Disclaimers in Pt. 1.
Flashbacks in Chp. 12 are taken from the first season episode "The Joining" and the second season episodes "First of Its Kind", "The Atavus", and "Redemption".
Chapter 11
Liam could only stare as the bolt came closer and closer; he knew that he'd never be able to move out of the way in time.
A moment later, he hit the ground as a sudden shove propelled him sideways. A limp weight landed right on top of him, pushing him flat and driving the bolt further into his arm.
McKenna didn't bother to stop and stare at the results of his latest failure; he had only seconds to move if he was going to succeed in getting away. Dropping the second crossbow, he turned and darted into the crowd, most of whom hadn't yet noticed the commotion - their attention was still fixed on the archery competition.
There were shouts from the crowd behind him as the remaining Volunteers gave chase, but he ignored them, just as he ignored the roar of a shuttle coming out of ID space just overhead; unless he had the bad luck to run straight into the arms of another group of Volunteers, they'd never manage to catch him. Not with the amount of chaos their chase was stirring up.
Despite the failure of his attack on Kincaid, a faint smile crossed his face at the thought of the commotion his abortive assassination attempt had created. It was a lesson he had learned well and put to good use over the years. As long as you weren't affected by it yourself, chaos could be one of your greatest weapons.
Sandoval ran through the crowd, pushing people out of his way if they didn't move fast enough. He had to get to Kincaid!
"Sir!" came Corporal Roberts' voice. "Major Kincaid is wounded; and a member of Squad 3 is down!"
Damn it! "And McKenna?" he demanded.
There was a pause, presumably as Roberts checked, and then he answered. "I'm sorry, sir, but they've lost him in the crowd. Sergeant Bracer says he was mingling with the crowd, dressed as a tourist; when they started chasing after him, the crowd realized what had happened and starting panicking. That's when they lost sight of him."
"Have the other squads seal all the exits," Sandoval ordered. He doubted that it would work - not now - but it was worth a try; even McKenna had to make a mistake some time. "What is Major Kincaid's condition?"
"I'm not sure, sir," Roberts replied.
Sandoval thought rapidly, even as he continued running through the crowd. They were starting to get out of his way now, as he got closer to Squad 3's assigned position. "Inform Captain Wang of what's happened," he ordered. Wang - and Da'an - would know that something had happened, since the shuttle was there, but they wouldn't know what. "Then land as close to the Major's position as you can. If he's injured, we're going to need to get him to a doctor.
"What about the Volunteer you said was down? What's their status?" he added.
There was another pause, and then Roberts said, "Critical, sir. She's got some kind of arrow in her chest. According to Sergeant Bracer, Major Kincaid had already taken an arrow in the arm, and McKenna was aiming for his heart; Lieutenant Ericsson pushed him out of the way, but ended up taking the arrow herself."
Damn it! Sandoval had hand-picked each member of his elite squads. While he did know that at least some of them were going to die - in war, that was inevitable - it was still painful when it happened. At least it sounded as though there was still a chance for Lt. Ericsson, assuming they got her to a hospital quickly enough...
Even as he thought this, he could see the shuttle descending a short distance ahead of him; and then he broke through the last of the crowd - most of whom were gathered around what looked like an archery range, staring at the scene of the attack and talking in shocked whispers.
And he stared as well, equally shocked.
Liam blinked at the grass right in front of his nose, slowly realizing that he was still alive. At least, he thought he was still alive; he doubted that being dead hurt this much.
A moment later, he felt the weight that had kept him pinned lifted off his back, and then a Volunteer was crouching next to him, gripping his left arm and asking if he could stand up.
"I-I'll try," Liam replied slowly, surprised at the shakiness of his voice.
With the Volunteer's help, he was able to slowly sit up, but when he tried to stand, his legs were too shaky to take his weight. And to make it worse, the agony from his right shoulder and arm was making him feel sick to his stomach.
"W-what happened?" he managed, trying his best to push away his awareness of the pain.
"Lieutenant Ericsson pushed you out of the way of the arrow, sir," the Volunteer replied.
"Was she hurt?" Liam demanded, alarmed, the concern he felt finally shoving the pain to the back of his mind.
There was a pause, and then the Volunteer replied, "She took the arrow in the chest, sir. It penetrated her vest. The shuttle's coming down now to collect you both."
Damn... "And McKenna?" Liam asked.
The Volunteer looked embarrassed - and ashamed. "He escaped in the confusion, sir."
Liam closed his eyes, and then swallowed convulsively in an effort not to be sick.
"Major... Liam?" came a soft, familiar voice, and he opened his eyes to see Sandoval standing there, a concerned expression on his face.
"I guess the plan didn't exactly work," Liam muttered.
"No, it didn't," Sandoval agreed. Then he frowned. "Major, can you stand up?"
"Tried," Liam mumbled, closing his eyes again. He was feeling so sleepy all of a sudden...
"Can you try again?" Sandoval asked. "Liam?"
"Hmm?" Liam mumbled, not opening his eyes.
"Major!" Sandoval barked sharply.
Sandoval's frown deepened as the Major's eyes opened. The younger man's expression was dazed; it looked as though he was going into shock.
Not that it's much of a surprise, considering, Sandoval reflected, casting a quick glance at the arrow - no, the crossbow bolt - that was still in the Major's arm. They'd have to leave it where it was until they could get him to a doctor, but it would probably be wise to at least stop the bleeding.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the Major's arm, doing his best not to jar the arrow as he did so. The Major looked pale enough as it was; he didn't want to cause any additional pain.
"San'oval?"
Definitely going into shock, Sandoval thought as he took in the Major's unfocused gaze and slurred speech. "Come on, Liam," he said, moving around to the younger man's left side and putting one hand underneath his arm. "We've got to get you to the shuttle."
The Major managed to get to his feet with Sandoval's help, but he leaned rather heavily on Sandoval as the agent directed him toward the shuttle.
The Volunteers had already gotten Lt. Ericsson's unconscious form settled in the shuttle, with Sergeant Bracer sitting on the floor next to her to hold her steady.
Sandoval got the Major into one of the seats and sat down in the one next to him, then leaned forward. "Washington General, Corporal," he ordered. "And hurry."
"Yes sir," Corporal Roberts said, already calling up the controls and getting ready to take off.
Da'an watched in concern as the shuttle entered ID space, and then turned to Captain Wang. "Did Corporal Roberts say what Major Kincaid's injuries were?" he demanded.
"He was shot in the arm," Captain Wang replied. Her expression tightened slightly. "Lieutenant Ericsson, one of my people, was apparently shot in the chest."
Da'an nodded in understanding. "I am certain they will both be all right," he said confidently, in an effort to reassure both her and himself.
"I hope so," Captain Wang muttered. She then looked at Da'an. "Do you want to continue, or would you prefer to return to the Embassy?"
Da'an hesitated. He definitely didn't want to remain here any longer than necessary; but neither did he wish to go to the Embassy. Based on Captain Wang's description of Liam's injury, it was not serious; nonetheless, he wanted to see his Protector himself. And if this Lt. Ericsson was one of Captain Wang's people, surely she would wish to discover the lieutenant's condition as soon as possible.
"I would like to go to whichever hospital they are being taken to," he replied after a moment of thought. "Did they inform you of their destination?"
"Washington General," Captain Wang said.
"Then let us go."
Dr. Park pulled off her surgical gloves and sighed as she looked over at the bed's occupant. Liam was lying there, eyes closed, still asleep from the effects of the anesthetic.
He looked so peaceful, for once. Young, though not as young as he actually was.
It's hard to believe he's not even a year and a half old yet, she reflected, shaking her head as she remembered the infant she'd delivered. He's too young for this... but he's the only one who can do it.
Tossing the gloves in the bio-disposal bin, she picked up the plastic evidence bag containing the bolt she'd removed from Liam's arm and walked out of the room.
Da'an, Agent Sandoval, and one of the Volunteers who'd been guarding Liam on Wednesday were all waiting for her just outside.
"How is Liam?" Da'an demanded, as soon as she stepped out of the door.
"He's going to be fine," Dr. Park replied. "There were no problems with removing the bolt from his arm, and the additional damage he's done to his shoulder isn't too serious. However," she added sternly, "I'm going to be keeping him here overnight for observation."
"If you believe it to be the wisest course of action, I will not disagree," Da'an replied.
"Definitely the wisest course. I know I said that the additional damage to his shoulder wasn't too serious, but there shouldn't have been any additional damage at all. It's set his healing back by at least a week or two."
Then Agent Sandoval stepped forward, and Dr. Park received the surprise of her life. "May we see him, Doctor?"
