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Loss And Gain-Part One

by Jade

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

**********

The girl flicked back a strand of dirty mousy hair. She glanced around her, then decided to take the risk of standing up. Her knees cracked as she did so, it felt good to be out of that uncomfortable squatting position, at least momentarily. Kneeling down again, she picked up her miniature tools and worked at some wiring inside a panel. Sparks flew and sizzled quietly. She ignored the ones that landed on her skin. She had gotten used to pain a long, long time ago.

She was trying to access the main computer cord. Once it was exposed, she would jack in some expensive equipment from the black market and download everything. Everything. All secrets, weaknesses, and strengths would be hers. And maybe now she would find out what these Taelons were up too. Maybe now she would have her vengeance.

Adrenaline suddenly coursed through her blood as footsteps sounded outside the room. Deliberate footsteps, and headed this way.

Shit, shit, shit. The girl hesitated, made a split second decision. She stuffed the wires back into the compartment and slammed the panel shut. Grabbing her tools and bag, she made to leap out the window-

"Freeze." The single word command made her stop in her tracks. "Turn around. Slowly." She glanced over her shoulder and saw a man's form in the dim light. He was tall, spiked hair, athletic form. And holding a gun.

Slowly, she raised her hands, palms open, and turned cautiously. The man seemed to relax when he realized she was only a child, but his voice didn't soften. "What are you doing here?" "I could ask the same of you," she shot back, anger over coming rationality for a moment. The man reached inside his coat, eyes and gun still trained on her, and brought out a leather folder which he flipped open.

"Major Liam Kincaid, Companion Protector." The girl grimaced. Great. Another alien CVI controlled lackey. "I'm going to ask you to come with me." So that Zo'or can torture the hell out of me? she thought. You've got another thing coming, pal. "Fine." she mumbled, trying to appear innocent. Or as innocent as someone caught breaking into Da'an's office could be. Her age would help anyway.

She walked towards the open door, with Kincaid's weapon still on her. He fell into step behind her. Work, work, please work, she begged silently. She was preparing for her turn-the-tables maneuver, but she had never tried it on an adult before. Muscles tensed up......

She whirled without warning, slamming her forearm into Kincaid's throat. She slugged him hard in the temples before he could squeeze out a shot. He was disoriented for only a second. A second was enough. Punching him several times in the stomach, she watched him double over, and grabbed the gun from his slackened grip. She shoved it up against his neck.

"Don't try anything. If this is standard Taelon issue, it's got a hair trigger-and so do I."

Kincaid visibly tried to relax. "That was a fast one." he said. "Especially for a kid." He was stalling, trying to buy time. It wasn't going to work. She would have to get rid of him now, he knew too much already. "I'm actually very interested in why you're here, why don't you put that thing down and-" "Sorry," she cut him off, "but you've become a loose end." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means Rest in Pieces," she replied, laughing humorlessly. "This won't hurt TOO much...."

She barely stopped her finger from squeezing the firing stud. She looked again, not trusting her own eyes.

This man had no Implant patch. His neck was bare. Suddenly, his arm flew up towards her face. She caught it with her hand and twisted it painfully. "I told you not to try anything." she told him. "I'm not dead yet," he growled back. "You don't have a CVI," she said. "Explain." "What?" "You're a Companion Protector and you don't have an Implant." Kincaid had enough brains to realize he wasn't in the spot to protest. "Da'an allowed me to forgo one." Ah. So he was DA'AN'S Protector. That made things much more interesting.

"You're Da'an's person?"

"Everybody knows that."

"Apparently not," she shifted her grip on the gun. "Liam Kincaid, huh?" "Yeah." The girl paused to think. The name conjured up a memory, some minor detail from the past....it clicked. "Have you ever heard of a Renee Palmer?" "Yes...we do business with Doors International," his reply was cautious. "Why?" She ignored his question. "And are you aquatinted with Augur?" She put emphasis on the name.

A mild spasm of shock ran up Kincaid's back; she could feel it. "Who are you?" he asked, not quite demanding. "You can call me Liana for now. So, Major Liam Kincaid, loyal protector of Da'an, the American Companion." She sneered at the title. And the she went on quietly. "Also know as the leader of the Resistance."

There was no mistaking the stiffening of Kincaid's spine. There was a moment of shocked silence. "How did you know? Who told you? Where did you find out?" He fired off the questions in rapid succession. Liana smiled, enjoying this moment to the fullest. "Patience, Major," she said in a parody of coyness.

"Where's Renee and Augur? What've you done with them?" "Me?" she widened her eyes. "Done with them? I would NEVER hurt anyone." She leaned closer to his ear, even though he was several inches taller than her. "Would I?" the words were spoken low and silky. Ominously. Kincaid understood. "Of course you wouldn't," he replied, meaning, 'I'll keep my mouth shut about you-for now.'

"Good. Now, why don't you take me to meet your Resistance friends?"

****

"Are you getting anywhere with that?" Augur heard the voice behind him. "What's it look like?" he shot back. "Would I be breaking my back over this damn thing if it were otherwise?" "This from the greatest hacker of all time."' "Look, just shutup, okay?" "Fine," Renee replied, sounding just a bit hurt. "Look," Augur straightened. "I'm sorry, it's just-I can't FIND anything. This must be the greatest CODE of all time, you can't just simply sic the greatest hacker of all time on it and expect results," he snapped his fingers, "like that."

Renee raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so you're STILL the greatest hacker of all time." Augur didn't know whether to laugh or roll his eyes, so he turned around and rapidly worked the keyboard again. There were a few minutes of silence. "GodDAMN this Godamned damned THING!" he cried out in frustration.

"We get the picture Augur. The thing is damned."

"Jesus!" he went on as if he hadn't heard her. "Even Liam's clearance codes don't work here!" Renee snorted. "It's not a big surprise, with the way things are going between Liam and Da'an."

"Yyyyep," Augur drew out the word, his fingers never ceasing movement.

"Threatening to kill him wasn't much help either. Liam had better watch his step." "Speaking of Liam..." the voice came from the hideaway's entrance. Augur's brow creased, the computer hadn't notified him of entry-

He whirled just as Renee did, grabbing the gun he kept close at hand beside him.

Liam walked in, hands up, expression cagey. Behind him came a girl, holding a gun to his neck. "Stop," Renee ordered, leveling her gun at the girl. "Drop the gun, back away." The girl gazed coolly back at her, undisturbed at the threat. "Kincaid," the stranger coldly prompted.

"Renee," Liam croaked out. "Augur. Put the guns down. It's okay. Put them down." "Like hell," Augur spat, "We have her outgunned. Drop it. Now."

"RENEE! AUGUR! PUT THE GODAMN GUNS DOWN!"

Augur blinked at his roar. Hoping he wouldn't regret it, he laid the weapon down on the counter beside him, where it would be in easy reach. Reluctantly, Renee followed suit. "Now," the girl shoved Liam. "Everybody into that corner." Suddenly, she made a lunge for them, and Augur stepped back instinctively. Too late, he realized his mistake. It had been a feint, instead of attacking, she swept up both his and Renee's weapons.

"Everybody into the corner," she repeated. No choice. Grudgingly, Augur backed up into the corner. "Alright." The girl moved back so that the gun she had confiscated from Liam covered all three of them.

"I'm here to talk." "You're the one holding the gun," Renee said heatedly. "I'd be an idiot not to." "How did you find out about us?" Liam demanded. "What the HELL is going on?" "Listen. This is a Resistance cell. Kincaid here is the leader of the Resistance, which means you-" she aimed the gun at Renee, "Must be leading one hell of a double life, Palmer, considering your position with Doors International-and the Taelons."

