DISCLAIMER: Earth: Final Conflict and all of Earth: Final
characters in this story are property of Tribune Entertainment. No infringement
of rights is
intended. Danella and Ronnie are creations or my own. Please don’t
use them without my permission.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Ronald and Liam have been implanted. Are they lost
to those they love forever? All words in ** are thoughts and all words
in [ ] are
telepathic communication.
RATING: PG
FOR FREEDOM
By Agent Sandy
Liam's eyes scanned the
area, as his mind fought to place its name and location. He knew he knew
this place, with its misty air and colorful
scenery, yet he couldn't remember how he knew it, and that inability
upset him greatly because deep in his heart, he was ashamed he'd let the
name of a
place that he loved so much slip his mind.
"Do not be so hard on yourself
son. You are suffering from a traumatic experience. You cannot be expected
to remember a place that you have
only seen in your dreams no matter how many times you have seen it."
Liam slowly turned to face
the speaker—his father, Ha'gel.
"I don't understand. How
can you be here? Am I dead?” Liam asked.
Ha'gel shook his head, "No,
but near to it. Your mind was greatly injured because you fought the CVI
so long and hard. If that Taelon had not
betrayed you, you would have died. Instead, he forced you to accept
that which you did not wish, and here you are while you mind decides whether
you
should live or die."
Liam shut his eyes. For
a minute, he was back on the table, begging Da'an not to use his abilities
to weaken his will so that the MI could take over
his mind. Tears entered Liam's eyes. His mentor, his friend, had
betrayed him in the worst possible way and now he was to be a slave to
all he had once
fought against.
Ha'gel moved forward and
gently touched Liam's shoulder, "Come now, and let me show you the beauty
of our homeworld. Let's not think about
the horrors that the Taelon has forced on you. There is so much you
can see, feel, learn here. There is no reason to tarry in the other world
which holds
nothing for you but pain."
Liam looked at his father
questioningly, "Wait a minute. What do you mean tarry in the other world?
If I go with you, will I die?"
Ha'gel's look saddened,
but he nodded yes. "But what is there for you in the other world? Pain
and the certainty that you will soon hurt those you
love. Why go back to that, when you can stay here and finally learn
all that you were meant to know about the Kimera?"
"What good is information
that cannot be put to use?” A kind voice asked.
Liam turned to face the speaker, "Why are you here? You have no right
to be here. You betrayed me, just like Be'lie said you would."
Da'an looked distressed,
"Liam, please let me explain my actions. They do have a meaning."
"What if I don't want to
listen to your excuses? Why should I believe your lies?"
Liam asked angrily.
Da'an motioned toward Liam,
"You have every right to doubt me. But I ask you to look past that doubt
and give me a chance to speak."
Liam looked toward his father.
Ha'gel's shining form seemed to shrug its shoulders as if to say that it
was Liam's decision.
Liam looked back at Da'an,
"I'm listening."
Da'an nodded, "I know you
look at what I did as a betrayal in the highest sense of the word, but
I did it to save your life."
"What good is a life where
I can do nothing but hurt those I care about? What good is a life where
I become the betrayer? That is what the MI will
do to me, and I won't let that happen," Liam stated.
"Nor will I. That is what
I needed to tell you. Liam, I had your CVI modified. The MI will burn
out in a matter of days, leaving you free to
continue your work with the Resistance. They need you," Da'an's voice
dropped to a whisper, "and I need you."
"And what about what I do
in those few days? What about the people I hurt then?” Liam asked.
"You must trust in me, and
believe that I will not make you do anything that you would not normally
do," Da'an answered.
"And what about Zo'or, and
what he orders?” Liam said.
"I will handle Zo'or. Please
believe what I am saying to you," Da'an almost seemed to beg.
Liam looked at Da'an and
thought. Could he be telling the truth? There was nothing in the Taelon's
actions or posture to show that he was lying.
"Do not believe the betrayer,"
Ha'gel said in a low whisper. "He only seeks to betray you again. Remember,
once you return to the other world,
you will be at his mercy. Stay here with me; let me teach you and
answer all of the questions that have so haunted you."
"Do not listen to him, Liam.
I will not betray you. This I swear to you. Knowledge is nothing when
it cannot be used. There are those who are
waiting for you in the other world; those who you can help; those who
only want you," Da'an stated.
