Demon Child

by Seven


Disclaimer:  Earth: Final Conflict and its characters are copyrighted by Tribune Entertainment Company.  All rights reserved.



*Note:  This "Demon Child" contains all five parts of the story.* 



**********



Liam Kincaid knocked on the door of the small bedroom on the mothership. A high-pitched voice replied, "Come on in!"

Inside, perched on the bed like a sparrow on a sidewalk, was Al'ith, one of the hybrids. The little girl looked only about four, with long dark hair and oddly translucent, pale skin that seemed touched by moonbeams. Her blue eyes were deep and dark, thoughtful.

She had many Taelon features, but had plenty of exuberance that was pure human.

"Liam!" squealed Al'ith, jumping off the bed and hugging Liam's leg. "Why didn't you come yesterday?"

"Had to coordinate security protocols--boring stuff!" Liam said, bending down and making a face. "Anyway, are you looking forward to seeing the Smithsonian?"

"Can we see it all?" she asked eagerly.

Liam shook his head. "Nooo, it's too big for that. How about three?"

"Okay," Alith agreed, holding out her tiny hand.

As Liam led her to the shuttlebay, he felt a tiny pang as the small hybrid prattled about the Volunteers and the Taelon doctors that she saw almost every day. Al'ith was only a month old, the result of Da'an's latest program, and it's crowning glory. She had active shakarava despite her young age, and was learning at a rate unheard of previously.

And her enthusiasm and naivete reminded Liam of the first few weeks of his life, when even a nightmare had the ability to throw him into total panic. Da'an had stated that he had had to come to the mothership repeatedly to comfort Al'ith after she had a bad dream.

Liam had often wondered, before Al'ith, what it would be like to have a little sister. Now, even though Al'ith knew nothing of his hybrid heritage, they both knew of the bond between them.

"Hi, Agent Sandoval!" Al'ith chirped suddenly. Liam jerked out of his reverie to see Sandoval talking to a Volunteer nearby.

The Companion Agent looked up, and a slight smile quirked his lips. "Hello, Al'ith."

"I'm going to museums with Liam!" Al'ith continued, bouncing a little. "Can you come?"

No, Liam prayed silently.

"No, I'm sorry, Al'ith," Sandoval replied. "I have duties."

"Okay," Al'ith replied with a hint of sadness. "Maybe some other time."

As she skipped ahead of Liam, he thought he detected a hint of sadness in Sandoval's demeanor. Zo'or despised Al'ith, and made no pretense of showing affection for the little girl, and his opinion bound Sandoval to have very little to do with her, despite his obvious liking for her.

In the shuttlebay, Liam climbed in after Al'ith. She sat down in the passenger's seat, her feet danging high above the floor. Liam called up the navigational controls and started them on their way.

****

A few minutes later, the shuttle cruised into interdimensional. Liam smiled a little, happy to be on their-

BAM!

The shuttle jolted violently, nearly knocking Liam from his seat. He curled his legs around the base of his chair as he fought to keep the shuttle level, under control. In the corner of his eye, he saw the engines spitting fire and molten parts.

A bomb, he thought angrily. It couldn't be Doors again, could it? Another Resistance member?

Zo'or. Trying to get rid of Al'ith.

She was sitting, composed and pale, in the back. Her large blue eyes were frightened, but she was keeping quiet. Liam was grateful for that; the last thing he needed was crying.

In a desperate move, he poured all the power into the conventional drive and broke out of ID space. The shuttle was nose-diving, the ground approaching at blinding speed.

"Brace for impact! Hold on!" Liam shrieked, covering his head and praying that Al'ith had the presence of mind to do the same...

****

Liam spat the ancient leaves from his mouth, rolling over and banging his leg against the wreckage. The huge gash in his thigh smarted, almost making him cry. "Al'ith!" he moaned.

"Al'ith!"

No response.

Liam rolled onto his stomach and began crawling on his left leg and hands, trying to get toward the back of the now-shattered shuttle. The little girl was nowhere in sight. Liam's heart leapt to the back of his throat.

