The Lambs: Part 3 (6/11)     
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.
 

Chapter 37 

December 22, 2012 
New Mexico 

The woman spoke before Liam had time to react. 

"Stay here. When the way is clear I will get you." She 
didn't wait for his reply. "This place is not safe for 
you." 

"Liam?" Gibson reached out, his hand colliding with the 
bundle between them. 

Liam looked down at the bag in surprise. It was his 
backpack. The one they had removed after he arrived. "I 
don't understand." 

"She wants to help you," Gibson said. "She's genuinely 
worried about you." 

Liam stared up at the woman. 

"Stay here," she said. Then she disappeared. 

Liam unzipped the bag. His sneakers sat on top. He 
pulled them on his feet, only belatedly feeling bad 
that Gibson still had bare feet. It was warm in the pod 
chamber, but still ... 

"She gave you your bag?" Gibson pushed himself up, 
intensity in his voice. "Give it to me." Liam passed 
the bag into Gibson's grasp. Gibson didn't need sight 
to know what he was searching for. He put his bandaged 
hand in and whooped. 

"Tell me that's the extractor," he said. "Check it. See 
if it still works." 

Liam did as he was asked, finding the on switch and 
pressing it. Its tiny LCD screen lit up. "It's going, 
but the battery icon is flashing." 

"It'll have to do. There should be a menu on the 
screen." 

Gibson talked him through setting the device, which 
involved tapping the screen and selecting some numbers. 
"No time to get to one hundred. Fifty percent will have 
to do." 

He hurried Liam through the instructions. "Do you see a 
small button on the bottom edge? Press it in and slide 
it to the side." 

A long thin needle popped onto Liam's palm. 

"What now?" 

"Stick it in between your ribs." 

Liam froze. "What?" 

"I need something from your blood," Gibson said. 

*The nanobots.* 

"Jab the needle in and press the button at the top. 
Hurry, Liam. The battery's running out." Gibson wasn't 
joking. And from his tone, he wasn't expecting any 
argument. 

Bad enough they were stuck on a narrow ledge on a 
shaking ship. Liam felt trapped. The point of the 
needle hovered over his side. He touched the tip to his 
flash, drawing his hand back. He couldn't do this, no 
matter what Gibson said. 

"The longer you wait, the more I suffer." 

With an angry cry Liam poked the needle into his skin 
and smacked down on the depressor. He hissed as it went 
in, made a face, and hit the button. 

"When it beeps, take it out and put it back in the 
extractor." 

Liam gritted his teeth, unwilling even to ask the 
question. Numbers started turning in his head. He got 
as far as ten when the needle emitted a shriek which 
made Liam lean over to check the sentry far below them. 

"Did you put it back in the extractor?" 

"Yes," Liam said as he popped it in. The icon was still 
blinking and the device buzzed into action, but when 
the screen went blank he panicked. 

"It's dead." He thumbed the power button again. 

"Can you pop the needle out?" 

Liam's fingers fumbled at the bottom of the device. He 
held his breath until the needle was ejected into his 
hand again. "Yes." 

"I need an injection. Between ribs." 

"I don't -" 

"Now, god damn it." 

Liam did as he was asked. 

Gibson sighed and leaned back. "Thank you." 

"What now?" 

"Give it a few minutes." 

They sat unmoving. The sounds of fighting below had 
died down. The empty rods on a level with them rotated 
forlornly. Every three or four minutes they swung 
around one section. Other levels had stopped 
altogether. Sparks hissed in some places. 

"They must have just about destroyed them all," Liam 
said. "What do you think it means?" 

"There's a lot of anger. There's division." Gibson 
exhaled. "The bots - I can feel them working. The pain 
is gone. No sight yet, but my hands ..." 

He twisted around and put his arms out to Liam. "Can 
you undo them? From the fingers." 

Plucking carefully at the ends, Liam tugged the 
bandages. As he unwound the strips, he exposed Gibson's 
fingers. The new flesh was pink and unblemished. 