Liam shut his eyes and whispered,
"Mom, Dad, Dani."
"Yes," Da'an replied softly.
"They need you to lead them home. My daughter loves you Liam. For that
reason alone, I would never betray you.
Of course, there are other reasons too."
Liam opened his eyes when
Da'an stopped talking, "What other reasons are there?"
Da'an blushed blue, "I care
about you Liam. I thought you knew that. You are the son I never had."
"Lies!” Ha'gel said angrily.
"He cares about no one but himself. I am the only father you need to care
about."
Liam looked up in surprise,
"Did you care so little about my human parents that you have already forgotten
them?"
"No, no," Ha'gel replied
shakily. "It is just that you have a destiny beyond them. You are the
one that matters, not them."
Liam smiled sadly, "You
aren't my father, are you? He cared about me and my family."
Ha'gel's form dimmed, "Of
course, I am your father. I care about you or else I wouldn’t be here
trying to keep you from making a mistake that will
hurt all those you care about."
Liam shook his head, "You
are not my father. You are no more than my fears--my fear of pain, my
fear of hurting those I love, and my fear of
failing. If I follow you, I may be at peace and happy, but it will
only be a shadow—a pale comparison to what the other world holds for me."
Ha'gel's form dimmed once
more and then vanished, along with the illusion of the Kimera homeworld.
Liam looked at the cold blackness that
remained and then turned back to Da'an.
"If he was just an illusion,
then are you one as well?"
"I am the truth," the figure
of Da'an replied, "and I am one who will always be with you."
Liam looked confused, "But
how do I know that I can trust you anymore than I could trust him?"
"You can only trust what
you find in your heart," the figure said. "Let your heart lead you back
to those who you love and who love you."
Liam began to speak, but
the figure faded into the dark before he could. Liam didn't know what to
do. Did he go back and risk being trapped as a
full implant or did he stay here and leave all those he loved and needed.
* Look into your heart,
* the words floated softly to him and seemed to wrap around him like a
warm blanket. * Your heart knows the truth. *
Liam took a deep breath
and shut his eyes. For a minute, he thought he saw his mother and father's
faces. Then the faces changed into two
others—the faces of a father and daughter who loved him more than everything.
"I'm coming back, Dani,"
he whispered. "I'm coming home..."
"...I'm coming home," Da'an
had to lean forward to hear the soft words that Liam whispered as he lay
on the hospital bed. Da'an then looked up at
Dr. Belman, who was smiling.
"I take it that talking is a good sign," he stated.
"In his case, yes, because
his brain activity and vital signs just returned to normal. In my opinion,
he will wake up in a few hours," Dr. Belman
replied.
Da'an gently touched Liam's
forehead and then stood, "Please notify me when he does wake."
Dr. Belman nodded and then
watched the Taelon leave the room. She glanced back at Liam for a moment,
and then shook her head. Whatever
Da'an had done, he had brought Liam back from the edge of death and
had made him want to live again. She just hoped that the modified CVI
they had
used worked. Otherwise, the innocent smile that now covered Liam's
face would be the last one any of them would be seeing for a long time...
"It looks like we just missed
them," Liam stated.
Agent Sandoval shook his
head as he watched Liam's image over the global, "'Just missed' them again,
Major? This seems to be settling into a
pattern that I neither like nor approve of."
"Believe me, I don't like
it any more than you do. It's almost like they are being tipped off or
something," Liam replied.
"Yet you know as well as
I do that that is impossible. Only a select few knew about the raid before
hand," Sandoval pointed out.
Liam shrugged, "Do you think
one of them is betraying us?"
"I said no such thing, but
it is a possibility. I will talk to Zo'or about this 'problem' and see
what he recommends."
"Yes, Sir. In the meantime,
we will continue to look for clues to the whereabouts of their new hideout.
Major Kincaid out."
Agent Sandoval shut his
global and then headed to see Zo'or. He wasn't looking forward to reporting
another failure on his part, but it had to be
done. The matter of the possible traitor also needed to be dealt with.
As usual, when Agent Sandoval
entered the room, Zo'or ignored him until he felt like speaking to him.
