vim

	Sign In Sign-Up

Vengeance Is Mine

by Seven

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

Note from Author: A sequel to "Demon Child", takes place just after the episode "Emancipation." Includes Renee Palmer...

**********

Liam slowly rattled the spoon around in his empty glass bowl. The chocolate and vanilla swirled into a spiral on the bottom, then melded into a muddy pale brown. A leaf whispered past his face as he glanced around the open-air cafe.

"Liam?" Al'ith asked, still holding her ice-cream-laden spoon above the sundae. "Why did Lili die?" Her bright blue eyes were sad and bewildered.

Liam looked up at the little girl with a shadow of a smile. "She was doing something up on the mothership, and she got caught, Al'ith," he said quietly. "A part of it exploded and she was there."

Al'ith blinked, then put down her spoon. "Did it hurt?" she asked quietly, as if afraid of the answer.

A painful shudder ran across Liam's face, but he suppressed it before Al'ith could ask. "I hope not," he said quietly.

Al'ith shifted, and stood up on her wrought-iron chair, her elbows resting on the table. A small wind whipped wisps of her dark hair over her face. "Where do people go when they die?" she asked.

Liam opened his mouth, and found that there were no words. "Well, the Kimera," he said softly, "believed in a heaven called shahariah, and humans do too, where you get to go if you're good."

"Is Lili in heaven?" Al'ith asked worriedly.

Liam smiled sadly. "I don't doubt it, Al'ith," he said quietly. "Now eat your ice cream, okay? We have to get back to the Embassy soon."

Al'ith nodded, then giggled, merriment touching her blue eyes. "That pretty lady is looking at you, Liam," she said happily.

"What pretty lady?" Liam asked, twisting around. His green eyes widened, and he sank back as a dark-clad, blond woman came towards him. "Oh no..."

"Not quite the welcome I anticipated," the blond woman said, her full lips curving into a sardonic smile as she slipped into the seat next to him. She glanced at Al'ith, who was staring with round eyes, and her face softened slightly. "Who's the date?" she quipped. Liam sighed. "Al'ith, this is Renee Palmer. Renee, Al'ith," he said shortly, gesturing at the two.

Renee's smile grew wider as she extended her hand and flicked a spot of chocolate sauce off Al'ith's snub nose. The little girl giggled and pressed a small hand to her face. "Liam, I need to talk to you," she said in a low voice, turning back to the protector.

"Oh?" Liam said coolly. He leaned over and pointed at a vacant swingset, off in a grassy nook near the cafe. "Al'ith, why don't you play for a few minutes while I talk to Miss Palmer?"

"Okay," Al'ith said, sliding off the chair. Liam saw with a pang that she was wearing the pink shirt and embroidered jeans that Lili had bought her, protesting that the child wore nothing but blue and purple, silk and velvet. As she skipped around Renee's chair, she chirped confidentially, "You're really pretty, Raynay!"

Renee's eyebrows rose up to her hairline as she smiled at the little girl running to the swingset and awkwardly climbing onto one. "Charming child," she murmured. She turned her attention back to Liam. "So, this is the first human/Taelon hybrid."

"Yes," Liam said shortly. "Renee, do me a favor."

"What?"

"Leave Al'ith alone," he said, slowly ripping a paper napkin into small shreds. "I don't want you getting any ideas about kidnapping her for the Resistance, I've seen what you can do."

Renee chuckled. "So, you think I'm getting ideas?"

"Yes, I do."

"Maybe I am," Renee said, a slightly catlike expression crossing her perfect features. "But that's not my reason for coming to see you."

"Oh?" Liam asked, only marginally interested, focusing on destroying his napkin. "And what might that be, pray?"

Renee rested her chin on her fist, shrugging. "There's a man, in Africa, who is swearing that you demolished a colony of Taelonists."

Liam's hands ceased tearing the napkin, and he slowly looked up at Renee with cold eyes. "Taelonists?" he asked slowly. "Tell me more..."

"He says that you destroyed a colony because of their beliefs, and drove them into hiding. Oddly enough," she said with a wide grin, "you're the only one being blamed. Not the Companions."

"What's his name?" Liam asked in a near-whisper.

"He signed the message 'Jim,'" Renee replied, picking up a dessery menu and glancing over at Al'ith, who was swinging happily on the swingset. "Sounds like a pseudonym for a nutcase. How's the cake?" she switched topics.

"His name is Jim," Liam said coldly, his hands closing over the silverware, "and he is nuts... and dangerous."

He glanced at Al'ith, now climbing awkwardly up a slide, then back at Renee. The woman stared at him, then at Al'ith...

****

Liam's hands clicked at nearly superhuman speed as the data scrolled over his computer screen. Da'an was sitting in the high, thronelike chair, watching his protector.

Al'ith, still clad in her T-shirt and jeans, was leaning on Liam's desk, on her toes to read the data that scrolled by. A photo of a muscular man with a plain but charismatic face and a business suit scrolled by. Al'ith frowned, as Liam noticed her and quickly shut down the file.

"I remember him," Al'ith said slowly. One small finger touched the screen, as Da'an slowly got off the chair and walked toward them. "That's Jim, the nutbar."

"Nutbar?" Liam asked, his eyebrows creeping up his forehead.

"That's what Lili called him," Al'ith said, her bright blue eyes clouded with worry. "Why are you looking up stuff about him? I thought he was gone..."

"He is gone," Liam said, with a faint attempt at a smile. "I'm just checking up on his background."

"Al'ith," Da'an interjected. "Perhaps it would be best if you left for the moment... so that Liam and I might speak in private."

For a moment, Al'ith seemed about to ask why. Then an odd expression crossed her small face, and she skipped out the door, towards the lower levels of the Embassy.

Liam watched after her, then clicked on a particular folder. Da'an, looking over his shoulder, stepped back slightly in revulsion. "These are the accusations being made against me in major African newspapers, by the anonymous 'Jim,'" Liam said morosely. "Everything from murder and religious harassment to beating up women and kidnapping children."

