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Choices
by Lyta
Disclaimer:
Earth: Final Conflict and its characters are
copyrighted by Tribune Entertainment Company. All rights reserved.
Summary: Liam is caught and everyone
must deal with the consequences.
Rating: PG
**********
Liam Kincaid was running down a corridor of the Mothership. Out of breathe,
he ducked into a passaway after rounding a bend and pressed himself as flat
against the wall as he could while five heavily armed Volunteers wizzed past
his position. Following then with a glowing skrill and a determined scrowl
on his face was his human father, Ronald Sandoval. Sandoval's skrill, Raven
hissed threateningly and Liam felt his palms tingle in reaction. Instead
of being annoyed by the intrusion of his shaquarava, he was comforted by
its presense.
After hearing no more footsteps for several minutes, Liam cautiously peered out into the way. Then stepped out into the corridor. All clear so far, he thought. He started to move towards the shuttle bay, where his best chance of escape lay, when he was unexpectedly thrown up against the wall by a skrill blast. Had he been fully human he would have lost conciousness on the second blast, but most of the energy was harmlessly deflected by his shaquarava.
"Don't move" Sandoval said. "I'd hate to have to kill you before you explain yourself to Zo'or."
"I'd hate for you to kill me, too." Liam, said. He thought Sandoval's expression was a bit odd, maybe it was the shock of seeing that he had shaquarava. Maybe the Implant was still reeling from the surprise that not only was own assistant Resistance, but Da'an's protector as well. Ever since one of the captives had broken, Liam felt as though he had been on a treadmill: always running but not moving anywhere.
"Get up." Sandoval ordered. His skrill still glowing and trained on Liam, he withdrew a pair of magnetic hand cuffs from the pocket of his suit and threw them toward his prisoner. "Put those on."
Liam slide the cuffs around his wrists and as soon as they were locked in place, Sandoval hit the remote. Liam's hands were drawn behind his back and held there. Sandoval grabbed his captive by the arm and led him down the hall.
***
Liam found himself hustled quickly to the bridge where he listened to Sandoval describe the events in the hallway to Zo'or. The Taelon listened avidly to his implant's words, occaisonally throwing a threatening glance in the direction of his rival's former protector. But it was when Sandoval came to the part of his story about Liam possessing shaquarava that he had not only Zo'or's interest but that of the handful of other Taelons present. Two bulky skrilled implants grasped Liam's arms painfully tight as Sandoval deactivated the magnetic handcuffs that had kept his hands firmly behind his back. They pulled his hand forward and turned it palm outward to show Zo'or.
"Even think about trying anything and you'll wish you were dead." One of the implants hissed at Liam.
Zo'or, Sandoval and a few other Taelons found themselves staring hard at the faint diamond shaped discoloration on Liam's hand.
"Take him to the lab for testing." Zo'or announced. "I want to know exactly how he came to possess the shaquarava."
Liam's hands were once again cuffed and he was taken from the bridge in much the same manner as he had arrived.
After they were gone, Zo'or turned to Sandoval. "I want you to see that Da'an is brought to the bridge. Then you will see to Major Kincaid's ...questioning." Zo'or ordered. He left no doubt in Sandoval's mind as to exactly what form the 'questioning' would take.
"On my way, Zo'or." Sandoval said. He motioned for two Volunteers to accompany him as escorts and set off toward Da'an's location.
***
"Agent Sandoval?" Da'an querried as the Implant and the Volunteers entered.
"Zo'or has ordered me to escort to to the bridge." Sandoval announced without preambled, feeling a hollow pit form in his stomach.
"Very well, then." Da'an said, inclining his head and allowing himself to be taken to the bridge.
Sandoval wanted to say something to Da'an, but could not think of any words at the moment. Then they were on the bridge and he was out of time.
"You may go Agent Sandoval. You have your orders concerning Major Kincaid." Zo'or said with an edge in his voice.
As the Implant began to depart, Da'an confronted Zo'or. "Exactly what orders have you issued concerning my protector?"
"I merely wish for Sandoval to inquire as to how Major Kincaid came to possess shaquarava." Zo'or said, smirking.
Da'an blushed blue.
"By inquire, I assume you mean interrogate." Da'an stated.