This 'obedience training' had only gotten
worse since Sandoval had been re-implanted. It seemed to the man,
that Zo'or was testing him and his loyalty over and over again just to
make the man,
who was still quiet aware of what was going on even though he couldn't
stop the implant from following Zo'or's orders to the letter, suffer for
his
'betrayal.'
"Do you have something to
report, Agent Sandoval?” Zo'or finally asked as he stood up so he would
tower over Sandoval even more.
Sandoval took a deep breath
and answered, "Unfortunately, it seems that the Major and his people just
missed them again. We are..."
That is unacceptable, Agent.
Why is it that you and the Major always seem to 'just miss' them?” Zo'or
interrupted.
Sandoval gripped the arms
of his wheelchair until his knuckles turned white. If Zo'or would have
only let him finish, then he would already have
the answer to his question. Ronald wanted to scream at him, but, of
course, the implant wouldn't allow it.
"Is there something wrong,
Agent Sandoval?” Zo'or asked when the agent didn't reply. "You seem very
tense."
"We believe there is a leak
in the operation," Sandoval replied quietly, trying to avoid the real meaning
of Zo'or's question.
Zo'or smiled and then walked
over to stand in front of Sandoval, "You know that is not what I meant."
Sandoval looked at the floor
to avoid meeting Zo'or's eyes.
"Agent Sandoval, if there
is something wrong, you should tell me," Zo'or said in an uncharacteristically
soft voice.
"You know what is wrong,"
Sandoval finally managed to whisper.
Zo'or smirked, "Look at
me, Agent Sandoval."
Ronald fought the command,
but eventually, the implant forced him to obey Zo'or's order.
The Taelon's smirk widened,
"That is better. I know how you are feeling," Zo'or stated as he began
to circle Sandoval. "You are fighting every
command, hoping someday your will be able to overcome the MI. I do
not know why you insist on doing this. You know as well as I that the
MI in this
CVI will not give into your will. I saw to that when it was redesigned."
Zo'or stopped walking and looked at Sandoval, who was again looking
at the floor, "Believe me, Agent. I do not like seeing you like this anymore
than you
like being like this."
* Yeah, right, * Sandoval
thought to himself, wishing that the implant would let him say it out loud.
* You care about nothing but your own
ambitions. *
Zo'or signed and took a
hold of Sandoval's face so that the implant was forced to look at him,
"What are you thinking? How much you want to kill
me for taking away your free will, but still giving you the ability
to think for yourself? Say it, I want to hear what you are thinking."
Sandoval swallowed and then
answered in a low voice, "I just want to know why. Where in your plan
does it say that my torture will help you
accomplish anything? Why didn't you just have me killed?"
"Why did I not just have
you killed?” Zo'or repeated. "I'll tell you why I did not just have you
killed," Zo'or let go of Sandoval's face only to let
his hand trace along it. "I need you. We are more alike than you
could ever imagine."
Sandoval jerked away from
him, "We are nothing alike!"
Zo'or angrily waved his
hand, "Quiet! I do not want to hear any more from you. You are going
to listen to me."
Sandoval was forced into
silence; the anger in his eyes, though, said all the things he couldn't.
Zo'or just smiled at the
anger, "You say there is a leak in Major Kincaid's team. I believe the
leak is the Major himself."
"Why do you think that?”
The implant in Sandoval asked before the man could stop him.
Zo'or smiled, "I think Da'an
had Kincaid's CVI altered, just as I had yours altered. It will be up
to you and Lt. Beckett to find the proof you need
to show the Synod that Da'an has been helping him, and through him,
helping the fugitives."
Sandoval nodded and turned
to leave. Before he could, Zo'or walked in front of him.
"Is there something else,
Zo'or?” Sandoval asked.
For a moment, the Taelon
only looked at him, then he spoke, "I truly do not like seeing you in pain,
Agent. It keeps you from being your best. I
wish there was another way."
* Liar! * Sandoval thought
to himself.
Zo'or smiled, "And I can
tell you do not believe me. Is there a way that I could prove it to you?"
Sandoval just looked at
him. Yes, there was something he could do, but Ronald knew that it would
never happen.
"Yes, you are right, that
I cannot allow," Zo'or replied as if he had read Sandoval's mind. "I need
to be assured of your loyalty if you are going to
be allowed to remain alive. Perhaps there is something else I could
do."
