Melinda Metz - The Stowaway

Or maybe the attempt had already drained him to the point of death.

That settled it. She was going. She turned, then she heard a sound that turned her bones to ice-a wheezing, hiccuping, unnatural sound.

Isabel spun back to face Liz and realized that the sound was coming from the bounty hunter in front of her friend. It's… it's laughing, she realized.

"I told you it was the imposter," DuPris snapped. "Now are you going to kill it, or do I have to do everything myself?"

"Look!" Alex shouted-at least Isabel was pretty sure it was Alex. They all sounded exactly alike with the changes in their vocal cords. He pointed to the ceiling.

Isabel tilted back her head. The swirling spot was almost transparent now.

The bounty hunters made gibbering sounds of fear and darted to the far wall. Liz bolted over to Isabel's side. DuPris stared up, motionless, transfixed. Then he began to back away, his eyes never leaving the ceiling. He knocked into Isabel, but he didn't seem to notice.

With a deep sucking sound, the spot in the ceiling opened completely. Isabel's ears popped as the pressure in the room changed.

"No! I'm not going back," DuPris screamed from behind her. But he seemed unable to run.

One of the little tables slid across the floor, metal legs squealing. It spun around under the hole, then flew straight up and disappeared. Liz grabbed Isabel by the wrist and pulled her down. "Lie flat on your stomach," she cried. "It will be harder for it to suck you in."

"What about DuPris? We have to get him in there," Isabel shouted. Another table was sucked up through the hole in the ceiling.

Michael crawled over-at least Isabel thought it was Michael. "Connect with me," he called, looping his arm across her and Liz. "Maybe we can use our power to push him through from here."

Isabel glanced over his shoulder, her oily DuPris hair whipping around her face. "DuPris is still just standing there. What is he doing?"

DuPris gave a howl of anguish. "Help me!" he wailed. But he started sliding toward the spot below the hole, like some kind of barefoot water-skier.

Isabel realized they weren't going to have to do anything but watch. The force of the wormhole had him.

"Help me!" DuPris cried. "Help me!" His arms pinwheeled as he struggled to fight the suction. "I don't want to go.…"

But it was too late. His feet were lifted off the ground as the suction of the hole pulled him up.

The bounty hunters let out shrill screams. They darted over and grabbed DuPris by the legs. DuPris shrieked as if his body were being ripped in two, but the hunters didn't let go.

An instant later all three of them disappeared into the wormhole.

"We have to get out of here," Michael cried. "Stay low."

Isabel struggled to turn around while keeping her body pressed tight against the floor, then she began to crawl, fighting against the pull of the hole. She felt one of her shoes fly off and tried not to think about her whole body flying after it.

"This helps," she heard Liz yell.

She turned her head, her eyes stinging from all the dust and debris whizzing past her. Liz was using the metal stools lining the counter to pull herself along.

Great idea. They were bolted to the floor. Isabel rolled over and grabbed the closest one. Pulling herself hand over hand, she made it to the end of the coffee shop. Then she pushed herself into a crouch and ran as fast as she could while keeping her body low.

Liz and Michael were already halfway to the staircase. Isabel checked over her shoulder. Four DuPrises were right behind her. Good, no one got sucked!

She raced over to the stairs and took them three at a time. She had to be sure Max was all right.

"Everybody link up before we go in," Michael ordered from in front of the bedroom door. "We might need each other to fight the pull of the hole, or…"

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to. Isabel knew exactly what he was thinking-they might need the power of the connection to try to save Max's life.

She reached out and grabbed the two closest hands. The connection began to form immediately. But it felt different somehow. Almost tainted.

We're all totally freaked. Of course it infects the connection a little, she thought.

She shook off the thought as Michael pushed open the bedroom door and led the way inside. Isabel felt tears begin to stream down her face the moment she saw her brother. He was almost unrecognizable. The skin of his face had hardened into deep furrows, and his body wasn't much more than bones covered by dry, dry skin.

"You've got to help me close the hole," he choked out.

She rushed over to him and pressed her hands against his neck. The others joined her, placing their hands on Max, too, centering their connection in his body.

"I think if we can break Max free of the consciousness, the hole will close," Isabel shouted, her voice almost overpowered by the sucking of the wormhole.

She gathered up her energy and blasted out an image of Max teaching her how to ride a bike. You're Max, she thought. Max. My big brother. You're not some little insignificant piece of the consciousness.

She chose another memory-Max dressed up as a mad scientist for Halloween-and shot it out. You're Max, the science geek.

The others started showing Max images of himself, too. Images of Max the boyfriend. Max the best friend. Max the son. Max the mouse healer. Max the teacher of the toaster. Max the saint. Max the heart of their group.

The horrible sucking sound of the wormhole lessened. "It's working," Liz cried. "Keep going."

Liz was right. The patch of skin under Isabel's fingers was growing softer and fleshier, as if it was rehydrating. "We need you more than the consciousness does, Max," she yelled. That should get him. Mr. Responsibility.

She grinned as the wormhole snapped shut. The grin practically stretched to her ears when Max sat up. "You look almost like a person again," she told him. He still had a few of those freakish withered spots, but he really did look basically okay.

"He looks a lot better than I do," one of the DuPrises complained.

Max's eyes widened as he took in their appearance. "I can fix that," he said. He reached out and touched the whiny DuPris's face. A few moments later Maria had her own look back. She gave her blond curls a happy shake.

Isabel reached up and pressed her fingers against her forehead, disgusted by the feel of the oily hair. She started to change herself back. "The guy should rethink his styling products," she complained, the words coming out distorted as the DuPris lips changed into her own.

"I don't think he'll have to worry about it where he is," Max answered. "He probably doesn't even have hair anymore."

Isabel glanced around. Only one DuPris left to go-Alex. She felt a pang of self-consciousness about touching him. It felt sort of weird again now that they weren't fighting for their lives. She told herself to get over it and reached out and cupped Alex's face in her hands.

Alex snickered. "Am I tickling you?" she asked.

He didn't answer. He just narrowed his eyes and glared at her as she began concentrating on moving the molecules back in the right place.

Isabel stared at him. She couldn't get his face to change back.

"Having trouble? That's because there's no point in changing me… into me!" he shouted, his eyes bulging. "I hope your friend likes his new planet!" DuPris said as he dashed out of the room.

Isabel started to tremble. "What have we done?" she asked.

Max replied slowly, "We sent Alex through the wormhole."

[ front blurb]

Isabel took a step toward the door, then Adam grabbed her arm.

"I don't have time for this," she muttered. She tried to pull her arm away, but Adam tightened his grip, digging his fingers into her bare skin.