Disclaimers in Pt. 1.
Chapter 7
Zo'or looked up from the display he'd been reading as Agent Sandoval and Major Kincaid walked onto the bridge. Neither looked entirely pleased, but Agent Sandoval appeared to be... satisfied about something.
"Agent Sandoval, Major Kincaid... have you made any further progress?" Zo'or asked.
"Yes, we have, Zo'or," Agent Sandoval replied. "We have obtained an image that is most likely that of the assassin - or, at the worst, of one of his associates."
"Excellent," Zo'or declared. "How did you obtain this information?"
Major Kincaid shifted slightly, but it was Agent Sandoval who answered. "It seems that the material that the assassin used to hide from our sensors was an accidental discovery of a scientist working for Doors International."
Zo'or frowned. Was Jonathan Doors continuing his work with the human Resistance?
"They were keeping it in a high-security lab while they attempted to discover exactly how the scientist in question had created it," Agent Sandoval continued. "I was informed that Mr. Doors and Ms. Palmer intended to file a complete report on the material with you as soon as they had discovered that information.
"The material in question was stolen on Monday. It was only just discovered, because the thief managed to elude most of their security cameras. There was one that he apparently missed, however, and Ms. Palmer obtained an image of him, and gave it to us."
"Very good," Zo'or said. "Is there anything else, Agent Sandoval?"
The human hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Actually, Zo'or, there is. Da'an and I believe that the assassin has been-"
"Targeting Major Kincaid," Zo'or finished. He was pleased by the look of surprise that crossed Agent Sandoval's face; it was always pleasant to shock the human. "Yes, I am aware of that theory.
"Da'an also informed me that you would be protecting Major Kincaid until the assassin has been captured," he added.
"I felt it would be wise," Agent Sandoval replied. "After all, it is becoming obvious that we are dealing with a skilled professional; Major Kincaid requires proper protection."
A slight smile crossed Zo'or's face. "I quite agree, Agent Sandoval."
Both Agent Sandoval and Major Kincaid looked openly surprised at that.
"Now, I suggest that you attempt to uncover the identity of the thief," Zo'or continued, and turned away from the humans in dismissal.
As they entered Sandoval's office, Liam automatically sat down in his usual chair, still wondering what was going on.
He was... confused, to put it mildly. The last thing he had expected was for Zo'or to agree to Sandoval's acting as his bodyguard. Zo'or didn't like him - had never liked him - and had even tried to have him killed more than once... Now, suddenly, the Taelon was encouraging Sandoval to protect him?
To make it even more confusing, Sandoval appeared to have been as surprised by Zo'or's response as he had been - which was unusual. Most of the time, Sandoval seemed to know exactly what Zo'or was thinking.
Of course, Sandoval hadn't exactly been acting like his normal self lately either...
It didn't make any sense.
"Major?" Sandoval said pointedly, and Liam realized that he'd been ignoring Sandoval completely - and from his tone of voice, Sandoval had already tried to get his attention more than once.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just... I'm a little distracted right now."
Sandoval didn't comment on that, merely gestured to his terminal. "If you could download the security record from Doors International..."
Wincing at the sharp tone of his father's voice, Liam obediently took out his global and downloaded the image.
I should get this to Augur, if I can, Liam thought, as Sandoval started up a search. He'll probably have even more luck than Sandoval in getting a match.
"This is likely to take a while," Sandoval said after a moment. He leaned back in his chair and gave Liam a searching look. "There is something I've been meaning to discuss with you, Major."
Uh oh... This doesn't sound too good... "What is it?" Liam asked, hoping his thoughts didn't show on his face.
"You mentioned yesterday morning that you didn't know all that much about the Volunteer pilots," Sandoval said.
Huh? That had to be one of the last things he'd expected Sandoval to talk about! "That's right," Liam replied, deciding to play along. "You know I don't really have much to do with the Volunteers. They're your concern, after all."
"True. However, since..." Sandoval paused for just a moment, and then went on. "Since Captain Marquette's unfortunate demise, I've noticed that the quality of the pilot training has declined. Once you have recovered from your injury, I want you to take charge of that particular program."
Liam stared at Sandoval, his mouth open in astonishment, even as he felt a stab of pain at the memory of Lili's death. "You want me to what?" he exclaimed in disbelief. Why on earth would Sandoval do something like that? It made no sense - especially since Liam knew that Sandoval had suspicions of his involvement with the Resistance.
There had to be a catch to this, somewhere.
"Take charge of the Volunteer pilot training program," Sandoval repeated. "In fact, you can start even before your shoulder heals; the first thing I'd like you to do is find out what the trainers are doing, and then develop ways in which the current methods of instruction can be improved.
"You're one of the best pilots we have, Major, if not the best; and you're also a Companion-Protector," Sandoval continued. "As a result, you are uniquely qualified for this position."
Liam struggled to get his thoughts in order. It was hard; this had come completely out of left field as far as he was concerned.
"Who's in charge right now?" he asked after a moment. It was the first coherent question he could come up with - that he could actually ask, that was.
"Nominally, I am," Sandoval replied. "But I don't know enough about piloting, nor do I have the time, to deal with the difficulties that they're having. You have both.
"I will have to confirm this with Zo'or, of course, but I doubt that there will be any problems."
Liam wasn't so sure he believed that.
But then again... Considering Zo'or's recent behaviour, maybe Sandoval was right.
"So I'm to find areas where the training could stand some improvement, come up with suggestions, and report them to you?" he asked, wanting to be clear on exactly what Sandoval expected of him.
"To start with," Sandoval replied, studying Kincaid carefully.
The Major was still looking a bit stunned at Sandoval's decision. His eyes were wide, and he was rubbing the palm of his right hand - a nervous gesture that Sandoval had noticed quite a few times over the past three days.
"To start with?" Kincaid repeated.
"I said, Major, I want you in charge of the program. Permanently," he added, to emphasize his point.
Kincaid's eyes widened further as he sat back in his chair. "You're sure about this," he said. It was a statement rather than a question, although his tone was disbelieving.
"Yes, Major, I'm quite sure. As I said, you are the best qualified for the position, and it's something that needs doing." Those weren't the only reasons, of course; but they were the ones that would serve to explain his decision to Zo'or. And Sandoval wasn't about to mention the other reasons until he was certain that Kincaid could trusted.
"In fact," he added, taking out his pocket-watch and checking the time, "you can begin right now. There's an orientation session in the main shuttle bay for the newest trainees; it starts in about an hour." He reached into the top drawer of his desk and took out the small disk he'd prepared yesterday afternoon. "This will give you the details of the training program, as well as the records of the instructors and the statistical information on session sizes and failure rates. I want you to study it, and then go to the orientation session."
Kincaid nodded slowly as he took the disk. "All right," he replied. He got up from the chair and picked his global up from Sandoval's desk. "You'll call me if the search turns up anything?"
"Of course, Major," Sandoval said.
He waited until Kincaid had left, closing the door behind him, and then checked his screen to see how the search was doing.
He'd set it up to search the FBI agent database first, followed by the CIA, US Military Intelligence, and then the rest of the US military databases. After that, it would go through the rest of Earth's databases, but Sandoval had the feeling that one of the first four searches would find their man. The sense of familiarity he got when he looked at the picture told him that.