Sandoval shut his eyes.
There were things he would like to ask for, but the implant wouldn't allow
him to. Zo'or had to know that.
Sandoval's eyes flew open
when Zo'or again gently touched his face.
"You are lonely. Perhaps
you and Lt. Beckett should spend more time together—off duty that is."
"Permission to speak my
mind," Sandoval asked. Zo'or granted it with a motion from his hand, and
Ronald continued, "She killed my wife. I may
have had feelings for her at one time, but now, if I spend anymore
time with her, I will kill her—implant or not."
The look Sandoval then gave
Zo'or almost made him shiver. Zo'or would never admit that any human scared
him, but this was close. Perhaps it
was because he knew that the implant would find a way to carry out
his threat to Lt. Beckett and that made Zo'or wonder if, eventually, Sandoval
would
find a way to kill him as well.
Zo'or pulled himself from
that train of thought, "Very well. Is there someone else you would like
to spend more time with? Your son perhaps?"
Sandoval shook his head.
Major Kincaid the implant was no more his son, than Agent Sandoval the
implant was his father.
Zo'or looked at him, "You
do not wish to see your son either."
"That man is not my son,"
Sandoval stated. "My son was a gentle soul who wanted to help others,
not hurt them."
Zo'or sighed, "He is the
same person he always was; he only has more direction now. I do not understand
you. You are lonely, yet you reject
every option I give you."
"Maybe it is because you
don't know as much about me as you would like to think you do," Sandoval
whispered.
Zo'or glared at Sandoval
for a moment, "Talk to Lt. Beckett and try to figure out how to prove that
Kincaid is the leak. Once you do that, I will
finally be able to use him as the experiment he was meant to be."
Sandoval nodded, and then
began to leave, only to be stopped by Zo'or again.
"I would still like to ease
your pain. Think on what might help you and then come to me when you have
decided what you want," Zo'or stated.
"Yes, Zo'or," Sandoval replied
in a flat voice and then left.
When Sandoval left, Zo'or
stood in the middle of the room and shut his eyes. After a few minutes,
a slight sound pulled him back to himself, and
he turned around and smiled at the young dark-haired woman who was
standing in the doorway waiting to be acknowledged.
"Well, what do you think?”
He asked her.
"He is very brave and strong.
You will never completely break him, father. He would rather die than
allow that," she replied.
"That is what I feared,"
for a moment, Zo'or looked almost sad.
The woman crossed the room
and laid a hand on Zo'or's arm, "Father? What is it?"
"Do your best to make him
not want to fight us, child. I wish him to live as long as we can make
him," Zo'or replied.
"Is he that valuable to
your plans?” She asked.
Zo'or blushed for a moment,
"He is, for my plans and for other things as well. Try to ease his loneliness.
It is not good for either of you."
The girl nodded, "I will
do my best."
Zo'or gently touched the
top of her head, "I know you will, Laura."
Laura watched him work.
Even though most people in his condition wouldn't try to do the things
he was doing, he did them and never batted an
eye. She wondered if that was because he was an implant, but thought
not. She knew that he had been a strong man even before he had been implanted.
Her skrill, Lady Hawk, purred softly and Laura smiled. It was good
Lady liked him; it was very good.
Laura continued to watch
him, and then, after a few minutes, Agent Sandoval looked up at her, almost
as if he had sensed her watching him, even
though she knew that was impossible.
Laura walked up to him, saluted, and then spoke, "I am Agent Laura
Kerren. Zo'or assigned me to be your assistant."
Agent Sandoval looked her
over, "I've been expecting you. Have you been briefed?"
"Yes," Laura replied. "Zo'or
told me about the situation."
"Then you realize how...important...this
assignment is," Agent Sandoval stated.
"Any agent who didn't know
how serious a rogue agent is, wouldn't be worth their skrill," Laura replied.
Sandoval nodded, "I'm glad
you feel that way."
"I understand the agent
in question..." Laura started.
Sandoval cut her off with
a wave of his hand, "Meet me in my office in 30 minutes. We will discuss
it then."
Laura nodded, turned, and
walked from the room.
