CHAPTER 25

"Jackie, you were under strict orders!" Morgan shouted, slapping the table.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Martin. But...it's Devon Adair, sir," she stated defensively. "I couldn't say no."

"Calm down, Martin," John muttered. He gestured for Devon to enter, but she didn't move.

"Thanks, Jackie. Don't worry about it," he sighed. "No one can say no to Devon Adair." Normally, Devon would have expected a smirk in her direction to go with this comment, but he was glowering at Jackie. "And cancel our next appointment."

Jackie nodded and turned to return to her desk, confused by everyone's reactions.

Devon was frozen in the doorway. Baines was hastily grabbing papers off the large, round conference table, some kind of aerial images, and stuffing them in a bag, while Julia was staring at her blankly. Alonzo gave her a sad smile.

"Well, come on in and grab a chair," John insisted, resigned. "I knew you'd come when you were ready."

Devon closed the door behind her, walked behind Morgan, and sat on John's other side. What was she so afraid of?

They were all looking at her expectantly, but she had no idea what to say. She'd been prepared to declare that she was going to meet with Andy Hunter, no matter what. She'd even been hoping to compliment Morgan on his success at the Harvest Party. She was going to offer suggestions for possible duties she could undertake in the colony. She'd hoped to see a smile from John considering last night… But now she was too confused, and hurt, to imagine what she was intruding upon.

Morgan glanced around the table. "Told you we should've met in VR," he said, jaw clenched, sitting back heavily in his chair as if in defeat.

Devon asked, as calmly as she could muster, "What is going on here? And why shouldn't I know about it?" When she was still greeted with silence, she turned to John until he finally met her eyes.

He shrugged. "All that activity from the Aquans last night didn't sit right with me."

Devon remembered the night before very differently. "Is that so?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. He'd seemed happy enough not to mention that to her last night or even this morning. Or would that have distracted her from his advances?

John cleared his throat, obviously chagrined by what she must be thinking. "Didn't think it was worth worrying you over something that might be nothing. So, I mentioned it to Julia this morning to see what she thought." He turned to Julia, seemingly relieved to pass the spotlight.

Julia opened her mouth, as if unsure how to proceed. "Yes, it seemed the timing of the year doesn't match our experience since arriving in New Pacifica. The Aquans usually perform that ritual in the spring. And it's not unheard of to see it occasionally in the summer. But, this is the latest in the year I'd heard of it occurring. So, I talked to Baines," she said, turning to him.

Baines glared at her. "Oh, great. You're putting this on me? Seriously?" He sighed and shook his head. "I checked some, uh, data, and it looks like they're causing this storm. There was nothing last night, then Aquan light show, then rain clouds directly overhead."

Devon considered this. "Could the Aquans be controlling the weather? Wouldn't you have noticed that by now?"

Julia exhaled sharply, frustrated. "Like I said, they're active in the rainy season. We thought the Aquans might be reacting to the weather, not the other way around. But this is the first time we've had proof because this storm system seemed to come out of nowhere. So I talked to Alonzo," she said.

Alonzo shook his head in disappointment. "I tried reaching the Terrians about the Aquans and what this might mean. But, well, I've barely had contact with them since they cut off Uly, and..." Alonzo sighed. "And I haven't been able to reach them at all since Danziger showed them Earth."

"Hey, a lot of stuff happened that day," John stated defensively. "You don't know for sure that's why."

"I just have a feeling, ok? You said they sensed what had happened to our planet. What if they're done with us now because of that?" Alonzo asked.

John let out a sharp laugh. "That's a lot to put on a feeling. We'll get Uly Dreaming again and get all this fixed."

"You've been talking about getting Uly Dreaming again for months," Baines stated. "And Alonzo is Dreaming fine and can't reach them. So what if it never happens? What if Uly just never Dreams again? That doesn't seem like something we should count on."

"He can do it," John declared, glancing at Devon. "I know it. And the Terrians told him they're giving him a chance. That's something, right?"

