"The Convention" Episode: 112

(Episode begins outside the UFO Center. There is a UFO convention going on. There is someone dressed in a green alien costume, handing out flyers to people. The alien stares across the street at Liz at the Crashdown)

(A deputy is telling Sheriff Valenti about all the commotion the sighting has caused)

DEPUTY: 14 calls this morning, Sheriff, all about the sighting last week.

SHERIFF: Dry lightning, deputy.

DEPUTY: I keep telling them that, but they keep calling.

SHERIFF: I don't have time to talk to anybody about unfounded or unsubstantiated rumors, and it is your job to explain that to them.

DEPUTY: Yes, sir.

SHERIFF: Thank you, deputy.

(Valenti opens the door to his office to find a man sitting in his chair)

HUBBLE: Been a while, junior.

SHERIFF: How'd you get past the front desk?

HUBBLE: Better beef up security. Heard you had a boy. Bachelor myself, no kids for me.

SHERIFF: You're not welcome here, Hub.

HUBBLE: Oh, junior, I expect more from you than dumbass small town threats. Well, just wanted to stop by. Regards to your dad. From what I hear, you're starting to come around to his way of thinking. See ya, junior.

DEPUTY: Who was that?

SHERIFF: That, deputy, was a bona fide alien hunter.

(Opening credits)

(There is a UFO convention at the UFO center. Michael is talking to an "alien expert", asking his opinion on aliens)

ALIEN EXPERT: I've concluded, Mr. Guerin, that yes, these aliens do exist. Yes, they're among us today. And yes, they're brutal, dangerous killers and must be stopped at any cost.

(Isabel walks by and pulls Michael away)

MICHAEL: Hey, I wasn't finished talking to him.

ISABEL: I want to get the hell out of here. This place is psychologically damaging.

MICHAEL: Hey, I've got no choice here. We've got cave paintings we don't understand. We've got Nasedo sending us messages. This place could hold the answers to everything.

ISABEL: Yeah, I'm sure it's a real mecca for factual information.

MAX (in disguise): Save me. Save me. I'm a human trapped in an alien body.

ISABEL: Excuse us.

(Max takes off his mask)

MAX: Ugh.

ISABEL: You realize that we've just lost our last shred of dignity.

(Liz is serving convention patrons at the Crashdown Cafe)

LIZ: Ok, I have one Green Eggs with Moon Rock Hash and one convention special. Can I get you guys anything else?

ZINAPLOX: I am Zinaplox from the planet Zedagon. I come to destroy humanity and return to my home planet.

LIZ: Well, then it's really great that you're starting out with a nice hearty breakfast.

(Liz looks up and sees Larry and Jen enter the Crashdown. She starts seeing flashbacks of the shooting incident that occurred last September)

LIZ: Hi, welcome to the Crashdown. Can I show you to a table?

LARRY: Table, yes...table would be lovely. Jen, table?

JEN: Yeah, thanks.

LARRY: Great.

LIZ: Here you go. Ah, so, can I get you a beverage to start?

LARRY: Beverage would be lovely. Jen, beverage?

JEN: I'll have a Coke.

LARRY: Yeah, you know what? I would love to try one of those, uh, delicious shakes that you guys have. Let's see, which one...oh, this one looks interesting. Alien Encounter?

LIZ: Yeah, ok, so we've got one Coke and one Alien Encounter. I'll just be right back.

LARRY: Thanks. Actually, you know what. There is just one more little thing. Why don't you tell me what really happened in September.

(Max drags Michael into one of the rooms in the UFO Center)

MAX: Michael, I've got to talk to you about something...personal.

MICHAEL: Nothing's too personal.

MAX: How'd you do it with Maria?

MICHAEL: Too personal.

MAX: No, I mean...how did you stop? I can't stop thinking about Liz. Everytime I see her, she just starts going into slow motion.

MICHAEL: Maxwell, you've gotta be strong. You can't let yourself be led around by your...energy source. It wasn't easy for me, either, but you gotta throw yourself into something else...anything else. Something just to get your mind off her.

MAX: Throw myself into something.

