The Uninvited - Part 2
An Earth - Final Conflict story by Tina Price
(TinaP@prodigy.net)
Preview: A sticky situation grows positively hairy, as Boone gathers evidence with which to expose the Taelon's genetic experimentation.
Disclaimer: Earth - Final Conflict, all characters and images therein are the property of the Tribune Entertainment Company. Several characters appearing in this story are my own creation. Any similarity with anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.
Authors note: This story takes place immediately after the episode entitled, "Destruction". It is the second in a three part series.. My other stories should be read first. This story is based upon my own idea of what is happening in the EFC universe. I am in no way receiving 'privileged information'. A friendly warning: I have taken steps to protect my stories. As always, advice, criticism and kudos are always welcomed. Please contact me at the above e-mail address.
The Uninvited
Part 2
Confident that Lili would take care of Melissa
Locklear, Boone headed for Maryland and a meeting with the other survivor,
Karen Tiener.
As he
drove, he turned his options over in his head. If he could obtain evidence
which directly linked Zo'or to the genetic experimentation being carried out on
human women, he felt he was obligated to see to it that it was used to help
ensure that no others would come to harm.
If he
presented the evidence to Morovsky...it wouldn't go anywhere. As soon as the
Taelons got wind of the investigation - and they would - they'd shut it down
and confiscate everything. He could go to Da'an with his appeal, but after the
reprimand he had received upon their exit from Morovsky's office, he doubted
that he would fare any better now. It seemed to him that there was only
one choice - Turn it all over to Doors, and have him pass it on to his son,
Joshua. If the information went straight to the President, there was a very
good chance that the Taelons would be made to account for their actions.
- Lord knew, they were already being pressured to make full disclosure in
other areas.
Boone
chewed his lower lip. There was no question that Da'an would be upset with him.
This could
even effectively destroy their relationship...but, he knew that if he did
nothing, that he would never be able live with himself later on.
He might
be able to explain himself to his friend and salvage something... If Da'an
rejected him, he would probably end up going underground with the rest of the
Liberation...his presence could end up becoming too much of a liability to the
North American Companion.
His
stomach knotting up at what his actions might cost him, Boone put the petal to
the metal and hurried toward his destination.
Lili
arrived at Donna Dix Hospital within the hour of receiving Boone's call.
She would have gotten there far sooner, save for the fact that Da'an had
summoned her to shuttle him to New York. The Companion was scheduled to speak
before the United Nations, which was a good thing - it would keep him out of
the way for a while.
Walking through the front door, she
approached the main desk.
"May I help you?" the
receptionist politely asked.
"I need to see the nurse who's
caring for Melissa Locklear," she answered.
"One moment," the
receptionist consulted her phone list as she spoke. "It'll take me a
second to look up the information."
The woman made a call and was
transferred twice before she presumably contacted the correct person. Lili
listened intently as the receptionist lowered her voice and carried on a hushed
exchange with the person on the other line, but she couldn't make out a word
that was said. Finally the receptionist hung up and faced her.
"Ms. Locklear's nurse will be
right down to see you. May I ask if you're a family member?"
Lili showed her badge. "No. I'm
with Companion security," she explained, as the woman's face changed to
one of instant suspicion.
Not one minute later, a middle-aged
woman in the white uniform of a nurse, came hurrying down the main staircase
and approached her cautiously. Lili immediately showed her badge and introduced
herself.
"I need to see Ms.
Locklear," she said in an authoritative manner.
The nurse looked frightened.
"Would you follow me, please?" she asked before moving off toward the
elevators. Once the doors had closed behind them, the nurse hit the button for
the third floor and turned towards her. "Captain Marquette, I don't know
what to tell you, except to say that Melissa Locklear passed on about an hour
ago."
"What?" Lili couldn't
believe it. "What happened?"
"I don't know! She was fine
when I chatted with her around breakfast time..." The RN actually looked
misty eyed. "I came back to take her for a shower and she was lying in her
bed. I thought she was sleeping at first..."
"Take me to her," Lili
demanded as the elevator doors opened.
Twenty minutes later, Lili made her
way out of the building and wasted no time in opening a global link to Boone.
"Boone!" Lili spoke almost as soon as he fumbled open his global.
"What's wrong?"
"How close are you to your
destination?"
"I'll be there within the
hour."
"Good. We've got big
trouble." Lili glanced around herself before continuing. "Melissa
Locklear is dead!"
"What?! How?" Boone felt
his heart sink.
"Her nurse said she was
perfectly well at breakfast and that she found her dead an hour later. She has
no idea what happened, and neither do I. I checked her with the bio-scanner
from the shuttle, but there was no telltale cause of death!"
Boone swallowed. "Are you
thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Well, if you're thinking that
someone's trying to remove all evidence of companion involvement, then,
yes."
Boone thought fast. "OK. This
is what I want you to do - Go back to the embassy, but be ready to meet me at
the...." There was a pause as he consulted the locator on his global.
"Meet me at the Red Ruby's Inn - it's about nine miles from the institute.
With any luck, I'll have Karen Tiener with me."
"I'll be ready. Boone...are you
sure you don't want me out there now?"
"No - Too big a risk that the
shuttle might tip off whoever is behind this."
"Be careful..."
"Aren't I always?" Boone
signed off as Lili gave him a put-out look.
Forty minutes
after talking with Lili, Boone slowly pulled his car into an outcropping of
trees near the institute. He quickly got his binoculars out and slowly
circumnavigated the building, looking for any sign of other companion
operatives. Satisfied that he had managed to arrive before his unknown rivals,
he made his way back to the car, put his jacket on and pulled it into the main
parking lot.
He wasted no time in heading for the
front entrance.
Da'an had
finished his speech in less than twenty minutes, making it 'short and sweet'
and 'to the point', as William would have said. Originally, he had planned on
spending more time in New York, but the unease he had felt all morning had
begun to escalate an hour ago. It did not help matters that Zo'or and Sandoval
had been conversing in hushed, conspiring tones before his speech.
Before he had a chance to request an
expedient return to Zo'or's office, his rival had rushed them all back there
- and vanished with Sandoval!
He was now firmly convinced that
Boone was in some dangerous circumstance. Even worse - Zo'or and Sandoval were
most likely a part of it...
With nobody readily available to
summon him a shuttle, Da'an activated Zo'or's own data stream and contacted
Lili. The shuttle pilot/Marine appeared nervous when she answered her global.
"Da'an?"
"I await you at Zo'or's office.
Do not tarry - I fear some deadly subterfuge occurs."
Seeing the grim look upon the
Companion's face, Lili nodded. "On my way!"
She cut the transmission.
