror Part II" free porn video

Angel S:1 E:16 Season One Finale "The Hero and the Terror Part II" By G.M. Shephard Copyright © 2012 Edited by: jeffusually kittylover --- Acknowledgments Back in August of 2013, I began writing my first ideas that had been occupying my mind for years. Looking back to that night, seated in front of my computer when I began typing "Angel's" first couple words, I never thought it would become something to so many people. After several revisions I finally reached the point, the big defining moment where I hovered my mouse over the submit button for hours before finally gaining the courage. The story posted, and I waited in utter fear. Then, one at a time, reviews started popping up, emails began flowing in. The readers enjoyed the Pilot and wanted more. What began as a simple way to express my inner feelings, soon reached others who wanted an escape from this world, even if temporary. Angel grew into something more and I found myself writing not only for me, but a rapidly expanding fan base. As a first time writer, I can't say enough how much you all mean to me. You have been there for me with your words of encouragement, offers to help with the editing, death threats for Dwayne, and demands for a length of rope after leaving all of you on one to many cliff hangers. Now, safely pulled up over the edge, we are about to embark on the final stretch of the journey. I would like to take a brief moment to thank several key people who volunteered many long hours of their own time to help Angel be the success it has. Jeff, my personal Perry White, my editor in chief who has gone above and beyond for me. Your hard work is very much appreciated. Kitty, also a dedicated editor has also spent many hours fixing my horrible typos and grammar. Both have evolved from volunteer help to close personal friends of whom I value their friendship. To those wonderful people who run and maintain Fiction Mania. I deeply appreciate having a place where I can let inner self out and explore other worlds. All of my fans. From those that chat with me on-line, to the regular reviewers to the casual silent reader. I love you all. Finally, to the love of my life. Thank you for standing by my side all these years and believing in me. I love you. --- Angel Season One Finale "The Hero and the Terror Part II" ..."Damn it Michael, what the hell is going on, snap out of it and talk to me. Instead I reached up and put my arms around her and hugged her so hard I could hear her back cracking slightly. Quickly I released my grip, grabbed the side of her head and pulled her toward me, planting a long hard kiss on her lips. Her eyes opened wide not sure what the sudden kiss was all about. "Oh Megan, I love you." A huge smile lit up on my face as I thought things through, "Megan...They're alive." "What do you mean? How do-" "-MEGAN THEY'RE ALIVE." I lifted my hands into the air and looked up. "Thank you Kaaren, you're the best. Woo hoo! They're alive." I turned and grabbed her shoulders. "I've seen them, they're not dead, she didn't run off on me." "You saw them? How?" "I don't know. Something strange starts happening when I put on their clothing. It's like I can see through their eyes. "Psychometry!" she said with her authoritative knowledge. Megan, while working on her masters in Psychology, spent time learning about hypnosis and also studied ESP and other paranormal abilities that people claimed they had. "What the hell is that? - Wait, never mind Doc, later. I have to find them, they're in trouble. Dwayne has them. He's in a plane right now with Ashley and Liz is chained up somewhere." "Dwayne? You mean Turner?" She thought long and hard about him, finally having an epiphany. "Son of a bitch, he's had them all this time." "I don't know. I have to find Liz, she's in serious trouble and Ash," my heart sank, "Ash, I can't let that bastard hurt her." Megan came close and put her arms around me. "Michael, I am really happy for you. This is the bet news ever, but let's be careful, these might not be current images. They could be from past events. I don't want you to get your hopes up." "I'm not so sure. I think you're mistaken, and what I'm seeing are current images. She was looking through her box last night. It was our anniversary and she was mourning me. I saw her face, she was crying." "Maybe you're right, but she could have done that at any time." Her doubt was getting to me. I finally had my first solid bit of hope in a year, and she was trying to take it from me. "Megan, take off your blouse," I commanded. "Excuse me?" "Don't argue, take it off. I want to prove this is the present that I am seeing. You are my control subject. If I'm right, I should be able to see through your eyes in real time." Megan reluctantly began unbuttoning her light yellow blouse and stripped down to her bra. She handed me the top as I stripped off Liz's purple dress, leaving myself naked in front of her. "Don't say it," I said, sensing she was thinking about how amazing Kaaren's body was. I put the blouse on and stepped into my office, closing the door and leaving her outside just as the white cloud started to appear. A second later, I was standing outside the door looking though her eyes. "Well Michael, is it working?" "Yes, I'm looking through your eyes. Turn around and hold up some fingers," I watched as her point of view shifted to face the hallway wall. Megan held up her hand displaying seven fingers. "Left thumb and index, all five on the right." She changed it up. "Four, right and left index and middle." "You're not cheating with that x-ray vision of yours?" "Thermal, and no. The heat from your body is blocking your hands, it doesn't work like that. Left pinky, right ring." She turned around and opened the door. "Ok, enough, you were right. Now what are we going to do?" "I have to find out where they are. Dwayne can be just about anywhere, but maybe if I can get some of his clothes, I can see his plane's instruments and figure out his position. Ash isn't helping much." "Sounds good, you know where he lives?" "No, do you?" She thought long and hard, then looked at me. "No, but a quick call to NASA and I can find out." "Do it, I will be right back," I said as I started running down the hall to the bedroom. "Michael, my shirt please?" After taking her shirt off I quickly threw the white dress on over my body and returned to the living room. "Here," she took the shirt from my hand, "I will be back in five." "Where are you going?" "Gotta go to my cabin and get something." --- Megan nervously tapped her foot repeatedly while waiting on hold. It was the third time being placed on hold and Frank wasn't answering. She hung up and dialed a couple of other numbers with the same results. "Damn it, where the hell is everyone?" She hung up and dialed 411. After a couple of rings the operator picked up. "City and name listing please," she said without a shred of politeness in her voice. "Try Houston, looking for a listing for Dwayne Turner. "One moment...I have a listing for 17 listings Wayne Turner." "No, Dwayne. Delta, whiskey, alpha, yankee, november echo, got that sweetheart? Megan rolled the alpha codes off, proud they were still fresh in her mind after a year. "Yeah, what are you military or something?" "Just get me the listings, this is an emergency." "Ok, I have ten listings for a Dwayne - with a "D" - Turner in Houston and surrounding towns." "Let me have all of them, addresses too." "I'm sorry, I can only provide one listing at a time, you will have to call back." Megan started getting pissed off at the regulations that simply made no logical sense. "Come on, this is a life or death emergency, don't jerk me around." "Ma'am, if this is an emergency, then dial 911 for your local police." She was starting to drive her nuts. "Please cut me some slack, this is Dr. McCormack, you know, the