Hung on a Razor's Edge
Prologue
A clearly agitated Renee strode out of the elevator and into the lair. A bored Street and a slightly annoyed Augur greeted her. The latter asked, "Just what was so important that I had to cancel my date? I thought with the Taelons gone I wasn't going to be on constant call anymore."
"It's about our old friend Sandoval. Whenever he does something the slightest bit unusual someone goes down to make sure he's not plotting to seize control of some small country. He's been spending a lot more of his ill-gotten gains lately, so I decided to check in personally, just so he'd know that it's not just a couple of low-level paper pushers who are still keeping an eye on him. When I arrived someone else was there with him…"
She paused for a moment and sighed. "You'll think I'm crazy if I just tell you, I'll show you." She took out her Global and quickly entered her instructions. In a moment a short video was being displayed on Augur's computer system.
Augur stared in shock at the images of a cute, happy child playing in a garden. "That looks like…It can't be." He said shaking his head in disbelief.
"What are you two talking about?" Street asked in a frustrated tone.
"The child appears to be about five years old, I think he may have shakarava and his name is Liam." Renee elaborated.
Street didn't take long to catch on, "You can't possibly think that's Major Kincaid," Street says incredulously.
"Stranger things have happened, and a lot of them around him." Renee answered.
Augur headed off Streets next objection by calling up a second image on the screen side-by-side with the first. It showed a young boy, the same young boy playing with a Taelon puzzle. "This is Liam before he suddenly grew into an adult. I don't think there can be any doubt that this is physically the same child. My questions are how, and what should we do about it?"