Fortunately for
Boone, it was the beginning of visiting hours at the institute, and there
appeared to be a good turnout of family members entering the lobby. Trying to
appear as unobtrusive as possible, he milled with other visitors, as they
waited to board the lobby elevators. As he stood there, he quickly scanned the
directory on the wall and was able to determine which ward would most likely
house his witness, based upon her sex and last known diagnosis.
Riding the elevator up to the fourth
floor, he turned right and followed the signs to ward 4c. There was a large,
caged nurse's station which he had to pass in order to get to the open ward on
the left, or the private rooms on the right. Fortunately, all the staff members
were busy assisting other visitors, and Boone was able to slip past the station
and make a quick right.
He was not certain that Karen would
be in a private room, but it seemed likely that the Taelons would not want her
mixing with the others. Staying close to the wall, he quickly peered into the
small, square, reinforced windows set in each door. After checking all twelve
rooms and failing to spot her, he backtracked to the two rooms whose occupants
were not readily visible.
At the first such room, he removed
his picks from his jacket pocket and quickly worked the lock. Stuffing note
paper in the lock mechanism, he entered the room, and closing the door behind
him, approached the woman cowering under the bed covers.
"Karen?" he asked in the
least threatening voice he could muster. "Karen Tiener?"
The woman lowered the covers enough
so that her right eye became visible. It was enough for him to identify her,
with the aid of his CVI.
"Karen, my name is William
Boone. I'm here to make sure that nothing happens to you." Seeing that she
appeared to be paying attention to him, he squatted down near the bed and
continued. "I know that you recently had a very bad experience. Would you
be willing to tell me what happened to you?"
There was no response.
"Karen, I'm trying to keep what
happened to you from happening to anyone else. Please...work with me on
this."
Karen lowered the covers and stared
at him as she moved into a sitting position. Huddling against the headboard,
with her arms wrapped around her raised knees, she looked like a lost child.
"I know who you are," she
said in a slow, jittery voice. "You work for THEM..."
"You're only partially right,"
he smiled reassuringly. "I work for Da'an, not for the other Taelons. Let
me tell you a secret about Da'an..."
She leaned forward a bit.
"He's not like the other
Taelons - he cares what happens to humans."
She sat up straighter. "Did he
send you then? Are you here to get me out of this hell hole?"
"Yes," he answered
sincerely. "Now tell me what happened to you. Can you remember
anything?"
"I remember too much."
Throwing off her covers, she sat at the edge of the bed. It turned out that she
was fully dressed. "I'm not telling you anything until you get me the hell
out of here! I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid - If I tell you everything now,
you might just leave without me."
Boone hesitated as he turned over
several ideas in his mind. The woman was right - he needed to get her out as
soon as possible.
"You're right," he said
with a decisive nod. "The questions can wait...but first, I need to find a
way to get you out without being noticed. Stay put - I'll be right back."
He rose to his feet and she rose as well, quickly reaching out to grasp his
arm. It turned out to be his skrill, which she came in contact with.
Feeling the odd creature on his arm,
she gave a startled yelp, and let go.
"Don't you worry, Karen,"
he reassured her, as he realized her fears. "Condor doesn't bite - and I
WILL come back for you!" Turning, he quickly made his way out the door and
down toward the utility room he had spied nearer to the nurse's station.
Carefully pushing the door open and
making sure that nobody was there, he slipped inside and began hunting up a
pair of scrubs which would fit Karen. Finally locating some, he was stuffing
them under his jacket when he felt the tell tale sibilant whispering of his
skrill's mind within his own. Raising his right arm before him, he could see
the creature glowing brightly, even through the jacket.
He was confused and uncertain of why
it was reacting in such a manner. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, but it
wasn't until he moved his arm, that the skrill was able to communicate more
clearly.
It hissed audibly!
Opening his eyes, Boone moved his
arm a bit more.
The skrill hissed louder.
The closer he came to pointing
directly toward the wall which was shared with the nursing station, the more
upset his skrill became! With a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, he
surmised that they had an unwelcome visitor next door.
As soon as the thought crossed his
mind, Condor went dark and silent.
Testing his theory, Boone imagined
Da'an.
Condor glowed dimly.
"OK, so you don't like
him..." Boone grumbled. Then, he imagined Zo'or.
Condor lit up like a torch and
hissed long and threateningly.
"Message received," Boone
said, drily, as he silently exited the utility room and peered carefully, and
quickly into the nursing station next door.
Sandoval was appropriating some
medical records from the staff...WHAT was HE doing back from Ireland so soon?
Sure enough, Zo'or stood right behind him, with several guards flanking him!
Moving as quickly as he dared, Boone
headed back towards Karen's room.
"Get these on! Now!" he
urged as he flung the scrubs at her. Digging her sneakers out of the bottom of
the closet, he all but put them on her feet himself, as she shrugged the scrub
top on.
"Come on!" Boone grasped
her hand and pulled her to the doorway, where he took a quick peak outside. Seeing
that the coast was clear, he pointed to the utility room. "We're going in
there. Just follow my lead - and move quietly!" Fifteen seconds later,
they were inside.
"Now what?" Karen
whispered.
"There's a Companion here with
an FBI Agent. I don't think I need to tell you that he's here for no good
reason. Looks like he's about to arrange to have you transferred somewhere
else." Seeing the panicked look on her face, he squeezed her hand.
"Don't worry - I'll get you out of here. As soon as he's passed this room,
we are going to calmly walk out. Don't look towards the nurse's station, and
don't hurry. Just pretend you have every right to be in the hallway. We'll take
the stairs on the other side of the elevators. Do you think that you can do
that?"
She nodded.
"Good..." Just then, his
skrill began to whisper in his mind again. "...because, here we go!"
Opening the door a crack, he peeped
out and saw the Taelon group heading towards Karen's room. He quickly led the way
out and to the left, acting as casually as he could.
Karen followed his lead..
The trick was to get downstairs
before Sandoval came flying around the corner.
They made it into the stairwell
without being spotted, and Boone wasted no time in ushering her up the stairs.
"Where are we going?!" she
asked fearfully. "We have to get out!"
He all but pushed her up the stairs.
"We'll get caught! The lobby and surrounding areas will be the first place
Agent Sandoval checks. We need to lay low by hiding in plain sight. - Then
we'll slip out."
Just then an employee had the
misfortune to happen upon them.
Boone quickly dropped her with a
skrill shot, wringing a squeal out of his charge. "It's OK," he assured
her. "She'll be out for quite a while, but otherwise she's unhurt.
Removing the woman's security badge, he placed it on Karen's scrub pocket, and
throwing the woman over his shoulder, carried her up to the roof, where he hid
her out of sight on the other side of the stairwell.
"Where's the cafeteria?"
he asked his pale charge.
Having returned
Da'an to his embassy shuttle bay, Lili made to take her leave, by raising a
hand to her chest and the other out, palm upward.
