A/N: Thanks for reading!

Chapter 10

"Yeah! No school!" True cried.

Yale assured her. "We'll work on your lessons here." He sat at the table beside she and Uly.

She groaned. "Oh brother. What about our work assignments? I'm supposed to be serving lunch at the mess hall."

"It's better to remain inside our unit today," Yale explained.

"What do you mean?" Uly asked.

"There have been several…incidents."

"Like 'murderer' painted on the door of our unit," Uly stated.

Danziger was in the hallway, cleaning up.

"What else, Yale?" True asked, nervously. Sensing he was holding back, she added, "C'mon, we're not babies anymore. What else has happened? It must be bad if you're keeping us out of school and away from our work shifts."

Reluctantly, Yale explained, "Baines and Walman were ambushed on their way to their work assignment early this morning."

Growing pale, True asked, "Are they okay?"

"I believe so. But they're badly bruised. Walman broke his arm."

Yale neglected to mention that Magus and Denner's unit had been broken into during the early morning hours while the women had been sleeping. What little furniture they possessed had been destroyed and the vandals had dumped heaps of garbage into the main living area.

Most members of Eden Advance and those who had chosen to participate in the healing were clustering together in small groups for safety.

"When is this gonna stop?" True asked.

Baines entered their unit. One side of his face was badly swollen. A jagged open cut lined his cheek. He limped as he walked. Walman followed close behind him. Walman's lip was puffy, his left eye was a dark shade of purple, and his right arm was in a sling.

"Can you guys keep an eye on Walman?"

"Yes. Is it safe yet?" Yale asked.

"Nothing's safe today," Baines grimly replied.

"What's with Walman's gear?" Uly asked, noticing the set on his head was a little different with a side attachment.

"It acts as an interface between the Dream Plane and here. Danziger and I figured it out a few days ago. We're trying to capture the pieces of Walman that are missing," Baines explained.

"Really?" True asked.

"Intriguing," Yale considered. "How exactly does that work?"

"You'd have to ask the doc for the details. I just know if those bubbles are nearby, they can use this intercept to re-join Walman."

"Cool," Uly said.

"Any changes?" Yale asked.

"No. But Julia said it would be a long, slow process. Those bubbles could be floating around anywhere on the planet. But it sure doesn't hurt to try."

"True."

Danziger entered, putting aside a bucket filled with water and dirty rags. "You ready?" he asked Baines.

"Yeah."

Assuming they were about to illegally obtain weapons, Yale offered, "Can I help?"

"Thanks but I'd feel better knowing you're with the kids," Danziger replied. "You two listen to Yale and don't set a foot outside of this unit."

The kids agreed.

Taking Yale aside by the doorway and lowering his voice, he added, "Make sure Devon doesn't go to that board meeting until I get back. Under no circumstances do I want her going alone. We're gonna be prepared in case they try anything funny."

"You know she won't let you attend the meeting," Yale advised.

"Tell me something I don't know. I just wanna make sure she leaves it in one piece. They're not chasing us out of here with our tail between our legs. We've put far too much into New Pacifica to give up without a fight."

XXXXXX

"You're kidding?" Alonzo asked as he bit into an apple.

"I wish I was," Julia replied. They were seated on the floor of the Terrian cave. Lately the two of them had spent more time together there than in their unit at the colony.

When Julia had asked for a bowl of oatmeal at the Mess hall this morning, the cafeteria worker deliberately spit into it. People witnessing it had cheered.

As they ate, she studied him. His color had improved, he seemed more alert and his eyes were more focused - an encouraging sign. Julia was pleased that he'd also embraced her when she'd arrived and had been more attentive.

Yet it had been two days since the incident and he still hadn't returned to New Pacifica. Why was he staying away? Was he afraid the pain would occur again? Or had he just been resting up in the caves to restore his strength?

The fact that he seemed more like himself allayed some of her fears.

"Anything new from the Terrians?"

"No. But…this is gonna sound weird…"

"After polar opposite spiders, I don't see how you can top that," she joked.

He grinned.

"When I'm here, in these caves, I feel like I'm relating to the planet itself."

She ignored the prickle of fear that ran through her.

More intently, she replied, "Really? Does it talk to you?"

"Not in words but I get these sensations."

"What is it telling you?"

"Whatever happened has damaged this area. It's a deal breaker."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm assuming whatever has been altered served a vital purpose – like those red vined areas we encountered that recycled life energy. It's something so important that if it's not fixed, the consequences could be disastrous."

Confused, she asked, "Why aren't the Terrians talking to you? They dreamed with Uly."

"Maybe they're still recovering from the shock. It was worse for them than it was for me. The Terrians from Independence Colony favor those caves that are much further north. They must not have been as affected due to the distance. What did they say?"

"Not much. They just showed him a vision of a pile of dirt. Does that mean anything to you?"

