The Lesser of Two Evils - Part 1
An Earth - Final Conflict story by Tina Price
(TinaP@prodigy.net)
Preview: Should over two million people be sacrificed on the off-chance
that it might mean the survival of many more?
Disclaimer: Earth - Final Conflict and all characters therein are the
property of the Tribune Entertainment Company.
Author's note: This story is based upon my own idea of what is actually going on in the EFC universe. I am in no way receiving 'privileged information'. As always, advice, criticism and kudos are always welcomed. Please contact me at the above e-mail address.
Meeting
of the Taelon Synod
Wednesday, May 6th
13:52 Hours EST
"...And so, my fellows
and I have concluded that the only way to avoid this disaster is to intercept
5847 before the humans are even aware of the danger."
"We thank you, Bah'em. The
Synod will consult with you again once we have reached a decision." Quo'on
gestured gracefully with one hand as soon as Bah'em nodded his understanding,
causing the data stream which had projected the Taelon Scientist's image to
collapse instantly.
Quo'on, the Synod Leader,
turned his head to take in as many of his fellow members as possible.
"It is as we feared,"
he entoned as he tilted his head downward in a gesture of regret. "We are
unable to do as Bah'em wishes without great risk to ourselves and the majority
of the humans... and yet, to do nothing will result in heavy loss of
life."
"Of human life,"
Zo'or put in.
"It matters not," a
third Taelon said. "They are sentient beings..."
"..and they are critical
to our future survival," Quo'on followed up.
"They can hardly blame us
for something which is, as they say, an act of nature..." Zo'or continued,
uncowed.
Quo'on changed the subject.
"Bah'em's projections show that Eh'har's protectorate shall suffer the
most."
"Shall we recall him
now?" yet another Taelon asked.
"It would raise
unnecessary questions," Zo'or reminded them. "I suggest that we not
inform Eh'har at this time."
"If we are to follow this
course of inaction, we should inform Eh'har," the third Taelon said.
"He might be able to evacuate some of his protectorate using false
pretenses."
"The humans are likely to
see through any such pretense," Quo'on responded. "Eh'har, like
Da'an, is very protective of his charges. We shall not inform him of this event
until he learns of it from the humans."
For the next forty seconds no
Synod member spoke.
"Very well," Quo'on
said, breaking the seeming silence. "We shall inform only our key
companions on Earth of the situation."
The Synod meeting came to an
end.
Tuesday,
June 23rd
02:24 hrs
RING! Boone fumbled
around in the dark and managed to snag the phone as it began to tumble off the
end table. "Yeah?" was all he could manage to mumble into the
receiver.
"It's Lili. Jonathan is
asking for you. You'd better hurry."
"What is so urgent
that..." he began, but Lili cut him off.
"Just get dressed. I'll be
by in a short while to pick you up!!" she clicked off before he could
respond.
Boone replaced the phone,
glanced at the clock and groaned. He had been busy handling last minute
security arrangements for Da'an's visit to Hawaii and had only gotten to bed a
little over an hour ago.
Although Hawaii was still a
part of the United States, it fell under the jurisdiction of a Companion named
Eh'har, whose protectorate also included China, Russia, Japan and the
Philippines. Once a year, Da'an and Eh'har conferred, sharing long term goals
and jointly solving any problems which arose and pertained to the fiftieth
state. Boone just hoped that Doors was not going to try to get him to help
sabotage the meeting...
Less than an hour later he
arrived at the Resistance Headquarters, care of Taelon shuttle technology. Lili
had refused to talk while they were in transit and he knew from her demeanor
that whatever was going on was pretty serious.
"Boone, get over
here!" Doors bellowed as soon as they entered the main underground area.
"What have you got?"
he asked as he drew closer to the group huddled around the main view screen.
"Our operatives over at
NASA have just notified us of a discovery of dire proportions." Doors blew
his breath out as though he were having trouble composing himself. He tried to
continue, but instead just pointed at the computer-animated astrological chart
up on the view screen.
Boone's implant allowed him to
interpret the display in under five seconds, and yet he was so taken aback by
the ramifications of the event being depicted, that he took an extra two
seconds to double check the read-out.
"My God..." he
breathed. "Where did this thing come from?"
"Our astronomer friends
aren't exactly sure, but they theorize that this is an object which has somehow
been deflected from its usual trajectory out in the Kuiper Belt," Augur
explained as he approached from behind the group.
Boone had not even realized
that he was there until he spoke. The implant took a few seconds to search his
memory for mention of Kuiper Belt objects.
The belt occurred in a region
of space beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune. Even the Hubbell Space
Telescope had difficulty picking them up, mostly due to interference of other
objects which passed between the telescope and the belt - objects like debris,
planets, asteroids and moons.
It was only a few years back,
on August 22, 1994 that Hubbell had definitely identified such an object.
