TITLE: A Different Kind of Chapter
AUTHOR: M. Edison
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)
CATEGORY: AU
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: No
SUMMARY: Danna ask's Blair to find an errant Taelon scientist. And, in typical Sandburg fashion,
he sort of 'adopts' said Taelon.
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of the Sentinel or Earth: Final Conflict
belong to me but Ma'an and Danna do.
A Different Kind of Chapter
by M. Edison
---------
Cascade, Washington State
January 17, 4 AC
Major Crimes Department, Cascade Police
Moving through the bullpen, heading for the office where Jim was meeting with
Simon, Blair cheerfully waved to his friends and exchanged greetings with them.
Since going to work with the Canadian Companion Ja'el, he rarely got a chance to
spend much time with them in Cascade. He wished he could, but working with the
Taelons often meant travel around the globe, particularly if Ja'el was meeting
with other Companions or on a humanitarian mission.
It was a sacrifice to give up time spent hanging out with his friends, but it
was one well worth it, in his opinion. Working for the Companions wasn't always
a basket of roses but it definitely was the challenge of a lifetime.
After having chatted pleasantly with Megan for a few minutes, Sandburg finally
reached Simon's office door but; just as his hand touched the doorknob, his
global began to chime and, with an aggrieved sigh, he stepped away to answer it.
As he sat down at a desk, he retrieved the small device from his belt and pulled
out the small working screen that served as a video.
The global device was still a growing novelty amongst the civilian populations,
but to those working for the Companions, they were an invaluable tool: literally
a computer, camera, vidphone, scanning device, audio recorder, and GPS system
all in one, a global was the one piece of equipment neither Jim nor Blair left
home without.
"Yeah?" His voice activating the vidphone feature of the global, Blair found
Danna Gaertner's familiar face looking at him from the small screen. Holding it
up evenly so the small camera in the global could get a good shot of his face as
well, he raised an eyebrow. "What's up Dan?"
The Companion Protector greeted him with a brief smile before speaking. "Anyone
within earshot?"
A quick check, then he focused on her again. "No."
"Good, listen, is Jim still in his meeting with Captain Banks?"
"Yeah, I was about to head in there."
"Well, forget that idea," Danna seemed to glance around the area where she stood
before she lowered her voice to continue. "I'm in Cascade, too, with Ja'el and
Ma'an. They're scheduled to tour Rainier today."
"How's that going?" Blair questioned, interested in what the Canadian Companion,
Ja'el, and a leading Taelon scientist, Ma'an, would be doing visiting an
American University; usually the American Companion Da'an made such visits.
"Pretty good, actually, Ja'el's sitting in on a psychology class; he really gets
a kick out of it." Danna chuckled briefly at the comment. Ja'el, unlike many of
his fellow Taelons, was most unorthodox in the fact he seemed to delight in
studying human culture. He was much more accessible to average citizens of the
country he lived in than some of his counterparts. The closest equivalent was
Da'an himself.
"So, what's got that look on your face?"
The casual prompt had its effect and the Companion Protector sighed ruefully.
"Ma'an's gone again."
The comment brought a snicker from Blair and he glanced up to see Jim Watching
him through the open blinds of Simon's office, a similarly amused expression on
his face. If Ja'el was unorthodox in his approachability, Ma'an was unorthodox
in her behavior. She seemed to spend most of her time running theories through
her head and often became fascinated with the simplest thing about Earth -
sometimes to the point that she would lose track of where she was walking
or the conversation going on around her.
"Let me guess, you want me to look for her?"
As a race, the Taelons were androgynous and therefore, had no gender references
in their language. It was a challenge for humans in everyday conversation, since
he/she references didn't really apply. So, to make things easier, Companion
personnel bestow a he/she reference on the Taelon they worked with; which was
usually decided on by the physical appearance of the Taelon, the modulation of
their voice, and their behavior in general. Though they didn't have the physical
distinguishing characteristics of gender, some would appear more feminine than
others in their face or size and Ma'an was just such a Taelon.
Danna sighed again and nodded, "I'd be grateful. I stepped out of the class with
Ja'el to call you but I've got to get back in there and I don't want to pull any
of the security personnel from their stations, Jim'd kill me if I did."
Glancing up, Blair saw his friend give an affirming nod with a smirk on his face
as Simon chuckled - clearly realizing that the Sentinel was eavesdropping on
one of Blair's conversations.
"You're right, he probably would." He said in response as he looked to the
global's small screen again. "Besides, I know that campus better than Jim's
security teams. There's no place she can go there where I can't find her."
"Thanks Blair." The tall blonde smiled gratefully. "I've got to get back in,
just send someone in to tell me when you've found her, ok?"
"Will do." Sliding the global shut, he returned it to his belt and looked to
Jim, who was watching his way expectantly.
Mouthing the words `gotta go' he waited for the Sentinel's affirmation then left
the bullpen again with a "Catch you guys later," tossed over his shoulder to the
working detectives.
-*-*-*-*-
Typically Cascade, it was raining when he got out of his car to begin the search
for the errant Taelon. So, with a groan, he fished an umbrella out of the trunk
before trudging off down the wet walkways, eyes searching for a flash of the
shimmery bluish-purple jumpsuit the Companions seemed to favor or the silvery
paleness of a Taelon's hairless scalp.
