Copyright ©1999, Tracey Harnack. All rights reserved.  No part of this story may be re-posted in part or in full without written permission from me. It's characters are used without permission, no infringement is intended.
Disclaimer: Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict is copyright 1998, Tribune Entertainment
Co.
Rating: PG.
Title: Bringing Back the Magic

Author: Tracy Harnack

 

Author’s note: I wasn’t originally intending to write another Kali story, but some people (you know who you are) bugged me so much I just had to give in. Thank you. This is a sequel to “Thou Wert Lovely to the Last” and that should be read first.

 

Acknowledgements: To Qua’or/DreamerQ for forcing me to write this, and for helping me as I went along. To Kitten, for always encouraging me and reading everything I write, even though he doesn’t watch EFC. To our lovely Webmaster, BT, who is gracious enough to let me post my stories on her site. And, as always to by darling sister, who is the best friend and writer I’ll ever know.

 

 

Bringing Back the Magic

 

                Liam’s gray-green eyes blurred with tears as he placed the bouquet of wildflowers on the grave. It was a lovely, late spring day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, the huge oaks beckoned to him with their inviting shade. Almost a perfect day, really, just like the day exactly one year ago.

                Liam bent to his knees next to the green grave, and touched the headstone lovingly. He traced the lettering almost reverently.

                “Kalinda Laoise Putnam,” it read. “Beloved of Liam Kincaid.” Beneath the date, there was a poem. This was the first time Liam had been able to bring himself to visit, and he didn’t know who had had it inscribed there. Probably a family member, in tribute to her love of poetry. It fit.

               

Let this goodbye of ours, this last goodbye,

                Be still and splendid like a forest tree.

                Let there be one grand look within our eyes

                Built of the wonderment of the past years,

                Too vast a thing of beauty to be lost

                In quivering lips and floods of tears.

 —Alice Meynell

 

                He forced back his own tears at the memory of the last time he had seen her, lying in a pool of her own blood, telling him not to cry, telling him to be strong, and telling him she loved him. He wondered how many more graves of loved ones he would have to visit, and how many more dying friends and lovers he would hold and comfort and grieve for.

                “I’m sorry, Kali,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.” He wanted to say more, but he couldn’t get the words out. Pulling himself laboriously to his feet, he planted a gentle kiss on the headstone, and walked slowly away.

                From behind one of the large trees, Renee watched him shuffle out of the graveyard. He looked broken…beaten. His head and back were bowed as though he bore some incredible burden. She wondered what had happened to him. Before she could ponder the mystery any more, she felt a hand grab her arm roughly from behind.

                “You shouldn’t be here,” a familiar voice hissed.

                “Don’t touch me,” Renee said, jerking her arm away. “And who are you to talk? I don’t see that you have any business here, either.”

                “I followed you, of course,” Augur replied mildly. “I knew you were curious about the way Liam’s been acting the past few weeks. Knowing you, you’d spy on him before you’d come out and ask him.”

                “Very funny, Augur. Now what’s this all about? What’s wrong with him?”

                Augur shook his head. “It’s not your concern. Leave him in peace, will you?”

                Renee tapped her foot in annoyance. “Why do you always treat me like the enemy?”

                “Maybe because you are,” he shot back. Then he sighed. “If you promise not to bring it up to him, I’ll tell you. The basics.”

                “Good,” Renee said. “Shoot.”

                “Oh, sit down Palmer,” Augur said, flopping onto the grass. “It’s a long story.”

                Renee sat, as primly as one in a skirt that short could manage. Augur sighed and began to tell her about Liam and Kali and what had passed between them.

 

Same time: Moonbase

 

                Zo’or watched approvingly as the Taelon scientist La’ol began the process to take the Human woman out of stasis. “You are sure she will have full use of her body?” he asked in Eunoia.

                La’ol nodded. “It was difficult, but she should be as she was before. But in truth, you would have been better to send a more careful assassin. Repairing the damage to her aorta was no great challenge, but a completely severed spinal chord was nearly more than even our science could save.”

                Zo’or sighed. “My Agent chose the method, and I assure you, he has been thoroughly chastised. He tells me that because of her high-level job and connections, the murder had to be completely convincing, most especially with the added complication of her close relationship to Da’an’s Protector.”

                La’ol nodded again, this time distractedly. “Preparing to lift the subject out of the blue-tank. Beginning awakening process.”

                Zo’or watched, fascinated, as the woman was hauled out of the stasis solution and set down on the floor. She lay still, in a heap, for a long moment, and Zo’or found himself holding his breath. Then her body gave a great shudder and she coughed up the fluid that had filled her lungs for so long. No one rushed to cover her or wipe off the liquid from her naked body. La’ol knew better than to move without orders, and Zo’or was too busy studying the woman.

                She sucked in air for the first time in a year, and felt around her. “M…mmaaaiiii…” she croaked, her voice brittle and sore for want of use. “My…eyes,” she tried again. “Oh my Lord, I can’t see! I’m blind…Where am I? Someone, please…Is anyone there? My eyes, oh Lord, I can’t…” She began to sob in confusion.

                “Clean her off and take her to a holding cell. We will discuss her future when she has recovered.” Without a second look, Zo’or turned and walked out of the lab. La’ol motioned for two Volunteers to take her. A tall man wrapped her in a synthetic blanket and then he and a shorter man took her arms roughly to guide her away. Her legs wouldn’t work, even if she had been inclined to cooperate. They half-carried, half-dragged her down the halls.

                She kicked and screamed and fought and bit with all her might, but her muscles had atrophied and her best efforts, though they surprised her captors, were not nearly enough to save her.

                “Where are you taking me?” she yelled uselessly. “Who are you? What do you want from me? Please, tell me! Why can’t I see? What have you done to me? Why—” A thought hit her just then. “You brought me back! Bastards! Why did you bring me back?!”

                But she got no answer. They took her to a strange place and, none too gently, thrust her inside, throwing a jumpsuit and a packet of rations in after her. The woman pulled on the jumpsuit clumsily and felt around until her hand connected with a bunk of some sort. Breathing heavily, she pulled herself up carefully, wrapped herself up tight in the blanket she had been given, and shoved herself into the corner like a frightened caged animal.

                The thoughts racing through the woman’s mind were a blur of images and fragments of memory. She had only a vague idea of who she was…or who she had been. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was supposed to be dead. And that terrified her, as she believed she had never been terrified before. And that made her all the more frightened. Nothing made sense, nothing fit together. Whimpering pitifully, she hid her head in the blankets and slept.

 

               

                Three days later, the woman was feeling more like herself. She could remember things, like her name and her job. Most things were still blank, but she knew it was coming back to her. She was still completely blind and no one had spoken to her since her imprisonment.

                She became gradually aware of a presence not far from her, though she had heard no sound.