Believed to be an icy comet nucleus several miles across, the object was so
distant and faint that Hubbell's search was the equivalent of finding the
proverbial needle-in-a-haystack.
Astronomers had since
identified twenty nine candidate comet nuclei belonging to an estimated
population of two hundred million particles orbiting the edge of our solar
system.
"I take it that NASA
believes it to be one of the twenty nine identified comet nuclei," Boone
ground out, drawing several double-takes from the people standing around him.
"An implant is a wonderful
thing..." Augur nearly drooled as he looked at Boone with undisguised
envy.
"Yeah? Let's hear you say
that when mine burns out." Boone was unable to keep the bitterness from
his voice, causing Augur to actually look regretful of his poorly chosen words.
"Listen man, I'm sorry.
I..."
"Forget it," the
security chief snapped. "We have better things to discuss right now."
He studied the view screen for another few seconds and then turned toward
Doors. "I assume that NASA is certain that it's going to impact our
planet?"
"Pretty sure from what I
hear."
"Why didn't they pick this
up before now?" another Resistance member asked.
"Our contact says that it
was just bad luck - too many other planetary bodies screening the object until
just two days ago. Which brings me to a question that I would really like to
have answered..." Doors stared directly at Boone. "The Taelons had to
have known of this before we did. Why haven't they said anything? Are they
keeping this to themselves for some reason?"
"That's two
questions," Boone smiled before becoming serious again. "In all
honesty, I have no idea why they've kept silent...Perhaps they wanted us to
make the discovery?"
"Boone..." Lili shot
him a deadly look. "You know there's more to it than that! This newborn
comet could be the death of us all and thanks to the Taelons shutting down all
our aerospace programs and severely restricting NASA, we have no way to defend
against it!"
"They can't just let us
die, Lili. They need us for some reason." Boone did his best to calm all
those around him. It would be best if they didn't start jumping to wild
conclusions. "I'm sure that they can destroy this hunk of ice - they're
probably not even worried about it yet..."
"I hope you're
right," Doors said sourly, "or no one will be left alive to really
care why they're here."
"Will NASA go public with
this or are they going to try to avoid causing a panic?" the tall ex-cop
asked.
"Looks like they're going
to release this as soon as they're certain of where the comet is going to hit.
By the way, did I mention that it's due to impact on July 18th?"
"No you didn't."
Boone placed his fists on his hips. "Let me get up with Da'an on this and
see if he can shed some light on what's going on here."
"Are you crazy?" Lily
stared at him. "How will you explain to him that you know about this
before anybody else?"
"Hey," Boone spread
his arms in a shrug. "I AM the head of his Security - I'll think of
something."
As he headed for the door with
Lili in tow, Doors called out after him. "Just try to get back to us on
this before July 18th!"
The Taelon implant winced and
continued out.
"Think he'll dig up
anything useful?" Augur asked.
"Probably. He and that
Taelon are getting a bit too chummy if you ask me," Doors said with a
scowl. He glanced at the view screen one more time, turned on his heel and left
for his office. He had to pass this information on to other key operatives in
the hopes that they could all come up with some contingency plan.
Tuesday,
June 23rd
04:08 hrs
William Boone entered an
upper chamber of the Taelon Embassy, only one of two humans with the freedom to
do so at any hour. He found Da'an reclined in his chair, a stream of flowing,
sparking blue energy enveloping him.
The security chief stood
silently at a distance, unwilling to interrupt the North American Companion. He
wasn't sure if Da'an was sleeping, recharging, absorbing information or perhaps
doing all three at once. One thing was certain. The companion always seemed
aware of Boone's presence and this time was no exception. Within two minutes of
his entrance, Da'an sat up as the blue energy stream faded from sight.
"I sense your
turmoil," Da'an murmured as he gestured toward his implant. "...and
you have not rested. Please, tell me what it is that troubles you so."
"I have just learned of
the approach of a comet which is going to impact this planet. Why haven't your
people mentioned anything about this?"
Da'an's mouth became a thin
line and he tilted his head backward as though looking down his nose at Boone.
It was a posture which instantly set off the warning bells in the security
chief's mind. Although the two of them had reached an understanding, there
could be little doubt that the interests of Da'an's species still came first.
"How is it that you have
gained this knowledge and at an hour such as this?" Da'an asked with an
expression of distrust.
"Every good cop has his
connections. I wouldn't be of much use to you without them." Boone
attempted to put Da'an more at ease. "Please, Da'an, that your people kept
this to themselves was one thing, but why couldn't you have shared this
information with me? Something is wrong - I can see it in your posture. What is
it?"
Da'an seemed to relax and
nodded almost imperceptibly.
"You must understand the
delicacy of my position, Boone. There is much which I may not impart to you
because of the direct orders of my superiors."
"I understand."
"Moreover, my very
thoughts threaten to betray us." The pale, exotic alien rose from his
chair and approached his security chief. "Come. Let us ascend to a
different chamber," he said as he gestured briefly toward a ramp which ran
up the side of the room.