Astronaut?" Megan felt great shame dropping her celebrity status to twist someone's arm, but considering the circumstances she felt justified. "Just a moment." There was a pause followed by a new voice picking up. "This is Kristen, I am the supervisor. I would be happy to help you Doctor. I am terribly sorry about that. Let me get the information you need." Megan let out a sigh of relief as a sudden gust of wind blew through the back door. "Jeez," she said as Michael's sudden presence in the room startled her. Kaaren's blond hair was a shaggy mess. Megan listened and started writing each of the addresses down, struggling to avoid making mistakes. After asking several times for the supervisor to repeat the address, Michael took the phone from her. "Sorry ma'am, can you please repeat that for me, I am going to take the information." Michael stood there listening as she read each of the listings. "That's it, is there anything else I can do for the Doctor?" Megan got back on the phone. "Kristen, thank you very much for your help. Look up my office listing and leave me your information and I will send you something for your troubles." "No need Doctor, you've all ready done enough, thank you very much." As Megan expressed her final appreciation before hanging up, she watched Michael transfer all the addresses from his memory to a piece of paper with lightning speed. "Great job, Doc," Michael said as he started to analyze the different listings. "See anything?" Megan watched as he crossed off a couple of addresses right off the bat. "Bad areas of town, I know he doesn't live there." Michael opened the drawer to his desk and withdrew a spiral bound book and tossed it on his desk next to the pad. He opened to the back and began poring over the index, then started flipping through the pages. Megan watched as pages of maps shuffled by. "Nope," Michael said, finding the street and moving on in an instant, boggling Megan's mind. "You really can read that fast?" "Yes, and I'm getting faster all the time," he said, paging through to the next map, finding the grid, then scratching off another address." "What criteria are you using for eliminating the addresses?" Megan wondered what was going through Michael's head. "He's got a large property. I remember him talking about owning a bunch of land. Never said where." Megan started to think. He had approached her a couple of years ago about that project he was working on. "Michael, stop." "What? Don't interrupt me." "No, none of these addresses are them, he didn't live in Houston. He had a ranch somewhere outside." Michael threw the Thomas Guide across the room in a fit of anger. "God damn it. We're wasting time." Michael, still in his wife's white dress, paced back and forth his office. "Michael, settle down, we are going to find them, but if we let ourselves get stressed out, we won't be able to help them. Now let me see that Commander take charge and handle tough situations like I know you can." "This isn't some stupid mission Doc, this is my wife and kid's lives we are talking about." "Bullshit Michael, the whole god damn mission was about their lives. The two lives on this planet you wanted to save most were theirs. You are in that body because of them. I know you didn't choose to become Kaaren for anyone else on the planet, so calm down, and let's work this problem as if we were back on board." Michael fell silent, Megan's words going straight to the heart. He started to gain control of his emotions and take command of the situation. "I'm sorry, you're right. I never used to act like this. Like I said, this body has been screwing with my emotions more lately. Sometimes it's hard to control. It's scary at times, how easily I get upset, or take my anger out on people. That includes you. I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier." "It's ok, you don't have to apologize, let's just concentrate on finding them. Can you still see them?" Michael left and returned a moment later with one of Liz's jackets on. He stood there for a minute as if in a trance, staring at the wall. "Nothing, she is laying down on her side. She is looking through a door leading to an open area. She is just lying there, not moving. Damn it, I gotta find her." "Ok, we will. Tell me, describe the room she's in." "It's cold, slightly dark. No personality. All the walls, the floor even, it's all concrete. It's like my bunk..." Michael paused deep in thought. "Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch." "What?" "It's just like my dad's bomb shelter under my cabin." At that moment, something popped into Megan's head. "Michael, I think I know where she is." ---The Bunker--- "Liz," Reid said, pulling himself over to her. He slid up alongside of her and fiddled with his chain, sliding his arms around her. Since she calmed down and stopped pulling on her chains, she fell into a deep depression and refused to talk. As he wrapped his bound hands around her, picking her head off the concrete, she remained motionless, her eyes fixed on a single spot in the room. Tears were dripping down her face, but she didn't whimper. Reid caressed her hair trying to comfort her, but she didn't respond. He looked at her bound wrists and saw they were bleeding from her struggles. "It's ok, I'm here." She sniffled a few times and then started to break down again. "Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? Ashley, what the hell did she do? I'm never going to see her again. Both of her parents have been taken from her. Why? She was a good kid, better than any mother could ask for. Her whole life was ahead of her and I failed her. I delivered her into that terror's hands." ---Owen's Family House--- "Remember that party in Florida? It was your birthday and everyone was there? Well, Dwayne approached me, interested in some of the work I had done. I tried blowing him off, but agreed to hear him out later in the week. He told me that he was doing some side work for a company, working on environments that could sustain an eco-system, completely self sufficient, for deep space colonization." "What did he need your help with?" The company had plans to conduct a two year test with actual test subjects living in the environment to see if it would work. He needed my background in selecting a compatible crew as I did for our mission." "What did you tell him?" "That I was too busy of course. I didn't have any spare time to think about anything other than THOR." "So, what does all this mean?" "He gave me some materials to go through, it might have something we can use?" "Where?" "My house," I grabbed the black case I brought back from the cabin and laid it on the desk. There were two large combination padlocks securing the case shut. I didn't waste time with unlocking them, instead I squeezed the lock in my hand, the metal crushing until the latch broke free. I repeated the same thing on the second lock and tossed both away, "Michael, what is that?" Megan said with a concerned look, "you're not going to shot him are you?" I opened the case, Megan waiting in suspense, curious as to what I had stored in there. The light glistened off the white metallic surface. It was clean and neatly folded in the main compartment. There were two foam cutouts on each side where I stored both of the remaining crystals. I reached in and pulled the suit out, letting the length of the alien garment unfold and fall to the ground. Megan's eyes were fixated on the white single piece suit. "Wow, Michael, is that Kaaren's suit?" "Yes," I said as I stripped off Liz's dress, completely naked in front of my friend, without a care in the world. Carefully, I stepped into the legs and guided my feet into the attached boots before pulling the suit up around my wide hips. With the lower half of my body covered, I reached in one arm at a time and fed my hands through the sleeves, pulling the upper