Targets

by Loui

Earth: Final Conflict is copyright © Tribune Entertainment and Roddenberry/Kirschner. No infringement of that copyright is intended by this story.
"Targets" is copyright © Loui.

Part I: Target

The scene was a surreal mix of flashing sirens, neon signs and lamplight as the car pulled up to the scene. Unfortunately it was an all too familiar sight for any of the few passersby to be shocked, that was life in the city. The two detectives exited their car ready to face another sight of the carnage that man can inflict on itself.

The younger of the two detectives, Michael Logan, approached the senior uniformed officer on the scene to listen to his report while his partner, Frank Brown, assessed the latest victim.

It was a young Caucasian male, aged about twenty-five, his blond hair matted with blood. Like the others he had obviously fought back, to no avail. There was a lot of bloody wounds, but if the pattern held true to form the fatal wound would be a lethal injection of cyanide. The other wounds showed the killer had fun first, before finishing the victim. There would be a note, too, inside one of the pockets, one word printed on it - TRAITOR.

Brown looked up as his partner approached. "We've got another one."

Logan sighed and said, "Same as before, nobody saw or heard anything. God, sometimes I hate this city."

"Did he?"

The two word question didn't even phase Logan.

"Yeah. He worked for the Companions too. What's that now? Three here in D.C., two in New York and four, no, five in L.A. in the past six months since the election. Someone had definitely declared open season on Companion employees."

"Report in and let the boss know. The Companions have to send us some help now. It can't be ignored any longer."

"I wonder who they'll send," mused Logan.

At that point the Coroner's wagon arrived for the body.


Part II: New Colleagues Meet

The next day Logan and Brown reported in for their shift. Nothing more had been learned from the crime scene. The case was starting to get to the two detectives.

Since the election crime had been on the increase. Martial law had not lasted more than a couple of months, but the aftereffects were still being felt. Americans had had their illusions about the benevolence of the Companions shattered; it had been a bitter pill to take. Crime in general had increased until it was once again threatening to reach the levels that existed before the Taelons' arrival. The most significant rise in crime, however, was in crimes perpetrated against Companion personnel and facilities; that figure continued to rise.

At least the technological advances that had accompanied the Taelon arrival had allowed the police forces around the world to keep up with the criminals, but they needed help now, urgently.

Over the months since the crackdown even the Taelons had realised they had gone too far. That was why they had allowed Companion agents greater leeway in helping the human authorities when they requested help. On several occasions Companion personnel had been instrumental in solving high profile cases and some extremely dangerous hostage situations. One team in particular excelled in these activities and it was to them that Zo'or and the Synod had handed this latest assignment.

So it was that when Logan and Brown were called into their Captain's office and introduced to their new colleagues that they came face to face with the most famous team to emerge from the Taelons' crime fighting force. These two had been practically canonised by the media for the part they played in rescuing forty-two children from a hostage situation at an amusement park. They had rescued the children with minutes to spare before the bomber's deadline. He had died. The children had lived.

"Logan, Brown meet your new best friends until this case is solved, Companion agents Ronald Sandoval and Liam Kincaid. Get to work."


Part III: Getting Acquainted

Since the meeting two days previously an amicable working relationship had developed between the four men. It had been decided that for simplicity's sake that the investigation would be run out of Logan and Brown's own precinct.

The information, sketchy up to that point, about the other murders around the country practically winged its way to the precinct when the request was sent out by Sandoval and Kincaid. It was productive up to a point, the lack of information left at each crime scene did not leave much room for hope.

The rest of the precinct had eventually gotten used to the presence of the two agents, with the possible exception of the aerial unit. Logan smiled as he thought about their reaction. There was a helipad on the precinct's roof and the more mundane helicopters currently shared their space with a Taelon shuttle. If the situation wasn't so serious it might be funny. For a while there at every coffee break you would be sure to find an officer or two surreptitiously checking out the roof. Sure it was for fresh air!

Another thing that surprised the two detectives was the working relationship between the two agents. Sandoval was the senior agent and according to rumours was not exactly the most loveable guy on the planet, working with the guy was supposed to be an experience few wanted to repeat. Kincaid though, obviously didn't think so.

It was amazing to watch them work. Partners who spent long enough together eventually developed their own short hand form of communication. Logan knew he and Brown were getting there. They had only been partners for about a year, these things took time. Kincaid and Sandoval though. To watch them work, you would think they'd known each other for years. Logan swore that sometimes they didn't even need to talk. They'd look at each other and know what they were thinking.

