Chapter 1: The Intruder

Tyler's arrival at resistance headquarters after 11 P.M. worried Julie. He had called Elias informing him that he needed to see Julie, for medical attention, but he would not say what for. A large green and blue bump had started to form on Tyler's forehead.

Julie examined it carefully under a spotlight and wondered how Tyler had acquired his injury.

"Did you try an ice pack?" she asked. It seemed like commonsense treatment, not necessarily one that required administration by a health care professional.

"A whole tray full," muttered Tyler.

"You put an ice cube tray against your forehead?"

He flinched away from her probing fingers and glared at her.

"So, how did you get this injury?" she questioned.

"The kid," Tyler said.

Kid, what kid? Is he referring to Elizabeth or Kyle? Julie wondered. He sometimes calls Kyle kid.

"Who did this to you?" She asked.

"That punk kid of Gooder's. You almost through?"

She gasped in disbelief. "Sean did this to you? Is he with Mike now?"

"He escaped. Went back to Diana."

Poor Mike. She eyed the large lump again. Poor Tyler.

"What did he hit you with?"

"His fist. You got anything for the pain?"

"A couple of aspirin."

Tyler bit off a laugh.

"You really do need to keep ice on that to get the swelling down," Julie said.

He started for the spiral staircase as Julie packed up the contents of her medical bag.

"Are you going home now?" she asked.

Tyler shook his head. "Elias will have something for the pain."

"You shouldn't drink."

Tyler hesitated at the top of the stairs. "You should be more concerned about Gooder's drinking."

Is he upstairs? Julie wondered as the secret door slid shut behind Tyler. She imagined Donovan's frustration in surrendering Sean to Diana again. If Julie's suspicion proved correct, Donovan had been upstairs for a while, intoxicating himself to numb his anguish. She sat her medical bag aside, then climbed the steps.


Infuriated by Mike Donovan's breach of embassy security, not once but twice today, Diana slammed a stiff drink, it was a little habit she'd learned from some of her human non-friends. After Donovan's son, Sean, showed his loyalty toward her, by choosing to stay with her instead of his father, she decided to keep him around for her amusement.

She had decided to wean him off the Procorb for a few days and then analyze where his present mental state was. If she needed to, she would place him back in the conversion chamber and assign one of Klaus' finest graduates to train him to kill the way Klaus had attempted to.

Sean would make a fine soldier in Diana's war against the Humans. Perhaps this would be her greatest asset in her vendetta against the youth's father. Not knowing everything there was to know about Donovan's relationship with his son, and the history of his marriage, Diana decided to pay a visit to Donovan's home that evening. She had the address. After all, she'd had Donovan abducted from his residence only a few weeks ago.

She brought a trooper with her to sit outside in an unmarked vehicle, while one of her assistants picked Donovan's front door lock.

"Are you certain you want to enter alone?" the male asked.

"Wait in the vehicle," Diana insisted. "And don't come in unless I summon you."

"Yes, commander." He marched away, his black boots hitting the wet pavement with thumps.

Diana pushed the door open and stepped inside the foyer. With a flashlight, she began to look around. She passed through the living room, fondling framed photos of Donovan and his "family." Images of Sean through various states of his childhood filled one collage frame. Another portrait showed Donovan embracing Julie, looking as though he were going to kiss her.

"Dear Doctor Parrish, you may fool Nathan Bates, but you haven't fooled me," Diana said to the photograph. "Whatever would Nathan do if he knew that you and Donovan were lovers?"

She smiled at the photograph, remembering how she had tricked Donovan into believing she was Julie by wearing a holographic generator/pendant around her neck. She remembered how passionately he had kissed her, even while he was drugged up on Contramine. The strength of his lips and the warmth of his embrace. Oh, what a fine lover he would make, if only he were hers.

Diana realized she could easily capture Donovan again, only this time to make him her slave.

She realized that by now Donovan would have told Julie about being tricked into thinking somebody was her, and about the information that Donovan had then unknowingly leaked to aid in the capture of the Starchild. But did Donovan really know it was Diana who had acted as Julie? Shortly after Donovan's escape, Lieutenant Paul reported finding Lydia in the hallway outside Donovan's confinement room, unconscious on the floor, wearing the holographic generator around her neck. Maybe Donovan believed it was her he had kissed.

Diana had enjoyed her few moments of fun with Donovan's affections directed at her. And she longed for more of that attention. If only…

She smiled, knowing an interesting night lie ahead.