half up and around my shoulders. I turned around, facing away from Megan's view as I shifted Kaaren's breasts inside the proper place before pressing the button. As the suit started to seal shut, I turned to face Megan again. "Today, Dwayne is going to meet Angel in all her glory." ---MOK99--- Dwayne brought the plane to a slow taxi along the runway heading toward the fuel station. "Ashley, we are stopping for fuel. Now listen to me, I will take you to the bathroom and then get something to eat before we take off again. I want you to be good. If you say anything, anything at all to get me in trouble, remember, I won't tell them where your mother is. You don't want to kill your mommy do you?" She was quiet and didn't say anything, "well?" "No," she finally said. "Good, keep your mouth shut and in a couple of days you can see her again." She stayed in the plane while he fueled up and checked the engine, making sure all fluids were at peak levels. Ashley sat in the passenger seat, arms folded, head down, her posture unchanged since the moment Dwayne first put her in the plane. She wanted to yell and scream for help, but was afraid of what would happen to her mother. Deep down Ashley was terrified, especially she was deeply afraid of heights and didn't like flying. She looked up and saw Dwayne close the door to the engine and wipe the grease off his hands with a dirty red rag. He put his tool box back into the back of the plane and motioned for Ashely to get out of the plane. "Not a word you hear me miss?" "I'm scared, I don't want to fly anymore." "Ashley, we have one more two hour flight, then you are done. You can be comfortable in the front seat, or you can lay down in the back tied up. What do you want?" Ashley started crying, making Dwayne very nervous. "Stop it right now, otherwise we are going to leave and you can pee your pants." "I want my mommy you creep." Dwayne pushed her back into the plane and pulled out a rope from his jacket. Ashley saw he was serious and started pleading with him. "No, don't. I'll be good. I'm sorry, I'll be good." He set the rope on the dash and pointed his finger at Ashley's face. "This is the last time you disobey me. Do it again, and I won't listen to your apologies. You understand me?" She shook her head in agreement. "Good, now I am going to let you go to the bathroom." He pulled her from the plane, holding tightly to her upper arm and escorting her to the back of the little fuel shack on the desolate air field. The attendant came by with the total for his fill up. Dwayne withdrew two one hundred dollar bills and handed them to the cashier. He thought a second and withdrew a third. "Here, keep the change." The kid's face lit up. "Thank you sir, I really appreciate it. Anything else I can do for you?" "No, just get back inside and go back to your book. You've been a great help." The kid thanked him again and ran back inside as Ashley came out of the bathroom. He looked inside to make sure she didn't leave any signs behind. Confident that she was behaving, Dwayne loaded her into the plane and fired up the engine. In a couple of minutes, they were airborne yet again, making their way toward the next stop on his flight plan. ---Owen's Family House--- "I can't fly with you Megan," Michael said with stress in his voice. "Why not, you've flown with Mitri?" "I'm visible to radar. I think they've been tracking me and if I get jumped again, you can get killed." "What are you talking about?" Michael recounted the encounter with the F-16s as quickly as he could. "The only way I can avoid fighters is to fly fast. With you on my back, I can fly about one hundred miles an hour maybe more. Tell me what I am looking for and I will go to the house and pick it up." Megan started to detach her house key from the key ring. "It's in my office somewhere. It's a large white binder with what looks like a large white dome on the cover. I forget the name of the company." "Ok, I am heading over now." Michael pulled his gauge cluster from his coat and strapped it to his wrist and locked it tight. Megan reached into the case and withdrew one of the crystals, watching the light sparkling off the perfectly clear glass. "Are these the crystals Michael?" There was no answer. She turned to look around the office, but found she was alone. "Michael?" After concluding he had left her alone, she went back to looking at the alien artifacts in his case. She pulled up his chair and took a seat, pulling the desk lamp over to get a closer look. "Amazing," Megan said, noticing dense clusters of imperfections inside the glass. She turned and started opening the drawers of his desk, finding what she was looking for. She withdrew a large magnifying glass from the top drawer and began scanning the clear crystal up close. At closer inspection, the imperfections seemed intentional and appeared to have some kind of pattern to them. A harsh bell sounded next to her, startling her. Michael's phone was ringing. She hesitated a second then answered. "Hello?" "Megan, I don't see it? You sure it's in your office?" She remembered having looked through it casually, reading a few details so that she could convince Dwayne she actually read through it. "It's gotta be there? I remember seeing it somewhere since we returned." "Well it's not here," she could tell he was getting frustrated. There was a rustle with the phone, then all she could hear was ambient noise. She tried calling for him with no response. After a minute he returned. "Found it." "Oh thank god, where was it?" "The only room it should be in. Anything Dwayne has authored should be listed as light bathroom reading." "Oh shit," Megan exclaimed, covering her face in embarrassment. "Yeah, exactly." She heard the sound of pages rustling. "BioTech Labs? There is a Houston Address and phone number." "Great, give me the number." Michael read it off to her as she wrote it down on the pad with all the Dwayne Turners in the Houston area. "Bad news guys, your name's about to become mud." "What was that?" "Nothing, I'm going to call this-" "-Hey Megan, this radio here in your suitcase, is that the one from Russia?" "Yeah, I was going to give it to my brother." The line disconnected. "Jeez Michael, you think a quick goodbye wouldn't be too much to ask." Megan picked up the handset and dialed the phone number. It rang three times before someone finally picked up and spoke with a rather bored dry monotone voice. "BioTech, how can I direct your call?" "Yes, I'm trying to get an address for a Dwayne Turner, can you help me out?" "Sorry, I can't give out employee information." "This is Dr. McCormack, Mr. Turner and I are former co-workers at NASA." There was a sigh coming through the phone at the same time she heard Michael return. "Yeah, and I'm Mary Poppins." The line went dead. "Damn it, she hung up on me." Megan redialed the number. "BioTech, how can I direct your call?" "Listen toots, get your boss on the phone right now. I'm with NASA and I have a large investor with me trying to get to a meeting with Turner. If you don't put that goddamn nail file down right now and help us get to Turner's place, he is walking away with a large sum of money. You can either get yourself a finder's fee, or your ass fired. You got me?" For a moment there was nothing but silence, then another sigh. "Hold please," Michael sat the book and Megan's radio on his desk, then opened the middle drawer. She impatiently waited on hold while she watched him sift through the contents and withdraw a rubber band. Megan held her hand out and signaled for him to give it to her. "Come here," Megan said, "turn around." "What?" "Let me fix it for you. Give me the band." "You don't even know what I-" "-Your hair, it's driving you mad right?" He shook his head and she just motioned with her hand again. He reluctantly dropped it in her hand and sat in the chair. "This is