(Milton walks up to Max on the convention floor)

MILTON: Can you feel it, Evans?

MAX: What's that, Milton?

MILTON: The energy, the synergy...it's kismet.

MAX: Kismet?

MILTON: The sighting has attracted some of the leading experts in the field. This is shaping up to be one of the most important gatherings on the paranormal in history. We're not just a joke anymore, Evans.

MAX: That's great, Milton.

MILTON: The problem is I'm overwhelmed here. The press is buzzing around like flies. And the celebrities, they're making my life a living hell. Oh, well, it's no wonder my cyadic nerve is acting up.

MAX: Well, maybe I could take on more.

MILTON: More?

MAX: More work, more responsibilities. I've actually been looking for something to throw myself into.

MILTON: I'm not going to lie to you, Evans. I'm moved right now. I'm going to give you more work than you ever knew existed.

(Michael is looking around at the various exhibits and finds something called the "Alien Takedown", which Maria is helping to set up)

MICHAEL: Alien Takedown? What's that, some kind of wrestling match?

MARIA: Yeah, the Alien Takedown. Do you have a problem with that?

MICHAEL: Yeah, you know what, I do. I'm here trying to figure out the meaning of my existence, and I'm tired of having to wade through the kooks like you and the freak shows like this in order to do it.

AMY: Nothing personal, but this freak show keeps my kooky daughter and myself off the streets.

MARIA: Mom, Michael. Michael, mom.

AMY: Nice to meet you.

MARIA: That was some guffaw.

MICHAEL: Guffaw?

MARIA: Yeah, my mother. Great first impression.

MICHAEL: Why would I want to make an impression?

(Somewhere else in the convention, Jonathan Frakes walks up to Max)

FRAKES: Are you Max Evans?

MAX: Yeah. Oh, aren't you...

FRAKES: Yes, I am. Milton said that you were in charge of celebrity relations.

MAX: Well, yeah, I guess I am.

FRAKES: Then maybe you can explain to me why Shatner and Stewart got suites and I didn't.

MAX: Well, I think the Tumbleweed only has 2 suites.

FRAKES: And why wouldn't I get one of them?

MAX: I think they signed on first, so they got the suites.

FRAKES: Oh, that would explain it. Well, I'm going to need a suite, too.

MAX: I don't think there are any.

FRAKES: No, the right reply would be "I'll take care of it, Mr. Frakes."

MAX: Yeah, but I don't...I'll see what I can do? I'll move you to another motel.

FRAKES: Thanks, Max.

(Frakes walks off)

MILTON: Evans. I want you to meet a legend. This is Everett Hubble. You are looking at one of the few men in the world rumored to have made direct contact.

MAX: Direct contact. Sounds exciting.

HUBBLE: That's one way of looking at it.

MAX: So, what did this alien look like?

HUBBLE: Looked like you, actually...or me. They're not little green men, you know.

MILTON: I'm trying to get Hub to participate in our final roundtable discussion on Sunday.

HUBBLE: I'm just passing through. Nice little souvenir shop you got going here, Miltie.

(Hubble walks off)

MILTON: Max, you want to do more? Get Hubble to do the roundtable. Disappeared almost 30 years ago, nobody's seen him since. The man's an enigma.

(Valenti is at home with his dad's personal belongings in a box in front of him. He slowly opens the box and picks up a newspaper article dealing with his father being arrested for a Silo murder)

(Max is running the info booth for the UFO Center)

BOY: So, why'd they kill the aliens?

MAX: What aliens?

BOY: From the '47 crash. Why'd they kill them?

MAX: Well, maybe you should visit our "Theories on '47" exhibit.

BOY: But I thought this was the information booth.

MAX: Well, yeah, it is, but...

(Max is distracted all of a sudden because Liz just entered the UFO Center and is walking straight towards him)

MICHAEL: Mud.

MAX: What?

MICHAEL: When you're with her, think about mud. It helped me.

MAX: Michael, I don't need some trick. I can handle this.

LIZ: Hi, um, I just wanted to talk to you about the luncheon that we're catering.