"All mutilated accounts of your encounter with him," Da'an said musingly.

Liam sighed, shut down the file and rubbed his eyes. "He's taunting me from a distance," he said quietly. He jerked as the screen went blank...

****

Al'ith glanced to the side as she crept out the door of the Embassy, her dark hair beginning to fall out of its braid as she ran down into the garden.

An all-too-familiar dark-clad figure was sitting on the edge of the fountain, watching as the wind rustled the trees and flowers in the Embassy's garden. Renee Palmer slowly looked back, and a sardonic smile crossed her face as Al'ith ran over to her, puffing a little, and climbed up onto the edge of the fountain. "Hi, Raynay!" she chirped.

Renee reached into her pocket and pulled out a strawberry lollipop, and held it out to the child. "Hi, Al'ith," she replied. "I was wondering if you could talk to me about something."

Al'ith's brow creased as she concentrated on unwrapping the candy, peeling it off like an orange rind. Renee smiled a little and tugged at the edge of the wrapper, pulling it off neatly. Al'ith stared at it, then stuck it into her mouth and looked at the woman with round eyes. "What 'bout?" she asked.

Renee lowered her voice to a confidential whisper. "The name 'Jim.'"

Al'ith made a face, the stick still sticking out of the corner of her mouth. "I don't like him."

One of Renee's eyebrows slowly eased upward. "Oh?" She thought for a moment, then added, "Liam reacted badly when I mentioned it to him... who is this Jim?"

"He's bad!" Al'ith burst out passionately. "He tried to kill me, and he hurt Liam, and he tried to kill Liam too! He wanted to burn me!"

Renee's face darkened slightly, and she rested her chin on one fist. "Tell me more..." she said slowly.

****

"What the..." Liam shouted, sitting upright as the screen went black. He began typing commands into the computer at a furious rate, his face darkening as the computer refused to respond. There was a brief dial tone, and a series of words flashed across the screen.

Beware, Kincaid. You can't protect her. Not if you're dead.

Liam slammed his fists against his desk, shouting, "That son of a... that... that..." Da'an watched his protector with growing concern, as if afraid that Liam would do something desperate...

****

Boot heels clicked ominously as Liam Kincaid entered the bridge. Sandoval glanced up at him. The younger man's face was pale and drawn, and his long fingers were clenching and unclenching themselves, in and out of angry fists. Zo'or glanced at him, then quickly looked away.

"Something wrong, Major?" Sandoval asked, leaning on the edge of the console.

Kincaid looked at him, then hurriedly reset his face into something more amiable. He forced a laugh. "Not much sleep."

Sandoval nodded acceptance, and turned back to his work. A moment later, the now-familiar footsteps started again, and a small dataclip was shoved toward him. Sandoval stared at it, asking, "What's this?"

"Profile of a man named James Barker," Liam answered tightly, as Sandoval took the chip and slipped it into a small plastic slot in the console. "Photos and data on his life, his history, everything... for a while."

Sandoval froze, dark eyes darting back and forth slightly in confusion. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because there are significant data deletions," Kincaid replied, his finger darting over the scrolling text. "Here, and here, and here."

"And what makes you think that I can find this data?"

"I was hoping you'd try," Liam replied dryly. "Do you remember this face?"

Sandoval scrutinized the photograph closely. "No, I can't say..."

"It's Jim, the cult leader who tried to kill Al'ith."

Sandoval stiffened a little, and slowly looked at Liam with eyes devoid of emotion, searching for a reaction from the younger man. Liam only stared back stoically, each of the two men simply waiting for a reaction from the other.

Then Sandoval turned away and hurriedly typed in a series of commands, faster than Liam could follow. A subfile opened, the header and file name encoded. "This is information that the Taelons wanted suppressed," Sandoval explained, as several blurry pictures of an explosion appeared. "A man named James Barker set fire to a pro-Resistance rally building. Fifteen were killed, sixty were injured. The Taelons had the man arrested."

"The Taelons arrested an anti-Resistance wacko?" Liam asked slowly.

Sandoval gave Liam a look out of the corner of his eye, before continuing, "There were accusations from some media sources that the Taelons were suppressing free speech. Barker was arrested and imprisoned, the data was removed to the mothership database, and the crime scene was cleaned up."

He glanced at Liam, who was staring intently at the screen. "He escaped not long after."

Liam nodded absently, and muttered, "Well, now he's back."

There was a patter of footsteps, and a young Volunteer burst onto the bridge, gasping with the exertion. "Major!" she called. "Something happened in New York..."

****

The building was a smoldering husk, the glassy walls and windows gutted and smoke-darkened. Several ambulances were racing down the street, away from a worried crowd, as Liam jumped down from the shuttle and sprinted toward the building. Sandoval was only a few steps behind him, his skrill glowing slightly.

"What happened?" Liam called to a police officer standing by the door. The man turned and sighed, as if tired.

"The basement was up in flames before anyone knew what was happening," he answered. "Fifteen were killed, nineteen were injured."

"Why were Companion agents called in on this?" Sandoval asked breathlessly.

The officer bowed his head and rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand. "I was ready to dismiss it as either arson or a technical failure... until this was found."

He pointed inside the building, through the broken windows, at a large smoky white wall. Liam looked up, stared incredulously, then muttered something through gritted teeth.

Painted in just-dried red letters were the words, YOUR MOVE, KINCAID.

****

Atop a nearby building, a hooded figure smiled happily.

****

Da'an paused as he saw Al'ith atop the long, spiralling ramp, like a bird on a tree branch. Her small legs dangled over the edge, her face creased with effort and concentration. He saw the edge of a pad of paper, and the tip of a pencil.

"Al'ith?" he asked, slowly coming up to her. "You are scheduled to go back to the mothership..."

He stopped as he saw what the child was sketching. A detailed, accurate picture of Lili Marquette, smiling and waving. Two sets of blue eyes met as Al'ith flushed pink. "I miss Lili," she said in a small voice.