Now don't panic, Liam screamed inwardly. She could have been thrown clear of the wreckage, she could have regained consciousness... she could have been vaporised on impact, she could have been dragged off by scavengers...

Okay, I'd like to panic now...

Reddish darkness swam across Liam's vision. He curled up, shivering. He did not feel the hands that picked him up and carried him away.

****

"Leeeee-am!"

The thin, childish voice, concerned, and the little hands holding his fingers, twisting them a little.

"Liam, please wake up. Jim says that you're supposed to be okay. Please wake up."

Okay, make an effort. Open your eyelids. Move your face... anything. Liam's eyes flicked open. He was in a small, dim house that was apparently made out of a motley combination of stone and wood, and lying on what he suddenly suspected was a pile of animal skins. Al'ith was sitting next to him, wearing a man's shirt with the sleeves rolled up past the elbows to accommodate her tiny arms.

"Hi, Liam!" she chirped happily. "We're at Purity City!"

"We're where?" Liam asked dazedly, wondering if he was hallucinating. Maybe she's just mispronouncing it.

"Purity City," Al'ith repeated. "People come here to be pure."

Liam closed his eyes. "Hold it, you mentioned somebody called Jim. Who's Jim?" "The leader of the Pure Ones." Well, that made sense... Liam sighed. "Who are the Pure Ones?"

"We are."

A hulking figure was suddenly silhouetted in the doorway. Liam had a brief flash of a shaved head and a pure white robe over khaki pants. The figure came in, speaking in a rumbling voice. "I am Jim, the leader of the Pure Ones."

"Yeah, so I gathered," Liam groaned, gingerly touching his leg. It had apparently been bandaged. "Who are the Pure Ones? You look like a Taelonist."

Jim's smile widened slightly. "In a matter of speaking, I am. You could describe it as as... a schism." A schism. That sounded bad. "What do you mean, in a matter of speaking?"

Jim shrugged, both with his shoulders and his eyebrows. "I seceded from the Taelonists, because I do not believe that humanity is worthy to view the Taelons until we have reached a state of perfection."

"Oh?" Liam said lamely. "Well, you see, I'm a Companion agent, and this little girl..." He trailed off, suddenly wary. "Is my daughter," he finished.

Jim's laugh rumbled out. "I know perfectly well who the little girl is," he chuckled. He put a meaty hand on Al'ith's small shoulder, and she smiled at him angelically.

Liam's stomach twisted in apprehension. She likes everyone. This means nothing to anyone. Yeah, when pigs fly. He had a sudden feeling that Jim was not to be trusted... gut instinct. Pure gut instinct, nothing to go by. No reason to distrust this man just because he felt so... untrustworthy.

"Come now, Al'ith," Jim boomed, picking Al'ith up and bouncing her onto his shoulder. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Liam needs to rest. Afterwards, we will show him the compound."

**********

Sandoval frowned at the display on the mothership as he scanned for trace elements, rare ones, in the shuttle.

Though he couldn't hear Zo'or's breathing, he knew that the Taelon was only a few steps behind him, wearing a satisfied smile. Sandoval had seen that grin elsewhere... at the zoo, on the face of a rather large tiger right before one of the keepers was found dead.

It alarmed Sandoval for two reasons: if Zo'or was responsible for the crash, then he had either intended to kill Al'ith, or he was planning to kill Da'an by getting Liam out of the way and making the Taelon vulnerable.

And if he hadn't asked Sandoval to plant the bomb... was he getting suspicious?

****

Liam's dreams were torn and tormented by fragmented dreams of Jim and hulking Taelonists, dragging Al'ith away from him. She was crying and calling out his name, and he was trying to fight past but only being dragged further away...

Liam awoke with a start on the crude bed, in the hut. His leg hurt, but not as much as the night before. An eerie red light was seeping under the door.

Liam staggered to his feet, trying to keep his fear in check. His hands shook wildly as he pushed the door open and winced at the sudden burst of light.

East, he thought wryly. Faces the sun.