"She knows our names." Augur stated matter-of-factly. "We're dead." "Listen to me. My....goals run parallel to the Resistance's' right now. We can help each other. I have information you want. Very badly." "Wow," Augur mocked. "Major vocab for a ten year old."

"I'm fourteen," she corrected him. "You may call me Liana."

"I found her in Da'an's office," Liam said. "She pulled a fast one on me." "And she knew who you were," Renee said. Her eyes narrowed. "How?" "That's what I've been trying to get out of her. But she wouldn't say, just told me to bring her down here-"

"And you BROUGHT her?"

"Hey," Liam threw up his hands. "It's not like it was voluntary." Augur ignored the dialogue between the other two. His eyes were focused on the girl-Liana. "So what do you want?" "Help," the request was simple. "In exchange for my skills and expertise." "Skills and expertise?" Augur repeated, incredulous. "Look, kid, this Resistance is serious stuff." "So am I." Augur was about to make some kind of mean crack, but she beat him to it.

"I kicked the ass of your Companion Protector here. What more proof of skills and expertise do you need?" It was true, Augur reluctantly admitted, getting the drop on Liam wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do. "Can you handle a weapon?" Renee challenged from beside him. "Extreme pain? Battles? Espionage? Who the HELL do you think you are, busting in here like this?"

"I can handle all those things. I got into Da'an's office Palmer. I think I know how to handle this weapon just fine..." she waved the gun ominously, "And trust me, this is an offer you won't regret taking."

"I'm regretting ever putting my gun down." The girl-Liana-gazed at Renee for a while. "Fine," she said. She dropped the gun and kicked it away, out of reach. "Now we're even. No, not even. Three of you and one of me." Throughout all this, Augur had been quietly watching the girl. And his respect for her had gone up quite a few notches. He could tell by her stance, her body, and her posture that, despite her age, she was a warrior. And extremely smart. She could probably take all three of them on and live.

"I say we accept this...recruit," he spoke up. "What?" Renee, of course. "No, really. Nobody breaks into Da'an's office without skills and information." "I'm glad to see ONE of you has made that observation," Liana taunted. "Or has the brains to."

Renee looked over at Liam, silently asking. Augur braced himself, ready to argue his point....but to his mild surprise, Liam nodded. "Yes," he said, and his voice was thoughtful. "Yes."

"Idiots," Renee muttered, but there was nothing she could do. She was out-voted. "So." Liana seemed to relax just slightly. "Now we can talk."

****

"We'd like our weapons back." Liam watched as Liana stared back at them. Analyzed them. She nodded. "I hope, in the future, we won't have to do this again." The girl flicked her wrist, two guns arched towards Renee and Augur. "Don't bet on it," Renee said quietly. The thinly veiled threat seemed to have zero effect on Liana.

Liam snuck a glance at Renee as he retrieved his own gun from where Liana had kicked it. She wasn't going to make this easy. Renee was competitive, and Liam was betting she was already all fired up to kick Liana's ass for personal reasons. Augur, on the other hand.....his eyes shifted to rest on his friend. Had Augur seen it too?

No. No, Augur had 'voted' yes for cold, calculated reasons. Those same reasons had influenced Liam too, Liana was obviously very competent. But there had been something else, so brief Liam still doubted if it had really happened. The way Liana's gaze had lingered on Renee, something almost tender showing through her cruel eyes. That had intrigued him, on top of needing to find out how she knew who they were.

"We'll need to cooperate Palmer, not have constant twerp wars," Liana's reply was cold. "I think that's something you need to work on."

"What, and you don't?"

Score one for Liana, Liam thought grudgingly. Renee was obviously more hot-tempered than the younger female, and to make a person angry is to own him. Which was precisely what Liana was doing. This was another one of her fine-honed skills, it took a lot to get Renee this angry.

Mind games. Liana would have made a fine diplomat. The image of Da'an and Liana debating was enough to make him smile.

Da'an.

"What WERE you doing in Da'an's office?" he asked outloud. "It's a long story." "We have time," Augur said mildly. And forever the ladies' man, he gestured her to a seat with a flourish. "Please." Liana sat down opposite of Renee and Augur. Liam remained standing behind her. If the girl felt any unease at this arrangement, she didn't show it. Liana leaned forward, forearms on her knees, hands clasped.

Suddenly, she seemed much, much older.

"I have an old score to settle with Da'an. Oh, he doesn't know it yet, but he will," she laughed cynically. The sound sent chills up Liam's back. "What, did he hack into your computer or something?" Another one of Renee's sarcastic remarks. "Oh, he HACKED into something, alright." Liam had moved to where he could see Liana's face in full. And there was something very frightening on it right now.

"And he's gonna wish he never even THOUGHT about it when I'm done with him." her voice had gone deadly. "Da'an made one huge mistake in his killing spree. He left ME alive."

"Why don't you tell us about it?"

To Liam's mild surprise, the gentle request had come from Renee. All traces of hostility or competition had been erased from her expression and voice-for the moment.

Liana threw Renee a look. "Da'an blew my parents away-"

"Oh..."

"It's not THAT. To HELL with my parents, I never knew them." Renee fell silent. "My sister. It was my sister. Her name was....it was...it was Reklae." Liana had a hard time getting the word out, like she was swallowing broken glass. "Da'an blew your sister away too?" Augur, this time.

Liana shook her head. "I'm not completely certain. I know Volunteers did. But I'm more than sure it was under Da'an's orders." "Why?" "Volunteers storm into my house, claiming they were under the orders of Da'an. No one has any idea what they were talking about. They aimed the energy guns straight at their heads and-boom.

"Reklae managed to escape-with me. Three years later, Volunteers were searching the streets. For us. The fact that they pointed and started screaming 'There they are!' kinda tipped me off. There was a chase. I fell. Reklae screamed at me to run, but I couldn't get up, and they were on us."

Liana looked as if she wanted to close her eyes at this point, but she didn't. She plunged on ruthlessly. "Reklae....she-she," her voice almost broke, "she took the shot that was meant for me. It killed her. I ran after that. And I hid, and I ambushed each and every one of those Volunteers. I killed them all. Either with my knife or with their own bazookas. But I made it hurt." Liana nodded, an evil, ecstatic expression on her face. Her eyes glinted, reflecting the joy she found in killing.

Now THAT really sent chills up Liam's spine. That look-that EVIL looked so...WRONG on a child's face.

"I made sure that they all died slowly and screaming.

"Reklae meant....a great deal to me. She raised me, taught me how to survive. I was only ten when it happened. Four years. It took me four years to find out HOW to go about doing things-and once I have my answers, Da'an will pay."

Liana's eyes focused on Renee. "Now you know," she said, as if she had been telling this story just for her.

Augur's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. Now THAT'S what I call a history. Now, why don't you tell us what you were doing in Da'an's office?" "Before I tell you that," Liana's gazed flicked over all three of them, "I have some information you might find interesting." From the tone of her voice, Liam inferred it wasn't something to celebrate.

"I don't remember much of the first Volunteer attack. But I remembered enough; Reklae filled me in on the rest. She remembered everything, down to the very day it happened.

"That night-the night my parents were killed-when Volunteers spoke the name 'Da'an'.....that was an entire year before the Taelons came."

****

There was silence. Complete, total, stunned silence. Then everyone started talking at once. "Hey, hey, hey!" Renee shouted above the noise. Everyone fell silent again.

"Okay, okay." she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the blood pounding in her ears. "That's impossible," she told Liana, "Your sister must have remembered it wrong. We would have-we would have known if the Taelons landed a year early." In her own mind, she questioned that statement.

