Secrets Revealed

Secrets Revealed by EdenAdvance

DISCLAIMER: see chapter 1.

Devon looked up when she heard her name. Julia came into the tent, followed by Alonzo. She looked over at Danziger; they had been discussing the road they would take the next day.

"Devon could I talk to you for a minute?" Julia asked. "In private?" Julia looked at Alonzo. He nodded to her, saying she would be alright. After a look from Devon, Danziger got up and left the tent with Alonzo.

"What is it, Julia?" Devon asked.

Julia sat down on a cot and looked at the wall, contemplating how she would tell it to Devon. Then she looked at Devon.

"Can I ask you a hypothetical question?" After Devon nodded her approval, Julia continued. "What if, hypothetically speaking, there was a spy in our midst? What would you do?"

Devon stared at Julia for a while.

"Are you telling me that there is a spy?"

"No... we were hypothetically speaking." Julia said, but it was not what she was thinking.

::What will she do with me... will she kill me? Or something worse?:: she thought.

Devon sat down next to Julia. "Well... I would let the group take a vote for it. But we were hypothetically speaking right?" she looked at Julia. "Why don't you tell me what is really bothering you."

"I don't really know how to say this... I..." Julia sighed, not knowing how to tell Devon her secret. It wasn't as easy as talking to Alonzo, she noticed. Maybe because she felt that Devon hadn't liked her in the first place. "Before we left the stations, the... Council gave me a mission." Julia looked at Devon.

"The Council? You work for them? You're a spy? Did you sabotage the ship too?" Devon got up and looked angrily at Julia. "Is Alonzo Council too? Is he somewhere, away from camp, killing Danziger?"

Before Julia could do or say anything, Devon called out.

"WALMAN!!!!!"

A second later, Walman came charging into the tent, carrying a MagPro.

"No! Wait.... Please, listen to me." She begged Devon, not knowing what she could do, once she was frightened. Looking from Walman to Devon, she continued, telling them the same story she had told Alonzo, that night in the woods.

"So, buddy, what's up with the doc anyway?" Danziger asked Alonzo when they stopped with the Dunerail.

"Nothing, it's just something... she has to say to Devon." He answered absently. His mind had never left the camp, had never left Julia, when he had suggested to Danziger to take a small ride in the Dunerail. Danziger hadn't objected, since he was still planning on testing the Rail. He still hadn't figured out why the vehicle had given up when he and Devon were searching for water.

Suddenly Alonzo looked at Danziger. "Have you ever dealt with the Council?" he asked. "I mean, I've heard stories, but I was always out on cold-sleep flights."

"No and I'm happy that I never had any business with them. From what I heard, people would disappear, when they had some trouble with the Council. Or better, when the Council had trouble with those people." He sighed. "Why are you asking?"

Alonzo stared at a distant group of trees. "Just asking. Do you think if someone from the Council could leave them?"

Now Danziger looked at Alonzo. "What's the matter, buddy. And don't tell me 'just asking', 'cause I don't buy that crap, okay. Not when it is about the Council. Not with my little daughter on this planet." He didn't like it when Alonzo was doing mysterious.

"Okay, but promise me you'll hear me out, before you do something." With Danzigers promise, he continued. "Two nights ago, Julia and I talked... she told me she was in contact with a guy. He worked for the Council..." he was interrupted by Danzigers outburst.

"I knew it.... Since the first time I heard that name 'Heller' I knew that I had heard it before, somewhere. I just couldn't place it..." Angrily, he started the Rail and headed back to camp, not listening to Alonzo's objections.

Devon sat down, after Julia had finished her story.

"So... you're telling me, that you had absolutely nothing to do with the crash? And that Alonzo isn't one of you too?"

Julia sighed. "No, and I'm sorry. I couldn't help it..."

"You're right, you couldn't help it. That's what they always say, isn't it?" Devon looked at Julia.

"You don't know what it's like!" Julia didn't know where the conversation had turned out in a fight between her and Devon, but before she could say another word, Danziger entered the tent, with a gun trained at her.

"Get back Devon," he warned, positioning himself in front of her. "she works with the Council."

"Danziger, wait!" Alonzo said as he too ran into the tent, knocking the gun out of his hand. "Would you please listen to what she has to say?" he said to everyone in the tent. He moved to Julia and looked in her eyes.

"I... I want to quit the Council. And... I figured that we could use Reilly." Julia said. "He probably knows a lot about what goes on on the planet, and since Blalock probably gave you faulty information..." she added.

"She's right, Devon, and you know it." Alonzo stated.

Devon looked at Julia and Alonzo. They did have a point here, but how would she know if Julia was to be trusted?

"Alright, we'll let the group decide." She said and left the tent, followed by Danziger.

"Devon, you're not seriously thinking of letting her stay do you?" Danziger said as soon as they were out of hearing distance.

Devon stopped and looked at Danziger. "I don't know. We'll take a vote. But you can't just leave her behind, she wouldn't survive it." Devon answered.

"She's a doctor, she can take care of her self, Dev. And she'll probably be back with her buddies in no time."

"The group will take a vote, John. It's not up to me to decide whether one should live or die." With that, she left to gather the small group.

It didn't take long for Devon to get the group together and she explained the situation to her. She suggested the options, and she watched as they voted for her best friend's fate. Because that's what Julia was, her best friend. She couldn't just leave her behind. But she kept telling herself that it wasn't up to her to decide.

It was already dark when the group had finished voting and Devon was now on her way to tell Julia the results. She nodded to Baines and Walman, and entered the tent.

She slowly walked closer to the cot, as she saw that Julia was sleeping... in Alonzo's arms. As she walked closer, Alonzo opened his eyes.

"Sorry if I woke you..."

"I was awake. I couldn't... didn't want to leave her alone now." He explained.

"We voted..."

He nodded and started to wake Julia.

"No wait, I could tell her tomorrow." Devon objected.

"She needs to know now." He rejected and woke her.

"Devon..." she said sleepily.

"We voted." Devon said, those two words explaining it all.

She didn't want to know the results, but still, she had to ask.

"What are the results?"

Devon sat down on one of the boxes. "They wanted to leave you, but they don't want to cross this planet without a doctor. After they cooled down a bit, I could reason with them. Danziger helped..."

This surprised Julia, she had expected them to leave her, or kill her. But not this.

"Of course, you will be guarded the entire day, and you can't wander off alone. You also have to tell us everything about the Councils plans for us and what you said to who-ever it was you were in contact with." She added.

Julia nodded and got up. She crossed the tent and rummaged in her belongings. After a few seconds of searching, she found what she was looking for. She walked over to Devon and handed her a small communications device.

"It was how I was communicating." She said and moved back to Alonzo.

Devon nodded and got up. "You'll tell us everything in the morning, right now, we could all use a few hours of sleep." She said and left the tent.

Julia stared at the spot where Devon had been just a few seconds before.

"Hey, it will be alright." Alonzo said, rubbing her arms. "Now come back to bed?" He pulled her with him as he laid back down.

"Thanks... for everything." She said and closed her eyes, letting Alonzo hold her. She felt that she was going to need all the support he could offer, tomorrow morning...

The end...