Author's Notes: The characters of Phantasm and whatever footage I borrowed from parts III and IV belong to Don Coscarelli. No infringement is intended.

Prologue

Nothing was ever simple when it came to war.

That was the thought that crossed the mind of Elizabeth Reynolds as she stumbled down the corridor of an alien factory, trying to locate one of the spacegates that would provide her with an easy escape. It didn't help any that she had to half carry, half drag her companion along with her as she walked, but she wasn't about to abandon him just to save herself.

For a few seconds, Liz stopped, her ears perking up to simply listen. After a moment, she headed down the passageway to her left, thankful that she was hearing the familiar hum of one of the gates. Now, it was just a matter of getting through it...

Liz cursed then as her partner, Mike, began to slip out of her grasp, and she fought to both hold him steady and shift his weight so she could carry him better. *Honey,* she sent out to him telepathically. *If you're going to wake up, now would be a good time.* When there was no answer forthcoming, she pulled him closer with a slight groan, taking a few uneasy steps closer to their destination.

As she strode along, Liz found herself reflecting on the events that had led to this moment. Some years ago, she and Mike had discovered that an alien invasion had been taking place on Earth, by an entity they knew only as the Tall Man. He had been sent to Earth simply to amass an army for a galactic war. Unfortunately, Mike and Liz had been among the first people singled out for this purpose, and they'd been forcibly recruited and transformed into computerized soldiers.

Some time after her own conversion had taken place, Liz had formulated a plan to destroy the Tall Man and ensure that she and Mike would escape the factory. All access to Earth had also been blocked that day, but she and her companion had since found that they couldn't rest or let their guard down for even a moment. They'd returned here several times in the years that had followed to sabotage the efforts of this alien race to find their way back to the planet she'd once called home.

Even this time, she and Mike had come here on one such mission -- to prevent the Tall Man from being resurrected -- and they had succeeded by taking out the lab, but they hadn't counted on being found so easily. And Mike had been put in a trance-like state by their alien oppressors before Liz could stop them. It was a miracle that she and her companion had made it this far under those circumstances.

Cautiously, Liz peered around the corner into the room where the spacegate was waiting, then quickly ducked back out of sight. There were guards everywhere, and she found it fortunate that she hadn't been spotted. There was no way she and Mike could get through undetected, and on top of that, they were already being pursued... Either way, their chances of survival were beginning to look dire.

"Dammit," Liz cursed softly, closing her eyes briefly. Like it or not, she knew she'd have to make a dash for the gate, and hope for the best. Drawing in a breath, she took a second to prime herself, then turned round the corner and ran for all she was worth. And during the short sprint, she focused her thoughts on Earth as the favored destination, but drew a mental image of an old friend's (Reggie's) house at the last second. And as Liz dove through, she could feel one of the dwarves grabbing at her, could hear one or two of the flying spheres in close pursuit...

As she landed roughly on the other side, recognizing her surroundings as Reggie's backyard, Liz willed the gate to close right away. Letting go of Mike, she sat up in a flurry, her panicked eyes telling her that the spacegate was fading from view. Secondly, the dwarf hadn't made it all the way through, it appeared, and had been cut in half by the forced deactivation. Thirdly, and most unfortunate, Liz saw that one of the spheres had crossed over and was simply hovering a few feet in front of her.

When the flying silver orb started towards her a few seconds later, its twin blades coming out to impale her forehead, Liz barely had time to react. Gritting her teeth, she reached up with both hands, gripping the sides of the sphere tightly and barely halting its determined, forward momentum in time.

As it was, the sphere fought against her, and it took Liz all she had to just hold it at bay. Somehow, she managed to get to her feet, eyes darting around to look for something she could use to kill the damned thing. Finally, spotting a suitable weapon, Liz let go of the orb, simultaneously moving out of the way. And, as she'd hoped, its momentum carried it past her, buying her the time she needed.

Furiously, Liz picked up the shovel from beside the back door, turning and taking a swing at the sphere as it circled around. The broad side connected violently with the orb, forcing it out of the air and to the ground. Feeling a mild wave of satisfaction at the victory, Liz took a second swing and a third -- and so on -- until the deadly metal ball had been reduced to bits.

Finally, Liz dropped the shovel with a clatter, falling to her knees and searching among the scattered remains for the tiny homing device that the sphere was undoubtedly equipped with. Finding it, she briefly called the spacegate back, picking up the tracer and throwing it back through; no sense in providing her adversaries with a way to track her and Mike down.

Battle over, Liz scooted over to her boyfriend's side, pulling him towards her so his head rested in her lap. Stroking one side of Mike's face, she said softly, "We did it. We're safe now." She paused, feeling tears rise, unbidden, to her eyes. *Mike,* she added telepathically. *If you can hear me, it's okay. You just take however long you need to get better...*

At that moment, Liz noticed a light snap on from inside the house, and when she looked up, she saw Reggie opening the door, most likely coming to investigate the noise. Keeping her expression even, the only thing she could find to say was, "It's us, Reg. We're home."

Reggie nodded, taking in the dwarf remains and the shattered sphere with a sinking feeling. He'd long since come to accept the reality and existence of alien life, had even devoted part of his life to fighting said alien life to save his world, but he'd never seen anything quite like this. "Dare I ask...?"

Liz looked down at Mike, biting her lip to stop the tears from coming. "I messed up," she admitted lightly. "I almost got us killed this time." She glanced at Reggie, shifting slightly. "Help me. We should get him inside," she said, waiting until Reg came to assist her before lifting Mike to his feet. And, as they made their way indoors, Liz found herself thinking, *Forgive me, my love, for endangering your life not once, but twice. But never again. I can't run that risk of losing you once more...*

Chapter One

It didn't take them long to get Mike settled, but Liz refused to leave her boyfriend's side afterwards. Reggie had resigned himself to cleaning up the mess out back and was actually thankful when it began to rain, washing away all the parts he missed. Once that was accomplished, he returned to the room where he'd left his young friends, mildly surprised that his wife and kids hadn't woken up as of yet.

