Guess What!

Title: Guess What!

Author: Delma RM

derema@hotmail.com

Guess What!

Renée walked around the room waiting for a response. “Gentleman, I don’t have all day. Your decision needs to be made today.”

Then her global went off. There was only one person who would have been let through. She didn’t answer it. “It seems you’ve lucked out. There’s an emergency I need to see to. That gives you all another 48 hours to make up your minds.”

Ms. Palmer walked of the conference room and into the elevator before she opened her global. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m going to explode!”

“Where’s Liam?”

“At the Embassy. I’m at Jenny’s. Oh God! Please hurry! I’m not having my babies in the back row of this book store.”

“My people are on their way. Relax, you’ll be fine.” Renée snapped the global shut and punched another button. She smiled at her little secret.

---

Several hours later:

Liam walked into his apartment. “Edana! Ed! You home?”

He looked all over the apartment but she wasn’t there. Then he called her global. No answer. He started to get worried. The Pop date as she called it was near. Where would she be?

---

The Embassy:

Da’an sat up in his chair. He hoped the others had not felt it. Agent Martinez’s children were almost here.

---

“So, mommy. How are you feeling?”

“If I had my hands on my husband, he wouldn’t be around long.”

“Perfect. You are doing fine.” Edana already hated the doctor. He acted like he knew everything there was to know. Truth was he knew nothing. Renée hadn’t told her staff anything. They were all in for a big surprise if she didn’t get there soon.

---

“Sandoval.” Sandoval glanced at his screen. “What did you need Major?”

“Have you seen Edana today?”

“No.”

“I can’t find her.”

“If I see her, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”

“Thanks.” The screen went blank. Sandoval turned back to Alex.

“These tests. You took them and passed them without telling me?”

“Yeah.”

“You got credit?”

“Yes.”

“Graduating as a junior.”

“That’s right…almost.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were going to do this?”

“Would you have let me?”

“No…”

“See. I’ve already put in applications for college and for internships. I’m pretty much set. All I need is to sit back and wait for the acceptance letters.”

“And I was supposed to agree to this? You’re 17 years old. Are you even getting to graduate with any class?”

“You mean walk across the stage… no.”

“That was the single most gratifying moment of my young life. Walking across that stage to receive my diploma. I worked hard to have that moment. You would really forgo that?”

“I have been working hard. I learned a year’s worth of material in one semester. I took those tests and aced them. Getting those letters to confirm that was wonderful. I am not a person who puts much into the whole high school experience. It’s overrated. I’ve been to a senior prom. I’ve been to state competitions. I’ve done the spirit thing; I’ve done the active thing. I need out of that hellhole you call a school.”

“That was the best boarding school on the east coast. You should feel honored to have gone there.”

“I have to admit. It looked great on my applications. It’s too late. I’ve graduated. If you make me go back, I’ll graduate with like 50 credits.”

“What am I supposed to do with you this semester?”

“I was actually thinking about a volunteer/internship at the Embassy. That experience would look great on a resume whether or not I get paid.” Alex smiled at her uncle. He knew he was beaten.

---

Boone and Renée walked into the lab where Edana was screaming in pain. She was screaming at the doctor.

“Don’t you dare touch me! I don’t want drugs.”

“Gordon. I warned you. This is not going to be normal. No drugs and she gets what she wants.” Renée approached the table.

“Will, if he comes near me again, skrill him.” Edana ordered through clenched teeth.

“What is her problem?” Gordon pulled a new pair of gloves onto his hands. Edana had bitten through the last pair.

“Gordon. I suggest you don’t touch her again. I don’t like to see her mad.” Boone warned the doc away. “How’re you doing Ed?”

“I feel like I’m giving birth to twin bowling balls.”

---

Liam felt close to tears. He’d searched high and low and came up with nothing so far. None of her clothes were missing. No notes, nothing on voice mail or in her calendar. Renée was in a meeting. Boone was off and so was his global. Augur was home but didn’t know where anyone was. Liam felt like he was losing it. She was so close to her due date. Where was she?

