Siobhan Beckett looked across the shuttle at the man in the next seat. He was ignoring her, his attention focused on the sleeping child in his arms, which enabled her to observe him undisturbed. She felt an odd disquiet watching him cradle his child, a disquiet that did not stem solely from the guilt over the child himself. Her fellow passenger was unsettling in a way she couldn't quite pin down. She knew who he was, of course, though she had never actually met him: Ronald Sandoval, former top Companion agent turned Resistance collaborator. With her CVI-enhanced memory she could call up every detail of his service record. But the odd attraction she felt now wasn't a matter of matching face to paper or man to record; it went deeper than that, anchored somewhere in nerves and blood and bone. Siobhan trusted her body, trusted her instincts, but this bond to a man she had never before met troubled her. Almost as much as the man who sat in the pilot's seat. He was another enigma. Probably Resistance, if he was helping Sandoval. One more misguided human, frightened by the future and unable to see the potential inherent in what the Taelons had promised the people of Earth. Except that the display in the shuttle bay had left her pondering how strong his claim to humanity was, and his earlier words to her had left her wondering if she was the one who had been blind.
A cry escaped from Ryan, drawing her attention back to Sandoval.
"How is he?" she asked, leaning a little closer to him.
Sandoval looked at her with undisguised contempt. "What do you care, Agent Beckett?" he asked. "It was your Taelon masters who did this to him."
Beckett took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I knew nothing about this, Sandoval. Do you honestly think I would do anything to harm a child?"
"I think you'd do anything the Taelons told you to. Isn't that what your motivational imperative requires?" He gave the phrase an aversive twist, condemning her entire life, all of her choices, with a single sentence.
She took another deep breath, letting a comment about his betrayal providing the perfect demonstration of the reason for CVIs die on her lips. "I don't know," she said softly. He was right, of course. Her motivational imperative did require that she place the interests of the Synod above all else. But she did not believe that she could find it anywhere in herself to harm a child; could not conceive of a situation in which that would be in the best interests of the Companions. "I never expected I would have to make such a choice. I never thought…they did so much good."
"They lied," said Sandoval flatly. She heard a hint of hurt betrayal in his voice and found herself wondering suddenly what had turned him against his former employers.
"How long have you had a CVI?" The question startled her. Before this, the pilot had remained silent. He turned now in his seat, regarding her calmly, waiting for an answer. She used the moment to scrutinize him—young, perhaps a couple of years younger than her, with spiked, sandy-brown hair and green eyes startling in their clarity. A strong, determined face, studying her as she studied him, examining her not with judgement, but with…compassion. She wasn't sure what they planned on doing with her, but she didn't think this man would harm her.
"Almost five years," she replied. "I was among the first to be implanted."
"Five years," he repeated thoughtfully. "That's a long time."
"Yes," she agreed, "it is." A long time to serve the wrong masters, if that's what she had been doing. A long, slow betrayal of her own race. She truly hoped that was not the case.
"Did you ever doubt them before today?" Another surprise question. Implants weren't supposed to doubt; this man must know that. Her answer surprised her even more.
"Yes. I did."
He nodded, as if satisfied, and turned back to the shuttle controls. She watched him for a moment, admiring the competence with which he maneuvered the shuttle.
"How long have you been flying shuttles?"
He twisted his head, flashing a quick, daredevil grin. Siobhan gasped as a sudden sense of recognition washed over her, as if she should know the man in front of her, though she was certain she had never seen him before. "Just over a year," he said.
"You do it very well."
"I had a good instructor," he replied. He turned back to his controls. "We're exiting ID space now. ETA three minutes."
"You're saying he's not human," said Lili.
"I don't know what he is," replied Boone, gaze fixed on the flickering purple of the shuttle's virtual glass. "But I doubt Sandoval would have gotten Ryan off the mothership without his help."
"Sandoval might have been better off being captured by the Taelons than facing Doors in the mood he's in now," observed Lili dryly. "At least Da'an has shown that he's capable of some mercy."
