Room 406, Friday afternoon

[izzyalienqueen]

After all the walking in Washington yesterday, Isabel enjoyed sleeping in on Friday morning. The break had been relaxing, mostly because she’d let a lot of her reading and school work slide for the week. But now it was almost over. Which meant it was time to buckle down and play catch up. Sitting on her bed with the laptop open, Isabel continued researching submarines for her paper in War Theory.

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[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, in Roswell, New Mexico... Max dialed the phone.

*ring

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel smiled when she saw who was calling. "Hi! Have you called to save me from death by research?"

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"You wish. What are you researching?" Max stalled, walking out onto the deck, and wishing he didn't have to make this call.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Submarines, believe it or not. For my War Theory class. I need to justify their use in warfare." She set the laptop to the side and tossed a toy to Annie.

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"Hunh. Nothing you'd study in Roswell," Max said, then took a breath. "Look, I called because... something weird's happened. Weirder than our usual, I mean."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"No, not in Roswell. At least not in the high school." Isabel sighed and started to get worried, if Max was calling her himself it had to be both weird and bad. Usually she only got the random references from Maria and Kyle. "What? Is everyone okay?"

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, we're okay, it's just-- We weren't the only ones who got sent here, Isabel." Max leaned against the house, and sighed. "There were four others. Clones. Just like us."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Like us? Other hybrids? Why?" she asked, surprised. "Where have they been? Who's been looking out for them? Did they know anything more?"

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"New York. For back up. And other aliens were looking for them, before they found us." Max rubbed his head. "They knew there was a convocation happening in New York, and they needed to meet with the leaders of other races. Don't ask about that, it's-- insanely complicated." He looked up at the sky. "They were short a Max. They had an Isabel, a Michael, and a Tess. So they asked me to go."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Wait, so when you say just like us? You mean...just. like. us." Isabel shook her head, ignoring Annie as she nudged her hand. "What happened? What did they want? What happened to their Max?"

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"Lonnie killed him." Max hadn't wanted to tell her this. Hadn't wanted it to be true. "The other Isabel." He sighed. "He didn't want to go to the convocation, so... she killed him. And worked out a plan for me to replace him."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Isabel said, swallowing hard. "She sounds charming."

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"She told me that the original of you two-- Vilandra? Betrayed her brother and betrothed, the first time around. I think she remembered too much," Max said quickly. "Or was too much like her. She's not you. You're not like that."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Vilandra was who I was. And you were Zan," Isabel said absently, remembering what she'd read in Special Collecitons. "No, I wouldn't do that. Never."

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"How did you know his name?"

Max had frozen out on the deck, throat working. "Isabel?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Crap was Isabel's first thought, followed by a sudden wish to take back the last ten seconds. "The library here, it had information...I found out what what she did. I couldn't tell you."

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"Couldn't? What the hell was stopping you, Isabel? Mutants? Monsters? Low blood sugar?" Max paced, anger and hurt growing. "You said you wouldn't lie any more!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"What was I supposed to say Max?" she asked frustrated. "By the way, I found out how we died. I betrayed us to my lover? Yeah, I'm sure that would have gone over well."

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"So you were never going to tell us. Never going to let us know any of this?" Max shook his head, disbelief warring with anger. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about telling you this? And now-- Damnit, Isabel, how the hell are we ever supposed to trust you?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Does it matter? You said I'm not like that. And I'm not," she insisted. "I just didn't know how to tell you. And then time went by...and it got harder. I'm sorry."

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"Sorry isn't good enough, Isabel. Not when it's this important." Max's hand tightened on the phone. "Just-- I can't talk to you. I feel like I don't know you any more."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Tell me what you would have done then Max?" Isabel asked, wiping at her eyes. "Just tell me what you would have done?"

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"I would have told you. Or told Michael, and asked him to tell you. Or Maria. Somebody. I wouldn't have kept it to myself, Isabel. Not after-- not after the way things worked out this summer." His voice got lower. "I'll talk to you later. I can't deal with you now."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Fine," she said, trying not to let him hear how upset she was. "You know where to find me."

[emo-alien-king.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. I do." Max shook his head. "You should have trusted me."

Then he hung up.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry," Isabel whispered, staring at her phone. She closed it and put it aside, then rested her head in her hands. She didn't move for a long time.