---

“There you go. A boy and a girl.” The doctor laid the babies in her arms. Edana was crying as she held them both. They were so beautiful. Then her head started spinning.

“Will? Renée?” They each took one baby before she blacked out.

“Check her CVI.” Renée ordered. “We can’t have her dying on us. Will, take the babies into the next room. There’re cribs and clothes. Don’t worry about it, you’ll figure it out.”

Boone took once last look at Edana before carrying the twins into the next room. They were so quiet. Their little gray eyes watched him. It was like they recognized him. He set each carefully down and turned to grab something to cover them up with. When he turned around he got a shock.

“I guess this means they take after Liam.”

---

Da’an settled down as the new additions to the Commonality sank down into a low state of existence like Liam had. They were here.

---

“So this means they take after daddy?”

“From what I’ve heard… yes.” Boone answered as they stared at the children. “How is she?”

“Out for the count. I don’t know what happened. She was fine, still is but she’s blanked out.” Renée looked back at Will. “What are we going to do about them?”

“I thought you had it all planned out.”

“I did but I was told to expect complete normalcy or rapid growth to full adulthood.”

“You didn’t think they would grow and then stop?”

“No. This is definitely unexpected.”

“Where’s mama?” The little girl demanded.

“She’s sleeping sweetie.” Renée smiled at her. The girl glared and clutched her brother’s hand.

“I’m not sweetie.” The little girl practically growled at Renée.

“That’s nice… just like her mother.” Renée commented.

---

Liam felt a wave of calming wash over him. He didn’t know where it came from but he welcomed it. Somehow he had ended up in his office. He had looked in all of her favorite hangouts. Every restaurant that would cater to her deranged cravings and had come up with nothing. He couldn’t report her missing for another couple of hours. He had nothing to do but sit and wait for some sort of sign.

---

A few days later:

“Still no news Major Kincaid.” The view screen spoke to him.

“Keep looking.” Liam couldn’t believe she was gone. In four days they had found absolutely nothing.

“Major?”

“Still nothing, Agent Sandoval.”

“Keep it up. I’m sending Mr. Blake in here to get acquainted with your schedule.”

“Mr. Blake?”

“We’ve just gotten a new set of interns. These will be working closer than the others. I’ve not had the chance to become acquainted with them myself yet.” Then Liam’s global went off.

“Major Kincaid. We found her. Meet us at these coordinates.”

“Well then, I guess the introductions will have to wait a little longer.” Agent Sandoval dismissed Liam, who ran off.

---

Liam approached the building from behind. It was a Doors International building. The agents were milling about and he would bet half his salary that not one of them had taken note of that.

“Major! This way!” Liam followed the voice to a dumpster. Sitting beside it was Edana. She looked tired and confused and very NOT pregnant.

“Ed?”

“Liam?” She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I can’t remember. It’s like there’s a hole in my head.”

“It’s alright.” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “I’m here, it’ll be okay.”

“They took the babies.” She whispered.

“Who did?”

“I don’t know but they took them, Liam. I’m sorry… I can’t remember.”

“It’s all right. Let’s get you to Dr. Park and Dr. Belman. Then we’ll find them.”

---

“You have found Agent Martinez.” It was not a question.

“Yes, we did.” Liam spoke softly to the concerned Companion.

“Your children?”

“Gone. She can’t remember anything but she no longer has them.”

“They are born and alive I believe.” Da’an closed his eyes and blushed lightly.

“How do you know?” Liam asked eagerly.

“Have you not felt them? I felt them just before their birth a few days ago.”

“I do not feel them. I wish I could. At least then I would know whether or not they are alive. I now nothing and it’s killing me.”

“They are alive. I feel their small presence in the Commonality, just as I fee yours. I do not feel that they are in any danger.”

“If they are alive… if they are fine… Where are they? Are they still babies? Are they grown up? I have all these questions in my head and not one answer. I’ll be back. I need to attend to my wife.”

---

Agent Sandoval walked into Liam's small office and knelt beside Edana.

