The
Uninvited - Finale
An Earth - Final Conflict story by Tina Price
(TinaP@prodigy.net)
Preview: It's a race against time as Boone struggles to save Human-Taelon relations...as well as Da'an's reputation!
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.
Thanks: To Sally, who first thought up the concept of a Taelon wearing...I'm sorry, I won't give it away, but thanks Sally! I'm still laughing...
Authors note: This story takes place immediately after the episode entitled, "Destruction". It is the last 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
Finale
Boone boarded shuttle number two and was about
to automatically greet the pilot, when his eye was drawn to a passenger in the
rear.
It was a
Taelon!
One he had
never met before - and in its natural state, to boot! His greeting died in his
throat, as he moved into the seat beside the otherworldly visitor. As the
shuttle lurched forward, the two of them stared at each other.
"Excuse me," Boone began, politely. "Are you by any chance my
assistant?"
The Taelon
thought about it for a moment and responded in very poorly pronounced english,
"Esss. I um or astant."
"When
did you learn english?"
"Estaday."
Boone
smiled. "A
last minute assignment? Sorry to hear that," he responded in perfect Taelon.
The
Taelon's eyes widened.
"What's
your name?" the implant asked, as they made the leap into
interdimension.
"I
apologize. My name is Dro'vha," the
Taelon said, bowing from the waist and making the gesture of greeting. "I have
heard that you learned our language, but I did not expect such...proficiency. I
am honored to have the chance to work with you."
Boone
returned the greeting. "Just learned English yesterday, eh?" At Dro'vha's nod, he nodded his understanding. "We'll
have to work on your pronunciation."
"Tank-ooo."
"What do you
mean, he's been reassigned?" Doors paced the length of his office and
scowled.
"You haven't answered my
question yet!" Lili reminded him. "Why did you give the go ahead? I
never called - I didn't even let you know when they would be meeting. Have you
been spying on me?" She positioned herself right in front of him, forcing
him to stop in his tracks.
Doors stared her in the eye.
"We weren't there," he admitted.
"What?" Her eyes widened
in disbelief.
"It wasn't us. Someone else got
the film."
"But who could have know about
the warehouse...and the meeting?" She moved over to a chair and sat as she
pondered.
"It seems to me that only four
other people could have tipped off the press and we already know that it wasn't
Boone."
"Yeah, and Sandoval would never
do anything which would jeopardize the Taelon agenda...unless he was ordered to
do so by a Taelon..." Lili stood up again. "We know Da'an didn't do
it - not after his plea to Boone. It had to have been Zo'or!"
Suddenly she gripped Doors' arm. "My God! Zo'or...he said that he knew
that the project would be shut down. He acted as though he were making a
threat..."
"So we know who most likely put
this whole thing in motion. Where's Boone?"
"I don't know."
Doors rounded on her. "What do
you mean, you don't know? You're his control!"
Lili looked at the ground.
"When he reported back to the embassy, I thought I was going to be the one
shuttling him to his new office, but Sandoval ordered me to move his things to
another shuttle. The pilot came out and took them. I wasn't able to get a look
at the display."
"Was anyone else inside?"
Doors asked.
"I couldn't tell. The lights
are pretty dim on that side of the shuttle bay and the pilot had the windows
activated." Lili pointed to the envelope on Doors' desk. "Maybe you'd
better read the letter he told me to give you now?"
With a sour look, the industrialist
moved to the desk and tore the envelope. He quickly scanned the contents and
lowering it, stared at Lili.
"What is it?" Lili felt
her stomach knot up.
"Boone is laying the blame for
this at our feet. He thinks we're responsible for exposing the project, which
has resulted in a loss of Da'an's trust and respect...as well as his position.
He's not sure where they're sending him, but he doesn't want us to contact him
- not until he's put everything in perspective." He turned and plopped
down in his desk chair with a brooding expression on his face. "He says
when he comes back - IF he comes back - that he will no longer share
information with us unless he's sure that it won't lead to this kind of
insanity."
Lili blinked and swallowed.
"What are you going to do?" she asked nervously. "I...I won't
kill him - even if he defects. He thinks we did this, and we almost did. He's
sure that it's about to lead to a catastrophic disaster, Jonathan. He told us
it might and we ignored him! The fault is ours!"
"Keep your shirt on,"
Doors growled, as he sat up straighter. "Even if he leaves us, I doubt
he'd expose us. Taking him out is no longer feasible - not when the North
American Companion himself knows so much..." He flung the letter on the
floor. "Here's what we're going to do," the billionaire said.
"Gather our key members together in the conference room. We need to figure
out why Da'an is certain that this information will prove disastrous to us all.
We need to know why Zo'or would be so willing to expose the project - given his
involvement in it - What does he stand to gain? Finally, we need to find Boone.
He needs to know the truth. I suggest that you drop in on Da'an and see if he's
willing to tell you anything. Before you go, I want you to see that
everyone's here and working on this!" He stood up and shrugged on his
jacket.
"Where are you going?"
"To see Julianna. She may have
heard something, or she may be able to find something out."
It was well past
five when Lili tentatively made her way to Da'an's audience chamber. She found
the Companion seated before the windows, staring out at the lights of the
monuments. Uncertain of her welcome, she stopped near his chair and waited to
be acknowledged.
She didn't have to wait long. Less
than thirty seconds ticked by before he turned to face her.
"I was waiting for you,"
he said simply, as he rose to his feet. "Come. there is something which we
must do."
With a lifeless shuffle, the Taelon
passed her and headed for the central corridor without waiting to see if she
would follow.
She was at a loss as to what to say,
and so she simply followed and remained silent, certain that Da'an would speak
when he was ready.
The Taelon led her to her own
shuttle, but once they were both seated, Lili had to prompt him for directions.
"Where are we going?" she
asked.
Da'an seemed to rouse himself.
"Boone's abode, Captain," he replied. "The Commander will have
need of his personal effects. I believe he would rather have us retrieve
them...than a stranger..."
With a nod, Lili put the shuttle
into motion. Da'an was acting exactly like someone who had suffered a great
personal loss, which confused her no end. If Boone's absence grieved him so,
why had he sent him away? He wasn't acting as though he blamed Boone for what
had happened...
Unable to think of any way to begin
a conversation, she remained silent, waiting for the right time to speak.
They quickly arrived at their
destination. Lili led the way to the door and digging the spare key out of her
pocket, unlocked it. Stepping back, she allowed the companion to precede her
inside.
Da'an made his way straight through
the living room, down the hallway and into Boone's bed room as she followed.
The Companion looked around, as though unsure of what to do next. Finally he
looked at her.
"I require your
knowledge," he said, softly. "Please help me to select those items
which William will want."
Lili walked to the closet, opened
the doors and looked around for a moment before hauling a suitcase down from
the top shelf. She placed it on the bed and opened it, removing the folded up
garment bag which was inside. "His suits and shirts are hanging in the
closet," she said, as she pointed toward it. "Why don't you pick out
five of each, while I start retrieving his under things..."
Da'an nodded and moved to the closet
as Lili opened Boone's dresser. She rummaged around the neatly arranged drawers
and came up with his undershirts, briefs and socks, which she placed neatly in
the suitcase. She also packed the books which were on his night stands,
figuring that he had still been reading them and might want them. Then she sat
on the bed and watched Da'an.
The companion had already pulled
five shirts out of the closet and laid them on the bed beside the suitcase.
Lili was impressed to see that he had selected those which she knew to be
Boone's favorites. He now stood before the closet surveying the suits. After a
few moments, he reached in and selecting two suits, turned and handed them to
Lili. As he went about picking three more, she placed the first two in the
garment bag, impressed by the selection.
"We should have let you pick
his clothes everyday. You have good taste," she said drily.
Da'an shot her a sad look, and
handing her the last three suits, turned and left the room.
Lili quickly finished packing the
suits and shirts. Then, she entered the bathroom and gathering all his
toiletries, literally threw them in the suitcase along with his ties and went
to find Da'an.
She found him in the sun room
admiring Boone's orchids. He spoke as she moved to stand beside him.
"I wish to take these back to
the embassy," he said with more enthusiasm than he had so far shown.
"Would you see to it?"
"Sure." Lili broke out two
plant trays and transferred the plants to them. "Da'an..." she began,
tentatively. "What happened wasn't Boone's fault. He asked us all not to
proceed with our plan and Doors assured him that we wouldn't."
Da'an fixed her with an impatient
look. "I know that Boone did not betray me," he replied, as though
she should have known it as well.
"Do you think it was me?"
she asked, afraid of the answer she would receive.
"William believed that it was,
however...I do not see this in you." Da'an reassured her. "It was
Doors, was it not?"
"No! We - the organization -
had nothing to do with it! It was someone else, most likely Zo'or
himself!"
The Companion blushed and twisted
his head in an unsettling manner. Finally he spoke, "He is lost to us, I
fear," he whispered. "...for he has become the very image of the liar
himself..."
Lili shook her head. "Da'an. If
you knew Boone wasn't at fault, you should have told him so," she said.
"Boone thought that you sent him away because you blamed him."
The Companion's eyes widened, but
then he regained his composure. "It matters not," he answered.
"Boone's unique talents are required elsewhere now...and it would no
longer be wise for him to be associated with me..."
"Why? What's going to happen to
you?" Seeing that the Taelon was about to ignore her, she changed
the subject. "Da'an... Where IS Boone?" she finally got up the
courage to ask.
"He serves Quo'on upon the
mother ship," the companion replied, as he bent down and lifted a pot
which contained a particularly beautiful plant. "I shall carry this one
myself," he stated, before heading out to the shuttle.
"Great..." Lili breathed,
as she realized that she was expected to carry everything else.
Boone arrived
aboard the mothership after a flight which lasted a mere five minutes. Like a
child lost in a candy store, he followed Dro'vha through corridors which were
different than those he had walked through with Da'an. This area of the ship
seemed to be more of a social area, with many more Taelons moving about and
interacting. At one point, Dro'vha led him through a large area which seemed to
be a commons of some sort. Taelons stood about in groups, speaking softly to
each other, or merely touching hands.
As he passed by each group, they
became quiet and turned to stare at him. The looks he received were not
hostile, but rather, curious and once or twice he could have sworn he felt an
alien mind attempting to engage his own.
Unable to resist himself, he spoke
to one Taelon in the last group they passed. Stopping briefly before the
curious alien, he lifted his hands in the Taelon greeting.
"I am Commander William Boone, new attaché to
Quo'on," he said in flawless Eunoia. "It pleases me to be
allowed the honor of serving aboard your ship."
His voice had carried throughout the
common area and as he moved on, he was satisfied to see quite a few Taelon
mouths hanging open in utter amazement...
Turning to face Dro'vha, he was
leased to see a slight smile upon his assistant's face. "So, where are we
going?" he asked.
The assistant struggled with his
words. "We ur in theeee dip-low-mat-tick arrrria. I um to shhhow ooo
ooorrrrroooom."
If it weren't for his CVI, Boone
didn't think he would ever have been able to understand what was said. "My
room is in the diplomatic section?"
"Eeesss. Eeeat eeesss Da'an'sss
rrrrooom." Dro'vha rounded another corner and turned to give him an
encouraging smile before continuing along his way.
In the interests of understanding,
Boone switched back to the Taelon language. "I'm to have Da'an's old room?"
"No. You
are to have his present room. As one of our upper echelon diplomats, Da'an is
always entitled to his own room. He asked that we put you there so that you
might be comfortable."
"The other available rooms aren't comfortable?"
"Commander Boone....They are small and cramped and have no room to
spare for a human style bed or the hygienic facilities which you will require.
Da'an made it very clear that you were to be given his room. He felt sure that
you would not mind this..." Dro'vha
suddenly stopped and turned to face him. "You
don't mind, do you?"
"No. Of course not. I'm just surprised that he made the
offer..."
"Why? Did you not serve him well?" He leaned close and
whispered, "I have heard that you and
he are bonding..."
Boone actually felt embarrassed. Taelons as gossips? Now
that he thought about it, any species that shared thoughts through a
commonality of the mind would probably be the ultimate gossips... "I fear that we did not part on the best
terms," he sighed.
Dro'vha
gave him a strange, measuring look. "Oooorrrroooom eeessss rrrrite
orrounnn eeerrrr," he slurred as he turned and led the way.
By the
time Boone had followed him around the corner, Dro'vha had come to a stop
before a large doorway. He motioned Boone to
approach."Shhrrrannnd...." Apparently frustrated by his inability to
speak english, he switched back to Eunoia. "Stand here," he said, motioning to a place right before the recessed
doorway, and slightly beneath the overhanging corridor wall. When Boone was in
the correct position, the Taelon assistant activated a small control panel on
the wall.
A pale
blue-green light, reminiscent of a laser light show creation, scanned Boone's
form. As the light blinked off, the doorway seemed to flash the way Taelon
virtual glass did when an authorized person passed through it. At the gesture
his assistant gave him, Boone moved forward, passing through the barrier so
that he was now inside his living quarters.
Dro'vha entered behind Boone and stared about the room,
apparently as in awe of it as the human was.
The room
was large and followed the usual Taelon conventions, with high, sloping
ceilings and organic looking walls. The walls held niches which were
filled with items - artwork and artifacts from another world or worlds.
The largest wall had a viewing port set in it - a huge window which arched
overhead along a curved wall of the giant ship. The view literally took Boone's
breath away...
He found
himself moving forward and pressing his hands against the glass-like substance.
Before him was the moon, its dark side clearly visible, with the lights of the
Taelon-built base forming a star-like pattern over its surface. On the other
side of the moon's horizon, a blue marble could be seen - the earth. Despite
all the satellite and shuttle pictures, the real time view of the planet
brought a lump to Boone's throat.
It was so
beautiful...and so small in the darkness which surrounded it...
"Da'an seems to have one of the best views aboard the
ship," his assistant said
from right beside him.
Boone merely nodded.
"There is a storage area which has been turned into a...batttrrroooom. You will find a sleeping mat and other necessary items there.
Da'an is sending up your other essentials. They should arrive sometime this
cycle."
"What is
my agenda today?" the implant asked, as he finally tore his
eyes away from the view port.