Boone laughed. "Sandoval will be okay. Doors needs him. Kincaid on the other hand…"
"Who was Kincaid?" asked Lili curiously. "The real Kincaid? They implied he had some sort of link to you."
Boone nodded soberly. "He was my lieutenant for three years during the S.I. War. He disappeared afterwards; I don't know what happened to him. Liam was one of the best soldiers I ever worked with, and one of the best men I've ever known. He could also read people's intentions better than anyone I've ever met. I don't think the man ever lost a poker game. If this Kincaid really has Liam's permission to use his name—and if that Liam Kincaid is anything like the man I served with—I'd be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt."
"Even after what you saw?" asked Lili, glancing backwards from the pilot's seat.
"What I saw? I saw a man defend a child against an attack."
"You saw a man who looks human use a shaqarava-generated shield to block a skrill blast. The Taelons can't even use their shaqarava any more. How did Kincaid manage it?"
"I've been thinking about that," said Boone slowly. "Do you remember Rho-ha?"
"The only Taelon to directly murder a human? That's not something you forget."
"The Taelons were experimenting with de-evolution with Rho-ha. Turning him into something they had once been. But Rho-ha couldn't control the violence of the shaqarava. According to Da'an, none of the Taelons can. That's one of the reasons they established the Commonality."
"So?"
"So what if they decided to go about things the other way? Rather than granting a capacity for violence to an essentially non-violent being, why not increase the capacity for violence of an already violent person, someone who has experience in controlling that violence?"
"You think Kincaid was the subject in some sort of Taelon experiment in …accelerated evolution?" asked Lili doubtfully.
"Think about it. What's the Taelons biggest fear?"
"The Jaridians."
"Right. They came to Earth because they think we can help them fight their war. We already know that they have no problem with the idea of bioengineering humans to become more effective tools—look at what they did to Johnson and the Volunteers. Hell, look at me and the rest of the Companion protectors. Skrills and CVIs and implants everywhere. Why not take it one step further—instead of altering humans with Taelon technology, why not alter us with Taelon genes?"
Lili put the shuttle on autopilot and slid into the other passenger seat. "Even if you're right, wouldn't they be taking an awfully big risk giving that kind of power to a human? Shaqarava are one of the few weapons that can kill a Taelon. Why would they take the risk? Especially with a non-implant?"
"Maybe a CVI would have been incompatible with the other genetic restructuring," suggested Boone.
"Or maybe he's lying about not having a CVI," said Lili. "In which case we've endangered the whole Resistance by bring him in. There's another problem too. If he was really a Taelon experiment, why would he have to assume a false identity to go work for the Taelons?"
"I don't know," admitted Boone, shifting in his seat. "All I know is that Kincaid told me it wasn't what I thought."
"Could he be working for the Jaridians?" asked Lili. "They have shaqarava too. He could even be a Jaridian himself."
"Maybe. But according to the Volunteer reports, Kincaid and Sandoval went out of their way to avoid inflicting serious injury on any of the Volunteers. We both know Sandoval wouldn't have hesitated to kill whoever he had to in order to reach Ryan, so that must have been Kincaid's influence."
"And the Jaridians aren't known for the high value they place on human life," agreed Lili.
"Exactly."
"So what is he?"
"I think we're going to have to ask him," said Boone.
"Well, we'll be able to do that in a few minutes," said Lili, returning to the pilot's seat. "We're almost there."
"Lili," began Boone.
"Yeah?"
"How are you handling all of this?"
"What? Kincaid? I'm a little worried, but…"
"Not Kincaid," interrupted Boone. "Augur."
Lili looked down and inhaled deeply. "I'm okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's not really him. Augur—our Augur—is dead."
"But he's pretty close," said Boone gently.
"I know," she said quietly, calling up a panel. "I know. I miss him, Will."
"So do I," he replied. "If you need to talk…"
She looked at silently him for a long moment, then nodded and turned back to the shuttle controls and the emptiness beyond. "We're coming out of ID space now."