"If I were Ma'an, where would I be?" Blair mused aloud, rounding a corner and
nodding at the security man posted at the doorway of one building. "She's got to
be around here, somewhere. Ma'an's not scatterbrained enough to wander off
campus and even if she tried, security'd intercept her."
So, if she wasn't on the edges of campus, or near the buildings where she'd be
easily found: The rose garden.
It came to him in a burst of clarity and, quickening his step, the
anthropologist headed in that direction. Though he was hurrying, none of the
security personnel gave him any hassle. Jim had made sure they all recognized
Blair's face, knew he was their commander's partner in the field and an attaché
to Ja'el, so they knew to give him a wide berth if he seemed to be in a hurry.
Ordinarily, Blair would have taken his time moving along, but the rain was
getting steadily worse and Ma'an likely wouldn't notice the rain; when she got
caught up in an idea, she usually didn't worry about things like environmental
conditions; or the reverse if it was the environmental conditions she was
fascinated with, then she wasn't likely to worry about an umbrella or warm coat
and he wasn't sure what kind of an effect the rain would have on a Taelon's
physiology. Nothing? Or would she literally catch her death?
As he hurried into the garden, he made a mental note to study up on the
information that was available to them on Taelon biology.
"Ma'an?!" Looking around, he tried to spot the slender Taelon, but to no avail.
"Blair Sandburg?" The softly accented voice of the Taelon scientist reached his
ears and he turned to see her face looking at him questioningly over a bush.
"What the hell are you doing?" He questioned briskly, hurrying around the hedge
to her side.
The Companion was on her knees next to a pool of water where the Koi were kept,
soaked to her extremely pale skin; yet, as always, she seemed the picture of
composure. A trait of her race that Blair had yet to figure out. "I am examining
the eco-structure of this pool, tell me, why are fish kept here? It is not their
natural habitat."
"No. it's not." The anthropologist agreed, hesitating briefly before helping the
Companion up. "You shouldn't be out here Ma'an!"
"Why?"
"It's not safe, you didn't bring any security with you, you didn't tell
Commander Gaertner where you were going, and it's pouring rain! You could get
sick!"
"I do not get sick." She countered, unflappable.
"Everything gets sick, Ma'an, you know that. You just haven't encountered
anything here that would make a Taelon sick - not that you've told us, anyway."
Blair held the umbrella over her head as they made their way through the garden.
"We have not." The Companion affirmed with a nod. "I would not deceive you on
this."
"I know." The human agreed, supporting the slim alien protectively as they
walked out of the garden. "But it's still our job to worry about you and Ja'el.
Not to mention human nature."
Unearthly blue eyes met his and Blair felt like the Taelon wasn't just looking
at his face but past that into his soul. It was a strange sensation. He'd felt
things like it before when facing down his mother and his grandmother in his
childhood, like his secrets were being laid bare for inspection and evaluation,
only now the difference was: he couldn't be sure that wasn't what Ma'an was
doing.
Biologically, the Taelons were more energy than anything else. They received
nourishment and rested in a matter stream like the one Blair had seen Ja'el use
in his chamber at the Taelon Embassy in Ottawa and, from what he remembered,
didn't bleed in the same way humans did. Instead of losing blood, a Taelon would
lose energy. It was that fact that made Blair wonder just what mental powers the
Taelon race had at their disposal. Could Ma'an really look into his soul? And if
she could, what would she do with what she found?
Pushing said concerns away, he forced himself to meet Ma'an's speculative gaze
with calm in his own.
"Why do humans do this?" She questioned finally.
"Do what?" He prompted, confused by the ambigous question.
"Care. We are strangers to your world, we tell you little of our origins, leave
most to mystery and yet you accept us willingly. Care for us, protect us, and
teach us... Why do you do this?" The Taelon seemed almost troubled by something.
What, he didn't know, but it almost looked as if she felt guilty about
something...but what?
Reaching his car, Blair took a few moments to collect his thoughts, stalling
having to answer, by wrapping the Taelon in a warm blanket and helping her into
the front seat before getting in, himself. It was a few more moments before he
looked at the alien in the passenger's seat. "You helped us. You took nothing in
return...you just helped."
His softly spoken answer seemed to trouble the Taelon, but Ma'an said nothing
for a long moment. "Your race is truly an inspiration, Blair Sandburg. Truly."
-*-*-*-*-*-
Guiding the shivering Taelon into the loft, Blair immediately turned up the heat
and offered his guest a warm blanket. "We've got to get you into some warm
clothing. Stand by the stove, you're shivering."
Mutely, Ma'an did as she was told, wide eyes taking in the cluttered loft with
intense curiosity. She stood still, not moving from where Blair had directed
her, but examined everything within sight with an alert gaze.
It was a characteristic that Blair had observed of the few Taelons he'd
interacted with. They were the picture of stillness yet missed nothing that went
on around them. He didn't know if it was a characteristic of the race as a
whole, but both Ma'an and Ja'el were intensely curious. They wanted to see and
experience everything. Always learning and, in their way, always teaching.
Sometimes, he wondered if they had senses similar to Jim's. Nothing seemed to
escape them.