"Wanna bet?" Liana's face was just short of a sneer. "I was ten when Reklae was killed. I was SEVEN when they blew away my parents. I'm fourteen now. Do the math, Palmer."

Renee's mind race furiously. Seven when her parents were....ten when her sister.....that's three years, fourteen now.....four more years...three plus four....seven years- Oh God. Oh God, no.

"Oh my God," Augur breathed.

"Are...are you sure?" Renee asked lamely. "Maybe you don't remember your age right-" "I remember my age," Liana cut her off sharply.

"Seven years..." Augur whispered.

"Yes."

Renee looked up at Liam, who hadn't said anything since the math problem. His face was blank, but she could read his eyes. Hurt and anger swirled together within them. "It can't be true," Liam's voice was just on the verge of trembling.

"Liam, what's wrong?" Renee stood up and grasped his arm, considerably startled. He seemed really upset. "Da'an would have told me." Renee blinked. She glanced at Liana, who nodded. "You're his friend?" the younger one asked, halfway between sympathy and mocking.

"Yes...I still am. Da'an wouldn't do something like that. I know him." "Just like he wouldn't have ratted out the Resistance?" Renee said, her voice suddenly harsh. Liam looked as if she had slapped him. "Da'an and I aren't exactly getting along, but...it was necessary."

"That wasn't your opinion at the time." Liam had nothing to say to that. "It's only a matter of time, before Da'an turns on you," Liana said. Liam shook his head. "No, he wouldn't do that." "Liam," Augur snapped, "You're acting childish. Face it, Da'an is a Taelon. We can't trust them now. Maybe we never will." "Da'an would get rid of you in a flash if it served his purposes," Liana told him, "It's only a matter of time."

"He threatened you, remember? 'There is a limit to my patience.'" Renee reminded him. "I know!" Liam all but shouted. "But I just can't believe he would slaughter-" "Yeah, well, start believing," Liana spat harshly.

"Stop," Renee told Liana, seeing that she was only making it worse. "I'm going to talk to him. Tomorrow." "No," Liana said sharply, "We can't take that risk." "I might be able to get things straight with him-", "No, you won't be able to. Da'an might like Earth as a vacation spot, but he's putting his species-or own self-interests-first. I can't blame him for that, but his plans conflict with mine-with ours."

Liana was on her feet now, stepping towards Liam until she was only an inch away. She tilted her head back slightly so she could look him in the face. "If you tell him," she continued softly, "he'll know that you will be too dangerous to leave alive. Or free. And he'll either have you killed or turned over to Zo'or. The Resistance will lose its leader, and any chance we have of finding out and stopping what is going on will be gone."

Liam turned away from Liana's piercing gaze. "How do we even know that something is going on?" "Liam," Renee felt sorry for him, but she had to go with reason, "listen, the Taelons didn't pretend to come a year later for a practical joke."

Liam nodded painfully. "Alright. Point taken. But still, I think I should bring it up with him-" "Liam," Augur interrupted impatiently, "It's not just YOU at stake here. Da'an knows about your Resistance ties-"

"WHAT?" Liana whirled. Shock registered on every square inch of her face. "He KNOWS? Who the hell told him? How did he-"

"I did," Liam said. Renee flinched. "I brought him down here."

Liana stared at Liam. "Well, I can see you didn't get to be leader by being smart." Renee waited for Liam's retort. It didn't come. She glanced at him, and there was a grimace on his face. "You're right," Renee blinked. That wasn't the answer she was expecting. "But I still need to talk to him. Da'an is the only one who can-or will-tell us anything, cause I get the feeling Zo'or is in the dark about this."

Uh-oh, Renee thought, here it comes. Liana stared at Liam. She was calculating everything, Renee knew, something that would stop Liam from confronting Da'an-

"Fine then. You're the leader."

Well. THAT wasn't the answer Renee had expected from her, either. "What did you say?" Augur reflected her surprise. "He's the leader, right? So fine, let him tell Da'an."

A feeling of dread filled Renee. The risks and the things that were at stake were huge.

"It's agreed then," Renee said quietly. She gave Liana a long, measured look, then turned it to Liam. "But," she added, "we'd better be ready to run like hell."

****

Da'an deactivated the energy shower with a long, satisfied sigh. The pain of his encounter with Zo'or had ebbed somewhat, but the hurt he felt was still present.

He rose slowly out of his chair, walking even more slowly to the corner of the room. He stood there, lost in his own thoughts, seeing nothing.

"Da'an." The voice snapped him out of his reverie. He turned around, trying to keep himself in check. "Liam," he said, finding it hard to keep his voice even.

"Hi. Listen, um, I have some questions."

More? Da'an thought wearily. And from the way Liam all but shuffled his feet, it was a question he probably didn't want to answer. "Yes?"

"Listen, I know we haven't been getting along lately...." he took a step towards him. Da'an suppressed the urge to step back.

Not getting along doesn't begin to describe it, he thought bitterly. You threatened to kill me, remember? "....but just-I'm sorry, okay? Now, just please, give me a straight answer on this one." Da'an tilted his head slightly. "And what is your question, Liam?"

Liam cast his eyes downward briefly, then took a deep breath. His posture reminded Da'an of a nervous child about to act in a play.

Suddenly, Liam lifted his chin and looked him straight in the eyes. "Why did you lie about coming a year early?"

Calm, calm, calm. Stay calm. Don't widen your eyes . "What?"

"You came SEVEN years ago. Not six."

Da'an couldn't look at him anymore. He whirled around and started walking away. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he protested, his voice growing shrill and frantic despite his efforts to appear calm.

"Sure you do," Liam countered. Da'an wanted to run as the other fell into step beside him. "And what proof do you have of this?" "The best proof there is." "You have no right to accuse me of this, if you have such a suspicion, go to Zo'or!" "Oh, I'm sure I could....it's not really the time of the landing that bothers me right now, but what YOU did during that time."

No. Da'an could feel himself freezing up. He couldn't know. No. "And what do you think I did during this supposed 'landing?'" "You sent Volunteers to slaughter a family."

Da'an felt his eyes widen. How had he.....? "I have no idea what you are talking about," he repeated. "Neither does Zo'or. Which is why I need to talk to you." Da'an stopped walking. Liam took a step towards him, menacing this time.

Da'an backed away, as if he were frightened of Liam's impeding threat-which he was-until his back was against the wall. "Liam," he said quietly. He felt torn. He couldn't kill him. But he could keep him quiet. "Don't."

His hand fumbled for the hidden button in the wall. His fingers found it, he hesitated, and pressed it. "I am sorry Liam, but this is a position you don't want to get into." "I'm your Protector, Da'an. You need to tell me what's really going on, because I need to know. There's someone out there trying to kill you, and I don't want that to happen."

More lies.

"Da'an," Liam repeated more urgently. He glanced around the room, almost paranoid. "Just-we have to get out of here now. You can tell me later." Da'an didn't move.

Liam stepped forward and grasped his shoulder. "Come ON."

Da'an pulled away from him, breathing hard. Zo'or's crushing comment, trying to survive, and now this, it all became to much, like a Jaridian breathing down his neck.

He threw his arm in front of himself and cried out, as if trying to ward off some unseen danger. "What's going on here?" The demand hadn't originated from Liam, but from the man who had suddenly appeared in the doorway.

****

Liana felt a hand on her shoulder. She whirled and barely managed to stifle the temptation to blow Renee away. "What the HELL are you doing?" the woman hissed, gripping her arm so tightly it hurt. "None of your business," she hissed back, shaking her hand loose. "How did you get up here?" "Same way he did," she nodded her head towards the room where Kincaid had disappeared. "Liam? You hitched a ride?"

"Not really. He didn't know I was on."

"What? Oh-"

"What are YOU doing here?"

