A/N: If you're reading, I'd love to hear from you!

Chapter 11

(True Danziger)

It's not fair!

We didn't do anything wrong yet they're punishing us with extra work shifts for the next month. And Devon's been kicked off the board and put in jail? That's not right! Why are they singling her out? And why did she go willingly? Dad's so mad he's ready to fly off the handle over any little thing. Why doesn't he just break her out? Why is he letting these people walk all over us? That's not like him.

I don't understand.

I suppose you could say that things have gone back to normal. People are working their shifts and no one's getting beaten up. The nasty comments and other more subtle abuse continue. Like I said, nothing new there.

I hope my Dad and the others can figure out how to fix things with the Terrians so they'll heal the kids.

Lisa's officially in decline.

XXXXXX

"This is ridiculous!" Danziger complained. He was pacing outside the small holding area that served as the jail for New Pacifica. The small annex building also housed the main computer and communication hub as well as Isaiah Ford's official office and the board meeting room.

Devon stood in a thirteen by thirteen foot area, cordoned off by an invisible force field which extended from floor to ceiling. The accommodations in the dimly illuminated cell were sparse and unattractive with a bench attached to the wall that served as a bed, along with a toilet and sink.

"You think I like it?" Devon hissed, equally annoyed.

Both spoke in low voices so their conversation wouldn't be overheard by the guard who stood just outside the room.

"We can break you out of here."

"Stop talking like that!"

She stepped closer to the force field and started to reach for his hand. As her fingertips skimmed the field, a shock went through her and she abruptly pulled back.

"Careful!"

Devon took a breath, trying to calm down. "Look, John, I know you mean well. This isn't easy for me either. But it's the only way we can keep order."

"I don't give a damn about that," Danziger muttered.

"Yes you do," she insisted.

Danziger stared at her.

"If the colony is in chaos, nothing will get done. You don't want to harm all those families who had nothing to do with this mess. That's not the kind of man you are."

More steadily, he replied, "It's still not right. You didn't do anything wrong. We didn't do anything wrong."

"Don't you think I know that? It's only one more day."

Losing steam, he said, "How could you let them beat us?"

"Maybe we've lost this battle but certainly not the war. We've worked far too hard for this colony to give up. But John, you've got to keep looking at the bigger picture. If the colony goes under, we all lose."

Sensing he was finally understanding her point, she asked, "Any news from Alonzo or Uly about the Terrians?"

"Nothing. 'Lonz is having more trouble than usual concentrating at New Pacifica. Yesterday he and Uly went back to the caves to try to reach the local tribe. No luck there. Uly's hiking out to North Point again to contact the Independence tribe." Gauging her concerned expression, he added, "Cameron's going with him. I wasn't about to send him on a half day trip all alone."

"Good. We've got to fix things with the Terrians," Devon insisted. "That's our highest priority."

He surprised her when he responded, "I know."

If their son, Paul, was born with the Syndrome, his options would be severely limited. Without the Terrians' intervention, he would be condemned to a brief life.

"If there are any problems with your release tomorrow, all bets are off. I will personally remove each and every obstacle that blocks my way."

As much as she hated to admit it, sometimes she liked it when John became aggressive and overly protective.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Devon sensed that John might even enjoy such a challenge.

XXXXX

"Looks like the Terrians didn't follow through. Again."

Julia looked up from the medical chart on her clipboard to see Bess standing in the hospital hallway. She ignored the barb.

"It's complicated."

"Sure it is. After all, they managed to heal Uly and Devon. Guess those kids just weren't special enough." Her voice was filled with sarcasm and bitterness.

Julia knew better than to engage Bess on that so she changed the subject. "Sorry to hear the Jamestown departure has been postponed."

"Really? Why don't I believe you?"

Bess had been disappointed by Isaiah Ford's announcement at the emergency town meeting. While she supposed it made sense that the leaders of New Pacifica colony wanted to focus all of their resources on the crop situation, she was itching to move on to start a new life with her growing family at the Stations.

Julia sighed. Talking with Bess was like negotiating a mine field. No matter where you stepped, you stirred up trouble.

"Have you thought more about what I told you about using gear to re-integrate Morgan?"

It took a minute for Bess to remember what Julia was talking about. She'd thought the young doctor had been exaggerating about finding some cure for Morgan so she would say favorable things about the Terrians and convince others to consider being healed.