He set the search to run in the background and opened his global, pulling up Zo'or's energy signature.
With any luck, this time he wouldn't be interrupted - and he'd find something. Third time's the charm, they say... he thought, as he ordered the computer to begin a search for all data relating to the hybrid project. Let's just hope that they're right, and I do find something - because if I don't, I have no idea of where to go from here.
Augur had just finished putting away his dishes when his global beeped.
Opening it up, he wasn't surprised to see Liam's face appear. "I was just going to call you," he said.
Liam paused for a moment; he'd obviously been intending to say something, and Augur's comment had taken him off-guard. "You were?" he said finally. "Why?"
"Because you, my friend, are a very popular man," Augur replied. "You've got the Army Rangers, the FBI lab at Quantico, and some hacker from Tennessee all checking out your records. Oh, and Sandoval as well, but that's no surprise."
"No, it's not," Liam said, sighing. "Although I might have some idea of why he was checking them this time... but that's not really important. Listen, has Renee called you?"
"No... I haven't spoken to her since this morning, when I gave her your message," Augur told him. "She was... rather upset, by the way." That was an understatement; in fact, she'd nearly taken his head off. "Why?"
Liam's expression hardened. "She and Doors managed to catch the thief on one of their security cameras," he replied. "She gave Sandoval and I his picture about an hour, hour and a half ago. I was expecting that she would have sent a copy to you as well, so that you could check him out, but I guess I was wrong."
"Yeah, you were. So why don't you send it over now and I'll get started?" Augur suggested.
"Thanks, Augur," Liam replied, in a tone of heartfelt gratitude, and a moment later, an image of a tall man with thinning blond hair and dark eyes appeared on Augur's global.
"I'll get right on it, and I'll give you a call when I've got him, okay?"
"Thanks, Augur," Liam repeated. "I really appreciate this."
He closed the connection.
Augur studied the thief's face for a moment, and then shook his head with a sigh. The things I do for you, kid...
"Sir, there's an incoming call for you."
The man looked up from the article he'd been reading. "Who is it?" he demanded.
"Jonathan Doors, sir."
His mouth tightened. Doors. What was he doing, calling?
"Sir?"
"I'll take it, I'll take it," he said irritably. Picking up his global, he opened it. "Doors," he acknowledged curtly. "What do you want?"
"I want you to lay off Kincaid," Doors replied, equally curt. "And I want the vaile back."
The man shook his head. "No."
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Doors demanded.
His expression hardened. "I know perfectly well what I'm doing, Doors. Do you?"
Doors glared at him. "Kincaid isn't a traitor; he's on our side."
"And just how do you define 'our' side, Doors? Considering your little alliance with Zo'or, I suggest you think carefully about that."
He could see Doors gritting his teeth, and smiled coldly.
"Liam Kincaid is Resistance," the business tycoon said after a moment. "In fact, he's currently the leader of the Resistance."
"You know what, Doors? I don't believe you. It's so obvious that Kincaid is the Taelons' pet, I don't know why you're even bothering to talk to me about it. In fact, I don't know why I'm even bothering to talk to you about it. Goodbye."
Closing the global, he tossed it back on his desk and returned his attention to the article.
Soon, Kincaid... soon.
Liam slipped into the shuttle bay and glanced around. La'nar, one of the Taelon crew that Liam knew in passing, was on traffic control duty; it didn't look to be all that busy at the moment, but Liam knew better than to disturb him.
"Major Kincaid?" came a question from behind him, and he turned to see a Volunteer he recognized from the files that Sandoval had given him. It was Lt. Gregory Benning, the head piloting instructor. "Can I help you with something?"
"Lieutenant Benning, right?" Liam said.
"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant replied.
Liam smiled. "I'm actually here to see you, Lieutenant," he explained. "Agent Sandoval is considering putting me in charge of the pilot training program, and I'd like to get an idea of what the training sessions are like. I was wondering if I could listen in on the orientation session you'll be doing in a few minutes."
Lt. Benning looked surprised. "Of course, Major," he replied. "You're more than welcome to listen - and join in if you would like."
"Thank you," Liam declared. "I think I'll stick to just listening for the moment."
The Lieutenant nodded in understanding. "If you'll follow me, then, sir," he said, leading Liam over to the far end of the shuttle bay, where a strange-looking device was set up in an alcove. "This is where we hold the orientation and preliminary training sessions."
Liam looked around the small area in confusion. He recognized a Taelon console at one end of... whatever this was, and there was a pilot's seat in front of the console... but he had no idea what all the other things were. "What is this?"
Lt. Benning blinked. "It's the shuttle flight simulator, sir," he replied, his tone cautious.
"Flight simulator?" Liam peered at the collection of machinery around the seat. "But I thought that the shuttle interface was an intuitive one."
"It is," Lt. Benning said. His voice sounded strange, and Liam turned to look at him. "However, the trainees still need to learn the basics, and a simulator is the best way to do that."
"I'd like to try it out," Liam began, and then a flash of pain from his shoulder reminded him of the fact that he wasn't allowed to move his arm at the moment. "Later," he added with a grimace, gesturing at the sling he was wearing in explanation.
"Yes, sir," Lt. Benning replied, and then glanced at his global. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, Major, the trainees will be coming through the portal in two minutes, and I need to meet them there."
Liam nodded.
As Benning walked out of the shuttle bay, Liam gave the simulator another curious glance. If this was standard for pilot training, why hadn't Lili ever had him use it? She'd spent a period of two days teaching him how to fly a shuttle after he'd saved Da'an from the replicant, but they'd spent that entire time actually in a shuttle, not in a simulator.
Of course, he'd had Lili instructing him one-on-one, whereas Lt. Benning and the other trainers had classes ranging from 12-19 Volunteers at a time, according to the information Sandoval had given him. That probably made a difference.
Glancing at his watch, Liam estimated that he had about three to five minutes left before Lt. Benning came back with the trainees - just enough time to give his shuttle a quick check. Even if he couldn't fly it at the moment, he still liked to check it daily - a habit he'd gotten into after Doors' sabotage had sent Augur and himself to Maiya's dimension.
Sitting down in the pilot's seat, he called up the controls and ran a quick systems check.
Everything appeared to be working perfectly, and Liam got up just as Lt. Benning led a group of about 16 Volunteers into the shuttle bay. As they passed his shuttle, he followed them, and ended up standing inconspicuously at the back of the group as they gathered around the simulator.
Volunteer Gayle Johnson looked around curiously as their group entered the shuttle bay. She'd never been on the mothership before, and she'd found the short journey from the ID portal to the shuttle bay absolutely fascinating.
The shuttle bay was large, with shuttles docked everywhere. Right next to the entrance they'd come in by was a Taelon seated in a bizarre-looking sphere of energy. Gayle wondered what he was doing.
Their instructor, Lt. Benning, led them over to the far end of the shuttle bay. In one corner was a very strange-looking machine, consisting of an unusual-shaped chair, a console, and a metal decking under them, with bits and pieces of machinery under the decking.
