Well, here's the next part. I kind of went off on my own merry way with a bit of ancient history, just to warn you.

See Prologue for disclaimer.

Chapter 2

"Just a minute!" Renee called, walking to the door of her large apartment. Opening the door, she looked into the slightly stunned eyes of Liam.

"Wow," he said laconically. "You look great." Smiling slightly, he took in her dark crimson - almost black - casual, flowing dress. It wasn't too dressy, as per his instructions.

Blushing slightly at the appreciative look in his eyes, she said, "You don't look too bad yourself." And that's definitely the truth, she thought. He was wearing black pants with a light gray V-neck shirt and a black button-down shirt worn open.

Regaining his composure, he asked, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," she said, turning around and grabbing her small black bag from the coffee table. Facing him again, they walked out the door, down the elevator, and, choosing Liam's car since he knew where they were going, pulled out of the parking garage.

It was still light out as they drove down the street. "So, where are we going?" Renee asked.

"Well," Liam began, keeping his eyes on the road, "I figured you'd want to eat, and I wanted to go somewhere nice, so…."

"So?" she prompted.

"So," he said, pulling into a parking lot and shutting off the engine. "You'll just have to see when we get there." Before she could reply, he was out of the car and walking up to the gray building. Renee sat in the car staring after him for a moment before she realized where they were: the Washington, D.C. shuttle garage. Smiling slightly, she shook her head and followed him.

Once they arrived at Liam's shuttle it took only moments to get airborne and into inter-dimensional. Enjoying the companionable silence that descended, they reached their destination after a short while and Liam pulled out of ID space. A few minutes of conventional flight spent enjoying the view of the lush green forest and mountains below and then Liam landed the shuttle in a clearing on the side of one of the mountains.

Turning off the virtual glass shield and taking a look at the sun's position, Liam grinned to himself. "Plenty of time."

Renee walked past him and out of the shuttle, taking in the magnificent view. The mountains spread out into the distance, most covered in the trees of primary rainforest. A light mist hung deep in to the mountain valley below them, creating a suspended layer of nearly opaque clouds. Surrounding their clearing were gigantic trees, only the smallest trunks of which the shuttle's width could compare. "Where are we?"

Liam walked up and stood beside her. Hesitantly, he reached for her hand. She took his and squeezed it, never talking her eyes off the glowing orb in the distance, and all that it lit. "Mountain rainforests of Costa Rica. Thought you might like it."

Hearing them before they saw them, a flock of scarlet macaws entered the picture, transfixing the two. Watching the birds as they made their way across the valley en masse, Renee answered, "Love it." She was aware of nothing else until she felt Liam let go her hand and walk back to the shuttle. "Where are you going?" she asked, turning around.

Liam walked in to the shuttle and headed towards the back storage compartment, pulling out two bags and a large blanket. As he walked back, Renee noticed on the bags the logo of a Greek restaurant in Washington. At her amused expression he explained, "Decided to take your suggestion."

Renee took the blanket from him and spread it beside the shuttle, facing the edge of the cliff and the sun, now slightly lower in the horizon, although it would still be awhile before it set. She sat against the side of the shuttle while Liam sat on an angle so he could both look at her and take in the view. Unwrapping the food, they began to eat.

At first there was a semi-awkward silence, which Renee broached by discussing some new information regarding a secret Taelon project who's front was the Sunrise Children's Orphanage. They believed that it's true function was to steer some of the older children between the ages of 10 and 16 towards illegal volunteer training programs; illegal since, by US law, these children weren't old enough to enlist in any type of military, Taelon or otherwise. Although neither of them mentioned it they were both thinking it: these kids, because of their ages, were the ones least likely to find homes before they turned 16, making them perfect candidates for this project.

It wasn't the best date topic, Renee knew, but she also knew that Liam was new to all this and she didn't want to push him. She would only go towards more informal topics if he brought them up.

Liam knew what Renee was doing, and why, and though he was slightly embarrassed because of it, he was glad Renee realized he wasn't as at ease as he hoped he was portraying. It's not that he hadn't been in a date-like scenario before, he had, a few times. But those times he didn't really classify as dates since he had just met the other person, usually at the Flat Planet. They'd share a drink or two, talk about themselves (at which point he'd usually have to lie a bit), say goodbye, and never see each other again. It was different with Renee though. This had been planned…or, more correctly, he had planned this, they were alone instead of in a crowded club, and they were good friends who knew each other fairly well. Most of all, Renee was someone Liam cared a great deal for. He just hoped he'd calm down soon enough; he doubted she'd enjoy talking about Resistance matters for too much longer.

They finished their food just as the sun was beginning to set. "Well, I hope you're not too full," Liam began, reaching into the bag she had previously thought was empty. He pulled out a small white container and turned back to her, grinning. "Because I have baklava."

Renee grinned like a child, saying, "Gimme." He took out one of the diamond-shaped pastries and handed it to her on a napkin. She took the proffered dessert and bit in, savoring.

While her mind was elsewhere he mustered up his courage and, before he lost his nerve, Liam made his move. Scooting over to sit beside Renee (although leaving a gap), he looked out on the sun slowly making its way behind the mountains. "Sure is a beautiful sight."