Walking out of his bedroom, Blair suspected there was very little about the
living room Ma'an hadn't observed, thought over, and catalogued in some part of
her mind.
"The bathroom's in there," he nodded in the bathroom's direction. "Can you, uh,
can you drink? Liquid I mean?"
She considered the question for a moment then nodded. "I do not ordinarily
ingest nourishment in the way humans do, as you well know, but it is not
impossible for me to do so."
"Then we should get something hot into you." Pressing the clothing into the
Taelon's hands, he escorted her back to the bathroom door. "You're about the
same size I am, the jeans should fit, and the shirt's one of Jim's older ones,
it's...uh...its pretty comfortable." He wasn't sure how Taelons judged
comfortable and for a moment he worried the material in the clothing could
irritate her skin, if that's what Taelons called it, but she seemed unconcerned
about the possibility, so he let it slide.
Ma'an inclined her head in a gesture of thanks, she moved with the graceful and
fluid way that all Taelons seemed to possess, then stepped into the bathroom and
closed the door behind her.
Blair waited a beat, to see if she would need his help, then made his way back
into the kitchen to fill the kettle with water before setting it on a burner. As
he moved, he couldn't help musing over the incredulity of the situation.
A year before, the only experience he'd ever had with the Taelons, up close
anyway, was listening to a speech Da'an had given at the opening of a
Companion-sponsored research program in Seattle...now he had an influential
Taelon scientist in his bathroom, putting on a pair of his jeans and a shirt
he'd worn more times than he could count. It was surreal.
Leaving the kettle to boil, Blair walked over to the Vid unit, which rested in
one corner of the loft, and spoke. "Phone on: call Danna's global."
The MCI logo rotated on the VidPhone's screen as the computer accessed the
Global Service before contacting the Companion Protector's Global.
A moment later, Danna's face appeared on the screen. From the background he
could tell she'd tucked herself into a corner just outside one of the lecture
halls. "You find her?" She asked without preamble.
"Hello to you, too." The anthropologist countered with a wry smile.
Instantly, she flushed and ducked her head. "Sorry, Blair."
He laughed and waved a hand. "No worries, and yes, I did find her. She's
drenched to the skin but she's ok."
"Where is she now?"
"I brought her back to the loft with me: she's in the bathroom changing into
some dry clothing."
The tall blonde nodded, accepting it. "Good. Keep her there. I'll see if Jim
can't spare some security to keep an eye on the building for you."
"That's not really necessary Dan, I mean, who's going to think to find a Taelon
here?" Blair shrugged. He knew she wasn't going to buy it but he put forward the
argument anyway, for Ma'an's sake. Both Ma'an and Ja'el were not fond of the
security that surrounded them. They tolerated Danna and Jim's concerns but
neither really went out of their way to follow the stringent protocols that had
been set down. In many ways, they reminded Blair of his mother. Always trusting
in the goodwill of man and their steadfast belief that things would be fine and
that all humans could be trusted.
He wished it was so, but it wasn't, and he knew the security was necessary. So
did they, on some level...otherwise they wouldn't tolerate it at all.
"If they followed you back there, anyone." Danna shot down the reasoning without
anger. She knew why he was making the argument and she understood that. Blair
wasn't the only one who wished that Ma'an and Ja'el's faith in humanity's better
nature was well placed. She wished it even though she knew that, no matter how
advanced humanity got, there would always be that small portion who didn't seem
to care about enlightenment, only themselves. "Don't worry, Blair, I'll tell
them to be discreet. You won't even know they're there."
"Yes I will." He grinned. "You just told me they will be."
She rolled her eyes but didn't suppress the laugh that escaped her. "No wonder
they like you so much." They being Ma'an and Ja'el. "You're as irrepressible as
they are."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Blair looked over his shoulder as the kettle
began to whistle. "Gotta go..." His grin returned. "I'm making hot chocolate for
Ma'an."
Danna widened her eyes in mock-alarm. "Great...that's all I need. A hyper
Taelon...Blair, you have got to stop corrupting those two. Next thing I know,
I'm going to find them playing computer games in the Embassy."
"And that'd be a bad thing, how?"
She rolled her eyes again. "Go rescue that kettle. I'll see you after Ja'el's
done here."
Laughing, he waved a goodbye before she shut down the link on her end and the
screen returned to the revolving MCI logo.
-*-*-*-*-
Unlocking the door to the loft, Jim frowned in concentration. He wasn't hearing
what he thought...
As he opened the door, his eyes confirmed what his ears had told him and the
Sentinel didn't know whether to gape at the scene before him or just shake his
head. Either way he knew Sandburg had done it again.
He ran a hand over his head to shake stray drops of water from his short hair,
while the other hand dropped the keys into the basket, announcing his presence
to the two people in the living room.
"Hey, man!" Blair greeted with a cheerful wave as he and Ma'an looked up from
the Monopoly game they'd set out on the coffee table. "Still rainin', huh?"
"Yeah," Jim nodded toward the rivulets of water streaming down the doors that
led to the balcony.
Glancing in that direction, his friend's cheerful attitude didn't dissipate.
Clearly he was amused by Jim's somewhat flabbergasted reaction. He couldn't help
it. It was funny. But he could understand it. It wasn't every day Jim came home
to find a Taelon sitting on a pillow on the living room floor dressed in jeans,
the infamous Army sweatshirt, and drinking hot chocolate, while playing
Monopoly.