"What's that?" came a question from one of her fellow trainees. Based on his accent, he was from Australia, Gayle decided. Well, Australia or New Zealand. She'd never been able to hear the difference between the accents, although her college roommate, who had been from New Zealand, had insisted that there was one.
"This, Volunteers, is a shuttle flight simulator. Before you are allowed to sit yourself in a real pilot's seat, you will all have to satisfy me that you can get through the worst of the simulator programs without destroying your shuttle, your passengers, or yourself. This generally takes a week and a half to two weeks with an implant; without an implant, it can take up to three weeks, or sometimes longer." He looked at all of them. "Well, since we have no implants in this class, it looks like you'll all be scheduled for about three weeks with this baby.
"Then, after you've proved yourself capable of avoiding an absolute disaster in the simulator, we let you try it in a real shuttle."
"Sir," spoke up another trainee - Gayle's friend from Basic Training, Aaron Greene - "what happens if we don't get it in three weeks?"
"Then, Private..." Lt. Benning consulted his global, "Greene, either we figure out what you're doing wrong, or you're not meant to be a pilot.
"Which brings up my second point. The average size of a class at the beginning is fifteen Volunteers. The average size of a graduating class is four.
"You all possess excellent reflexes and an ability to interface easily with Taelon technology, according to the preliminary tests you passed to be in this class. Nonetheless, it's likely that only a quarter to a third of you will actually become shuttle pilots. That's because none of the tests we can give you can accurately predict your reactions in some of the situations that you could find yourself in as pilots. Aside from teaching you how to maneuver a shuttle, the actual mechanics of piloting, that's what the simulator does. Throws you into a situation where you have to make a number of rapid decisions - decisions that could mean life and death. What we are looking for are people - Volunteers - who can do this consistently and successfully.
"This is where most of you will fail. You aren't necessarily expected to handle every simulation perfectly - and you won't even be confronted by these simulations at the beginning - but by the time three weeks are up, you will be expected to perform consistently well.
"Are there any more questions right now?"
There were a few headshakes, but most of them stayed silent.
"Good."
Lieutenant Benning stepped up onto the metal decking. "As I said," he began, "this is the shuttle flight simulator. It was created by the same team that worked on the human interface for the shuttles, and as a result, is one of the best training tools we have. This seat here," he gestured to the unusual-shaped chair, "is a pilot's seat. It's designed to give the pilot maximum flexibility and maneuverability, while at the same time providing sufficient protection in the case of a crash. And believe me, even the best pilots can crash. All it takes is being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Now," he continued, as he waved his hand over the console and brought up a large screen with a set of strange images on it, "this console is designed to mimic a shuttle's controls, as well as the view you would have out the front. Every time you do anything to the controls, the simulator will move in response. Like this."
The Lieutenant sat down in the seat and placed his hands against the console screen. Then he made a movement with his left hand, and the decking tilted to one side. He reversed the movement, straightening the simulator back out, and then pulled his hands away.
"A shuttle's controls are extremely responsive," he said. "When we start you out on the simulator, there will be a half-second delay between your movement and that of the 'shuttle'. By the end of your first week, the 'shuttle' will be moving exactly as you do. It's at that point that we will start putting you into scenarios that you will have to deal with."
Before he could continue, there was a sudden beep from the back of the group. Gayle recognized it as a global, and she, like all the others, turned to look.
Standing by the entrance to the alcove holding the simulator was a tall, youthful man with spiky brown hair and one arm in a sling. He looked a bit embarrassed at having suddenly become the centre of attention.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Benning," he said apologetically.
"No harm done, Major," the Lieutenant replied - a bit distantly, Gayle thought.
The man - whom Gayle suddenly realized was Major Kincaid, Da'an's Protector - nodded to Lt. Benning and then turned and walked out of the shuttle bay.
"Atten-hut!" the Lieutenant called sharply from behind them, and Gayle automatically came to attention, facing Lt. Benning, as did the rest of the class.
"However inadvertently, the Major has provided me with the perfect example to make my next point.
"When his global went off, you all turned to look at him; and continued to focus your attention on him until I called you to attention. As pilots, you will be expected to recognize events that are unimportant - such as someone else's global going off - and ignore them; you must focus on those events that will impact your shuttle, your passengers and you. Too much attention paid to distractions can quite easily get you killed.
"Now..."
Liam slipped out of the shuttle bay, still feeling the heat of embarrassment in his cheeks. Sighing, he opened his global. He was seriously hoping that it was either Augur or Sandoval with news about the thief. If it was anyone else, it would probably mean that something else had gone wrong - which was not something he was in the mood to hear right now.
Augur's worried face graced the small screen.
"Augur? What is it?"
"Your instincts were right on the money with this, Liam," the hacker said.
Liam gave him a puzzled look, not understanding what Augur was getting at.
"On a hunch, I checked the image you sent me from Doors' security records against the files of the people that have accessed your records. I came up with a match."
"You did? Who is it?" Liam demanded.
Augur's mouth tightened. "This is the bad news, Liam; your thief - and most likely assassin as well - is Lieutenant Colonel Gary McKenna, US Army Rangers. I did a bit more poking around on him - that's why it's taken me this long to get back to you - and I don't like what I've found."
"Go on," Liam said slowly, a chill stealing through him. He now had a name - the name of someone who wanted to kill him. It was a terrifying feeling.
Yes, he'd had people try to kill him before. Hell, Zo'or and Sandoval had tried to kill him on a number of occasions!
The difference was, though, that he'd always known why before. There'd always been an obvious reason. But this... he'd never even heard of Lieutenant Colonel McKenna before!
"Liam, this guy is an expert marksman - he's rarely, if ever, missed a target he's aimed at, especially when using a sniper's rifle. I don't know how he missed you on Wednesday, but you've been damn lucky so far," Augur declared.
Liam took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Thanks, Augur. Can you upload the information into my global?"
Augur nodded, and Liam watched as text scrolled rapidly up his screen for a moment before Augur's face returned. "Done," the hacker said.
"Thanks again. I've got to go tell Sandoval about this," Liam said.
Augur nodded again. Then, just before he cut the communication, he said quietly, his tone one of concern, "Be careful, Liam."
Liam paused for a moment, looking at the blank screen, and then closed his global.
He was just about to head toward Sandoval's office when his global beeped a second time.
Opening it, Liam was surprised to see his father.
"Major, I've found our thief," were the first words out of Sandoval's mouth.
Liam blinked. "You did?" he repeated. He hadn't expected Sandoval to find the man as quickly as Augur had.
Sandoval nodded, his expression sober. "His name is Gary McKenna; he's a lieutenant colonel in the Army Rangers. I met him a couple of times during the S.I. War, although I didn't recognize him immediately. He's an expert in intelligence gathering - which is how I met him - and assassination.
"I think you'd better come to my office, Major. We're going to have to come up with something - quickly."
Liam closed his global slowly, half expecting it to go off again. When it didn't, he started walking toward Sandoval's office.
When he arrived, Sandoval was talking to someone on his global. From the sound of it, they were discussing the whereabouts of Lt. Col. McKenna. Sandoval gestured for him to sit down and continued talking.
"When was the last time you saw him?"
Liam couldn't hear what the person on the other end said, but he saw the results in Sandoval's expression as his father scowled.