"There is no differance." Zo'or said flatly. "Volunteers! Escort Da'an to a holding cell. We will continue this conversation when Sandoval's efforts with the Major bear fruit."
***
Liam struggled against the restraints that held him, but to no avail. The Taelons had elected to put him in the restraints used for Jaridians on account of his shaquarava.
Sandoval stared at him for a moment without blinking. Liam dimly recalled that it was a tactic his human father used to unnerve people without them realizing why. It worked. Then the Implant depressed a button and Liam felt white hot agony shoot through every nerve in his body. He felt like he was on fire even though his mind knew it was just nerve stimulation.
"Would you care to answer the question now or must we continue with this unpleasantness?" Sandoval asked.
It seemed to take an inordinate amount of energy for Liam just to shake his head in the negative.
"That will be enough Agent Sandoval," Zo';or said entering the interogation chamber. "I will see to the prisoner now, you are dismissed. You may return to your living quarters on the planet."
Seeing no way out, Sandoval nodded and left. He was relieved that he did not have to continue the interogation. For some strange reason Kincaid seemed too familiar to him.
"I know who and what you are now." Zo'or informed Liam.
"Didn't want your pet to hear that he has a son?"
"Why confuse Agent Sandoval's priorities."
Liam tried to smile. "I thought your implants made certain that his loyalties never could be confused."
Zo'or glared at him for a moment before reaching out to trace Liam's jawline with a single digit. "One can never be too careful. My race has strived for centuries to reproduce and in that time we have learned that nothing is stronger than the bond of a parent and a child."
***
Da'an felt Zo'or's approach through the glee the Synod leader broadcast in the Commonality. Da'an had been seated on the floor of the holding cell, but now he rose, concious of the virtual glass barrier between him and the other Taelon.
"I know now that Liam Kincaid is part Kimera." Zo'or stated.
"I am not surprised." Da'an said softly.
"You kept knowledge of a hybrid, a hybrid involved with the Resistance, from the Synod for almost a year. When the Synod learns of this I have no doubt that you will be ordered to embrace the void."
"And Liam?" Da'an asked. His punishment was not unexpected.
"Is no longer your concern. A hybrid child, and he is a child, has need of correction beyond what is administered to Taelon children. Once Kincaid is brought over to my side, I have no doubt that he will prove to be a valuable ally."
"How do you mean to convince him?" Da'an inquired.
"That is none of your concern."
Zo'or then left Da'an alone with his own thoughts.
***
The Taelon scientist injected Kincaid with the drug and for a long moment Zo'or wondered if the procedure would work. Then the young man when limp, his wrists pressing against his restraints dangerously hard.
Zo'or gave orders for Liam to be taken down and placed on a gurney which was then taken to the shuttle bay.
***
He woke up confused and alone. When he sat up, he had the distinct feeling of having worn the same clothes for several days and his hair was in complete disarray. His mouth tasted awful.
"Good," a figure said from the doorway. "You are aware once again." It took a moment for him to recognise the being as a Taelon and still another minute for him to realize that he was being spoken to in eunoia.
"Yes, I'm awake." He said in the same language.
"How do you feel?" The Taelon inquired.
"My head aches."
"Not unexpected under the circumstances. Tell me what do you remember?"
The young man closed his eyes. He heard a woman with an accent say a name that felt like his. "My name is Liam, but I don't remember anything else."
The Taelon smiled, and for a moment Liam thought he looked pleased. "We will help you remember and if you cannot we will help you learn new skills."
***
A few months later he still had no memories of his past, but he did know who he was. His name was Liam Beckett, he had been assigned by the Synod to infiltrate the Resistance and to determine where Da'an's loyalty really lay. He was the child of Companion Agent Siobhan Beckett and the Kimeran Ha'gel.
Liam placed a bouquet of flowers on his mother's grave. He sometimes had flashes of her life and hoped she was pleased that he too was a loyal Companion Agent.
Then Liam turned as he heard footsteps behind him, surprised at who he saw coming.
It was a man he recognised from Taelon files on known Liberation collaborators, a man who was convicted of treason in Russia, and responsible for the destruction of the Forge Project. He had no other name than Augur. His past had been completely erased, much to the chagrin of those hunting him.
