Kayla: Her Pure Soul

by Seven


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



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"Working shakarava?" Zo'or asked Sandoval, rising from his chair. "And she has shown no inclination to use them again?"

Sandoval shook his head, rubbing his shoulder absently. "No. In fact, Major Kincaid is attempting to determine what her fighting ability is."

"What are you speaking of?" Da'an asked sharply. "Kayla will not fight the Jaridians. I forbid it."

Zo'or eyed Da'an. "Why Kayla in particular?" he asked smoothly, with an undertone of hatred. "In the past, you have shown an interest in joining the Taelon and human races to defeat the Jaridians. Now that the Synod might very well agree with you, you back away."

Da'an said nothing.

****

The quarterstaffs met in mid-air. Liam rolled across the mat, knocking Kayla's staff from her hands. She looked more than a little puzzled as she jogged across the gym to pick it up. "That's enough for today, but remember," Liam said. "Don't hold on too hard."

Kayla and Liam had abandoned their normal clothes in favor of white sweats and bare feet. Kayla had tied her dark curly hair in a ponytail that bobbed when she moved. Liam wiped the sweat from his forehead. She was a better fighter than he had expected, with speed and strength beyond that of normal humans. In fact, he found it a challenge to match her.

Neither of them noticed Da'an, watching through a window with a serene smile.

****

Kayla choked on the Coke, and it dribbled along her chin. But rather than be disgusted, she seemed to be fascinated by the carbonated drink. Liam smiled and handed her a different glass. But she caught his hand and pulled the glass away, then turned his hand palm-up. Liam felt a stab of horror as he realized what she knew.

Her fingertip touched the brownish mark on his palm. She looked at him with an eager smile. "You are... like me?" she asked.

Liam shook his head. "No... I'm part Kimera."

Kayla nodded, frowning a little. "Kimera... you are... Ha'gel's son... You are like me?"

Liam finally realized what she was getting at. "Yes, I'm a hybrid like you."

Kayla smiled and hugged Liam. "Good!" she exclaimed. "I like you, Liam." Liam looked both embarrassed and charmed.

****

"Did you hear?" Joshua Doors asked his father, tossing down a copy of the paper. Jonathan Doors picked up the paper and looked at the photo on the front. A lovely young dark-haired woman, with the eyes of a Taelon, was smiling and hugging Liam, who was smiling back at her. "Da'an apparently created a Taelon/human hybrid. It should be interesting to see what happens."

"Interesting, my foot," Doors growled. "That girl is a freak. She should be eradicated before the Taelons get it into their little heads to make more."

****

"What is this?" Kayla asked, looking at the dig. Liam took her by the arm and led her down into the carefully-dug pit. Inside were a few archaeologists, who were dusting off bits of pottery. They smiled and nodded to Kayla, but her attention had been captured by the huge mosaic on the wall, showing Ma'el surrounded by deities and saints from various religions.

"Ma'el," she whispered, brushing her fingertips across Ma'el's face.

Liam nodded and smiled. "Yep. The first Taelon on Earth."

Kayla smiled at him. "Please tell me," she asked.

Liam shrugged. "There are so many things to tell, I'm not certain I could cover them all. Ma'el had a major effect on human history. He helped shape our civilizations as they are today."

Kayla stopped running her fingers on the mosaic. Her elven face was crossed with worry. "Ma'el... didn't belong... here," she said slowly, pointing at the ground.

Liam felt confused. "No..."

Kayla pondered this. "Taelons... don't belong here... I... don't belong here..."

Liam shook his head. "Kayla, no," he whispered, giving her a little hug. "You belong among humanity, if you want it that way. And undoubtedly the Taelons would give you a home. You don't even have to choose, if you don't want to." It was a lie, but it was a comforting lie. Liam was all too aware of how the Taelons generally felt about hybrids, and Kayla would have to choose between humanity and the Taelons. He only hoped that when the time came, she was ready.

****

Kayla had been missing for four hours. Da'an had been searching the mothership, feeling alone and desperate. Now he was roaming the moonbase, as Taelons and Volunteers passed by him. Kayla would be highly visible there, but he had seen no sign of her.

Finally, he arrived at the homeworld simulation. A shoeprint, heeled, was in the soft dirt at the bottom of the cliff. The toe of the shoe was deeper, indicating that she had climbed. Da'an began to climb as well, but this time he did not stop or admire anything. "Kayla?" he called softly. "Kayla?"

When he reached the top, he saw her. She was kneeling on a rock plateau, her back to him. As he approached, he saw tears streaming down her face and causing dark spots to mar her jumpsuit. "Kayla?" he asked softly. She turned her head to look at him, and motioned to him to come beside her.

Da'an knelt next to Kayla, and touched her shoulder. "Kayla, what is wrong?"

"Where do I belong?" Her voice had none of the melodiousness he had heard earier. It was hoarse with emotion, grief. "Who am I? WHAT am I?"

Da'an clasped his hand around hers. "You are Kayla, the first of your kind."

Kayla seemed to gain a little strength from this. She looked at Da'an, her blue eyes awash in tears. "And who... will I be with... when we go to war?"

This time, Da'an could give no answer. Kayla began to cry again, clinging to Da'an. He hugged her, and let her tears fall, trickling down the cliff to the streambed below.

****

"Hey!" called a Volunteer in the hallways. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Kayla turned curiously and smiled at him, awaiting his question. The Volunteer raised his arm and fired a skrill blast, hitting her in the chest. She slammed against the wall, her mouth open, her blue eyes wide.

The Volunteer's mouth twisted in a sneer. "Die, freak," he murmured, turning and leaving.

****

*Da'an... help me...*

Da'an whirled away from Zo'or, feeling horror wash over him. "Kayla," he whispered.

****

Kayla was slumped against the wall when Da'an found her, the scorching of a skrill blast turning her black jumpsuit to ashy gray across her torso. She opened her blue eyes, slightly bloodshot. Da'an knelt beside her and held her hand.

She was dying, and he knew that nothing could prevent it. But he stroked her hair and cradled her for a moment, until she whispered, "I had so little time here... I only wish... I could have seen... the homeworld... as it was..."

"You have seen your homeworld," Da'an murmured.

A long pause. "I'm sleepy..."

"Sleep, Kayla," Da'an whispered, feeling agonizing sorrow sweep his soul. "Sleep, and awaken to a new existance... in a better place..." Her head leaned against his shoulder as she released her final breath.

****

The time was exactly one day from her emergence from the tank, Liam later realized. Kayla lived exactly one day in the company of both humanity and Taelons, and had died twenty-four hours precisely, right down to the second.

****

Da'an sat in his office, alone. His expressive blue eyes showed only love as he waved the datastream into view, revealing a picture of Kayla smiling and waving, her hair tossed by the breeze.