.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: All words in ** are thoughts and all words in [ ] are
telepathic communication.
RATING: PG
Summary: In the aftermath of Ronnie’s implantation, not all things
are as they seem
SORROW'S SHADOWS
By Agent Sandy
[Liam, you have to concentrate
or else it's not going to work,] Dani stated as they stood outside of
the garden working on controlling his shaqarava.
Liam laughed, "I am concentrating."
Dani shook her head. She
should have known better than to try and teach him anything when his eyes
were twinkling like that. Still, he needed to
get his control right; it might save his life someday. Liam smiled
at her and she sighed. He was acting like a little kid who was trying
to get out of his
schoolwork. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. If Liam wanted
to play, then they would play.
[Liam, put your hands out
like this,] she instructed, putting her hands out in front of her, palm
up.
Liam complied, "Why?"
[Just watch,] Dani stated
as she put her hands, palm down, about a foot above his. After a few seconds,
streams of light began to move from her
hands to his. At first, Liam didn't feel anything, then he did.
"Hey, that tickles," he
tried to pull his hands away, but found he couldn't.
"Dani, what are you doing?
Stop," he said between laughs.
[No,] she replied. [Break
my hold.]
Liam tried to concentrate
on using his shaqarava to break the hold, but couldn't because he was laughing
too hard.
Dani let him struggle against
the hold for a minute more and then let him go. [Breathe, Liam.]
Liam shook his head and
tried to get his breath back, "What was that about? Breathing practice
in case Zo'or ever tries to tickle me to death?"
[No, I knew that you wouldn't
be able to break the hold. I just wanted to see you try,] Dani answered.
"What? What was the point
in that?” Liam asked.
Dani smirked, [There was
none. I just wanted to see you squirm.]
Liam looked at her, "There
was no point?"
Dani laughed at his red
face, [None at all. You squirm quite well by the way.]
Liam's eyes suddenly lit
up with mischief as he watched her laugh, "You had better start running."
Dani stopped laughing, [Why?]
"Because I'm about to find
out how well you squirm," Liam stated.
Dani took a step back, [What
are you going to do?]
Liam smirked at her, "Wouldn't
you like to know."
Dani took one more look
at him and then took off running into the garden. Liam quickly followed
and easily caught her because he had longer legs.
Unfortunately, when he grabbed her, she lost her balance and fell,
taking him with her. When they finally stopped rolling, he found himself
looking down
on her.
Liam began to get up to
help her up, but then their eyes locked, and he froze. Something about
the look on her face was calling to him, and he
wondered if the look in her eyes meant that she was feeling the same
way about him. The feeling was something that he wasn't used to feeling,
but for
some reason he felt like he had known it all of his life.
"Dani," he whispered.
[I don't know, Lee,] she
replied answering his unspoken question, [but it is very nice.]
"Didn't you and Ronnie feel
this way?” Liam asked shyly.
[We felt a lot, but never
this. Never so strong,] Dani whispered.
Liam looked at her for a
minute and tried to sort out his feelings. After a few moments, he reached
forward and gently traced he side of her face.
Dani shut her eyes and enjoyed
the comfort that his simple touch gave her. When she opened her eyes,
he was leaning toward her. The kiss that
followed shook her to her soul. For a moment, she wished that it would
never end, but it did and she soon found herself looking at Liam again.
Liam didn't know what to
say to her. He didn't exactly know why he had done that, he just had.
"I'm, I'm sorry. I shouldn't
have..." he stammered.
Dani cut him off, [No, please
don't be sorry. I, I liked it very much. For a man who has never kissed
a girl before, you kiss very well.]
Liam smiled, "I think Sandoval
had something to do with that."
Dani laughed, [Speaking
of him, he was sitting out on the porch moping. Shall we go and try to
get him out of moper mode?]
Liam stood up and gently
pulled Dani to her feet, "I think that would be a great idea."
As they left the garden,
a dark figure walked out of the shadows. Ronnie had come there for some
peace and quiet so he could think, but that peace
and quiet had been shattered when Dani and Liam had come running in.
When he saw them kiss, more then his peace and quiet had been shattered.
His
heart and mind had both broke into a million pieces.