Benson," a voice came on over the phone. Megan shifted the handset while she began pulling Kaaren's thick blonde hair back in a tight bunch. "Hi, Mr. Benson, this is Dr. Megan McCormack. Mr. Turner and I worked together at NASA-" "-Right, I know who you are. Finally found an interest in what we are doing here?" She bunched up the rubber band and started pulling Kaaren's hair through, keeping it as tightly bound together as possible before releasing the band. "Yes, I have always had an interest, but it's never been the right time for me. With my schedule clear, I thought I would talk to Dwayne about coming on board. I have a partner that is interested in an investment opportunity. We were supposed to meet with Dwayne at his place, but I lost his address. "Investor? How much we talking?" "Look Mr. Benson, we are already late, and my partner here is a busy man, can you help me out and Dwayne will fill you in later?" "Of course, let me get that for you." --- "Dayton?" I said while adjusting the throat mike around my neck, then securing the radio in the back pouch on the belt that held the crystals. "Yes, 1159 Deer Trail, Dayton Texas. He said it's off the 90 and Farmer's Market 1413. With the radio secure, I opened the Thomas Guide and searched for his street, relieved this edition covered surrounding areas. I committed the map to my memory and put another one of Ashley's shirts on my head. A moment later the white cloud passed and I was watching through her eyes. She was still in the plane, but it appeared as if they were on the ground moving pretty fast. At first I began to wonder where they were landing, then the plane suddenly lifted off the ground and began gaining altitude. The dense lush green tree line disappeared below, allowing me to see off to the horizon. Ashley looked down, showing me a rural landscape with several scattered lakes. The image began fading, returning me back to my office. I became aware of Megan's raspy voice coming through the radio earpiece. "Radio Check, you copy Saint?" I squinted as the screeching sound from the feedback hurt my sensitive hearing. After moving to the far side of the room, I pressed the talk button on my neck. "Roger Doc, read you loud and clear." Megan held up her thumb signaling that she could hear fine. "Ok, I'm leaving, Dwayne just took off. He must have stopped somewhere and is leaving again. I gotta find him before it's too late. My little girl is scared to death." "Okay, that sounds good, but lets stop for a quick second and talk about what you are about to do." "I don't have time. Fucking bastard, I'm gonna rip his heart out. How could he have done this to them and me. That asshole gave a eulogy at my funeral, and probably had them locked up at the same time? Why the fuck would someone do that? Jeez Megan, we knew this guy. He was a jerk, but he wan't a sick evil bastard?" "No Michael, Dwayne had his shortcomings, but he didn't seem like the type. But you have to realize that there are some deep-seated issues in people that they keep hidden from the world. Now I want you to stop and clear your head. Breathe and mediate, pray, just do something, anything and calm yourself down. This isn't Russia, you don't want to get them killed because you rushed into an unfamiliar situation again. Do you understand me?" "I didn't rush into anything in Russia Megan. We gonna start talking about that crap again?" "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I just want you to be the calm leader I always knew you as, and think rationally before acting. Don't let this body define who you are. My friend Michael," she pushed her index finger into my chest, "the one inside is what defines this body. Understand? You have to learn how to control Kaaren's emotions. I don't want you hurting or killing people just because you can get away with it." The ghosts of Tolkechev and the several others who I killed with absolute ease came back to haunt me. It took months to bury the pain and I knew it would be a matter of time before it resurfaced to torment me. "Ok. Thank you, you're right." "Ok Doc, you're the doc. What do you have in mind?" ---To the Rescue--- "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," I yelled out loud as the wind howled between us. My vision, detecting radio sources, scanned through the thick cloud layer that rolled into the Houston area mid morning. Below, endless sources of radiation emitted from communications towers, giving me a simple view of the city as I traveled east, concealed in the clouds. "Damn Michael, how come you never took me up before? This is out of this world." Megan had a huge smile on her face as we continued to accelerate over 175 mph. I had made her wear my old helmet with my call sign painted on the side along with a cheesy picture of St. Michael casting the devil into hell. "I'm wasting time, I could have been there already." "Michael, if Liz is there, she's going to need a familiar face." "What if she's not there. I can't keep carting you around?" The radio signals died down, marking the outer edges of the city. Smaller radio signals inching along directed me to a highway. "We're in a moderate clearing, I see the 90 below." With Megan navigating, I restored back to visible and checked my position against my compass. We were right on track, speeding along the highway into the rural outskirts of town. I brought up the vivid images of the map within my mind, trying to align the streets below until I found the offramp leading to Dwayne's street. "There it is." "Where?" "See the white structures? Those are the small test biospheres from the plans he gave you." "Yeah, I see them, why are you passing them?" "In case they are tracking us right now, I don't want to land right over his house. I'm going to loop around and come in low under the radar." After a short diversion, I descended to two hundred feet and flew along the tree line as far from the road as possible. Behind his house was a small lake filled with green murky water. Megan reached out and touched the dirty water as I descended further skimming just over the surface before slowing to a stop behind the house. I carefully set her down and helped her take my helmet off. My ears could pick up the increased rhythm of both of our heartbeats. The excitement was starting to overwhelm me. "LIZ!" I called out, "LIZ." We were utterly alone without a soul around. Dense clusters of trees shielded the property from the view of passing vehicles. "LIZ," Megan joined in while trying the front door. "Michael, can you open the door for me, I'm going to check the house." "Stand back," I said as I stood in front of the single door. I wasted no time trying to be careful and kicked in the door as hard as I could, splintering the hard oak. The debris hadn't settled when Megan rushed in calling out. "Shh. Megan, be quiet for a moment," I calmed down and focused my hearing, listening. The sounds of small critters scurrying around the property began to register in my ears, but nothing else. No sounds resembling a human. No whimpering, no crying, no more pleas for help. If she were here, she was silent. I turned Megan around and unzipped the backpack she had on, withdrawing one of Liz's sweaters. A moment after putting it on, the vision returned. She was still in the same position as she was in earlier, her eyes flipped 90 degrees, looking straight down the hallway. I could hear her sniffling, the calming moments after a hard cry. The image faded, leaving me with nothing. "I only have a few more," she said as I tossed the sweater back to her. I ran over to the white structures and peered through the condensation on the frosted windows. Inside were rows of plants of varying variety set up on tables and shelves running down the length of the structure. In the front was a set of double doors with a pressurization warning in big red letters. I