They could hear Doors' voice before the elevator doors opened. Kincaid and Sandoval stood silently in the center of the main room, still clad in the black clothing they'd donned earlier in the night for their raid. Doors was pacing in front of them, voice raised in what seemed to be a lengthy tirade. Boone frowned at the scene. Every good officer—or good corporate leader—knew better than to dress down a senior office in front of his subordinates. The junior Resistance members knew it too. The handful of operatives who Doors had apparently dragged out of bed were scattered at workstations around the edges of the room, carefully ignoring the show in the centre of the room. Only Augur remained to observe. He looked more troubled than either of the targets of Doors' wrath, both of whom wore identical impassive expressions.
"I expected better from you," Doors was saying to Sandoval. "Of all the people here, I thought that you would understand better than anyone the need to put aside personal considerations in our work."
Boone's frown deepened. He strode out of the elevator with Lili close behind him, ready to intervene, but Kincaid beat him to it.
"If it had been Joshua on that ship, would you have stood by and waited for a risk assessment?" he interrupted bitingly.
Doors stopped mid-stride and turned to face Kincaid, assuming an expression as impassive as Sandoval's.
"What do you know about my son?" he asked in a quiet, deadly voice. Boone winced at the tone.
"I know that he's a good man," replied Kincaid evenly. "I know that you care about him a great deal. And I know that you wouldn't let him rot on the mothership when you had the power to save him."
Doors' mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Lili stepped around Boone to stand beside Doors.
"Josh is alive in your world?" she asked tentatively. Kincaid and Augur both swung to look at her.
"He's not alive here?" asked Augur in surprise. She shook her head.
"He was killed by a Taelon supporter while prosecuting a Taelon named Rho-ha for murder," explained Boone.
"I'm sorry," said Kincaid gently to Doors, who nodded stiffly. Kincaid reached out hesitantly, as if to bridge the distance between them, then dropped his hand back to his side without quite making contact. "I didn't know. Joshua survived the trial in our world." His irritation from a moment ago seemed to have been entirely replaced by sympathy. Boone watched the concern that played across the younger man's face and marveled at the Kincaid's ability to broadcast sincerity. What a fantastic leader he would make.
Kincaid's question had served to temporarily halt Doors' diatribe. Boone decided to intercede before it could start again.
"Speaking of Rho-ha," he said with deliberate casualness, "you promised me an explanation, Major." He was successful in catching Doors' attention, distracting him from his earlier rant.
"Explanation about what?" he demanded sharply.
"It seems the Major has some abilities he didn't see fit to inform us of earlier," said Sandoval.
"What kind of abilities?" asked Doors suspiciously.
"The ability to deflect a skrill blast barehanded, for one," said Lili.
"He has shaqarava," explained Boone. "Like Rho-ha had. Possibly as a result of genetic manipulation by either the Taelons or the Jaridians."
"And you didn't think to mention this earlier?" Doors asked Sandoval angrily.
"You didn't offer me a chance to say much of anything," replied Sandoval coldly.
Doors paced a few steps, then stopped in front of Kincaid. He leaned towards the man until their faces were only inches apart.
"What are you?" he asked abruptly. "Are you human?"
"Among other things," replied Kincaid. His voice was steady, but Boone caught a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
"What other things?" demanded Doors, pulling away.
"Have you ever encountered a being called Ha'gel? Or heard of a race called the Kimera?"
Doors glanced over at Boone and Marquette, both of whom shook their heads in bafflement.
"Ha'gel is a Kimera?" asked Boone.
"He was the last of the Kimera," said Kincaid. "The rest were slaughtered millions of years ago by the Taelons."
"Millions of years?" said Lili. Kincaid nodded.
"The Kimera were a long-lived race. Ha'gel was spared by the Taelons so that they could exact revenge. He was imprisoned in a capsule and set adrift in space. The Taelons knew he'd have a long time to dwell on the loss of the others."
"Revenge for what?" asked Doors.
Kincaid hesitated for a moment. "For providing salvation without first informing the Taelons of the cost," he replied at last. His expression was distant, as if he were remembering something from long ago.
"And what does Ha'gel have to do with you?" asked Sandoval.
