Copyright 1999, Lyta. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be re-posted in part or in full without written permission from me.
Disclaimer: Gene Roddenberry's Earth Final Conflict is copyright 1998, Tribune Entertainment Co. The Pretender is the property of NBC. Characters are used without permission, no infringement is intended.
Rating: PG-13
Title: The Rest is Silence
Author: Lyta
Lyta_1028@yahoo.com

Summary: Lili makes an unwelcome discovery.

Warning: Sequel to "Currents Turn Awry" and "Brief Candle". This story deals with  death.

"The Rest is Silence"

     Lili Marquette found Liam Kincaid early the next morning.
     He was lying on his side, the blood having soaked through past the pillow to stain the mattress There was a peaceful, almost angelic expression on his young face. Aside from the floor only the stillness of his form, the failure of his chest to rise and fall with each breathe, betrayed his true state.
     Lili's first reaction was the stunned recognition of his passing, her second was the vain hope that somehow Liam would wake up as he had after his near-death experience in the Resistance HQ. Her third reaction was what one of her colleagues from the SI War called 'Marine Crisis Mode'. She pushed her emotions into a drawer in her mind, somehow squashing them down and forcing herself to be objective about the situation.
     She took a cheap white washcloth from the bathroom and filled the ice bucket with cool water  and carried it into the room to  lay on the nightstand. She  dipped the cloth into the water and proceeded to gently wash away the dried blood from his ears. Next switched the stained pillow under his head for the clean one next to it before she finally  pulled the blanket over his still form..
     Then she went out and told Da'an and Augur. Lili left them even before the shocked and horrified expressions disappeared from their faces, and she went to the front desk to reserve Liam's room for an additional three days. She even managed to retain enough presence of mind to hand the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the doorknob.
    Finally, Lili wrote two letters on the stationary she found in her room and addressed both to FBI Agent Ronald Sandoval. She sent them with a resistance member who worked getting the mail through the portals. One letter would be placed in an old drop box the Taelons had found months ago and the other would be taken to Sandoval's home.
     Augur came in after she had sent the letters off. He approached the bed and pulled back the sheet that concealed Liam's still form from view. It was a long time before he could stop staring at his friend. Finally, he ruffled Liam's dark hair one last time and recovered him.
     Even Da'an came to pay his final respects, wearing a long, heavy coat the Taelon had temporarily borrowed from Augur. At the sight of Liam's still face, he lost his human facade. It took him many moments to regain his appearance and his sorrow and rage were clearly broadcast over the Commonality.

     It was a year before Lili could visit Liam's grave in Ireland. A local news crew recorded the funeral service and a resistance sympathizer in their employ had made a copy that eventually came to her. Other than the minister and Sandoval, the only people who had any real connection to Liam were Beckett's parents. Clips from the funeral were shown on the evening news. There was no mention of Liam's true heritage or the manner of his passing, which was described as a job related accident.
    Lili stood there as the rain gently pelted her face, mingling with the tears she finally allowed to fall freely. After his death she had slipped into 'Marine crisis mode' and it was only now that the brittle façade she had erected dissolved. She had been afraid that if she let herself grieve she would be consumed by anger, by a need for revenge.
    She would be lying to herself if she claimed that a desire to hurt the Taelons for killing Liam, even if neither they or their agents had directly pulled the trigger, had not crossed her mind. She also admitted to herself that part of the rage she now felt against Zo'or also had roots dating back from Boone's death. She had to squash those feelings to keep them from leaking out, but now, now everyone knew her true affiliation.
    She remembered Da'an telling her exactly how Boone had met his end in the blue tank, dissolved like some of the experiments from her high school chemistry lab. The Synod leader had taken two of the people she cared for, and as much as she wanted not to feel a thirst for revenge, she wanted retribution.
    She wanted Zo'or to feel every second of fear Boone had felt helpless in the tank, every second of horror Liam had experienced as he was implanted against his will, every pain he had caused the Liberation a thousand times over.
    Lili pulled a small device out of her purse. No one knew she had this, not Augur, not Da'an, especially not Da'an. It was the only punishment she could think of for the Taelon, but she knew the others would not approve. She thumbed the button for a long moment before pressing it down hard and wishing that she could be on the Mothership to personally view the results…

To be Continued…