* How could she?? * He
cried to himself and then cringed when the sound of laughter drifted from
the porch back to him. A light telepathic scan
told him that Dani and Liam had just dowsed a dozing Sandoval with
the hose and were now trying to play the part of the innocents. Sandoval
was doing
a great job at being mad until he broke out laughing at their 'innocent'
looks.
The child-like laughter
pained what was left of Ronnie's heart. He wanted to be part of the family
again, but he couldn't bring himself to face the
two people he had almost killed. For a few minutes, Ronnie's mind
ran in crazy circles. Then everything suddenly became clear to him. He
would make
up with his family, but he needed to take care of something first.
That something was the person he used to call brother. No one would be
allowed to
come between him and Dani once he made up to her. So, since Liam was
coming between him and Dani now, he'd just have to go...
Ronnie was sitting on the
porch when Doors left the house. The man didn't look very happy. Of course,
he rarely did look happy after his
weekly meetings with Liam. It was very clear that Doors didn't like
Liam any more than he liked Ronnie or Danella, and that made him exactly
what
Ronnie was looking for.
The boy walked up behind
him and said, "I need to talk to you."
Doors shook his head. He
had to be the unluckiest man in the world. First Liam, now this freak.
Doors ignored Ronnie and kept walking.
Ronnie wasn't going to let
him get away that easily, though. He caught up to Doors and stepped in
front of him, so that he had to stop.
Doors looked annoyed, "Get
out of my way, kid. I have work to do."
Ronnie shook his head no.
" I have a proposition for you."
Doors narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't the least bit interested, but he knew he would never get out
of there if he didn't listen.
"Make it quick," Doors ordered.
"I need your help," Ronnie
stated. "I know you don't like Liam any more than you like me or Dani."
For a minute, Doors was
worried. Could the boy have figured out that it had been him that sent
him up? * No, he wouldn't be asking for help
then. * Doors thought. * What the he** is he up to?*
"I'll make you a deal,"
Ronnie continued. "You help me get rid of Liam, and Dani and I will disappear."
Doors couldn't help but
let a smirk cross his face. He couldn't believe that the answer to his
hybrid problems had just been thrown at him and by
one of the freaks itself none the less. Now he could get rid of them
all and not be in debt to Zo'or for it.
Doors reached out and shook
Ronnie's hand, "Kid, you have a deal."
Liam was annoyed. It was
late, dark, and cold. Why Doors had decided that he suddenly had to see
him was beyond his understanding. What
made things worse was that he wasn't the only one who was suffering
while waiting for the 'Almighty Founder of the Resistance' to show. Liam
glanced
behind himself at Dani, and she shrugged her shoulders. They were
suppose to be picking up some things for his father, but not 10 minutes
after they had
left the house, Doors had buzzed him via his global and insisted on
seeing him. Now, it looked like Doors wasn't showing. Liam looked around
and
sighed. This day had been bad enough, now it was just getting worse.
Dani walked over to him,
[Maybe you should try and call him again.]
Liam nodded and pulled out
his global. He dialed Doors, but got no answer.
"Hmm, that's weird," Liam
stated as he put the global away.
Dani looked around and shivered,
[This place is creepy. Why did he want to meet you here anyway?]
"You know how paranoid he
can be. He just wanted to be sure that no one else would be here," Liam
gazed around again. "He sure picked the right
spot."
[How much longer are we
going to wait?] Dani asked.
Liam glanced at his watch,
"Just a few more minutes. I want to get that pain medication back to Dad.
He's been in a lot of pain today."
Dani nodded in agreement.
There were days when Sandoval seemed to have almost no pain from his back
injury. Then there were days like this
one where he could barely get out of bed because of the pain. Dani
wished she could use her shaqarava to heal the injury, but Dr. Belman had
been afraid
that the quick healing that the shaqarava would provide might send
him into shock—if it even worked.
Liam took a few steps away
from her, "Come on, Doors. Where are you?"
Dani shut her eyes and scanned
the area to see if she could find Doors. She didn't find Doors, but she
did find something unusual—a blank spot,
one that could only have been created by a trained psi hiding their
presence from another psi. Dani turned to face a nearby roof—where the
presence
was—and then froze. Whoever was on top of the roof was aiming a weapon
at Liam. She felt the wave of satisfaction that passed over the man's
mind as
he fired.