Why does Sandoval want to see him? He actually sounds... concerned. Curiouser and curiouser... "He's still unconscious from the anesthetic," she replied, trying her best to hide her shock at Sandoval's request. "He won't be waking up for at least two to three hours."
"Nonetheless, Doctor, I'd like to see him for myself," Sandoval said firmly.
"Very well," she replied; she couldn't think of any reason not to let him. "Oh," she added, holding the evidence bag up, "here's the bolt. I assume you'll need this."
"Thank you, Doctor," Agent Sandoval said calmly, taking the bag, and then he slipped into Liam's room.
A minute or two later, he came back out. "Thank you, Doctor," he repeated, and then turned to the Volunteer. "Corporal Roberts, I want you to guard Major Kincaid until I send a squad to relieve you. No one enters except for Da'an, Dr. Park, myself, and those medical personnel Dr. Park can vouch for personally."
"Yes, sir!" the Volunteer replied, as he came to attention and saluted sharply.
"Good," Sandoval said with a nod. Then he turned to face Da'an. "I'm going to check on Lieutenant Ericsson's status, and then I have some things I need to do. I should be back within the next two hours."
"Very well, Agent Sandoval," Da'an replied. "I shall remain here for a while longer, until you return."
Sandoval nodded to Da'an and Dr. Park, and then started down the corridor toward the waiting room where Sergeant Bracer and Captain Wang were waiting for word on Lieutenant Ericsson's condition.
He walked in to find them both talking to a doctor - one he recognized.
"Dr. Curzon?"
All three turned to look at him. Dr. Curzon smiled. "Agent Sandoval," she replied. "I have some good news; your Volunteer is going to be fine. The point of the bolt nicked her heart, but we were able to repair the damage."
Sandoval relaxed. Both the Major and Lt. Ericsson were going to be fine; that was excellent news. "You performed the surgery?" he inquired.
Dr. Curzon shook her head. "No; I was here observing. The doctor who did the surgery - Dr. Nicholson - was demonstrating a new surgical technique earlier that I was interested in. When I found out that his next patient was one of your people, I stuck around."
"I appreciate your giving us the good news," Sandoval said. Then he turned to Wang and Bracer. "I know you would both like to stay here to see Lieutenant Ericsson, but I would appreciate it if you could join Corporal Roberts in guarding Major Kincaid until I get another squad here. It shouldn't be too long, and you can come straight back here when you're relieved."
Both Volunteers nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir," Captain Wang said, giving him a salute. "I don't think we'll be able to see Kelly for at least another half hour or so anyway, right, Doctor?"
Dr. Curzon nodded. "That's right," she replied. "They've got to get her settled in Recovery first, before she can have any visitors."
"In that case, sir, we'd be glad to," the Captain said.
"Thank you, Captain," Sandoval said, nodding to her.
Then, as soon as the two of them had left, he turned back to Dr. Curzon. "I'm glad to see you here for another reason as well, Doctor," he commented.
"And why is that?"
"I have another favour to ask of you," Sandoval replied. He reached into his pocket and took out a latex surgical glove, in which he'd put the handkerchief he'd used to bind the Major's arm. It was soaked with blood. "I'd like you to extract a DNA sample from this and get it to me."
"Might I ask why?" Dr. Curzon inquired.
"I'm trying to get a confirmation on the identity of the person this blood belongs to," he replied evasively. "I don't want you running a search on the DNA yourself; just give me the information. I've got someone else who will be taking care of tracking it down."
"All right," Dr. Curzon agreed, taking the glove. "I'll take it back to the lab at Bethesda and do a gene analysis.
"By the way," she added, as she turned away, "you owe me one now."
"I'll think of something," Sandoval returned. As she walked off, he took out his global and called Captain Jardine.
"Yes, sir?" Jardine replied.
"I want you to send a squad over to Washington General, west wing, Room 405A. Their orders are to guard Major Kincaid. I want no one to have access to his room except myself, Da'an, Dr. Melissa Park and those hospital personnel that Dr. Park vouches for personally," Sandoval said. "Then, I want you to brief all the elite on the current situation."
"Yes, sir." Captain Jardine frowned thoughtfully. "Would you prefer Lieutenant Abrams', Lieutenant Glover's, or Lieutenant Hartland's squad?" he asked.
Sandoval didn't even have to think about the answer. "Lieutenant Hartland's," he replied. Hartland's squad was one of his elite; Abrams' was regular Volunteers, and Glover's was the Synod's thugs. That would tell Jardine the level of security he wanted for the Major.
"Of course, sir." He paused for a moment. "Sir... about Lieutenant Ericsson..."
"You can tell the rest of Captain Wang's unit that the Lieutenant came through surgery with no difficulties," Sandoval told him. "She's likely to be off duty for several weeks while she recovers, but she will recover.
"Now, if you could get Lieutenant Hartland's squad here as soon as possible, to relieve Captain Wang, Sergeant Bracer and Corporal Roberts..."
"Yes, sir," Jardine replied. "I'll send them immediately."
"Thank you, Captain," Sandoval said, and closed his global. He needed to stop off at home, grab some clean clothes for both himself and the Major, and come back.
Captain Jardine stepped into the briefing room and looked around at the various squad and unit leaders gathered there. He stuck his hands in his pockets for a moment and tapped a small device with one finger, then walked up to the podium.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, people," he said, as soon as the quiet buzz of conversation had died down. "I apologize to those of you who were on your sleep shift when I called, but this is a matter of some urgency.
"For those of you who haven't yet heard, there was another assassination attempt on Major Kincaid in Arizona - and the trap that was planned for Lieutenant Colonel McKenna failed, because he did something that we failed to anticipate." Jardine shot a glare around the room. "He infiltrated the festival as a tourist, rather than taking a position outside the grounds with a sniper rifle, and attempted to kill Major Kincaid using a crossbow. Both Major Kincaid and Lieutenant Ericsson were hit.
"This should never have happened, people. McKenna already tried a sniper attack twice, and he failed both times. His last attempt prior to today was a hit-and-run. This is a professional assassin we're dealing with; we should have realized that he would try something different."
Jardine watched as his statement sunk in. A number of the other Volunteers in the room nodded slowly, understanding what he was getting at.
"The good news is that, although they were both injured, neither one is dead. Kincaid was shot in the arm - not a serious wound; and Ericsson, although she was shot in the chest, has come through surgery with no problems and should be back on duty within a month or two."
Everyone looked relieved at that news.
"The bad news," Jardine continued, "is that McKenna escaped, and is still on the loose." He watched as everyone looked at each other with expressions of dismay.
"So what are we going to do about it?" asked Lt. Victor Pearce, who was Captain Wang's second-in-command.
"That's what this meeting is about," Jardine replied. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the top of the podium. "Agent Sandoval has decided that the elite will be given the sole responsibility for guarding Major Kincaid. He doesn't feel that the regular Volunteers have enough training - and he doesn't entirely trust the Synod's goons not to stand aside if Zo'or decides that they would be better off being rid of Kincaid completely.
"Lieutenant Hartland's squad," Jardine nodded toward Captain MacKierney, Hartland's superior, "is currently taking the first shift at the hospital. Lieutenant O'Shea's squad is already scheduled for one a.m. to seven tomorrow morning. If anyone else's squad wants to volunteer to take a shift, see me after this meeting."
"Captain Jardine, will we be guarding Major Kincaid even when he's in the Embassy?" asked Captain Vassily Nurmanov.
"Yes," Jardine replied simply.
"The Embassy guards won't like that," Nurmanov commented.
"They don't have to," Jardine said. "Our orders come directly from Agent Sandoval. He'll make sure that they understand.
"Now, those of you not on guard duty will be searching for McKenna. I have a copy of his military record, and I'll be distributing it to all of you after the meeting, along with the guard schedule. There are a few highlights that I think need mentioning, however.
"First of all, McKenna is an Army Ranger - one who has fought in numerous smaller conflicts before the S.I. War. He went into Intelligence, and was trained as an assassin. We're dealing with a professional, people - one who's had over a decade of experience in 'dealing' with people that the US government - or the US Army - didn't approve of. That alone will make finding him and dealing with him difficult.
"Secondly, he's determined. He's already attempted to kill Major Kincaid four times over the past five days, using a variety of methods - which means that whatever else he might be after, he definitely wants Kincaid dead.
"The good point to that is that he has failed each of those four times. Even for a professional, that has to sting - especially when his previous record has been... exemplary. He's going to start getting frustrated and angry, which is something that will hopefully work to our advantage."