MAX: Oh, yeah, if it's work-related, sure. It's just...I'm kind of busy.

LIZ: Ok, um, I'll just...come over...it's just that, um...Larry and Jennifer are back. You know, the ones that were there the day that I got shot? And now, Jennifer won't leave. She just planted herself in the Crashdown.

(Max's mind starts to wander and he sees Liz talking in slow motion)

LIZ: It's like, I don't know, she's been sitting there for hours. And it kind of feels like she's been watching me or something. So I came here to tell you that they're here, in case anything should happen...I want you...

MAX: Mud.

LIZ: What?

MAX: Pie. Mud pie. For the lunch the Crashdown is catering tomorrow. I was thinking about mud pie.

LIZ: Ok, um, I'll see if I can arrange it.

MAX: I gotta go. I'm really busy.

LIZ: Ok.

(Sheriff Valenti is wandering around the UFO Center and spots Hubble. As he starts to walk towards him, he runs into Amy De Luca)

AMY: Jim...Hi.

SHERIFF: Hey, Amy.

AMY: I didn't think UFO conventions were your cup of tea.

SHERIFF: I'm just here to see a friend.

AMY: Oh.

SHERIFF: I'll catch up with you later, Amy.

(Elsewhere in the UFO Center, Alex meets up with Isabel)

ALEX: Isabel, wow, hey. So, you made it.

ISABEL: You've gotta stop following me, Alex.

ALEX: Following you? Are you kidding me? I just happened to be here. I mean, the whole town is here.

MARIA: Oh, good, you found Isabel. He was looking for you.

(Outside the UFO Center, Hubble is leaned up against a car and sees Valenti walking towards him)

HUBBLE: Looking for someone?

SHERIFF: What did you come back here for, Hubble?

HUBBLE: Well, I've been tracking what's been going on around here for the last few months. The shooting in September at the Crashdown. What happened over there?

SHERIFF: You got to my father when he was at his weakest, and you pushed him over the edge. Because of you, I had to have him committed.

HUBBLE: Well, now you're giving me more credit than I deserve.

SHERIFF: You get the hell out of here.

HUBBLE: I thought we already talked about...

SHERIFF: I'm not talking to you as the Sheriff now. This is coming from me. From everything you've cost me. I don't ever want to have to see you again.

HUBBLE: I understand you'd be upset, but remember this...all those years your father's been in that nuthouse, I've been living in my own hell. Now, from what I hear, your dad isn't all there these days. But I'll bet you still have a lot of questions...about your father, about that Silo murder and why he was arrested. I'm the only person in the world that has the answers to those questions. I was there. I saw it all. I'm your link, junior. So before you kick me out of town, you ought to think about that. I can help you. We can help each other.

(It's Day 2 of the convention and Jonathan Frakes is preparing to have a mold of his handprint made for Milton's collection)

MILTON: This is truly an honor, Mr. Frakes. Our collection will be unparalleled.

FRAKES: Really. Who else have you got?

MILTON: Actually, you're our first. Our very own number one, if you know what I mean. But with Stewart and Shatner and Nimoy, there's no question it's going to be big. Really big.

FRAKES: Yeah.

MILTON: Here we go.

FRAKES: Here we go.

MILTON: Ahh.

MILTON: Oh, Evans! Evans! Oh, no problem. No problem.

(At the Crashdown, Liz stops by Jen's table, asking if she would like another coffee refill)

LIZ: Another refill?

JEN: Thanks.

LIZ: You know this is going to be your eighth cup. Do you want to switch to decaf?

JEN: Why, do I look wired to you? Strung out?

LIZ: No, no, no, you don't...not at all. You know, it's just that your eyes are a little bit red.

JEN: Great. Now he's going to know I've been crying. He hates it when I cry.

LIZ: Larry?

JEN: I guess I'd better go.

LIZ: No, just wait. Here. Here. Put this on your eyes. He'll never know.

(Inside the UFO Center, Michael is asking Max who the real experts are)

MICHAEL: Maxwell, you gotta show me the real guys.

MAX: The real guys?