"Quo'on wants you to watch the earth broadcasts and see
if you can help him find a way to appease the earth governments. We do not wish
our association with your people to come to an end...for reasons you well
know." Dro'vha looked down
for a moment before continuing. "Quo'on would also like for you to learn your way about
this section of the ship. Most of the diplomats are aware of your presence and
should prove helpful. I myself shall return with your evening meal and explain
your duties, once you have had a chance to...become comfortable."
"Thank
you," Boone answered, still overwhelmed by everything which was
happening. "Once
we've gone over everything, I'll show you how to pronounce words containing the
'Y' sound."
The Taelon nodded and bowed
slightly, but remained standing before Boone until he realized that his
assistant was waiting to be dismissed. He quickly made the proper gesture and
watched as Dro'vha withdrew.
For a few minutes, Boone wandered
about the room, deeply appreciative of Da'an's collection of personal items. It
seemed obvious to him, from things which the North American Companion had
lovingly collected, that he had a deep respect and appreciation for life in all
its myriad forms. He surmised that staring at the items and trying to make
sense of them, or daydreaming about their home worlds would easily fill his
spare hours.
He eventually made his way to the
revised storage room and was amazed at how normal the bathroom appeared. It
contained a free-standing sink, a toilet and a step-in shower. Opening the
floor length storage compartment, he pulled out what appeared to be a rolled
up, queen-sized japanese futon. He carried it into the other room and setting
it down before the window, unrolled it.
The futon was already made up with
form fitted sheets and a light blanket. In the center was a pillow. Boone
placed it at the head of the futon - next to the window, and dimming the
lights, lay down.
The stars were clearly visible in
the window which arched over him. With a sigh of wonder at the view, he brought
his arms up under his pillow...and encountered something within the case.
Jack-knifing upright, he made a
gesture before the nearby electronic eye which caused the lights to come back
up.
In his hands he held an envelope.
When he realized who had to have
sent it, he set about tearing it open with such gusto that he fumbled it and
dropped it twice before he was able to pull the contents out. The letter was written
in a flawlessly elegant script which he instantly recognized as Da'an's.
The Companion was one of the very
few Taelons who had learned to write manually and he was proud of the fact that
he had trained his nearly useless, almost vestigial fingers to accomplish the
fine task.
The note was short;
Boone,
I believe that it will not be long before
you know the truth of my shame concerning
the project.
I ask only that you serve Quo'on well and
do your best to avert the disaster which may
yet befall us.
I regret that fate has separated us, but I
believe that you are meant for greater things.
You should not have to bare the blame for
my own mistakes.
-Da'an
Boone stared at
the letter and then reread it. A sudden chill made his hair stand on end.
"The news!" he said,
aloud, as he opened a data stream and called up CNN.
He had only been watching ten
minutes when the news network came back to the latest Taelon news.
"And repeating our top
headline," the anchor woman spoke, "Our North American Companion,
Da'an, has been implicated in the recently revealed hybrid experimentation
project. With more about the story, here's Lyman Trent:"
A blond, windblown and damp reporter
was shown live on a blustery street. "Thank you, Lisa," he said,
trying his best to ignore the weather. "I'm standing on the street outside
the Taelon U.N. Representative's building, here in Manhattan, where Zo'or
shocked the gathering news crews by giving an impromptu statement. Let's roll
that footage back for you now..."
The video showed a hounded Zo'or
being shepherded into his building by several of Sandoval's top guards. News
people were thrusting their microphones in the Taelon's face and asking his
involvement in the project. One particular reporter was heard to say,
"Excuse me, Zo'or, but from the tape released earlier today, it would seem
that you had a great deal to do with the experimentation which was allegedly
conducted on human women. How do you feel, knowing that this could end your
career here on earth?"
Zo'or suddenly whirled about and
pushed his own guard out of the way so that he might confront the reporter.
"I was merely overseeing the
project," he sneered at her. "because its actual overseer was too
busy to do so himself."
"And who is the project
overseer?" she asked, amazed that he would respond in such a satisfying
manner.
"I thought that would be
obvious...Who else but your own North American Companion, Da'an?" As people
gasped and chattered among themselves and a flurry of new questions emerged,
Zo'or excused himself and finally allowed his guards to usher him into the
relative safety of the building.
Once again, Lyman Trent appeared on
the screen.
Still in a state of disbelief, Boone
allowed himself to fall backward onto his futon with a smack.
This was
incredible...unbelievable....That Da'an would prove to be the project overseer?
It didn't make sense. He hated the project!
Boone lay there for a moment in
utter confusion, until something dawned on him...Zo'or had admitted that he
knew the project would be terminated...and there was something else...
Since when did Zo'or use the front
door of his NYC residence? He flew in on the shuttle...he didn't EVER take the
limo which was at his disposal.
Boone sat up as everything began to
come together - Perhaps it was Zo'or who had exposed the project, rather than
the Liberation...He was just the type of person to risk damage to his people's
agenda - if it would ensure Da'an's ruination.
Passing a hand before the sensor, he
turned the lights back down and falling once more onto his back, crossed his
arms under his head.
In the dark he lay, thinking of ways
in which to save his friend...to save them all...
Lili made it back
to Resistance HQ just after sunset and entered a subdued, lackluster meeting
area.
"What's wrong?" she asked
Augur, who was draped over a chair watching the monitor with everyone else.
He pulled out a seat for her, making
sure to position it right next to his own. "Wait a minute and you'll find
out," he said, as she sat down.
She didn't have to wait long before
the channel repeated the top news.
"Oh my...." her voice
trailed off as she sprang to her feet.
"Exactly!" Augur agreed as
he stood beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder."I guess we all now
know why Zo'or would have reason to want to expose the project..." Seeing
that she was still watching the monitor with a sickly look on her face, he
rubbed her back. "Lili..."
She turned to look at him.
"Did you find out where Boone
is?"
She nodded distractedly. "He's
serving Quo'on aboard the mother ship," she managed.
Doors, who had been seated with the
rest of them, watching Lili's reaction, came to his feet. "Hats off to
that Taelon friend of yours - he's a canny one for sure..."
"What?" Lili barely
registered what he was saying.
"He obviously made sure that
Boone was sent where he could do the most good," Doors explained. "If
we can get some information to Joshua, we may stand a chance of smoothing
things over between our peoples."
"Since when do you want to
protect Taelon interests?" she challenged him with an incredulous look
upon her face.
He gave her a sour look. "The
Taelons have suffered a major blow - everyone will now be questioning their
motives. The people of this world won't be so accepting of them in the future.
That does NOT mean that I want the Taelons to panic and pull out all the stops
now!" He calmed himself and looked around the table. "We need to
clear Da'an - he's an asset we can't afford to lose. In order to do that, we'll
have to contact both Boone and Joshua..."
"I'll see about Joshua,"
Augur said, when Lili failed to volunteer.
"I'm going back to the
embassy," Lili said, firmly. "He's all by himself in there..."
As she started off, Doors called
after her. "While you're at it, see if there's some way he can put us in
touch with your ex-boss!"
By the time Lili
arrived back at the embassy, police had it cordoned off in an effort to control
the unruly crowd which had gathered. Parking her car along a street a block
away, Lili felt her hair raising up on the back of her neck as she emerged and
heard some of the things being shouted.
Quite a few people in the crowd
literally wanted Da'an's skin!
Nervous about the prospect of
entering that mass of people and being recognized, she none-the-less squared her
shoulders and waded on in. Making tactical use of her elbows, she finally
emerged near the barriers and discreetly flashed her badge at one of the cops,
who then escorted her to the front door.
She was met inside by Sandoval.
"Has the whole world gone
insane?!" she asked him as she brushed off her jacket.
"Have you only just now
noticed?" he snorted.
Lili rolled her eyes. "How's
Da'an handling this?" she asked, allowing her worry to show.
Amazingly, the handsome Asian
attaché looked upset. "I don't think he's handling it well," he
admitted. "He's been in his room for the past hour..."
"Have you checked in on
him?"
Sandoval looked startled. "He
asked me not to disturb him..."
"Did it ever occur to you that
it might make him feel better if you did check on him, regardless?" she
asked, incredulously.
Sandoval Put on a long-suffering
look. "Captain, you seem to forget that Da'an is an alien being. You
cannot go attributing human emotions and feelings to him..."
Lili was already in motion, moving
briskly up the central corridor, conscience of the FBI Agent's eyes on her
back. Turning into the main audience chamber, she swiveled, started up the ramp
which led to the Companion's chambers and stopped before his doorway. Now came
the tricky part - was it locked or open?
She held her hand out before the
portal as Da'an had once shown her and watched with satisfaction as the doorway
retracted, allowing her entry.
Lili found Da'an sitting among some
pillows which he had tossed upon his rug. His legs were crossed, his elbows
resting lightly upon them. The Companion's head was bowed, a single light
source glowing dimly above it, throwing his features into shadow.
For some reason she could not
explain, his demeanor immediately made her sure that he was experiencing a very
deep sorrow. Without even thinking, she moved beside him and dropping to her
knees, wrapped him in an embrace.
To her amazement, the Taelon's own
arms twined instantly and tightly about her as well, pulling her closer so that
he could rest his head on her shoulder. She was certain that she felt him
shudder...
Was this the being she had hated
only a few months ago?
"It'll be all right," she
whispered as she gently rocked him. "Boone will make sure of it..."
They remained like that for many
minutes before Da'an gently pushed himself away, still keeping his hands on her
shoulders. Their faces remained close and the Companion's phosphorescent blue
eyes glowed softly in the dark, making it impossible for her to look away.
"I am...relieved that you
returned safely," he said softly. He tilted his head and shifted his eyes
away briefly before once again meeting hers. "I fear that my time on your
planet draws to a close..." his voice seemed to fail and it was several
seconds before he was able to continue in a broken whisper, "I am grateful
for your company, for the thought of leaving in such...disgrace is..."
Lili gripped his shoulder. "The
truth will come out Da'an," she said, trying to reassure him. "You
weren't really overseeing the project...were you?"
Da'an looked at her sharply.
"Captain, what makes you think I wasn't?"
She gaped at him. "You hate the
project!"
"One truth does not preclude
the other," he whispered, again looking miserable.
Realizing that she had cheered him
only to plunge back into despair, she tried again. "William won't let us
down. He's about as big a boy scout as you'll ever find."
"Boy scout?" At least the
companion's pain had turned to confusion.
"You know - goody two-shoes,
do-gooder..." Seeing that the Taelon still wasn't 'getting it', she
laughed. "Boone's about as moral as they come. Have you ever seen the
play, "Man of LaMancha?"
Da'an nodded that he hadn't.
"I love that play, but ever
since I met Boone, I always imagine him singing several of the lines in the
song, "The Impossible Dream." She could tell by Da'an's face
that she had distracted him, for he was listening in fascination.
"Please, recite the
lines," he entreated.
She smiled. "OK, as long as I
don't have to sing them...It goes like this: To fight for the right, without question
or pause...To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause...And I know,
if I'll only be true to this glorious quest...That my heart will lie peaceful
and calm, when I'm laid to my rest..." Lili stopped and smiled as she saw
the small smile on the Companion's face.
"It is much like his
spirit," Da'an admitted. "I will be sure to read it."
"I'll even lend you the CD if
you'd like," she offered.
The two of them sat in silence for a
time before Da'an slowly stood up and wandered to the window. After a few
minutes, Lili rose and joined him there.
"How did this happen?" she
asked softly. "How did you end up in charge of the project?"
Da'an dropped his eyes. "The
project first started over in the U.K. When it became apparent that it was
feasible, that human females might nurture hybrid infants during the critical
first three weeks of development, the project was moved to North America, where
the portal technology was first being introduced. Since it was now within my
jurisdiction, I was made responsible." He looked directly at her as though
he expected her to reject him. "I could not turn down the responsibility
without seriously jeopardizing my position as the regional Companion, so I
relegated a great deal of the responsibility to Zo'or, in the hopes that it
would keep him occupied. As it was, I did all I could to discredit the
experiment..."
"How?" Inwardly, Lili was
relieved to hear what had actually happened.
"I helped several humans to escape..."
"Before impregnation?"
"Mostly, however several were
helped to escape afterward." Seeing the shocked look on Lili's face, he
continued. "They were fully informed of the truth concerning the infants
they carried and they were given new identities so that they might raise them
safely, in anonymity."
"Somewhere out there...there
are women with human/Taelon children?" she gasped.
He nodded. "It is my hope that
the children, raised by their human parents, will one day bridge the gap
between our peoples."
"The ones being raised by your
people won't, eh?"
Da'an looked at her as though she
had taken leave of her senses. "They will, no doubt be taught that they
are superior in every way to 'mere humans'."
"You saved those women,"
Lili said. "Won't any of them be willing to speak in your defense?"
"I fear not." Da'an gave
her a pitying look. "To do so would be to place their lives and their
children's' lives in peril. In any event, such testimony, though it may save
my...reputation amongst your people, will surely condemn me before my
own."
The two of them turned and stared
dejectedly out the window at the gathering crowd.
Back aboard the
mother ship, Boone was busy running through every possible course of action in
his head, when Dro'vha returned with a shuttle pilot. The pilot didn't seem to
mind the large suitcase and garment bag he was carrying - he was too busy
staring at everything around him.
"You can leave it over
there," Boone said, as he motioned toward an uncluttered area of the room.
The pilot did as he was told and
moved to stand beside Dro'vha, who held a bag out to Boone. Quickly rising to
his feet, the implant took the offered bag and looked inside.
"Mmmm, burgers," he said,
trying to sound enthusiastic.
"Eeees dere anading elsssss
ooooo rrrreekire?" Dro'vha asked.
"It took Boone a moment to work
that one out. "I need to contact some people on earth," he admitted.
"How can I do that?"
"The data stream system contains a manual console which
may be used to interface with your globals. It was my idea to provide it for
you," the Taelon proudly added.
Boone nodded. "Then, I'm all
set for now."
As soon as Dro'vha withdrew with the
pilot, Boone moved to the console and after a few seconds study, activated it.
After a brief pause, he was rewarded with a data stream image of Lili.
Da'an was standing beside her and
they appeared to be before the windows in his chamber. On the sill behind them
was Boone's favorite orchid - the one he had given to his wife on the evening
he had proposed to her.