"So, what happened, Liz?" Reggie asked, sitting in a chair across from the bed. "You told me you'd had a vision that implied the Tall Man was coming back, but... Can I take a guess and say it didn't go well?"

Liz sighed, tilting her head so it rested on one hand. "It went well in the sense that we won, but... We tried to blend in, and they found us. And much too easily at that." She paused, giving great thought to what had gone wrong. "When Mike and I had infiltrated their operations before, we still had the homing devices in us. Maybe... The best I can figure is that, since we had them removed, we inadvertently made ourselves targets... We prevented this alien race from finding us here, but we also made it easy for them to single us out on their own turf."

"And Mike? What happened to him?" Reggie asked softly

"They put him in some sort of trance. I've seen it before; it's a way for them to control their slaves should they act up... I barely got him -- and myself -- out of there intact," Liz added, sounding weary. Her eyes darted to Mike, and a wave of sorrow rose up within as she took in the blank look on his face that had been there since this happened. "Jesus," she murmured. "Fifteen years of having the inside track and waging a war against them, and I don't know how to fix this."

Reggie leaned forward, concerned about her. "Liz, you're doing the best you can."

"Am I?" she questioned, looking at him. "Because I don't think I can do this anymore. Not if it costs me the people I care about." She paused, taking a deep breath and reaching for her boyfriend's hand. "We've had a few victories, but I feel like we're still losing in the long run... Maybe it would have been better if Jody hadn't involved me in this rebellion to begin with. I sometimes think I'd be better off not knowing or caring about any of this... "

Reggie's eyes widened as he took all that in. "Wait a minute... Mike's brother did what?!" Without letting her answer, he went on to say, "I thought you voluntarily enlisted yourself in this revolt from the beginning. I mean, when you first came to me... Jesus, Liz, don't tell me you were on the Tall Man's side when you went through this transformation."

Liz took on a pained expression before saying, "Not by choice. You have to believe that, Reggie." She looked down at Mike, touching the side of her boyfriend's face. "We're half computer, remember? We were programmed to be obedient. But Jody... He was the first, truly successful human prototype, and maybe that's why they didn't instill that same programming in him from the get-go." She paused, gazing at Reggie. "Humans were a new species for them to conquer, and they expected us to be as compliant as... Well, suffice it to say, their operations aren't just confined to Earth."

Reggie sighed, telling himself to remain calm and collected though he was burning with questions. "You never did give me much on what it was like for you, in the beginning," he said as softly as he could. "Why don't you...?"

Just then, Reggie and Liz were interrupted when a small voice rose up from the vicinity of the doorway, which Liz recognized as belonging to his daughter, Tina. The little girl in question appeared seconds later, rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes. When Tina got a good look, her face just lit up. "Aunt Liz!" she exclaimed, rushing in and giving Liz a big hug. "You're back!"

With a slight laugh, Liz hugged the little girl back, despite feeling a little disconcerted. There was reason for the feeling; after her transformation, Liz had been bombarded with the knowledge that her life (along with Mike's and Jody's) had been engineered by the Tall Man and his race. She was in fact the latest in a line of clones dating back to the time of the Civil War, created for the purpose of providing the bastard with his army of golden spheres.

As she'd told Reg, she, Jody, and Mike were the first successful subjects, but they weren't meant to be the last. Reggie's adopted children (Sam, Jonathon, and Tina) were in fact carbon copies of herself and the brothers. And, if Liz hadn't run interference and arranged to get the kids out of that alien factory, then they would have definitely suffered the same fate.

It was a little disturbing to hear your eleven-year-old self referring to you as her aunt. Reggie had introduced her and "Uncle" Mike as such the last time they had dropped in, since the children didn't remember anything about the factory or the Tall Man. Still, Liz appreciated being referred to as a member of the family; it only showed that she and Mike still had a friend on this world that cared for them very much.

Reggie's opportunity to talk to Liz was quickly lost as Tina engaged her in conversation, then as the rest of the household woke up. Next came the flurry of breakfast and the task of getting the kids off to school. Reggie's wife, Maxine, went off to work, and his eldest, Sam, left for another day of classes at the local community college, so it was left to Reg to drive Tina and Jonathon to elementary school.

When he got back home and made his way into the spare bedroom, the last thing Reggie expected to see was Liz (in sphere form) resting on top of Mike's forehead. Writing it off as an attempt on her part to reach her boyfriend telepathically, Reg again went to sit in the chair by the bed. "Sorry to interrupt, Liz, but... Can we talk?"

After a slight pause, Liz\the sphere rose into the air, drifting towards Reggie before reverting to her human form. Sitting down on one side of the bed, she said, "Now's as good a time as any. It's not like Mike is going anywhere." Another pause, then, "But there is some hope that I can bring him out of this after all. It's going to take time, but..."

"Liz!" Reggie said, a tad sharply. Then, noticing the way she recoiled, he softened his tone. "I'm sorry. It's just... I would like to know." He paused, then added, "You said Jody was the one to involve you in this battle. How did he do that, exactly, and when? He seemed to have his hands tied, figuratively speaking, when it came to helping Mike and I..."

Liz sighed, her mind going back to those early days. "Prepare yourself, Reg. It's really one hell of a story..."

Chapter Two -- 1988

("I didn't remember much at first. Looking back... dying was a lot like being born, or, in my case, reborn. Everything I was, everything I am, went into the sphere that my human body played host to, and the memories came back with time. But at the start, it was pretty damn disorienting...")

At the outset (and Liz would later laugh at the absurdity of the concept), the Tall Man almost seemed like a sort of proud father. She remembered him being there for each new step of her development: when she first mastered her ability to fly, when she "tested" out the devices he'd equipped her with, when he'd sent her to Earth on her first mission.

