The Real Me by Katrinka Tarrant was only eight years old when the vampire hunters came for his family. It was a cool December day in Los Angeles; Tarrant had only been home from school an hour. The school day had been horrible for him, for the vampire hunters had come to the school and had executed the teachers that they had suspected of being vampires. Angus, as he was called back then, was only a few yards from his teacher when she was beheaded. "We know you're in there, Mrs. Steele, open up!" a man's harsh voice said. There was even more pounding on the front door. Tarrant's mother Laura hustled him, his twin brother Shamus (as Deeta was called back then) and his four-year- old brother Geriant into the family's hiding place, which was in the wall behind a large book case in the living room. "Close the door," Laura told them. "Use the bars and barricade yourself in." "What about Emily?" Angus asked, referring to Geriant's twin sister. She had hidden when she heard the vampire hunters at the door. "I'll go get her. Don't let anyone into the hiding place except for me, do you understand?" "Yes, mother." Laura closed the door. Angus and Shamus put the bars on it. Angus' mother came back into the room a few moments later, holding Emily. They opened the door and let her in. "We know you're in there, our instruments detect you," the voice outside said. "Someday, I hope you understand why I'm doing this. I want you to know that I love all of you very much. Don't ever forget me." Laura kissed her children, then gave them one last long look before she shut the door. "Lock the door." "But mother," Shamus said. "Just do it!" Angus and Shamus obeyed, but just then the front door burst open. Through the peep holes in the bookcase, Angus and Shamus could see what was going on in the living room. Men filled the room; two grabbed Laura. "Where are your children, Mrs. Steele?" "They've gone out of town with my husband." "They'd better be gone, because if they're not, when we find them, we'll kill them slowly." The woman in command nodded and they pushed Laura onto her knees. Then the woman in command took out a sword, and cut off Laura's head. "The world is free of another vampire. Can you detect any others?" "No ma'am." "Then her children must not have crossed over yet. Search the house. If you find anything valuable, or any of the children, turn them in to me. You will be amply rewarded." Angus sank against the wall, anguish overwhelming him. He could hear the vampire hunters pillage the house. They tried to pull the bookcase from the wall, but where unable to. Finally they left. "Where's mother?" Emily asked. She hadn't watched her mother die. "She's dead," Shamus said hollowly. Both Emily and Geraint began to cry. Angus took Emily into his arms; a tear trickled down his cheek. He was going to cry too, when Shamus reminded him that big boys didn't cry.    Tarrant's father returned to their home almost a day and a half after the vampire hunters killed Tarrant's mother. When he saw the body of his wife, Mr. Steele began to search the house for his children. Finally, several minutes later, he tried the hiding place. Angus moved to let him in, but Shamus wouldn't let him. "It might be a trick." "Shamus, is that you?" Mr. Steele asked, his Irish accent thick, as it became when he was really upset. "Yes father, it's me," Shamus said. "Is anyone in there with you?" "Angus, Geraint and Emily." "Thank God you're safe. Open the door." "Mother said not to let anyone in." "I don't think she meant not letting me in. Open the door." They took the bars down from the door. Emily ran into Mr. Steele's arms. "We hid, we were so scared." "You were very brave," Mr. Steele said. "You all were very brave." "What will we do now? Clean up the house?" Angus asked. "We still are in danger. If the people that killed your mother find out that we're still alive, they'll come after us. We'll have to go somewhere that's safe." "There's nowhere safe," Shamus said. "The vampire hunters came to our school yesterday. They killed teacher." "Then it's getting worse than I thought," Mr. Steele said gravely. "We'll go now, before it's too late."    The dream shifted. Del couldn't breathe: there was a tube filling his mouth, and his nose was pinched off. He tried to cough the tube out of his mouth, but he couldn't. He tried to move, but there was a weight on his chest that prevented him from moving. He could also feel the overwhelming presence of a vampire. He tried to think; he knew he was Del Tarrant, he could remember that. The only thing was that he couldn't remember how he got here. The last thing he remembered was being on Sardos, asking Cally to bring him up to the Liberator. Then Federation guards showed up, and he was shot. "How is the patent doing?" a woman asked. "He has improved. He went through the transference well," another woman said. "Then the duplicator works!" There was a note of triumph in the woman's voice. It was Servalan! Del opened his eyes. Servalan smiled down at him. "When will he be off life support?" "He doesn't need it now," the other woman said. "I was waiting for your permission to discontinue it." "You have my permission. When will the conditioning take place?" "All conditioning will take place once life support is discontinued." The woman pressed something against Del's neck and everything went blank.    "Hello, Del," Servalan said. Del's eyes flickered open. The tubes in his mouth were gone, and there was no longer any heaviness in his chest. Servalan stood by his bed, she was wearing a silk robe. "What am I doing here?" "You had an accident" Del was puzzled. "I don't remember an accident." "The treatment that we were forced to give you causes some amnesia. What was the last thing you remember?" Del didn't want to tell her; he wanted to tell her to go to hell. Instead he found himself telling her exactly everything he could remember. Finally he gasped, "What have you done to me?" "You've been made a bit more cooperative" "I refuse to betray my friends." "You all ready have." She smiled. "Do you remember your brother dying?" "Which brother? I have several." "I mean Deeta of course." Del could suddenly remember that his twin brother was dead; he could suddenly see the death as if he had experienced it himself. He knew somehow that Servalan was responsible for his death. "Tell me what kind of feelings do you have for me?" "I hate you." "What would you do if I gave you an order?" "I would follow it. I am programmed to serve you." "Just like a mutoid, but much better looking," she mused. "Kiss me." Del found himself sitting up, even though he didn't want to. He grabbed Servalan behind the neck and pulled her to him, then he kissed her passionately as if there were nothing else he wanted but her. She pulled away from him. "Stop. Don't move." Del froze, for the first getting a good look at the room he was in. It wasn't a hospital room, it was a bedroom! He tried to stand up, but found himself falling at Servalan's feet. Del was helpless; his body refused to follow the orders his brain gave it. "Oh Del, you can't resist me. You should stop trying," Servalan purred. "Get back on the bed." Del got back on the bed. "Make love to me." "No," he finally got out. His mind reminded him that she had murdered his brother, his twin brother, his best friend, but his body... He couldn't control his body. His body said something else; it started to respond to Servalan's command. She watched, amused, until Del was aching from desire. His canines had fully extended and he was finding it hard to breathe. She ran her finger over his nude body; he shivered with desire. "Do you want me?" "Yes!" he finally gasped. Servalan unfastened her robe. It fell to the ground; beneath it she was nude. "Do as you're ordered." Del pulled Servalan close to him and kissed her; he then pulled her down onto the bed. He made passionate love to her. Every second that he did, he hated it, hated himself. He felt dirty, as if he were betraying Deeta by making love to the woman that killed him. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't stop himself. The next month for Del was a blur. Nights and days were spent making passionate love to Servalan, exchanging blood with her again and again until a blood bond between them was formed. Inside, Del's soul began to die. Finally, when he thought he couldn't go on any longer, the doctor that was in his dream appeared, and Del was taken away to be conditioned even further.    "This is wrong," Vila told Del. They where standing in the teleport control room of the Liberator, getting ready to go planet side. "It must be a trap. When the Federation raids a village, it doesn't leave any survivors. The place is probably crawling with Federation guards." "I agree with Vila." Avon was standing in the doorway. "I thought we had agreed that we would contact the survivors, then run a scan before we decided to do anything drastic like going down." "I did run a scan," Del told him. "Our scans show that there are only fifteen people left alive on the planet, and there isn't any sign of Federation ships anywhere." "I agree with Tarrant; there are people dying down there, they need our help," Cally said. "What about you, Dayna?" "We must go down," Dayna said firmly. "All right. Go down, Tarrant, but only you and Dayna. The rest can stay here. Vila, man the teleport," Avon ordered. "If it isn't a trap, we can bring the survivors back up," Del said. "Of course." Del and Dayna stepped into the teleport chamber. They materialized on the edge of a village. By the sun's position in the sky, Del could tell it was mid-day. The village was in ruins; some of the remains of buildings where still smoldering. Del pulled his gun and started walking through the village. "Do you hear anything?" Dayna asked. "Do you?" "Listen." "Del could finally hear the faint crying of a child. He went towards the crying sound. It came from inside a small shed; part of it was still standing. Del forced open the door. Inside huddled a small child, her blonde hair dirty with smoke. She held a stuffed animal. "It's all right. Do you speak standard?" The girl nodded. She was only about four or five years old. "What's your name?" "Del. What's yours?" "Rihana," the girl whimpered. Del spun around. From behind a ruin came a Federation guard. "Get the child. I'll cover you." Dayna grabbed the child. Del shot the guard, and they ran until they could find a hiding place behind a ruin that was tall enough to give them some shelter. "It's a trap," Dayna said. "I know, I should have listened to Vila." A shot rang out. They ducked. Del did nothing; they hadn't seen him yet. "Rihana, when did the Federation destroy your village?" Del asked. "Don't know, I hid." "Good girl." He fastened one of the spare teleport bracelets on her, then he brought his bracelet to his mouth. "One to bring up, Vila." "Which one of you is coming up?" Avon asked. "Neither. We found a survivor." "It could be a spy for the Federation." "I don't think so, she's only four years old." "I'm five," Rihana piped in, as she was teleported away. "Why didn't you have us teleport to the ship?" Dayna asked. "I thought she might not be the only survivor." "There are guards everywhere." "I know." A guard stepped around the corner, and Dayna shot him. Another shot rang out, hitting Dayna. Del pulled her into the ruins of the building, and laid her down on the floor. She didn't look good; she had been shot in the chest and there was a large hole where the projectile bullet had struck. "You're going to have to leave me," Dayna told him, her voice barely a whisper. "I won't leave you," Del told her firmly. "I'm going to die; carrying me around will just slow you down. You must get out of here." A volley of shots rang out from all sides, filling the room with bullets. Del ducked, brought his teleport bracelet to his lips and called the ship, but there was no response. A strange calmness overcame him. He was going to die, but he wasn't afraid. He looked down at Dayna and kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you. I think I've loved you since the day I met you." There was a pain in Del's shoulder. He had been hit! Then blackness overcame him.    