"No. Not really. But I'll keep trying. I'll see if I can get some answers."

Julia wondered, "I don't understand. The plant waste damaging the Dream Plane has been on-going for over a year now. What triggered such a drastic response? Why now? Maybe the level of pollutants got so high they triggered that response?"

"I don't know."

"Alonzo, I know you want to get more information from the Terrians but we really could use you back at the colony. Crazy things are happening and we need your help." She swallowed her pride and added, "I need you."

He leaned forward to draw her against him into an embrace. Holding her close, he said, "I need you too. I don't even want to think about something happening to you."

Julia allowed herself to relax in his arms.

"Devon's meeting with the board today."

"What do you think they're going to do?" he asked.

"I have no idea. They might kick her off. Yale thinks they might put her in jail to make an example of her."

"They can't do that. She didn't do anything wrong."

"Isaiah Ford and the board are the law at New Pacifica. They can do whatever they want."

Alonzo released his hold of her. "Then we'd better go help them."

XXXXX

"This situation is intolerable! Units vandalized – stuffed with garbage or painted with graffiti. People assaulted. Cafeteria workers spitting into food. What are you doing about it?" Devon demanded.

Isaiah Ford's lips twisted in amusement that Devon of all people had come into the board meeting on the offensive.

"And whose fault is all this? You're the ones who didn't follow the rules."

Devon huffed impatiently. "How many times do I have to tell you that everyone who participated in the healing came of their own accord? I didn't force anyone to do anything.

"You need to get your sheriff's department in order."

Devon was fully aware that complaints from any member of Eden Advance or those who participated in the healing were being willfully ignored.

"People are scared. They're not showing up for their work shifts. People who don't even care about the healing are afraid of being caught in the crossfire."

"She has a point," Guy Macket nervously stammered, pushing his thinning hair back with his hand. "With the crop situation, we're already on shaky ground. We've got to get people back on their jobs - soon."

"What would you suggest?" Isaiah asked the group seated about the table. As usual, he stood apart from the group to oversee the discussion.

"How about locking Adair up in the holding cell?" Colin Faulkner stated, his brown eyes gleaming with fury. "That would certainly make a statement."

Devon swallowed nervously. Things could go south here, fast. Although they appeared to be a civilized society, in a frontier town like New Pacifica, lengthy trials, appeals and sophisticated attorneys didn't exist. Justice would be enforced by the board or the majority. It would be swift and it could be brutal.

Suddenly she was thankful that John had the foresight to insist upon escorting her and that they'd taken the liberty of procuring arms.

Yet she wasn't about to let them know she was afraid.

"You don't have a leg to stand on. I offered to help people who wanted it. They came to me!"

"She's right," Samuel Gibbons, who had chosen to participate in the healing, emphatically stated. "She didn't force anyone to do anything."

"What about Max?" Colin interrupted. "You tried to talk Mary into it."

Devon insisted, "Like I keep saying, all I did was give her information. I had no idea he was at the healing. Max even told you that. I didn't force anyone into it.

"Besides you've got a worse situation."

"Yeah, if people don't get back to work-," Guy prattled.

Annoyed, Isaiah replied, "Calm down, Guy. I'll make an announcement at a town meeting - today. I'll reassure everyone that the colony is back on track and that Dr. Vasquez is working hard on new medications to help the Syndrome kids. It won't be an issue.

"But, I'm curious. Devon, what is this 'problem' you so dramatically referred to?"

His sarcastic tone irritated the hell out of her. "The reason the Terrians left the healing screaming."

"You're the only one who cares about that, Devon," Greg Harkens stated.

"We have to find a new site for the hydroelectric plant," Devon stated.

Board members exchanged perplexed glances.

"What? Where's this coming from?" Greg asked

"It's a distraction," Isaiah assured him.

"No! It's not. I found out what happened. Why the Terrians were screaming and why they didn't heal the children."

"This ought to be good," Colin said. "Especially since at one point you were blaming me."

Undeterred, Devon continued, "The hydroelectric plant. When the last of the dirt was transferred, completely cutting off the water flow for the river– that's what caused pain for the Terrians. We've cut off a critical resource. "

Greg barely stifled a laugh. "And you know this…"

"They told my son."

"Oh, those were their exact words?" Isaiah asked, with contempt.

"Of course not! You know how it works. I've told you this time and time again," Devon protested.

Isaiah asked, "So what are we supposed to do? Wasn't this new plant supposed to appease the natives? No more pollution to damage their so-called Dream Plane?"

"Pick another site. One that isn't as critical for the Terrians," Devon insisted.

"We picked that site for a reason. It suited our purposes best. We have limited manpower and resources. I don't think you understand that we are nearing a crisis situation. Our electrical plant is taxed and being pushed beyond its limits. We're already having an unacceptable number of brown outs. If this situation isn't remedied soon, it's likely to fail. Once the hydroelectric plant is fully operational, which should be within a day or so, we can avoid that scenario.

