Authors note: This story was originally posted over on EZBoard under the
title "Narrow Escape". On later thought I found this title more fitting.
The Luck of the Irish
Ronald Sandoval looked up and frowned when he saw Frank Tate enter his office onboard the Mothership. Tate grinned widely, but then he nearly always did.
"What do you want, Tate? I´m busy." He said curtly. He had no use for Tate's lousy sense of humor.
"You still want proof that Kincaid is Resistance, boss?" Tate pressed on regardless of the expression on his boss's face.
"I really don´t have time for stupid questions." Sandoval growled as the other FBI Agent sprawled in the chair on the other side of his desk. Tate grinned ever wider.
"Well, I may just have a way to do just that."
"How?" Sandoval replied with minimal interest. People constantly came up with ideas to bring down the Resistance. Ideas that could never work.
"My people picked up a coded signal. The DC Resistance cell is planning an attack on a prisoner transport tonight."
"There is no such transport tonight."
"Ah, but the Resistance doesn´t know that." Tate grinned and slowly that grin found it´s twin on Sandoval´s face.
"Liam, look out!" Liam heard Renee´s voice over the racket of weapons fire and instantly dove to the ground. The energy blast passed over him, close enough to make his hair stand on edge. Looking around he spotted Renee behind a low wall.
"Renee! Cover me" He yelled.
"Sure thing!" She yelled back and instantly her shots intensified, giving Liam room to move. He bowed low and ran for cover in a zigzag pattern. Panting he dropped down beside Renee.
"Thanks!"
"You´re welcome, Kincaid!" Renee had to shout to be heard over the sounds of fighting all around them, "Damn it! We´ve walked right into a trap!"
"Yeah, I know! We´ve got to get everybody out!" As he said those words Liam pulled out his global, "Everyone, this is Kincaid! Get yourself to safety!" He closed the global forcefully.
"Let´s hope you got through to everyone!" Renee said as she fired another round of shots over the wall.
"I hope so too!" Liam would have said more, but just then a car stopped right behind them with screaming breaks. The door was thrown open and Juliette Street's face appeared.
"Palmer! Kincaid! Get in!" She yelled and Liam gave Renee a nudge. "Go! I'll cover you!"
Renee nodded and ducked low as she ran to the car and bolted inside. Instantly she lay down covering fire for Liam as he repeated her movements.
But before he could reach the car Renee saw a bolt of energy speed towards him. Time slowed down then. As though in slow motion she saw the skrill blast approach Liam and she yelled a warning, knowing that it was already too late. She looked beyond Liam and saw Sandoval lowering his right arm with a triumphant smile around his lips. The look on his face told Renee that he knew exactly who he was shooting.
Then time returned to normal as the Skrill blast reached it's target and Liam screamed. The blast propelled him forward and he slammed into the car. Renee roughly grabbed him and pulled him into the car. Liam lost consciousness before he even touched the upholstery. Street threw the car into gear and sped into the darkness of the night.
Liam sprinted to the safety of the car as fast as his legs could carry him. In front of him Renee fired round after round to give him cover. He saw her eyes widen suddenly at something behind him, something he could not see and he heard her yell a warning.
Time slowed down then and he moved as in slow motion. He felt a sharp blow to his back and then the pain hit. Dimly he recognized the scream ripping through the air as his own. His legs were whipped out from under him and the car rushed up to meet him. He groaned when someone roughly pulled him inside the car.
He lost consciousness as the car jerked into motion.
Ronald P. Sandoval saw a dark clad figure jump up and run to a waiting car. Judging from her size and posture she was a female. Renee Palmer might have covered her blond hair, but Sandoval still recognized her. He did nothing though. She wasn't the reason he was here.
He watched her dive into the car and lay down covering fire. He tensed when a tall, lanky figure clad in dark jeans and a black leather jacket jumped up from behind the low wall.
Very slowly Sandoval raised his right arm to take aim as Liam Kincaid ran to the car. He wouldn't make it. His skrill released the bolt of energy and Sandoval felt the momentary weakness he had come to expect after years of living with the skrill. It passed quickly enough.
A small smile of satisfaction curved his lips when a sudden gust of wind brought Kincaid's scream of pain to his ears. If he had ever had any doubts about his victim's identity they dissolved in that instant. Satisfied he stroked his skrill in a soothing gesture as he turned around, looking for Tate.
"You got him, boss?" Tate asked.
"Yes, I got him. Collect your men. We're leaving." Sandoval ordered and his subordinate hurried away. He winced at the sound of screeching tires behind him. Kincaid was getting away. It didn't matter. As soon as he got back to the Mothership he would recall Da'an's pet protector and expose him in front of the entire Synod.
Renee wanted to go back to her old habit of biting her fingernails. For the past hour she had sat here on Augur's couch at the Lair, waiting for news. Any news.
But the doors to the small infirmary stayed closed. Sighing Renee ran her hands through her hair and her eyes went back to the dark bloodstain on her trousers. She shivered when she recalled the feeling of Liam's warm blood soaking through her trousers. There had been a lot of blood in the backseat of the car too.
"Hey, Renee? Are you okay?" Street's voice said to her right and she looked up. The hacker looked at least as scared as she felt. Softly she squeezed her hand.
"I'm just tired and scared. What's taking them so long? We should have had some news by now!"
"Is this news enough for you?" Liam's voice suddenly said and both women jumped up to turn around.
Liam stood in the doorway of the infirmary, supported by Melissa Park. He looked awfully pale and his mouth was lined with pain, but the smile on his face was genuine.
Renee found it echoed in her own face and Street's as she stepped forward.
"Damn it, Kincaid! Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Street said in a voice that belied the tone of her words. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry about that, Street." Liam said. He would have said more, but just then he wavered as dizziness swept him.
"Okay, Liam. Let's get you to the couch before you fall over. Careful now." Melissa said as she carefully helped him to the couch to ease him down. Liam groaned deeply, but did not complain. Melissa squeezed his shoulder in support.
"Try to relax, Liam. I'll get you something to drink."
Renee followed Melissa into the pantry and casually leaned in the doorway as the blond doctor poured some water into a glass.
"How is he?" Renee asked and Melissa turned to face her.