"Thank you, General," Sandoval said then, his tone cool but surprisingly - to Liam - polite. "I appreciate the help."
Closing his global, he looked up at Liam. "That was General Prescott," he said.
Liam nodded in understanding - General Prescott was the commander of the Rangers. That explained Sandoval's courtesy. "Did he have any information on Colonel McKenna?"
Sandoval sighed. "Not much," he replied. "He was assigned to the military base the US Army maintains in Peru, but he's apparently been AWOL for the past two weeks. They have no idea where he went, or why."
"Until now," Liam added.
Sandoval nodded. "Until now," he confirmed. He leaned back in his chair. "We need a strategy to catch him, Major - and quickly. This man is not the kind of person we can leave running around."
"Trust me, Sandoval, I know. I'm his target, remember," Liam replied irritably. He frowned and started scratching his right palm - it was beginning to itch again. And his last dose of painkillers - which he'd taken just before he'd told Sandoval about the vaile - was wearing off. "I'm sorry, Sandoval, but I'm absolutely exhausted. I can't think of anything right now."
Sandoval studied him for a moment, frowning. Then he looked at his pocket-watch. "It's almost six o'clock. Why don't we get something to eat at the commissary, and then head down to the Embassy?"
"Sounds good," Liam said. Come to think of it, he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast this morning - no wonder he wasn't thinking straight!
Sandoval nodded and stood up. "In that case, let's go."
Liam balanced his tray awkwardly in one hand as he skirted several groups of Volunteers and arrived at the table Sandoval had picked out for them. It was in one corner of the commissary, and both seats had their backs to the walls. Perfect, Liam thought, as he put his tray down on the table and slipped into the seat his father had left free. Especially right now, when we're both so security conscious.
"So," Sandoval began, as soon as he was seated, "what did you think of the orientation lecture?"
A bit relieved that Sandoval was willing to choose a neutral topic to discuss over dinner, Liam sighed as he replied, "I wasn't really all that impressed. Between that and what I've managed to read of the files you gave me, I think you're right about there being a problem, and I've come up with a few ideas on how to get my investigation started."
"Oh?" Sandoval prodded, sounding genuinely interested.
Liam nodded as he picked up his fork and poked at a carrot. "The first thing I want to do is talk to some of the pilots who qualified under Lil- Captain Marquette's command, and some of those who've qualified since then," he explained. "I also want to talk to some of the Volunteers who failed from both periods, and maybe put a few of them through that simulator myself." He checked his watch, and then reached into his pocket, pulled out the bottle of painkillers, and took out four. Putting them in his mouth, he grimaced at the taste and quickly took a sip of water to wash them down with.
Sandoval frowned at him. "Four?"
Liam tilted his head - the closest he could come to shrugging without hurting his shoulder. "That's how many Dr. Park said to take until tomorrow morning," he replied.
His father's frown deepened. "It seems a bit excessive," he commented.
Liam worried at his lower lip for a moment. He couldn't exactly tell Sandoval that it was safe enough because of his part-Kimeran metabolism. "It's only until tomorrow," he repeated. "She said not to take that dosage for more than forty-eight hours."
Sandoval nodded, looking a bit happier. "Just make sure you're careful," he ordered. "The last thing you need right now is to be dopey from the painkillers."
Yes, Father; I do know that... Liam thought, turning his attention to his dinner. He really was quite hungry.
"So," Sandoval continued, turning the topic back to the pilot training program, "the simulator they're using now - is it the same one Captain Marquette trained you on?"
"Oh, I never used the simulator," Kincaid replied absently, most of his attention focused on trying to mash his potatoes without being able to use his right hand. "Lili took me out in her shuttle and taught me to fly it directly. It took me two days to get it right."
Sandoval stared at Kincaid in a combination of shock and surprise.
Admittedly, he didn't know all that much about piloting, much less pilot training - he'd said as much to Kincaid earlier. But when he'd discovered a few months ago that the training program was having problems, he'd read through all the procedures Captain Marquette had set up, to see if he could figure out where the difficulties were arising. One of those procedures had been that trainees were required to spend a minimum of a week to a week and a half using the simulator before graduating to actual shuttles.
And according to Kincaid's file, he'd never been a pilot before coming to work for the Taelons; if he had been, that might have been an understandable reason for Marquette to have skipped his simulator training. So, since he hadn't been, why had she done that?
He absently started eating, paying no attention to the taste of his food.
Major Kincaid had been a puzzle from the beginning, though it was only over the last few days that Sandoval had realized just how much of an enigma he really was. An enigma that Captain Marquette had obviously known more about than he did. What Kincaid had just told him made that clear.
I just hope Andrew can come up with some answers for me, Sandoval thought with a sigh. Just who are you really, Kincaid?
Putting his fork down, he was surprised to realize that he'd finished his meal. He checked his pocket-watch, and was even more surprised to find that it was already a quarter to seven.
Turning his attention back to Kincaid, he noticed that the Major had also finished his dinner, and was currently staring off into space, a look of exhaustion on his face.
Sandoval wasn't all that surprised at Kincaid's exhaustion; between the events of the past couple of days, the near-miss this morning, the busy day they'd had, and the painkillers the Major was taking, the surprise was that Kincaid hadn't collapsed hours ago.
And he's not the only one who's tired, Sandoval admitted to himself. It had only been this morning that he'd found out that his son was most likely a hybrid, and he'd spent the entire day trying to deal both with that and with the search for the assassin. Looks like a plan is going to have to wait until tomorrow. For now, I'll just alert the Volunteers to be on the lookout for McKenna.
"Liam," he said, reaching over and giving Kincaid's left shoulder a little shake.
Kincaid blinked and then slowly focused on him. "Sorry, Sandoval," he said, yawning. "What did you say?"
"I think it's about time we called it a day, Major," Sandoval replied. "We're both tired, and it would probably be much better to wait until we've had some sleep before trying to come up with anything to deal with Lieutenant Colonel McKenna."
Kincaid rubbed his eyes with his left hand. "I think you're right," he mumbled. "I definitely need some sleep... I'll call Roberts and ask him to take me back down."
Sandoval just looked at him for a moment. "Major, you'll be staying on board the mothership tonight," he said firmly. "You can sleep in one of the Volunteer barracks rooms."
Kincaid shook his head carefully, a stubborn expression crossing his face. "Uh uh. I am not staying on the mothership all night. Besides, I'll sleep better at home."
Sandoval tried to rein in his exasperation with the younger man. Remember, Sandoval, he's exhausted - he's not thinking straight. "Listen to yourself, Major," he said with exaggerated patience. "You are currently the target of a professional assassin. That means that your apartment is the last place you should be going."
For just a moment, Kincaid looked remarkably like a sulky child. Then he took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I don't want to stay on the mothership," he repeated.
"Then we'll stay at the Embassy," Sandoval replied calmly, standing up and collecting both their trays. "I'll be right back, Major."
Liam opened his mouth, ready to protest, and then closed it again when he realized he had no idea what to say. Sandoval was right, after all; when taken in context, his desire to go home to sleep was... well... not that bright an idea. And he couldn't think of any counter-arguments to staying at the Embassy; he felt almost too tired to think at all.