The sunrise was an unusual reddish golden color, flooding the valley with its peculiar rays. Among the trees were groups of Taelonists, meditating and praying, some were chopping wood and carrying water. Only these were different... Liam remembered that the Taelonists in Ireland had all worn white robes. These... Pure Ones wore robes that ranged from black to palest gray... and he remembered that only Jim had worn pure white...

"Major Kincaid!" exclaimed a familiar voice nearby. Liam turned wearily to stare at Jim, with Al'ith beside him. "You really shouldn't be out of bed," the leader said firmly, grasping Liam's shoulder and leading him back inside. Liam found to his dismay that he couldn't even twitch in the direction of the door.

Al'ith held onto Liam's other hand and skipped beside him, saying, "I like it here... it's pretty. Can we stay here, please?"

Liam mustered a smile, despite the screaming intuition that something was horribly wrong. "I don't know, Al'ith. We're needed back aboard the mothership."

"I hate it there," Al'ith said unexpectedly. "Everybody looks at me funny, and Zo'or hates me."

Liam almost fell off his bed. Al'ith had just uttered the feelings that he had repressed when he was younger... everyone had looked at him funny, and Doors had clearly loathed him with every cell in his body. If it hadn't been for Lili and Augur, Liam would probably have come there... oh, maybe once a year!

"Listen, that's not true," Liam said, trying to sound sincere. "Zo'or just-"

"He hates me," Al'ith said firmly. "You and Jim and Da'an and Lili and Sandoval are the only people who care about me." Liam had never seen the little girl like this. He smiled a little. "Al'ith, honey, would you let me and Jim talk alone?"

Al'ith nodded and skipped out the door. Jim looked after her with a fond smile. "What a sweet child," he murmured. "What, you don't believe in children here?" Liam said, sarcasm enhanced by pain.

Jim glanced at him, shocked. "No, of course not!"

"Oh yes... total purity," Liam groaned, shifting. "Just what have you been saying to Al'ith?"

"Saying?"

"Yes, saying. What have you been saying to her? She's never been so upset like that before!"

Jim smiled and spread his hands. Liam had the sudden, inexplicable urge to hammer the cult leader against the wall. "I have said nothing... I only encouraged her to talk. To break free of the boundaries, to ignore admonitions to hold back information."

"Al'ith has never been afraid to tell me anything," Liam growled through his teeth. "I've never told her to hold back."

Jim stared at Liam, eyebrow cocked. "Perhaps," he murmured, walking out.

Liam lay on his side, thinking. Had he somehow encouraged Al'ith to hold back and repress her feelings and thoughts?

****

The next day, Liam was able to get up comfortably. His thoughts had none of the fevered randomness that his injury had brought on, and he had decided to take a walk by a nearby river when he heard a crashing, and a splash.

He turned to find a young Pure One standing behind him, hands over her mouth, wearing the black robes of a new convert, one who is only just seeking perfection. A bucket of water lay at her feet. If she grew her hair back and put on something in pastels, Liam mused, she'd be very pretty.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir!" the girl exclaimed, picking up the bucket and hastily bowing. "I didn't know you were here, I mistook you for a stranger."

"It's okay." Liam gently took the bucket from her and filled it at the riverside, then began to walk back to the compound. The girl walked along with him, looking nervous at having him doing her chore. "What's your name?"

"Marina, sir."

"Please, don't call me 'sir.' 'Liam' will do well." Liam glanced at her black robe. "May I ask... why don't you and some of the others wear white robes?"

Marina looked shocked. "Only the ones who are truly pure can wear white," she said reverentially. "The ones who are only setting out on their journey wear black or gray. I used to be an anti-Taelon protester, simply because my friends were and because I didn't understand them. Now, Master James has shown me what the Taelons truly are."

Yes, Liam thought with a slightly wry smile. Jim does seem to have that effect on people. "He seems like a very good leader," he commented, trying to sound sincere. "Tell me, what do you do here?"

"We pray for purity, we meditate as the Taelons do, we try to enhance our psychic senses," Marina said eagerly. "And we must, because of our imperfection, do such things as gather wood and carry water."

Liam frowned. "I haven't seen any kids here. You don't have kids?"