Da'an's face softened slightly as he took her hand and drew her to her feet. Two emotions warred, the old scar left by her sudden lash at the Taelons, and his natural affection for Marquette. He tried to sound undivided in his opinion, "As do I. But we are needed aboard the mothership."

Al'ith reluctantly put down her pad, then stared out the window. "Is that Agent Sandoval?" she asked, pointing down.

Da'an stepped behind her and stared down at the street. A dark-clad man was standing by an alley, frowning and staring up at the Embassy. A tiny shiver went through Da'an as he recognized his former implant. The look on Sandoval's face was cold, almost curious. "I believe that it is," Da'an replied softly, pulling Al'ith down the ramp hurriedly.

The child's eyes stayed locked on Sandoval until the pale blue walls blocked him from her sight.

Da'an felt a shiver go through him as he allowed Al'ith's hand to slip from his, her familiar skipping run propelling her further to the shuttlepad. Even in grief, the child found peace and joy, two emotions that Da'an often felt would elude him forever...

****

Outside, Sandoval leaned against a rough red brick wall and sighed, his breath misting in the cool evening air. For a moment, his dark eyes remained locked on the shuttlepad as the shuttle slowly rose from it like an insect attracted to a lamp, and went into interdimensional in a blur of color.

Sandoval glanced over the rooftops, as if scanning visually for something. Then he sighed and walked away.

If he makes his move...

****

Renee Palmer ran her fingertip over a tinted window, unconsciously snuggling deeper into the plush red interior of her black car. The small screen by the steering wheel showed a zoom-in image of Da'an leading the child into a shuttle, a Volunteer pilot pulling her up by her waist.

A tiny, sad smile touched Renee's lips as she saw Al'ith utter a wild burst of laughter as Da'an spoke to her, settling into the passenger's seat.

As the virtual barrier sealed off the shuttle, Renee's face hardened slightly. She twisted the key in the ignition and revved the engine, pulling the car into the street.

"Deserves watching," she muttered.

Al'ith was a strange child, a special child. A child unlike any ever seen before... Renee's fingers drummed as she thought out Al'ith's allegiences...

****

Al'ith squirmed on the cold medical table, her thin legs hanging over the edge. Several Taelon and human doctors were walking around her, occasionally asking her a question. They had examined her mouth, her ears, her eyes, and asked her to try a bad-tasting pill that made her mouth itch.

She hated medical exams. Ever since she had been little, she had been examined at least twice a week, more if she got sick or tried something new. The doctors always looked at her funny, and usually whispered.

Doctor Ra'ad slowly drifted into the next room, searching for some instrument. A mischievous smile spread across Al'ith's elven features, as she slid to the floor and quickly ran, keeping her footsteps silent and quick.

She wouldn't go through the rest of the exam... she would go back to Earth with Da'an, even if she had to come back eventually.

****

"And you believe that this man... Barker... has somehow challenged you?" Zo'or asked, his voice hinting at a touch of disdain.

Liam, hands on hips and an expression of carefully restrained fury on his face, stood next to Da'an and nodded. The North American Companion bowed his head slightly, his fingers moving jerkily with concern. "The message scrawled on the building wall read 'Your move, Kincaid.' Given a similar incident at a Resistance rally a few years ago, I'd say that this is James Barker."

"Known to us as the leader of the Pure Ones, Jim," Sandoval added grimly. "He's dangerous—a psychopathic killer whose obsession with the Taelons has driven him to near-desperate actions."

"Assaulting Al'ith," Da'an put in, with equal grimness.

"For what reason?" Zo'or asked, slightly surprised. "If he is obsessed with the Taelons..."

Liam grimaced a little. "He considers her to be an anomaly... an abomination to be wiped out in honor of the Taelons." For a moment, it looked as if he might say something further, but decided otherwise.

Zo'or's eyes flickered slightly, then shot to Sandoval as the implant's global chirped. Sandoval whipped it open hurriedly, not noticing as Liam slowly began to circle behind him. "Yes, Doctor Ra'ad?"

"The hybrid has vanished," the voice of the Taelon doctor replied.

Liam stiffened, his face darkening as he looked at Da'an. The Taelon looked back, pleadingly, as if asking his protector not to act on the information, not yet. Liam shook his head and wheeled around, his long dark coat flaring out as he stalked into the corridor.

"How is that possible?" Sandoval snapped, then quickly added, "Deploy Volunteers to find the girl. Do whatever it takes to bring her back!"

****

Al'ith curled up as alarms began to sound, and the sound of heavy Volunteer boots thudded just outside the alcove. What's going on? she wondered fearfully, hugging her knees to herself and rocking, fear beginning to well up inside her.

****

Liam slid into the oddly-shaped pilot's seat and waved up the controls, his movements jerky and angry as he dialed up the coordinates. His boyish face was angry, seething; his fingers shook slightly as the shuttle whizzed into the whirling tunnel of interdimensional. "This is it, Jim," he muttered to the air, eyes cold and hard as twin diamonds. "One of us won't walk away.

****

Liam marching down... the gun being knocked from his hands... someone's powerful hands grasping his neck...

Al'ith gasped as the images shot past her eyes, making her bite her lips in horror and hug her own arms, shivering as if a sudden chill had touched her.

As Volunteers marched past, Al'ith slipped out, her legs weak as she quickly pressed her small hand to a console. Immediately, a shimmering datastream whirred into view in front of her. "Search for a name," Al'ith ordered, her small hands twisting and straining over each other.

"Specify name," the computer's interface voice droned.

"Renee Palmer," Al'ith whispered, as if imparting a secret.

There was a brief pause, and the computer replied, "There are four thousand three hundred and twenty entries for Renee Palmer. Specify data required."

"I want her address," Al'ith said quietly, glancing at the door. There were no people in the hallways, but they could appear at any time.

There was another pause, and several lines of text appeared. Al'ith's bright blue eyes widened at the sight of the multiple addresses, astonished that anyone could live or work in more than one place. "I want that one in a datachip," she announced, pointing at one of the lines.

