Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.
13:56 EST

It had been a light winter, and the little snow on the ground was already beginning to melt. The grass made a slight squashing sound under Sandoval's boots as he made his way into the nearby forest. It was warm, too warm for his coat really, but there was nothing to be done about that now.

Agent Sandoval. A form emerged from he trees in front of him, demonstrating his usual stealth.

Sandoval nodded. Tate. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.

Not at all, Tate replied, smiling. You're four minutes early, in fact.

Sandoval glanced at his pocket watch. Yes, well, this is a matter of some urgency.

Well, that's new. Tate motioned back into the forest, and the two set off together. What am I doing for you this time?

Nothing as interesting as my last assignment, Sandoval said. Although that assignment won't technically be over if—when—Captain Marquette returns, he thought. I need you to run an investigation for me.

Tate raised his eyebrows. An investigation? Isn't that more your specialty?

Not this one, Sandoval replied. What I need done takes a lot more time and effort than I can spare.

All right, Tate said slowly. The two of them stopped under a particularly low-hanging tree, and faced each other. Who is it you want me to check out, and what am I looking for?

You're watching Major Liam Kincaid, Sandoval said. And you're looking for any unusual activity for a Taelon protector, especially anything that might lead to the Resistance.

Tate whistled, turning to stare down the path that just barely existed between the trees. You don't ask for much, do you?

I know he's hiding something, Sandoval asserted. What I don't know is what. And I don't have the time or resources to find out, not without telling Zo'or.

So you don't want Zo'or to know.

Do you want the job or not?

There was a pause. Sandoval could hear a bird calling in the distance. Birds? Is it that time of year already? Sandoval's mind shot back to a moment, four years ago, when he and DeeDee had walked down this same path, both unaware it would be for the last time....

Why not? Tate's response shook Sandoval back to the present. In fact, since I'm still trying to figure out how to spend the cash from the last job you gave me...I'll do it for half.

Sandoval said, trying to keep his voice neutral. Contact me as soon as you learn anything. He turned to leave. You know the number.


Taelon Moonbase
14:12 EST

Your concern is unnecessary, Zo'or.

Before responding, Zo'or took a moment to observe the expansive room he stood in. Literally dozens of ID portals were arrayed throughout the room, barely leaving room to walk. At the moment, they were inactive, as was the equipment arrayed along the ceiling.

You seem remarkably certain of this, Ta'aj? he observed. Might I ask how you attained this conviction?

The Resistance has already attempted to gain information on this project, Ta'aj said calmly. They failed, and their operative was discovered. It is unlikely that they have the capacity to make a second attempt, which in any case would be no more successful than their first.

You have a dangerously short memory, Ta'aj, Zo'or warned. When Quo'on initiated this project, the Resistance managed to insert an operative and uncover the operation quite painlessly.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you."

Zo'or shot around for the source of this voice for a moment, before he realized that it was simply an unbidden recollection. To say nothing of your predecessor on this project, he finished, a little disturbed.

Has Ri'im's death been linked to the Resistance, then?

Zo'or admitted. Not directly. But I have no doubt that the Resistance was responsible. And we cannot allow another such failure as that which Quo'on suffered a year ago.

Then why have you reactivated the project, against Quo'on's directive? Ta'aj asked. If you are as concerned about the Resistance as you appear, then would it not be wiser to find an alternative method?

It is not your place to question my policy, Ta'aj, Zo'or snapped. The Taelon knew very well that all of his alternative methods had failed. So long as we can prevent the discovery of any direct evidence to this project, then we may easily dismiss any Resistance accusations as simple propaganda—

"...not so easily deceived, Zo'or. He has an uncanny ability to sense when we are lying to him."

Zo'or exclaimed, forcibly banishing the psychic intrusion.

Is there a problem, Zo'or?

Zo'or said quickly, doing his best to calm himself. All you need to concern yourself with is providing adequate security for this project. And I shall inform you when you have done this to my satisfaction; do not assume. With that, he turned and left Ta'aj alone in the room.

There was a nagging at the edge of his consciousness. Zo'or could not identify it, but he knew he had felt it before. However, he could not determine when, or under what circumstances.

Which made the feeling all the more disturbing.

Zo'or was so preoccupied that he nearly collided with a Volunteer, who quickly backed away, apologizing profusely. Dismissing her with a wave of his hand, Zo'or continued toward the portal at the end of the hall. Hopefully, this feeling would be gone once he rejuvenated.


Doors Building
14:57 EST

Make it quick, Liam. I have a meeting in three minutes.

Liam didn't even bother to answer Renee. Instead, he directed his attention at Doors, who was standing motionless and staring out the window. When were you planning on telling me about the portals, Jonathan? When someone got ahold of them and used them against the Resistance? You know, it would be nice if, just sometimes, you would let me in on one of these plans of yours.

What are you talking about, Liam? Renee asked, placing herself between him and Doors.

Whoever's responsible for the portal bombings had at least three mobile portals with him when the Volunteers raided his hideout. He glanced at Renee. You know, like the two portals you gave me to break into the Rizzori Gallery? You told me those were prototypes, how the hell did he get three of them?

Wait a minute, Renee said. What raid? Did they catch him?

No, he escaped through one of the portals, Liam growled. Is he working for you? Is that it? Or are you just helping him out with a little classified equipment?

Save your breath, Liam. Doors turned around slowly to face Liam, stopping him in midsentence. Those portals aren't a Doors project.

Liam said flatly. Then whose?

Doors did not respond for a moment. Then, he turned back toward the window. One Taelon Avenue, he said slowly, and the vehemence was evident in his tone. The next Generation in Human/Taelon Co-ventures.' They've got all the ID projects.

