Not All Alone
Disclaimer: Gargoyles belongs to Buena Vista and Earth: Final Conflict belongs to Tribune Entertainment. Highlander belongs to Rysher. I do this for the heck of it, and do not make any money.
Note: this fic takes place in the second season of Earth: Final Conflict, and will have a different gargoyle Clan than Goliath's. Thus, the original Clan won't be mentioned (yet). E-mail me with all threats or comments, at laraniadrake@yahoo.com. This will be strange. Oh, man, will it be strange.
Da'an stood at one of the many virtual glass windows of the mother ship.
He stood, lost in thought, out at the beautiful orb that was Earth. It was a jewel, one that could almost rival what his home world had once been. Had once been, and never would be again.
Da'an wondered if the irony would ever dull its edge.
His thoughts wandered, and he found himself thinking about how his kind and the Jaridians had separated. They had been one, once. It had been unthinkable at the time that there could be more than one intelligent species inhabiting their world. His species that made what they thought was the proper choice.
Had he been human, he would have laughed at the irony of it all, and felt bitter at what that division had brought his kind to. They were killers, destroyers of a hundred worlds, even if by proxy. They had even ruined their own planet. He still could see in his mind's eye the sheer beauty that was gone. Da'an glanced around the ship. He saw the evidence of his kind's "advances". They had created such amazing advances in technology, yet they were a barren race. They had seen things that most humans could not imagine; yet they were totally dependent on the humans for their own survival.
Yes, the irony was enough, that had he the sense of taste, he would have been felt a strip of metal over his tongue.
Had been able to do it all over again, he would have made his people see that there might have been a way for them to have lived in peace with themselves, and the shakariva. He would have protected his planet from the ecological disasters that the war had caused. He would have made sure that the humans would never been touched by the Companions, and allowed to evolve naturally, over time, as they should have.
Yet, he knew that there was nothing he could do about that now. Now, all he could do was protect the humans and his own kind from each other, and stop an interstellar war.
Da'an wondered, briefly, if there had been any other intelligent species to evolve on Earth. It was a fleeting thought, which was closely followed by; I would try to keep them from making the same mistakes we did. It was forgotten in a breath, and lost to his mind, as he returned to more pressing matters.
Liam Kincaid was also lost in thought. It was a different sort than Da'an's, however. He had to deal with the Human Liberation, and Doors had been very, very difficult recently.
He was sitting in his rooms, and trying very hard to get some shuteye. He had had a very trying interview with his highness, and now his nerves were wearing thin.
With a groan, Liam shifted positions, and sighed. Why the hell wouldn't the man listen to reason? Da'an was a good ally. However, even as he thought this, he remembered how he had been shifty, kept him out of the loop, and had his own agendas. Da'an was fond of Liam, that he knew, but that wouldn't keep him from using him to further his own goals.
Beating on his pillow did no good, so Liam got up, and sat his desk. Maybe surfing the Net would help. He could only try.
For many hundred years, the Irish Clan had lived in quiet obscurity, and they liked it that way. They had been protecting the small human town for a very long time, and most never saw any reason to change that. They were safe, they were happy, and they didn't have to worry about getting involved in the outside world. Yet, some things were so big, that they couldn't help but notice, not matter how hard they had tried.
The day that word of the Companions arrival had reached them, they had been practically glued to the telly.
"This is a day that will be remembered for all time…" rattled out the news anchor. "The first contact humanity has ever had with a species from another world…"
They had come just in time, many of the Clan elders thought. The SI wars had come close to engulfing the entire world.
The Taelons brought peace. They also brought cures for disease, starvation, and helped save the environment. It was something that made many in the Clan think that maybe it was time for them to come out of hiding.
The Clan leader, Joseph, was adamantly against it.
"What would you tell these "Companions," hey? That there was another species out there that no one knew about? You know what they'd do to us? They'd cut us up to look at our insides! Can you imagine? We've been luckier than many other Clans. For all we know, we might be the only ones left…" Joseph was well over a hundred, and was still in his prime. His words carried great weight.
However, his Second held a different opinion. She had always been an odd one, and had left for many years. She had gone exploring, and knew more about the modern world than many of the humans could boast. Deirdre, she was named, counseled caution. There might be a future in it, but it was too soon to tell.
It was three years later, when a young female of the Clan, not even forty, started to speak to Deirdre of her growing restlessness.
"I just can't stand it here much longer, Second," she addressed Deirdre. "I want to, need to, leave…" This was accompanied by a longer look in the direction of the human village.
They were standing on a cliff, overlooking the sea. It was a beautiful view, and an even better launching point for the gliding gargoyles.
Deirdre had seen the look the youngster had given. She thought she knew the cause. This girl was not meant to be a warrior. She was very slight, almost human in her appearance, with a human skin color. She could have been any beautiful human girl wearing a cloak. Bridget was her name, and she was hopelessly infatuated with one of the human boys of the town. To complicate matters, he fully returned her affections. Yet, both the gargoyles and humans looked down upon such relationships.
"So, you are thinking of trying something with that young beau of yours, eh?" Deirdre asked teasingly. Bridget blushed a brilliant scarlet.
Turing serious, she told her," You know that I left for a long time, yes? Was that the reason that you wanted to speak with me?"
Shyly, Bridget nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I thought you could give me some advice," she said lamely.
