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Anna's Quest-Part Two:Affection
by Seven
As Liam piloted the shuttle over Washington, Anna was
fidgeting in her chair in the back. She had calmed down somewhat, and was
playing with her teddy bear. "Liam?" she piped up.
"Hmm?" Liam asked, not taking his eyes from the controls.
"You said your mommy was gone. How old were you?" Liam smiled a little. "Younger than you. Much younger." "Why did she die? Was she sick?" Liam sighed. There was an odd twisting inside his chest. "No... my mother had a machine inside her brain... called a CVI. The CVI broke apart and killed her."
Anna looked down. "Sorry," she whispered.
Liam tried to smile. "Here we are," he said. The shuttle rapidly landed next to the Embassy. Anna craned her neck to see it. "What's that?" she asked, sounding a little awed. "It's my friend's home. He's a Taelon," Liam said, jumping out of the cockpit and picking up the little girl. She looked somewhat startled at the idea, but went along, her bear clutched tightly in her arms.
As Liam and Anna entered, Da'an looked up and got down from his thronelike chair. "I have not seen you for a day, Liam," Da'an stated. "Has something happened? Liam sighed and glanced at Anna. "Anna, could Da'an and I talk alone for a minute?" Anna nodded and skipped up the spiraling ramp that led almost a story above them.
Da'an watched her with a smile. Liam took a deep breath, "Yeah, I have. Anna's mother, Bella Kilner, was killed in a raid by the Volunteers, right in front of her." Da'an looked horrified as Liam continued, "Kilner was working on an anti-Taelon computer virus, just in case it ever became necessary. I suspect that Zo'or is looking for the virus disc as well."
"Does the child have the disc?" Da'an asked, watching Anna hold her teddy bear up to see the Washington monument.
"No. She doesn't seem to know where it is," Liam said quietly. "I've had Anna's father contacted, but I need her to stay somewhere just in case he turns out to be a no-winner."
Da'an smiled. "Anna will remain with me."
Liam smiled and called out, "Anna, I have to go for a while. Da'an will take care of you; I want you to cooperate, okay?" Anna nodded and ran down the ramp. She threw herself at Liam and wrapped her arms around his waist. Liam looked both happy and uncomfortable, before hugging her back.
****
The two dark-suited men had been seen by Liam before, but only twice. They were ex-henchmen of Doors's, and they had apparently not grown slack. A tall, lanky man wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt and a pair of very dirty jeans was staring around Augur's place suspiciously, and no less so at Liam and Augur.
"Look," Mike Kilner said nervously, "I didn't do nothing wrong. I didn't! M'wife and I agreed that our marriage never happened. That means I wouldn've killed her."
Liam's jaw was working. "No one said you did," he growled. "However, whether your marriage occurred in your eyes is irrelevent. You have a daughter named Anna, and she is now without a home or immediate family. Other than you."
Mike grimaced dramatically. "Aw, man! I've never even seen the kid. Bella said I didn't need t'pay child support, and the kid would mess up my schedule. My ladies, they don't want kids around." Liam looked like he wanted to punch the sniveling man in front of him. "That wasn't why I called you, Mr. Kilner. I called you to inform you that I don't think you're fit for Anna to wipe her feet on, and that even if you wanted her I would pull every string I could to prevent it."
He leaned forward and stared into Mike Kilner's teary blue eyes. "I intend to adopt Anna myself. I wouldn't trust YOU with a trained rat."
Mike Kilner looked horrified and shocked. Liam nodded to the henchmen. "Take him away." One of them blindfolded Kilner and led him away. Liam breathed deeply, clearing his mind.
Augur shrugged. "I don't blame you for a moment. But did you mean what you said about adopting her?" "Sure." Liam ran a hand through his hair. "She doesn't have anyone except her grandparents, and they apparently have kids in high school. Da'an likes her, everyone in the Resistance likes her." "You think a single never-even-been-on-a-date Kimera/human man can adopt a little girl?" Augur asked half-jokingly. "No, don't answer. You can probably have a few strings pulled."
Liam's global chirped. It was Da'an, looking upset. "Liam... I have failed you," he said with a hint of a quaver in his voice. Liam went cold even before Da'an said, "Anna has vanished."
****
Anna slipped into a alley, glancing out. Her dark eyes glanced at the street, where numerous people were passing by. Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth and an arm pinned her to the brick wall, her teddy bear falling to the ground. "Don't say anything," a man's voice said. "Say nothing and you won't get in trouble."
Ann paused, then nodded. The hand was removed from her mouth, and the hands grasped her wrists and led her onto the street. It was Sandoval, smiling a little.