Liam frowned. What about the Portal Grid?

That's applied technology, Renee jumped in. It's covered under the Doors-Taelon Co-venture agreement of two years ago. But One is in charge of all the ID development projects, including the mobile portals.

One Taelon Avenue, Liam mused. Isn't that the company your son is running?

Doors grimaced, and Liam almost wanted to apologize, but Renee spoke up quickly. It's not really a company per se, more an...extended project. Like a group of scientists with an open research grant.

My people tried to develop portal construction technology, Doors said. We failed. Then Joshua steps up and has the damn things working in two months. He sent me those two prototypes as a...gift. He seemed to choke on the word. So he could rub my face in how easily he succeeded where I failed.

We don't know how far along they are with the project, Renee added.

Liam wasn't sure what to say. Did he apologize for falsely accusing Doors and Renee? He certainly had been justified; after learning how long they had kept their knowledge of Ma'el's ship from him, he was not about to let them off suspicion.

Even so, this time he had been wrong. He had to keep in mind that the most obvious answer wasn't always the correct one.

We need to find out how the portals found their way from One Taelon Avenue to the saboteur, he said finally, deciding that it would be best simply not to bring the matter up.

I'll see what my people can dig up, Renee offered. But that place is sealed up tighter than a drum; I don't think we'll find anything.

Miss Palmer, Mr. Masters just arrived, came the voice of Renee's secretary. Doors turned around to face the door, and Renee returned to behind her desk. Liam did not need to be told that this was his cue to leave.

Be sure you tell me if you find anything, Liam warned as he left.


North American Taelon Embassy

Surprising, how many memories one could pick up in six months.

Of course, there had been many changes made in the last year. The office at the end of the hall had switched hands—twice—and Da'an's office was now guarded by a pair of uniformed Volunteers sporting neutron rifles. He could remember when all the Taelons had needed was a single Protector.

As he had arranged, the storage room down the hall from the Commander of Security's office was unguarded. He could expect it to remain so for a few more minutes, more than enough time. Quickly and silently, he crossed over to one of the cloudy glasslike containers embedded into the wall and placed his hand on it. The pseudo-glass melted away, revealing a set of equipment he easily recognized as his own.

As he retrieved the devices, he quickly ran back over the security report he had intercepted. All three mobile portals and the suitcase they were contained in—check. His Global—downloaded and wiped. Check. He had already deleted the files in the Embassy database; he could restore the Global from disk later. His holoprojector—check. His portable remote had been taken for analysis, as had all his medical equipment. It didn't matter; he would have no more need for the medical equipment, and his remote was a bit redundant in any case, as his Global could be programmed for the same purposes easily enough.

Having recovered all of this, he restored the container's front to existence and located the mobile portal he had used to escape from the warehouse. This one had already been used once, so it would automatically self-destruct once it had been activated a second time. As he was setting it up, he called up with one hand the latest version of Da'an's schedule. Portal Grid Ceremony, Chicago, Monday, noon, he noted. Good, no changes. Everything was set.

Dismissing the datastream, he stepped into the Portal. The device automatically activated, and the Embassy disappeared in a wave of white. His last thought was of how he had never thought his last time in the building would be like this.


Da'an's hand closed tightly around the lump of blue organic material. The Taelon's eyes closed, then disappeared entirely as his human facade disappeared to reveal the blue, almost wire-frame of his true appearance. Sandoval knew this was simply so that he could more easily break down the compound and distribute it throughout his body, but it nonetheless gave the implant an odd feeling. An unpleasant reminder that, as much as he would like to think he was free, his CVI's motivational imperative still had some lingering influence over him.

Through the Taelon's now-translucent hand, he could actually see the kryss material, glowing brightly, being dissolved and carried on energy veins throughout Da'an's body. It was almost funny, how Earth, the Taelons' only hope for survival, had proven in fact deadly to them. It was somewhat ironic that the solution relied on ingesting human genetic material by using humans to this Taelon plant life. The process struck Sandoval as a bit morbid, but then, some of the most terrible atrocities in human history had also been the most calculated and inventive.

At least no one was dying this time. Sandoval would make his move when he was ready. And when he was assured of success.

Has there been any news, Agent Sandoval? Da'an asked, reassembling his facade as he finished absorbing the kryss.

We analyzed the medical equipment we found at the freight yard, Sandoval said. And one of the devices we found could have been used to insert a device such as the GPS transmitter found in Commander Clarke. I'm convinced that we found the saboteur's hideout.

This is excellent news, Da'an said. Will you be able to use this knowledge to locate this saboteur?

The information we downloaded from his Global seems to confirm that his next move is going to be at the Portal Grid Ceremony, tomorrow. Sandoval began slowly to pace in front of the Taelon. I don't know what that move will be.

I see. Da'an's eyes followed Sandoval, unblinking. And will you be able to protect against this man?

With most of his equipment confiscated...yes, I believe so, Sandoval replied.

The Taelon closed his eyes. Very well. You are dismissed.

Nodding, Sandoval made his way to the exit. Once around the corner, he opened his Global and checked for any recent messages. Sure enough, one of his red flags had been activated in the storage room, where the saboteur's equipment had been placed. It contained no further information, but Sandoval didn't need any. He was a little surprised by how quickly the man had managed to recover his equipment, but he had fully expected him to do so.

Everything was going as he had expected. Now he had only to wait until tomorrow to see if his suspicions about this saboteur were accurate.

One more day. Closing his Global, he walked off toward the shuttlebay.