Da'an had retrieved it and was
caring for it...
He knew then that Da'an didn't blame
him for the exposure of the project.
He knew that he was missed.
Finding it hard to stifle a smile
and relieved beyond belief, Boone nodded to them. "Lili, what can you tell
me?" he asked.
"I never led the..." It
was as far as she got before he held up his hand and interrupted her.
"I know you didn't betray us,
Lili. It had to have been Zo'or." Boone sighed deeply. "I should have
figured it out sooner...Forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive,
Will. It was so perfectly staged that I almost believed that I HAD done
it!"
He smiled his appreciation.
"Now then, what else can you tell me?"
Lili glanced at the Companion, who
seemingly had eyes only for Boone. "Da'an was forced to oversee the
project, as it was to be carried out in his protectorate. He let Zo'or run the
show while he tried to discredit it by helping some of the women to escape."
Boone's hair stood on end.
"Da'an, is this a secure transmission?" he asked, terrified that Lili
may have ruined the Taelon.
Lili blanched as the implication hit
her, but Da'an laid a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.
"All transmissions which
originate from the ship are secure," he assured them.
Boone blew his breath out. "Is
there anything else you want to tell me?" he asked his Taelon friend. At
Da'an's small, negative nod, he addressed Lili. "I think I can get us out of
this," he said. "Tell Doors to sit tight. If I need anything I'll let
him know."
"You bet," she chirped.
"Get Augur to check out the
warehouse. The sound quality was too good to have come from a distance - there
had to have been a device in the office. Maybe we can conclusively tie it to
Zo'or. Also...I'm having trouble with the reporters getting so close to the
facility - in a chopper yet! Time to do some serious nosing around in that
area."
"We'll get right on it!"
"I'll call back every night
around this time. Try to be here with Da'an, OK?" She nodded her
understanding and he turned his attention to the Taelon, who was listening to
the conversation, but had dropped his eyes to the floor.
"Da'an..." The alien
looked up and their eyes met. He switched to Eunoia and spoke quickly to his
friend before cutting the link.
"What was that all about?"
Lili asked, as she turned to look at the Companion.
He had an infinitesimally small
smile on his face and was blushing blue.
Realizing that Boone had meant his
words to be private, she sighed and kept herself from asking for a translation.
Some things were probably better
left unknown...
Boone cut the
link, glad that he had gotten up the nerve to say what he had to Da'an.
"I understand why you sent me
away," had been his words. "but, you need to know that I am intent on
returning...even if I have to save Taelon butt - or kick it - to do so."
Mentally shaking himself, Quo'on's
new attaché focused on what Lili had told him about Da'an's involvement in the
project. If the Companion had helped women to escape, how had he done so
without bringing suspicion down on himself? Were any of the women he rescued
already pregnant? If so, had they had the children? Were they healthy? My God!
He'd give his skrill to see what one looked like...
Once again he chastised himself for
drifting away from the task at hand. He was hungry and that, along with his
skrill's mental complaints, were making it very hard to concentrate. Reaching
over, he brought a burger out of the paper bag and unwrapped it...just as a
very soft chime suddenly announced a visitor
Dro'vha entered. "We have
received a summons from Quo'on," he
informed.
Boone nodded. "Let me get this
burger down first or I won't be able to think straight." He quickly bit
into the beef patty sandwich as Dro'vha looked on in a sort of sick
fascination.
Less than fifteen
minutes later, Boone was ushered into the Synod leader's audience chamber only
to find that Zo'or was already standing before Quo'on. Both Taelons shot him an
annoyed glance at his tardiness.
"Boone," Quo'on spoke
softly in his not unpleasant voice. "When you attend me, you shall stand
here..." He gestured to a spot close to the left of his chair.
With a respectful bow, Boone
immediately moved to the indicated location.
"Zo'or," Quo'on began. "We are
extremely displeased by your lack of restraint with regard to the
press."
"I was wrong to have given so much away," the crafty one responded, as he bowed his head. "I was
but trying to save my reputation...and did not think of the consequences of my
words..."
Quo'on literally glared at Zo'or. "You
shall remain aboard until I have reflected upon this situation and decided how
best to curb your predilection for complicating matters."
"But...Quo'on!"
The Synod leader unexpectedly rose
to his feet, his form lighting up as he lost his patience.
With a quick bow, the intimidated
U.N. Representative quit the room in a hurry.
Boone remained silent and at
attention besides Quo'on, as the high ranking Taelon once again assumed his
seat. After a few minutes, and unsure as to whether or not he had been dismissed,
Boone spoke.
"Permission to speak?" he
asked. At the Synod leader's nod, he continued. "I have begun my own
investigation into what exactly occurred at the warehouse and though I have no
proof yet....I strongly suspect that Zo'or himself will be proven the one to
have exposed us."
Quo'on gave a very human-like sigh.
"I fear that you are correct. It is the primary reason that I have taken
pains to remove Zo'or from any access to the press. I would just as soon not
have him in close proximity to the Synod members, but it is the best possible
solution at this point."
"You realize that we cannot
allow Da'an's reputation to be destroyed. He is the most popular of all the
companions. The people trust him, love him...If he is not cleared of the ugly
rumors now flying, humans will never trust another Taelon again."
From the look on Quo'on's face,
Boone knew he had stated a scenario which had not occurred to the Synod or its
leader. Da'an was now so knowledgeable of the human race, that Boone was amazed
to be in such close proximity to one who was still so ignorant. That ignorance
might eventually prove useful...
"The Synod has already decreed
that should it become necessary to place blame, that Da'an should be sacrificed.
Zo'or is still popular enough among his former peers that the majority would
not consider offering him up...However, in light of your warning, I shall make
this danger known to the council. It may be that they will now revise their
decision."
"Can you overturn their
decision?" Boone asked, hopefully.
"In this case, I cannot. The
decision bears too much impact upon the future of our species."
"Please allow me the chance to
investigate this matter further," the implant urged, looking up at the
Synod leader with a measuring expression. "And allow me to be your
voice...to speak with Joshua Doors, and if possible, President Thompson. I
believe that I can at least minimize the damage to the Taelon reputation."
Quo'on gave Boone a measuring look
of his own. "I will consider it," he finally said, as he initiated a
parting gesture.
Bowing slightly, Boone returned the
gesture and left the audience chamber.
Jonathan Doors
leaned back in his chair and placed both feet up on his desk. It was only zero
two forty hours, but he had been up all evening watching the news and waiting
to hear anything which might help him decide his course of action.
That 'anything' had come only
moments ago, as the Taelons had announced the temporary recall of Zo'or to the
mothership. Da'an was to shoulder the U.N. responsibilities and the Taelons had
been quick to point out that he had been the Companion to hold that position
until quite recently. It seemed that they were making some effort to show their
support of Da'an and Doors was certain that Boone had something to do with that
decision.
Da'an...Hard to believe that he was
actually considering helping a being who belonged to the race who had taken
away his life. Since his implantation, he had lost so much... His son, his
wife, his company...his very personality! He spent his days and nights trying
to act like the person he had once been, but the finer emotions - joy, love,
hope - were beyond him now. He lived only with regret, hate and a very dull
sense of what he was missing.
He hated the Taelons for what they
had done to him and now planned on doing to the rest of the human race. he
regretted...
He regretted not having heeded the
veiled warning Da'an had given him when he had volunteered for the CVI
implantation. The Companion had been trying to tell him that he should not do
so, that he would lose much more than he would gain...but his ambition had made
it easy to convince himself that he had misinterpreted the warning...
For a long time since his release
from the original motivational imperative, he had hated Da'an...hated him more
than anything or anybody because he needed that hatred in order to live. He
also hated the Taelon because it made it easier to forget that he was an
individual who had risked himself in trying to warn a stupid, prideful human...
So long as he could keep from thinking of the Taelons as individuals, some
good, some bad, he could hate them unconditionally, which made his job so much
easier...
Now, as he took another sip of the
scotch he had been nursing, he knew that he could no longer lay the blame for
his state at Da'an's feet. It was his own fault he was like this... he owed the
Companion a great deal more than he had been willing to admit, for in addition
to his warning about the CVI, Da'an had made it easy for him to fake his own
death.
At the time, he and Julianna had
thought that things had gone far better than they would have expected, but it
wasn't until he had announced that he still lived and Da'an had been removed
from his chair that he had realized that the Companion had not followed protocol
in ensuring that he was indeed deceased. He was only now coming to terms with
the truth of his escape...
Da'an had let him go.
Knocking back the rest of his
scotch, he slammed the glass down on the desk and rose to his feet.
He owed the Companion far too much
and he was unwilling to remain indebted to him.
He had no choice but to pay off his
debt...
Boone spent the better part of the 'night' roaming the corridors of diplomatic
section of the mothership. Without a CVI he doubted that he would ever have
found his way back to his quarters, but, as it was, he was able to generate an
accurate 3D map of the sector in his head.
Several times during his wanderings,
he had passed by two or more Taelons sitting in alcoves, silently communing
with each through touch. Sometimes he passed one or two who were talking
together in hushed tones. Not quite sure of the welcome he would receive, he
had hurried on his way, unwilling to interrupt them and feeling that it was
perhaps best that he learn his way about first anyway.
By the time zero three thirty hours,
EST approached, he had the layout of the sector completely memorized. Tired,
hungry and foot sore, he returned to his quarters, ate and flopped down in his
bed. Within the minute, he was asleep.
It seemed that he had only just
drifted off when the feel of a gentle hand stroking his brow woke him up.
Alarmed, he sat up quickly, even as he brought his skrill arm to bear on the
intruder. In the dark room, he could make out nothing more than a dim outline,
kneeling on the mattress to his left, care of the glow being cast by his angry
skrill and a pair of softly fluorescing blue eyes.
His visitor was most definitely a
Taelon.
"Ssshhh, Boone," it
murmured soothingly in a voice he knew well and loved.
"Da'an?" he asked, as his
skrill relaxed. "What are you doing here?"
"I have... missed you,"
the Companion confessed. "I had hoped that we might commune...and perhaps
solve the problem you have been experiencing with regard to sleep..."
Boone dropped back down flat on the
futon and reached out to grasp the companion's right hand. Resting his head in
the crook of his other arm, he crossed his ankles and stared up through the
window.
"Thank you for allowing me the
use of your room," he said. "Quite a view you have here..."
Da'an looked up and the starlight
briefly illuminated his features. "I knew that you would enjoy it,"
he smiled."...Boone?"
The implant stared back at the
Companion, aware that he was asking permission. "OK," he whispered.
"I could really use some sleep. Let's do it!"
Da'an lay down by his side while
still clinging to his hand.
Boone instantly began to dream.
He parked his car in the driveway
and walked up to the house, hardly able to contain his excitement at the news
he had to tell his wife. Suddenly he stopped before the front door, forcing his
hand away from the doorknob.
"No!" he said aloud, as he
found himself once again beginning the dream he could not, would not face
again.
Someone took his hand and turning,
he saw Da'an standing next to him.
"She will not see me
Boone," he assured. "Please proceed."
With a gulp, Boone turned the knob
and entered. "Katie!" he called.
"I'm in the sun room," she
answered.
By the time he reached the threshold,
she was putting away her gloves and gardening supplies. She turned, and meeting
him in the doorway, melted into his arms. He held her tightly, not
wanting the sweet moment to end, and yet knowing it wasn't real. His eyes met
Da'an's over the top of Kate's head.
The Companion stared back at him
with a sympathetic look.
He and Kate had their discussion of
his refusal of Da'an's offer to become his implant, with Katie teasingly
reminding him of his stubborn streak. He promised to reconsider his decision
and suddenly everything shifted, with him finding himself standing on a street
corner.
Da'an looked about them in
confusion. "Why are we here, Boone?"
He could not answer, so terrified
was he of what was to happen.
Noting his implant's terror, the
Taelon tried again. "William?"
Boone reached out and gripped
Da'an's hand as a Katie's Land Rover approached at a high rate of speed with
another car in pursuit.
"No." he breathed as they
drew closer.
"NO!" He broke into a run,
pulling Da'an behind him as the vehicles passed them. At the next intersection,
Kate lost control of her Rover and skidded sideways into the curb as the other
car came to a screeching stop facing her. Before she could even get her door
open, the Rover exploded, showering the street with metal shrapnel.
"NNOOoooo!" Boone screamed
as Katie died in front of him, her last look one of such utter terror, that it
turned his legs to jelly. He fell to his knees only yards away from her
assailant's car as his Companion stood beside him, equally horrified by the
sight.
The car's driver rose slightly and
turned.
Judson Corr fixed him with a
triumphant grin before roaring off into the night.
Even though he knew it was but a
dream, Boone could not stop himself from grasping Da'an as the Companion knelt
beside him. He buried his head against the Taelon's shoulder and sobbed as his
companion held him close and amazingly, whispered encouragement near his ear.
"It is only a dream
Boone," he murmured. "Face it this once. Understand it, and you need
never have it again..."
"It's my fault she died,"
he choked out. "If only..."
Before he could complete the
sentence or Da'an could respond, the scene changed again. He found himself
standing before the Da'an of the past and his attaché, Ronald Sandoval. Once
again he played out his acceptance of the Companion's offer, but in this
reality Sandoval came right out and told him that, had he accepted earlier, his
wife would still be alive.
He pulled his service revolver,
determined to wipe the satisfied smirk off the agent's face once and for all,
even as Sandoval raised his arm, skrill glowing brightly...
"Stop!" the real Da'an
yelled, somehow influencing his implant's dream. Both his dream self and
Sandoval turned to look directly at him in shock as the dream ended.
Boone sat bolt upright on his futon
and struggled to calm his racing heart and fast breathing. Da'an sat up next to
him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You are not responsible for
your mate's death, William," Da'an soothed. "You know that had you
accepted my offer at the first, that Sandoval might have still had her
killed."
He shuddered, but was still unable
to speak.
"Deep down, you still blame
yourself and hate Sandoval, even though intellectually you know this cannot be.
Sandoval was not in control of his actions at the time and you could not have
guessed that he would do such a thing. You could not have stopped him."