"Extremely lucky. His jacket took the brunt of the blast. Without it the damage would have been much worse." Melissa answered, "Even so he lost a great amount of blood. I had to give him a transfusion."
"And his prognoses?"
"He'll make a full recovery if he takes it easy for about a week. The wound is rather shallow. Between his excellent health and his heritage it should heal quickly."
If he takes it easy, Renee thought to herself. There's not a hope in hell of Liam taking it easy. Not with his job. She did not say those doubts out loud though.
Renee stepped aside to let Melissa pass her and she observed Liam from a distance as he accepted the glass of water Melissa held out to him. He had been lucky alright. As usual, Renee thought with a mental grin. So far Liam had never come back form a Resistance mission with more than scrapes and bruises. She had always wondered when his luck would run out.
The sudden chirping of a global broke through her reverie and she looked around. Her ears let her to Liam's ruined leather jacket where it hung from the back of a chair. Walking up to it she ignored the gaping hole in the back of it and the dark blood caked around it and reached into the right pocket to pull out Liam's global.
Renee paled when she saw the caller-ID.
"Who is it, Renee?" Liam asked weakly from the couch.
"Sandoval."
"Sandoval? At this hour?" Street exclaimed, "Doesn't that guy ever sleep?"
"What could he want, Liam?" Melissa asked and Liam gave her a tired smile.
He slowly, carefully pushed himself up from the couch, grimacing a little as he did so. Renee passed him the global, worry clear on her face.
"Liam, are you up to facing him?" She asked and he gave her a tight grin.
"I never am." With those words Liam flipped the global open.
"Major, that took you long enough." Sandoval said dryly.
"I was in bed, sleeping. Some of us do need to sleep."
"You look a little pale too."
"Yeah, well, it's been one of those weeks. What do you want, Sandoval?"
"I want you up on the Mothership in less than half an hour, Major."
"What for? Can't it wait till morning?"
"Major, a situation had arisen that requires our immediate attention. No, it can't wait. I'm expecting you, Major."
Sandoval closed the connection, leaving Liam to stare darkly at the small screen. A deep frown furrowed his forehead.
Street was the first one to pipe up.
"You're not gonna go, are you?"
"Do I have a choice?" Was Liam's reply. He still stared at the global.
"There's always a choice, Liam." Melissa stepped in. "Sandoval has no right to deny you your sleep. Let him wait. Under the circumstances."
"He has to go." Renee said quietly and Street and Melissa turned their faces toward her, their mouths already opening to answer her. At a glance from Liam their mouths were closed again.
"Why, Renee? You saw something as I got shot, didn't you?" Liam asked and Renee nodded.
"It was Sandoval who skrilled you."
"That I kinda figured out myself." Liam smiled wanly, but Renee shook her head.
"That's only the start. Liam, he fully knew who he was shooting. I saw his face across the street. He planned the ambush with just one objective in mind."
Renee looked up into Liam's eyes and saw him process this new information.
"It makes sense." He finally said, "He used only a fraction of his skrill's power. If he'd wanted to he could have vaporized me on the spot. He never intended to kill me. He just wanted to incapacitate me."
"Yes." Renee nodded, "He's planning to expose your double agent status."
"Then this is a trap!" Street exclaimed and Liam nodded.
"Of course it is, but that doesn't change anything. I have to go. I'd rather go to the Mothership myself then have Sandoval's goons arrest me somewhere. At least this way I stand a chance."
"Then we' d better get to work on making you presentable. You look a mess." Renee said with a sunny smile.
Renee took Liam by the arm to guide him back to the couch and made him sit. Over his head she saw Melissa's disapproving gaze and she silently shook her head.
Liam had made up his mind and good luck to anyone who'd try to talk him out of it. And under the circumstances it really would look better if he came to the Mothership voluntarily. To not show up would be an admission of guilt.
Sitting down beside Liam Renee reached into her bag and took out the small pouch she always had with her. She smiled as she thought of what she was about to do. Liam obviously had some idea, because he frowned dangerously at her smile. She was up to something and he could feel in his gut that he would not enjoy it.
"You're up to something, Palmer." He said and she grinned.
"Yes, I'm about to help you to a healthier complexion." She answered joyfully as she showed him contents of the pouch.
"Oh no, you're not putting make-up on my face!" Liam said forcefully and Renee laughed at him.
"This isn't the time to get squeamish, Kincaid. Don't worry. I promise I'll be subtle. Now, hold still."
Very quickly and expertly Renee applied some powder to Liam's pale skin. Next she took a subtle shade of rouge that she lightly brushed across his cheekbones and his lips. Sitting back she studied the effect and she nodded her satisfaction. He looked a lot healthier now than a couple of minutes earlier. In the artificial light of the Mothership nobody would notice a thing.
"You're finished?" Liam asked, a little worried about what she had done and Renee nodded.
"Yes, I'm all done."
Next Melissa stepped forward with a small glass vial and a syringe in her hands.
"Now, I don't have to tell you that I don't approve of this fool endeavor, do I?" She said softly.
Liam smiled slightly in return. The more he thought about what he was about to do, the more he doubted the outcome. So many things could go wrong. He put reassurance in his voice when he replied though. No need to make her aware of his own doubts.
"I know how you feel, Melissa, but I have no choice. I have to convince Sandoval that I'm not the man he shot. Can you help?"
"That I can do. This is a very strong local anaestatic." Melissa said, holding up the vial, "It will make you completely free of pain and you should be able to move naturally. But it will work for only three to four hours. With your heritage no more than two at best."
"Not long, but it will have to do." Liam nodded, the tight knot in his stomach getting just a little bit tighter at her words.
"Good. Turn around." Melissa said and Liam obeyed. She filled the syringe with the colorless liquid from the vial and lifted up his shirt to expose the bandage across the shallow wound on his back. Lifting it slightly she sank the needle directly into the wound. Liam grunted at the sudden pain and she softly squeezed his shoulder in support as she retracted the needle.
"That's it, Liam. You should feel a lot better very soon."
"I think it's already working. My back's going numb."
"That's what it is supposed to do. I'm done here." Melissa smiled.
"Then it's my turn." Street said and Melissa moved over to make room for the young hacker. The small piece of equipment in her hand looked vaguely familiar to Liam, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
"What's that?" He asked.
