They decided to stay where they were, for now, sending a scout-team back to the pod, to make shure it was still intact. «When confirmed, the rest will follow as far back as to the campsite in the forest, from where we can send another team to help the first build the much needed new vehicles, fill them with supplies, and then re-join the main group. With any luck, they'll be ready in about five days, and we've lost no more than a week altogether.» Danziger gathered. Morgan looked to his brother, and they both shook their heads. «Grendler terrain.» Jason stated. «Yeah, we can't divide the group. We're to few.» Morgan finished. «Any suggestions, then?» Danziger sighed. «We'll loose a couple more days, but it's possible to take the whole circus down there.» Walman pointed to the rough map Jason had helped them draw. The two Martins nodded. «We'll have to move on foot part of the way up to the pod, using Morgan's L.T.V. for carrying supplies down. Sands to loose for the heavier vehicles.» Jason added. Danziger still didn't trust this stranger from out of nowhere, but the man had lived in the area for more than a year, so he probably knew what he was talking about. «Plenty opportunities for fresh meat too.» The man grinned. Walman and Baines shot eachother a nervous look. «Rabbits!» Morgan smiled. «Probably came here with the penal-colonies.» Danziger looked over his ragged band of people, and sighed again. «OK. We'll send the scout-team, we wait 'til they say it's OK, then we follow. Everybody agree?» There were nods and yeah's, and everybody slowly started to leave the mess-tent, getting back to their chores, putting everything back up again. The two Martins stuck their heads together in low conversation as they too left. Danziger looked long after them, trying to rid himself of the feelings of unease, suspicion and mistrust. Yale came over, pretending to be studying the map. «I don't know...» Danziger started, as if answering a unspoken question. «Jason was raised on earth, by a miner and his family. His fosterfamily knew of his origin, or rumors there of. Jason had a tuff childhood. Always fighting, struggling to survive. - As a matter of fact, he's more like you, than Morgan in that matter.» Yale shot in, and continued: «He moved to the stations when he was twelve, working as a 'bodyguard' to some Council-members son, taking the boys beatings for him. He married young, and like you, lost his wife in a accident, no doubt caused by the Council to secure their grip on him. And when the Council asked him to join their policeforce, he signed up. It was his only chance to survive. His latest job, would be to prove that a specific level-four bureaucrat actually was being paid large amounts of credits, to turn a blind eye to certain illegal activities on the docks. That's all I know for now.» Danziger just looked at the other man, shocked. «You mean Morgan...» He couldn't even finish the sentence. Then he started laughing, shaking his head: «He knew those crates was there?!» Then he sobered up just as quickly, remembering the case of Mag-Pro's. «How did Jason get aboard the Roanoak without anyone knowing?» He then asked. «Oh, somebody knew, allright.» Both Yale and Danziger turned round at the familiar voice behind them. «They placed me in cold-sleep with the colonists, only set my 'timer' to wake me two days earlier than the crew, giving me a chance to hide somewhere within the ship.» Yale nodded thoughtfully. «They already knew Devon would pre-launch the ship?» Jason shrugged. «No idea. They must have arranged for Morgan to be aboard at launch too, in that case? It was him I was after.» Danziger moved uneasy on his chair. «Hey, calm down. Morgan wasn't the only one looking the other way. And he was good, I have to give him that. I never found any evidence he wasn't playing clean. That's how good he was. And I'm good at what I'm doing too. He'd pretend to be his own middleman, taking double pay for the cargo.» Jason grinned. «You've seen these?» He tossed a V.R. cylinder at Danziger, grinning wickedly. «I'd never guess it'd be him making those!» Danziger attached the cylinder to his gear, turning it on. His face turned red as his chin dropped: «Morgan made these?» Then he started chuckling, switching of his gear. «Oh, my goodness!» He made a move to toss the cylinder back to Jason. «Keep it.» He grinned. «It's a bootleg copy. Morgan only made one of each, and that one comes in at least a hundred copies, that I know of.» Danziger grinned. «By popular demand, I gather... I think this is more like Baines'es kind of pastime.» Danziger set the cylinder down on the table in front of him. «That explains why he's so god at gears, eyh?» Jason grinned back, continuing: «Listen, I just wanted to apologize for just turning up like this. The way it happened was all wrong, but...» He shrugged. «I just didn't believe my luck, when the scout-team turned up. At first I thought they might be penal-colonists, or ZED's, but I watched them over night, and thought I'd hitch a ride with them in the morning. Morgan and I must have passed eachother, on each our side of the brook, or something. I had no idea who he was, until I came back here.» Yale looked strictly at him. «You knew you were taking someone else's place, though, but you never spoke up.» Jason nodded. «Yeah, I knew. But, by then...» He shrugged again. «I guess I was afraid to reveal myself.» Danziger shook his head. «It's a Martin, allright. Not half as good with the excuses, but definitely a Martin.» Then he grinned. «All things considered, I guess we could say we're even. We got 'our' Morgan back, and you didn't get to keep the pod to yourself. Which was why you didn't tell us about it, right? Time enough to come back for it later, make a few credits...?» Jason grinned widely: «As you said, I am a Martin, ain't I?» As Jason left the tent, Baines could no longer keep his curiosity in check, having heard his name mentioned in the conversation. «What exactly is that?» He asked, pointing to the V.R.