Quality of Life - Finale
An Earth - Final Conflict story by Tina Price
( TinaP@prodigy.net )
Original Story Ideas ©1998, Tina Price. All rights reserved.
Preview: As Boone and Da'an work toward forcing Zo'or to develop a means of circumventing the new series three CVI's, they meet with an unexpected complication. Will they give up their biggest pawn in the hopes of achieving a greater good?
!Content Warning!: This story is rated R for sexual content. If you prefer the PG-13 version, it will be available at one or more of the following sites:
Jen's Gumbo: http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/1773/fan.htm
Ja'el's Da'an site: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/2974/tinap.html
Companion HQ site: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/8941/DaansOffice.htm
Disclaimer: Earth - Final Conflict, all characters and images therein, as well as story elements put forth in the series are the property of the Tribune Entertainment Company. Several characters appearing in this story are my own creation. Any similarity with anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.
Authors notes: This story may refer to events occurring in the actual series, however, it is in fact what could be dubbed "An Alternate EFC Universe Story". <"Lines appearing in this context denote mental speech."> The poem is "A Single Night" by -Rainier Maria Rilke (one of my favorite poets). I would also like to give a nod to Ursula K. LeGuin, whose UN-EDITED, ORIGINAL RENDITION of "The Left Hand of Darkness" included a love scene between a trans-gendered alien and a human man. I read that version many years back and have yet to find another copy of it. It, along with many e-mails from readers, inspired me to finally write this story. As always, I am in no way receiving 'privileged information'. Any advice, criticism and kudos are always welcomed. Please contact me at the above e-mail address.
Quality of Life
Finale
IThrowing his tie onto the back of
a chair, Sandoval retrieved a bottle of cola from the fridge and popping it open, chugged
a third of it down. Shuddering briefly, he moved back out to the living area and collapsed
into his favorite chair where he took another chug and shuddered again.
"I hate this stuff..." he grumbled.
The soda was way too sweet for his taste, but at the moment it was the only thing in the
house besides tap water.
With a sigh, he let his eyes wander about the
room. It had been a very long time since he'd last actually noticed the place.
For the past three years, he had come back here
only to sleep, shower and change - if he bothered to come back at all, that was...
...And now here he sat, suddenly himself again
- or at least as close to himself as he was ever likely to get again.
Quickly, he downed the rest of the soda and
rising unexpectedly, hurled the bottle as hard as he could at the image of himself across
the room. The mirror shattered, throwing silver plated shrapnel in all directions.
Unsatisfied by its demise, he sank back down in the chair and let his head drop into his
hands.
How would he ever come to terms with the things
he had done?
Boone was alive! He was back!
The man whose wife he had killed, simply to
please Da'an... The man who later got his pound of flesh back... and more...
Boone had not let him die when his CVI broke
down. Oh no - nothing so simple as letting him finally drift off into the peace of
oblivion. The man had made certain that he was reimplanted and returned to his Taelon
masters, but not before making sure that he knew that Boone's own wife's death had been
reciprocated.
Boone had killed Deedee and what was more... he
had not been under the influence of a motivational imperative...
Sandoval suddenly looked up.
Boone now led the Liberation.
Back then, he had promised him sanctuary...
Zo'or was right! Boone had not been under the
influence of a M.I...
"Son of a...." Sandoval yelled, as he
came to his feet.
How could he have been so blind? There was no
way in hell that William Boone, ex-police chief extraordinaire, could have killed Deedee!
Not without a motivational imperative to force his hand...
"She's alive..." he breathed.
"Deedee's alive!"
Running back into the bedroom, he carefully
lowered a plastic clothes box from the top shelf and opening it, removed one of Deedee's
favorite hats. Inspecting it carefully before a lamp, he was able to pluck several stray
blond hairs from the brim...
Reaching over, Lili refilled
Augur's wine glass and nearly dropped the now empty bottle. Fortunately, Augur's quick
snag prevented the few remaining drops of wine from splattering her carpet.
"Ooops!" she giggled.
"I don't know, Lili... what's Dro'vha
going to think of you when you show up hung over on your first day of work?"
She snorted. "Dro'vha's pretty easy-going.
He wouldn't say a word - even if he did notice - and he won't." She sat up
straighter. "I'm hardly even tipsy."
"Uh - huh..." Augur became serious
again. "So you're still intent on going?" He got up off the chair and moved to
sit beside her on the sofa.
Lili shrugged. "I told you - I don't have
a choice. Besides... if I stay, there's too much of a chance that Zo'or will eventually
insist on sharing with me..."
Augur frowned. "What is it with you and
Taelons?"
"Hey! Believe me - I never encouraged him!
He gives me the creeps..." She shifted so that she could lean against him.
"What about... us?"
"Nah. You don't give me the creeps...
anymore."
He rolled his eyes. "Will you be serious?
Why do you drink so much whenever we get together, anyway?"
She pouted. "Why are you suddenly so
offended?" Before he could answer, she continued in an exasperated tone. "Augur
- I've got a shuttle. I can pop in almost any time!"
He locked eyes with her.
"So you admit that there's an 'us'?"
"Maybe..." she drawled.
"Maybe you admit it or maybe there IS an
'us'?"
Lili grabbed his goatee and pulled him to her.
"Shut up and kiss me..."
A wide smile lit his face just before he
complied...
By the time his clock
displayed the time as three hundred hours, Boone had had enough. Unable to sleep or even
find a moment's rest, he had spent the night pacing his room and thinking. At least half a
dozen times during the course of the night, he had been on the verge of marching next door
and rectifying his tragic mistake of the previous evening.
...And he was now firmly convinced that it HAD
been a mistake to push Da'an away. His friend had been right - he was overly concerned
with the possibility of them changing, but life WAS change, wasn't it? Da'an was no
curiosity to be preserved behind glass, but a living, growing being. It was madness to
think that she could/should always remain as she was when their friendship had first
begun.
He had hurt her, and he had hurt himself...
Even now, his body protested her absence, even
as his mind again dredged up the events which had led up to his blunder.
"Dammit!" he said aloud, as he began
searching through the dresser until he found an old sweat suit.
The only reason that he hadn't finally knuckled
under and gone to her had been because he felt it might be better to let things remain
cool for a while.
...Speaking of cool, it was remarkably cold
outside - which was where he planned on being.
Pulling on his clothing, he attached the
holographic device to his collar and slipped out into the hallway.
Letting the sentries know where he was headed,
he took the elevator up to the church and activating his device, slipped out the back door
into the garden.
There was frost everywhere and his breath
immediately formed a cloud before his face. After taking two deep breaths, he began to
feel a little bit better. Working quickly in the frosty air, Boone stretching a bit, then
exited the garden through a gate which opened on the side road. Breaking into a jog, he
headed back around to the main road before turning left and moving away from the church.
An hour and twenty minutes
later, he caught sight of the church again as he slowed to a walk and began to cool down.
The exercise had done him good, tightening muscles which had lain dormant in an
acceleration chamber for far too long and calming his nerves. The cold combined with a
sudden yearning for breakfast had conspired to bring him back, otherwise he might have run
for another half hour.
Once again Condor grumbled within his mind and
Boone mentally berated the skrill. The alien weapon's own complaints about the cold and
breakfast had most definitely contributed to his cutting his workout short.
Boone sighed. He still felt guilty as hell
about last night, but at least now it wasn't eating him alive. He even felt that he could
face Da'an and discuss the situation with her calmly. She had been right about so many
things... Now if only she would be patient with him and realize that last night had not
been a rejection. It had nothing to do with her.
It was all about him.
High up in the church steeple,
on a landing in front of the upper windows, Da'an sat and watched as Boone approached the
front of the church.
She sighed with relief to see that he was
apparently in a good mood, for he smiled at another earlier morning jogger who passed him.
Unable to find rest, she had left the sanctuary
of the resistance base and made her way up into the steeple where she could watch the
stars and reflect on her new life. It had been with some shock that she had sensed Boone
heading off down the street not twenty minutes after her arrival. It had pained her
greatly to realize that she had not even felt his presence until she had seen his tall
form. Only then had she concentrated and realized that the distant jogger was indeed
William.
That he was out so early and in such cold
weather had been proof that he too was suffering for their last encounter.
That in itself gave her hope that they might
find a way to come together.
She hoped that it would be soon...
Simply curling up with William was enough to
provide her with energy sufficient to survive. Their brief encounter of the night before
had been the equivalent of an hour in an energy stream, but it would last her no more than
three days. If he continued to hold her at a distance, she would eventually be forced to
look to another for the energy she required.
Liam.
That in itself could destroy the trust she and
Boone had worked so hard to build. It mattered not that Liam and she would merely be
joining hands... It would not be... appropriate to what she wished for herself and
Boone...
Da'an focused on Boone, content for the moment
to be able to watch him unobserved. She waited exactly ten minutes after he had re-entered
the church and then went below herself.
After showering and
shaving, Boone lay down and must have immediately drifted off to sleep, for when he next
spotted the alarm clock, it was well past seven!
With a groan, he arose and once again found
himself mentally hushing his outraged skrill.
"Ok, ok! Breakfast is next!" He
grumbled, as he dressed in one of the new shirts and slacks which he had purchased during
his trip to the mall with Da'an the previous day. He had to admit that the deep,
eggplant-colored shirt, which Da'an herself had picked out, complimented his coloration
and looked great with the suit, which was of a similar tone. He sighed and began working
at the knot of his tie. It certainly wouldn't hurt to try to look good. He had a roundez
vous to keep with Zo'or... and the Synod later that day.
Besides, it couldn't hurt to let Da'an see that
he valued her judgment...
With a sudden yawn, he checked himself in the
bathroom mirror, donned his earpiece, mic and holo-device and headed for the kitchen in
the hopes of downing breakfast and some much needed coffee.
It was with some surprise and a thrill of
pleasure, that he found Da'an already seated at a table there with a cup of coffee and a
nibbled at croissant. She was wearing a new tan and blue caftan, which he had helped her
to pick out, over the usual body suit.
It made him think suddenly of Ma'el.
They stared at each other for a few seconds,
each pleased with the other's attire and then he nodded his approval as he moved to the
counter to see what had already been prepared. A glance over his shoulder, revealed the
Taelon's answering nod.
Quickly scrambling himself two eggs, he
poured some coffee and took a few link sausages from the warming tray. Then he returned to
the table where Da'an sat and took the seat beside her.
She was watching him with a cautious air about
her.
Unable to stand it a moment longer, he lifted a
hand to cup her cheek and leaning forward, kissed her softly.
"I'd wish you a good morning, but if
you're half as grumpy as I am..."
She covered his hand with her own. "And
how could I be... grumpy... after such a greeting?" she asked, as small smile lit her
face.
Boone withdrew his hand and snorted amusedly as
he picked up his fork. He was about to dig into his food when he was distracted by the
sight of her sipping her coffee.
"Do you actually like that?" he
asked.
"Why would I not?"
"... Most people find it bitter when they
first try it. It's an acquired taste."
"I have experienced this beverage through
you on numerous occasions," Da'an explained. "Therefore, I have already acquired
a liking for it..."
He felt like an idiot. Of course Da'an would be
familiar with coffee, after all, Boone was a big caffeine addict. Still, he couldn't help
asking, "Does this mean that you automatically like those foods that I like?"
She gave him a long-suffering look.
"No."
Her response further piqued his curiosity.
"What don't you like?" he questioned.
"I do not... like... to have so many
superfluous questions put to me on an already difficult morning."
Boone's mouth dropped open. Flustered, he set
about eating his breakfast, eyes fixed upon his plate. To a casual observer, the Taelon's
statement would mean little more than that she was somewhat annoyed, but to Boone, Da'an's
words spoke volumes. There was no doubt that she was still very upset about the preceding
evening's disaster, for she rarely lost her patience or allowed her irritation to get the
best of her. For her to have cut him off like that...
He turned over different possible responses in
his head as he ate his meal, hoping that he could find an easy way to put her at ease - to
make her understand. In the end, he came up at a loss as to what to do.