"Ha'gel's capsule eventually landed on Earth," he replied. "It sat on the bottom of the ocean for millennia, until it was finally found by a salvage team. When the capsule was opened, Ha'gel was freed. The Taelons immediately sensed his presence and dispatched agents to eliminate him, but before they succeeded he managed to create a child to carry on the race."
"You," said Lili.
"Yes," confirmed Kincaid. "I'm one-third Kimera, and two-thirds human."
Boone raised an eyebrow. "Two-thirds?"
Kincaid nodded. "I have, or had, three parents. Ha'gel, and the two humans he used to create me."
"How is that possible?" asked Lili. "The odds against a member of a race millions of years old being genetically compatible with humans must be astronomical."
"The Kimera had a lot of experience with genetic manipulation," replied Kincaid. "It was…one of their gifts."
"I don't suppose that has anything to do with why the Taelons destroyed them?" asked Boone.
"That was part of it," agreed Kincaid. "The Taelons achieved their current incarnation—and their separation from the Jaridians—partly as a result of Kimera intervention."
"So you're saying it was actually the Kimera who are responsible for all of our current problems," said Doors caustically.
"Jonathan," began Boone warningly, but Kincaid held him off with a sad half-smile.
"It's all right, Commander," he said, running a hand through his hair. "He's not entirely wrong. If the Kimera hadn't intervened, the split and subsequent war between the Taelons and Jaridians would never have occurred and the hundreds of races that have been destroyed as a result would still exist."
"That's not fair," said Boone. "The Taelons and the Jaridians are both responsible for their own choices and their own actions. Unless you're going to tell me the Kimera started the war."
"Not directly," said Kincaid. "But the original race was peaceful. It was the Kimera who gave them the shaqarava and all of the potential for violence that implies. We may not have realized they would have such trouble controlling it, but we're still responsible for the consequences."
Boone shook his head. "Any race with a physical form has the potential for violence. Controlling that potential is part of living. It's their responsibility."
"If you handed a loaded gun to a child," said Kincaid quietly, "who would be responsible when he shot someone?"
"The Taelons aren't children," said Boone firmly. "Maybe they were, when the Kimera first intervened, but as you yourself said, that was millions of years ago. They've had time to grow up since then. Time to learn self-control. If they refuse to do so, that's their decision and they're responsible for the consequences. Besides, the Taelons no longer have shaqarava, and they've still proven themselves quite adept at engaging in destructive behavior when it suits them."
Kincaid looked unconvinced. Boone opened his mouth to pursue the argument, but was interrupted by the emergence of Dr. Park. Sandoval looked at her with a worried expression.
"How is he?"
"I couldn't find anything wrong with him other than mild dehydration and exhaustion," she replied cautiously. "I think he should be fine with a little rest."
"You think?" said Sandoval witheringly.
The doctor sighed. "I haven't been able to figure out what the Taelons were trying to do to him. There were traces of…something…in his blood, but I don't know what it is or what it was intended to do. There's nothing obviously wrong with him."
"Perhaps we interrupted the procedure before it could have an effect," suggested Kincaid.
"Maybe," she agreed. "We'll keep him here for a few days for observation just in case."
"He needs to stay here anyway," said Boone. "If we send him home, the Taelons may come after him again."
"All the more reason to get him out of here as soon as possible," said Doors. "Who knows what the Taelons did to him? They may have implanted some sort of tracking device. They could be using him to find us right now."
"We didn't find any tracking or surveillance implants," said Park. "And he's not going anywhere for at least two days."
"He was pretty well guarded," said Kincaid. "I don't think it was a set-up for us."
"The question," said Augur, "is why did they really take him. Was it to lure in Sandoval? Or did they want Ryan himself?"
"Possibly both," said Boone. "Kill two birds with one stone."
"Zo'or would appreciate that," agreed Kincaid.
"What makes you think it was Zo'or and not Da'an?" asked Sandoval. "Da'an is the North American Companion."
"Da'an told me he had nothing to do with it," replied Kincaid.
"You stopped and talked to Da'an in the middle of a rescue mission?" exclaimed Lili. "Are you crazy?"