The Companion did not reciprocate,
but instead fixed her with a speculative look.
"Is there some pressing
business which calls you away so soon?" he asked, as he inclined his head.
"Uhhh...No. Just some things
which I wanted to take care of..."
"In that case, I wish you to
remain." Da'an gestured for her to accompany him towards his office.
"I...have a feeling that your services may be required..."
Lili fell into step beside him, as
her heart sank. Her services WERE required - by Boone. If he called, Da'an
would be sure to intercept the message and question his implant. It could ruin
everything!
Boone and Karen
sat in the crowded forth floor hospital cafeteria, watching the action outside
the large windows which overlooked the parking lot. Boone was digging
into a large tray of food, as he calmly watched several of the hospital staff
aid Sandoval in a walk around the grounds. The Taelon shuttle was sitting dead
center of the parking lot, its pilot calmly waiting within.
Karen picked at the food in front of
her, too nervous to possibly eat anything. "How are we ever going to get
out of here?" she whined.
"Don't worry," he smiled.
"Zo'or isn't going to hang around here long. He'll have Sandoval turn this
over to the local authorities and take him back to New York. As soon as they're
gone, we can leave." Even as he said it, three police cruisers were seen
pulling into the parking area.
Lili paced
restlessly about Da'an's audience chamber before settling herself on the ledge
before the large, virtual glass windows. She glanced over at the Taelon and saw
that he was still watching her. The shuttle pilot lowered her own gaze to the
floor.
How could he tolerate sitting so
still in that chair of his, she wondered? It was particularly distressing to
her, trapped here as she was, to have the only sign of life be the Companion's
eyes, as they followed her movements around the room. Even now, she could feel him
watching her! What was running through his mind?
"Captain."
Lili looked up to see that Da'an had
risen from his chair. Just then her global beeped.
"Please answer it," the
Companion demanded, as she hesitated.
Boone's image appeared on the
screen. "Lili..." he began.
At the sound of his voice, Da'an
waved an arm, opening a data stream and transferring the communication from
Lili's global.
"Boone," he greeted, as he
seated himself. "What is it that you require?"
Quickly hiding his startlement, the
implant carefully responded. "I've gathered some incriminating evidence,
but I'm trapped in a Maryland mental hospital. Zo'or just lit out of here with
Sandoval, but the police are everywhere. I need a ride."
"Were you seen Commander?"
"No. I managed to stay out of
Zo'or's way. Could you have Lili meet me on the roof?"
Da'an gestured for Lili to leave.
"Captain Marquette is on her way," he informed his human friend.
"...is everything all right, William? I sense that you are anxious about
something..."
"I'm fine, Da'an, but I admit
that I'll feel better when I get out of here. I'm pretty sure that Zo'or had
one of the other two women killed this morning."
"And what of the
remaining...witness?"
"I've taken care of it."
Without further adieu, Boone quickly severed the transmission. As he put the
global away, he met Karen's eyes. "I need to go down to my car and get my
briefcase. Do you think you can wait here for me?"
"How long?!" She looked
frightened.
"I'll only be gone about five
minutes. If things get too calm in this room, head for the roof and I'll meet
you there." At her hesitant nod, he rose and moved out of the room.
Ten minutes later Boone and Karen
greeted Lili as she landed the shuttle on the hospital roof. As soon as it had
set down, Boone ushered the escapee inside.
"You know those police will be
reporting the shuttle's presence to Sandoval," Lili pointed out.
"Not necessarily," Boone
answered, as he helped Karen into her restraints. "As far as they're
concerned, Zo'or might have sent you in to pick something up. I'm betting that
they never mention it." He took the seat next to Karen's.
"Where to?" Lili asked,
over her shoulder.
"Da'an's place."
"Are you crazy? What are you
going to do, tell him everything?"
"Trust me."
As soon as Lili announced their
re-entry into normal space/time, Boone helped Karen out of her chair and hid
her in the floor access compartment. "Don't worry," he told
her, as he helped ease her into the space. "It's noisy down there, but
safe. You stay put and keep quiet until Lili or I open the hatch up."
"OK...but try to hurry,"
she asked before he could close the hatch.
"I will - promise."
By the time they had landed in the
shuttle bay, there was no evidence of a third passenger. Boone hopped out and
nodded to Lili. "Wait for me," he said, and immediately felt stupid
for having stated the obvious.
"Don't worry - I'm not going
anywhere."
Within one minute, he had quickly
covered the distance to Da'an's office and presented himself before the
Companion. Without a word, he held his briefcase out before him.
"You have been successful in
gathering evidence which may be used against Zo'or?" his friend asked, as
he accepted the item.
Boone nodded. "The question is,
'Will it be enough?'"
Da'an gave him a hooded look.
"I will strive to make the most of it." Boone fidgeted slightly,
drawing the Companion's immediate attention. Da'an placed the briefcase down
next to his chair and fixed him with an owlish look. "Boone..." he
asked carefully. "...you do believe that I wish the experimentation to
end?"
Boone was both confused and suddenly
on his guard. "Of course," he replied.
"Yet you do not believe that I
will be successful in persuading the Synod to abandon this course...even with
the evidence that we wrested away from the police - evidence which could have
eventually exposed our experimentation to the public?"
Boone knew his face was grim.
"I've come to believe that the Synod is no better than any human governing
body," he answered candidly. "They've been convinced that these
experiments are the fastest, least costly means to the ends they seek. They
will not back down until their shame is exposed to the public." He watched
as Da'an blushed brightly - a sure sign that what he had said, had confirmed
the Companion's own fears.
Da'an slowly came to his feet and
stepped down from his platform. Standing directly in front of Boone, he met his
eyes. "I ask you to remember that you are my...friend, as well as my
implant," he said softly. "I ask you not to do...what you feel you
must...for both our sakes. Give me the opportunity to stop this first"
Boone felt his heart skip a beat.
Da'an was saying that he knew Boone was about to expose the Taelon scheme...He
was asking him not to go through with it, and implying that it would ruin them
both. Seeing that his friend was regarding him patiently, Boone cleared his
throat and found his voice.
"I've never felt more strongly
about anything," he said softly.
"Everything WE hope to
accomplish...may be lost, should you go through with this..." Da'an
touched Boone's arm and frowned. "I sense, however, that your mind is
already decided." The Companion turned and walked to the windows,
presenting his back to his favored implant.
Boone's sense of dread escalated. He
couldn't afford to wait - Da'an's attempt would surely be another waste of
time...No, he was determined to see this through.
"I do not wish to lose the
trust we have worked towards," he finally said, as he approached his
friend. "...but you know that this is a course which must now be
taken...We cannot allow this to continue any longer! No matter what happens to
me, I have to go through with this - my conscience will not allow me to do
otherwise."