Quickly downing the last of his meal and
polishing off his coffee, he patted her hand.
"Duty calls," he announced, as he
rose to his feet stalked off in the direction of the control room.
He didn't doubt that he could find numerous
tasks which demanded his attention. With any luck, he'd be far too busy for Da'an to pull
aside - at least until he had some time to think up a way to deal with their little...
problem...
Sandoval stared
at the world net screen display before him and gripped the edge of the desk to help still
his shaking hands.
The strand of hair he had fed into the DNA
analyzer had eventually pulled a match...
...but it was not to Deidra Sandoval, who was
classified as deceased and had been removed from the system.
The match was for a woman named Danielle
Warner, who lived in Aveiro, Portugal.
He opened her file and began to read.
She was twenty nine years of age, brunette,
with blue eyes and she taught algebra in a nearby middle school.
He pulled up her picture and closed his eyes as
he fought for control.
It was Deedee. Her hair had been cut short and
dyed brown... but it WAS her...
Boone had kept his promise after all - He had
kept Deedee safe in the only way he could while still saving Sandoval's life...
He broke down then, doing the one thing that he
had never thought he'd do again...
...He cried tears of relief and joy.
"Hmmm?"
"I said for you to get up. I have to be
going and Liam will be here soon!"
Augur's eyes snapped open to find Lili staring
down at him. He was naked, in her bed and she was already clean, dry and dressed, standing
next to said bed and glowering at him.
"You know that's not fair," he
groaned, as he sat up and reached for his glasses.
"What? Not letting you sleep all
morning?"
"No." He reached over and tipped her
onto the bed next to him. "Not letting me see you wandering around without your
clothes on!"
She laughed then, as he kissed her, but after a
few minutes, she broke free and stood back up.
"When will I see you?" he asked.
She glanced at her watch. "I don't know.
Let me get settled in and then I'll beep you."
"Tell you what... Let's go catch breakfast
and then I'll help you with your bags..." He leaped from the bed and began dressing
hurriedly. A shower would have to wait till later.
Lili simply stood there and watched him.
"Well?" he asked, as he pulled on his
pants.
"Huh? ... Oh! ... Yeah. breakfast would be
fine..." She replied, clearly distracted by the view.
He grinned knowingly, but not wanting to die
anytime soon, made certain that she didn't see it.
"Has Kincaid
been settled into Captain Marquette's former domicile?"
"He's there now, Zo'or," Sandoval
replied. "It shouldn't take him long to get his things settled..."
Zo'or nodded, but then turned his attention
completely towards his attaché. "Agent Sandoval, are you not well today?" he
asked with a suspicious, oblique look.
"I am well enough to carry out my
duties," Sandoval replied quickly, as he straightened up and tried to look sharp.
Zo'or had summoned him back to the embassy well before sun up and leaving him without the
time to actually contact his wife. He hadn't had a moment's sleep all night, but had
instead wandered restlessly through his house, pondering the best way to break the news to
Deedee that he was whole and himself again. Sharp as he was, the Taelon had spotted his
unusual lack of attention... Sandoval would not repeat that mistake.
"Very well." Zo'or rose from his
chair and descended to stand beside him. "I have spent the night giving the current
situation much thought. A trap must be laid for Da'an."
"A trap?"
"Yes. It is the only way in which I may
now obtain Nivian. Boone will trade her for Da'an. Of this I am certain." The Synod
Leader turned a piercing, blue look on him and waited for his response.
"What will the Synod say about this?"
he asked, certain that the question would remind Zo'or that he spoke with a true implant.
"They will say nothing. I have been
ordered not to trade Boone what he wishes for Nivian. This does not prevent me from
obtaining her through other means. So long as Da'an is not harmed, there shall be no
interference from my superiors."
"How do we trap a renegade Taelon?"
Zo'or smiled at him in a way which made goose
bumps come up on his arms. "I am glad that you asked..."
By the time that she
landed her shuttle in the Honolulu embassy, Lili had managed to push thoughts about Augur
to the back of her mind.
Not that it had been easy...
He was infuriating, conceited, annoying and, in
general, acted younger than his years.
Unfortunately, there was also a magnetism about
him which she couldn't ignore. She doubted that anything good could come from their
newfound 'closeness', but she was determined to enjoy his company while it lasted...
"Dammit!" she swore. "I'm
thinking about him again!"
Exiting the shuttle, she pinched the skin
between her left thumb and forefinger as hard as she could and concentrated on the pain.
It was a neat little trick for lessening the pain of a headache... and it helped her to
get her mind off Augur as well.
It just wouldn't do to greet her new Taelon
overlord while her mind wandered elsewhere...
Especially THAT kind of elsewhere!
Moving out of the shuttle bay, she paused in
the corridor beyond, uncertain of where the main audience chamber would be situated. The
Honolulu embassy was of a different design than the one in Washington.
"Great..." she huffed, under her
breath. All she needed now was to get lost.
Fortunately, at that very moment, Dro'vha
himself rounded the corridor to her left.
"Captain Marquette," he greeted her
warmly with a Taelon gesture. "I welcome you to my new protectorate."
"Thank you for honoring me with this
position," she replied, as she reciprocated. With a sense of unease, she noted that
the Taelon was giving her a sly look from the corners of his eyes.
"I think that we both know that you
volunteered for the position so that you might... escape a certain Taelon's...
interest..."
She stared at him, open-mouthed.
"Come now," he chided, as he lightly
placed his hand upon her left shoulder and steered her down the corridor. "I am not
so blind as some of my people. I know well that Zo'or would not have given you up to me
unless you requested the assignment."
Lili swallowed hard. "Actually, he asked
me if I wanted to go..."
Dro'vha stopped for a moment and stared at her
intently. "Then it is truly fortunate that I requested one of his implants..."
"Did you know that I'd be the one you'd
get?" she asked, wide-eyed, as they began walking again.
"No. I felt certain that he would send me
Liam."
"Liam?" Lili stopped short.
"There's no way that he would part with his status symbol protector!"
"Ah... but he would have, wouldn't
he?" Dro'vha's mouth turned up slightly at the corners. "That he offered you a
choice of staying in Liam's stead truly speaks... volumes..."
"Um... Can we change the subject? I don't
mean to be rude but the topic is beginning to frighten me..."
Dro'vha nodded. "I apologize for having
caused such discomfort," he replied, as they entered the audience chamber.
"...however, I fear that our next topic shall prove far more frightening to
you..."
Lili stared at the new Companion, not at all
liking the very serious, pained expression on his face.
"What is it?" she asked, annoyed with
the slight waver which shook her voice.
"What I need to tell you must be shared in
complete privacy," he answered, gesturing to an entranceway opposite that of the one
they had just passed through.
Lili followed him through it to a doorway which
admitted them to the Companion's private chamber. Once inside, the Taelon secured the door
and turned to face her.
"The Synod will not allow Zo'or to
negotiate for Dr. Ibraham, for several Synod members, Kha'rha and myself included, have
swayed the vote against such an event."
"I don't understand... I thought that you
were Da'an's friend..."
Dro'vha nodded. "And your own as
well."
"But then, why..."
He held a hand up, silencing her. "You
seek a means to restore your leader and Dr. Park to their true selves, however... what if
your attempt foiled an even larger scheme? Would you continue, if you knew that it meant
robbing many others of their freedom?" Moving closer, he offered her his hand and
without hesitation, she reached forward to press her palm to his own.
Several seconds ticked by and then her eyes
nearly started from her head.
When their palms parted a few seconds later she
swayed and might have fallen, had Dro'vha not steadied her.
"You understand now why I am thankful that
you have been assigned as my attaché," he whispered near her ear, just before she
straightened up and moved a step away. "You have the rest of the day to get settled
in," he added, as he turned his back to her and moved to look out his windows.
"Should you decide to visit... friends, I would not object..."
Lili shook her head in amazement. Dro'vha was
clearly telling her to relay the information he had given her to Da'an... She hesitated
for a brief moment and then turned, headed for her shuttle.
Only a few hours after
checking out his new apartment, Liam entered the Washington embassy, eager for the
opportunity to gain some sort of privileged information from Zo'or.
With some surprise, he found himself met at the
front security desk by Agent Sandoval.
"Did things go smoothly?" the Asian
attaché asked politely, as they both moved off in the direction of the ramp which led to
the audience chamber.
"Yeah," he responded automatically.
"I don't have much in the way of belongings..." He received his second surprise
in as many minutes when Sandoval indicated with a gesture that he should precede him into
a small office on the left.
Without closing the door, Zo'or's right hand
man turned to face him. "I was hoping that you would allow me to treat you to
lunch," he said, watching him with a wary expression.
Liam found himself shrugging. "I never say
no to a free meal."
Sandoval's face relaxed slightly. "Good.
There's something we need to talk about." He glanced at his watch. "Meet me out
front at twelve thirty hours."
Without another word, he spun on a heel and
departed.
Liam stared after him for a long moment,
feeling both confused and anxious at the sudden invitation. He couldn't deny that he
yearned for Sandoval's approval... and friendship. The man was his human father, after
all.
Unfortunately, he doubted that they could ever
have anything more than a professional relationship, if that.
Ronald Sandoval was a full implant and not to
be trusted...
"We have a serious
problem!" Lili said loudly, the moment the elevator doors admitted her into HQ. Boone
and Da'an were already waiting for her, as she had known they would be as soon as the
sentries reported her unexpected return.
"What's happened?" Boone asked, as he
fell into step beside her, Da'an following behind, as they headed quickly for Doors'
office.
As soon as the door shut behind them, she
turned to face Da'an. "There's a fifth column on the home ship!"
"What?!" Boone exclaimed from the
side.
She turned to look at him as Da'an stared at
her in what had to be the Taelon equivalent of shock. "It's true! There's an
organized group who believe as Da'an does about humanity. There's about twenty of them,
led by Kha'rha and Dro'vha. They've been working on a way to help us..."
Boone's voice was both sharp and suspicious.
"How?"
Before she could answer, Da'an stepped forward
between them and gripped her hand with her own, meshing their fingers together. In an
instant, they shared and everything Dro'vha had shown her was passed on to the
ex-Companion.
Da'an released her and stepping back, gripped
Boone's arm. In mere seconds, Boone's expression changed to become an exact duplicate of
the amazed one which Da'an wore, making it obvious to Lili that the temporary resistance
leader had experienced the sharing through his partner. They exchanged startled looks
before again turning to face her.
"We... have a problem..." Boone
sighed.
"Yeah. I figure you've got about six hours
in which to figure out how to drop your original demands without making them
suspicious," Lili said, placing her hands on her hips and staring at him.
"No."
"No?"
"No. If I drop my demands, they WILL be
suspicious..." Boone turned away and began slowly pacing the area in front of Doors'
desk. "The Synod will never heed my demands to tamper with the implants," he
thought aloud. "It's Zo'or who's the problem. In order to get Nivian, he may well go
behind their backs, which means that he might stumble across the modifications that our
sympathizers made to the CVI's." He turned to face them. "I should continue with
the original plan, BUT... we need to make Zo'or believe that he has another way in which
to get to Nivian..."
"Are you willing to argue the merits of
developing a means to circumvent the series three CVI's before the Synod?" Da'an
asked. "It will be what they expect you to do and they will be suspicious if you do
not."
"But, if he does that..." Lili
started.
"...I run the risk of actually convincing
them," Boone finished.
There was silence in the room for a time as the
three of them thought through the possibilities.
Da'an was the first to speak. "If we were
to... facilitate Zo'or in obtaining Ibraham, our bartering chip would be lost..."
"The Synod would know that they no longer
had to comply," Lili said, excited by the idea. "We'd have to drop our
demands!"
Boone grinned. "We can all be sure that
Zo'or already has a plan in mind for obtaining Nivian. We just have to find out what it
is... and make certain that it doesn't involve the solution to the CVI problem."
"I cannot imagine Zo'or giving you
anything which you might request," Da'an said, pointedly. "Not even for Dr.