Liam heard the shot and
began to turn toward it. As he finished turning, he saw Dani moving toward
him. Before he could react, the shot hit her,
and she fell limply into his arms. Liam took a moment to look at the
roof where the shot had come from, to make sure the shooter wasn't going
to fire
again, and then looked down at the woman in his arms. When he saw
her face, he froze. The eyes that looked back at him were cold and empty...
“How is she?” Liam asked
as he watched Dr. Belman check Danella over.
Belman wrote down a reading
from one of the machines and then looked at Liam, "She's the same as she
was when you asked 15 minutes ago."
Liam's face fell and Dr.
Belman gently touched his arm, "Liam, a person in a deep coma isn't going
to come out of it very quickly. Add the fact that
she is suffering from psychic shock because she was using her powers
when she was hurt, and we'll be lucky if she comes out of it at all. I'm
sorry. I
know that isn't what you wanted to hear."
Liam was silent as he fought
back tears, then whispered, "I just...I don't want to loose her. Why can't
I heal her like I did before?"
Dr. Belman tried to be patient
with him even though she had already answered the question several times,
"Her mind is in too fragile a state right
now to try that, Liam. You know healing her that fast could damage
her mind more that it already has been. We can't take that risk."
Liam sighed. he wanted
to do something—anything—to help, but he couldn't, and the helplessness
was driving him crazy.
Dr. Belman could tell how
he was feeling and realized that if she couldn't get his mind onto something
else he would snap and go after the person
who had done this even though they had no clue who that was.
She motioned for him to
follow her, "Liam, there is something I've been meaning to show you.”
She pulled out 2 images of a human brain and put
them up on a screen.
Liam looked at them, but
the different shadings on the images meant little to him, "What am I looking
for?"
"This is a map of Ronnie's
brain. As you know, I have been keeping an eye on him ever since Dani
overrode his CVI with her shaqarava. The last
few times I have seen him, I have started to notice that there seems
to be some minor brain degeneration occurring around the area where the
CVI was," she
replied pointing to some darker shaded areas.
"I thought that Dani had
taken care or all of that," Liam stated.
"She did. What you see
now had happened since then. We thought things went all right, but obviously
they haven't. My opinion is that what she
did didn't work like we expected because Ronnie isn't 100% human.
As you know, everything we know about the CVI comes from how it affects
humans..."she started.
"...and because Ronnie isn't
fully human, he's reacting differently," Liam finished.
"Exactly," Belman replied.
"I need to get Ronnie in for more tests, but for the last few days he's
been like a shadow and just as hard to catch as
one."
Liam nodded, "He should
be in his room. Why don't we go and talk to him now. I should update
him on Dani's..." his voice trailed off as a weaker
voice cried out in his head.
[Ronnie, no!]
"Dani?” Liam quickly moved
to her bedside and looked for any signs that she was waking up. Unfortunately,
there weren't any.
Dr. Belman looked concerned,
"Liam, she is exactly the same as she was 5 minutes ago. What is it?"
Liam shook his head, "I
don't know. I could have sworn I just heard her cry out. Come on, let's
go and get Ronnie."
They left Dani's room and
were knocking on Ronnie's door not 10 minutes later. When there was no
answer, Liam slowly opened the door and
then froze. The room was empty except for a small piece of paper laying
on the table...
Liam looked at his father's
pale face and wished that this note were more like the last one he had
given him from Ronnie. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
Liam shivered as his father began to read the letter aloud in a shaking
voice.
Dad,
Dad, this wasn't how I wanted
things to go. Of course, my life has never seemed to go the way I wanted
it to. I only wanted a family and a safe
place to be with Dani. It seems like that all changed after they implanted
me. Dani changed, Liam changed, and I changed. I'm not blaming anyone
for
what happened. No, that was all my fault. She tried; I know she did.
But she didn't know that disabling the CVI would do this to me. No one
did. She
should have just killed me. Well, I'll take care of that soon. I
just have to go and ask the stars for forgiveness before I go. I have
to ask you too.
Dad, I messed up. I know
I disappointed you. You taught me so much about love and life, and I threw
it back in your face. I'm so sorry. I wish I
could take away all of your pain. God knows, I deserve it so much
more than you do. That night, I know you don't remember it, but you need
to know
what happened. You came to me and tried to make me remember how much
I felt for Dani. You trusted me, and when you turned your back on me,
I
betrayed that trust. I fully meant for you to die. I'm, I'm glad
that you didn't, but now you have to suffer for my betrayal.
