The Lambs: Part 2 (12/21) by Lamia (AKA so kiss me goodbye) Rating: PG-13 (violence, strong language) Category: S Spoilers: Seasons 1-9, Fight the Future Keywords: William; Colonization Summary: Liam van de Kamp's life changes the day two FBI agents kidnap him and his parents. Author's Note: The Lambs is a three-part story (with prologue). Chapter 22 January 2, 2012 New Mexico She knew. Dr. Scully knew who the commander was. She had to. Liam was jolted out of his dream. Thoughts swirled in his head and his skin stung like a plunge in ice water. Why would Dr. Scully keep such a huge secret? *How* could she? Major Drummond believed the commander was the key to beating the aliens. That if they knew who the commander was they could stop him taking control of the supersoldiers. Liam gripped his blankets, staring up into the darkness, long after he heard the familiar morning sounds of his parents moving about. His thoughts flew down endless corridors, searching behind doors and under chairs and in darkened corners for an answer as elusive as the end of *pi*. The door squealed on its rollers and his mother appeared. "Are you getting out of bed today, sleepyhead?" What should he do? Act normal and pretend nothing was wrong, or reveal everything to his parents? No time to think it through. He put on his sickliest smile. "Are you gonna make me?" His mother grinned. "Is that a challenge? You're not too old to be tickled, Liam van de Kamp!" She advanced on his bed, arms up Halloween mummy-like, wiggling her fingers. A genuine smile - one that made it all the way to his eyes - broke out for a second. "No," he cried, even as he felt the laughter bubble in his chest. He was able to keep up the jokes all morning. Telling his parents about the dream would raise more questions than he wanted to answer; it was Dr. Scully he really needed to talk to. This dream was unlike any other he had ever had. Not even the nightmares where he found himself turning into a monster. If this dream was real - if - then he already was a monster. He was the supersoldier at the bottom of the pit; he was Dr. Scully's old friend, Doggett. The dream didn't scare him - not the way the other monster dreams did - because in it he wasn't Liam at all. And Doggett wasn't scared - or scary; he was just upset. Liam didn't expect to see the doctor until that evening. Her appearance in the mess hall at lunch time was a surprise - one Liam was determined not to pass up. She chose a quiet corner in the room, keeping herself separate from the few round her. She didn't eat very much; Liam ate three sandwiches for her one. When she pushed her plate away, Liam was vexed. There were still too many people in the room to risk a private conversation. He decided to follow her, keeping his distance until he was sure they were alone. She didn't go downstairs so she wasn't going to her laboratory. Eventually she turned down an unfamiliar passage. Liam was curious; he had thought this area of the compound was unoccupied. There were no quarters down here. Offices, perhaps? Reaching the corner, Liam made his second snap decision of the day. The doctor was nearly at the far end of the empty corridor. "Dr. Scully?" She didn't stop; her steps didn't even falter. She was ignoring him. He tried again, calling louder. His hail brought another person to a door just beyond the doctor. She stopped when Mulder put a hand on her arm. Liam was too far away to hear what he said. Dr. Scully turned, chagrin on her face. The warmth, though, in her greeting was unmistakable. "Liam? Did you want something?" She smiled and her eyes tightened the way his mother's did when she had a headache. She was so busy these days - she looked so tired - and she seemed surprised to see him - so she can't have been ignoring him. His resolve nearly evaporated. He took a deep breath and told himself to toughen up. He *had* to do this, and he had to be looking her in the eye as he did. "You know who the commander is." She stiffened; her face went flat, indecipherable. "Excuse me?" "The commander. You know who he is. He's here at camp and you know who he is!" An echo turned his words a hissing accusation. Mulder gave him a rare sharp look and put an arm around Dr. Scully's shoulder. "Keep your voice down." The door behind Mulder was open but he and Dr. Scully blocked Liam's view. Even so, Liam got the sense nobody else was in there. Mulder and Dr. Scully were staring at him. Waiting. "Dr. Scully has been sneaking out to talk to the soldier," Liam said. "He told her that he knows she knows." "And *you* know this how?" The warmth in her voice was gone, replaced with crystal chill. This was the sticking point. He thought about lying and saying he had snuck out, but he knew that explanation wouldn't work. Not this time. "I just do." Dr. Scully's lips pressed into a thin line. Any willpower he had left to stand up to her vanished and the truth tumbled out his mouth. "I dreamed it - I had a dream." The silence was painful. They left him hanging. He was stuck, frozen up to his hips. He battled on, looking for any kind of sign from them. "It's true, isn't it?" When Mulder did reply, Liam heard more interest than concern in his voice. If Mulder was worried about their secret getting out, he didn't let any of it show. "What sort of dreams have you been having?" "I - You're