Ibraham. I feel certain that he has something beside the CVI solution in mind."
"What if you're wrong?" Lili asked.
"What if he IS thinking about the CVI's? For all we know, he could be planning to
'fix' them in a way which would still kill Doors and Park - but not until after he got
Ibraham."
Boone nodded. "Well then, maybe we can...
suggest a different plan to him..." He stared at them with a very serious expression.
"Don't share this with anyone except Augur. I don't think the rest of our group
should know - it would create too many... complications."
"The Taelon Museum
of Natural History?" Liam shook his head in confusion.
"Yes. My project has already been approved
by the Synod," Zo'or responded, turning from the window to look at his protector.
"A portion of the Smithsonian has already been obtained for this endeavor. I believe
that it will help to bring about a greater acceptance of my kind by the humans if they are
able to see first hand how we live."
"...And how you... evolved?" Liam
snipped.
Zo'or's eyes narrowed. "You are my
protector, not my attaché. You are not qualified to critique my projects."
"But, I AM more than qualified to critique
your evolutionary history," he said with a phony smile.
The Synod leader glared down his nose at him
before turning an heading back for the high ground - his chair. Settling into it, he
smiled coldly. "Agent Sandoval is overseeing the project. In the interim, you shall
assist him when required to do so. You shall follow his orders as if they were my own. Is
this understood?"
Liam felt his mouth tighten into a hard, thin
line. "Yes Zo'or."
"Excellent. Have my shuttle prepared and
await me there. We shall personally check in on the project."
With a bow and the gesture of leave-taking,
Liam turned and quit the audience chamber. Something about the whole situation just didn't
sit right. Why would Zo'or be so concerned with such a museum when so much else was
happening?
This all had to have something to do with Boone
and Nivian Ibraham....
Da'an found Boone
outside the storage room in which Nivian Ibraham was locked. He was watching the insane
doctor through the window, his whole aspect one of intense contemplation.
"What are you thinking?" she asked,
as she slowly approached him.
"I'm thinking that I don't like gambling
with people's lives," he replied with a grimace.
Moving to stand beside him, she looked through
the window and noted that Nivian was sitting on the bed, her arms encircling her raised
knees. Today she was calm, merely staring off at the far wall, rather than rocking
continuously.
Having no good words to cheer her chosen one,
Da'an instead leaned against him and reaching back, brought his arms around her so that
she could hold his hands in front of her waist. She let her sympathy and support for his
position seep through their link.
In a moment he relaxed with a sigh and hugged
her tighter, leaning his head against her own.
"I cannot tell you that what you do is
right," Da'an whispered. "for, I know not myself. However... It is a far
superior course of action than doing nothing."
Boone withdrew his arms and slowly turned her
to face him. "Then tell me, at least, that you understand about last night - that you
forgive me that," he whispered.
She reached out to cup his cheek. "I
understand... and... there is nothing to forgive..." Withdrawing her hand, she turned
and headed back down the corridor, pleased that they had put the awkward situation behind
them.
Behind her, Boone turned back to his
contemplation of Dr. Nivian, his face slightly less grim than when Da'an had arrived.
Liam waited over fifteen minutes for
Zo'or to join him at the shuttle. He was therefore in an annoyed mood already when a tall,
slender, blond fellow in a suit entered the bay and strode over to join him.
Giving the man a sour look, he realized that he
had never seen him before... Still, there was something vaguely familiar about the
narrowed look the fellow was giving him...
"Where's your security badge?" he
finally asked, as he stepped back a pace and made ready to use his ample defenses if it
came down to that.
The man smiled coldly and, with a sudden flash
od insight, Liam finally recognized him just a second before he spoke.
"It seems that my disguise is
effective," Zo'or grinned as he moved to board the shuttle.
"Zo'or. Why the disguise?" Liam
asked, as he followed.
The Synod Leader took his seat and turned to
face his protector. "It occurs to me that such a means to walk amongst the humans
undetected could prove... useful. I have little doubt that Da'an is utilizing the same
device." He smiled coldly again. "To have Nivian again by my side, I would
venture out in search of her myself if need be."
"Except that I would never let you out
without proper protection," Liam replied, as he took a seat next to the Taelon.
The shuttle took off then and the two of them
were silent for a moment. Finally, Liam leaned closer to his overlord and spoke.
"Look, Zo'or. Why don't you simply ask
Da'an to return Nivian to you? She must know that you're Nivian's only hope for a normal
life. Besides, she knows what it's like to be bound to a human. If anyone could understand
and sympathize, it would be her."
Zo'or stared at him unblinkingly for a moment,
his face seeming to betray his wish that Liam might be right, but slowly, his mouth
tightened into a narrow line.
"Your suggestion is ridiculous. Da'an has
no reason to aid me and every reason not to."
"I don't think that you're giving her
enough credit."
Zo'or's eyes narrowed further. "Why do you
continually refer to Da'an in the feminine? You of all people must be aware of the error
of assigning gender to one of my kind."
Liam sighed. "It simply occurs to me that
if Da'an is attached to Boone, that SHE would be assuming a feminine role." He turned
to look Zo'or in the eye. "What have you got to lose? Ask her. The worse she can do
is turn you down."
Zo'or turned to stare towards the front of the
shuttle.
"I see," Liam smirked. "Your
pride won't allow you to ask help from one whom you consider your inferior."
"I have never thought of Da'an as my
inferior. He is merely misguided."
"Just remember my suggestion. If you
really want Nivian back, you can't afford to pass up any possible means of gaining her
return."
Zo'or ignored him for the rest of the trip, a
sure sign that his words had unnerved the Synod Leader, forcing him to consider a
distasteful, but possible course of action.
If only Zo'or would heed his words, Liam
thought. Things would go so much more smoothly if he didn't always insist on subterfuge.
And would Da'an actually deliver Nivian?
Liam felt certain that she would.
Two hours later, apparently satisfied
with the way the museum was coming along, Zo'or broke off his tour and had his pilot
shuttle him back to the embassy.
Sandoval finished briefing the technicians who
would install the elaborate security measures and joined him next to the entranceway.
"Let's be going, " he announced, as he indicated the exit.
They moved out to the implant's car and spent
the drive to a nearby mexican restaurant in uneasy silence.
"Look, let's cut to the chase," Liam
found himself saying, as the waiter left with their orders. "I don't trust this
sudden attempt at comradeship, so please tell me what's on your mind."
Sandoval leaned forward, his elbows on the
table. "Why are you working for Zo'or?" he asked. "And don't go feeding me
the line you know I want to hear - because you'd be way off base."
Liam shivered slightly, suddenly aware that
something was very different about the attaché, but unable to pinpoint why he knew
it. "Is this what you wanted to talk about?" he asked. "Me?"
Sandoval nodded. "In part." He leaned
back and sipped his water. "You're chimera. The son of Beckette by Hag'el. Your race
was betrayed and destroyed by the Taelons. Why would you choose to serve one?"
"So that I might see my mother. So I
wouldn't have to hide all the time," he tossed back before reaching for a chip and
dipping it in the salsa.
Sandoval's sharp eyes seemed to look right
through him. "No," the implant protested. "...No. There's more at work
here. You're not afraid of Zo'or or any Taelon." He leaned forward again and lowered
his voice. "I can think of only two other reasons for your appearance in Zo'or's
audience chamber that day..."
Liam acted unimpressed. "Oh? And what
might they be?"
The implant laughed. "By God, but
there is some of me in you after all."
A chip crumbled suddenly in Liam's tightening
grip, causing Sandoval to smirk.
"Oh yes. I know what form Hag'el took -
had to have taken - to seduce your mother." His face became serious again.
"There's a lot about you that I don't know yet, though. So much I want to
learn..."
He had Liam's undivided attention. The hybrid
could not believe that this was happening. Was it another trick... or could it be that...
He all but threw his chip into the salsa bowl.
"Look. I don't know what kind of game you're playing this time, but I don't like
it," he sneered across the table. "If you're trying to get me to trust you, then
you'd be a fool to think that I would. I know where your loyalties lie..."
Sandoval's eyebrows dropped as he gave him a
measuring look. "Do you?" he breathed. "Are you certain?"
"Quite certain."
"Then perhaps you'd best have a little
talk with your... mama."
Liam felt all his pent up frustration beginning
to surface, despite his attempt to remain cool. "Leave her out of this. You're really
not worth the trouble of disturbing her."
Sandoval actually smiled as he again leaned
back in the booth. He non-chalantly nibbled at some chips himself and Liam felt certain
that the implant was giving him a chance to cool off. They sat in silence for a
while and it wasn't until after the waiter had returned with their food that the attaché
spoke again.
"There's something you need to know about
the museum," he finally said.
"Oh? Don't tell me it's yet another way in
which to gain access to a multitude of unsuspecting humans..." Liam snorted as he cut
into his relleno.
"Not at all. It happens to be a carefully
laid trap."
Liam stopped chewing and stared at the implant,
who was watching him with an expectant look. Forcing his food down, he sipped some water.
"And why might you be telling me this?"
"If you go to Zo'or with what I've told
you, I'll be ruined - and you know it," Sandoval whispered after leaning in close.
"If you don't report it, I can turn you in as being disloyal and claim it was but a
test." He smiled coldly. "Both of our necks are sticking out of our shells now,
wouldn't you say?"
"I don't understand..."
"Trust has to start somewhere, Liam. I
suggest that for us, it should start here. Finish your meal. Go back to work. Think about
what I've said. Call Beckette..." He stood up and threw some cash on the table.
"Come to me when you're ready to trust a little."
Liam found himself rising to his feet as well.
"What's to stop me from turning you in? I'll bet Zo'or has a quick means for testing
the effectiveness of your CVI..."
"There's nothing to prevent you from doing
so," Sandoval sighed. "But if you do, there's a good chance that Da'an will
suffer for your hasty decision." Turning on his heel, the attaché quickly left the
restaurant.
Liam sank back down into his seat and watched
him go, as his stomach began to churn with both excitement and apprehension.
"I never thought
I'd actually hear myself saying this," Boone deadpanned. "but... take me to your
leaders."
He stood respectfully but casually before
Zo'or's chair, having just been escorted in from the main entrance by several guards. He
had made certain that his skrill peeked out from below his sleeve when he checked his
watch and had been amused by the startled and apprehensive looks which had crossed his
escort's faces. One of them had hurried ahead - to inform Zo'or that he was 'armed', no
doubt.
Zo'or stared coolly at him for a moment before
speaking. "William Boone... and yet... not. You wear a clone's shell, yet it is
obvious to me that Da'an took great pains to save you." His eyes narrowed
dangerously. "He must have had help."
"Of course, but... your brother is dead,
isn't he?"
The Synod leader looked momentarily startled,
but managed to compose himself. "Your form is unimportant. I am more interested in
how your mind was preserved. You may be nothing more than a poor copy of the original's
memories..."
Boone allowed himself a smirk. "I think
you already know that I'm the real thing. Da'an would not have risked so much for a pale
imitation. He took a step closer and noted with satisfaction that Zo'or drew back further
in his chair. "The Synod..."
He got no further, as the air around him
shimmered with the holographic projections of the Taelon ruling body.
The guards instantly withdrew from the room.
"William Boone," the one known as
Gho'an greeted him. "It pleases us to see that you have not joined the void, despite
our displeasure at your current... affiliation. How fares our missing member?"
Boone bowed ever so slightly at the Synod
members, careful to maintain a civility between them and to communicate his continued
respect for his adversaries. "Da'an has been in better health, however, she is
surviving."
"You are her anchor to this life then, as
well as our sole link to her," Kha'rha said. "We wish her return. Da'an's views
are unique among us."
"There is strength in variety, in
diversity of thought," added Dro'vha. "Although we might not agree with Da'an's
views, still we wish his return."
Boone glanced over at Zo'or, catching him with
a sour look upon his face. With a small smile, he addressed the Synod. "I fear that
there will always be those among you who fear individuality, who seek to weed out those
who are... different. It is the way in human society as well. Nonetheless, Da'an foresaw
this conversation. She has heard you through me and asks that I speak for her."