Dad, tell Liam I'm sorry. I don't know why I got so angry when I saw
him and Dani kissing. They are so perfect. I saw it the first time they
were
together, even though they didn't see it themselves. He has been all
I ever wanted in a brother, and I betrayed his love too. I can never forgive
myself for
that.
Dad, as for Dani, I never
meant to hit her. I should have known that she would do anything to protect
her soul mate, but I let jealousy blind me
again. Sorry will never make it better. If she wakes up, tell her
sorry anyway, and if she doesn't, then I will find her in the Void and
tell her myself.
Dad, don't be sad that I
will soon be gone. I'll be happier where I am going. Never think that
I'm not with you, because I will always be, watching
over you all and trying to make up for all of the things I did wrong.
Your New Guardian Angel,
Ronnie
'There is only one place
he would go. I know because it is where I went when I needed to find a
way to forgive myself for the things that I had
done...' Liam remembered his father's words and hoped Sandoval was
right because he was racing against time—hoping to find Ronnie before he
could do
what he had threatened to do. Liam cleared his mind and let his father's
directions and memories guide him to the secluded cliff. When he got there,
he
froze.
Ronnie was standing near
the edge of the cliff with his arms outstretched and his head tilted back
as if was trying to reach out and grab the sky. He
was as still as a statue, and Liam stopped breathing, fearful that
even a little breath would send the boy over the edge.
Minutes of tense silence
passed, and then Ronnie whispered, "Liam, go away. You aren't wanted here."
Liam stepped forward slowly,
"I won't leave you here to do this."
Ronnie slowly lowered his
arms and then turned to face Liam, "You have no choice."
"Yes I do, unless you are
going to try and force me to leave," Liam crossed his arms over his chest.
" 'Cause if you don't force me, I'm not leaving."
Ronnie shook his head, "I
don't want to hurt anyone else, especially not you. Please, just go and
let me finish before..."
"Before what?” Liam asked.
"Before you chicken out?"
"No!” Ronnie cried. "Before
she wakes up. I don't want her to feel it!"
Liam was quiet a minute,
unsure of what Ronnie really meant, then something clicked and he knew.
"Dani's waking up?"
Ronnie's voice was tight,
"Yes, soon. I have to be gone by then!"
Ronnie took a quick step
toward the cliff, and Liam cried out to him, "Ronnie, no!"
Ronnie stopped, but didn't
turn around. "Liam, go, please," he whispered.
Liam stepped closer to Ronnie,
"No, she'll need you when she wakes up."
Ronnie laughed bitterly,
"To do what? Try and kill her again?"
Liam shook his head, but
before he could speak, Ronnie did.
"Don't try to tell me I
won't, Liam. Please just respect my wishes and go. Be the excellent brother
I know you are, and leave me alone."
Liam looked at Ronnie, and
then sat down on the ground, trusting the feeling he had that Ronnie wouldn't
jump while he was there, "No real brother
would leave you alone like this. I'm staying."
Ronnie angrily whirled around
to face Liam, "Don't you love me? Do you want me to kill you or Dani or
Dad?"
Liam managed to remain calm
even though the pain he saw on Ronnie's face was making him cry inside,
"I just believe that you won't do it."
Ronnie stalked over to Liam
and placed a glowing fist against his brother's head. Liam swallowed,
but said nothing.
"I'll do it if you don't
leave," Ronnie threatened.
Liam closed his eyes and
whispered in a tearful voice, "We forgave you for everything, Ronnie.
They will always love you. I will always love you.
Do what you have to."
Silence filled the air,
and, for a moment, everything was still. Suddenly, Ronnie let out an anguished
cry and dropped to the ground. Once there, he
curled into a ball and began sobbing.
Liam walked over to his brother and wrapped his arms around him. Ronnie
turned and sobbed into his shoulder, "I'm sorry. I don't want to be alone.
I don't
want to be alone. Don't leave me."
"I'll never leave you,"
Liam vowed fiercely. "No matter what happens. I'll never leave you..."
THE END