changing the subject!" Mulder shrugged. "You're the one who said you had a dream." "But -" "Liam, there's a lot we don't understand about supersoldiers - how they think, how they communicate, the true extent of their abilities. If you had a dream with one in it - especially one you've had contact with - we need to know. It could mean something." The foundation of his resolve crumbled like a sandcastle at high tide. "Do you think the supersoldier is doing something to me? He put the dream in my head?" Was it possible? Had he jumped to the wrong conclusion? All things being equal ... Looking at it a different way, it was kind of made sense; Liam was a normal human ten-year-old - it was far more likely if anything supernatural was happening it was because of the supersoldier. He suddenly felt very, very silly. Mulder was sympathetic. "It's worth considering. He caught you, didn't he, when you fell down the pit? Maybe he was able to form some sort of psychic connection -" "Mulder -" Dr. Scully looked annoyed. Mulder grinned. "I'm sure I won this round a decade ago, Scully? Can you tell us about your dream, Liam?" Liam found himself outlining what he had seen and heard while the couple listened. "And that was it?" Dr. Scully said when he reached the end. "He didn't say who the commander was?" "No. Maybe -" He made a face. "I woke up." Dr. Scully glanced at Mulder. "Thank you for telling us, Liam. It's certainly a vivid account, but perhaps that's all it is -" "You think?" Mulder asked, amusement making his voice light. "After everything you've seen, Scully? Everything you've come to accept as truth?" Liam caught her rolling her eyes. "I never gave up on a standard of proof, Mulder - and I don't want Liam worrying about something unsubstantiated - especially when the obvious answer is something far more mundane. You understand me, don't you, Liam?" He nodded. Dr. Scully checked her watch. "You'd better be heading back to the main hall. This area isn't exactly off-limits but now's not the time to be exploring." Standing on the balls of his feet Liam could peer right over her shoulder now. "What's down here? More labs?" The rectangle of room he could see was unremarkable. "Supplies mainly," Dr. Scully said. "Dry goods, canned goods, linen, oil, tools - odds and ends I'm sure you'd have a great time exploring - which I know you won't. Right? Good. Well, we'll see you at dinner later." He knew a dismissal when he heard one. He was halfway down the corridor - when he realized he'd been played. Too late. Mulder and Scully had already disappeared and the corridor was filling with the heavy sound of shoes echoing on lino. Liam ducked down a passage he guessed would take him back to the main part of the building. -o0o- "What should I do, Sal?" The dog stuck her tongue out and panted. Liam glared at her. "It's all very well for you. It's not like you'd ever have to deal with this situation. Besides, you *do* know what's going on - don't pretend you don't - it'd be nice if you could tell me what to do for once." They were pacing in one of the hangars. Liam hadn't felt like company after talking to Mulder and Dr. Scully. Their explanation - that the supersoldier was responsible for the dream - was plausible but they also hadn't denied his accusation. Which meant it too could still be true. (Which also meant Dr. Scully was lying.) Which meant they knew who this mysterious "commander" person was. Which meant they were protecting him. Or her. It didn't make sense. Just what were they so scared of? He could understand why Mulder had kept his ability to see dead people secret, and if Mulder and Dr. Scully had been honest when they'd arrived on the van de Kamp doorstep half a year ago Liam and his parents would probably have laughed them off the farm and be dead or worse now. A chill went down his spine. But some secrets just were not right - and neither had given him a good enough reason to keep their secret. Sorting his feelings and thoughts was impossible. It was like he had woken up in a dark, endless maze. No matter which way he hunted, Liam couldn't find an exit. Every twisted turn he took wound up in a dead end. If he went back and threatened them, demanded they tell him why, would they? He answered his own question with a snort. No, they wouldn't. He was just a kid. Wall. Who *would* be able to get the answer out of them? He raced through his options, rejecting his parents immediately - because he didn't want them to worry about him, he told himself; the scientists seemed like a possibility until he remembered the way they respected - no, revered - Dr. Scully and Mulder; Mr. Skinner, Eric, Gibson, Mrs. Scully - they were all too close. Wall, wall, wall. It was enough to make him scream. He was running out of options; it couldn't be just anyone. There had to be someone he knew; someone he could trust. Someone who would be able to talk to Major Drumm- Major Drummond. Hadn't he been most interested in this commander person right from the start? Liam considered the old man who somehow seemed to be a leader in the camp. He looked jolly, but he didn't really sound it. Major Drummond was really a reverend - not a soldier at all; he had worked all over the country for the Salvation Army. Liam didn't know exact details; the story going around was that the Major's interest in