"Yes," Liz said. "But it might be okay. We changed the time line… things haven't happened the way they would have before. Maybe it will work out differently."

Max wasn't sure what to think… how could he plan for some giant disaster that might never materialize? "I guess we'll just have to put it on our list of possible threats," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "Somewhere between the government finding out about us and global warming."

"Guess so," Liz replied with a smile.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. Max sighed happily. "So you don't have feelings for Kyle?" he asked.

Liz burst out laughing. "Kyle?"

"Well, you two did pretend to sleep together. And you were pretty close at Meta-chem. Plus, you told him about the alien cells in the lab."

Liz frowned suddenly. "Why were those cells there?" she said. "Do you think Dr. Sosa was using them for his research? Do you think he knows about you guys?"

Max pulled her back into his arms. "Ms. Wheeler said he destroyed all his research. If he had alien cells, he must have destroyed them too."

"I guess we'll never know what he was doing with them," Liz murmured.

"We'll keep an eye out for him," Max told her. "Just add him to our list of threats too."

"Yeah," Liz said. "I wonder where he is."

Maris watched as the last drum of medical waste was sealed shut. "These are disposed of by incineration, right?" she asked the technician.

The technician nodded. "We take them down to the basement and burn them, then the residue is kept in an airtight container, We can't take any chances with this stuff."

"1 agree," Maris said.

She watched impassively as the dram containing Alan Sosa's body was carted away with the rest of the waste. I'm lucky these science types don't have many friends, she thought. So far no one had questioned her story about Dr. Sosa skipping town, and she didn't expect that anyone ever would.

Maris walked slowly down the Meta-chem hallway to the room where they kept her elderly husband. Clayton was hooked up to about twenty different machines. He couldn't talk because of the tube in his mouth, but the expression in his eyes was as sharp as ever.

"1 have a new scientist working on the DNA from Liz Parker's blood," Maris told him. "His name is Dr. Farrell. 1 lured him away from the CDC."

Clayton smiled with satisfaction.

"Don't worry, darling," Maris cooed. "Sooner or later, we'll figure out the secrets of the Healer."

Don't miss any books in the series that started it all.

#1 The Outsider

#2 The Wild One

#3 The Seeker

#4 The Watcher

#5 The Intruder

#6 The Stowaway

#7 The Vanished

#8 The Rebel

#9 The Dark One

#10 The Salvation

Available from SIMON PULSE