"A portable holo-kit. Remember that jet fighter I spooked you with a couple of weeks ago? Well, this is the new and improved model. Smaller, lighter and much better quality than the old set. There's one problem though."
"What?"
"The battery pack has a limited lifespan."
"How long?"
"An hour at most. If you're lucky."
"So what exactly does it do?" Liam asked.
"It will replace the wound on your back with a hologram of your healthy back."
"How?" Melissa asked.
"Easy. I took an old picture of Liam without a shirt on." Street began.
"You've got a picture of me naked?!" Liam interrupted and the expression on his face told Street exactly how he felt about that. She stuck out her tongue at him as behind her Renee and Melissa exchanged an exasperated look.
"Loosen up, Liam. Just having your shirt off doesn't count as being naked. Besides, I can't help it that I'm a girl with a healthy appetite and that you look so darn good." Street said with a blush in her cheeks. She turned back to Melissa, "Anyway, I uploaded the picture into my system and turned it into a hologram."
"I.think I understand." Melissa said hesitantly and Street grinned. "So, where do we put the emitter?" Liam asked.
"In your trousers. It's small enough to go unnoticed. Like this." Street answered and she put the small device in the waistband of his trousers. To Liam's surprise it didn't show at all when she was done and he felt slightly better. Maybe he had a chance of pulling this off after all.
"How do I activate it?"
"There's a small button at the top of the emitter. Just don't turn it on unless you really have to, okay?"
"The battery.I remember. Thanks, Street."
Renee looked at her watch and then at Liam.
"Your half hour is almost up, Liam."
"Yeah, I need to get going."
Street got up.
"I'll power up the portal then." She said, but Liam shook his head.
"No, you won't, Street. I always take the same portal up to the Mothership if I don't have my shuttle. I'll raise suspicions if I suddenly use a different one now. An untraceable one at that. I'm not taking any chances."
"Do you want a ride?" Renee asked and Liam nodded as he got up and turned to Melissa and Street.
"Thanks for all you've done tonight."
"Be careful, Liam." Melissa said she hugged him and lightly kissed him on the cheek, "Take it easy up there, okay? I'll be right here waiting for you to come back."
"Don't worry, doc. I'll be fine."
Next Street gave him a bear-hug and while she did that she brought her lips just inches from his ear.
"If you don't come back in one piece, flyboy, I'll publish those pictures I used to create the hologram." She threatened and Liam let out a throaty chuckle.
"Now you've got me running scared."
"Good." Street said as she released him, "Remember, those batteries won't last for more than an hour. Don't turn the emitter on unless you really have to, okay?"
"I remember. I'll see you later, kiddo."
Without looking back Liam followed Renee into the elevator and up to the church.
Neither spoke during the short ride to the portal station. There was no need for words. Both knew that Liam would not come back from the Mothership if this insane plan backfired. There was no choice though.
A lot had gone through Liam's mind since Sandoval's global call. All kinds of scenarios about what would happen next. He could try to make a run for it. He had enough money and resources to survive.
At the same time though he knew that running was no option. He couldn't spend the rest of his days on the run, constantly on his guard and looking over his shoulder. And he did not want to abandon the Resistance. No, he'd rather take his chances facing Sandoval. He smiled a little at that. Maybe if things really went sour up on the Mothership he would let Sandoval know that he had shot his own son. The look on the implant's face would be priceless.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Renee asked and only now did Liam realize that the ride was over. Outside the car the portal station loomed in the darkness, still busy despite the late hour.
Liam smiled and shook his head.
"You've got no business on the Mothership, Renee. Not at two in the morning. Thanks for the offer."
"You're welcome. Be careful up there, okay?"
"I promise."
"I'll wait for you here."
"I'll see you in a bit then." Liam nodded and he opened the car door to exit the car. Once onboard the Mothership Liam made his way over to the bridge. Both Sandoval and Tate were there, standing on either side of Zo'or's chair. The Taelon regarded him coolly. Behind Zo'or Liam could make out the eerie energy shapes of the Synod.
So, Sandoval plays the high stakes, Liam thought to himself as he observed the implant. Sandoval's face showed no emotion, nothing that gave away his true intent.
Tate's face on the other hand showed every thought going through his mind and Liam wished he could wipe the smugness off his puffy cheeks.
He's convicted me already, the rat, Liam thought grimly, We'll see!
He turned his attention back to Sandoval and deliberately sought his eyes.
"You wanted to see me, Sandoval?"
"Yes, Major." Sandoval nodded, "Where were you tonight?"
Here we go. At least he doesn't waste time, Liam thought as he frowned at the agent.
"That's none of your business, Sandoval. My own time is mine to spend anyway I see fit."
"Ordinarily I would agree, but I have reason to believe that you spend the evening in a way that contradicts your daytime loyalties. So, I ask you again, where were you, Major?"
"I had dinner with Miss Renee Palmer at the Flat Planet Café before going home. That's where I spend the rest of the evening and night. That is until you dragged me up here." Liam replied. He was telling the truth here, at least about his dinner with Renee. They really had had something to eat at the Planet while talking through their plans for last night's raid.
"And can anyone corroborate your story?"
"The cook at the Flat Planet. And Miss Palmer of course."
"Now that comes as no surprise." Tate snickered next to Sandoval and Liam ignored him. Instead he fixed his gaze on Sandoval's face.
"What's with the third degree, Sandoval?" He asked with a hint of anger in his voice, "If you have some sort of accusation to make, then do so. Stop wasting my time."
Sandoval said nothing to that. Slowly circling him he looked Liam over thoroughly. Liam could almost feel those eyes go through his clothes, looking for the wound he had caused. Finally he stood before Liam, a cold fury in his eyes.
"You're lying, Major. You were involved in a Resistance attack on a prisoner transport in DC last night."
At that Liam felt nothing but admiration for Sandoval. Not a hint of the anger he obviously felt, sounded in his voice. For his own part Liam felt his heart rate go up a couple of notches. Now it really started. He kept his features under tight control, thanking his ancestry for the first time in his life.
With an insight into what might come next Liam placed his hands on his hips, activating the holo emitter with the tip of his index finger. Other than a slight tingle on his skin right underneath the small device he felt no different than before. He could only hope that it actually worked. If it didn't.