"I came up to watch out for Liam."

"Ah. And I came here to watch out for Da'an." Liana smiled grimly.

She jerked her head up when she heard footsteps. "Sandoval," Renee whispered, "time to disappear." Liana darted around the corner and dropped to a combat crouch. "What's going on here?" the man Renee had called Sandoval demanded.

Uh-oh.

"Oh shit," Renee voiced Liana's thought in a more apt way.

"Agent Sandoval," a Taelon's voice this time. Da'an. Liana's finger tightened on the trigger. "Where did you get that?" Renee asked softly from behind her. "Knocked out some Volunteer." "....please, Liam seems to be.....emotional today."

"Major, what are you doing?"

"Showtime," Liana told the other woman.

****

"Major." Liam grimaced in the face of the skrill Sandoval leveled at him. Slowly, he raised his hands, palms out, and moved to the center of the room-away from Da'an

"Now-" the other man was suddenly cut off when an arm snaked around his neck and drew tight. Another hand shoved a hand gun against his throat. Liana.

"Nobody move," she warned, "or I'll blow a hole through his f*cking neck."

Sandoval had the sense to hold still. Behind Liana, a woman with a ski-mask walked silently into the room. Renee? There was a soft gasp from behind Liam. Strangely enough, his first impulse was to laugh at Da'an's delayed reaction. Unfortunately for the Taelon, the barely audible sound managed to reach Liana's ears. "Hello, Da'an. I believe we have some unfinished business to take care of."

"What?"

"Oh, you don't recognize me? I'm so sad," the sarcasm in her voice was so thick Liam cringed. "Or do you even bother to look at the people you blow away?"

He could almost feel Da'an's horror.

"No...."

"Hold on to him," Liana instructed her companion. She passed the hand gun to her. The girl moved away from Sandoval, towards Liam. She drew out another firearm. Renee blinked. Liana glanced at her. "Fine. I lied. I knocked out two Volunteers." She leveled the weapon at Da'an. She smiled grimly.

"No." Liam stepped in front of him. Liana lowered the gun.

"Move, Kincaid. Let me handle this." For a moment, Liam wavered. Da'an had betrayed his trust, he had a score to settle with him too. Because of that betrayal, close to hundreds of people had been slaughtered. He did deserve to die.

But if he stood back and let Liana murder Da'an, he would be just like him.

Those were, he thought with grim amusement, the same words he had spoken that day. "No," he said firmly. Liana gazed at him, something unreadable on her face. Suddenly, she darted around him. He moved to block her way. She changed direction. He tried to keep up with her, but she was smaller and more nimble than he. She feinted left, dodged right-

He didn't see the shot. But he heard it. It and Da'an's cry.

"NO!" the word came out of his mouth by itself. Suddenly dictated by rage, he spun and lunged at Liana. "Whoa, hey!" she side-stepped his attack, "I only grazed him, he's alive!"

"What?" he paused and looked down at Da'an's body. No. Not body. Otherwise there would be nothing left of him. "We need answers, right? Sort of hard to get answers from the dead." Liam looked down at Da'an for a moment longer, then brought his eyes to lock onto hers. "And what," he asked quietly, "will you do after that?"

"I'll kill him."

"I won't let you."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "No one said you couldn't try and stop me."

There was a dull thud that penetrated the staring contest with Liana. The girl's eyes looked past Liam; he followed her gaze to see Renee dragging a knocked-out Sandoval to a corner and dumping him in an undignified heap.

He could almost see her smiling through the mask. "THAT....was satisfying." "I can imagine," he answered, feeling just a twinge of envy. There had been a lot of days when he had felt like just clunking Sandoval over the head. "You can kick him," Renee offered. Liam laughed.

"Hey," Liana's sharp voice brought him back around, "mind giving me a hand here? He isn't exactly made of air." Renee walked briskly past Liam. He didn't move. She slid her hands underneath Da'an's shoulder blades. "Where are we going to take him?" he asked. Renee paused. "I don't know," Liana said, "you're the Leader. You tell us."

"I didn't knock him out, I don't know where we take him!"

"Just pick a place!" she snapped.

Her impatience wore out what was left of his own. "I don't care, okay? YOU figure out what to do with him!" "Fine," Renee said abruptly. "Augur's place. Let's go." Liana stared at her. "You're nuts." Look who's talking."

A genuine smile broke out over Liana's face. "Point taken. Fine. Augur's place." "Second question," Liam interrupted, "how do we get off this damn ship without getting caught?" "Already taken care of," Liana told him. He watched as she felt along the delicate walls of the room they were in. She stopped in front of an area he could see nothing special in.

"Bring him over here," she ordered. Liam knelt down and helped Reneedrag theunconscious Da'an to the wall. Liana picked up the Taelon's limp hand and pressed it against the wall. All of a sudden, it became clear.

Virtual glass. Liam felt his eyes widen.

"What the hell....?" Get through!" Liana snapped, "Now, now, now!" Liam snapped out of it and ran through the glass, dragging Da'an behind him. A second later Renee came through, followed by Liana. A second after that, the glass solidified.

"Now what?" Liam felt his mouth hanging open. He didn't care. "You weren't kidding when you said you did research, were you?" "Wha-" Renee's irritated sounding question was suddenly cut off. "Oh my God....." Straight ahead. Looming over them like a throne.

A portal. A fully functional one.

"Let's get going," Liana said after a few moments of silence. "No one knows this place exists except for Da'an." "And us." "And us," she agreed. Liam ran up to the portal. Renee and Liana carried Da'an up with them. He punched in the nearest location that wasn't too close to Augur's. The portal flashed.

****

Augur started awake.

"....coming in!" the holo-computer was wailing, "They've overridden my security measures!" "Damn," he muttered. "Can I get ANY sleep around here?" He scooped up the hand gun he kept close by and climbed out of bed. "Keep quiet," he told the hysterical female hologram. He walked past the terminals that were blinking on stand-by. The room was eerily silent.

He pressed his back against the wall by the entrance, adrenaline already starting to bead up sweat on his forehead. The first person that stepped in here was fried.

Footsteps now. He could hear them. Closer, closer... he could see a foot- No time to think. Act! He jerked the gun up to where the head would be. "Whoa!" Who was it? Who cared, shoot, shoot! "Augur!"

Huh?

Renee? He blinked.

"Put. That. Godamn. Gun. DOWN! I have had my FILL of guns for today, put that down or I SWEAR to God I'll twist your hand off!" "Something tells me I shouldn't doubt you," he said, still stunned at her outburst. "Listen to it," she told him. She glanced behind her. "It's clear," she called.

Liana and Liam came in a few seconds later, dragging- Da'an?

"What the HELL have you-"

"We'll explain later," Liam cut him off, "we need to get him to a secured place now, he's reviving." As if to emphasize on that, the Taelon stirred and groaned. "Fine, fine," Augur put his hands to his temples, "but I want a full explanation about this."

"You'll get one," Liana assured him.

He knelt down and helped the girl carry Da'an into his room. "Can you lock it? From the inside?" "I can find something." "Good." Behind them, he heard Renee mutter to Liam, "YOU go in first next time. I poke my head in here and almost get blown away by a fellow Resistance member." "Well, excuuuuse ME," he called back over his shoulder, "why didn't you just alert the computer and use your codes?"

"We didn't want to wake you up."

"Oh," he muttered, feeling slightly charigned, "Well, don't worry about me next time." "That was lame," Liana murmured as she continued to walk backwards. "Hey."

"Is this it?" "Yeah," Augur steered the unconscious Taelon towards the darkened room. "We can dump him on the bed." "Okay." Liana maneuvered herself over the threshold. "You don't have any objects on the floor I could trip over and crack my head on, do you?" "No," Augur muttered, "but thanks for that mental picture."