The two of them moved slowly up
the incline, Boone intentionally pacing himself so that Da'an would not tire
himself. Beneath the suit he wore, Boone knew that Da'an was in fact a thin,
weak being, unused to the gravity of this planet. He had long suspected that
the suit was an exo- skeletal structure which provided Da'an with the strength
he needed to survive here. All the Taelon Companions stationed upon Earth wore
them.
They eventually entered a small
chamber which Boone had never seen before. Situated at the top of the Taelon
structure, it had virtual glass walls nearly completely circumscribing its
round structure. Even the ceiling was clear. There were five small Taelon-style
chairs arranged in a circle at the room's center with a data stream portal dead
center of them.
Da'an seated himself and
gestured for Boone to take the seat next to him. With a wave of his arm, the
companion commanded the virtual glass to disappear, letting the cool morning
breeze into the room.
Boone sighed as the scents
carried by the fresh air reached his nose.
Da'an smiled briefly. "It
is lovely, is it not?" He received a nod from his implant and continued.
"Your planet is so different from my own...strange to me, and yet
beautiful, even to my people..."
"Your...people are not
going to stop this comet, are they?"
"You have a rare gift for
understanding." Da'an turned his bluer-than-human eyes upon Boone's own.
"When was the Synod first
aware of this danger and why are they unwilling to help us?" Boone's
confusion was clearly evident in his tone of voice.
"By 'us', I assume you
mean your fellow humans." Da'an almost, but not quite brushed Boone's hand
with his own. "As my implant, it is more important now than ever that you
take care not to associate yourself with your world, rather than with the
companions." Seeing that his implant was about to object, Da'an cut him
off. "I remind you of this for both our sakes..."
Boone swallowed. Da'an had warned
him once of just what would happen if the Synod discovered that he had free
will.
Da'an waved once more, causing
a data stream to begin its cascade before them. It displayed time-lapse
graphics of the approaching comet which ended with it crashing into the pacific
ocean right off the coast of Hawaii's smallest major island, Lanai. The
graphics switched to the likely scenario to follow, as tidal waves enveloped
two thirds of the island chain and caused the long dormant, Haleakala volcano,
the largest such volcano in the world, to erupt violently. It also projected
that Haleakala's eruption would in turn trigger the normally placid Kilauea
volcano to blow itself sky high. Little of the existing island chain would
remain habitable. Taelon symbols under the image estimated the death toll at
over two million people.
"The Synod means to stand
by and allow this to happen??" Boone spat out in disbelief.
"Why?"
"The Synod did not reach
this decision lightly, Boone." Da'an looked down at the floor. "They
conclude that the deaths of millions is far preferable to the
alternative..."
"Which is?"
"That in our desire to
save these lives, we unwittingly forfeit the entire planet and ourselves."
Boone stared at Da'an in
speechless dismay. The alien's normally calm blue eyes were phosphorescing with
some strong emotion which he could not identify. Was it sympathy, or was it
fear?
"You're telling me that
the greatest danger comes from elsewhere, aren't you?"
Boone received a nod from
Da'an. He shifted restlessly in his seat, his anxiety over the comet and the
intense stare of the companion making him fidget. Still Da'an stared
unblinkingly at him, as a thought came almost unbidden to his mind. 'He wants
me to ask him something,' Boone realized.
"Please...tell me how your
people would destroy this comet, if they chose to," he asked.
Da'an seemed to relax, as the
glow suddenly left his eyes.
"One of our ships would...for
want of a better human word... vaporize it using a weapon, the likes of which
you could not hope to comprehend."
"But that weapon might
also draw the attention of a third party?"
Da'an nodded.
Boone rose quickly to his feet
and began pacing back and forth before the data stream as Da'an sat motionless,
save for the restless motion of his fingers and his eyes, which tracked his
implant's movements.
Suddenly Boone halted and
approaching Da'an, crouched down before him.
"Da'an, if the Synod does
nothing to stop this disaster, they might as well just call it quits now and
announce their presence here to Mr. Bugey man or whoever the hell it is that
has them so frightened!"
Boone reached out and
grasping the arms of the companion's chair, gave it a shake. "If the Synod
allows this to happen - if they do nothing - there is not a human on this
planet who will welcome your kind again!"
Seeing the look upon the
companion's face, he continued. "The fight will be over with before it's
even begun. You want our help with what lies ahead? You want humans to risk
themselves on your behalf? Then you must be willing to risk something on our
behalf as well!"
"Da'an!" Boone
shifted his grasp to the Taelon's forearms. "If your people destroy the
comet and attract this third party's attention, at least you will have won the
gratitude of my species. Your good deeds will gain you more support than any
subterfuge you have so far undertaken."
Done making his plea, Boone
stared at his improbable friend and awaited his decision.
He did not have to wait long.