                “Is…Is someone there?” she asked uncertainly.

                Silence, and then the unmistakable sound of virtual glass being lowered. An almost dainty footstep towards her, and then only light breathing.

                “Hello?” she called again. Nothing, but this time she knew someone was there. “Answer me, damn it!” she yelled.

                “I see your condition has improved,” a Taelon voice observed.

                The woman’s sightless eyes widened. “Zo’or!” she hissed.

                “Correct,” he affirmed. “I am surprised, for we have never met until now.”

                “I’d know the voice anywhere,” she growled. “What did you do to me?”

                “We…resurrected you.”

                “Why can’t I see? Why can’t I remember?” she demanded.

                “A side effect of the process. I am no scientist, but I am told that your memory will return gradually, along with your sight. If you wish, there is an injection that will speed the process up considerably.”

                “No!” she said quickly. “No injections.”

                “I think you misunderstand me,” Zo’or replied. “The faster you regain your sight, the more quickly you will be of use to us. Therefore, it was not a choice.”

                “I’ll never be of use to you!” she shouted, but he had already sunk the syringe into her upper arm. She wobbled for a moment, dizzy, and caught herself on the edge of the bunk. All of a sudden the world was no longer completely black, but spotty. Then it was dark gray, light gray, shadowy. Within a few short minutes, things were almost entirely clear. She could see well enough to spit with accuracy at the Synod leader.

                Zo’or stepped back gracefully, amused by the impotent, utterly useless display of defiance. “Now that you can see, Dr. Putnam, I hope you will cooperate.”

                Kali tossed her head back and lifted her chin. “I don’t think so,” she stated firmly.

                Zo’or ignored that. “You see, we recognized your uniqueness long ago, when we offered you the job of a Protector, or even a research position on the mothership if you chose. You denied us, and there was little we could do about it. But now…Everyone who ever knew you believes you dead. Your genius, DNA, and skills are ours now. You should be proud. Your contribution will aid my people greatly.”

                Eu’hu’li, eu’hu’la” Kali hissed in Eunoia, and leapt at Zo’or like a fierce tiger. With one swift, desperate move, she had his arms twisted behind him and her sharp nails at his throat. The Volunteers didn’t have the time to react until she had him immobilized. They reached for their weapons.

                “Move again and he dies,” she told them.

                They froze.

                “You are a silly woman,” Zo’or rasped. “You cannot kill me like this. And even if you could, you would die instantly. Do not make things more difficult than they are.”

                “Dead is better than your alternative, and at least I’ll take you with me. Besides, you won’t kill me. You went to a huge amount of trouble to bring me back. You need me alive too much.”

                Zo’or smirked. “You are correct. You are too valuable to kill. However, although we prefer you intact, it would be a simple matter to take your memory and will and reprogram you to our specifications. As you have no weapon, my Volunteers could easily stun you before you could damage me, and then, I assure you, we will not allow you to remain the way you are now.”

                Kali tensed. The standoff lasted long moments, but finally she pushed Zo’or away and slumped to the bunk.

                 Only once he was a safe distance away, and both Volunteers had their weapons trained on the lovely woman, did Zo’or allow his amazement to show. “What are you?” he asked. “How do you know the old threat? The sleeper comes, embrace the void. Are you of Ma’el?”

                Kali arched her eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

                “Do not play the idiot with me,” he warned. “No Human could have attacked with such speed, without betraying some sign beforehand. No Human without a CVI could have such knowledge of Eunoia, nor known the ancient words. You must be a descendant of the scientist Ma’el. There have long been rumors that he took a Human mate, and now I see they are true. Tell me, do you have the Shaqarava?”

                Kali looked incredulous for a moment and then threw her head back and laughed. “I’m sure your Ma’el did take a Human mate, but she was none of my kinsfolk. I’m as Human as you can get.”

                “You are lying. You cannot be Human. You are too…”

                “Too good?” she suggested. “Too smart, fast, strong, maybe? Too much like an equal than a servant, huh? Makes you nervous, ha’au’eia.

                Zo’or’s eyes widened. “How can you know Eunoia?”

                “I learned it,” she told him. “From your computer.”

                “This is impossible,” Zo’or sputtered. “No Human…”

                “You just can’t admit that a mere Human could best any Taelon, can you? You couldn’t admit it with William Boone, and you can’t admit it with me. Maybe we’re not all up to par yet, but we’re getting there.”

                Kali faced him proudly, her old confidence coming back. The look in her dark eyes frightened the Synod leader ever so slightly.

                “I must think on what shall be done with you,” he told her. With no further ceremony, he turned and left. The Volunteers reactivated the virtual glass and followed him.

                Kali stared after them for a moment and then sank back down on the bunk. “Well,” she said to herself. “This is a fine mess you’re in. I don’t know how you’re going to get out of this one.”

               

One day later: Doors International Headquarters. CEO’s office.

 

                Renee’s global beeped at her, startling her. She had been deep in her work, and was slightly irritated by the interruption. Since only a few people had her private global number, and only one of them would be likely to disturb her at this time of day, she had a pretty good idea who it was.

                “This better be good, Liam,” she muttered, picking up the global and sliding it open. To her great surprise, a different face than the young Protector’s greeted her.

                She’d never seen the man before. He was tall, dark, and…well, the only thing that saved him from prettiness, she decided, was the masculine set of his jaw, and his prominent (but not at all unattractive) nose. His hair was black and thick and curly, slightly longer than fashionable but very becoming, and his eyes were big, dark, and kindly intelligent.

                “How did you get this number?” she blurted out, unsettled by his piercing gaze. “I mean…”

                The (Indian? She couldn’t tell his race) man broke into a grin, his white teeth a startling contrast with his rich skin. “It’s quite all right, Ms. Palmer. I can tell you’re the type of person to keep an open mind about people.” His accent was strange, but the words he spoke were all too familiar.

                “Thank you,” she replied to the seeming compliment, nodding slightly to show him she had caught the phrase often used by Resistance members to identify themselves. “We must have met before. Pardon me, but where do I know you from?”

                “Actually, we’ve never met, but a dear friend of mine gave me your personal number, should I ever wish to speak with you. Dr. Melissa Park. I was hoping you and I could get together to discuss a possible business alliance. I have some researchers in my employ that might be very beneficial to Doors International’s quest to meld Taelon and Human technology.”

                Renee raised her eyebrows. “Of course,” she replied. “I know just the place.” She sent him the coordinates, and a time, and hung up. Setting her global down on the desk with a sigh, she rubbed her temples. She had absolutely no idea who this man was, where he was from, or why he was calling her. But she had a feeling none of this would be easy.

 

That evening, Flat Planet Café.

 

                Renee waited impatiently on a red stool in the empty café. Augur was out of town, so at least she didn’t have to worry about him breathing down her neck. She knew this meeting had to be related to Resistance business somehow, and she’d told Liam to be there, but he’d been sullen and withdrawn, and hadn’t actually agreed to anything.