Zo'or stood up. "Then you are fully
bonded?"
"Yes. Our relationship is further proof
that humans and Taelons are not so different after all."
Zo'or looked ill and Boone took the opportunity
to round on him. "Why do you continue to deny the truth? You are the only other
Taelon besides Da'an to attempt such a bond. Even now, you yearn for Nivian. You don't
just miss her - you need her! Without her, you are an incomplete being, something you
never even realized until the moment that you came to love her."
"The Commonality binds us. I am complete
within its structure," the Synod leader stated.
"No you're not." Boone countered, as
he turned to address the entire Synod. "You were drawn to us for a greater reason
than the coming of the Jaridians. Deep down inside, you all know this, but it terrifies
you so badly that you avoid even thinking on it. To the best of my knowledge, only Da'an
has embraced the truth - which is why she can no longer be a part of you."
Zo'or collapsed into his chair as though he had
been punched and an uneasy silence filled the room for a minute.
"I suspect that we have just now heard our
missing member's statement," Gho'an announced.
"Yes. You have," Boone confirmed.
"Da'an may not rejoin you until you are willing to accept that humans are your
equals. You must alter your actions toward my race and accept the fact that your own
cannot survive without one more 'great change'. I strongly suggest that you move towards
this goal before the Jaridians arrive."
The Synod members glowed brightly as white and
pink hues lit their forms. There was little doubt that a heated discussion was underway
and Boone waited patiently for them to reach some sort of resolution. It was Kha'rha who
spoke next.
"Your words have been heard. We shall
ponder this information further," he related. "Now speak to us of your wishes
with regard to the series three CVI's."
"My demands are unchanged," Boone
replied, although it upset him to see Kha'rha's brilliant blush of distress. "We must
have a means of restoring Doors and Park before we can return Nivian Ibraham to Zo'or.
"You speak of the importance of the
Human-Taelon bond, but then hold Dr. Ibraham hostage, " Zo'or spat. "If you
believed your own words, you would release her to me at once!"
Boone looked down at his toes for a moment
before meeting the Synod Leader's eyes. "You must first demonstrate that you are
willing to make sacrifices in your dealings with humans," he said softly. The first
step is to stop enslaving us, but falling short of that, our release from servitude should
at least remain a possibility. These CVI's ensure that their recipients will all die
slaves... and die quickly at that. I do not believe that our demands are
unreasonable."
"We cannot..." Kha'rha began, only to
be cut off by Gho'an.
"We will ponder this," he stated.
"and issue our decision three days hence. Contact us in this chamber then."
In a blink, the Synod faded out, leaving only
Boone and Zo'or within the chamber.
Without a word, the Synod Leader waved a hand
over a portion of his armrest and the two guards rematerialized.
No words passed between them as Boone turned on
a heel and quit the room.
"What?!" Liam
gawked at his global. He had taken refuge in his apartment after lunch, spending the rest
of his lunch break pondering his strange meeting with Sandoval. Finally, unable to stand
it a moment longer, he had contacted Siobhan Beckette.
"It's true," Siobhan repeated.
"I don't dare go into the details now, but... "
"Did you tell him that he was my
father?" he asked.
She was immediately defensive. "He had
already guessed. Besides... he knows that he and Hag'el contributed equal amounts to your
make-up. He's aware that Hag'el is as much your father as he is. He's also aware that
neither he nor I had any say in your conception, but I truly believe that he yearns for
family. He wants to get to know you. He wants to protect you..."
"I don't need his protection."
Her face softened. "Of course you do. None
of us can make it in this world alone. We all need someone to watch over us
sometime."
Liam paced through his living room, agitated
and anxious over this sudden, unexpected change in his life. "Even if what you tell
me about his CVI is true... I don't know if I can trust him!" he finally exclaimed,
all his frustration spilling out in his tone.
"That is something which will come in
time. I doubt that he expects anything more than that you at least give him the chance to
prove himself."
The global bleeped, announcing a priority call.
"Gotta go. Duty calls," he said.
"Call me soon..."
Liam switched to the new caller and was not
surprised to see Zo'or's face appear on screen. The Synod Leader's face was more
forbidding than usual. "Where are you?" he snapped.
"My apartment. I thought I'd put some more
things away..."
"Things? Since when does a newborn Chimera
hybrid have... 'things'?"
"I meant Lili's things. She has a lot of
stuff that I'm sure she's going to want."
A flicker of interest crossed Zo'or's face and
then was quickly replaced as he allowed his irritation to resurface. "William Boone
has just left the embassy. Agent Sandoval and his men are trailing him from a distance.
Please join them and offer your assistance..."
"On my way!" Liam cut the
transmission and flew for the door. He doubted that Boone would be easy to follow, but he
relished any opportunity to mess up Zo'or's trained monkeys...
Lili reentered Dro'vha's
audience chamber late in the afternoon and stopped in shock when she saw Augur sitting
before the windows with her new Companion.
"Wha..?" was all that she could
manage, but it was enough to interrupt the conversation the two were having and turn their
attention towards her. Both stood.
"Captain Marquette," Dro'vha said, as
he approached. "I have taken a liberty and offered your... friend a position here. He
contacted me this morning and I recalled his significance in your life from our earlier
sharing..."
Lili rounded on the techno-wizard. "What
were you doing calling for me here?" she demanded.
"Lili." Augur held his hands up in a
placating gesture. "You hadn't settled into a place yet - I know, I dug around in
your financial files." Seeing that his lover was turning a darker shade of red, he
quickly continued. "I just wanted to make sure that you were all right. I had no idea
at that point that you'd jumped back to DC. Anyway, I got Dro'vha on the line and we
started chatting..."
"And he offered you a job..." Lili
rolled her eyes. "Look. I don't need you baby sitting me - either of you!"
"Hey, I got a good salary," Augur
added, as he tried to grasp her upper arms. She shrugged him off, but he refused to give
up. When he placed his hands on her shoulders, she stilled, although she still glared at
him. "Lili, I can perform my assigned tasks from almost any location. I don't have to
stay in Washington... although I might have to travel out there now and then. Wouldn't you
rather have me here?" When she didn't answer, he pouted. "OK. You win," he
snapped in frustration. Turning, he addressed the Companion, who had been watching the
exchange with fascinated interest. "Sorry my friend. I'm afraid that I'll have to
turn you down."
"I regret this turn of events as
well," Dro'vha replied, as he looked pointedly at Lili. "...for I had hoped to
make amends for having uprooted my new attaché..."
Augur spared Lili a sharp look, and when she
met his glare but refused to speak, turned and stalked out of the chamber.
Several minutes passed before Lili blew her
breath out slowly and tried to compose herself. She looked to Dro'vha and was
surprised by the concern visible on his face.
"I do not understand why you would send
your chosen mate away," he said softly. "Surely there is no reason to cause such
pain..."
"You don't understand," she sighed.
"He's not my chosen... mate - not by a long shot. Anyway, I'm little more than the
current flavor of the month where Augur's concerned. It's best that we not associate too
closely..."
"You sound uncertain of your own
actions," the Pacific Companion said, as he slowly circled her. "I am new to
your planet, and yet even I do not see Augur following you such a distance unless you were
more than... the flavor of the month."
Lili's mouth tightened. She wished nothing
better than to get her job done and retire for the night. She didn't need an alien trying
to tell her how to live her...
"Augur was quite sincere when he earlier
spoke of his feelings for you," Dro'vha added, just before he turned and moved in the
direction of his own chamber.
For a moment Lili watched his retreating back,
and then, with an exasperated gesture, she turned and headed off in the direction Augur
had taken.
Maybe she could catch him before he left the
structure...
Sandoval waved Liam over as
soon as the hybrid spotted him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Zo'or asked me to back you up. Where is
he?"
The attaché grimaced. "He somehow gave us
the slip in the station. I don't know how he managed it with no less than seven men
watching him, but somehow he disappeared in the middle of a shop."
Liam couldn't help but smirk. Boone had most
likely activated his holo device the moment he was out of direct sight of his pursuers.
Knowing the street-savy ex-policeman's background, he didn't doubt that he had repeated
the maneuver again several times for good measure, changing his appearance like a
chameleon.
"What's so amusing?" Sandoval
snapped, bringing him back to the here and now.
"The fact that you're going to have to
explain this to Zo'or," he replied, drawing a sour look from his would-be parent.
There was silence between them for a moment, as
the attaché directed his men over his comm unit. Finally, he glanced back at Liam.
"Let's get back to the embassy. My people
will continue to comb the area, although I seriously doubt they'll spot Boone again. The
man must be wearing some sort of disguise."
Together they got in the FBI agent's car.
"Have you contacted Beckette?"
Sandoval asked him a few blocks later.
"I have."
"And?"
"She confirmed that you've been let off
your leash, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're to be trusted."
Sandoval laughed. "Quite right," he
admitted. "but that doesn't mean that I can't trust you... a bit. The Taelon Museum
of Natural History is a very good idea, wouldn't you say?"
"Huh?" Liam was thrown off balance by
the sudden change of topic.
"If our fellow humans can see how the
Taelons live, it may bring about greater understanding and acceptance of them."
"I suppose..."
They stopped at a light and Sandoval turned to
look at him. "As I told you earlier, the museum is a trap."
"For Da'an?"
"Yes. Zo'or knows that he won't be able to
resist checking into it. When he does, I've been ordered to capture him so that he may be
traded back to Boone in exchange for Ibraham."
"And is that what you're going to
do?"
"Of course not. Would I be telling you
about this if I were?" Sandoval sneered at him, clearly disappointed by the question.
"Then what are you..."
"When the time comes, you'll help me to
get him away from there," the FBI agent stated. "I believe that Da'an may be
convinced to hand over Dr. Ibraham without resorting to extreme measures."
Liam stared at him in amazement, for his father
had just reached the same conclusion he had...
"Have you lost your
mind? You can't go!" Liam stared at Da'an in shock. The two of them were seated in a
corner of the medical bay where he had led Da'an upon his return to HQ.
The Taelon looked offended. "I assure you
that I am quite sane," she replied. "It is imperative that we allow Agent
Sandoval the opportunity to contact me, so that he might make his request regarding Dr.
Ibraham."
Liam's face slowly slip into a grin. "Then
you WILL release her to Zo'or?" he asked.
Da'an nodded. "It is all a part of our
current plan. We must release her so that the Synod abandons all idea of researching the
new CVI's."
The young hybrid looked completely lost.
"You have missed much during your recent
absence," Da'an noted, as she slowly held out her hand to the youngster.
"Well well well... Look
who's finally arrived!" Jared, the on duty surveillance technician, declared as the
elevator admitted Boone to the hidden Liberation base. "What took you so long? We
were debating sending out a scouting team."
Boone grinned. "I had to be absolutely
certain that I wasn't followed back here."
"Then, they did try?"
He snorted. "What do you think? I had
Sandoval and at least five men on my tail. Fortunately, I lost them early on." He
pointed to his holo device. "This has got to be one of the niftiest things we've ever
procured from the Taelons."
"Yeah, too bad we don't have but two.
Think of the surveillance possibilities..."
"All in good time Jared." He glanced
around the command area. "Where's Da'an?"
"Liam arrived a few minutes ago asking the
same question. Find him and you'll find your friend."
With a nod, he headed off in the direction of
Doors' office. Not finding them there, he checked out Da'an's quarters and several side
rooms, including the kitchen with no success. Placing his hands on his hips, he grumbled
for a moment and concentrated. With a flash of insight, he knew that they were in the
medical area and that Da'an was bringing Liam up to speed on the latest news.
He headed down the corridor in the proper
direction.
With a sudden gasp, Da'an
withdrew her hand. "Enough!" she chastised Liam. "I have not given you
permission to go beyond a current information exchange."
Liam stared at her in amazement.
"Female?" he breathed.
Da'an glared at him.
"You love him!" he accused. "You
tried to seduce him last night, but he rejected you..."