Da'an moved his hands so that
they in turn gripped Boone's forearms. "Boone...your words carry the
truth, as they have time and again. I do believe you to be right in this
matter, however I am not the Synod and I do know them well enough to know that
they shall not reverse their decision..."
"Da'an, you can't..."
Boone began, but was cut off.
"Please allow me to
finish," the Taelon blushed blue and paused to compose himself. "I
will appeal to the Synod...but I recommend that you implement a secondary
course of action."
Before the security chief could
speak, Da'an slowly brought his left hand up and placed it, palm down, on
Boone's forehead.
A sudden flood of visual images
and ideas assailed him - a veritable hurricane of confusing memory which made
the room reel and his stomach churn. It ended as quickly as it had started.
Boone found himself laid out on
the floor as Da'an watched him anxiously from his chair.
He sat up quickly and regretted
it as he found himself in the midst of the worse hangover he could imagine.
With a groan, he brought a hand to his head and met the worried eyes of his
companion.
"What did you do?" he
hissed out between clenched teeth.
"I regret that I have
caused you pain." Da'an stood and extended a hand to help Boone up. With
some effort he managed to get his implant back on his feet. "Go home,
Boone. Sleep. I believe that you will contact me when you awaken."
Boone nodded. The companions
words made perfect sense to him.
Sleep.
He needed to sleep.
"I better be going,"
he mumbled. "I need to go home and sleep."
"I understand," Da'an
smiled. "We will talk more of this later."
Boone wheeled about and left
the Taelon's presence, wondering why he had come here in the first place.
04:26 hrs
"So, what did he
say?" Lili asked as Boone positioned his restraints.
"He said to go home and
get some rest." The security chief looked like he was about to pass out.
"He what?"
"I'll stop by again later
today when I can think clearly."
Lili eyed him, worried by his
appearance. "You look awfully pale. Are you all right?"
"Yeah...I...Da'an did
something..." Boone rubbed his face and shook his head. "Just get me
home, Lili. I promise to call you later on. Maybe some of this will make some
sense then."
The no-nonsense ex-marine
nodded and readied the shuttle for lift off. A few hours delay shouldn't really
cause a problem and she doubted that Boone would be of any use in his present
condition.
Later
that Morning
09:41 hrs.
*THUD*
"Arghhh!!"
William Boone sat up and looked
around in confusion. He had somehow managed to fall out of bed, something that
he hadn't done since he was seven.
"What in the..."
He stopped as he began to
remember the strange dream he had just had. It had seemed to go on forever, and
now he was reliving it again in just seconds, due to his CVI.
"Da'an, you slick..."
he grinned when the flashback ended.
With a bound he was at his data
terminal and dialing his office.
"Lili! Come pick me
up!" he greeted his assistant.
"Boone, is something
wrong?" she asked, worried about the resistance's key operative.
"Far from it," he
grinned. "Hurry. I'll tell you in the shuttle."
"In that case, I'm on my
way!" Lili clicked off.
Boone was about to turn away
from his terminal when another portion of his dream came vividly back to him.
In the dream, he had been
standing before Da'an in the Taelon's 'office'.
"How will I know the
entrance code? It's a Taelon lock-up." he had asked.
"Read the following
stories again, Boone," Da'an had answered. He had then gone on to list
them.
Boone stared down at his
computer for a few seconds before bringing up a list of all the stories he had
read with Da'an during his Eunoia lessons.
Of course! They were listed in
the order in which he had learned them, so Da'an's list provided him with the
code if he assigned each story a chronological number!
"Sweet!" he murmured
and then ran for the bedroom so that he would be dressed when Lili arrived.
10:04 hrs
"Well?" Lili
questioned as soon as Boone entered the shuttle.
He gestured for her to lift off
and waited until they were in transit before answering.
"This morning Da'an
informed me that the Taelons were aware of the approaching comet, but would not
be doing anything to stop it from impacting this planet."
"What? My God, Doors was
right about them...they're..."
"Lili. Lili!" he
repeated, finally getting her attention. "The Taelons are afraid that if
they stop the comet, they'll draw the attention of a third party...a very
dangerous third party."
Lili looked over her shoulder
at him, but remained speechless.
"Yeah, I reacted the same
way," Boone admitted. "Da'an is on our side. He said that he'd try to
talk Quo'on into changing his stance on this, but he also warned that he didn't
believe that he would be able to do so."
"What are we going to
do?" Lili asked. "We can't just stand by and let this happen."
She paused a moment and then turned to glare at him. "Wait a minute! You
implied that you had good news this morning!"
Boone nodded and grinned.
"This morning, Da'an touched my forehead."
"Congratulations. I take
it that means you two are engaged?"
Boone laughed. "Lili, when
he touched me I saw things...but it was just too much to take in. I was
literally knocked on my backside! As it was, I barely remember you taking me
home..."
"Yeah, you looked pretty
bad."
