Day Six

"Four more days, Liam," Renee said the next morning. "Four more days and it'll be over."

"One way or another," Liam added.

"Think positive, Liam. He's lasted this long, and he was doing great yesterday."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. What's with all of this sudden optimism? I usually carry more optimism in my little finger than you do in your entire digestive system."

"Gee, that's a pleasant thought," Renee joked.

"I just never thought you'd be taking this as well as you are."

"Well, I actually have a good bedside manner in case you didn't notice. If you really want to know how I feel, I'm worried out of my mind. All of this is nuts. It's like I'm watching a tribal exorcism. It's like Da'an's some kind of shaman in a trance contacting dead people."

"More like he's hopped up on drugs being endlessly force fed to him by a bunch of Taelon religious fanatics."

"They say that all the drugs do is keep him in a trance."

"Yeah sure. A trance like a mental case high on PCP or LSD."

"Well, some Asian cultures have their boys drink strange potions or undergo painful rituals as a rite of passage into manhood. An African tribe has their warriors drink a mixture of cow's blood with milk to make them strong enough for battle."

"And you think that just because some of our cultures still do that primitive crap, we should let our friend get drugged day after day until he magically frees himself?"

"First of all, Liam, if you truly want to be one of the good humans on Earth, you need to learn to respect all cultures and their traditions regardless of how strange they may seem to you. Secondly, I had my doubts at first too, but this is the way they've been doing it for years. It's the only thing that works right now. All we can do is stand by and make sure that nothing terrible happens to Da'an. This whole time we've been constantly asking ourselves what we believe is going on with Da'an in there. Not once have we asked ourselves what he believes. We won't know until he comes out of it safe, sound, and hopefully free."

"I know all of that, and I do respect their culture. It's just…no matter what I do, I can't shake this feeling that all of this is gonna get worse before it gets better."

"Well, let's just go inside and make sure that doesn't happen," Renee suggested walking ahead of him and into the room.

Liam shook his head and followed.

Inside Alo'in and the four other ministers had surrounded Da'an and were praying. Mem'na, on the other side of the room, was brewing a strange new mixture. When Liam walked over to her to see what it was, he saw a strange blue flower in a bowl. Before he could get close enough to discover what type, Mem'na had already ground the flower and poured it into the mixture.


Da'an found himself in a very familiar place now. It was the embassy in Washington, DC. He saw himself sitting in his chair in front of the datastream that had been turned to the news. In his hand was a very familiar green vial.

"Shame about Senator Gale, don't you think?" Sandoval asked him.

He was too busy looking at the vial, but eventually he knew he would have to answer. Sandoval was not the type to leave even when he realized he was being ignored. "As a friend and supporter of the Taelons, his influence will surely be missed."

Da'an rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of criminals, Chairman Federov told me a very interesting story before he was shipped to Antarctica," Sandoval said. Da'an tensed as he saw his former protector unravel the purple substance that had for a brief time been his pleasure. "Care for some?"

Had he been able to, Da'an would have strangled his own self for that look. That tempted, agonized, and…weak stare! How pathetic that purple siren had made him! It was enough to convince that he had submitted, but at least now he would know for sure.

"It's the human kryss. Pure kyrss. Not that pitiful substitute Dr. Curzon created," Sandoval taunted ever so cleverly. "Zo'or has ordered the Taelons to accept the substitute, but you don't need to."

Son of a bitch! It was all Da'an could think of. The problem was he had no clue whether he was referring to himself or Sandoval as he watched himself pretend to look disgusted. "Please…take it away," he whispered shakily.

Sandoval knew he had him. It was so obvious! He poured a few crystals into the palm of his hand. "Just a little taste."

"Take it away," Da'an had practically begged.

Sandoval would not leave, and that only irritated him even further. Of all the ones to expose your weakness…!

It pained Da'an to watch himself slowly turn back and stare at the offering in Sandoval's miniscule little hand. He could see himself just seconds away from bolting upright and grabbing the substance.