His thoughts were interrupted as Brown rushed into the squad room.

"There's been another one in New York! The call from NYPD just came through."

Sandoval looked up and said, "Let's go, Liam."

Logan and Brown glanced at each other unsure what they were supposed to do. Liam gathered them with a glance.

"Come on. We've arranged it already. Any cases out of your jurisdiction and you are observers. All forces involved agree. We need to work with at least one department and have them share information with the rest. You're elected."

With that thought they all made their way to the shuttle on the roof. It was an experience neither of the detectives would ever forget. The two Companion agents accepted it as the norm.

The scene at New York at had provided another dead body. A female Volunteer this time. Sandoval gave a gasp when he saw the body, this drew a concerned gaze form Liam.

"What is it?"

"Marissa. She was the first female Volunteer assigned to the Mothership."

"God, I'm sorry! Wasn't she your pilot for a while?" Liam laid a sympathetic hand on Sandoval's shoulder.

Luck, if you could call it that, was with them. A witness had seen someone exit the alley Marissa's body had been found in. A composite of the person was being compiled and would be circulated around all three involved police forces. Was it the killer or just a person in the wrong place at the wrong time?

One order did result from the event. A furious Kincaid and Sandoval had finally managed to persuade the Taelons to issue orders that no Companion personnel were to go anywhere unaccompanied until the killer was caught. While on Earth they had to remain in two-man teams.

No one was happy the order had to be given. It made it apparent that the killer was a bigger problem than had previously been admitted. Nobody wanted to inflate the killer's ego but at this point the safety of the potential victims took precedence.

The killer had to be caught, and soon.


Part IV: A Name At Last!

Over the next few days the composite sketch was distributed to the involved police forces. Now all they needed was time and a bit of luck.

Late nights at the precinct quickly became standard practice for the four men spearheading the investigation. Then, finally, they got the lucky break they needed. Someone here in D.C. recognised the sketch.


Early the next morning they went to question the motel owner who had recognised the sketch.

"Peter Finch. The guy was a real loner. Kinda creepy to be honest. He did help me out though. One night while he was here there was a fight outside in the parking lot. Some guy was beating on his girlfriend. Your guy you're looking for really did a number on him, it was so fast I barely had time to see it. One minute the creep was yelling at him, the next he was on the ground bleeding."

He looked at Sandoval and Kincaid and said, "He really, really hates you people."

"What people?" asked Liam.

"People who work for the Companions. Knows a lot about you, but man, the hate you could hear in his voice - creepy, you know?"


Once back at the precinct a background check was requested on Finch, through both police and Companion sources. Then the pattern of the previous nights was quickly resumed. Waiting for news, anything that could help before another dead body was found.

Eventually about two o'clock in the morning Liam called it a night and said he was going home. That signalled the end of the night for them all. Logan and Brown left promising to check in first thing in the morning for an update. Sandoval said he was going to hail a taxi, Liam stopped him with a look.

"The orders apply to us too. Nobody goes anywhere alone."

A tired and irritable Sandoval pointed out that he lived on the opposite end of the city from Liam, what else was he supposed to do?

"Crash at my place. I've got the room."

Sandoval hesitated before finally agreeing. He was just too tired to argue. They got into the car that they had hired for the duration of their assignment, as Liam drove Sandoval checked in with the Mothership and gave them their current location and final destination.

Before turning in for the night Liam brought up the thought that had occurred to them both more than once during this investigation.

"He's trained and he's dangerous. Seven of his eleven victims were Volunteers. With their combat training this shouldn't be happening. If Finch ever worked for us he would have received the same training. One of our own might have gone rogue."

The grim expression on Sandoval's face showed that he couldn't deny the possibility.


Part V: In A Single Moment

Early the next morning Liam woke to the aroma of freshly made coffee. He wandered sleepily into the kitchen to see an entirely too energetic Sandoval standing at the counter making breakfast.

"I just knew you were going to be a morning person," groused Liam.

Sandoval just looked at his disgruntled expression and laughed.

"Hope you like omelettes."

They ate the best omelette Liam had ever tasted in companionable silence. Still having some time to kill before they were due at the precinct they decided to go for a run. It surprised them both at how easy and relaxed they felt in the other's company.

Sandoval and Kincaid drew some curious glances as they came wandering into the precinct, Sandoval laughing at something the younger man had said. It was the first time they had seen him smile, let alone laugh.

Quickly however, the investigation soon dampened everyone's good spirits. Liam's global chose that time to deliver the information on Finch that had been requested through Companion sources. His face grew progressively more still and worried the more he read. He passed it to Sandoval, who quickly scanned the information and muttered an expletive under his breath as he did so.

