Eden's Chronicles (part 4 – The Homecoming): Takes place right after seasons. Julia searches for a cure for Devon's illness.
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Voice of Julia: "We've spent less then a year and a half on this planet and I am amazed at how much has been accomplished. Everyone has pulled together - stepping in to take on roles of the missing. Half the team was never suppose to set foot on the planet yet have worked tirelessly to get the colony built. Those that were part of the advance team to organize the colony; Cameron, Denner, Yale, Uly, Morgan and Bess; have gone beyond their roles. Even Devon's role has been taken over by Danziger or at least partially since some of the new laws and design issues are still waiting. The original charter was devised on the stations and needs to be revised to reflect the other inhabitants of the planet as well as other lessons learned, such as no geo-locks; there has been some discussion and we are keeping track of them but no one has formalized anything since establishing the colony has been the primary goal. More units were found so we think that they'll be enough for all the families and the support personnel, although some of the advance team have offered to double up for the short term if it is needed.
As for myself, I was supposed to be on the colony ship and Devon and Dr Vasquez would have had the hospital ready and waiting for me when I landed. Instead I've had to oversee the hospital construction; working with Danziger on improvising and implementing changes; my favorite being the courtyard with trees and plants and even a small fountain. I have also been working with Cameron analyzing plants and roots for food and/or medical purposes; something I enjoy more then I thought I would. I have gained so much being part of the advance team; a sense of self, a sense of family, a sense of community; I've learned how to love. No longer will I blindly follow anyone, but question whether the actions were for the good of all or the benefit of some.
For all the hardships, things would be great except for Devon's illness. For all my medical training and chromosomes enhancements, even with the advance ship's equipment, I am unable to find a cure for Devon. From the information I've accessed from the broadcast satellite, I know that Bennett's team traveled around to a few locations on the planet. It was at their final location that all became ill. A month or so ago, Alonzo took me to the ship so that I could check on Devon as well as take soil samples but nothing in the samples shows contaminates. Alonzo has also taken me to a few of the sites that we could identify from the records and there is also nothing from those sites. The more research I do into Bennett and Elizabeth's files, the more convinced I am that whatever impacted members of their group is also related to what has stricken Devon. I just cannot determine why no one else has fallen ill. I live with the constant worry that at any time someone else will be taken ill and I will be powerless to stop it."
Julia was working in the hospital lab with cloned copies of Devon, Eben and Elizabeth's tissue when Yale entered.
"Julia, I have those samples from the pit if you would like them."
"Great. Just put them on the desk." She and Yale had spent a couple hours that morning discussing his recent trip to the pit. Although it was early yet, she thought his theory that the planet was trying to involve the inhabitants in its seasonal changes had some merit.
Julia was wrapping up some work on Devon's slide as Yale put the sample down. She immediately noticed a reaction on the slide. "Yale, what is this a sample of?"
"Spring, or at least the substance that was spew from the pit. " Yale noticed that Julia began to franticly compare several slides. "Julia, what's going on? Have you discovered something?"
"Not sure. Both Devon and Elizabeth's slides show a reaction to the sample, but Eben's did not. Please don't mention this to anyone yet. I'm not sure what, if anything, it means. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up needlessly."
"I won't say a word. What can I do to help?"
"Nothing right now but if I need anything I will call."
Julia ran several tests on various samples. The only slides that had a reaction to the spring pollen were Devon, Elizabeth and Bennett's. The rest of the Advance team's samples, including Eben's, did not react to the pollen. Julia knew the Bennett and Elizabeth did not have a bio-stat chip and Eben did have one. On a hunch, she exposed one of Devon's samples to the bio-stat chip removed from Eben and then exposed the sample to the pollen. There was no reaction. She repeated the action with Elizabeth and Bennett's samples; once again after exposure to the bio-stat chip, their samples also did not react. She formed a hypothesis that Devon did not have a bio-stat chip and the presence of the bio-stat chip is what had protected the group from the spring pollen. Julia skipped lunch and sent Alonzo away when he came to get her for dinner. It was shortly after 9pm when she finally emerged from the laboratory. She quickly walked to the beach for she knew that on such a clear night, the group would be gathered by a fire on the beach exchanging the news of the day before heading off to their units for the night.