Jardine looked around at all of them. "As soon as I get the list of squads who will be guarding Major Kincaid, I'll send all of you your assignments by global. Are there any questions before we conclude this meeting?"
Lt. Warren Isaacs, another member of Captain Wang's unit, stood up. "As a matter of fact, Captain, I do have one," he replied. "I understand what you've said about Agent Sandoval feeling that we're the ones most capable of protecting Major Kincaid, but our previous standing orders were to keep clear of him, no matter what. Why has that changed?"
Jardine met his eyes, and then scanned the room. Everyone there looked interested in the answer.
Taking a deep breath, and hoping that Agent Sandoval wouldn't be too upset with him over this, he replied, "Because Sandoval's thinking of bringing him in."
There was a pause, and then the quiet in the room dissolved in a babble of noise as most of the Volunteers present started talking, each one trying to express their opinion.
Jardine let it go on for a minute or two, and then knocked his fist against the podium, and snapped, "Atten-hut!" He was pleased when it took no more than a few seconds for everyone to come to attention. "Agent Sandoval has his reasons for this; and if he decides that Major Kincaid can't be trusted with the truth, then nothing will happen. It is, at the moment, just an idea.
"Now, if I could please see the ones who would like to volunteer for guard duty? I want four more squads, all prepared to stand duty for six hours each. The rest of you are dismissed; assignments and the guard schedule will be sent to you as soon as they have been finalized."
As a group of about seven or eight squad leaders approached him, and everyone else headed out, Jardine fingered the device in his pocket for a moment, and then tapped it again, turning the surveillance devices scattered throughout the room back on. It was time to pull the masks back on.
"Augur, I think you should listen to this," Holo-Lorna said, interrupting him as he was about to start eating his lunch.
"You know, you have the worst timing in the world," Augur snapped, putting his sub back down on his plate. "You're learning too much from Liam."
"This is important, Augur," the hologram said firmly. "Listen." She switched on the television.
"This late-breaking story just in: there has been an assassination attempt on Companion-Protector Major Liam Kincaid in Arizona. This follows less than a week after Major Kincaid was injured saving Synod Leader Zo'or's life during an assassination attempt in Seattle, Washington. Both Major Kincaid and an unnamed Volunteer were wounded, and were rushed to Washington General Hospital in Washington, DC. There were no other casualties..."
Augur shut the screen off and picked up his global. Opening it, he dialed Dr. Park.
"Yes?" Dr. Park said curtly, and then her expression relaxed as she recognized him. "Sorry, Augur; I've just been speaking to Jonathan, and I'm afraid it didn't leave me in the best of moods."
"I'm not surprised," Augur said sardonically. He'd never cared overly much for Doors, but the way the multi-billionaire had treated Liam had made things even worse. "I just heard on the news that there was another assassination attempt; a public one. So, how is Liam?"
Dr. Park sighed. "That boy has either the best or the worst luck in the world," she replied. "He ended up with a crossbow bolt-"
"A what?" Augur demanded incredulously.
"A crossbow bolt," Dr. Park repeated, her tone one of exasperated patience, "stuck in his right arm. He's done some more damage to his shoulder as well, which means that he's going to be stuck with both the sling and the brace for a few more weeks. I'm keeping him here tonight - for observation, and to make sure that he gets some rest."
Augur paused for a moment. "Can I see him?"
The doctor grimaced. "Only if you can come up with a disguise that will let me get you past a squad of Volunteers," she replied. "Sandoval sent them to provide security, and there are two of them standing right at Liam's door, with orders to let only Sandoval, Da'an, myself and any medical personnel that I vouch for personally into the room. The other four are wandering around the hospital, causing trouble." She scowled. "It hasn't been a good day.
"Not to mention I'm expecting Sandoval back within the next hour or so, and he knows what you look like. So it might be a wise idea to wait until I release Liam. I'll tell him that you wanted to come, though."
Augur wasn't entirely happy with that compromise, but he had to admit that parading around in front of Sandoval probably was not a good thing to do. "Okay. Explain to him why I'm not there, will you?"
"Will do," Dr. Park replied, and closed the connection.
Augur tossed his global on the couch and sighed unhappily as he returned to his lunch. He just hoped that Liam would understand why he couldn't be there.
Sandoval walked into the lobby of his apartment building, ignoring the surprised stares cast in his direction by his fellow tenants. He'd gotten some of the same stares when he had stopped at Quantico to drop off the crossbow bolt McKenna had used on the Major.
He was well aware of the fact that he hardly looked the part of the unruffled, immaculate federal agent at the moment. His slacks were dirty from where he'd knelt to help the Major stand up; there was still some blood on his hands from wrapping the handkerchief around the Major's arm; and he suspected that he looked quite haggard.
Nodding to the doorman - who was also staring at him in shock - he entered the elevator, and grimaced at his reflection in the doors as they closed. He looked as bad as he had feared.
A hot shower, first of all. Then clean clothes. Then back to the hospital, he thought tiredly, leaning against the wall of the elevator.
Strictly speaking, he didn't really need to go back - not yet, at least. The Major was going to be sleeping for a while yet, according to Dr. Park; Lt. Hartland's squad was perfectly capable of handling the Major's security - they didn't need him there, looking over their shoulders; and Dr. Curzon was returning to Bethesda to run the tests - and would, at any rate, call him as soon as she had the DNA sample prepared.
However, much as he disliked admitting it, even to himself, Sandoval felt guilty. If he'd been devoting his full attention to capturing McKenna, rather than also searching for his son and puzzling over the Major's mysterious past, this would never have happened. He would have realized that McKenna was likely to try something other than a sniper attack after his first two attempts had ended in failure.
Unfortunately, his attention hadn't been focused. He had been trying to do three things at once, and as a result had missed what should have been obvious.
And how many other obvious things have I missed because of this? he wondered, as he stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to his apartment. Unlocking the door, he walked in, slipped off his jacket and dropped it carelessly on the floor as he headed for the bathroom and a nice, refreshing shower. For the moment, I'm going to have to prioritize things. The first priority is dealing with McKenna; then finding out who Kincaid really is. Then I can continue to work on finding my son.
Twenty minutes later, Sandoval came out of the bathroom wrapped in a terrycloth dressing gown, towelling his hair and feeling a great deal more refreshed. He was definitely feeling more positive now. He'd already set the wheels in motion to discover Kincaid's real identity, and with any luck, they'd catch McKenna reasonably soon. Either that, or Kincaid would be dead.
Sandoval frowned. That wasn't an idea he cared for at all.
Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he tossed the towel in the hamper and directed his attention to his bedside table.
"I'm sorry," he murmured out loud, reaching out to touch the photograph of the four year old. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait a bit longer to meet."
As he withdrew his hand, a crumpled piece of paper fell to the ground. Frowning, Sandoval bent down to pick it up. Before the inevitable question could form in his mind, he remembered that it was the paper he'd taken out of his pocket last night and put on his table to check later.
Opening it, he saw that it was the note with the directions to the restaurant that Liam had scribbled out for him yesterday. He smiled, re-reading it; at the top of the note, Liam had written: 'It's called The Happy Greek, although no one who works there is actually Greek, much less a happy one.'
Sandoval shook his head in amusement. He really does remind me of a child som-
He suddenly froze, staring. He'd started to crumple up the paper to put it in the trash, when his eyes had fallen on the birthday card he'd received from his son.
Slowly, his eyes went from the birthday card to the paper, and then back again. With shaking fingers, he smoothed out the paper, set it beside the card, and compared the handwriting on the two.
The similarities were unmistakable.
But that... that's impossible! he thought in disbelief, absolutely stunned. "No... There is no way that Liam can be..."
The part of him that was the trained FBI agent took over at this point, in an instinctive reaction to the confusion caused by the idea. "Calm down, Ron, think this through logically..." he muttered to himself. "All right..." There was a long pause as Sandoval collected his thoughts.
Let's examine the evidence. He came from nowhere, has been using another man's name and all his information is falsified - including his brainwaves, which doesn't make any sense whatsoever - unless there's something strange about them. Which there shouldn't be... unless... he's not completely human. And Da'an trusted him immediately; trusted him more than can be explained by the fact that Liam saved his life from the Jaridian replicant at Boone's funeral.
And the reason you weren't able to find any record of the photographs being left in your office could be that Liam left them there when he came to pick you up for the party...
Frowning, Sandoval stood up and started pacing back and forth. It was hard - almost impossible - to believe... and yet at the same time, if it was true, it explained a great deal that had been puzzling him about Liam. And it explained at least some parts of his dreams... although not all of them, and not why he'd been having them in the first place...