Right on time, the man strode in. He was lithe and walked with self-assurance, with the merest hint of shyness that was extremely alluring. She mentally slapped herself, reminded that the last time she had found a man alluring, he had turned out to be an alien, a two-year-old, and a general pain in the butt. Straightening her suit, she forced a friendly smile, stood up, and shook his hand.

“Excuse me for being blunt, but who are you and what do you want?” she asked.

 “My name is Ravin Putnam, and perhaps we should go upstairs to speak further.”

“Well, someone lives up—Putnam?!” Renee had known this was going to be trouble.

Ravin smiled grimly. “Shall we?” He gestured towards the staircase.

Renee nodded dumbly and led the way up the stairs. She knocked on the door at the top. “Liam?” she called. “Can I come in? I have someone I think you might want to talk to.”

“No.”

“Liam, I’ll shoot the lock off if you don’t let us in.”

“No.”

“Let me try,” Ravin whispered. “Liam Kincaid, if you had love for your fiancée open this door!”

                There was a flurry of activity from within the apartment and the door flew open suddenly, nearly knocking Renee down the stairs.

                Liam’s curly, rumpled head appeared. “Who are you?”

                “The question of the day,” Renee muttered.

Liam glared at her, and squinted at Ravin. His eyes widened after a moment. “You…you’re Kali’s twin brother, aren’t you? She showed me a picture…Please, come in…” He led the way into the tiny apartment. Renee and Ravin sat down across from Liam on the couch.

Liam seemed to be studying Ravin intensely. “You look just like her,” he choked out. “It’s my fault she’s dead…I’m sorry…”

“Shut up.”

“Excuse me?” Liam was shocked.

“Stop wallowing in guilt and self-pity and let me tell you how you might be able to do something useful instead of moping around here like a helpless child,” Ravin told him. “I didn’t come here to get an apology for something that wasn’t your fault, or to cry over how much I miss my other half.”

Liam’s lip trembled for a moment and then he swallowed his grief and anger. “Okay…” he said slowly, letting out a long breath. “Just out of curiosity, why did you contact Renee instead of calling me directly?”

“Because you haven’t been answering your global or been at work for the past week,” Ravin explained. “I had no other way to get a hold of you. And I’m sorry to be so rough, but you need to get a grip on things.”

Liam nodded. “I guess I understand. But what’s so important?”

“Brace yourself.”

“I’m braced already.”

“Well…it looks as though my sister might not be dead after all,” Ravin said. “I’m sorry, there’s just no way to say it that doesn’t make it sound like a soap opera.”

What?” Liam leapt to his feet. “You mean…”

Ravin nodded. “I have reason to believe Kali’s alive. And I need your help to get her back.”

Liam’s green eyes went wide and lit up as comprehension of what Ravin had just said dawned on him. Tentative joy and confusion warred on his face.

“Where is she? How can she be alive? What’s the plan? Who’s responsible?” The questions poured forth in a torrent.

“Sit down, Liam,” Ravin said, laughing. He shook his head. “She certainly described you well enough. But this isn’t going to be easy.”

“So?” Liam prodded, his foot tapping in nervous anticipation. “What happened?”

Ravin took a deep breath. “My sources—and please don’t ask who my sources are—say that Kali was never meant to die. Zo’or wanted her for his experiments. It makes sense, in a sick sort of way. She was the best and the brightest, and he’s always been inordinately greedy about having the best and the brightest for his test subjects. He thinks my sister might hold the key to the salvation of the Taelon race. Not like we’ve never heard that one before, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is what he wants to do with her.”

“And that would be…?” Renee prompted.

“Nothing good, that’s for sure. Take your pick: implantation, reproduction, dissection…And a hundred more horrible possibilities we can’t even begin to guess.” Ravin grimaced. “Liam, we have to get her out of there.”

“Yes. Now.” Liam’s face hardened. “How could anyone do such a thing?”

“That poor woman,” Renee breathed. “Ravin, you must be so worried about her.”

“Actually, it’s the rest of us I’m concerned about,” he half-drawled mischievously. “I’d hate to see the moon blown up because the Taelons chose the wrong person to mess with.”

Liam and Ravin burst out laughing. Liam slapped Ravin on the back, ignoring Renee’s bewildered stare. “I’ll make some coffee, and we can talk about how we’re going to go about this most glorious rescue!”

“If I remember correctly, the last time you tried to rescue Kali, you ended up looking quite foolish…” Ravin reminded.

Liam groaned. “I should have known she’d tell you about that one.”

Joking and laughing like old friends, the two men headed towards the tiny kitchen. Muttering curses, Renee followed them.

Late that night, after Renee had gone home and Ravin had fallen asleep, Liam lay awake in his bed, his mind whirling. He could hardly believe it. It was too good to be true. His love…alive!! He was going to get her back.

He forced himself to sleep using an old Kimera method. Part of him was afraid to sleep, lest he wake and find Ravin’s news a dream, but the rational part of him insisted that he would be of the most use the next day if he was rested.

 

 

Next Morning: Flat Planet Café

               

                Liam, Ravin, and Renee met just outside his apartment. Looking at the others, Liam thought Kali would say they looked like something out of Mission Impossible with all their gear and black garb. Renee looked peeved.

                “How exactly did I get into this again?” she snapped.

                Liam bit back a harsh response. It was well before dawn, and Renee wasn’t a morning person. Neither was he, but he had never been so wide-awake. Ravin, too, looked on edge. Liam felt as though he could do anything.

“You’re here because you want to save the life of a woman,” he said gently. Renee rolled her eyes but smiled ever so slightly. Liam took a deep breath and turned to Ravin. “Okay, how are we going to do this?”

“I modified a shuttle based on the specs from Ma’el’s ship. What worked for him should work for us.”

Renee nodded and then looked sharply at the handsome man. “Hold on, where did you get a shuttle from?”

Ravin grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. “You know that shuttle that mysteriously disappeared into ID space, for no apparent reason?”

“Of course,” Renee said. “Taelon scientists claimed it was a total fluke engagement of the ID drive that would never…” she trailed off. “Do you mean—”

“Well, for some reason that fluke engagement dropped the little bugger at a little place in the jungle of India. Which happened to be owned by me.”

Renee’s eyes widened. “But to do something like that, you’d have to have someone on the inside. We don’t have any operatives other than Liam in deep cover right now. Not with clearance like that!”

Ravin shook his finger at her. “Maybe you don’t know everything, Ms. Palmer. Now, we’d better get going. We’ll take a portal to New Delhi and more…um, native transportation from there to my mother’s research post. Now, we’d better get going. My latest news is that my sister has royally ticked off Zo’or. If she survives another forty-eight hours as we know her, I’d be surprised. ”

 

Twenty minutes later: New Delhi gamma portal, India

 

A brief wave of disorientation hit Liam as he rematerialized on the platform, half a world away from his home. Millions of unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells assaulted his senses and he swayed. Ravin reached out a hand to steady him.

