by Seven

Disclaimer:  Earth: Final Conflict and its characters are copyrighted by Tribune Entertainment Company.
 All rights reserved.
 
 

Note from Author: Takes place during Heroes and Heartbreak.
 
 

*********
 
 

Da'an felt Liam's accusing, suspicious glare as he walked away, but forced himself to keep to his work.
For a moment, the young Kimera/human watched his mentor, and then walked away.

Lied. He had lied to Liam.  Da'an tried to shake the words from his mind, but couldn't. He couldn't
remember any occasion where he had deliberately lied to Liam like that. Da'an put down the global and
tried to steady himself.

What he was doing, he was doing for the Taelons. If the Jaridians arrived on Earth, no Taelon would be
shown mercy. Liam might escape, but humanity would either be enslaved or convinced by the Jaridians.
The Taelons would face the wrath of the race they had lied to for four years now...

----

The homeworld simulation was warm and pleasant. Da'an had been there only the week before, during
the Ka'arpaj, but he wanted to be there to think it out. As he scaled the rocks, this time paying no
attention to the brightly-colored flora around him, his mind whirled back on the things he had said and
done recently.

Lied. He had lied. He loved Liam as he would love his own child, but Liam taking on the mantle of
Resistance leadership had shaken Da'an more than he cared to admit. And the simple question, "Will you
betray me, Da'an?" had horrified him in its implications. More horrifying, Da'an thought, was his own
reaction.

The fact that he had not said, "no."

And now, when Liam needed his help, he had to deny his protector, his friend, the information that
could help him. Da'an's hands were shivering a little as he reached the top of the cliff and walked up to
the place where he had witnessed the alignment of the moons. The holographic representations were
nowhere near each other now.

For a long moment, Da'an stared off across the terrain. He felt sadness washing over him as he
remembered what Zo'or had said, "You are in a state of denial." Was he? Was he denying what would
happen?

Da'an waved his hand, and the beautiful simulation dissipated like blood in a stream. The comforting
image was replaced by a stark, barren wilderness. *This will not be Earth,* he thought. *I will not
allow Earth to become this way...*