Seeing that Da'an was still not
about to look at him, he gripped his shoulders and gently spun him around.
The look of regret on the Taelon's
face nearly stopped his heart.
"Have you ever heard the human
expression, 'To thine own self be true?'" he asked, shakily, once he had
regained his voice.
Da'an tilted his head and seemed to
be turning the phrase over in his mind. "I am not familiar with it,"
the Taelon admitted, sadly.
"I suggest that you research
it." Without asking permission, waiting for a response, or looking back,
Boone headed out of the room.
He had to go through with this while
he still could!
Jonathan Doors
stared through the glass window into the examine room which was part of the
small medical facility he had built into the resistance headquarters beneath
St. Michael's church. Julianna was finishing up her scans of Karen Tiener and
nodded in his direction to let him know that that she had something.
There was a quick knock on the door
and Boone made an appearance with Capt. Marquette hot on his heels.
"What have we got?" the
large Security chief asked.
"We're about to find
out..."
In the exam room, Belman had moved
to the door and opened it to two assistants, who helped Karen off the table and
led her out. In a moment she popped her head into the observation room.
"Let's step into my
office," she advised.
As soon as Lili closed the office
door behind them, the Doctor spoke.
"Physically there are only two
signs that Ms. Tiener was recently pregnant. She has a graffian follicle
visible in her left ovary...and her quantitative human chorionic gonadotropic
hormone level indicates either that she was very recently pregnant or that she
is in the early stages of a pregnancy. Other than that, there is no sign that
she ever carried a fetus - her uterus seems to be in a normal, non-gravid state."
"How can we use this?"
Doors asked.
"We can't!" Belman threw a
chart down on her desk in disgust. The little evidence that we have of a
pregnancy is not sufficient to prove our claims of the experimentation she
underwent. We cannot prove that the fetus was removed by the Taelons...we can't
even prove that our tests are valid because we are not a certified medical
facility!"
The four of them looked at each
other uneasily.
"Let's move to my office and
work this through," Doors suggested.
As they walked through the main
area, Boone managed to catch the attention of Augur, who had only just arrived.
With a few gestures, he was able to get the techno-wizard to follow them into
Doors' private office.
They all sat around the large desk
as he began to speak.
"What we need, in order to stop
this barbaric experimentation, is to fully expose the Taelon's. We don't have
enough evidence to do that... and we probably never will - unless it is
evidence of the sort that can not be refuted..."
"OK, I'll bite," Augur
chirped. "What exactly, are you saying?"
"If we can get an audio-visual
recording of them discussing their...'project', they will have hung
themselves...so to speak." Doors leaned back in his seat and watched as
the others caught on.
"Let me get this
straight," Lili questioned. "Da'an's about to confront Zo'or in front
of Quo'on, in an effort to convince the Synod leader that the project must be
stopped. You want to get that meeting on tape?" As Doors nodded that
she had it right, Lili stood up and slapped the desktop with her hand.
"I'm all for it! It'll wake the government up and open the public's eyes -
let's do it!"
Boone reached over and tugged her
back down into her chair. "Wait a minute here," he cautioned.
"What you're planning is going to be difficult in the extreme. Even if you
succeed, how are you going to keep suspicion away from me and Lili?"
"Oh, we'll find a way..."
Doors leaned forward. "All we need, is for you to furnish us with the
location."
Boone should his head negatively and
was about to speak when Augur interrupted him.
"I think I have a possible
location," he grinned, looking a bit like the Cheshire cat. "I've
been researching the phony medical transport company, Health-Go-Round, at
Boone's request..."
"Phony?" Lili asked.
"You bet! I did some digging
and learned that the company doesn't really exist. There are only two vans.
Both were painted at a shop on the outskirts of town. A local delivery company
named 'Anystop' paid the bill." He leaned back and smirked, until he saw
that he had lost his audience. With a sneer, he sat up again and filled them
in.
"Anystop is another phony
company. It's run by the FBI!"
Boone stared at Augur, with his jaw
gaped open. "Sandoval..." he breathed.
"I took the liberty of calling
Health-Go-Round, to order a shuttle for some Dix patients," Augur
continued. "They turned me down of course...but not before I was able to
locate them."
"Well?" Doors prompted
when Augur gloated a few seconds too long.
"They're in an old, abandoned
supply building near Alexandria," he spat. "It could very well house
a Taelon 'facility'."
"Sometimes you win..."
Belman mumbled, as she smiled at Boone.
Boone rose to his feet and paced.
"I don't know about this," he confessed. "Before we left the
embassy, Da'an implied that he knew I wanted to expose this. He all but begged
me to give him a chance to shut Zo'or's experiment down. He seemed quite
certain that he could do it..."
"Will!" Lili stood and
moved in front of him. "Are you crazy? You know I like Da'an too, but this
is an opportunity we can't pass up!"
"Lili, he seemed to be implying
that such an exposure would ruin EVERYTHING - that it could make matters much
worse!" Boone looked at the others. "I think we should give him his
chance."
All heads swiveled to look at Doors.
The billionaire leaned back in his chair and seemed to be seriously considering
Boone's request. After a minute, he stood up as well.
"Very well. We'll wait forty
eight hours. If the project is not completely shut down, we'll find some way to
trap them in their own lie." Glaring at Boone, he continued gruffly.
"I hope you realize that this might have proved to be our only good
chance..."
Boone nodded grimly. "Come on
Lili," he said, as he turned to leave. "I need to get back to my
office."
He failed to see Doors catch Lili's
arm, or the significant look which passed between them.
It was past
midnight when Boone finished his neglected duties at the office and the
paperwork which had been left for him. Normally, he would have cleaned up the
mess in far less time, but his mind had been pre-occupied, straying back over
and over to the Companion he had displeased earlier in the day. Why hadn't
Da'an contacted him yet? Had he even met with Quo'on?
Filing away the last of his papers,
he gave up and pulled his global out.
"What is it Commander?"
the North American Companion asked in a wearily, yet impersonal way. He
appeared to be seated in his chamber and was in his own, natural state.
"Uh...You still have my
briefcase..." Boone nearly kicked himself as soon as the ridiculous
statement left his mouth. He just wasn't very good at beating about the bush...
Da'an appeared confused. "It
will be returned to you," he promised. His human face quickly reformed and
he fixed his implant with a suspicious look. "Was there something
else?"
"Did things go well with
Quo'on?" He finally got up the nerve to ask.
"I have made my point. If you
would be willing to meet with us tomorrow, we may be able to win the Synod's
support."
"You know I'll do whatever I
can to help. When shall I arrive?"
"Be here shortly after
dawn." Da'an gestured delicately with his left hand. " I have a full
schedule tomorrow and it would be best to deal with this expediently..."
"I'll be there..." Before
Boone could cut the link, his Companion spoke again.