MICHAEL: I'm sick and tired of talking to all these frauds. I mean, you're on the inside. Where are the real guys?

MAX: Michael, there are no real guys. It's a freak show.

(Michael looks over and sees Hubble)

MICHAEL: Who's that?

MAX: Nobody.

MICHAEL: Come on, Max, don't toy with me.

(Michael suddenly notices Larry)

MICHAEL: Oh...there's the geek from the Crashdown that day.

MAX: I know. He's been hanging around. I'm sure he's just here for the convention.

MICHAEL: I'm gonna go keep an eye on him, all right?

MAX: Excuse me, Mr. Hubble? About the...the final roundtable on Sunday...well, Milton just wanted you to know that any way that we might be able to accommodate you...

HUBBLE: I'm a doer, not a talker, kid.

MAX: Right. So I...I'm just curious...I mean, you work here, you sorta get the bug. Did you see something?

HUBBLE: Well, let's just say this...this place you're working at...this place...is a joke. If these people knew the truth, they wouldn't all be laughing so damn hard.

MAX: Is it true what Milton said? That you disappeared 30 years ago?

HUBBLE: I didn't disappear. I'm standing right in front of you. Now I'm going to disappear.

(Max looks for info on Everett Hubble in Milton's UFO search engine and sees something about the Silo murder)

(Valenti is talking to his dad at the retirement center)

SHERIFF: Dad?

JIM SR: It's too cold in here. Like an icebox.

SHERIFF: Dad...try to focus. That night of the murder...at the silo...Hubble was there?

JIM SR: Hub.

SHERIFF: Yeah.

JIM SR: He couldn't let go of his wife. That was his problem all along.

SHERIFF: Dad...

JIM SR: His wife and his kid.

SHERIFF: He didn't have a wife and kid.

JIM SR: It's freezing in here. They're trying to kill me.

SHERIFF: There you go.

(Jen and Liz are bonding at the Crashdown)

JEN: I love Larry. That's the problem. He proposed a year ago. We bought a van to drive to California to get married. It was only supposed to be a 2 week trip. And then we stopped in here for breakfast that day. And we've been on the road ever since.

LIZ: No marriage license?

JEN: You know how guys get hooked on things? So obsessed with something, they forget about you?

LIZ: Yeah.

JEN: Larry's been chasing UFOs ever since that day. In the beginning I was kind of into it...but now I'm tired of adventure. I just want to settle down. I really want a normal guy.

LIZ: I can understand that.

JEN: You got one, too, huh? A unique boyfriend?

LIZ: Unique? Yeah, that's a good word for Max.

JEN: Max?

(A panel discussion has been organized as part of the convention)

EXPERT: The experience of Mr. Grabowski has been well documented. His encounter with the smooth-skinned avoid E.B.E. contributes to a growing body of evidence as brave men like himself bring their stories to the public eye.

FRAKES: Well, there you have it. Thank you, Mr. Grabowski. Our next direct contact witness is a Lawrence Trilling.

LARRY: Right here!

FRAKES: Good afternoon, Lawrence. Do you mind if I call you Larry?

LARRY: No, that would be great. First of all, Mr. Frakes, I just gotta say that...you know how some people say that Clapton is god, you know? But I say you. You are god. I mean, I got...I got goose bumps.

FRAKES: Thank you very much.

LARRY: It's gotta be Frakes!

FRAKES: Ok, let's go to your encounter.

LARRY: Yeah, right. Ok. Um...it happened right here...right in Roswell, New Mexico. September 17th. I was in the Crashdown Cafe. Now, that's right across the street. So I'm sitting there. 2 guys come in.

(Michael and Max exchange alarmed looks. Michael then makes his way towards Larry)

LARRY: Boom! They start having an argument. Boom! A gun is pulled.

(Michael puts a hand on Larry's chest, and gives him a nasty itch)

MICHAEL: Sorry.

LARRY: Oh...no, that's ok. So these 2 guys, they start to...ahh...they start to struggle, ok? Boom! A girl is shot. Boom! A seemingly normal teenage boy...now this teenage boy, Mr. Frakes, is someone who looks just like you and me. Boom! He goes up to the girl and puts his hand over her, uh, wound, and then, boom! She...uh...she's miraculously healed.

