The Watcher

Liz's plan was working out great. He could just act like he was doing some kind of inspection or even giving Ray and Isabel a tour, and they could search every inch of the place.

But actually, why search? This peon would fall all over himself to do whatever Valenti wanted. "I want to show my associates the ship," he said.

My associates. He liked that. Kind of mysterious and you're-way-too-insignificant-to-know-who-theyreally-are. Maybe he should take this show on the road. Do a tour as a Valenti impersonator.

He couldn't believe that thought had popped into his mind. He felt like he was partially buzzed or something. He was actually going to see the ship. He'd spent almost his whole life looking for it, and it was here.

The guard nodded and led the way through a maze of cement corridors, stopping now and then to punch in a security code. When they reached a huge set of metal doors, the guard stepped back. He obviously wanted Michael to do something, but what?

"Please step up to the red line and remove glasses for retina scan," an automated female voice instructed.

Michael automatically moved into position, but his intestines were practically squirming around inside him. His eyes looked like Valenti's, sure. But there's no way his retinas would be a match. No possible way.

A beam of light passed over his eyes.

"Individual not identified," the voice a

The guard pulled out a walkie-talkie and mumbled into it. This was it. They were toast. Unless they moved pretty damn fast.

Ray moved up behind the guard, ready to knock him out. Isabel looked ready to take on everyone in the whole place, judging from her narrowed eyes and the way her hands had curled into fists at her sides. Time to rock and roll, Michael thought. Then the doors slid open.

"I'll get someone to go over the system," the guard said, his face pink with embarrassment.

Was it really going to be this easy? Not that he was complaining.

"You do that," Michael answered as he stepped through the doors, Ray and Isabel close beside him.

The ship lay before them. A sleek wedge of metal that was smaller than Michael expected. But looking at it, he found it hard to breathe.

This ship had been built on a planet in a galaxy that humans didn't even have a name for. It had carried his parents all the way here. And they had died inside it when they began the return voyage.

Michael felt like he could stand here for hours, just staring at it. The construction was awesome. He didn't see a seam. Not a bolt. Not a rivet. Nothing. Talk about aerodynamic. The metal itself was even more mind-bending. In places it looked almost liquid. Molten. Rippling as if alive.

Isabel elbowed him. "We have a timetable to keep, Sheriff," she said.

"Right." Michael strode over to the ship, then hesitated. Where were the doors on this thing? He didn't see a handle.

Ray reached out and touched a small raised circle, and a door appeared. Isabel took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold.

"Go ahead," Ray told Michael.

Michael started inside. He'd pretty much given up the hope that this day would ever come. But he was standing on board the ship. He reached out and lightly ran his fingers across the closest wall.

Then he crumpled to his knees, pain clawing through him. Pain from Max, stronger than anything he'd ever felt.

"Sheriff Valenti, are you all right?" a guard shouted.

Footsteps rushed toward him as another slash of pain hit. He felt his face… moving. Twisting. He couldn't hold on to the changes he'd made in his molecular structure.

A guard grabbed Michael by the shoulder-and saw his face. His face. Not Valenti's.

"Something's up," Alex told Maria.

Valenti had just burst out of his house. He strode over to his cruiser, his face set and grim. This was not a man on his way to the grocery store.

"What are we going to do?" Maria demanded, her voice high and shrill.

"Follow him," Alex answered.

Maybe he found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him, Alex thought as he waited for the cruiser to pass their stakeout spot. Or that Kyle had been busted for smoking a joint behind the school.

Not likely. It would be a pretty big coincidence for either of those things to happen right during the few hours when Michael, Isabel, and Ray were breaking into the compound.

"Go!" Maria cried. "You're going to lose him."

"Let me do this," Alex snapped. "I don't want him to notice us." He waited a few more seconds to let another car get between him and Valenti, then pulled out onto the street.

Valenti headed straight to the main road out of town. And yeah, he passed the grocery store.

"He's heading out of town! He's going to the compound! You said you would stop him! Why aren't you stopping him?" Maria shouted.

"I want to wait until we get a little ways into the desert," Alex answered. "It's too dangerous in town. I don't want to accidentally cream someone."

"Okay, okay. Okay, sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to yell. I just-"

"I know," Alex answered. "Me too."

Alex kept his eyes locked on Valenti as they reached the edge of town. Not that he had any doubt where Valenti was heading.

"Okay, I'm going to pull up next to him. You yell… something. That there's been a robbery or whatever. Any sheriff thing you can think of. Maybe that will be enough to make him turn back. Project Clean Slate is a secret. Valenti has to give at least an impersonation of a regular sheriff."

Maria nodded. "Ready when you are."

Alex hit the gas and pulled up even with Valenti. Maria leaned out the window. "The 7-Eleven was robbed," she yelled. "The owner was shot. You have to get back there."

Maria ducked back inside. "He didn't even turn his head. He had to see me, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Alex answered. "Time for plan B."

"Which is?" Maria demanded.

"I don't know exactly. But you better roll up the window and buckle your seat belt just in case," he told her.

As soon as Maria was strapped in, Alex jerked the wheel to the right. Metal screamed against metal as his Rabbit gave the cruiser a hard shove.

They definitely had Valenti's attention now. And he wasn't happy. He gave the Rabbit a sideways slam that sent it into a half turn across the lane.

Alex expected Valenti to take the opportunity to put some distance between their cars. But that wasn't his style. With a squeal of tires he jerked his cruiser around so that it was aimed at the Rabbit.

"Hold on, he's going to ram us!" Alex warned Maria.

A second later the cruiser bulldozed into the back of the Rabbit, slamming it out onto the desert. Valenti backed up, preparing for another slam. Alex saw him doing it. But he couldn't get out of the way in time. And there was no chance he could somehow circle to the side of Valenti and start ramming him.

Alex braced himself against the wheel as the cruiser took its second shot.

"The arroyo! He's pushing us toward the arroyo!" Maria cried as Valenti backed up again.

The narrow canyon wasn't that deep. But it wasn't going to be a fun landing. And once they were down there, there was no way they'd be able to stop Valenti.

Alex spat out a curse as he jerked the wheel to the left and floored the gas. Too late. The cruiser smashed into them again.

And the Rabbit sailed over the edge of the arroyo.

The pain sweeping through Isabel subsided. What did that mean? Now that she couldn't feel pain from Max, did that mean… did that mean he was dead?

Get the crystals, she told herself. That's all you can think about right now. She rushed down the ship's narrow walkway, her feet making a grating sound on the metal mesh of the floor.