"I think that you were trying to get a supporter," Deirdre said sharply, more so than she had intended. "You know that the outside world is dangerous. More so than you could ever realize. They would never accept you, little one. I'm sorry. If you were planning on running away, you would find it no easier there than here. Even less so, in truth."
"What do you know about it?" the younger gargoyle shouted, her eyes blazing red. "What so you know about being in love?"
Deirdre felt like holding her head and moaning. She had never taken a mate, and as such, would not be listened to by this hotheaded little gargoyle. All she could do was shake her illusions from her, before she and her boyfriend did something rash.
"Do you think that matters?" she rapped out. "As Clan Second, I am making you give your solemn vow, no arguing, no negotiating, that you will stay inside our village. You can still see your human friend, but you will not leave!"
The girl's huge black eyes filled with tears. She rung her hands, and started to stutter," I, I, I can't!"
"Little sister-" Deirdre said menacingly.
"Fine, Mother and Da always liked you the best anyway! I should have known that you wouldn't care! You're not even my real sister!"
"Our familial relationship had nothing to do with it. Even if you do try to make it into one all the time. Now, promise me!"
She burst out crying. Huge sobs racked her, and she covered her face with her talons.
"You know that won't work."
"I hate you!" she said in a full-throated roar.
Deirdre was unimpressed. "Now, swear."
"I-I swear," she stumbled over the words, and jumped from the cliff. Her wings caught the breeze, and she glided away.
Sighing, Deirdre followed her back to the Clan roosting sites. It was almost dawn.
Da'an was still locked in contemplation when he heard a one of the Companion protectors call in.
Agent Conner was the newest Companion protector, assigned to aid the UK Companion.
"We have recently found a new life form that would be of great interest to the Companions," Conner said.
"What would that be?" asked the implant on duty.
A strange smile lit the Agent's face. "Look for yourself." The data stream that Da'an was looking at shifted view. In it, was a creature of the likes that he had never seen before. It was taller than your average human, with bat-like wings, and a pale skin tone. It was unconscious.
"It put up quite a fight," Agent Conner went on, " but we managed to subdue it. It was in the company of a young human male. We had to sedate them both, one for experiments, the other for questioning."
"Excellent," said the communications officer. "Have them brought aboard, so we can begin research at once."
Da'an listened in carefully, hoping to learn more. Nothing more was reported.
He was greatly troubled by what he had heard. There had been vague reports from Ma'el, stating the possibility of another sentient species existence on Earth, but nothing was ever proven. Yet, here it was.
He contacted Liam.
Liam Kincaid had fallen asleep at the computer console. Granted, it was not the most comfortable of places, but he was still very grumpy about being awoken…
Grunting, and grabbing for his global, he grunted," Kincaid."
"Liam, I have urgent news," said the normally placid Companion.
"What?" he asked, trying not to sound like he wanted to use his shakariva on him, which he did. His neck was killing him.
"There was been a new species found."
"Yeah, great, whatever. I'm thrilled for all the xeno-biologists out there. What does this have to do with me?"
"It is a sentient species, Liam," commented Da'an in the tones used for an unusually thick child. "From Earth."
Liam jumped about three feet. "What!" he exclaimed.
There was a slight smirk on Da'an's face at the way Liam reacted, but it was quickly replaced by worry.
"I fear for the safety of this new found people. Depending on how the tests go, there is the possibility that they will be used as fodder for our war with the Jaridians, or worse."
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Liam said promptly. "Any preliminary reports?"
"Not yet. I called you as soon as I heard about it. I think you might want to contact some of your friends, as well," Da'an finished, and severed the connection.
Liam tried to get out of his chair, almost fell out, but was able to wobble to the shower, and to get dressed.
When he arrived on the mother ship, he was immediately greeted by Da'an.
"Liam, I am glad you could make it on such short notice," the pale alien said, sounding like he was speaking to an old friend about the weather.
"I was glad that you contacted me," Liam responded. The North American Companion always extruded an air of calm that was infectious. "Is there any news?"
"We have been able to tell that it is an adolescent female, but that is all we have learned, and even of that, without any others of her kind to compare her to, we are not sure of. We have not been able to get any information directly from her. Either she does not know English, she is afraid to speak, or is extremely strong willed."
"May I see it…her?" Liam asked, wondering at this strange creature that had been found.
"At once."
Bridget was being held within the Labyrinth of corridors within the Taelon mother ship. Even if she were to escape her cell, she doubted that see would ever get out to the shuttles. Once she got there, there was no way that she could fly one, and they were on space. She couldn't glide from here. Despair gripped her. They hadn't even let her speak to Ian since they had been captured. Why hadn't she listened to Deirdre?
She was curled up in a ball of misery in one of the far corners of the nearly circular room she was confined to. The last time anyone had entered, she had growled, pounced, but ended up stunned by one to the strange organic looking things attached to the pale human's arm. Bridget had never been afraid of humans, but these made her blood cold. They were so pale, and they had no expression, like the ghouls that the Clan Elders would frighten her with as a hatchling.
So, she had done her best to hide. She was streaming tears, but none of the guards cared, or even seemed to notice.
Then, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She jumped, and let out a noise that was more screech than growl.
Bridget was so concentrated on her own predicament that she hadn't heard Liam and Da'an enter the cell.
All she could do was stare at the two beings in front of her. Though she had never seen one before, there was no mistaking a Taelon for anything else. The other looked like a very human man. She was surprised to see sympathy on the eyes of both of them.