Alonzo saw her approaching and went to meet her. "Are you ok? I was worried."
"I'm fine, I'm better then I've been in a long while." Julia jubilantly replied as she rushed towards the other members of the team. Sensing her excitement, they stopped talking and looked at her expectantly.
"I think I know what made Devon sick. More importantly, I think that I can cure her."
Her news was met with a flood of joyful exclamations, laughter and tears. Yale finally called the crew to order; handing Julia a sandwich he had prepared for her, he invited her to sit. "After you've had something to eat you can fill us in on the details."
Julia took a bite of the sandwich and quickly chewed and swallowed; she had not realized how hungry she was. The group talked excitedly amongst themselves until she had eaten half the sandwich and started to speak.
"I don't have all the answers but I have a theory that is supported by the tests and the simulations that I ran today. I believe that Devon is suffering from a severe allergic reaction not limited to the respiratory system. I believe that this is what Elizabeth and Bennett's crew died from and also why they thought the planet was rejecting them."
"What is my mom allergic to?" Uly asked.
"The spring pollen. Devon probably started to feel symptoms right after spring came. Since we packed up and started traveling again, she probably thought she was feeling under the weather because of being on the road again. Several people had mentioned that being on the road again was taking some time to get adjusted to again. She probably thought she was having the same issue, just like we all thought she had the same illness as us right before she collapsed. You see the spring pollen was covering everything, if you remember; the dune rail was encrusted for it for a long period of time. It was also in the air, on our clothing, everywhere. I think it was just a coincidence that pollen build up reached critical peak when we all got sick."
"So why is Devon the only one that had a reaction to it?" Morgan asked.
"I think, but I can't prove, that Devon doesn't have a bio-stat chip. From my tests, I have determined that the bio-stat chip deposits a trance of the compound selim-nitrace* which seems to protect against the allergens caused by the spring pollen. I think that since the Elder's group lived underground they were not exposed to the pollen and therefore didn't have a problem. Also, I think that Bennett's group may have had limited exposure to the pollen during previous springs but the final spring, they were in close proximity to the pit so therefore had the most severe reaction."
"Why doesn't she have a bio-stat chip?" Walman asked.
"I have no idea. All I know is Elizabeth and Bennett didn't have one and that her DNA samples react similar to theirs when exposed to the pollen. After exposure to the bio-stat chip, none of their samples react to the pollen any longer."
"So what's the big deal, just give everyone a bio-stat chip." Baines stated.
"Wow, what great choices. Be tracked by a shadow government, live underground or die from fresh air." Danziger sarcastically replied.
Julia headed off any possible heated discussion. "I don't think that will be necessary. I think that I can manufacture a spray that can be applied to build up an existence of the compound in everyone. It won't be toxic; all of us already have it. I don't think that it will need to be taken all the time, just before and during spring. In time, I believe the body will build up enough of the compound to not need the spray any longer. A vaccine could possibly be developed as well and given to children born here along with the standard shots already given."
"What about Devon? She's already sick." True asked.
"I think that I can introduce enough of the compound into her system when we bring her out of cold sleep to combat the allergens and allow her organs to function properly. She will be very weak and need to be hospitalized for several weeks until the allergens have been completely purged from her system. Then she will need to take moderate to high doses of the allergy medication for a period of time. From all the simulations I ran this afternoon, she should completely recover."
Amongst the cheers and prayers of thanks, Danziger asked, "When do we get started?"
"I would like to run some more tests, prepare sufficient doses of the selim-nitrace compound to have on hand prior to bringing her out of cold sleep. I think that a week to ten days should be sufficient time for me to prepare."