****
Liam entered Da'an's office in the manner of a tornado, looking horrified. "What happened?" he asked, trying not to sound over upset. Da'an was already looking sick and repentent.
"I do not..." Da'an tried to compose himself. "I simply left the room for a few minutes. When I returned, Anna had gone." Liam began to rake his hands through his curly dark hair. "Okay, let's not panic.... Anna would not have left without a good reason."
"She left this," Da'an said, holding out a piece of notebook paper. "I am sorry, I did not understand some of the words." Liam opened the paper and uttered a somewhat hyena-like hysterical laugh. "Misspellings of an eight-year-old.
'Dear Liam and Da'an and the Resistance people: I am sorry that I have to go away, but the bad people looking for the computer germ killed my mommy for it and so I don't want you to look for it anymore. Liam, I hope that you find another mommy.'" His fingers spasmed wildly.
Liam's global chirped. He opened it and barked, "What?" Lili was on it, looking somewhat startled and very worried. "Liam, you need to find that virus right now. The disc is going to blow up!"
****
Zo'or was smiling charmingly as the little human child was brought onto the bridge. Sandoval handed her a slightly grubby teddy bear, which she clutched tightly. "Welcome to the mothership, child," he said quietly. She stared at him with round black eyes. "Who're you?" she asked.
"I am Zo'or, leader of the Synod. I had you brought here to ask you questions that may affect the future of both our races." Anna hugged her teddy bear closer. "Like what?" "I have heard that your mother created a computer virus," Zo'or said, as though imparting a great secret. "Do you know anything of it?"
Anna looked contemplative. "Does it make you sick?" she asked.
Zo'or looked disappointed. "No, it would be on a disc," he held up a computer disc, "such as this one. Have you seen any?" Anna shook her head. Sandoval stepped next to Zo'or, commenting, "She's not lying. A child of her age couldn't lie like that about something of that importance."
"A Taelon child could," Zo'or stated.
Sandoval looked like he wanted to say something more, but simply bit his tongue. "I'll have her examined for the chip, just in case they implanted it somewhere in her body." He turned to Anna. "Anna," he said softly. "We'd like to have the Taelon doctors examine you for the... for a problem." Anna wrinkled her nose. "I don't like doctors." Sandoval chuckled. "These doctors won't hurt you." Anna asked hesitatingly, "Do they have shots?" Sandoval laughed again. "No." Anna thought for a moment, then nodded.
****
"Blow up!" Liam almost screamed at his global. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Lili said tensely, "that Kilner's virus has undoubtedly been set to autodestruct. Exactly 24 hours after the program is activated, it explodes. 23 and one half hours are gone now."
Liam had often wondered what cold sweat felt like. Now he knew. "The teddy bear!" he yelled. "Kilner hid it in the teddy bear!" He threw his global to the floor and rushed out the door. Da'an looked after him, worried.
****
In the medical lab, Anna looked around. The Taelon doctors weren't present. She slipped off the exam table and picked up the bear from his hiding place under the bed. Then she ran out into the hallways.
****
Sandoval looked up as an alarm sounded. "An energy discharge building near the medical lab!" he shouted.
"Seal off the source," Zo'or said.
****
Anna was running down a corridor, when she slammed into a forcefield. She tried to go back, and found another forcefield in her way.
****
Liam was running from the shuttlebay like a madman, shoving Volunteers out of his way. "Anna!" he whispered desperately to himself. "Anna!"
The minutes on his watch ticked away... he had too little time...
He found her finally. As he ran over to snatch the bear from her hands, the air in front of him sparked. No, he prayed. No, please no... The bear in Anna's arms blossomed into a vaporizing fireball. But before the space between the forcefields flared like a restrained volcano, Liam saw a smile angelic smile on the child's face...
****
A few days later, Liam stood by the small graveside in the St. Patrick's Graveyard. There was only ashes in the coffin, but he didn't care. He felt numb.
On one side was Tom Rilei, leader of the Baltimore Resistance cell, and on the other was Da'an, holding a small bouquet of roses. Several other Resistance people, many of whom Liam had never seen before, were standing nearby as well. Some were crying outright.
After the funeral service, Liam was still standing by the graveside. Da'an put down his bouquet and asked, "Liam... why do you grieve more than the others?" he asked gently.
"Because her death... shouldn't have happened," Liam said miserably. "It didn't have any meaning." Da'an sighed. "Her death had meaning and dignity, in that she tried to save you and the Resistance at the expense of herself. Few children have such self-sacrifice triumph over self-preservation."
Liam closed his eyes. "I guess you're right... it's just... I thought that I could help her live the life, the childhood I wish I had lived..." For a long moment, neither said anything. Then Da'an gently turned Liam back to the shuttle and led him away from the graveside.
