STRENGTH OF THE WOUNDED: PART ONE
By Agent Sandy
 

"In your heart,
In your soul,
Did you find peace there?"
Loreena Mckennitt--Full Circle

She watched him sit on the floor; his hands around his knees where his head was resting. He had
spent most of this day and the days before like this. When Zo'or had found out that he was part
Kimera--and they still didn't know how that had happened--he had been arrested and imprisoned onthe Mothership. It had taken the Resistance so long--too long--to rescue him, and by the time they had, the damage had already been done. Kerren didn't want to think about what horrors he'd been put through. There were rumors being passed around about the experiments and torture--all of them were horrible. The newest rumor being passed around was so terrible that Kerren wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't helped Dr. Parks go over the test results and the x-rays. The tests and examinations showed that Liam had been severely raped more than once in an effort to break him down so that he would cooperate with them.
Kerren shook her head. The others couldn't understand why Liam wouldn't come out of his 'zone' now that he was safe. Kerren did though. She had reason to. Kerren shut her eyes, better not to think about that now. Dr. Parks had asked her to try and talk to Liam. He was barely eating, and the doctor was very worried.
Kerren entered the room. Liam didn't even acknowledge her presence, but that was nothing new. He had done that to everyone who had tried to talk to him. She walked over to him and knelt down a few feet away. She couldn't help noticing that he flinched away from her.
"Liam, I'm not going to hurt you," she said softly as she went from her kneeling position to a sitting one.
He didn't reply. He didn't even look up at her.
Kerren wasn't discouraged. She knew getting through to him would take a while. He had retreated so far into himself that some people wondered if he would ever come out again.
"Liam, everyone is worried about you. Isn't there something we can do to get you to talk to us?" She asked.
"Go away," a muffled voice said after a few minutes.
Kerren's look saddened, "I can't, Liam. I see you hurting, and I want to help."
"There's nothing you can do," he replied. "You have no idea what I am feeling, and I don't want your
pity."
Kerren shut her eyes, and, for a moment, images flashed through her mind--images of a time before she had been a part of the Resistance, images of a man--her father--beating her and...
Kerren tried to shake herself loose of the grip the memories had taken over her. Even though the
abuse had happened over 15 years ago, the memories still paralyzed her at times. The pain was still as real as it had been when she had been 10 years old.
"What are you thinking about?" Kerren opened her eyes and was surprised to see that Liam was
looking at her.
Kerren forced herself to smile, "Nothing."
Liam looked at her sadly, "Are you suppose to be lying to me?"
Kerren started to say that she wasn't lying, but stopped, "No, I shouldn't be I guess. Let's just say that I know more about what you are feeling than you could imagine."
Liam just looked at her as if he was waiting for an explanation.
Kerren looked down, "When I was 10 my father began abusing me. A first he'd just hit me. Then he started in on other things. He, he..." Kerren's voice drifted off as tears entered her eyes. She shut her eyes to stop herself from crying.
A few minutes passed, and then she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. She opened her eyes. It was Liam. He pulled her against himself, and she cried on his shoulder.
Once she started to settle down, Liam spoke quietly, "Does the feeling of emptiness and violation
ever go away?"
"No," Kerren whispered, "it just lessens. Having people--friends--around helps, but you can never be the same." Her voice cracked, "You can never be the same."
Liam put his head against her shoulder and shut his eyes. Tears flowed down his face as he wondered if he'd be able to carry on always feeling the way he felt at that moment.
"Facing the pain is the key," Kerren said, her voice slightly muffled by his shoulder. "You can't let it control you. 'Cause if you do, he...they...win."
Liam nodded against her shoulder. He couldn't let Zo'or defeat him. He had to carry on--for the
Resistance, for his family and...for himself.
Liam tightened his arms around Kerren, and she squeezed him back. Unconsciously, Liam began to
rock her, and she him, as they sat there and faced their pain...together.