Definitely not your average rainy day in Cascade.
"You must join us James." Ma'an noted as she delicately licked away a dab of
marshmallow from her fingertip. "This is a most intriguing game."
"Yeah, Jim, you gotta play, she's cleaning me out here." Blair gestured to the
rather impressive amount of money displayed before Ma'an, not to mention the
large number of hotels and houses the Taelon had racked up. "And to make it
worse, this is the first time she's played this."
The Sentinel snickered quietly as he poured a cup of hot chocolate for himself,
adding a generous amount of marshmallows before moving to join them. "That
figures, Sandburg, you play this game like a sailor on shore leave."
The comment earned him a confused look from their alien guest.
"He means I spend money without thinking about it first." Blair clarified.
"Ahh..." She nodded. "Do all sailors do this? I must ask Commander Gaertner. She
is a member of your Navy, she would be considered a sailor, yes?"
"Uh, yes, she would be." Jim confirmed, already envisioning the Companion
Protector's reaction.
"Good, then I will ask her about this." Holding up the bag containing the
playing pieces, Ma'an looked at him questioningly. "Which one do you prefer
James? Blair Sandburg is using the thimble, I have the little hat."
"The car please." He restrained himself from shaking his head at the situation.
Blair had one interesting story to tell. But then, when didn't Blair have an
interesting story to tell?
Handing him the playing piece, she gave him a questioning look. "Do Army
officers also spend money this way, James?"
He swallowed a laugh and shook his head. "No, they don't." Hearing someone
approach the door, Jim excused himself and picked up his hot chocolate, telling
them he needed more marshmallows.
Ma'an accepted the excuse with a nod, her concentration on the peculiar game
before her, but Blair knew better. He'd seen the look on Jim's face and got up
to follow. "Need a refill?" He paused to question their guest.
Looking up, she inclined her head in a gesture of thanks before placing Jim's
Monopoly money on his side of the board.
Blair leaned past her to pick up her mug then hurried after his friend. "What is
it?" He whispered as soon as they were in the kitchen and out of Ma'an's
earshot.
"Someone's coming. You expecting anyone?"
"Yeah, the pizza guy."
This time Jim didn't bother to try and hide his incredulous expression. "The
*pizza guy*?! You've got a Companion sitting in the living room, wearing your
jeans and my sweatshirt, playing Monopoly *and* you called the *pizza guy*?!
Blair, am I the only one who thinks this is insane?"
"Yep, you got any money man? I'm tapped."
Numbly, the Sentinel handed his friend his wallet and shook his head. "Why did
you order pizza?"
"Well, Ma'an and I've been talking and she wanted to try some of the foods she's
always seeing advertisements for. Pizza's at the top of the list." The doorbell
rang then and he dropped the conversation long enough to open the door, pay the
pizza guy and take the box before closing it again. "You know how curious
Taelons are, man." Carrying the pizza into the kitchen, he set it on the counter
and moved to get plates. "By the way, she loves the shirt. Says its much more
comfortable than the suits Taelons usually wear."
"Remind me to thank her later." Jim reached out to snag a slice from the pizza.
"Y'know, Chief, you keep this up and Danna's going to skrill** you or
something."
"Keep what up?"
His friend nodded in Ma'an's direction. "You've got her drinking hot chocolate,
playing Monopoly, wearing human clothing, and eating pizza. What's next? Soap
operas and Wonderburger?"
Blair shuddered. "Uh, no, man, sorry, that's your neck of the woods." He picked
up the plates. "Mind refilling the hot chocolate for me, my hands're full."
With a sigh, Jim chalked the conversation up as another trip to the Sandburg
Zone, then started to do as his friend had asked. Abruptly, he stopped his work
and called Blair back.
"What?"
Leaning in, the Sentinel smirked. "You do realize that I want a full
explanation."
With his best `wide-eyed innocence', Blair looked confused. "About what?"
"About how Ma'an came to be here wearing my sweatshirt, drinking hot chocolate
and playing Monopoly. I thought Danna just wanted you to find her, not bring her
back here for an education in the ways of passing a rainy afternoon." Jim
refilled the mugs and put them on a tray. "Does she know..."
"Yeah, I called her and told her we were here. You didn't see the security
around the building?" The younger man grinned. "You must be slipping."
"Did I say I didn't see them?" Ellison countered smoothly. "I'm sure I didn't
say that I missed them." Moving ahead, he looked back with a grin. "And you will
be explaining later. I'm guessing this one's going to make for an interesting
story."
"Naw," Blair shook his head. "Nothing new. Just a typical day for us."
And the scary thing was...it was a typical day for them, the look that passed
between them confirmed their agreement on the subject.
Typical or no, it definitely added a new chapter to the novel that was `The Life
and Times of A Well-Used Sweatshirt.' and a...different sort of chapter it was
indeed.
Finis
** Skrilling someone refers to the weapon most Companion Protectors wear on
their arms. A Skrill is a bioengineered lifeform the Taelons use as a weapon.
Its implanted in the arm and taps into the human nervous system, responding to
mental cues on when to fire and to what severity. Thus, when they shoot someone
they say they 'Skrilled' 'em.