Renee watched him closely. She could tell from his voice that he was tense, his back was slightly rigid, and he seemed to be avoiding looking in her direction. Realizing how nervous he mush be, she closed the gap and took his hand in hers. "The best I've ever seen." She could feel him relaxing, and she only relaxed herself when she felt him squeeze her hand.

They sat there watching the sun slink lower, its apparent path taking it right into the crevasse between two mountains. Liam broke the silence with one word. "Amarna."

Renee looked up at him funny. "What?"

Not taking his eyes off the sight, he explained. "Amarna was the city in Egypt that the Pharaoh Akhenaten built. He was a real revolutionary, actually. A couple years after he became pharaoh in 1353BCE, he declared that Egypt's pantheon of gods didn't exist, that there was only one god called the Aten, the Sun-Disc. He also changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten and decided to build a new capital city, Akhetaten, in the middle of the desert."

"Well, where does 'Amarna' come in, then?" Renee asked, slightly confused.

"Amarna is what it's called today, or what's left of it. After Akhenaten died, the Egyptians reinstated their old gods and moved the capital back to Thebes. Guess they didn't understand the concept of an abstract deity like the sun. Akhenaten was certainly ahead of his time."

Still a little confused, Renee asked, "So what made you think of that?"

Liam looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous. Guess I'm babbling."

Squeezing his hand and smiling, she replied, "Don't worry about it. So, you were thinking of Amarna…."

He gestured to the sun, now barely visible, resting between the dip of two mountains. "That's the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for 'horizon'. It was also the sight that made Akhenaten build his new capital out in the middle of nowhere. He saw the sun setting between two small 'sand-mountains,' and since he thought the sun was Aten, he thought it was a message from the god, telling him where to build the city."

Thinking he was just boring her even more, he continued, hoping to change that bore into impression. "He really loved his god. He wrote a poem that said, 'Beautifully you appear from the horizon of heaven. Oh living Aten, who initiates life…Oh sole god, without another beside him! You create the Earth according to your wish…You are in my heart, and there is none who knows you except your son.'"

Realizing he was done, she asked, "It's a nice poem. The son being Akhenaten?" He nodded. "Nice history lesson."

Believing her comment to be sarcastic, he loosened his hold on her hand, saying, "Sorry, didn't mean to bore you."

Renee tightened her grip on his hand, realizing his train of thought. "No, it's a good story, really," she said, trying to convince him. She really did enjoy learning about history, particularly ancient history. "So it's true?"

Relaxing a bit, he berated himself for jumping to conclusions. "Yep, all of it. At least, that's what the historians believe. After the city was abandoned, they destroyed almost everything about Akhenaten, the city, and the Aten. A few things survived, though, including the bust of his wife Nefertiti. She was believed to be one of the most beautiful women in history." Looking down at Renee with a smile, he continued. "Although not the only one."

Looking away and blushing slightly, Renee laid her head against Liam's shoulder, bringing her left hand to cover the other, which was entangled with his.

They sat there watching the sun slink behind the mountains, and enjoying the other's company. Liam finally ended the silence by asking how Renee's brother was doing, having recently returned from a well-deserved vacation to figure out where he was headed, where he was going. She replied that he was well and had decided not to let his recent ordeal run his life, he would continue his work aiding third-world, war-torn countries.

They continued talking well on after the sun had disappeared, illuminated by the bright moon and the slight, bluish glow emanating from the interior of the shuttle. Their conversation ranged from a multitude of subjects, from their childhood (in Liam's case, his first year), to the past few days. Liam careful to avoid the topic of Renee learning a couple weeks ago that, due to Taelon radiation, she couldn't bear children, a topic he knew caused her grief.

Laughing at something she had just said, Liam noticed her staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing," she began, grinning sheepishly. "I just don't think I've ever heard you laugh before." She saw him frown, thinking. "What's wrong?"

Looking at her he said, "Hmm? Oh, it's just…I don't think I actually have."

"What?" she said, confused. "Laugh?"

"Yeah."

She smiled at him. "Come on Liam, sure you have."

"No, I'm serious." At her incredulous expression, he continued. "My life hasn't exactly been stress-free and a lot of fun. You said it yourself, you've never seen me laugh."

"True," she said playfully, "But I've only known you for, oh, about a year and a half."

"True," he mocked, "But I've only been around for a little more than two and a half."

"True." At that they both gave a slight chuckle. She leaned heavily against his chest and felt his arm go around her shoulder, holding her closer. "You know, you should be able to laugh more often. With all that you do, you deserve to be happy."

Staring off into the distance, he said, "I am happy." Taking his hand, he rubbed it along her shoulder. "Now," he added. Renee looked up at him and smiled before bringing her head down to rest against his chest.

They sat like that for a long time, watching the silhouetted trees move in the slight breeze, listening to the nocturnal noises that marked the existence of one of Earth's last, untouched, ancient lands.

They were both nearing sleep when Renee spoke up, reluctantly. "You know Liam, as much as I hate to say this, I have an early meeting in the morning."

Liam sighed. "Yeah, I have to be at the embassy by nine." With that they reluctantly got up, gathered the blanket and remains of their dinner, and headed into the shuttle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know it kind of ended abruptly, but the next chapter will take off right from here.