I Will Remember You...

by Seven


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



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"Major Kincaid is dead."

The words echoed hollowly through the mothership bridge. Lili turned slowly to face Sandoval, her face haunted. "What?" she rasped.

Sandoval's jaw worked for a moment with some indefinable emotion. "His shuttle exploded, possibly due to sabotage."

Lili glanced at Da'an, who was standing near Zo'or. Zo'or had a faint smile on his face, while Da'an looked as if someone had just set off a nuclear warhead in front of him. First Boone and now the bright young man she had known literally since his babyhood... Lili began to shake her head. "No..."

Sandoval sighed. "Captain, I know this is upsetting, but-"

"You always hated him!" Lili hissed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were the one who killed him, you-"

"Captain," said Da'an in a broken voice. "Please."

Lili stopped and ran a hand through her hair. "My apologies, Agent Sandoval," she said tightly.

Sandoval looked down. "Forget it." He closed his eyes. "Would you prefer to arrange the funeral, or should I?"

"I'll do it," Lili said, beginning to walk off the bridge. "But first there are some people I have to tell..."

****

On the outskirts of the small forest lay a young man, sprawled on the pavement. His leather jacket was burned, and a trickle of blood seeped from his curly brown hair. There was a skitter of woodland creatures and a loud crunching. He stirred a little.

A woman with neat blond hair tied back in a ponytail approached him, then broke into a sprint. "Are you okay?" she called. "Hey!"

She knelt beside the unconscious man and felt his neck. His pulse was a little thready. She pulled out her global and dialed 9-1-1. "Medivac team, this is Susan Armstrong. I found a man lying unconscious and injured near Portsmouth Street."

****

Augur's smiling face appeared on Lili's global, and for a moment she wanted to cry. "Augur," she choked. Augur's smiled vanished like a snowflake under warm breath. "Lili, what's wrong? What's happened?"

"Something terrible, Augur. Liam's dead. His shuttle exploded."

Augur looked as devastated as Da'an had. For a moment his mouth moved, but no words emerged. "How... what... uh, are you certain?" he stammered.

Lili shrugged hopelessly. "If Liam were still alive he'd have called us by now." She shut the global to hide the tears streaming down her cheeks.

****

Susan stuck the sticker onto her sweater and hopped onto the closest elevator, amid half a dozen orderlies and a man with a shaven head and odd skin markings, probably from subdermal hemorrhage. On Floor 12, she hopped out and headed for Room 704, Patient John Doe. He still hadn't regained consciousness, and Susan planned to be there when he did.

The man was lying on a lowered hospital bed, a small bandage pressed over his forehead. His lips moved a little, and his hand began to twitch. As Susan approached him, he awakened with a start, revealing a pair of startled green eyes in a pale face. "What... who are you?" he gasped.

Susan smiled reassuringly. "I'm Susan Armstrong, but you can call me Susan. May I ask what your name is?"

The man looked contemplative for a moment, then replied, "Liam."

Susan looked expectant. "Liam...?" she urged.

Liam blinked. "Just... Liam. I don't know..."

Susan frowned. "What's your job, where do you live?"

Liam froze. He touched his bandaged forehead, then looked at her. "I don't know... I don't remember." He looked at her, suddenly frightened. "I can't remember..."

****

Liam's funeral service was a quiet affair, and Lili felt that it was best that way. Liam had not made many close friends among the Volunteers, but many of them had liked him and had apparently felt that they could honor him in this way.

Da'an was wandering around the reception as if dazed, dreaming. Lili took a sip of her champagne and winced at the bite of the bubbles. What she wanted, she mused, was something along the lines of drowning-your-sorrows. She hadn't realized how attached she had become to Liam until Sandoval had told her the news. Sandoval himself was walking sedately around the perimeter of the room, watching everyone. Lili began to stroll toward a more isolated section of the room.