"We need that second power plant now. There's no way in hell I can justify an abuse of resources for such a feeble excuse."

"The consequences could be fatal!" Devon cried.

"You're sounding like the boy who cried wolf here. You keep saying this about the air pollution from the first power plant and absolutely nothing has happened," Greg pointed out.

"You don't think the crop blight is related?" Devon said.

"Nice try but that doesn't fit your time table. The water flow was cut off a few weeks after the blight occurred," Colin explained.

"Don't you think the dam building process would affect it?" Devon asked.

Greg dismissed her concerns. "C'mon, there's an underground water supply. And rain certainly isn't a problem. Rebecca has assured us that water isn't the issue with the crops."

"But we've seen this repeatedly. Don't you understand? This planet acts like a bodily system. We've seen it with tunnels for mass transit, areas for energy reclamation. If we interfere with its function, we're the ones who are going to be hurt," Devon stated.

"I don't see anything happening now," Colin stated.

"Me neither" Greg sneered.

"Believe me, it might not be fast. Those people at Independence colony had nearly ten years before they went insane. Yale can show you the gear recordings. They're not pretty," Devon warned.

Isaiah spoke, "Here's a thought. Maybe instead of invoking mystical solutions, we could address these issues with science and actually solve them?"

"It's not that simple!" Devon objected.

"Yes is it!"

"You don't understand. The well-being and the planet and the Terrians is linked," Devon insisted, meeting eyes with Isaiah.

"You keep telling us that. Where's your proof?"

"We've had enough of this." Isaiah spoke with finality. While he was impressed by the audacity of Devon's elaborate diversion, he was ready to move on.

"We have some decisions to make to restore order to this colony. Suggestions?"

Grinning broadly, Colin stated, "I vote we remove Devon Adair from the governing board."

Several voices chimed, "Second it."

Her mouth opened in dismay. "I didn't do anything wrong!" Devon objected.

"Even you know that's not the crux of the issue. This Terrian business is trouble and people perceive you as the ring leader. We need to allay their fears. To show them we understand and are doing our best to help them. We need to have the people of this colony feeling safe and doing their jobs," Isaiah said.

Devon snorted.

"Other suggestions?" Isaiah's tone was practically light-hearted.

"I vote that everyone who participated in the healing serve three weeks in jail, and also receive extra work assignments." Guy Macket had gotten caught up in the spirit pervading the board.

Impressed, Isaiah responded, "Nice. But a bit excessive. Jailing innocent Syndrome kids doesn't look good. Their parents were vulnerable and thus were manipulated. They committed no crime. They've learned their lesson." He eyed Samuel Gibbons who had chosen to participate in the healing. "I think a few extra work shifts for members of Eden Advance and having their illustrious leader in jail will be more than sufficient."

"You've got to be kidding," Devon said.

Isaiah grinned slyly, knowing how to manipulate her. "Think about it, Devon. What's most important here? Re-establishing order. Think of all the jobs that have to be done every day to survive here. Think of those Syndrome kids that need to be taken care of. Can we afford for the crops to be neglected for even a single day?

"You know I'm right."

Devon fumed. "I'm only serving three days. And I'm not apologizing to anyone. I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I can live with that. Colin, can you escort Devon to the brig?"

Colin Faulkner eagerly rose to perform his duty.

"I'm only doing this to get this colony back in order," Devon insisted.

As Colin and Isaiah flanked her to accompany her out of the room, she realized that John and the others were waiting outside. She prayed they wouldn't jump the gun and take matters into their own hands as she was escorted to jail at the opposite side of the building. While no one in Eden Advance had committed a crime with the healing, taking weapons from the communal arsenal was considered a criminal offense.

XXXX

"What do you think you're doing?" Danziger asked as Colin and Isaiah marched by, flanking Devon.

Worried he would produce a concealed weapon, Devon cried, "No, John! It's okay."

"She didn't do anything wrong!"

"Trust me, John. Please. This is what's best for the colony. I'll be fine."

She held his gaze. She could tell he was worried and frustrated. His protective instincts ran high especially since she was carrying his child. His natural impulse would be to shoot first and ask questions later.

"John, it's only three days. I'll be fine. Trust me."

She implored him with her eyes to believe her, to not make this explosive situation even worse.

Reluctantly, he stood aside. "If one hair on her head is damaged, I will hold you personally responsible," John growled, staring directly at Isaiah. The burly mechanic was several inches taller and out-weighed him by at least thirty pounds.

The normally composed and cocky Isaiah Ford barely suppressed a shudder.

TBC

What happened to Morgan and Walman and the bubbles are described in my story, "The Road Not Chosen".

Eden Advance's experiences at Independence Colony are described in my story, "Stepping Stones".