"This does not concern you." Da'an
rose and turned her back to him.
"...And now we're crying, 'privacy'? You
really have regressed..." Liam stood and moved to a position directly behind his
Taelon mentor. "Look... I'm sorry if I've offended you. I didn't mean to pry, but
your memories and thoughts about last night are very strong - right on the surface. I
could not help but stumble into them." There was still no response from Da'an.
"You're going to need my help if Boone stays away." He placed his hands on her
shoulders, causing them both to tense as a soft glow sprang up around the points of
contact. "You can't survive on a few crumbs of food. You still require energy."
Da'an suddenly moved forward, breaking the
contact between them. "Boone will provide what I require," she threw back over
her shoulder. "Please leave me now."
Liam frowned. "Are you going to tell him
or are you so proud that you'll starve yourself rather than accept 'charity'?" He
moved forward, prepared to grasp her arms again, but just then she swiveled around sharply
and stared at a spot over his shoulder. He froze, suddenly realizing that someone was
behind him. Turning confirmed his fears.
Boone stood there, as big as ever and looking
decidedly grim. The tall Commander's eyes locked with his own and Liam found himself
backing down. There was little doubt that he could hold his own against the man, but that
didn't prevent a thrill of fear from creeping down his spine. Boone did possess a skrill,
after all.
"Don't you have a Synod Leader to look
after?" Boone nearly growled out the question.
With a nod, Liam quickly left the room.
Boone waited until the
youngster was gone and then turned back to Da'an. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Is he harassing you in some way?"
Da'an seemed to visibly relax. "Liam is
merely a child," he answered. "He is somewhat attached to me and accidentally
stumbled upon memories of last night..."
"In other words, he's jealous."
"I suppose so."
"Well hopefully you have a means of
keeping him in line, because I don't relish the idea of bringing the church down on our
heads - and that's exactly what'll happen if he and I get into it."
Da'an looked startled. "There is no need
to... get into it."
"Da'an, if he oversteps the bounds of his
relationship with you..."
"Now who is the jealous one? It is not
your place to determine the boundaries of my relationship with my pupil," the Taelon
shot back just before she strode from the room.
Boone watched her go and then ran a hand
through his hair. He had heard what Liam had said about starving rather than accepting
charity, but he couldn't understand it. Was Da'an not eating enough? Why would she require
charity? What exactly was going on between her and Liam? It had looked as though the
Chimera hybrid had been putting the moves on her... but it simply made no sense!
"Aliens!" Blowing his breath out, he
moved back towards the command area. He'd work on this new little mystery later on. Right
now, there were still many things requiring his attention.
"Ola?"
Danielle Warner waited a second. "Hello?" she repeated, still with no response.
Someone was on the line. She could tell that
there was a connection. Annoyed, she slammed down the receiver and after a moment's
thought, requested a trace.
She was informed that the line was untraceable.
Biting nervously at a hangnail, she convinced
herself that it was nothing - only a one time event and, with a shrug, went back to
preparing lunch.
Half a world away, Ronald
Sandoval stared at his phone in amazement. It was her! She really was alive!
Happier than he had been in quite a while, he
began planning out a trip to Portugal. He'd take a plane. A shuttle would definitely be
out of the question - it would attract too much attention and he didn't want Deedee to
know he was there...
Not until he assured himself that the moment
was right to reveal his own personal liberation from Taelon control to her.
The persistent knocking
at his front door eventually convinced Liam to abandon all hope of continuing his
meditative exercise. With some annoyance and even greater curiosity, he moved quietly to
the door and peered through the peephole.
Augur stood outside.
Stepping back, Liam swung the door open and he
and his friend stared hard at each other.
"What's the matter with you?" he
asked.
Augur sneered. "I was about to ask you the
same question." Pushing his way past the young hybrid, the techno-wizard entered the
apartment and plopped down into a chair.
Liam secured the door and took the sofa.
"Well?" he asked.
"You go first."
"Da'an has latched onto Boone to the point
that she's willing to face the void rather than turn to me for help."
A ghost of a smile crossed Augur's face.
"Well, at least Boone found someone who loves him back..."
"The man is clueless!" Liam spat.
"He doesn't know the first thing about Taelon needs!"
The hacker chuckled mirthlessly. "Maybe
not... but he knows a heck of a lot more about male/female relationships than you do, so
I'd say that that gives him an edge."
Stung, Liam struck back. "Lili sent you
back, didn't she? Maybe you'd better go ask Boone for advice about your
relationship."
Augur turned a sour look on him.
"Maybe." He rubbed a hand over his smooth scalp and pulled at his que. "She
got all uptight about me contacting her Companion.... acted like the two of us were
conspiring against her or something." He sighed. "I really don't understand her
sometimes. It's like she's intentionally taking a step in my direction and then running
back five spaces."
"Maybe she's afraid that you're going to
hurt her."
"What makes you say that?"
"Your description just now. It's like
poking a dangerous animal with a stick and then running in case it reacts." Liam
noted that Augur was staring at him in a peculiar fashion. "Hey, you're the one who
used that particular description. I just elaborated on it."
"You may be right, too!" Augur stood
up and patted him on the cheek. "Thanks. I'll see you around." In a moment the
front door had closed behind him.
Liam sighed and then returned to his exercises.
Several days later, Boone found himself
re-entering the Washington embassy, but this time he was escorted to Zo'or by both
Sandoval and Liam. Sandoval was strangely silent, but the piercing looks he turned on
Boone spoke volumes. It seemed obvious that he found Boone's presence unnerving, but there
was something else at work there as well. It was as though the attaché had something he
wished to say - something which he felt was too dangerous to be spoken of within the
embassy.
For his part, Boone kept his silence, speaking
only when spoken to. He had other things on his mind at the moment...
They entered the audience chamber to find the
Synod already present via datastream technology.
"Welcome Commander Boone," Zo'or
greeted coldly from his chair, as Sandoval and Liam moved to flank him. "The Synod
has heard your demands and has reached a decision."
Gho'an spoke. "Although we are not willing
to agree with every point you raised at our last meeting, we do recognize your request
that we make a show of good faith. We have therefore agreed to investigate the possibility
of developing a means to free our implants from the absolute control of the series three
CVI's."
"Although an admirable course of action,
it's not good enough," Boone replied. "The deal is that you DO release Doors and
Park from their CVI's, not that you investigate the possibility of doing so."
"Commander Boone," Zo'or snapped.
"You should be grateful that your plea was even considered. If the decision were up
to me..."
"I guest that it's a good thing that it
isn't - for Nivian's sake," Boone snapped back.
It was Dro'vha who stopped the exchange by
speaking. "We are aware of the exact nature of your demands," he soothed.
"however, it shall take some time before we may be able to help Doors and Park."
"How long?"
"It is difficult to say. Our scientists
estimate months, perhaps upwards of a year..."
Inwardly pleased, Boone nonetheless did an
admirable job of appearing put out. "I'll need to take this back to my people,"
he replied, biting his lower lip in apparent frustration. "It may well mean that the
deal is off..."
Zo'or rose as he turned to leave the chamber.
"Wait!"
Boone turned back around to face him.
"I ask you to consider trading Dr. Ibraham
for something else of value to the Liberation." It was the closest to begging that
the the Taelon had ever come, an event which was not lost on Boone. Sympathy for Zo'or was
the last thing he had ever expected to feel, but feel it he did.
It didn't prevent him from doing what he had to
do.
"I'm sorry Zo'or, but she's too valuable a
game piece to trade for anything less than what we've already asked." Without looking
back at the stricken Synod Leader, Boone exited the room.
Once outside, he went through an elaborate
series of maneuvers designed to ditch anyone who might be following him. Along the way, he
thought about the Synod's decision.
Da'an had already informed him that an
opportunity to return Nivian had presented itself, yet she had refused to elaborate
further, saying only that she did not wish him to bear any blame in Nivian's return.
Better that the liberation blamed her than stripped him of his leadership. Alarmed, he had
attempted to argue the matter, but Da'an had easily reverted back to her old, superior
demeanor, apparently instinctively knowing that he was still in awe of her - that he had
never forgotten that she was indeed a superior, alien being. In the end, he had aired his
reservations, his fear that she would end up in a situation in which he couldn't help her,
but she had calmly assured him that she had taken all variables into account.
He had finally realized that there was just no
arguing with Da'an and retreated back to his own quarters.
That had been three days ago. Since then, he
hadn't seen her but a few times and it came to him that she was allowing him to avoid her,
for surely in the close confines of HQ, they would have seen each other more often.
It was hours before he finally re-entered Saint
Michael's church, and when he did, the one person whom he felt certain would greet him...
wasn't there...
Immediately following Boone's
exit, Sandoval departed for The Museum of Taelon History, which was opening at exactly ten
hundred hours. He made it with just three minutes to spare and moved towards the side
entrance with a dazed look upon his face.
From the size of the crowd gathering outside,
it seemed that the museum would be opening to record crowds. He sighed. It would make
finding Da'an harder... but it could aid him in getting the ex-Companion out of there.
Moving into the control room, he checked over
the special monitors which had been installed for no other reason than to unmask a Taelon
renegade. Infrared and energy sensing sensors worked in tandem in the entranceway to
reveal true form, regardless of the sophistication of its disguise. They had worked
flawlessly at unmasking Zo'or during a test earlier that week.
While the technicians worked at unmasking
Da'an, Sandoval would himself be watching a monitor hooked to a normal zoom capable camera
in the hopes of spotting his one time overlord before he entered the building. He knew the
odds were against him. He had hoped to have Liam stationed near the entrance, figuring
that the hybrid would instinctively recognize the Taelon if he should slip by, but Zo'or
had delayed his appearance.
Muttering under his breath, he sat down and
began scanning the crowd.
It was slightly under two hours later that he
noted Liam's arrival via shuttle. The hybrid... his son slowly made his way towards the
front door by pushing himself through the milling throng which shuffled aimlessly about.
Several attempts had been made to form up strict lines, but they were long and
consequently there were always people simply gathered together in groups chatting to pass
away the time. Sandoval zoomed in on Liam as he paused to chat with a man who was
attempting to pick a fight.
That's when his eye was drawn to a woman
standing directly to Liam's left. It was the same woman who had once posed as one of
Zo'or's agents - the one who had helped Boone to escape from a trap which the then United
Nations Representative had set for him. She had gone by the name of Dana Dessierre. Now,
as he stared at her in shock, her features clicked.
There was no doubt in his mind that Dana
Dessierre and Da'an were one and the same!
Attempting to appear nonchalant, he rose and
commanded the technicians to continue their work, explaining that he had something he
needed to check into.
He waylaid Liam directly outside the door.
"He's here," he hissed under his breath, causing the hybr... his son to turn and
scan the crowd. "Over there, at ten o'clock, with long dark brown hair and wearing a
blue dress," he added. This time Liam made her.
"On my way," he whispered.
Without a word, Sandoval marched around the
right side of the building and cut through some bushes into a small park next door. Here,
seated upon a bench, they would be out of camera range.
A few minutes later, Liam showed up, his arm
firmly closed upon that of the disguised Taelon. He had taken the precaution of circling
the building from the other direction and the Shaquarava of his free hand was glowing
subtly, a warning to Da'an not to try drawing attention to them.
Da'an was pushed unceremoniously onto the park
bench as Liam sat on his other side.
For a moment Sandoval and his one time overlord
stared at each other in silence...
Siobhan Beckette
strode off the elevator and into resistance HQ, coming to a stop directly before William
Boone.
Boone looked up at her for a moment before
returning his gaze to the security monitor. "Is that him?" he asked.
"Yes. Shall I bring him down now?"
Boone looked around him at some of the members
who had gathered in the hopes of seeing their newest sympathetic Companion. The rest of
the organization had been told only that Kha'rha was much like Da'an, wanting the Taelon
enslavement of humanity to end. They had also been told that Kha'rha had seen to it that
both Park and Doors had a slightly modified version of the series three CVI's. Unlike the
others, these two could be overridden, but only by him.