Marina looked shocked, as Jim had, only more so. "No... because all the Taelons are--look adult. No children here. No disabled either..."

No disabled? Liam almost dropped the bucket. "Eh, what does Ji... Master James think of Al'ith, a Taelon/human hybrid?"

Marina uttered a sound reminiscent of a startled pigeon. "Er... uh..." she stammered. "She is... better than us... mere humans... she's a true treasure..." She sounded like she was making it up, Liam thought. They had reached the edges of the compound, and the Pure Ones were all standing around, smiling happily and waving to Liam. He smiled and waved back, feeling that their enthusiasm was faked.

Liam handed Marina the bucket and ducked into the hut. Al'ith was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her dark head bent over a pile of sticks that she was carefully arranging. A tall, gangly Taelonist that Liam knew only by the name Brother Peter, was sitting beside her.

"Look, Liam," she crowed. "Brother Peter showed me how to make a campfire!"

"So he did," Liam said, crouching down near her. "Very good."

"I'm going to go play by the big oak tree," Al'ith said, jumping to her feet. "There are some daisies there, and I want to make a bouquet for Jim!" "I'll come with you," Liam offered. "No," Brother Peter said sharply. He paused, then smiled amiably. "You should rest, sir. I will look after the child."

Then he picked Al'ith up and swept out, with the little girl balanced on his shoulder, giggling madly. He was clearly not taking any argument on this idea.

It sent a chill down Liam's spine. He hadn't seen Al'ith alone since he had awoken... she was always with a Pure One. And... were they watching him?

Liam looked at the walls of the hut, imagining eyes peeking through at him. He shivered.

****

"Da'an," Sandoval said to his global. "I've located the remains of the shuttle. There appears to be a small settlement... I'm going there immediately."

****

Liam was sitting on the bed when Jim came in, smiling serenely. "Yes, Major Kincaid?" Jim said quietly, hands folded into the voluminous sleeves of his gown.

Liam got stiffly back to his feet, glaring blackly at Jim. "This creepy, twisted... sick little game of yours has gone way too far, Master James," he said. "I am leaving here and Al'ith is coming with me."

Jim was still smiling. "Why do you wish to leave?"

"Because I don't approve of you people. And Al'ith needs to be home, with her friends." "Al'ith is home here," Jim said quietly. "I know she wishes to stay here." "How?" Liam shouted. "How do you know?" Jim smiled. "I have reached perfection. And why do you want Al'ith to come with you?"

Liam paused. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and even. "Because Al'ith is like a little sister to me. Because in Washington, there are people who really care about her, not this little cult you've thrown together. I'm leaving, immediately."

"You are free to do so," Jim replied coolly.

"And Al'ith is coming with me," Liam said with sudden grimness.

Jim smiled, as if a child had made a ridiculous assertion, and bowed his shaved head to conceal the smile. "Al'ith will not go anywhere she does not wish to go. You... are free to leave."

The Pure One turned and walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Liam sat down heavily on the bed, his mind a tangled whirl of conflicting emotions. There were almost a hundred Pure Ones, and only one of him. No one knew where he was. But he would have to risk attacking them and taking Al'ith away...

Then a horrible thought crossed his mind. He clumsily rose and tried the door. Locked. He banged his fist against it, but it held. Frustrated, he began banging his shoulder against it, shouting, "Al'ith! Al'ith!"

****

Al'ith was sitting in the middle of a small clearing, where hundreds of daises bobbed in the breeze under the huge oak tree. As Peter watched her, a slow smile ran across his lips. A rapturous smile.

"Look what I made!" Al'ith crowed, holding up a daisy chain. "Isn't it pretty? Lili showed me how to make them."

Peter glided through the daises, keeping his eyes hooded. The little hybrid girl continued making her daisy chain, until a thin hand shot out and grasped her wrist. She stared at the Pure One in confusion. "You're hurting my hand," she complained.

Peter only pulled the chain from her hand and turned it palm up, still with the same iron grip. The little girl squirmed and wriggled, trying to get away. "Peter, you're hurting me! Please let go..."