FRAKES: Ooh! Well, all I can say is, boom! What do you think?

EXPERT: I'm insulted by this ridiculous story.

LARRY: Yeah, well, he is here. He is right here! Ok? Pal? He's right here. Right now! He's in the very audience!

FRAKES: That's enough, monkey man!

LARRY: Listen, cool it, Frakes!

FRAKES: Security?

MILTON: You and me, Evans. Let's get him.

LARRY: Hey, this is the guy right here! This is the guy! He's the one! He's the guy!

FRAKES: Well, he may not be the best convention coordinator, but I would hardly call him an alien.

LARRY: You're just like the rest of them, Frakes! There was a bullet...ah...the bullet disappeared! So where's the bullet?

MILTON: All right, careful, Evans!

LARRY: The bullet disappeared! It was never found! Where's the bullet? Ahhh...

(Outside the UFO Center, Hubble walks up to Larry and asks him about Max Evans)

HUBBLE: I know how it feels not to be listened to. I believe you, kid. Tell me everything. Tell me about Max Evans. Tell me what you saw.

(It's Day 3 of the convention, and Frakes is wondering when the other stars will arrive)

FRAKES: Hey, uh, Milton! Where's my replacements? Shatner? Stewart? Nimoy?

MILTON: Max, didn't you tell him?

MAX: I thought we weren't supposed to.

MILTON: At least your room has been upgraded to a suite.

MAX: Milton, about Hubble...what about this Silo murder in 1972?

MILTON: How do you know about that?

MAX: Well, I looked it up on your UFO search engine.

MILTON: Evans, you are beginning to remind me more and more of myself when I was your age.

MAX: You said he disappeared about 30 years ago. Was it because of the murder?

MILTON: Evans, when I say he doesn't talk, I mean he doesn't talk! Ever! The people I know in the community, people on the inside, believe he went after one. He found one and he's been tracking him ever since. He could be closer than any of us, Evans.

(Amy is on the phone with one of the wrestlers she hired for the Alien Takedown)

AMY: You can't quit now. The Alien Takedown is in an hour! Ernie, you have nothing to be afraid of. Raging Ray is a...puppy dog. Look, he's not really gonna do anything really rough. I realize you suffered a broken rib last year...fine, 2, I...did you not receive my gift basket? Look, Ernie, if you don't do this, I'm broke. Ok? I'm out of business, ok? I...I have half my annual revenue tied up in this thing! Hello? Hello? Oh...

(Inside Valenti's office, Hubble shows the Sheriff some of the alien murder pics he's taken)

HUBBLE: Thanks for hearing me out, Jimmy. This guy's been leaving carnage all over the southwest for the past 40 years. No reason to believe he's about to stop. Handprints are the only trail he leaves. It only lasts for a day or so, and then it disappears, so I'm always around with a camera.

SHERIFF: Where'd you get these?

HUBBLE: I know you've been investigating, but you're a weekend enthusiast. It's been full-time for me. One of them's my own work. The girl...

SHERIFF: Who is she?

HUBBLE: It's not important. The others I procured. Like I said, I have connections.

SHERIFF: Who are they?

HUBBLE: The victims? They're just people. People with bad luck. In the wrong place at the wrong time. Jimmy...your father may have made a mistake that night...pulled the trigger on the wrong man...but he wasn't crazy. You already know that, don't you? You knew that when I showed up here. It was in your eyes. All your father wanted to do was to help this world out. And they hung him on a cross for it. This isn't just some happy-go-lucky alien we're lookin' at. This is a killer, Jimmy. If you know something about it, it's our duty to team together now...do something. What about this kid? Max Evans. He have something to do with all this?

SHERIFF: Maybe.

(Alex knocks on the door of the Evans home. Isabel has been waiting for him to make his move)

ALEX: Hello! Anybody home?

ISABEL: Come in.

ALEX: Hey, I was in the neighborhood.

ISABEL: Yeah, for the last 20 minutes. What's up?