"If anyone is against this, they'd better
speak now," he warned.
He and Beckette glanced around them and when it
became apparent that there would be no outcries, she turned and re-entered the elevator.
Boone turned his eyes back to the monitor, amused by the English Companion's disguise.
Kha'rha wore the face of an extraordinarily
handsome older man. His hair was silver, his complexion pale. He appeared to be dressed
impeccably in a long black wool coat with a plum colored scarf, which did little to
conceal his broad shoulders.
Not for the first time, Boone wondered how many
Companions walked the Earth, disguised as humans... and how long they had been doing it.
Only a few minutes later, the elevator doors
opened, admitting both Beckette and her Companion. Kha'rha had dropped his disguise in the
elevator and now bowed slightly, showing his respect for those gathered below.
Boone stepped forward to greet him.
"Welcome Kha'rha," he said, likewise bowing.
"It pleases me to see you again," the
Companion responded, placing a hand on boone's shoulder. "...however, it pains me
that our meeting must take place under such unfortunate circumstances. I would have seen
to your fallen leader and medic sooner..."
"I know that it's been hard for you or
Dro'vha to sneak away lately," Boone responded. "What matters is that you're
here now. Please follow me to the medical lab." He headed off in the direction of the
main corridor as Kha'rha and Beckette fell in step behind him. For the most part, the
other resistance members watched them from a respectful distance and Boone was pleased
that no hot words were uttered.
In the relative isolation of the corridor,
Kha'rha moved up to walk beside the ex-implant. "Beckette has informed me that you
plan on delivering Ibraham to Zo'or so that the Synod may drop their plans to study the
series three CVI's."
"That's correct."
"May I ask how you plan to accomplish
this?"
"That's Da'an's department." Boone
looked at Kha'rha. "And he refuses to let me in on the plan."
Beckette and Kha'rha exchanged looks and then
they were in the medical bay, Dr. Belman moving forward to greet them.
Kha'rha wasted no time in approaching the
fallen Liberation leader. "Awaken him," he instructed Belman.
The doctor lifted a syringe and quickly
injected it into the IV port.
Within the minute, Door began to stir and
groan. As soon as he opened his eyes, Kha'rha leaned over him.
"Who am I?' he asked.
"Kha'rha," Doors instantly responded.
"Listen to me carefully Jonathan
Doors," Kha'rha breathed, as he gripped the liberation leader's hand tightly.
"Henceforth you shall act as you see fit when protecting your world. You shall act
exactly as you would had you free will and you shall no longer comply with any Taelon's
wishes unless you choose to do so."
Doors' eyes rolled up in his head for but a
second. He whimpered and then suddenly the intelligence was back in his expression. His
eyes snapped over to take in Boone, then Belman and Beckette before returning to Kha'rha's
face. Jackknifing suddenly into a sitting position, he swung his legs off the table and
pulled his hand free from Kha'rha's.
"Boone! Don't tell me that you let another
one down here!" he snapped. Before the startled ex-implant could respond, he
chuckled. "Thank God that you did!" Reclaiming the Taelon's hand, he shook it
soundly. "I cannot tell you what a joy it is to simply be me!"
Before any of them could get emotional over
Doors' release from servitude, he swung towards Boone.
"What are you waiting for? Fill me
in!"
"I should have
guessed who you were the first time I saw you," Sandoval breathed, as he stared in
fascination at the woman before him.
"It is well for me that you did not."
He nodded. "I know that you feel you have
no reason to trust me - that you never have... but everything has changed. I'll come right
to the point with you. The museum was opened with one main function in mind - to entrap
you."
Da'an nodded again. "And you are telling
me this for what reason?"
"Because I'm not being controlled by you
or any of your people anymore," he answered, gripping Da'an's arm. "I don't have
time to prove my new status or loyalties to you, but I don't want you becoming Zo'or's
pawn..."
"I am already aware of your release from
the motivational imperative, even as I knew this to be a trap." Da'an stared into
Sandoval's eyes. "I am here today for you. Ask me what you will, but be quick about
it."
The attaché almost shook his head, so rattled
was he. "You knew? I don't understand..." Just then, Da'an turned and
looked pointedly at Liam. Of course! Liam had intentionally stopped in the crowd where he
would draw Sandoval's attention to Da'an. Sandoval grinned at the hy... at his son.
"You son of a bitch..." he breathed.
"Hey! Watch it!" Liam countered.
Sandoval shook his head. "Here I thought
that I was in control, when the entire time you were playing me for a sap..."
Liam grinned back. "Not the entire time -
only since you told me about the trap."
Da'an spoke, interrupting their exchange.
"Once again, I must urge you to make haste."
"If you know Liam, then you know what I
want you to do," Sandoval countered.
Da'an reached out to grasp her former
attaché's hand. "Meet me here at sunset," she said as she stood. "Bring
Zo'or." Releasing Sandoval's hand, she watched as he rose to stand beside her.
"If you can forgive me for what was done to you... I look forward to beginning a
friendship with you."
"I cannot lay the blame at your feet. It
was I who begged you to make use of me..." Sandoval bowed deeply. "I will see
you here this evening... my friend."
He and Liam quickly headed off in the direction
of the museum's front entrance. When he glanced back, he could see Da'an making her way
back up the street and he stopped to watch her in amazement.
"Come on!" Liam tugged at his arm.
"They'll be wondering where you've got to."
Together they entered the building.
Park, showered and once
again dressed impeccably, joined both Jonathan and Joshua Doors, Belman and Boone in
Doors' office. Kha'rha and Beckette had already departed, needing to get the Companion
back to his embassy before his delay in arriving could be noticed.
"So, we have no choice but to give Nivian
Ibraham up to Zo'or..." Doors frowned. "There must be another way..."
"I wish I could tell you that there
was," Boone sighed. "but, unless we turn her over and make it look
unintentional, the Synod will continue investigating the new CVI's. You know that they'll
figure out what's happened... Nivian's already been smuggled out and Da'an is missing as
well, which makes me believe that the transfer is going to take place soon... It's pretty
much a done deal at this point."
Doors stared at him. "Have you thought
about what might happen to your... friend once the rest of our people find out what he's
done?"
"Do you really care?"
"Of course I do! He's our biggest
asset!"
Boone shook his head, amazed as ever by the
man's crassness. Losing his MI hadn't seemed to make all that much of a difference.
"I've thought about it," he admitted. "and I've decided to take the blame
myself. Now that you're back, you can simply demote me. Da'an and I will be able to remain
here."
The billionaire nodded. "In the meantime,
I plan to announce that you'll continue your command until the current crisis is over.
Don't give me that incredulous look! We both know that changing command now would be
detrimental. We don't need to foster confusion and bad feelings at a time like
this..."
With a nod, Boone bowed out of the room and
headed toward the command center. Despite his outward calm, he was a nervous wreck inside.
Liam had better not let anything happen to Da'an...
"How dare you greet
me with news of such failure?" Zo'or rose from his chair and quickly stepped down to
stand before his attaché and his protector. "By what means did Da'an elude
capture?"
It was Sandoval who spoke. "He never
actually entered the building. Kincaid happened to sense him, despite his holographic
disguise while he was in line."
"Unfortunately, Da'an also knew who...
what... I was and headed for the street. I lost her when she ducked into a store,"
Liam explained.
Zo'or glared at the hybrid, his eyes flashing
with barely contained anger. Suddenly, he seemed to wilt. Returning to his chair, he
collapsed into it, slumped with distress. "It was my only option for obtaining Nivian
without compromising our new CVI's..."
For a few moments, there was silence in the
chamber, until Zo'or happened to glance up to see Sandoval and Liam exchanging knowing
looks. "What is it?" he asked, annoyed at the fact that they seemed to be
sharing some secret knowledge.
Sandoval smiled tightly. "After escaping
us, Da'an sent someone back to me with a message."
"And?"
"If we meet him in the small garden beside
the museum at sunset, he will give Nivian over to you," the attaché informed his
overlord. "He feels very strongly that Nivian's well-being is being compromised and
that she is the first priority in this situation. He also warned that if you made any
attempt to turn the situation to your advantage, that you would not be reunited with your
paramour."
Zo'or was sitting bolt upright in his chair, an
incredulous look upon his face. "This must be a trick... Da'an would not go out of
his way for me!"
"But, she's made it clear that she's not
doing it for you," Liam noted. "She's doing it for Ibraham."
Augur accompanied Da'an to the
attic room within his warehouse. "Nivian, look who's returned," he asked the
figure huddled on the old cot. She immediately lifted her head and looked past him, her
face breaking into a smile.
Da'an stopped a few feet away and held out a
hand. "It is time, Nivian," she announced. "Come with me now."
Rising, Nivian moved to stand beside Da'an and
took her hand, relaxing as she did so. She turned an adoring look upon her Taelon
protector, for only when they touched was she capable of coherent thought.
"Zo'or awaits me then?" she asked.
"It is my hope that he does."
She shivered. "I'm afraid..."
"I know you are." Da'an's look was
one of profound understanding. "... however, it is the only way in which you may
recover. Only remember that you are as capable of controlling Zo'or, as he is of
controlling you. Use your influence with him in a positive manner and also remember
that... despite everything, he loves you truly."
She nodded. "I'm ready."
Augur stepped forward and affixed his own
rendition of the Taelon holo devices to Nivian's collar and activated it.
A few minutes later, Dana Dessierre and Augur
left the building and entered a waiting taxi.
From the shadows of the doorway, the real Augur
watched then go and silently wished them luck.
As the sun began to drop
in the sky, a shuttle appeared directly above the museum. Briefly, it flamed a golden
color, lit by the sun's dying rays before it dropped down to land in the parking lot at
the rear of the structure.
Da'an squeezed Nivian's hand reassuringly and
led her out of the office building and across the street. As they approached the park,
they could see Sandoval, Liam and a tall, blond man closing the gap from the other
direction.
Nivian turned her eyes toward Da'an's
illusionary facade. "It's Zo'or," she breathed nervously.
"I know." Again Da'an squeezed her
charge's hand and together they moved into the park, coming to a stop before a small,
dormant flower bed.
Their visitors stopped on the other side.
Zo'or, his expression one of both anxiety and
hope, held out his arms beseechingly. "Nivian..."
His voice was barely heard, but Da'an felt the
thrill go through the scientist at the non-verbal call Zo'or had made.
Once more, the scientist turned her eyes toward
Da'an. "I am going to miss you... so much..." she choked. "and Boone as
well..."
The renegade Taelon brushed a strand of silver
hair away from Nivian's face. "You will be ever in our thoughts," she whispered.
"and if all goes well, you shall see us again."
"I'll never forget what I owe you
both..." With tears in her eyes, Nivian finally let go of Da'an's hand and turning,
walked directly across the flower bed and into Zo'or's outstretched arms.
The Synod Leader and the human doctor, embraced
as though they feared that they never would again.
Long moments later, when Zo'or raised his head
to thank the one who had saved them, he found that Da'an had already vanished.
"Here he comes,
Commander!" Jose yelled across the room to Boone, who hurried over to take a look at
the sentry's monitor.
"Thank God," the ex-implant whispered
under his breath when he saw Da'an arriving in the Church's vestibule in her Dana
disguise. It was late - well after sunset and he had become worried enough that he had
been about to head above to search for his companion.
Turning, he moved to stand beside the
entranceway doors, which only moments later opened to admit his missing friend. Relieved,
he made to take her arm, opening his mouth to greet her, but she immediately shied away
from him, eluding the contact.
He frowned. "What's wrong?"
She looked up at him, but did not drop her
disguise. "All is well, however we should not discuss this here..."
Of course! Da'an was obviously just hiding any
physical association between them from the other resistance members... Besides, she was
right - they couldn't talk about the incident in public...
He gestured towards the corridor which led to
their chambers, but she moved off in the direction of the medical bay. Suddenly aware that
something really was not right, he frowned and followed. Once they arrived, Da'an moved
into the small chamber which had been recently inhabited by Nivian and began collecting
her things together on the bed.