The exhaustion had hit suddenly, partway through dinner. One minute he'd been tired, but awake enough to be thinking of questions to ask Cpl. Roberts about his training; the next, a wave of fatigue had washed over him, and he hadn't been consciously aware of anything else until Sandoval had shaken him.
"Major?" Sandoval said, and Liam realized that his father was standing next to him, obviously waiting for him to get up.
Yawning, he got himself to his feet, and then winced in pain as his right shoulder impacted against the wall. The only good thing about the pain was that it kept him awake enough to follow Sandoval through the corridors of the mothership to the shuttle.
The entire shuttle trip passed in a blur; by the time they landed outside the Embassy, the pain had faded enough that he was only distantly aware of Sandoval talking quietly to the Embassy guards.
He managed to fight the exhaustion off long enough for Sandoval to lead him to a room he'd never seen before, then walk in and sit down on the small cot.
Rubbing his eyes, Liam peered blearily at Sandoval, who was still standing in the doorway. "G'night," he mumbled.
Sandoval seemed to smile faintly at him - or maybe it was just his over-tired imagination, combined with wishful thinking. "Good night, Liam," his father replied. "I'll see you in the morning." Then he left, letting the door close behind him.
Liam yawned again, and then managed to toe his shoes off and lie down. His last thought before sleep overwhelmed him was, Liam. He called me 'Liam' twice tonight.
Sandoval made a quick tour of the Embassy, stopping to speak to each of the Volunteers guarding the building in order to update them on both the assassin's identity and the fact that his target was Major Kincaid. He was interested to note the anger with which the guards reacted when he revealed the true target; it was obvious that they held a great deal of respect and admiration for Kincaid. And loyalty.
It was a good sign; if Kincaid was able to unknowingly inspire that sort of reaction in Volunteers that he interacted with only because they all worked in the Washington Embassy, it was more than likely that he'd be able to do the same with the pilots when he was put in charge of them. The training program would be the first step.
He finished his check of the Embassy, and found himself outside the Major's door.
Quietly opening the door, Sandoval looked in, wanting to make sure that Kincaid had gotten to sleep - And to make sure he's all right, he added to himself. Sandoval sighed; he still didn't understand where this concern for Liam was coming from. It seemed to be something almost instinctive, buried deep within him.
He felt a wry smile cross his face as he assessed the sight that greeted him. Kincaid was curled up on the small cot, lying on his left side. He was still wearing his jacket - obviously he'd fallen asleep before removing it - and the blankets were still folded at the bottom of the cot.
With another sigh, Sandoval entered the room and walked over to the cot. He picked up the blankets, unfolded them, and put them over Kincaid's sleeping form - careful not to jar the Major's right arm, which was still resting in its sling.
"Good night, Liam," he repeated softly. "Sleep well."
Then he left, closing the door softly behind him.
Chapter 8
Sandoval sat down at Major Kincaid's desk and fought back a yawn. Despite his intentions to go to sleep early last night, he'd ended up spending several hours both reviewing the non-existent results of his search of the mothership mainframe - in an effort to come up with another line of inquiry to help him find his son - and trying to come up with a plan to entrap McKenna. Both efforts had proved futile.
As a result, however, he hadn't gotten to sleep until two a.m. this morning, and he'd woken up at seven, having had that dream again.
Why do I keep having that same damn dream? And what the hell do Beckett and Kincaid have to do with my son?
He rubbed his hands over his face, tired. He was having trouble maintaining his usual impassive façade - he'd already let it slip a number of times with Kincaid over the past few days - but he couldn't afford to lose control now. There was too much at stake.
Opening a datastream, he called the mothership.
"Agent Sandoval," Zo'or greeted him. "I received your information on the identity of the assassin. Have you and Major Kincaid come up with a strategy to deal with this Lieutenant Colonel McKenna yet?"
"I'm afraid not, Zo'or. Major Kincaid is still asleep; I left instructions that he was not to be disturbed, as he requires the rest. As soon as he wakes up, I will be discussing it with him," Sandoval replied calmly.
"Very well," Zo'or said. "Please inform me as soon as you have a plan."
"Of course, Zo'or," Sandoval replied obediently. "There is, however, one other thing that I wished to discuss with you."
"And that is?"
Sandoval kept tight control over his expression and tone of voice, not wanting Zo'or to have any reason to question either his suggestion or his motivation. "I have been thinking about the problems that the Volunteer pilot training program has been having lately, and I believe that I have come up with a solution," he stated.
"You have? And what is this solution?" Zo'or demanded.
"Place Major Kincaid in charge of the training program," Sandoval replied. "He is a trained pilot, and a Companion-Protector. As such, he is perfectly qualified for that position."
Zo'or looked thoughtful. "I see," he said slowly. Then he looked at Sandoval, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you willing to permit the pilots to be completely outside the regular chain of command?"
It was a bit of an effort to keep the frown he felt off his face, but Sandoval managed it. He hadn't said anything about the rest of the piloting program - that was the next step of his plan - just the training. Where was Zo'or going with this?
"Yes," he replied aloud. "I am well aware of the fact that I am not able to utilize the pilots to their full effectiveness, as I am not a pilot myself."
"In that case, Agent Sandoval, it is an excellent suggestion. Put Major Kincaid in charge of the pilots - all of them," Zo'or added, to Sandoval's surprise, "not just the trainees. If he is capable of handling the training program, he is capable of handling the rest."
That wasn't necessarily true, although Sandoval was confident that in Kincaid's case the abilities were there, but he wasn't about to argue with Zo'or about it. Not when he'd just gotten something that he'd thought it would take him several months to convince the Synod Leader to give him. "Of course, Zo'or," he said again.
"Very well. Inform me as soon as you have developed your plan to catch the assassin," Zo'or said, and closed the datastream.
What is he up to? Sandoval wondered, staring at the spot where the datastream had been. Why is he suddenly so interested in Kincaid? What is going on?
Liam opened his eyes and blinked, confused, as he took in the strange surroundings. This wasn't his room. Where was he? And how had he gotten here... wherever here was?
After a moment, memory slipped back into place. He was in the Embassy; Sandoval had been adamant about staying either here or on the mothership last night, and he really hadn't wanted to stay on the mothership.
He sat up, wincing as the movement sent a jolt of agony through his shoulder, and then stared at the blankets that had been covering him. He didn't remember pulling them up; in fact, the last thing he remembered from last night was Sandoval saying good night, and then kicking his shoes off and lying down. So how...
Never mind, Liam, it's not important. Just get up.
Standing up, he carefully adjusted his sling, and then slipped into his shoes. Wincing again - this time at the thought of how rumpled he probably looked - he opened the door... and almost jumped back in surprise when he came face-to-face with the Volunteer standing outside.
It was Private Lannart, one of the regular Embassy guards - but what was he doing outside Liam's room?
"Major," the Volunteer said, saluting.
Liam frowned. "What's going on, Private Lannart?" he demanded. His frown deepened as he recalled this week's duty schedule. "Aren't you supposed to be off-duty at the moment?"
"Yes, sir, originally I was," Lannart replied. "Although my shift starts in just over an hour, Major," he added.
Liam looked at his watch, and blinked in surprise. Lannart was right; it was almost eleven o'clock. He'd slept for almost sixteen hours? How had that happened?