forced open the first door, then kicked in the second. As the air suddenly escaped, it produced a loud violent sound that startled Megan, who was trying to open the garage door. My ears began to pick up subtle hissing sounds long after the last of the air escaped. There was a distinct sucking and blowing sound simultaneously sending audio signals to my alien brain. On the tables were some gardening tools as well as bags of small boxes with BioTech's name was all over the packing materials. "What do you see?" "This bastard did it." "What?" "He had a small stable environment before I destroyed it. If all this was grown inside, then he succeeded where others have failed. No one's been able to keep an artificial, self sustaining ecosystem going long term." "They all fall apart?" "Yes, it's too bad, this guy could have been top dog for once in his life-" I froze, holding my hand up. "What is it?" "Shh," I focused harder on the hissing, tracing it to a two large tubes at the base of the habitat. Along with the airflow and fan, I began picking up new noises. There was a rustling of metal and my heart skipped a beat. It was the unmistakable sound of a chain. "Hello?" My emotions erupted as if someone squeezed my heart, forcing all the joy up and out through my eyes. I fought the tears back as I heard it again. "Hello? Is someone out there?" I quickly ran outside to the other side of the wall where the tubes were coming into the habitat from underground. My strong hands ripped a single tube from its housing and pulled it up out of the ground. The dirt fell away as the black tube rose high, stretching across the driveway to a large debris pile. Several trees that had been cut down leaned against the piles of junk on the other side. Megan watched as I traced the tube through the scattered branches lying on the ground. As I drew close, the sharp details of a wooden door peeked out. I kicked away the branches to find what looked like a cellar door. Megan was standing next to me holding a shirt out. "I don't need it. Oh god Megan, I found her." I hugged her hard, "thank you, thank you." "Later my friend, go to her, she's waiting for you." I grabbed the shirt and wiped the tears from my face, then pulled the band from my hair before turning and ripping the door open. "I'll be outside, call me on the radio." Her voice, loud and clear, passed through my ears without her words registering. The sole focus of my attention was seeing my wife again. Liz's faint inquires toward the outside world became loud desperate screams for help as she concluded the noises announced the presence of potential rescue. I stood before the large steel door and debated tearing it out of the concrete frame before deciding on leaving minimal evidence of my presence behind. Air rushed out as I severed the seal the door provided and swung the heavy door open. Carrying through the air was the sound of my wife's voice. I called out to her, choking up in the process. "Liz," I called out. "Back here. Help," she called out to me, not caring who it was as long as it meant her freedom. I cleared the entryway and found myself on the other end of the long concrete hallway that I had seen through her eyes. There were no time dilation effects from my super fast movement, yet the world seemed to pass slowly around me as my eyes locked into the struggling red headed woman whom I had committed my life to. Her face had a look of confusion, not knowing who it was that was coming to her rescue. She was at the end of her chain, and her head was barely clearing the doorway, her bound arms were out of view. My excitement rapidly disappeared and fear overtook me. Instead of rushing over to her, I slowly inched myself forward, suddenly afraid of her rejecting me. "What are you doing? Hurry, help me." I snapped out of it and ran down the length of the hall, maneuvering around some contraption on the ground. "Liz," I said, finally standing before her. She stared up at me, tears of joy streaming from her face knowing her freedom was seconds away. My hands gently reached out and took hold of the handcuffs. "Quick, there's a key in that water bot-" she stopped mid-sentence, feeling the force binding her wrists together suddenly give way, no match for my strength. The chain keeping her prisoner hit the ground, making a loud rattling noise while I pried the ratchets apart and discarded the cuffs as if they were made of foil. She was about to ask how I accomplished such a feat, when I wrapped my arms around her. Far from being able to feel her warmth, I felt my body temperature increase as I savored her body in my arms again. "It's ok Liz, you're safe. Everything is going to be alright." After an embrace that lasted an eternity, I released my grip, moving back slightly while reaching up with one hand and softly catching the tears racing down her cheek. "Who are you?" she asked. I paused a moment, forming in my mind the words I crafted, the ones I rehearsed in my mind millions of times as early as the moment Kaaren ejected me from her ship. "Liz, my name is-" "-Karen?" I heard a weak inquiry from the side. As soon as the voice spoke, movement in my peripheral vision confirmed that we weren't alone. I abandoned my words, looking to my left and finding myself face to face with Reid. "How did you find us?" A look of disappointment was now showing on Liz's face. I became confused and scared standing in front of my friend, happy that he somehow found her, but afraid of what he told her. Afraid of him knowing I wasn't who I said I was. In a panic, I pressed the button on my neck. "Doc, get down here." My fingers hadn't begun to release the button when the first sounds of footsteps began echoing throughout the concrete prison. "You are the mysterious sister?" He had told her, and she knew my cover was crap and now it was obvious so did Reid. I didn't have a choice. "No, I am not Michael's sister." I turned to Reid, "I'm sorry Reid." I turned back and went for broke. "Liz, my name is Kaaren. I am a friend. Michael has sent me to watch over you." Liz turned her head, seeing Megan approaching through the dark hallway. Megan paused, watching the rapidly crumbling grand reunion. She didn't say anything, but gave an approving nod, inviting me to proceed. "It's ok Liz." Megan spoke up, holding her hand up to convey her trust in me so that Liz would know it was safe to confide in me. She looked briefly at me, then at Reid, confused as to who to believe. "Liz," I said, "I am a friend from far far away. I am the one who saved the Earth from the asteroid and I am also the one who," Megan nodded further approval as both Liz and I turned to her, "I am the one who also saved him." "What? What are you saying?" she said with the sound of skepticism in her voice. "What I am telling you, it that your husband is alive." Megan stood at her side and took my fragile wife into her embrace as she started to weep. "No. Please stop. I can't take it anymore. Will someone please make up their minds, I'm so confused," Liz said, yelling, grabbing Megan and clutching onto the security of her trustworthy presence. "Liz, I'm here, it's ok. I know this is difficult to hear. Listen to me, you know me, you trust me right? You know I would not lie to you?" She nodded her buried face up and down and let out a muffled yes into Megan's shoulder. "What Kaaren is telling you is true, Michael is alive." As she spoke those words, she caught her first sight of Reid sitting against the wall watching the drama unfold. I gave her a reassuring nod that it was ok to say more. "Where is he, why isn't he here?" "Liz, it's very complicated and I'm going to help you understand, but for right now, Michael is on his way to help save Kaaren's home planet. She chose him to help her people, while she accomplished what we couldn't do. Kaaren saved him. She saved all of us on the Deliverance, as