"Boone...I thank you for
allowing me the chance to resolve this matter."
The tall security chief smiled,
amazed at how much Da'an was able to deduce where he was concerned. "You
deserve that chance," he answered. "Good night."
Da'an nodded as the link was cut.
On the roof of a tall building
across the way, two shadows crouched. A glint of reflected light revealed one
of them to be looking through high powered binoculars.
"Hasn't he left yet?" the
second shadow asked. "Let's just get the recording back to HQ..."
"We were ordered to wait until
he headed home," the one with the binoculars replied. "Wait...He's
leaving!"
The second man was able to see the
office lights go out. "OK, Let's get this show on the road!"
Gathering up the surveillance equipment, he kissed the recording device.
"Marquette couldn't have hidden the mic in a better location if she
tried!"
"Hey...remember not to mention
her name! If Mr. B ever found out..."
The two of them nodded and quit the
roof.
Boone and Da'an
stood out in the garden on a beautiful spring evening, and made ready to watch
what promised to be an incredible sunset.
"Did you close the gate?"
his Taelon friend asked.
A sudden panic settled over Boone as
he realized that he had not completed the task. His horrified expression
brought an answering look of fear to his friend's face.
Around them, a horrible noise swelled.
Boone didn't even want to look, but his eyes slowly left Da'an and instead took
in the carnage which now surrounded them. Everywhere, the garden was filled
with humans and Taelons locked in mortal combat. Bullets, skrill blasts...even
knives, flew through the air only inches from where he and his companion stood.
Taelons could be seen thrusting their arms right through humans, somehow
disrupting their bodies and killing them.
In a desperate attempt to protect
Da'an, Boone threw his arms about him and sank to his knees. There was nowhere
to run - the best he could do was hope to avoid the worse of the battle.
Squeezing their eyes closed, they huddled together, doing their best not to
draw attention to themselves.
Suddenly, Da'an let out a gasp.
Opening his eyes, Boone met the wide open, startled gaze of his companion just
before Da'an dissolved and floated away on the wind which had whipped up.
Jonathan Doors stood there, his arm
still raised, and his skrill still glowing.
"See? I knew you could do
it," he smirked. The smirk vanished as he took notice of something behind
the implant, but even as he made to raise his skrill arm, he was struck in the
heart with a bullet.
Doors slowly collapsed to the ground
with a look of complete disbelief upon his face.
Boone tried to move, but he found
himself frozen in place, horrified to the core by what he was witnessing....It
was the death of everything!
A sudden, icy cold pain radiated
between his shoulder blades and seemed to spread outward. His heart began
flopping sickly as a glowing, blue fluorescent hand emerged from his chest and
then was withdrawn.
Boone collapsed onto his back,
unable to move or even breath...
Looking upward, he saw Zo'or
gloating over him. "I knew you would slip up eventually," he hissed.
"Prepare to embrace the void!"
Leaning down, he reached for Boone's
head with both hands - which blazed with Shakarava!
Boone finally found his voice.
"Noooooo!!!!!"
Sitting up in bed, Boone flipped
on the lamp. It was a long time before he was able to catch his breath and
shake off the worse of the dream. A glance at the clock showed the time as
three twenty. He had only been asleep forty minutes!
With a groan, he flopped back down
and stared at the ceiling as he tried to interpret the nightmare...
Back in the Taelon Embassy, Da'an
sat, cross-legged upon the carpet in his chamber. Each arm rested lightly on
its corresponding knee. He looked as if he were meditating.
His eyes slowly opened and he
sighed.
Boone still was not sleeping...
"So, what's so
important that you had to roust me out of bed while it ws still dark?"
Lily asked, as she looked back over her shoulder. She and Boone were in transit
to DC.
Boone steepled his fingers and
looked over the top of them at her.
"Our Taelon friends are about
confront Zo'or, aren't they?" she asked excitedly.
The security chief lowered his
hands. "Quo'on wants to question me," he answered warily.
"What's the matter?"
"What do you mean?"
Lili huffed. "You haven't said
more than six sentences since I picked you up...Now, what gives?"
"Call it intuition, or
foreboding, or just a hunch - but I feel as though something BAD is about to
come down on us all..." Boone ran his fingers through his hair. At the
look on his pilot's face, he sank back in his seat. "Fine," he
grumbled. "Let's go back to not talking..."
"Oh hoo! A little touchy this
morning, are we?" Lili laughed. "I don't suppose you slept any?"
Boone shot her a dirty look.and busied
himself with his global, effectively ending the conversation.
"Uh oh!" Lili's
unexpected exclamation gained Boone's instant attention. They had only just
glided into the Embassy shuttle bay and hadn't yet touched down.
"I see him," the
red-headed passenger confirmed.
Waiting for them in the shuttle bay,
was Da'an himself!
Once Lili had set down and begun to
power off, Boone wasted no time in exiting the craft and approaching his
companion.
"This is an unexpected
greeting," he said. "Is everything all right?"
The Companion nodded slightly - he
was becoming comfortable with human mannerisms and it seemed that he didn't
even realize he was imitating some of them. "Everything is going as
planned," he responded. "I am to shuttle you to Quo'on for a private
meeting."
Boone gaped. "Quo'on wants to
meet with me? On the mother ship?"
"Indeed. He does you a great
honor." Noting that Lili had approached them, Da'an turned to address her.
"We have no need of your abilities...at this time. Please feel free to
attend to your other duties and rest assured that I will contact you later
on."
Looking somewhat put-out, Lili
slowly returned to her shuttle and watched as Da'an signaled for Boone to
follow him.
The graceful Taelon led his implant
to a shuttle at the rear of the bay and followed him aboard.
Boone immediately seated himself in
a seat directly next to the pilot's chair and gaped as he shrugged into his
restraints. The shuttle had no human interface - it retained the original
Taelon configuration, which was to say that, aside from a definite pilot's
seat, there were no controls to be seen anywhere.
Da'an took the seat beside him and
gestured before him. The engines instantly came on line.
"Are you ready,
Commander?" he asked. At Boone's answering nod, he made a few quick
gestures and the craft was instantly shooting out of the shuttle bay. The
entered interdimension almost instantaneously.
"The shuttle picks up your
gestures?" Boone found himself asking.
"Yes," was the Companion's
short reply.
"And somehow you always know
where you are in space?"
"And interdimension...It is one
of our abilities - a sense, so to speak." Da'an turned slightly in his
chair and looked at his friend.
"You always know where you
are?" Boone was confused. "Relative to your world? The Stars? What
exactly is your reference point?"