“Eddy?”

“Ron, I…I…” The tears rolled down her face once again.

“Major? What happened?” Sandoval demanded without a glance in his direction.

“We don’t know. She doesn’t remember.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she remembers next to nothing, which includes the birth. I mean I have no idea what might have happened. I mean I don’t know where my children are. Could you leave for a moment?”

Sandoval stood and walked out of the office. “Mr. Blake, wait out here, if they need anything, you get it for them. We’ll continue our conversation later.”

---

Edana sat in the nursery and just stared. It killed Liam to see her like this. He had questioned everybody and searched everywhere. Their children were gone. She looked the he felt. Empty.

---

T’than paced among the other four Taelons. “ I felt it! I know I felt it.”

“I also felt the ripple within the Commonality.” Del’an spoke slowly.

“What was it?” Da’an feigned ignorance.

“Not one of us seems to know.” Ke’ri spoke up. He and Da’an knew exactly what the ripple was.

“I have not felt anything like it in two Earth years.” Zo’or finally conceded.

“What was it two years ago?” T’than demanded.

“Ha’gel.” Zo’or said simply.

“Not possible.”

“That is beside the point. I felt it then and I feel it now!”

---

A few weeks later:

Sandoval, Liam and Boone were in Sandoval’s office, standing in front of three young people. Sandoval was asking his questions, which only seemed directed at two of them.

“Mr., Ms. Blake. Tell us how you came into this internship.”

“Why aren’t you asking Ms. Escobar any of these questions?” Ms. Blake threw back. She was trying to remain calm but that wasn’t her strong point.

“I’ve got family in the Embassy. I’m here out of nepotism.” Alex filled in, looking straight ahead. She was trying to play the game but it wasn’t easy to learn.

“I see. Suppose you could say the same for us. Ms. Renée Palmer, our aunt, told us about the positions.” Liam’s eyebrows went up.

“I wasn’t aware Ms. Palmer had any siblings, much less niece and nephew.” Liam had to get that out there.

“You could say that we’re new additions to the Palmer Empire.” Mr. Blake spoke quietly but not one bit meekly. Sandoval noticed again what he had noticed the first time he had met the young man. Something about his eyes unnerved him. His whole manner screamed control. It was so rare to find such control in one so young. Sandoval had just found a new recruit for his agenda.

“I think that I’ll have you young women keep up with Commander Boone’s busy schedule. That is until Agent Martinez has returned next week. Alexandria, you’ll report to her at that point.

“Mr. Blake, this is my pilot, Major Kincaid. He usually takes care of thing for me but I think you will be able to balance things out.”

“Yes sir.” Came the quiet response.

“Alexandria, I hope that I do not have to remind you…”

“I know, I know. I’ll behave myself. I’ll keep this mouth of mine under lock and key.” She threw him a look that said, ‘I’m not a child you know.’ She couldn’t believe he’d just admonished her in front of her new co-workers.

---

“How do you thing they’re doing?” Boone leaned across his desk.

“Just fine. They already used me to get in here.” Renée glanced out Boone’s window as the three interns followed Sandoval around the building. “Frankly, they scare me.”

“Both? Or one in particular?”

“She is loud and passionate. I’m not worried about her. Him though. He’s reserved and seems to be in complete control. He reminds me of Sandoval.”

“Well he is their grandfather.” Boone tapped his global on his desk. “How bad did you mess with her head?”

“Just enough.”

“Is this right? Should we have done this?” Boone turned to look out his window to see where the twins and Alex were listening to Sandoval. “We are the last ones that should have taken this over. We know nothing. We are new in comparison to anyone else. Including the people who don’t know.”

---

Sandoval watched from his office then he turned to his screen. “Tate, I need some research.”

“Really. On?”

“Daniel and Dara Blake. Apparently the 21 year old, twin nephew and niece of Ms. Renée Palmer. Let me know when you find something.”

“Right boss. When are we talking about my rai—“ Sandoval waved his hand, cutting off both Tate and the screen.