Logan and Brown looked at each other concerned. Frank put voice to the question they were both afraid to ask.

"Bad news?"

Liam looked at Sandoval who nodded his head to proceed.

"Finch tried to get a job working for the Companions. He went through the basic training for a Volunteer and put in a request to be allowed the chance to become a Companion Protector like we are.

"The psych screening he went through sent warning signals that couldn't be ignored. How he got passed the initial Volunteer screening we still don't know. The man has a major screw loose. His mind set was totally focused on the violence of the job. Security was secondary, he preferred the fight. He would willingly risk the safety of the person or Companion he was protecting to attack their attacker.

"Finch was dropped from the program. He vowed revenge on anybody and everybody connected with the Companions. He dropped out of sight shortly after. Obviously he's back."

The tone of the rest of the day was very bleak. All officers involved poured over the information on Finch obtained form the Companions. The two Companion agents repeatedly stated the extreme danger the police officers were in. Finch's training was such that they would have difficulty containing him, let alone a patrol officer reporting to the scene of a crime. He was to be considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Inquiries were made into Finch's possible whereabouts and at about four o'clock that afternoon he was sighted at an old abandoned warehouse situated near his old apartment block.

A team of officers including the two detectives and the Companion agents was dispatched to the scene to apprehend him. The warehouse was quietly surrounded and the teams moved into position. Unfortunately one of the more inexperienced officers stumbled over a piece of discarded metal lying on the warehouse floor.

Some of the older officers cringed inwardly as the noise reverberated around the warehouse's interior. At that moment several small explosions rocked the warehouse. In the chaos that followed Finch appeared and started firing his gun at indiscriminate targets. Liam knocked Logan to the ground just in time to avoid the bullet aiming straight for his head. As he did he was scanning the warehouse looking for Sandoval.

He gave a relieved sigh as he spotted him supporting an injured officer as he dragged him to safety. Horror filled his eyes as he saw Finch aiming at Sandoval's back. Liam screamed for Sandoval to get down but the warning came too late. The bullet struck him in his back, an expression of mingled shock and pain covered his face as he staggered forward and then collapsed.

Liam ran forward heedless of his own safety. He dropped to the ground beside Sandoval desperately feeling for a pulse. It was weak and thready but it was there. Thank God. He quickly opened his global and called for immediate medical assistance. Help was quickly on its way. Dr Belman had been on standby since this entire fiasco had started.

Finch had escaped during all this but that was the last thing on Liam's mind. He just sat there with Sandoval's head resting on his lap, waiting for help to arrive.

"Hang on. Do you hear me, Sandoval? You're my partner, don't you dare leave me alone. Please, please, please stay with me."


Part VI: Waiting

The medical staff had quickly come to realise that the term 'visiting hours' just wouldn't apply to the young agent who haunted the corridors of the medical facility.

Liam - they all knew him on a first name basis now - had arrived with his severely injured partner just over four days ago. It was only thanks to the intervention of Dr Belman that he had waited, albeit impatiently, for permission to visit his colleague. They all tried to make a point of checking up on him every chance they got. The air of vulnerability that surrounded him as he waited for news of his partner tugged at the heart-strings of them all. They could see the fear and worry that he tried to suppress.

His partner had lain in a coma since the surgery to remove the bullet from his back. He had arrested once, only the sheer determination of Dr Belman and the patient's own will to live had brought him back.

The guards on the door of his room changed periodically. It was always a team of two. One a Volunteer, the other a police officer. Sandoval had saved a police officer's life and they now volunteered to help guard his.

Shortly after the fiasco at the warehouse Finch had sent a message to the police. His mission to teach the Companions and their employees a lesson had been put aside for now. He had a new goal. The two Companion agents that had invaded his home were now his primary targets. That one was injured only made the game more fun.

When a deeply concerned Logan and Brown had delivered the message to Liam they had been shocked at the expression that came to his face. It was a look of hatred the likes of which they had never seen. Finch had miscalculated badly by threatening Sandoval.

Liam co-ordinated the renewed and intensive police investigation from the hospital with Logan and Brown helping him. He also reported twice a day to the Mothership to brief the Taelons on Sandoval's condition and the status of the investigation.

Each evening he could be found in the same place. He would pull up a seat to the side of his friend's hospital bed and keep up a quiet murmur of conversation to the unconscious man. Eventually he would tire and the next morning the nurse on duty would find him slumped forward in the chair, his head resting on the side of the bed and a gentle hand clutching his friend's arm.