well as the whole planet. Today, it's your turn, but we need to act quickly if she is to go after Dwayne and rescue Ashley. "Liz, help me, where is he taking Ash?" All of her doubt was cast aside the moment she realized there was hope in saving her daughter. "I don't know, he is taking her somewhere in his plane." "I know, do you know where he is taking her?" "Somewhere out of the country," Reid said. "He left some instructions for us in the house for when we escaped." I left Liz with Megan while I ran over to him, kneeling next to him. I took his handcuffs and removed them from his wrists. Sweat was beading down his head and I could tell he was weak. "You ok Reid?" "That asshole shot me in the leg with my own gun," he said, moving the blanket away, revealing the bandaged wound. "So, you are an alien?" "Megan, get over here, he's injured." She hurried over, Liz following. "Yes, Reid. Forgive me, but I couldn't tell you who I really was." "How long ago did this happen?" Megan said, interrupting our exchange. "Hell, I don't know. Three, maybe four days ago. Lost track of time." She finished unwrapping the bandages and examined the wound. "Yeah, it's infected, we gotta get you treated right way. 9mm?" "Pretty good," "Yeah, getting a lot of gunshot wound experience lately. Don't worry, you are going to be fine, but we have to get you to a hospital." She turned to me, "Kaaren, can you get him topside, while I help Liz?" Without hesitation I picked him up, put him over my shoulder and carried him out of the shelter, flying up the staircase. As we reached the top, I watched as Megan held tightly onto Liz, who was shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight she had grown accustomed to living without for the last year. "Where did he say he was leaving Ashley's whereabouts?" I asked as I set him down on Dwayne's couch in the living room. "I don't know, try the kitchen." Liz followed as I started searching, quickly finding a handwritten note on the countertop next to the phone. All the note said was "Ashley, 954-555-1212." I grabbed the phone and dialed, after a couple of rings an elderly woman answered. "Hi Honey, did you land already?" "Sorry," slightly sickened at the thought of someone calling Dwayne 'Honey', "not your honey. Who is this?" "You're calling me, who is this?" "You know a Dwayne Turner?" "Of course, he's my son." "He left this number for us to call," "Why, did something happen to him?" She sounded concerned while I thought to myself how I was going to give her a real reason to be concerned about the trash she called a son. "No. Can you please tell me where you are?" "Why, who is this?" Reid took the phone out of my hand. "Back off Miss, official police business," he said jokingly, while putting the phone to his ear, "This is detective Reid with Houston PD, Ma'am, can you please give me your whereabouts?" He listened while searching for something to write with. "West Hollywood? Where is he meeting you?...North Perry Airstrip? Ok, thank you," Reid said, hanging up the phone. "He's flying to Hollywood, should be landing in about 30 minutes." "I'm going after him," I said, turning to head out the front door. "What are you, crazy? He will be long gone, let me get LAPD on the phone and we can meet him at the airport." "Do it, but I am going after him anyway," I said as I went outside, Liz following me. "What are you going to do?" "Liz, I'm going to bring Ash back home, trust me. I'm not going to let anything happen to her." "You're really real? This isn't some trick, because I really don't know what to believe any more. How can I be sure that what you say is true?" I paused a moment thinking how to proceed. Everything Megan told me to say to Liz I wanted to throw out the window, and just tell her the truth, that the woman standing before her was indeed an alien, but an alien that contained her husbands spirit. Michael's body was far away, but we were soul mates, drawn together by our intangible essence, not by our outer appearance. Inside, I was still the man she fell in love with, the same person she was mourning the other night. Her eyes were still squinting, getting used to their first sunlight in a year, as she gazed up at me, tears flowing. I gently put my hand on the side of her head, caressing her dirty red hair. "Liz, Michael wanted me to give something to you," my suit expanded and opened after pressing the button on the collar. I reached behind my neck finding the clasp of the gold chain. After struggling for a moment I unhooked it and removed it from my neck clasping it together again before withdrawing the rest of the chain hidden between my breasts. "Michael never took this off his finger since you placed it there 13 years ago. He wanted you to hold on to it, and when he returns, he wants you slip it back onto his finger." I took her hand into mine and turned it, watching as she opened it. Holding the chain I lowered my wedding ring into her palm, the chain slowly piling on top. She closed her hand around it and gently squeezed with both hands. Tears continued to flow, but this time, a faint hint of her pretty smile appeared. "Liz I'm going to bring her back to you, I promise you. You have to trust me." With that I lifted up into the air, watching her stare with amazement as I defied the laws of physics. My eyes left hers, instead looking into the big blue expanse above and I began preparing to accelerate when Megan burst out the door screaming for me to stop. --- "Dispatch, what's your emergency?" "Dispatch, this is 162, officer needs assistance. Requesting a bus ASAP to 1159 Deer Trail in Dayton," Reid said, calling for a ambulance. "Reid, where the hell have you been? We have a major situation and we need all hands on deck," the voice on the other side came back. "No time, I have a gunshot wound to the leg and need you to get Los Angeles PD on the horn. Tell them to have a welcoming committee at a North Perry-" Megan was tapping him. "I didn't catch that, please repeat," the dispatcher replied. "Hold on," he lowered the phone and acknowledged Megan, "what?" "954 is Florida, that's a Florida area code. Miami I believe. Brad use to take me down there." "Who? Never mind," he said, switching back to the handset. "Scratch that, get Miami Dade on the phone. Need to meet a plane at North Perry. Look for a plane registered to a Dwayne Turner." "Roger," the dispatcher paused a moment. "Reid, Whithers is in ICU and likely won't make it. He was hit two days ago during a bank robbery. He was a first responder and they lit his car up with automatic fire. Didn't have a chance. Diaz and Myers were killed as well." "Shit," Reid said, starting to feel really weak. "What's this business in Florida all about?" "I found them, I found the Owens. Turner's got the little girl and is going to make a run out of the country." Megan darted out the front door as she watched Michael lifting up off the ground. "Stop, don't go, wait!" Michael stopped and looked down at Megan. "Florida, he's going to Florida. 