"We don't mean to hurt you," the Taelon said. "We only wish to know more about you, and if there are more of your kind out there."
Hearing this, and knowing what Deirdre would do, she clamped her mouth shut.
"They did what?" roared Deirdre. Her fellow gargoyles jumped back at the sound of the best warrior of the Clan.
"We believe they have run away, Second," answered one of the rookery mothers.
Deirdre stopped herself from repeating her earlier roar, and sought out the calm she would need to sort out this mess without going berserk.
"Do you have any idea when?" she grated, pulling back her lips to reveal her impressive teeth.
"We think they left yesterday, right after sunset," said one of the humans. Deirdre thought it was one of Ian's cousins.
She turned to Ian's cousin. "Where could they have gone?"
"We don't know, Second," replied several voices, human and gargoyle. "They could have gone anywhere, with Bridget to take them."
Deirdre's eyes glowed red briefly, in a flurry of self-accusation. She fought it down. She had told her little sister to stay in the village, and made her promise not to leave it. That was all she could have done.
Is it? A traitorous voice said in her mind. You could have had her watched. You could have talked to Ian's parents. You could have-
She new there was more she could have done, but hindsight was always perfect. She carefully schooled her expression to what some of her rookery brothers fondly called her "bitch-face" and started to give orders. That was all she could do, for now. She needed information, if she was going to follow them, and no one else could.
It had been five months, and the creature had not said a word.
"I know that she is intelligent," Liam mused to Da'an. "I can see that she understands when we speak to her, that she feels relief when we go. What I'm afraid of is Zo'or deciding that she had been too quiet, and starts to torture her."
"I, too, fear such an outcome," Da'an confided.
They were both staring at the data-stream, which held the image from the creature's cell. They were staring at it, but not really seeing it.
"I wish she would talk to us!" Liam burst out in frustration. Both his hands went up in the air, and almost grabbed his hair. He felt like pulling it out.
"I believe she wants to protect something; her people, perhaps," Da'an observed. "I noticed that she appeared to want to speak, until I mentioned finding more of her kind. I think that is what had caused her silence."
"You'd think that she wanted to reunited with her kind."
"If they did not trust the Companions, then well she might prefer staying quiet."
"Da'an," called a voice from the door.
Ronald Sandoval, former FBI agent and now devoted implant, stood stiffly, waiting to be acknowledged.
"Yes, Agent Sandoval?" answered Da'an.
"There is a new candidate for implantation waiting for an interview."
Da'an tilted his graceful, narrow face to the side. "I was not aware that a new implant would be needed."
"Zo'or has come to the conclusion, that even though Kincaid's abilities have been adequate, that you need the services of an implant to completely insure your security. I'm sure that this candidate will meet with your approval?" Sandoval asked, handing Kincaid a computer disk. "Review this one's history, and see if she meets your standards."
"I did not request a new implant, Agent Sandoval," Da'an said mildly, but there was a biting edge to his voice.
"These order come with the full support of the Synod," Sandoval said self confidently.
"I'm sure they do," Da'an answered him, irony blatant.
Da'an looked at the disk, and asked that Liam open the file.
Sandoval stood still in the doorway, waiting to be dismissed.
Da'an ignored him.
The file came up on the data-stream. On it was a picture of a tough, fit looking woman, with an extensive military history.
"According to this, is Sergeant Deirdre Cooley, a veteran of the SI war. She was apparently," Liam's eyes flickered to Da'an and back," co-second with me in Commander Boone's platoon when it was ambushed."
"Interesting," Sandoval murmured. "I was told that only you and the Commander had survived.
"According to this, she almost didn't. She was left for dead, then captured by troops from the other side. She was tended, in the hopes that she could provide more information, but managed to escape. She even earned a medal for her heroism."
"A most… suitable recommendation for a Companion protector," Da'an answered.
"She was one of the record holders for the martial arts teams among the Rangers, and was offered the position of Companion protector when the Taelons first arrived, but she turned us down."
That was interesting, thought Kincaid. "Did she give a reason?" he asked.
"Only family obligations, but she seemed to feel that they took precedence. Considering that she never listed her home address, or even her next of kin, we were unable to do anything to persuade her to join us."
Da'an flashed blue for a moment. All in the room knew what Sandoval meant when he said "persuade".
"Did she give any reason for now deciding to take the Companions up on their offer?" Liam asked.
"Only that now she needed a job." Sandoval smiled. "I think that she will find that this is her calling, if she is implanted."
Da'an glanced over at Liam. It was plain to anyone that he had no choice in the matter. Liam sighed.
"When would be a good time to set up an interview?" Da'an said, gesturing with his pale, graceful hands.
"Right now," Sandoval answered smugly. He whipped out his global.
"Zo'or, Da'an will now interview Sergeant Cooley. Would you please enter?" he said with the utmost courtesy.
Liam felt like he had walked straight into a trap. It was obvious that Zo'or had set this up to get a mole into the renegade Companion's inner confidences, but both he and the Taelon's hands were tied. If they refused, Zo'or could denounce them to the Synod as keeping secrets, and if they didn't, they could have no way to continue with their Liberation activities.