There was another pause, and a small chip shot from the console and into Al'ith's waiting hand. For a moment, she fumbled with it, then dashed from the room with the chip cradled in her small hands.

****

"Where's Liam?"

Volunteer Parker Strong looked down in surprise as a small hand tugged at his sleeve. Anxious blue eyes stared up at him from a pale face. It's that little hybrid girl... "I'm sorry?" he said, momentarily confused.

The child stamped her foot in frustration, her fists balling at her sides. "Where's Liam? Major Kincaid!" she said loudly.

"Major Kincaid?" Strong said, his brow wrinkling. He pulled a global from his pocket and flipped quickly through the list of docked shuttles. "He's taken his shuttle to a rural area in North Am-"

"I need to go down there!" Al'ith shouted, stamping her foot again. "I need to go to 385 Jaspar Street, in Washington!"

Strong wavered uneasily, uncertain of what to do. He was supposed to obey the Taelons, but what about half a Taelon? Especially a child, who seemed ready to attack his legs if she weren't obeyed...

"I need to be taken there now!" Al'ith said, her face shifting. Now she looked close to tears, frustration emanating from her like a visible cloud. "It's important..."

Strong slowly nodded, and took the child's hand, leading her to a shuttle. "Okay, but I can't take the shuttle for long..."

****

The shuttle came out of interdimensional with an almost violent whizz, shooting over the treetops and sending several birds and squirrels scampering for their lives. Inside, Liam Kincaid's face was set in stone as he rapidly set the shuttle down in a small, shadowed grove.

This is your turf, Jim. All right, I know it well enough to fight on it... well enough. If you do anything... ANYTHING to Al'ith, you are dead. They can lock me up for the rest of my mortal life, however many centuries it might be, and I will still kill you.

The virtual shield shimmered and died, and Liam quickly slid to the ground. The leaves crunched under his feet liked crumpled paper, and the sharp air stung his nostrils and eyes. "You out here?" he called out softly. "Because I certainly am."

He slowly glided into the dark woods...

****

Al'ith jumped to the sidewalk and waved at Strong, perched on the pilot's chair. He waved his hand twice, shouting, "I'm coming back in ten minutes—ten minutes, no more!"

Al'ith nodded as the shuttle sprang into the air, then turned back to the building. It was tall and painted black, the windows boarded up from the inside. A faint light could be seen near the top, shining like a weak beacon, a signal that someone might be able to help her... and Liam.

Al'ith hugged her arms tightly and slipped up the porch, shoving open the heavy metal-covered doors...

And a hand grabbed her shoulder roughly from the shadows. She began to scream, and a huge hand clapped over her mouth...

****

The arms dragged her through a door and spun her around. Al'ith shook her head like a puppy, as a very angry pair of brown eyes stared down at her. "This is a restricted area, kid!" a man's voice hissed. "Get out!"

Al'ith wriggled, ignoring the sharp pains from his fingers, locked on her arm. His face was shrouded in shadows, barely visible in the waning day's light. "I've come to see Renee!" she shouted.

At the sight of her moon-pale face, and the eerily glowing blue eyes, the man took a step back, still holding to her arm for dear life. "You're... that Taelon brat," he growled softly.

Al'ith swallowed at the "Taelon brat" description, biting her lips and trying to appear brave. "I need to see Renee!" she called again, her voice sounding shrill and frightened in the dark building. "Take me to Renee!"

She was yanked into the next room by the shadowy figure, and heard a metal door clanging shut behind her. She fiercely struggled not to cry, as the rough hand holding her elbow pulled her along through the darkness.

****

"Renee!"

Renee Palmer looked up as Birch ran in, his square face smudged with camoflage paint and his khaki jumpsuit torn. His brown eyes were wild, but restrained. "Renee, that Taelon kid is here, and she knows you're here."

Renee was on her feet in an instant, her hand going to a gun at her belt. She relaxed, and her hand fell off the holster to her side. She shot a look at the Resistance leaders who were sitting with her at the table, now poised to leap up and run, their shadowed faces lined in the darkness. "How much does she know?" Renee asked slowly.

"I don't know," Birch confessed, running a hand through his cropped hair. "Just keeps saying she wants to see you."

For a moment, Renee turned around and slowly began to walk in a circle, her heeled shoes scuffing at the polished floor. Their eyes followed her. Then she looked up and straight at Birch. "Bring her in here. Everyone else, get back to your home bases. She might recognize or identify one of you."

"Bring her in HERE?" Birch asked incredulously. His hand went to the ammunition belt slung across his shoulders.

Renee's blue eyes turned icy, swiveling to meet his. She took a slow, deliberate step toward him. One long hand went out and jerkily ripped the belt from his shoulder. "Are you disobeying me?" she said quietly. He simply looked down, unwilling to look her in the eye.

Then her face softened. "If she knows who I am, then I'll terminate her. No one else." She held out the belt to Birch, and he slowly accepted it as he turned to leave the way he had come.

There was a flurry in the shadows as various Resistance members scurried from the room, clearing a path away.

****

Al'ith shivered in a corner, her pink shirt now smeared with the dirt that semed to pervade the old warehouse like fog over hills. A tiny tear streamed down her cheek, and she rubbed at it with one small fist. The man had waved a gun at her and told her not to move at all.

Normally, that would not have been enough to stop her. A tiny smile crept across her pale face as she remembered how several Taelon doctors had told her not to move. She still remembered their flutterings and indecision when she had vanished, slipping into a supply cabinet.

But not only had the man threatened her with a gun, she had heard an odd clicking noise, and a faint buzzing. She didn't know what was, but she knew that it was supposed to keep her inside.

She slowly began to rock back and forth, rubbing a small embroidered flower on her jeans. Lili had given her those jeans. Lili wouldn't cry, Lili was tough. She wouldn't cry, she'd try to be like Lili.

For a moment, she almost felt as if Lili were standing beside her, wiping her tears away in the darkness of the cell.

