Liam greeted the return of Boone and Lili with relief. An entire day of forced inaction inside the Liberation lair had left him restless, jittery, and verging on mildly claustrophobic. And to think that a few days ago I was telling Augur how much I wanted a vacation, he thought ruefully. Of course, a vacation probably wouldn't include a four-hour interrogation session.
Doors had apparently decided to invoke the rarely-enforced need-to-know rule. He assembled his selected agents in a room partitioned off from the main headquarters, out of earshot of the rest of the Resistance members. Liam watched with concern as Sandoval settled into a chair with a wince, unable to entirely conceal his discomfort. The hybrid chose a seat nearby for himself, just in case. Just in case what? he asked himself mockingly as he sank into the chair. There's only one thing you can do for him, and after your little discussion today, I'm not sure he'll ever forgive you for it.
"First," said Boone, "Da'an has assigned me to work with Agent Samuels in investigating the raid on the mothership."
"Good," grunted Doors. "You can keep Samuels off our backs."
"Wait," said Augur, holding up a hand. "Who's Samuels?"
"Zo'or's protector," replied Lili with a sideways glance towards him. "The Taelons recruited him from the FBI after Sandoval left. He's one of the main reasons the Taelons have been so effective in implementing their plans on Earth."
"Da'an also denies any knowledge of what was being done to Ryan on the mothership," continued Boone.
"Of course he does," snorted Doors.
"We've already been through that once; there's no point in rehashing it." said Liam. "I assume that's not your big news, Commander."
"No, it's not," agreed Boone. He pulled out his global and handed it to Lili. "While I was meeting with Da'an today, Zo'or interrupted us." He nodded towards Lili, who had been downloading something from the global. Now she touched a control, and the screen on the wall lit up, bring a star field into view. "The Taelons detected this a few hours ago. It's on its way to Earth." The room fell silent as the group digested the sight of the dull red ship moving swiftly through the dark of space.
"Jaridian?" asked Sandoval.
"No," said Boone. "The Taelons have no idea what it is. Zo'or called Da'an to ask for help."
"Wonderful," said Doors. "So we've got yet another alien race to deal with."
"The question is," said Lili, "what are their intentions? If they aren't already allies of the Taelons, they might be willing to ally themselves with us. They could be just what we need to get rid of the Taelons. If we manage to reach them first."
"And if they aren't worse than the Taelons," said Sandoval. "If we invite them in, we could be inviting an open conquest, rather than the veiled domination we currently face."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," said Lili.
"So far the Taelons haven't managed to establish communications," said Boone. "They're not even sure the vessel is aware of the presence of the mothership."
Doors turned to Augur. "Do you think you can establish communications with the ship before the Taelons?"
Augur frowned. "Hmm, could be tricky. Especially with the Taelons monitoring the situation. But…I did learn a few tricks from an incident with a Jaridian probe a few months back. I might be able to use something from that. If Liam…hey, Liam!" He looked over at the hybrid, whose attention was still fixed on the screen. "What's wrong?"
"That ship's familiar," replied Liam distantly, only half-aware of the conversation going on around him.
"You've seen one like it before?" asked Sandoval.
"Not me," replied Liam. "And nothing exactly like it. But there's something about the design…"
"Don't tell me it's another Kimera ship," said Augur.
"No."
"I thought the Kimera were extinct," said Lili. "Apart from you, of course."
"They are," said Liam. "But some of their ships are still floating around, abandoned."
"Really? It would be nice to get our hands on one of those," said Lili. Liam shook his head.
"Kimera ships are all equipped with advanced AI programs. They're designed to defend the ships, and they wouldn't respond well to a non-Kimera trying to take control."
"You're Kimera," pointed out Sandoval.
"Not Kimera enough for them," said Liam. "Anyway, this ship's not Kimera, I'm sure of that. I'm just not quite sure what it is."
"We're millions of years and a dimension away from your most recent ancestral memories," said Augur. "Lots of things could have changed."
"True," said Liam, looking away from the screen. "Do you have any more information about the ship, Commander?" Boone shook his head.
"The Taelons are staying pretty tightlipped about the whole thing. I had to download this image covertly. I'll try to get more out of Da'an the next time I see him, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I think we're going to have to do most of this on our own."
"Then we'd better get started," said Doors. "Augur, what do you need?"
Augur's reply was cut short by the appearance of Dr. Park.