When both hands were freed, Gibson flexed his fingers. 
"It still might work," he whispered to himself. "We 
have a chance." 

Liam tied off the strips. The healing was still working 
its way up Gibson's arms. 

"Yeah. We're getting off this ship." 

Now would be a good time to mention his vision from 
Doggett of Mulder and Scully. He wasn't sure what to 
make of the woman, but Doggett would find him. They had 
a connection. 

"No." The way Gibson said it made Liam go tense. "I 
have a chance to do what I set out to do." 

"But -" 

"I can't do it alone. I can't see yet and I can't 
control the ship. Can you get me to the round room?" 

"But that's - I don't want to -" 

"I'm not saying you have to go in - but what if you 
could get me to that room?" 

"It's not safe -" 

"Even if it meant that it could save everyone?" 

"If I go back there -" 

"Just get me in. You won't have to do anything. I'll do 
all your sacrificing for you." 

Liam stared at Gibson. "What do you mean?" 

"Our original plan." 

The round room. That's where Gibson asked to be taken. 

Technically it was right in front of them. It might as 
well be on the other side of the moon. 

"There's only one way I know," he said, sickening at 
the thought. They would have to climb over the rail and 
take the spiral path down. 

He hated the idea. Presuming they made it down the 
spiral path and Liam could open the portal, they would 
have no idea what was awaiting them on the other side. 
There was still pockets of fighting below, the ship 
hadn't stopped shaking, and even if they made it that 
far, they'd still have to get across to the black 
column with enough time for Liam to try opening that 
portal. All before the guard came back. 

"What if we went across?" 

"Across? Across the platform? You mean climb down and 
get to the center path?" 

"I mean go over and climb down the center column." 

"You're kidding?" 

"No. 

"Can you see again?" 

"Stabs of light in my eyes. My arms are healing. You 
can be my eyes." 

"What do you mean 'go over'?" 

"Just that." Gibson nodded to in front of them, a 
disconcerting movement which disturbed Liam because he 
knew Gibson couldn't see. "When a rod comes around this 
way, we can haul ourselves onto it." 

"But you can't see." 

"It's the only way." 

"No, it's not." Climbing over the rail and taking their 
chances going down the spiral was sounding better by 
the second. 

"I'm telling you I can do this. The biggest risks reap 
the biggest rewards." 

"Or the biggest fall." 

Liam wanted to argue; he wanted a better solution. The 
more he waited, the more he could see the benefits to 
Gibson's idea. 

"If we're going to do this, we need to do it now before 
the woman comes back. She doesn't want you anywhere 
near that room." 

-oOo- 

The hardest part would be the leap. The closest rod was 
a foot out from the ledge. It was probably a good two 
feet above Liam's head, but he could compensate by 
climbing a little and launching himself from the wall. 
Liam was confident he could do it, but that wouldn't 
work for Gibson. 

Without sight, Gibson would be safer to stand on the 
ledge and jump for the rod. He was taller than Liam - 
he wouldn't have quite so far to reach - but if he 
leaned out in just the wrong spot, there were no ifs 
about it: he'd fall. 

They were about halfway down the chamber. He wouldn't 
survive - even if he fell in the goo - maybe especially 
if he fell in the goo. 

Liam would have to guide verbally Gibson. 

Liam studied the rod, mentally writing himself 
instructions: do a few practise jumps, climb yea high, 
stretch out, leap. Working out instructions for Gibson 
would be harder. 

"Can we practise this?" 

"What's to practise? You say jump, I jump." 

Liam found grooves in the wall and pulled himself up. 
He twisted and looked for the rod, which was slightly 
to his side. That angle would give him more surface to 
reach for. It also meant he had a little further to 
jump. 

It was no different to climbing trees on his farm, or 
descending into the cave in the desert. Or hauling 
himself in through the window in the office above the 
hangar at the camp. 