For 8 days Julia worked on preparing the selim-nitrace compound to introduce into Devon's system as part of the cold sleep revival as well as a spray to be administrated during her recovery. Danziger and a crew worked on outfitting the VTO with the portable hospital equipment. On the ninth day, she, Alonzo and Yale headed back to the ship that contained Devon. Once they arrived at the ship, Julia ensured everything on the VTO was as it should be before heading over to Devon.
Alonzo had brought up the lights in the old ship. Yale stood silently in front of Devon's chamber with a look of sadness; they all knew that if this attempt failed, it might be too late to save Devon. Julia reviewed the wake cycle to confirm the best possible time to dispense the compound.
"Are we ready?" Julia asked.
"Ready as we'll ever be." Alonzo replied as Yale nodded.
Julia started the wake process and mid way through administrated the compound to Devon. She closely monitored Devon vitals and was slightly discouraged when she saw no change. Twenty minutes after applying the compound, Julia noticed a slow but steady improvement in Devon's vitals. During the final phase of the process, Devon began to cough out the pollen from her system. Alonzo and Yale removed her from the chamber and placed her on one of the examination tables.
"Wow, that reminds me of last spring when Bess and Morgan were exhaling that stuff over the pit."
"The pollen they ingested and the pollen emitted by the pit are probably a much higher concentration that what most people would be exposed to. Other creatures, such as the grendler, may also have issue with the pollen but only at the higher levels. That would account for the bones at the site." Just then a look of sorrow crossed Julia's face.
"Is Devon not responding as she should?" Yale asked with obvious anxiety.
"No, she's doing fine. I'm just sorry I didn't make the connection between Devon's illness and the pollen a year ago."
"Julia, it's amazing that you were able to make a connection at all. You've done a wonderful job, please don't berate yourself over this." Yale returned.
"Yale's right. Don't blame yourself for not finding it earlier. Congratulate yourself for finding it at all." Alonzo pleaded.
Julia promised she would try then busied herself with her patient. That evening she notified the rest of the group in New Pacifica that Devon was doing fine and if continued to progress in the same manner, they should be able to return in 3 days.
Devon continued to make progress and was able to have short conversations. She was saddened that she had missed a year of her son's life but relieved to hear that the colony was making good progress. Julia gave twice-daily updates to their friends in New Pacifica. On the 3rd day, they headed back to the colony where everyone was waiting when they landed. A shiny new dunerail took Devon to the hospital, under protest. Once settled, everyone crowded into the room with Uly perched on her bed. Uly tried to fill his mother in on everything he had done in the past year, and she eagerly listened.
After a brief visit, Julia asked everyone to leave so that Devon could rest. As she left, Bess promised to fill Devon in on all the gossip. Over the next week, Devon continued to gain strength. By the end of the week, she was allowed out of bed and into the hospital's courtyard. Everyone had gathered for a picnic, organized by Uly and True. Devon was still weak and using Uly's old inhaler that had been retrofitted to distribute the compound. The picnic was a very jovial occasion.
The picnic was winding down when Walman asked, "So Devon, why you don't have a bio-stat chip?"
Devon looked surprised at the question. "So I don't have one. I wondered."
"You did, when?" Julia asked.
"After everyone got better and I didn't. I honestly thought I had the same thing as everyone else up to that point."
"So, did you come up any ideas?" Morgan asked.
"This is just a guess because I never heard about bio-stat chips until Elizabeth informed us all about them. But thinking back, I've come up with a guess as to why I don't have one. With each delay I grew impatient." This statement caused several to snicker but Devon ignored them and continued. "During my most, um, vocal time trying to get clearance, Dyson Blalock, began to start hounding me to get my final vaccinations. Since I thought I already had all my vaccinations, I suspected that he was trying to drug me with something that would make me open to suggestion or control, so that I would back down on the mission. It never occurred that they were planting a tracking device. Kids were dying and Uly was approaching his 9th birthday, so I wasn't willing to take the chance that they would slow down my resolve to leave the stations. I was willing to take the chance that I may catch a virus if it meant Uly and the others had a chance. I don't regret the decision. As I said, it wasn't until everyone got better and I didn't that I began to suspect that the final vaccinations was the chip."