"Now that's the best one I've heard all day." Liam told Sandoval with a sarcastic little smile, "You got any evidence to back that up?"
To that Sandoval reacted by waving up a nearby data stream and Tate snickered again.
The footage that started to play showed the Resistance attack on the transport truck, taped from across the street where Liam guessed Sandoval had been. For the most part all Liam saw were the shots being fired by both sides. But just as he opened his mouth to comment on that, the angle of the camera changed and Liam suddenly found himself looking at the low wall both Renee and himself had used for cover. He saw Street appear in the car and Renee running for the vehicle, followed just moments later by himself. Not that he would have recognized himself. All he saw was a tall, dark figure.
Here Sandoval paused the tape and he turned back to Liam.
"That, Major Kincaid, is you! Do you care to comment?"
"Like Hell I do! That tape shows someone of about my height and posture who happens to be wearing dark clothes. He could be anyone. This doesn't prove a thing!"
"Then would you mind telling me where your leather jacket is?" Sandoval asked and Liam pasted a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Come again?"
"You wore your leather jacket all day yesterday. You are not wearing it now. Where is it?"
"At the dry-cleaners."
"Really? Don't you really mean to say that it got ruined last night during the attack?"
Before Liam could respond to that the tape played on. Liam felt something clench in his gut when he realized what he would see next.
He tensed when he saw the skrill blast race toward his back as he ran for the car. The screams that followed stilled the blood in his veins.
Sandoval waved away the data stream and resumed his position in front of Liam, clasping his hands behind his back in a posture of command.
"I shot you last night, Major. That will be your undoing."
"I don't think so, Sandoval. If that man was me I wouldn't be standing here right now and you know it."
"Painkillers can do a lot these days, major. Take off your shirt. We shall see who is speaking the truth here." Sandoval ordered. Liam hesitated for only a minute. From the corner of his eyes he saw two Volunteers come a step forward and Tate moved too. Looking back at Sandoval Liam nodded.
"Fine, have it your way! You're making a big mistake, Sandoval. You'll find nothing." He said as he unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it to the bioslurry floor. He looked Sandoval straight in the eyes and slowly turned his back towards the implant. He resisted the urge to hold his breath.
At the sharp intake of breath behind him he felt the weight of the world drop from his shoulders. Street's gadget worked!
Behind him Sandoval wanted to curse. He was absolutely sure that he had shot Liam Kincaid and yet there wasn't a mark on the man. It had to be some sort of trick. It had to be!
He stepped forward with every intention of seeing whether his fingers would corroborate what his eyes showed him when a cold, mirthless voice stopped him.
"Stop, Agent Sandoval!" Zo'or said as he rose from his chair.
"But, Zo'or." Sandoval started, but he did not get far.
"No buts, Agent Sandoval. This charade has gone on long enough. The evidence speaks for itself . Major Kincaid is not the man in the film." Zo'or approached Liam and Sandoval as he spoke, the movements of his hands a good indication of his agitation, "You will cease wasting the Synod's time. We have more important matters to attend to."
For a moment it looked as though Sandoval would object, but then he bowed his head.
"As you wish, Zo'or." He said obediently.
Zo'or regarded him for a moment more and then waved his protector away. He fixed his cool stare on Liam who still stood before the Synod leader bare chested.
"You may redress yourself, Major. You are dismissed. Agent Sandoval will escort you safely back to the Portals. The Synod apologizes for this disturbance of your sleep."
"Thank you, Zo'or. No harm was done." Liam answered with a small smile. He wanted to shout his relief across the bridge, but held himself in check. It would not do his situation any good. He had been incredibly lucky this time and he knew it. He would have to be very careful from now on. Next time Sandoval would come better prepared. If that happened life as Liam knew it would be over.
He waited until Zo'or had turned back to his chair and bend to pick up his shirt and jacket. As he straightened he felt a twinge of pain in his back and he realized that his body was already breaking down the anaestatic. His mood darkened at the prospect of the pain returning full force. He had better get himself back to the Liar. He finished putting on his jacket and turned to Sandoval who stood by the exit of the bridge, an unreadable expression on his face. Liam knew what went through his mind though and knew that the walk back to the Portals would not be pleasant. It didn't matter this time. Sandoval had lost and that was the only thing that counted.
"I'm ready to go, Sandoval."
Without waiting for a reaction from the implant Liam left the bridge and began his walk back to the Portal station. Both Sandoval and Tate fell into step behind him.
For some time nothing happened and he soon turned the corner that lead to the Portals. Liam almost allowed himself to believe he would make it back without any trouble at all, but he hoped to soon. Quite suddenly a hand grabbed him roughly by the arm just meters away from the Portal to pull him to a painful stop. Only by gritting his teeth did Liam manage to keep his cry of pain inside. Sandoval had seen his grimace though and pressed his advantage.
"Hurts, doesn't it, Major?" He said and Liam felt anger rise up inside him. Tate's snicker didn't help any either.
"What the hell do you want, Sandoval?" He said, "Do you want me to confess, is that it?"
"That would be a nice start." Sandoval said dryly.
"You don't have any evidence and you know it. Is it my resignation you're after? Fine, you can have it! Just ask for it, Sandoval. Quite these damn accusations. You'll never make them stick and you know it. I'm going home now to catch up on my sleep. I won't be in tomorrow. Use that day to figure out what you want from me, Sandoval. But this has to stop!"
With those words Liam stepped into the Portal. The last thing he saw before ID space whisked him away was the slightly startled expression on Sandoval's face. Good. Let him stew on that for some time. Maybe it would finally make the difference between them.
Hours later Renee watched over Liam as he slept in his own bed, at his loft. After a last check up by Melissa she'd volunteered to take him home. Liam had collapsed onto his bed in an exhausted heap and Renee had pulled a chair up to his bed after she had covered him with a blanket. He still wore his cloths, though she had taken off his shoes.
He had been extremely lucky. This time.
Had Sandoval put a little more effort into the shot he had fired Liam would have been dead.
Had Sandoval been alone and had Zo'or not stopped his interrogation Liam would have been sleeping in a holding cell onboard the Mothership right now. Or worse.
