SKIES OF FIRE
BOOK TWO
DREAMING IN INFRARED

I Dream In Infrared – Queensryche
Lyrics by Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton

As you awoke this morning
and opened up your eyes
Did you notice the tear-stains
lining your face were mine

Don't you wonder, can't you see
what's happening to our lives
I can't keep living this masquerade
When my lonely eyes see only your face at night

I only see in infrared
I can't dream anymore
Can't you see I need, too
I can't stand the pain

You've gathered all my secrets
and I don't know who I am
I even feel alone when you're near
'cause you'll never understand

When we first met I must have seemed
a million miles away
It's strange how our lives have touched
But the time is right
I'll leave tonight
Don't look in my eyes
'Cause you've never seen them so black

I only see in infrared
I can't dream anymore
Can't you see I need to
I can't stand the pain



PART TEN

Everyone had fallen asleep in the lounge area of the hotel, so no one heard Kyle tossing and muttering in his sleep.

It was dark, too dark and he was lost. Stumbling aimlessly through a murk that he could not penetrate with his eyes he felt a sense of urgency, of fear, and didn't know where it was coming from, but it made the hair on his head alive with little bolts of electric panic.

Futilely, he waved his hands in front of him, searching for something tangible to give him a sense of spatial orientation.

Another bolt of terror ran through his body, and he realized it wasn't his own. It was coming from somewhere else, someone else. And it was all encompassing, smothering.

He gasped at the enormity of it, needing to find the source of it, to make it stop.

He yelled for someone, anyone to answer him, and received no reply.

There was an acrid scent to the air, as if something was burnt, as if destruction had occurred and wreaked havoc on this place. And there was a stale scent, the scent of dead leaves, of old soil, stale sweat and rotten wood. The scent of death, the scent of old fear, of desperation.

He felt his breath leaving his lungs in harsh gasps, and he tried to get control over the insistent feeling that there was terrible danger near.

He heard a low grinding noise behind him, and he rushed forward blindly, forgetting the care he had taken only seconds ago in trying to get his bearings.

The floor seemed to disappear from under him, as though it just dropped off, and he felt himself falling down a steep incline, rolling and turning forever it seemed, until he hit rock hard ground with a bone-jarring thud.

For a moment, the wind was knocked out of him and he couldn't breathe. And then he heard a sound in the darkness to the right. A low moan, one that radiated pain and hopelessness. But he knew the timbre of that voice. He knew.

"Serena?" he said in a low voice.

"Kyle," a shaky voice answered.

He crawled in the direction of her voice, and shortly felt the cold skin of her forearm.

"Serena," he said almost frantically. "Are you all right?"

He tentatively felt her arms, her face, which was sticky, though he couldn't see it. Blood.

"God, Serena," he said shakily, carefully taking her into his arms.

"What did they do to you?" he said, as he felt her shoulders shake, and she grabbed his shirt in her fists, and he knew she was desperately trying to maintain her control. She was always so strong, never letting anyone know she wasn't invincible.

"Why are you here Kyle?" she asked, her voice muffled against his shirt.

"You shouldn't be here. They might find out. I can't keep them out of my head forever. I'm getting weak," she said.

"We're coming," he said quickly. "We're on our way."

"It's too late," she said dejectedly. "It's too late for all of us. They'll win."

"No," he said angrily. "You hold on. You hold on till we get there. I promise you will get you out."

"Kyle," she sighed. "I'm tired. I thought that I could be strong enough, but I don't think I am. I just want this over with. They won't get anything from me. I'll kill myself first, I swear. But I can't keep doing this. Maybe you'll all have a chance. Maybe Doug can lead them. Maybe...." she faltered, leaning her head wearily against his chest.

Tentatively, tenderly, he stroked her hair, alternately wishing he could see her face to look into her eyes to give her courage, and yet afraid of what they had done to her to make her this resied.

"Listen to me," he said fiercely. "You hold on for another night. Wait for us. After tomorrow night we'll be there, I promise. We'll get you out."

"No," she said. "You'll only be caught. I don't want that. Not when it's pointless to come here to begin with."

"What do you mean pointless?" Kyle said angrily. "You're just as important as the rest of them."

"No, Zan is the important one. And....you, you're important, to me," she said. "You and Liz," she added quickly.

Kyle felt his heart twist at her words. She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant? Because then that would mean....

"Kyle, there are so many things that I wish that I could say to you, but it isn't the time or place," she said. "Maybe I could have, in another lifetime, but you've got to protect them, Max, Isabel and Michael. Maybe you'll have a chance," she faltered.