Devon felt like she should have something to say. That she should be the one fervently defending her son, as she always had. But now, the hint of desperation in John's voice told her that she'd been replaced. Although she was glad John believed in Uly so wholeheartedly, she wasn't sure where that left her.

Baines gave John a dubious look. "I don't know, man. Something's going on with the Aquans, the Terrians... Hell, when was the last time we traded with a Grendler?"

"There was one earlier in the summer," Morgan offered. "He didn't have much to trade, but we gave him some trinkets to keep him interested in case he finds something useful in the future. But, yes, it has been a while..."

Devon still didn't understand why their concerns about the Aquans necessitated secrecy. She knew there had to be more to it. Those print-outs, she wondered. "Baines, what were you stuffing in that bag?" Devon asked, patiently.

Baines looked to Julia and John, reaching for the bag hesitantly.

"Satellite images," John answered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I told you," Morgan said. "Should've just used VR." He leaned across the table in Baines's direction. "Why'd you have to print those out? It's like Devon Adair shuffling through those damn Tyvek maps all the time."

The way Morgan said Devon's name made her feel like he'd forgotten that she and that woman were one and the same.

"Wait, satellite images? From what, one of the shuttles?" Devon asked. The shuttles were equipped with all kinds of monitors. She knew they had two shuttles. Was it possible one was in orbit?

"No," John said, shaking his head. He let out a breath and stated, "From the colony ship."

Devon looked around the table, not sure if she'd understood him correctly. "The colony ship?" she repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"We didn't send it back to the stations," Morgan said simply.

"What do you mean?" Devon asked, trying desperately not to lose her patience with them.

Morgan made a gesture skyward.

"The Roanoke is still in orbit?"

"Yes," Morgan replied.

Devon shook her head, trying to make sense of it. "I know Sheila and some of the crew decided to stay here after learning what had happened to the advance ship and seeing New Pacifica. But I was told there was enough of a skeleton crew to get the ship back as planned. But…that explains why you have two shuttles. The shuttle meant for New Pacifica and the colony ship shuttle, since you never sent it back…"

John interrupted. "We used parts from the Roanoke here in the colony. As much as we could salvage and keep the ship functional enough. There is a skeleton crew up there…in cold sleep…"

Baines continued, "We reprogrammed the ship and manipulated the systems to make it look like they were all set to head out to the stations, but instead it's in orbit for a few more years. At that point, we'll reassess the situation. Danziger, Morgan, Alonzo, and I are the only ones who can make it operational again."

Devon held her breath, her mind reeling. "What were you thinking?" she asked accusingly. "Why not just let the ship return? We still don't know whether EVE, Reilly, whatever it is, is fully functional, whether it can relay messages, whether the Council is keeping tabs on us right now. So, what would it matter if the colony ship gets to the stations in twenty-two years? The Council sends another ship back, which takes another twenty-two years. That's a long time."

Morgan sighed. "Because we might need it. If things get bad…really bad, we'll have a chance to leave this place. The Changed kids are doing fine, but what about the rest of us? We're keeping our options open."

Baines continued, "And we didn't want the colonists to think they could up and leave whenever they want. And we definitely didn't want Hunter and his people to know about it. And what if Julia and the others find a cure for the Syndrome?"

Julia cleared her throat, giving Devon that half-smile that told her Julia was unsure. "Wouldn't you want us to be able to get that cure back to the stations? Even if it took twenty-two years to do it?"

John laid a hand on Devon's arm reassuringly. "We didn't want to keep anything from you, but we wanted you to get to know New Pacifica first without you having to worry about all this."

Devon glanced at his hand, resisting the urge to pull her arm away. "You put people in cold sleep thinking they were going to awaken on the stations, but they're just orbiting the planet. You tricked them. Doesn't that seem cruel to you? And the colonists have a right to know that ship is there." And Baines's mentioning of Hunter had tied Devon's stomach in knots. She had to know. "And what about Hunter? I came here today to tell you that I plan on meeting with him."