The Companion smiled slightly,
amused by Boone's confusion. "My reference point is where the majority of
my fellow Taelons are," he explained. "In this area of the universe,
that would be the mother ship, as you call it. I feel the commonality, and it
is the commonality - the joining of knowledge - which allows me to find my
way." Before Boone could speak, he held up a hand. "We are
here," he announced as he gestured, bringing the ship out into normal
space/time.
Boone looked almost awestruck,
something the Companion was not willing to allow.
"I would give up this ability
for all time, if I could only experience the olfactory sense." He looked
Boone in the eye. "To be able to smell the garden I so love...and your
orchids...and the rest of your world...would mean so much more to me than
this..." He gestured around them at the shuttle.
Boone nodded. "I hadn't thought
of that," he whispered. "Each of us envies what the other can do, but
we really need to stop and remember to be grateful for what we ourselves
have."
Da'an's face looked troubled.
"Pray that your people never evolve so far as mine," he said, in a
sad tone. "For we have lost most all those senses which bring joy in
life."
The auburn-haired security chief
mulled that over while Da'an landed the shuttle within one of the mother ship's
large bays
.
Lili boarded her
shuttle back at Boone's office and began the trip back to DC. She had just
received a call from Lassiter, informing her that Boone was back and ready to
be on his way.
He had been gone for a little over
two hours.
After putting the shuttle in
interdimension, she leaned back and ran through the 'to-do' list in her head.
Augur, Doors and several of the
others, had set things up at the FBI- owned building which was disguised as the
'Anystop' corporation. They had been able to scope out enough to know that the
Taelons were up to something there - something which involved medical
equipment.
They had procured a beat up van,
which they had then painted to resemble a local news station's own vans.
All they needed to know now, was
when Da'an would confront Zo'or. There was always the possibility that he wouldn't,
but judging by his past dealings with the nasty, younger Taelon, Lili would bet
money that he wouldn't miss the chance to deliver the 'bad' news in person.
She needed to get Boone to cough up
information about that meeting, and that wouldn't be easy - Boone seemed to be
on his guard, almost as though he were expecting an incident...
Lili's thoughts turned toward her
actions - her role - in what was about to happen. If what they were doing was
so right...then why did she feel so guilty? This was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to expose the Taelons to the public as selfish schemers. They had
to take it, even if it alienated Boone further.
Lili bit her lip. Will had been so
right about so many things lately...And he had said that Da'an was implying a
terrible outcome if this all got out...
Then, there was the very real
possibility that her friendship with Will would end. In fact, she was certain
that it would when he found out her part in this - and he would.
Not only would she lose Will, but
Da'an as well.
That in itself would be a blow to
the movement. It could even trigger Boone's termination, if he turned his back
on the Liberation for good.
Was she willing to risk so much on
the off chance that they might gain a little ground?
She began to suspect that she had
made a terrible mistake...
By the time she came out of
interdimension, Lili's hands were shaking hard enough to make a smooth landing
impossible.
Boone stood
before the windows of Da'an's audience chamber and mulled over everything which
he had just experienced, as his Companion stood beside him, in apparent
understanding of his mood.
Da'an had led him through the
seemingly endless, identical corridors of the mother ship, finally ushering him
through an entranceway which was somewhat more ornate than the others they had
passed. Boone had been able to translate the writing above the door into a
phrase - "He who Counsels the Chosen", before they passed through
into the room beyond.
Within the room, Quo'on had been
found moving restlessly before a huge portal, through which both the moon and the
earth could be seen.
Da'an had not immediately disturbed
the Synod leader, which had given his implant time to take in the human guise
Quo'on now wore.
The Synod leader was tall and
slender, but wide shouldered and brooding. His overall appearance and movements
had given Boone the strong impression of a male, although he knew the Taelons
had no such gender. There was something else about the Synod leader - something
which Boone had not been able to see until this personal meeting.
His manner had reminded him of a man
caught between a rock and a hard place.
Da'an had taken the opportunity to
step forward and greet his superior with the usual Taelon hand gestures.
As Quo'on had turned to face them,
Boone did the same.
"Ah...William Boone,"
Quo'on had said, as he moved closer. "I am pleased by the this opportunity
to speak with you in person." He gestured at Da'an, who slowly withdrew
from the room.
"As am I," Boone had
responded firmly, although, inside he had been unnerved by the special
attention he was receiving. "How may I be of assistance?" he had
asked.
Quo'on had gestured toward his
chair. "Behind my place, is the entrance to the room where the Synod
gathers, unable to decide their course of action. Never before have we failed
to reach a joint decision."
"I thought that you were the
deciding voice in all things pertaining to the Synod," Boone had stated in
confusion.
"Ordinarily I am, however, in
this case there is sure to be disagreement, regardless of my stance. I am
currently aligned with Da'an on this issue. It is far too dangerous to continue
our...experimentation at this time." Quo'on had placed a hand on Boone's
shoulder. "You have an eloquence which has moved my people in the past.
Indeed, most Synod members were impressed and moved by your efforts in
defending Rho'ha. I have had you brought here in the hopes that you would
explain to them the seriousness of this matter."
Boone's stomach had churned as he
realized the responsibility which was being laid at his feet.
"I will, of course, do my best
to make them understand," he had replied, after clearing his throat.
Quo'on led the way.
"Remember," he had said over his shoulder. "You are the only
non-Taelon ever to enter this place. Be respectful, but do not allow them to
intimidate you."
The tall red-head had gulped.
"Thanks for the advice," he had mumbled.
Boone was brought back to the
present by the feel of Da'an's hand on his arm.
He remembered how his Companion had
re-entered Quo'on's office immediately after his plea to the Synod.
He had never been so happy to see
anyone before in his life.
"You have done well," the
present-time Da'an told him, echoing his words back in Quo'on's office. "I
believe that your appeal has swayed them. We need only await their
decision."
Boone looked directly at his friend
and smiled. "I was so nervous...If you only knew how close I was to
becoming ill in that room," he admitted. "I wish you had given me
some idea of what I was about to have to do."
"What purpose would it have
served, but to increase your discomfort?" Da'an dropped his hand.
"While you have been reflecting upon your...experience, I took the
opportunity to have Lili summoned. We shall visit Zo'or, that we may be present
when the decision is announced."
"Da'an...I don't think that's a
good idea..." Boone began, but as he turned, he caught sight of Lili, who
had just arrived and caught the last few sentences.
"Why would you believe such a
thing?" Da'an asked, just before he also became aware of Lili.
Boone and Lili stared at each other,
each wearing wary, distrustful expressions. The silence was deafening.
Aware that something was seriously
wrong, Da'an positioned himself so that he could see them both at the same
time. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
"No, no problem," Boone
responded. He could tell by Lili's face that she was feeling guilty about
something and he resolved not to give her the chance to use her global or any
other means to contact HQ. He hoped that he was wrong about her, but he felt
certain that she was about to betray him.
