TIES THAT BIND: Journal Entry

AUTHOR: Aesop

DISCLAIMER: The characters aren't mine, and I earn no profit by writing this.

SUMMARY: Six people left Roswell, but they still have ties to that town. Ties they are unwilling to sever.

OOOOOOOOOO

It's Nov. 21. I'm Liz Evans, and the world has changed again.

This time, though, it's changed in a way that gives me hope. It's hard to believe we have the FBI to thank for that, but it's true. The anonymous source who tipped them off, Max, will have to remain a mystery to them, but given that the Bureau got out of this without a huge scandal, I think it's a mystery they can live with.

We couldn't be on hand for the raid, but our friend in the FBI, I won't give a name, even here, was able to learn the details and pass them on. The raid caught the MIB wannabes completely by surprise, and when they realized it was other FBI agents attacking them, resistance stopped. Several of them tried to slip away, but none of them made it. Our friend told us that the rest, agents scattered around the country, were quietly rounded up.

Our friend thinks that they were prepared to fight an 'alien menace' but not their own people. The Unit agents might think that their colleagues are naive, and a danger to the world because of it, but the ones at the safe house weren't prepared to kill other FBI agents just so they could slip away and continue their work. I guess their fanaticism didn't extend that far.

It was over quickly. Thankfully, none of the children had been hurt; scared out of their wits, no doubt, but not physically hurt. I can say from personal experience that you can get over almost anything. The kids are all home now, and they'll be fine.

There was some medical testing done. That much the agents assigned to cleaning up the scene were able to determine, but none of them went through anything like what Max endured in the white room.

Apparently, the fact that none of the kids showed the kinds of differences they found in Max made the scientists hesitate over more, ugh, invasive procedures. Good thing for them. Most of the agents involved are looking at long stretches in prison as it is.

So that's it. I'm not clear on how they prevented a scandal, what with the press clamoring for the full story, but they managed it. The government has completely dismantled the Special Unit and buried all evidence that it ever existed. We saw to it that there wasn't much of that.

I suppose I should clarify that. When we began taking steps to get the Bureau to stop what the Unit was doing, we had to make sure that we didn't make matters worse. There was a lot that could have gone wrong with that plan, especially since we were never sure how far up the Unit's influence reached. More than one hard drive was wiped in the process and a lot of physical evidence, including that damn waitress uniform I'm happy to say, simply vanished. In the end, there wasn't much beyond some strange circumstantial evidence to support the Unit's claims.

It was a hectic time for us, and I'm glad that we can relax now. At Michael's urging, however, we're still taking precautions. Our friend in the Bureau has arranged for Jesse and Isabel to enter the witness protection program. Max, Michael, Maria, Kyle, and I know where they are, but no one else does. I think Isabel breaks cover every now and then to send messages to her parents, but we've gotten pretty good at 'this covert crap' as she calls it.

Kyle returned to Roswell and surprised all of us by taking a position with the Roswell Sheriff's department. Michael, Maria, Max, and I continue to travel for now, but a lot of the stress has gone out of our lives. It's more like an extended vacation for us than anything else.

Michael isn't convinced it's over yet, an attitude that annoys Maria no end, but even he has relaxed a lot. I've had a few premonitions, but none of them are as nightmarish as the early ones. I'm almost afraid to write it, not wanting to jinx us, but I can feel that we're safe now. It's not a premonition, but I'm as certain of it as I am of any of my visions. I can feel it.

I'm Liz Evans, and I'm free.

THE END