"You're welcome," she grumbled, "this has NOT been my day." "I can see that." "Here." Liana dropped the Da'an's lower body onto the mattress. Augur disposed of his half in a much more gentle manner.

"Thanks guys." Liana whirled, the reaction testifying to her frayed nerves. Augur turned. Liam came in. "I want to be here when he wakes up." "Yes, comfort your little Protectoree," Liana goaded. Liam glared at her briefly. "He's going to need all the comfort he can get, along with some medical treatment." he said pointedly.

Augur broke in. "Whatever. I'm going to get another mat and get back to sleep." He walked out. When he heard no following footsteps, curiosity prompted him to look back. He saw Liana. She was staring at Liam's back. A long, thoughtful stare.

The image was blocked out as his eyes closed in a yawn. He'd think about the deep, philosophical things later. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.

****

Liana rested both arms onto the counter top in what she privately referred to as the Nut Room. The name was suitable, even on the standby the what seemed like hundreds of blinking, whirring terminals made the space seem crazy. It was even more so when the were active, and all hell broke out when Augur was in here among his beloved computers.

Especially when checking up on his beloved stocks, Liana mused with a smile. Now, if THAT wasn't hell broken lose, she didn't know what was.

She leaned her full weight on the counter-and a jolt of fiery pain slashed up her arm. She automatically suppressed the sensation, smothered the urge to show her emotions. Sensing she was alone in the room, she allowed herself a small gasp.

"Are you alright?" Liana cursed under her breath. She hadn't been alone.

"I'm fine," she assured Renee gruffly. "What're you doing here?" "Same reason you are," the woman replied, walking over to join her. "Oh? Which is...?" "No reason at all." Liana looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. "You in a mind-reading mood today?"

"No. Just thinking." Renee's eyes were unfocused, staring at nothing. "About Da'an." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "Yeah." There was silence for a good five minutes. Liana decided that if it hurt, she might as well get used to it and make it hurt more. She leaned again on her wounded arm, keeping her face blank as pain tortured her nerves.

She flinched, just slightly. But it was visible to Renee. "Stop that," she ordered. Before Liana could move, Renee had pushed up the sleeve of her worn-out shirt. The older woman sucked in her breath. "What happened?" Liana looked down at her arm and almost wished she hadn't. It was pretty nasty, even by her own standards. "I think it's an old scar. Probably burst open."

Renee looked just a bit sick. "It looks fresh to me," she said, smearing away the flowing blood with a tissue she had grabbed from a dispenser that lay nearby. "It's probably partly fresh," she replied, letting her clean the wound. "That Volunteer I knocked out put up a fight. Had some kind of a knife with her. So I'd say it's been cut deeper but mostly just old scar."

Renee gave her a look. "You enjoy talking about this stuff?" "No. Just used to it." "Ah. Hang on." Renee crossed over to a sink on the far side of the room and wet several tissues. She came back, trying to catch any dripping. "Augur'll have a fit if he sees ANY water near his precious computers," she muttered.

Liana moved away from her. Renee shot her an impatient glance. "Don't worry about it, it's fine." "C'mon, I know you don't like to be treated like a little girl, but I really don't want that open, bleeding thing to get you infected with some disease that turns you green and makes pus come running out of that until you gag and die."

Well. When she put it THAT way. Rolling her eyes, she grudgingly held out her arm. Renee gently swabbed the injury. The water stung, but she barely felt it. She'd done the same thing to herself with alcohol hundreds of times. "Thanks," she said, "I feel all nice and better now." Renee laughed at her sarcasm. "Your welcome," she answered dryly, tossing the bloodied tissues into a wastebasket. "I'll see you later."

"Okay."

Liana stared after Renee as she left the Nut Room. It scared her. Deep down inside, it really scared her. The way she had washed the wound was the same way Reklae insisted on bandaging every injury she had had.

What was even more frightening was that Renee was the spit image of Reklae. She dipped a finger into the blood that was beginning to run again. Renee looked exactly like Reklae. Every detail. The same blond hair, sharp features, bright eyes. The same beauty.

It was as if she were still alive. That was what Reklae would have looked like, had she lived to grow up. Closing her eyes in a pain that wasn't physical, Liana leaned back and pretended for one moment to have a sister again........

****

Liam's head jerked up when Da'an groaned again. The Taelon shifted on the bed. He was coming around. Liam tensed. What was he going to say? Da'an would be frightened, the first thing to do would be to calm him down-

"Ahhh!" Da'an had tried to sit up. Obviously, being grazed by an energy gun left some painful after effects. "Whoa, whoa!" He leaned over, pushed Da'an back down. "Easy, take it easy." Da'an looked back up with large, frightened eyes that didn't see him.

"Wh-where am I? What-ahh!" "Da'an! Don't move! Da'an. Look at me." The Taelon's eyes searched the room aimlessly, then finally focused on him. He stared at Liam for a while, breathing hard. "Liam?" It came out in a whisper. "Yes. Calm down. Everything's okay." "What is happening? Where are we?" "You don't want to know. Just relax for now. Are you hurt?"

"I-I don't think so," he said hoarsely, as if his lungs couldn't bring out more air to support his voice. "I just remember the girl and-" "Shhhh." he soothed him. "Just relax for now. You're shaking."

Da'an closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He opened them and looked at Liam in such a way that he had to avert his eyes.

"Liam. What do you want?"

****

Liam didn't answer his question. He wordlessly eased Da'an back down again. He didn't have the strength to resist. "Rest up," he told him. "You'll need it." "Why?" he demanded, finding that his breath came easier now, "I will have to endure your friends' torture?" "No one's going to be torturing you," Liam replied in a clipped voice. "No. I suppose they will skip that step, and simply kill me."

"No one's going to be killing you." "Of course. I forgot," a distant part of Da'an's mind noted that he was picking up on Human sarcasm, "you are my Protector." "I still am." No words were needed on that one. Da'an simply stared up at him until Liam dropped his gaze. He shifted on the strange surface beneath him, what Humans referred to as a bed. The dim lighting took some getting used to.

Liam turned his back. "Look, Da'an...I'm sorry. Really, I am. But-you should've listened to me. I TOLD you we needed to get out of there." "So you knew the girl was coming in." "I suspected. Liana didn't just let me take the risk of confronting you about coming a year early without her own motives."

Liana. The name echoed in Da'an's brain, tasted bitter in his mouth. A surviving child. One to whom he owed his life energy. And she obviously wasn't lacking any enthusiasm about claiming it, either.

"Speaking of that," Liam turned back around to face him, "I still haven't gotten the full story yet. Why DID you come a year early?" Da'an turned away-and gasped out when more pain ripped at his side. Liam was immediately holding him. "What's wrong? What hurts?" "I-I do not know," he panted, suddenly short of breath. "It simply-hurts. There is-there is no wound."

"You're sure?"

"Yes." his breathing was slowing once again. He pulled away from Liam's hands. "Listen. I won't question you tonight, and neither will anyone else. Just rest, okay?" "Energy. I need an energy stream."

"Sorry, we don't have one on hand right now." Da'an almost started. There was no sarcasm in Liam's voice. "Don't Taelons sleep?" "You could call it sleeping." "Alright then. Sleep. Get any rest you can. You'll need it."

****

Renee stepped softly into Augur's room, glancing around cautiously. She felt her expression soften when she saw Liam dozing lightly, his head propped up on a wooden stand next to the bed where Da'an lay. He'd hardly slept throughout the night; Liana and herself had dropped in often to check on him.