Da'an rubbed his shoulder. "It is the conflict between your mind and your
heart which has caused your sleeplessness..."
Boone nodded dumbly. It was true
that he knew he could not have predicted the FBI agent's course of action, but
he still felt responsible...
"If the fault belongs anywhere,
Boone, it is with me," Da'an reasoned. "I believe that as soon as I
sought to recruit you, Katherine's fate was sealed. I set in motion the events which
led to her death. You were merely an innocent bystander in the tragedy."
"I don't blame you," he
breathed, as he reached up to pat the hand the Companion had on his
shoulder."I want you to know that."
"Then you must not blame yourself
either. Katherine wouldn't."
Boone awoke to an empty room. In
confusion, he waved the lights on and looked around, but there was no sign that
the North American Companion had ever been there.
It finally dawned on him that Da'an
had never physically left the Earth, but that he had indeed visited him.
Somehow their minds had bridged the space between them. It had happened before,
but never had it been so real... To have dreamed that he dreamed...was in
itself, amazing.
As he sat back down on the mattress
in a daze, he all but heard his friend chastising him...
"Go to sleep, William," he
seemed to urge without words.
With a sigh of contentment, he did
just that.
Lili landed her shuttle several blocks from Augur's place in the very early
hours before dawn and walked quickly towards the old warehouse he called both
home and office. He hated it when she brought the shuttle - even when she did
her best to be discreet, but the shuttle had proved to be her only means of
leaving the embassy and avoiding the crowd which was still gathered outside.
She had taken her leave of the
devastated American Companion less than ten minutes ago...
Had it really been that long?
Unable to resist the impulse to
mother the Taelon - who was for some reason looking less forlorn, but very
tired, she had suddenly rubbed his head and given him a peck on the cheek.
"You won't be leaving us,"
she had said. "...because we won't let them take you away."
The startled alien had covered his
cheek with a hand and stared at her with something akin to awe as she had
turned and left him.
The thought of what she had dared
caused her to smile and then laugh softly. She had definitely given the
companion something besides his sorrows to think about...
"Augur!" she yelled, as
she finally entered the warehouse. "Come out, come out wherever you
are!"
The techno-wizard poked his head out
of the entrance to his living quarters, looked around and finally emerged.
"What are you in such a good mood for?" he asked.
"Am I?" She raised an
eyebrow. "Let's just say that I finally one-upped Boone at
something..." As Augur crossed his arms and gave her a measuring look, she
changed the subject. "Did you turn up anything on your outing?"
"Nada! They've got too much
security on that warehouse now." He motioned her inside and followed.
"It would take an implant to get in there now, and since our favorite one
is stuck off world..."
Lili plopped down in a chair and
sighed. "Any luck at the news station?"
"We did manage to get inside
with the federal badges I created..." he said, as he moved to stand behind
her and began massaging her shoulders.
"And?" She asked, as she
melted.
"And...it turns out that the
FBI were already all over the place. We had to beat a hasty retreat before we
were found out! I had no wish to end up spending time on a federal
charge!" Augur left off his massaging and sank into the chair next to her.
Lili wilted. "So we have
nothing..." she huffed.
"Doors is contacting Joshua.
Perhaps he's heard something useful... Would you like some breakfast??"
Boone was
awakened by the soft chime of the doorway and groped groggily for his watch.
It was nearly nine in the morning!
He had slept a full five hours!
Stumbling out of bed, he laughed
with joy at the clearness of his mind. The constant fatigue was gone, replaced
with a renewed determination to straighten out what was fast becoming an
interspecies time bomb so that he might get back to the planet which had
birthed him.
He made his way to the computer
terminal and unlocked the door, allowing Dro'vha entrance to his quarters.
The Taelon bowed. "Boone,
please watch and let me know your opinion of my efforts..." he began.
"Whoa!" He gave his
assistant a startled once over. "Stayed up working on your english last
night, did you?" he asked.
The Taelon beamed. "Yes. I took
the time to study more of the earth transmissions known as television. I
believe that my knowledge of the basics of your native tongue are complete. I
have also memorized the dictionary and encyclopedia..."
"Your english is very
good," he praised him "What was it you wished to show me?"
"Oh! First, please take this
breakfast..."
Dro'vha handed him a bag, which he
placed on the table beside him. When his eyes returned to the Taelon, he was
amazed to see him forming a human face.
His assistant's face was long, along
the lines of Da'an's, but with smaller, tip-tilted almond eyes and a mouth
which formed a natural smile. His face matched his personality, which was to
say that it radiated an approachable friendliness.
"It looks good," he
assured the Taelon. "I like it."
Dro'vha bowed slightly. "May I
remain while you eat and ready yourself?"
"Of course," he replied,
as he opened the bag and pulled out a croissant sandwich. "Have you heard
anything from Quo'on?"
His assistant sank into a small
chair. "I have not," he answered, watching in fascination as Boone
began to devour the food.
"I hope he gets back soon with
regard to the request I made..." Boone said, sinking into another chair
and all but inhaling his breakfast.
Despite his
tardiness, Quo'on meandered slowly down a main corridor, in no great rush to
reach his destination.
It was the time of day when the
Synod members went about, among their fellow Taelons, communing directly with
those whom they spoke for. Today they were to meet in the main commons area of
the engineering caste.
As he walked, the Synod leader
mulled over his last meeting with Da'an's chosen one. He had been giving
William Boone's request serious consideration, most especially since the Synod
had reversed their previous decision regarding Da'an all on the basis of the
human's warning. They were well acquainted with his track record to date...
By the time he arrived at the
appointed location, the other Synod members were each surrounded by dozens of
engineers, mentally sharing their views on important topics.
He started forward, even as some of
the stray engineers spotted him and moved in his direction. As they began to
surround him, he noticed with some surprise that four Synod members were joined
in the outer fringes of a commune circle to his left. Suddenly suspicious about
the strange formation, he shook free of the gathering engineers and approached
the other circle.
Seeing their leader appear before
them, the errant Synod members moved away from the circle, allowing him to push
his way through to the center, revealing Zo'or.
The banished U.N. Representative
managed to look both triumphant and fearful when discovered.
"Report directly to the labor sector of the
ship," Quo'on commanded. "There you shall remain until sent for."
A look of profound shock crossed Zo'or's
face at the severity of his punishment. "You cannot..." he began as other Synod
members broke off from their circles and watched.
Quo'on interrupted him. "I
assure you that I can," he said before continuing in a louder
tone of voice. "The
impartiality of the Synod is to be protected at all costs. It is my duty to see
that this is so. Since a time before memory the Synod has not been so
compromised, however, your actions lately... and most particularly here...have
changed that." He pointed to a group of engineers. "See to
it that he is removed as I have ordered."
Zo'or was quickly escorted out.
"Any Synod member found conferring with that one will
be exiled to a different sector until a replacement might be found,"
he decreed. "Now
return to your duties."
He watched as they did just that and
moved into a circle as well.
Zo'or, it seemed, was pushing for
Da'an's removal. Could it be long before he attempted the same with regard to
the Synod leader?
His course of action had been
decided for him... He would drop Boone's leash and allow him to sniff out his
prey...
Boone was about
to leave his quarters with Dro'vha when the data stream kicked on, revealing
Quo'on.
"I have considered your
request," he announced. "You have permission to conduct your
investigation with our full support. All Taelon resources are at your
disposal."
"What of the discussions with
President Thompson? Do I have permission to meet with him?"
"It shall be arranged. Joshua
Doors is to meet with me at thirteen hundred earth hours. Make certain that you
are present."
"How can I get a ride back to
earth?"
"You have an assistant. Have
him take you." Without a further word, Quo'on deactivated the data stream.
Boone turned to smile at Dro'vha.
"Let's go," he said, as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the
doorway. "There's a warehouse we need to check out."
Joshua Doors read
and reread the letter in his hands before he folded it neatly and placed it back
in his suit pocket. Rising from his chair, he moved to the office windows and
peered out between the slats of the venetian blinds.
His father had finally sent him a
personal letter of sorts and related an incredible tale.
It was almost too much to believe...
and yet it explained so much...
The sudden
chirping of her global nearly caused Lili to drop her cup of coffee.
Quickly lowering her cup, she
answered the page, amazed to find Boone on the other end. He appeared to be in
a shuttle.
"Boone! Where are you?"
She elbowed Augur as he tried to stick his head in front of her to get a look.
Her ex-boss smiled. "I'm on my
way back to the FBI warehouse where this mess all began." He squinted at
the display. "Visiting with Augur early today?"
"Hey, I made her breakfast,
which is more than you ever did for her..." Augur looked down his nose at
him before Lili pushed him out of the way again.
"What can I do to help?"
she asked.
"I'm going to need for you to
meet me at the embassy later, but I'll give you a call first."
"Good hunting, Will."
With a nod, the implant cut the
transmission.
Lili quickly downed the rest of her
coffee.
"You're not running off?"
Augur asked. "Stay a while!"
"And do what? We've been
chatting over breakfast for two hours."
"Stay. I'll show you my idea of
a good time." At the offended look she shot him, he quickly explained.
"...making money, Lili. Making money!"
"I really need to check in with
Jonathan," she said as she stood up and put her coat on. "Go ahead
and take care of your... 'business'. I'll see you later." She patted him
on the back as she passed behind his chair. "Thanks for the food."
"It was my pleasure," he
whispered when she was already out of earshot.
As soon as
Dro'vha landed the shuttle in the warehouse parking area, Boone opened the bag
he had brought along and started handing items over to the Taelon. Among the
items he passed him were a small computer notepad, an electronic camera, a tape
recorder and an evidence kit. He stuffed the bulky bag under a seat and looking
up, realized that there was no way his assistant could carry all the items.
Taking back everything but the notepad, he stuffed them in his various jacket
and pants pockets.
"We'll get you a carrying
devise of some sort later," he assured the overwhelmed Taelon.
"What do I do with this
device?" Dro'vha asked as he turned the notepad over in his hands.
Boone showed him how to use it.
"If I tell you to make a note of something, make sure you enter the
information."
"But...you have total
recall...Why would you require this device?"
"I can give it to someone else
later on and have them take over this portion of the investigation if
necessary," he explained, with a sigh.
"I understand..."
Boone exited the shuttle as his
assistant followed behind him. They gained instant access to the facility and
Boone suspected that Quo'on had already arranged their visit, as the guards
never once questioned their presence.
He led the way to the office where
the key conversation had been recorded and began searching for a sound device
with a hand held detector. Despite the fact that he and his assistant turned
the room upside down in their search, they turned up nothing until Boone, on a
hunch, passed the detector over the window itself.
It lit up like a christmas tree.
Motioning the Taelon to follow him,
he exited the building and made his way to the outside of the window in
question. Passing the scanner over the panes, he was able to locate the hidden
device. Retrieving a pocket knife from his pocket, he scraped away the caulking
and exposed the small bug.
"Get a picture or two of that,
will you?" he asked his assistant. He then stood back and watched with
surprise as the Taelon examined the camera, removed the lens and snapped what
would, no doubt, turn out to be perfect pictures.
"Seeing the look on Boone's
face, Dro'vha explained. "I have watched many human commercials, many of
which feature cameras."
With a shake of his head, Boone
collected the bug with his evidence kit.
"I believe we're done
here," he told Dro'vha. "I need for you to fly us back to my old
office."
The two of them moved quickly back
towards the shuttle.
Da'an stood
before his audience chamber windows and stared dejectedly down at the garden.
How he longed to escape the confines of the embassy and lose himself in its
living haven, but it was no longer a place of safety. Not with the human crowds
which continued to grow in number around his domicile.
He had so far refused to grant any
of the media an interview and the paparazzi, sniffing out some expensive photo
ops, had also descended upon the Taelon structure. The virtual glass windows
had all been adjusted so that the interior was no longer visible from outside.
With a very human sigh, he returned
to and seated himself in his audience chair. There would be no meetings today,
but he had few enough places within the structure in which to find solitude.
The chair was as good a place as any in which to daydream...
Once Lili had fallen asleep in his
chamber, he had visited Boone, determined to put an end to his sleeplessness.
It at least was the one thing he could do to aid his friend during these
difficult times.
Although he had wished to have been
physically present during the undertaking, his loneliness...his need for
Boone... had been great enough to drive him into reaching out for him with his
mind. The feat was difficult, for despite the connection they had formed, Boone
was still a human being and their pair bonding not yet completed, not to
mention the large distance which had yawned between their physical forms. The
task had drained him to the point that he had spent the better part of the
morning hours after Lili's departure recharging in his energy stream.
Still, it had proven to be a
rewarding experience.
Had he not offered William his
support and comforted him during the trying ordeal? Had his friend not clung to
him, proving his need for him? Had he not learned more about the wonderful yet
alien nature of his implant?
Da'an shifted slightly in his chair
as his thoughts drifted momentarily to Lili. She had stayed with him until just
before dawn and taken her leave with a kiss...
How strangely appealing that human
gesture had been! The burst of emotion which had accompanied the contact... had
been delightful...
He only hoped that Lili had not
fixated upon him as humans tended to do...
Even as his thoughts again strayed
back to Boone, he suddenly felt his friend's presence nearby and felt a shuttle
re-entering normal space.
It was only with the greatest effort
of will that he remained in his chair and waited...
After stopping by
his old office and using his new computer access codes to investigate both the
bug and the mystery helicopter which the phony news crew had used, Boone had
walked Dro'vha downtown and bought his assistant a gift of sorts.
The Taelon had taken in the sights
and excitedly asked questions the entire time, stopping only to admire the gift
he had received, which would help him in his assigned task as Boone's
assistant.
Feeling that he could use some
caffeine, Boone had stopped at a coffee shop and nursed a cup at a table near
the window as he mentally organized the facts he had gathered.
For his part, Dro'vha had observed
the humans around him, who were in turn staring at him in amazement.
Finally finishing both his coffee
and his mental calisthenics, Boone had been shocked at the size of the crowd
which was forming outside on the sidewalk.
"Come on," he had urged
the Taelon, as he steered him towards the back of the shop.
They had taken the back door into an
alley and quickly backtracked to the office and the waiting shuttle.
"Let's get back to the DC
embassy," he had suggested as Dro'vha took his place in the pilot's seat.