He looked at his palms briefly, seeing a beginning of a glow. Well, if worst came to worst, he could kill her. While it might not be the plan of choice, he knew that the option was there. He didn't like the idea. She could be a perfectly innocent person…
Zo'or, the smirking, annoying little snot that would use anything to get what he wanted, as Liam thought of him, entered the North American Companion's office. Behind him, was the woman whose picture he had seen in the file he had just reviewed.
The picture didn't do the woman justice, he thought when he got a good look at her. She was almost as tall as he was, and he didn't want to know if he could beat her at arm wrestling. Her face was hard, but there was something in it that said she had compassion. Her eyes were an odd yellow green, and her dark brown, almost black, wavy hair was in a heavy knot at the base of her neck. Her nose was ordinary, over a full mouth, and full eye brows, not plucked like most women's, swept up to a high forehead. Her skin had the weathered look of someone that stayed out doors often. She wore loose khakis, and a trench coat, over a high-buttoned brown shirt, with a darker brown vest over the shirt. She also wore a look of curiosity, which was quickly disguised, and did nothing to belay the dangerous grace of her movements. This woman was a trained killer.
Competent, confident, and dangerous; all that Zo'or could have wanted.
Depending on where her loyalties lied, she could be an asset, or one pain in the ass.
Sandoval smiled when she entered the room, and gestured towards a chair for her. Cooley didn't return the smile, or even glance at the chair. She remained standing, her gaze trained at the Companion she had come to see, and his protector.
"Sergeant Cooley, this is Major Liam Kincaid, protector of the North American Companion, Da'an," he introduced.
Deirdre entered the Taelon embassy, wondering into what kind of situation she was getting herself.
In her years away from home, she had been lucky to fall in with the London Clan. They had taught her the rudiments of her magic, and showed her the spell that allowed her to become human.
She had left the Clan after the painful revelation that she was adopted. Gargoyles all felt a great need to be among their Clan, and when the specter of not belonging by blood crept into everyone's minds, she had left.
After she learned the trick to become human, she was able to explore the world. It was one of the greatest times of her life, seeing what was only a part of the history books to her Clan.
However, when the SI wars began, she had been in America, and she had felt honor bound to join the fight. It was her world too.
The wars hardened her. Although she was warrior born, no one could have predicted the effect that the fighting would have on her, or the world. It seemed to her Clan, when she returned, that a piece of her soul was gone.
She was not really listening to the toad Sandoval, when he was making introductions. The man was so committed to the Companions, that she wouldn't be surprised if he would cut his own tongue out for them. She was wondering what he would look like if he did, when she heard him say, "Liam Kincaid," and she snapped to attention.
The young man, standing in front of Da'an, was most definitely not the Liam Kincaid that she knew. He had died during the wars.
To the alien, she gave the ritual hand gestures she had seen Sandoval make, but turned to face 'Kincaid' sharply.
"Hello, Major," she drawled at him. "You've changed since the last time I saw you."
The man's face turned an interesting shade of purple at that.
"Sergeant, it is good to see you again as well."
Through out this little exchange, Deirdre was careful to keep her Irish accent from becoming to prominent. It wasn't hard; she had plenty of practice.
"Please," she said lightly," we're going to be working together, and we already know each other, so you simply must call me Deirdre."
Liam's eyebrows rose. "You sound very confident."
She just smiled.
"Tell me Sergeant, why do you wish to become a Companion protector?" asked Da'an, trying to restore equilibrium to the room.
Suddenly serious, the woman answered," I wish it because it is something that must be done. The Companions are here, and since they may have brought the Jaridians here by accident to not, what is done is done, and earth must be protected. I feel I would be helping my world by helping the Companions. It is as simple as that."
Nodding gracefully, Da'an continued," Do you also think that you are qualified for this task?"
At this, she grinned. Nodding toward Liam, she said," Far more so than that unbloodied boy that you call your 'protector' right now."
"Is that a challenge?" Liam said incredulously.
"If you like. Sandoval, do you want to join us? It would make for an interesting free for all, as entertainment goes. I also have much knowledge and experience of security and police work. I may not be as good Boone," and there, her face showed a faint clouding of grief," but who is?" she ended softly.
Zo'or had taken a position next to the North American Companion. He nodded, and said," If you truly wish to make this into a contest, than shall we begin?"
Deirdre felt sick at the thought of fighting like gladiators in a ring, but she had to keep with the persona she had invented for this role. She smiled grimly, and made a come hither gesture to Kincaid.
Kincaid wondered what had possessed Zo'or to let them do this.
He found his balance, lined up with Cooley, and -
She back kicked, catching Sandoval in the groin.
How had she realized he would attack from behind?
Liam really didn't have time to ponder that, because she was jabbing at his head.
He blocked quickly, hearing Sandoval moan on the ground and wanting to avoid such a fate himself. He did a side kick, but she didn't block. She caught it, and slammed a hammer fist into his knee. There was a sickening popping sound as the cartilage and bone broke.
He moaned, and she dropped his leg.
"What did I tell you?" she said, with a smirk.
Despite the pain he felt, at that moment Liam wondered how Zo'or's favorite expression had gotten onto a human face.
"I believe that Sergeant Cooley has proven her abilities as a Companion protector?" Zo'or said mildly, his face mirroring Cooley's.
The next thing Kincaid knew, he was waking up in a traction.
"I must say, if you're going to pick a fight, pick one that you can be sure you can win," he heard.
"I'll remember that," he mumbled back. He cracked his eyes open to see Captain Lili Marquette sitting by his bed.
