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Liam Kincaid squirmed, though not much since the straps that bound him to the examining table were tight and strong. They bit uncomfortably into his wrists and forced his hands palms down against the table so he could not fire his shaquarava without hurting himself. His palms itched and he tried to wiggle his hands enough to relieve them a bit, but he was only partially successful. Liam bit his lip in frustration and stared up at the ceiling. He had never felt, or been, so vulnerable.
Think of something positive, he coached himself. It was something Sandoval had once done to keep from going mad with fear when exposed as a FBI agent by the terrorist group he had attempted to infiltrate. Lili's safe, Da'an's safe, they don't know I'm the leader of the Resistance.
The Taelons did not even suspect they were holding the leader of the Resistance, given his actual age and the Resistance's known xenophobia. Liam smiled. Good, he encouraged himself, look on the bright side.
Come to think of it, Zo'or and Sandoval's expressions had been priceless when the initial DNA tests came back. A simple cross check of the human aspects of his DNA uncovered the identities of his two human parents. Sandoval's face had turned an interesting ashen gray tone when it was revealed he was much Liam's father as Ha'gel. It had been several moments before he could even move his eyes from Liam or form words with multiple syllables.
A Taelon scientist entered the room and eyed Liam warily before jabbing a needle into his upper arm. Bright red, human looking blood soon filled the collection vial. Liam felt dizzy; this was the third sample taken from him in an hour. If they took any more blood he would pass out.
Liam waited for the room to stop spinning and stared at the ceiling again. He wondered what was going to happen to him.
* * *
Zo'or was pleased. Da'an had been completely discredited before the Synod. The former North American Companion was even now reduced to hiding among the Liberation, along with the traitorous Captain Marquette. Da'an's protector, former protector, Zo'or amended silently, had been revealed as part Kimera. Now several previously unexplained events had rational explanations.
Liam Kincaid was an unexpected bonus in the Synod leader's plans. For years the Taelons had worked to develop a stable hybrid with functioning shaquarava, even going as far to infect Rho'ha with human DNA. Now such an individual had, as the humans put it, fallen right into his lap. Zo'or had already ordered his scientists to find a way of controlling Liam, but it would take time to adapt their methods to his unique brain chemistry. It did rankle Zo'or that in the brief time he had been on Earth, Ha'gel had succeeded where the Taelons had not.
For the time being he needed information. With Agent Sandoval shadowing his steps, Zo'or walked to the room where Liam was helplessly bound to an examining table. Zo'or absently dismissed the implant, not seeing the look of pure hatred directed his way.
For once Zo'or had the advantage of height, from his position Liam was forced to stare up at Zo'or, his green eyes tired and suspicious. The Synod leader wasted no time. He cuffed Liam across the head, a blow with more energy than physical force, stunning him. The Taelon then unbound Liam's right hand, pressing their palms together. As soon as Liam began to rouse the sharing began.
It was more of an assault than a true sharing. Liam had only shared once before, with the alternate version of Da'an in the parallel universe as both Liam and Da'an were concerned that such an event could inadvertently reveal Liam's true nature to the Commonality. Liam put up more of a fight than any human possibly could, but his weakened physical state, his inexperience and his relatively infant mind made him no match for Zo'or and his defenses soon crumbled. Zo'or had full access.
Zo'or saw events through Liam's eyes: his entire life up to that moment. Zo'or lived the moment Liam held a dying Siobhan Beckett in his arms and felt a slight tingle of empathy for a child, the last of his kind, losing his parent.
"I understand now. If you ever lose your way, my son, look to the heavens. That's where I'll be shinning a star for you." Beckett told her son.
"Guide my soul until morning." Liam whispered, rocking his mother's limp form in his arms.
Zo'or quickly dampened the feeling and dug deeper into Liam's memories. He was not surprised to learn that humans considered him to be arrogant in the extreme. Rage flowed through him as he saw the depth of Da'an's betrayal of the their race.