Then there was another clicking, a whirr, and the door slid open.

Al'ith pushed herself up and staggered to her feet, her small face hardening as the man who had grabbed her came back in. Behind him was Renee, dressed in a black jacket and pants. She looked down at Al'ith with a shadow of a smile.

"Raynay!" Al'ith shouted, rushing forward and throwing her arms around Renee's waist. Renee looked slightly surprised, but pried off the child's small clinging hands and wiped away a few unwary tears that were falling down her round cheeks.

Al'ith sniffled a little, then glared at Birch. "Who's he?"

Renee's lips quirked as she flicked a hand at Birch. He scurried out the door hurriedly, his footsteps ringing through the corridors. "An employee of Doors International."

"I don't like him," Al'ith announced with a small, perturbed frown.

"Neither do I," Renee said, smile growing wider. "So, why are you here? Shouldn't someone be with you?"

For a moment, Al'ith just looked at the woman who slowly knelt to look her in the eye, her round face twitching and quivering. I'll be like Lili! I won't cry... "It's Liam," she said, wiping a small muddy smear from her cheek. "He's gone to get Jim. It's my fault..."

For a moment, Renee's eyes flickered, from Al'ith to the blank wall behind her. "Where is he?" she demanded.

****

Amid a sheltered grove of trees, in a huge dark hollow in the woods, the wood and stone hall was crumpled and splintered like a pile of old toothpinks, moss beginning to creep up the remains. Liam sighed, his breath misting on the air like a puff of smoke.

Twigs crunched under his boots as he tramped down to the hall, kicking some rotten wood out of his way. Ten million hiding places, anywhere where Al'ith and Jim could be. If only there were a hint—a squeak, a crunch, anything. But the woods were eerily silent, even of birds and animals.

He slowly pulled the gun from his holster, and started as he realized that the pistol was cold. He yanked it up to his face, eyes widening as he saw that a small red light was going off. A power dampening field. So... he won't have any weapons as well. Just me... versus him.

"Oh come now," a voice boomed.

Liam jumped, dropping into a fighting pose. His heart began to pound, even as his mind argued, That was filtered and sent through a speaker system... probably wireless. Jim may be insane, but he's definitely not stupid.

"Don't think I'd have you come after me with a gun. Just you and me, Kincaid. You and me, without help. Without backup."

"How do you know I haven't called anyone?" Liam demanded, staring up at the sky. "Maybe I told someone before leaving..."

A metallic laugh, seeming to boom from the darkening sky. "You didn't. I've been monitoring your global."

He bugged my global? Liam screamed inwardly. But he managed to simply bite his lip as Jim's filtered voice continued, "Also, you're far too obsessed to actually tell anyone that you are. Be relieved of your duties, confined on the mothership? I don't think so."

The voice paused as Liam bit his lip again, then continued, "Find me in these woods, if you can." A soft snicker. "Let the hunt begin."

As the voice died away, Liam sprinted forward, fists clenched, into the dark woods, amid thousands of skeletal trees that hid a madman and a murderer...

****

Al'ith huddled in the cold, slick leather seat. The car was unheated, and the faint lights from the dashboard did little to illuminate the dark interior. Renee's pretty face and icy blue eyes were hard as she steered the speeding car through the dark streets and suburbs, her long hands gripping the wheel hard.

Al'ith glanced out the window, then shivered and looked away, hugging herself. The lights that shone from the tall buildings and streetlamps looked like angry, all-seeing eyes. She shifted higher in the seat, slipping out of the seatbelt.

"Why is Liam so angry?" she whispered to Renee.

The blond woman started, then relaxed, but her grip on the wheel did not lessen. "Because Jim tried to kill you once. And now he's tarnishing Liam's good name, and killed people to do that."

Al'ith paused, looking at the grim-faced Renee Palmer. The car sped from the suburbs, and the faint light of the streetlamps began to wane. "Why would anyone do that?" she asked, fearfully.

Renee glanced out at the skeletal trees, thrashing in the growing wind. Stormclouds, almost invisible against the dark sky, roiled overhead, promising a torrential rainfall before the night was over. Storm, she thought grimly. And we're heading into it...

"Why would anyone do that?" Al'ith repeated, slumping down into her seat and focusing a very worried, very Taelon pair of blue eyes up at Renee.

Renee shook herself from her reverie, and opened her mouth to reply. But she stopped. Her mind raced as Al'ith continued looking at her, with those horribly alien eyes in the face of a human child. Should she tell Al'ith what kind of horrible obsessions might have warped Jim's psyche? Tell the child what she knew of psychopaths?

No. The little girl had seen enough insanity in her short life. It was the last thing that Renee wanted to take.

"Someday," she said quietly, focusing on the road but not really seeing it. "Not now. I can't tell you now."

Al'ith blinked at her, clearly surprised by the reply. But she settled down in her seat, brushing a little of the dirt embedded in her jeans. She looked up suddenly, worried. "Liam's gonna be all right, isn't he? Jim can't hurt him, can he?"

Renee did not answer. A small muscle in her cheek began to spasm. The car accelerated into the night, the night, engine roaring like a furious lion.

****

The trees poked from the soil like so many bony fingers, pointing up at the pitch-black sky, as if warning Liam of the storm that he could smell on the wind. He felt cold, chilled through his thick jacket and straight to his bones, numbing his skin on the way down. His footsteps were soft, careful.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he murmured in a singsong voice.

As if on cue, something whizzed over his head and embedded itself in the tree trunk next to him. Liam instinctively dropped into a crouch on his stomach, heart racing, ready to leap aside at the slightest noise, the slightest move.

But there was nothing more.

Slowly, he rose from the crouch, and looked up at the black shape above his head. An arrow, painted wood, with red and pale blue streaks going down the shaft and ending in a purplish feather.

Liam grasped the shaft and tugged it impatiently from the wood. Jim now had an edge he didn't... an edge that could come from anywhere, at any time, and wouldn't be affected by dampening fields.

Well, he could cripple that edge. If Jim missed him, he'd destroy the arrows.