AUTHOR: M. Edison
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please! Be gentle though. ;-)
CATEGORY: AU
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: No
SUMMARY: Danna ask's Blair to find an errant Taelon scientist. And, in typical Sandburg fashion,
he sort of 'adopts' said Taelon.
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters or concepts of the Sentinel or Earth: Final Conflict
belong to me but Ma'an and Danna do.
A Different Kind of Chapter
by M. Edison
---------
Cascade, Washington State
January 17, 4 AC
Major Crimes Department, Cascade Police
Moving through the bullpen, heading for the office where Jim was meeting with
Simon, Blair cheerfully waved to his friends and exchanged greetings with them.
Since going to work with the Canadian Companion Ja'el, he rarely got a chance to
spend much time with them in Cascade. He wished he could, but working with the
Taelons often meant travel around the globe, particularly if Ja'el was meeting
with other Companions or on a humanitarian mission.
It was a sacrifice to give up time spent hanging out with his friends, but it
was one well worth it, in his opinion. Working for the Companions wasn't always
a basket of roses but it definitely was the challenge of a lifetime.
After having chatted pleasantly with Megan for a few minutes, Sandburg finally
reached Simon's office door but; just as his hand touched the doorknob, his
global began to chime and, with an aggrieved sigh, he stepped away to answer it.
As he sat down at a desk, he retrieved the small device from his belt and pulled
out the small working screen that served as a video.
The global device was still a growing novelty amongst the civilian populations,
but to those working for the Companions, they were an invaluable tool: literally
a computer, camera, vidphone, scanning device, audio recorder, and GPS system
all in one, a global was the one piece of equipment neither Jim nor Blair left
home without.
"Yeah?" His voice activating the vidphone feature of the global, Blair found
Danna Gaertner's familiar face looking at him from the small screen. Holding it
up evenly so the small camera in the global could get a good shot of his face as
well, he raised an eyebrow. "What's up Dan?"
The Companion Protector greeted him with a brief smile before speaking. "Anyone
within earshot?"
A quick check, then he focused on her again. "No."
"Good, listen, is Jim still in his meeting with Captain Banks?"
"Yeah, I was about to head in there."
"Well, forget that idea," Danna seemed to glance around the area where she stood
before she lowered her voice to continue. "I'm in Cascade, too, with Ja'el and
Ma'an. They're scheduled to tour Rainier today."
"How's that going?" Blair questioned, interested in what the Canadian Companion,
Ja'el, and a leading Taelon scientist, Ma'an, would be doing visiting an
American University; usually the American Companion Da'an made such visits.
"Pretty good, actually, Ja'el's sitting in on a psychology class; he really gets
a kick out of it." Danna chuckled briefly at the comment. Ja'el, unlike many of
his fellow Taelons, was most unorthodox in the fact he seemed to delight in
studying human culture. He was much more accessible to average citizens of the
country he lived in than some of his counterparts. The closest equivalent was
Da'an himself.
"So, what's got that look on your face?"
The casual prompt had its effect and the Companion Protector sighed ruefully.
"Ma'an's gone again."
The comment brought a snicker from Blair and he glanced up to see Jim Watching
him through the open blinds of Simon's office, a similarly amused expression on
his face. If Ja'el was unorthodox in his approachability, Ma'an was unorthodox
in her behavior. She seemed to spend most of her time running theories through
her head and often became fascinated with the simplest thing about Earth -
sometimes to the point that she would lose track of where she was walking
or the conversation going on around her.
"Let me guess, you want me to look for her?"
As a race, the Taelons were androgynous and therefore, had no gender references
in their language. It was a challenge for humans in everyday conversation, since
he/she references didn't really apply. So, to make things easier, Companion
personnel bestow a he/she reference on the Taelon they worked with; which was
usually decided on by the physical appearance of the Taelon, the modulation of
their voice, and their behavior in general. Though they didn't have the physical
distinguishing characteristics of gender, some would appear more feminine than
others in their face or size and Ma'an was just such a Taelon.
Danna sighed again and nodded, "I'd be grateful. I stepped out of the class with
Ja'el to call you but I've got to get back in there and I don't want to pull any
of the security personnel from their stations, Jim'd kill me if I did."
Glancing up, Blair saw his friend give an affirming nod with a smirk on his face
as Simon chuckled - clearly realizing that the Sentinel was eavesdropping on
one of Blair's conversations.
"You're right, he probably would." He said in response as he looked to the
global's small screen again. "Besides, I know that campus better than Jim's
security teams. There's no place she can go there where I can't find her."
"Thanks Blair." The tall blonde smiled gratefully. "I've got to get back in,
just send someone in to tell me when you've found her, ok?"
"Will do." Sliding the global shut, he returned it to his belt and looked to
Jim, who was watching his way expectantly.
Mouthing the words `gotta go' he waited for the Sentinel's affirmation then left
the bullpen again with a "Catch you guys later," tossed over his shoulder to the
working detectives.
-*-*-*-*-
Typically Cascade, it was raining when he got out of his car to begin the search
for the errant Taelon. So, with a groan, he fished an umbrella out of the trunk
before trudging off down the wet walkways, eyes searching for a flash of the
shimmery bluish-purple jumpsuit the Companions seemed to favor or the silvery
paleness of a Taelon's hairless scalp.