The girl didn't understand and was openly contemptuous of Liam's concern for the Taelon's well being. Renee herself was slightly puzzled at Liam's protectiveness. She walked up behind him and gently touched his shoulder. "Hey." "Huh-what?" Liam's head jerked up. "Sorry to wake you up, but," she gestured toward Da'an's form, "it's twelve in the afternoon and we're still at a loss about what to do with him. We decided brave and fearless Leader might have an idea this time."

"Uuugh," Liam groaned, rolling his head in what appeared to be a futile attempt to get kinks out of his neck. "Yes. You think we can....question him?" Renee heard Liana enter behind her. "No one is doing any questioning but me," Liam told her sharply, "and Augur," he glanced at Renee, "and maybe Renee too."

Liana laughed cynically. "Translation: I won't be getting within a hundred feet of Da'an. Right, sure. Stop worrying. I'm not gonna try to kill him NOW." "The farther away you are, the better," Liam said, arching himself backwards in a stretch.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Renee turned around. "Look who's up and about," she teased Augur. "A man's gotta get some REST, right?" "So," Liam interrupted, "we're all here now."

"Yeah," Liana slumped against the wall, "some of us more than others," she added, looking at Da'an. Renee carefully studied the arm she had cleansed last night. She could see the light, rusty tin color of blood. A corner of her mouth turned down. She should have tended to it better. "Well," Augur said, "that's the whole point of our little meeting anyway. What're we going to do with HIM?" He paused and squinted at the unconscious Da'an. "Do Taelons sleep?" "He told me we could call it sleeping," Liam replied, "It's some form of rest without an energy shower."

"Do Taelons need energy streams to survive?" Liana broke in, sounding strangely worried. "Yes...but they can get by for a short while." "How short?" Renee asked. "I don't know." Liam looked back at Da'an with something like sympathy. "I don't want to have to find out." Liana made an unintelligible comment which was probably just as well not heard.

"He was in terrible pain," Liam went on, "He assured me there was no wound, but...." Renee shrugged. "Feel his forehead." Liana made a laughing noise. Liam gave her a look but put his hand on Da'an's head anyhow. "I don't know-ahhh!" "What?" Renee snapped, jumping forward. Liam looked up from his chair with a stunned look on his face. "Is it...supposed to be that hot?"

"What?" she said again, apprehensively touching her finger to the Taelon's head. She pulled back reflexively. It was hot. Like she had put her hand into a candle. Renee looked at the skin that had come into contact with Da'an. It was almost burnt.

"What's wrong?" Augur demanded, leaning forward and carelessly pressing his palm against Da'an's forehead. "AHHHH!" "I'm NOT touching it," Liana said, still leaning against the wall. Augur looked up.

"Oh my God."

"Something's wrong," Liam sucked in his breath as he said it.

"He's overheated, big time," Augur told him, blowing on his burnt hand. "Ow, ow, ow."

"Let's get him out of here," Renee snapped out, sliding her hands under Da'an's shoulder blades. The Taelon moaned. Renee's hands felt like the were going to burst from the heat. She sucked in her breath through clenched teeth. "Give me a hand!" Liana instantly grasped Da'an's mid-section, her face and eyes betraying no signs of pain. Liam and Augur each took a leg. "Ow, ow, ow," Augur cried out again.

"What're we going to do with him?" Liana rapped, her emotionless voice sounding strained. "Get-get him under cold water, I don't know!" she yelled, "C'mon, c'mon!"

All four of them ran out, heedless of obstacles in their way. Renee dropped Da'an non-too-gently onto the floor when they reached the sink. She wrenched the faucet on with such force the knob almost snapped off. She thrust her hands under the running, ice-cold water. She sighed quietly. She would have kept them there, but instead made a cup with her fingers and waited for them to fill. Then she splashed it onto Da'an. The others followed her lead. "Go for the head and neck!" Liam shouted. Renee remembered frantically turning her body back and forth from the sink to Da'an. By the time they were finished, she was soaked. Liana, to Renee's mild surprise, knelt downand felt the Taelon's steaming body. "Feels like it's cooled down," she reported.

"How much?"

"At least it doesn't feel like a fire in hell. Close to it, though." "It was worse than that," Liam said grimly. He bent down and ran his hand over Da'an himself, "I don't believe he hasn't woken up." "Something about the fever, maybe?" Augur suggested breathlessly.

"I don't know." Liam straightened back up. "But I don't like it." "We should try to wake him up," Renee said, splashing a last handful of water onto Da'an. "We should worry about keeping him cool for now." As if on cue, Da'an's eyes began to flutter.

"Renee, get out of here, now." Liam hissed. She understood. Da'an couldn't see her with Resistance members. At the same second Da'an's eyes opened, she ducked behind a corner.

She wasn't sure if it had been in time.......

****

Hot. Burning hot. His body was on fire, it would disintegrate soon. He wanted to scream, couldn't even feel his mouth. His energy would escape...he could feel himself falling apart now-bursting...bright.....so bright....

Something cool hit his face. It spread across eyes, onto his throat.....soon his entire self was being repeatedly hit with this blissfully cold matter....it lasted, this heaven, for a long, long time...he couldn't measure it exactly....his senses were coming back...voices...Human......

Males...two of them....higher pitched...females? One was familiar, cold.....measured....

Pain exploded in his temples. Desperately, he tried to open his eyes. They were moving! Struggling to open.....light spilled into his pupils, blinding him. But not before he saw someone fleeing.

"Da'an!" His name. Who was calling him....? "I'm coming," he whispered. "Da'an!" More urgently this time. And then, as suddenly as the pain had hit him, everything swam sharply into focus. And the pain intensified a hundred-fold. He squeezed his eyes shut, screamed. Why don't I die? he asked himself, I just want to die......

His scream was cut off. Something clamped firmly over his mouth. Who...? What...? "Da'an," the voice was gentle, soft. "Da'an, listen to me. Calm down. No one's going to hurt you. You'll be alright. What's wrong?" Dark. His eyelids blocked out all light, he allowed himself to sink into the blessed cool of black.

The obstruction over his mouth was removed, and for a while there was silence, save for his own wheezing, ragged gasps. Then, "Da'an," a female this time. Her voice was darkly familiar, hovering at the edge of his memory, "Can you hear us? Can you talk?"

He drew in as much as he could. "Yes," he managed, the word sounding like a balloon losing air. "Are you alright? What's wrong? Why're you so hot?" a male.

Liam?

He asked the name outloud. There was a hesitation. "Yes, it's me. Open your eyes." He struggled once again. The glare of sudden light wasn't as strong this time. He was looking directly up into Liam's face. His eyes searched the area. Beside him was a man with dark features and glowing glasses. His head ached dully. "Is he still delirious?" a girl with stringy hair moved into his field of vision.

The girl who had shot him.

"No, I don't think so. Da'an? Can you hear me?" "Yes." He stared at the girl. She gazed back at him with something frightening in her eyes. "How many fingers am I holding up?" the black man pushed forward, holding out his hand. Liam glared at him. "Damn it, Augur-" "I'm just seeing if he has a concussion! Ren-she didn't put him down that nicely. This is what you do!"

"Can Taelons HAVE concussions?" the girl asked, humorlessly amused.

The man Liam had called Augur shrugged. "Don't want to take chances, right?" "Too late for that," the girl muttered. "How many fingers?" the man insisted. What was the point of this? Might as well play along. "Four."

"Good."

Liam knelt down beside him, put his hand on his forehead. Da'an wanted to flinch away. Not even Liam. Not even Liam could be trusted. He would never forgive him.

"He's cooled down." The black man apprehensively skimmed his own fingers against his brow. "Oh yeah. Definitely." "I'll take your word for it," the girl said, looking at Da'an like he was something disgusting she didn't want to touch unless absolutely necessary.