"What have you got?" asked Sandoval. His voice was restrained, but eagerness shone in his eyes.
"You're supposed to be taking it easy," Park scolded him. "Not engaging in high pressure meetings."
"Whoa," said Boone. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," said Sandoval shortly.
"If you call nearly dying in Liam's arms earlier today nothing," said Augur expressively.
"Dying?" asked Lili incredulously. "What happened?"
Sandoval sighed. "It appears that I'm suffering from a genetic blood disorder. Dr. Park is here to inform me of the treatment options."
"And what are the options, Melissa?" asked Doors.
"Well, the goods news is that there is a treatment," she said. "It's a new one, based on experimental Taelon technology. They've gotten some good results so far."
"And you can do it here," said Doors.
"Yes," she agreed. "Normally I'd prefer to bring in a few specialists and carry out the procedure in the hospital, but given the situation…"
"You'll do it here."
"I'll do it here. The only problem is that in order for the treatment to work, I need a sample of undamaged hematologic factor."
"So get it," said Sandoval impatiently. "Use whatever Resistance resources you need. Hell, use Taelon resources if you have to."
"For someone who hates the Taelons so much, you're awfully willing to use their technology when it's convenient," observed Lili.
"Captain, with all I've suffered at the hands of the Taelons, I think I've paid my dues. I might as well benefit from their presence where and when I can."
"The problem is, the cure for the disorder involves gene therapy, not medication," said Park. "In order to perform the procedure, I need blood—two pints of it—from a first degree relative. Either a parent or a child. Now, normally, we could use Ryan's blood. But given his current condition, I'm a little worried about taking that much blood from him."
"I won't allow you to endanger my son," said Sandoval quickly.
"I agree," she replied. "But the question is, what are we going to do instead? Your parents…"
"Are both dead," said Sandoval. "And I have no other children."
"Then without Ryan's blood, you'll be dead in a few days."
"You can't extend it any longer than that?" asked Boone.
"Maybe a week or two, with care and luck."
"And how long will it take Ryan to recover enough to donate the blood?" asked Lili.
"I don't know," admitted Park. "I'm still not exactly sure what they did to him, and that makes it difficult to judge. He might be well enough in two weeks to consider it…"
"If Sandoval's still alive then," said Doors. "Melissa, the Resistance can't afford to lose him."
"I know," she sighed. "But I don't know what else to do."
"I'll take the chance," said Sandoval resolutely. "I'm not going to risk harming Ryan."
Liam felt Augur's eyes on him, watching him expectantly. You knew it was coming, he reminded himself. Now you get to deal with the consequences. This is going to be a bit of a shock... He took a deep breath and cleared this throat.
"There might be another way."
Four heads turned simultaneously towards him in the suddenly deafening silence. Doors was the first to speak.
"What do you mean?"
"A couple of weeks ago," began Liam, choosing his words with care, "the Sandoval of our dimension was diagnosed with the same condition. He was successfully treated using the methods Dr. Park has referred to."
"But you said my counterpart had no children, Major," said Sandoval slowly. "Where did they get the hematologic factor from? Are my—his—parents still alive in your dimension?"
"No," said Liam.
"Then how…?" asked Park.
"I haven't been…entirely forthcoming about some of the details of our universe."
"There's a surprise," said Doors derisively. Liam ignored him and continued, speaking directly to Sandoval.
"I mentioned yesterday that Ha'gel used two humans to create me. What I didn't tell you then was that your counterpart was one of those humans. He is, essentially, my father. Or one of them, anyway." Liam was watching Sandoval intently as he spoke, trying to gauge the other man's reaction. He almost laughed at what he saw. Would have laughed, if the situation had been a little less serious or a little less delicate. For once the mask had fractured, and the shock that shone through the cracks completely eclipsed whatever mild surprise Sandoval might have earlier exhibited at the sight of Liam's shaqarava. The astonishment had rendered him frozen and speechless, a first in Liam's experience. Good to know in case I ever have to have this conversation with the other Sandoval, thought Liam wryly. At least I might have a chance to run before he can call the Volunteers. He realized abruptly that he was holding his breath, and released it slowly, glad the scrutiny hadn't gone both ways. He didn't need Sandoval to know how deep into himself he'd had to reach to make this confession.
