Liam's Kin: Entrapment (1)

by Seven


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



Note from Author:     Here it is! At long last, I managed to whip together a nice sequel to Liam's Kin. BTW the tone is slightly different, since Sandy is also in this one, and there's a bit more episodic plot, but the basics are the same.



**********



Liam had bought a small dark wooden frame on the way to Da'an's office. As he sat down at his desk, he opened the small paper bag, pulled out the frame, and unwrapped it.

He stared at it for a long moment, then slipped in a photo. A photo that he treasured with every cell of his being. It showed him standing behind his two grandparents, his closest living relations. They were on a green hill in Ireland, laughing and posing for the camera.

Liam smiled gently and opened the bottom drawer. In it was a photo of Beckett, a photo of Sandoval, and a rough sketch that Liam had drawn from half-remembered snatches of memory he had inherited from Ha'gel. There was no chance he could get a photo or a hologram of his Kimera father, so he simply tinkered with the pale pencil sketch whenever he remembered a detail.

Liam smiled. He had a family.

****

Mrs. Beckett felt a lifting of her spirits for the first time since her daughter's death. As she rearranged the flowers on the windowsill of her townhouse, she hummed a soft tune. "Leis an Lurgainn o hi... Leis an Lurgainn o ho..."

CRASH!

Mrs. Beckett started at the sound of glass breaking. She called out to her husband, but there was no reply.

She walked rapidly out the door, only to find herself staring down the barrel of a gun. Then something hit the back of her neck, and she knew no more...

****

"Major!"

Liam jumped awake with a start. "I'm awake!" he exclaimed as he saw Sandoval looming over him. Despite his short stature, the implant still managed to loom... "I'm awake! What is it?"

Sandoval's jaw worked for a moment. "I have news from Ireland. Lieutenant Beckett's family has been taken hostage. Someone claiming that he will kill them if his brother isn't released from a Taelon prison. Ridiculous."

Liam felt his stomach twist into a rather painful knot. "Lieutenant Beckett's family?" he asked, trying to keep the quaver out of his voice.

"Yes," Sandoval replied grimly. "Now, Major... this is knowledge for all, but I am going to rescue them. Will you come with me?"

"Zo'or is allowing you to rescue Lieutenant Beckett's family?" Liam asked, his horror and fear for his grandparents overriden momentarily by his confusion.

Sandoval's dark eyes dropped to his shoes. He swallowed. "Are you coming or not, Major?" he asked gruffly.

He didn't ask permission, Liam thought with a trace of amusement. "I'm with you. Do we have a plan."

"We will when we land in Ireland," Sandoval said.

****

The two agents came around the back of the house. Liam's gun was drawn, and Raven emitted a soft hiss. Sandoval stroked his skrill absently to make it be quiet.

"The team is in place?" Liam whispered.

"All we need to do is get his attention," Sandoval replied.

"Without getting shot."

"Right."

Liam sighed. Inside, his heart and stomach were doing the cha-cha with worry and anxiety. "No 'we,'" he said softly. "Me. I'm going to go in there, distract him."

Sandoval began to reply, but Liam was already slipping into the basement.

****

Liam hated close spaces and always, had for as long as he could remember. But he bit down on his discomfort and went on bravely, determined not to fail his family.

I wasn't able to save my mother. I can save my grandparents. I have to! I refuse to lose them too! His mind was screaming as he got to the end of the passage... and found a vent, securely screwed in from the inside of the house.

Liam groaned. He did not have time for this. Raising his hand, he ignited his shakarava in a slow, burning energy pulse. The metal began to run like liquid, drizzling to the floor with no more than a faint sizzle.

He waited until the red-hot hole had cooled, then slowly crawled out.

****

Mrs. Beckett and her unconscious husband were propped against a wall, tied securely. The man menacing them was tall and dark, with eyes that flamed like embers. "Don't struggle, Mrs. Beckett," he said quietly. "When the Companions release my brother, you and your husband will be free to go."

"What makes you... think that they'll barter him for us?" Mrs. Beckett gasped, still dizzy.

The man laughed. "Your daughter was one of their agents, right? She was the one who arrested my brother."

A lump rose in Mrs. Beckett's throat. "Siobhan is dead," she said quietly. "There's no reason for them to help us... and I don't think they will."

The man lighted a cigarette and raised his pistol. "Then you die. Right now."

"Guess I'll have to take over Siobhan's work!"

The voice came from the basement door. It burst open, and Liam Kincaid leapt out, green eyes blazing angrily. As the attacker turned to shoot, Liam punched the gun from his hand and sent a single right hook to his jaw, throwing him back. The attacker was thrown back into a window, shattering it as he fell.

A dozen Volunteers swarmed in, aiming their weapons in various directions, as if expecting the attacker to emerge from a wall. Sandoval glanced briefly out the window, then started for the door.

He stopped. He looked.

The Becketts were with Liam, hugging him tenderly. There were tears in Mrs. Beckett's eyes as she whispered something to the young man, and tears in his as he heard her message. "You did fine, honey."

For a brief moment, Sandoval stared at them inscrutably. Then he slowly glided out to the injured criminal, leaving the three in their private world.