Looking into the youth's eyes, Da'an felt fear course through his body. There was hate in her eyes. Cold, unrelenting hate.

She would kill him, he knew. Or die trying.

He turned his gaze away. Something else bothered him about the Humans clustered around him. Three of them. Hadn't there been four? He was certain there had been four...that shape fleeing around the corner...was there another one?

"Listen, Da'an. You're sure nothing else is wrong? Is there pain anywhere?" Liam was still in his kneeling position, looking down at him with what seemed like genuine concern.

He wanted to believe there was genuine concern, that they still shared that deep bond.

But no. Liam couldn't be trusted. No one could. Everyone had their own agenda. "There is pain." "Where?" "My side."

Liam glanced up at Augur, then the girl. "Let's get him back to the room." The room. A bed.....he remembered now, last night. The girl's name....Liana. Liana Verdyana. The last survivor of her family. Liana didn't just let me confront you about coming a year early without her own motives, Liam had said.

Da'an knew those motives now. Liana Verdyana wanted answers.

And then she would kill him.

****

Liana leaned again on the counter top the same way she had done last night. It was a comfortable position, she found, the noise of the Nut Room she could deal with. Actually, once she drifted off into her own thoughts and the whirring and clacking became just a soft background din; it was closer to silence than anything else in this Resistance base.

Yes, this place was good for thinking. And Liana had some major thinking to do. "Liana." She glanced up. Kincaid was standing in the doorway.

So much for thinking.

"Yes." "How're you doing?" Kincaid walked over with what might have been meant as a casual air and assumed the same position beside her. "Fine," she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "Why?" "Just wondering," Kincaid shifted, "It's not easy to face your family's killer."

"It is for me."

"Ah. So," he fidgeted a bit, "you got a last name?" The question was popped so suddenly she almost blinked. It was going to come sooner or later, she scolded herself, control yourself!

"Yes." There was an expectant silence. "Well?" She laughed, "Now, you didn't really think I was going to TELL you, did you?" "I didn't bet money on it," he growled. "Smart. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of." With that, she turned and walked out to try and find another quiet place.

****

Augur practically crawled into the computer room. This was what he got, he reflected groggily, for staying up all night spying on Liam. But then again, he'd seen Renee and the new girl- Liana- doing the same thing far more than he, and THEY didn't seem ready to fall on their faces.

Life just wasn't fair, as had been proven numerous times today.

"Augur? You sleep walking?" "Huh, what? Uuugh, no." Liam raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" "I'm sure because if I were sleep walking I sure as hell wouldn't dream anything up like what just happened."

"Okay...valid reason." "It damn better well be." He collapsed onto the couch, "What're we going to do with him?" "Da'an? I dunno," Augur had a good view of Liam's back as his shoulders lifted in a shrug, "Keep him quiet, for one thing. And alive."

Augur snorted, but he was so tired he wasn't sure if the soft sound had been heard. "I think he'd be better to us dead than alive." "Don't say that!" Liam whirled, his eyes ablaze, "Don't ever, ever say that!" "Hey, hey," Augur held up his hands, "Get real, okay? I know you like Da'an, but he's a Taelon. Now, I know that not all Taelons are like Zo'or," he added hastily as Liam opened his mouth to protest, "But think about it: from what we know, Taelons NEED humans somehow. In a way that's vitally important to the continued survival oftheir race. And it's most likely along the paths of reproduction.

"Zo'or won't stoop to the level of admitting he needs us inferior beings and asking for help. He's going to do it by force. And he's convinced this....Commonality that his way is THE way. All Taelons are loyal to the Commonality, therefore all Taelons are loyal to Zo'or, in an indirect way. The Commonality is the basis for their race, and to betray it, for a Taelon, would be to betray his race. Da'an is...nice, but he isn't a pushover. And think about it Liam: he may not like it, he may know it's wrong, but when push comes to shove- his race, or some Human Resistance members? The chance to see grandchildren, or maintain friendship with a man who isn't really his friend anymore?"

His exhaustion had left him, and Augur realized he had finally said to Liam what he had wanted to say for a long time.

"I AM his friend." "Are you?" he asked quietly, lowering his hands, "Are you really?" "I-" Liam paused, uncertain. His question had gotten through.

"He's betrayed you. Several times. He has the lives of innocent humans to answer for." "What're you suggesting?" "Maybe...." he hesitated, "Maybe we should just take care of him."

"What?" the anger in Liam's voice was ice. "I said, maybe we should just take care of him. Before he takes care of us." Augur didn't flinch as Liam walked menacingly towards him.

"And if I don't give my blessing on that?" Augur didn't say anything. Suddenly, the resolve drained from Liam, he seemed to slump, deflate. "But you're right. Da'an might betray us. Again. But," he looked into Augur's eyes, "If I just murder him while he's lying there helpless, I'd be just like him."

They stared at each other for what seemed like a long time. Then Augur nodded slowly. "Nobody is going to be doing anything without your blessing. At least I'm not." Liam smiled- a bit sadly. "Thanks, Augur." "Now, ah, what about the girl- ah, Liana." "What about her?" "Well," Augur felt the sleepiness coming on again, "Something tells me she's not going to give a damn about your blessing."

Liam frowned, "Yeah...she wouldn't tell me her last name." "What, did you just ask her?" "Yeah." "Idiot," Augur muttered. "Hey." "It's not like she's just gonna TELL you. You gotta do some RESEARCH. Like taking a look into government records.....?"

Liam looked at him skeptically. "You sure you're up to it?"

Augur grinned evilly, "Then again, I think I might need a quick little nap-"

"Augur!"

He laughed, "Okay, okay." He launched off the couch and skimmed his fingers in a dance over the keyboard.

****

Renee walked out of Da'an's room. It was the end of her shift. Past it, actually. She had no clue what those two damn men were up to, and she had other things to do besides sitting in a room watching an unconscious Taelon.

She found Liana sitting on the mattress she slept on just outside of the computer room. Maybe SHE could do one extra shift...no, not a good idea.

"Hi," she said. Liana jerked around, she obviously hadn't noticed Renee's approach. "Hi," she said absently, turning back. "Are you alright?" Renee asked, sitting down beside the girl without thinking about it. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" She shrugged. "Well, I figured this wouldn't be easy for you."

Liana didn't answer. Instead, she hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes staring straight ahead, seeing nothing. "I'm finding things like this get easier and easier," she said finally.

Looking at her, curled up in that position, she suddenly seemed smaller, and Renee caught a glimpse of the vulnerable child that still lived inside of her. She saw something that Liana's outward hate and anger had masked: a deep sadness, mixed together with fear and uncertainty. Renee felt a surprising urge to hug her.

In that moment Liana's mask dropped, and her eyes were sad. So sad. Renee never wanted to see eyes like those again.

"What're you thinking about?" she asked after a while. She didn't expect a straight answer, a not quite gentle rebuff at best. But once again, Liana surprised her. "Reklae," she said simply. "Oh." "And Da'an." "Liam's not gonna make it easy for you," she said quietly. "Nothing has ever been easy for me, Renee."

Renee. Since when did it go from Palmer to Renee?

"I'm just wondering-" she stopped. "What?" Renee prompted. Liana shook her head, "Nothing." Renee decided it was best not to push the subject. Liana glanced up at her one last time, and then the hard expression came back to her eyes.

"So. Is there anything you want?" "Not really," Renee said mildly. But then, she DID want to know something. "Well, on second thought, yes, there is something." "Which is?" "How did you find out about us?" A small smile played about Liana's lips. She reached up and laid her hand on Renee's shoulder. She started. The girl withdrew her hand and opened her palm. "This." Lying on her hand was a small white disc.

