CHAPTER 36
John was driving himself crazy keeping an eye on the time. After an hour and a half, it would be assumed Devon and the others were in danger. And time was almost up.
Suddenly, an explosion rang out from the direction of the town.
John and Julia glanced at each other, and John took off in a run toward to the edge of the trees, his mag-pro buzzing to life.
"John, wait! We don't know what's happening up there!" Julia shouted, frantically collecting her belongings before trying to catch up to him with Mazatl.
John stopped in his tracks when he saw a group racing across the empty land between the fortification and the woods. Among the thirty or so people, he noticed three parents cradling limp children, and he ran out to meet them.
"Stop!" they heard someone shout desperately from a tower. "We'll shoot! Stop or we'll shoot! We'll do it! I swear we will! Stop!"
There were more gunshots from within the gates, and the shouting from the tower stopped. John didn't want to think about how or why.
"The laser perimeter's been engaged," a man in the group whom John recognized as Kembe warned.
John looked behind them to see the perimeter light up outside the fortification. But it suddenly started expanding outward.
"What the hell?" John yelled. Julia and Mazatl had finally made their way to the edge of the trees, and he waved at them frantically to head back the way they came.
He turned to get back into the forest with the group coming up right behind him. He noticed one of the parents struggling to run while carrying her unconscious little girl and grabbed the child out of her arms without a word. "Come on! Move!" he shouted at them.
The group ran into the trees but quickly realized that the laser perimeter was continuing to move slowly outward, slicing into the trees and causing them to topple.
Trees crashed behind them, and John came to the gut-wrenching realization that they couldn't outrun the perimeter and the tall trees being felled in its wake. He cursed the Terrians for never being around when they needed them. They needed a miracle.
Finally, the perimeter began retracting, but the group kept running until the first of them had to slow down from exhaustion. It seemed no one was coming after them, that they could tell anyway. So they slowed and caught their breath.
John handed the little girl to Julia, so she could get a look at her. He turned to Kembe, who was cradling his own sleeping daughter in his arms. "Where's Devon and Yale?" John growled.
"Not sure," Kembe replied, shaking his head and breathing hard. He held his daughter tight to his chest. "When there was that first explosion, I gave Baines my side arm to protect Devon when I took off for the ward to get Aisha. After that, I don't know."
If John hadn't been completely spent, he would've grabbed the man and shaken more out of him, whether he was holding his sick kid or not. As it was, John shook his head in confusion, still trying to catch his breath.
"I'll try Dreaming again," Mazatl offered. "If they've managed to escape, they could be far enough away from the camp now. I might be able to reach them." Without another word, his eyes fluttered shut. He was still for a few moments, John watching him intently.
As they waited, Julia checked the other children, so seemingly fragile in their immuno-suits, everyone too shocked by the recent events to say much of anything.
"We used sedaderms on them to get them out of the ward and get out of the camp," Kembe explained as Julia ran her diaglove over his daughter.
"That was probably for the best. They don't need this kind of excitement," Julia stated.
Soon, Mazatl's head cocked to one side as if hearing something. He smiled and opened his eyes. "Baines. Ha, Baines did it. I reached him. They escaped out of the north side, though. Magus was shot in the leg. They're worried about moving her."
"Shot?" John asked incredulously. He turned to Kembe, prepared to tear into him to find out more. But the look of concern in Kembe's eyes as he gazed at his daughter made him hold off. He took a deep breath and asked Mazatl, "They're all together, though?"
Mazatl nodded. "All five, yeah. What do we do now? Terrians are keeping themselves scarce."
"We gotta get over there and help them. But then how do we get Magus to the shuttle? The rails are south of here all the way on the other side of these trees. Dammit," John grunted, running a hand through his hair.
A man shuffled through the group toward him. Unkempt, covered in injuries that seemed old enough not to have been inflicted in their escape from the colony, John didn't know what to make of him.
"Let me try," the man said hoarsely. He squeezed something in his hand and seemed to concentrate on it, closing his eyes.
"What's he doing? Who is this guy?" John asked Kembe.
"A friend," Kembe replied, laying his daughter gently on the ground so Julia could look at her more closely.
Julia glanced quizzically at the man as she knelt by Aisha. "He doesn't look…well," she said to Kembe.
"Come on, dammit," the man muttered, clasping his hands together.
John shook his head impatiently. "We don't have time for this. Magus is wounded. And we need to keep moving."
The man shook his head in disappointment. "Come on. Tell me you're out there," he whispered. He looked at his hands and opened them. Inside sat a small sunstone. The man's palms were covered in thick, white skin…healed burns.
"How can you…," Julia whispered in surprise.
The man breathed shakily as he studied the stone. Suddenly he threw himself to the ground, resting his forehead on the earth, and pressed the smooth, glowing stone to his temple. He screamed as it burned his skin, but didn't stop.