“Welcome to India,” he said. “Home to the largest population of human beings on earth.”

Looking out at the crowd surrounding the outdoor terminal, Liam could easily believe it. He had never seen so many people in his short life. Everywhere, people were rushing, pushing, selling, buying, looking, talking, and a million other things. They were from all walks of life, from Hindu grandmothers in saris to tattooed teens embracing Western culture.

Liam realized Ravin was making his way off the receiving platform. Liam took Renee’s hand so that they wouldn’t get separated and followed him as he wound a path through the crowd like an expert. Even in this crowd, Ravin stuck out.

They walked for nearly an hour, always having to fight their way through the crushing mob of people simply going about their daily business. Finally, the crowds began to lessen, and they began to get out of the city itself. Liam could see the edge of the restored jungle not too far away.

When Ravin stopped, the transition was so sudden that Liam almost slammed in him, and Renee did slam into Liam.

“Well, this is the place,” Ravin announced.

Renee wrinkled her nose. “The place for what? And what’s that smell?”

 

Less then ten minutes later, she found herself on the back of an elephant, holding Ravin tightly and trying not to think about where they were.

“It’s okay,” Ravin assured her, brushing his thick black hair away from his face. “They are very well trained animals, and the only thing that can get through the protected jungle without too much damage.”

Renee took a deep breath. “I guess it’s not so bad,” she admitted, as the huge creature swayed and lumbered on at a fast pace. “I’ve just never really been an animal person.” She glanced back at Liam, who had a female elephant to himself.

He grinned at her. “Isn’t this great?” he shouted, scratching behind his mount’s large ear.

“Yeah Liam,” Renee called back, unenthusiastically. “It’s just peachy.”

Her sarcasm flew right by him, and he started to chatter on about the scenery, the wildlife, Kali, and whatever else came to mind. Renee didn’t have the heart to be annoyed with him. After all, she knew what it was like to be in love, and to lose the person you cared most about. How would she have reacted if Richard and Karen had been magically returned to her? She swallowed back painful memories of her dead husband and daughter and mopped her brow with a handkerchief.

Ravin sensed her change in mood and tried to cheer her up with amusing tales of his jungle experiences.

“When my mother first took me into the jungle to study the tigers, I was only a very small boy. I had never seen an elephant up close before. My uncle snatched me up, plopped me on the back of a bull, and told him to go. I was so frightened…”

Renee listened as he went on, not paying much attention to his words but glad for the distraction. He had a wonderful, melodious voice, and it soothed her. Finally, though, Ravin fell silent. Eventually, even Liam shut up and still they continued to ride on, hour after hour.

Just as dusk was settling, and Renee was getting antsy about being out so late, they stopped in a clearing. There was a hut at the base of a giant tree and a Taelon shuttle parked next to it. Ravin slid easily off the back of the elephant and held out a hand to help Renee down. She accepted and found that her legs were so stiff she had to lean on him for support.

Liam hopped off his mount like a kid. “Where are we?”

Ravin smiled. “This is the place my mother used as a base camp for her research on the wildlife.”

“Used?” Liam asked carefully.

Ravin bit his lip. “She was killed about six months ago…a fall from a tree.”

“I’m so sorry,” Liam offered.

Ravin nodded. “Let’s get inside. We’ll sleep here and then head up to the mothership first thing in the morning. We all need rest before that.”

Liam and Renee followed Ravin inside the hut. It was indeed a tidy little research station, complete with a very well equipped lab and state of the art technology. There was also a kitchen and some sleeping mats. They prepared a plain, but hearty dinner, and went promptly to bed. None of them had an easy time sleeping.

“Liam?” Renee whispered from next to him.

“Yeah?”

“I…I’m glad your girlfriend’s alive.”

Liam smiled to himself. “Thanks. Now get some sleep.”

Renee nodded.

“G’night Kincaid.”

“G’night Palmer.”

 

Four hours later: Putnam research post, India

               

                There wasn’t even a hint of dawn on the horizon when Liam woke abruptly at Ravin’s voice.

                “Up, up!” he demanded. “Let’s get going, time is definitely of the essence here.”

                Liam moaned, sat up, and shook Renee’s shoulder. She cracked open her eyes, muttered a curse, and slapped his hand away. “Imupalready,” she mumbled.

                Liam grinned as she pulled herself to a sitting position. Her bleach-blond hair was sticking out every which way, and he was gratified to see that she looked just as horrible as anyone else did at this time of morning.

                Scowling at Liam’s stare, Renee pulled her hair into a sloppy ponytail, went over to the sink, splashed some water on her face, and left the hut.

Liam quickly followed her example by ducking his head under the cold water and haphazardly folding the blankets into some semblance of order. He then went out to join Renee and Ravin who were standing by the shuttle talking in technical jargon he had little hope of understanding. He went over and they stopped talking to look at him.

“Ready?” Ravin asked.

Liam nodded. “Let’s do it.”

They climbed into the shuttle solemnly. Ravin motioned Liam to the pilot’s seat. “I can’t fly one of these,” he explained. “I’ll show you how to use the cloaking technology, but you’ll have to be the one to get her to the Moonbase.”

Liam paid close attention as Ravin showed him how to engage and disengage the complex webs of energy that would keep their vessel undetectable to Taelon and Human signals alike. Once Ravin was sure Liam could handle the new system, he clambered into the back and strapped himself in next to Renee.

Liam took a deep breath, and began to move his hands in the familiar graceful rhythm over the intangible controls. The shuttle lifted gently off the jungle floor and jumped to ID space the moment it cleared the canopy. As Liam worked to adjust himself to the loops that the cloaking improvements were throwing him, Ravin gave him instructions.

“I want you to come out of interdimensional right here,” he told the young hybrid, pointing to a spot on the charts that was on the other side of the moon from the mothership, but just over the curve of the horizon from the base. “No need to take any chances of being detected easily if something happens to the cloak.”

“But how will we get on the base?” Renee asked, before Liam could raise the question.

“Patience,” Ravin reminded her. “You’ll see.”

Renee growled a little but held her peace. Liam was too occupied with flying to object. Besides, he figured that Ravin knew what he was doing, and he was willing to trust the man to keep them safe. Kali meant as much to him has she did to Liam, albeit in a different way.

Liam took the shuttle out of ID space where Ravin had indicated, hugging the pitted surface of the moon to within a few hundred meters. They were quite effectively hidden from any direct scanning from the mothership, the Moonbase, and the Earth.

Parking the little ship in that position, Liam turned around in his chair to look at Ravin. “Okay, now what?” he asked, slightly impatiently.