Liam grapsed the arrow in both hands and began to bend it, pulling both sides down. His face reddened slightly in the darkness as the wood began to splinter. There was a sharp crack, and the arrow split in the middle, falling from his throbbing hands to the ground.

Liam took a deep breath, and started off again through the forest.

****

Renee Palmer's eyes widened as the engine of her car sputtered. The dashboard in front of her began to flicker, tiny red and green lights dimming. Al'ith uncurled in her seat, looking with frightened eyes as the headlights began to die out, dimming the already-dark car.

"No!" Renee said angrily, slapping a hand against the wheel.

Al'ith uttered a whimper as the headlights died completely, plunging the car into darkness. The engine flared once and then fell silent. There was no light, no sound, no movement. The car was as immobile as a stone, in the dark night.

There was a whishing sound, and the tiny glowing screen of a global appeared in front of Renee, sending an eerie green glow over her pale face. Al'ith watched as the screen also flickered, then went dead. "What's going on?" she asked, her high voice cracking, threatening to dissolve into tears. Her eyes stung, but she fiercely repeated, I'm not going to cry! I'm going to be like Lili! I won't cry!

Renee sighed, her voice evidently coming from nowhere. "An energy dampening field." There was the sound of a door opening, and a loud cracking noise. Al'ith blinked and rubbed her eyes as Renee appeared outside the car, holding something small and bright in her hand. It gave off a phosphorescent glow, bathing them both in greenish light. "Come on," Renee said, holding out her hand.

Al'ith shook her head, huddling in the seat. "I can't go out there," she whimpered.

Renee's face was immovable, but her voice betrayed her bewilderment. "Why not?"

"It's dark. All dark! There aren't any lights, except that." The child gestured at the greenish light. "I can't go out."

Renee seemed to consider for a moment, then crouched in the small car doorway, looking the frightened hybrid girl straight in the eye. "Al'ith, listen to me. Liam needs you as much as he needs me. You have to be brave. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

Her words were intense, believable, spoken in a low voice. Al'ith's bright eyes flickered from Renee, to the dark abyss outside the car, then back at Renee. She held out her hand to be led.

****

Al'ith's small hand was clammy, clutching Renee's fingers in a death grip. Round eyes stared at the dark woods, where a thousand angular arms reached for her. Skittering noises heralded carnivorous creatures, bigger than Renee. Eyes watched her...

A horrifying screech echoed through the trees.

Al'ith leaped up and smacked against Renee's hip, throwing the woman off balance. For a moment, the phosphoresent lamp flickered and dimmed, and a high, shrill scream was heard from Al'ith, chilling Renee's bones to their very core. She felt small hands groping for hers in the dark.

"It's okay!" she whispered. "Just an owl! Just an owl!"

There was another whimper, Al'ith's arms clasped around her waist, the child hugging her in her fright. Renee stroked Al'ith's hair and adjusted the brightness of the lamp. Up in a nearby, skeletal tree, a white object glared balefully down at them, then launched itself upward into the night with another screech.

Al'ith slowly pulled away from Renee, tears coursing down her small, dirtied face. Renee quickly wiped away the tears, then pulled Al'ith back on the path.

A raindrop hit Renee's arm, unnoticed. It was followed by the frightened tears of a little girl.

****

Night vision goggles, Liam thought deliriously, crouching in a small muddy hole, at the roots of a tree. He could feel the wet leaves slipping into his pants, and the continued barrage of arrows wasn't helping.

A bright white shaft shot past him and buried itself in a gnarled root. With a grimace of anger and effort, he wrenched it loose and snapped it in half, dropped the pieces to the sodden ground.

Jim kept firing at him, the arrows seemingly sprouted from the sky. Liam was breaking them as they came, but the mad Pure One up on the ridge evidently had a very large supply. He was also an excellent shot. Good things came to those who waited, and Liam wasn't going anywhere.

Night vision goggles, that's how he can aim in the dark, Liam thought, his words running through his head in an almost singsong manner.

TWOING! Another shaft buried itself just above his head, this one bright red and painted with purplish stripes. Liam glanced at it, a plan forming in his brain ever so slowly. Get Jim off-guard, make him think he's won. Make him think he's beat me.

He grimaced, and ran his fingertips over the razor-sharp arrowhead. Red blood, looking black in the moonlight and starlight, welled up on his hand. He smeared some of it on his jacket, and a small dribble on his lips and cheek. Then he pulled the arrow from the tree and carefully sliced it through his jacket, wincing as it grazed through his shirt and scratched skin.

As the next arrow shot past his ear, nearly shaving it off, Liam let out a bloodcurdling yell from the depths of his soul, then dropped his head to the dirt and closed his eyes, arrow still protruding from his jacket. Now all he had to do was wait.

Good things come...

****

Renee heard the earsplitting scream, echoing through the dark valley. Her heart jumped as she recognized the voice: Liam.

Next to her, Al'ith squeaked like a frightened kitten, starting forward on her unsteady legs. "Liam!" she howled, her small dark figure flitting into the trees like a wraith. "Liam!"

"Al'ith!" Renee shouted, launching herself into the trees. She instantly regretted it: dark skeletal fingers clawed and scratched every inch of her. Brambles tore at her legs, branches threatened to blind her. Desperately, she fumbled for the gun at her belt, aimed it straight ahead, and fired. The bushes blasted apart, and she continued to stagger through the night, shouting Al'ith's name.

****

Cracking footsteps reached Liam's ears, and he jumped involuntarily. One eye slowly creaked open, to view a huge, hulking man with burning eyes and a neatly shaved skull. Slung over his back was a quiver of arrows, and a bow was cradled carelessly in one arm.

As Jim reached down to check the dead man's pulse, one long arm lashed out, at lightning speed, cracking the bow in half with a thunderous twang. Liam's green eyes flitted open, turning silver in the dim light. "Surprise," he smiled mischievously.