Sandoval watched her go
and wondered why he had felt connected to her the moment he saw her. He
shook his head. As much as he hated to
admit it, maybe Zo'or was right. He did miss having someone to talk
to—someone who would understand everything about him without making him
explain. Deedee had been able to do that—before he had been implanted
anyway. Ronald shut his eyes a moment, as he thought about how scared
she had
to have been when she was taken. And to die alone, he would never
forgive himself for being the cause of that.
Unfortunately, the implant
in him didn't care about Deedee or her pain. He opened his eyes and headed
to his office.
Laura approached Agent Sandoval's
office with nervous anticipation. She had felt the link between them almost
immediately, and she could tell he
had felt it too. Oh sure, he hid behind the implant facade, but she
could see that the man behind that facade had felt the connection just
as strongly as she
had.
Laura knocked on the door
to his office and then entered when he gave her permission to.
"You need to be more careful,
agent," Sandoval stated once she had come to stand in front of his desk.
"You almost let confidential information
slip. The last thing we want is for him to figure out that we are
watching him."
"My apologies, Agent Sandoval,"
Laura stated. "I was just concerned about how you were taking the news
that your son was betraying the
Taelons."
Sandoval looked at her.
Why did she care about how he was feeling? Her curiosity immediately made
him want to distrust her, but he found that
he couldn't.
"Major Kincaid has not only
betrayed the Taelons, but humanity as well. I do not claim him as my son,"
Agent Sandoval replied.
Laura met his eyes and then
said in a whisper, "Is that the man or the implant talking?"
Sandoval tried to look away
from her, but found that he couldn't. Even worse, he didn't really want
to. He just wanted to be lost in those blue
eyes forever...They looked so familiar, and that familiarity filled
the void that had been left in his heart when he had heard about Deedee's
death.
Laura smiled and looked
away from him.
Sandoval shook his head
to clear it, and then answered, "We are one and the same."
Laura looked back at him,
"Are you so sure of that?"
Agent Sandoval began to
reply, and then stopped himself.
"I don't need to explain
myself to you. I believe it is you who should be explaining to me why
you are asking me all of these questions," he stated.
Laura's smile saddened,
"You are so torn. Zo'or is concerned about your ability to work well.
He wanted me to talk to you about it."
"And why would I talk to
you when I have chosen not to talk to anyone else?” Sandoval asked.
Laura moved forward and
then gently touched his hand, "You can feel it as much as I can. Stop
fighting it."
For a moment, Sandoval was
again caught in her familiar gaze. Then he managed to look away; his anger
gave him the strength to.
"I don't know who you think
you are, but I suggest you end this game," Sandoval stated as he pulled
his hand away from her.
Laura smirked, "This 'game'
is one that cannot be stopped once it has started."
"I don't know what you think
has started..." Sandoval began.
Laura looked sadly at him,
"You have buried your soul so deep so you can try to forget that it is
there and that it needs as much love as you do.”
Laura touched his hand again, and this time Sandoval swore that he
felt something pass between them. He looked up at her, and she smiled
as she moved
to sit on top of his desk. Laura then reached out and touched his
face.
Sandoval shut his eyes. For a minute, he could almost imagine that
her gentle caress was Deedee's—it was so familiar.
"You never need to be alone,"
she whispered to him.
Ronald let her words and
touch pull him into a trance-like state. Only after a few minutes had
passed, was he about to pull himself out of the
trance. He opened his eyes angrily, ready to yell at her for what
she had done. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that because his anger melted
into a strange
sense of loss when he saw that she was gone.
"How are things going?”
Zo'or asked Laura when they met later that day.
Laura looked up at him,
"They are as well as can be expected I guess."
Zo'or looked at her, "You
are sad. What is wrong?"
Laura looked at the floor
and then answered, "I don't like lying to him."
Zo'or walked over to her,
and then pulled up her head so that she was looking at him, "And what would
you tell him, Deedee? How would you
explain to him how you came to be in this body—the body of my hybrid
daughter?"
Deedee/Laura shut her eyes.
Though she hated thinking about it, she knew she was just as trapped as
her husband was.
Zo'or turned from her and
walked back to his chair, "Things will continue as I planned them."
Deedee nodded sadly and
turned to leave. Zo'or's voice stopped her as the Taelon reminded her
again of the thing that most held her captive.
"I know that you want to
tell him the truth. Just remember that the CVI you were implanted with
will kill you if you do..."