All right. Let's assume for the moment that it is true, and Liam is my son... Even thinking it seemed surreal. Assuming that's so, then... who was his mother? And his Taelon parent? And why has Da'an kept it such a secret?
Or is there something else going on here that I don't yet know about, can't yet see?
Sandoval stopped pacing, and shook his head. "This is ridiculous," he told himself firmly. "I don't even know for certain that it's tr-"
His global beeped, interrupting him.
Opening it, he pasted a smile on his face when he saw who it was. No sense in letting her know what was going on. "Dr. Curzon. I assume you have the DNA sample I asked for?"
"Yes," Dr. Curzon replied, smiling broadly. "But I actually called to say congratulations on finding him."
"Him?" Sandoval repeated, though he had a pretty good idea whom she was talking about. Oh, God... it is true...
"Your son," the doctor replied, looking a bit surprised - she'd probably assumed that he had wanted her to check it for him. "That blood sample you gave me was from him."
Sandoval took a deep breath. "I wasn't sure," he prevaricated. "I'm glad you were able to confirm it for me. And I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly on this."
Her smile widened. "I'm glad to help, Ron. I assume this means you no longer need the DNA sample?"
Sandoval thought about that for a moment. He was fairly certain that Da'an knew; but also that the rest of the Synod, including Zo'or, had no idea that Liam was a hybrid. Which meant that for some reason, both Liam and Da'an felt it necessary to keep that information secret.
"You're right, I don't need it." He paused, thinking about how best to phrase his request. "Dr. Curzon... because of who I am, it could be very dangerous for him if anyone else were to discover his identity - discover that he is my son. I'd appreciate it if you could see to it that the sample gets destroyed."
She studied him for a minute, and then nodded. "I'll see to it," she said quietly.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," she replied. "I'll see you in a month for your next appointment; you can tell me how it's going then." With that, she closed the communication.
"How it's going," Sandoval repeated numbly. He stared blankly at the global for a moment, and then sank down onto the bed and buried his face in his hands. This was too much. He couldn't deal with it all. And he didn't even know who Liam's other parents were...
So now what do I do?
Sandoval was surprised by how calmly he was taking this. If it had been anyone else, he might have expected them to be a gibbering wreck at this point.
But then, considering the shocks he'd had heaped on him over the past several days, maybe it wasn't all that strange. He wouldn't really be all that surprised if he was simply numb from emotional overload.
The burning question was: now that he knew the truth, what was he going to do about it?
First, I should probably wait until I'm not so numb to make any firm decisions, Sandoval reflected after a moment. And figure out what I want to do.
Well, no, I know what I want to do, he admitted to himself. But it was going to be difficult - very difficult. Before, when he'd thought that his son was a stranger, it had been easier. Easier to imagine them meeting as father and son. Now...
He really didn't know how to handle this. With the antagonism between Da'an and Zo'or, and Liam's ties to the Resistance, they'd been on opposite sides of the battlefield more often than not.
Hell, I've even... Sandoval swallowed, burying his face in his hands again. I've even tried to have him killed more than once! That he was now trying desperately to prevent someone else from doing the same thing made this entire situation supremely, bitterly ironic.
Taking a deep breath, Sandoval managed to regain control. What was past was past; he couldn't change it now.
Raising his head from his hands, he caught sight of his pocket-watch, sitting on his bedside table next to the photographs. His eyes widened as he noticed the time. It was almost three - he'd meant to be on his way back to the hospital by now!
Standing up, he hurried over to his closet, pulled out a suit completely at random, and rapidly got dressed. He'd have to pick up some clean clothes for Liam later; right now, he wanted to get back to the hospital as quickly as possible.
Dr. Park looked up as the door to Liam's room swung open, and barely managed to keep the scowl off her face when she saw Agent Sandoval in the doorway.
As she'd told Augur, it had not been a good day so far. And the fact that there were Volunteers who were under Sandoval's direct command hanging around - hanging around Liam - made things even worse.
"What is it?" she demanded.
Sandoval looked surprised at her brusque tone of voice. "I wanted to check on... Major Kincaid," he replied.
There was a faint, but noticeable, pause before he said Liam's name, and Dr. Park felt a touch of unease. What did that mean? She kept the thought off her face, however, and simply said, "He's not awake yet."
Sandoval frowned. "Why not, doctor?" he demanded. "It's been..." He flipped open his pocket watch and studied it for a moment. "Almost three hours."
"And I said he would sleep for at least two to three hours," she returned, trying to remain as calm as possible. "It's quite possible he could sleep for the rest of the afternoon; not because of the anesthetic, but because he's worn out."
Sandoval's eyes flickered over to Liam, and Dr. Park was surprised to see a flash of concern cross his face. It was there only for a moment, and then it disappeared, but she had seen it.
Concern? Again? What is going on?
"I'd like to stay with him," Sandoval said then, interrupting her thoughts.
Dr. Park thought about that for a moment or two. She didn't know why Sandoval was suddenly so concerned for Liam, but it was obvious that he was, that he wasn't faking it. And she suspected that it would do Liam some good to know that Sandoval was that concerned.
"All right," she replied finally. "If you want to wait for a minute or two, I'll see about getting you a chair."
"Thank you, Doctor," Sandoval said quietly from behind her as she left the room.
Turning back to the bed, Sandoval took a deep breath. With his eyes closed and his expression peaceful, Liam looked extremely young all of a sudden.
He is extremely young, Sandoval reflected ruefully, sighing. Four years old - if that. Based on what he knew of hybrid growth rates, in fact, it was more likely that Liam was even younger.
Rubbing his forehead with one hand, Sandoval sighed. At some point between the realization itself and his arrival back here at the hospital, he'd found himself accepting the fact that Liam really was his son.
He turned back around as the door opened, and watched as Dr. Park manoeuvered a hard plastic chair into the room.
"I'm afraid this is all I could find," she told him.
Sandoval simply nodded, took the chair, and placed it next to Liam's bed. "Thank you, Doctor," he repeated, sitting down.
"You're welcome," she replied. For just a moment, Dr. Park seemed to be studying him, as if trying to discover exactly what made him tick, and then she looked at Liam. "The anesthetic should be wearing off fairly soon," she said. "I had to give him more than the usual dose; Liam has quite a strong resistance to both sedatives and painkillers. He might wake up with a slight headache, but it should disappear fairly soon.
"On the other hand," she added, shrugging, "as I said, he could end up sleeping all afternoon. That's what would really be best for him - so I don't want you trying to wake him up, or keep him awake if he feels sleepy," she added firmly.
"I won't," Sandoval promised. He'd simply been concerned that it was taking Liam too long to recover from the anesthetic.
"I'll be back in to check him in about an hour," Dr. Park continued. "If he does wake up, buzz me." She pointed to the small call button on the wall just by Liam's head.
Sandoval nodded. Then, as Dr. Park left, closing the door again behind her, he returned his attention to his son. Leaning forward, he brushed a strand of hair out of Liam's face, and then sat back to wait.
Chapter 12
The first thing Liam became aware of was the sound of quiet voices from close by. The second was that he was lying in a bed, and that both his arm and his shoulder were throbbing painfully.
What happened? he wondered. Then, as he shifted slightly, a stab of agony went through his shoulder, a sharp reminder of McKenna's attack.
He shot me with a... a crossbow? It was ridiculous - and if he'd heard it from someone else, Liam knew that he'd never have believed it - but he could remember McKenna standing there, crossbow pointed at him, and the sight of the bolt flying toward him.
Abruptly, the voices caught his attention. Still not opening his eyes, Liam focused his attention on them.
"What about the news crews, sir?"
The voice was vaguely familiar; after a moment, Liam recognized it as belonging to Lt. Yeung, one of Captain Wang's squad leaders.
"Get rid of them," said the other voice - Sandoval's - sharply. "It's bad enough they found out what hospital he's in; I don't want them providing McKenna with any other information, however inadvertently. Threaten them with arrest if necessary."
"Yes, sir," Lt. Yeung replied. "Shall I ask Lieutenant Hartland to... 'speak' with them when he leaves?"
"An excellent idea, Lieutenant. Just make certain that they leave," Sandoval said.
Liam frowned to himself. Why did Sandoval sound so angry?
"Yes, sir," Yeung repeated, and a moment later Liam heard a door open, and then close.
He was probably in the hospital, Liam decided, after a moment's thought. That would make the most sense.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Yeah, I'm in the hospital, he thought ruefully, taking in the white-tiled ceiling and the medical status chart set up by the door.
