Part 8
Renee and Boone left the shuttlebay going in opposite directions. Running down the hall, Boone felt an odd sensation of familiarity. The Mothership itself hadn't changed at all during his three missing years. Being on it felt oddly right even under the circumstances. "Where's a Taelon when you need one?" Boone murmured to himself as her ran down a dim corridor. The lack of Volunteers made the passageways seem dark and eerie. Boone reached the Medical Bay and flattened him self against a wall just outside the doors as he caught his breath. Just then he heard an explosion and felt the ship shudder gently. "Good girl, Renee." Boone muttered to him self.
"I know I'm good." Renee voice answered in his ear.
"Street's amazing." Boone said touching the tiny earpiece in his right ear. "Remind me to tell her that I'm impressed with her new toy."
"Oh, don't tell her. She'll get a head as big as Auger's." Renee answered laughingly. "OK, I'm headed in your direction." She finished.
"Go back to the shuttle, Renee. I can handle this."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. Go!" Boone answered. Suddenly the doors to the medical bay flew open and five volunteers poured out, obviously responding to the explosion. Boone kept himself flattened against the wall, just out of sight. They ran around the corner and Boone spotted one remaining volunteer.
Boone entered the medical bay and hit the last volunteer in the back of the head with his gun. "Sorry about that." he said to the unconscious man, as he lowered him onto the ground. Boone spotted Liam laying a few meters away still strapped to a bed. Boone quickly closed the distance between them and started to unfasten the unconscious man's restraints.
"Wake up, Kincaid. I'm getting you out of here." Boone said, lightly shaking Liam's shoulders.
Boone felt cold metal being pressed onto the back of his neck.
"Not so fast, Mr. Boone." Ronald Sandoval said abruptly, stepping out of the shadows and making Boone jump slightly. "Now step away from the Major and put your hands where I can see them." he continued.
Boone inched away from Liam's side and slowly turned to face Sandoval.
"And where would the lovely Miss Palmer be, Boone? Back at the shuttle?" Sandoval asked smugly. A volunteer appeared in the doorway and Sandoval addressed him over his shoulder.
"Go to the shuttle bay. Find Miss Palmer and bring her here. Go!" Sandoval finished with an annoyed jerk of his head.
"You won't get Renee. I told her to wait ten minutes and then leave with out me." Boone bluffed, steadily meeting Sandoval's gaze.
"Miss Palmer won't leave you. She cares for you too much." Sandoval said condescendingly. "Oh, and before you can alert her, hand over that communicator."
Boone removed it from his ear and softly swearing, dropped it into Sandoval's outstretched hand. He could still hope that Renee had heard what was going on, but he wasn't going to bet on it. Boone decided that he needed to get Liam out of there, and fast.
"Nurse!" Sandoval called, beckoning over the Medic from the corner of the room. "Wake up Major Kincaid. I want him alert when Howlyn and Miss Palmer arrive." Sandoval instructed her.
The nurse injected something into Liam's arm and he jerked slightly and woke up. For the second time that day, Liam opened his eyes and looked around. He felt groggy, but he was able to move all of his limbs again. He realized that the restraints previously holding him down were missing and he sat up, but was still unable to stand.
"Major Kincaid, meet William Boone." Agent Sandoval's voice broke into his fog.
"I wish this was under better circumstances, Major. Street's told me a lot about you." Boone said, tensely. Boone stretched his hand towards Liam but Sandoval waved his gun at him slightly and he stopped.
"I thought you were dead, Boone. I went to your funeral." Liam said confusedly.
"I thought you were dead." Boone returned.
"Howlyn will be most pleased. He wanted Miss Palmer and it seems he will be getting all three of you." Sandoval said, obviously enjoying himself.
"If you hurt Renee, I'll kill you, Sandoval." Liam said vehemently.
"I believe Miss Palmer is fine at the moment, but you really should ask Mr. Boone. He has been sleeping with her for.... How long now, Boone?" Sandoval asked.
Liam's head snapped sharply to the side and he watched for Boone reaction. Liam desperately wanted Boone to deny having a relationship with Renee. But the seconds dragged on and Boone impassive face showed no signs of responding. Liam felt a surge of resentment towards Boone and then quickly buried it, knowing he had no right to judge Boone. It wasn't like Renee belonged to him.
Sandoval waited a moment for Boone's answer, and when he sensed it wasn't going to come, he continued. "You didn't expect Miss Palmer to wait eight months for you, did you, Major Kincaid?"