abductions and aliens started years before because someone in his family had been an abductee. It was a familiar story. The Major was convinced finding the commander would help them. That if they killed the commander, he couldn't be replaced. Although he didn't understand the Major's particular interest in the commander, if Liam spoke to him privately maybe they could both confront Mulder and Dr. Scully. They could do it without telling anyone else. Maybe Mulder and Dr. Scully could tell the Major why they didn't want anyone to know. If they had a good reason, at least someone else important in the camp would know. If anyone should know, surely it was the Major? "That's what I'll do," Liam said, jumping to his feet. "I'll tell Major Drummond." Instead of grinning and wagging her tail, Sal went very still. Liam frowned. "That's the best thing to do, isn't it? Isn't it? If someone has to know it might as well be him." She never took her gaze off him but she didn't move, even when he went to the hangar door. He called twice before she walked over to him, her steps reluctant. "That's not good enough, Sal," Liam said, scratching at her ear. "Sometimes to be a good friend you have to stand up to your friends - I read that in a book once." He could almost hear Sal's soft snicker in his ears. -o0o- He didn't count on his next obstacle. "And you're going *where* exactly?" Gibson lounged against the door frame. His lips pulled back in a fixed sneer. Instinct had told Liam to go back to the mysterious new corridor. Mulder and Dr. Scully had been preparing for a meeting - he was sure of it - and, best guess, that most likely included Major Drummond. There was a core group of people who always seemed to be at the center of every important decision made in the camp. It had been a simple matter of hiding in a narrow corridor off the main one, and waiting and watching for everyone to leave. Luck had been on his side; Mulder and Dr. Scully had been among the first to hurry by. Liam watched them pass with a pang. But no. He gritted his teeth. They'd had their chance. They made him angry just thinking about it. A large group - Liam recognized some of the scientists' voices - departed together, followed by silence. Either Major Drummond was still down there or he had never been at the meeting. There was no one left in the corridor so Liam leaped out of his skin when he nearly walked into Gibson. They were at the door where he'd confronted Mulder and Dr. Scully. "I said" - the corner of Gibson's mouth curled - "what do you think you are doing here?" The ugly jeer ignited the simmering anger in Liam's heart. "That's none of *your* business. Anyway, can't you read my mind?" Satisfaction blazed. "Oh, that's right. You can't." Gibson's cheek muscles roiled and purpled. His nostrils flared. Liam couldn't resist another dig. "I have to speak to Major Drummond. About nothing that concerns *you*." The airy condescension failed to set off Gibson's temper. Instead the man straightened and lost some of his belligerence. "The Major's a busy man. If you give me a message I can get it to him and see if he has time to see you." Liam waited for the inevitable sarcasm Gibson liked to dish out. It never came - and he was wordless for a second as he tried to figure out if Gibson's offer was genuine. He had no way of knowing. "Thanks, but I'd prefer to talk to Major Drummond alone." Liam raised his chin and stared down his nose. He drew himself up to appear more confident. Gibson laughed, his eyes glittering. "As I said, the Major's a busy man. Maybe if I can give him some idea of what you want to talk about ...?" Was Liam going to stand there, stamp his foot and argue? With Gibson standing guard, there was no way he was going to see Major Drummond. Assuming, of course, the Major was down here. Maybe that was why Gibson was being less aggravating than usual. Maybe he was having a laugh at Liam. He started to turn until a hand clamped down on his shoulder. "The Major's made no secret of his interest in this so-called commander." Liam shuddered. He was *certain* Gibson couldn't read his mind. Not anymore. Fingers dug into Liam's shoulder blades. "The Major's a gambling man - did you know that? Never could resist a chance to try his luck, if you catch my meaning. No? Too young perhaps?" Gibson's talent for sly insinuation reasserted itself. "What do you think he'd do if he knew who the commander was?" Liam opened his mouth but Gibson went on before he could speak. "Throw a party? Lay out the welcome mat and kill the fatted calf - you're a good little Christian kid, you know what that means, don't you?" Gibson fished something out of a pocket and started rolling it in his hand: a small pocket knife? The blade wasn't extended. "You're weird." Liam immediately regretted the insult, and not just because it was a feeble comeback. Gibson's brow shot up. "Getting personal, are we? How do you even know this story about a commander is real? Maybe they want us to think it's real. Maybe it's a way to get us to turn on one another. What if we make a mistake - blame the wrong person. You wanna be responsible for swinging that ax -" Bloodied limbs and gore went flying through Liam's mind and he flinched. *Dad.