If Liz had been asked, when she first traveled to Earth following the transformation, she would have said she'd never been there before. She'd never bothered to question her origins, even when the occasional, fleeting impression came to her. But, as she approached the residence the Tall Man had sent her to watch, she marveled over how much of this environment seemed familiar to her. Concentrating, she sensed the target she'd been sent to spy on moving through the house, and she matched her flight path to where he was headed.

It wasn't long before she settled in front of a window, and she saw that there were three people inside, one of them seated and facing away from the other two (a balding man carrying a weapon of some sort, and a young, sort of scrawny brunette boy) who'd just entered the room. Curiously, she watched as the balding man caught sight of the one (intruder?) in the chair and held the weapon up, adopting a threatening pose.

Liz had been instructed to simply observe and make sure no one left this house, but she hadn't been told not to listen. Raising the sensitivity of her receiver, she simultaneously saw the person in the chair turn around and get to his feet, and heard the two men across from him refer to him as Jody. And strangely, she felt like she should know them, even though she believed she hadn't seen any of them before.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the balding man asked the one called Jody, lowering the weapon. "You're dead."

"So what else is new?" Jody returned, wearing an ironic look. Then, as the boy started towards him, Jody held out one hand, stopping the young man (the name, Mike, coming to Liz, unbidden and out of nowhere) before he came into range. "No, you can't touch me," Jody said in what sounded like a warning.

"Why not?" came the answer, the sound of Mike's voice and tone striking a chord with Liz. She drifted slightly closer to the window, wondering at the sensations being stirred in her.

"I haven't got the juice to stay long, and you've got to get out of here fast," Jody was saying, partly dodging Mike's question.

"What are you talking about? Why?" Mike asked, wearing a quizzical mask.

Jody took his time before replying, and even Liz found herself in anticipation of what he might say. "I don't want you to wind up like me," he said at last, sounding a touch concerned.

Before the conversation could go any further, Liz could hear her master instructing her to let him know where to send the gate. Unconsciously, she boosted the signal of the homing device, providing the Tall Man with her exact location, and the formation of the gate blew out the windows on the house. But, watching the scene inside unfold, Liz found that she needn't have bothered, even as the air "crackled" behind her and the spacegate quickly dissolved again.

"I'm sorry, Mike... I knew he might lock onto me," Jody was saying, morphing into a small silver orb as his two companions turned to look outside and Liz drifted slightly out of view. Taken off guard, she almost lessened the strength of her own signal, and she found herself wondering what the other sphere/Jody was doing here. Her memory banks told her that she was to never go anywhere without an order, and she found it unlikely that she'd be sent here along with another... especially if that other was openly conversing with the target...

She almost didn't hear the balding man (as before, the name, Reggie, came to her) telling Mike to get out of the way so he could get a shot, but perked up as the words permeated her thoughts. And, much to her amazement, the other sphere seemed to be conversing with Mike as it hovered before him, if Mike's answers to a voice only he (and Liz, if she gave it her utmost concentration) could hear were any indication. *Impossible,* she thought to herself. *We can only communicate with other orbs, and only then telepathically. There's no way...*

Reggie, on the other hand, just plain looked bewildered by the "one-sided" chat. "Mike, who the hell are you talking to?" he blurted out.

"Can't you hear?" Mike replied excitedly. "It's Jody! He's in the ball... He's talking to me."

"Yeah, right, Mike," Reggie answered, looking dubious.

By sheer luck, Liz was able to tune in at this point and could clearly pick up what the Jody-sphere was communicating: *Little brother, he's coming for you right now. I can't stop him, but maybe I can slow him down...*

As Jody spoke, a second spacegate opened inside the house. The Tall Man emerged from this one, assessing the situation with an unreadable expression. Liz saw Reggie aim the weapon at her "master," only to get thrown back against the wall and knocked out for the trouble. Even the Jody-sphere couldn't do much; and wound up... well, scorched was the best word she could think of for what the Tall Man did to him.

When the Tall Man gave a nod in Mike's direction, causing the boy to levitate an inch above the floor and glide towards the gate, Liz finally got what she was seeing, or at least an inkling. *The boy must be one of us,* she mused, countless questions forming in her mind. *A sphere... But what is this form he's in, and how can the one called Jody appear the same way? Is this an ability available to all of us?*

Liz could have spent hours musing over these developments, but that she could hear her master calling to her, urging her to return to the factory. Noting that the gate was still open inside the house, she flew in through the shattered window, paying scant attention to the unconscious Reggie and the charred Jody-sphere as she went...

Chapter Three

As Liz had anticipated, her master did question her on what she'd seen, and she did tell him everything. It had perplexed him on why he had been getting two conflicting signals to hone in on and why the Jody-sphere had been there against his wishes, but her report helped to clarify the situation.

Having secured Mike inside one of the "cells" in the factory, the Tall Man wasted no time in deciding on a course of action. He had called Liz to him, giving her another assignment that he expected to last a few days. "You'll go back and keep an eye on the deserter," her master had told her. "It would seem he harbors a desire to protect the boy we captured earlier... If he should try to come back here for any reason, contact me right away that I might deal with him."

So, Liz had been following the Jody-sphere and Reggie for several days now, although she did have a little trouble keeping up with the vehicle they were traveling in. Although they never came close to the Tall Man's base of operations, she watched their journey with interest nonetheless. What they hoped to accomplish by checking out deserted towns her master had been to was beyond her, but she couldn't help but question it.

The Jody-sphere hadn't transformed back into his human guise since Liz had first seen him, and she wondered more than once if the scorching hadn't irrevocably damaged him. However, she got her answer on the second day spent in the latest empty town, Holtsville. Or nearly empty; Reggie had stumbled across three hoodlums and a young orphaned boy (Tim) during his search, as Liz observed in the background.