The initial shock seemed to have faded quickly. Now Sandoval looked like he was teetering on the edge, wavering somewhere between complete rejection of the situation and…something else. Liam called on Sandoval's memories to try and interpret what he saw. Curiosity? Excitement? Concern? Fear? Disgust? It was gone before he could nail it down, replaced once more by the mask, and the inevitable onslaught of questions.
"How is that possible?" asked Lili. "I mean, both Sandovals are the same age, right? And you're…"
"A lot younger than he looks," inserted Augur emphatically.
"How young?" asked Boone.
"I was born a little over a year ago," replied Liam matter-of-factly.
"A year," said Dr. Park disbelievingly. "I know that Taelon-human hybrids grow up quickly, but…your growth rate must have been remarkably accelerated."
"I grew into this body in less than half-an-hour."
"That's not much of a childhood," observed Boone.
Liam smiled a little. "When you're born with millions of sets of memories floating around your head, a childhood is pretty much out of the question," he said. "My rapid growth simply gave me a body to match my mind."
"Why Sandoval?" asked Lili. "Why would Ha'gel pick an agent of the race that destroyed his as a parent to his child?"
"What better way to hide from the Taelons than by posing as one of their trusted servants?" said Augur.
"There was also the matter of Sandoval's CVI," said Liam. His tone turned grim. "Ha'gel…didn't realize how frail humans are. His first attempt at reproduction killed the woman involved and nearly killed his host. When he found out about the physiological enhancements provided by the implants, he decided that might be a solution. The actual choice of Sandoval was pure luck. He just happened to be the first implant Ha'gel stumbled across."
"And the woman…your mother…she was an implant as well?" asked Sandoval. He stumbled over the words a little, as if he was having trouble remembering how to speak. A small part of Liam's mind registered relief that Sandoval was able to speak at all.
"Yes."
"And my counterpart knows none of this."
"I doubt I'd still be alive if he did," said Liam. "A Kimera's host never remembers the experience."
"What about your mother?" asked Doors. "If she's an implant and she remembers…"
"The Resistance took care of that," said Augur. "Reprogrammed her CVI to wipe out certain memories and self-destruct if those memories broke through."
"So neither of your human parents know you exist," said Boone. "That must be tough."
"In some ways," Liam said thoughtfully. "I never needed my parents the way human children do. The dependency wasn't there. But…I have them in my head. Their experiences helped make me into who I am, just as any human parent influences their child, and it was sometimes difficult not being able to tell them. It was especially hard dealing with my mother, when I knew how badly she wanted a child."
"Wanted?" asked Lili.
"She died a few months after I was born," he said quietly. "Her CVI broke down…they couldn't remove it."
"I'm sorry," said Boone sincerely.
"I managed to reach her before she died," said Liam. "I told her…everything. I think it comforted her a little."
"Fascinating," said Park. "So you donated the blood for your Sandoval's treatment."
"Yeah."
"How did you manage that without him finding out about you?" asked Lili.
"I had a friend draw the blood and drop if off at the hospital, anonymously," said Liam. "They recognized it as coming from Sandoval's son, of course, but they didn't know the identity of the donor."
"And the alien DNA didn't present any problems in the treatment," said Park.
"No," said Liam. "They didn't even realize that there was alien DNA involved. They didn't look that closely."
"Why didn't Sandoval try to match the sample afterwards?" asked Doors.
"He did," replied Augur. "But he didn't come up with anything. You don't really think I used Liam's real DNA when I made his records, do you? The Taelons would have been banging on his door faster than you can blink."
"So if your blood worked in your dimension…" said Lili.
"The two Agent Sandovals are carbon copies of each other," said Liam. "Genetically speaking. And that means that my DNA should qualify me as a first degree relative here as well as there."
"I'll have to run some tests," said Park. "But it does seem promising. I assume this is the route you want to pursue, Ron."
"It doesn't look like I have much choice," said Sandoval with a grimace. He looked over at Liam. "It appears that I'm going to be in your debt yet again, Major."
"I'm sure you'll pay me back eventually," replied Liam. "I know how much you hate owing anyone anything." He delivered the last line with a deliberate smirk. Let him be angry with me. That'll be easier for him than thinking I pity him. Sandoval stared at him for a moment with an unreadable expression, then silently turned away.
"Major, I need to get started as soon as possible if this is to work," said Park. "If you'll just come with me…" Liam nodded and stood up. "Ron, I'll be back for you soon," added Park as she led Liam out of the room. Sandoval, seemingly lost in thought, didn't respond.