Then his attention was pulled back to Lannart as the Volunteer shifted. "Major, Agent Sandoval is in Da'an's office. He requested you meet him there as soon as you woke up."
Liam nodded. "Thank you," he said, and started walking in the direction of Da'an's office. A moment later he stopped, frowning, as he noticed Lannart trailing behind him. "Private?"
"Agent Sandoval's orders, sir," the Volunteer replied calmly. "With a professional assassin on the loose and targeting you, he ordered that you have at least one of us with you whenever he is busy elsewhere."
Liam blinked, and then muttered a particularly nasty Gaelic curse under his breath. "Of all the ridiculous... This is a Taelon Embassy, for goodness sake! How does Agent Sandoval think an assassin could possibly get in here? There are guards on every entrance!"
Lannart shrugged. "I have my orders, sir," was all he said.
"Fine, fine," Liam muttered, as he resumed walking - a bit faster, this time. "I'll take this up with Agent Sandoval myself."
He strode into Da'an's - and his - office to find Sandoval sitting at his desk, and was just about to demand an explanation for the sudden Volunteer bodyguard when his global went off.
Hoping that it wasn't anyone important - he wasn't in the most diplomatic of moods at the moment - he opened it. It wasn't a call; it was an automatic message he'd sent to himself... and as he read it, his eyes widened as an idea suddenly occurred to him.
"I know how we can lay our trap!" he exclaimed excitedly, looking up from the blinking screen to meet Sandoval's eyes.
Sandoval gave him a questioning look.
In response, Liam gestured with his global. "Da'an's attending a Native American cultural festival tomorrow in Arizona," he explained. "I've made a habit of having my global remind me of his engagements a day beforehand so that I have plenty of time to review the security arrangements. Zo'or doesn't have anything scheduled for then, so I was still going to accompany Da'an. We can set our trap for McKenna there!"
Sandoval didn't look quite as enthusiastic about the idea as Liam felt. "Da'an has been to these sorts of ceremonies before, Major," he pointed out. "There's always a great deal of open ground, and a great many people."
"That's easy enough to deal with," Liam replied confidently. "You're right about there being a lot of open ground, but that will reduce McKenna's potential hiding places and should make it easier for a shuttle flying overhead to pinpoint his location. As for the crowd, I'll put myself on perimeter duty. That way, we can get him to attack when and where we want him to."
Sandoval frowned, his expression uncertain. "There are several glaringly obvious holes in that plan, Major. How are we supposed to manoeuvre him into the position we want him in?"
Liam grinned. "We've got all day to work on this, Sandoval. I'm sure we can figure it out." He came around his desk, and Sandoval stood up and moved out of his way. "I've got a map of the grounds here," he continued, logging on to the mainframe and pulling it up. "This is how the various activities are going to be set up..."
They spent the next hour and a half working on it, ironing the wrinkles out of the plan, until Sandoval appeared to be as satisfied with it as Liam was. It was still risky, but they'd managed to reduce the risk to the point where Sandoval was willing to allow him to take the chance.
I still don't understand what's going on with him, Liam reflected as he leaned back in his chair and watched Sandoval scowl thoughtfully at the map and the security stations they'd set up on it. Absently scratching his left palm, he frowned. I really don't understand it. Why is he suddenly so concerned for me? His concern is genuine - I can tell that much. But... I want to understand. I need to understand. Where is it coming from?
And why, he added to himself, his frown deepening as he sat up, has he got the Volunteers playing bodyguard inside the Embassy?
"Sandoval?" he said aloud.
"What is it, Liam?" Sandoval asked, his tone absentminded as he leaned forward in the chair Lannart had brought in for him, touched the screen and shifted the position of one of the security stations by a few centimetres on the map.
And that's another thing, Liam thought, scratching harder as the itch started to get worse. He's been calling me 'Liam' an awful lot lately. I wonder... has he figured it out?
No, he decided a moment later, I don't think he has. He would have reacted - one way or the other - if he had.
Keeping his expression neutral, Liam asked, "What's up with the Volunteer bodyguard? Private Lannart escorted me from the room I slept in to here, and was standing guard just outside the door until his shift started half an hour ago - when he was replaced by Corporal Standings."
Sandoval looked at him. "They're concerned," he replied.
Concern. It all seems to come back to that. "Why?" Liam asked. He hadn't exactly gone out of his way to ingratiate himself with most Volunteers; he didn't particularly care for their actions in enforcing Zo'or and the Synod's will on Earth, and it wasn't an attitude he bothered to hide.
Sandoval looked at the Major in surprise. Didn't Kincaid realize how much the Embassy guards respected and liked him?
Evidently not - he was looking more than a bit confused by Sandoval's explanation.
"They have a great deal of respect for you, Major," Sandoval said.
Kincaid still looked confused. "They do? But... we hardly know each other. I mean, they work here in the Embassy, of course, but I spend most of my time here with Da'an, and I don't deal with them all that much. You're in charge of the Volunteers - the only authority I have with them is what you give me."
Sandoval sighed. In some ways, Kincaid was far wiser than his age suggested; in others, he was so utterly naïve that his reactions were almost like those of a child. This was one of the latter.
"Major, you haven't moved from your desk since we started working on this plan of yours," Sandoval said. "How did you know when Private Lannart's official shift started; and how did you know who replaced him?"
"I review the duty shift every week," Kincaid replied. "It is part of my job as Da'an's Protector, Sandoval. And as for Corporal Standings, I know all the regular Embassy guards by sight."
"And you greet them by name whenever you meet them in the halls," Sandoval added - it was one of things he'd noticed about Kincaid.
"Of course," the Major replied.
"Everyone appreciates that sort of courtesy and respect, Major," Sandoval pointed out. "And most people treat the Volunteers either like cannon fodder, or pariahs." He'd been guilty of the former more than a few times. "You have no need to treat them with respect - you are a Companion-Protector, and even if you're not in the direct chain of command, you do outrank them. They know that. So when you treat them with respect, they are going to respect you. It's as simple as that.
"Oh, and speaking of chains of command," he added, stepping away from the map and turning to face Kincaid completely. The Major was rubbing at his palms again, Sandoval noticed. Was something wrong?
"What?" Kincaid prodded.
Oh, right, chains of command. "I spoke to Zo'or this morning about putting you in charge of the pilot training."
"And he said, 'no way', right?" Kincaid said, only half-joking.
Sandoval shook his head. "Actually, he thought it was an excellent idea, Major," he replied.
Kincaid looked as surprised as Sandoval had felt, if not more so. His mouth fell open as he stared at Sandoval. "He... what?"
"Thought it was an excellent idea," Sandoval repeated. "In fact, he decided to take it a step farther."
Kincaid gave him a wary look. "What does that mean?"
"It means that as of Monday week, you will be in charge of all the pilots."
"All the pilots," Kincaid repeated blankly.
Sandoval nodded. "They will be removed from the regular Volunteer chain of command, and placed directly under you. You're going to have a great deal of work to do over the next several days, Major," he added. "You're going to have to decide on the hierarchy of your new command, and develop a set of procedures and regulations that will apply specifically to pilots..."