"If I were Ma'an, where would I be?" Blair mused aloud, rounding a corner and
nodding at the security man posted at the doorway of one building. "She's got to
be around here, somewhere. Ma'an's not scatterbrained enough to wander off
campus and even if she tried, security'd intercept her."
So, if she wasn't on the edges of campus, or near the buildings where she'd be
easily found: The rose garden.
It came to him in a burst of clarity and, quickening his step, the
anthropologist headed in that direction. Though he was hurrying, none of the
security personnel gave him any hassle. Jim had made sure they all recognized
Blair's face, knew he was their commander's partner in the field and an attaché
to Ja'el, so they knew to give him a wide berth if he seemed to be in a hurry.
Ordinarily, Blair would have taken his time moving along, but the rain was
getting steadily worse and Ma'an likely wouldn't notice the rain; when she got
caught up in an idea, she usually didn't worry about things like environmental
conditions; or the reverse if it was the environmental conditions she was
fascinated with, then she wasn't likely to worry about an umbrella or warm coat
and he wasn't sure what kind of an effect the rain would have on a Taelon's
physiology. Nothing? Or would she literally catch her death?
As he hurried into the garden, he made a mental note to study up on the
information that was available to them on Taelon biology.
"Ma'an?!" Looking around, he tried to spot the slender Taelon, but to no avail.
"Blair Sandburg?" The softly accented voice of the Taelon scientist reached his
ears and he turned to see her face looking at him questioningly over a bush.
"What the hell are you doing?" He questioned briskly, hurrying around the hedge
to her side.
The Companion was on her knees next to a pool of water where the Koi were kept,
soaked to her extremely pale skin; yet, as always, she seemed the picture of
composure. A trait of her race that Blair had yet to figure out. "I am examining
the eco-structure of this pool, tell me, why are fish kept here? It is not their
natural habitat."
"No. it's not." The anthropologist agreed, hesitating briefly before helping the
Companion up. "You shouldn't be out here Ma'an!"
"Why?"
"It's not safe, you didn't bring any security with you, you didn't tell
Commander Gaertner where you were going, and it's pouring rain! You could get
sick!"
"I do not get sick." She countered, unflappable.
"Everything gets sick, Ma'an, you know that. You just haven't encountered
anything here that would make a Taelon sick - not that you've told us, anyway."
Blair held the umbrella over her head as they made their way through the garden.
"We have not." The Companion affirmed with a nod. "I would not deceive you on
this."
"I know." The human agreed, supporting the slim alien protectively as they
walked out of the garden. "But it's still our job to worry about you and Ja'el.
Not to mention human nature."
Unearthly blue eyes met his and Blair felt like the Taelon wasn't just looking
at his face but past that into his soul. It was a strange sensation. He'd felt
things like it before when facing down his mother and his grandmother in his
childhood, like his secrets were being laid bare for inspection and evaluation,
only now the difference was: he couldn't be sure that wasn't what Ma'an was
doing.
Biologically, the Taelons were more energy than anything else. They received
nourishment and rested in a matter stream like the one Blair had seen Ja'el use
in his chamber at the Taelon Embassy in Ottawa and, from what he remembered,
didn't bleed in the same way humans did. Instead of losing blood, a Taelon would
lose energy. It was that fact that made Blair wonder just what mental powers the
Taelon race had at their disposal. Could Ma'an really look into his soul? And if
she could, what would she do with what she found?
Pushing said concerns away, he forced himself to meet Ma'an's speculative gaze
with calm in his own.
"Why do humans do this?" She questioned finally.
"Do what?" He prompted, confused by the ambigous question.
"Care. We are strangers to your world, we tell you little of our origins, leave
most to mystery and yet you accept us willingly. Care for us, protect us, and
teach us... Why do you do this?" The Taelon seemed almost troubled by something.
What, he didn't know, but it almost looked as if she felt guilty about
something...but what?
Reaching his car, Blair took a few moments to collect his thoughts, stalling
having to answer, by wrapping the Taelon in a warm blanket and helping her into
the front seat before getting in, himself. It was a few more moments before he
looked at the alien in the passenger's seat. "You helped us. You took nothing in
return...you just helped."
His softly spoken answer seemed to trouble the Taelon, but Ma'an said nothing
for a long moment. "Your race is truly an inspiration, Blair Sandburg. Truly."
-*-*-*-*-*-
Guiding the shivering Taelon into the loft, Blair immediately turned up the heat
and offered his guest a warm blanket. "We've got to get you into some warm
clothing. Stand by the stove, you're shivering."
Mutely, Ma'an did as she was told, wide eyes taking in the cluttered loft with
intense curiosity. She stood still, not moving from where Blair had directed
her, but examined everything within sight with an alert gaze.
It was a characteristic that Blair had observed of the few Taelons he'd
interacted with. They were the picture of stillness yet missed nothing that went
on around them. He didn't know if it was a characteristic of the race as a
whole, but both Ma'an and Ja'el were intensely curious. They wanted to see and
experience everything. Always learning and, in their way, always teaching.
Sometimes, he wondered if they had senses similar to Jim's. Nothing seemed to
escape them.