“Now we wait exactly…” Ravin glanced at his wristwatch, “twelve minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”

“Okay…” Liam said slowly. “Why?”

“Because in twelve minutes and forty seconds, the Moonbase will receive a new rotation of Volunteers, coming in by portal from Earth. If we jump from here to inside the base at that exact time, they won’t be able to detect the ripple in space at all. They wouldn’t be able to see us anyway, but the ID effect would still show up on their instruments. If, however, we jump in at the same time as someone else…”

“Our entrance will be masked completely!” Renee finished for him.

“Bingo. I’ve picked a fairly unused bit of the base for our entrance. The good thing about it is that it’s both far away from most of the action and rather close to the portal. The bad thing is that it’s pretty far away from where they’re keeping my sister.”

Liam nodded. “That is a drawback,” he agreed, “But I think you have the right idea. I’m not sure I can land the shuttle inside a space that small, though.”

“Don’t worry,” Ravin assured him. “I made some other adjustments based on Ma’el’s ship, and you should have almost triple the accuracy of a normal landing.”

Renee looked dubious, but said nothing.

At Ravin’s count, Liam jumped the very modified shuttle from its hiding spot right into the heart of the Taelon Moonbase. It was a rough landing, but very much easier than Liam had expected. They appeared to be in a disused storage area. There were some crates stacked against one wall, but other than that, the room was empty. The trio held their collective breath as they counted out the time it would take for troops to arrive, if they had been detected.

It seemed as though luck was with them, and they sighed their relief and hopped out of the shuttle. Liam and Renee unholstered their guns, just in case, and looked to Ravin for directions as to where they were going.

“Alright, this is going to be tricky,” he said with a frown. “She’s guarded very heavily, and we aren’t exactly going to be able to get her out without anyone noticing. This way.” He set off the corridor at a rapid clip, motioning for Liam and Renee to follow.

“I don’t like taking orders from him,” Renee whispered to Liam as they trailed behind him, wary for any Volunteers. “We’re pretty much in the dark. You seem to be content to do what he says, though.”

“That’s because he knows what he’s doing and it would take too much time to explain it all to us,” Liam snapped. “I don’t like taking a backseat either, but following him gives Kali the greatest chance for survival, and that’s what I’m going take!”

With that, Liam lengthened his stride to catch up with Ravin, and Renee had no choice but to shut up and do the same. Things seemed fairly quiet, which was a blessing since Renee was so tense she would have shot at the merest hint of a sound.

Ravin led the way, carefully navigating through the maze of tunnels he had memorized on paper but never actually had to negotiate. He looked back every few seconds to make sure Liam and Renee were following and keeping alert.

Okay, after this should be an intersection where we go left, he thought to himself. Glancing back one last time, he rounded the corner only to find himself face to face with a Volunteer in full armor and helmet.

“Damn!” he spat, reaching for his weapon. But the Volunteer was faster. Before Ravin could unholster his gun, he was staring at the wrong end of a very nasty energy cannon. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Liam and Renee coming after him.

“Shoot and I’ll kill him,” came a muffled warning from inside the helmet. Liam and Renee froze and put their hands in the air, although they did not drop their weapons. Ravin likewise put up his hands. The Volunteer backed them up against the virtual glass in such a way that he could probably take all three of them out in one shot. To back up that impression, Liam heard him release the safety.

Liam winced and wished for his Shaqarava. Ravin grabbed Renee’s hand and drew in a deep breath.  The Volunteer stood stock still for a moment, and then brought the barrel up and looked through the sight, directly at Liam’s head.

Liam closed his eyes and waited, but the killing blast never came. After what seemed an eternity, the Volunteer lowered his weapon and reached up to unhook his helmet strap. He pulled off the helmet and, much Liam’s astonishment, shook out a headful of the most fiery red curls he had ever seen. He, it seemed, was a she.

Once possessed of this information and able to see her face, it was easy to see. She was only about five four, and fairly slightly built, though the armor and boots made her seem taller and heavier.

Ravin was the first to speak.

“Sierra, don’t do that!” he exclaimed, the relief clear in his voice.

“You know her?” Renee and Liam demanded at the same time.

The redhead jumped in at this point. “I’m the contact who got him here,” she said in a slight French accent. “I didn’t expect him to be so stupid as to bring anyone else along.” Her green eyes flashed in annoyance.

Finally something clicked for Liam. “Hold on a sec. Sierra…” he muttered, as though mulling something over. “The Sierra from the Quebec cell? That Sierra?” He’d never met her, but he’d heard a vivid description from more than one source.

She tossed her head defiantly. “Oui.”

“But you were killed!  Hayley saw you herself,” Liam protested.

Sierra sighed. “I switched places with a female Volunteer during the firefight. She had red-hair and she was covered with rubble. Hayley probably couldn’t tell the difference, and no one else cared. I saw my chance to get on the inside of the Volunteers and I took it. You’re lucky I’m such a romantic, I can’t resist helping you get your love back.” She winked at Liam to show she bore no ill will.

Renee looked scathingly at the French-Canadian woman, but said nothing. Sierra continued. “Follow me, I’ll show you where Kali’s being held. If we run into anyone, we might be able to pretend that you’re my prisoners, although with Mr. and Mrs. High–Profile here, that’s not very likely.” She spun on her heel and led the way like a force of nature. Ravin and Liam followed meekly. Renee followed muttering curses.

It wasn’t long before they ran into trouble. A group of three Volunteers turned a corner suddenly and began heading right for them. Sierra quickly dropped back and put her gun to their back, so as to seem that they were in her custody. Liam and Renee bowed their heads as much as possible and turned them towards the wall. Ravin moved to block whatever part of their faces that could still be seen.

It seemed to work. With a perfunctory nod to Sierra, the Volunteers continued on past them as though it was an everyday occurrence to see three human prisoners being marched through the corridors. Liam was just about to start breathing again when one of the Volunteers, a nondescript, brown haired young man, turned around and called after them.

“Hey, Sierra, I thought you were on lab rotation. Whatcha doing all the way over here?”

Sierra froze and Liam felt her gun jab sharply into his back. Renee flashed him a panicked glance. Pasting a smile on her face, Sierra turned to face him.

“Just taking care of a little security breach, Justin.” She prodded Liam’s back again with the weapon, for emphasis. “You know how crazy things have been.”

Justin laughed. “Yeah, I sure do. But I didn’t hear anything about a breach.”

Sierra shrugged. “I have my orders, that’s all I know. All I need to know, right?” She batted her eyelashes at Justin, and he blushed. Liam had to give the Resistance member points for acting. She had him half-convinced that she was really a Taelon loyalist with a crush on her fellow Volunteer.

Justin nodded and started to head back down the hallway, but once again he stopped, a thoughtful frown creasing his face. “Hold on a sec, Si,” he said.