Once the shuttle 'jumped', it was
only five minutes before they re-entered normal space, ready to land in the
embassy shuttle bay.
For the first time, Boone was
mentally able to sense Da'an's presence nearby. It wasn't just a feeling that
the Taelon was near, but a strong, absolute certainty as powerful as if he had
actually seen him standing before him.
With it came the knowledge that
Da'an had sensed him as well and was awaiting him with barely suppressed
impatience.
As he exited the shuttle, he noticed
the smile which lit Dro'vha's face and realized that his silent communion with
Da'an had not gone unnoticed. He actually felt his face coloring slightly with
embarrassment.
"I shall wait here for a
time," Dro'vha offered, looking amused by his discomfort.
With a nod at his assistant, he
hurried on his way and was soon entering the audience chamber. Falling into his
accustomed routine, he moved to stand directly before the Companion and bowed
slightly as he greeted him with the appropriate hand gesture.
Without hesitation, Da'an leaned
forward and extended his hand to his friend. As Boone grasped the offered hand,
Da'an pulled him forward until he stepped up onto the platform next to the
chair. The Companion continued to clasp his hand as he spoke.
"Your visit has made this day
bearable, but I am confused." Da'an tilted his head. "How is it that
you are not standing beside Quo'on?"
"I've gained permission to
investigate this situation myself," he explained. "I need to meet
with Lili in order to give her some information which needs to be passed along.
I figured this was as good a place as any to do so and that you could entertain
my assistant...you know, keep him out of the way?"
"It would be my pleasure,"
the Companion assured him.
"Da'an...I especially wanted to
thank you for what you did for me. I..."
Da'an interrupted him. "Your
joy upon awakening this morning was all the thanks I require." He squeezed
Boone's hand briefly before dropping it.
Clearing his throat, Boone got down
to business, after all they couldn't just stare at each other all day...
"With your permission, I'll go
ahead and call Lili."
Da'an nodded and stepped down from the
platform. "In that case, I shall greet Dro'vha and offer him a tour,"
he said over his shoulder.
"Do you know Dro'vha from your
time aboard the mother ship?" Boone found himself asking.
"It is he who helped me to save
some of the human women," the Companion answered the amazed Implant,
before turning and leaving the room.
Dro'vha sensed that his old
acquaintance was approaching the shuttle bay and moved to greet him at the
threshold.
"It pleases me that you have
had the opportunity to visit me at last," the North American Companion
said as they exchanged greetings.
"As I am pleased to be
here," he answered, falling into step beside his host.
Da'an stopped short, looking at his
waist strangely and it took him a moment to remember that he wore the gift
William Boone had given him.
"What is this device?"
Da'an asked as he walked a circle about his visitor.
"It is a 'fanny pack'," he
explained. "A small carrying device so that I may transport those items
which could prove useful to the investigation. William boone purchased it for
me," he said proudly. "See how it bears the symbol of his home
town?"
Da'an came to a stop in front of him
and fixed him with a measuring look which he wasn't able to decipher before
they again began their trip through the central corridor.
"Do you enjoy his
company?" the Companion asked.
"Yes. I find him fascinating.
He allowed me to remain in his quarters as he readied himself for the day. It
is amazing the rituals humans need to perform before they feel ready to begin
their day..." Dro'vha blathered. "I most enjoy watching him devour
his food..."
"I am sure that it is all
amazing to you," Da'an interrupted. "however, I was most interested
in whether you 'liked' HIM."
Realizing that he had somehow
displeased his fellow Taelon, Dro'vha tried his best to give a truthful reply.
"I do not know him," he said. "I feel that I never can. Despite
his obvious ability to commune with you, I cannot gain such access to his
thoughts..."
Da'an stopped again. "You
cannot sense his thoughts, despite your awareness of his linkage to me?"
he asked with a puzzled look upon his face.
"I knew that you reached out to
him when we arrived," he explained. "and his reaction made it clear
that he heard you, but I was not able to sense his thoughts - only your
own."
"This is an interesting bit of
information..." Da'an mused he began walking again. "I wonder if he
may intentionally be shielding his thoughts..."
"I believe, from his reaction
to my awareness of the event, that he did think that I had heard him," he responded.
"He is not shielding himself...intentionally."
"Come. Allow me to show you the
embassy," Da'an offered, changing the subject and suddenly appearing to be
in a much better mood.
"Augur,
where's Doors?" Lili asked, as she all but burst into the Liberation HQ
conference area.
"Whoa, Lili. Take it easy!
He's..." Augur began.
"I'm right here." Jonathan
Doors stood in the doorway of his office. "What have you got?"
Lili removed Boone's pocket notepad
from her jacket. "Boone's been given top level clearance by Quo'on. He was
able to use it to pull up the flight plan of Sandoval's shuttle when he was
supposedly pursuing the news helicopter."
"Let me guess. It doesn't make
sense," Doors rasped.
"Bingo. It shows him landing
the shuttle right smack in the middle of said pursuit." She handed the
note pad over to Augur. "I just met Boone at the embassy. He wants us to
follow Sandoval's route and see what we can turn up."
"I volunteer." Augur
actually raised his hand.
"OK Augur. Go with her and see
what you can find." Doors placed his hands on his hips. "I've already
had the TV station turned upside down and verified that they only own two
copters. They were both elsewhere that day."
"So we may be looking for a
hidden helicopter," Augur said. "Sounds like fun."
"Be careful," the
billionaire warned. "The FBI may be involved..."
"I know! Come on Lili, let's
go." Hooking a hand around her arm, Augur pulled her towards the
elevators.
She shook free and straightened her
jacket. "Keep your shirt on," she snapped. "and let me do the
driving."
"You can drive me
anywhere..." he sassed as the elevator doors closed behind him.
Joshua Doors was
escorted into Quo'on's presence at precisely thirteen hundred hours, Eastern
Standard Time to find that his father had been correct. William Boone was in
attendance.
He found himself giving the tall man
a once over, both fascinated and intimidated by the truth which had been
revealed to him - Namely that the title 'implant' was much more of a
description than a rank. The man had alien hardware in his brain! Hardware
which had rendered the already intelligent man he had been into a genius with
freakish mental abilities.
But more intimidating even than
that, was the truth that William Boone was the only implant known to possess
free will - the only one to have escaped a fiendishly hidden CVI subprogram
known only as a 'motivational imperative'.
Here he stood, alongside the Taelons
he had begun to understand, pretending to work for them as their loyal,
obedient lap dog, when he was in fact, the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing.
He was a mole working for the liberation.
He had admired the man's convictions
and talents when they had worked the Rho'ha case from opposite benches, but
now...he could not help but feel in awe of him - of the difficult situation he
was in - and how very well he handled it.
Boone raised an eyebrow, indicating
that he knew he was being given the once over.
Doors cleared his throat and greeted
the Synod leader. "Quo'on." He bowed slightly.
"Mr.. Doors."
"I believe you know we have a
serious problem, so I'll save the long speeches. What the President wants to
know is, would you perhaps want to start by explaining yourself?"
Quo'on indicated the implant beside
him. "William Boone has been briefed on this matter," he informed his
guest. "It is our desire that he be allowed to speak directly with
President Thompson. Given the delicate nature of this incident, it is our
belief that he may better communicate our position as he is of your own
species."
He gave Boone another measuring
look. He had been prepared for the request. "I'll bring your request
before the President," he said, as he turned back to the Synod leader.
"but I suggest that you be prepared to make full disclosure of your little
genetics experiment..."
"We shall endeavor to
cooperate."
"Very well." Doors rubbed
his head. "It would seem that I came all this way only to conclude our
business within a minute's time," he said, wryly.
"William Boone shall show you
about, if that is your desire," Quo'on offered.
He looked at Boone. "I think
I'd like that," was his simple answer as the implant moved to his side and
took leave of his Taelon master.
He found himself being led out into
the corridor, where another Taelon - one wearing a human facade...and a fanny
pack - waited.
"Dro'vha," Boone addressed
the alien. "I'm going to show Mr.. Doors back to his shuttle. I'll contact
you later."
The Taelon bowed slightly and
wandered off.
"Well well well, he remarked.
"You've come a long way in a short time...having a Taelon assistant and
all."
"Yeah, about 367,000
miles!" Boone laughed, causing Doors to laugh as well.
A silence sprang up between them as
they wandered slowly in the direction of the shuttle bay, with Joshua uncertain
how best to bring up a difficult subject. Seeing that Commander Boone was
apparently content to let the silent stretch on, he decided to broach a topic
which was close to both of them.
"You know," he said
softly. "I didn't think you could do anything to top your defense of
Rho'ha, but I have to admit that living here on the Taelon mother ship may
qualify."
Boone looked sharply at him. "I
would have done anything I could to save that Taelon," he said. "His
trial was a mockery..."
"He got a fair trial, same as
anybody else," he replied. "By the way...I'm sorry to hear that he
passed on."
The tall red head halted suddenly in
his tracks and turned on him. "Save me the false sentiment," he said,
harshly. "You're the one who was pushing for the death sentence!" The
implant looked furious. "You have no idea of what he went through - of how
he was set up! You still see things in terms of black or white, Junior! The
world isn't like that - most especially not now!"
"Ok, ok. Hold on a
second," He held his hands up and tried to mollify the ex-cop. "I'm
sorry. I didn't mean to open this can of worms. I was just trying to start a
conversation."
Boone remained silent and stared at
him unblinkingly, his face still stern.
"I know that we can't talk
here, so let me just say that I'm on your side this time. I've received some
confidential information from a... family member."
"What has he told you?"
Boone's eyes narrowed.
"Enough so that I know how
important it is that this situation between our respective bosses be smoothed
over."
The implant nodded, his sharp eyes
taking in Joshua's face and missing nothing. "When you bring my request
before the President, convince him to have FBI director Ford present when we
meet. The man is in possession of some information which could prove
useful..."
"You got it." he replied,
as they turned down another corridor.
"OK, we're coming
up on the coordinates," Lili said, as she slowed the shuttle and brought
it down lower. The clouds parted, revealing run down buildings and a large
junkyard.
"Please tell me that your
landing zone is NOT in the junkyard," Augur pleaded.
"Sorry. It is."
The techno-wizard sighed deeply as
the shuttle touched down. "Talk about your proverbial needle in a
haystack. How in the hell are we ever going to find anything in this
place?"
Lili shrugged off her restraints and
hopped out of the craft. With her hands on her hips, she stood outside
surveying her surroundings. "I suggest that we split up and start
searching," she said, as Augur moved to stand beside her.
"Bad idea, Lili. There could be
dogs, rats...or worse..."
She gave him an incredulous look,
prompting him to shrug his shoulders. "You're not afraid, are you?"
"Me?" he laughed.
"I've got the means to protect myself from any vermin we may encounter. I
was just trying to look out for you."
Lili pulled her gun and thumbed the
safety off before raising an eyebrow at him. "Maybe you'd better just look
out for yourself, after all, it's what you do best isn't it?" Even as the
words slipped out, she knew how hurtful they sounded. Augur looked as though he
had been slapped.
"Hey, I didn't..." she
started to say, but it was too late... With a look down his nose at her, he
turned his back and stalked off towards the east. "Damn it!" she
hissed.
A minute later, she started moving
in the opposite direction through thirty foot high stacks of smashed cars and
other assorted metal junk. As she searched, she thought about all the times she
had managed to say just the wrong thing to Augur. They were most definitely
falling into an unhealthy pattern...
It seemed that they teased each
other, got friendly, started getting close...and she would insult him. Then the
cycle would start all over again... She knew she was trying to keep him at arms
length - The problem was, that she didn't know why. She liked him, she found
him attractive and she admired him - in most respects, anyway.
Why did she keep backing away?
Maybe she didn't, or couldn't trust
him...after all, he had plenty of women fawning over him. He probably wasn't
interested in anything meaningful... Then again, it could just be that she
wasn't ready to let anyone get that close to her...
"Hey, Lili!"
Augur's voice on her global made her
jump. She quickly fumbled it off her belt. "What have you got?" She
asked. She couldn't see him because it was an audio only transmission. He
didn't have a global of his own and was using his wrist unit.
"I've got a hunch that I'm on
the right track. Meet me at the large dump truck near the office."
"On my way." She stuck the
device back in her belt and after pausing to get her bearings, turned and
headed back toward the shack that she had seen upon their approach to the yard.
A few minutes later she arrived at
the designated spot to find Augur swinging his legs into the top of the truck.
"Hey!" she shouted,
getting his attention. "You should let me do that. You wouldn't want to
ruin your expensive shirt."
"Funny," he dead panned,
just before disappearing inside.
There was some rummaging around and
the sound of him throwing some metal out of the way. "You might want to
take a look at this!" he called out only a few minutes later.
By the time she got to the top, he
was squatting down before a heavy piece of junk - an engine, from what she
could see - with a small flashlight held between his teeth. As he shone the
light on the object, he quickly typed into his wrist unit.
Lili let her eyes wander around the
dim interior, trying to make sense of the parts which were mostly hidden in the
shadows cast by the truck's sides. "Well?" she asked as Augur
finished what he was doing and stood up.
In answer, he turned his flashlight
towards one corner of the pile, where it illuminated part of a helicopter tail
rotor.
"It's been painted black,"
he said. "but I scraped some paint off what used to be the sides and found
the news station logo." He held up a digital camera. "I made sure to
get a picture of it. I also located the engine block and got the serial number,
as well as several more photos of it." He stashed away his equipment and
began climbing up to her. "Let's get put of here. I can't wait to trace
this number!"
"This is
WRZT's Ten o'Clock News with your host, Lisa Stepp."
"Good evening." The pert
news anchor greeted. "I'm Lisa Stepp. Leading tonight's top headlines...
President Thompson will be meeting tomorrow with new Taelon representative,
William Boone, who you may remember defended Taelon scientist Rho'ha two months
ago.
It seems that the Companions, intent
on clearing up what they term a 'cultural misunderstanding', have decided that
their human implant is better able to understand the nuances of human
interactions and therefore ideally suited to explaining the situation.
According to the Taelon Synod
leader, Quo'on, 'the Taelons look forward to clearing up this tragic
misunderstanding and winning back the support of their human friends'.