"Well, when I slept, it
all came back to me." Boone leaned forward. "Lili, the Taelons have
several of their weapons stashed here on Earth! They did this to leave
themselves the option of a last strike from Earth, should the enemy take out
their main ships." He stopped and waited for his words to sink in. As
Lili's eyes widened, he continued. "My dream was incredibly realistic. In
it, Da'an explained about the devices and showed me where they were located. He
let me know that a Taelon shuttle - like this one - could deliver the weapon
into the path of the comet."
"So...we have to steal a
Taelon weapon and shuttle without getting caught and find someone who can not
only pilot the shuttle, but is willing to sacrifice themselves. Oh, and let's
not forget that we have to hope that the shuttle isn't intercepted in space by
the Taelon fleet. No problem..." Lili blew her breath out.
"You left out one thing.
We have to make sure that none of this is traced back to Da'an."
"Oh, of course!"
Lili's full attention was drawn back to piloting the shuttle as it approached
the Taelon embassy in DC. One minute later, she had it down on the ground.
Boone wasted no time in
throwing off his restraints. "I'll be a while. Do me a favor - contact
Doors and get him to assemble all our key personal. We're gonna need to do some
serious planning once we rendezvous with the others."
"Will do. Just dial me up
when you're ready to go. Oh, and while you're tied up, I'll stop and say hello
to Sandoval. I'm looking forward to pulling his chain - it's been a
while."
"Sounds like a plan."
As he left the shuttle, Boone had to work hard at wiping the smile off his face.
It wouldn't do to give Sandoval
advance warning of Lili's arrival.
The Taelon's human Security
chief and head of Interspecies Relations entered Da'an's presence, to find him
discussing business with Ronald Sandoval, late of the FBI.
Although Da'an nodded in
acknowledgment of his implant's arrival, he did not bid him approach and so
Boone remained near the door.
While he waited, he turned over
in his mind, different potential plans for carrying out what could prove to be
the only chance at life that those in Hawaii would get.
He was brought back to the
present by Sandoval. Finished with his report to Da'an, the Taelon's right hand
man had paused on his way out of the chamber to great his sometime rival.
Things had actually remained
semi-friendly between them since Boone had saved the agent's life.
"Getting a late start
today, Boone?" Sandoval actually smiled. "That's certainly not like
you."
"Actually, I was here
earlier this morning."
"Anything the
matter?"
"No, not really. Da'an and
I cleared it up." Boone nodded to the other implant and moved past him
into the room as Sandoval left.
He approached Da'an, unsure of
the welcome he would receive or how he should broach the dangerous subject of
the weapon theft.
"Boone," the Taelon
nodded formally. "I see that you have taken my advice and are now
rested."
"Yes, and you wouldn't
believe the strange dreams I had." Da'an wasn't the only one who could be
cryptic, Boone reflected.
"Dreams are often the
harbingers of prophecy." The companion waved a hand delicately before him.
"Many times they give insight into the truth."
"I figured that out,"
Boone ground out, tired of the oblique conversation. "Tell me, did you
talk with Quo'on?"
"Yes. He is most regretful
of the situation and he fears the loss of human support which will come from
the Synod's decision."
"But?" Boone
prompted.
"It is as I feared. He
still feels that the Synod acts correctly in this matter." Da'an watched
as his implant looked down at the ground and heard him sigh. "There is
something else which you should know," he said, instantly reclaiming his
implant's attention. "Eh'har has not yet been informed of the coming
disaster."
"What? Why?"
"Eh'har is a true
companion to his protectorate. The Synod fears his actions, should he have
forewarning of this event."
"Ahhh...so it's not all
that uncommon for a Taelon to go against the Synod's wishes!" Boone was
elated by the news, but his elation didn't last long as he saw Da'an's mouth
tighten into a thin line.
"I see that you have yet
to comprehend the difficulties of our positions as companions." Da'an rose
from his chair and approached his implant. "Eh'har has been a true friend
to me...and yet, I fear that he will be hurt by this event, regardless of the
outcome."
Boone stared at Da'an, who in
turn was staring down at Boone's feet. That the Taelon was upset could not be
doubted.
"Tell me what troubles
you," he finally managed.
"One of us will answer to
the Synod for what is to come," Da'an raised his eyes so that he was
looking directly into Boone's own hazel ones.
"I see..." Boone
thought fast. "Perhaps we can arrange it so that the Synod is unable to
determine who is at fault..."
Da'an cocked his head to one
side and then the other. His eyes suddenly snapped back to Boone's. "It is
unlikely that you could accomplish such a feat, however, it...would be most
appreciated."
It was Boone's turn to look
down at the ground, unable to put his strange friend at ease. Something
suddenly dawned on him.
"I have a question."
"Please state it."
"How do you expect me to
pull this thing off? I'd have to have a small army..."