PART TWO

Kerren ran through the Mothership looking for Liam. The Resistance had take over the ship and pretty much had all of the crew under control. The few who were still free weren't what were worrying her.
Zo'or was still on board, and if Liam got a hold of him...things could get messy. Kerren knew that
Liam hadn't forgiven Zo'or for what had been done to him. The Taelon himself had not been the one who had physically raped him, but he had been the one who had ordered it. Zo'or had also been the one who had mentally raped Liam by forcing him to join with him, and that was almost as bad, if not worse, than the physical abuse he had endured.
She turned the corner to enter the bridge and skidded to a stop. Liam was standing over Zo'or, who was lying on the floor with his back to his overturned commander's chair. Liam's hands were facing the Taelon and glowing as he prepared to fire his shaqarava at Zo'or.
"Liam, don't!" She cried out.
Liam shut his hands and looked at Kerren. Tears reddened his eyes.
"Why not? He showed me no mercy," Liam stated.
Kerren looked at the smirking Taelon who was now sitting on the floor. Surely Zo'or had to be afraid that Liam would kill him...unless that was exactly what he wanted him to do.
Kerren walked up next to Liam, "Look at him. He wants you to kill him because if you do, then he'll
know that he succeeded in destroying you!"
Liam looked at Zo'or. The Taelon's face was now blank of any expression except for his eyes. His
eyes danced in a way that told Liam that the Taelon was enjoying every minute of his pain.
For a moment, Liam's shaqarava lit up again, and Kerren thought that he was going to kill Zo'or
anyway. Then Liam turned away and started to walk from the room.
"Weakling!" Zo'or hissed as he stood up.
Liam spun back to face him.
"Weakling? Who is the real weakling?" Liam asked as he stalked back to stand in front of Zo'or. "Is it a person who has the strength to walk away or is it the person who forces pain and suffering onto another?"
Zo'or shrank back against the overturned chair, "You have no right to judge me, Hybrid."
"I didn't say I was; I just asked you a question," Liam looked straight into Zo'or's eyes.
Zo'or tired to look away, but the hybrid's blue-green eyes keep him locked in place.
"It's a little different when I am actually conscious and able to fight, isn't it?" Liam stated. "Now you are afraid of me."
"I am afraid of nothing!" Zo'or tried to put on his usual arrogant face, but failed.
Liam smiled and then raised one of his hands, shaqarava glowing, and placed it against Zo'or's face. The Taelon tried to pull away, but couldn't.
Several tense moments passed, and then Liam smiled at Zo'or and lowered his hand.
As he watched Liam walk away, Zo'or got angry. The brat was suppose to kill him. That way he
couldn't be held accountable once the Synod found out about his actions. His murder would have also, finally, proven that Kincaid was too dangerous to be allowed to live.
"Kincaid!" Zo'or yelled at Liam's retreating form. "We are not done yet!"
For a moment Liam stopped walking, then he shrugged his shoulders and continued out of the room. Zo'or completely lost his human facade. Already, he could hear the Commonality in the back of his mind. They were very angry at the treatment that one of their own--albeit distantly related--had received. That anger grew as Da'an told them everything that had happened, and how Zo'or had threatened to kill him if he told anyone. Zo'or slid down the chair until he was again sitting on the floor. As Kerren watched, the Taelon faded until there was nothing left of him.
Kerren shut her eyes as tears entered them. She wasn't mourning Zo'or's passage into the Void--few would. No, she was celebrating the fact that Liam had been able to face his monster...and let it go free.
 

PART THREE

Liam stopped and watched the small dark figure that was sitting in the cell. He had come here to find answers, but he had to wonder if the answers would be anywhere near what he expected. After all, the man in the cell never stopped surprising him. He had, after all, been instrumental in helping the Resistance take over the Mothership, but had put up no fight when the other leaders had insisted that he be taken prisoner and punished along with all of the others who had helped the Taelons. Liam took a few more steps forward, but stopped again when he heard the prisoner crying to himself. “How will he ever forgive me? I...I never knew. Oh God, I didn’t know he was my son…. “ Sandoval whispered to himself in a choked voice. “Why do I destroy everything I love or would love?” Liam started to speak when his father paused, but his throat caught. After a few seconds Sandoval continued. “My son… My love…. My life… And he will never know. He would not believe me anyway. Not after all that I have done to him. How could I have been so blind not to know…even when they brought him in and told me that he was a Resistance spy and part alien. I should have known! I should have remembered, but I didn’t! And because of that, I helped to torture my own son!” Sandoval ran his hands through his hair, “How can he ever forgive me? How can I forgive myself?”
Sandoval’s voice dropped so low, Liam had to risk moving closer to hear him.
“If only there was something I could do, but there is nothing. If the Resistance doesn’t kill me—as
they have every right too—my CVI will soon enough. Perhaps I should save them the trouble. If I
could get a hold of a weapon…” Sandoval paused as an angry hiss came from his skrill. Sandoval ran his hand over the skrill to comfort it. “It is nice to know someone cares even if it is for purely selfish reasons. Somehow it is fitting that the only thing that loves a violent man is violent itself.” Sandoval sighed and fell silent. Liam watched and waited for him to begin speaking again. When he didn’t Liam took a step toward, and whispered, “Dad?”
Sandoval’s head came up and he looked at Liam. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“I need to talk to you,” Liam stated.
Sandoval nodded and shrunk back against the wall as Liam entered the room.
Liam saw him move and shook his head, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Sandoval looked shocked, “I am surprised. You have every right to want to kill me.”
“You are my father… You are the only family I have, “Liam said softly as he sat down across from him. “Besides, you didn’t know. You only did what you had to.”
Sandoval looked at him, his voice suddenly low and tense,” How can you forgive me? I tried to kill
you! I had a part in torturing you!”
Liam shook his head and repeated, “Dad, you only did what you had to. Had you done differently, you would be dead.”
“As I should be!” Sandoval suddenly stood, “How am I supposed to live like this? Knowing I am no
better than Zo’or?”
Liam watched his father, “Stop it Dad. You are so different than Zo’or that there is no comparison. If you wish to feel sorry for yourself and what you have done, that is your right. But I will not. I came here to find out if I could forgive you, and I have.”
Sandoval’s face softened as he collapsed back onto the bench and started to cry, “Why? After all that I have done, why?”
Liam moved to kneel beside his father and held him as he cried, “Because you are as human as
anyone one else.” He whispered, “Your mistakes are no more than that, and even though you won’t admit that to yourself, I know it is what you believe deep down. You need time to heal and once you have had that time, then you will be able to understand why I love you.”
Ronald nodded and shut his eyes as tears ran out of them. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, his son was right. He needed to accept that he could heal just as his son had. More than that, he could also be forgiven his mistakes by his son…and by himself…

                               THE END