It seemed Liam really was blessed with the fabled luck of the Irish.
.The End.
The Luck of the Irish
Ronald Sandoval looked up and frowned when he saw Frank Tate enter his office onboard the Mothership. Tate grinned widely, but then he nearly always did.
"What do you want, Tate? I´m busy." He said curtly. He had no use for Tate's lousy sense of humor.
"You still want proof that Kincaid is Resistance, boss?" Tate pressed on regardless of the expression on his boss's face.
"I really don´t have time for stupid questions." Sandoval growled as the other FBI Agent sprawled in the chair on the other side of his desk. Tate grinned ever wider.
"Well, I may just have a way to do just that."
"How?" Sandoval replied with minimal interest. People constantly came up with ideas to bring down the Resistance. Ideas that could never work.
"My people picked up a coded signal. The DC Resistance cell is planning an attack on a prisoner transport tonight."
"There is no such transport tonight."
"Ah, but the Resistance doesn´t know that." Tate grinned and slowly that grin found it´s twin on Sandoval´s face.
"Liam, look out!" Liam heard Renee´s voice over the racket of weapons fire and instantly dove to the ground. The energy blast passed over him, close enough to make his hair stand on edge. Looking around he spotted Renee behind a low wall.
"Renee! Cover me" He yelled.
"Sure thing!" She yelled back and instantly her shots intensified, giving Liam room to move. He bowed low and ran for cover in a zigzag pattern. Panting he dropped down beside Renee.
"Thanks!"
"You´re welcome, Kincaid!" Renee had to shout to be heard over the sounds of fighting all around them, "Damn it! We´ve walked right into a trap!"
"Yeah, I know! We´ve got to get everybody out!" As he said those words Liam pulled out his global, "Everyone, this is Kincaid! Get yourself to safety!" He closed the global forcefully.
"Let´s hope you got through to everyone!" Renee said as she fired another round of shots over the wall.
"I hope so too!" Liam would have said more, but just then a car stopped right behind them with screaming breaks. The door was thrown open and Juliette Street's face appeared.
"Palmer! Kincaid! Get in!" She yelled and Liam gave Renee a nudge. "Go! I'll cover you!"
Renee nodded and ducked low as she ran to the car and bolted inside. Instantly she lay down covering fire for Liam as he repeated her movements.
But before he could reach the car Renee saw a bolt of energy speed towards him. Time slowed down then. As though in slow motion she saw the skrill blast approach Liam and she yelled a warning, knowing that it was already too late. She looked beyond Liam and saw Sandoval lowering his right arm with a triumphant smile around his lips. The look on his face told Renee that he knew exactly who he was shooting.
Then time returned to normal as the Skrill blast reached it's target and Liam screamed. The blast propelled him forward and he slammed into the car. Renee roughly grabbed him and pulled him into the car. Liam lost consciousness before he even touched the upholstery. Street threw the car into gear and sped into the darkness of the night.
Liam sprinted to the safety of the car as fast as his legs could carry him. In front of him Renee fired round after round to give him cover. He saw her eyes widen suddenly at something behind him, something he could not see and he heard her yell a warning.
Time slowed down then and he moved as in slow motion. He felt a sharp blow to his back and then the pain hit. Dimly he recognized the scream ripping through the air as his own. His legs were whipped out from under him and the car rushed up to meet him. He groaned when someone roughly pulled him inside the car.
He lost consciousness as the car jerked into motion.
Ronald P. Sandoval saw a dark clad figure jump up and run to a waiting car. Judging from her size and posture she was a female. Renee Palmer might have covered her blond hair, but Sandoval still recognized her. He did nothing though. She wasn't the reason he was here.
He watched her dive into the car and lay down covering fire. He tensed when a tall, lanky figure clad in dark jeans and a black leather jacket jumped up from behind the low wall.
Very slowly Sandoval raised his right arm to take aim as Liam Kincaid ran to the car. He wouldn't make it. His skrill released the bolt of energy and Sandoval felt the momentary weakness he had come to expect after years of living with the skrill. It passed quickly enough.
A small smile of satisfaction curved his lips when a sudden gust of wind brought Kincaid's scream of pain to his ears. If he had ever had any doubts about his victim's identity they dissolved in that instant. Satisfied he stroked his skrill in a soothing gesture as he turned around, looking for Tate.
"You got him, boss?" Tate asked.
"Yes, I got him. Collect your men. We're leaving." Sandoval ordered and his subordinate hurried away. He winced at the sound of screeching tires behind him. Kincaid was getting away. It didn't matter. As soon as he got back to the Mothership he would recall Da'an's pet protector and expose him in front of the entire Synod.
Renee wanted to go back to her old habit of biting her fingernails. For the past hour she had sat here on Augur's couch at the Lair, waiting for news. Any news.
But the doors to the small infirmary stayed closed. Sighing Renee ran her hands through her hair and her eyes went back to the dark bloodstain on her trousers. She shivered when she recalled the feeling of Liam's warm blood soaking through her trousers. There had been a lot of blood in the backseat of the car too.
"Hey, Renee? Are you okay?" Street's voice said to her right and she looked up. The hacker looked at least as scared as she felt. Softly she squeezed her hand.
"I'm just tired and scared. What's taking them so long? We should have had some news by now!"
"Is this news enough for you?" Liam's voice suddenly said and both women jumped up to turn around.
Liam stood in the doorway of the infirmary, supported by Melissa Park. He looked awfully pale and his mouth was lined with pain, but the smile on his face was genuine.
Renee found it echoed in her own face and Street's as she stepped forward.
"Damn it, Kincaid! Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Street said in a voice that belied the tone of her words. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry about that, Street." Liam said. He would have said more, but just then he wavered as dizziness swept him.
"Okay, Liam. Let's get you to the couch before you fall over. Careful now." Melissa said as she carefully helped him to the couch to ease him down. Liam groaned deeply, but did not complain. Melissa squeezed his shoulder in support.
"Try to relax, Liam. I'll get you something to drink."
Renee followed Melissa into the pantry and casually leaned in the doorway as the blond doctor poured some water into a glass.
"How is he?" Renee asked and Melissa turned to face her.
"Extremely lucky. His jacket took the brunt of the blast. Without it the damage would have been much worse." Melissa answered, "Even so he lost a great amount of blood. I had to give him a transfusion."