A coconut-sized fist was hurtling towards his face before he knew what was happening. Liam twisted aside, yanking the arrow from his jacket and stabbing it upwards. But the arrow slipped from his grasp and met empty air as Jim melted into the shadows, leaving Liam alone and panting, sprawled on his back in the dark woods.

As Liam slowly got to his feet, he heard someone calling his name. Al'ith.

****

Deep in the woods, Jim smiled. He recognized the childish voice that screamed to his foe...

****

Renee stumbled as she caught up with Al'ith, yanking the little girl back. Al'ith kept shouting to Liam, until one long hand slipped over her mouth. "Al'ith, stop!" Renee whispered. She paused, and glanced off into the mountains. Her breathing was ragged as she whispered into the child's ear, "I'm going to go find Liam. I want you to find a good hiding place--a hole, a thicket, anything--and stay there! Understand?"

Al'ith nodded. Renee pulled her hand from the child's mouth, took her gun from the holster, and set off into the woods again.

****

Al'ith felt tears welling up as she stumbled through the darkness, bereft of the phosphorescent lamp, and Renee to make every fear melt away, and Liam to just be her friend... But I'll be like Lili! She was scared, and she didn't cry! She was brave!

Finally, she located a small hole in the ground. As she stuck her thin legs into it, she heard a cracking noise. A huge, hulking form appeared in the dark space between two small trees, like a specter of doom and anguish. But she recognized the face all too well.

As she stumbled from the hole and dashed into the woods, she screamed, "Raynay! Liam! Help!"

****

Pounding footsteps were just a few meters behind her, Jim's hulking frame slowed by the bushes. Al'ith's tiny, slim figure whisked past the clawing branches, gasping at the exertion.

"Liam!" she screamed again. "Raynay!" She rounded a huge, gnarled tree, those twisted trunk seemed to be leering down at her....

And a pair of hands grabbed her.

"Hel-" Al'ith started to scream, but a firm hand clapped over her mouth. She wriggled, squeaks making their way past the clamped fingers, digging into her cheek.

"Shh..." There was a soft rustling, and she found herself staring into a pair of very familiar green eyes in a shadowed face. "Quiet. Everything's okay, but you can't make a peep."

As Liam's hand slipped from her mouth, Al'ith threw her tiny arms around his neck. Liam smiled and rested his cheek on the smooth dark hair, sighing in relief. "Jim's there!" she whimpered. "He was chasing after me! He's back there!"

"Where?" Liam asked, craning his head to peer into the spidery trees. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and faint flickerings of light laced the dark clouds.

Raindrops stung Al'ith's face as she whirled, her bright blue eyes going wide. "He was right there!" she squeaked, pointing at the space right behind her. Liam's eyes roved over the increasingly drenched clearing, taking in a thousand hiding places, looking for anything in the rain and dark that could give shelter to-

"Look out!" he screamed, shoving Al'ith to the side as a spear hurtled toward her like a giant icicle, blade turning to silver as the lightning flashed. It slashed into his palm with a flash of white light, and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Al'ith was crumpled in the mud, smearing it on her T-shirt and jeans. Her dark hair hung over her eyes as she pushed herself upright, staring at Liam.

The injury to his hand would have been minor, perhaps in need of a few stitches. But Liam was huddled, bent double over the shaking appendage. His face, shadowed, was pasty and sweating with the pain that glimmered in his eyes. As he wiped blood from his palm, Al'ith caught a brief glimpse of light, flickering feebly.

Liam looked up at her suddenly, and she saw a flash of horror on his features. She had seen.

His battered, bleeding hand curled inward on itself, hiding the shakarava. "Look," he rasped desperately. "I want you to find a place up that tree," he pointed at the gnarled tree above him, "and just stay there. Don't move unless I find you, or Renee finds you."

Al'ith nodded and grabbed one of the lower branches of the tree. Rain slicked Liam's hair and face as he grasped her waist with his good hand and boosted her up. There was a tiny cracking noise as she vanished into the tangle of branches and vines, invisible from the ground.

Liam breathed a sigh of relief—for the moment—and glanced around for the spear. It was still lying on the ground, its shaft dented a little, but still deadly. I'll worry about what she saw later on... His hand locked onto the long weapon grimly.

As he sprinted off into the pouring rain, Al'ith slipped down the trunk of the tree. Her blue eyes glowed like twin sapphires as she began to jog after Liam, determined not to let him face Jim alone...

****

The rain was like a solid water mass in front of Renee, blinding her water-filled eyes and pasting her blond hair to her face. She could feel it soaking through her boots as she continued the watery slog through the woods, screaming, "Liam! Al'ith!" Her voice was barely a squeak in the roar of rain pelting down.

Something hit her legs at top speed, and she automatically aimed her gun. An idle threat, she thought wryly, blinking to clear her eyes.

"Raynay!" the childish voice choked. "We gotta help Liam!"

Renee stared down at the pale, wide-eyed face that stared up at her, then stuffed the gun into her belt. "Where?" she asked hurriedly.

Al'ith seized her hand and yanked her along...

****

Liam felt like someone had injected him with acid. The pain from his damaged shakarava was radiating through his body, shooting through his veins and turning his muscles to jelly. It had been harder to use them lately, and he could only imagine what it would have been like when he was younger. Probably would have lost consciousness by now. I wonder if Da'an knows first aid concerning the shakarava...

Dimly, he saw the dark figure along the ridge of the hill, like Goliath wielding a spear. Wish I had a sling, he thought deliriously, tightening his grip on his own spear. Maybe I could hit him from this distance, rather than risk getting maimed for life. Or killed.

Jim spun to stare at Liam, eyes glowing like twin coals in the darkness. Is it my imagination, or are his eyes red now? "You took longer than I thought, Major," he rumbled.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Liam said blearily.

Jim feinted to the right, and Liam lunged forward, only to be knocked sideways by a blow to the head that let blood trickle down his cheek. He teetered on the edge, realizing something terrible. It wasn't the ridge of a hill, it was the top of a cliff, overlooking a stone quarry. A huge expanse of white stone was before him, shining like the sun in the rain and lightning.