"Come on, let's get this over
with," he sighed. One way or the other, he was about to discover where
Lili's true loyalties lay. After everything they had been through lately, he
couldn't believe she would side with Doors...and yet, the look on her face...
stony, but with a hint of pallor, spoke of an attack of conscience.
Beside him, Da'an was looking from
him to Lili and back. It was apparent to Boone that the Taelon knew he
was missing something, but seemed unable to clue in on what it was.
"Very well," Da'an finally
responded, hesitantly. "Let us be on our way."
The coordinates
which Da'an relayed to Lili did indeed spit them out at the very warehouse
which Augur had surmised was being used by both the FBI and the Taelons.
Boone hopped out of the shuttle the
moment it touched down and took in the surroundings, amazed by the lack of
visible security. Perhaps Zo'or had set it up this way so as not to draw attention
to the place...but, once again he was getting that bad feeling that all was not
what it seemed...
Da'an approached his side and made a
tentative movement to grasp his arm.
Boone gently moved out of reach. He
knew that the Taelon was trying to ascertain what was troubling him, but he
felt it best that his suspicions not be shared. He still hoped that they were
just that - suspicions, and that they had no basis in fact.
Unwilling to face Da'an's annoyed
expression, he turned and watched as Lili finished powering down and joined
them. Seeing that she was being closely monitored, she gave him her best
'excuse-me?' look.
"Something the matter,
Commander?" she hissed.
"Ask me again later," he
threw back, before falling into step behind Da'an, who was leading the way into
the building.
The North American Companion walked
to a side door, which had a security camera covering it. Ten seconds later, the
door unlocked with a buzz and they entered.
The inner room was small, with a
countertop to the left, enclosed in what appeared to be bullet proof glass. It
looked exactly like a re-used bank counter. Behind it stood two armed guards
and several television monitors, one of which showed the front entrance.
One of the guards nodded at Da'an
and pushed a button. With another buzz, the door ahead of them unlocked,
allowing them to move through into the corridor beyond.
Da'an made his way directly for a
door at the far right of the hallway and without bothering to knock, entered.
It turned out to be a small office and Boone wasn't all that surprised to
see both Zo'or and Sandoval standing before the windows. There was no doubt
that they had been waiting for their visitors, as the shuttle was clearly
visible in the lot outside.
"Ah, Da'an," Zo'or greeted
them with a smile which made Boone's hair stand on end. "Have you come to
personally inspect our project?"
At Zo'or's use of the word, 'our',
Boone shot a glance at Da'an and was startled to see the Companion had glanced
at him as well.
His face held an odd expression.
Was it...fear?
"It has been brought to my
attention that a human died while in your care," Da'an said, turning back
to face Zo'or and moving closer to his rival. "Would you care to explain
how this came to be?"
Zo'or pouted. "The female
suffered an unforeseen complication. We tried everything we could to save her,
but we were unfamiliar with the coagulation disorder which claimed her
life."
"And what of the two other
females who were 'processed' with her?" Da'an pressed. "One has died
under mysterious circumstances...and the other has vanished."
"It is no concern of mine what
happens to them after they leave my care," Zo'or sneered.
Just then, the computer on the desk
announced an incoming transmission. They all turned to look, as Quo'on appeared
on the display.
"The Synod has decreed that the
this project be terminated for the moment," he announced. "The
consequences of the humans learning about it are too grave to justify its
continued operation."
"But...Quo'on..." Zo'or
began. "How else are we to..."
Quo'on interrupted him and although
he was in his true form, Boone could see the forbidding expression he turned on
the diplomat. "You will close down and dismantle the facility
immediately," he commanded, before cutting the link.
Boone expected Zo'or to round on
Da'an, but the unlikable Taelon's reaction filled him with dread.
"Do not think that I did not
see this coming," Zo'or sneered at Da'an. "I was aware of the Synod's
decision before you even arrived. Indeed, I knew that this had to happen days
ago."
Without another word, he pushed his
way past them and set off for another area of the building.
Sandoval stood uncertainly where he
was, apparently unsure of whether or not he should follow the retreating
Taelon. Suddenly a flash from outside the window caught his eye, causing him to
turn. His binoculars were in hand and he was already raising them to his eyes
as he looked outside.
"Boone!" he yelled, as he
handed them off to his fellow implant and ran for the door.
Boone quickly focused in on a
journalist, who was now fleeing back around the corner of a nearby building.
Tossing the binoculars angrily to Lili, he made to follow Sandoval out the
door.
"Boone?" Da'an asked
urgently just before he passed him.
The security chief paused. "The
press. Somehow they found us!" he explained quickly before exiting the
room. As he ran from the building, he saw Sandoval round the corner of the
other building, firing his skrill.
Shots rang out, driving him to the
ground, where he rolled, looking for shelter!
With a burst of speed, Boone hit the
ground next to him, rolled and came up firing wide. All of his blasts missed
the TV helicopter which was already accelerating upward and away. He raised his
arm again, at war with himself over whether to fire or not, but Sandoval's arm
knocked his aside as the other implant rose to his feet.
"We can't afford to create more
of an incident," he yelled over the noise. "We'll get them and
whatever evidence they may have..." Pulling out his global, he
contacted his pilot and several of the guards, ordering them to meet him at his
shuttle immediately.
"Get Zo'or and Da'an out of here," he ordered Boone, before running
back toward the warehouse and disappearing inside.
Boone surmised that his shuttle was
parked on the other side of the structure as he made his own way back. When he
re-entered the office, he found that Zo'or had returned.
"Sandoval's gone after them in
his shuttle," he explained. "We need to get back to the
Embassy."
Da'an and Zo'or exchanged a look and
Da'an gestured for Boone to proceed.
The ride back to
the embassy did not go well. Boone was aware of the covert glances he was
receiving from Da'an, and yet, when he glanced back, the Taelon would stare
coldly ahead.
His own eyes returned again and
again to Lili. She had done it. She had actually gone and done it - betrayed
him and Da'an! His heart sick over her actions, he turned his head away and
caught a fleeting look of triumph on Zo'or's face.
The nasty Taelon's words back in the
office began to haunt him.
When they landed, Lili tried to
speak to him, but Da'an ordered her to remain in the shuttle and led the way to
his audience chamber. As the Companion assumed his chair, Boone moved
into his customary position facing him and watched with sick interest as the
North American Companion opened a data stream to Quo'on.
Da'an blushed brightly as he
explained the events which had just occurred.
Quo'on's expression was grave.
"What is Sandoval's..."
Just then they received an incoming
call.
Sandoval himself appeared in another
data stream. "We lost them," he stated. They must have hidden the
chopper somewhere before we caught up with them." His expression was grim.
"I've already contacted the TV station in question, but they keep
insisting that they have no choppers out - and their records back up their
claim."