Del woke. It was dark. He lay on top of Dayna. He sat up, and touched her gently on the cheek. She was cold, dead. Tears started pouring down his cheeks. He had survived the raid because he was a vampire, but Dayna was human; there was no way she could survive such a wound. He took the graduation medal that she wore off of her and put it on, then he kissed her gently on the lips. He brought his communicator up to his lips. "Is anyone there?" "Tarrant! You're still alive!" Vila said. "If I wasn't, how could I be taking to you? Where were you?" "We had to chase a few Federation ships off." "Is it safe to bring me up?" "Sure, just let me get to the teleport control." Del looked down to Dayna. "Good bye, my love." Suddenly Del was on the Liberator, and Avon was at the controls. "What happened?" "You were right, we fell into a trap." He looked around. "Where's Rihana?" "She's on the flight deck with Cally and Vila. He's having a ball playing with her. He finally found someone to play with that possesses the same mental age as he." "Have you decided what to do with her?" Del was concerned for the little girl. "We're going to take her to Kaarn. Franton and Pieter are raising children there so she won't be alone." "Why there?" "You can't seriously expect us to keep her on the Liberator forever, can you?" Avon asked, astonished. "You're right, the Liberator's no place for children." Avon tried the teleport controls several times, then looked up to Del. "Why hasn't Dayna come up?" "She's dead," he said hollowly. "I notice that you where shot. How could the bullet injure you? You're a vampire." How did Avon know I was a vampire? he asked himself. "They used wooden bullets with a garlic core. They hurt like hell." Avon hit the communicator. "Get us out of here, Cally, standard by ten. Recess is over, Vila, meet us in the med unit." Avon looked at Del. "Can you walk?" "I think so." Del got to his feet and went towards the med unit. He started seeing spots in front of his eyes, and felt faint. Del sagged against the corridor, surprised when Avon put his arm around Del's waist and helped him walk to the med unit. Avon guided him to a exam table, where Del sat down. Avon helped him off with his tunic. "It doesn't look good, Tarrant." Vila came into the med unit smiling. "That Rihana is such a delightful child. We've been playing all afternoon." Vila stopped dead when he saw Del's shoulder. "What happened to you?!" "I was shot by a Federation guard," Del said. "I don't understand, you shouldn't be hurt, you're a vampire," Vila gasped. "They used wooden bullets, you fool," Avon said harshly. He went over to the med unit's storage space and went through it, then went to the supply computer and punched in information. Avon then turned to Vila. "Where did you hide it?" "Hide what? I don't understand." "Where are the soma patches?" "Why do you think I took them?" Vila looked innocent, a little too innocent to Del. "It's simple really; you're the only one who uses them," Avon said. "That isn't proof." Del's shoulder was beginning to feel as if it were going to fall off. He decided to appeal to Vila's kind side. "Please, Vila, let me have a pad. I'm in a lot of pain." Vila went over to the wall, pressed a panel, and when it slid open, took a box out. He took a soma patch out of the box, returned it to the hiding place and pressed the panel. Vila then went over to Del and applied the patch to his wound. The wound went numb. "How does that feel?" "Better. Thanks." Del looked down to his shoulder; most of it was black. The garlic in the bullet was killing his flesh. "It might be better if you didn't look while we work on you," Vila suggested. "I think you're right," Del agreed. Avon had Del lie down and look at the wall. He could feel a lot of tugging at his flesh, but no pain while Avon was working on him. During the operation, Del felt something that he hadn't before. Avon was a vampire. He racked his brain to remember how it happened. Perhaps he had been hurt more than he could remember. He decided not to say anything until the time was right. "I've got the bullet out," Avon finally said. "It exploded when it entered your flesh, sending shards of garlic everywhere." "You did get it all out, though?" Del asked, concerned. "The scans say that you're free of garlic, but I'm not too sure we can save your arm. I'm not a surgeon, and Orac says the kind of surgery that you need is too complex for my skills." "I don't need surgery," Del told them. "All you need to do is to apply human blood to the wound, and I need to ingest human blood." "Why?" "It will make my body regenerate itself." "Vila, go get Tarrant some human blood," Avon ordered. "Any preference to type?" Vila asked. "AB negative," Del told him. Vila went and got the human blood. Avon first applied it to Del's arm. "That's incredible!" Vila gasped. "Your wound is beginning to heal itself "I'm not well yet. Can you help me sit up? I can't drink lying down." Avon touched a button at the head of Del's bed, and the head of the bed rose until Del's head was high enough that he could drink by himself. Vila handed him some blood that he had poured into a glass. Del began to drink. "Where Dayna?" Vila asked. "Don't we need to check her over?" When neither Avon or Tarrant answered, Vila demanded, almost panicked, "What happened to Dayna?" "She's dead," Del said hollowly. "I should have listened to you. If I had then she would still be alive." "No, it can't be." "I saw her body, she was definitely dead." Del tried to remain calm. He knew that Avon would mock his weakness, but tears rolled down his cheeks anyway. Without saying anything, Avon turned and left the med unit. "I wish I could be so cold hearted." "That's Avon's way. He never revels his emotions to others. But he has to be hurt inside; he thinks of Dayna as a daughter." Vila paused. "If you hadn't gone on the mission, you would never have rescued Rihana." "It doesn't seem like a fair exchange, Dayna's life for hers." Del took a deep breath and let it out, but he couldn't keep the tears from falling. "I'll never see her again." "She was a special lady." Del looked at Vila: he was crying too. "You're not the only one who loved her, Tarrant."    The real Del Tarrant woke, and slowly open his eyes. He was in a cell with a dirt floor. The dirt was purple, so he definitely wasn't on Earth. He looked up. The cell had bars for a ceiling, the sky was a pink that was almost red, and the clouds were a very light pink. The sky looked familiar to Tarrant in a very strange way. He knew he had been here before, but he couldn't remember when. The hunger and the pain that he felt blocked out everything else. He could feel Dayna's unmistakable presence; she was sitting on the ground beside him, keeping guard over him. She was battered, bruised, and her canines were showing. "How long have we been here?" he asked. Dayna turned to him. "How are you feeling?" "Like I've been through Federation interrogation." He paused. "How did we get here?" "Do you remember when we were caught by the Federation?" "Not exactly. I remember getting shot, but not captured. I wonder why I can't remember more." "Servalan had you drugged the entire voyage to this planet. When you didn't wake up after we arrived here, I began to think that you were going to die." "I still feel halfway dead myself," he admitted. His ear burned, and he touched it. Finding that he was wearing wooden plugs as earrings, he tried to take them off, but was stopped by Dayna. "You can't get them off without taking off your ear; the plugs are moleculary bonded to your skin," Dayna explained. "The guard that attached them to us told me that it was to keep us from running. I don't understand why we couldn't escape with them in." "Wood weakens our kind; it's a lot like sunlight." "The people that brought us here know we are vampires?" Dayna asked. "Servalan probably told them. How long have we been here?" "Seven, perhaps eight days. The sun never sets here." Tarrant suddenly realized where he was. "Tri Beckker McShane." "What?" Dayna asked. "It is a pleasure planet. One of its chief industries was the sale of slaves. It was all illegal, of course. The Federation wanted them to stop the trade; it was one of the conditions to they're joining the Federation. I was one of the members of the team sent to talk them into giving up their slave business," Tarrant said, thinking of the only time that he'd visited the planet. "Why would the Federation try to talk them into giving up slave trading?" Dayna asked, incredulous. "Why didn't they simply invade?" "The first Federation didn't invade planets." "The first Federation! But that fell three hundred years ago. When were you here last?" "Almost six hundred years ago." "Things must have changed on Tri Beckker McShane. That was a long time ago," Dayna pointed out. "Five hundred years isn't a long time for a vampire. This planet is run by renegade vampires." "Why would they lock us up like this if they're vampires like us?" "I told you, they're renegade vampires. Vampires like us fetch a high price on the slave market." "We're not slaves," Dayna said firmly. "Look at your left arm." Dayna stared down at the row of numbers printed on her arm. "Why would they tattoo us?" "All slaves are numbered." Tarrant got up and walked to the front of the cage. AHe shook the bars, but they were made of steel encased with wood. He looked down the row of cages on each side of the street. There were row upon row of cages filled with all sorts of humanoid life forms. He suddenly felt very weak, and slumped against the bars. Dayna was suddenly at his side and helped him sit back down.    Two days passed. It wasn't as bright as when Tarrant first woke, for the planet had moved, and it was what was considered night on this planet: only one sun was shining. Dayna could hear the rattling of the food cart. She was starving, but she didn't have much hope of it stopping -- it hadn't the entire time that she had been imprisoned on this planet. The cart stopped next to the door and a slave brought in two large containers, so large that they could hold about three liters of liquid. Then the slave left, locking the door behind her. Tarrant went over to the containers, lifted the lid of one, then picked it up and took a long drink. He then passed the other container to Dayna. There was the unmistakable scent of human blood. Revulsion welled up in Dayna. "Do you think they killed someone to get this?" "I don't think so. When I was here last the locals kept humans as cattle. Instead of eating their flesh, they drank their blood." Tarrant looked at Dayna, his eyes red. "Sunlight's dangerous to us. If we don't feed, we will grow weaker and weaker until there won't be a chance of us escaping." "You're planing an escape?" Dayna couldn't believe her ears. Tarrant was so weak that he could barely move, and his skin was severely burnt. He wasn't in any condition to escape. "We have to have hope; if we give up, they'll win," Tarrant said weakly. Dayna realized Tarrant was right. She closed her eyes and thought of other things, and drank. Soon the container was empty, and she put it by the door. She sat down beside Tarrant. "How do you feel now?" "A bit better." He looked around. "Someone's coming, several vampires." Dayna could feel it too. She got up and looked out the front of the cage. A sales person was talking to two free traders, both vampires. One man was very tall, and extremely thin. He wore a black silk tunic and pants, with the pants tucked into black leather boots. The other man was not so tall, perhaps six feet, and his skin was deathly pale, as was his hair, which was short and spikey on the top, but fell almost to his waist in back. He was wearing wrap around dark glasses and was dressed entirely in black leather. He resembled someone that Dayna knew, but she couldn't put her finger on who. The tall man stopped at Dayna's cage, his dark eyes showing a brief flicker of recognition when he saw Tarrant. "Those two would make interesting decorations for my ship." "The slaves in this cage are to be sold as labor grades," the salesperson said bruskly. She tried to steer them to another cage, but they wouldn't budge. "Were they brought in together?" the tall man asked. "If you must know, they were. Now why don't you follow me, I can show you pleasure slaves that have been conditioned to do your bidding." "How much would you take for the pair?" "They will be for sale at the next auction," she said. "How much for private sale?" The man couldn't keep his eyes off of Tarrant. "I have specific instructions that they are for sale at auction only. No private sales." "I would like to examine the slaves." "You may examine the slaves at the auction." "Captain Brendon is not an ordinary customer. He always gets what he wants," the man's partner said. His voice was smooth as silk, and there was a hint of threat behind his words. A shiver ran up Dayna's spine. He sounded exactly like Avon! The salesperson backed up several paces. "You may examine them." "I would like to see them standing up," the thin man said. "You heard the customer, stand up!" Tarrant stayed where he was. The woman touched a button at her waist, and pain racked Dayna's body. "Do as you're ordered and the pain will cease." Tarrant reached out to Dayna; she helped him stand up. The woman pressed a button at her waist and the pain vanished as if it had never been. "I told you that these aren't worth very much. The woman is very lovely, there has been interest in her by several brothels." "My captain's tastes run in a different vein," the albino, who was called Damian, said. "We have many men conditioned to fufill your every whim; why don't you let me show them to you?" she offered. "I have found the man that I want," the tall man insisted. "When will he be sold?" "Tomorrow at noon. "I'll be there. I can't wait to have a chance at breaking him." The tall man smiled. "When will the girl go to auction?" the albino asked. "I'll have her put into the same auction. Now if you come this way..." The woman took them off to see other slaves. "I can't believe they're gone," Dayna said. Tarrant covered her mouth until they were out of earshot. Dayna pulled away from him. "I hope that if we're sold, we won't be bought by those two." "I hope we are bought by them," Tarrant said. "Have you gone mad?" Dayna couldn't believe her ears. "The tall one said that he wants to break you! Obviously he wants you to be his pleasure slave." "I doubt that. I think he was trying to be funny." "Funny! What's so funny about being tortured?" "Brendon has a very warped sense of humor. I've never been able to understand half of his jokes." Tarrant took a deep breath and let it out. "I think he was trying to make it look convincing." "What do you mean?" Dayna demanded. "He had to convince the sales person that he wanted us as pleasure slaves, or else they would be suspicious about buying both of us. He doesn't really want to make us his pleasure slaves." "Why do you know so much about him? Who is he anyway?" "He's my brother," Tarrant said simply.    