Reggie had parked outside the resident mausoleum and had gone inside to explore, fully armed, leaving the Jody-sphere behind. Liz waited until Tim grew impatient and decided to follow Reggie into the building before she flew closer to keep a good eye on her quarry while remaining unseen. So, the last thing she expected was to hear the Jody-sphere speak to her.

*I knew he'd send someone after me,* Jody stated telepathically, causing Liz to recoil slightly in surprise. Noting her shock, he added, *You're a new one, I take it... You must be. Otherwise, you'd know that we 'old-timers' are good at sensing others of our kind, when they're near.*

Since she'd been discovered, Liz didn't see any point in not responding. *Why are you doing this? Do you know how angry our master has been?*

Jody gave a short, silent laugh. *Right now, I couldn't care less what he thinks. He's got my brother, and very soon, he's going to turn Mike into one of us.*

It took Liz a moment to recall who Mike was, then she said, *You mean the boy... Isn't he already one of us?*

Jody was silent for a long moment. *You really are new then... You don't remember where you came from, do you?* Another pause, then, *You're lucky in a way. Once it all comes back to you, you'll wish for nothing more than to have it end.*

Liz puzzled over this, distantly aware that gunshots were erupting from inside the mausoleum. *I do not know what you mean.*

Jody gave another laugh. *You will,* was all he said, leaving Liz to speculate on what this all meant. Finally, she sensed that Reggie and Tim were coming back outside and quickly drifted out of sight to avoid being spotted...

***

Through the days that followed, as she continued to pursue Jody and those he traveled with, Liz was given an ample amount of time to think over what he'd told her. If she concentrated hard enough, she'd get a flash or mental picture of something she felt she should recognize, but mostly didn't. The one exception was when an image of Mike's face came to her, evoking some feelings she couldn't make sense of.

By the time Reggie and Tim took on another traveling companion (a young woman named Rocky), Liz began to watch them as well to see how they interacted. Having reached the conclusion that she must have been spawned from one of these humans, if Jody was to be believed, it became necessary to learn what she could.

Even this evening, Liz was spying on Reggie and Rocky in their hotel room (Tim was spending the night resting in the car), but she ultimately couldn't figure out what to make of the scene. Finally, she drifted back to the vehicle, careful not to disturb the sleeping boy, to speak with the Jody-sphere again.

*Is this where we came from?* she asked, her gaze, as it was, focused on Tim to let Jody know what she meant. *It's very strange. I've spent a few days studying their behavior, and I am having trouble connecting myself to it.*

*I remember,* Jody answered. *It was like that for me too at first... But then again, you are stuck observing a rather unorthodox group. What did you see when you looked in the room?*

Liz took time to choose the right words. *The girl, Rocky... She tied up the one you call Reggie and then left him to get what she referred to as sleep.*

If Jody could have smirked in his current form, Liz would later determine that he would have. *VERY unorthodox, I see,* he replied with what sounded like a laugh. After a moment, he added, *I'm sorry, but... You have a lot to learn about human nature, at least until it comes back to you. By the way, I don't suppose you have a name...*

*XG-237,* Liz answered, using the alias that the Tall Man had given her.

Jody sighed. *I meant your human name...* When she didn't answer, he could only assume that she didn't. Slowly, he rose from the knapsack that Reggie had placed him in, saying, *There's an easy way to find out, but you have to trust me. Can you do that?*

Liz gave a mental nod, tensing a little as Jody flew closer so that he was touching her. It didn't take him long to sort through her memory banks, then he pulled away with a start. *You... You're Elizabeth!* Jody stated in amazement. A pause, then, *I never expected it to be you. I thought that... You died in the car crash! I was there that night when...*

Jody broke off, sensing her apprehension. *I'm sorry... You still don't remember any of this. I should know better than to bombard you with all this information... I don't know how you're here, how you could have survived, but I'm glad you did. You can help me stop the bastard. I have to get my brother away from him.*

Liz glided slightly away from him, seeming torn. She was still obligated to answer to the Tall Man, and Jody knew this, but he hoped that he had stirred her curiosity and uncertainty enough to prevent that from happening. To clinch it, he said, *Your master is not what you think he is. You're just another slave to him; beyond that, he doesn't care. The only reason you serve him is because you're programmed to... If you let me, I can break that conditioning for you, and he'll never know as long as you keep up the act.*

Liz wasn't given a chance to answer, as she noticed the boy, Tim, shift in his sleep and begin to stir. She couldn't have gotten out of that car any faster if she'd tried, and she went to hovering by a nearby tree. Through the remainder of the night, she stewed over the things that the Jody-sphere had said to her, not sure if she should actually side with him or not. But come tomorrow night, she would make the choice that she believed was right...

Chapter Four

Just after sundown the following day, Liz had trailed her quarry all the way to Boulton, another deserted town. She stayed out of sight while the three humans set up camp for the night and, one by one, went to sleep, then moved in closer and called for Jody. When there was no answer, Liz figured that he, too, may be resting. Nevertheless, she maintained her vigil, focusing on the campfire as it slowly burned down to embers.

So caught up in her reverie, Liz didn't notice the Jody-sphere rise from the backpack and go to hover a few inches over Reggie's head until after the fact. After a long moment, she flew closer, her curiosity getting the better of her. *What are you doing?*

Jody rotated slightly so he could "see" her. *Our friend, Reg, is in the middle of a dream right now. I'm merely dropping in to see what's going on in that mind of his,* he said shortly, seeming a tad impatient.

*What is this word, 'dream'?* Liz asked.

With a sigh, her companion said, *A series of sometimes far-fetched images that the human brain generates when it's not awake. I don't know how to explain it any further than that, so hope that suffices.*

After a moment to process the information, Liz decided that it was enough. *And?*

Jody paused. *Let's just say that Reg has a one-track mind when it comes to our friend, Rocky,* he replied with a trace of humor.