"And his prognoses?"
"He'll make a full recovery if he takes it easy for about a week. The wound is rather shallow. Between his excellent health and his heritage it should heal quickly."
If he takes it easy, Renee thought to herself. There's not a hope in hell of Liam taking it easy. Not with his job. She did not say those doubts out loud though.
Renee stepped aside to let Melissa pass her and she observed Liam from a distance as he accepted the glass of water Melissa held out to him. He had been lucky alright. As usual, Renee thought with a mental grin. So far Liam had never come back form a Resistance mission with more than scrapes and bruises. She had always wondered when his luck would run out.
The sudden chirping of a global broke through her reverie and she looked around. Her ears let her to Liam's ruined leather jacket where it hung from the back of a chair. Walking up to it she ignored the gaping hole in the back of it and the dark blood caked around it and reached into the right pocket to pull out Liam's global.
Renee paled when she saw the caller-ID.
"Who is it, Renee?" Liam asked weakly from the couch.
"Sandoval."
"Sandoval? At this hour?" Street exclaimed, "Doesn't that guy ever sleep?"
"What could he want, Liam?" Melissa asked and Liam gave her a tired smile.
He slowly, carefully pushed himself up from the couch, grimacing a little as he did so. Renee passed him the global, worry clear on her face.
"Liam, are you up to facing him?" She asked and he gave her a tight grin.
"I never am." With those words Liam flipped the global open.
"Major, that took you long enough." Sandoval said dryly.
"I was in bed, sleeping. Some of us do need to sleep."
"You look a little pale too."
"Yeah, well, it's been one of those weeks. What do you want, Sandoval?"
"I want you up on the Mothership in less than half an hour, Major."
"What for? Can't it wait till morning?"
"Major, a situation had arisen that requires our immediate attention. No, it can't wait. I'm expecting you, Major."
Sandoval closed the connection, leaving Liam to stare darkly at the small screen. A deep frown furrowed his forehead.
Street was the first one to pipe up.
"You're not gonna go, are you?"
"Do I have a choice?" Was Liam's reply. He still stared at the global.
"There's always a choice, Liam." Melissa stepped in. "Sandoval has no right to deny you your sleep. Let him wait. Under the circumstances."
"He has to go." Renee said quietly and Street and Melissa turned their faces toward her, their mouths already opening to answer her. At a glance from Liam their mouths were closed again.
"Why, Renee? You saw something as I got shot, didn't you?" Liam asked and Renee nodded.
"It was Sandoval who skrilled you."
"That I kinda figured out myself." Liam smiled wanly, but Renee shook her head.
"That's only the start. Liam, he fully knew who he was shooting. I saw his face across the street. He planned the ambush with just one objective in mind."
Renee looked up into Liam's eyes and saw him process this new information.
"It makes sense." He finally said, "He used only a fraction of his skrill's power. If he'd wanted to he could have vaporized me on the spot. He never intended to kill me. He just wanted to incapacitate me."
"Yes." Renee nodded, "He's planning to expose your double agent status."
"Then this is a trap!" Street exclaimed and Liam nodded.
"Of course it is, but that doesn't change anything. I have to go. I'd rather go to the Mothership myself then have Sandoval's goons arrest me somewhere. At least this way I stand a chance."
"Then we' d better get to work on making you presentable. You look a mess." Renee said with a sunny smile.
Renee took Liam by the arm to guide him back to the couch and made him sit. Over his head she saw Melissa's disapproving gaze and she silently shook her head.
Liam had made up his mind and good luck to anyone who'd try to talk him out of it. And under the circumstances it really would look better if he came to the Mothership voluntarily. To not show up would be an admission of guilt.
Sitting down beside Liam Renee reached into her bag and took out the small pouch she always had with her. She smiled as she thought of what she was about to do. Liam obviously had some idea, because he frowned dangerously at her smile. She was up to something and he could feel in his gut that he would not enjoy it.
"You're up to something, Palmer." He said and she grinned.
"Yes, I'm about to help you to a healthier complexion." She answered joyfully as she showed him contents of the pouch.
"Oh no, you're not putting make-up on my face!" Liam said forcefully and Renee laughed at him.
"This isn't the time to get squeamish, Kincaid. Don't worry. I promise I'll be subtle. Now, hold still."
Very quickly and expertly Renee applied some powder to Liam's pale skin. Next she took a subtle shade of rouge that she lightly brushed across his cheekbones and his lips. Sitting back she studied the effect and she nodded her satisfaction. He looked a lot healthier now than a couple of minutes earlier. In the artificial light of the Mothership nobody would notice a thing.
"You're finished?" Liam asked, a little worried about what she had done and Renee nodded.
"Yes, I'm all done."
Next Melissa stepped forward with a small glass vial and a syringe in her hands.
"Now, I don't have to tell you that I don't approve of this fool endeavor, do I?" She said softly.
Liam smiled slightly in return. The more he thought about what he was about to do, the more he doubted the outcome. So many things could go wrong. He put reassurance in his voice when he replied though. No need to make her aware of his own doubts.
"I know how you feel, Melissa, but I have no choice. I have to convince Sandoval that I'm not the man he shot. Can you help?"
"That I can do. This is a very strong local anaestatic." Melissa said, holding up the vial, "It will make you completely free of pain and you should be able to move naturally. But it will work for only three to four hours. With your heritage no more than two at best."
"Not long, but it will have to do." Liam nodded, the tight knot in his stomach getting just a little bit tighter at her words.
"Good. Turn around." Melissa said and Liam obeyed. She filled the syringe with the colorless liquid from the vial and lifted up his shirt to expose the bandage across the shallow wound on his back. Lifting it slightly she sank the needle directly into the wound. Liam grunted at the sudden pain and she softly squeezed his shoulder in support as she retracted the needle.
"That's it, Liam. You should feel a lot better very soon."
"I think it's already working. My back's going numb."
"That's what it is supposed to do. I'm done here." Melissa smiled.
"Then it's my turn." Street said and Melissa moved over to make room for the young hacker. The small piece of equipment in her hand looked vaguely familiar to Liam, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
"What's that?" He asked.