*I do these things all the time.* 

There was no time for worry. The rods were rotating 
about every two minutes. He wouldn't allow himself to 
miss. He tightened the straps on his backpack to stop 
it jiggling. He lept. His aim was true. Liam smacked 
into the rod with a grunt. The wool of his sweater 
slipped against the shiny surface. Instinct kicked in; 
his arms clamped, while his legs scissored in thin air. 
When he realised he wasn't slipping further, he 
breathed out and tried using his legs to swing himself 
up. With one heart-pounding motion, he got himself 
upright. 

*Now for the hard part.* 

He couldn't let Gibson know what he was thinking. "Your 
turn. Easy as. Jump to my voice." Gibson rose with 
determination chiseled on his face. "I see more flashes 
of light." 

"Do you want to wait? Maybe your sight is healing." 

Gibson paused before shaking his head. "She might come 
back. We need to go - now." Liam knew Gibson was right. 
They had one chance. 

"Shuffle to your left. A little more, a little - stop. 
That's enough." 

Next he had Gibson angle himself in tiny increments so 
that he was as straight onto the rod as he possibly 
could be. 

"Now, imagine you're high fiving the right hand corner 
of the door to the kitchen. You have to go a little bit 
to the side." 

Liam forced himself to watch as Gibson lined himself up 
and tensed. It seemed he had frozen. 

"Count me down - quick - before I lose my nerve." 

"Three. Two. One!" they said together. 

Gibson had a lopsided walk; he never looked at ease 
with physical pursuits. But Gibson was a fighter - and 
he'd scrambled up hills to reach safety five days ago. 

It was that Gibson who threw himself blindly into the 
air. 

He slammed into the rod with more force than Liam was 
expecting. Liam threw himself forward and wrapped his 
limbs around the beam. 

Scrambling in the air, Gibson's legs cycled as he 
dangled. 

"Here - I've got you." Liam grabbed Gibson's wrist. 

The man calmed and concentrated, swinging a leg up just 
as Liam had done. Once he was secure, he panted for a 
minute. Then he laughed. "I whacked my chin." 

When he was satisfied Gibson was balanced, Liam risked 
a look down. 

Soldiers had moved back into their section of the 
chamber, but no one was focusing on the rods above 
them. 

Liam and Gibson were up a good height, and the scene 
started to swim before Liam's eyes. His heart racing, 
he closed his eyes and leaned forward to hug the 
support. Usually he had no problems with his balance, 
but the thought of a fall today scared him. 

Gibson didn't have the same problem. 

Carefully they pulled themselves along the beam. Liam 
kept an eye on the action under them. Whispering 
instructions and descriptions to Gibson. 

"It's hard to tell what's happening. I think they're 
trying to get into the round room, but something's not 
letting them." 

It was impossible to tell what side the soldiers were 
on. The soldiers killed before had to be rebels. The 
soldiers under them now were more likely to be 
defenders. But as for who was winning ... the pods had 
been decimated. 

The rebels' objective seemed to be to destroy the pods 
- but they had also been interested in the center 
pillar. Like Gibson, were they trying to get to the 
inner room? What did they hope to do in there? If the 
rebels wanted to damage the inner room, why didn't 
Gibson just let them do it? 

"Destroying just this ship isn't the answer," Gibson 
said when Liam asked. "Think this is the only one?" 

"I thought Jeremiah said they didn't have many?" 

"He knows of six ships - on earth. But he thinks there 
are more. He's just not sure where." 

Liam watched as another supersoldier ran up to the 
pillar and stared at it. He ran back to the outer wall 
when the sentry returned. If staring at the wall was 
meant to accomplish anything, Liam couldn't tell what 
it was, but it gave him a bad thought. "It's not 
working for them. What if it doesn't work for me?" 

Gibson was firm. "We still have to try." 

Their overhead journey to the center was slow but 
steady. The ship still shivered periodically, but the 
column and the rods seemed to be part of the central 
structure of the ship and remained fixed. They did have 
to hang on tight, and they were halfway across when 
their level rotated a section. 

"Like being stuck on the minute hand of a clock, isn't 
it?" Gibson said. 