A glowing vortex seemed to open in the little girl's hand. A wave of supernatural awe swept the young man's face. "I'm sorry," he said hastily, releasing her hand. "Please forgive me."

Al'ith rubbed her wrist, pouting a little. "It's all right." Peter licked his lips. "Al'ith... are you happy here?"

Al'ith nodded vigorously.

Peter smiled, instantly satisfied. "That is good. Master James would want you to be nothing more than happy. It would be best, soon, if you said goodbye to Major Kincaid."

"Goodbye?" Al'ith said, staring at him. "Why?"

"Because you will remain here with us. Major Kincaid has duties elsewhere, duties that are not intertwined with our paths," Peter said, his hands locking on Al'ith's small shoulders. "No!" Al'ith exclaimed, squirming. "If Liam's going, I am too! Ow!"

"You have a far greater destiny, demon child," Peter said coolly. "You will cleanse us of all our imperfections."

The Pure One scooped up the little girl and carried her off. She kicked and punched him, pounding him with her small fists, but it made no difference. And the whole while, she shrieked, "Liam! Help me! I want Liam! Liam! Liam!"

****

"Al'ith! Al'ith!" Liam shouted, banging his body against the door.

****

In the growing darkness, a dark, furtive figure was skulking near Liam's hut, hearing the shouts and bangs of the enraged Companion agent. A shaved head gleamed palely in the moonlight, above a simple black cloak.

A hand reached into the gown, and brought out a gleaming pistol...

****

Liam took a running start and slammed shoulder-first against the door. Despite the decrepit appearance of the door, it was remarkably strong. Tears formed in his eyes as he began to pound his fists, the skin rubbing off on the rough wood.

And a shadow formed behind the door.

Liam stepped back, raising his arms above his head. The door slid open, and a dark figure with a shaved head entered. Liam grabbed it by the shoulders and slammed it into the wall, pinning its arms back. "Sorry to complain about the service," he growled. "But Al'ith and I have a date in Washington."

"Sir, it's me..."

"Marina!" Liam spun the girl around. "What the... what are you doing here?"

Marina's face was pale and beaded with sweat. As Liam stepped back, she held out a small pistol. "Your gun," she said softly. "Master James took it when you crashed. He... he was afraid that you would use it against us."

Liam took the gun and checked it. Fully loaded. "I take it you're coming to my side?" he asked softly.

Marina stared at him with frightened eyes. Her eyes then shifted to a vague uncertainty, then a quiet resolve. "Yes," she said quietly. "I'm on your side."

****

"I have brought the child," Peter shouted as he entered the huge stone house. In the center, there was a pile of wood, with Jim standing near it. His eyes were blank and unseeing, as if he were beholding something strange and beautiful. In a semicircle behind him were the Pure Ones, in their gray and black robes. Their faces were eager, delighted.

Al'ith shrank a little, as she watched their glances. Fanatical.

Peter dumped the child on the woodpile and held her still while two other Pure Ones bound her hands to a large log, larger than she was. She stared at Jim fearfully. "What are you doing?"

Jim smiled at her benignly. "My dear, you are an imperfection among the Taelons. You are as they are, but with the flaws and impurities of a human, and that makes you incapable of rising to the levels of purity that we can seek. Your nature is too grounded."

He touched her on the shoulder and beckoned to a Pure One. The man held up a log of wood and touched a tiny lighter to it. The end burst into flame...

Al'ith shrank away as the torch-bearer approached her. Her tiny hands worked and wriggled, as she uttered tiny whimpers of fear.

****

"Freeze!"

Every Pure One turned and gaped as Liam Kincaid and Marina appeared in the doorway, their faces lit up with the firelight from the torch. Liam had one arm firmly wrapped around the neck of a Pure One. The man's body was bent back in his gray robe, his face terrified.

Jim bowed his head. "Please do not enter, Major Kincaid. This is a sacred place, not for outsiders."