"Carnegie!" Kembe yelled, kneeling by his side and laying a hand on his shoulder.
John stepped back. "He's nuts! What the hell is he doing, trying to get himself killed?"
"I don't know, but there's something about the stone," Kembe answered.
John threw a hand toward Carnegie. "I can see that. It's shankin' burning his…"
Suddenly there was a strange Terrian call in the distance from the east, where the ridge loomed.
"Did he do that?" Danziger breathed.
"Thank you," Carnegie whispered, pulling the stone away from his head and falling to his side. He still held the stone firmly in his hand. John noted that the scarring on his palms was not recent, and the stone wasn't currently burning his hands. The man looked up into the trees to the sky and smiled.
A moment later, another call sounded from the same location. "It's done," Carnegie said simply.
John shook his head in confusion. "What did you just do with that stone? Talk to the Terrians? What's done?"
"Devon and the others." He looked at his stone again. "The Terrians will help them."
"Why'd the Terrians help you and not us? That a magic rock?" John asked, anxious to keep moving, but needing more answers.
"Something like that," he answered. Carnegie continued looking up into the trees, breathing heavily from exertion. He closed his eyes and squeezed the stone again. He relaxed noticeably.
"Let's get outta here," John called out to the group. The men, women, and older children regarded him with fear, casting glances at each other. John sighed in frustration at their submissiveness. He couldn't blame them too much. He hadn't been particularly nice to them when they left New Pacifica, and who knew what else Hunter was doing in that camp aside from just keeping them trapped.
"He coming with us?" John asked Kembe, gesturing to the disheveled man on the ground.
"Yes," Kembe replied definitively. "We saved him. He's a penal colonist that Hunter was keeping prisoner."
"So, you rescued a criminal, meanwhile there's about a hundred more of your fellow colonists in there. What the hell is happening in that place?"
"They're fighting for their freedom. And we saved him because he tried to save us," Kembe declared, pointing to Carnegie. "We found him a while back running out of that spider cave in the ridge. But Hunter had him locked up. Some of us got to know him and got to like what he was saying. He had a plan for overthrowing Hunter and setting things right. Said that's what he was known for back on the stations. We were getting everything in place when Hunter forced us to take Carnegie's stone away a couple of weeks ago. After that, Carnegie… Well, he kinda lost his mind. He can't function without that stone. It's like there's something in his head that hurts him."
John stared at Carnegie. Too many things were lining up. Penal colonist, sunstones, the spider cave on the other side of the ZED attack, something in this guy's head driving him crazy like Uly…
John adjusted his mag-pro on his shoulder and nudged Carnegie with his foot. "Hey, man, you ok? We gotta get out of here." When he received no response, he turned to Julia who had just finished running her diaglove over a little boy. "How are they doing? Think they'll make it to the rails so we can get them to the shuttle?"
"They're stable, but we should get moving. We still don't know what exactly happened in Hunter's camp. Should I check him, too?" she asked, seemingly conflicted about helping the penal colonist.
Carnegie struggled to his feet, pushing Kembe's hand away when he tried to assist him. "I'll be fine, Kembe. I just haven't had my stone in a while. It takes some time to rebuild the bond."
Kembe smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Carnegie, but I'm glad to hear it." He turned to Julia, "I don't think they'll come after us."
"Why the hell not?" John asked. "They were just threatening to shoot you."
"Yes, but no one got shot," Kembe pointed out.
John shrugged, exasperated. "So what, they're bad shots."
Kembe shook his head. "They would have tried to prevent us from leaving, true. And they will try to keep us from returning now, I have no doubt. But they won't dare come out here to try to get us, whether it be to bring us back or eliminate us."
"Is that right?" John asked, assessing Kembe in distrust.
Kembe nodded. "Many of them are afraid. They believe Hunter. They believe in him. They think they're safe on this planet only if they stay within those walls. But there are others of us who doubted. Who no longer believed. We had plans to liberate the camp, and Carnegie was the one who held the key. He was the only one who knew all the players and plans. He said it was safer for us that way. But like I said, we had put everything on hold while Carnegie was...indisposed."
Carnegie, who had been gazing away from the group into the trees as if in a fog, chuckled at Kembe's explanation. "Indisposed. I like that."
Both Kembe and John glanced at him in surprise. John gave Kembe a sidelong look to tell him he thought Carnegie still seemed a bit "indisposed."
Kembe cleared his throat and stood before Carnegie to get his attention. "Sorry Devon Adair showed up when she did and screwed everything up. I don't know what the others were thinking when they set off those explosions and everything went to hell. They must have panicked when they saw her. Maybe they thought it was their last chance. Or, who knows, maybe they thought Hunter would feel threatened by her and harm her in some way."
