This piece of fanfiction is a part of the Deutsche Taelon Bibliothek Advent Calendar event.

It was inspired by a story written a long time ago by one of my favourite authors, Seven O'Nine, and entitled 'Switchamaroo'.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: EFC is the property of Tribune Entertainment and Alliance Atlantis.

Through Your Eyes

Liam was exhausted after yet another day of his double life. The Resistance was becoming increasingly divided by the current political situation, and he – having taken upon himself the duty of the organization's leader – was expected to either de-escalate the tension or lead mankind into an open war with the Taelons. The truth was, most American cells were quite radical in their views and no less desperate to stand their ground, but the young man's Kimera legacy tempted him with a peaceful solution. Unfortunately, none would come into view as once and again the secret experiments supervised by the Taelon Synod were exposed by the media and the Liberation itself.

Throughout the past week dramatic negotiations in the Resistance headquarters seemed to last forever. It was already Liam Kincaid's third night without sleep, which – considering his in greater part human heritage – made him exhausted and likely to snap at the smallest triviality. Taking all these circumstances into account, that evening a message from Da'an was hardly anything but a nuisance; especially now that their relationship had deteriorated into mutual distrust bordering on hostility.

As he was walking down the street with his face hidden behind the high collar of his jacket, which protected him from the cold December wind, he could not help but snarl inwardly at the world around him. This was not what his life was supposed to look like…

Although two days left until Christmas had witnessed Washington in the sparkle of decorative lights, the truth was it could not mean less to a young man burdened with the survival of three species. Festive atmosphere used to mean something early in his life; with Lili and Augur reflecting that amazing side of mankind he could be proud of.

Loyalty. Respect. Friendship. Love.

All that he needed to learn to become what his Kimera father had predestined him to be: the hero for mankind, the saviour for the Taelons. With an odd longing, he recalled his own adolescence. At that stretch in time Da'an would helpfully fill all the blanks which his Protector's human friends could not, providing him with answers the alien part of him was looking for. He was grateful for the gift of knowledge, and for the utter secrecy, as Da'an had kept his identity a secret even until now – as he had promised.

Sadly, it seemed to be the only promise left unbroken, Liam concluded with a sigh.

As the obelisk of the Washington Monument loomed in the distance, he recalled it was the dispute over freedom which had drawn the final diving line between him and his Taelon mentor. With the passing time he had matured; yet maturity had smuggled betrayal, conflicts and needless deaths into his once peaceful life. It was disenchanting. Depressing. It seemed to have taken from him all the people he held dear, and the emptiness that remained was filled with little but silence.

With these thoughts in mind, Liam Kincaid entered the Taelon Embassy. It seemed dreadfully unfestive when set against the background of the city decorated with a lace of golden lights. As if wishing to take away the last trace of Christmas spirit, the edifice of the Embassy was the only building in the district untouched by the glittering snow, which had probably melted away at the first contact with protective energy shields.

Of course, this came as no surprise.

Taelons did not celebrate Christmas, and Liam did not really care. All of a sudden, he had stopped celebrating human holidays after Lili had been announced dead. Apparently, the emptiness after her demise (and, as it had later turned out, her journey to Jaridia) could not be filled by some tipsy carollers or an army of false Santas dispersed throughout all major stores in the city. He could not help feeling that Christmas was no more than some pitiful performance without a deeper meaning.

And a tiny Christmas tree which some desperate Volunteer must have left on the way to the lower level of the Embassy was no less pathetic…

'Good evening, Liam.'

The soft, melodious sound of Da'an's voice jolted his Protector from his thoughts. He turned to face the alien being seated gracefully in his purple, throne-like chair.

'Sinuai Euhura, Da'an,' he replied somewhat mechanically in perfect Eunoia, trying to shake the last melting snowflakes from his jacket. 'You wanted to see me?'

'Yes,' a soft blush swept through the Taelon's form as he waved his hand. 'I will require your services… tomorrow evening,' a longer pause immediately betrayed the diplomat's uneasiness. Curious, Liam raised his gaze from the floor to meet his employer's perfectly blue eyes, but just as he was about to speak, Da'an stopped him with a movement of his hand. 'I am aware of your increasing engagement in certain… other duties,' he said. 'However, since this particular assignment is of great importance, I nurture hope that my request shall be given favourable consideration.'

A request? Liam blinked. This did not seem like the powerful, proud being he had come to know. 'Well… I am your Protector after all,' he said.

As it quickly became obvious, implications and nuances of the human language were definitely not a Taelon thing. The diplomat continued to look expectantly at the man before him.

'That means I am available,' Liam hardly resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

'Splendid,' a cryptic smile crossed Da'an's lips. 'We shall meet here tomorrow at eight o'clock. I will await you.'

The man raised an eyebrow, waiting for the usual briefing, but the North American Companion had already risen from his chair and walked up to the virtual glass. It left no doubt as to where this conversation was going. It was over – the usual, Taelon style.
The young hybrid sighed and turned on his heels.

'Do not be late,' he heard the diplomat's soft voice as he was leaving.

Somewhat anxious, the next evening Liam arrived at the Embassy the way he had promised. Although he had managed to spare four hours for sleep, it was hardly enough to keep his senses sharp, and the atmosphere of secrecy the North American Companion had created the previous night did not bode well. His behaviour seemed too cordial for a Taelon, and a thought that the diplomat could be using real kryss again was nagging at his Protector's peace of mind.