"Da'an, what is it?" he asked,
gently.
She stopped, staring down at the small pile she
had made for a minute before slowly turning to meet his eyes. "I have sudden
reservations about returning Nivian to Zo'or," the ex-Companion admitted.
"Perhaps you were correct to doubt this course of action..."
"Are you saying that we've done the wrong
thing?"
"Your words to me... about gambling with
people's lives..." Da'an shuddered. "If Nivian felt so strongly about leaving
Zo'or in the first place, what right have we to return her to him now, when she is unable
to reason for herself?"
He moved closer. "Perhaps more important
even than life, is quality of life," he whispered. "Not a night has not gone by
that I haven't pondered this. Nivian had no life here with us. Robbed of her mind and her
freedom, she was but a broken, empty shell. She may not approve of what we've done. She
may even hate us for it for a time... but she WILL be able to think for herself again.
She'll grow strong and make her own choices, even if it means leaving Zo'or again, only
next time she leaves, she'll leave a whole person.
In addition to regaining her life, her return
will ensure that so many others will regain their lives as well. She will know this.
She'll remember what we told her while she was here and somehow, I think she'll take a
great deal of comfort in knowing that."
Da'an tilted her head slightly and looked at
him with interest. "Quality of life..."
"Yes."
"Live free or die..."
Boone nodded. "How we live is more
important than how long we live."
The renegade turned away from him and gathered
the edges of the bedding together, wrapping Nivian's things in a neat bundle. "I
understand this concept," she whispered. "I understand it quite well."
He stepped forward and took the bundle from
her. "Doors agreed that we shouldn't let the rest of the organization know about the
fifth column or the secret CVI modifications. There's too much chance that there could be
a leak. One of our people could be captured, tortured..."
Da'an turned to meet his eyes again. "They
will be angered by Nivian's loss. They will not understand the logic in giving her up for
her own sake - not in light of the threat they believe my people pose."
"I'm not going to let you take the blame
for releasing her," he stated.
"Boone. We have already had this
discussion. For the sake of both my people and your own, your rank in this organization
must not be compromised!"
"I don't think you'll have to worry either
way," came a dry voice from the doorway. Dr. Belman stood there, her face strained.
"You'd better come quickly. Liam's just taken the blame for returning her."
With a quick glance back at Da'an, Boone broke
into a jog, quickly covering the ground back to the control room, where he was just in
time to hear Doors quieting down the angry buzz in the room.
"OK people! Settle down!" the
restored billionaire bellowed. "Liam, i understand that you released Nivian because
you wished to help her, but you went behind our backs. You know that there was to be
consequences for this."
"I understand that." Liam held his
chin up, defiantly glaring at those members who were giving him a filthy look.
Doors sighed. "Wait for me in my
office." As Liam left the room, Doors spared Boone, and Da'an, who had just arrived
with Belman, a warning glance. Then he turned back to addressing his group. "What's
done is done," he stated. "All we can do now is wait and see what the Synod's
next move is. May I remind you all that Liam was almost literally born yesterday. Go easy
on him for now."
That said, Doors stalked over to Boone, Da'an
and Belman. "You three. My office. Now."
They quickly followed him.
"Augur!"
The techno-wizard paused slightly, waiting for
Lili to catch up to him before running his thumb over the DNA scanner.
"What? No hello?" she asked, as she
followed suit.
He stared at her. "Hey, you've been gone
three days. No call. No letter. Not even a postcard, did I receive," he accused.
"So don't go getting huffy with me just because I didn't gush out how glad I am to
see you."
"So... you are glad to see me?" she
asked as she followed him onto the elevator.
As the lift began to plummet, he removed his
glasses and gave her a stern look. "When are you going to learn to trust me?" he
asked. "That's what this is all about isn't it? You're afraid that I'll up and
vanish one day, that I'll move on to greener pastures." He sighed. "Lili... I
don't think there will ever come a day when I'm not glad to see you. I missed you."
A huge smile split her face. "Good,"
she said, just as they exited the elevator and the doors to the command center opened.
"because, I want you to come back to Honolulu. I've done a lot of thinking lately...
I missed you, too. Things are dull when you're not around. Forgive me for sending you
away... and I promise to trust you."
"You're going to trust me?"
"A little..."
"Can I move in with you?"
"Don't push your luck. Well? What do you
say?"
He pulled her up against him and kissed her for
all he was worth.
She came up for air first. "Is that a
yes?" she panted.
"I forgive you."
"But, will you come back?"
"Uh huh," he confirmed.
Loud applause broke out around them then and
they looked up to find almost every member present below gathered around the doorway they
stood in. A chorus of different comments could be heard;
"Way to go!"
"Never thought I'd live to see the
day..."
"Maybe now things'll calm down around
here!"
"Wait! Who'll fix my drives for me at half
price now?"
"Jeez you guys!" Lili bellowed.
"Get a life, will ya?"
Together, the two of them headed for the
relative safety of the kitchen.
"That was a brave
thing you did out there," Boone noted.
Liam shrugged. "It was necessary. There's
no way I'd let Da'an confess to letting Nivian go - she's barely tolerated as it is and as
much as I hate to say it, we need you too. I realized that I was the only person who could
'fess up' and not get drummed out."
"Nevertheless, I owe you big time."
Boone held his hand out and after only a slight pause, Liam shook it.
The young hybrid then turned to face Da'an, his
face lighting up at the approving look he saw on her face. "You don't have to thank
me," he said to Boone. "I did what had to be done, that's all..."
"I commend you as well, but we have to
keep up appearances..." Doors rumbled. "Now about your punishment..."
Liam's smile quickly faded.
Sandoval exited his taxi
and stood for a moment, taking in the charm of the small city named Aveiro. With a small
river running through the center of it and the many arched bridges crossing over it, the
place reminded him of a smaller, cleaner, more open version of Venice. The buildings were
brightly painted and outdoor cafes abounded along the tree lined roads. Some of the side
streets were cobblestone.
Dressed impeccably in a suit and carrying no
luggage, he drew a few curious looks as he made his way towards one of said cobblestone
streets. The taxi driver had pointed him in the right direction.
As he walked, he felt his pulse quicken as a
nervousness took control of him. Deedee had to know that he thought her dead. How would
she react to his sudden appearance on her doorstep? Would she scream and run? Did he dare
to pursue her in a town like this? The locals might try to beat him to death...
Ten minutes later, he stopped and glanced up at
the three story dwelling across the narrow street. It was the place, but his feet seemed
strangely rooted to the ground. Perhaps he should wait for her to come out...
With a sigh, he moved a few doors down and
entered a small restaurant where he took a table at the window.
Nearly and hour later, he saw Deedee coming
down the street in his direction. He stood, paid his bill and was about to exit the
restaurant, when he heard a man calling her.
In a state of shock, he watched as the handsome
stranger embraced and kissed her.
They entered her building together.
Sandoval collapsed back into a spare chair and
stared with unseeing eyes at the doorway they had gone through.
Boone's eyes
snapped open. The bedside clock read 01:45 hours. He was alone in his bed, as he had been
ever since the night that he had pushed Da'an away.
Not long after Liam's phony confession,
Beckette had called in to let them know that the Synod had ordered the CVI investigation
halted. Knowing that Nivian had been returned, they planned on eventually informing Boone
that they were unable to find a means of undoing the new CVI programming.
Da'an had seemed to take the news far worse
than anyone else, disappointed that his people had failed to heed Boone's plea that they
make a show of good faith.
Boone sighed. It was no use. He couldn't sleep.
There were just too many things weighing heavily on his mind, not the least of which was
Da'an...
Wearing only his sweat pants, he rose from the
bed and silently making his way next door to the Taelon's own chamber, carefully slipped
inside.
The lights were out and yet he knew instantly
that his friend was not there.
He had known all night that something was not
right with his friend, for she had maintained her holographic disguise and carefully
avoided all contact with him the remainder of the evening. He had spent the greater part
of his sleep time tossing and turning as he debated whether or not to confront her... and
now he wished that he had.
Something was VERY wrong...
Turning, he quickly went in search of her.
After a brief search of the hidden fortress
failed to turn up the Taelon outcast, Boone nearly panicked. Pausing only long enough to
pull on a T-shirt, he questioned one of the night sentries, who informed him that the
otherworldly liberation member often went into the church during the course of the night
and having left almost an hour ago, was most likely there again.
Boone quickly made his way above and silently
moved from the vestibule into the main cathedral, a place he had not visited since his
fight with Hag'el. The place was dimly lit and the stone tiles all but froze his bare feet
as he moved up the central aisle. He could sense Da'an's presence nearby and relaxed
somewhat, relieved that she had not actually left the structure.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated and then
backtracked towards the stairs which led up to the steeple.
He found her sitting at the top of the landing.
With a blanket shrouding her, hiding her features from any chance observer in the street,
she sat and watched the stars through the thin glass of the upper window.
"It's a cold night," Boone commented,
as he sat beside her. "...but I see that the sky is cloudless. It's quite a view,
isn't it?"
Da'an's head turned and he could see the faint
glow of her eyes within the cowl formed by the blanket.
"It is not so fine a view as I have
previously enjoyed," she sighed.
Reaching out with an arm, he encircled her
shoulders and pulled her back against him. "I don't suppose that it is," he
agreed.
Now that she had finally allowed him to come
into physical contact with her, he could feel the Taelon's misery. Completely cut off from
the Commonality and constantly at odds with her own kind, she despaired of being accepted
by the humans she now lived amongst. Did not the one being in all their race who
understood her also reject her?
With utter shock, Boone realized that he was
that being and that Da'an did not expect to live much longer. Her duty in bridging the gap
between Taelon and Human was all which kept her in this life - a life which she now found
nearly unbearable.
Gripping the Taelon firmly by the shoulders, he
turned her so that they faced each other and pushed back the blanket.
Da'an looked sickly. Her human-like appearance
fading in and out as though she were too weak to keep up the illusion.
Frightened beyond words, Boone pulled her close
and kissed her desperately and with a passion which surprised them both as Da'an sighed
with relief at the contact and wrapped her arms about him.
When he drew back several minutes later, he was
relieved to see her looking a bit less grim.
"Eating isn't enough to keep you alive and
without relying on Liam you're not getting the energy you require to live..." Boone
whispered, suddenly certain that he was right in his assumption.
Da'an did not deny it, merely staring at him
with a hunger he had never before witnessed on any being's face.
"Were you going to wait until it was too
late and just simply fade away?" he asked, more angry with himself for not having
noticed her predicament, than with her.
"Peace, William," Da'an whispered, as
she leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against his own. The contact brought back vivid
images of the care she had given him when he was trapped within an infant body... as well
as eliciting its customary pleasurable sensation. "I do not need an energy stream...
or Liam..." she murmured. "...so long as you... accept me..."
Boone knew now that the theory he had begun to
piece together was in fact reality. Every time they touched, Da'an absorbed a small amount
of energy from him. It was residual energy that he did not require - given off when his
neurons fired or his muscles moved. Chalk it up to the relative inefficiency of matter
based organisms, but they wasted enough energy to apparently keep an energy based
creature, like a Taelon, alive. It only followed that the more wound up a human was, the
more physically and emotionally charged, the more energy they would dissipate.
It had to be the reason why, on the night that
they had nearly made love, the usual electrifying sensation at any contact between their
skin... had been intensified enormously...
He cradled her face with his hands.
"Gho'an was right... I'm the key to your existence outside the Commonality..."
he whispered, completely awestruck by the trust she had placed in him. "...All this
time, you relied upon me... for so much... Why didn't you tell me? I would have..."
Da'an covered his lips with a finger, silencing
him. "If you are unwilling to accept me...then I would rather pass beyond this life
than live a lie."
They stared at each other then, their eyes
locked unblinkingly for several seconds.
Boone slowly leaned forward as he pulled Da'an
close and kissed her, but this time he put his every hope for the two of them into it.