ALEX: Um...I saw this at the convention, and I...I had to get it for you. It's a book on constellations.

ISABEL: Had to?

ALEX: I know that you're into the stars and everything and...well, I was thinking that maybe, um, sometime we could get together and, you know, try it out?

ISABEL: I thought we'd been through this. You know, no dates.

ALEX: No, no, no, no! Not a date. Just 2 friends out at the same place, enjoying the same thing at the same time.

ISABEL: I really like you, Alex.

ALEX: Well, thank you, Isabel.

ISABEL: But this has to stop.

ALEX: It does, yeah. What? What does?

ISABEL: This obsession. I...I mean I wanna be your friend, but every time I turn around you're there and...and it's suffocating me. So...I'm sorry.

ALEX: No no...I got you. No problem. Um...I wouldn't want to suffocate anybody. So I'll just, uh...I'll...I'll see you later.

(At the Crashdown, Maria and her mom are depressed because Ernie couldn't make it to the Alien Takedown wrestling match)

LIZ: Here you go. Drown your sorrows.

AMY: Oh, girls, girls, girls...if I'd known real life was gonna be this difficult I never would have signed up.

ALEX: You guys look as good as I feel.

LIZ: Root beer float?

ALEX: No, uh...orange soda on the rocks.

AMY: Mmm, girl trouble.

ALEX: Oh, it's that obvious? Great. Great. Hey, listen...let me ask you guys a question. As women, do you find that all men are obsessive?

AMY: Yes.

LIZ: Absolutely.

MARIA: No question.

AMY: They find something...

MARIA: Usually something completely inane and useless.

LIZ: Oh, like football.

EVERYONE: Or UFOs.

AMY: Oh, and then they just don't let it go!

JEN: Until it consumes every waking minute of their day! Sorry. Couldn't help but deeply relate.

LIZ: Yeah, but then they use it as an excuse.

AMY: Oh, whenever it's convenient for them...

MARIA: To just completely ignore you.

AMY: Yeah, and it's so clear why they're doing it.

LIZ: Oh, yeah. It's an avoidance thing.

JEN: They hide behind their obsession!

AMY: Because what they really are is afraid.

MARIA: Deathly afraid.

LIZ: Of commitment.

ALEX: Ok. I got it. Crystal clear. But...what if, uh, there's a guy whose obsession is a woman?

EVERYONE: Oh!

AMY: Oh, yeah, right.

LIZ: Dream on.

MILTON: Amy! Where are you? The match is almost over!

AMY: What? Ernie showed up?

RAY: Hey, yo. You better call an ambulance, huh? Bang! Ha ha ha ha!

(Amy rushes to the area set aside for the "Alien Takedown" and finds a masked wrestler lying in the middle of the ring...he's not moving)

AMY: Ernie! Oh, my God! Are you ok?

(The masked wrestler slowly takes off his mask to reveal...Michael)

MICHAEL: I'm just resting.

AMY: Oh, you dear, dear, boy! Oh!

(Michael sits up and Maria sits down in front of him and smiles at him)

MICHAEL: It was easy money.

(Maria smiles at Michael -- obviously grateful for his selfless act --pulls his head towards hers, and softly kisses him)

MICHAEL: Mud.

MARIA: What?

MICHAEL: Mud. I'm thinking about mud.

MARIA: Why do I even try?

(Sheriff Valenti is going through the pictures that Hubble gave him. He sees a license plate in one of the pictures and looks it up in his computer. The car was registered to Sheila Hubble)

SHERIFF: Well, now, how about that?

(At the UFO Center, Hubble is looking for Max and finds him in one of the back rooms)

HUBBLE: Evans! Milton said you wanted to talk to me about something.

MAX: Yeah, um, Shatner's a no-show.

HUBBLE: Oh, sorry to hear that.

MAX: What do I have to do to convince you to...to do this panel?

HUBBLE: Well, son, your tenacity has won me over.

MAX: Really?

HUBBLE: I'm no Captain Kirk, but I'll give it my best shot.

MAX: Great! Thank you.