"We sort of ran into him," replied Kincaid with a lopsided smile. "He sends his apologizes for what happened to Ryan."
"Da'an is a diplomat," said Sandoval. "He'll say whatever is convenient."
"Da'an is certainly capable of ruthlessness," said Boone, "but I agree with Major Kincaid. I don't think Da'an had anything to do with this. It seems more like something Zo'or would do."
"You agree with Major Kincaid," said Doors sarcastically. "Major Kincaid is not human. And neither are Da'an or Zo'or. You can't assume you know how any of them think."
"I spend more time with Da'an and Zo'or than you," replied Boone, "which I believe puts me in a better position to know what they're likely to do than you."
"No human can ever hope to understand an alien, anymore than aliens will ever understand humans," insisted Doors.
"What about hybrids?" asked Lili, nodding towards Kincaid.
"Hybrid?" inquired Dr. Park, looking at him a gleam of interest. Boone felt a twinge of sympathy for the man. Melissa Park was a good doctor, but her interest in the pursuit of science could sometimes be a bit…extreme.
"I'm a Kimera-human hybrid," Kincaid was saying. "One-third Kimera, two-thirds human."
"And do you think like a human?" asked Park curiously. "Or a Kimera?"
"My thought processes are not entirely like yours," replied Kincaid cautiously. "But neither do I think entirely like a Kimera. It often depends on the context."
"How do you know how humans and Kimera think?" asked Doors.
"The Kimera have genetically-encoded memory. All Kimera are born with the complete knowledge of their parents."
"Saves time on schooling," added Augur.
"Da'an told me Taelons have the same ability," observed Park.
"There's a genetic relationship between the Kimera and the Taelons," said Kincaid.
"Dr. Park," interrupted Sandoval, "I'd like to see my son now."
"Of course," she said, reluctantly turning away from Kincaid. "He's still asleep, but I'm sure it will be comforting to him to have you nearby when he wakes up. I'll take you to him." She led Sandoval out of the room.
"What happened to Beckett?" asked Boone.
"We have her under guard," replied Doors. "What were you thinking, sending her with them?"
"She saw too much," said Boone. "If she had remained on the mothership, she would have reported me."
"Well that's great," said Doors. "And what are we supposed to do with her now? Do you have any idea what kind of attention the death of a Companion protector will attract?"
"You're not going to kill her," said Kincaid.
"What do you suggest we do with her, then?" asked Doors. "Hold her prisoner here for the rest of her life?"
"I think she can be persuaded to join the Resistance."
"Are you kidding?" asked Lili. "Do you know what that woman is like?"
"Better than you can imagine," replied Kincaid cryptically. "She's had a CVI for five years. Her immune system has to have begun rejecting the motivational imperative by now. I think that with the right arguments, she'll join us."
"What makes you so sure?" asked Doors.
"I talked to her on the shuttle."
"You talked to her," said Doors incredulously. "You're willing to risk all of our lives based on one conversation. But of course, it's not your life that's at risk."
"If the Taelons find out I exist, they'll kill me," said Kincaid. "In any dimension. I'm at just as much at risk as everyone else."
"And you think you can get through to her?" asked Boone.
"I do."
"I should lock you up with her," muttered Doors. "You're just as much a threat to us as she is."
"Let him try," said Boone. "If anyone can get through to her, it's him."
"Boone!" objected Lili.
"Do you want to be the one to pull the trigger?" he asked her. She frowned, but backed down.
"All right," said Doors slowly. "You can try and get her to change sides. But I reserve the right to determine her fate. If I think she's a threat to us, she will be eliminated. Do you understand?" Kincaid nodded.
"Now that we've got that settled," said Boone, "I'm going to try and catch a couple of hours of sleep before I have to return to the embassy."
"I think we could all use some sleep," noted Lili.
"No argument here," said Augur.
"Fine," said Doors. "But we're going to have a longer discussion tomorrow about just who and what you are, Major."
"I'm looking forward to it," said Kincaid sarcastically. Boone didn't envy the younger man's position at all.