Liam shoved his captive forward a step and stepped into the building. "Sorry to trespass on sacred ground, but if you value the life of this man... and the loyalty of your little band of murderers... you will release that child. And," he added grimly, "if anyone so much as scratches that child... I swear I will break his neck. And the next person thrown into that bonfire... will be you... Master James."

Jim stared at the Companion agent, his eyes hard as flint. "Release her," he said in a low voice.

"Approach her slowly," Liam said.

A Pure One came forward and slit the ropes that bound the tearful Al'ith to the log. She ran to Liam and Marina, as Liam threw the man forward onto the woodpile. "Run!" Liam shouted, picking Al'ith up and pushing Marina out the door.

****

Liam spun and shoved Al'ith into the brush, after Marina. When they were out of sight, he raised his hands and blasted the roof and door of the house with his shakarava. It collapsed like a toothpick pile, burying several Pure Ones. He heard muffled cries from the shattered mound of rock and wood as he ran and picked up the lagging child, tired by her exertions.

Al'ith was holding tightly to Liam's collar as they ran through the dark woods. Marina was shoving branches and brambles aside, while Liam murmured, "It's okay, it's okay... don't worry! Nobody can..."

His voice trailed off as they came to a huge clearing. A circle of hooded Pure Ones were standing there, shrouded in darkness.

Al'ith's small arms clutched tighter around Liam's neck as Jim stepped from the circle. Only his gleaming blue eyes were visible beneath the hood. "Give us the demon child, Major Kincaid."

BLAM!

The Pure Ones scattered and fell, screaming, as the ground inside their circle exploded, throwing chunks of dirt and rock at them. The bluish shape of a Taelon shuttle appeared over the trees, firing at the fleeting cultists.

"Drop!" Liam shouted, dropping to the floor and curling himself over the petrified Al'ith. Marina dropped next to him, gasping. "That's Sandoval's shuttle!"

Two more blasts were fired, and there was a whirring noise as the shuttle landed rapidly. Liam and Marina hugged each other, grinning madly, as Sandoval and a squad of armed Volunteers hopped out the front. Al'ith ran forward, waving her arms and shouting in the Taelon language.

"Major Kincaid!" Sandoval said, taking Al'ith by the hand. "What's happening here?"

"It's a long story," Liam gasped. Sandoval coolly eyed Marina, who shrank back a little. "And who, may I ask, is this?"

"I'll explain later, but she's with us," Liam said, pulling the awestruck Marina to the shuttle. "We need to get Al'ith back to the mothership."

****

A few days later...

Liam smiled as he saw the newest Volunteer on the bridge. Marina smiled at him shyly, eyes lowered respectfully as Zo'or walked past. Her shaved head had grown a dark fuzz in the past few days, one which promised to become a lot more.

Da'an was sitting nearby on the mothership bridge, conversing softly with Al'ith. The little girl stood up on her toes and hugged Da'an, who looked pleased and gave her a small squeeze back. Zo'or, sitting in the command chair, simply stared at them with an impassive look that eerily reminded Liam of Jim.

"Major," Sandoval said, coming up behind him. "I thought you might want to know... we've captured about fifty of these so-called 'Pure Ones,' but the remainder and their leader escaped us."

"He'll be back," Liam mused. Then he looked up at the other agent. "He's wanted on charges of murder?"

"Conspiracy against the Taelons, attempted murder of a Taelon..." As Liam opened his mouth, Sandoval finished, "I know she's not technically a Taelon, but she's enough of one."

"Liam!" Al'ith skipped over, her face radiant. As Liam knelt down, she gave him a sudden peck on the cheek. Liam looked startled and pleased. "What was that for?" he asked.

"For saving me," the child said shyly. "Can we go to the Smithsonian today?"

Liam shrugged. "Sure, if you want to... but we're taking Sandoval's shuttle."

Sandoval began to protest, but his statements were drowned out by Al'ith and Liam laughing.

****

Under the skies of South Africa, Jim stared up at the heavens. His followers surrounded him, afraid of his wrath that they had never seen before.

His eyes flamed like burning ice as he swore an oath, by the holiness of the Taelons... he would destroy Liam Kincaid.

THE END... ?