A bug.

"Oh? And how did you manage to get that on me?" Renee's voice cooled a few degrees. "A few months before I broke into Da'an's office-you were walking towards here on the streets-do you remember a girl slamming into you and apologizing?"

"EVERYBODY was slamming into me," she muttered, remembering the crowded streets, "not necessarily apologizing though." "Well, that was me. I had a receiving microphone corresponding to it. I heard everything you guys said."

Renee glared at Liana. "I'm going to make Augur set up a bug scanner in here." "That might be a good idea," she agreed, "Wouldn't want one of Zo'or's pets to do the same thing to us."

Us. Was that implying she was no longer a lone operative?

"Well. That was interesting. Liam's gonna LOVE this," Renee stood to leave. "I'm sure he will. I'm more interested in Augur's reaction." Renee tried hard not to smile. The guy was going to go nuts. "I'll tell you all about it," she promised wryly, "unless, of course, you want to come along." "Nah. I'll stay here." Renee shrugged.

She turned around sharply as a sudden thought hit her. "Liana," the girl turned around, "Why did you bug ME?"

Liana looked at her in a way that unnerved her. Then, "I'll tell you later." Her voice left no room for argument.

How much longer is later? Renee wondered.

****

Liam started up from the computer to see Renee walk in. "Where the HELL have you two been? I stayed forty-five minutes past MY shift." "Yeah, yeah, sorry," Augur said absently, scrolling through something on his screen. "What're you doing?" Renee asked, struggling to hide her curiosity beneath her irateness. "Looking for Liana."

"Huh?"

"Her last name," Augur explained, not looking up. "Ah." Liam felt Renee leaning over his shoulder. "Are you doing that physical identification thing you tried on me?"

"Yeah." "TRIED on you," Augur said sourly, "Except that YOU completely crashed my systems with some kind of killer virus." "Fortunately for us," Liam said, intent on his task, "Liana can't do that."

The busy typing and beeping sounds from Augur's terminal stopped suddenly. Liam smiled to himself as he heard Augur say, "CAN she?" "You never know with that girl," Renee replied. Her breath was a warm breeze on Liam's neck. "Great," Augur muttered, starting up on his computer again, "Justgreat."

Renee leaned closer to Liam's Liana face. "I think her lips are thinner," she said. Liam readjusted the flaw. "Less color. They're more pale." Liam drained some of the red from the face's lips. "Her eyes are a brighter green. No...one shade brighter...there. Narrower head." Liam looked over his shoulder at her. "What, have you been observing her with binoculars this whole time?"

"Not with binoculars," Renee said quietly. Liam looked at her hard. There had been something in her voice.....

"Her hair is thinner...darker. More stringy...no, not too much." "Renee," Liam looked over his shoulder again in exasperation, "Perhaps YOU'D like to do this?" "No, no, you go ahead," Renee waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. There was more amusement in her voice than Liam would have liked. "Her hair is just an inch above shoulder level."

"You're having fun, aren't you?" Liam growled. "Oh, very much so." "You know Liam," Augur said from his hunched position, "You're gonna have to return to the Mothership soon...or they're gonna come looking for you."

"Don't worry, Augur," Liam said, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice, "I've got that taken care of." "Really?" Renee said, irateness returning, "And what exactly is your little plan?"

His 'little plan' instantly sobered his mind. He put the finishing touches on Liana's face. "Look good?" he asked, stepping aside to let Renee see. "Yes..." Renee glanced up at him, sensing his suddenly darker mood, "What?" "Guys. Come with me." "What?" Augur said, sounding more annoyed than curious.

"Just come on." Liam led his two friends out of the computer room to the entrance where the elevator was. He palmed something that had been sticking to his jeans.

Renee sucked in her breath. "A bug? Another one?" "What do you mean, another one?" Liam asked sharply. "It's how Liana found out about us. She bugged me." "She WHAT?"

"WHAT?" Augur yelped, "She got a BUG? In HERE? At MY place? She-she-" he fell silent at Liam's glance. "Okay, fine," he muttered sullenly, "I'll vent later. But how did she know to bug YOU?" Renee shrugged, "I asked her the same thing. She wouldn't tell me." "But she told you about the whole bug thing?" "Yeah."

"What," Liam said, incredulous, "You just ASKED her?" Renee shrugged. "Yeah." Liam and Augur exchanged a look. Renee and Liana seemed to be becoming....friends, for lack of a better term.

"So what's with that?" Renee asked, nodding towards the bug in Liam's palm. "Ah, well, you see, I thought Da'an sabotaging the shuttle during that little Cloister incident was enough reason for major suspicions. So I bugged him, and..." he shook his head, fingering the bug. He was still amazed at the revelation. "You're not going to believe this." "What?" Augur asked, drawing closer.

"Is it bad news?" Renee asked, looking at the disc like it might blow up in Liam's hand. That was the question Liam himself had been pondering over. "Depends on how you look at it. Now listen..." he shoved the bug into a player.

Augur and Renee's eyes looked like they were about to pop.

****

"...did it to protect you. You are my child. I could never let anything harm you."

Liana felt her jaw drop a few millimeters. It was a good thing she came in here when she did, she thought. The others had paid her no heed.

There was silence as the player whirred. Then, Zo'or's voice, "I would not have done the same for you."

More silence. Then there was a sharp intake of air. Like a sob. Liana felt a surprising twinge of pity for Da'an. What Zo'or said must have crushed him.

Kincaid stopped the player and popped the bug out. "Well," she said after a good five minutes of quiet, "THAT was certainly interesting." "I don't believe this," Augur murmured, "I so don't believe this." "Zo'or is Da'an's child," Renee said blankly. Then she started laughing almost hysterically, "Zo'or is Da'an's child," she repeated, wild laughter interspersing her words, "Oh my God Liam that is funny, seriously, but-"

"It's not a joke," Augur cut her off quietly. Renee stopped. "I know," she replied, "I sure as hell wish it was." Still more silence.

Liana decided it was time to go. "Well, Kincaid, if that's all the shock the shit out of someone for today, I'm going to go now." Without waiting for an answer, she spun on her heel and left.

Her boots echoed hollowly into the hide-out, through the Nut Room and into where Da'an lay. She strode in, not bothering to be quiet. "Liam?" the Taelon had heard her come in. "So sorry," she said sarcastically, moving to the bedside so that he could see her, "But Kincaid's busy right now."

Da'an's human facade, weak ever since the water ordeal, now sparkled and blushed furiously when he saw her. "What do you want?" he asked curtly. But Liana could hear the tremor beneath his smooth voice.

She enjoyed that fear. Savored it.

Some day, Taelon, you're going to pay for what you did. For what you took away.

"I'd give you three guesses, if I thought you needed them," she sneered. She unholstered the small fire arm she kept by her side and pushed it against Da'an's neck, "I suggest you start talking." "About what?" His human 'skin' was returning. Liana pushed down her anger. Anger hindered you from thinking clearly.

"Let's start with why the Synod came a year early." "The Taelons did not come a day before the Humans say we did." "Cut the bullshit Da'an," she said, shoving the gun a little further into his neck- just enough so that it was hard to breathe.

"You can deny it all you want. But I know. I have the best proof there is.

"Your Protector isn't here to protect you right now. Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. Yet," she leaned closer to him, "you could scream for Kincaid right now. And I probably wouldn't shoot you, because I still don't have my answers. You've probably figured that out already. But think about this, Da'an," she brought her mouth right up to his ear, "Don't you want to see your child again?"

Da'an started away from her, his facade completely gone. "How do you know?" he asked, his voice growing shrill and panicked.