Turning his head to the side, to get a better look at the room, he was surprised to see Sandoval sitting in a chair next to his bed, studying something on a global. What caught Liam's attention was the fact that Sandoval was dressed in a casual, comfortable looking brown suit, as opposed to one of his regular formal suits; and from the way he was sitting on the uncomfortable-looking chair, Liam guessed that he'd been there for a while.
Licking his lips, he managed to croak out, "Sandoval?"
Sandoval jerked up, a look of surprise crossing his face for just a moment, before the usual impassive mask covered his expression. "Major. I'm glad to see that you're finally awake," he said calmly.
Something told Liam that asking his father why he was sitting here, in Liam's hospital room, wouldn't be a wise idea. Instead, he asked the other question that was weighing on his mind. "Lieutenant Ericsson? How..." He stopped, swallowing in an effort to moisten his throat, and used his left hand to push himself into a sitting position, wincing as the movement jarred his arm and shoulder. He noticed absently that he was still wearing his gloves, which was reassuring. No one had seen his shaqarava.
"She'll be fine," Sandoval replied. "She had to have surgery - the bolt she took when she tackled you nicked her heart. The surgery was successful, and I've been assured that she'll be back on duty within 6 weeks at most." He stood up and pressed a small button just by Liam's head. "Dr. Park should be here within a few minutes," he added.
Uh oh... Dr. Park was going to be furious with him.
A moment later, Sandoval's prediction was proven true as the door opened and Dr. Park stepped in. Liam frowned slightly as he noticed two Volunteers standing by the door before she closed it.
"Good to see you're awake, Liam," she said, giving him a smile. Then she turned to Sandoval. "If you'll excuse us, Agent Sandoval..." she added pointedly.
Liam's frown deepened. He knew that Dr. Park didn't like his father, but usually she was able to keep that under control. Right now, however, she sounded downright irritated.
"Of course, Doctor," Sandoval said, his calm expression never varying - but Liam saw a hint of anger in the back of his eyes. He stood up and slipped out of the room, giving Liam another glimpse of the Volunteers outside the door. This time he had the chance to recognize them - they were from Lt. Yeung's squad.
"So, how do you feel, Liam?" Dr. Park asked, as soon as the door closed behind his father.
"My shoulder hurts," Liam replied, and then coughed.
"I'm not surprised," Dr. Park replied, picking up a glass of water from the small table next to his bed and handing it to him. "I don't know exactly what you did, but the result was quite a bit of additional damage. The collarbone fracture was healing quite well - and quite rapidly," she added, giving him a curious glance, "until you went and made it worse. Quite frankly, Liam, the surprise is that you haven't done any permanent damage to your shoulder.
"What about your arm? How does it feel?"
Liam took a sip of the water, letting it moisten his mouth and throat before he answered. "It hurts too, but not as badly as my shoulder. How bad was it?"
"Not too serious, although you were losing a lot of blood," Dr. Park said. "Quite frankly, the worst damage from this morning was to your shoulder, rather than your arm - thanks to Agent Sandoval, actually. You would have been in a much more serious condition if he hadn't bound the wound at the scene."
Liam frowned thoughtfully. He could vaguely remember Sandoval wrapping something around his arm, but the memory was distant and blurred.
"As it is," Dr. Park continued, "you've lost enough blood today for me to insist on keeping you here overnight. And don't try to argue," she added, noticing the expression on Liam's face. "Da'an and Agent Sandoval are backing me on this. And since it's already a quarter to ten, you're not going anywhere, even if you were to convince me to release you."
Liam slumped back against the pillows, careful not to hurt his shoulder any further. Then a question suddenly occurred to him. "Speaking of Sandoval... why are you so upset with him? I would have thought you'd be pleased that he's agreeing with your decisions."
Dr. Park scowled. "Oh, maybe it's because he has a team of Volunteers running around the hospital, getting in everyone's way?" she said. "Or maybe it's the fact that the guards outside your door have orders to essentially let only himself, me and Da'an in? I've had to personally vouch for each nurse that's needed to come in here, and even after that Sandoval's checked them out before they've been allowed to enter." She sighed. "I know it's for your own safety, and I can definitely agree with the aim of keeping you alive, but I don't like it."
"Trust me - neither do I," Liam muttered. "It feels like I'm living in a prison - and it's only been two- no, three days."
"And to make it even worse," Dr. Park added, "this is the first time he's actually left this room in over six hours. Each time I've come in to check on you, he's been hovering around, getting in my way."
Huh? Liam blinked in confusion. "Why?"
"You're asking me? I haven't the faintest idea, Liam. I really don't understand what goes on in that man's head. All I do know is that he's definitely concerned about you." Liam blinked again - in surprise this time. Dr. Park studied him for a moment, and then glanced over at his chart. "You should get some more rest. You've had a bad week so far."
"I've just been sleeping," Liam protested, sitting back up. "For the past... How long has it been?"
"Between the shock, the anesthetic and your body's exhaustion, almost ten hours," Dr. Park answered calmly. "Nonetheless, I think you should try to get some more sleep. You may end up a bit groggy in the morning, but your body needs a chance to recover from the damage it's taken, Liam. At least promise me that you'll try."
Liam sighed. "All right, I promise," he replied. "But... there's something I need to tell Sandoval first," he added, as he remembered what McKenna had said just before shooting the second bolt.
Dr. Park looked irritated. "Liam..."
"It's important," he told her. "Very important. It may help us figure out why McKenna's doing this."
Her mouth tightened. "Fine. But as soon as you finish telling him, I want you going to sleep."
Liam nodded in agreement. "Okay."
Sandoval looked up as the door opened and Dr. Park came out of Liam's room. He'd been listening to Lt. Yeung's report of how Lt. Hartland had managed to get rid of the news crews, but most of his attention had been focused on wondering what was going on behind the closed door. How much of the truth did Dr. Park know? After all, she was Liam's doctor of record... And yet, she wasn't cleared for the hybrid project...
Dr. Park came straight over to him. "Liam wants to see you, Agent Sandoval - he says there's something he has to tell you about McKenna."
"Very well," Sandoval said. He started for the door, only to be pulled up short as Dr. Park grabbed his arm. He glared at her icily. "Doctor..."
"There's a condition to this, Agent Sandoval," she said coolly.
His glare intensified. "And what condition is that?" he demanded curtly.
"Liam's been through a great deal over the past five days, and his body's taken a lot of damage. He needs to be fully rested to start recovering - which means that he needs more sleep. As soon as he's told you whatever it is he needs to, I want you to leave and let him get that sleep."
It took a great deal of effort to keep his irritation from showing, but Sandoval managed it. "Of course, Doctor."
Opening the door, he walked in to find Liam still sitting up in the bed, frowning as he stared off into space.
Sandoval took a deep breath. It was going to be difficult, acting as though nothing had changed - but he was going to have to. He wasn't ready to discuss this with Liam yet.
"Major," he said out loud, "Dr. Park said you had something important to tell me?"
Liam's eyes focused on him. "Yes," he replied. "I only just remembered it a minute or two ago. Just before he fired the second bolt, McKenna said something. He was too far away for me to hear, of course, but I'm fairly good at lip-reading. What he said was 'traitor'."
Sandoval frowned, remembering another - now painful - conversation between himself and Liam about treason. "So do you think that McKenna has ties to the Resistance?" he asked, pushing the memory away. He'd already decided that there was no use dwelling on those particular remembrances.
Liam scowled. "I don't know," he replied. "I mean, he may have Resistance sympathies, but I think it's unlikely that he's acting under their orders. Assassination isn't exactly their style, right? At least, they've never shown that tendency before."
Sandoval's frown deepened, but he nodded in agreement. Especially not assassination of a high-ranking member. "I'll look into it, Major," he assured Liam. "Now, I've been informed that Dr. Park feels you need to get some more sleep."
"What about you? Nothing personal, Sandoval, but you have looked better," Liam said, giving him a slight grin. "You probably need sleep as much as I do - if not more so. I've been sleeping all afternoon, after all."
Sandoval couldn't help feeling pleased at this evidence of concern, however disguised, though he carefully concealed it. "I'll be leaving in a few minutes," he replied. "There are two Volunteers on guard duty outside the door, and the rest of their squad is keeping watch on the hospital as a whole. They'll be relieved at one a.m. by another squad, who will be on duty until seven. I'll be back before then."
"Okay," Liam replied. He rubbed his left hand over his face and yawned. "I guess I am tired," he said, sounding surprised.
Sandoval let a smile cross his face. "Good night, Liam," he said, heading for the door.
"G'night, Sandoval," Liam mumbled through another yawn.