Da'an cut him off. "You
boasted of your many 'connections' just this morning." That said, the
companion turned and ascended to his chair. Seating himself, he dismissed Boone
with one hand held to his chest and the other out as though in supplication.
Resistance
Headquarters,
North America
11:11 hrs.
"Well, I think that
just about covers everything," Boone gestured again to the large display
screen and signaled for the lights to be turned up. "Jonathan?"
Doors, a slight man with a
gravely voice and a big presence, approached the display.
"First off, allow me to
say that this entire plan reeks of being a Taelon trap..."
"Now, wait a
minute..." Boone began.
"No. You wait." Doors
leveled a deadly look at the taller man. "For this plan to work, many of
our operatives will need to lay it on the line. If Da'an is lying, you, Lili
and many of our key people would be exposed. It would be the perfect
setup..."
"Da'an was NOT lying. He
spoke to me with his mind...you CANNOT keep secrets with your thoughts."
"And how many of your lies
has he seen through? How much of the truth did he glean from your mind?"
Doors pressed. "Does he already know about us? Where we are? Who we
are?"
The billionaire founder of the
resistance slammed a hand down on the console. "Your precious Taelon
friend will be our downfall!"
Boone did his best to retain
his composure in the face of Doors' stinging attack. He failed. "Da'an
already knows that my CVI's motivational imperative is nonfunctional," he
ground out. Amid the startled gasps and shocked stares, he continued. "He
figured it out weeks ago when I had the flu, as you well know!"
"He's biding his
time..."
"Get off it!" Boone
turned his attention back to the rest of the gathered resistance force.
"This is our only chance to save Hawaii and her people. Are we going to
pass it up just because one Taelon has turned out to have a conscience?"
He looked around the room,
shocked by how many would not meet his eyes. "Millions of lives lie in the
balance," he continued, determined to make them hear reason. "If you
just sit on this - if you do nothing - then, what is the difference between you
and the Taelon Synod?"
His plea seemed to galvanize
the room. People turned to whisper to each other. Some overheard snippets of
conversation seemed to be in favor of the plan, while others seemed to be in
Doors' camp. The volume in the room quickly rose as some tried to bring others
around to their way of thinking.
Doors called for attention.
"As much as it frightens me to say this," he said into the ensuing
lull, "Boone has a point. We can't just pass up this opportunity. If we
sit on this, then we ARE no better than the Taelons."
Boone turned to look at Doors.
"Thank-you," he said simply.
"Oh don't thank me
yet," Doors nearly growled. "We've got some grueling planning sessions
ahead of us."
He turned back to address the
rest of the room. "Well? What are you all waiting for? Start breaking up
into groups. I want to start getting some good ideas - yesterday!"
As Doors moved off in the
direction of his office - to contact yet more operatives, no doubt - Boone
moved off toward Lili and Augur. He already had some good ideas and couldn't
wait to run them by his friends.
Thursday,
July 2nd
08:42 hrs.
Lili adjusted the shuttle's
course and leaned back in her chair. For the next few minutes, she would have
little to do but keep an eye on her display. She glanced back over her right
shoulder and caught a small nod from Boone.
It did nothing to calm her
nerves.
Her other passengers this time out
included Da'an, Sandoval, his assistant and several of his guards.
They were on their way to the
Taelon embassy in Hawaii. If everything went well, the conference between the
two Taelon companions would begin later in the afternoon...and the first part
of the Resistance's plan would go into action immediately thereafter.
Said plan had been finalized a
week ago. Although Boone himself had laid down it's foundations, his own
request had been that he and Lili not know exactly how it was going to go down,
or who would ultimately be involved.
That was the part that made her
nervous...
It didn't help things that the
announcement of the comet's course had been released by NASA. Thank God the
agency had not revealed the impact point yet - people were in enough of a panic
as it was.
The Taelons had suffered many
anti-Taelon demonstrations and many of their cultural centers had been
vandalized.
So far they had shown admirable
restraint in not calling out their implanted shock troops.
She was distracted from her
introspection by a conversation between Sandoval and Boone.
"Ever been to Hawaii,
Boone?" The handsome, Asian aide asked.
"Nope."
"You'll love it,"
Sandoval continued. "It's quite charming."
"I'm looking forward to
soaking up some sun on the beach...when Da'an's done with me of course."
Boone admitted.
"An excess of solar
radiation could prove harmful, Boone." Da'an unexpectedly joined the
conversation. "I recommend that you limit your time to the evening
hours."
"Now, you have to admit
that a little sunshine is a good thing," Boone countered. "Anyway,
you wouldn't want me to get so pale that I could pass myself off as a Taelon,
would you?"
Sandoval, Lili and the other
passengers all gaped at Boone's audacity, but Da'an merely stared at his
implant from the corners of his eyes before shifting his attention back to the
shuttle display and returning to some inner contemplation.