"Oh, that. How's that going?

Bess hadn't given it a second thought. Even if Julia had been telling the truth, it had sounded highly experimental.

"Baines and Danziger have managed to adapt a gear set to serve as an interface between this dimension and the Dream Plane. Walman has been wearing his modified gear set for over a week now. They've made one for Morgan too. Can I bring it by for you?"

"Why?" Bess couldn't help but be suspicious.

"It could help."

"Is it working?" She tried to ignore the flash of hope that surged within her.

"It's too early to tell. The interface only helps bubbles re-join that are in close proximity to Walman. His unique energy bubbles are floating all over the planet. It could take a while."

"That's what I thought," Bess softly responded.

"Please, let me bring by the modified gear for him. It couldn't hurt."

It saddened Bess to think about it. Her hopes had been raised falsely so many times it was too painful to consider taking on one more crazy treatment.

Then again, if it could help, what was the harm?

"I'll think about it."

XXXX

"I can't feel them," Alonzo said, sitting cross legged on the floor of the Terrian cave.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked.

Ever since the dam had been completed, Alonzo had been spending even more time in these chambers than at New Pacifica colony.

"The Terrians. Since I've been spending time mediating in these chambers I've been able to sense their presence. I'm not feeling anything now. Something's really wrong."

"Do you think they might've sustained long term damage from the dam cutting off the water flow?" Julia asked.

"Could be."

"We've got to find out if they've been injured. If they need our help." Examining him more closely, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

Although Alonzo had returned to New Pacifica to help out, it had been a brief sojourn. He'd returned to the caves as soon as he could.

"Better, now that I'm here."

That familiar queasy feeling arose in Julia's stomach. Yet with all that was going on with the colony and the Terrians, she didn't have the luxury to dwell upon her own fears.

"Has the Dream Plane become more damaged or can you tell? Did you sense anything different while you were at New Pacifica?"

"I wasn't in pain. But the interference is definitely worse than before all this happened."

While his growing connection to the Terrians and Dream Plane concerned her, at least she finally had a tentative explanation as to why Uly wasn't as affected. By communing with the planet over the past weeks, Alonzo had opened himself up to new forces, making him more vulnerable to factors affecting the planet and the Terrains.

"What about your connection with the planet?"

"Something's wrong. That's all I'm getting. Something's been badly damaged."

Julia bit her lower lip. "Let's hope Uly gets more information from the other tribe. They're farther away so maybe they weren't as badly affected as this local group. Maybe they could even help out this tribe or let us know how to assist them."

She rose, anxious to return to New Pacifica. Her heart sank when she realized that Alonzo remained seated on the ground. Whether he admitted it or not, he no longer felt comfortable at the colony.

Rather than fighting it, Julia replied, "I'll come back when I get more information."

She'd pack some food and maybe bring him a sleeping bag. While she wouldn't mind spending the night with him in the caves, somehow it felt as if she might be intruding. She leaned towards him to sadly kiss him goodbye.

As Julia stepped out of the caves, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight. At least Devon was going to be released from jail tomorrow so they could meet as a group. It would be good to hear everyone's ideas and try to formulate a plan. They'd have to figure out a secret meeting place. Since the aborted healing, it had been difficult to gather in groups larger than three people without attracting unwelcome attention.

She stopped as she reached a field of corn. Several days ago, it had a few brown plants but on the whole, the stalks had been green, tall and loaded with ears of corn.

Today more than a third of the stalks had shriveled up and died.

XXXXXXX

"What are we doing sitting around? Let's get Devon out of there. She didn't do anything wrong," Baines exclaimed to Danziger and Yale, who were seated about the table in his unit.

"She doesn't want us to," Danziger muttered, sick of the subject.

Incredulously, Baines responded, "And you think that's best?"

Reluctantly Danziger had to admit, "Yeah. If this place goes to hell, we all go with it. I hate it but there it is." He looked impatiently towards the door of the unit. "Where's Alonzo? I thought he was coming back after he made contact."

"Has he heard anything from the Terrians?" Yale asked.

"Not yesterday. At least we outta be getting more information from Uly when he returns from North Point."