Tarrant's father took his children to Ireland, one of the few countries that prosecuted the vampire hunters. Tarrant's father refused to answer any questions, telling them that their questions would be answered later. He took them to an old medieval castle. The living portion of the castle was like nothing Tarrant had ever seen. There were guitars, and gold disks intermixed with paintings of long lost family members. Finally a man descended the stairs. He was very tall, with long curly hair. He wore blue jeans and a black t-shirt; he also wore clogs. The man stared at Tarrant, his brothers and sister. "What brings you to this part of the world, father?" "I need your help," Mr. Steele said. "You need my help? Well, the tables are turned. I thought I was the one that always needed your help." He paused. "Who do these children belong to?" "They're mine. This is Angus and Shamus, and this is Emily and Geriant," Mr. Steele said, touching them on the back. "They've grown so much. Emily and Geriant were newborns when I saw them last." The tall man looked around. "Were's my beautiful stepmother?" "Laura was killed by the vampire hunters." "I'm sorry, father. It is really getting horrible in the states, isn't it?" "Too horrible," Mr. Steele agreed. "I don't think it's safe to let the children stay in America." "You're right. The United Free Countries of the British Isles is one of the few places that don't allow the vampire hunters to hunt. I've heard it's so bad in the Russian Federation that the vampire hunters have taken over and are executing anyone that they suspect to be vampires." "It's going to be like that everywhere unless we fight back," Mr. Steele warned. "Is that why you came here, to ask me to fight?" The man paused. "I will fight, but I think it would be best if I wait until the fighting gets closer to home." "I don't think you understand. I want to join the resistance movement. I want you to foster the children until it's safe to be a vampire in the open again," Mr. Steel told him. "That could be a very long time. Your children could be fully grown when that time comes. Do you really think it's wise to give up everything for your vendetta? Sometimes it's best to simply hide." "Not for me it isn't. If no one stands up to the vampire hunters; they will destroy us." "You're right, they will. You can leave your children with me. I will treat them as my own children," the man promised. "Don't leave us, father," Emily said plaintively. "Our father has to go out of town on business." The man knelt down to Emily's level. "You'll be safe here, little one, the vampire hunters won't find you here." "Promise?" He smiled. "Of course I promise!" "Why should we trust you?" Tarrant demanded. "Who is this man anyway? Mother told us never to trust strangers." "This man is not a stranger, Angus," Mr. Steele said. "He is Brendon, your older half-brother."    The guards came several hours later for Dayna. They opened the door and one of them grabbed her, pressed something against her neck and she fell to the ground. Tarrant tried to push the guard away from Dayna. "Leave her alone!" The guard pushed a button at his waist, and pain pulsed through Tarrant. He damned himself; if only he had been able to feed properly, and there was no sun, or wood embedded in him, he could fight back and escape. Instead, all he could do was watch. The guards picked up Dayna and carried her out of the cell. One came back to press something against Tarrant's neck, and he passed out. Tarrant awoke in a bath house. He was tied to the wall of a shower, and his body was in the process of being cleaned by human attendants that wore next to nothing. He hungered, and he could smell the scent of the attendants. As attractive as the female attendants were, he had trouble controlling himself. "Why did you bring me here?' The attendants didn't answer. He looked around. There were several men in the same position as he, all being cleansed. Then he felt the presence of a vampire; the sales woman who came to the cell with Brendon earlier seemed to be the one in charge. She spoke to the group. "Slaves, you will be shaved. If you move, you will hurt yourself. This is your only warning." The attendants took straight razors, then shaved Tarrant's face and body hair. The sales person came over to Tarrant and ran a finger over his stomach. "You were going to be sold as a labor grade, but now because of a customer's interest, you will be sold as a pleasure slave. It's a pity; I could have afforded you if you were sold as a labor grade. You would have made an interesting bond slave." A collar was attached to Tarrant's neck, and a chain was attached to that. "Why can't I wear clothing?" Tarrant demanded. "I want to let the buyers see you in all your glory." The sales person nodded at the slaves and they unfastened Tarrant's hands and put them behind his back, where they were tied. "If you resist, not only you will be hurt, but that woman that was brought in with you will be hurt. She is safe for now, but her safety rests on your cooperation. Do you understand?" Tarrant nodded. He would have resisted, but for his weakness. The sales person continued. "You will walk down a stage. If you act the least bit embarrassed, or try to run, you will be killed, do you understand?" After Tarrant nodded, two of the attendants took him him outside, to a stage. He had to wait awhile for his turn. When it came, one guided him down the stage by the chain, and stopped at the end. "This specimen is a vampire, a former Federation pilot captain with a lot of spirit. Once that spirit is broken, he will be able to pilot your ship during the day and pleasure you during the night," someone that Tarrant couldn't see said. "Do we have an opening bid?" "Five thousand credits," a woman in her late sixties said. She was dressed as if she were years younger. Tarrant took a good look at the crowd; over a thousand people, all of them staring at him. He felt like a piece of meat. He then noticed his brother, along with his partner, sitting in the third row. Brendon winked at Tarrant, then he bid. "Seven thousand." "Ten thousand." The bidding was raised little by little to sixty thousand. The woman then yelled eighty thousand. There was a long pause, as Tarrant wondered if Brendon was going to bid any more. Then Brendon bid one hundred and twenty five thousand credits. There was a loud gasp from the audience. The voice asked if there were any more bids.    After being sold, Tarrant was taken to his brother's ship, taken to a cabin and locked in. The cabin was very nice with a large double bed dominating it. Tarrant looked in the closet. It held many clothes in the style he preferred, all in his size. The other side of the closet held a woman's clothing. He picked out something and put it on. As he was changing, he heard the ship take off. Exhausted, he collapsed on the bed. He was almost asleep when Dayna was brought to the cabin. In an instant, she was at his side. "Are you all right?" "I'm fine, I'm just a bit weak." "Can I do anything?" There was concern in her voice. "I just need rest, and blood. I'll be all right." "Why are you so sick and I'm not?" "You became a vampire just a couple of months ago. I, on the other hand, am over eight hundred years old. When you get as old as me, you'll get this weak if you spend a week being exposed to the sun." "You won't believe who bought me," Dayna said, changing the subject. "Let me guess, my brother Brendon." "What do you think he's up to?" Dayna asked. "I'm not sure." Tarrant was finding it hard to think. "Perhaps he thinks he can get the reward on our heads." "Is he really your brother?" "Unfortunately, he is." "I didn't know you had another brother." "I have several. My father has a way with the ladies. The cosmos is littered with his children." "That may be, old boy, but I'm the only brother that raised you," Brendon said from the doorway. He had a slight Irish lilt to his voice. Damian went past Brendon into the cabin towards Tarrant. Dayna attacked him. Tarrant watched as they fell to the ground wrestling. He felt a bit of anger as Brendon watched from the door, with obvious amusement. Finally, Damian overpowered Dayna. "If I didn't have the pins in my ears, I would kill you," Dayna swore. "I doubt that." Damian took a silletto out of his boot, reaching up as if he were going to behead Dayna. "Should I kill her now, or should I wait?" "There will be no bloodshed today. My brother and his bloodbond are our guests." Tarrant couldn't help but notice what his brother was wearing at his waist. "If we are your guests, why do you wear the controls to an agonizer?" "Oh, this." Brendon touched the control, and for a moment Tarrant felt a sense of panic almost overcome him. "They gave it to me at the slave yards. It would have made them suspicious if I had refused it. Now get off the lady, Damian." Damian put away his knife, then got off of Dayna. "You're an excellent fighter. I will be wary of you once you have recovered from your ordeal." "Just remember that," Dayna growled. "There are clothes for you in the closet. I suggest you put some on," Brendon said. "That is unless you prefer to go nude." Dayna got up, went over to the closet, and picked out a jumpsuit much less revealing than what she usually wore on the Liberator. She then put it on. "Why did you buy us?" Tarrant asked. "Why shouldn't I buy you?" Brendon asked. "I'm the captain of an important rebel craft, I can buy anything I please." "You have a rebel ship staffed by slaves?" Dayna scoffed. Both Brendon and Damian laughed. "You're not a slave, you're free." "You didn't tell me that," Tarrant said. "You didn't give me a chance, did you?" Brendon retorted. "If you want to know the truth, I bought you because I couldn't break you out of the slave yard. That's the only reason." "What about me?" Dayna asked. "You're my brother's lover. If I bought him, I would have to buy you." "How did you know I was his lover?" "Any vampire within a hundred meters of you can feel the blood bond that the two of you share." "You didn't buy us because you're working with Servalan?" Dayna asked skeptically. Both Brendon and Damian laughed again. "What's so funny?" Dayna demanded. "The idea that I'm working with Servalan!" Brendon chortled. "Well, are you?" "I despise the Federation," Damian growled. "I won't rest until the Federation is defeated." "If I am free, then you wouldn't mind letting us go," Tarrant said. "I can't do that," Brendon said. "Why not?" "We're already in flight." "Then you can take us to the nearest planet and drop us off." "How would you like us to return you to the Liberator?" "How could you know that information and not be working for Servalan?" Tarrant demanded. "Give us credit for a little creativity, Tarrant," Brendon said. "Both Damian and I hold a high ranking in the resistance. I was contacted by a very dependable source that told me you were sold as a slave on this planet. So we came here." "We can contact your ship and tell them where we are," Damian said. "And how could you do that?" "About four years ago, Blake gave me a device to contact your ship. It's just a matter of time until we get you back," Damian promised. A crew member arrived with a large urn and some glasses. Brendon took it from her and thanked her. She left. "How about a drink?"    "How do you like my ship?" Brendon asked Tarrant after giving him what he called the grand tour. It had been over a week since he had bought Tarrant, and Tarrant was now fully recovered from his ordeal. Brendon took Tarrant to the quarters that he shared with Damian. There was a large sitting room, and off to one side a bedroom. "I must admit, I'm impressed," Tarrant said, rubbing his now free ears. "How many are in your crew?" "One hundred and twenty one." Brendon paused. "The pins in your ears are gone, Tarrant." "For some reason my ears still bother me. I guess I can't get over being freed." "You're free, you will always be free. Care for a drink?" "What do you have?" "Alhmar De Hume, and some other lethal stuff," Brendon tempted. "Do your worst." Tarrant leaned back and watched his brother get a bottle and a couple of glasses out of a cabinet. He put them on the end table and filled them, handed Tarrant a glass, and sat down on the couch. "You keep saying 'our ship.' Who else owns it?" "My partner Damian owns half the Nightwind." "How long have the two of you been together?" Tarrant asked. "He joined my crew fifteen years ago," Brendon explained. "I gave him first a quarter of the ship ten years ago, the other quarter five years ago." "You seem happy." "I am. I haven't been this happy in years. Damian is like a breath of fresh air. He still has the vitality that we old ones forget we had," Brendon paused. "Is it the same way with Dayna?" "Yes she is; she's very special." "She must be; you've never brought across a human lover before." "I've never wanted to force immortality on them," Tarrant confessed. "But we're not immortal, are we?" Brendon asked. "I mean, after ten thousand years our kind dies of old age, and we can be killed." That reminded Tarrant of something that he needed to do. "Deeta's dead." "I know. I couldn't believe the news. He was so young, he had so much to live for, and now he's gone." "The man that killed him used wooden bullets with a garlic core. Somehow they knew he was a vampire." Tarrant took a deep breath. "Then that monster cut off his head. I was at the combat planet when it happened. I lived his death." "I don't understand, how could you live his death? You didn't share a mind bond with him, that is unless you're a telepath." "No, I'm not telepathic, not in the least. A scientist in the Teal Union came up with a way that the citizens could share in the death, using micro- sensors implanted in the brain. Every- one that wore the contact disk of the combatant shared his thoughts, his feelings as he went though the combat." "It must have been horrible for you." Brendon paused. "Deeta would have been proud of you. You avenged his death. I was a bit surprised; the last time I talked to him, the two of you were avowed enemies." "We still were, up to the moment he died. He refused to see me before the combat. I wanted make our peace before the challenge, but there wasn't time." Tears trickled down Tarrant's cheek. "I wish there had been time; there was so much I wanted to say to him." "I never understood why Deeta hated you so much. Care to explain?" Brendon asked. "It was forty years ago when the Federation caught us smuggling arms to rebel planets. We owned an ancient runabout mark 9 from first Federation times, and we thought they would destroy the ship and execute us. Instead, the Federation put our ship in a museum and we were conditioned," Tarrant explained. "You see, the Federation was short of good pilots and we were both good pilots. They changed our names and gave us a different life history. Deeta's conditioning wore off first; he tried to convince me that my memories of our past were wrong, that he wasn't ten years older than me, but instead we were twins, and that the Federation implanted the memories in us to make us loyal officers. I defended the Federation, told him I would always remain loyal, so he took a ship and ran. He didn't even say good bye. My memories didn't return until you found me on the pleasure planet and helped me break my conditioning." Brendon filled Tarrant's glass and pushed it towards him. "Here, Angus, have another drink." "I hate that name. Why don't you call me Tarrant? After all, that was the name you gave me." "Angus was the name your mother named you," Brendon pointed out. "Actually, father named me Angus. Mother wanted to call me Charles," "Do you know what we need to do?" Brendon asked, changing the subject. "No, what do we need to do?" "We need to have a wake for Deeta." "People don't have wakes anymore. You just want an excuse to throw a wild party." Brendon smiled. "That is even a better reason to have one."    