Kincaid groaned. "Just what I need - more paperwork," he muttered. "The pile I've still got somewhere around here is bad enough..."
Actually, Sandoval hadn't considered that aspect of it. This could even mean that his paperwork would decrease... a very pleasant prospect.
"You're smiling," Kincaid said suspiciously. "Why are you smiling like that, Sandoval?"
Sandoval quickly wiped the smile from his face, not wanting to get into a discussion over paperwork right now. "It's nothing, Major," he replied innocently.
Kincaid looked as though he was about to argue with that, but before he could say anything, his stomach suddenly growled. He flushed bright red in embarrassment as Sandoval grinned.
"Hungry?"
"Yeah..." Kincaid mumbled. The flush slowly started to fade from his cheeks. "You know, there's this great little restaurant just a couple of blocks away..." His voice trailed off as Sandoval looked at him.
"Major," he said pointedly.
Kincaid used his left hand to push his chair away from the desk. "I don't want to stay cooped up in here for the next twenty hours, Sandoval," he protested. "I'll go stir-crazy!"
Sandoval felt his expression darken with anger. "And if you go out, you could quite easily end up dead," he retorted sharply. "Which do you prefer?"
Kincaid paled. After a moment, he said tightly, "I'll stay here."
Sandoval nodded in satisfaction, and made a peace-offering. "If you'll tell me how to get to this restaurant, I'll pick us up some take-out and come back here."
"All right," Kincaid replied, his tone still sullen. He grabbed a piece of scrap paper and, carefully using his left hand, wrote out the directions and what he wanted. "Their souvlaki is very good," he offered as he handed the paper to Sandoval.
"I'll take that under advisement," Sandoval replied. He glanced at the paper, reading the directions, then slipped it into his jacket pocket as he started for the exit, ignoring the nagging familiarity he felt over the handwriting.
He stopped for a moment just outside Da'an's office to speak to Corporal Standings. "I should be back in about twenty to thirty minutes," he told the Volunteer. "Please keep a close eye on the Major while I'm gone; I don't want him leaving the Embassy."
The Volunteer saluted, smiling, and in a reassuring tone said, "Yes, sir! And don't worry, sir - we'll make sure nothing happens to Major Kincaid."
Sandoval gave him a nod. "Thank you," he said quietly.
"You're welcome, sir," the Volunteer replied, as Sandoval started away.
"Oh, man..." Andrew Patterson murmured as the file he'd been after for the past several hours finally appeared on the screen. The number of traps he'd had to get past to reach this had told him that it was of major importance... but he'd had no idea that it was this big!
Reading through the file, he shook his head slowly. "Oh, man..." he repeated.
Do you have any idea what you're getting into with this, Ron? And how much does your Major Kincaid know about this? Does he know what's going on?
"This is big, Ron. Really, really big," he muttered, as he set the file to print on his old laser printer. No way was he going to trust this to a global. It was too big, and too dangerous. Paper - paper that could be shredded as soon as he'd shown it to Ron - was definitely the safest way to go.
Especially if Ron's Major Kincaid was involved, and his hacker-friend Augur as well...
Definitely the safest.
Liam sighed as he leaned back in his chair and glared sullenly at his terminal.
Sandoval was right, of course - for all they knew, McKenna could be just outside the Embassy. Personally, Liam didn't think so - but he was well aware that he didn't know enough about the man to be able to say for certain. So yes, the wisest thing to do would be to stay right here, in the Embassy, safe.
That didn't mean he had to like it, though. And he most definitely hated it. As he'd told his father, he'd go stir crazy before long - being trapped in one place, even if it really was for his own good, made him nervous. It was much too reminiscent of his nightmares, of what Zo'or and the Synod would do to him if they ever found out who he really was...
And that kind of thought isn't helping, he thought irritably. You're not 'trapped' here; think of it as protective custody.
Right. Like that's going to make much of a difference in the way I'm feeling...
Sighing again, Liam turned his attention to his desk, looking for something - anything - to do to keep him distracted.
Then he remembered what Sandoval had said, about Zo'or deciding to put him in charge of the shuttle pilots... and remembering some of the questions he'd come up with after listening to Lt. Benning's lecture, he decided that if he was going to take command by Monday week, he'd better have some plans in place for what he wanted to do.
Leaning forward, he opened a connection from his terminal to the mothership mainframe, and began looking for the names and current status of all Volunteers who'd had even a minimal amount of pilot training. The first thing he'd do would be to check into the training program, since he'd already developed the outline of a plan to deal with that... and while he was talking to the pilots who'd passed the training, he could always slip in a few questions about current conditions for the pilots.
Liam wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed when a brown paper bag was suddenly thumped onto the desk in front of him, breaking his concentration. He jumped, startled, and looked up to see Sandoval standing there, watching him quizzically.
"Sandoval! I didn't hear you come in!" he exclaimed.
"I noticed that," Sandoval replied dryly. "What's got you so occupied?"
"I'm working out exactly what I need to ask the Volunteers who've failed the pilot training in order to get an idea of what Lt. Benning and his people are doing," Liam explained, as Sandoval sat down opposite him, and started taking food out of the bag he still held. Liam was amused to realize that his father had taken his advice and gotten the souvlaki - it was something that Sandoval particularly enjoyed.
"I've made arrangements to speak to about forty from each time period over the next week, so that I get a good representative sample," he continued. "I'm also going to be talking to the pilots that succeeded in their training over that same period of time, but I've got a different set of questions to ask them."
Sandoval nodded, and then gestured to the bag, which Liam still hadn't touched. "Eat - you're the one whose stomach was growling," he ordered.
Oh, thanks, Father, Liam thought sardonically. "What did you get me?"
"Just what you asked for; a club sandwich - with Swiss cheese and mayonnaise - fries, and a salad," Sandoval replied. He gave Liam a slight grin. "I gather you go there often. As soon as I gave the order, the waitress asked me how you were. She said she'd seen Wednesday's shooting on television and was concerned."
Liam tilted his head in a shrugging motion as he opened his bag and took out his sandwich, fries and salad. "The food is excellent, and I like the atmosphere," he replied.
"Anyway," he continued, returning to the matter of his new command, "after we talk to Da'an and Zo'or about the plan, I'm going to call Corporal Roberts and get him to come in. He's an excellent pilot, and seems to have good judgement; I'd like to find out what he thinks."
Sandoval nodded. "Excellent," he replied.
"Then," Liam added, heaving a sigh, "I'm going to do paperwork. And more paperwork. And possibly a bit more, depending on how long it takes me."
Sandoval's mouth twitched as he tried not to grin. "Sounds like you've got a busy afternoon ahead of you."
Liam scowled for a moment, remembering exactly why he was going to be doing so much paperwork. "Yeah, well, I don't really have anywhere else I can go," he pointed out, "so I might as well keep myself occupied."
"It's-" Sandoval began.
"-For my own good," Liam finished irritably. Then, taking a deep breath, he managed to regain control of himself. The whole point of keeping so busy this afternoon was to avoid getting into that sort of mood. He tilted his head again. "I'm just not looking forward to being buried in paper. Is it possible for someone to suffocate that way?"
Sandoval chuckled, and then pointed to Liam's sandwich. "Eat."