When asked about Da'an's
involvement, William Boone stepped forward and said the following:
"The truth will out. Of that,
you can be certain, but anyone who truly knows Da'an, knows that he would never
be involved in anything which would harm humans - physically or mentally. I
worked for our North American Companion for some time and I can tell you that a
grave injustice is being done here. He is deeply wounded by the rumors which
have begun circulating and the loss of his freedom caused by those who gather
outside his embassy. We ask everyone to remain calm and not to believe
everything which is being said. Wait for the facts and then reach your own
conclusions."
The anchor woman reappeared on the
screen. "Once again, that was William Boone, current spokesperson for the
Companions. In a related story, Companion support has dropped a record twenty
percent since the scandal erupted, with our latest poll showing only sixty
percent believing that the Companion's gifts are completely altruistic. Fifteen
percent now believe that there is a hidden agenda behind those gifts, with
twenty percent of the population surveyed remaining undecided..."
Joshua Doors turned his television
off and leaned back in his chair with a pensive look on his face. Under normal
circumstances, the poll results would have made his father a very happy man. It
spoke volumes that he was actually considering the benefits of a government
cover up.
The Companions had to be more of a
danger than even he had begun to suspect.
Jonathan Doors
greeted his two returning operatives with considerably more interest than he
usually displayed.
"Well?" he questioned them
as Lili removed her jacket. "What did you...."
"Augur found the copter -
repainted and disassembled - in the back of a dump truck!" she
interrupted, enthusiastically. "He was able to trace the engine serial
number back to the make and manufacturer. It's a model used most often by the
FBI."
"Figures," Doors mumbled.
"After all, Boone's trace of the bug from the warehouse office led back to
them as well..."
"And Sandoval IS still active
in the organization," Augur chimed in.
"I've already given Will the
information," Lili added. "but what is he going to do with it? I
mean...how the heck is he gonna pull a rabbit out of a hat this time and end the
project as well as save Da'an?"
"Don't worry. With the right
kind of help, he'll get the job done...He always has, hasn't he?" Doors
said, surprising them with his optimistic praise.
"Whoa, my friend," Augur
said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think you'd better lay off the
scotch for a while..."
"Jonathan...What's with the new
attitude?" Lili asked. "You haven't acted so...human in months."
With a sour look on his face, the
billionaire turned away and entered his office. "Smart alacks..." he
grumbled as the door slammed behind him.
Boone awoke with a start,
certain that someone had knelt down on the futon next to him. As he made a
swipe to his left, intent on knocking his unknown visitor onto his back, an
incredible weight came down on his chest, slamming him flat. Panicking as the
weight increased, he tried to bring his skrill to bear on his assailant, when a
second crushing weight trapped his arm, causing Condor to squeal indignantly in
his mind at the same time that he sensed a sudden flood of concern from Da'an.
He struggled for a moment before
forcing himself to relax and take in his surroundings. Two blue eyes glowed
softly above his own face.
His attacker was a Taelon! A strong
one...
"Well, Boone," came a
taunting voice he knew well. "Have you yet guessed my identity? Allow me
to... shed some light on your dilemma..." With an unseen wave, Zo'or
brought up the lights.
To Boone's amazement, the Taelon
himself was kneeling on his right arm and leaning upon his chest with his left
hand. He had somehow become incredibly heavy!
"How....?" he gasped. He
was fighting to draw air into his lungs and rapidly tiring...as black spots
danced before his eyes. Only Da'an's projected alarm enabled him to hang on to
consciousness.
"You see?" Zo'or sneered.
"You know next to nothing about my kind. Was it not your own Einstein, who
postulated that there was a direct link between energy and mass? We ARE energy
and we are capable of gathering it from the universe around us, taming it and
harnessing it as we see fit. You have already noted that we may 'grow' human-like
facades, assuming a form which has mass. The more energy we harness, the more
mass we may generate. This ability which we possess, drains us rapidly and may
be used for short periods of time only, yet serves a myriad of purposes. A most
useful talent, wouldn't you say?" He stared at the implant's slowly
purpling face and realizing that Boone could no longer answer, eased up
somewhat on the pressure.
"Let me guess," the
implant wheezed, as he tried to catch his breath. "You've grown tired of
me interfering and you've decided to crush me to death, right here in my
quarters....while I'm under the protection of the Synod leader..."
Zo'or looked as though he had been
slapped.
The pressure on Boone's chest and
arm decreased until Zo'or suddenly pushed away and sat back on his heels.
"I am not here to end your miserable existence," he hissed.
"Fate itself will take care of that."
Boone sat up and rubbed his chest.
Already a series of dark bruises were appearing in the shape of the Taelon's
hand print. "Are you trying to tell me that you woke me up so that we can
talk?"
Zo'or blinked. "I came here to
warn you..."
He stared at the Taelon in
disbelief.
"I have heard of your impending
meeting with President Thompson." Zo'or's face took on a sly look.
"You must know that regardless of the outcome of your efforts, that you
will lose something."
He glared at the ex-U.N.
Representative. "Speaking of losing something...I hear that you were
demoted AND transferred to a different sector of the ship. Kind of hard to
spread malicious thoughts among those who are too busy working to listen, isn't
it??" He smiled.
Zo'or sneered again and rose to his
feet. "Just remember that, should you save Da'an by convincing your
government to cover up our indiscretion, the project will continue..." He
smiled evilly. "And should you expose the project and convince your
government to take action against us...Da'an will be lost to you. Either way, I
will win."
Boone watched as the Taelon fairly
sauntered out of the room, aware that Zo'or had pretty much summed up his
dilemma.
Still rubbing his chest and groaning
at the grating sensation in his recently wounded side, he glanced at the clock
he had unpacked. It was only two a.m. As he struggled to his feet, the door
flew open, admitting Dro'vha.
"What has happened?" he
asked. "Da'an urged me most urgently to check on your well-being.
Not wanting word of the
confrontation to reach Quo'on, Boone waved the Taelon off as he caught his
breath. "It's nothing," he lied. "A bad dream only..."
Dro'vha gave him a strange look.
"Then why was Zo'or departing your quarters?" he asked.
"Listen." He placed a hand
on his assistant's shoulder. "I can't afford to let Zo'or think that he
can frighten me off. It would be best if we kept this to ourselves..."
The Taelon didn't look completely
convinced, but he nodded his agreement. "You had best inform Da'an that
all is well," he suggested. "He is most...upset."
"I will," he promised as
Dro'vha slowly made his way out the door.
Reaching for the shirt he had left
on a chair, he started to put it on, realized before buttoning it that he
wouldn't be able to hide the truth of the injury from his friend, and left it
open instead.
He called up a data stream and
Da'an's worried image was immediately before him.
"How badly are you hurt?"
the Companion asked.
"I think that one of my damaged
ribs has been fractured again, but it's not that bad..."
"Where is Zo'or now?"
"Most likely heading back to
the labor sector - where he was recently relegated to by Quo'on," he
replied.
Da'an's eyes went wide and he looked
as though he were suppressing a smile.
"You know...it might have been
nice if I had known you guys could manipulate your mass," Boone commented.
"It is not something which I
would have thought important to relate," the Companion explained.
Boone sighed. "Sorry. Anyway,
I'm OK. No lasting harm done," he reassured his friend. Something suddenly
occurred to him. "Da'an...why is it that you had to contact Dro'vha and
tell him I was in trouble? Why didn't he 'hear' me himself?"
"I am not certain why, however,
while visiting my embassy earlier, Dro'vha assured me that although he could
tell that we were communicating, he was only able to sense my thoughts. Yours
were but a jumble which he could not comprehend."
"Even though he understands
english?"
"Even so." Da'an tilted
his head and became pensive. "Several weeks ago, when angered, you were
able to project your rage through our link and overwhelm Zo'or, which argues
that you can be heard through the commonality if you so desire. It would take
some...experimentation to determine if your thoughts are naturally shielded
from all Taelons save myself." Da'an frowned as he straightened up.
"and at the moment, experimentation is a concept I would just as soon
avoid."
Boone snorted. "I
understand."
He paused, unsure of what else to
say, but Da'an saved him the trouble of making conversation.
"Pleasant dreams,
William," the Companion wished as he cut the data stream off.
Suddenly wide awake and nervous
about his upcoming meeting with the President, Boone dug a book out of his
suitcase, and plopping down on his bed, began to read.
The following day came too soon for
the sleepless implant. He had only gotten two hours sleep when Dro'vha woke him
with breakfast. Boone sleepily made his way over to the small table he dined at
and sat down heavily as the Taelon assistant placed a styrofoam cup of coffee
and several breakfast croissants in front of him. He immediately dug-in and
slowly came awake enough to note the absorbed fascination on Dro'vha's face.
"You really enjoy seeing me
eat, don't you?" he mumbled as he lifted his coffee for a sip.
The Taelon nodded, his gaze never
leaving Boone's mouth. "I often wonder what it would be like..." he
admitted.
"I probably shouldn't be saying
this...but it's great," he smirked. Seeing the almost lustful expression
which briefly crossed his assistant's face, he felt badly about teasing him.
"Are you the only Taelon with this kind of fetish?" he asked.
"There are many of us who
wonder about aspects of human life," Dro'vha admitted.
Boone remembered Da'an telling him
that he would give up much to be able to smell the flowers which bloomed in his
garden and a plan began to form in his mind - a wonderful, exciting plan...but
one which could never be made reality if he didn't do his job and settle things
between the Companions and the U.S. government...
He quickly choked down his food,
drank his coffee and headed for the shower as Dro'vha cleaned up the mess and
laid out all the things he would require during his meeting.
It was shortly after zero nine hundred
hours when the shuttle emerged from interdimension into a dreary, cold
Washington day. It started to pour before they even made it to the shuttle bay.
Boone still had an hour before the
meeting and planned on spending it with Da'an. If he was unsuccessful, their
time together would be short indeed, and he was not about to waste a moment of
it. As he exited the shuttle, he found Sandoval's assistant waiting for him.
"Lassiter. What brings you
here?" he asked, imagining that he was about to be told that Sandoval was
too busy to meet him himself.
The blond FBI agent and Taelon
operative handed him a sealed folder. "Sir, I believe that this may aid
you during your meeting," he said. "I suggest that you take time to
inspect it before you leave here...and do not under any circumstances allow
Agent Sandoval to know you possess it!"
"What is this?" he asked
as he tucked it under an arm, but Lassiter was already boarding shuttle two,
which quickly took off for parts unknown.
Suddenly desperately needing to know
what Lassiter had given him, he headed for the nearest available office and
hoped that Da'an would forgive him his tardiness...
At precisely ten o'clock, EST, Boone
was led into the oval office. Not forgetting whom he represented, he gave a
small bow and the Taelon hand gesture used when greeting or taking leave.
"Mr.. President," he said.
"It is an honor to be able to discuss this matter with you personally and
I thank you for the opportunity."
Thompson shook his hand and sat down
behind his desk. "Well, Mr.. Boone, your explanations of the situation had
best be good..."
"Oh, I assure you that they
are," he replied, nodding to the two people behind the commander in chief.
Joshua Doors stood off to the President's left, FBI director Shelton Ford to
his right. Two secret service agents were stationed near the door.
"Mr.. President," he
continued. Before I can fully explain the situation, I need to be certain that
you are aware of certain...Taelon facts of life." Thompson raised an
eyebrow and he continued. "Because of the nature of what I am about to
reveal, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask Director Ford and the SS
agents behind me to step outside for a minute.
"Sir, this constitutes a breach
of security which is unacceptable," Ford counseled. "At least require
one Secret Service agent to remain."
"Shelton, you know very well
that if our guest chose to use his skrill that we would have little chance of
leaving this office alive. We already discussed this when I was contemplating
having this meeting." Thompson turned toward the door. "You two wait
outside with Director Ford," he ordered. With a sour look on his face,
Ford exited the room.
As soon as the doors closed behind
the departing men, Thompson waved for Boone to speak.
"Sir, are you aware of the
Taelon's use of something called a CVI?" he asked.
"Of course. It's been explained
to me that the Taelons offer it to their chosen protectors as a gift of the
highest sort. It rewires the brain, increasing intelligence and granting its
recipient total recall," the President recited.
"Oh it does that all
right," he confirmed. "However, it also happens to contain a secret
program - an imperative which forces its recipient to serve the Taelons before
anyone or anything else."
Thompson sat up straighter and
leaned forward with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Taelon implants are Taelon
slaves and fanatics of the highest order," he continued. "They will
do anything they are commanded to do without hesitation, even if that command
includes killing their loved ones." Boone paced slowly before the
President's desk as he continued. "I think you can see the benefits of
such an arrangement from the Taelon's point of view. They are able to trust
their implants implicitly with information which, if it leaked out, could
severely compromise their agenda."
"So, you're telling me that I
can't trust you," Thompson said, clearly trying to figure Boone's
reasoning in telling him this.
"Actually, you can. When Da'an
chose me to be his next implant, I was approached by the liberation with an
offer which I couldn't refuse." he stopped and placed his hands on
Thompson's desk, leaning forward as he spoke. "They told me about the
motivational imperative and offered to see to it that I received a CVI which
contained a deactivated MI. In return, I was to shuttle to them information I
learned about my Taelon masters." Seeing the full implication of his
position reflecting in the President's expression, he continued. "I have
free will, but it is a very difficult thing to keep my true nature hidden from
the Taelons. I HAD to send Ford and the others from the room..."
"Good God!" Thompson
interrupted him and stood up. "What have you learned? Why are they
here?"
Boone took his hands off the desk
and straightened up. "They're here for several different reasons, Mr..
President, but I've only been able to piece together a part of the puzzle. I'll
come back to that in a minute..." he moved around the desk so that he was
standing next to the president. "First off, Da'an knows that I have free
will. Despite the fact that all Taelons are joined together psychically in what
they refer to as their commonality, he has gone out of his way - even to the
point of risking his position - to protect my secret and therefore, my life.
Because he figured out my secret, he had shared with me information I might
otherwise never have received, but...he has also withheld that information
which he believes would be destructive to humanity and his race if it became
known. He is perhaps our greatest asset in understanding the Taelons and
learning their secrets. If he is removed from his position, WE will have lost
in more ways than one."