All through the conversation Boone had been edging farther away from Liam's bed angling so that to keep a gun trained on him, Sandoval had to turn his back to the door. As if on cue Renee appeared in the doorway with her gun pointed at the back of Sandoval's head. "Drop the gun, Sandy. Or I'll splatter you brains all over the walls."
Sandoval lowered his gun to the floor; he was outnumbered three to one.
"You couldn't have gotten here thirty seconds ago?" Boone inquired. He helped Liam get off the bed and gingerly put an arm around his shoulder to support him.
"I save your butt and you bitch about my timing?" Renee raised her eyebrows at him as she spoke. She used the restraints to fasten Sandoval to the bed and the returned to Liam's side. She put her arm around Liam's waist, despite his protests, and she and Boone supported him as they ran for the shuttle.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in the shuttle? Hey, not that I'm complaining." Boone countered good-naturedly.
"You haven't figured out that Renee never takes orders from anyone?" Liam asked Boone.
"Did she ever listen to you?" Boone asked. He was half joking but there was a note of challenge in his tone that Liam didn't miss.
"Only once." Liam said, suddenly serious. He turned head to look at Renee but she turned her face away. For a second Renee was overwhelmed by memories of leaving Liam in the volcano eight months ago. Liam had told her to go and she'd left, but she had always regretted it.
"Look how that turned out." Renee replied after collecting herself. She took a deep breath and forced a lighthearted tone into her voice. "I listen to you one and you disappear for eight months."
An armed volunteer came around the corner and Renee moved away form Liam's side. She drew her gun and fired and the volunteer fell to the ground behind them. But instead of returning to Liam's side Renee opted to let Boone support Liam and she ran on ahead, putting distance between herself and the object of her conflicting emotions.
"What about the Taelon's?" Liam asked Boon as they reached the shuttle. "They're gone." Boone answered. Boone entered the shuttle to find Renee already at the helm. Liam hesitated at the door, not wanting to leave yet.
"We have to go now!" Boone called. On the shuttle with safety in sight Boone felt a renewed sense of urgency. Liam hesitated a second more before entering the shuttle and strapping himself into the passenger seat.
"Everybody ready?" Renee asked tensely.
"Let's go." Boone said with false brightness. He settled himself in for an uncomfortable ride back to earth. Liam silently stared straight ahead, the events of the day taking their toll on him.
Renee and Boone left the shuttlebay going in opposite directions. Running down the hall, Boone felt an odd sensation of familiarity. The Mothership itself hadn't changed at all during his three missing years. Being on it felt oddly right even under the circumstances. "Where's a Taelon when you need one?" Boone murmured to himself as her ran down a dim corridor. The lack of Volunteers made the passageways seem dark and eerie. Boone reached the Medical Bay and flattened him self against a wall just outside the doors as he caught his breath. Just then he heard an explosion and felt the ship shudder gently. "Good girl, Renee." Boone muttered to him self.
"I know I'm good." Renee voice answered in his ear.
"Street's amazing." Boone said touching the tiny earpiece in his right ear. "Remind me to tell her that I'm impressed with her new toy."
"Oh, don't tell her. She'll get a head as big as Auger's." Renee answered laughingly. "OK, I'm headed in your direction." She finished.
"Go back to the shuttle, Renee. I can handle this."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. Go!" Boone answered. Suddenly the doors to the medical bay flew open and five volunteers poured out, obviously responding to the explosion. Boone kept himself flattened against the wall, just out of sight. They ran around the corner and Boone spotted one remaining volunteer.
Boone entered the medical bay and hit the last volunteer in the back of the head with his gun. "Sorry about that." he said to the unconscious man, as he lowered him onto the ground. Boone spotted Liam laying a few meters away still strapped to a bed. Boone quickly closed the distance between them and started to unfasten the unconscious man's restraints.
"Wake up, Kincaid. I'm getting you out of here." Boone said, lightly shaking Liam's shoulders.
Boone felt cold metal being pressed onto the back of his neck.
"Not so fast, Mr. Boone." Ronald Sandoval said abruptly, stepping out of the shadows and making Boone jump slightly. "Now step away from the Major and put your hands where I can see them." he continued.
Boone inched away from Liam's side and slowly turned to face Sandoval.
"And where would the lovely Miss Palmer be, Boone? Back at the shuttle?" Sandoval asked smugly. A volunteer appeared in the doorway and Sandoval addressed him over his shoulder.
"Go to the shuttle bay. Find Miss Palmer and bring her here. Go!" Sandoval finished with an annoyed jerk of his head.