And it hit him, all of the things he had kept buried, all of the feelings he wouldn't admit he had for her. Maybe she was saying what he thought she was. Maybe there was something there that he'd never seen before.

"Serena, please," he said. "Just promise me you'll try to hold out for a little longer. Promise me, because I-"

And suddenly, out of the darkness, she was ripped from his arms by some powerful unseen force.

"Serena!" he yelled frantically, reaching for her, but she was gone.

A tormented gasp flew from his lips, as he sat up, his breathing erratic, covered in sweat.

It was too real. It was no dream. Serena had found a way to talk to him, and lord knew what she was going through at this very moment.

He glanced around and met Doug's eyes. He knew.

"She's in trouble," Kyle said shakily. "Bad trouble."

Doug nodded.

"I sensed her. Something isn't right. It isn't like her to just give up. It isn't like her at all," Doug said in a low voice.

Kyle nodded.

"I don't know how long she'll hang in," he answered. "I've never seen her like that before."

"We need to everyone up....now," Doug said. "I don't think we have much more time."

*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%

Deliverance – Queensryche
Lyrics by Michael Wilton

Ride swift across the plain
Don't you turn back, keep heed in your flame
Kings with no mercy, this planet at war
Torn from e nchantment, this land forevermore

Born from obsession, you cried death for light
You saw things before and after you died
Back from beyond to rule again
But this life denies you its fight to the end

Back from the dawn
Deliver us right from wrong
Kings forge the way
For your last day

You search the eyes of those
Who fear the law
Dark and light we all must keep the balance strong
One day a king will rise with the sun
The moon, and the stars
And you are he and you must die, to be
Born again, come again, once more be again the king

Back from the dawn
Deliver us right from wrong
Kings forge the way
For your last

A soft warm thrum danced in Liz's head, gently waking her. Eyes still closed she slowly became aware of the gentle protective cocoon that surrounded her. A sense of peace had enveloped her, and the contentment she experienced made her reluctant to open her eyes.

Slowly she opened them and her gaze met a soft olive green wall, to which her cheek was pressed. And then she realized that the cocoon she imagined was Max's gentle embrace. And the gentle beat in her ear was his heartbeat, steady and strong. Smiling softly to herself, she breathed in his scent, a mix of soap and a soft indefinable smell that was his alone. She was afraid to move, that she would wake him, but she couldn't resist lifting her head to study his sleeping face. He had always had a gentle but serious expression, but in sleep it had relaxed into the face of a little boy, sweet and untroubled.

Not wanting to ruin the moment, she snuggled carefully back into his chest and sighed.

She felt his embrace tighten softly, and he took a deep breath. His lips brushed softly against her forehead, and her eyes closed at the softness of his touch. She felt his hand reach up to thread softly through her hair, and she remained still, wanting to remember this moment forever. It was a girlhood dream come true, one that she had long ago given up hope on.

She looked up and met his eyes, and he smiled softly at her.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she answered with a smile.

She reached up and grasped his hand, entwining her fingers with his, loving the way that her small hand seemed to fit perfectly within his.

They lay in silence for long moments, not wanting to break the peaceful spell that had befallen them.

Soon they started to hear movement down the hall, siifying that Alex and Isabel were awake. Isabel screamed Max's name from somewhere in the hotel.

"Max, we're out of here in twenty minutes!" she called. He sighed.

"We should get moving," he said regretfully.

Liz let out a small sound of protest and rolled onto her back.

"I think Isabel hates me," she said.

"She doesn't hate you," Max said. "Isabel is just....well, she's a little overprotective. She's a good person, I swear," he said.

"It's just that we've been through so much together, and she's stuck by Michael and I, and we've kind of stuck by her too. But I never doubt that even if it seems she is cold to others, she'd do anything for us. And we'd do anything for her. She's not just my sister. She and Michael are my best friends. But I don't think she hates you. I think she secretly likes you," he said smiling.

"I'd hate to see what happens when people give her a real reason to be pissed off," Liz muttered. She sighed and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

Her head turned after a short moment, and her eyes met his.

"This is one of those mornings, you know?" she said.

His brow furrowed, perplexed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She lifted her hand to his face, allowing her fingers to trace his jaw.

"It's one of those mornings where everything is like....perfect, when you are so comfortable and everything is just right, and you'd do just about anything not to have to get up," she said.

He nodded, understanding. Tentatively, he turned to her, his leg slipping between hers, his chest weighing lightly on her own, supporting the majority of weight on his arms.

His eyes roamed her face tenderly, studying every nuance of it, before locking his eyes with her own.