"Return immediately, Agent
Sandoval," Da'an commanded, before cutting the link.
"You realize the likely
consequences we now face?" Quo'on asked him.
"I do."
"Are you prepared for what lies
ahead?"
"I ask only that you honor the
plans we made to deal with such an eventuality."
"What plans?" Zo'or
immediately asked.
"Zo'or," Quo'on addressed
him. "You shall return to your New York domicile and await further
instruction."
Before the put-out UN representative
could respond, Da'an spoke.
"I request the return of Agent
Sandoval," he addressed his superior.
Quo'on nodded. "It shall be as
we discussed. We shall monitor the situation." Without further adieu, he
cut the transmission.
Da'an turned to stare at Zo'or, who,
realizing he would get no further information, turned and marched out of the
room. Da'an then turned his eyes to Boone.
They were cold and emotionless, as
they had been when the two had first begun their association.
"Da'an...I had no..."
Boone began, but the Companion rose suddenly to his feet and cut him off.
"Commander Boone," he
spoke sharply. "You have been reassigned. Have Captain Marquette shuttle
you to your office so that you might collect those items which you require
before returning here. Your clothing and other essentials shall be sent to
you."
Boone stared at him in shock.
"Do you understand what is
required of you?"
Boone could not have known how
chilly those blue eyes could be until now. "I understand..." he
murmured lifelessly.
Da'an stepped down from his platform
and moved closer. "Do not inform Captain Marquette of your change in
status," he cautioned.
"Don't worry, I won't," he
grated.
Turning his face away, Da'an moved
off toward the ramp which led to his chambers.
"Will,"
Lili began as soon as the implant boarded her shuttle, "I never..."
"Save it," he snapped.
"Get me back to my office so that I can get this over with."
"Now listen..." she tried
again.
"No. YOU listen," he
hissed as he leaned forward in his seat. "Doors has compromised my
position. Even now, I have no idea of what kind of future - if any - I might be
facing. Lili...I thought you were my friend - that we had gotten past the
spy/control stage..." his voice broke and he was forced to stop for a
moment. "It's become quite clear to me that when I left Doors' office, you
sided with him..."
"Will you give me a chance to
explain?" she asked, in a hurt tone. Regret was plainly written on her
face and her eyes were actually glistening with unshed tears.
Boone rubbed his face and leaned
back in his seat. "Not now, Lili. Please. I need some time...you have no
idea what's happening..." He glanced briefly at her, his anger replaced by
a tired acceptance of his circumstances.
Without a word, Lili faced front and
put the shuttle in motion, as she tried to salvage her pride by hiding her
silent tears from him.
Lili remained in
the shuttle while Boone entered his office.
Slowly and methodically, he began
opening drawers and removing those items which he believed might prove useful
to him wherever it was that he was going. Retrieving a small cardboard box from
a storage room, he soon had the items, along with his personal photos, neatly
packed away.
Dropping into his office chair, he
leaned as far back as he dared and stared up at the delicate blue structure
which was the Taelon grown office addition. The lines of the original building
could be seen through the virtual glass sunroof.
He hadn't realized until now, how
much he had come to think of the place as his - as his home. Sitting back up,
he crossed his arms on his desk and laid his head upon them. It had become
apparent to him - much too late - that he could not serve both the Taelon Synod
and the human Liberation. Oh, he could work for the betterment of both races -
he could work at promoting understanding and cooperation - he just couldn't
continue to relay secrets back and forth between the sides.
He didn't know if he still had any
future within the Taelon hierarchy, but regardless...he was turning his back on
the Liberation until such time as they honored the demand he would make... From
now on, he walked his own path, he made his own decisions and he relayed only
that information which HE felt was necessary for them to know. They had mucked
things up one too many times - disregarding his advice and endangering
their cause as well as the general population.
It was going to end.
Sitting down at his office computer
for the last time, he typed out a letter, printed it and sealed it in an
envelope. He would give it to Lili to hand deliver to Doors. They could kill him
if that was their wish. He had precious little left to lose anyway...
Boone re-entered
the embassy audience chamber to find only Sandoval awaiting him.
The FBI Agent fixed him with a
sympathetic look. "Where are your things, Boone?" he asked.
"Out in the shuttle."
Sandoval opened his global.
"Captain," he spoke as Lili appeared on the screen, "Please move
Commander Boone's things to shuttle number two. When you're done, you may
leave."
"May I ask what is going
on?" Her tone was almost pleading.
"You will be filled in when the
time is right." He snapped the global shut and turned to face his fellow
implant. "Have you had a chance to see the TV broadcasts?" he asked.
Boone frowned. "Already? I knew
it would happen quickly, but..."
Sandoval activated the data stream
and played back the latest news report. It clearly showed the two Taelons and
three humans in the warehouse office. Da'an's conversation with Zo'or, as well
as Quo'on's voice, could be heard discussing the project. Afterwards, the news
anchor announced that the President was meeting with his cabinet and that they
would bring their audience a live update when they knew more.
"How did they get such perfect
sound?" Boone asked. "I can understand the video...we've all seen
that kind of telephoto technology, but the sound...."
"They have their ways,"
Sandoval shrugged. "Boone...." The Agent clearly looked
uncomfortable. "I've been given your old position as head of Security and
Interspecies Relations."
"Hey, it's a tough job, but at
least you got an nice office..." he quipped.
Sandoval allowed himself a slight
smile. "I'm not the only one to be promoted. You've been as well."
"Promoted? I don't
understand...I thought Da'an was getting rid of me, that he..." He broke
off, unwilling to say so much to a man whom he had considered a rival.
"I seriously doubt that Da'an
would do such a thing," Sandoval sighed. "Of course, you do know him
better than I do..." He shook himself. "You've been assigned to serve
Quo'on aboard the mother ship."
Boone blinked in surprise.
"Quo'on?"
"Yes. You'd best be going. He
awaits you." Sandoval shook his head. "You know, I can't believe your
luck. First you're hand-picked by the North American Companion and then...you
become the first non-Taelon ever to serve the Synod Leader. Unbelievable!"
He gestured toward the ramp which led to the shuttle bay. "Shuttle two is
waiting. Quo'on has even furnished you with your own assistant..." He
shook his head again. "Unbelievable..." he said, again, under his
breath.
In a sort of daze, Boone made his
way from the room. As he passed the bottom of the ramp which led to Da'an's
chamber, something made him stop and look up over his shoulder. The Companion
was standing there, watching him with a lost look upon his face. Boone's heart
lurched painfully, but before he could speak or move, Da'an turned and
disappeared into his room. For a second, Boone considered following him. They
couldn't part like this!
The second passed and he forced
himself to continue on his way.
Maybe it was better this way...
End of Part Two
In two weeks:
Part Three - The Story's Finale