John stepped forward, hands on his hips. "And why would that be? She kept saying they were lifelong friends. That he'd never hurt her."
Kembe shook his head to disagree. "I wasn't sure how Hunter felt when we saw Devon was alive. I was worried, too, about what Hunter might do if she said or did anything that would threaten him or his position. He had shown respect for Devon's memory when we thought she was dead because he knew the colonists worshipped her, but I suspected he was glad she was gone. After that explosion, I handed my weapon to Baines so he could protect her. On my way to the ward to get Aisha, I told some friends that Devon was alive. It gave them hope. It gave them strength."
Kembe lowered his head, trying to meet Carnegie's eyes, and it was difficult to tell if he was even listening. Carnegie seemed to be kneading the sunstone with his hand, wincing occasionally. Kembe glanced quickly at John before continuing his explanation for Carnegie. But John sensed Kembe was trying to explain for John's benefit, also, knowing his closeness to Devon. "I suppose it's hard for you to understand, Lee, but Devon Adair means a lot to us. It was a shock to all of us to see her alive after all this time thinking she was dead."
Carnegie didn't reply. John studied him at the mention of Devon's name and found him unreadable. Carnegie just continued with his thousand-mile stare. But John had no doubt. Isaac Winters. John took a deep breath and considered all the implications of having Isaac Winters, stone or no stone, in his colony, around Uly, around Devon.
John tried to shake the thought out of his head and turned to Mazatl. "Can you reach Baines again? Make sure this guy is telling the truth?"
Mazatl nodded and relaxed in the Dreaming. After a few moments he stated in surprise, "They're gone."
"Gone? Gone where?" John asked impatiently.
Mazatl continued to concentrate. "Baines, man. Who knew?" he chuckled. "They're in the Terrian caves by New Pacifica. He says the Terrians are helping Magus. Everything's going to be ok." Mazatl turned to Carnegie. "I'm not sure how you got them to help, but thank you." He then looked to John. "What do we do now?"
"They're really ok?" John's heart was in his throat. "You're sure?"
Mazatl clapped John on the back and gave him a wink. "Devon's fine, Danziger."
"Good." John breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow, Baines really coming through with the Dreaming." He shifted the mag-pro hanging from his shoulder and focused his attention on Carnegie again. "Thank you. We'll take that as an act of goodwill on your part. If the Terrians heal Magus, that really means a lot to us. We won't forget it."
He turned his attention to the rest of the group who had been watching nervously. "But I hope you'll all understand that we can't just let you into New Pacifica without a debriefing. We still need to figure out what happened back in Hunter's camp. People are in danger in there, and we need to regroup. We can't ignore this. And if Hunter's as unstable as I think he is, New Pacifica itself could be a target."
There were weak nods from the confused people as they exchanged glances with each other.
"What about the children?" Julia asked, although it was clear that was the question about to come from the parents, who seemed intimidated by John. He remembered a few of them saying some pretty nasty things to him when they left New Pacifica.
"Kids and parents will head straight to the hospital from the shuttle. The rest of you will go to the Terrian caves with us until we can get a handle on this situation."
"But the Terrians… They don't want to go to those caves," Kembe stated, gesturing to the group, many of whom nodded their heads in agreement.
"You know what, Kembe?" John began, taking a step toward Kembe until he was close enough to grab him. He didn't, but he could. "They either come to the Terrian caves with us, or you can all turn around right now and go back to Hunter or set up your own damn colony. How do we know this isn't some ploy to infiltrate New Pacifica?"
Kembe shook his head incredulously. "What? That's crazy."
"Ok, prove me wrong." John kept his eyes fixed on Kembe until Kembe looked away and took a step back.
"Fine. The Terrian caves," Kembe said, turning to the group and nodding encouragingly.
John tried to focus again, the new information threatening to overload his brain. He contacted Denner and Cameron on gear to make sure the rails were ready to go and turned to the shell-shocked group behind him.
"If you're willing to live by our rules and live in peace, you're welcome in New Pacifica. We'll take care of your kids however you decide. We've only got three rails waiting on the other side of these trees. Kids and parents ride to the shuttle with Denner and Cameron." The parents nodded, most of them too concerned for their children to take their eyes off of them, even for a moment.
He looked to Julia, who nodded her agreement, before continuing. "But I'd be more than happy to have Alonzo bring the shuttle over the ridge and land it right here. If you can guarantee you don't have anti-aircraft weaponry in your colony."
One of the men began defensively, "Of course not…"
"I can guarantee we do," Kembe interrupted. "And if Hunter is still in charge back there, that shuttle will be shot out of the sky. We'll take the rails."
John nodded curtly, appreciating Kembe's honesty. "Well, then, the rest of you gotta walk to the shuttle." He gave them instructions to follow the ridge down to the pass that led to the shuttle hidden on the other side.