* Gibson slashed at the air in front of him with the knife which hissed when a long slender blade popped out. "You want that head to roll ..." Even as Gibson spoke, the words died in his mouth and he frowned. "Sheesh, kid. It's just a metaphor." Liam flinched again when a thick hand patted him gingerly on his back. Gibson gave what could have been a sigh and stepped back from the doorway, ushering Liam in with a halfhearted flourish. "Make yourself at home." The movement was so unexpected Liam had already stepped to the threshold before he halted with a sense of caution. The strange knife had gone back into Gibson's pocket. He stood aside. "See. I really do know what you're thinking," he said. It was impossible to tell if Gibson was more amused or resigned. "You're wondering why I'm letting you see this." Liam saw empty chairs set up at wooden trestle tables arranged in a U and the maps papering gray cinder blocks. He made a face. "Is the Major here?" "Not at the moment. He'll be back in about ten minutes probably." "Why -" "Maybe - just maybe" - Gibson gave him a warning glance - "I think you have a right to know more about this place. I can't stop you talking to Drummond. You have a right to talk to him. Doesn't mean you should - but you *do* have a right. There's a lot you have the right to know. Maybe if you knew that stuff, you wouldn't be so keen to talk to the Major. Or anyone else for that matter." "How did you know -" "About your little discovery? I can't read your mind but Mulder's is an open book to me. He's worried you'll do something foolish. Personally I think he's right to be worried. I also think he's making a mistake not telling you stuff." Liam spun about. "If you think I should know, why don't you tell me? Is it something about my dreams? About the supersoldier? Dad?" He watched for some sign he was getting close. "My birth mother?" Gibson twitched; his face contracted into a mean squint and when he spoke it was with his old barb. "I'm not telling you anything." Gibson's return to form was reassuring and Liam shrugged in disdain. "Never thought you would." He gave the room another once over. "Is this like your command center?" "Pretty much. It's fairly recent." Gibson did his own shrug. "They started coming here when they worked out little ears could talk." Nothing in the compound was new but this room was especially old-looking. The floor was streaky gray and rough with long cracks and chipped edges. The walls were just painted blocks; most were covered with maps. At the head of the room was a blackboard. There were writings and symbols all over it. Liam was drawn to a map off the side of the blackboard. Gibson didn't stop him venturing further into the room. "What's that one for?" Liam stood on tip toes to study it, feeling sure Dr. Scully hadn't put this one up. The lines were rough and not to scale but he could make out the shapes and state lines of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. He looked at Gibson, dabbing a finger. "We're about here, aren't we?" Gibson's face was unreadable. "Give or take a mile or two." "What are these?" Pink Xs dotted all three states. They were most concentrated in a clump along on the Mexico border. Liam counted five sizable areas where there were no pink marks. Their camp was in the center of one of the empty areas. "They represent all our confirmed sightings of supersoldiers since July last year." Liam stared at the board. The Xs were all around the empty circles. "So many?" "Each mark doesn't represent a separate soldier. This map is showing us where the supersoldiers have been and the places they keep visiting. It's telling us for some reason the supersoldiers are spending a lot of time in these particular areas." Gibson pointed out the three areas that had the most Xs. "What does that mean?" Gibson hesitated. "Best guess? They're looking for something." "Or someone?" "Or someone." There was no need to say it: the commander. That's what they were both thinking. "And the empty areas? Are they areas where there's lots of magnetite? That's why they're empty; they can't go there." "Exactly." Liam's gaze drifted over some of the things written on the blackboard. There was no order to any of it. 'Vaccine distribution' was underlined in a heavy hand, but next to it 'speed/rate of infection' appeared unimportant in tiny, thin letters. A bold question mark in a large circle stood out, as did the words in the circle: INSIDE JOB? COMMANDER? WEAPONS? Just outside the circle another hand had drawn a smiley face and 'global warming solved! The aliens did it!' above 'climate change = incubation ideal!' "The Major's due back in about ten minutes. You can stay if you want. I'm not." Liam turned in surprise. He didn't know what to make of Gibson, one minute strange and mean, the next almost sympathetic. "I'm not going to stop you doing what you think you have to do - I think you're old enough to accept the consequences of your actions - but even if you haven't worked everything out yet you should know the golden rule by now, especially after Jeremiah Smith." Liam shook his head all the while knowing where this was going. "Trust nobody." Gibson was good to his word, heading to the door to leave Liam gaping after him. Gibson turned in the doorway. "Maybe we all want the same thing, Liam, but we don't all agree on how to get it - and sometimes that means your friends are more dangerous than your enemies."