HUBBLE: There's only one problem. My slides are back home. I'd go get 'em, but, uh...I busted a hose on my way up. My truck's down at the garage waiting for the part. Thing's so old that, uh, I think they had to order it from Singapore.

MAX: Then I'll drive you.

HUBBLE: That's what I thought you'd say. We could talk on the way over...answer your questions.

(Valenti goes back to his father, realizing that his father told the truth about Hubble having a wife and child)

SHERIFF: You were right. He had a wife. Hubble came to you, didn't he? He told you someone was trying to steal his car that night. And he found his wife dead. And she had a handprint on her. Just like the one that you'd seen on that corpse in 1959. And he saw a man run away from the scene. A drifter. And he thought the drifter was the murderer. Now 2 years after the murder, he came back, didn't he? And he found you. And he persuaded you...seduced you...and you helped him find that drifter. Isn't that right, dad?

JIM SR: The drifter?

SHERIFF: And when you found him, you killed him. You killed an innocent man because of Hubble.

JIM SR: No.

SHERIFF: Dad...

JIM SR: No!

SHERIFF: Dad, tell me what happened out there, please.

(Max and Hubble leave the UFO center and go towards Max's jeep)

MAX: All right. I'm ready.

HUBBLE: I'm ready, too.

MAX: So where are we going?

HUBBLE: Not far. I'm just over in Bitter Lake.

(Michael sees Max and Hubble leaving together and walks up to Larry and forcefully gets some answers from him)

MICHAEL: Hey, what the hell's going on? What's that guy doing with Max?

LARRY: I don't know.

MICHAEL: Tell me what he's doing with Max!

LARRY: All right. He came up to me after the panel discussion, all right? He asked me questions about Max. You know, what he did the day of the shooting.

(Back at the retirement home, Valenti's dad is trying to explain what happened)

JIM SR: I did help Hubble. We tracked him. We were just going to get the truth. He told me he wouldn't hurt the man.

SHERIFF: Hubble shot him. Didn't he? He shot the drifter, not you.

JIM SR: Whatever you do, Jimmy...don't trust him.

(Max and Hubble are in Max's jeep going down a road)

HUBBLE: Beautiful countryside, don't you think? Especially at sunset.

MAX: Yeah, it's pretty cool. So, Mr. Hubble, you said you were going to answer my questions.

HUBBLE: My wife Sheila and me liked to slip away sometimes...just take a drive. Nothing like flying down the highway with the woman you love by your side, now is there?

MAX: You're probably right.

HUBBLE: 'Course it's gotta be the right one. You know how you know that? A kiss. That's how. Ever heard the expression, "I saw fireworks"? It was just like the 4th of July. That ever happen to you when you kissed a girl?

MAX: Maybe...once.

HUBBLE: Well...it was our first anniversary. She told me she had a surprise for me. I had one for her. I took the last of my paycheck from the refinery, and I bought some fireworks from an old Indian over by the side of the road off the highway there. Just outside of town I remembered I forgot to bring matches. So I pulled in to Peppers Cafe. But you know that, don't you?

MAX: Sir?

HUBBLE: Pull over to the side there. I want to show you something. You recognize it?

MAX: I don't know what you're talking about. I've never been here.

HUBBLE: It was just gettin' dark. All I needed was a pack of matches and...there, there they were...right there on the counter, in a fishbowl. 10 cents a pack.

MAX: Mr. Hubble, if we're gonna make Bitter Lake and back in time for the panel...

HUBBLE: And you know what? I...I didn't have it. Not...not even 10 cents. I thought about going back and...and getting some spare change where I kept it in the ashtray. But I said, "hey, bud...bud, don't make me embarrass myself in front of my lady. Uh, it's my anniversary." And he says, uh..."Have a good time...it's on the house."

MAX: I don't understand.

HUBBLE: I didn't have a good time. Not that night. Not any night since.

(Larry enters the Crashdown and looks around frantically for Jen)

LARRY: Hey! Jen, hi. Listen, I have had an epiphany.

JEN: Really? I thought you said it was an allergy attack.