Liam looked around the area
as he slipped into the warehouse where he was supposed to meet Boone.
It had taken awhile to get a hold of the man
and convince him that he was on their side, but he had finally done
it with Da'an's help. Now he was going to see to it that they figured
out a way to keep
everyone safe and away from Beckett and Sandoval until they figured
out a way to release them both from their MIs.
Liam watched the shadows
as Boone and Ronnie walked out of them. He was slightly disappointed that
Dani wasn't with them, but he could
understand why she wasn't. If he was lying, Boone didn't want to put
his daughter at risk because she would be the first person he would go
after.
Boone looked him over for
any signs of the MI he still wasn't sure was there or not. Eventually,
he spoke, "Were you followed?"
Liam looked at him, slightly
annoyed, "Of course not. I'm not a fool you know. I have done this before."
Boone shrugged, "Sorry,
you know that I have to be careful."
Liam nodded, "I understand."
"So, what exactly do you
have in mind? How are we going to get Mom and Dad back?” Ronnie asked.
"Believe me," Liam stated,
"I'm working on it, but Zo'or has teamed Sandoval with this agent. Her
name is Laura Kerren; she's about 25. Will, see
what Augur can dig up on her. Anyway, she has been spending a lot
of time with him. I haven't been able to talk to him alone at all. She
reminds me of
someone, but I can't place her."
Boone nodded, "How about
Beckett?"
"She's been avoiding Sandoval
and me like the plague. She has been glued to Zo'or's side when Sandoval
isn't, though," Liam stated.
"I would think that she
would want to talk to Dad about you and me," Ronnie said. "Weird."
"I think they had a fight,
and Sandoval actually threatened her. She did kill his wife after all,"
Liam pointed out.
Ronnie shook his head, "Why
couldn't the Taelons just leave us alone? They are ripping our family
apart."
Liam nodded, "I know. It
hurts..."
"Not as much as killin'
yah is goin' ta, son."
Liam spun around. In the
doorway of the warehouse was Agents Kerren, Sandoval, and Beckett. All
three agents had their skrills pointed at the
group.
Boone raised his skrill,
"I thought you said you weren't followed!"
Liam went for his gun, "I
wasn't!"
Beckett smirked, "We tracked
yah via yer global. Zo'or has wondered about yer MI since day one. Now
put down yer weapon. I don't want to
have to kill yah."
Liam slowly lowered his
weapon to the ground and then looked up at his mother, "You really don't
want to do this."
Beckett laughed, "Yah don't
know..."
She was cut off as a bright
flash lit up the area and chaos broke loose in the room.
Dani's shaqarava blast knocked
Beckett unconscious and disoriented everyone else.
Boone had known it was coming--Dani
was the back up plan in case Liam had been lying--so he was the first to
recover. He grabbed Liam and
Ronnie's arms and dragged them both toward the shelter of some old
machinery.
Sandoval blindly fired his
skrill at them and managed to hit Liam in the ankle. Liam stumbled and
went to his knees.
Ronnie started to help him
up, and was almost hit by a second skrill blast. Boone pulled him behind
the machinery as Liam struggled to get to his
feet.
"Don't move!” Sandoval
ordered. "Liam, I don't want to kill you, but I'll have no choice if you
continue!"
Liam looked back at his
father and for the longest time, they just stared at each other. Liam
could see the pain in his father's eyes, and he cursed
Zo'or for putting his father back under the control of a MI.
Laura/Deedee watched them.
She could see the pain each of them was feeling. Liam wouldn't go back,
that much she was sure of. That meant
Ronald would be forced to kill him. The MI would give him no other
choice. And in doing that, not only would Liam die, but Deedee knew that
her
husband would die as well. There had to be a way to stop them—to break
Ron's MI.
* How? * She thought to
herself. * What could I do or say that would break his MI? There has
to be something... *
She shut her eyes a moment.
Suddenly she knew what she had to do. She had no choice. There was only
one thing that she knew for sure that
would break the MI because it was more a part of him than any piece
of alien technology could ever be.
"Ron, don't!” She cried.
He turned to her, "Agent
Kerren? What..." his voice trailed off as he was drawn into her pleading
eyes.
"Who are you?” He whispered.
Deedee winced as a dull
ache started in her head—a warning that she was coming close to tripping
the self-destruct built into her CVI. She ignored
it, and forced a smile to her face.