Walking out of his bedroom, Blair suspected there was very little about the
living room Ma'an hadn't observed, thought over, and catalogued in some part of
her mind.
"The bathroom's in there," he nodded in the bathroom's direction. "Can you, uh,
can you drink? Liquid I mean?"
She considered the question for a moment then nodded. "I do not ordinarily
ingest nourishment in the way humans do, as you well know, but it is not
impossible for me to do so."
"Then we should get something hot into you." Pressing the clothing into the
Taelon's hands, he escorted her back to the bathroom door. "You're about the
same size I am, the jeans should fit, and the shirt's one of Jim's older ones,
it's...uh...its pretty comfortable." He wasn't sure how Taelons judged
comfortable and for a moment he worried the material in the clothing could
irritate her skin, if that's what Taelons called it, but she seemed unconcerned
about the possibility, so he let it slide.
Ma'an inclined her head in a gesture of thanks, she moved with the graceful and
fluid way that all Taelons seemed to possess, then stepped into the bathroom and
closed the door behind her.
Blair waited a beat, to see if she would need his help, then made his way back
into the kitchen to fill the kettle with water before setting it on a burner. As
he moved, he couldn't help musing over the incredulity of the situation.
A year before, the only experience he'd ever had with the Taelons, up close
anyway, was listening to a speech Da'an had given at the opening of a
Companion-sponsored research program in Seattle...now he had an influential
Taelon scientist in his bathroom, putting on a pair of his jeans and a shirt
he'd worn more times than he could count. It was surreal.
Leaving the kettle to boil, Blair walked over to the Vid unit, which rested in
one corner of the loft, and spoke. "Phone on: call Danna's global."
The MCI logo rotated on the VidPhone's screen as the computer accessed the
Global Service before contacting the Companion Protector's Global.
A moment later, Danna's face appeared on the screen. From the background he
could tell she'd tucked herself into a corner just outside one of the lecture
halls. "You find her?" She asked without preamble.
"Hello to you, too." The anthropologist countered with a wry smile.
Instantly, she flushed and ducked her head. "Sorry, Blair."
He laughed and waved a hand. "No worries, and yes, I did find her. She's
drenched to the skin but she's ok."
"Where is she now?"
"I brought her back to the loft with me: she's in the bathroom changing into
some dry clothing."
The tall blonde nodded, accepting it. "Good. Keep her there. I'll see if Jim
can't spare some security to keep an eye on the building for you."
"That's not really necessary Dan, I mean, who's going to think to find a Taelon
here?" Blair shrugged. He knew she wasn't going to buy it but he put forward the
argument anyway, for Ma'an's sake. Both Ma'an and Ja'el were not fond of the
security that surrounded them. They tolerated Danna and Jim's concerns but
neither really went out of their way to follow the stringent protocols that had
been set down. In many ways, they reminded Blair of his mother. Always trusting
in the goodwill of man and their steadfast belief that things would be fine and
that all humans could be trusted.
He wished it was so, but it wasn't, and he knew the security was necessary. So
did they, on some level...otherwise they wouldn't tolerate it at all.
"If they followed you back there, anyone." Danna shot down the reasoning without
anger. She knew why he was making the argument and she understood that. Blair
wasn't the only one who wished that Ma'an and Ja'el's faith in humanity's better
nature was well placed. She wished it even though she knew that, no matter how
advanced humanity got, there would always be that small portion who didn't seem
to care about enlightenment, only themselves. "Don't worry, Blair, I'll tell
them to be discreet. You won't even know they're there."
"Yes I will." He grinned. "You just told me they will be."
She rolled her eyes but didn't suppress the laugh that escaped her. "No wonder
they like you so much." They being Ma'an and Ja'el. "You're as irrepressible as
they are."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Blair looked over his shoulder as the kettle
began to whistle. "Gotta go..." His grin returned. "I'm making hot chocolate for
Ma'an."
Danna widened her eyes in mock-alarm. "Great...that's all I need. A hyper
Taelon...Blair, you have got to stop corrupting those two. Next thing I know,
I'm going to find them playing computer games in the Embassy."
"And that'd be a bad thing, how?"
She rolled her eyes again. "Go rescue that kettle. I'll see you after Ja'el's
done here."
Laughing, he waved a goodbye before she shut down the link on her end and the
screen returned to the revolving MCI logo.
-*-*-*-*-
Unlocking the door to the loft, Jim frowned in concentration. He wasn't hearing
what he thought...
As he opened the door, his eyes confirmed what his ears had told him and the
Sentinel didn't know whether to gape at the scene before him or just shake his
head. Either way he knew Sandburg had done it again.
He ran a hand over his head to shake stray drops of water from his short hair,
while the other hand dropped the keys into the basket, announcing his presence
to the two people in the living room.
"Hey, man!" Blair greeted with a cheerful wave as he and Ma'an looked up from
the Monopoly game they'd set out on the coffee table. "Still rainin', huh?"
"Yeah," Jim nodded toward the rivulets of water streaming down the doors that
led to the balcony.
Glancing in that direction, his friend's cheerful attitude didn't dissipate.
Clearly he was amused by Jim's somewhat flabbergasted reaction. He couldn't help
it. It was funny. But he could understand it. It wasn't every day Jim came home
to find a Taelon sitting on a pillow on the living room floor dressed in jeans,
the infamous Army sweatshirt, and drinking hot chocolate, while playing
Monopoly.
