SAND OF DEATH
Chapter 5
By the time Magus relieved Alonzo from his watch it was late and the camp was quiet. The heat of the day had dissipated; a welcome coolness replaced the warm air. The sky overhead was clear of clouds and thousands of stars twinkled merrily.
Alonzo rounded the Martin's tent. Soft snoring drifted through the closed flap. The next tent was the one he shared with Julia. Since it doubled as the med tent it was the largest dwelling in the camp. He was mildly intrigued when he noticed a light burning inside despite the late hour. It cast a soft glow against the canvas walls. Julia must have left the light on to make it easier for him to find his way, Alonzo assumed. He tiptoed into the tent quiet as a mouse, expecting the young doctor to be fast asleep on the small cot.
A little surprised, he discovered she was still working. She was hunched over her workbench, fiddling with several sample slides, a concentrated furrow in her brow. He stood silently admiring her for a moment. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, despite her torn and dusty clothing. An untidy ponytail held back her hair. Wisps of it had escaped their bond and hung forward, half covering her face. A warm wave of affection coursed through him and he knew he had it bad for her. He grinned to himself. If someone had told him a year ago he'd care so much for a woman as he did for Julia...
"Doc?" He kept his voice low so as not to alarm the night watch outside.
She jumped at the sound of his voice. The slides slipped from her fingers and scattered on the ground. She pivoted around and glowered at him. He smiled a winning grin in reply to her scowl.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought you'd be asleep by now. I didn't mean to startle you."
"Next time, don't sneak in so quietly," Julia grumbled while she bent to gather up the slides. He crouched to help her.
"What are you doing up working so late anyway?" Alonzo asked her and handed her the samples. She put them back on the table and began to sort them.
"I couldn't sleep," she replied. "It was too hot. And I wanted to get these tests done." She turned towards him. "Alonzo, I'm beginning to understand why the Terrians warned us."
His smile disappeared to be replaced by a serious expression. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"This desert," she continued, "contains various minerals that are poisonous to us when absorbed in larger quantities. Arsenic, tellurium, mercury. A little bit won't do much damage but if collected in the body over a period of time -- I think it's the same for Terrians, even though they are so different from us. I think that's why they told you they call it the sand of death. They can't live here any more than we can. Nothing can."
He nodded slowly. It made sense.
"Have you told Devon?" he asked her.
"No," Julia replied. "I wasn't sure at first and I didn't want to worry her. She's got enough on her mind as it is."
"But you're sure now," Alonzo concluded.
She nodded. "Yes. I still think that if we're careful, keep our faces covered and cross this desert as quickly as we can we should be okay. I'm worried about the amount of particles we breathe in despite the wet rags, though. And it'd be better if we had more water, so we could wash off the dirt every night. The poison probably penetrates our systems through the skin."
Subconsciously he rubbed at his bare forearms before wiping his hands on his clothes. Julia smiled a little when she noticed the gesture. He grinned back at the realization of what he was doing. Her smile never reached her eyes, however, and that worried him more than her words.
She dug up the diaglove from her medical bag and pulled it on, then motioned for Alonzo to sit on the bunk while she switched on the glove.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to scan the mineral levels in your body," she replied and put her fingers to his neck. At the touch of her hand a tingle ran down his spine. Despite the seriousness of the doctor's words he found her gentle touch exciting. He shifted slightly.
She moved her eyes from the glowing display on the glove to his face.
"You're okay," she said. "Everything's within--"
As her blue eyes met his brown ones burning desire unexpectedly rippled through him. Her breath hitched and she halted mid-sentence as she caught the passion that he knew showed clearly on his features. Slowly he drew her to him and kissed her gently. She answered his kiss with an urgency that surprised him. When he lay back on the cot, pulling her with him, they both forgot about trekking across the sand of death for a little while.
* * *
It became part of their daily routine. Every day, after they withdrew to their tent for the night, Julia took out her diaglove and checked Alonzo. And every time her frown deepened. On the fourth night, the glove beeped three times in quick succession. She shook her head in dismay at the results that caused the alarm.
"These levels are rising too quickly," she told him. "I'm gonna have to tell Devon. I also need to scan everyone else, especially the children. And we'll need to use the water. I just hope there's an end to this desert before we run out."