It was a warm summer day six months after he had been taken to Ireland by his father. Tarrant sat on his bed looking out his bedroom window. The view was spectacular, showing kilometer after kilometer of rolling hills, but Tarrant didn't see that, nor did he see his brothers and sister playing with the other children of vampires that were hiding in Brendon's castle. Instead all he could see was his mother's death, replayed over and over again in his mind. "Why aren't you out playing with the other children, Angus?" Brendon asked from doorway. "I don't feel like playing." "You never feel like playing. Is it because your friends tease you about your name?" "Those kids aren't my friends. I haven't had any friends since I came here. Besides, I've always been teased about my name; it's a cow name." "Not really." "Yes it is! A whole breed of cows is called Angus!" "We could always change your name," Brendon offered. "I can't change my name." "Why not?" Tarrant looked out the window. He couldn't tell Brendon why he wouldn't change his names because all the kids knew he was named after a cow. He knew Brendon wouldn't understand. He hoped he would just go away and leave him alone. Instead Brendon sat down on the foot of Tarrant's bed. "The view's beautiful, isn't it?" "What view?" "The view you've been studying every day since you came to my castle." Brendon paused. "It's your mother, isn't it?" Tarrant nodded, tears trickling down his cheek. He wiped his face off. He hoped Brendon hadn't seen him cry. "It's all right to cry." "Big boys don't cry," Tarrant said firmly. "I'm eight, I'm a big boy." "This is different, Angus, your mother died. It's your mother. You've never cried for her, have you?" Brendon asked. Tarrant shook his head no; it was taking everything he had to be brave. "I cried when the Viet Cong killed my mother. I was alone until my father was able to come and get me." "Why were you in Vietcong?" "The county was then called South Vietnam. My mum worked for the Red Cross; we were visiting an orphanage. There was a raid. A soldier found my mother, and somehow he knew she was a vampire. He beheaded her. I was the same age as you." Something snapped in Tarrant and he began to cry. Brendon took him into his arms, and held him close. When the boy finished crying, Brendon looked into Tarrant's eyes. Tarrant couldn't remember exactly what Brendon told him, but he knew he didn't hurt as much; he now knew he could do something else besides mourn. Then Brendon ruffled his hair, breaking the spell. "Tarrant, you look like a Tarrant!" "Me a Tarrant?" Tarrant asked. "Do you like that name?" "It's a good name." "From now on you'll be called Tarrant, and if anyone wants to argue that it isn't your real name, they'll have to talk to me," Brendon promised.    It was late, and Tarrant hoped that Dayna had fallen asleep. He moved around in the darkness, undressing. He didn't need the light; his vampire vision could see enough in the room to get ready for bed without running into anything. He sat down on the bed and pulled off his boots. "You're finally back." There was a hint of annoyance to Dayna's voice. "You should have toured the ship with us." "I don't think you did tour the ship; all you did was party. You're as bad as Vila. I'm surprised that you didn't stay out all night. It seems that to have a good time your brother has to get drunk." "Why not?" Tarrant asked. "It can't kill him." "That's not the point! You're drunk, and you haven't fully recovered from our ordeal. I could skin Brendon alive for this." "It isn't his fault," Tarrant said. "I've always had the tendency to drink a little too much when Brendon is around. But I'm not hurting anyone, so I don't see what the problem is." "0h, do you?" Dayna's voice dripped with sarcasm. "What's wrong, Dayna? You're usually not so judgmental about my drinking." "If you want to know the truth, it's Damian." "What about him?" "He gives me the creeps. It's almost like I've know him before, but I can't place where. But I've never met him before, I know I haven't." "That can't be the only reason." "He's so cold, andhe's always wearing dark glasses." "Damian has a medical condition, retonitis nosfurtu. He has to wear glasses and protective lenses or he will go blind." "I didn't know that." "Now you do." Tarrant paused. "It isn't because he resembles Avon?" "Perhaps that's what it is. He looks like he could be Avon's kid brother, but he couldn't be, could he?" "I think if Avon were his brother, he would have told us by now." Tarrant took off his pants and crawled into bed beside Dayna. The wine had given him a nice warm fuzzy feeling. He started nuzzling Dayna's neck. "I think you should give Damian a chance; he really is a nice guy. Perhaps you could even challenge him to another fight." "Perhaps I will." Dayna moaned and brought her hand up to the back of Tarrant's head. That was all the excuse Tarrant needed. He bit down softly.    Dayna looked around the main gathering room of the Nightwind. It was filled with vampires and humans, all members of Brendon's crew. There was a table filled with food, and another table serving as a bar with a crew member behind it bartending. She turned to Tarrant. "I thought this was supposed to be a funeral, but it looks like a party. " "I told you, this is a wake," Tarrant said. "We are celebrating the passing of Deeta to a higher plane of existence." "This was Brendon's idea, wasn't it?" "Yes, it was." "I think he made up the idea of a wake. He just wanted a party," she said suspiciously. "It's a very old Irish tradition." "I've never heard of a planet called Irish." "Irish isn't a planet, it's a country on Earth. Both Brendon and my father were born in Ireland. I've got to go find Brendon." He left. Damian came over to Dayna, dressed as always in black leather, and wearing dark wrap-around glasses. He handed her a drink. "What do you think about my ship?" "Your ship? I thought Brendon owned it." "I own half. We are co-captains, partners." He took a drink. "Care for the grand tour?" Dayna wanted to say no; she still didn't trust Damian or Brendon, but she had promised Tarrant that she would give Damian a chance. "I have been wanting to see the ship, but won't we miss the service?" "Brendon told me that it takes a few hours for a wake to really get rolling," Damian said with a smile. "We will be back in plenty of time to celebrate Deeta's passing." They left the meeting room. Dayna found the ship to be impressive. The tour ended in the quarters that Damian shared with Brendon. Damian sat down on a couch and offered Dayna a seat. "What do you think of my ship?" "It's impressive." "Thank you." Dayna noticed a harp sitting on the coffee table. "Do you play the harp?" "Yes, I do. Do you?" He seemed pleased. "I have since I was a child." "I drive Brendon mad with my playing." "Tarrant tells me the same thing." "I don't know why he complains about my playing; he's the one who taught me in the first place." "Perhaps you play better than he does," Dayna suggested. "That I do." Damian paused. "How's my brother?" "I don't know your brother." "Yes, you do. My brother's Kerr Avon." "I told Tarrant that you were Avon's kid brother!" Dayna gasped. Damian smiled at that. "Kerr and I are twins." "That's impossible; you're much younger than he is." "How old do you think I am?" "You can't be a day over eighteen." Damian's smile grew even wider. "Thank you for the compliment. I am really thirty-seven, and before you ask how can that be, I turned when I was sixteen. Now tell me, how is Kerr? Has he changed much?" "What do you mean?" Dayna asked. "Does he still hate vampires?" "He's learning that not all vampires are that bad." "At least he's let you live. When I saw him last, he wanted to destroy every vampire in this galaxy." He smiled again, and Dayna found herself liking Damian.    "Care for a drink?" Vila asked as he came onto the flight deck of the Liberator. "Not now," Del told him. He was beneath his console, doing repairs on the circuitry. Vila went over to the food processor and ordered a large pitcher of adrenalin and soma, then strolled to the flight couch and sat down to pour himself a drink. "I thought this was Cally's watch." "It was, but since I was awake, I might as well take her watch." "What are you doing?" "What does it look like I'm doing?" Del snapped. "Have you told Avon that you're rewiring your board?" Vila asked. "Why should I have to ask Avon to rewire my own board?" "I though he might get angry." "Should that make me nervous? I was doing repairs like this even before the fall of the first Federation. I know what I'm doing." Del's tool slipped, and he cut his finger. "Damn!" "Why don't you take a break?" Vila suggested. "Don't tell me what to do." "I'm not, but didn't you know that if you don't take a break after twelve hours of working on your circuit board, Zen will cut the power to the ship?" "All right, I'll take a break." Del came out from under the console and sat down on the couch across from Vila. "I don't think Zen would ever cut the power to the ship, but I'll rest for a little bit anyway." "When was the last time you got any sleep?" Vila asked. "Vampires don't need sleep the way humans do." "Even I know that vampires need some sleep once in awhile." Vila took a drink. "I kept myself up for over a week when the guards took Lisel." "Who was Lisel?" "My partner in crime, and in love. We were terrific together. She would get hired as a maid for a rich Alpha, and get the layout of the house, and I would rob it." "When did they come for her?" Del asked. "They tested her the last time they captured us, and found out that she was a vampire. It's illegal in the Federation to be a vampire; it classed lower than an Alpha." "What happened to her?" Del asked, though he had a good idea what had happened. "Two months later, she showed up on a patrol. She was a mutoid. Lisel was dead in every sense of the word. Every time I fell asleep, I dreamt of her. That was when I started to drink heavily. The only way I could make the dreams go away was when I was drunk." It suddenly dawned on Del that Vila knew what he was going through. "It's the dreams; they're so real. So real that when I wake, I expect Dayna to be in bed with me." "It must be hard, her death so close to Deeta's," Vila said softly. "It was hard. Deeta and I are... were twins." "But Deeta looks so much older than you." "My mother was human," Del explained, "and as you might know, twins that are born of a human-vampire union have one twin that is vampire, the other vampire recessive. The recessive becomes a vampire when he dies. Deeta was almost fifty when he died. He was my best friend, and now Dayna. You'd better pour me a glass." Vila did, but the drink did nothing for Del. "Dayna was a very special lady," Vila agreed. "I never completely got over her." "I forgot, the two of you lived together," Del said. "What's there to remember?" Vila asked. "We were only together for two months. I know I shouldn't miss her this much, but I could never stop loving her, even though it was over three years ago." "Two months can be an eternity at times," Del agreed. "You shouldn't be ashamed of your feelings." "Neither should you, Tarrant." "That's why I work. It keeps me from remembering her. I've been making improvements to my board that I've al- ways wanted to do. But every time I close my eyes, even for a second, she's there. It's almost as if she's haunting me." "How long have you gone without sleep?" Vila asked. "Twenty-one, no, twenty-two days." Vila reached over to a panel and rapped it. It opened and Vila started fishing around in it. "I didn't know that the panels opened," Del gasped. "Where else do you think I keep my good stuff? Avon and Cally never thought of looking here. Sometimes out in the open is the best place to hide things. Ah, here it is." Vila took out a couple of bottles of Alhmar De Hume, then he tapped the door again and it closed. He opened a bottle and poured Del a large glass. "If you drink both these bottles you should be relaxed enough to sleep." "I can't. I've got watch in four hours." "Don't worry about that," Vila shooshed him. "I'll take your next two watches. Now drink up!" "If you say so." Del drank.    