"You know who I am," she
replied softly. "You have always known."
Ronald's eyes got distant
for a moment. * It can't be, * he thought to himself, then looked up and
whispered, "Deedee?"
Tears slipped from her eyes
as the pain in her head increased, "Yes."
Ronald's eyes opened wide
in shock. He then shut them for a moment, trying to make sense of things,
and suddenly felt a snap in his head as the
MI gave way. How could they have done this to him? Told him that
his wife was dead, only to return her in the body of another?
His eyes flew back open,
but the words died in his throat when he was that she had sunk to her knees.
He quickly moved his wheelchair so that he
was next to her. He then pulled himself out of it, so he was on the
floor with her.
Deedee let him pull her
into his arms. She then let her headrest against his chest.
"Is this what it was like?”
She whispered, "When your CVI broke down?"
Ronald gently brushed the
hair off her forehead and tried to ignore the blood that was dripping out
of her ear. He knew all too well what that
meant.
"He set it to kill you if
you told me," Ronald replied. "Why? There had to be a different way."
Deedee smiled weakly and
ignored his question," There is so much I wanted to tell you."
Ronald shook his head, "It doesn't matter."
"It matters!” She said
as strongly as she could, "I thought about you every day. I wanted to
be with you so much."
"I know," Ronald whispered
as he stroked the side of her face. "We're together now, that's all that
matters."
Deedee shut her eyes as
another wave of pain went through her.
"Deedee?” Ronald's voice
was filled with concern and tears.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"For what?” He asked.
"For everythin..."her voice
drifted off.
"Deedee?” Ronald's voice
caught in his throat. Silence descended and then he leaned forward and
kissed her.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you..."
Minutes passed, and he held
her until Liam walked up and gently touched him on the shoulder.
"Dad?"
Ronald looked up at him,
eyes red from tears.
"We have to go," Liam said
quietly.
Ronald gazed at Deedee a
moment longer and touched her face one last time, then reached out toward
Liam.
"Help me, please," his voice
was almost inaudible.
Liam helped his father back
into his wheelchair. Ronald moved almost as if he wasn't even there.
Liam could understand. How was his father
going to overcome this loss after losing so much already?
Zo'or sat alone in his private
chambers thinking about the report he had just received from Lt. Beckett.
Actually, mourning would be a better word
for what he was doing--if anyone believed him capable of mourning.
The Taelon shut his eyes and blushed blue for a moment. He had just lost
the two
things that he had held the closest to himself. He had never thought
that Deedee Sandoval would have enough inner strength to kill herself to
set her
husband free of his MI. Now his daughter was dead, and the only human
he respected was somewhere within the Resistance--both of them out of his
reach.
"Zo'or, yah wanted to see
me?” Beckett asked as she stood in the doorway of the room.
Zo'or didn't bother to look
up at her when he answered, "Has there been any word on where Agent Sandoval
disappeared to?"
"Nay, I'm afraid not. The
only clue we have ta go on is the basket of flowers that showed up at Agent
Kerren's funeral and that has only led ta
dead ends," Beckett replied.
"Keep looking," Zo'or ordered
and then dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
Beckett nodded and left.
She couldn't understand why Zo'or seemed so desperate to find Sandoval.
The agent had betrayed them once before and
was probably doing it again. She shook her head. Sometimes she didn't
understand the Taelons. Sometimes she wondered if they knew what they
were
doing, and sometimes she just wondered...wondered if she knew what
she was doing.
In his private chambers,
Zo'or shut his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He knew wanting to bring
Sandoval back to the Mothership after
everything they had done to him was dangerous. It didn't matter, though.
He still wanted it done. Some part of him needed the implant around to
challenge him and...
"Now you understand," Zo'or
opened his eyes and angrily looked at the voice's owner.
"What are you doing here?
You have no right to be here, and you are invading my privacy," Zo'or snapped.
"And you are avoiding the
subject," Da'an replied calmly. "You understand my connection to humanity
now. You can see why I wish to give them
respect."
"I see nothing. Just because
I respect one human does not mean I respect them as a race," Zo'or replied.
Da'an smiled knowingly and
turned to leave. After all, his respect for humanity had begun with only
one man as well...
THE END