Noting the stares being
directed his way, Boone gave a small shrug and leaned back further in his
chair, stretching his legs out before him. He wasn't quite sure himself why he
had made that remark to Da'an, but he suspected that it came from some deep-seated
curiosity about his friend. He still knew so little about him...did he have a
sense of humor? Was he lonely? Exactly how much pressure was this secret Taelon
agenda placing him under? Could such concepts even be applied to a companion?
Boone sighed and shifted
restlessly in his seat, only to find that Da'an was regarding him again.
The Companion's calm blue eyes
were fixed steadily on his own.
"Peace, Boone," the
Taelon spoke. "We shall speak of what troubles you after I have met with
my fellow companion."
Boone nodded and sat up
straighter as the otherworldly visitor once again faced forward and seemed to
lose interest in his surroundings. How he wished he could tell Da'an that
their's was a conversation which would probably never take place...
He became aware of Sandoval's
envious stare, but it was Lili's understanding gaze which he met.
Lili was about to smile at
Boone, when Da'an's gaze slid from straight ahead, over to her.
She quickly turned back to her
display
Less than an hour later,
they were escorted into the presence of Eh'har by his aide, a tall no-nonsense
Polynesian woman named MaSun. Her mannerisms were uncannily reminiscent of
Sandoval and Boone found himself instantly on his guard.
The Taelon Embassy here in
Hawaii was even larger and more complex than Da'an's structure back in DC. It
was not so tall, but much larger in circumference. The interior was of a
slighter green tone than the blue walls in the DC structure and Boone found
himself wondering if it was due to Eh'har's own individual preferences.
Individuality was a concept
which the Taelon's implied had no place in their race's social structure.
Still...it was important to Boone to determine if it did exist. If
individuality was truly a foreign concept to the Taelons, then how long would
it be before they ceased to tolerate it humans?
Boone was brought back to the
here and now by Lili, who gave him an unobserved jab in the ribs.
They had reached Eh'har's
audience chamber.
Eh'har was seated in a chair
identical to the one Da'an usually occupied back on the mainland. A tall,
powerfully built man with platinum hair stood off to his left, while MaSun
moved to stand at his right.
While Boone and Sandoval
stopped at a respectful distance, Da'an moved forward until he was within five
feet of his fellow Companion. He held his hands before him in a graceful
gesture of greeting and inclined his head slightly.
Rising and moving forward until
he was within reach of Da'an, Eh'har mirrored the greeting.
Both companions raised their
heads and gazed silently upon each other. Every so often, one or the other
would blush blue.
It was very apparent to Boone
that they were communicating and he reflected that he would be willing to give
much to hear what they were saying.
In less than a minute, the
silent greeting was over. Da'an and Eh'har both approached as Eh'har's people brought
up the rear.
"Agent Sandoval,"
Eh'har said in a voice very much like Da'an's own. "I am pleased to see
you again."
"It is always a pleasure
and an honor to visit your abode, Eh'har," Sandoval said as he bowed
slightly.
Eh'har nodded and then turned
his eyes toward Boone. "William Boone, it is most rewarding to finally
make your acquaintance."
"The honor is all
mine." Boone nodded.
"I have heard much about
you from my fellows."
"Not all bad, I hope."
Boone could not resist the jest.
Eh'har looked at Da'an.
"You are quite right, he is most... unusual." He turned back toward
Boone. "Most of what I know of you is pleasing to me."
Unable to come up with an
adequate response, Boone finally gave a small bow.
"Please allow me to
introduce you to our implant, David Hauer. He is head of Security here and like
yourself, comes to us with an impressive police record."
Boone shook hands with his
alter-ego, but wasn't able to warm to the man - he was cool and withdrawn - the
perfect Taelon implant.
"You will all be staying
with us overnight," Eh'har announced. "This embassy has
accommodations which are more than adequate for your needs." He gestured
towards MaSun. "My aide will show you to your quarters."
Boone pointedly looked at
Da'an.
"I shall remain here.
Please rest. We will send for you once we have conferred."
"Perhaps I could remain
and discuss the security arrangements for the conference with Mr. Hauer?"
"Later Boone." Da'an
gave him a look which showed his annoyance.
Stung by the abrupt dismissal,
Boone pivoted about and followed the others without a backward glance.
Takura
Conference Center
14:22 hrs.
Boone completed his circuit
of the main conference hall floor and satisfied with Hauer's security
arrangements, returned to the right stage entrance doors.
Da'an and Eh'har had
satisfactorily concluded their business and it was nearly time for the annual
public forum to begin.
The companions usually started
off by announcing any major policy changes which they had made and explaining
how those changes would benefit the State. After the announcements were over,
the press and the public were invited to ask questions and air their concerns.
Rather than being the type of media circus which Boone had dealt with back
before the Taelon's arrival, these forums were mostly orderly and...polite.
Rudeness was not tolerated, and no answers would be given to the individual who
interrupted anther's question.