“Yes?” she replied, all innocence.

“That one,” he pointed at Liam, “looks familiar.” He moved closer, trying to get a view of Liam’s face. “You!” he ordered. “Turn around.”

Before Liam could decide what to do, Sierra stepped between them. “Justin,” she said softly and seriously. “I have something very important to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Sierra bit her lip. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” She put her hand almost affectionately to the back of his neck and then pressed with all her might. He didn’t have time to hit the ground before his friends had their guns out. Liam and Renee were just as fast.

“This way!” Ravin called over the fire. Liam shoved Renee toward the direction Ravin had indicated and she scrambled behind the cover to take whatever shots she could at their assailants. Apparently, back up for the Volunteers had been within hearing range, because four more of the enemy came out of nowhere. Liam took another shot, felling two of the six they were now fighting, and dove/rolled to where Renee and Ravin were holed up, letting Sierra cover him.

From their position, even out numbered, they managed to down all of the remaining Volunteers. Sierra, breathing raggedly, slipped beside Liam. “We have to hurry, this place will be crawling in about fifty seconds.”

“Run,” added Ravin. They ran, Ravin in front, Sierra bringing up the rear. “Here, this way,” Ravin shouted. “She should be right through here. I hope we’re not too late.”

They skidded around a corner and found themselves facing a high-security cell. An empty, high-security cell.

Renee saw Liam and Ravin shoot each other identical looks of sheer terror.

“Where is she?” Liam choked out with difficulty. “W-we c-can’t be too late, we just c-can’t.”

Renee took a deep breath. “Liam, you have to get a grip here,” she said sharply. He turned to look at her and she saw his devastated expression. “Look,” she said more softly. “I’m sure we’ll find her, but we’re in a dangerous situation, and if you break down now, we’ll all end up dead.”

Ravin seemed to shake himself out of a fog. “She’s right. We have to think about this logically.”

Liam gulped and nodded. “Okay, where else could they have taken her,” he asked the dark man.

Ravin bit his lip thoughtfully, but before he could respond, Sierra broke in.

“Look, I hate to be callous about this, but you’d better hurry up. We can’t have more than seconds, a minute at the outside, before we’re so surrounded that we’ll never be of use to anyone, ever again.

“I know, I know,” Ravin said. “I’m trying to think, I—”

*HELP!!!* The desperate mental scream ripped through his mind, give him a searing headache. He could tell, from Liam’s face, that he’d heard it too. Sierra seemed to have caught the edge of it, as she was wearing a slightly surprised, bemused expression.

“What?” Renee asked, confused. “What’s wrong?”

In answer, Liam was off and running, shouting only a, “This way!” over his shoulder. He ran, guided only by instinct at first, and then by the sounds of a fight, through the living corridors of the Moonbase. He knew the others were following, but hardly would have noticed if they weren’t.

Liam’s keen sense of hearing picked up a familiar voice coming from a distance away.

“I won’t let you use me! You’ll have to kill me, because I’ll be damned if I’m going be your pawn. I’d rather die!” Sounds of shots followed.

Reminded of that fateful night when he had first met Kali, Liam picked up his pace, made two sharp lefts, and stopped dead.

Kali was backed into a corner, obviously terrified, but bravely holding both her ground and a Volunteer weapon. Her hands were steady. There were four Volunteers trying to capture her, obviously under orders not to kill her unless it was absolutely necessary, which it was quickly becoming. Two more Volunteers lay on the ground, felled not from energy blasts, but apparently from Kali’s own hands. They were alive, but unconscious.

Liam realized that Kali wasn’t about to use her weapon on any of the young soldiers trying to apprehend her. She was a doctor; she could never take a life. She was going to use it on herself. His heart started pounding like it was going to explode, and he signaled to the others to each take one of the Volunteers.

“Kali, no!” Liam screamed, as he saw her begin to turn the weapon on herself. At the same time, in almost perfect tandem, the four rescuers each dispatched one of the Volunteers with a clean karate-chop to the neck that would have their opponents out cold for a considerable period of time.

Kali’s already huge eyes widened as she saw her brother and her beloved. The weapon slid out of her hand and hit the floor with a clatter. She grinned.

“About time you showed up, Wonderboy!” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “If I’d had to die again, you would have had a mighty irate ghost on your hands.”

Liam grinned back at her, filled with relief. Renee had never seen such a look of pure of joy and exaltation in her entire life. Liam took on the aspect of a man who had just been shown the glory of heaven and told that it was all for him. It was as though a burden that had been on him ever since she had met him had suddenly been lifted, a burden she hadn’t even noticed until it was gone. He was a new man.

Kali winked at Liam, but ran first to her brother, who enveloped her in a huge hug. Ravin noticed she was shaking, but holding it together. She kissed her brother on the cheek and murmured something in Hindu. He returned in kind. She squeezed his hand, and then practically flew into Liam’s arms.

He caught and held her as though she was a thing of glass, afraid she might break and he’d lose her again. His eyes filled with grateful tears at seeing her alive.

Renee opened her mouth to say that they should be going, but Sierra stopped her with a look and interposed herself between the CEO and the couple. “Let them have their moment,” she said softly.

“I…” he began in wonderment, not sure what to say. “You were dead…”

Kali smiled and put a hand to his cheek. He reached up to hold it there and squeezed his eyes shut, reveling in her cool touch.

“You know what they say, kiddo,” she said softly, in her rainbow accent. “Death cannot stop True Love…it can only delay it for awhile.”

Liam opened his eyes to look straight into her black ones, and leaned in to kiss her, but this time Renee succeeded in interrupting.

“I really hate to break this up,” she said. “but this touching moment will be the last we see if we don’t get out of here.”

“She’s right,” Kali whispered in his ear, sighing. “There’ll be plenty of time for more proper greetings later on.”

They threw each other wistful looks, and Liam stared daggers at Renee.

Ravin cleared his throat.  “Sierra, can you get us to a portal?” he asked. “There’s a portal receiver in my mother’s hut that I left there in case we couldn’t take the shuttle back.”

The redhead grinned. “Right this way, se vous plait.” She motioned back the way they had come, smiling to herself at the way Liam sheltered Kali as they ran. They set a breakneck pace; they had to, they could hear Volunteers behind them, and on all sides.

They could hear the enemy hot on their heels as they ran, desperate to get to safety before they were overwhelmed. Suddenly, Renee heard the sound of gunfire, and saw Ravin stumble beside her. She whirled to take out the lone assailant that had caught up with them and then dropped to her knees beside her fallen comrade.

Ravin was breathing raggedly and in obvious pain. Renee hardly noticed as Kali kneeled down next to her, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Liam put a hand on her shoulder and she clutched it like a lifeline.