Two days later, a much rested Del looked at Dayna's console. It was empty. He looked back down to his console. Of course it was empty. That and the fact that they had finally dropped Riahana off on Kaarn made the ship seem quieter than ever. He was even beginning to miss Dayna's music. "We are receiving an all points hail from the co-captain of the rebel ship Nightwind," Cally said. "I've never heard of an all points hail," Del said. He had heard of a ship called the Nightwind before. His brother Brendon owned a ship by that name, but he didn't say anything, because it might not be his ship. "Blake gave certain ships that were sympathetic to the cause hailing devices. They were only to be used in dire emergencies," Call explained. "Is this an emergency?" "I will ask." "Don't get your hopes up," Avon told him as he came onto the flight deck. "The last all points hail we received was by a rebel group that wanted a quick passage to Freedom City." "Co-captain Damian requests that he be allowed to speak to Kerr Avon," Cally said. Avon got a very strange look on his face as he sat down at his console. "Tell co-captain Damian that there is nothing he can say to me." "He reports that he has Del Tarrant and Dayna Mellanby as passengers, and he wants to know if you want visual confirmation." "Cut the line," he ordered. "What should I tell him?" Cally asked. "Nothing, cut the communications with him!" Avon thundered. He punched the intercom. "Vila get up here." "But..." Vila said. "Just do it!" A few moments later, Vila scrambled onto the flight deck, still pulling his clothes on. "What's the matter?" "The Federation's trying to lure us into a trap," Avon said. Vila sat down at his console. "How?" "There is a ship closing fast on us which has a co- captain who claims to have Tarrant and Dayna as passengers" "That's impossible!" Vila gasped. "The Nightwind is three light years from the Liberator," Tarrant reported. "Battlestations!" Avon ordered. "If that ship does anything in the least suspicious, fire on it!" Vila gasped as the Nightwind came into view; it was huge, over three times the size of Liberator. Del recognized the ship immediately -- it was his brother's. "The ship's giving us visual," Cally said. "It's overriding our systems!" "Let's see what they've got," ordered Del. Del suddenly saw a clear view of the Nightwind's flight deck. He saw his brother, and Dayna... and another him. As he stared at himself, he found himself firing at the Nightwind.    "The Nightwind is now three thousand spacials from the Liberator," Damian said from the Nightwind's pilot's console. "Have you got any answer from the Liberator yet?" Brendon asked the ship's communications officer. He stood impatiently at her side. "They're still refusing to answer our hails," the communications officer said. "Let me try something," Tarrant said, and knelt over the communications board to press the Liberator's security pass numbers into the intercom, numbers which forced Zen to put their transmission on the main screen. For a moment, the Liberator's flight deck showed up on the Nightwind's main screen. For a brief moment, Del Tarrant stared at an exact duplicate of himself standing at his console on the Liberator's fight deck. The Nightwind was rocked by a plasma bolt, and he fell against the chair. There was a rain of sparks and the weapons officer was knocked to the ground. Dayna went over and checked her. "She's dead." "Take her place, Dayna!" Brendon ordered. Dayna sat down at her place and started to program the computer to fire off a return attack. Then he ship was rocked again; there was another rain of sparks and the co- pilot was killed. Tarrant moved the body out of the way and took his place. Just then Dayna fired everything they had at the Liberator. "Our shields are down to twenty percent," Tarrant read off as the ship was rocked again, lurching to a ninety degree angle. Tarrant, who hadn't taken the time to strap himself in, found himself falling. He finally landed against a bulkhead, and could hear several bones in his body snap. Damian righted the ship. He then looked up to Brendon. "We have no shields left; the next blast will destroy the ship." Brendon went over to the communications board. The communications officer looked up to him. "What are you doing?" "I'm signaling our surrender" "You can't give in to them!" Damian said, clutching his right arm to his chest. He was even more pale than his usual albino coloring allowed. "I have to think of our crew. This way they'll have a chance to survive," Brendon explained. "Liberator, this is the co-captain of the Nightwind. We surrender, I repeat, we surrender. Dayna Mellanby is one of the survivors." A few moments passed before Avon and Cally materilized on the flight deck of the Nightwind, their guns drawn. Cally went over to Dayna, looked at her for a few seconds, then handed her a bracelet snapping another onto Tarrant's wrist. "He stays here," Avon said coldly. "I won't leave without Tarrant," Dayna said firmly. She went over to him, guarding him. "I will not have that thing on board my ship," Avon vowed. "I am only going to rescue you." "I'm not going anywhere without Tarrant." "If you stay here, you'll die." "Yes, I will." "This is not the time to argue," Cally said, looking at Brendon. "How many survivors are there?" "There are one hundred and four," Brendon told her. "We can bring up four this time. We will bring more bracelets on the next trip." Cally gave bracelets to Brendon and Damian. Suddenly they were on board the Liberator. Vila was sitting at the teleport control, his gun drawn. Damian, who was holding his arm, looked Avon in the eye. "It's been a long time, Kerr." Avon turned away from him. "Vila, Cally, take Tarrant and the brown haired one to a cell." "What about him?" Vila asked, pointing to Damian. "He stays." "Move," Cally ordered. "Tarrant's been hurt; he needs to go to the med unit," Dayna said. "That thing isn't Tarrant," Avon growled. "He is Tarrant." "We will discuss this later. Take him to a cabin!" "Move!" Cally ordered. Tarrant tried to move, but couldn't; it hurt too much. Cally looked at him with disgust. "I said, move." "I'll carry him." Brendon gently picked up Tarrant, who couldn't help but gasp out in pain. Brendon carried him to the cell, and gently put him on the bed. Even that hurt, and Tarrant groaned. Brendon looked at Cally. "He needs to see a doctor." "The Liberator isn't staffed with a doctor," Vila said. "He needs help; he's been hurt." Instead of answering, they left. Vila touched a button and a forcefield shimmered into place. Brendon sat down beside Tarrant. "I'm sorry, little brother." "It's not your fault, it's mine. I should have guessed there would be another me." He was in agony; it was even getting hard for him to breathe. "How could you have known?" "I'm not sure." "Rest now. I'll get you some help," Brendon promised.    Dayna went over to the teleport holder and began to load herself down with as many bracelets as possible. "What do you think you're doing?" Avon demanded. "I'm going to rescue the rest of the crew," Dayna told him. "No one's going back to the Nightwind." "There are over a hundred people still alive on the Nightwind," Damian said. "A hundred people, or do you mean a hundred vampires?" Avon asked. "Vampires, people, it's all the same," Damian said. The ship was rocked, Damian stared at Avon in horror. "How could you kill over a hundred people?" "I wasn't the one that killed them." "You are the one that gave the order." "I don't understand, what happened?" Dayna demanded. "That cold hearted bastard destroyed my ship!" Damian said, outraged. He got closer to Avon, and for the first time Dayna realized that they were the same height. Their resemblance was even more striking when they were next to each other; Damian looked like a much younger version of Kerr Avon, the only difference in their looks being the fact that Damian had long white hair. Avon pointed his gun at Damian. "Why are you wearing those things in your eyes?" "I have to wear these, I have retinites nosferatu." "You don't have that disease. Take out the contacts." "I can't, I'll go blind." Take them out or I will kill you. Don't think this gun can't harm you; it has wooden bullets." Damian stood his ground. "You'll have to kill me then." Avon pointed his gun at Dayna. "If you don't hand over your contacts, I'll kill Dayna, your master and your spy." Damian took the contacts out, and for the first time Dayna could see his eyes -- they were pink. Avon extended his hand, and Damian gave him his contacts. Avon dropped them to the floor, and crushed them. Avon then took Damian to the cells. Dayna went with him to make sure Avon didn't kill him. Then they went to the flight deck, where Dayna was surprised to see another Tarrant. "Did you destroy the Nightwind?" Avon asked him. "Yes, I did." Del looked at Dayna strangely. "My gods, what happened?" "What do you mean?" Avon asked. "Those animals that kidnaped her turned her into a vampire. Can't you feel it?" Del asked. Avon pointed his gun at Del. "Move away from the console." "I don't understand." "Just do it!" Avon thundered. Del moved. "You had no idea that Dayna was a vampire?" "How could I? She wasn't a vampire when she died." "What have you told Servalan?" Avon demanded. "I haven't told her anything. I hate Servalan; she killed Deeta. You know that." "I know one thing; there are two Tarrants on the Liberator. One or both might be a Federation plant. Dayna, don't think I trust you completely either. Until I get a DNA scan on you, I can't be completely convinced you are the real Dayna." "I understand," Dayna said. "As for you, you're going down to the cells. Now move."    Tarrant woke, and could tell by his brother's presence beside him that he was still in the cell. The odd thing was that he couldn't remember falling asleep. He didn't say anything; he assumed that he had passed out from the pain. He had never been in such agony in his life. He could feel the presence of another vampire in the room, but he wasn't sure who. He glanced to the other side of the room. Damian was sitting against the wall, his head in one hand, the other arm lying useless across his lap. "How are you feeling, little brother?" Brendon asked. "I feel as if I could run a marathon," Tarrant said sarcastically. "After that, you could swim a few miles." His brother smiled. "I feel awful." Tarrant glanced over to Damian again. "What's wrong with him?" "He's got a broken elbow, that's all." "Then why is he holding his eyes?" Brendon got off the bed and knelt down beside Damian. "Let me see your eyes." "I can't, they hurt too much." "I only want to look at them for a second." Damian quickly took his hand from his eyes; they were one solid shade of dark red, including the whites, and there were sores that resembled blisters around his eyes. Quickly he covered his eyes again and in a flat voice said, "It's finally happened. I'm blind." "Where were your glasses and contacts?" Brendon demanded. "You knew this would happen if you didn't wear them." "I was wearing them, but my glasses were broken the first time the Nightwind got hit. Do you remember when Kerr forced me to stay in the teleport room? He forced me to take my contacts out, then he destroyed them." "Why didn't you resist?" "He had a gun with wooden bullets, and he said that he wouldn't just kill me, but Dayna, Tarrant, and you. I had to do as he said," Damian said softly. "You did an honorable thing," Brendon said, his former rage gone. "You saved our lives. It's a pity that you'll be blind for the rest of your life." "The Liberator has an excellent regen chamber in our med unit; we could save Damian's vision if we could get him there," Tarrant said. "If I have to hypnotize everyone on this bloody ship, I'll get you there, Damian." Brendon tore a strip of cloth off of his tunic. "You can't let your eyes get any more damaged. I'll have to bind them." "Kerr won't ever let me repair my eyes," Damian said. Brendon touched Damian's cheek. Almost too softly for Tarrant to hear, he said, "I will kill Avon if I must. Trust me, Damian, you will get well." Damian lowered his hand, and Brendon blindfolded his eyes. "Can you see any light?" "No, everything's black." Damian caught Brendon's hand. "Brend, Kerr's a vampire!" "Yes, I know. Someone's coming." Brendon stood up to his full height, which was formidable, for he was six foot seven inches tall. He stood in front of Damian, protecting him. Tarrant could feel the unmistakable presence of Dayna approaching, and two other vampires. Someone that looked exactly like him walked past the cell, followed by Dayna and an armed Avon. The look-alike was put in the cell across from Tarrant's. "Tarrant," Avon said. The double turned, and Avon shot him in the thigh. "Why, Avon?" the double asked. A shiver went down Tarrant's back -- the double sounded just like Deeta! Avon didn't answer, instead he shot him again. This also hit his thigh. Avon hit a switch, and a forcefield briefly shimmered. "Why did you shoot me?" the double gasped, pain in his voice. "That should be obvious. Now you can't go anywhere, not with wooden bullets in your leg." He turned to Dayna. "If you don't want to be locked up along with the duplicate, you'll go down to the med unit and let me scan you to see if you're the real Dayna." "Gladly." She turned and looked at Tarrant. For a moment he could see regret in her eyes. She was about to say something when Avon shoved the gun in her neck. They left. The double, with a lot of effort, pulled himself to the cot in the cell and lay down. "Was that the other Tarrant?" Damian asked. "Yes, it was," Tarrant said. "The poor man," Brendon said softly. "I'm going to go see if he's all right." "What if he's a Federation plant?" Tarrant asked. "I won't know that until I talk to him." Brendon stood in front of the wall on the other side of the force field for a moment, then passed through it. He then walked across the hallway and passed though the wall into the duplicate Tarrant's cell. He went to Del. "Are you all right?" Del looked up to him. "Brendon?" "Yes little brother, it's me." Brendon smiled. "What are you doing here?" "You blew up my ship, don't you remember?" "I didn't know it was your ship. When I saw that other me, I had to shoot. I'm sorry. I don't know how I'll repay you." "How's the leg?" "It hurts like hell." "Can I look at it?" Del nodded, and Brendon examined his leg. Can you do anything for it?" "You need to get the bullets out. Until then you're stuck here; you won't be able to escape with wood embedded in you. Luckily, the wood won't kill you, just take some of your strength." Del looked Brendon in the eye. "Are you the one that turned Dayna into a