Closing the door behind him, Sandoval noticed that Dr. Park had left. Turning to Lt. Yeung and the two Volunteers standing guard, he told them, "I need to go home and get some sleep. Lieutenant O'Shea's squad will be relieving you at one o'clock. Let them know I should be back before the end of their shift."
Lt. Yeung nodded in acknowledgement.
"Until I get back," he added, "Dr. Park is to be the only one allowed access to Major Kincaid. No nurses, no other doctors... just Dr. Park. Relay that order to Lieutenant O'Shea as well."
"Yes, sir!" Lt. Yeung and the guards chorused, saluting.
"Thank you," Sandoval said courteously, and then headed toward the exit.
Renee grimaced and tugged the blankets tighter around herself. "Can't you make this thing go any faster?" she demanded, shouting to be heard over the roar of the wind.
"Nope!" came the laconic reply from the driver.
"How long will it take us to get there?" she yelled back.
"Another four hours... if it doesn't start snowing again!"
"Great. Just great," Renee muttered sourly, huddling deeper into the blankets. They'd been travelling for the past five hours, and there was still another four to go?
When it had become clear that the storm around the research station wasn't going to let up any time soon, Aimee Renaud, one of the microbiologists on staff, had suggested that Renee get a ride to the nearest community with an airstrip. It was apparently outside of the worst of the storm, and there was a good chance that she'd be able to at least give Doors a call and arrange for a pickup flight from there. Renee had agreed - after all, she had to be at the meeting tomorrow afternoon.
I'm going to kill them. Slowly and painfully. Starting with Lieutenant Colonel Gary McKenna, as soon as someone gets their hands on him. Then Jonathan. Then Liam and Sandoval. Very slowly. And very, very painfully.
And I am never going to regard travelling by dog sled as 'romantic' again. Ever.
Tugging the blankets tighter again, she shivered. "Four more hours," she muttered. "I really am going to kill you, Jonathan."
Sandoval stopped in the hallway just outside Liam's apartment, pulled out the key Da'an had given him before the Taelon had returned to the mothership, and then paused.
He'd remembered just before he'd left the hospital that he'd meant to get Liam some clean clothes, and so had headed straight here. But now that he was here, he found himself hesitating. It felt a bit strange, walking into his son's home like this.
"Stop being ridiculous," he told himself firmly. "All you have to do is go in, get him some clothes, and leave. That's all."
Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the door, opened it, and walked in.
Sandoval's first impression of the main room was that it was spartan. There were two bookcases, a couch, a chair, a table, and that was it.
Closing the door carefully behind him, Sandoval walked farther into the room. In spite of what he'd told himself outside the door, about only grabbing some clothes and then leaving, he found himself wandering over to the bookcases to take a look.
There was a very eclectic mix of books there, ranging from Charles Dickens' David Copperfield to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, from Isaac Asimov's Foundation to Lady Gregory's Gods and Fighting Men. There was even a first edition copy of A Christmas Carol.
And sitting on one of the shelves was a Taelon puzzle - a puzzle that Sandoval recognized from the pictures. If there had been any doubt left in his mind that Liam was his son, that would have finished it.
Turning away, he shook his head. It's late. Just get Liam some clothes and worry about the rest later.
Sandoval walked into the bedroom. He shot a quick glance around - this room was almost as spartan as the main room - and then went straight to the closet. He pulled out two pairs of pants, a few shirts - loose ones - and a sweater.
Then, as he turned around, he caught sight of two silver-framed photographs sitting on top of a small chest of drawers to the right of Liam's bed. Walking over, he sat down on the edge of the bed and studied them.
The first one was a picture Sandoval recognized as being from the news of the discovery of Ma'el's tomb just outside of Strandhill. It showed himself, Lt. Beckett, Captain Marquette and Boone standing by the entrance to the tomb, with the Irish countryside in the background.
The other was a picture of himself and Lt. Beckett, obviously taken on board the mothership. Whoever had taken the picture - most probably Liam himself, Sandoval guessed - had caught Beckett smiling at something he was saying.
Siobhan... He felt a sudden surge of grief go through him as he remembered her. It had been almost a year since her death, and he still missed her.
Abruptly, his gaze fixed on the photo of the two of them on the mothership.
["You and I are destined to come together. Whether you like it or not."] That was what Beckett had told him.
Sandoval took a deep breath. "Could she-" he murmured aloud, and then stopped as his CVI suddenly pulled up a series of memories.
[Siobhan Beckett, sitting in his office, rubbing her forehead with one hand. "Have we met?"
Liam standing quietly, his expression far more serious than Sandoval had seen from him, even during the replicant attack. "No. Not in this life, anyway."]
[Beckett, sitting on her bed in the hotel room, a cloth spread out before her. "Runes. The Celtic form of Tarot."...
Liam, standing on the bridge of the mothership, casually dressed, grinning insolently at himself and Zo'or. "Sowulo, Mr. Sandoval. The Irish rune of inevitability."]
[Beckett, again, lying in the hospital bed after the Atavus had attacked her. "There's something I wanted to ask you. What did you mean when you said of course Liam and I would be there together?"]
[Liam, kneeling on the floor of the cave, Beckett's body cradled in his arms. Bending over her, obviously upset, and then looking up to meet Sandoval's gaze, the cool expression on his face not hiding the anguish in his eyes.]
Blinking, Sandoval found himself staring at the photo taken on the mothership.
Siobhan Beckett had been Liam's mother. Of course. It all made sense now.
"Did you know, Siobhan?" he murmured. He didn't think so - Beckett hadn't been privy to the hybrid program, so he doubted that she would have found out about Liam, not when even he hadn't been able to... but he wasn't sure. The way she and Liam had interacted... She had known something, he was certain, but he didn't know what.
He rubbed his forehead. He had known all this - his dreams were proof enough of that - he just hadn't realized it. The question was, how had he known? Was it something Liam - or Da'an, for that matter - had said, or perhaps done? Or was there still more to this matter of Liam's heritage?
Whatever it is, I'm not going to get any answers just by sitting here, Sandoval thought, sighing. Time to go home and get some sleep. Maybe I'll be able to figure it out in the morning. And if not, at least I might be able to decide how to talk to Liam about all this.
Standing up, he looked around Liam's bedroom again, this time ignoring the photos. There was a small duffle bag crumpled in the far corner of the room. Picking it up, Sandoval carefully packed the clothes he'd selected. Closing the zipper, he slung it over one shoulder and then headed out of the apartment, locking the door carefully behind him.
Dr. Park took a deep breath, doing her best to conceal her irritation, as one of the two Volunteers at Liam's door stood aside to let her enter.
As she'd told Liam, yes, she appreciated the fact that they were protecting him, and were apparently determined to do so to the best of their ability. In fact, if she were to be honest with herself, she had to admit that she was impressed by the extent of their determination to keep Liam safe.
At the same time, she didn't like Volunteers in general; and she really didn't like having them hanging around her hospital - much less hanging around Liam.
Completely contradictory responses, she reflected ruefully as she walked into the room and let the door close behind her. But then, in many ways, Liam was a contradiction, so it should be no surprise that he seemed to attract contradictory situations.
Liam was curled up on his left side, sound asleep. Dr. Park smiled at the sight - he really did look much younger with his eyes closed - and then turned her attention to his status chart.
As far as she could tell, as of... this morning, since it wasn't quite midnight yet, Liam's collarbone had been well on the way to healing. If she hadn't known that it had been broken on Wednesday - only five days ago - she would have said that the break was at least two weeks old, if not a bit more. An effect of his Kimera heritage, she assumed.
Unfortunately, whatever it was that Liam had done - she'd heard one of the Volunteers mention that he'd jerked his hands up when he'd moved, just before the bolt had hit his arm - it had put too much of a strain on the newly healed bone, and it had fractured again. Not only that, but he'd also wrenched the muscles in his shoulder, which hadn't been as far along in their healing as the bone. And added to that, the damage that the bolt - which had been barbed - had done to his arm...
She shook her head slowly. If it had been anyone else in this situation - having had their collarbone fractured on Wednesday, and then the additional damage done today - she would have said that they'd never regain 100% strength or mobility. But Liam's rapid healing meant that his shoulder had been healed enough by this morning to ensure that there would be no permanent damage. He would have to wear the sling - and the brace - for several more weeks, rapid healing or not, but that was much better than losing mobility permanently.
A moment later, she heard Liam cry out. Turning around, she hurried over to the bed.
Liam had rolled onto his back, and he was tossing his head and murmuring something, his voice desperate.
Leaning closer, Dr. Park reached out to shake his left shoulder, and then stopped, frozen, as his voice got louder and clearer.
"Va'nei, ditera lius o'onarr..."