Neither Uly nor Alonzo could discern if the Dream Plane had been further damaged or if the current problem was with the Terrians themselves.

"How can we fix this? What options do we have?" Yale asked.

"They won't move the plant," Danziger stated. "Devon gave them all the facts but they won't go for it."

"Can't we blow it up?" Baines asked.

"Huh?" Danziger wondered why he hadn't come up with the idea himself. Was his relationship with Devon was making him soft?

Baines continued, "Destroy the dam. Why not? If holding the water back has damaged the area that badly, then restoring it should fix it."

"It's logical," Yale said.

"We could sneak into the armory and obtain some plastic explosives. The Terrians would be happy and we'd just find another site to rebuild the hydroelectric plant," Baines said.

"It's not gonna work," Danziger replied, rising then starting to pace about the room. As appealing as it sounded to destroy the dam (and to slug each and every member of the board), there was much more at stake as Devon had reminded him.

"What have we got to lose?"

"A lot. We saw what less than a day of people working did. Meals weren't prepared. Computer issues came up which weren't dealt with and nearly caused a black out. If those crops aren't taken care of, we don't eat."

"They could switch the current plant to austerity – just vital stuff like the hospital. We'd be covered. It hasn't even been operating that long. I could sneak into the computer area and re-route it. It would be a breeze," Baines insisted.

Danziger considered it. "It's tempting. But it'd be like cutting off a foot. The current plant is already overtaxed. Materials are limited. Having another prolonged delay before a new plant could be built and produce additional power would cause huge problems for the colony. We'd be getting rid of one problem but causing another. And blowing up the dam wouldn't necessarily help our relationship with the colony."

"So what do we do?" Baines asked.

Danziger shook his head.

"I don't understand why they don't listen to reason," Yale said. "We've offered to show them the tapes from Independence where people were dying. The board members are intelligent beings. Why are they being so blind?"

"They don't want to see," Danziger responded.

"If they keep doing things like this, we could be endangering our own relationship with the Terrians." Yale pointed out.

He was reluctant to suggest it. "Do you think we need to use force?" Danziger was never one to shy away from what needed to be done. Even as the words left his mouth, he realized there would be the same problems. The Terrians might be appeased but the colony would be without sufficient power and still left in desperate straits.

"Nothing good can come from that type of approach," Yale said.

Danziger sighed as he thought. He glanced towards the door of the unit, anxious to hear from Alonzo. They could use his insight.

XXXXXXXX

True carefully peered around the corner then dashed down the hallway. They'd increased hospital security but she was bound and determined to see her friend.

"Hey, Lisa." True spoke in a whisper as she came closer to her hospital bed. She was sickened to see that her friend was hooked up to a respirator. "How are you?"

"Hey, True. I'm…" It took too much effort to put on a false front. "I'm not doing so hot."

"I'm sorry." True stammered, not sure what to say. It wasn't fair. Why was it happening so much faster for Lisa than it had for Claire or some of the other Syndrome kids?

"Hey, you're supposed to be cheering me up," Lisa said. "How are things at school?"

"About the same. Now they pick on Peter and Max too."

Always the optimist, Lisa asked, "When can we try again?"

True swallowed. "I'm not sure. I…don't know if we can. Alonzo hasn't been able to reach them. We're a little worried they were hurt."

"Can't Uly talk to his tribe?"

True was impressed that she remembered that detail. "He's trying."

"Let me know what happens."

True panicked as a person approached. She was in enough trouble as it was and she didn't want to make things worse. She became flustered as she realized it was Lisa's mother. Expecting a deserved tongue lashing, she lowered her head and murmured, "I'm sorry things didn't work out."

"It wasn't your fault, True," the woman replied as she pulled up a stool and sat beside her.

True stared, wondering if she was hearing correctly. Vanessa and Aaron's parents had shot her angry looks when she'd seen them in the mess hall yesterday. Why would Lisa's mother feel differently?

"If there's anything I can do to help fix the situation with the Terrians, let me know."

XXXXXX

As Uly hiked with Cameron through a field dotted with tiny blue wild flowers, he wondered why the tribe of Terrians from Independence colony who had followed Eden Advance across the continent hadn't joined the group that resided closer to New Pacifica on the eastern flank. It didn't seem like there was any animosity between the two tribes. He wondered what bound certain Terrians together to form a tribe in the first place. Maybe they'd selected this area to have their own space? But that didn't make any sense either. Terrians didn't believe in the concept of ownership. Perhaps it was more a matter of respecting boundaries. One of these days he'd find out.