Definitely not your average rainy day in Cascade.
"You must join us James." Ma'an noted as she delicately licked away a dab of
marshmallow from her fingertip. "This is a most intriguing game."
"Yeah, Jim, you gotta play, she's cleaning me out here." Blair gestured to the
rather impressive amount of money displayed before Ma'an, not to mention the
large number of hotels and houses the Taelon had racked up. "And to make it
worse, this is the first time she's played this."
The Sentinel snickered quietly as he poured a cup of hot chocolate for himself,
adding a generous amount of marshmallows before moving to join them. "That
figures, Sandburg, you play this game like a sailor on shore leave."
The comment earned him a confused look from their alien guest.
"He means I spend money without thinking about it first." Blair clarified.
"Ahh..." She nodded. "Do all sailors do this? I must ask Commander Gaertner. She
is a member of your Navy, she would be considered a sailor, yes?"
"Uh, yes, she would be." Jim confirmed, already envisioning the Companion
Protector's reaction.
"Good, then I will ask her about this." Holding up the bag containing the
playing pieces, Ma'an looked at him questioningly. "Which one do you prefer
James? Blair Sandburg is using the thimble, I have the little hat."
"The car please." He restrained himself from shaking his head at the situation.
Blair had one interesting story to tell. But then, when didn't Blair have an
interesting story to tell?
Handing him the playing piece, she gave him a questioning look. "Do Army
officers also spend money this way, James?"
He swallowed a laugh and shook his head. "No, they don't." Hearing someone
approach the door, Jim excused himself and picked up his hot chocolate, telling
them he needed more marshmallows.
Ma'an accepted the excuse with a nod, her concentration on the peculiar game
before her, but Blair knew better. He'd seen the look on Jim's face and got up
to follow. "Need a refill?" He paused to question their guest.
Looking up, she inclined her head in a gesture of thanks before placing Jim's
Monopoly money on his side of the board.
Blair leaned past her to pick up her mug then hurried after his friend. "What is
it?" He whispered as soon as they were in the kitchen and out of Ma'an's
earshot.
"Someone's coming. You expecting anyone?"
"Yeah, the pizza guy."
This time Jim didn't bother to try and hide his incredulous expression. "The
*pizza guy*?! You've got a Companion sitting in the living room, wearing your
jeans and my sweatshirt, playing Monopoly *and* you called the *pizza guy*?!
Blair, am I the only one who thinks this is insane?"
"Yep, you got any money man? I'm tapped."
Numbly, the Sentinel handed his friend his wallet and shook his head. "Why did
you order pizza?"
"Well, Ma'an and I've been talking and she wanted to try some of the foods she's
always seeing advertisements for. Pizza's at the top of the list." The doorbell
rang then and he dropped the conversation long enough to open the door, pay the
pizza guy and take the box before closing it again. "You know how curious
Taelons are, man." Carrying the pizza into the kitchen, he set it on the counter
and moved to get plates. "By the way, she loves the shirt. Says its much more
comfortable than the suits Taelons usually wear."
"Remind me to thank her later." Jim reached out to snag a slice from the pizza.
"Y'know, Chief, you keep this up and Danna's going to skrill** you or
something."
"Keep what up?"
His friend nodded in Ma'an's direction. "You've got her drinking hot chocolate,
playing Monopoly, wearing human clothing, and eating pizza. What's next? Soap
operas and Wonderburger?"
Blair shuddered. "Uh, no, man, sorry, that's your neck of the woods." He picked
up the plates. "Mind refilling the hot chocolate for me, my hands're full."
With a sigh, Jim chalked the conversation up as another trip to the Sandburg
Zone, then started to do as his friend had asked. Abruptly, he stopped his work
and called Blair back.
"What?"
Leaning in, the Sentinel smirked. "You do realize that I want a full
explanation."
With his best `wide-eyed innocence', Blair looked confused. "About what?"
"About how Ma'an came to be here wearing my sweatshirt, drinking hot chocolate
and playing Monopoly. I thought Danna just wanted you to find her, not bring her
back here for an education in the ways of passing a rainy afternoon." Jim
refilled the mugs and put them on a tray. "Does she know..."
"Yeah, I called her and told her we were here. You didn't see the security
around the building?" The younger man grinned. "You must be slipping."
"Did I say I didn't see them?" Ellison countered smoothly. "I'm sure I didn't
say that I missed them." Moving ahead, he looked back with a grin. "And you will
be explaining later. I'm guessing this one's going to make for an interesting
story."
"Naw," Blair shook his head. "Nothing new. Just a typical day for us."
And the scary thing was...it was a typical day for them, the look that passed
between them confirmed their agreement on the subject.
Typical or no, it definitely added a new chapter to the novel that was `The Life
and Times of A Well-Used Sweatshirt.' and a...different sort of chapter it was
indeed.
Finis
** Skrilling someone refers to the weapon most Companion Protectors wear on
their arms. A Skrill is a bioengineered lifeform the Taelons use as a weapon.
Its implanted in the arm and taps into the human nervous system, responding to
mental cues on when to fire and to what severity. Thus, when they shoot someone
they say they 'Skrilled' 'em.