"I wish I could have seen that fight," she commented. "I can just see that girl whooping your rear."
"Well, thank you for your support, Lili," he replied sarcastically.
"You're welcome."
Deirdre felt faintly ill as she stepped out of the dressing room in her paper gown into Dr. Belman's clinic.
"Now, you will feel some discomfort as you experience the procedure," she heard Belman rattle on, but her thoughts were on making sure the spell she had to keep herself intact were in place.
She concentrated on the mental chant of Latin which she wound around her mind, and muttered ever so often, hoping that Belman wouldn't notice.
"Here we go, Ms. Cooley," the doctor said, gesturing to the platform where Deirdre was to lay.
With trepidation, a few final phrases, and a prayer to the Creator, she lay down. Dr. Belman began strapping down her head. Deirdre glanced over at the probe which would insert the CVI into her brain.
Beautiful, she thought. I'm going to let them stick a piece if alien hardware into my head. God, I hope this spell works.
She shuddered, hearing the probe start up.
There was a faint prick on the bottom of her jaw, then a searing pain jabbed up inside her head. The world distorted crazily, her eyes no longer being under her own control.
The pain was awful, but not as bad as…other things she had gone through.
The probe pulled itself out of her brain, and the seizures hit.
She started to shake and every single memory chose at that moment to make itself seen. Hatching, gliding, war and peace all shoved itself forward, demanding to be acknowledged right now. She could do nothing to stop it.
Suddenly, a voice outside the maelstrom of her mind shouted, "Ride it out!"
She was dying, again.
She remembered it so vividly. Dying with the rest of Boone's platoon. Seeing so many of her friends reduced to so much meat. Feeling herself reduced to so much meat.
It became a cycle, never ending-
"Ride it out!" several voices shouted together.
With all the pain, how could she? She wondered. Then she flat-lined.
Kincaid had been able to get out of the hospital for this. He had wanted to see the implantation, never having seen one before.
He, Lili and Da'an sat behind a glassed in barrier, watching as the Sergeant sat on the platform, and was tied down.
He could almost feel pity for the woman. He shifted his weight, and his knee sent a sharp pain into his leg. He could almost feel pity for her.
Everything went according to plan, when he saw the probe withdraw. He saw the seizures hit. Then the monitor on her vitals went dead.
He joined with the others there, screaming for her to ride it out, to survive.
Dr. Belman had just called for a crash cart, when her heart started again, spontaneously.
They all watched in stunned amazement as she woke up.
"Um… Wha' dinae' miss?" she asked, and fell back in a dead faint.
Deirdre woke, feeling like her headache would never end. That was strange, because stone sleep should have… Feeling that complete lack of her wings, she remembered what had happened with startling clarity. For a moment, all she could feel was the sense of relief that magic had won out over science.
She sat up, and looked at her surrounding. It was a typical recovery room. Her clothes, coat and boots were on a bench next to the wall. Swinging her feet to the floor, she got dressed.
She had barely finished when Sandoval entered the room.
"Good, you're decent," he said. At her strange look, he responded, "I have only encountered one female implant before." He had the grace to be semi-embarrassed.
Following him out, she observed him out of the corner of her eye. He was the only implant she had ever met, so she had to assume that he was typical of those that had become protectors. As "Liam" was not, Sandoval was all she had to try to emulate.
They came into the audience chamber of the North American Companion, and she heard the slight hiss of released gases. Sandoval reached into a smallish container, and picked up small creature that looked similar to his own.
"Put out your arm," he instructed. "As a Companion protector, you will need to be armed at all times, and this creature, called a skrill, will serve you in ways that you can not imagine."
Frankly, Deirdre always thought that her weapon of choice was a hand and a half broad sword, but this would work.
She rolled up her sleeve up to her elbow, and felt the little animal settle onto her arm. It was still cool from the suspension chamber that had housed it.
Sandoval put his arm out, with his own skrill visible. It glowed.
Other than a sharp intake of breath, Deirdre made sure that no other signs of her pain were visible, as the skrill reacted to Sandoval's, and drove its appendages into arm. She could feel it connecting to her. It took all her self-control to keep from crying out.
"Impressive," she heard a dry, alien voice say from behind her. Turning, she came face to face with Da'an.
She bowed, nod trusting her voice at this point. She wondered if she could still pull this off.
"My protector Liam will show you the carrying out of your new duties," he said, in his otherworldly tones.
The false Liam was standing in the doorway. She nodded to him, and she made the ritual hand gestures to Da'an, and left.
They went deeper into the embassy.
Kincaid's leg had been healed rapidly, due to Taelon science. He was only walking with a slight limp, now.
She winced as she saw that. True, she had made the challenge, but she still would have preferred not having to have hurt him. She knew she would win, simply by the virtue that she could take anything he could give. She would heal, and she knew it.
"Sorry about your knee," she said off handedly.
Liam grunted an acknowledgement, but said nothing.
"I know that you aren't Liam Kincaid," she blurted out.
Liam felt like someone had hit him in the back of the head with a board. True, he had wondered, if she was who she said she was, then she would know that he was false, but… He never thought she would just come out and say it.
Especially after she had been implanted.
He whirled around to face her. He saw that she was nearly as surprised about her revelation as he was.
"Really. Then, tell me, Sergeant, who am I? Why haven't you told the Taelons this?" he asked, getting up in her face.