vampire, or did your boyfriend do it?" "Neither, she was a vampire when I found her." "I don't understand, how did she become a vampire?" "I don't know. Tell me, was there ever a time the Federation could have duplicated you?" Brendon asked. "Were you captured, did you give them tissue samples?" "There was only one time it might have happened, on Sardos. They have a duplication process there, and they took a scan of me, but I found out later that the process on Sardos didn't work on humanoid life unless it was transferred with a life support system." Del took a deep breath and let it out. "It doesn't matter anyway, Sardos isn't controlled by the Federation." "I guess you don't know. Sardos was conquered by the Federation three months ago," Brendon told him. "I guess that's how my duplicate must have been made. He would have had to be good, to convince Dayna." "You're right. I'd better get back before they realize I've gone," Brendon said. "You're right, I don't want Avon shooting you," Del told him. "Can you do me a favor? If Avon lets you out, can you keep an eye on Dayna? I don't want that duplicate getting to her." "I will. I'll see you later, little brother." Brendon went back to the real Tarrant's cell. Tarrant could hear a rattling. Then Cally, Dayna and Vila stopped at their cell. Vila touched a button and the force field came down. "What's going on?" Brendon demanded. "We are going to take Tarrant to the med unit," Cally said. "What about you? Is Avon convinced you're real?" Brendon asked Dayna. "Yes, I am really Dayna Mellanby," Dayna said as she pushed a stretcher into the cell. It took all three of the Liberator's crew to put Tarrant on the stretcher. He moaned in pain. Dayna, the closest to his head, touched him. "I'm sorry, Tarrant." Brendon helped Damian to his feet. Both Cally and Vila pulled their guns. Finally Vila spoke. "We're only taking Tarrant." "Damian's hurt; if he doesn't get to regen soon, he'll be blind for the rest of his life," Brendon said. "There was nothing wrong with your eyes when you came onto the Liberator." "I have retinitis nosferatu," Damian gasped. "Kerr took my protective contacts from me when I teleported aboard." "If you had explained what you needed them for, he would have let you keep them," Cally said. "He did explain why to Avon," Dayna said. "But all Avon did was tell him that he would kill the survivors of the Nightwind if he didn't give up his contacts." "I do not understand, why would Avon do such a thing?" Cally asked. "Kerr and I go a long way back," Damian said. "He hates me." "I see. The hatred is between the two of you. But I will not let someone suffer needlessly," Cally said. "Dayna, guide him to the med unit. The other can come with us; he might be of some help. Vila, stay here, keep an eye on our guest in the next cell." Right," Vila said. He pulled a chair into the hallway and sat down on it.    Cally and Brendon carted Tarrant to the med unit. Close behind came Dayna and Damian. She guided Damian to a exam table, and helped him sit down on it. Avon, who was getting the med unit prepared, turned to them, an unmistakable look of hatred on his face. "What the hell--! I told you to only bring Tarrant, not these two! They'll have to be returned to the cell." "Damian's hurt," Dayna said. "A little suffering is good for the soul. If you don't return him to the cell, I'll kill him." He drew the gun with wooden bullets and moved closer to Damian. "No, Avon." Cally stepped between him and Damian. "We will cure his arm and his eyes, then we will return him to the cell." "He has tricked you, there is nothing wrong with his eyes." "He has retinitis nosferatu," Cally said. "That is a disease inherited vampires get. Damian is not an inherited vampire," Avon said firmly. "There is only one way you'll be convinced. Will you let Kerr see me?" Damian asked. He took off his blindfold. The blisters had increased until they were covering a good part of Damian's face, and looked as if they were infected. Avon was visibly bothered, and that reflected in his voice. "Cally, attach him to the portable regen unit, and put a regen pad on his arm. Take his master back down to the cells, Dayna." "I am not Damian's master," Brendon said firmly. "I am simply his friend." "You are more then just a friend, you are his lover." "I've never denied that, Kerr." "You are the one that turned him into a vampire," Avon pointed out. "You then took him away from the Federation." "I did not turn him into a vampire!" Brendon said, outraged. "This is not the time to fight!" Cally stepped between them. "You're right," Brendon said. "You have two seriously injured vampires in this med unit. I can be of some help. I have a doctorate in vampire physiology." "If I have any trouble with them, I can always consult with Orac." "Orac is just a computer." "How do you know about Orac?" Avon asked. "What does it matter if the information I have about him is true? He is just a computer, and you can't completely trust a computer." ` "Orac is much more than a computer." "You might need a split second decision to save a life, a computer can't do that. Face it Kerr, you need me," Brendon said with a smile. "Don't call me Kerr!" "All right, Avon, and you can call me Brendon." He paused. "Why do you hate vampires so much?" "Vampires killed my parents," Avon said. "It's strange to hate something that you are." Avon turned to Dayna. "Keep an eye on our guests. If anyone does anything unusual, kill them." Cally went to take care of Damian. Brendon went over to help her. Avon hooked Tarrant up to a diagnostic machine. Over an hour passed and nothing happened to Tarrant, who was beginning to wonder if he was going to get any medical help. Just when the agony was becoming the most unbearable, he passed out. Tarrant woke. He could feel Dayna standing beside him, and his brother close to Damian. Cally was still talking to Damian. His entire face was encased in a portable regen unit, and his arm was encased in a regen pad. "How long do I have to stay in this?" "A week. " Cally said. "A week!" Damian yelled. "I'll go mad lying here for a week!" "Three days then. That is if you promise to be good," Brendon said. I wish the two of you would stop picking on me." "Perhaps I will someday," Brendon said. He went over to Tarrant. Avon came into the med unit carrying a portable scanner, and pulled Cally away from Damian. "A quick DNA scan states that this Tarrant and the one in the cells are the same person." "I thought you brought Tarrant here to treat his wounds, not do experiments on him," Brendon interrupted. "We are treating his wounds," Avon said. "Running a DNA scan is not the same as treating his wounds," Brendon pointed out. "If you must know, the computer is still making a complete diagnostic on Tarrant." "How could both Tarrants have the same DNA? It isn't possible," Dayna said. "It could be possible if one of them is a clone. Superficically they would have the same DNA. It would take a lot of testing to reveal which one is the clone," Avon explained. There was a ding, and Cally read the diagnostic screen. "Tarrant needs to be put in a complete healing field; he's broken thirty five bones in all." They moved Tarrant's stretcher to a table with the apparatus for complete healing field. Cally looked down at him. "We are going to have to move you, Tarrant, do you understand?" Tarrant looked up to her. "Yes, I'm ready." Brendon took Tarrant's head, and Cally his legs. They picked him up and Dayna moved the cot out of the way. They then put him on the table. Avon snapped the healing field instruments around him, then he touched a button, and suddenly Tarrant couldn't move! But it didn't help the pain, the pain had increased once the field had been put in place. "How do you feel?" Dayna asked. "I hurt," Tarrant croaked. Cally took a pad of something out of a drawer, attached it to Tarrant's forehead, and he passed out. ******************** "You know, I'm getting tired of never being able to move around. I feel like I've been here three weeks, not three days," Damian said from the regen unit. "I know what you mean," Tarrant said. "Would you two stop complaining?" Dayna asked, exasperated. "I almost think you like it." "What's not to like?" Damian asked. "Not being able to see, not being able to move, I should sell tickets." "I know Vila for one would buy one," Dayna said. "I don't know, I've checked down at the cells, and Vila's getting very chummy with the other Tarrant," Brendon said. "I don't understand, why would Vila be so friendly with the duplicate?" Dayna asked. "They've become best friends. Your apparent death made a bond between them," Brendon said. "That proves that the man down in the cells is a duplicate," Tarrant said, staring at the ceiling. "I could never find anything in common with Vila." Brendon telepathed to him. Orally, he said, "You never know, perhaps you should give him a chance." Cally entered the med unit, followed by an armed Avon. Damian asked, "Hey doctor, am I ever going to get out of here?" Avon ignored Damian and turned to Cally. "We should run more tests on Tarrant." "You can't go through life hating me, Kerr," Damian said. "Watch me," Avon said. "Cally, please tell me, am I ever going to get out?" Damian asked plaintively. Cally smiled. "Your treatments are almost over, that's why we came down here." There was a ding, and Brendon went to the regen unit. "It says you're done cooking." "Don't tease me Brend.It Cally checked the unit. "He's right, time to come out." Cally unhooked the apparatus and helped Damian sit up. He ran a hand through his hair. "Can you see?" "Perfectly. You're beautiful." "Does he still need the protective devices?" Brendon asked, concerned. "I'm afraid so." Cally took the pad off of Damian's arm, then went over to a cabinet and took out a small tray. She handed it to Damian. "Fresh contacts and dark glasses." "Thank you. I wish I didn't have to wear these." "There is no cure for your condition except for replacing your eyes with artificial eyes. "No thank you." Damian put his contacts back in. "I would rather keep my eyes." "Now that you're cured, you can return to the cells," Avon said. "Not yet," Brendon said. Avon fingered his gun. "Give me one good reason why." "You're holding my brother prisoner." "Your brother?" "Tarrant is my brother." "Is this true?" Cally asked Tarrant. "Is Brendon your brother?" "Half brother, really," Tarrant said. "Brendon and I have different mothers." "I'm not going anywhere until I am sure that Tarrant's safe." "You can see he's perfectly safe," Avon said. "I saw what you did to the other Tarrant. How do I know you won't do it to this one?" Brendon snarled. "Why are you so loyal to Tarrant?" Avon asked. "He might not be your real brother." "Until we get all the tests back, they're both my brothers." "You are a stupid fool!" "Quiet, the both of you!" Dayna got between Avon and Brendon "Brendon is not your enemy." "That thing turned Damian into a vampire!" Avon growled. "I did not!" Brendon said. "Dayna's right, the two of you are being ridiculous," Cally said. "What would it hurt if we gave Damian and Brendon the run of the ship?" "You've got to be kidding!" "I am perfectly serious." "They'll take over my ship!" "You have my word that I wont take over your rotten ship," Brendon said. "What makes you think I can trust your word?" "You could always put a voice lock on your main computer to confirm it," he suggested. "What about him?" Avon looked over to Damian. Damian put his glasses on and smiled at Avon. "You've always been able to trust me, brother."    A week had passed, and Tarrant was still in the med unit. It had been almost a day since he'd needed something for pain. He was still a prisoner. Dayna stood near his head stroking his hair with her long fingers. She was there to make sure that Avon didn't try to kill him. She had been in the med unit the entire time since their capture. Tarrant was surprised by her loyalty. "That's it then, we have the final results to the identity tests," Avon said. "Don't keep us in suspense. Am I really Del Tarrant?" Tarrant asked. "The results can be read in many ways," Cally said. "You're stalling," Dayna said. "Is he or is he not Del Tarrant?" "The tests state unequivocally that you are the real Del Tarrant," Avon said. "I knew it was you!" Dayna kissed Tarrant. Cally touched a button and the healing field went down. She then took away the healing instruments. Tarrant looked at her, astonished. "Why did you do that? I still need to heal!" "You've been well for over a day, but they wouldn't let you out," Dayna said, a hint of resentment in her voice. "Keeping you in the healing chamber made sure you didn't go anywhere until we could be sure it was you," Avon said. Dayna and Cally helped Tarrant sit up. "How do you feel?" Tarrant stretched, feeling as if he'd had too hard a workout. "I still feel a bit achey." "You will be," Cally said. "Your body will have to take some time to get adjusted to being out of the healing field." Avon took his gun out and checked the clip. "I think Cally and I need to have a very long talk with your duplicate." "You are right, we do," Cally agreed. "How long would it take for you to check the tests with Orac?" Tarrant asked. "I've already checked the tests with Orac," Avon said. They left. Dayna went over to the med unit's door and locked it. "How did you really know I was Del Tarrant?" Tarrant asked her. "We have a blood bond, remember?" She went over to him and put her arm around him. "If we had been switched at Sardos, then you would have shared a blood bond with the other Tarrant," Tarrant pointed out. "But it wasn't, was it?" Dayna ran her fingers up and down his body. "I suppose they'll kill him now," Tarrant said glumly. "They have to, you know that." "It doesn't feel right. Somehow he seems to be a part of me." "He isn't a part of you," Dayna said firmly. "He's a plant by Servalan. It isn't safe to let him live. He has to die." "I suppose you're right," he sighed. "I just wish I could have found a way to let him live." "You've been around Brendon too much, it was his idea that your duplicate was a part of you." Dayna kissed him, then kissed a trail of kisses down his throat. He closed his eyes, and let the emotions take him over. He didn't want to think of the death of his duplicate, the closest thing he'd had to a twin brother since Deeta died. He had never talked to him, but still he felt they were almost the same person. He felt Dayna pull off his hospital gown and toss it to the ground. He didn't really want this, but perhaps this way, he might forget, at least for awhile. Dayna bit down gently on his neck, and wave after wave of pleasure enveloped him, taking away all of his doubts and fears.    "You should have seen it, Tarrant, I was against the most sophisticated speed chess player on Freedom City, my prize was ten million credits, and I won!" Vila said. He sat on watch, and the only thing that separated him from Del was a force field. "You beat the Clute all by yourself?" Del asked skeptically. "Of course I beat him all by myself. I couldn't have gotten anyone else on stage with me." He paused. "Besides, I kept hitting him in the face with cream pies, he couldn't think straight." "I wonder what really happened?" Tarrant mused. "It's the truth!" Vila swore. "At least that's how I remember it!" Del began to laugh; he couldn't help it. He had always found Vila's tall tales funny. He could see in his mind Vila hitting the Clute again and again with pies. "You should believe me!" Vila said. "I was an honor student." Del wiped tears from his eyes. "I know you were. Yes, your honor, no your honor. Most of your childhood was spent in reform schools!" "How's the leg?" Vila asked. "It hurts like hell. I wish I could get the bullets out." "I'll be right back." Vila went down the hall, so that Del couldn't see him. Del could hear a whisper of voices, then Vila walked back and sat down. His face was blank. "I won't see anything, I didn't see anything." Del was dying of boredom. He had been inside the cell for over a week, and the only time he had ever seen anyone besides his brother and Vila was when Avon and Cally came to get tissue samples. He could escape if it wasn't for the wooden bullets in his legs that took away his strength. So he sat in the cell, trying to figure out a way to get out of here. He could feel the presence of his brother. "Hello, Del," Brendon said. He was inside the cell. "What are you doing here?" "I'm your brother, I had to see you." "I might not be your brother, the test results aren't in yet," Del pointed out. "Can I sit down, or do I have to go away?" Brendon asked. "Sit down," Del sighed. Brendon sat. "How's Dayna?" "She's well." "Is she still in the med unit fussing over that duplicate?" "They share a blood bond, she had a right to feel close to him. "So it was him," Del said. "So what was him?" Brendon asked. "Did he make her a vampire?" "Yes, he did. She hasn't been down to see you?" "I thought Avon was preventing her." "No, he only forbade me to come down here." "Then she doesn't want to see me," he said morosely. "You love her." "Is it that obvious?" Del asked. "Yes, I love her, but then I've always been a hopeless romantic. I started a relationship a couple of months after I joined the crew of the Liberator. Soon after that, we moved in together." "Did the two of you ever share blood?" "I never gave her my blood. I thought it was a gift she should choose to have." "What will you do if you're not the real Del Tarrant?" Brendon asked. "I will die, won't I?" Tarrant asked. "I don't think Avon would let me live, do you?" "I would, but then I'm not Avon." Brendon paused. "Do you know my real name?" "Brendon Fitz Williams O'Shanashyhan." "When was I born?" "You were born in the year 1934, old calendar, in Dublin Ireland on the planet Earth. You were a rock musician as long as you could get away with it." "What instrument did I play?" "Lead guitar. You made your guitar out of spare parts that you found around your mother's house, including part of an old mahogany fireplace. You called the guitar Red Rider." "Did your mother survive the great vampire war?" "She was killed in the first wave of murders. She was beheaded in front of me. Soon after that father took us to hide with you, while he worked in the underground." "Where did I live when you came to live with me?" "You had a castle in Ireland. It was a cold drafty place; Deeta hated it, but I loved it." I don't think that kind of information is available in any Federation record, do you?" Brendon asked. "I doubt it," Del agreed. "The Federation records were purged after the fall of the first federation." "You see, you are my brother." Brendon took a flask out of his pocket and handed it to Del. "I brought you your favorite, AB negative" "Thanks, if it weren't for you, I would have starved since they threw me in here." Del took the lid off and took a swig. "You mean that they haven't fed you at all." "Of course they haven't." Del felt the presence of another vampire and turned. Avon and Cally stood at the doorway. "Why should we have to feed prisoners?" Avon asked. "How the hell did you get into the cell?" "Perhaps I went through the wall," Brendon said. "Don't be sarcastic." "I happen to be telling the truth. You have no right to keep me from my brother." "This thing is not your brother." Brendon got to his feet. "Are you sure?" "Orac's confirmed it; this thing was created on the planet Sardos by Servalan. He's simply an advanced clone." There was venom in Avon's voice. "Why would you hate clones so much? Cally is a clone and you let her live." "I was cloned as a baby, allowed to grow up and have my own life experiences. I did not steal other peoples lives," Cally pointed out. There was a sinking feeling in Del's chest. "You're going to kill me." "Did you have any doubt?" Avon asked. Del realized that he didn't feel like a clone -- he felt like Del Tarrant. He had all his thoughts his memories. But there was nowhere to run, not with two bullets in his leg. Plus he was on a ship; there was no place he could go even if he did run. He put the container of blood on the floor, then with much effort, he stood up. "I'm ready, kill me." Cally touched a button and the force wall came down. Avon took out his gun, the one with the wooden projectile bullets, and aimed it towards Del. Del was surprised when Vila jumped between them. "No, don't kill him." "Move out of the way Vila!" Avon ordered. Brendon went to Vila's side. "I agree with Vila." "I thought you for one would understand. He's only a copy of your brother." "Have you ever talked to him, Avon?" Vila asked. "I had no need to." "Well, I have, and I tell you, this is Tarrant." "I'm not going to let him stay alive on my ship," Avon insisted. "Don't! Take him to the nearest open space port and drop him off. There's always work for a good space pilot," Vila suggested. "Don't kill him until I talk to Damian," Brendon said. "What for, what do you have in mind?" Cally asked. "I know what he has in mind. He's going to drain the thing for blood," Avon said. "Not exactly. I don't feel comfortable talking about this until I talk to Damian. If my plan doesn't work, then we'll do what Vila suggested," Brendon said. "I don't feel as merciful as you and Vila do. Move or I'll be forced to kill you both." "No, Avon," Cally said softly. "I agree with them. If we get the clone off the ship, our problem will be solved." "All right, you have two hours to work out your plan. I'm leaving you in charge, Vila. Whatever you do, don't let him out." Avon and Cally left, followed by Brendon. Vila quickly went over to Del and grabbed his arm. "Here Del, sit down." Del let Vila help him to sit. The thief then handed him the blood that he had set on the floor. "Thanks, I guess this is my last drink." "You never know, Brendon's plan might work," Vila pointed out. "It might not. I don't know Damian that well, and it all rests on Damian, doesn't it?" "Can you trust Brendon?" "I've always been able to trust Brendon. He's the most honest person I've ever met." Del paused. "I was surprised that you stood up for me." "I had to. I know I'm basically a coward at heart, but you're my friend, and I didn't want to see you die." "I'm not really your friend you know. I'm not really Del Tarrant." "I know, but until the day we thought Dayna was killed, you really didn't have much time for me. My friendship isn't with that Tarrant running around the ship, even if he is the real you. My friendship is with you, and I'm loyal to my friends," Vila said.    "I can't believe the state of these circuits" Tarrant sighed. He was beneath his console on the flight deck, getting the first look at what his duplicate had done to the ship since he had taken Tarrant's place. He had totaly rewired the board. Tarrant had most of the circuits from his console pulled out, and he was in the midst of rewiring the entire board. His now-healed body still ached, but he had been assured that he would be back to normal soon. "What's wrong with the board?" Damian asked him. Tarrant glanced at him, dressed entirely in black leather. He was just as bad as Avon when it came to wearing leather. "My duplicate rewired my console board." "Did he do a good job?" "That's not the point!" Tarrant almost yelled. "Well, did he? You know he was a part of you." Damian smiled. "Had you been considering rewiring your board?" "Yes, I had, but I never found the time." Tarrant paused. "How the hell did he find the time to do all this rewiring? If I worked full time on this, it might take me three weeks to repair it." "He thought Dayna was dead. What would you have done if you had thought Dayna had died?" "Probably the same thing. He seems to be so much like me. I wish Avon hadn't killed him." "You need to take a break." "Can't, I've got too much work to do." "You could always leave it." "My duplicate had been programmed by the Federation. How do I know he didn't set my ship to explode?" Tarrant asked. "You don't." "That's why I must do this." "You've been injured, you should be resting," Damian persisted. "Just as you should always be wearing your glasses?" "I am wearing them, if you haven't noticed. I learned my lesson, but have you?" Tarrant decided to give in gracefully. "Could you get me a drink from the food dispenser? It's been programmed to give blood." "It will be just a moment." Damian went to the food dispenser. "What the hell are you doing on my flight deck?" Avon demanded. "Tarrant invited me." "Why would Tarrant do that?" "Why shouldn't he?" Damian asked. "This is his ship." "This is my ship," Avon growled. "The ownership of your ship isn't the point, the point is that you still don't trust me, do you?" "Give me one good reason why I should trust you." "The same reason that I should trust you, Kerr." Damian made the name Kerr sound like a curse. Tarrant didn't know what was going on, but he decided to stay on the safe side and stay under the console. "I thought things would have changed between us." "Why should they change between us? The fact remains that you chose to be a vampire." "I did not! I had no choice in the matter, the same as you. Didn't you find it strange that you rose again after you died?" Damian asked. "I didn't die," Avon said. "I was forced into becoming a vampire, against my will." "If you were given the blood of a vampire before you died, there is a chance you could go mad. Don't you remember your past, Kerr, can't you remember that father was a vampire?" Tarrant heard the sound of someone being punched. He sat up to see what was going on. Damian was sitting on the floor rubbing his jaw. "You brain dead moron," Avon spat. "I would have remembered if father was a vampire." "I hypnotized you into forgetting." Damian got to his feet. Avon punched him again. "Kerr, you must listen to me." Avon swung again. Damian countered and threw Avon against the wall. "That monster that's your master has warped your mind!" "How many time do I have to tell you that I don't have a master!" He punched Avon. Avon hit Damian again, this time in the face. There was a crack, and his glasses were broken. Blood started spurting out of Damian's nose. It looked strange against his pale skin and black leather. Avon took out his gun and pressed it against Damian's cheek. Tarrant decided that it had to come to an end. He went to Avon and pushed him away from Damian. "Stay out of this, Tarrant!" Avon snapped. "This is a private matter." "If you want to fight, go down to the gym. The two of you can kill each other there if you want to, but I'm not having blood staining up my flight deck." "He's right, Kerr," Damian said. "I could kill you for what you said about father." Damian pulled himself up straight. "Go right ahead, kill me." "Your death would be a waste of ammo." With that, Avon turned and left.    