“Ravin…” she choked. “I…”

“Shhh,” Ravin said, laying a trembling finger to her mouth. “It’s okay. I know, sisterling.”

She nodded. Leaning down, she kissed his cheek and smoothed back his thick, curly hair. “I love you,” she whispered, barely audible.

Ravin grinned rakishly through the agony and caressed his sister’s cheek comfortingly. Then his gazed shifted to Renee, who grabbed his hand and squeezed. Ravin reached up to stroke her blond hair, and a few tears slipped out of the corners of her eye, despite her best efforts at controlling them.

“I would have fallen in love with you, you know,” he rasped, losing strength quickly now. “And I would have loved you forever. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be, eh? You’re quite a woman, Renee Palmer. I wish I could have known you better.”

He smiled sadly, and they all heard the death rattle in his lungs. He glanced finally at Liam. “Take care of…my…sister…” The last word trailed away as the light went out of his eyes. Kali made a choking sound and buried her face in Liam’s chest.

Sierra swallowed the lump in her throat. She leaned over and closed Ravin’s sightless eyes. He had been a good friend, and she had often dreamed of him one day being more than just a friend. Much more. He had that easy charm and exotic way about him that instantly attracted every woman who met him. But Sierra had felt more than just simple attraction. The only thing keeping her from falling completely in love with him was that her situation didn’t have room for that. Her grief threatened to overwhelm her, and regret over the fact she’d never told him what he’d meant to her.

But there was no time for that. Right now she had to concentrate on getting Kali to safety, for him. He’d given his life to see his sister and Liam reunited, and she was going to make sure that happened. Taking a deep breath, trying to get her emotions in tow, she laid a comforting hand on Kali’s shoulder. “We need to go,” she said gently.

“I’m not leaving him.” Kali said in a steely tone Liam had never heard before. “I won’t let them profane his body, or do what they did to me.”

“Kali…” Liam began gently.

“No!” she snapped. “You don’t know what they do. Not like I do. We’re taking him, or I’m not leaving.” The set of her jaw told him just how serious she was.

“Alright,” Liam said reluctantly. Grimacing, he hefted Ravin’s body into his arms. “Sierra, where’s that portal?”

Sierra nodded, white lipped and even paler than before, if possible, and led the way determinedly. Thankfully, the portal was deserted, but they knew it wouldn’t be for long. “Kali,” Liam said. “You’re going to have to make sure we can’t be followed.”

“Get on the platform,” she said, her fingers dancing over the console for the ID portal almost too quickly to follow.

“Kali, hurry,” Liam said. “I can hear them.”

“I know, shut up!” she shot back, franticly programming.

“Kali…”

“Alright, let’s go!” she said, hopping nimbly up beside Liam. The ID effect swept them away just as a platoon of Volunteers burst into the room.

 

Ten minutes later: Putnam research post, India

               

The world slowly cleared to reveal the plain, rustic walls of the research station. The ride had been bumpy; receive-only portals were cheap and easy to get, but did not make for a smooth re-entery into realspace.

No one moved. They all froze the way they had rematerialized, in defensive crouches, like some weird tableau. They stayed like that for heartbeats. Finally Kali whispered, “Is it over?”

“It’s over.” Liam breathed. “We’re safe.”

“Thank God,” Kali said, and collapsed unconscious in Sierra’s arms, allowing herself to register the shock of all that had happened only now that they were safe. Panicked concern flashed across Liam’s face.

“It’s okay, I have her,” Sierra assured him. “You better take Ravin outside and cover him up. She might not be able to handle it if he’s here when she wakes up.”

Liam did as she said, half-mechanically.

Mon Dieu!” Sierra exclaimed as she hefted Kali’s limp body. The woman was far too thin. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but she could feel almost every bone in her body sticking out. No wonder she had fainted.

“Renee, help me get her on to the mat,” Sierra said. “Renee? Are you okay?”

The blond woman was standing there hugging herself and shivering, even though it was stifling. She shook herself out of her fog at Sierra’s call and helped her get Kali onto the makeshift bed.

“I’m going to see if there are any clothes in this place,” Sierra said. “That jumpsuit’s the last thing she’ll ever want to see again, and besides, it’s too warm.” She went into the next room and reappeared with a beautiful blue sari. Between the two of them, they got Kali out of Taelon-made clothes and into the lovely, flowing outfit.

When they were done, Renee just stood there, staring at nothing in particular. The look in her eyes was stunned and glazed.

Meeting her gaze, Sierra nodded. “I know,” she said softly. “He had that effect on people. Especially me.”

Renee smiled gratefully and grasped Sierra’s hands. Just then Liam entered, breaking the moment. But in that moment, a friendship was forged.

Without a word, Liam walked over to where Kali was sleeping and settled himself with his back up against the wall. With infinite care, he lifted her head and laid it in his lap. He sat there, stroking her inky hair and whispering words meant for her ears alone.

The world went on around them. Sierra and Renee made dinner and took care of whatever needed to be done. Towards sunset, just after the other two women had fallen asleep on their respective bedrolls, Kali began to stir. Her long eyelashes lifted to reveal her jewel-like eyes.

“Here,” Liam said, helping her sit up a little bit. “Eat some stew. You need food.”

She nodded and took the proffered bowl. “I wouldn’t take anything they gave me up there. They tried to force feed me, but...” She shrugged.

“So you starved yourself.”

“What would you have done?” she asked pointedly, shoveling stew into her mouth in a most unladylike manner.

“True,” he conceded. “But that means you haven’t actually eaten in a year!”

Kali dropped the bowl. It clattered to the floor, splattering hot stew all over. “A year?” she asked. “I missed a year, I was dead for a year?”

Liam nodded sadly.  “I’m sorry…I thought you knew.”

“How could I?” Kali snapped angrily. Liam looked hurt and she added quickly, “No, I’m not angry with you. It’s them…They took a year from me. A year of my life.” She shook her head in shock. “I thought a few weeks…maybe a month. But a whole year…”

Liam put a comforting arm around her and she smiled slightly at him and she looked deep into his eyes. Her expression clouded.

“Your eyes,” she murmured. “They’re so different. They’ve seen too much, haven’t they? You aren’t the boy I knew, are you? Hardship and loss change a man, and they’ve left their mark on you.”

He nodded. “After you died…A lot of things changed for the worse.”

She nodded, chewing her thumbnail to distract herself. “So,” she said with false good cheer, “what’s been happening while I was napping?”

Liam quickly filled her in on the major events of the past year.

“I’m so sorry,” she said when she heard about Lili’s death. “I know how much she meant to you. She was such a good woman.”

Liam nodded. His jaw clenched at the memory of seeing Lili lying there, cold and dead. He swallowed hard and said, “There is…something else you should know.”

She waited.

“I’m not sure how to tell you this, but…” He took a deep breath. “Your mother’s gone…she died six months ago. I’m sorry.”