Oddly, the audience chamber was barely illuminated like it usually was when the Synod would summon the North American Companion to the Mothership. Without thinking much, Liam activated the data stream and started browsing through Da'an's schedule. The last entry that day indicated the diplomat had not only gone to the Mothership, but also informed the Companion security he did not wish to be disturbed.

Trying to find a logical explanation, the young man rubbed his forehead. 'Great. So now it's down to playing cat and mouse,' he muttered to himself. Was that supposed to be his punishment for spending too much of his valuable time in the Resistance headquarters? After all, it was to be expected that Da'an would one day lose his patience. Only… just the day before he seemed genuinely content…

Eventually concluding that developing such theories without actual evidence would do him no good, he decided to discuss Da'an's absence with the security officer on duty. He strode out of the audience chamber, and nearly collided with a young woman on the way. The moment she saw him, she took a hesitant step back, which in itself aroused the man's suspicion.

'Hey,' his hand instinctively slid down to the energy gun, 'you're not part of the security personnel.'

She did not as much as blink, which only confirmed his assumption. Now that he took the time to have a closer look, he realized how skinny she looked in the awkward reindeer-patterned sweater which was at least two sizes above her own and a pair of equally too big, black jeans. If not for the fact that all the clothes were clean, and her wavy blond hair fell over her shoulders with a fruity scent of shampoo, one could have thought she was homeless.

'How did you get in here?' he demanded.

Without answering, she looked up at him. And the moment a bluish ripple of alien energy flashed across her grey eyes, Liam felt his blood run cold.

'Oh. My. God,' he mumbled. 'It's you, isn't it?'

'Y-yes,' her voice had a note of uncertainty in it.

'Da'an, what did you do?!'

'I…,' the small pause clearly indicated the Taelon had not yet mastered the art of using human vocal organs. 'I… transferred my… consciousness into a human form.'

Liam's jaw dropped. As if unable to assimilate the information, he continued to stare at the young woman with an expression that clearly communicated his confusion. Almost a minute passed before the footsteps of one of the security officers doing the usual check in the building finally brought him back to reality. Acting on instinct, he grabbed Da'an's hand and without warning pulled him (or rather – her) into the adjacent corridor to guarantee they would both remain unnoticed.

'Your hand is… warm,' he realized. 'This isn't a hologram…'

Uncomfortable with the unexpected physical contact, Da'an took a step back. 'As I have already clarified… this is a human form.'

His Protector still looked unconvinced. 'A real human body?'

'Yes.'

As the full implication of the statement sank in, Liam felt his voice break. 'Da'an, you have stolen – you've stolen someone's body!'

Unsurprisingly, the diplomat seemed in no way moved by his Protector's distress, looking at him with unblinking, bluish grey eyes.

'Who is she?!'

'This is Natalie Novak.' Da'an waved her hand, but his Protector could not help noticing that this typically Taelon gesture looked somewhat awkward when made by a human. 'She died in a car accident at the age of twenty-seven. With the help of Taelon technology, her form was preserved even though her consciousness had already passed into the next level.'

Liam winced, not quite sure whether he should be glad no human had been harmed during the experiment or rather terrified by the fact that his employer was inhabiting what could technically be called a corpse.

'Is the Synod involved in this?'

Da'an shook her head. 'Only several most loyal humans in my service have been informed.'

Liam sighed. Now Da'an's official note that he intended to spend the next few days on the Mothership made perfect sense. Nobody would look for him. Not even Zo'or.

'Okay… but why did you begin this in the first place?'

A cryptic smile curved the woman's lips. 'My wish was to experience the human world, and one of your most valued festivals appears to be an appropriate timing.'

Liam took a deep breath. 'So I take it you want me to accompany you in this experiment?'

The smile on Da'an's face widened to a grin.

'I'm really going to regret this,' the man whined, 'but it's not like I have any choice now, do I?'

'Technically, you do not.' Da'an wrapped her hands around the sweater, somewhat bothered by the change in the way she perceived temperature.

'You're cold?'

'I am not certain. Human perception… is different.'

Liam glanced at Da'an's Christmas-themed clothes again, wondering where the Taelon had got them from before a beep of his global broke the silence. He took a few steps away to make sure she would not be visible in the video transmission, and answered the call.

'Major,' Jeff Simons, who was one of the security officers on duty that night, saluted his superior with an uncomfortable look on his face.

'Jeff.' Liam did his best to look as casually as possible. 'Good to hear from you. What's up?'

'I am truly sorry to bother you, sir, but we've got a problem in the Volunteer headquarters. One of the Volunteers has accused her roommate of stealing her clothes…'

'That's… unexpected,' the hybrid sent Da'an a meaningful, accusing look.

'The situation spiralled out of control after several other Volunteers joined the fight. We need to break it up, but right now we're understaffed.'

'Yeah… I get it. I'm on my way.' Having ended the transmission, Liam turned to the alleged thief. 'I'll be right back and you… stay right here!'

Before you get yourself – and me – in more trouble, he added mentally.

Da'an leaned against the wall, the smile on her human face betraying the excitement she felt about the long-dreamed journey into the human world she was about to undertake.