It annoyed him that Danziger had insisted that he needed to be accompanied on trips to the northern territory. He would've expected as much from his mother but Danziger? He was the 'cool' parent. Sure, it took a while to get there. But at eleven years old, he was a responsible kid. He could handle it. At least Cameron was decent company, not constantly yammering like True would. What was it about girls?

Uly wasn't sure what was going on at New Pacifica with the local Terrians. Over the past few days he had a growing sense of unease but that could also be due to his mother's arrest and the thinly concealed tension within the colony. It was difficult for him to distinguish between all these.

Yesterday he'd gone with Alonzo to the local tribe's caverns to attempt to contact them. Neither was successful. In fact, while they could rarely access the Dream Plane from New Pacifica colony, they were astonished to discover that access from the caves was no longer possible.

Finally, he caught sight of the cavern entrance and raced towards it.

"You gonna be okay in there?" Cameron shouted.

"I'll be fine!" Uly shouted. "I'll be back in a while." He was relieved Cameron was going to give him some privacy.

He raced through the familiar labyrinth of tunnels. He had visited this tribe several times. Upon reaching a larger chamber he was greeted by several Terrians who trilled in response. Last summer this group had a distinctly different appearance from their brothers. Their newly regenerated skin, damaged by exposure to nuclear waste, had been bright pink rather than earth-colored. Time had caused the gradual darkening and roughening of their skin so they currently more closely resembled their relatives.

Uly trilled then crouched to communicate with them on the Dream Plane which was always the most effective mode of communication. He was relieved when he made the transition almost immediately. His surroundings looked similar to those in his realm yet the colors always seemed warmer, brighter. It was especially noticeable when he was outside of the caves. Plants appeared to be glowing and lusher than usual and in far more vibrant colors than those ordinarily seen in nature. There also almost appeared to be a warm glow surrounding everything. It felt magical to him.

He'd been surprised yesterday when he'd learned that the Dream Plane didn't appear that way to Alonzo. Uly hoped the difference was due to the changes in his DNA that made him part Terrian.

"I need to know what's happening at New Pacifica."

damaged

"The dam has affected something. We just don't know what. Or how. Is it the Dream Plane? Or something else?"

When they didn't respond, he considered how to rephrase his question. Vocabulary (actually, language in general) was always a challenge when dealing with the Terrians. Images tended to work better than words. A few days ago they'd been able to show him the dam.

"Can you show me?"

broken

If the Dream Plane surrounding New Pacifica had been damaged beyond repair, it was possible that both the local tribe and this group would be unable to access it. Uly suspected this might be the case but he wanted more concrete evidence. He wanted to see it for himself.

"Have you tried going there?"

danger

Uly sensed they'd been afraid to try. Most likely their sense of self-preservation prevented them.

"It might work - you're healthy. Your brothers aren't. I'll go with you. Maybe since I'm part Terrian, we can help each other. I get that you're scared of getting hurt. We don't have to stay long. I just wanna see what's going on."

The Terrians conferred then one grasped Uly's hand.

Immediately their surrounding blurred. They were in the main courtyard at the colony. The enormous dormitories and Mess Hall were at one end. The smaller school building and administration outpost resided at the other end, along with the hospital. Uly was shocked by how it appeared to him. The buildings themselves hadn't changed. It was the colors that he was seeing on the Dream Plane. Rather than the lush enhancement he'd always seen, the buildings appeared in dull, sepia tones. Flat. No glimmer whatsoever. And this effect wasn't limited to man-made materials. Nearby trees and bushes had a similar lackluster appearance. It made his skin crawl.

"I see."

His surroundings quickly faded and they reappeared in the woods near the dry river bed close to the dam.

Uly gasped.

The ground, which appeared normal in his realm, was black and as dead as volcanic ash. The lifeless area extended for several yards. Plants within the zone were equally lifeless in coloring while those bordering it appeared sickly - fragile and grey.

Half-afraid to ask, Uly said, "Where are the Terrians?"

gone

TBC

The Terrians from Independence Colony are described in my story, "Stepping Stones".