954 is Hollywood, Florida, not California." Michael paused, hovering a few feet off the ground. "Wait a moment or two, Reid is on the phone with the police." A couple of minutes later, Reid was limping outside. Liz and Megan were looking up in the air. As he cleared the overhang, he saw Kaaren floating in the air above them with the late morning sun behind her. Upon seeing him, she came to a landing. "North Perry is about 8 miles west of Hollywood Beach. Turner is in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, N Number MOK99." "Great, thank you," she said. "Reid, you did it, you found them. Don't forget, today, you are the real hero, never forget that," Kaaren said as she lifted up again. Megan, who had run back inside, quickly re-emerged holding a leather jacket. "Kaaren, here," she said, tossing Dwayne's jacket she found hanging in the front entryway. "I hope you don't mind the foul stench." "Thanks, I will have to pinch my nose shut," she said, catching it and in a quick flash disappearing into the clouds. Reid collapsed and fell to the ground. Both of the women rushed to help him. "That's quite a friend you got there Doc." "She sure is. Look Reid, your buddies are going to be here in a minute, are we going to be telling different stories as to what happened, or are we going to agree on something right now?" Reid thought long and hard. He considered who Karen or Kaaren really was and what she could do. The possibilities were now endless for him with her as an unofficial partner. He turned and looked up at Megan. "I'm game, what did you have in mind as far as a story is concerned?" ---Mike Oscar Kilo Niner Niner--- Dwayne checked his heading and fuel. The Cessna had a little over a quarter of a tank left. He would refuel at North Perry, where he first learned to fly, and then continue a normal flight plan. It was close to where he grew up and his mom still lived in the house she and his dad bought. She didn't know anything other than he needed her to watch a friend's kid for a few days until she came to pick her up. She didn't question the reason, she was excited that Dwayne finally had someone in his life, a possible girlfriend with whom he was serious with. By the time she found out, he would be long gone, dead, or living in exile for the rest of his life. It was a perfect plan, and foolproof. That cop and Liz would be down there another couple of days, by then he would have made it to Central America. He began setting up his escape plan a few months ago. All was set, his money was transferred to offshore accounts that couldn't be touched. He had a new identity waiting for him and a few procedures planned to alter his appearance. A little pain under the knife, and Dwayne Turner would cease to exist. There was nothing to stop him. By they time anyone figured it out, he would be history. "Tower, this is Mike Oscar Kilo Niner Niner, on final approach, requesting permission to land." "Roger, Mike Oscar Kilo Niner Niner, you are cleared for landing on runway two." "Ok, Ashley, you have been a great kid. I am going to let you out, and you are going to go with my mom. In a couple of days, your mother will come get you, OK?" She didn't say a word. Dwayne lowered the flaps and lowered his airspeed in preparation for landing. The runway was dead ahead and drawing closer. He had skipped a stopping point to make up some time and was going to be landing about twenty minutes early. The landscape below began changing as lush green fields became buildings, then green again. The plane was less then a hundred feet off the ground when Ashley saw the runway appear below her. She continued to watch so that the dreaded moment the airplane hit the ground wouldn't startle her. A stream of cars turned on to the runway and started riding alongside the plane. "Police cars!" Ashley said, "lots of police cars." Dwayne momentarily took his eyes off the instruments and looked around the runway. He began to panic at the sight developing before him on the tarmac. Up ahead, there were a couple dozen black and whites driving out along the runway with their lights flashing. A police helicopter and at least one news helicopter were hovering overhead. "Oh shit, how did they find me, there is no way they could have got free this quickly. No, no," he said as he pulled back on the yoke and raised his flaps, knowing without a doubt in his mind that the welcoming crew was for him. "Let me go, you jerk," Ashley said as she started crying, watching the police passing by as Dwayne aborted his landing, increasing his throttle and gaining altitude. "Tower to Mike Oscar Kilo Niner Niner, you are ordered to land your aircraft. I repeat, you are ordered to land your aircraft immediately." Sweat was beading down his forehead. He was caught and had no way out. He turned the aircraft toward the ocean knowing it was suicide, hell, homicide. 'Come on, don't take the chicken way out, you couldn't kill Liz, and you certainly aren't going to be able to kill Ashley.' he thought to himself as the ATC operator kept ordering him down. "Mike Oscar Kilo Niner Niner Turner, this is Agent Sanchez, FBI. Come on Dwayne, land the aircraft and we can talk about this. You don't have the fuel. Look at that little girl in the seat next to you, are you really going to crash that plane with her in it? Come on, you were a good guy with NASA, I don't believe you are a killer. Land the plane, and we will take into account your record." Dwayne was thinking hard about his choices. He could attempt to make a run for Key West, and glide part of the way. He could ditch in the ocean, land and get arrested, or he could crash the plane, killing both of them. "Turner, a pair of F-15s are en route to escort you to Miami International. Do you copy?" ---Harris--- Dispatch to 143. Come in 143." Harris sat in his unmarked sedan sipping his lousy coffee, watching the house across the street, waiting for his boy to leave. The no good punk he would love to lock up, but knew he had information, something he could use to find these bastard cop killers. "143, go ahead dispatch." "Switch to channel 16, and stand by." Harris reached out for the channel selector dial. "Roger, switching to 16, over." He twisted the dial and announced that he was on the new channel. "Harris, relief is on the way, proceed to Astro. Fox Two is standing by to airlift you to Dayton." "Dayton? I'm in the middle of a stakeout, what the fuck is in Dayton?" "Harris, Reid is in trouble. He's with Elizabeth Owen." Harris didn't waste a second. He fired up the engine and peeled out down the street, flipping his light and sirens on the moment he turned the corner. "A NASA astronaut by the name of Dwayne Turner has been holding them captive at his ranch in Dayton. He shot Reid and is fleeing by airplane with the girl. We have Miami Dade PD en route to meet his plane." "Roger Dispatch, tell Fox Two to stand by, ETA ten minutes. What's Reid's condition?" "Stable. Took a gunshot to the upper thigh. He's been locked up with Liz for about four days and an infection has set in. He's being airlifted to St. Luke's for treatment." "What about Mrs. Owen?" "She is being transported as well for injuries, and malnourishment." Harris beeped his horn at the car in front of him. The traffic was backing up and the cars were hesitant to move out of their place in line, even for a law enforcement vehicle. "If they're heading to Houston, why am I going to Dayton?" "You have to take control of the crime scene. The guy had them locked in a bomb shelter for a whole year. Supposedly convinced them the end of the world happened." Harris jumped out of the car, fuming at the news. He stormed over to the driver of the car stopped dead in front of him. Inside were a couple of teenagers with long hair rocking out to some obnoxious heavy metal. The passenger saw Harris approach and turned the music down. "This piece of shit work?" The kid nodded his head. "You see my fucking lights?" He nodded again. "So, you are sitting with your thumb up your ass to piss me off?" This time he shook his head no. "If by the time I get back in my car, you haven't pulled over, I'm going to have you charged with every goddamn thing I can find a reason for and then some." Harris didn't even begin to start turning when the kid started pulling over. He pulled forward and purposely sideswiped the kid's car before switching channels and reporting a hit and run, giving the description of the driver along with the make and model of his car. "Next time you'll pull over for an emergency vehicle now, won't you asshole?" he said out loud as he began accelerating. ---Mike Oscar Kilo Niner Niner--- Ashley sat with her arms still folded, keeping to herself. Dwayne had tried