She didn't back down.
"I didn't, because at least one of them has to know by now. If you have been doing your job correctly, then what does it matter?"
"You think I haven't been doing my job?" he grated back at her.
"Well, anyone who looses that easily in a not quite fair fight must be doing something wrong," Deirdre snapped, without thinking.
"I'll tell you what, Sergeant-" he began, when a cough interrupted them.
Captain Marquette was standing in the hall before them, and said, "Your first tour of the mother ship leaves in five minutes. Liam will brief you on the way up."
Both of them nodded to Marquette, and followed her to the shuttle bay.
Looking around, Deirdre was barely able to conceal her wonder about what she saw. The organic ships, the virtual glass, all of it was too unreal. The only thing in her experience that might compare was her one time encounter with a Fey… That was something she did not want to remember, but her CVI played back the memory in full.
The memory intrusion lasted for barely a moment, but it left her shaking.
"Are you all right?" asked Lili, having seen Boone go through similar episodes.
"I'll live," Deirdre replied hoarsely.
She was now reliving the last few days, getting the interview with the Companions, meeting Zo'or, knowing that she would end up playing a part of a power struggle that had nothing to do with her or her kind. Her resolve to save her little sister, no matter what.
With a shuddering breath, she felt her conviction that she would save her wayward, adopted sister, no matter what, come back to her. That was all that mattered.
It was but a moment for them to enter and leave inter-dimensional drive, and land safely aboard the mother ship. If Deirdre could have let herself, her jaw would have been hitting the ground at every turn. It was truly a place of wonders.
They were passed by humans, many with obvious implants, in skin-tight blue and purple suits. She wondered if the Taelons only saw in the UV range. That would explain why they were so fond of those two colors.
What bothered her was how ghostlike those people were. They moved like zombies about their appointed tasks. Their eyes were fixed onto nothing, and they were pale as glacial ice.
It was like they were trying to become as Companion like as possible, she mused to herself. Absently, with her CVI's help, she took in everything she saw for later review. Then they reached the bridge.
Zo'or looked at her smugly from his command chair.
He was about to say something to her, when a wolf-like bay sounded through the ship.
It was followed by a cat's screech, and the sounds of a struggle.
Deirdre knew that cry. It was Bridget!
The noise went on for several minutes, when it finally faded out.
"I apologize for the interruption. Our new test subject has been less than cooperative," said the leader of the Synod.
The two protectors stood still, waiting for the Synod Leader to continue.
"You will be in charge of security for Da'an, something you will carry out with your life, if necessary."
Abruptly, Zo'or stood up from his chair. "Leave us," he commanded Liam.
Liam felt like cursing. He could tell that Zo'or was planning to tell this newest implant something important, and didn't want him to hear it. Damn. He guessed that there was a mole in with him now, and he would have to figure out a way to get around her. He hoped he wouldn't end up killing her.
Deirdre stood before Zo'or, and wondered if she were shaking.
"I would like to have you look in on our newest acquisition," he told her, his voice unbearably smug. "I will need someone that I can assure the loyalty of to be guarding her. As you have just been implanted, I can trust you where I can not trust Sandoval or Kincaid."
Fat chance, she thought, even as she questioned her luck. She knew that she would have to prove her "devotion" to the Companions in some way, and that the best way to do so would be to act like a total toady. It would drive her usual leader's, individualistic spirit, mad.
"Come with me," Zo'or said imperiously, gesturing for her to follow him.
Gathering her nerve, she strode along behind him, still being careful to observe her surroundings. They went down a maze of halls and chambers, when they came to a pair of rooms, one clearly a lab. In the lab, was an unconscious Bridget. Deirdre's heart lurched at the sight of what they had done to the small, pale, delicate gargoyle.
She was strapped down to a table, with dozens of fine wire and organic probes running from her to a legion of monitoring devices. One of her talons had been removed.
The sheer barbarity of the tests that they were performing nearly made her loose control of the spell that kept her human. As it was, she still wanted to tear the ship down around their heads, with her frail human fingers.
Zo'or began to describe Bridget's capture in Dublin. Deirdre didn't hear.
"We tried to implant the human male we found with her. It would have been the easiest way to get information from him, but, alas, he did not survive the procedure."
Poor Ian, Deirdre mourned. He had been a good kid.
"Since this creature has made several attempts to free herself, I need someone who can take care of herself to guard the scientists studying her. I will also need you to report to me regularly on Da'an's activities. I cannot trust any of the old implants, and Kincaid could never be trusted to begin with. I was lucky to have found you. I will call you when you are needed. You are dismissed."
Face blank, Deirdre performed the Companion hand gestures, spun sharply, and left.
Thank the Dragon, she thought as she marched to the shuttle bay, that he has such overweening pride, that he would place me immediately on what I wanted! This guy's head's so big, you could double it as a blimp!
She reached the shuttle bay. Marquette and Kincaid were waiting for her there, and were speaking to each other in hushed tones. This quiet conversation ended abruptly when they noticed her approach, so she assumed it was about her.
"Marquette, Liam," Cooley greeted them. Lili waved her inside the shuttle, and Deirdre strapped herself into her seat. Liam did the same.
Deirdre was not so caught up in her own worries that she didn't stare in wonder at how Captain Marquette piloted the shuttle. The thought crossed her mind, it was a pity that Lili had not been born with wings.