Lili's mind briefly flashed back to Boone's funeral, Liam's first bounce into public life. That event had, she mused, almost been symbolic. She had been ready to sob her eyes out for Boone when suddenly Liam walked into the graveyard in his military uniform. Just as she had barely had time to deal with Boone's death before the worries about Beckett and Liam intruded.

This time, there was nothing else to intrude.

Someone bumped into her, spilling the champagne on the dark silk of her dress's skirt. Da'an bent lower and began brushing at it with both his hands, only succeeding in making it worse. "My apologies, Captain. I was not looking where I was going," he said in a strained voice.

Lili began to wipe at herself with a cocktail napkin as Da'an turned to leave. "Da'an," she said suddenly. The Taelon turned to look at her. "Once I'm done with a... diagnostic of the shuttle remains, there's going to be a separate... service for Liam at Augur's place... you know, the old headquarters. Augur and Julia and people like that weren't able to come to this one, and I was wondering if you'd like to come."

Da'an smiled for the first time in what seemed like days. "I would be honored, Captain."

****

Liam was tentatively tasting his hospital food when Susan entered the room. Her pretty face was alight with happiness. "Liam, I have good news. A new experimental procedure may be able to help you."

Liam shoved his tray aside and reluctantly swallowed. "Really?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes. This new procedure, augmented with Taelon technology, may be able to restore your memory," Susan said delightedly. "We only need your say-so."

Liam nodded enthusiastically. As Susan rose to go, he asked tentatively, "Could I please... have something to read?"

Susan smiled and pulled a "Time" magazine from her pocket. "Enjoy. Maybe something in there will jog your memory," she said as she left.

Liam flipped the magazine over on the covers and idly glanced at the cover. His eyes widened as he saw a Taelon on the cover, smiling slightly, hands raised in front of him. "Da'an: Ambassador of Peace" the large white print said. Liam stared at the cover, trying, trying...

*... helping Da'an off the ground, feeling his arm shiver a little as a blue light passed...*

*... facing down the hulking creature...*

*... cannot allow Craton to kill him, never...*

*... "Will you betray me, Da'an?...*

Liam broke back to reality as Susan's voice called his name, over and over. "Liam?" she asked, concerned. "What's wrong? You were in some kind of trance."

Liam took a deep breath. "I just... remembered things... things about... Da'an," he said quietly. "I was trying to help him, keep him safe."

Susan frowned. "You did? What?"

"I... I can't remember it all... just feelings... statements... images..." Liam sounded like a small child, confused.

Susan thought for a moment, then reached out and stroked Liam's hair. "You just stay put, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes. Look," she pulled a book from her duffel bag, "read this instead." She gave him a small peck on the cheek, feeling sorry for him.

As she left the room, Liam called out, "Susan?" She turned and looked at him. "You're very pretty," he said shyly.

Susan felt her cheeks go hot, not unpleasantly. "Thank you very much," she said.

****

Lili's whoop of joy was heard over Sandoval's global as he opened it. She had been in the shuttlebay, sorting through the shards, and the implant was about to ask how her progress had been when she had begun to yell joyously.

"Captain!" he barked.

"Where's Da'an?" she asked, grinning giddily at him. "Oh, he's going to be so happy when he hears this... Sandoval, I don't think Liam's dead!"

Denial, Sandoval thought. One of the stages of grief. "Captain, I know you cared about Major Kin-"

"No!" Lili exulted. "That's just it, I just found out that the virtual glass shield was deactivated shortly before the explosion. Liam COULD have gotten off in time!"

****

Liam swallowed the blue pills with a grimace, washing them down with a glass of water. The room in the mental treatment center was much larger than the hospital room, he thought. And Susan was there more often. She watched him with mild amusement as he grimaced at the taste of the pills. "You're a big baby, you know that?" she teased.

Liam flashed a brilliant smile and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Susan giggled. "I can see that those Taelon drugs have given you your sense of humor back."