As they neared the column, Liam saw a metal lattice 
running from top to bottom. It would be an easy matter 
of scaling down, with regular hand and foot holds. The 
casing could have been built for child's play. He 
described the set up to Gibson, who said his sight was 
full of black holes and flashing lights. 

"I think this is the side the portal opens on. We'll 
have to wait for the guard to move." 

The sentry's job seemed to involve circling the column 
every minute. 

*Sixty seconds to find the symbol and open the door.* 

He was getting good at finding the void - but was he 
that good? 

They had started the climb when Gibson whispered 
loudly. "Stop. Something's -" 

Liam gripped the grill and twisted for a better view of 
the chamber. This side was still empty as far as he 
could see. 

"Another soldier - he's joining the sentry," Gibson 
said. "Oh shit. There's another problem." 

"What?" 

"Mulder's near. I can hear his thoughts." 

"On board? Is he okay?" 

"He's with Doggett. He's worried about you. He doesn't 
know how much longer the ship's going to last." 

"Seems reasonable." Liam winced as the ship hiccupped 
again and his fingers dug into metal. 

The first sentry appeared below them. Liam prayed his 
thundering heart wouldn't give him away. Two soldiers 
cut his time in half. 

The metal grill cut into his flesh as the soldier 
showed no sign of moving on. 

*Come on, come on.* 

But the sentry didn't move. Liam weighed his options. 
He started to ease his way back up and around the 
column. Resting against a rod, he took off his backpack 
and pulled Waterbottle from it. 

"Sorry. You understand, don't you? Thanks for all your 
help." 

Liam heaved the bottle into the air, aiming it for the 
far end of a rod. Waterbottle hit with a little bang 
and splashed into the goo. 

It was enough to make both sentries go running. 

Liam swung down to Gibson. "Quick. Just a few more 
feet." 

He dropped to his feet and scanned the column, looking 
for a symbol he could fix in his mind to open the 
portal. Gibson dangled a foot, and reaching the ground, 
let go. 

"Found it." Liam grabbed Gibson, stood in front of the 
column and summoned an inner calm. He did it by calling 
up the eerie emptiness of the cell they had put him in. 
He pushed out the noise and screaming, and the crashing 
and splashing. And the wailing and metallic shrieks. He 
made himself remember his cell and how it had forced 
him to push into the corners of his mind. 

He was getting good at it. 

The light was already rising on the inner wall when he 
dragged Gibson forward into the next layer. 

He pressed his palm against the next invisible barrier. 
The curtain of light rose past his hand - and the 
barrier disappeared. He pulled Gibson over the 
threshold - and turned in time to see figures sprinting 
towards them from the far side of the chamber. 

"Liam!" Dr Scully rushed towards him along the narrow 
path. A soldier - the woman - was chasing her. More 
figures followed them - Doggett and Mulder. 

He was torn. The supersoldier was right on Dr Scully's 
heels - but whatever happened he couldn't let her into 
the round room. It wouldn't be safe. 

He willed the invisible wall to reappear. Then watched 
in horror as the sentries reappeared - running to 
intercept the doctor. 

He was about to jump back into the void when he 
realised something: the supersoldier chasing Dr Scully 
overtook her - and threw herself at the sentries. She 
was defending Dr Scully. 

Liam watched through the transparent wall as Doggett 
and Mulder joined the fight, leaving Dr Scully the 
chance to slip through and run right at Liam. 

He tried to warn her, slapping the barrier to show her, 
but she didn't stop - and he couldn't let her in. 

The collision knocked her off her feet, and she lay 
crumpled in a daze. 

*Get up, get up.* 

Her hand went to her head and she looked up at Liam, 
fear in her eyes. 

He knew what she was trying to tell him. 

"Sorry," he mouthed. 

"Liam -" Gibson was halfway across the floor but less 
surefooted now he had no frame of reference. "Help me 
find it." 

The fight raged around Dr Scully but didn't touch her. 
Nothing could tear her gaze away from him. She crawled 
to the invisible wall. She pounded the glass. 

Liam turned.