Liz didn't get it, but refrained from asking questions on that matter. Instead, she responded with, *Tell me where we come from. You seem to know a lot when it comes to that.*

Jody seemed reluctant to abandon his position, but finally flew away as Reggie started twitching ever so slightly in his sleep. *Thanks for the affirmation, but to be honest, I still haven't figured it all out. What the Tall Man didn't tell me, I've had to learn for myself... You can't imagine what it was like to one day realize what I'd been, what had been done to me... Our human selves died to give birth to what we are now, Liz, and the same thing is going to happen to Mike if I don't get him out of that factory.*

*Why does the boy matter so much to you?* Liz asked.

Jody sighed again. *It's called love, what I feel for my brother. It's a very powerful emotion... It means that you care for someone more than anything, and you'll want to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.*

He paused, and Liz couldn't help but notice that Reggie was beginning to toss and turn wildly; something told her this wasn't typical behavior for a mere dream. Her suspicions growing, she eyed the Jody-sphere warily. *What have you done? What's wrong with him?* When he ignored her and moved to form a solid body for himself, Liz knew something was up. Especially when Jody snatched her from the air, holding her firmly so she couldn't escape, and used her to call up one of the spacegates near where Reg was sleeping.

Panicked, Liz instinctively sent out a distress signal to her master, warning him that she suspected Jody was somehow helping Mike to escape. A second later, Jody froze, then shuddered involuntarily, loosening his grip on her just enough for her to get away.

Cursing, Jody morphed back into his sphere self, racing after Liz as she flew upwards. *Stop!* he pleaded. *We don't have time for this.*

Despite herself, Liz halted, waiting until the Jody-sphere caught up to her. *What have you done?* she repeated.

*I entered Reggie's dream as an alternate means of infiltrating that factory. I figured the Tall Man couldn't do anything to my astral self that would affect me, but guess I was wrong. Now come on, we have to hurry! If I don't have the gate ready on this side, then the rescue attempt will have been for nothing!*

*What makes you think I'll help you?* she answered scornfully.

Jody gave a silent moan. *Because you love Mike as much as I do, even if you don't remember that yet,* he replied, taking a chance.

Liz hesitated, then yielded, soaring back down to the ground and allowing Jody to use her to open the spacegate. She too was taking a chance with this, wanting to believe that her "quarry" was telling the truth. So, she simply watched and listened to the events that followed: as Jody implored Reggie to wake up, as Mike came literally diving through the gate, as Reggie manually shut down the doorway when the Tall Man tried to follow...

The instant that the spacegate was closed, Jody let go of her, and his human form quickly dissolved once more. When Liz drifted out of sight of Reg and Mike and the others, she was surprised when her companion followed. *Thank you,* Jody said. *You could have bailed out on me, but you didn't... I can't tell you how grateful I am.*

Liz remained silent for a moment, then said, *He's going to be angry once he realizes what I've done...*

*He won't,* Jody interceded. *As far as he's concerned, you had nothing to do with what just happened... After all, you did warn him of what I was attempting.*

Liz had to agree with that, her gaze going towards Mike. When she caught sight of him, a warm feeling came over her, which, given Jody's description, had to be love. *There's so much I don't yet understand. I...* Liz broke off then, a series of fleeting images entering her mind. Drifting slightly away from her companion, she tried to make sense of the pictures assaulting her: of Reggie pinned to a wall by a mass of silver spheres, of Jody -- in his human form -- lying on the floor of a mausoleum with his throat slashed, of Mike tied to a slab, screaming as the Tall Man cut open his skull...

The visions were gone as quickly as they came, leaving Liz shuddering in their wake; what could they be if not an sign of the future? She looked at Jody, feeling cold inside as she considered the possibility that his days were numbered. She'd known that he'd invited the Tall Man's wrath by going against him, but she hadn't given much thought to what would happen.

Jody, needless to say, was disturbed by her sudden silence. *What is it?*

Liz refused to tell him; how could she? *Nothing,* she simply said, regaining her composure. A pause, then, *You said you could alter what I was programmed to do, so I wouldn't have to answer to him anymore. And I want you to, and revive my memory if you can. I want to know what he did to me... Anything we do from here on out, he won't hear about it from me.*

Aware that his brother was calling for him and that time was short, Jody simply told her, *Later... Follow us to wherever we go next. It will take a few minutes for me to make the adjustments, but I promise I will.* With that, the Jody-sphere swooped around, heading back towards Mike and the others and leaving Liz to stew over the agreement she'd just made...

Chapter Five

As she followed along, just out of sight, Liz was somewhat disheartened to see that the group didn't make it that far. The four of them (Reggie, Mike, Rocky, and Tim) had packed up in a hurry and went to the car to hightail it out of there. But they were no sooner on the road driving away then they were being chased and\or attacked by the three now-zombified hoodlums that Reggie had encountered in Holtsville. The troublesome trio was dispatched when their vehicle flipped over and exploded, but two of Reggie's tires had also blown out during the chase.

Liz overheard Mike stating that they should hide out at the Boulton Mausoleum for the time being with the deduction that it was the last place the Tall Man would think to look. But, in their haste to leave, no one bothered to grab any of their bags or the Jody-sphere. After they departed, she swooped in, noting that Jody was emerging from the backpack to look after them.

After a moment, Liz asked, *Is now a good time?*

Jody hesitated, then assumed his human form once more. "As good as any, I suppose," he replied, going to sit on the rear bumper and motioning her to come over. Liz complied, trying to remain calm as he reached up with one hand to hold her steady and opened up her metal casing to get to work.

*Do you know what you're doing?* Liz asked after a minute, feeling nervous at having a self-proclaimed amateur poking around her inner workings. *I'm afraid you might break something.*

Jody couldn't help but chuckle, and Liz noticed that his eyes had taken on a solid steel luster. "Don't worry, I have my vision set on magnify, and I'm being careful," he responded. "Won't take me but a few minutes."