"You won't get Renee. I told her to wait ten minutes and then leave with out me." Boone bluffed, steadily meeting Sandoval's gaze.
"Miss Palmer won't leave you. She cares for you too much." Sandoval said condescendingly. "Oh, and before you can alert her, hand over that communicator."
Boone removed it from his ear and softly swearing, dropped it into Sandoval's outstretched hand. He could still hope that Renee had heard what was going on, but he wasn't going to bet on it. Boone decided that he needed to get Liam out of there, and fast.
"Nurse!" Sandoval called, beckoning over the Medic from the corner of the room. "Wake up Major Kincaid. I want him alert when Howlyn and Miss Palmer arrive." Sandoval instructed her.
The nurse injected something into Liam's arm and he jerked slightly and woke up. For the second time that day, Liam opened his eyes and looked around. He felt groggy, but he was able to move all of his limbs again. He realized that the restraints previously holding him down were missing and he sat up, but was still unable to stand.
"Major Kincaid, meet William Boone." Agent Sandoval's voice broke into his fog.
"I wish this was under better circumstances, Major. Street's told me a lot about you." Boone said, tensely. Boone stretched his hand towards Liam but Sandoval waved his gun at him slightly and he stopped.
"I thought you were dead, Boone. I went to your funeral." Liam said confusedly.
"I thought you were dead." Boone returned.
"Howlyn will be most pleased. He wanted Miss Palmer and it seems he will be getting all three of you." Sandoval said, obviously enjoying himself.
"If you hurt Renee, I'll kill you, Sandoval." Liam said vehemently.
"I believe Miss Palmer is fine at the moment, but you really should ask Mr. Boone. He has been sleeping with her for.... How long now, Boone?" Sandoval asked.
Liam's head snapped sharply to the side and he watched for Boone reaction. Liam desperately wanted Boone to deny having a relationship with Renee. But the seconds dragged on and Boone impassive face showed no signs of responding. Liam felt a surge of resentment towards Boone and then quickly buried it, knowing he had no right to judge Boone. It wasn't like Renee belonged to him.
Sandoval waited a moment for Boone's answer, and when he sensed it wasn't going to come, he continued. "You didn't expect Miss Palmer to wait eight months for you, did you, Major Kincaid?"
All through the conversation Boone had been edging farther away from Liam's bed angling so that to keep a gun trained on him, Sandoval had to turn his back to the door. As if on cue Renee appeared in the doorway with her gun pointed at the back of Sandoval's head. "Drop the gun, Sandy. Or I'll splatter you brains all over the walls."
Sandoval lowered his gun to the floor; he was outnumbered three to one.
"You couldn't have gotten here thirty seconds ago?" Boone inquired. He helped Liam get off the bed and gingerly put an arm around his shoulder to support him.
"I save your butt and you bitch about my timing?" Renee raised her eyebrows at him as she spoke. She used the restraints to fasten Sandoval to the bed and the returned to Liam's side. She put her arm around Liam's waist, despite his protests, and she and Boone supported him as they ran for the shuttle.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in the shuttle? Hey, not that I'm complaining." Boone countered good-naturedly.
"You haven't figured out that Renee never takes orders from anyone?" Liam asked Boone.
"Did she ever listen to you?" Boone asked. He was half joking but there was a note of challenge in his tone that Liam didn't miss.
"Only once." Liam said, suddenly serious. He turned head to look at Renee but she turned her face away. For a second Renee was overwhelmed by memories of leaving Liam in the volcano eight months ago. Liam had told her to go and she'd left, but she had always regretted it.
"Look how that turned out." Renee replied after collecting herself. She took a deep breath and forced a lighthearted tone into her voice. "I listen to you one and you disappear for eight months."
An armed volunteer came around the corner and Renee moved away form Liam's side. She drew her gun and fired and the volunteer fell to the ground behind them. But instead of returning to Liam's side Renee opted to let Boone support Liam and she ran on ahead, putting distance between herself and the object of her conflicting emotions.
"What about the Taelon's?" Liam asked Boon as they reached the shuttle. "They're gone." Boone answered. Boone entered the shuttle to find Renee already at the helm. Liam hesitated at the door, not wanting to leave yet.
"We have to go now!" Boone called. On the shuttle with safety in sight Boone felt a renewed sense of urgency. Liam hesitated a second more before entering the shuttle and strapping himself into the passenger seat.
"Everybody ready?" Renee asked tensely.
"Let's go." Boone said with false brightness. He settled himself in for an uncomfortable ride back to earth. Liam silently stared straight ahead, the events of the day taking their toll on him.