Thompson indicated Doors. "I
take it that he was allowed to remain because his father filled him in on your
status?"
"Only just recently,"
Joshua admitted. "but this news about Da'an is new to me."
"He has an understanding and
sympathy for humanity which would never allow him to oversee an experiment like
the one he is alleged to have run. The truth is that there are other Taelons
who feel that their people are pursuing the wrong course with regards to us.
Da'an actually helped to save some women by helping them to escape. He did this
with the aid of another human-sympathizer." He handed Thompson a disk.
"On this disk are the testimonies of several of the women he saved. You
must not allow Ford or anyone else to hear of Da'an's actions or my status,
because, if the Taelons find out about either...Da'an and I are both
history."
Thompson pocketed the disc.
"What can you tell me about their agenda?"
"That would be agendas..."
Boone sighed and looked out the window. "There is a third alien species
out there..." He gestured out the window, towards the sky.
"...somewhere. I don't know their name or any specifics other than that
they are the mortal enemies of the Taelons. Da'an and the others fear them and
believe that unless they unite with us in some way, that both our species will
be destroyed..."
"Do you have anything to back
up this information?" The President stared out the window as well, his
face grim.
"Less than a year ago there
were three confirmed instances of alien signals being detected by our monitors.
Da'an himself confirmed that they were not Taelon in origin." He turned to
look directly at Thompson. "Those transmissions were given off by a probe
sent here by the other alien species. I know. I saw it. Da'an himself took
control of the device, which I know for a fact killed at least a dozen people.
It was removed to a Taelon facility in the Soviet Union, where it was later
destroyed."
While he had been talking, Joshua
Doors had moved to stand on his other side. Now, as Boone glanced at him, he
could see that the influential lawyer had gone white. "Where does the
alleged genetic experimentation tie in to this?" he asked.
"I don't know," Boone
admitted. "It seems that they're trying to transfigure themselves - change
themselves into a form which is closer to our own...This seemed to be a first
step in altering the next generation of Taelons."
"They have to acknowledge that
they have no right to interfere with human beings in this way. They have to be
made to recognize that actions such as these will result in their expulsion
from our planet..." Thompson spat indignantly.
"Who's going make them
leave?" Boone pointed out. "Let's face it - they're staying for as
long as THEY want to stay. What we need to do, is to find ways of controlling
them without making them think that they have to force us into complying with
their more insidious short term goals." His face took on a troubled look.
"Da'an believes - truly believes - that their long term goals are our
salvation. He just differs in how best to achieve those goals."
"And how would he achieve
them?" Doors asked.
"He's in favor of full
disclosure, because he believes that we are intelligent enough to understand
and face what must be done..."
"So, what do you suggest I do
about this situation?" Thompson asked, as he sank back down in his chair.
"We have to smooth things
over," the Implant replied. "I hate the idea of deception, but in
this case it may become necessary to keep the specifics from the public. If you
can do that, and restore Da'an's tarnished image, I'll fix things up with
Quo'on..."
The President snorted. "That's
all fine and well, but I need more than your word...I need leverage to convince
the task force to follow that course of action."
Boone smiled a smile which made the
hair on Doors' neck stand on end.
"I've got everything you need
right here with me," Quo'on's spokesperson replied, as he opened up his
briefcase and removing
the folders which Lassiter had given him, threw them down on the desk.
Thompson put his glasses on and
opening it, began to read. After scanning the first page, he stared up at Boone
in shock. "Do you realize the full implication of these documents?"
he asked, as he stared at Boone over the tops of his glasses.
"Of course." he answered
with a nod. "It means that you'll be spending the next few weeks
straightening out the mess in your own back yard. Sorry about that. By the
way...those are copies. Rest assured that the originals are in a safe
location...on the Taelon mothership. Please make sure that your...associates
understand that should anything strange happen to me - or you..."
"Yes yes yes," Thompson
wave him off. "I understand completely. It looks like you're going to get your
way in this matter. This is more than enough to force the others into seeing
things our way." He stood up and extended a hand to the Taelon
representative. "You'll be contacted within the next twenty four hours and
informed of the official outcome," he said, as they shook. "Thank you
for your unique... insight."
"It has been my pleasure,"
he replied. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity."
Thompson turned toward Doors.
"Joshua, will you please send Ford back in here as you escort Commander
Boone out?"
With a nod, the curious attorney did
as he was asked and then walked out to the shuttle with the President's
departing guest. As they drew even with the Taelon vehicle, he spoke. "Am
I ever going to learn what you gave him?" he asked.
Boone gave him a sympathetic look.
"That's up to the President to decide," he said, as he glanced at his
watch. "I need to get back and brief Quo'on..."
"Just out of curiosity...What
are you going to tell him?"
"I don't know, but I'll think
of something," He rubbed his sore ribs and grimaced as he boarded the
shuttle.
Boone arrived back at the DC
embassy intent on finally speaking with Da'an, only to find Quo'on waiting with
the North American Companion in the audience chamber.
"Boone," he greeted, even
before the implant had recovered enough to make the proper hand gestures.
"What is the outcome of your meeting?"
"We will be officially informed
of the outcome tomorrow," he answered. "...however, I believe that I
can assure you that the entire scandal will be covered up and Da'an cleared of
any wrong-doing."
Quo'on and Da'an exchanged looks,
with both of them appearing startled by the announcement.
"How is it that you
accomplished this feat?" the Synod leader asked suspiciously.
"I explained to the President
that, should the details of the experiment be exposed, Da'an would be left to
shoulder the responsibility and we would lose him as our Companion..."
Both Taelons blushed blue.
"Your leader would do such a
thing in order to retain his current Companion?" Quo'on asked, clearly
amazed by the concept.
Boone noticed a small smile appear
on Da'an's face. "He would," he answered firmly. "but he will
also insist upon close supervision of human transportation after this to help
ensure that such experimentation does not continue. I fear that should the
Taelons be caught taking such advantage of humans in the future, it will result
in a complete failure to negotiate. Our two species will perhaps be brought to
the brink of war."
Quo'on's face reformed, complete
with a displeased expression. "I will negotiate directly with your
President with regard to the surveillance he seeks to impose. The Synod will be
most displeased by this restriction."
"Perhaps it would be best to
concede this point rather than risk the ruination of all which Boone has so far
accomplished..." Da'an counseled. "Although the humans may not be
capable of inflicting physical damage on our people...they are more than
capable of resisting us, thus disrupting our agenda and leaving us...vulnerable
during the final confrontation."
Quo'on moved to stand beside Da'an
and quickly grasped his hand. The two conferred silently and Boone suspected a
sort of sibling disagreement was being settled.
Finally Quo'on withdrew and shot
Da'an what appeared to be a put-out look before addressing Boone. "Very
well. I shall relay Thompson's terms to the Synod once they have been
officially made," he announced. "Boone. You have done well, You may
remain on your planet until the formal announcement has been made. Dro'vha will
meet you here afterwards in order to return you to the mother ship."
"Thank you," he said with
a small bow as his new master left the chamber.
He and Da'an smiled at each other.
'"Have we
heard anything yet?" Augur asked, as he entered the liberation's
underground facility. It was shortly after noon and he had arrived carrying
five large pizzas from the favored pizzeria down the street.
Lili quickly moved in to help him
with his burden. "Nothing yet," she answered as she helped him place
the boxes on the table and started looking in them.
With most of the key personnel
gathering in HQ to wait for news, Augur had become claustrophobic and
volunteered to make a food run. Noting upon his return that every seat had
filled up during his absence, he put on a displeased expression and tried to
roust Aaron out of his favorite seat.
"Augur," Lili called out,
interrupting his verbal battle with the communications expert. "Where are
the three extra cheese and two veggie pizzas?"
"Oh," he shrugged, giving
up on the chair. "I ran into a friend. He should be down in a
second..."
Just then, the elevator doors
parted, and Boone stepped out with the remaining pies.
"Boone! William! Will!"
Everyone yelled simultaneously as Lili quickly took the pizzas and dumped them
on the table. Before anyone could pull him away, she had thrown her arms around
his neck and jumped up to plant a big kiss full on his mouth. Boone's arms came
around her automatically as he gave her an equally big hug.
"I missed you!" she said
near his ear.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven
for having thought..." He didn't get any further before she kissed him
again. "...I guess that's a yes..." he whispered, started and pleased
by the attention. Seeing Augur glaring at him from across the room, he laughed
and waded into the crowd of resistance fighters who had become his family.
Doors quickly broke up the reunion
by wading into the crowd after him and calling for some order.
"Well? Don't keep us
waiting," he groused as things quieted down.
"I won't know officially until
tomorrow, and mind you, there's still the specifics to work out...." The
Liberation's key player announced, drawing out the suspense.
"...but..."
"Get on with it!" Lili and
Augur shouted simultaneously, drawing a laugh all the way around.
"We did it," Boone laughed.
"We really did it. The government will be forced to cover up the Taelon
experimentation, while taking steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again -
something Quo'on knows to expect. Da'an's name will be cleared as well and our
government be facing some...restructuring..."
"The government?" Augur
approached Boone. "Where do they come in?"
"Sorry folks," the implant
announced to the gathered members. "Some things will have to remain behind
closed doors..." He gestured to the pizzas. "Go ahead and start the
celebration while I'm debriefed."
The last sentence generated several
crude comments around the room as a laughing William Boone pointed to the
instigators and shouted, "Hey! Watch it!" before snatching up a pizza
box and disappearing into the office with Doors, Augur and Lili. Once there, he
settled into a chair and began his explanation as he inhaled his pizza.
"I really didn't have the
leverage I knew the President needed," he said. "but I had hoped that
tying the FBI in with the phony news crew and threatening to publicly reveal
that they've followed Sandoval's exploits through the years, even going out of
their way to help him in his quest to serve the Taelons, would be enough to
help win Ford's cooperation." He paused to chew another bite of pizza.
"What changed?" Lili
asked.
"Believe it or not, Lassiter
handed over documentation which....even now I can scarcely believe." He
put the food down and stared at her. "I knew that Sandoval wanted us to
find both the bug and the copter, Lili. He would NEVER be so careless as to
have left such evidence lying about for us to find otherwise! Why would he want
us to find them?"
"That's a good question,"
Augur mused. "Why WOULD he want you to trace them back to his old friends,
the FBI?"
"Sandoval setting up the
FBI?" Lili shook her head. "That IS crazy!"
"Ah, but what if he was doing
it because they were about to learn something ominous?" Boone asked.
"Now you've really lost me,
Will." Lili sat back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her.
Augur leaned forward. "I'm
betting that everything was answered by the documentation, right?"
"Right..." Boone nodded.
"Lassiter had proof you wouldn't believe! It documented that the Taelons
had some help staging their little experiments - help from...the CIA."
Lili sat bolt upright.
"WHAT?!"
"Oh yeah...They helped cover up
the delays in the portal systems and squashed rumors about women disappearing
for upwards of eighteen hours and they did it all because they had a deal
worked out with Zo'or." Boone stared at Doors and knew from the look on
his face that this was old news to him.
"Zo'or again? Man - that Taelon
sure gets around," Augur said in disgust.
"In return for their
assistance, the Central Intelligence Agency was guaranteed all the information
necessary for generating their own CVI's...complete with programmable
motivational imperatives," the implant announced, stunning two of his
listeners. "Sandoval wanted me to force the FBI to back off because they
were getting close to learning the truth."
Boone turned his attention to Doors.
"You already knew all this - I can tell - So explain to me the final part
of the puzzle..." he asked the secret implant.
"Lassiter gave you the
information for two reasons," Doors announced. "Firstly, he is not an
implant and still has the ability to make his own decisions...and secondly,
because I ordered him to."
Lili came to her feet.
"Lassiter is resistance?!"
"What is the world coming
to?" Augur quipped.
"Does Lassiter know about
me?" Boone asked the billionaire.
"No. It's safer if he still
believes you're just an implant who's doing his best to save his Taelon
masters' butts." Doors stood up and moved to the side table to pour
himself a drink.
"Jonathan, why would you go to
such lengths to help the Taelons cover their tracks?" Boone asked.
In reply, Doors removed a sealed
letter from his breast pocket and handed to him. "Give this to Da'an when
you see him," he said, as he opened the door and left the room.
The following
morning, Boone called Lili to shuttle him from his house back to the DC
embassy. He had promised Da'an that he would be there when the official
announcement was made.
Less than an hour ago, he had
received a call from Joshua Doors, informing him of the task force's outcome
and telling him when to expect the formal announcement.
Now, as Lili landed the shuttle in
the street before his house, he stepped outside into what was promising to be a
beautiful spring day. The sky was blue, the sun warm and birds were chirping
all around.
"Good morning," Lili
chirped, as he boarded the shuttle.
"Yes. It is a good
morning," he smiled. "In fact, it's a wonderful morning!"
"I haven't seen you in this
kind of good mood in months." Lili smiled as she commanded her craft to
lift off.
"I haven't had a situation go
from being so bad to so good in months..." he replied.
They completed the rest of the
journey in silence, but as she landed them in the shuttle bay, Lili spoke.
"Do you mind if I come
in?" she asked hopefully.
He gave her a put-out look.
"You were with him most of last night, teaching him how to play
canasta!"
"I spent exactly five minutes
reading him the rules," she corrected. "He spent the rest of the time
whupping me...Hey! How did you know that I was here? Did he tell you?"
"Not in words." He decided
to warn her. "Lili, I think you ought to know that my bond with Da'an has
progressed to the point that if I think about him, I can generally tell exactly
where he is and what he's doing."
Her mouth hung open for a moment.
"Can he sense the same about you?" she finally asked him.
"When I'm near, yes," he
answered. "Zo'or gave me a scare on the mother ship the other night and
Da'an knew what was going on, despite the large distance between us at the
time.
"So..he knows that we're
talking about him right now?"
He laughed. "No. I've recently
discovered that with very little effort, I can apparently block him from
'reading' me." He rose out of his seat and placed a hand on her shoulder
as he got ready to disembark. "If everything goes well and I'm returned to
Da'an's service, I'd like for you to do something for me."
"Will...all you ever need to do
is ask me," she said with a fond smile.