Jim had nearly tricked him into plunging over the edge. The bottom, he thought with a sinking heart, had to be almost fifty meters down...

He shakily turned, staring at the figure at the top. "I see your hand is injured, Kincaid," Jim's voice boomed up, as he began to walk up to the edge of the cliff, spear pointing skywards.

"Well, you did a good job," Liam replied in a soft, sarcastic tone. He flexed his stiffening fingers, wondered if he could do anything with them.

"It does give me a decisive advantage, doesn't it?" Jim replied coolly. His shaved head and chiseled face were cold in the rain, lit up by the lightning.

"Maybe," Liam said, raising his spear. His heart pounded in his ears as Jim raised his.

He never even saw the first blow coming, barely had time to react. He slashed at Jim's side and punched at his face, almost screaming at the red-hot pain from his shakarava. Jim teetered uneasily for a moment, the wet dirt sliding under his feet down to the bottom of the quarry. For a moment, Liam thought that he might have won.

Then he spun, eyes blazing, and slashed through the shaft of Liam's spear, sending the bladed half spinning down into the rain.

****

Al'ith's dirt-festooned figure was darting through the trees like a wraith, her small hand clinging to Renee's. The rain was beginning to die down, but the thunder and lightning still muffled her eyes and ears.

"There!" Al'ith shrieked, yanking Renee off balance as the two rushed through the trees. Renee's mind flashed back to the map of the area—there was a rock quarry not far off.

And two figures on the edge.

Liam, holding only a splintered stick in his hand, was facing down another, taller, more muscular person, whose face was shrouded by shadows and rain. The glint of metal shone as her hand went to the gun at her belt. "Stop right there!" she shouted.

The figure glanced at her—and staggered as Liam slammed the remains of his spear against his neck.

There was a scream as the huge madman teetered on the edge, the spear falling from his hand to spiral into the darkness below. As Jim began to regain his balance, Liam grasped flailing wrists and pushed as hard as he could, sliding to land heavily on his back as the earth gave way.

For a brief moment, there was a flash of lightning that illuminated the contorted face as Jim spun down into the rock quarry, not uttering a sound. Rocks broke loose as he clawed at the cliffside, bouncing and spinning, finally coming to rest at the bottom...

Liam crawled to the edge, tears blurring his eyes, and looked down at the broken body below...

****

For a long time, silence hung over the clearing and cliff, except for the faint patter of the rain.

Liam was still curled up by the cliffside, tears streaming down his face. Tears of pain and stress streamed down his cheeks, saltwater mingling with fresh. The pain from his damaged shakarava and slashed palm shot through his body like pins in his bloodstream, and for a moment he swayed on the edge of the precipice...

A strong hand clapped onto his shoulder, yanking him back in a sudden backslide of mud. Renee's bright eyes stared into his. "Oh no you don't," she said with a wry smile, her blond hair lank and clinging to her cheeks and chin. "You're such a baby. All you need are a few stitches."

"I'll remember that," Liam replied through his woozy haze, smiling up at her and resisting the sudden urge to fall face-down in the mud.

"Raynay!" A shrill voice came from the trees, and a mud-stained, round face appeared amidst the leaves. Liam tried to repress a chuckle.

"It's okay now, Al'ith!" Renee called, looking over the edge. As Al'ith stumbled out of the woods, she said meditatively, "Long way down. No way that he could have survived it."

There was a delighted squeal as Al'ith jumped down a tiny embankment, and hit Liam's chest with a thud, her small arms twining around his neck. He bit back a grunt of pain and wrapped his arms around her as he rose shakily to his feet, asking, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Renee said with a wide smile. "Al'ith is too."

Liam rolled his eyes and glanced over the edge, feeling Al'ith shiver as she glanced down. "Is he... dead?" the hybrid child asked in a small voice.

Renee's eyes took in the white figure at the bottom of the chasm, a speck of paleness in a sea of black, and casually pulled her gun from the holster. Al'ith shrank against Liam as the blond woman held it over the edge, dangling it before pulling the trigger. "Definitely is now," Renee replied, slipping the gun back onto her belt.

****

The rain had stopped half an hour ago, leaving the dark night as wet as a frog's skin. Two dark-clad figures were pushing the black car, one with hands and the other with back braced against the trunk, while a small girl slept inside, curled up on the mud-stained back seat.

"This would be much easier if you would use your hands," Renee grunted, her long fingers

splayed on the rear window.

"Can't, Jim caught me in the palm with a spear," Liam responded in a strained voice, his arched back pressed next to Renee's hands. His green eyes flicked over to her tense face and he suddenly stopped pushing, standing straight. Renee also stopped with a jerk, wiping her eyes. "So, why'd you do this?"

Renee glanced at him sideways. "Do what?"

Liam's voice dipped to a whisper. "Renee, Al'ith has the potential to be the greatest asset the Resistance has ever had. You know that. And yet, when she came walking innocently into your den, you didn't take the opportunity to snatch her up and spirit her away. Why?"

Renee wiped at a couple of grease stains on her palms, as if contemplating the question. "Because," she replied simply.

Then she strode quickly to the front of the car, and tweaked something on the dashboard. The engine started with a roar, startling Al'ith from her sleep. She lay back down again as Liam limped to the passenger's seat, and asked quietly, "Liam?"

"Yes?" Liam asked, glancing back at the child. A sudden fear lanced through him—what if Al'ith asked about the shakarava? In front of Renee?

"Are we going home?" she murmured.

Liam's face softened in relief. "Yes. We're going home," he replied, sitting back.

****

The next day, Renee Palmer found a small, crayon drawing on her desk. Her hands shook a little as she picked it up, studied the picture. It showed a small, dark-haired child, hand in hand with a taller, blond woman, with a tiny gun strapped to her waist. Both figures were smiling, against a backdrop of tall, leafless trees. But above the trees, the sun was shining.

Renee smiled, and slipped the drawing into a file folder.