Isaac's wavy hair had fallen in his face in a way that reminded John too much of Uly. The guy's face was covered in swollen bruises, cuts, and scratches. But now that John had made the connection, the resemblance to Uly was clear.
"You," John said, pointing to Winters, "are riding with me."
Winters just nodded, half smiling at the prospect. John couldn't tell if it was friendly or menacing. He patted his mag-pro threateningly just in case. The last thing he wanted was to let this guy out of his sight. He remembered Uly's vision, and it hadn't been pretty. John was willing to give Winters the benefit of the doubt considering what he'd witnessed in Uly's head was confusing and unclear. He'd just saved Magus and the others, and Kembe and the rest seemed to trust the guy.
Then again maybe they weren't great judges of character considering they'd trusted Hunter, a guy who'd rubbed John wrong since the moment they met.
As they began walking, John fell into step by Kembe's side. "So, what's the deal with Hunter anyway? He said something about New Pacifica a while back. Like he knew something we didn't."
"I know what you mean. But Hunter never trusted any of us," Kembe explained. "Not really. He'd hint that there was something wrong with New Pacifica, but he never went into it. We didn't know if he was just referring to his issues with the Terrians, but it seemed like more than that. He did seem pretty certain that the Council was coming. That they'd restore order and save us all. But only if we remained separate. If we remained pure." Kembe shrugged. "That's about all I know. Sorry."
John nodded. It was hard to know if Hunter was just a power hungry egomaniac trying to scare his followers into submission, or if there was truth to it.
The group was quiet as they stumbled through the woods, everyone concentrating on their next step. The woman he had helped earlier was having a difficult time managing the walk navigating over roots and through underbrush while carrying her daughter.
John walked beside her for a moment before saying, "Let me help."
The woman's face was almost buried in the girl's hair, silent sobs shaking her body.
"Come on, we've still got a ways to go to the rails. I know a thing or two about carrying little girls and Syndrome kids. I promise I won't let anything happen to her."
The woman squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips to her daughter's head. She seemed to consider what it would mean to let John Danziger of all people help her. But finally she turned to John and said, "Please," so softly, he almost didn't hear her.
He tried not to adjust the mag-pro in case it would scare her off as he took the bundle into his arms. She weighed almost nothing, skin and bones. But the limp body would still be an effort to carry for a woman of her size. Carefully, he adjusted her until she was supported and comfortable in his arms.
The woman looked up at him gratefully, as if seeing him for the first time. "Thank you for earlier," she said, attempting a smile.
"Wish we could've been more help," he said, gesturing to the quiet group making their way through the trees. He had to remember that trekking through the forest was new to them. Sure, they'd had to come this way to set up their camp after leaving New Pacifica, but it seemed like these colonists hadn't been able to venture out since.
"What's your name?" he asked. Might as well kill some time. Might as well meet his new constituent, he thought, rolling his eyes at the fact that he even knew that damn word. Shankin' Morgan.
"Francesca," she said quietly, her eyes flashing toward his before quickly looking away. She still seemed afraid of him. Or maybe she was just afraid in general.
"And your girl?" he asked, gesturing to her with a nod of his head.
The woman took a deep breath before letting out a sob. "Hope," she said, barely getting the word out.
Oh boy, John thought to himself.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she took off her wedding ring and slipped it into a pocket.
"And your husband?"
"My husband?" she asked, sniffing back the tears. "He's still back there," she said, her voice cracking. "I knew he would never let us come out here. He'll be so angry. He believed Hunter."
"You don't?"
She seemed to find some reservoir of strength and straightened her back. "I want them to Change her," she said, probably for the first time. She noticed a few heads turning in their direction at her proclamation. "And I don't care who knows," she added.
John considered the courage it must have taken for her to leave her home and her husband at a moment's notice, not knowing if she'd get shot in the process. "Well, I can't promise anything when it comes to the Terrians. But you'll have plenty of parents to talk to about it. And you can meet some of the kids, too. They're all doing great."
"But what about Ulysses Adair?" she asked. Isaac was quite a few paces ahead, but John noticed his head jerk up at the mention of Uly's name, and John's stomach turned. "He's the oldest of them. How is he doing?"
"He's fine," John said, probably too abruptly. He wasn't about to go into it with her. "Did you see Devon in there?"
"Me? Devon Adair?" she asked with a modest smile. "Oh gosh, not me. But when I heard she'd been seen alive, I just… I don't know. I just knew I could do it. I knew I could do anything." She placed a hand on her heart and looked up to the sky as if Devon in angel form were floating above her.
Even while he was silently mocking her, he was also deeply touched. He'd heard proclamations like that over the years, but now that Devon was back, it made it seem all the more real. Walman had said Devon wasn't magic, but John wasn't so sure that was true anymore.