Boone looked around the large
auditorium again. Nearly every seat was now filled. A glance at his watch
showed the time as 14:30.
Hauer's voice sounded in his
earphone.
It was time.
Nodding to the guards on either
side of the doors, Boone opened them and stepped aside to let Eh'har and Hauer
pass.
As Da'an and Sandoval followed,
he fell into step behind them, while Lili took up his abandoned post at the
door.
The audience broke into
applause as the popular companions moved up onto the stage and seated
themselves at the conference table. Boone, Hauer and Sandoval stood behind them
while Palauni MaSun stood at attention in front of the stage.
The audience had settled down
and Eh'har had just begun his welcoming speech, when two shots rang out.
MaSun fell, struck once in the
neck.
Boone threw himself on the
floor behind the table and yanked Da'an down next to him as Sandoval fired his
skrill. In the next few seconds, Hauer and Eh'har appeared on the floor as
well. They seemed to be unharmed.
"Where are they?"
Boone shouted to Sandoval, struggling to be heard above the sound of the
panicking crowd.
"Somewhere up near the
floodlights." The aide yelled back as several more shots rang out, driving
him down next to Boone.
"We can't stay here!
Sooner or later they're going to try shooting through the table!" Boone
yelled. "Get Da'an out of here! I'll keep them pinned down!"
Without waiting for a response,
he knelt, propped his arm on the tabletop and began firing his skrill non-stop
in the direction of the stagelights. Behind him, he could hear Sandoval
encouraging the others to crawl faster. Several shots rang out to his right as
Lili placed herself between the companions and the danger.
"Boone! Hurry!" she
yelled as the others made it out the side door and she was able to cover him.
Rapidly tiring from the energy
demands imposed by his skrill, he jumped to his feet and sprinted through the
door. Lili joined him a second later.
There was no sign of the
Taelons - Sandoval would have moved them to a more secure location.
"Come on," he gasped
as he headed down the corridor. "This can't be the expected diversion -
they killed MaSun!"
Lili merely nodded as she kept
pace beside him.
They caught up with Sandoval
and the others at the exit nearest the shuttle.
"Boone!" Sandoval
waved him on, urging him to move more quickly. "We have to get to the
shuttle!"
"Let me and Lili go
first," Boone panted. He was still having trouble catching his breath. He
could see the concern in Da'an's eyes. "Don't worry," he managed.
"We'll get out of this."
Without waiting for a reply, he
flung one of the doors open and moved outside. Lili didn't hesitate in
following.
The shuttle was in the center
of a small parking lot, which had been kept clear of other vehicles. The lot
was bordered by trees, a busy four lane road, the conference center and a large
hotel.
The two of them split up,
quickly moving in opposite directions so that they could not be picked off with
a single shot. Each turned in an arc, checking their surroundings for the enemy,
as they closed the distance to the shuttle.
They were within five feet of
the shuttle when Boone waved the others out. In the distance he could hear a
police siren. Chances were good that the assassins had fled, but he and Lili
kept their guard up, ready to cover the four approaching figures if need be.
"Looks like the cavalry
has arrived," Lili commented as she indicated two approaching police
cruisers.
Boone glanced back over a
shoulder at one of the vehicles, taking in the shield decal on its side. His
CVI kicked in, displaying the decals of every know police department in the
country. The decal on the car was a fake.
"It's a trap!" he
yelled. "Sandoval! Get them back!"
Without waiting, Boone dove for
the pavement, rolled and came up firing. The closest car was vaporized by his
skrill's most powerful blast, but not before one of the occupants took Hauer
out with a rifle shot to the chest.
Sandoval was shoving the two
companions back toward the building as he attempted to fire behind him at the
same time. His aim was off, but it was enough to cause the remaining car to
swerve and dodge the blasts.
Lili managed to take out the
driver with a shot through the windshield, causing the vehicle to go into a
skid and stop between them and the retreating Taelons.
Da'an looked back just in time
to see something sail out of the phony police car and land on the pavement
between Lili and Boone.
There was a blinding flash,
followed by a boom. For a brief instant, the implant and his assistant were
both airborne...and then they crashed back to Earth and lay still.
"Boone!" Da'an
actually managed to raise his voice above its usual speaking volume, as he
hesitated in his retreat.
"There's nothing we can
do," Sandoval yelled as he pushed Da'an toward the building. The doors
were only a few yards away. "Hurry! He would want you to survive!"
They reached the doors and
disappeared inside.
End
of Part 1
To be concluded...
As I said in the earlier post, I'm not the author; I'm a fan of her work. Those of you who are asking yourselves the point of posting other peoples' work are wondering why I'm posting this. It's because I keep looking at the emptiness of the EFC section and I finally couldn't stand it. So in addition to my own work, I'll post Tina Price's work as well. (She happens to be my favorite EFC fan fiction writer.) Please Enjoy this Fan Fiction.