Liz sighed, then focused her thoughts inward to get a sense of what exactly Jody was doing. And, at the instant that she felt him flick a tiny switch with the tip of his fingernail, she could tell that something had changed. Especially when her memories, all of them, suddenly came flooding back.

Liz gasped, experiencing an overload that she hadn't anticipated, and it took her longer than Jody expected to recover from the burst of information. At last, given time to process it all, Liz swore she would have broken into tears if it had been possible. *Oh, my God,* she said in a low, saddened tone to no one in particular, seeing the images of her final moments in her mind's eye.

She scarcely noticed when Jody let go of her, but Liz eventually caught on to the fact that he was eying her in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Liz sent him the impression that she was nodding. *Mike and I, we were trapped in the back of a hearse. I remember him telling me it was just a dream and that we were going to wake up at any moment... I was thrown from the hearse, and... One of the dwarves found me injured and finished me off! And...* She paused, looking towards Jody and trying to make sense of what she was realizing. *When were you going to tell me that the bastard created us?! Our human selves... We were never really alive, were we? Just some subjects for him to experiment with?!*

Jody hesitated. "It's not fair, I know," he said simply. "I'm surprised we even know about it now, but... I believe the details, the data on us and our predecessors are stored in all his computers, and in... whatever we are now. It's nothing but a way to torment us further... And we were dead long before the Tall Man came for us."

Liz only half listened, focused on the people she'd called family: her grandparents, her mom and dad, her sister, Jeri... Hard to believe she never belonged with them, that her very existence had been fabricated. At last, she sent out, *Mike and Reg... They don't know what's become of me, do they?*

"They don't," Jody said. "I could tell them though. I'm sure that Mike would..."

*Don't,* Liz interrupted before he could go on. *It's hard enough for me to face the fact of what the Tall Man has done to me. Mike shouldn't have to be subjected to it too.*

Jody sighed, looking off in the direction that his brother had gone. "It doesn't matter. Very soon, he won't have a choice... We were too late. He's already well on his way to becoming one of us. As soon as the Tall Man catches up with him..."

Liz hesitated, floating closer. *What if you get there first?* she asked seriously. *Maybe there's a way to cure Mike, reverse the process so that the sphere he has in him never comes into being! That has to be better than him spending his remaining days on the run, looking over his shoulder!*

Jody considered the possibility with a feeling of anxiety. "You know it's risky," he said at last. "If I go after Mike, you'll have to follow to make it appear to the Tall Man that you're still following his orders. And with the two of us there... He could lock on to our location in no time."

Liz paused, considering her vision of Mike, Jody, and Reg and their respective brushes with death. Yet, she remained firm, not allowing Jody's argument to sway her and wanting to believe that this time, her view of future events could be wrong, or avoided. *Well, that's a risk we're just going to have to take...*

Chapter Six

Given what would happen, Liz would later wish she had heeded Jody's advice to stay away. It didn't take them long to catch up with the others, and she once more remained hidden while Jody approached his brother in the halls of the mausoleum.

Mike and Jody had since disappeared into the embalming room, and Liz couldn't follow since Tim and Rocky were maintaining a constant vigil just outside (Reg was acting as lookout up on the roof). So, all she could do was wait impatiently as the minutes ticked by, wondering and hoping if Jody may be succeeding in truly saving his brother. Lord, she hoped so; there was no way she wanted the boy she loved beyond reason to suffer her fate.

It wasn't until Rocky and Tim jumped to their feet in alarm and took off running that Liz realized that a gun (Reggie's) had gone off in the distance. Suddenly anxious, she had drifted close to the door of the embalming room and peered in when she heard the Tall Man's voice in her head. And what was worse, Mike seemed to be in some sort of trance with the Jody-sphere resting on his brow.

*Damn it! Not now!* Liz thought furiously to herself, knowing that it wouldn't help when she sensed her master entering the building and heading her way. *Jody,* she sent out. *Get out of there! He's coming!* When there was no answer, she repeated the message, but realized it was fruitless when the Tall Man swept past her into the room, strapping Mike down to the table and subduing Jody while she watched helplessly.

Liz didn't know how she kept herself from going to Mike's aid, other than the simple desire for self-preservation, but inside, she was most definitely screaming in protest. It seemed a nightmare as she witnessed one-third of her vision coming to pass, and she actually cheered in silence when she saw Reg, Tim, and Rocky hurrying back to save him.

In the flurry of events that followed, as Reggie and the others fought off the Tall bastard and his minions, Liz remained focused on Mike as he stumbled from the embalming room, staring in disbelief and terror at the yellow blood that was oozing from the wound on his head. Sadly, she looked on as her boyfriend "discovered" the orb that was lodged inside his skull, and she wished for nothing more than to ease his mind.

Hovering just behind and above Mike as he stood in front of a mirror, Liz took a chance by speaking to him telepathically, saying his name softly. She got the feeling he heard her when he jumped and began looking around the room wildly. Yet, his gaze never went towards the ceiling, though she almost wished it to.

"Liz?" Mike asked questioningly. After a moment, he shook his head. "No!" he said to himself. "No, you're not here." He paused, burying his face in his hands and looking like he was starting to lose it. "This isn't happening! This is not real!" But when he looked back up at the mirror and opened his eyes, Liz and Mike both found themselves in the same state of shock and/or fear.

Mike's eyes had taken on the same metallic hue that she'd seen in Jody earlier. Even though her boyfriend was technically still human at this point, it seemed like the line between was starting to blur in ways she couldn't fathom. Liz simply watched as Mike, growing increasingly pale, went to seek out Reggie and the others. But it seemed that their respective horrified reactions (Rocky even seemed ready to fight him if she had to) were too much for Mike to handle, and he ran from them as well.

Liz had followed Mike and Reg out to the cemetery, her heart breaking for the love of her life (and death) as he rushed off alone into the night. In fact, when she saw Jody walking away in the direction his brother had gone, she almost sent him a telepathic message to ask what they were going to do now, but "held her tongue" when he turned to speak to Reggie.