As she responded to him, holding on to him
tightly as though afraid that he would again change his mind, he groaned and pushed her
down onto the landing, pinning her there with his weight so that only the blanket shielded
her from the cold flooring. The kiss deepened, igniting the fire that he had intentionally
been keeping at a smolder. In moments they went from feeling chilled to feeling as though
they were being consumed in a conflagration.
With an effort, he took his mouth from hers,
only to nibble his way across her jaw line and then down the side of her neck.
Da'an seemed to writhe beneath him, inciting
him to further exploration.
Before he could do more than return to her
mouth, she had slipped her arms under his T-shirt and begun lightly stroking his back,
shoulders and chest. Everywhere she touched him, he was jolted with an erotic sensation
which threatened to snap his control.
Dimly aware of the sudden brightness which was
lighting the small landing, he pulled away long enough to note that Da'an was glowing
brightly, her human appearance well and truly gone. With another quick kiss, he wrapped
her in the blanket and hoisting her to her feet, led her back down the stairs and towards
the safety of the command center. At this point he really didn't care what the night crew
thought!
Indeed, their mouths dropped open when the two
of them re-entered the base, for they had never before seen the Taelon in her true form.
Eventually reaching his own room, he pushed
Da'an in ahead of him and pointedly locked the door behind them before leading her to the
bed.
Quickly seating himself on the edge of the
mattress, he pulled her down so that she was astride his lap and quickly discarded the
blanket which was still wrapped about her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck
and leaning forward, began kissing him as he gently pulled her caftan over her head.
With a groan, he realized she still wore the
Taelon jumpsuit underneath.
Da'an actually had the audacity to smirk at his
frustration, which in turn made him snicker at his own reaction.
Understanding what he wanted, she took pity on
him, showing him how to run a finger in a certain way down the seam at the back of the
suit. As he did so, it quickly parted halfway down its length.
Watching him intently, she unselfconsciously
withdrew her arms from the sleeves and let it fall to her waist.
Boone's gaze traveled over the alien form which
he had never before seen without its jumpsuit.
She certainly didn't look like any Taelon he
had ever seen...
Almost of their own volition, his hands came up
to rest upon Da'an's strong shoulders and then slowly slid down over her thin, but
deceptively strong arms. He planted a kiss at the base of her neck, where it joined her
torso and slowly slid his mouth downward. When he moved to the left and trailed kisses
over the gentle swell which looked suspiciously like the beginnings of a breast, Da'an
arched herself against him.
Through their mental link, he realized with a
thrill that she had felt some sort of sensation.
"You can feel this?" he asked softly,
excited by the possibility.
<"Yes!">
He moved on to the right swell, licking and
nibbling at it for a time as Da'an squirmed on his lap. By now there could be little doubt
in the Taelon's mind that he found her form... arousing. Gasping, he broke contact and
lifting her easily as he rose suddenly to his feet. Turning, he deposited her on the bed
and grasping the jumpsuit at her waist, he peeled it the rest of the way off her, amazed
when the boots came off with it, revealing two insubstantial, but human-looking feet. He
briefly wondered how she could stand the boots, before he allowed them to fall to the
floor and returned his attention to her.
His heart skipped a beat as he looked at the
being on his bed.
Da'an was...
She was...
...definitely a she!
"It is little more than a cosmetic
alteration," She explained, apparently afraid that he would somehow be disappointed
by the truth. "In every other way, I am a Taelon still."
Pulling his T-shirt over his head, Boone
discarded it and moved onto the bed beside her. "A Taelon that eats, drinks...
feels?" he murmured, as he shook his head in wonder. "You've moved beyond your
fellows." He nuzzled his cheek against her neck, not giving her a chance to reply.
"Either way... it doesn't matter," he sighed. "Not with you." Pulling
back a bit, he stared into her mesmerizing eyes. <"I would love you even if you
had not changed.">
Da'an nodded. <"But this makes it
easier.">
He smiled again as he picked up on her
amusement.
Unable to stop himself, he reached out a hand
and gently stroked her cheek.
She sighed, pressing her face to his hand and
seemed to relax as he again felt the odd, but pleasurable, tingling sensation where their
flesh touched.
He was amazed by the truth... Without him, she
could not survive - it was he who sustained her mentally... and physically.
As she picked up on his thoughts, her eyes
clouded over and became troubled. He felt the fear rise up in her - fear that she was
about to be rejected again.
"It is not a good enough reason..."
she whispered, suddenly doubting his motives.
His heart lurched painfully. "Yes it is,
but the fact that we love each other... and that I can't continue on without you...
clenches it," he answered, as he leaned forward and kissed her again.
Da'an's eyes closed as relief washed over her.
She kissed him back as hope grew within her, then began trailing kisses over his face and
neck, imitating him. Pausing to rub her cheek against the hair of his chest, her hands
slipped down to his waist and began to slide his sweat pants down...
A glance at the clock showed the time as
slightly after zero six hundred.
Boone lay in a state somewhere between sleep
and bliss, his arms around Da'an, who was curled against his side with her head on his
shoulder. Every few moments, he would gaze down at her as though he still could not
believe that she was there, sleeping peacefully against him.
He had been an idiot to delay this day for so
long, but he had so feared... changing their relationship, risking the special closeness
they already shared... And there had also existed the possibility that they would prove
physically incompatible, and frighteningly, they almost had...
He sighed softly.
In his mind's eye, it had been preferable to
deal with the yearning rather than face a disastrous attempt at an interspecies
union. In the end, it had been his fear for Da'an which had given him the courage to
attempt it, and how very glad he was that he had!
Yet again his mind wandered back to the events
of earlier that night...
Da'an had stripped him of his last article of
clothing, at the same time encouraging him with the delicate touch of her hands slipping
over his skin. Uninhibited in a way few humans were, her hands had wandered over every
part of him, pausing to fully explore and stroke his inflamed member until he had finally
captured her hand in his own and stilled it. With an annoyed look on her face, she had
then pushed her pelvis against him, making certain that there was no doubt in his mind as
to what she wished them to do.
With a small laugh at her mock look of
exasperation, he had instantly pressed her to the bed with his full weight while hauling
her arms above her head and pinning them there. Pressing his aching hardness roughly
against her abdomen, he nibbled at the flesh immediately below her jaw line as he rapidly
began to lose control.
Da'an had gasped at his sudden aggressiveness
and then arched herself against him invitingly as he raised himself enough so that he
could lower his head and turn his attention to the swells on her chest. With something
akin to a growl, he slid further down on the bed, releasing her arms and instead griping
her waist between his hands as he licked and kissed her belly. The pathways within
instantly lit up a whiter, more brilliant tone and everywhere he touched her, he could see
a brighter glow, like a halo effect surrounding the points of contact between them.
He had paused then, to lay his cheek against
her abdomen and simply tune in to her, ferreting out her thoughts and letting her feel his
own. An instant later, her hands had tangled in his hair, pulling him firmly, but
demandingly back up so that their faces were level with each other. Cupping his face with
both hands, she had brought him close, so that the bottomless blue of her eyes locked with
his own, mesmerizing him utterly.
<"You ARE deserving,">
her thoughts echoed clearly in his mind. <"You are my conscience... truly, the
other half of my soul... and I hold you above all others. My respect for you knows no
bounds... You would know this already, had you not taken such pains to avoid the touch of
my mind...">
He felt his heart skip a few beats even as
tears of relief stung his eyes.
"William," she said aloud, as she
stroked his cheek. "You are the best in all of us. YOU are what I would wish my own
race to be."
She had kissed him then, as he had remained
perfectly still for a moment, frozen in place by the enormity of what she had told him. In
an instant all the insecurities about his worth, and his ability to offer her anything...
vanished...
His eyes, his very thoughts, must have
communicated the end of the struggle, for a second before he kissed her, he clearly heard
her thoughts.
<"Come to me now,"> they
whispered. <"Be my lover... my mate in all ways...">
He had finally crossed the line
then, suddenly treating her as a woman he desired and loved rather than as an alien being
he was still in awe of. Exploring her form as she had his own, he had prolonged
their love play, waiting for her to urge him further. Only when she used her strength to
grasp his hips and pull him to her, had he finally relented.
Shifting himself atop her, he sought and found
entrance, but shockingly, discovered that she could not accommodate him. He pushed
carefully against her, again attempting to enter, but she gasped and the hands on his hips
urged him to be still. A panic began to rise up in him then and he started to back away,
unwilling to risk hurting her, but Da'an held him tightly. Mentally, she reassured him,
urging him to remain where he was.
Boone felt her concentrating and watched in
fascination as her form lit up more brightly still, a pulse of heightened energy spreading
outward from her chest. She sighed then, even as the unnatural tightness disappeared and
he felt himself slipping within her, finally able to complete the joining of their bodies.
One of his last coherent thoughts had been that
she had somehow modified her form further...
In the instant that their bodies had come
together, their bond had flared to full intensity so that their every thought and
sensation was shared with one another. He had paused to rain kisses over her before the
compulsion to move became overwhelming.
As he had given in to that compulsion, she had
writhed furiously beneath him, pulling at him and urging him on with a passion which
matched his own, his name echoing over and over in her mind.
It was at that point that Boone's own thoughts
rapidly disintegrated so that, now when he tried to recall them, he could only remember
that he had been consumed with a need to end the sweet, but overwhelming agony which had
consumed them.
He had thought that, as with Nivian and Zo'or,
Da'an would only feel his own pleasure, sharing it with him through their link.
He had thought wrong!
Her regression to a form which was more matter
based had enabled her to feel touch and physical pleasure. And through their bond, they
had shared both their experiences simultaneously!
It had proved to be nearly too much...
...The end, when it arrived, had been nearly
mind shattering and heart stopping. They had been unable to do more than hold each other
tightly as they quivered violently in the grip of a doubled pleasure which left him seeing
stars.
Afterward, he had collapsed on his side,
struggling to find his breath and literally dizzy with what had to be a massive endorphin
rush. His heart was racing outrageously and he suddenly recalled Hag'el's first, quite
dead, human lover...
Still, he had pulled Da'an to him and looked at
her, concerned first for her own health.
<"I am well..."> she had
thought sleepily, just before laying a hand over his chest. His heart had quickly slowed
and his breathing had returned to normal as she used her healing ability to calm him. Then
she had clung tightly to him and rubbed her cheek against his own.
"You were right," he had murmured
sleepily, drawing her curious attention. "When you tuned in to Zo'or and Nivian, you
called what they shared, 'a moment of perfection'. At the time, I disagreed... but you
were right. This was ... perfection..."
The amusement within her had been such that it
had bubbled up at him through their link, instantly bringing a silly grin to his face.
"Then we are blessed, for I see many more
such... perfect... moments ahead of us...," she had replied.
Laughing aloud, he had planted a kiss on her
forehead and somehow finally found the energy to pull the blankets up over them before
drifting off to the first deep sleep he had had since the last night they had slept
together.
Now awake, he looked her over and could see
that Da'an once more wore a stable human guise, appearing far healthier than she had been
when he had discovered her in the steeple. It amused him no end that she still wore a
small smile upon her face.
"What a way to recharge..." he
murmured as he stroked the back of her head.
"Indeed..." came the Taelon's sleepy,
but equally amused voice.
Hardly believing what he was doing, Boone found
himself reciting a poem which had suddenly come to mind. It was one which seemed so very
appropriate that it could not be contained...
How shall I hold my soul,
that it may not be touching yours?
How shall I lift it then above you
to where other things are waiting?
Ah, gladly would I lodge it, all forgot,
with some lost thing the dark is isolating
on some remote and silent spot that,
when your depths vibrate,
is not itself vibrating.You and me - all that lights upon us, though, brings us together like a fiddle bow drawing one voice from two strings as it glides along.
Across what instrument have we been spanned?
And what violinist holds us in his hand?
O sweetest song....
Pleased with the appreciative look which Da'an
gave him, he hugged her closer and planting a kiss on her forehead, quickly drifted back
off to sleep, unaware that his own face bore a trace of a smile which mirrored her own.
Fin
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