Liam's smiled vanished. "The Taelons experiment on humans," he said grimly, as if to himself. "Bioengineering, aggressive gene..." His voice trailed off and he looked confused again. "What..."

Susan bit her lip. Liam had been having flashback after flashback, and they seemed to be seeping inadvertantly out of him. "Liam, have you been taking a daily walk around the park?" she asked, trying to get his mind off his problems.

Liam nodded and took a last gulp of water. "Yes, but I forgot today."

Susan held out her arm and smiled. "Get out of your chair and we can go on a walk together. It's night, so no one else will be there."

Liam smiled happily and took her hand.

*... a bomb...*

*... jumping from the shuttle...*

*... hitting the ground, bleeding...*

*... explosion throwing him across the ground...*

*... crawling away...*

Liam gasped and began to double over, then straightened. "I just... had another one," he said softly. "I was on a shuttle... it was going to blow up... it blew up... I hurt all over..." His eyes were streaming tears, he brushed at them absently.

Susan put her arms around him. "Come on," she said softly. "A walk will do you good."

****

Lili skidded straight into Da'an's office, destroying part of the toe of her shoe in the process. "Da'an!" she panted. "I think Liam is alive."

Da'an immediately rose from his chair. "On what do you base your theory?" he asked.

Lili spoke fast and furiously. "First, apparently the virtual glass shield was deactivated almost one and a half minutes before the shuttle blew. If Liam were over a bunch of trees or a lake, he could have survived. Second, we haven't found even the slightest hint of a body!" She stopped and gasped for breath.

Da'an mused over this for a moment."Then why has he not contacted us?"

"I don't know, maybe he was hurt in the crash and couldn't contact us," Lili said, brandishing a file folder. "I have the names of all unidentified patients in the possible radius area. There are five of them, and one of them was taken away. Come on, I prepped the shuttle!" Lili took Da'an by the arm and led him out, fast.

****

The stars above the treatment center were big and bright, full of light. They seemed to laugh as Susan and Liam strolled through the pine trees. Susan smiled, her blond hair touched by the breeze. "Liam, you are really special, you know that?" she said softly.

Liam nodded. "You're special too." He paused, and looked up at the stars. "Before... before the Taelons came, did you believe that there were aliens?"

Susan shook her head. "No, I didn't. I used to think we were just a fluke. Now... I don't think so." She smiled. "I think I may have been influenced by Rodney. He's COTC, did you see?"

Liam stared at her, confused.

"Church of the Companions," Susan said, amused. "I don't think there are any other races than Taelons, Jaridians or humans, though."

Liam shook his head. "There are more."

Susan glanced at him. "How do you know?"

Liam sighed, and when he spoke his voice seemed very far away. "Once... there was a race of highly advanced beings. They were noble and caring... and very wise... they had a beautiful culture and social structure... and they saved the Taelons... and were destroyed somehow."

Susan was looking at Liam intently. "How... do you know?" she asked tentatively.

Liam bit his lip. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I know it but... I can't remember..."

Susan gave him a little hug. Then, on impulse, she gently kissed Liam on the cheek. He looked surprised, but not displeased. Susan took his hand and began to lead him back to the main center. Once inside, she gently ushered him into the patients' wing, and closed the door. She left for the parking lot with a gentle smile.

****

"That's four for four!" Lili griped at the clerk. The small, meek-looking was obviously not intimidated by either Lili and Da'an, who was out in the hallway looking at patients who were wheeled by. "None of them are my friend. Are you CERTAIN no one else was brought here?"

"Yes, ma'am," the clerk said in a weary tone. "No one except that nut taken to the Taelon rehab center."

"Nut?" Lili said alertly. "What nut? What rehab center?"

"Some guy who could only remember his first name and a few things about Da'an," the clerk shrugged. "Was checked out a few days ago."

"What was his name?" Lili was leaning so far over the counter that she seemed to creeping over it.

"Reem or something?"

"Liam?"