It was much later that night that Deirdre returned to the apartment she had rented for this role. In the twenty years she traveled before the SI wars, she had acquired a modest amount of money, and she had pulled her savings when she had to find a place. Now that she had the job of protector, she could afford the loft apartment easily.
Tossing her coat onto her couch, she through herself down beside it. Taking a deep breath, she started one of the meditation exercises that she had been taught by the Ishmira Clan. She chuckled softly at the thought. Before going there, she had only thought she knew how to fight.
She'd been tossed around like a doll.
Putting the thought from her mind, she went over the situation mentally.
One: She was now an implant, with a mortal weapon that few could match.
Two: Bridget was being held, and experimented on. Deirdre herself was to be in charge of keeping her from harming the scientists working on her.
Three-
Wait a minute.
She eyes flew open when it occurred to her that Zo'or had said that he could not trust Kincaid, or even Da'an, a fellow Taelon. Could she get Da'an to support her?
That was a tricky one. Obviously, he knew that "Kincaid" was not what he said he was. Plus, he wasn't implanted. The fact that Da'an trusted Liam as his protector spoke volumes. Still, better to be cautious.
Deirdre walked over to the computer console, and pulled up everything she could on Da'an, "Liam Kincaid" and even William Boone's history with the Taelons. Five hours later, when she had absorbed all the information available, she stopped.
She sighed, and decided that she needed some air.
Grabbing her coat, she checked to see if her sword was secure, and headed to the street.
Liam felt like killing something when he and Lili walked into the Flat Planet café that evening.
"She's an implant now, and that automatically makes her "guilty"," he argued to Lili as they sat down.
"Still, we don't know what Zo'or has planned to use her for," Lili stated, holding firm.
"Isn't it obvious? She's going to spy on us," he threw back.
"I, I don't know, Liam," Lili muttered, not knowing how to respond to that one. They both knew that Zo'or never did anything out of the kindness of his heart, and now he had someone in a position to destroy the Liberation movement.
"What has disturbed you both so that you come in shouting?" called the calm voice of Mia, Lili's "sister" from an alternate dimension, behind the bar.
"We have a new implant to deal with," Liam explained the situation.
Mia listened attentively. "I would think that such a woman as you described would prefer death than to live as a slave the Companions."
"She did turn the job down, once," piped up Lili. "Why would she suddenly take it?"
"Well, her first reason was family obligations. If someone could turn down such a high profile job in the beginning of the Taelons arrival, then why take it now?"
"I don't know," said Lili, and she tossed back the drink that Mia had brought her.
Liam happened to be looking out of one of the windows at that moment…
"Speak of the devil and she will appear," he whispered in surprise. Cooley had just walked by.
Deirdre strode briskly down one of the many roads of D.C., and she breathed the night air deeply. No matter her shape, night would always be the time she was most awake, most alive and vital. The cool air whipped through her now unbound hair, giving her the illusion of being airborne. Her thoughts strayed towards Bridget.
Her little, pretty sister, stuck in space, one talon-hand removed. The sight had nearly driven her to tears, and there was nothing to stop her now. Looking around, she glimpsed a small church. Holy ground; she would be safe there.
It was open, and she quickly entered, and sat in one of the pews. Weeping silently, she came to a decision. She knew that she would have to wait to get enough information to free Bridget, but that didn't mean she would go slowly.
Standing swiftly, she headed out of the church, and hailed a cab.
Liam had followed Sergeant Cooley as she had walked, but not into the church. He had been flabbergasted when he had seen tears streaming down her face, and had wondered what could have caused an implant to react in such a way.
About twenty minutes later, he saw her exit the building, get into a taxi. He lost after that.
Seeing the vehicle speed off, he uttered one word.
"Damn."
Deirdre stood outside the Taelon embassy in Washington, and questioned the wisdom of her actions. If she told Da'an that she was really a gargoyle, that it was her little sister on his ship, and that she needed his help to save her…
That would leave her with no options if the whole plan blew up in her face.
Maybe, she thought, if it was someone else asking…
She smacked herself on the head. "Dunce! Deirdre Cooley doesn't need to talk to him. Deirdre the gargoyle could!"
Working out the plan in her mind, she felt that it would work out well. As an implant, she would have access to Da'an any time, day or night.
Giving her access code, she marched in. To the ladies' room.
It took but a moment for her to change into the short tan breeches, tunic, and surcoat. Leather four fingered gauntlets followed. Her plain broadsword went into her belt. Briefly checking herself in the mirror, she began to undo the chain of spells that held her into her human guise.
It was a charm that could only be performed at night, and it went easiest when it took place at sunset or dawn. As it was, the pain of the shift would horrendous.
With a gasp of pain, her feet went from five toed to three, and she rose up on the balls of her feet. A powerfully muscled tail whipped out behind her and her long, black and gray wings uncurled from her back. Her hands became talons, and her skin turned a charcoal gray. Her ears reshaped themselves into points, and a ridge of horns took the place of her eyebrows, while one large spike thrust itself up from between her eyes. Repressing the roar she would have normally have made, she gave a soft groan, and looked at her reflection.
A true, almost monstrous gargoyle looked back at her. While most of her Clan had such a human appearance they were considered little more than humans with wings, she was as far as one could go and not be considered downright ugly.