Four days of this were taking their toll on the young man and he looked progressively more tired as this waiting went on. If something wasn't done soon he'd end up in a hospital bed beside his partner. The medical staff turned to the one person who seemed to be able to get through to the young man, Dr Belman.

"Liam making yourself sick is not helping him. You need to get some rest. Go home, I'll send for you if there is any change."

"No. He's my best friend and I won't leave him."

"At least let me have a cot moved into the room then. If you promise to get a few hours sleep I won't have you taken home."

Liam just looked at her. Seeing the determination on her face he reluctantly agreed. If he was honest he'd have to admit that he really needed a few hours rest.

Several hours later something, he wasn't sure what, roused him from his sleep. Momentarily disoriented he scanned the room until he saw Sandoval on the bed. A noise had him quickly leaping up to approach the other man.

The sight that greeted him cheered his soul. Sandoval was awake.

He gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as he hit the call button for the doctor. He turned around as the doctor, fearing the worst, rushed into the room.

Liam greeted him with a smile on his face and a tear of relief in his eye as he said, "He's awake."


Part VII: Bait

It had been twenty-four hours since Sandoval had regained consciousness and he was beginning to wish he hadn't bothered. All he had done was to suggest that he be used as bait to lure Finch. It was perfectly logical, a weaker target was the easier choice for Finch to attack.

Liam had gone ballistic. To be honest, Sandoval was actually impressed with the display of rage Liam had shown. He hadn't thought he'd had it in him. His young friend was full of surprises.

Friendship - that was the problem. Liam was afraid for him. It had surprised them both when their acquaintance ship had blossomed into friendship. They had spent so long manoeuvring around each other - thanks to the Taelons they served - it had never occurred to them how much they had in common. The more time they had spent working together, the stronger their growing friendship had become. Theirs was a lonely job; it isolated them from the general population, and they were condemned by their association with the Taelons. Nowadays anyone who served them could expect to feel the distrust of the rest of humanity, whether they deserved it or not. He probably did; Liam Kincaid did not.

"It's too dangerous. If anything were to go wrong you would be a siting duck."

Sandoval sighed and looked at his friend.

"I'm the obvious choice. You know that. Besides, it'll be you watching my back. I trust you to keep me safe. I'd much rather have you co-ordinating things."

He could see Liam wavering so he pushed on with his argument.

"I'm not strong enough to protect you if we use you as the bait. I'd have to trust your safety to the police and the Volunteers. As much as I respect their abilities I'm not willing to risk your safety. You protecting me is risky enough. I'll accept it though, if you will."

Liam finally agreed.

The plan was quickly put into effect. The hospital released the information that a Companion agent, Ronald Sandoval, recently injured in the line of duty was recovering well after emergency surgery. They also announced that there would be a brief press conference later in the day when the police would be discussing the progress of the investigation that had led to the agent's injury.

Considering he was one of the team that had earlier been in the news for rescuing the 'amusement park children' it was expected there would be a large media presence. It was hoped that this would act as an added lure to draw Finch out. The opportunity to strike while the media was in evidence to witness it should be, hopefully, too hard for him to resist.


Part VIII: Hunters Hunted

The press conference was less than an hour away and the tension within the security teams was palpable. The members of the press had already started to arrive and there was a feeling in the air that something was going to happen.

Logan and Brown co-ordinated the teams from an office on the ground floor that had been commandeered for their use. The medical staff was less than thrilled with the amount of armed personnel in the hospital but they understood why it was necessary. All possible measures had been taken to minimise the risk to the rest of the patients and staff.

It had been a thorny security problem to plan for. Besides protecting all the patients, not just Sandoval, it had been necessary to develop a strategy that would contain Finch without tipping him off to their presence. He would be expecting some security but not in the numbers that were currently in place. They didn't want to scare him off and be forced to do this again. He was going to be caught this time.

Liam had been on edge ever since it had been agreed to use Sandoval as bait. He had been abrupt and terse with the rest of the teams; they had understood, though, if there was a mistake it was his partner that would bear the brunt of the fallout.

The time for the press conference arrived and Brown left Logan to co-ordinate while he went to address the press. He covered the course of the investigation so far and the actions that had led to Sandoval's injury.

The questions came thick and fast.

Why hadn't the media been informed sooner? Why was the killer doing this? How had Sandoval received his injury?