-cylinder. «Definitely not kiddiestuff!» Danziger said, snatching the cylinder up from the table. «So, Morgan Martin made these, and acting as his own middleman in selling them, getting paid twice.» Danziger smiled slyly. «That crafty little...» He chuckled. «And they don't come cheep, either. Custom made.» He finally tossed it to Baines, who by now had understood what it was. «You're kidding? Morgan made the hottest contraband-merchandise available on the Stations?» «And selling it profitably too, I imagine.» «It was his way of leaving the station. His fantasies was free to go, where he was not.» Yale added. «But what was he going to do with all that credit?» Baines wondered. «He was going to run away. Buy his way of the station as a stowaway on one of the ships. He was leaving.» Morgan suddenly broke in to the conversation. «Have you seen Jason around, somewhere?» Baines grinned. «Check the 'birdcage'. He's been hanging round there like a lovesick puppy the last few days. I think Shana has got something to do with it.» «Thank you!» Morgan snatched the V.R.-cylinder from Baines as he turned to leave. «Not... kiddiestuff!» He waved a finger under Baines'es nose as the man started to protest. «I'll better have a word with that thieving brother of mine!» «But. It's a bootleg! » Baines whined, following Morgan out through the door. «That's just what I want a word with him about!» They heard Morgan murring, as the door fell closed behind them. «Well, I must say...» Yale smiled, looking at Danziger, who looked like someone who'd stayed to long on a carousel. «What-is-go-ing-on here?!» He drew a hand over his face, giving a sigh, returning Yale's smile. Then they both got up, going about their chores.
«I don't believe you could do this to me!» Morgan whined, throwing a handful of V.R.-cylinders down on the bed beside his brother. «What?» He looked up, smiling innocently at his distressed twin. «Don't give me that! You know what! You just had to hand out copies to everyone you saw, huh?!» Jason picked up one of the cylinders, studying it. «Well, they're good, so why not let the guys and girls have some fun?» Morgan just sighed, and slumped down on a crate. «But, did you have to tell them who made them?» Jason looked surprised at him. «Why not?» «The whole idea was to keep the prize up, you moron! They pay more, if the creator is unknown. It's part of the mystery, the thrill of buying something illegal. Something there's just one of a kind of. Now you've spoiled it!» «Sorry.» Jason shrugged. «How did you find out it was me, anyway?» Morgan sulked, looking at his brother: «No one new, not even Bess. Especially not Bess!» Jason smiled at his brother. «That's where you're wrong. She knew. She told me when I asked if she wanted one. She said no thanks, she had the original. Only the one who made it, could have the original. Even the buyer gets a copy, right?» Morgan looked even more irritated. «You must have a lot of credits stacked up somewhere. I tried to find them, when I worked for the Council, but...» He looked teasingly at Morgan who grimaced back. «Forget it. You won't find them even if you spend the rest of your life trying!» Morgan got up, leaving the tent. His brother followed right on his heals. «Listen, Morgan...» He began, but fell silent as two of the female crew-members came towards them. Morgan turned, seeing his brother go red from top to toe, looking down. With a devilish grin, he turned back towards the women, pulling his now protesting brother with him, aiming for one in particular of the two. «You know, Shana, my brother here, is up to his ears in love with you!» He smiled, pushing his highly red brother into her arms. «Why don't you take him for a little walk 'round the camp? Some fresh air could do him good, by the look of him.» He grinned at Jason, who sent him a murderous look back. «I think he's hyperventilating, maybe you could give him 'the kiss of life', as well?» Laughing, the two women dragged the shaky man with them, smothering him with kisses. «Yesss!» Morgan grinned, having gotten his revenge. «I just love having a brother!» The scout-team reported back a few days later, and the whole caravan started moving, re-tracing their steps, lightspirited; The pod was intact. It would take them nearly a week to reach the scout-teams camp, but they knew the terrain, and it was still plenty of fruits and berries to be gathered in the woods. And there were many voluntaries to go 'foraging' lately, coming back flushfaced and happy, with only a cup full of berries, or a few pieces of fruit to show for it. Morgan mostly stayed out of sight, driving up ahead in his L.T.V. during the days, and hiding in his tent at nights, not feeling very social lately, after his brothers stunt. Danziger almost felt sorry for the guy, seeing him sneak into his tent with his food. But not for long.