Slowly his head lowered, as his lips parted to capture hers in a tender embrace. She sighed lightly, and he felt his heart leap in his throat as he gently probed her lips with his tongue. She relented and opened up to him fully, wanting him to explore every recess of her waiting mouth.

His tongue playfully teased hers and she met his every movement with a languid move of her own.

The world might literally fall apart around them soon, but those thoughts were far away as they held each other in this one stolen moment.

Max felt the sharp intake of Liz's breath as his fingers grazed the soft skin exposed at her waistline. The mere slide of his warm fingers on her skin sent little pulses of longing through her body.

Max was reeling from the way Liz made his body react. It was one thing to long for her from a distance, but quite another to feel her pressed against him, soft and beautiful, wanting him as much as he wanted her. He had long ago squelched his human desires, knowing that he could never realize any day-dreams he had of Liz Parker, but there would never be another who could compare in his eyes. Deep in his heart, he had known that many years ago.

Now and then his head was turned by a pretty girl in New York, but he had come to realize that there was always something about them, some characteristic, some physical similarity to Liz. But they never compared. And so he concentrated on his studying, on realizing his dream to be a doctor, pushing down all thoughts of the girl he had watched from afar for so many years in Roswell.

He gently caught her lower lip, feeling her breath quicken as he turned his attention to it. She tasted so good it was intoxicating. A soft moan escaped her lips as his hand tightened at her waist.

A succession of images passed through Liz's head, pausing long enough for her to grasp them before another appeared.

Lush vegetation surrounded her, but it was no flora she had ever seen before. She tentatively reached out to the nearest branch, and touched the leaves. They were a brilliant green, intermingled with red veins. As se touched it, the red glowed slightly. She pulled her hand back and smiled and walked on. The grass that sprung beneath her feet felt like a gloriously soft carpet, and she looked up to see two suns shining brightly through the overhead branches.

Where was she?

Ahead, she heard voices, many voices, but didn't see any people. Curious, she made her way to the source of the sound, the din growing ever louder as she came closer. She saw a clearing up ahead, and heard the voices raised into shouts. She could see an outcropping of rock towering above the trees.

Suddenly, an angry cacophony of voices became deafening.

Mil norna nier tarbosos Zan!

A voice cried, and the voices rose in a vulgar cheer. Liz's breath caught in her throat. Max.

Non dnainin chi sal tindranen Rath!

Again the crowd roared.

Liz made her way around the crowd, keeping cover behind the dense foliage until she was close to the raised flat outcropping of rocks. Her vantage point on the lip of the small valley gave her a close view of the natural stage.

Afraid of being spotted, she ducked behind a thick growth of flower bushes she could not name. Ahead of her a small valley lay spread, filled with all types of beings, some of the like of which she had never seen. Some were humanoid, yet not human. They were much taller than an average human, their limbs graceful and muscular. In fact, they might have passed for humans if not for their stature and a particular unexplainable graceful elegance in their movements. There were others who seemed to be similar in stature to humans, but there the similarity ended. Their robe-clad gray bodies were much thinner, their skin hairless. Their heads seemed almost oblong, similar to the drawings many people made of aliens that "abducted" them. Others were quite obviously human. She looked to the raised outcropping that had caught the attention of this interstellar crowd. On the flat platform stood a small minion of what looked to be soldiers, holding weapons that she could not name. They kept a watchful eye on the two beings pushed to the forefront of the platform under the angry gaze of the crowd. They looked like the humanoids intermixed through the crowd. They stood, their heads high, dressed one in a robe of metallic blue. Liz held her breath as she recoized the symbol from the pendant emblazoned on the front of it. And as she gazed at the face of the owner of the robe, she knew. Though he looked much different, she'd know his eyes anywhere. Zan....Max.

Next to him, in a similar robe, though red, was Michael. Though she didn't understand the language, she knew from the tone that the crowd was shouting angrily at them.

The sensed a great sadness, a hopelessness emanating from Max as a voice shouted from the right of the stage.

Dok sini todram Perno Zan fon Rath!

Liz glanced at the being who spoke with such venom. He stood tall and was terrible in his beauty. A mane of long blond hair fell down his back, his face framed by a strong neck and powerful shoulders. Khivar. He appeared human. But he was a skin, his body dressed in a human husk.

And next to him stood the third of the royal three, Isabel, also resplendent in a beautiful blue robe emblazoned like Max's. Her features were distinctly feminine, and extremely venomous as she looked at her brother and his best friend, cousin and protector, Rath.

Tal dranan sin torna Zan fon Rath! the human shouted, and a cry of rage ran through the crowd.

Zan and Rath were roughly shoved to their knees by two shoulders, and Liz realized with horror that she was watching the past, their execution.