Her gray, nearly black skin made her look like an ominous shadow, with wings so long and powerful that she could almost fly. Her face was all sharp plains and angles. She kept her hair, which fell to her tail, but she dwarfed most of the males in her Clan. She gained a foot when she was in her true form.
Grimacing at the sight, she turned and continued deeper into the heart of the embassy.
Liam had decided to head to the embassy after Cooley's disappearance to discuss the situation with Da'an. He wondered what the Taelon would do now that there was such an obvious watcher over them. He hoped that he wouldn't have to kill her.
Da'an reclined in his chair, resting in his energy stream. He had been pondering the meaning of the finding of a new, intelligent species on this world. The repercussions were more than he cared to think about. Yet, there they were.
What the scientists had learned just from studying her anatomy was staggering. The shear toughness of her tissues should have made her kind the dominant species of Earth, but there was no mention of them in any history. She seemed to be a creature out of myth.
It was frightening.
These beings could possibly take on a Jaridian single-handedly, if what they had learned was true for the entire species, and…
Da'an realized that he was not alone in the chamber.
"Da'an," he heard uttered from a deep, soft alto to the entrance of the room.
He came to a sitting position, and was amazed at the creature he beheld there.
It was clearly one of the creature's species, only he realized that this particular specimen could have taken on several Jaridians at once, and there would be no doubt as to the winner.
"I would like to speak to you," it said, holding out its, her, hands, showing that she was unarmed. It had taken him a few seconds to notice the feminine features that marked most human females, and he thought, must hold true for this kind as well.
"I would think that you are doing so already," Da'an replied, stalling for time. He was in a state of shock at the sight of one of the creatures simply walking into his audience chamber. That should have been impossible.
A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Then, may I continue to do so?"
Deirdre could feel a smile curl her lips at the sight of the normally unflappable Companion so thoroughly flapped. The amusement she felt melted away when she recalled the reason for her being there.
"I would wish to ask," she grimaced at what she had to say next, but it was nothing less than the truth," no, beg for the release of the young one from imprisonment."
Da'an recovered a little of his old calm at what she was saying.
"Why should we?" he replied, even as the pity he had felt for her, and the fear, came back to him with clarity.
Deirdre wasn't aware of the look of pleading that showed on her face when she answered.
"She is barely a child! She didn't know what would happen when she left the safety of her home! Please, let me return her to her Clan, with her friend, so that they may live out their lives in peace."
"There can be no peace," Da'an answered, blinking slowly. He stood from his chair, and slowly approached her. "Not while this planet is in danger from the Jaridians. We need her, as she will provide us with information on how we can better survive their coming."
"What right do you have," growled the creature," to involve an innocent child in your schemes!"
A Taelon will glow blue when it feels agitated. Da'an was totally unprepared for the blazing red that erupted from the, the, the beast's eyes.
Feeling defensive about what his kind were doing, even if he was not condoning it, he said, "We have the right to save our kind!"
"So," both gargoyle and Taelon whirled around when they heard Kincaid enter, "The Companions will gain the world, at the loss of their souls."
Liam had been shocked when he had seen the creature speaking to Da'an. It had only taken a moment for him to hear what she was saying to him, however, and realize that she was pleading. From something that large to be asking for something, when she looked like she could have taken whatever she wanted from Da'an's hide, he felt pity wrench his heart.
He wanted to help her.
Liam decided, that since this creature was attempting to be courteous Da'an, he would be so to her.
He put out his hand. "My name is Liam Kincaid, Da'an's protector. Who are you, and what are your kind called?"
Deirdre was more than a little surprised at how Liam had interrupted. Well, no harm in being polite.
"I am called Morrigan," she whispered softly, using an old nickname from college.
Liam's eyebrows rose. "The Celtic goddess of War?"
She smiled vaguely. "If you like."
She went on. "My species are called gargoyles."
"I heard you asking for the return of the child gargoyle," Liam said. "I think that we would like to help you with this matter, but, well, Da'an might not be the person to ask. The Synod has little faith in him at this time. You might have a better chance dealing with me first."
"Deal?" Deirdre asked softly, her eyebrow ridges furrowing. "What kind of a 'deal'?"
"I-"
"We would indeed like to help you," Da'an said suddenly, in an abrupt about face. "But there are many hindrances to be overcome. I am watched nearly continuously by the Synod leader, Zo'or. If she were to make an escape, then I would immediately be blamed, and any hope of a joining of humans and Taelons would be lost."
Deirdre looked at him in more than a little surprise at his frankness. She had often read about the amazing diplomatic skill that the North American Companion possessed, but he also seemed to hold something of the tactician, as well.
"If she could be rescued in such a way that there would be no way to put blame on you, would you be willing to go along?"
"Yes, I would."
"What are you planning?" Liam said suspiciously. He didn't like the face she was making.
A plan had begun to formulate itself in her mind as they had talked. It had slowly worked its way down, and had hatched when Liam had spoken. She grinned, taking both the Companion and his protector a back.
"I'll tell you later."
The two males stared, as she walked over to one of the virtual glass windows, and strode through. She unfurled her wings, and gave a little leap, landing on the wall of the balcony beyond. Then, she jumped, and glided away.
"That was very strange," came, surprisingly, from Da'an.
"That was more than strange. I don't think I like the idea of waiting to see what Morrigan is going to do," answered a dazed Liam.
"Yet, what choice do we have?"
It was a long time before either of them stopped feeling uneasy.
To be continued…
Comments? Questions?