Morgan got pulled from his sleep by a clearly angry Danziger, who lifted him out of bed and dragged him barefooted out into the damp morning. «OK, where is he?» Not quite awake yet, Morgan shook his head, trying to see straight. «What?» «One of the L.T.V.'s are missing, along with your brother, two Mag-Pro's, the small side arm, some rations, and one of my mechanics crew! Now, where is he?» Morgan looked incomprehensive at Danziger. It was a bit to early for him. «Who?» He tried to wake up, shivering in his thin shirt. «Your brother!» Danziger moaned impatiently. «Which way did they go? And when?» Finally understanding, Morgan yawned and shrugged, taking his time answering. «Beats me. I think they were planning on going on ahead to New Pacifica on their own, or round that way anyway. Can I go back to bed now, please? It's cold.» Danziger just goped, throwing his hands in the air in a submissive gesture. «I give up!» He whined: «I've had it! You people are just too much! How did Devon put up with it?» He just turned around on his heals and walked away, aiming for his tent, to sulk for an hour or so. Bess looked up at Morgan. «Jason's gone?» Her husband nodded, trying to find his tent with his eyes closed. «Why?» She guided him carefully back to bed, tucking him in. «He... felt he didn't belong, or something. Felt sorry 'bout the V.R.'s I guess. Gave him some of my clothes and my gear. Raided the mess-tent for what we don't need. He'll call in now and then. He promised.» Morgan yawned, and fell to sleep. Bess gave him a light kiss on his forehead, looked concerned at him for a while as he slept, then she got herself ready to start making breakfast for the others.
Julia looked just as tired as Morgan the next morning when they started off on the last leg of their trek back, and Danziger scowled at everybody, smelling conspiracy everywhere. «You think they'll be OK out there?» Walman wondered, seeing the gloomy faces. «After all, they took the crappiest vehicle.» «Don't worry, Jason's as good a mechanic as John is.» Julia yawned, earning herself another ugly look from that side. «Besides, I caught them on their way, and made shure they were inoculated against every thing there is.» she smiled reassuringly. «Yeah, don't forget, he's a Martin! If anyone, he'll make it.» Baines added as he marched by, towing his Mag-Pro. «Tonight, we'll have a party, right Morgan?» He called on his gear. «Sorry partner, wrong number!» Jason grinned back at him through the ocular. «Dang! You've got his gear? Does he know?» Baines whispered. «'Cause he does! How's mr.D doing? Chewing rock yet?» Baines grinned. «Almost. I don't think he finds being in charge is at all what he thought it would be.» «He's got himself more than a handful there, huh? Just tell him we're OK, right? We'll call in later, when we camp.» Baines shot a careful glance over at Danziger just as Jason cut contact. True was hanging over the back of the seat of the A.T.V., hugging him thoroughly, squeezing a smile out on his face again. «Kids.» Baines murmured, «Gets you every time.» He smiled his best smile towards the blond mechanic, giving him a wink. Reluctantly, Danziger smiled back. Then finally, he grinned, shaking his head.
«Well, here we are.» Walman waved a generous hand towards the grassy camp-site and the brook. The scouting-party, being Alonzo and Cameron, came down along the riverbank to greet them. «You guys OK?» Danziger asked, when they finally sat around the fire, eating a longed for hot supper. «Yeah. That life-pod isn't too uncomfy. We've seen lots of Grendlers, though.» Alonzo sighed. «But they weren't too curious about us, kept their distance.» his partner added. «And the supply-pod?» Danziger nodded in the direction. «It's there. Morgan's defense system still works, what ever it is.» «Can we go check it out right away?» Baines and several other of the crew looked eagerly towards Danziger. «No. We set camp first. That thing will wait another day.» Moans and grunts of disappointment rolled through the group. «Where would it be wise to set the perimeter, to avoid too much Grendler-visits during our stay?» Danziger asked Baines and Walman, to get things going. «Down here, on this field.» Baines pointed. «These ones stay mostly in the forest; don't like the open.» Soon, everybody had fallen back into their old, familiar routines, and by sunset the camp was ready. Having one last cup of tea before bed, Morgan stood in the doorway of his tent, looking solemnly up towards the pod-ridge. «Ten credits for your thoughts.» Bess wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. «Ten?» He smiled, «I thought it was just one?» He turned around, and faced her. «I just thought about Jason. He spent more than a whole year alone out here...» Bess nodded. «It must have been awful, having the supply-pod right there, and not getting to any of it; food, cloths, medicine... You think that's part of the reason why he left? That he didn't want to come back here again?» Morgan shrugged. «'Don't know, Bess. He never spoke about it. Avoided it. Changed the subject if I tried to ask... I think he faced some demons and truths of his own out here...» He said, closing the door against the chill from the night outside.