"Do you think the fact that you hadn't gotten the chip may have been the reason that delays keep happening?" Bess asked
"I hadn't thought about it. It may have been one reason but I'm sure not the only reason." Devon replied. "Once again, this is just a guess on my part. I honestly have no idea when or why the chips were implanted. Elizabeth mentioned that it was probably when we were getting vaccinations and I know that I never did go for the final vaccination that Dyson keep hounding me about. Are you sure that I don't have one?"
"Reasonably sure. You have no trace of the selim-nitrace compound which is a definite deposit of the chip. There is no other way I know to detect the chip on a live person."
Devon nodded her understanding and glanced around at her fellow travelers to gage their reactions. She was surprise to find only acceptance and saw no animosity in any of their faces. With a smile she commented, "So when do I get out of this joint and see the rest of the community. Which by the way, I am dying to see."
"Well considering you've been here a week and this is the first time you've mentioned touring the colony, I think that proves you haven't been feeling well up to now. Maybe by the end of the next week."
"Another week, you've got to be kidding. I can't be in the hospital another week. I'm so far behind as it is. The ship will be landing in a few months."
Danziger cut her off before she could continue. "Devon, you do realize now that you're getting back to normal, you'll have fewer visitors."
Everyone laughed, Devon shot him an annoyed look but remained quiet.
"You know if you're feeling better, you can start looking into the plans for the manufacturing plant. We've retrieved most, if not all, of the components but don't have sufficient supplies to make the modifications you asked for." Julia shot Danziger a dirty look and he responded, "What, she can do that laying in bed. You think she's going to lie there and think restful thoughts? So if she's going to be working herself into a state, she might as well do something useful."
"Danziger has a good point." Morgan interjected. "If you've got some time left over from the plant, you may want to start on revising the laws. We've documented some ideas but haven't formalized anything yet."
"Hey, she is still very weak. She needs her rest." Julia exclaimed.
"Julia, they're right. I'm just going to be worried about what needs to be done and anxious to actually start pulling my weight. This will help. I promise that I won't over do it."
"See, you're not as well as you think you are. You just said that Danziger and Morgan were right, in front of witnesses no less." Julia joked.
"Oh no, I'm much worst then I imagined." Devon replied with a laugh.
Julia was about to protest again that Devon should not start work when Yale leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry I'll make sure that she doesn't overtax herself; just keep her busy enough so that she doesn't get anxious."
Julia conceded. She still felt guilty that she hadn't recognized the cause of Devon's illness sooner and wanted to make sure she didn't make another mistake that would prove costly to her friend.
Over the next few weeks, Devon worked on laws and modifications to the manufacturing plant. After 3 weeks in the hospital she was allowed to leave and see her unit although only for a visit. She was very impressed with all that had been accomplished and felt guilty that she had not been able to help. She felt no animosity to Julia, only appreciation that she was able to discover what made her ill and find a cure. She repeatedly told Julia how grateful she was that a cure was found before the colony ship landed and anyone else had taken ill.
Julia had commandeered the newest dunerail to drive Devon back to the hospital. Devon pleaded with Julia for a tour of the community and she relented. As they swung by the port, they saw equipment being off loaded.
"Think they found another pod?" Devon queried.
"Not sure. I guess we can ask but you stay in the rail." Julia replied.
"Hey guys, what up? Find anything useful?"
"Naw, we've just stripped and gutted Bennett's ship. Even though the technology is old, it might fill in some of the gaps from the missing pods. Do you want to see if I can get these cold sleep chambers functional?"
