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"Apparently my attacker was Ronald Sandoval." Da'an stated with surprising calm though Liam could see confusion lurking behind the facade.
"Sandoval?" Liam sputtered when he finally was able to speak. He could not stop looking at the great slashes across Da'an's chest that glowed a brilliant cerulean. It was surreal to see him standing there like that. "Why?"
"I do not know."
"Da'an," Liam reasoned, "if Sandoval wanted to hurt you he wouldn't do this." He waved a hand toward the cuts. "He knows how difficult it is to kill a Taelon. Sandoval is an expert at covering his tracks. Why use a method that would never succeed, use his own codes to bypass security, and then leave the weapon at the scene? He knows how criminal investigations proceed."
Da'an nodded slowly. "I, too am startled by this revelation, but we are without all the facts. There are pieces to this puzzle yet missing that will make the whole clearer."
Liam closed his eyes. Sandoval prided himself on being a pragmatist. Unless Zo'or was behind this - but Liam had a hard time seeing him behind so blatant an attack. Zo'or would react badly toward a human injuring a Taelon even superficially and lash out at the one responsible. Could this tie in to the dreams? First Street's friend Crash, then Renee, and now Sandoval. He considered mentioning it to Da'an, but he had nothing but vague suspicions and there was still one important possibility to eliminate. "Could his CVI be malfunctioning again?"
Da'an stiffened in response, undoubtedly recalling his brief experience with Sandoval's skrill aimed at him a few years before. "I will recommend that your suggestion be taken into consideration and Agent Sandoval's implant be examined. It is a possibility. Agent Sandoval is one of only a few implants to have had a CVI for over three years."
Liam opened Sandoval's medical file. CVI failures and implants of Sandoval's generation were still a touchy subject for him even two years after his mother's death. He pulled out his global and accessed Sandoval's file. "Dr. Belman tested his implant last week. There was nothing unexpected."
"I feared it was so. If that possibility has been eliminated..." Da'an looked away.
Liam closed his global and pocketed it. "I don't understand this. Its not like him"
"Nor do I."
"Da'an," Liam began, "I think I may have another explanation."
The Taelon regarded him curiously, but before he could elaborate a Volunteer entered the room.
"Major Kincaid?"
Liam whirled around to find a technician he vaguely recognized standing in the entrance bearing a puzzled expression.
"Yes?"
"We have found evidence of a security breach in the database."
Liam glanced at Da'an. "I think I may have evidence to support my theory now."
"I am most interested in your conclusion."