"Don't believe everything you see," Jody told his balding friend in a detached tone, in answer to the latter's inquiry on what was happening.

Reggie paused, looking downright confused. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he blurted out, mirroring the question in Liz's mind.

Jody shrugged. "Seeing is easy. Understanding... Well, that takes a little more time... Be patient, Reg. We'll be in touch." So saying, he morphed back into an orb and took off in the general direction Mike had gone.

At that moment, Liz knew something was wrong, and not just because of "Jody's" demeanor and aloof attitude. Not even an hour ago, the Jody-sphere had still been showing signs of being discolored from the scorching he\it has received. Yet, this one was perfect, completely shiny and silver and blemish-free... She didn't know how it was possible at the time, but that alone told her that this wasn't Jody, or at least not the one she knew.

Amid her attempts to puzzle this out, Liz vaguely overheard Rocky telling Reg that she was leaving, and, after she was gone, heard Reggie voice his desire -- to Tim -- to explore the mausoleum for clues on Mike's "condition." Getting a bad feeling, Liz followed them back inside the mortuary. As she trailed along after, she was startled when another flash\vision came to her. It was quick, but it showed her Mike and Reggie together in the desert, both lying on the ground and looking hurt, staring towards a large inferno of some sort. The bad part was, she also saw there was an active spacegate just to the left of the conflagration, and she could see the Tall Man stepping through it...

Liz snapped out of her reverie in time to realize that the second part of her earlier vision was being played out. She hadn't seen where the orbs had come from, but there were a multitude of them holding Reg against one wall of the crypt. Next, she saw Tim grabbed by one of the dwarves and dragged off kicking and screaming; she would have gone after to see if she could help but that she saw her "master" arrive on the scene.

At that moment, Liz was forced to make one of the hardest decisions of her life, so to speak. She didn't know what had become of Jody -- feared the worst, as a matter of fact -- but knew it was because of his blatant acts of rebellion. If she was to have even a slim chance at stopping the bastard once and for all, Liz knew she'd have to be much more calculating. So, noticing that a lone silver sphere was hovering in front of Reggie's head, prepared to deliver the killing blow, she sent a quick telepathic message out to the Tall Man.

*Don't kill him,* she communicated simply, sending out her vision of what was to come. *If you're worried that he stands between you and the boy, you'll be pleased to know that he can do nothing.*

Liz breathed a sigh when she saw the Tall Man call the spheres off, staring down at the bewildered Reggie with a slightly amused expression. "Small man," her "master" intoned. "Your end approaches, but it is not yet... Take great care how you play. The final game now begins..."

With those words, the Tall Man turned and swept from the room, mentally ordering Liz to follow. With one last look at Reg, she went after her "master" obediently as he stepped back through the spacegate into the factory. It may not seem like much, the little victory she'd had in saving Reggie's life, but it was a start. And, if she was careful from here on out, then she just might stand a chance at saving Mike as well someday...

Epilogue -- The Present

Liz's story, save for when Reggie decided he needed a drink, went virtually uninterrupted. When at last she took a break, it was just past noon and Reg was quite literally on the edge of his seat. Knowing he didn't have long before he had to go pick up Tina and Jonathon, he said, "Jesus... All this time, I thought it had been Jody who was leading the Tall Man straight to us, but... It was really you." After a pause, Reggie added, "Could Jody have done it? Was there a chance that Mike could have been saved?"

Liz grew solemn. "Honestly, I don't know... I never found anything to prove it was possible, nor did I ever have an opportunity to try it myself... And, if it had been up to me, the Tall Man would never have found us that night. Believe me, I only wanted Mike to live! Instead... I killed him, and Jody, and very nearly you!"

Reggie bowed his head slightly, his gaze going towards the silent figure lying on the bed. Quietly, he said, "I suppose I should thank you for saving my butt. I know I'd have died long ago if you hadn't intervened." He paused, then added, "How much does Mike know? I know he was hating Jody towards the end there... Did you tell him that not all of it was his brother's fault?"

She flinched, indicating to Reg that she hadn't exactly come clean in the years she and Mike had spent together. "I was afraid," she said quietly. "And I couldn't hate myself for it more... I know I shouldn't have let Jody take all the blame for it, especially in light of our last meeting!"

***

1990

("I owe a lot to Jody, for what he did for me. Following his example, I delved deeper into our origins, and learned of all the different lifetimes we had gone through. That aside, I considered him a very dear friend and mentor... I can still remember the last time I saw him, clear as day, and I'll tell you, that moment, save for when I confirmed Mike was dead, was the worst one I ever experienced.")

After Boulton, Liz had learned that Jody was being held in the factory, in the process of being reprogrammed to betray his brother. Yet, the Tall Man hadn't been certain that the brainwashing would actually work, and so assigned Liz with a new task to make sure.

Following Jody's trail, after he'd been released from the factory, wasn't the easiest thing in the world for her. He had immediately returned to his brother's aid, fighting to go against what the Tall Man would have him do. The trouble was, both Jody and Mike were hopping through spacegates every five minutes since they'd reunited, and Liz wasted even more time trying to determine where they'd gone with each jaunt.

Given her own confusion, Liz had no doubt that her "master" was having trouble locking on to the two brothers as well. At one point, she silently commended Jody with the use of this strategy; the longer he could shake the bastard off his scent, the better.

When at last she locked on to Jody's signal and made her way through the gate into the halls of yet another mausoleum, Liz almost expected him and his brother to be off to another location at any second. Yet, that hope was squashed when she arrived on the scene, just barely catching sight of Mike running in the opposite direction with her "master" right on his heels.

Feeling a chill inside, Liz almost didn't spot Jody as she flew past him. Quickly, she altered her course, giving a silent scream when she saw he was lying on the floor -- his throat cut -- as in her vision. For a long moment, she feared he was dead, but was proved otherwise when he opened his eyes to look at her. "Liz?"