"If the Synod learns that I concealed the truth of your identity and your relationship to the Resistance, I will be held accountable."
After what seemed like hours to Liam, Zo'or ended the sharing. Liam immediately fell back unconscious, drained. Zo'or checked and refastened the restraint on the former protector's right hand, and walked to a nearby lab seething with anger at Da'an. He did find a taste in satisfaction at learning William Boone, who he had disposed of nearly a year ago, was a liberation agent.
At the lab, Zo'or shared with the scientist, Ka'na. When they were done, Ka'na thanked Zo'or saying Liam's memories would be very useful in the conditioning process. The scientist then explained that he could modify a C.V.I. to Liam's brain chemistry, but that it would be best to condition him first in case the motivational imperative degraded or the implant broke down.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Zo'or and Ka'na, Ronald Sandoval darkened the doorway of the room Liam was being held in. He stared at the man he had so recently learned was his son. He had failed Siohban, he would not fail their child.
Looking at Liam, he wondered how he had failed to notice the resemblance to his own grandfather and to Beckett. Words and images ran through his mind with the clarity that only a C.V.I. could bring.
He saw Siobhan reading her runes.
"You and I are destined to come together..."
Liam, clad in military dress uniform, at William Boone's funeral.
"Have we met?"
"Of course the two of you would be together..."
Liam held his mother's limp form in his arms, he watched from above, unaware of the true situation, a bittersweet final moment between a mother and her son.
He recalled his own mother, whom he had not called in years, telling him of her belief in the importance of family.
Sandoval had been forced to re-evaluate his opinion of Liam. Now the immaturity that once so irked him in Liam Kincaid had a clear explanation. As did the strange feeling of familiarity when he noticed Kincaid using a phrase or gesture similar to those used by his father or the Irish implant. This was his son, Siobhan's son. Somehow he knew Siobhan had loved Liam and was a good mother in the brief time she had to be one.
After checking to see if he was alone, Sandoval cut the restraints, then burned them with a few small skrill blasts once he had lowered Liam to the floor. Sandoval next removed medical gauze from a nearby tray and shoved it in his suit pocket. Then he carried Liam fireman style to the shuttle bay. He dumped Liam in the back, already mentally rehearsing the story he was going to tell Zo'or.
* * *
Zo'or surveyed the room. Kincaid's restraints had obviously not been as tight as previously thought since he had managed to use his shaquarava to burn through them. The Taelon turned to face Sandoval, who had been found in an alley with his hands tied behind his back and a minor concussion. Zo'or knew that the security cameras were still offline from the computer virus Marquette had uploaded that allowed had her the window of opportunity to escape with Da'an three days ago. Zo'or simmered recalling from Liam's memories that Da'an had assisted in the creation of the virus.
"Find Kincaid at once. I want him alive"
"Of course, Zo'or." Sandoval said smoothly. As he left the room, he had to work hard to control his smirk.
* * *
Augur owned four homes, some of which Liam had never seen before, but when he opened his eyes he was aware he was lying on a bed in a room decorated in Augur's distinctive style. Liam must have fallen asleep again because when next he awoke it was with a worried Augur, Da'an and Lili leaning over him.
He wondered how he had gotten here. He vaguely recalled Sandoval telling him to hit him with his shaquarava in an alley after he called Augur to pick Liam up. Everything else after Zo'or was a blur.
"Welcome back to the land of the living." Augur said.
"What happened?" Liam asked groggily, his body wanted to immediately return to dreamland.
"It would appear Agent Sandoval saved your life." Da'an told him in his thoughtful tone.
"Why?"
"That," Lili said, "is the million dollar question."
"So what happens now?" Liam wondered aloud.
"I don't know, what are we going to do Liam?" Augur asked.
Liam had sudden inspiration for his reply. "Same thing we do every night Augur: try to save the world!"
Lili groaned and mumbled something about Augur having corrupted sweet, innocent Liam. Da'an looked baffled, by her response. The Taelon was again confused when Augur hit Liam with a pillow and they both laughed.