LARRY: Listen, Jen, last night I spent 2 hours with a guy who's spent his entire life hunting aliens. Now, that is not me, all right? I do not want to become that. Ok? I am not a hunter, Jen, you know...I am a gatherer. All right? A gatherer of...of...of information. A seeker of truth. You know? Ok? And I do not...I do not want to hunt anyone anymore. Wait, why are you wearing that?

JEN: It's busy. Liz needed me to help out.

LARRY: Oh, my God, Jen, this is fate! Kismet! I mean, this is where we belong.

JEN: Where?

LARRY: Here. In Roswell. I can...I can pursue my passion right here where it all started, yes. Listen, we can settle down...OK, we can get a little place, you know...we don't have to travel...I am ready. Jen, I am...I am ready...to marry you.

JEN: Oh, my God...Larry...oh, my God...

(Valenti is driving to Bitter Lake with a grim look on his face)

(Scene switches back to Max and Hubble at the deserted Peppers Cafe)

HUBBLE: She never did get my surprise. And I never did get hers. Not until I got a copy of the coroner's report. There it was in black ink. 3 months pregnant. A little girl, it said. She was carrying our child. Surprise.

MAX: I'm sorry.

HUBBLE: And so am I. 4 innocent people lost their lives startin' that day. My wife, my baby...that drifter, and, uh...and me. Dead man walking. That's what I felt all those years. Only thing kept me alive was you.

MAX: Me? But...but I don't know you.

(Hubble pulls out a gun and points it at Max)

HUBBLE: I know you.

MAX: Whoa, mister, you are making a big mistake.

HUBBLE: I know how you can change your face, your body...you're a shape-shifter because you're always running. You changed yourself into that drifter when you killed my Sheila trying to get our car. What were you running from then? Somebody else find out your little secret?

MAX: Sir, I know you're upset...but I did not kill your wife. I wouldn't kill anybody.

HUBBLE: Valenti told me about the healing, about the handprint...just like on Sheila.

MAX: I am not him. Whoever you think I am, I swear I am not him.

HUBBLE: I know who you really are, what you're capable of, and I won't let you kill again.

MICHAEL: Hey!

(Michael's sudden appearance startles Hubble long enough for Max to knock the gun away from him. Max and Hubble struggle in the dirt. Hubble is trying to reach his gun and Max is trying to prevent him. Max uses his power to push the gun away just as headlights appear from Valenti's car)

HUBBLE: I knew it was you, you bastard!

SHERIFF: Drop the gun! Drop it!

HUBBLE: It's him!

SHERIFF: Drop it!

HUBBLE: I just saw it! I was right!

SHERIFF: You saw what?

HUBBLE: His powers! Don't you see who he is? We have to stop him.

MAX: I don't know what he's talking about.

HUBBLE: Liar!

SHERIFF: Drop it, Hub.

HUBBLE: This son of a bitch is gonna die today, and nothing's gonna stop me, so go ahead! Unload every bullet in your chamber.

SHERIFF: It only takes one.

HUBBLE: Your father couldn't do it...and neither can you.

(Hubble gets ready to shoot Max and Valenti shoots one round into Hubble, which causes him to slump to the ground)

SHERIFF: I didn't know this was gonna happen. I didn't know he was as dangerous as he was.

MAX: What did you tell him? Why did he come after me? You're the Sheriff. You're supposed to protect me. But all you've done is go after me! You believe all these crazy things. You're just like Hubble. You want me? Well, here I am! Take me.

MICHAEL: Max, come on, just relax.

MAX: No, no!

SHERIFF: Son...

MAX: Would you treat your son this way?

SHERIFF: Get outta here. The both of you. You were never here. Go on!

MICHAEL: Come on, let's go. The guy was crazy, Max, all right? He didn't know what he was talking about.

MAX: I don't think he was crazy, Michael. I think the one we've been looking for has killed people...a lot of people.

VALENTI: This is Sheriff Valenti. I've been involved in a code 4. I got one man down. My 10-20 is the abandoned Peppers Cafe at Bitter Lake.

(Scene fades out with Valenti calling for backup as he stands over the crumpled body of Everett Hubble)