Liam knew he should arrest the man on the spot, but something inside him made him hesitate. Emotions welled up inside Liam, and he turned back to face his mother's grave. When at last he regained his clarity of purpose, Augur was gone. But Liam noted something on the ground where he stood. He went over to investigate it.
It was a blue, completed, puzzel of the mothership. Liam picked it up and stared at it curiously: it seemed as though he should remember this.
Then Liam's global began to beep
"Agent Beckett." Sandoval spat out over the global. "Zo'or requests your immediate appearance on the mothership."
"I'm on my way." Liam said.
***
Through the thick mass of trees surrounding the cemetary like a fence on the eastern side, Augur watched his friend. Former friend, he ammended. The Taelons had screwed with Liam's head so bad he would not iknow up from down if they wanted him to believe differantly.
He had hoped to jog Liam's memory. Dr. Park had been optimistic, but Augur was doubtful. Still he clung to the thread of hope that Liam would remember the truth of his past.
His appearance had not done the trick, though for a second he thought it might. He left the Taelon puzzel he and Lili had given Liam when he was small, and he seemed to hazily remember it before shrugging it off like an old coat.
Augur would just have to figure something else out or wait for something to jog Liam's memory.
***
Liam had not had much contact with Agent Sandoval following his awakening in a Taelon medical center, and the contact they did have was awkward to say the least. He also felt as though he should know Sandoval better, even felt a strong attachment to him, that he could not explain. Maybe it was due to Sandoval's relationship with his deceased mother, Siobhan Beckett.
Liam made certain to straighten his tie and brush a few bits of dirt from the cemetary off his clothes before he walked onto the bridge.
"You wished to see me Zo'or?" Liam asked politely.
"Yes, there is something I wish for you to do."
***
When Zo'or ordered him to tail Sandoval, Liam quickly found himself sitting in a darkened, parked car by the side of a section of I-95 that cut through a rural district. This section of Virginnia seemed to be nothing but rolling green hills and lacy white dogwood trees visable against the olives and grassy shades of the forrests.
When Sandoval began to head into the forrest, Liam followed him until they came to an apparently abandoned barn. The FBI agent moved a few bales of hay off the floor. As Liam crept closer for a better, he felt the cold metal of a gun barrel against his head.
"Try anything with those shaquarava of yours and I'll put a bullet in your brain." The voice hissed. Liam was able to turn his head only far enough to see part of a scar and close cropped dark hair.
Sandoval whiled around with a frown on his face as Liam was forced forward.
"Got any sure way of incapacitating him for a while?" The man asked.
Sandoval nodded and raised his skrill. To Liam it seemed to take an eternity for the Implant to fire and he was struck by a sudden sense of deja vu. Just as the skrill blast hit him and he fell to the ground unconcious, he remembered Sandoval skrilling him on the mothership.
More importantly the emotions associated with that memory contrasted sharply with what he had been told by the Taelons.
"What do we do with Mr. Beckett here?" Colonel Liam Kincaid asked Ronald Sandoval. The Implant stared at the young man's prone form, feeling oddly hollow for a minute before answering.
"Take him to the lab. There is something about him that Zo'or has been keeping from me." Sandoval said.
"And how are you sure that Zo'or is'nt being forthcoming?" The Colonel asked.
A note of grim humour entered Sandoval's voice. "Zo'or keeps many secrets. I've had plenty of experience seeing when he is keeping his something hidden."
***
Liam felt like he had fallen in more ways than one. He had been dimly aware of his body collapsing on the ground, but he was even more cognescent of a rupture in what now felt like a barrier in his mind. The things on the other side, memories, were somewhat fuzzy but gaining in clarity each moment.
With every memory he rediscovered, he found another like a giant spiderweb of experiences, not all his own.
He heard voices. Not all of them were immediately familiar.
"You have to fight the Taelons..."
"If the Synod learns that I concealed the truth of your identity and your relationship to the Resistance, I will be held accountable."
"What would you say to your mother, if you could speak to her?"
"I love you"
"Julia. Charmed, I'm sure."
"Back on Earth lies a destiny that could very well destroy you."
"It's like Baha said right? Less is more."
"He must have had you in mind when he said it."