Brown did his best to answer all the questions while listening to the teams through a hidden receiver in his ear. He found it hard to maintain a neutral expression as the report came in that Finch had been reported in the building. Somehow he had managed to breach security.

The level of radio chatter got more intense as the teams went on full alert. Then it happened, there was a burst of gunfire. Brown gave up all pretence of listening to the media and left the room at a run to link up with Logan and help co-ordinate the search. More gunfire could be heard, they were beginning to get worried.

Logan took a team and they started to search for Finch, floor by floor. As they did so Brown was in contact with the teams on each floor checking locations.

All teams but the one on Sandoval's floor had checked in when Logan called his partner.

"We have two casualties here, they'll live, but Finch has one of their radios. Have all teams switch to the alternate frequency, now!"

Brown issued the order.

Logan and Brown feared the worst. They had lost contact with Sandoval's floor and Liam was not responding either. What was going on up there?


Part IX: Resolution

Finch was smiling as he continued down the deserted corridor. He had already dealt with two Volunteers on this floor. It had conveniently been emptied of all other patients, only his target remained. The amount of security had been impressive, it was a pity that the quality of opposition was so poor. The Volunteers seemed to be less well trained than he remembered, then again, maybe he just enjoyed his work.

There was one anomaly. The other one, the young one, Kincaid, was missing. He was probably below helping to re-establish control of the perimeter. It was a pity, it would have been better if he could be witness to his partner's demise.


Finch approached Sandoval's room. He was lying on the bed, apparently asleep. After a quick glance round the room it was apparent he was alone. Finch frowned momentarily, this was too easy. Security was too lax. Ah well, it made his job easier.

Moving silently he approached the man on the bed. He had discarded his gun in favour of his weapon of choice, his knife. This would be the most prestigious victim it had claimed by far.

He raised his arm high ready to stab down when Sandoval flailed out knocking his aim off. Sandoval let out a hiss of pain as the knife scored along the unprotected flesh of his bicep.

There was a noise from behind Finch and he whirled round to find himself face to face with an enraged Liam. He had been hidden in an especially prepared space in the ceiling. A panel had been removed allowing him just enough space to hide. He had been the last line of defence. He had listened to the radio chatter as Finch had made his way closer to his partner. It had taken all his self control not to pounce down as soon as Finch had entered the room but although Finch was the main suspect in the other murders and was wanted for his earlier attack on the police Sandoval had insisted he wait. Finch had to be caught in the act of attempted murder, that way they could virtually guarantee his conviction.

Upon seeing the fact that his partner had been injured again, Liam lost what little control he had left. He quickly disarmed Finch and proceeded to beat him into submission.

Sandoval, seeing this, called for him to stop. It took a minute for his plea to reach Liam through his rage but he could see Liam calm himself.

Logan and Brown took this opportunity to barge into the room. They came to an abrupt halt as the lightening reflexes of Liam resulted in them coming face to face with Liam's gun.

Recognising friends, Liam lowered the gun and turned to check on his partner. Logan took that opportunity to read Finch his rights while Brown radioed for medical assistance for both the killer and his intended victim. It was over.


Liam had to be practically pried from Sandoval's side while he was being treated for his latest injury, but the press was still in the building and they were screaming for an explanation.

A reluctant Liam gave his statement. The story quickly flashed its way around the country. He and Sandoval were heroes again. Considering the amount of lives lost to Finch neither felt particularly heroic, they were just glad he had been caught.

Two days later Sandoval was finally released much to the relief of the medical staff. Sandoval as a patient was bad enough, he was overly insistent that he was well enough to leave. When this was combined with his partner's over-protectiveness it was enough to make heads spin. A huge sigh of relief followed Sandoval's departure. What a pair!

Logan and Brown were on hand to help Liam move Sandoval to his apartment. Both tried very hard not to laugh at Sandoval's disgruntled mutterings when he found out he was to stay with Liam till his back had completely healed. They could see he was not really that bothered. The two Companion agents were just glad to have survived.

Logan and Brown stayed for dinner. Genuine goodbyes were made and promises were made to keep in touch.

When Sandoval had been settled in his temporary room Liam left him to get some sleep. He turned at the open door and said, "I've never been so scared in my life. I almost lost my best friend to a madman. You have to be more careful. Promise me."

He was talking to himself though. Sandoval had fallen asleep. Well there was always tomorrow morning to make it clear to Sandoval that he had to learn to be more careful. Or else.

Liam went into his kitchen and made some hot chocolate. He had no intention of sleeping that night. He'd relax and keep watch over his friend.


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Last modified December 26th, 2000.
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