"No!" Liz shouted, but her cry was lost amid the din of the bloodthirsty crowd. A chant rang out from the hundreds of witnesses, and Vilandra joined in with them.

Tal dranan sin torna Zan fon Rath!

Tal dranan sin torna Zan fon Rath!

Tal dranan sin torna Zan fon Rath!


Their chant took on an ominous ring as the soldiers placed their weapons against the backs of Zan and Rath.

Tal dranan sin torna Zan fon Rath!

Tal dranan sin torna Zan fon Rath!

Tal dranan sin torna Zan fon Rath!

As tears streamed down Liz's face, she watched the soldiers await Khivar's sial as Isabel looked on.

Khivar raised his hand, and she watched Zan raise his head one final time to look out over the crowd, proud, yet resied. And then Khivar's hand came down, and swiftly Zan and Rath were run through, impaled upon the weapons of the soldiers.

Liz's and went to her mouth and she sobbed as she watched their bodies fall lifelessly to the rock before them, and a great cheer rose from the crowd. And then all hell broke loose.

The crowd, lusting for blood, overtook the soldiers standing around the stage, rushing the platform.

Tal dranan sin torna Vilandra! they cried.

Liz watched in horror as the crowd overtook Khivar, who halfheartedly tried to keep them away from her. Quickly he was pushed away and the crowd overwhelmed her.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the soldiers finally got control of the crowd, and they started to disperse. When the stage cleared, she saw that Vilandra too had suffered the same fate as Zan and Rath.

Khivar stood over her a moment, looking angry, and then stepped over her, leaving her sprawled on the rock, flanked by two soldiers. Moments later, the bodies were picked up roughly and thrown together. Liz turned her head away from the horror of seeing them strung from the rocks, a grisly display of what had taken place here only moments ago. Her hands covered her face, and she sobbed for the death of these people she saw day in and day out in her teen years, murdered senselessly in another life.

She tore her lips away from his, her breath a ragged sob.

Immediately, she felt his fingers caressing her face.

"Liz," he whispered frantically.

"Liz, what's wrong?" he said.

She looked into his eyes, her own eyes welling with tears. How could she tell him she had just seen his death? That his sister had obviously betrayed him, and still suffered the same fate as he and Michael. How could she tell him that his sister had hated him in another life after he had just told her that Isabel was his best friend?

She couldn't, and she didn't see what purpose it would serve to explain what she had seen. She knew that Isabel loved her brother and Michael here and now. Telling him could cause a rift that could be devastating to all of them, especially now. She didn't even know if he would believe her. And if he did it would kill him to know of Vilandra's betrayal.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, hating that she was lying, but knowing it was for the best.

"I think everything has just hit me. Everything that's happened over the past few months, and now with Serena...."

She felt his arms wrap around her protectively, and she clung to him almost desperately, her heart breaking still at what she had witnessed.

How could things have gone so wrong on their planet? How could so many wish the death of such a gentle soul? She knew with every cell in her body that Max would never intentionally hurt anyone. He was a healer, not a killer.

She pressed her cheek against his chest, needing to hear his strong heartbeat, needing reassurance that he was here with her.

"Everything is going to be ok," he whispered, gently kissing her forehead.

Liz wasn't sure anything was going to be ok anymore. Khivar had Serena, and if he realized that Max was still alive....she didn't want to think about what could happen to all of them. He had been merciless toward them. She had witnessed it.

What if they weren't strong enough to face him? What if history was going to repeat itself? She couldn't bring herself to say that to him. That flash, that dream she had was obviously from some residual memory buried deep in his mind.

But why had she seen it? Why had it been so real?

She shuddered, trying to shake the horror of it away.

"MAX!" Isabel shouted. "We're leaving, now!"

Liz quickly swiped at her eyes, pulling away from him.

"I'm fine," she said, "really. We should pack up."

Max wasn't convinced. There was something more to Liz's tears. He sensed it. She'd been so strong all along. Something else was bothering her, but he decided against pressing her to tell him, for now at least. He put a comforting arm around her.

"We'll talk about it later?" he asked, meeting her eyes. She held his gaze for a moment, and looked away and nodded.

He sighed, not knowing what to do.

"Max, I'm fine, I swear. I'll just feel a lot better once we have Serena back," she said. She stood up, holding out her hand to him.

"Come on, let's go," she said, giving him a shaky smile.

He took her hand, and immediately sensed a quick burst of....sadness? Fear....before it was quickly suppressed from him.

He looked at her concerned, but she just squeezed his hand, urging him toward the door.

As they entered the hallway, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something, and hiding it for his own safety.