"This isn't right! I could very well be killing you."
"They're wiping us out!"
"Boone was killed by a Taelon, not my father."
Then the voices stilled and he sat up, angry at the deception played on him. He was even more furious at the theft of his memories by the Taelons.
"I see you're awake. Good." Sandoval said. Liam turned to see the implant sitting in a metal folding chair off to the left of the bed. "I have a few questions for you to answer."
"About what?" Liam asked, wincing. He had sat up too fast and his head was spinning now.
"Like shaking your family tree and seeing if any of my relatives fall loose from the branches."
"You ran a DNA test." Liam asked as he suddenly recalled that Sandoval was as much his father as Ha'gel.
"How often do we get a chance to closely examine anyone with even a fraction of alien DNA?" Colnel Kincaid responded from the doorway. "We noticed human DNA that could not have originated with Siobhan Beckett, ran it through the system and bingo! Surprise, surprise."
"I'm sure when you demanded to know why I was using your name at Mt Weather that you had no idea of the truth." Liam quiped.
Kincaid looked sharply at Sandoval. "You remember." It was not a question.
"Yes."
Sandoval motioned for Kincaid to leave the room. As soon as he was gone, the implant turned to face Liam. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked softly. Liam was surprised. The words had come out as being sorrowful and not angry as he had half-expected, half-feared.
"I couldn't remember." Liam supplied.
"Before that."
"Well you did set things up to have me killed..." Liam began, instantly regretting his words. A wash of remorse flooded Sandoval's face. "I'm sorry." He said before he left the room.
***
"Wait!" Liam called after his human father. He sprinted out of bed and had to brace himself against the doorway when the sudden burst of motion proved to be too much.
The implant whirled around, his face anguished. "You didn't know." Liam whispered "I should have."
Liam searched for something to say, something to fill the increasingly awkward pause when a wave of dizzyness overcame him. His vision dissolved into black sparkles and he felt naucious. Even the thought of moving exhausted him as Liam was dimly aware that he now lay on the floor. His thoughts seemed sluggish to him now and as hard to connect as pieces from differant puzzels.
"Liam!" He heard his own name and opened his eyes. Sandoval's face seemed blurry and alternated between being visable and consumed by the black specks.
"I forgive you." Liam whispered. It seemed the right thing to say. Sandoval shook him, but Liam had slipped into unconciousness. His face was frighteningly drained of color and his skin felt damp and chilled. Then Sandoval noticed a puncture mark on Liam's neck.
"Damn Kincaid." He hissed. Sandoval picked up his son firefighter style and took him to the car.
***
Dr. Sara Michaels was the one who told Sandoval the news.
"Well your friend here has a partial CVI, but it is not active or causing trouble. The problem is that he is suffering from an allergic reaction to the alloy used."
"Can you remove it?" Sandoval asked, trying unsucessfully to conceal his concern. At least the CVI removed Colonel Kincaid as a suspect for doing this to Liam. Now only one other was left. "Since its not active, yes it can be removed, but you are going to have to find someone with more experience dealing with CVI's, and your friend here for that matter, than I've got." She told him bluntly.
"Who do you recommend?"
Sara hesitated. She did not want to expose her colleague to this Companion Agent, but her hypocratic oath demanded she make the call or the young man would die. "I know someone...but they won't want to be seen by a Comanion Agent of your standing." She said.
"I won't leave Liam."
Michaels turned, and pulled out a small syringe from the drawer. In what appeared to be a sympathictic pat on the arm, she injected him. Sandoval slumped to the floor. He wouldn't stay out for long, but long enough for her to contact someone to help get Liam into the car and head for a rendevous with Dr. Park.
Sara Michaels was very glad she was not going to be there when Sandoval woke up. She then made a mental note to request a transfer to a Resistance cell in the Mid or Northwest.
***
They met at Augur's. When he had moved in, the cyber wizard had left the medical equipment virtually untouched. His style of decorating may have indicated a flamboyant personality, but he was also a pragmatist. Augur hovered just outside as the operation began. It was strange to see Liam here again, but also wonderful except for the circumstances.
"All finished." Dr. Park announced.
"How long until he wakes up?" Augur askjed worriedly.