He handed her a folded piece of
paper. "I wrote it all down. I'll let you know when to get it set
up..."
She accepted the paper and gave him
a mock salute. "Yes Commander!"
Giving her a pat on the shoulder, he
entered the shuttle bay and made his way toward the central corridor.
"This is a
WRZT Special Report with your host, Lisa Stepp."
Boone was standing on Da'an's right
side, as he sat in his audience chair. As regular programming was interrupted
by the upcoming announcement, he placed his left hand on the Companion's right
shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.
Da'an shot him a quick, anxious look
before returning his gaze to the data stream.
"Good evening." The pert
news anchor greeted. "I'm Lisa Stepp and we are interrupting your
regularly scheduled program to bring you the latest update in the Taelon
Experiment scandal. Here now, live in front of the white house, is Lyman
Trent..."
"Thank you, Lisa. As our
viewers can see behind me, a podium has been set up outside the White House and
the President is about to make a formal announcement."
"Wait a minute..Here he comes
now..."
A voice could be heard calling out
in the background, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United
States..."
President Darrell Thompson moved up
to the microphone, surrounded by secret service agents, FBI Director Shelton
Ford and CIA Director John Dixon.
"I have just come from a formal
meeting of the Taelon Misdeeds Task Force with the following news," the
President announced, producing a document, which he proceeded to read. "We
have concluded during our investigation that the Taelons did not knowingly
violate any human rights during the course of their project, that the project
involved simply scanning certain segments of the human population for the
purpose of gathering information to complete a human geonome, and that North
American Companion, Da'an can not in any way be held accountable for the
project. Furthermore, the tape which was aired featuring what appeared to be
incriminating evidence against the Taelons, has been carefully analyzed and
found to be doctored in such a way as to make an innocent conversation sound
sinister."
Thompson lowered the document and
looked directly at the cameras. "We have reached an agreement with the Taelon
Synod, in which any further gathering of information concerning human being
shall be carefully monitored by world governments to ensure that such a
misunderstanding does not occur again in the future. We also extend to Da'an,
our deepest apologies for the rumors which have sprung up, tarnishing his well
earned reputation for being one of the worlds most beloved Companions. He has
in every way come through these trying few weeks with the grace and dignity we
have come to expect from him..."
Da'an waved off the data stream as
the reporters began asking questions. Slowly he stood, and as though in slow
motion, turned to face his implant. His eyes were large and expressive, 'the
windows to the soul' Boone thought, as the companion lifted them to meet his
gaze. They communicated a thankfulness which took the implant's breath away.
Without warning, Da'an stepped
forward, wrapping his arms around Boone's torso and laying his cheek against
his chest. Shocked, surprised and pleased by the contact, he hugged him back.
"Thank you," Da'an said
aloud, although they both knew the verbal thanks was unnecessary.
He tightened his grip on the
Companion for a moment before releasing him and stepping away, unnerved by how
much the hug meant to him. Placing his hands on the Taelon's shoulders, he
smiled at him. "We still have much left to do if we're to prevent the
Synod from finding some other way to continue the project," he cautioned.
"We will..."
They were interrupted by Quo'on's
appearance via data stream.
"I have finished monitoring the
earth broadcasts," he said to the implant. "Your actions have
pleased the Synod greatly. You are now to return to our vessel. Dro'vha awaits
you within the shuttle bay."
Quo'on's image faded away.
Boone sighed and bowed slightly to
Da'an. "My current master beckons," he quipped. "With any luck,
we'll carry on this conversation later...
"I see no reason why Quo'on
would not return you to me now that the current situation has been
resolved," the Companion said, offering up some encouragement.
Unable to help himself, Boone ran a
hand over his friend's smooth head before stepping off the platform and heading
for the shuttle bay. Once there, he quickly boarded his shuttle and shrugged on
his restraints.
"Congratulations,
William," his latest Taelon friend greeted, as he initiated the shuttle's
voyage.
"Thanks," he replied.
"Is there any place I need to be?"
"Yes. Quo'on expects us both to
meet him in his audience room upon our return."
"Any idea why?"
"Zo'or has been summoned as
well...I know nothing further."
Lili entered
Augur's warehouse shortly after seeing the news broadcasts and made her way
directly towards his living quarters. She had stopped by HQ after having
dropped Boone off at the embassy, expecting to see the techno-wizard there, but
nobody had laid eyes on him since late the night before. She figured that he
had been up late taking care of his finances.
"Augur! It's me!" she
called out as she let herself in. The first thing she noticed, was the
unmistakable odor of breakfast. Moving into the small apartment, had only just
noted the table set for two, when she was scooped up and twirled around.
"Hey!" she shouted, even as Augur was already putting her down."
"I knew you would stop by to
share the good news with me!" he crowed.
Not quite able to keep the smile off
her face, she indicated the table. "Is that why you made me
breakfast?"
"Of course. This is a
celebration!" he laughed.
"Can I ask you something?"
Her face became very serious.
Augur looked tense. "Go
on..."
"Will you go out dancing with
me tonight?"
Augur's face completely transformed
as her words sank in. "You're asking me out?" he grinned.
"MmmmHmmm."
He picked her up and spun her around
again. "What a glorious day this has turned out to be!" he exclaimed
just before he set her down again. "...maybe I'm still dreaming..."
he mused. "Prove to me that I'm awake."
Grabbing his head, she kissed him.
It was meant to have been a kiss like the one she had given Boone, but somehow
it deepened and went on far longer than she had intended... When the finally
parted, they stared at each other, both slightly out of breath.
"I said to prove to me that I
was awake..." he whispered. "This has got to be a dream..."
Lili quickly regained her composure.
"Yeah - a dream in which we both decide to sit down and eat
breakfast," she teased, unwilling to allow the tender moment to last.
Augur pulled a chair out for her and
then served up breakfast, but the sarcastic, egotistical facade seemed to be
gone.
Over breakfast she actually got to
know the real person better.
Boone and Dro'vha entered Quo'on's
presence to find him and Zo'or patiently awaiting them.
"Boone, I wished you to be
present so that you might bear witness to this," the Synod leader
announced as Zo'or kept his eyes turned towards the floor.
The implant took his position at
Quo'on's side as the high-ranking Taelon spoke.
"Zo'or is hereby relieved of
his stewardship of the genetics project," he formally announced.
"Dro'vha is now to assume that position while we debate whether the
project should be continued."
Dro'vha stared at Boone, apparently
completely surprised by the appointment. "If it is the Synod's
wish..." he began.
"The Synod has appointed you to
this position on the basis of Da'an's recommendations," Quo'on explained
before turning back to Zo'or. "You are reinstated as our representative to
the United Nations for the time being, however, you are to make no public
announcements or comments without first clearing them with us."
"I require an implant,"
the devious Taelon said.
"You may re-enlist Agent
Sandoval's aid," Quo'on offered. "Commander Boone, you may remain as
my attaché or return to serve Da'an. I leave the decision up to you..."
"With all due respect," Boone
replied, with a slight bow. "My place is at Da'an's side, however much I
may have valued our association."
Quo'on smiled. "I expected no
less from you. "You are reinstated as head of Taelon Security and
Interspecies Relations and are now officially Da'an's Attaché. As such, you are
expected to take up residence within our North American embassy..."
"Your generous offer has made
me...very happy," he admitted, drawing smiles from Quo'on and Dro'vha,
while at the same time eliciting a sneer from Zo'or.
"Very well, you may gather your
things and depart. Zo'or - you shall remain so that we may discuss your
previous actions in the commons."
Zo'or's sneer quickly faded,
replaced by a look of dread.
Boone had Dro'vha
fly him back to his house, where he removed his bags from the shuttle and
stashed them in his living room, near the front door. Now that the time had
come to bid his new friend good-bye, he found the chore much more difficult
than he would otherwise have imagined. He had truly come to like the quirky
Taelon, even in the short while he had known him.
As he watched, Dro'vha unsnapped his
fanny pack, which was now empty, save for a few pens and trinkets he had
collected, and held it out to him.
"No," he laughed, as he
realized what was happening. "That's my gift to you. It's yours to
keep."
"I thank you for your
company," the Taelon said in a low tone. "I have truly enjoyed our
time together..."
"I'll miss you, too," he
admitted. "But that doesn't mean you can't visit me when you wish and our
schedules allow. I'll even take you out to big restaurant where you can watch dozens
of humans eating..."
The Taelon smiled broadly and bowing
with a formal hand gesture, took his leave.
Boone walked to the front window and
watched as the shuttle took off and jumped to interdimension, before popping
open his global and contacting Lili. It had been nine hours since he had
contacted her to put his little plan into motion...
"Will!" she exclaimed as
she answered. "Are you back?"
"Uhhh huh," he affirmed.
"Were you able to set everything up without him knowing?"
"Yup! I got Lassiter to help me
by misplacing some of Sandoval's possessions. He was so busy trying to figure
out where in New York they ended up, that he wasn't present while I was moving
things."
"So, they already made him move
all his stuff out, hmmm?" Boone actually felt badly for the man and made a
mental note to have lunch with him one day soon.
"He was very upset, Will! I've
never seen him like that..." She looked pained. "Zo'or treats him
like a dog! For a minute, I thought he was going to cry..."
Boone swallowed. "We have to do
something for him - I know that - but it's so hard to decide what can be done.
Sandoval's an uncommonly proud man and he'd hate us if we interfered..."
He sighed. "I'll talk to Da'an. Maybe something can be arranged to lighten
his burden... In the meantime, what say you pick me up around twenty hundred? I
take it that Da'an will be back by then?"
"His meetings with the
President, his council and the task force should be concluded by then,"
she confirmed. "I'll drop him off and then swing by to get you. See you
then!" She cut the transmission.
Boone picked up his keys and headed
for his car.
He had something he had to pick
up...
By twenty twenty
five, Boone, with Lili's help, had finished carting the last of his things up
to his new quarters next to Da'an's. He had been aware of the Companion's impatience
at the time it was taking, but had been determined to get the task out of the
way first so that it wouldn't ruin his evening later.
Bidding Lili a good night, he made
his way down to the audience chamber, where his Companion paced restlessly
before the windows. Da'an approached when he entered and met him half way
across the room.
"Hey," he greeted him as
he took his hands. "I've only been gone a few days..."
"Ah, but it might have been the
beginning of a permanent separation," the Companion replied as he blushed
brightly, his relief at Boone's return communicating itself to his Implant
through their linked hands.
"Well, I'm back now and we're
living under the same roof, so I'd say that things worked out fairly well for
us," he replied.
Da'an nodded and allowed his Implant
to lead him back to the window seats.
Reaching into his pocket, Boone
brought out the letter he had been given. "Jonathan Doors asked me to
deliver this to you," he related, as he handed it over.
Da'an opened it and scanned the
contents before passing it over to Boone. "Please feel free to read
it," he offered with a satisfied look upon his face.
He did just that:
Old friend,
I owe a debt that I can never repay.
I want you to know I've finally come to
terms with my condition. I no longer blame
you for it. You tried to warn me. It's my own
fault that I wouldn't listen...
I also know that you let me go that
day I faked my death. I hope that what I've
done here and now has helped in some
small way to pay the debt I owe you.
I see now that Boone was right. We
are in this thing together.
-D
"Well," Boone
commented, as he refolded the paper. "It would seem that your kindness to
Doors all those months ago came back to you tenfold."
"I am well acquainted with the
human phrase, 'what goes around, comes around'," the Companion said.
"We too have a similar saying..." Seeing his friend's obvious
interest, he continued. "We are all joined - linked - in an endless circle
of life and death."
Boone actually reacted physically,
jumping slightly as he heard the words.
"What is it which disturbs
you?" Da'an asked.
"Nothing...except that I heard
those very words from a human woman...just before she died. They were the last
she ever spoke..."
"Katya Petrenko?"
He nodded.
"Then... some of my parent's
spirit was passed down along with his gift, for it was one of his favorite
sayings..."
They sat together for some time,
silently musing over the strangeness of fate before Boone suddenly yawned.
"You are fatigued," Da'an
noted. "and I know that you were unable to sleep much the last few
nights." He stood and gestured him to do the same. "Come, I shall
walk you to your new residence."
He walked beside his friend until
they arrived at the door to the room which had been Sandoval's and was now his
own. "I am tired," he admitted, but I have something I wish to give
you first..."
"A gift?" The companion
looked both surprised and pleased. "What is the occasion?"
Boone led the way to the higher chamber,
stopping outside Da'an's room. "The gift is simply to show that I cherish
your friendship," he explained. "I spent a lot of time thinking about
what I could give a member of a race who already has so much...and something
you told me a while back gave me the key."
He held out his hand, palm outwards.
"Take my hand, Da'an," he
encouraged the Companion. "Share with me... now that our bond has joined
us so closely to each other."
With a look of wonder on his face,
Da'an joined hands with his Implant, even as Boone opened the door to his
chamber and led him inside.
His mouth hung open as he saw that
everywhere, the room was decorated with flowers. Day lilies near the window,
roses on the desk, hydrangeas near the bookcase...they were everywhere!
"Boone..." he began to speak but stopped suddenly.
He sensed something...
It was sweet? Soothing? Relaxing?
....It was....
'SMELL', Boone's mind prompted him.
He turned to stare at his human friend
in amazement and awe.
"I smell them..." he
whispered. "I smell them through you!"
Boone sniffed deeply, a sappy look
on his face at the childlike wonder which seemed to transfix his friend. He
tugged his friend over to the orchids, pointing out a new one which sat on the
window sill. "This orchid is my other gift to you, for having cared for
all the others," he said as he bent toward the deep purple petals and
inhaled their aroma. A sideways glance at the companion showed him that he had
closed his eyes, a look of pure bliss on face.
"This is..." Da'an began,
as he lost control of his human disguise and reverted back to his true form.
"...the most wonderful thing I have experienced since my arrival on your
planet." His voice shook slightly as he continued. "Please...may we
experience the scents of the others as well? I shall commit them to memory so
that I might remember them again whenever I see such beauty..."
"Da'an," he smiled,
feeling choked up at the joy his Companion was radiating to him through their
sharing. "I promise you that when your garden blooms, that we shall walk
in it together and you shall experience it as I do..."
FIN