"A portable holo-kit. Remember that jet fighter I spooked you with a couple of weeks ago? Well, this is the new and improved model. Smaller, lighter and much better quality than the old set. There's one problem though."
"What?"
"The battery pack has a limited lifespan."
"How long?"
"An hour at most. If you're lucky."
"So what exactly does it do?" Liam asked.
"It will replace the wound on your back with a hologram of your healthy back."
"How?" Melissa asked.
"Easy. I took an old picture of Liam without a shirt on." Street began.
"You've got a picture of me naked?!" Liam interrupted and the expression on his face told Street exactly how he felt about that. She stuck out her tongue at him as behind her Renee and Melissa exchanged an exasperated look.
"Loosen up, Liam. Just having your shirt off doesn't count as being naked. Besides, I can't help it that I'm a girl with a healthy appetite and that you look so darn good." Street said with a blush in her cheeks. She turned back to Melissa, "Anyway, I uploaded the picture into my system and turned it into a hologram."
"I.think I understand." Melissa said hesitantly and Street grinned. "So, where do we put the emitter?" Liam asked.
"In your trousers. It's small enough to go unnoticed. Like this." Street answered and she put the small device in the waistband of his trousers. To Liam's surprise it didn't show at all when she was done and he felt slightly better. Maybe he had a chance of pulling this off after all.
"How do I activate it?"
"There's a small button at the top of the emitter. Just don't turn it on unless you really have to, okay?"
"The battery.I remember. Thanks, Street."
Renee looked at her watch and then at Liam.
"Your half hour is almost up, Liam."
"Yeah, I need to get going."
Street got up.
"I'll power up the portal then." She said, but Liam shook his head.
"No, you won't, Street. I always take the same portal up to the Mothership if I don't have my shuttle. I'll raise suspicions if I suddenly use a different one now. An untraceable one at that. I'm not taking any chances."
"Do you want a ride?" Renee asked and Liam nodded as he got up and turned to Melissa and Street.
"Thanks for all you've done tonight."
"Be careful, Liam." Melissa said she hugged him and lightly kissed him on the cheek, "Take it easy up there, okay? I'll be right here waiting for you to come back."
"Don't worry, doc. I'll be fine."
Next Street gave him a bear-hug and while she did that she brought her lips just inches from his ear.
"If you don't come back in one piece, flyboy, I'll publish those pictures I used to create the hologram." She threatened and Liam let out a throaty chuckle.
"Now you've got me running scared."
"Good." Street said as she released him, "Remember, those batteries won't last for more than an hour. Don't turn the emitter on unless you really have to, okay?"
"I remember. I'll see you later, kiddo."
Without looking back Liam followed Renee into the elevator and up to the church.
Neither spoke during the short ride to the portal station. There was no need for words. Both knew that Liam would not come back from the Mothership if this insane plan backfired. There was no choice though.
A lot had gone through Liam's mind since Sandoval's global call. All kinds of scenarios about what would happen next. He could try to make a run for it. He had enough money and resources to survive.
At the same time though he knew that running was no option. He couldn't spend the rest of his days on the run, constantly on his guard and looking over his shoulder. And he did not want to abandon the Resistance. No, he'd rather take his chances facing Sandoval. He smiled a little at that. Maybe if things really went sour up on the Mothership he would let Sandoval know that he had shot his own son. The look on the implant's face would be priceless.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Renee asked and only now did Liam realize that the ride was over. Outside the car the portal station loomed in the darkness, still busy despite the late hour.
Liam smiled and shook his head.
"You've got no business on the Mothership, Renee. Not at two in the morning. Thanks for the offer."
"You're welcome. Be careful up there, okay?"
"I promise."
"I'll wait for you here."
"I'll see you in a bit then." Liam nodded and he opened the car door to exit the car. Once onboard the Mothership Liam made his way over to the bridge. Both Sandoval and Tate were there, standing on either side of Zo'or's chair. The Taelon regarded him coolly. Behind Zo'or Liam could make out the eerie energy shapes of the Synod.
So, Sandoval plays the high stakes, Liam thought to himself as he observed the implant. Sandoval's face showed no emotion, nothing that gave away his true intent.
Tate's face on the other hand showed every thought going through his mind and Liam wished he could wipe the smugness off his puffy cheeks.
He's convicted me already, the rat, Liam thought grimly, We'll see!
He turned his attention back to Sandoval and deliberately sought his eyes.
"You wanted to see me, Sandoval?"
"Yes, Major." Sandoval nodded, "Where were you tonight?"
Here we go. At least he doesn't waste time, Liam thought as he frowned at the agent.
"That's none of your business, Sandoval. My own time is mine to spend anyway I see fit."
"Ordinarily I would agree, but I have reason to believe that you spend the evening in a way that contradicts your daytime loyalties. So, I ask you again, where were you, Major?"
"I had dinner with Miss Renee Palmer at the Flat Planet Café before going home. That's where I spend the rest of the evening and night. That is until you dragged me up here." Liam replied. He was telling the truth here, at least about his dinner with Renee. They really had had something to eat at the Planet while talking through their plans for last night's raid.
"And can anyone corroborate your story?"
"The cook at the Flat Planet. And Miss Palmer of course."
"Now that comes as no surprise." Tate snickered next to Sandoval and Liam ignored him. Instead he fixed his gaze on Sandoval's face.
"What's with the third degree, Sandoval?" He asked with a hint of anger in his voice, "If you have some sort of accusation to make, then do so. Stop wasting my time."
Sandoval said nothing to that. Slowly circling him he looked Liam over thoroughly. Liam could almost feel those eyes go through his clothes, looking for the wound he had caused. Finally he stood before Liam, a cold fury in his eyes.
"You're lying, Major. You were involved in a Resistance attack on a prisoner transport in DC last night."
At that Liam felt nothing but admiration for Sandoval. Not a hint of the anger he obviously felt, sounded in his voice. For his own part Liam felt his heart rate go up a couple of notches. Now it really started. He kept his features under tight control, thanking his ancestry for the first time in his life.
With an insight into what might come next Liam placed his hands on his hips, activating the holo emitter with the tip of his index finger. Other than a slight tingle on his skin right underneath the small device he felt no different than before. He could only hope that it actually worked. If it didn't.