It took her only a moment to realize that Liam was most probably speaking in the Kimera language. It sounded similar - but not identical - to what she'd heard of Eunoia. That realization - and the fact that his voice was still getting louder - broke her paralysis, and she shook him gently, hissing, "Liam!"
His eyes shot open. For just a moment, he looked completely confused; then he relaxed as he focused on her. "Dr. Park?" he mumbled. "Is something wrong?"
"You were dreaming," she told him.
"Dreaming?" Liam repeated, blinking. He still looked a bit confused.
Dr. Park shrugged, releasing his shoulder and helping him sit up. "You were talking - in Kimera, I think," she explained. "It sounded as though you were about to start shouting in a minute or two, so I thought it might be a wise idea to wake you up, before the Volunteers outside heard you."
"Thank you," Liam murmured, looking away from her. "I... I don't really remember what I was dreaming."
She nodded in understanding. "Why don't you try to get back to sleep?" she suggested.
Liam shivered slightly. Despite what he'd just told Dr. Park, he had no problem remembering what he'd just been dreaming, and he really didn't want to go back to sleep, for fear it would show up again.
It hadn't been the same nightmare he'd been having recently, the one with the dark human figure and the sense of terror. That would have been too easy.
He shivered again, as the phrase rang through his thoughts... "The last of my kind... I succumbed to a biological imperative..."
"Liam?" Dr. Park questioned, frowning. She must have seen the shiver.
Liam shook his head, trying to erase the memory. He didn't want to think about that. Not now. Not when he was closer than ever before to telling Sandoval the truth.
"Liam?" Dr. Park repeated, her tone getting more concerned.
"I... I just... I..." He shivered again, harder this time, and then bit back a moan as agony stabbed through his shoulder, making him feel nauseous again. "Hurts," he whimpered.
Dr. Park raised her hand to touch his forehead, and he flinched away, another whimper escaping as the pain got worse.
Then there was a sharp pinprick in his arm, and a moment later, Liam felt a blessed numbness spreading through both his arm and his shoulder. He relaxed, sagging back against the pillows. He still felt sick to his stomach, but the pain was rapidly disappearing.
"Better?" Dr. Park asked.
"Yes," Liam murmured. "It's gone numb."
Dr. Park sounded relieved. "Good. The reason you're feeling numb is that what I just gave you was a local anesthetic, not a painkiller."
"Still feel sick," Liam mumbled. He was starting to have trouble keeping his eyes open, as the relief from the pain relaxed him even further.
He wasn't sure whether Dr. Park had actually heard him or not, because all she did was touch his forehead with the back of her hand, and then say, "Go back to sleep, Liam."
Don't want to sleep... Liam thought, but before he could verbalize it, a wave of grey seemed to sweep over him, and he drifted off.
Dr. Park watched as Liam's eyes slid closed and his breathing deepened into a sleeping rhythm. He was running a slight fever, but nothing too serious.
Turning to his chart again, she frowned as she studied it. She wasn't sure whether or not she had been meant to hear his mumbled comment about still feeling sick, but she had.
There were a few different reasons that he might feel sick. Concussion was the one that sprang automatically to mind... but according to the tests she'd run, Liam didn't have a concussion.
Another possibility was that the pain was bad enough to be making him feel sick. That seemed to be the most likely, especially considering the amount of pain he appeared to have been in before she'd administered the anesthetic.
Or he might be mildly allergic to one or more of the drugs she'd used on him. In Dr. Park's opinion, that wasn't all that likely - Liam had never shown signs of being allergic to anything before - but it was still a possibility that should be considered.
Or... it could be a Kimera thing. She was the resident 'expert' on Liam's physiology - but all that meant was that she knew more about him than all the other Resistance doctors, with the possible exception of Julianne Belman. She was all too aware that there were a lot of things that she didn't know - a lot of things that she suspected even Liam didn't know.
In fact, that reminded her - she was going to have to talk to him about the problem with his scans when he woke up in the morning.
Sighing, Dr. Park rubbed her eyes. The only thing she could do at the moment was to make frequent checks on Liam throughout the night - which she'd planned on doing anyway. She looked through his chart once more and made a notation about his temperature. Then she checked Liam again - he was back to sleeping peacefully - and left.
Sandoval got off the elevator on the fourth floor and walked down the hall. He could see a group of five Volunteers gathered around Liam's door; two of them in guard position, and the other three - one of whom was Lt. Nancy Cress, one of Captain Wang's squad leaders - chatting quietly, but with most of their attention obviously focused on the closed door.
Taking out his pocket-watch, Sandoval checked the time - 6:45a.m. Which meant that Lt. O'Shea's squad was still on duty - indeed, he recognized Sgt. Higgins guarding the door - and that Lt. Cress' squad was early.
Just as he was about to walk up to them, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him and turned to see Dr. Park approaching.
"Doctor," he greeted her coolly. He hadn't been happy about her attitude toward him yesterday.
Her mouth tightened as she looked at him. "Agent Sandoval," she responded, equally cool. "Can I help you with something?"
"How is Liam this morning?"
A look of surprise crossed her face for just a moment, and Sandoval realized - too late - that he'd said 'Liam', not 'Major Kincaid'.
Dr. Park made no comment about his slip of the tongue, however. "He was running a slight fever around midnight, but his temperature has gone back down since then. Assuming he's not in too much pain or feeling sick when he wakes up, I should be able to release him by noon," she told Sandoval.
"Excellent," Sandoval replied. "I assume he'll have to wear the sling for a while longer?"
Dr. Park scowled. "Liam's going to have to wear both the sling and the brace for another four to five weeks, minimum," she replied firmly. She stopped in the middle of the corridor and turned to face him. "Quite frankly, Agent Sandoval, it's a miracle that there's no permanent damage to either his shoulder or his arm. I've already told Da'an that I want Liam put on medical leave for the next two weeks in order to give him at least some time to heal, and he's agreed to it."
Sandoval nodded slowly. "I'll see what arrangements I can make to facilitate that, Doctor," he said, and once again saw a flicker of surprise cross her face. "Major Kincaid is one of my best people, Dr. Park," he said, not sure why he was providing her with an explanation, but doing so nonetheless. "I need him at the top of his form."
The hostility that Dr. Park had been projecting lessened noticeably at that. "Good," she declared, as they resumed walking down the corridor. "I could definitely use your support when I tell Liam. He'll be... upset."
That, Sandoval suspected, remembering the scene he'd walked into on Wednesday, was a very strong understatement. "As I said, Doctor, I need him at his best," he assured her.
As they reached Liam's door, all five Volunteers came to attention. "Report," Sandoval ordered Sgt. Higgins.
"It's been quiet, sir. No sign of McKenna anywhere. Dr. Park," the Sergeant nodded in her direction, "has been checking on Major Kincaid every half hour or so."
"Thank you, Sergeant," Sandoval replied. He gestured to the door, and Higgins obediently opened it to let himself and Dr. Park in.
"I hope you brought breakfast," came Liam's voice from the direction of the bed. Looking over, Sandoval saw Liam sitting up, watching them.
"No breakfast," he admitted, shaking his head, "but I did pick up some clean clothes for you." He walked over to the bed and put the duffle bag down on Liam's lap.
Liam looked down at it, and Sandoval saw a hint of wariness enter his expression. There was no sign of it in his voice, however. "Thanks - I don't really want to wear yesterday's clothes again," he commented. Then he looked hopefully at Dr. Park. "Did you bring me any breakfast? I'm hungry."
"Yes, I had guessed that much," Dr. Park replied, her tone one of wry amusement. "Actually, I didn't expect you to be awake just yet. Last night was a little rough."
Sandoval frowned slightly, looking between the two of them in confusion. Had something happened?
"I'm fine," Liam countered brightly. "But I really am hungry..."
Dr. Park sighed. "Agent Sandoval - the cafeteria is on the first floor, South Wing. I need to discuss a few things with Liam, so if you could pick him up something to eat?"
Sandoval firmly pushed down his irritation at the suggestion. She's his doctor, he reminded himself. Of course there would be confidential matters she needs to discuss with him. And even if she does know the truth, she doesn't know that I know. "All right. What would you like, Liam?"
Liam opened his mouth to reply, but Dr. Park stepped in. "Toast, some soup if they have it available, and orange juice."
"But..." Liam protested.
"Toast, soup and orange juice," Dr. Park repeated.
Sandoval nodded, and headed back out.
Liam watched his father slip out the door, and then looked back at Dr. Park. "Why can't I have eggs, or even waffles?" he asked.