A hint of mischieviousness combined with the longing Liam had been keeping in check for far too long, and he made himself grin as he replied, "Yes, Dad."
The expression on Sandoval's face was actually almost funny as he stared, and Liam forced his grin wider as he obediently bit into his sandwich.
Then Sandoval smiled faintly in response, and Liam relaxed, even as he wondered at himself. Why had he done that?
Because that's what you want to do - for real, came the thought. And if you drop enough hints, he might just figure it out himself...
But then what would he do?
Shaking his head in an unconscious effort to push the thoughts away, Liam returned his attention to Sandoval. "So, how are we going to explain the plan to Da'an and Zo'or?"
Renee stared glumly out the window of the small plane. There was nothing to see but endless kilometres of empty land, but since that particular landscape suited her bleak mood perfectly, she didn't mind.
To say that she was unhappy would be a gross understatement. She was upset, furious, enraged... The only problem was, she didn't know with whom she was most upset: Lieutenant Colonel Gary McKenna, who had started all this and then refused to listen to Jonathan when he tried to explain about Liam; Liam himself, who had told Sandoval about the vaile, and thus both destroyed a potentially useful tool for the Resistance and necessitated this trip; or Jonathan, who had flatly refused to give Liam and Sandoval the information on McKenna, and at the moment - his call to McKenna notwithstanding - didn't really seem to care about the threat the Colonel posed to both Liam and the Resistance.
"Ms. Palmer?" came a question from beside her, and Renee turned her head to look at Dr. Morneaux, the inventor of the vaile and the immediate reason she was on this plane.
"What is it, Doctor?" she asked with a sigh.
"I was just wondering... How is it that this McKenna found out about the vaile and its properties?" the scientist inquired. "The only ones aside from myself, you and Mr. Doors who were aware of what we were researching were my team - all of whom passed your very stringent security tests. My team were all aware of the importance of this project to the Resistance, and would not have breathed a word of it to anyone."
"McKenna was an intelligence operative during the S.I. War, Doctor," Renee explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's an expert hacker, as well as being a very successful thief." Too late now to wish that she'd insisted on keeping the records of the vaile project only on computers that were completely isolated from the network.
Dr. Morneaux shook his head. "But all the information on the vaile was filed under fashion design - making it appear to be a low priority project, as per your instructions," he pointed out. "He should have had no reason to even look for those files. And how did he know what lab the vaile was stored in? That information was recorded nowhere except in our minds."
Renee frowned as she considered Dr. Morneaux's words. He was right; McKenna should have had no reason to bother with something like fashion design. Unless...
"So what you're suggesting," she started carefully, "is that he found out from someone? One of our own people told him about the vaile?"
Just then, the loudspeaker crackled to life. "Please be advised that we are currently beginning our descent to the Arctic research facility. Please ensure that your seatbelts are fastened and your seats are in their fully upright position. We hope you had a pleasant flight, and thank you for flying Doors International Airlines."
Renee rolled her eyes at the pilot's idea of humour and turned back to Dr. Morneaux. "Well?"
He shrugged in response. "I do not know for certain - I am not a security expert like yourself, Ms. Palmer."
Absolutely wonderful, Renee thought, returning her attention to the view outside the window. Now, not only has a valuable Resistance project been discovered and essentially counteracted before we could use it, but it appears that Doors International has a major security breach.
Jonathan's going to be livid...
Da'an was on the bridge of the mothership when Agent Sandoval called to say that he and Liam had finalized a plan to entrap the assassin.
When he first heard that, Da'an was quite relieved; it meant that the threat to Liam would soon be neutralized.
Then, as he listened to Agent Sandoval outline the plan the two Companion-Protectors had come up with, he found himself becoming more and more concerned. It seemed to him to be a very risky plan, relying quite heavily on that elusive Human commodity known as 'luck', rather than a sound, logical base.
And the way Liam was proposing to expose himself... Da'an still didn't care for the idea of using his Protector as bait. And judging from the expression on Agent Sandoval's face as that part of the plan was described, the human didn't care very much for it either.
"And you believe that this plan has a good chance of success?" Zo'or demanded.
"A reasonably good chance, yes," Agent Sandoval replied. "The location is not ideal, but we will have security stations concealed all along Major Kincaid's route, as well as the shuttle flying overhead. Corporal Roberts, who is the pilot, has already been given the information on how to bypass the vaile's effect on Taelon sensors. Those factors give us an edge; we will be prepared for almost every contingency."
Da'an was well aware that it was impossible to prepare for every single possibility, especially with a species that had the degree of individuality that humans did, but he still didn't like it.
"We'll get him," Liam added confidently.
"Good," Zo'or declared. "Then we are agreed. See to it, Agent Sandoval."
"Of course, Zo'or," Sandoval replied - it was his standard response, Da'an had noticed.
"Oh, Major Kincaid," Zo'or added then, before Agent Sandoval could end the call, "I have upgraded your security level in order that you might perform your new duties more efficiently."
"Thank you, Zo'or," Liam replied calmly, and then the call ended.
Da'an turned to look at Zo'or. This was the first he had heard of Liam being given new duties. "What new duties?" he demanded, his hands expressing his agitation. Zo'or may have been the Synod Leader, but Liam was Da'an's Protector, and he should have been consulted before Liam's status was changed.
"I do not know if you are aware of this, Da'an," Zo'or said, the comment a subtle insult, "but there have been a number of difficulties with the Volunteer pilots. Agent Sandoval suggested that Major Kincaid, as both a pilot and a Companion-Protector, would be the best person to deal with these problems. Therefore, I have arranged for him to be given command of the pilots."
Da'an was astonished - and confused - by this news. Yes, he had been aware of a decline in the quality of the Volunteer pilots' training, but his sense of the matter had been that it was a backlash against Captain Marquette's attempted destruction of the mothership, and would soon... blow over, the human expression was.
Admittedly, if examined in a certain light, Zo'or's decision to turn the pilots over to Liam made a great deal of sense. As he had pointed out, Liam was a pilot - an excellent one - and a Companion-Protector - who therefore outranked all of the other pilots, who were Volunteers and mothership crew members.
The problem was, Liam was still involved in the Resistance - and a position such as that could enable him to do a great deal of damage, as Captain Marquette had proven.
After a moment, Da'an decided that he would have to wait and see what happened. Despite his concern over the direction of Liam's loyalties, he still couldn't risk Zo'or or Agent Sandoval discovering the young man's true identity or his ties with the Resistance, so there was no way in which he could protest his Protector's sudden promotion. To do so would only invite suspicion.
However... "Major Kincaid is my Protector - I should have been consulted on this matter before a decision was made," Da'an pointed out; there were some things that he was unwilling to let Zo'or get away with, and this particular objection would not raise suspicion. In fact, Zo'or might find it suspicious if he didn't bring it up.
Zo'or's expression said quite clearly that he didn't care. "Agent Sandoval is in charge of the Volunteer program, under me," he replied, meeting Da'an's eyes calmly. "It was my decision, and I made it." With that, he turned the command chair away from Da'an in a very clear dismissal.
Da'an stared at his child's back for a moment, and then turned and walked off the bridge. He had a great deal to think about.