"Yes, lets hope we don't need them but I would feel better knowing that we had the option if it was needed."
Danziger had been very careful not to aggravate Devon since she wasn't quiet well yet and Julia also seemed to be overly cautious. At first he thought it was because Devon wasn't progressing as quickly as she should but on the trip out to the ship, Alonzo had told him he thought Julia blamed herself for not curing Devon sooner. Alonzo had said that he, Devon and Yale had tried to tell Julia what a great job she had done but he didn't think that Julia believed them.
Danziger decided he would try to help try to put Julia's mind to rest. Never being much on subtlety, Danziger commented, "So Devon, did you know that Julia discovered a while back it was the spring pollen causing your illness. But I pleaded with Julia to leave you in cold sleep since I needed the peace and quiet." He paused to judge the reaction, Julia wore a shocked expression on her face while Devon and the others in earshot wore a grin. "Yep, I finally got Julia to agree to not disclose the illness by reminding her that if you were awake you would plan the hospital but if you were still in cold sleep then Julia could do as she pleased." Then to others, "Why do you think I gave in to Julia's every whim during the hospital's construction. Notice that as soon as all the major construction was done on the hospital, Julia goes and announces she found the cure." Danziger taunted.
Everyone but Devon laughed at that remembering how Danziger always replied with a firm 'No' whenever Julia made a suggestion. Eventually he would relent on some of her requests.
Julia caught on to what Danziger was trying to do and responded. "Trust me, deal or no deal, if I knew how to heal Devon during the hospital's construction, I would have done it so that she would have to deal with you instead of me."
"So, you two conspired against me?" Devon replied with a laugh.
"Actually, I think that by the time spring came around, everyone but Yale and the kids were in on it. Then Yale started to put two and two together. We had thought about trying to convince him to let you stay in cold sleep but decided there were enough issues that no one wanted to be bothered with so it was time to bring you around." Danziger replied.
"You do realize that the modifications that are needed can be done the easy way or the hard way. And you just won yourself the hard way."
"Why do you think I wanted to bring the cold sleep chambers back? You could have a relapse."
"Or you could be stricken down." Julia jumped in.
"That works for me." Danziger replied.
The banter continued back and forth with the others jumping in. Finally Julia declared that it was time for Devon to get back to the hospital.
On the way back, Devon asked "Julia, do you believe me when I say I have nothing but the deepest appreciation for your curing me."
"I know that you, and the others for that matter, have no animosity over the amount of time it took me to find a cure but I think I should have been able to find a cure faster. My delay cost you a year of your son's life."
"It's because of your cure that I can enjoy the rest of my son's life. Julia, the hospital has only been functional a short while. Even with the hospital's equipment available, I think it is amazing that you could find the cause and the cure for my illness. Not only that but you found it before the colonist got here and anyone else could be taken ill. I can never thank you enough for everything you have done. Without you, I'm not sure we would have made it this far."
"Thanks Devon. I'm not sure I completely believe you but it's still nice to hear."
"OK, I'll just keep saying it until you do believe. I also want you to know that I won't waste this second chance you've given me. I'm been rethinking my life and am trying to get things in perspective."
"Really? As a show of gratitude are you going to give me insider information on upcoming changes?" Julia coyly asked.
"I may give you advanced notice, there are still a few unknowns that I need to get a handle on before I make to any plans. And that is all I am going to say on the matter for now."
Voice of Julia: "The guilt I feel over not curing Devon or not curing her sooner is starting to fade. To be honest, until the weight started to lift, I wasn't aware of how much it was impacting my life. I am glad that Devon is planning to make changes in her life. I think I know what unknowns she is talking about. There is an unknown that I must resolve myself before I can make plans for my own future. But this planet has taught me that anything is possible so I have confidence that my future will be happy. "
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End of part 4. selim-nitrace is a compound I made up. Any similarity with a real compound is purely coincidental. At the time of writing, google showed no documents matching this term.