Max threw his right arm around Jason and turned his own body into the wall.

The beam crashed down many, many feet below.

Jason was cradled in Max's body and pressed up against the wall. They were both breathing heavily and holding tightly onto the wall. As the realization struck them that they had been successful in what they had just done, both boys started laughing uncontrollably.

«Max! Jason! Is everything all right!» Liz screamed from above. Obviously she had heard the crash.

«We're fine!» Max hollered back up to her as the laughing subsided.

He looked to Jason to confirm that he was «fine," and found him to be shaking and breathing heavily, but surprisingly unscathed.

«Time to make like Spider-Man," Max said with a look of relief. «The hard part's over. Let's get out of here.»

Still cradling himself in Max's body,, Jason turned around to face the wall. Max instructed him on how to use the handholds and footholds that he had left behind on the way down, hoping that Jason just assumed they were a

part of the original shaft design. Either way, he did not question their escape route as they slowly made their ascent to freedom, thirty feet above.

«I don't know whether to hug you or hurt you," Liz said with relief as she saw Jason's head pop out of the hole.

«I think he's been punished enough," Max said, pulling himself up onto solid ground, still shaking.

As soon as Jason had found his footing and moved away from the hole, Liz wrapped him up in the biggest hug she could muster. Jason flinched as she squeezed, causing her to let go immediately.

«Are you okay?» Her concern came back as she saw him nursing his shoulder.

«Yes," he said quickly.

«Let me see.» She leaned to him, attempting to pull the neck of his shirt aside, but he struggled against her. «Jason, hold still.» She held tightly to him and finally managed to tug the shirt away from his shoulder, revealing a huge bruise.

Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place for Max.

«We should get you to a doctor," Liz said.

«It's okay," Jason replied. «Really.»

«But you could have a serious injury from the fall," Liz said. «That bruise doesn't look good.»

Jason said nothing in response.

«That mark isn't from the fall, is it?» Max asked, almost rhetorically, since he suspected that he knew the answer.

Jason sat on the ground, but still remained silent.

«You had it last night, didn't you?» Max gently prodded.

Liz looked at Max questioningly as they both sat on either side of their young friend. She had no idea what he was talking about.

«You pulled away when I touched your shoulder last night too," Max recalled. «I thought it was because you just didn't like to be touched, but I had hurt you when I grabbed the bruise.»

«Is that true?» Liz asked, obviously concerned. «What happened?»

«Was it George?» Max carefully continued the questioning, choosing the most likely suspect.

Jason nodded, refusing to look at either of them.

Liz looked to Max, afraid that the situation was out of their league, but too concerned to let her fears get in the way of helping her friend. «How long has this been going on?»

Again, no answer came.

«Jason, say something," Liz pleaded. She was obviously upset by the surprise revelation. «Please. I want to help you.»

Max placed his hand on her shoulder as if to say, That's enough.

Liz looked into her boyfriends eyes. He could tell that she was hurt and confused. Max knew that she was probably blaming herself for not realizing what was happening sooner. He gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze.

«It's okay if you don't want to talk about it right now," Max said. «And it doesn't matter how long it's been going on. It won't happen anymore. We'll make sure of that.»

Liz added to his sense of conviction. «I promise you.»

«Now, do you have a family doctor we can take you to?» Max asked. «I want to make sure you didn't hurt yourself in the fall.» Then, he silently added to himself, and to make sure Mr. Lyles hasn't done any permanent damage.

Jason nodded his head.

Max got up and gave a hand to both Liz and Jason to help them off the ground. Hopping onto the bike, he made sure there was room for Jason to fit behind him. Once the boy was safely on, Max turned back to him. «Keys?»

Fishing in his pocket, Jason pulled out two sets of keys. «How did you…»

Max flashed him a cryptic smile and took the keys out of Jason's hand, tossing one set to Liz and starting his own bike with the other.

Grabbing the keys, Liz got on her bike and started it up. As the trio started back through the desert, neither Max nor Liz gave any thought to the cell phones in their pockets that were still out of the service area and storing some very important voice mail messages.

15

”Hello," Kyle said, still holding on to the door, making sure the visitor could not see inside-not that there was anything to see, but just in case something odd happened. This was a valid concern, considering the group's history. They never knew when something strange could be going on behind them.

Jesse was naturally surprised to see the stranger instead of Isabel opening the door, but he recovered quickly. «Hi, I'm looking for… for Phillip Evans. I work with him.»

«Yeah," Kyle stalled while trying to come up with a good cover story. «I know. You're Jesse, right?»

«Yes," Jesse replied.

«I'm Kyle.» He held out a hand to the interloper while keeping the other hand firmly on the door. «I'm one of Isabel and Max's friends. How are you?»

«Good," Jesse replied, trying discretely to peek through the partially open door. «Is Phillip home?»

«Actually, no," Kyle responded abruptly, faced with at least one question he could easily answer. «He and Mrs. Evans are down in Santa Fe for the day.»

Jesse feigned surprise. «That's right. I forgot. They went to that arts festival.»

«Right.» Kyle hoped this piece of information would send the visitor on his way. «I can take a message for when they get back. Is there something you needed?»

«I just wanted to talk about a case we're working on.» Jesse created his own cover story as he grew more concerned that Isabel had not come to the door yet to rescue him from this situation.

«You couldn't have called?» Kyle asked, suddenly suspicious. Between being the son of a former sheriff and all the alien conspiracy stuff going on in recent history, Kyle's senses were honed to picking up on any kind of questionable behavior.

«I was in the neighborhood," Jesse replied, growing suspicious himself that no one with the name Evans had come to see who was at the door yet. Odder still since Isabel was expecting him. «Since I'm here, I was wondering if I could just pop in and say hi to Isabel… and Max.»

«Max isn't here," Kyle replied, grasping for some excuse. «And Isabel… is a little under the weather.»

Jesse was instantly concerned, remembering that she had cancelled on him the previous evening to look after a friend she had said was really sick. Unaware of the fact that he was speaking to the sick friend, he tried not to appear too worried, especially since they were only supposed to be passing acquaintances. «I hope it's nothing serious.»

«Not really," Kyle flat out lied.

«Would it be okay if I stopped in to say hi?» Jesse moved toward the door.

Kyle, however, stayed firmly planted in place. «Actually, she's resting right now. She said she didn't want to be disturbed.»

«By anyone?» Jesse let the charade slip for a brief moment, confused that she hadn't called him to stop him from coming over or alerted this kid to the fact that he might be stopping by.

«Yeah," Kyle said, growing even more suspicious. «If you don't mind, I should get back inside in case she wakes up and needs something.»