"It's me," Liz answered, startled when she heard herself speaking aloud. But, a quick glance proved that she had assumed a very human form without realizing it. There was a slight pause, then she added, her tone desperate, "Jody, you can't stay here. The Tall Man could be back at any moment..."

Jody didn't seem to be listening, or, if he was, didn't care. "I failed, Liz. I was kidding myself to think I could protect my brother," he said, so softly that she had to strain to hear.

"You still can!" Liz insisted, reaching for his arm. "I have to get you out of here!"

Jody pushed her off, though he couldn't have had much strength. "I said to Mike once that I didn't want him to wind up like me, and I don't want the same of you either... Liz, you can't help me escape. There's no reason for both of us to be on the Tall Man's bad side, so to speak." A pause, then, "I know there's a price for acting up as many times as I have."

Liz shook her head, tears of sadness and frustration flowing down her face. "You can't leave me," she said in a feeble tone. "I can't do this alone, Jody!"

He pulled her closer so she could hear. "I didn't think I was capable of any of this at first either. But we have power, Liz, that can be used against him... When the Tall Man collects the sphere that's inside my brother, and I know that will be very soon, I want you to change Mike's programming same as I did for you." Jody coughed, shutting his eyes momentarily, then grew alert when he (and Liz) sensed the bastard was coming back. Knowing time was short, Jody said quickly and quietly, "No matter what you do, never provide an indication to our 'master' that you're not on his side... You stand a better chance than I do, Liz, to bide your time and bring about the bastard's downfall." After a short pause, "Save Mike. I couldn't..."

At that, Jody closed his eyes, assuming the same pose he'd been in when Liz had found him. Wiping her tears away, she transformed back into her sphere self per her companion's telepathic demands, and maneuvered away from him before the Tall Man arrived on the scene. And what was worse, she saw her master carrying another golden sphere, still stained with yellow blood, that she instinctively knew must have come from Mike.

Liz simply waited where she was, watching with a numb feeling as her "master" called a few of the dwarves to him to haul Jody along to where the gate was waiting. She soon followed after at the Tall Man's order, a determination slowly building inside her to see this end. A year later, with Reggie's help, she got her wish...

***

The Present

"I went on without him, somehow," Liz finished. "Jody was taken out of commission, along with his predecessor, Gabriel, shortly thereafter..."

"Gabriel?" Reggie interrupted, looking deep in thought. "Yeah, you did tell me once that where was a set of clones before you that the Tall Man attempted the same process on, and that... there was a duplicate of Jody that survived that process...?"

Liz nodded. "I don't know when or how exactly the Tall Man made the switch that evening in Boulton." She paused, reaching behind her to clasp Mike's hand in her own. "Gabriel had been one of the spheres for as long as Mike and I had been alive. But he wasn't perfect; all he could do was transform from orb to human and back again. He didn't come equipped with any of the devices inherent in the rest of us. Yet, even though Gabriel couldn't kill anyone as a sphere, the Tall Man still favored him based on how evil he was." She looked up. "Gabriel was a murderer and rapist in life, or so I've learned."

"You spoke with him?" Reggie asked curiously.

Liz shook her head. "I didn't have to. I found out from browsing the databases one day in the factory. It was enough to make me hate him without actually meeting him... I'm almost glad they destroyed him along with Jody..."

Reggie shook his head. "Why would they do that? I mean, Gabriel couldn't be held accountable for his successor's actions."

"Gabriel had been given free will as well from the start, and his masters didn't want to take the chance that he'd turn on them too... Plus, even after being brainwashed, Jody wouldn't stop fighting their control over him." Liz sighed, then added, "It only worked to convince them that, if one of them could prove to be that disobedient, then so could the other.

"I wish things had been different. That last day, I would have gotten Jody out of there in a second despite his protests, but I feared what would happen if did. I knew I stood the best chance if I didn't call attention to myself until I came up with a better plan to take the Tall bastard down... But, God help me, I hate Jody for putting me in that position!" Wiping some stray tears from her eyes, Liz looked down at her silent boyfriend. "I can't take losing the ones I love, or very nearly so... Like last night..."

Reggie sighed, waiting until she looked back at him before speaking. "Liz," he said seriously. "If you want to quit, no one will hold it against you." When she didn't answer and adopted a bewildered look, he went on, "That is what you're driving towards here, isn't it? You said yourself, you don't know if you can do this anymore... If something comes up, if the Tall Man's alien buddies ever think of coming back to this planet, then you and Mike can launch an attack against them by all means. But you shouldn't feel obligated to take the fight to them."

Liz thought this over long and hard, then slowly nodded in agreement. "Maybe it is time that we settle down," she said with a slight laugh. "God, I've never even considered the possibility before... Mike and I died a long time ago; it's not like we can buy a house and integrate ourselves into the average neighborhood..."

Reggie half smiled. "Well, for what it's worth, you and Mike are always welcome here, anytime you want to drop by. Just... don't make it the middle of the night again." He stood, gazing down at her with a look akin to stoicism; Liz had almost expected it after everything she'd told him. "Well, I promised Maxine I'd run some errands for her before I picked up the kids from school. You just take care of Mike."

Liz smiled back, although faintly. "I will," she promised. "I'll try to have him revived by the time you get back."

Reggie started to turn away, then stopped and looked back. Smile widening, he said, "Well, it appears you won't have to bother. Look who's awake!"

Startled, Liz spun around, giving a short delighted laugh when she saw Mike was focusing on her, blinking his eyes rapidly. "Liz?" Mike asked, looking disoriented. "Where are we? How did we get here?"

Leaning over and hugging him, Liz was acutely aware that Reg's eyes were on her, and she could almost hear what he was thinking. Pulling back, she looked down at Mike, taking a deep breath. "Oh, my love," she said softly, a touch on the pensive side. "The things I have to tell you..."

The End