"Several hours at least." Park said. "He'll be okay to move in about two."
***
Agent Sandoval paced the floor of his apartment. Sara wondered if he would wear tread marks in the carpet. It had been two hours since Sandoval had awakened in his recliner to find Sara checking over a still out of it Liam in the bedroom.
"Must you do that?" Sara asked "Do what?" Sandoval demanded. "Pace like that."
"Dr. this is my apartment. I pay the rent and if I want to pace then thats what I'll do! Besides, I'm still not thrilled abouthow you drugged me. I am curious about the substance you used since a CVI is not supposed to allow those things to affect me." Sara felt a great comeback creep up on her but squashed it on the realization that he was just venting his frustration. If someone I cared about was in that condition, she thought, I'd probably be doing the same thing as Sandoval!
Just then Liam's global beeped. Sara looked at Sandoval. Each had the same question on their minds.
"Want to answer that?" Sara finally asked. "Well?" She pressed after a long minute had passed with the global's incessent chirping the only noise. "What if it is Zo'or?" The Implant sneered. "I'd have one heck of time explaining why I'm answering Liam's global."
"Why do you call him Liam? You refer to everyone else by their surname." "Dr. Michaels, I knew a relative of Liam's and calling him by that name still seems odd to me."
Sara nodded. She was about to question Sandoval further when Liam moaned softly and she focused her attention on her patient.
***
Liam came to in Sandoval's bedroom and shot awake. His head was pounding, but he got up and opened the door, every sound seemed to aggrevate the pain.
"You're awake." Sandoval said relieved.
"How long was I out?"
"About four hours. I've already come up with an explaination for Zo'or."
***
"Yes, I had difficulty following the blackout. I was told by a local doctor that it was an allergic reaction to the alloy used in the partial CVI." Liam confirmed to the Synod leader.
"Did you find any information on Agent Sandoval?"
"No."
Why don't I believe him, Zo'or pondered.
***
"Do you have any problems with the assignment?" Zo'or demanded of the individual standing at attention in front of him. "No, sir." The dark haired young woman replied with pleasing promptness. "Excellent. You will follow Beckett and Sandoval. If they do anything suspicious you are to contact me immediately. If you are discovered, you will use your prior association with Beckett to determine whether or not his memory his returned."
"Yes, Zo'or."
"You are dismissed, Ms. Cook."
Julia nodded. Ever since her implantation she had been very eager to please the Synod leader to atone for her mistaken support of the Resistance. She shook her head as she left the bridge, wondering why she ever failed to notice that the Taelons were in the right.
***
Julia sat in the car, a cap concealing the features of her face, and watched as Sandoval entered his apartment building. Liam now resided on the Mothership, so it was harder for him to evade the watchful gaze of Zo'or's observers. So far he had given no direct indication that his memory had returned, but subtle clues in his interactions with others hinted they might have.
Sandoval, likewise had given no hint of subterfuge. He appeared to be the poster boy for implants, but Sandoval was an expert at infiltrations. His FBI record supported this.
Julia started to open the door and use the special access card Zo'or had arranged for her to slip into the building when a hand covered her mouth. A hand with a faint reddish discoloration in the center. He must have slipped into the car before she got in. "Julia," Liam said from behind her. "long time, no see."
Julia bit down but Liam fired his shaquarava before she could scream. She slumped over in the seat unconcious and Liam pushed her into the passenger seat. Then he got into the driver's seat.
***
"They have dissapeared." Zo'or repeated furiously. "And Ms. Cook?"
"Found unconcious in a ditch near by." The unfortunite Volunteer who had lost the coin toss explained.
"And the information on the Resistance provided by Ms. Cook?"
"All but useless. She was not in the organization long and only in contact with two cells, all of whose members were picked up during the sweeps several months ago. We stormed the facility under St. Michael's church, but it was abandoned."
"Find them." Zo'or demanded.
"They cannot hide forever. Sooner or later they will have to resurface. When that happens we will find Sandoval and Beckett and bring them before you." "Bring me Beckett. As for Sandoval…he is to be terminated immediately, but Mr. Randall, see to it that Beckett is not present during the execution. I intend to use his concern for his parent to my advantage.
"Of course Zo'or."
The end