"I don't know whether or not you remember, Liam, but last night you were complaining about feeling sick. Even if you are feeling much better - which I'm not sure that I believe, by the way," she added, giving him a pointed look, "I don't want you having anything that might upset your stomach."
Liam grimaced. Dr. Park was right - he wasn't feeling quite as well as he was pretending. His arm and shoulder were throbbing painfully - although it wasn't nearly as agonizing as last night - and he'd kept waking up every hour or so, in an effort to ensure that he didn't have that dream of Ha'gel again.
All the same, he was feeling much better than he had been yesterday.
"All right. I won't argue about breakfast," he said finally. "But I am feeling better."
"That's good to know," she replied.
Liam nodded and then looked down at the duffle bag on his lap.
He'd recognized this bag as soon as his father had dumped it on the bed - it was his. Was, in fact, the one he'd tossed into a corner of his room about a week and a half ago, when he'd been looking for the frames he'd picked up for Sandoval's present. He hadn't yet gotten around to picking it up, which meant that to have gotten it, Sandoval had to have been not only in his apartment, but his bedroom.
Where he kept the pictures of Sandoval and Beckett.
Had his father seen them?
Abruptly, another thought occurred to him.
Looking back up at Dr. Park, he frowned. "Why did you want Sandoval out of here?" he demanded.
"There's something we need to discuss," Dr. Park replied. She walked over to his status chart and pulled up an image, recognizably that of a human figure. Most of it was a uniform pale blue, Liam noticed, but there were two bright red areas that corresponded to his right shoulder and arm.
"What is that?" he asked.
"This is the results of your medical scan from yesterday," Dr. Park explained. "The red areas indicate physical trauma."
"So what do we need to talk about?" Liam inquired. "It doesn't look like there's any other problems - it's just my shoulder and arm."
Dr. Park shook her head. "I'm afraid you're wrong about that, Liam," she said somberly. She tapped the chart, and another image appeared beside the first. In this one, the human figure was white, except for the right shoulder, which was the same bright red as in the other image. "This is the results of the scan we did on Wednesday."
Liam frowned, starting to feel a bit uneasy. "Why are they coloured differently?"
"That is the sixty-four million dollar question," Dr. Park said. "Your scan from yesterday should have been white as well, not blue. I even had one of the medical techs ask me if I needed the scanner re-calibrated." She turned to look at him. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"
Liam took a deep breath. It didn't take a genius to realize that this was probably connected with the reappearance of his shaqarava, following as it did right on the heels of that.
Looking down at his hands, he spoke quietly. "Do you remember, a few months ago, I told you that I had lost my shaqarava?"
"Yes," Dr. Park replied. Judging from her tone of voice, she didn't understand the connection. Well, she would in a moment.
"Saturday, Sandoval pointed out to me that I've been scratching my hands a lot over the past several days." Liam pulled off his right glove and turned his hand over, showing her his palm, and the dark red mark in the middle. "I don't know exactly how long they've been like this - I only actually noticed them on Saturday when Sandoval asked me why I was scratching so often - but the itching started Thursday morning, I think.
"Probably that - whatever it is," he said, waving his left hand in the direction of his chart, "has to do with the reason my shaqarava have reappeared."
Dr. Park nodded thoughtfully as Liam slipped the glove back on. "Once this entire mess is dealt with, Liam, I'd like you to come in for a few tests. Maybe we can figure out what's going on."
"I'm all for that," Liam replied, and then quickly shut up as the door started to open. Dr. Park hastily changed the display of the status chart back to the main screen, and they both looked toward the door as Sandoval entered, carrying a tray.
"Oh, lovely," Liam grumbled, in an effort to make everything appear normal, glaring at the contents. "Toast. Are you sure I can't have waffles instead?"
"Now, now, Liam... if you want me to release you today, you'll eat everything that's on that tray - and only what's on the tray," Dr. Park declared, giving Sandoval's selections - toast, what smelled like chicken noodle soup, and a glass of orange juice - a nod of approval.
"All right, you win," Liam muttered. "But I get to decide what I'm having for lunch." He gave his father a faint grin as Sandoval put the tray down on the table beside the bed, and was delighted when Sandoval returned it.
"Liam... There is one more thing I need to mention," Dr. Park added, just as Liam started to reach for the toast.
Liam turned to look at her. Her voice held a note of wariness that told him he wasn't going to like whatever she was about to say. "What is it?" he asked cautiously.
"I'm putting you on medical leave for at least two weeks."
"What?" Liam practically shrieked. "What do you mean, medical leave?"
Dr. Park crossed her arms over her chest, her expression unyielding. "Exactly what I said. I told you yesterday that you did more damage to your shoulder. It's worse off than it was on Wednesday, and I was reluctant enough to let you go back to work then. There is no way that you're going to be doing anything physical for the next several weeks. I've already spoken to Da'an about it, and he's agreed."
"But..." Liam began, and then stopped as she glared at him. Instead, he turned to Sandoval - his father had helped him on Wednesday, after all. "Sandoval..."
"Dr. Park is right, Major," Sandoval said curtly. "Until we catch McKenna, you will continue to stay at the Embassy all day, but you won't be doing anything more strenuous than paperwork. And as soon as McKenna is caught, you're going on full medical leave."
"But..." Liam repeated.
"Don't make me make it an order, Major," Sandoval snapped.
Liam slumped back against the pillows. "Fine," he said sulkily. Then, as Sandoval started to hand him the plate of toast, he turned away. "I'm not hungry any more."
He didn't need to look at them to know that Dr. Park and Sandoval were exchanging looks of exasperation.
"Liam, you have two choices," Dr. Park said. She sounded more than a bit irritated, but right now Liam didn't care. "Either you eat, or I'll be keeping you here for another day."
Liam hesitated, and then looked at her. The expression on her face said quite clearly that she was not joking.
"Fine," he said sullenly, and took the toast.
Doors looked up from his computer as the door to his office was flung open and Renee Palmer, looking unusually disheveled, strode in.
He glanced down at his watch, and then shot a glare at her. "Where have you been? It's almost eleven; I was expecting you an hour ago so that we could go over the agenda for this afternoon's meeting."
Renee met his glare with one of her own. "Don't start with me, Jonathan," she said coldly. "I am not in the mood."
"You have an obligation-" Doors began.
"You should have thought of that before you sent me into the middle of an Arctic blizzard," Renee snapped in response. "I have spent the past four hours on a cargo plane - and ten before that on a dog sled, getting to a location where the plane could land!"
Doors blinked in surprise. "Why didn't you use the emergency portal?" he asked. "The meeting this afternoon is important enough to justify the risk."
Renee froze. "Emergency portal," she repeated.
"Yes."
"What emergency portal?"
Doors frowned. "The one at the research facility, of course."
Renee slowly sat down on one of the chairs facing his desk. "No one mentioned any emergency portal to me," she said, with an icy calm.
"Renee, you know the operating procedures as well as I do. You helped write them up!" Doors said. "All facilities have at least one portal for use in an emergency. That includes the Arctic research station."
"I saw no sign of it on my security inspection," Renee declared, frowning. "And I saw all the rest of the facility - including the thermal baffles."
Doors frowned. That isn't good... "It sounds like there may be a problem up there. After the meeting, I'll contact Dr. Greenbaum and speak to her about it," he declared.
"All ri-" Renee began, and then stopped as Doors' global went off.
Opening it, Doors sighed when he saw that it was Dr. Park. She looked rather frazzled, he noticed absently. "Yes, Doctor?" he said.
"You said you wanted to be kept updated on Liam's condition," Dr. Park answered. "I thought I might as well let you know that I'm going to be releasing him soon."
"So he's fine, then," Doors said.
Dr. Park frowned at him. "He's well enough to be released," she stated. "That doesn't mean that he's 'fine'. He's going to be in a sling and brace for another month or so."
"But there was no serious damage done?"
"Only because he is who he is," Dr. Park replied, her expression darkening. "But no, there's no serious damage."
"Thank you, Doctor," Doors replied, and closed the global.
"What was that about Liam?" Renee demanded.
"McKenna tried again yesterday," Doors explained, leaning back in his seat. "He wounded Liam, and seriously injured a Volunteer. The media is having a field day with this, since Liam's now been officially identified as the target."
"Lovely," Renee muttered sourly. She sighed, and then stood up, brushing ineffectually at her slacks. "I'm going to go get changed, Jonathan. It shouldn't take me more than fifteen minutes. Will we still have time to go through the agenda then?"
Doors nodded. "Just enough," he replied. "The meeting's at one."
"All right; I'll see you in fifteen minutes, then," Renee said. She brushed at her slacks one more time, then gave up and walked out, heading for her own office.