repeatedly to engage her in conversation. He turned the radio off, no longer listening to the police trying to convince him to land. She completely ignored him and took off her headset so the sound of the engine drowned his voice out. He tried handing her some beef jerky, but she turned her head and looked out the window on the lower half of the door. She watched the ocean below, little tiny ships bouncing in the waves, with the reflection of the Sun sparkling off the crystal clear water. As she started to turn her head, something caught her eye and prompted her to quickly turn back. At first she didn't believe what she was seeing, until she closed her eyes and looked again. The angel was still there. She was pretty and had long blonde hair blowing around in the wind. The angel had her finger up to her lips signaling to be quiet. Ashley became frightened, but somehow, there was something peaceful, something trustworthy about her. She tried to see the rest of her body, checking to make sure it wasn't a trick, but she was unable to see past the door. The angel started making strange gestures around her waist with both her hands as if she were touching an invisible belt and taking it off. After several times, it clicked that she was trying to get her to take off her seatbelt. Ashley, afraid, quickly shook her head back and forth in a fit of refusal. She was scared to death of heights and was terrified of falling. The angel turned sideways and kept flying in the same direction as the plane. She watched as the heavenly being outside the plane started making funny faces and put her hands up to her neck flapping in and out like they were gills on a fish. Immediately Ashley recalled her daddy doing the same thing in the spaceship, pretending he was a fish. Here, this angel was doing the same thing. Ashley giggled briefly and the angel's face lit up into a huge smile, laughing back. "What are you laughing at Ashley? What do you see out there?" Ashley ignored him and kept watching the angel. She gestured again to keep quiet and flew under the plane. Dwayne checked his instruments before looking to the right to see what it was that Ashley was looking at. Ashley turned to see Dwayne leaning over in time to watch the angel approach Dwayne's side of the plane. She gestured again to remove her seat belt and this time Ashley complied. "Ashley, what are you doing, put that back on right now." She threw the belt far to the right so he couldn't reach. "Do as I say, put that belt on right now miss." "No, go to hell Dwayne," she said with a big smile on her face. Dwayne raised his hand to hit her when the window on his door suddenly shattered. Ashley watched with amusement as the shattering of the glass scared Dwayne. Wind blew into the aircraft, spraying broken glass all over Dwayne. He turned to see a large hole and began looking around the cockpit for the object that broke his window. Dwayne looked between him and the door, peering down trying to find something that broke his window. The feeling of the air getting sucked out increased, but came from a new direction. He felt the cool air blowing over his face toward the right side of the plane. It was then that he heard the increased noise in the cabin and heard the wind from the outside rushing by the aircraft. He sat up to see what the new source of the noise was as the right side door slammed shut. "Ashley, what the-" He paused and looked around the cabin not seeing her. "Ashley, get back up here." There was no response. "Ashley, don't make me come back there." He flipped on the autopilot and unbuckled his seatbelt before turning around to look in the back. Dwayne found the back seats and the floor empty. He paused a moment, becoming very frightened. She was nowhere to be seen. He frantically called out while looking under the seats. "Ashely! Oh god no," he said with an unsettling feeling creeping up his stomach. The right side door was slightly open and a loud thumping sound was beating against the side of the aircraft. Dwayne put his knee on the passenger seat and carefully checked the door, finding that the seatbelt was half outside the aircraft and preventing the door from fully closing. A panic filled his body from the sudden horror that Ashley fell from the aircraft. The images of her screaming to her untimely death from his stupidity overwhelmed him. A sour feeling in his stomach increased, and his saliva felt warm as he kept swallowing, afraid of what was coming. The image of Ashley's body hitting the ocean at terminal velocity triggered his gag reflex, and his stomach contents rushed to the surface. --- "It's okay Ash, I've got you," I said, holding on to her tightly as we fell away from the plane. We fell several hundred feet in a shallow dive before I leveled out. "Ash sweetie, are you okay?" "Yes, but I'm scared," I held on to my daughter, in part holding her tight so she wouldn't fall, and hugging every square inch of her, happy to have her in my arms again. "It's OK Ash, I got you, we're not falling, we're flying, just like your daddy, only better." I slowed to a halt and brought us to a hover over the ocean to let her see that we were not falling. "See, we are standing still." It was hard for her to grasp in the wide expanse that we weren't moving. I slowly began descending to a lower altitude, hoping to quickly calm her nerves, still holding her tightly. I rubbed my hand through her hair and lifted it to my nose, taking in the smell of her dirty hair. It was still surreal, holding my daughter once again in my arms after such a long time. Tears started pouring down my face as my emotions took hold. "Why are you crying?" Ashley asked. "Because sweetie, I am so happy I finally found you." "Who are you?" "I'm a friend of your daddy's, he sent me to find you and protect you," I said as I watched Dwayne's plane flying further into the distance, making its way out of US airspace. I couldn't let him get away, so instead of our long trip back to Texas, I turned and headed to Miami. --- "Ash," I said, kneeling down next to her, "I have to go stop Dwayne so he can't hurt anyone ever again. I have to leave you here while I go after him. Can you stay up here for a little bit?" We were on the roof of a high-rise in downtown Miami. I bent part of the door frame so that no one would be able to open the door. Still, she was afraid and shook her head no. "I don't want to be alone, I'm scared." "I know you are, come here." I hugged her tightly. "I can fly really fast, but not with you. If I take you back home, it's going to take a while. By then, Dwayne will get away. You are very safe up here. No one can come up here and hurt you. Just stay by the door here, and I will be back very soon." I took my radio off and gave it to her. "Nothing can hurt me, so you have nothing to worry about. I promise I will be back as soon as I can. Remember Dr. Megan?" She shook her head yes. "Good, because she has the other radio and is with your mommy right now. When we get close, you can talk to them. You hold on to this, but don't worry you won't need to use it. Can you do me a big favor and be a big girl and wait for me Ash?" "Only my daddy calls me Ash." "You are so cute, you know that?" "You look like an angel." "I do, don't I? My name is Kaaren, I'm from up there in outer space," I said, pointing to the sky. "Can I tell you a secret?" She nodded her head up and down rapidly. "Your daddy is still alive, and one day you can see him again." "Dwayne said he was dead." "Well, Dwayne's a big jerk, that's why I need to stop him and make him pay for what he did to you and your mommy. I understand if you want me to take you back right now. I know you're scared Ashley." "You can call me Ash, it's ok. Go get him, I can wait for a little while. You will be back right?" I shook her hair and gave her a big hug. "I promised your daddy that I will protect