Kali bowed her head and her thick hair hid her face from his view. “So that’s why she’s not here,” she whispered. “My poor Momma.” She touched the cloth of her sari. “This was hers, you know. She looked like a queen whenever she wore it. Of course, most of the time she was in khakis and covered with sweat and grime, but she still always managed to look like royalty anyway. And whenever she wasn’t in field gear, she almost always wore one of these. She said they made her feel lighter than air. The material was always so soft and when she’d hold me, the scent would be just…perfect.”

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I have nothing, Liam. Not even myself. My parents and brother are dead. I can’t even contact the rest of my family or friends, because it would put them and me in danger. Zo’or’s never going to stop looking for me after what I’ve done. My job is gone, everything I own is gone, I’m sure.” She looked at Liam for confirmation. He nodded carefully.

“I thought so. I have no money, no career, no family. I’ll be a fugitive for the rest of my life, in all likelihood.  And I don’t even know what I am…”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked, confused.

“I was dead!” Kali exclaimed. “They brought me back from the dead, reanimated me, if you will. That’s not easy to deal with. In fact, it sickens me to think of it. I’ll have to live with that forever.”

Liam took her hand and lifted her chin. “You have me,” he told her.

“I know,” she said. She closed her eyes.

“You must hate them,” Liam said. “The Taelons.”

She shook her head. “No…I don’t. I can’t.”

“I don’t understand.”

“If I hated them, that would mean they’d won, that they’d beaten me. I don’t hate anyone. It’s not in me. If we lose the power to forgive, we lose our humanity and the war is as good as over. Besides, as much as I’d like to, I can’t pretend that an entire race is responsible for what one person did to me.

Liam was silent for a long time. Finally he said, “You need to get some rest.”

“What I need to do is get over my self-pity get on with things,” Kali said, laughing bitterly at herself. “I seem to have been wallowing.”

“If anyone has a right to feel sorry for themselves, it’s you,” Liam said gently.

Kali shook her head vigorously. “There are better things to shed my tears over than a few lost assets and a little loneliness.” She smiled at him. “Things could be worse, after all.” She set her jaw. “They could be much worse.”

“I guess,” Liam agreed. “I have one question, though…”

“Yes?”

“Well, when you were in trouble on the moonbase, you screamed for help…In my mind.”

“I actually didn’t know you were there. It was instinctive.”

“Kali…are you psychic?”

“Of course,” she replied, nonchalantly.

Liam’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Why didn’t you tell me!” he exclaimed in a loud whisper.

“You never asked,” she said mildly.

“Kali!”

She ignored his frustration. “How do think Ravin knew I was still alive? He sensed I wasn’t dead when I came out of stasis. Then he asked Sierra to dig into Zo’or projects. Ravin and I were always especially sensitive to each other.” She fell silent.

“Let’s get some sleep,” Liam said.

They shifted position so that Liam was leaning comfortably against the wall, with Kali leaning up against him and his arms about her waist. He could feel her ribs like that, and felt a surge of hate for Zo’or, no matter what Kali said about forgiveness.

But it felt so good to hold her in his arms again. To feel her soft, dark skin, and the fabric of her sari fluttering in the slight breeze. Her hair felt silky against his cheek and the warmth and slight weight of her body pressed against him was comforting. Her familiar scent filled his nostrils, and her even breathing was music to his ears.

It reminded him of a song he’d heard somewhere, a long time ago. He began to hum softly to himself, under his breath. He didn’t even realize that Kali was awake until she said softly, “Sing to me, would you, Liam?”

“Sing?” he asked, surprised.

“You can sing, can’t you?”

“Well…I don’t know I never really tried before,” Liam told her.

“Please try,” Kali said. “I like the sound of your voice.”

“Alright,” he said, slightly awkwardly. He cleared his throat and began to sing very quietly, just enough for her to hear.

It’s been a long time,

Since I’ve held you close,

It’s the thing that matters most,

The time I spend with you.

It’s been a long time,

Since I’ve held your hand,

I don’t understand,

How I could live without you.

All I have to do is call.

You come running to my side.

Then I look at you, and you say.

It’s gonna be alright.

It’s been a long time,

Since we’ve talked a while,

Since I’ve cracked smile,

Since I’ve heard your voice.

It’s been a long time,

Since I’ve seen the sun.

I’ve been all alone.

But now you’re hear with me.

All I have to do is call,

You coming running to my side.

Then I look at you, and you say.

It’s gonna be alright.

It’s gonna be alright.

Alright.

 

“Mmm…” Kali murmured when he was done. “That was nice.” She tilted her head back to kiss him on the cheek.

They lay in silence for a long while, listening to the forest sounds around them and drifting in a state of half-consciousness. Just before they both fell asleep, Liam whispered softly, “Kali?”

“Yes?”

“Will you marry me?”

He felt, rather than saw her smile. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he replied, with a smile of his own. They were both asleep within moments.

 

Next morning: Putnam research station

               

They woke the next morning to a beautiful, sunny day. Kali got up slowly and painfully, cursing under her breath.

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked, jerked into awareness.

Kali grinned at him. “You don’t go from being shot to a stasis tank to fighting off Volunteers without a few bruises, I guess. Nothing to worry about, just sore muscles.”

Liam relaxed and got up slowly. “Are you ready to head back to civilization?” he asked.

She nodded, the old gleam in her eyes again. “I only hope they’re ready for me!” Then she sobered. “There’s something I need to do before we go, though.”

They went outside. Renee and Sierra got up and joined them. Ravin’s body lay under a sheet next to the hut. They hadn’t had to worry about animals because of the warding shield around the perimeter.

“I don’t supposed we could bury him,” Sierra said, more subdued than Liam had yet seen her. He shook his head.

“Not a good idea. We have to leave as little evidence of our mission here as possible. Nothing that could let someone find us later on.”

Sierra tensed like she was prepared to fight him on the topic, but Kali laid hand on her arm, stopping her. “It’s okay,” she told the fiery woman. “Thank you,” she added sincerely, referring also to Sierra’s part in bringing her and Liam back together.

Sierra smiled, and the two women embraced briefly. Then Kali knelt down by her twin brother’s lifeless form. She traced a cross on his forehead with her thumb, and said something to him in a language Liam didn’t know. Then she kissed him and said in English, “We will meet again, dear one, in the place of eternal light.”

She stood up and nodded to Liam. He took out his gun and set it to the highest setting. He aimed it at Ravin’s body, but looked away before pulling the trigger. The man was outlined for one brief moment in a bright burst of light, like a supernova. Then the glow faded, and took the last trace of Ravin Putnam with it.

“He couldn’t have wanted a better way to go out,” Renee commented.

Kali half-smiled at her and then turned to her fiancée. “Let’s go, Liam. It’s time to get back to living.”