"Now that's the best one I've heard all day." Liam told Sandoval with a sarcastic little smile, "You got any evidence to back that up?"
To that Sandoval reacted by waving up a nearby data stream and Tate snickered again.
The footage that started to play showed the Resistance attack on the transport truck, taped from across the street where Liam guessed Sandoval had been. For the most part all Liam saw were the shots being fired by both sides. But just as he opened his mouth to comment on that, the angle of the camera changed and Liam suddenly found himself looking at the low wall both Renee and himself had used for cover. He saw Street appear in the car and Renee running for the vehicle, followed just moments later by himself. Not that he would have recognized himself. All he saw was a tall, dark figure.
Here Sandoval paused the tape and he turned back to Liam.
"That, Major Kincaid, is you! Do you care to comment?"
"Like Hell I do! That tape shows someone of about my height and posture who happens to be wearing dark clothes. He could be anyone. This doesn't prove a thing!"
"Then would you mind telling me where your leather jacket is?" Sandoval asked and Liam pasted a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Come again?"
"You wore your leather jacket all day yesterday. You are not wearing it now. Where is it?"
"At the dry-cleaners."
"Really? Don't you really mean to say that it got ruined last night during the attack?"
Before Liam could respond to that the tape played on. Liam felt something clench in his gut when he realized what he would see next.
He tensed when he saw the skrill blast race toward his back as he ran for the car. The screams that followed stilled the blood in his veins.
Sandoval waved away the data stream and resumed his position in front of Liam, clasping his hands behind his back in a posture of command.
"I shot you last night, Major. That will be your undoing."
"I don't think so, Sandoval. If that man was me I wouldn't be standing here right now and you know it."
"Painkillers can do a lot these days, major. Take off your shirt. We shall see who is speaking the truth here." Sandoval ordered. Liam hesitated for only a minute. From the corner of his eyes he saw two Volunteers come a step forward and Tate moved too. Looking back at Sandoval Liam nodded.
"Fine, have it your way! You're making a big mistake, Sandoval. You'll find nothing." He said as he unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it to the bioslurry floor. He looked Sandoval straight in the eyes and slowly turned his back towards the implant. He resisted the urge to hold his breath.
At the sharp intake of breath behind him he felt the weight of the world drop from his shoulders. Street's gadget worked!
Behind him Sandoval wanted to curse. He was absolutely sure that he had shot Liam Kincaid and yet there wasn't a mark on the man. It had to be some sort of trick. It had to be!
He stepped forward with every intention of seeing whether his fingers would corroborate what his eyes showed him when a cold, mirthless voice stopped him.
"Stop, Agent Sandoval!" Zo'or said as he rose from his chair.
"But, Zo'or." Sandoval started, but he did not get far.
"No buts, Agent Sandoval. This charade has gone on long enough. The evidence speaks for itself . Major Kincaid is not the man in the film." Zo'or approached Liam and Sandoval as he spoke, the movements of his hands a good indication of his agitation, "You will cease wasting the Synod's time. We have more important matters to attend to."
For a moment it looked as though Sandoval would object, but then he bowed his head.
"As you wish, Zo'or." He said obediently.
Zo'or regarded him for a moment more and then waved his protector away. He fixed his cool stare on Liam who still stood before the Synod leader bare chested.
"You may redress yourself, Major. You are dismissed. Agent Sandoval will escort you safely back to the Portals. The Synod apologizes for this disturbance of your sleep."
"Thank you, Zo'or. No harm was done." Liam answered with a small smile. He wanted to shout his relief across the bridge, but held himself in check. It would not do his situation any good. He had been incredibly lucky this time and he knew it. He would have to be very careful from now on. Next time Sandoval would come better prepared. If that happened life as Liam knew it would be over.
He waited until Zo'or had turned back to his chair and bend to pick up his shirt and jacket. As he straightened he felt a twinge of pain in his back and he realized that his body was already breaking down the anaestatic. His mood darkened at the prospect of the pain returning full force. He had better get himself back to the Liar. He finished putting on his jacket and turned to Sandoval who stood by the exit of the bridge, an unreadable expression on his face. Liam knew what went through his mind though and knew that the walk back to the Portals would not be pleasant. It didn't matter this time. Sandoval had lost and that was the only thing that counted.
"I'm ready to go, Sandoval."
Without waiting for a reaction from the implant Liam left the bridge and began his walk back to the Portal station. Both Sandoval and Tate fell into step behind him.
For some time nothing happened and he soon turned the corner that lead to the Portals. Liam almost allowed himself to believe he would make it back without any trouble at all, but he hoped to soon. Quite suddenly a hand grabbed him roughly by the arm just meters away from the Portal to pull him to a painful stop. Only by gritting his teeth did Liam manage to keep his cry of pain inside. Sandoval had seen his grimace though and pressed his advantage.
"Hurts, doesn't it, Major?" He said and Liam felt anger rise up inside him. Tate's snicker didn't help any either.
"What the hell do you want, Sandoval?" He said, "Do you want me to confess, is that it?"
"That would be a nice start." Sandoval said dryly.
"You don't have any evidence and you know it. Is it my resignation you're after? Fine, you can have it! Just ask for it, Sandoval. Quite these damn accusations. You'll never make them stick and you know it. I'm going home now to catch up on my sleep. I won't be in tomorrow. Use that day to figure out what you want from me, Sandoval. But this has to stop!"
With those words Liam stepped into the Portal. The last thing he saw before ID space whisked him away was the slightly startled expression on Sandoval's face. Good. Let him stew on that for some time. Maybe it would finally make the difference between them.
Hours later Renee watched over Liam as he slept in his own bed, at his loft. After a last check up by Melissa she'd volunteered to take him home. Liam had collapsed onto his bed in an exhausted heap and Renee had pulled a chair up to his bed after she had covered him with a blanket. He still wore his cloths, though she had taken off his shoes.
He had been extremely lucky. This time.
Had Sandoval put a little more effort into the shot he had fired Liam would have been dead.
Had Sandoval been alone and had Zo'or not stopped his interrogation Liam would have been sleeping in a holding cell onboard the Mothership right now. Or worse.
It seemed Liam really was blessed with the fabled luck of the Irish.
.The End.