Damian sat on a table in the med unit. Tarrant was using the bone repairer to mend his broken nose. Brendon came into the med unit. "What happened to you?" "Kerr and I had a bit of a disagreement," Damian said. "I see," Brendon drawled. "You're going to have to keep your guard up around Kerr," Damian warned. "He doesn't want to kill me now, remember?" Tarrant pointed out. "Avon is a recessive inherited vampire. He was given the blood of a vampire before he crossed over. He'll go mad eventually." "Avon isn't recessive" Tarrant told him. "I can guarantee he is," Damian said. "How can you?" Kerr Avon is my twin brother. You know what happens to twins in a mixed union. One is recessive, the other full vampire." "Avon's your brother?" Tarrant gasped. "Why doesn't he know?" "He knows I am his brother, but he has no idea that our father was a vampire. It's my fault really. Evil vampires had destroyed the village that we had settled in. I thought that if anyone found out that I was a vampire, that I would be blamed for the murders, so I hypnotized Kerr into forgetting. I've tried several times to make him remember, but I could never get through," Damian said with regret. "He's been given the blood of a secondary vampire, I just wish I knew which one." "Janette is the one that turned him into a vampire," Tarrant said. "My gods!" Brendon turned pale. "Janette is a child of Lacroix, he had evil blood. You're going to have to watch Avon. He could go mad at any time, and if he does, he'll have to be stopped." "I give you my word," Tarrant promised. "There's one thing I don't understand. Why does Avon think Brendon's your master?" "That's my fault." Brendon sat down beside Damian. "I was a free trader, my ship needed repairs, and when I found out how extensive they would be, I decided to take shore leave on one of the Federation's outer planets called Obrus. There was an open port, and Damian used to use it for a food supply. He had just finished hunting, and decided to stop at a bar for some recreational fun. That's where I met him. I found him irresistible, and invited him to my room. The rest, as they say, is history." "That's not all there was," Damian said. "We spent several nights together, but I always went to work the next day. Then one day, I didn't want to go to work. I called in sick, and invited Brendon to see what my quarters were like. The time seemed to slip away from us, and before I knew it, Kerr was home. He caught Brendon and I together, exchanging blood. He thought Brendon had turned me into a vampire. He gave me the choice, to get treatment for my condition or leave. I tried to make him remember about our past, but it was no use. So I had no choice but to leave." "Since it was my fault that Damian had the rift with his brother, I invited him to join my crew," Brendon said. "He did, but he spent the rest of the time we were on the planet trying to convince Avon that their father was a vampire." "It didn't work, so Brendon smuggled me off the planet. Kerr's hated me ever since. He's always assumed that I chose to become a vampire, that I wanted to become like those that killed our parents." "I talked to your duplicate," Brendon said, changing the subject. "Oh, did you?" Tarrant asked. "He's got all your memories. He's another you." "Once Avon tells him that he is a clone, he'll be a dead me." Avon's already told him, and no, he isn't dead." "Why isn't he dead?" Tarrant asked. "I stopped him. Del is an innocent pawn in all this. It isn't his fault that Servalan made him. All he knows is that he's you. I think it would be a waste of a good pilot to kill him." "He can't stay here," Tarrant gasped. "I'm not suggesting he stay. I think if we get another ship, Damian, we should ask Del to be our pilot." "What about him destroying our other ship?" Damian asked. "He was following Avon's orders. Avon is the one that wanted our ship destroyed." "All right, he can be our pilot. That is, if we get a ship. Credits don't grow on trees, Brend," Damian pointed out. "That's no problem," Tarrant said. "My share of the Liberator's stores could buy you thirty ships. Since my duplicate destroyed your ship, I'll pay for you to get a new one." "Then it's settled, we'll ask him to be our pilot," Damian said. "How could you even imagine asking him to work for you?" Tarrant asked, "He was condtioned by the Federation." "I'm good at hypnosis," Brendon said. "I can break his condtioning. A good pilot of your caliber is hard to find." "He's not really me," Tarrant pointed out. "Have you ever talked to him?" "Of course I haven't." "You should, I think you would learn something." "All right, I'll talk to him. Just this once," Tarrant said. "I should talk to him first. He might have some kind of programming that instructs him to kill you if he sees you. Plus my two hours are almost up." "All right, I'll be down there in a few minutes," Tarrant said.    "You're not really Del Tarrant" kept being repeated over and over again in Del's mind. If he wasn't Del Tarrant, then who was he? A clone? But did a clone have all of the host's memories? Avon said he had been created on Sardos. When he thought back to that time, he could remember everything that happened. There wasn't a break in his memories that he assumed that should be there. Then there was Dayna. He wasn't quite sure how she had survived. She was dead. He remembered how he had woken up, and found her, her body cold, stiff, unmoving. His heart had broken that day. He knew it would happen eventually, that falling in love with a human would end with her death, as it had with every other human he had fallen in love with, but he had always hoped that someday, when he had given her the choice to become a vampire, she would accept it, and they could be bonded forever. "Here Del, I brought you something to drink. AB negative, your favorite" Vila said, interrupting his thoughts. He touched a button and the force field collasped. He brought the container over to Del. Del looked up to him as he took the container. "Thanks." "Any time. Can I sit down?" "Sure." Vila pulled up a chair. "You were thinking of her again, weren't you?" "It's ridiculous, isn't it? All those memories we shared weren't really with me. It was with him, the real me." Del took a deep breath. "It won't be long until Avon kills me." "There's still time. Avon did give Brendon two hours." "After that, he will kill me." "Do you really think that?" Vila asked. "Don't you?" Del paused. "What do you want, Vila?" "Why do you think I want something?" Vila asked. "You stood up for me when Avon was going to kill me, and now you bring me food. You must want something." "We're friends, remember? I don't care you're a duplicate," Vila said firmly. "I understand what you went through. I've been in and out of jails since I was eight years old. The feds have messed with my mind more times than I could count. I know what the feds did to you, because they did the same thing to me at least once." "I'm still not sure what the feds did to me," Del confessed. I've tried and I've tried, but I just can't remember." "Stop trying," Vila told him. "It won't do you any good. Your condtioning will come back when it wants to. I don't know what they did to you, but I wish they could do it to the real Tarrant. You're much nicer than him. You have always treated me as an equal. The real Tarrant has never had much time for me." "Perhaps you should give him a chance." Del took a drink. The blood felt good going down. "I'll give him a chance, but I really don't think things will change much around here." "There'll be one big change. I'll be dead." "Your brother's up to something. He'll find a way to save your life." "How can you remember what happened? Brendon hypnotized you every time he came to see me." "So? I've never been able to stay conditioned for long, and I can't be hypnotized. I only pretended so that I could protect you. I mean, what if Brendon tried to kill you? You needed someone on your side to protect you. Even though Brendon might kill me if he found out." "It's all right, Vila, I won't kill you," Brendon said, coming up behind Vila. He jumped, and Del couldn't help smiling. "Can you go out into the hallway? I need to talk to my brother alone. We won't run off, promise." Vila went into the hallway. Brendon sat down. "Do you remember how drunk Damian got when we visited the pleasure planet you were stationed at? Janette almost threw us out of her bar?" Del smiled a moment at the memory, then he stopped himself. "That wasn't me. I mean, I'm not really Del Tarrant." "Then who are you?" "I'm a clone." "No, you're a duplicate," Brendon said. "It's not the same thing as cloning; you're simply a victim in all this." "If I'm a victim, why does everyone want me dead?" "They don't understand." "You do?" "More than you realize," Brendon told him. "I worked on the project that developed the teleport system that the first Federation used. Do you remember that?" "Vaguely. I wasn't allowed to visit you there, as I remember. It was top secret," Del said. "Here is something I never told you," Brendon said. "I volunteered for an experiment. It was after the first human teleported. They wanted to see what effect the teleport would have on a vampire. They teleported me, but I never left the teleport pad. At least that's what we at control thought, but the scientist at the receiving point saw something else. Their experiment was a success. They thought I had teleported. Suddenly there were two of me. My duplicate had the same thoughts and memories as I did." "What happened to him?" Del asked. "He stayed on at the teleport experiment with me. We became good friends, but I don't think that could be possible here." "Why haven't I met him?" "You have. The original Brendon died five years after the experiment in a space ship crash. I am the dulpicate." "Why didn't you ever tell me?" Del asked. "I didn't think you could understand how I could still be the same person as the original." "I do now." "We're the same, little brother. We're duplicates, not clones. Do you remember what you were programmed to do?" Brendon asked. "I don't know, I don't remember doing anything to help the Federation." "You might not, they might have programmed you not to remember," Brendon said. "Do you want to break your condtioning?" "Yes." "There's one thing -- your name. You can't go by the name Del Tarrant any more. Do you have a name you would like to go by? I can hypnotize you into responding to that name." Dominick. I've always liked the name Dominick. I can be Dominick Tarrant." Brendon sat down on the bed beside Del. "Look into my eyes." Del did, and felt his will melt away. Brendon broke down barrier after barrier until he was able to ask, "What did the Federation program you to do?" "I was supposed to watch and report what the crew of the Liberator did." "Did you do what you were ordered to do?" "Yes, I did. I didn't want to betray my friends. But Servalan ordered me, I can still hear her voice in my mind." I want you to disregard what Servalan told you to do. If she or any Federation personnel gives you an order, you are to disregard it." "I'm to disregard it," Del echoed "If Servalan told you to turn the Liberator over to her, what would you do?" "I would tell her to go to hell." "How do you feel about Servalan?" Brendon asked. "I hate her. She killed Deeta, my twin brother." Brendon went on and on, breaking down the contioning that Servalan had planted in Del's mind. After it was totally eradicated, he made Del accept his new name. Finally Brendon was through. "How do you feel?" Dominick blinked his eyes. He was no longer Del Tar- rant, but Dominick Tarrant. "Like a new man. Thank you." "If I told you I was a Federation officer, and you had to do what I said, what would you do?" Brendon asked. "I would tell you to leave. If you didn't, I would kill you." Something flooded into Dominick's mind. He could suddenly remember what had happened when he was first under Servalan's control, the endless nights spent in her bed. "What is it, Dominick?" "Servalan," he gasped. "What about her?" "When she first made me, when she was still having me condtioned, she forced me to pleasure her. I spent days with her in her bed, doing whatever she wanted me to do. We even exchanged blood. I hated every minute of it. I swore if I ever got away, I would kill her." "If she had done the same thing to me, I would," Tarrant said from the doorway. "Servalan's a storm trooper in stilletos." "Yes, she is," Dominick agreed. "Can I talk to Del?" Tarrant asked. "If you wish, that is if you swear not to kill him," Brendon said. "Don't worry, I won't kill him." "I hope not, because I would be forced to kill you." Brendon got to his feet and looked at Dominick. "I'll be back, little brother." Then he left. "Do you mind if I sit down?" Tarrant asked. Dominick could feel the blood bond that Tarrant and Dayna shared, and he knew for the first time that this was the real Del Tarrant. "Go ahead." Tarrant sat down. "You look just like Deeta did when he was young." "I was thinking the same about you." Dominick paused. "Why haven't you killed me yet?" "Would you, if the situation were reversed?" There was a long pause as Dominick thought over the situation. "I couldn't kill you, you're my twin, almost." Tarrant smiled. "Have you decided on a new name?" "I thought I could go by our real name, Shamus Steele." "No!" Tarrant said. "I'm just kidding. I'm going to go by the name Dominick Tarrant. If anyone asks if I'm related to you, I'll just say that I'm a distant relative you didn't know you had. You know how father was. He loved the ladies, so the story will be believable." "We're closer related than that. You're me." Tarrant paused. "Have you thought of what you're going to do from now on?" "There's no way I could stay here." "No, Avon's not too crazy about you right now." "Brendon's offered me a post on his new ship. I'm going to take it. That way I can repay him for destroying the Nightwind." There was a long pause between them, then Tarrant said, "Why don't I give you some money? Then you can choose your own future." "What if Avon doesn't allow it? After all, I'm not really you." "To hell with Avon!" Tarrant said. Dominick smiled at that. "Perhaps it would be best if we considered ourselves twins." "If that's what you wish." "How do you feel about it?" Tarrant asked. "I would like that very much." "Listen Dominick, why don't I take you to the med unit? We can get those bullets out of your leg," Tarrant suggested. "You can't be a good officer with a bad leg, now can you?" "I suppose not." Dominick got to his feet, walked a couple of steps and almost fell down. Tarrant caught him. He put his arm around Dominick's waist, and Dominick put his arm around Tarrant's shoulder. "Let me help you, brother," Tarrant told him. Vila suddenly entered the room. He went straight to Dominick and put his arm around his waist. "What are you doing?" Tarrant demanded. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm helping Dominick." "I thought I told you to leave." "Dominick's my friend," Vila said loyally. There was just one nagging thought in Dominick's mind. "What would Avon do if he finds out the two of you helped me? "Don't worry, Dom, I can handle Avon," Vila said. "Well, most of the time."