"That's it," the clerk said, beginning to sift through paperwork. Lili grabbed the papers and flung them behind her, towards several outpatients who looked mildly concerned. "What's the address for the rehab clinic?" she asked intensely.

****

The rehab clinic was a large sterile-looking building surrounded by beautiful grounds. Lili glanced around the area. "I'd like to retire to somewhere like this," she commented to Da'an. Then she glanced at the sticky note stuck to her index finger. "We're to speak to a Doctor Armstrong. She's the one who reportedly.brought Liam here."

"Captain," Da'an said worriedly. "If Liam indeed has amnesia, how will he recover? The treatment is still highly experimental."

Lili pulled a large plastic bag from under her coat. "In case you and I don't jog his memory," she said, "I've brought some things that might." She pulled out a large plastic puzzle, blue and streamlined, and a picture of Beckett smiling warmly. "If these don't jog him, nothing will."

****

Susan showed the two visitors to Liam's room with a sense of dread. First Liam had claimed to know Da'an, and now Da'an was visiting the hospital to find a missing man who fit Liam's description. As she opened the door, Liam looked up from his drawing. Recently he had shown in interest in artistry, and the precision and detail of his pictures astounded her.

"Liam," she said with forced cheerfulness. Liam half-rose from his chair, staring at the two figures behind Susan.

"Liam!" Lili exclaimed, grinning widely. "Oh, thank God you're safe! Are you all right?"

"Do you remember us?" Da'an asked.

Liam stared at them, then shook his head slowly. "You seem... familiar, but I've never seen you... either of you..."

"It's me, Lili!" Lili exclaimed. "Don't you remember? How about Augur?" No response, no emotion. "How about Sandoval? Zo'or? Doors?"

Da'an looked as if he were in physical pain. Susan was chewing on her thumbnail, worried. "Captain, I can't allow you to upset him. He's making progress, and I don't want any kind of backslide."

"This won't take long," Lili said, pulling a large Taelon puzzle, partially solved, from a plastic bag. She set it down on the table, and Liam picked it up as if he were in a dream. "Liam," she said softly. "Do you remember this?"

As if in response, Liam clicked all the pieces together, forming a streamlined shape reminiscent of the mothership.

*... mothership, moving down into Earth's atmosphere...*

Liam gasped and dropped the puzzle. "I was... little," he said softly. "Augur couldn't figure it out... he gave me the puzzle... and I solved it..."

Lili shot a triumphant look at Da'an and mouthed the word "Augur." Then she reached into the bag and pulled out a framed photo of Beckett smiling. "Who is this, Liam?" she asked quietly.

Liam took the photo, and began to cry. "My mother... Beckett..." he said, a hint of a sob in his voice. "That was... before I was born..."

Something Liam had once told her clicked in Lili's mind. She leaned forward and whispered, "If you ever lose your way, my son, look to the heavens..."

"She shined a star for me," Liam said softly. "Last night... she was watching over me... during the crash..."

For a long moment, Lili said nothing. Then Liam shook his head and looked up. "Where am I?" he asked. "All I remember is the shuttle exploding... and it's like a blank after that."

"Who are you?" Lili asked.

Liam looked at her strangely. "Major Liam Kincaid, Companion protector."

Da'an smiled, relieved. Lili gaved Liam a hug. Neither of them noticed Susan slipping out, tears running from her eyes.

****

"I came to say goodbye, Doctor," Liam said, holding out his hand. Susan, sitting behind her large desk, took it. He was now attired in his usual outfit, including a new leather jacket. "And to thank you... I'm sorry I can't remember my time here."

Susan smiled wanly. "That's probably for the best," she said somewhat hoarsely. "Most people don't like to remember their time in rehab."

Liam smiled. "Thanks again." He turned around and left, closing the door. For a long moment, Susan watched him with tears in her eyes. Then she turned a face-down framed photo on her desk up. It showed Liam, smiling delightedly...