Alonzo nodded. "What about you?" he asked. "Don't you need to test yourself?"
Julia didn't reply right away. Instead, she avoided his eyes and turned towards her worktable. She fiddled with the buttons on the glove. Then she pulled it off her arm and dropped it among the clutter on the table's surface.
"No," she said. "I'm not a typical test case. I'm different." Her voice was so low he had to strain to make out the words. He was about to ask her what she meant when it hit him.
"Your enhanced genes." It wasn't a question.
She nodded in reply, still refusing to look at him. "I'll probably last longer than any of you," she said. "My DNA can break down the minerals faster and better than regular human DNA."
He moved over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said while he gently squeezed her arms.
She stiffened when he touched her but after a moment gave in to the comfort he offered. She slumped and leaned into his embrace. "I know," she whispered. "I'm not embarrassed. I'll hate to have to stand by helplessly and watch while you're--" She faltered and hid her face against his chest.
He stroked her hair, not knowing how to reply. He felt a shiver run through her underneath his hands. Her words evoked grim images in his mind and he pushed them away with an effort. He wasn't about to give up. So far they had survived all kinds of hardships and diseases. They would make it through somehow.
"Hey, hey, we stood up against Reilly and the Council. Little bit of dust isn't going to do us in that easily."
It appeared his determination was contagious. Julia sniffled once and straightened. She suppressed her anxiety; once more she was the competent doctor. She grabbed the glove that lay on the table and turned for the exit. "I'll go talk to Devon now." Her tone made it clear that she didn't relish the conversation.
Alonzo followed her out. The night was quiet, the camp devoid of movement. Everyone was asleep except for Magus, who sat watch. Stars twinkled overhead, their cool glimmer reflecting on the windshield of the TransRover. It seemed so peaceful here, so safe. Yet danger lurked in the shadows; death sneaked up on them and came closer with every step and every whirling grain of sand.
Light-footed they crossed the camp, placing their feet on the ground gingerly as they had learned to do over the past couple of days. They came to Devon's tent, light still burning inside.
Julia called out, "Devon, are you awake?"
Inside someone moved and the tent flap was pulled aside to reveal Yale. Despite his rumpled look and clothes in disarray he managed to uphold his stately poise. "Julia," he said. Surprise washed over his face. "I was just about to get you. It's Uly. He's not feeling well."
Quickly Julia stepped past the older man and entered Devon's tent. Alonzo followed suit. Inside Devon sat on her knees next to Uly's bunk. The boy moaned and shifted. Concern showed on Devon's face as she felt his forehead. She turned at the sound of their voices.
"What's wrong?" Julia asked as she bent over Uly. She stretched out her hand; the diaglove was firmly placed on her arm and she moved it across his body.
"He complained of feeling woozy and nauseous," Devon answered.
Julia nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on the glove. It beeped a quick warning when it finished its examination. She straightened and turned off the glove.
With a last consoling pat on Uly's small hands Devon also got to her feet.
"He's suffering from mineral poisoning," Julia said. "I was about to tell you. This desert is full of metals. Arsenic, mercury, the same stuff used centuries ago to make pesticides. We're ingesting it by breathing, and probably through our skin. It slowly poisons all of us. I've been scanning Alonzo every night and the levels in his blood are rising quickly."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Devon demanded. The worry lines around her mouth deepened and her eyes brightened with consternation. She visibly struggled to keep her voice level.
"Julia didn't want to bother you until absolutely necessary," Alonzo quickly replied.
"I thought that with the precautions we've taken we'd be okay. The poisons are accumulating in our bodies faster than I'd anticipated. And Uly's levels are higher than Alonzo's," Julia added.
"How can that be?" Devon asked. "Because he's so small?"
"That's probably part of it," Julia replied. "I think it also has to do with his Terrian DNA. That absorbs the minerals faster than human DNA."
Devon's eyes narrowed and she scowled. "You're saying that what made him better is now making him sick again?"
"So what can we do?" Alonzo asked, attempting to turn the conversation to more practical matters. Devon turned her attention back to her son. When her eyes met his her features softened and she offered him a soothing smile.