"Come on, Da'an. One little taste isn't going to hurt you," Sandoval said. "No one has to know but me. It'll be our little secret."

He could not seem to control his hand. It slowly and painfully reached outward for the substance even though he seemed to be working so hard to force it back. Sandoval was ready to sprinkle it in when suddenly, the hand wrenched back. "No!"

"You can't resist it forever, Da'an. You want it. You need it. All the kryss in the world, just for you. You can wake up everyday and feel wonderful. To never have a care in the world, to never have to worry about anything—you want this, Da'an. Just take it."

He rose from his seat and stepped down. "Get out."

"Just one little taste isn't going to hurt you. For old time's sake," Sandoval said approaching him and holding the substance in front of his eyes.

He was hypnotized by it. He slowly took Sandoval's hand to get a good look at what he was throwing away. Da'an could tell that he wanted it, and it was right there just waiting to be taken. Just one measly little taste. It looked at first like he was absolutely going to take it, but remarkably, the hand that came so close to touching that nectar of the gods closed Sandoval's hand and pushed it away.

"Please just go away," he told Sandoval.

"Think about what you're doing, Da'an," Sandoval warned.

He turned away once more. "You take that vial and get it as far away from me as you can," Da'an said in a low voice.

As he watched himself, a wave of bad memories associated with the kryss resurfaced. He could tell that his other self was sharing the same memories at the same time.

"You will never have another chance like this," Sandoval said in frustration.

Da'an could tell he was getting just as frustrated. For some sick and twisted reason, Sandoval had made it his personal mission to turn him into a pathetic, groveling wretch. Da'an could also tell that he had figured that out as well, and his temper began to show as his hands clenched into two stiff fists.

"You take that vial and get it as far away from me as you can," he repeated more slowly this time in a tone he had not used since the war.

"You're a coward, Da'an. You're a dirty, pitiful coward." Sandoval had reduced himself to name-calling. "You're just as worthless as this kryss. You want to know why you fled so willingly to it? It's because you and it are just the same: weak, miniscule delusions of grandeur. You need this, Da'an! You are nothing without this. One day, when the pressure becomes too much for you, you'll come crawling back for this. You'll get down on your knees and beg me for this. I shall savor that day. The day that I expose you for the weak little pussy you are."

He turned back with glowing red eyes this time. The vial in Sandoval's hand began to rattle. Bewildered by those deep and angry eyes, Sandoval dropped the vial, but it did not fall. It floated there continuing its rattling. It shook faster and faster. The lights in the embassy began blinking on and off. Then, before Sandoval could react, the vial exploded! Millions of glowing particles scattered to the floor, but that menacing look remained.

"I am giving you exactly five seconds to leave my embassy," a deep guttural voice warned.

"You wouldn't kill me. Zo'or would have you for lunch, and the Synod would learn of your habit," Sandoval shot back.

"You'd be surprised to see what you can live through," those eyes told him.

"That's an idle threat. No Taelon is capable of violence. You would never blaspheme, Da'an. You'd be too much like me, remember?" Sandoval taunted.

Those eyes closed one more time, and when they opened Da'an recognized his own brilliant blues. "You are correct. I suppose that is why I am letting you leave here with the use of your legs."

"You haven't won anything here," Sandoval said marching out of his office.

"Neither have you," he retorted.

Sandoval looked back at the remains of the vial scattered on the floor like snowflakes. Then, he turned to leave again.

"Oh, and one more thing, Agent Sandoval," he called.

Sandoval gruesomely turned.

"Nobody…but nobody…fucks with me."

Da'an's looks of dread and disgust turned to bewilderment and excitement. A renewed hope for himself surfaced as he watched himself take one final disgusted look at the substance that had briefly enslaved him. He took the substitute and clenched it tightly. Then he cleaned up the mess and threw it out. Perhaps this is what Ma'el had been referring to. Da'an could not help but wonder if Ma'el would have been strong enough to resist so abrasively too. Those thoughts followed him out of the memory as he walked away with an appreciation for that will from within Liam had described to him and a newfound respect for himself.