"There isn't much we can do," Julia said. "More people will show the same symptoms soon. We have to get across this wasteland as fast as we can."
She started pacing back and forth in the small tent. "We should put True and Uly in the cabin of the Rover so they'll be exposed as little as possible. We'll all have to drink more water so some of the poison will be flushed out. You'll have to sponge Uly to wash off as much dust as possible. But our water supply won't last longer than two more days..." Her voice trailed off.
The people in the tent were quiet for a while. Everyone mulled over the doctor's disheartening words. Uly's soft whimpering was the only sound that broke the silence.
Yale was the first to speak. "So what you're telling us," he said, "is that if this desert doesn't come to an end soon we'll have a choice between dying of thirst or dying of poison."
TBC
Chapter 5
By the time Magus relieved Alonzo from his watch it was late and the camp was quiet. The heat of the day had dissipated; a welcome coolness replaced the warm air. The sky overhead was clear of clouds and thousands of stars twinkled merrily.
Alonzo rounded the Martin's tent. Soft snoring drifted through the closed flap. The next tent was the one he shared with Julia. Since it doubled as the med tent it was the largest dwelling in the camp. He was mildly intrigued when he noticed a light burning inside despite the late hour. It cast a soft glow against the canvas walls. Julia must have left the light on to make it easier for him to find his way, Alonzo assumed. He tiptoed into the tent quiet as a mouse, expecting the young doctor to be fast asleep on the small cot.
A little surprised, he discovered she was still working. She was hunched over her workbench, fiddling with several sample slides, a concentrated furrow in her brow. He stood silently admiring her for a moment. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, despite her torn and dusty clothing. An untidy ponytail held back her hair. Wisps of it had escaped their bond and hung forward, half covering her face. A warm wave of affection coursed through him and he knew he had it bad for her. He grinned to himself. If someone had told him a year ago he'd care so much for a woman as he did for Julia...
"Doc?" He kept his voice low so as not to alarm the night watch outside.
She jumped at the sound of his voice. The slides slipped from her fingers and scattered on the ground. She pivoted around and glowered at him. He smiled a winning grin in reply to her scowl.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought you'd be asleep by now. I didn't mean to startle you."
"Next time, don't sneak in so quietly," Julia grumbled while she bent to gather up the slides. He crouched to help her.
"What are you doing up working so late anyway?" Alonzo asked her and handed her the samples. She put them back on the table and began to sort them.
"I couldn't sleep," she replied. "It was too hot. And I wanted to get these tests done." She turned towards him. "Alonzo, I'm beginning to understand why the Terrians warned us."
His smile disappeared to be replaced by a serious expression. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"This desert," she continued, "contains various minerals that are poisonous to us when absorbed in larger quantities. Arsenic, tellurium, mercury. A little bit won't do much damage but if collected in the body over a period of time -- I think it's the same for Terrians, even though they are so different from us. I think that's why they told you they call it the sand of death. They can't live here any more than we can. Nothing can."
He nodded slowly. It made sense.
"Have you told Devon?" he asked her.
"No," Julia replied. "I wasn't sure at first and I didn't want to worry her. She's got enough on her mind as it is."
"But you're sure now," Alonzo concluded.
She nodded. "Yes. I still think that if we're careful, keep our faces covered and cross this desert as quickly as we can we should be okay. I'm worried about the amount of particles we breathe in despite the wet rags, though. And it'd be better if we had more water, so we could wash off the dirt every night. The poison probably penetrates our systems through the skin."
Subconsciously he rubbed at his bare forearms before wiping his hands on his clothes. Julia smiled a little when she noticed the gesture. He grinned back at the realization of what he was doing. Her smile never reached her eyes, however, and that worried him more than her words.
She dug up the diaglove from her medical bag and pulled it on, then motioned for Alonzo to sit on the bunk while she switched on the glove.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to scan the mineral levels in your body," she replied and put her fingers to his neck. At the touch of her hand a tingle ran down his spine. Despite the seriousness of the doctor's words he found her gentle touch exciting. He shifted slightly.
She moved her eyes from the glowing display on the glove to his face.
"You're okay," she said. "Everything's within--"
As her blue eyes met his brown ones burning desire unexpectedly rippled through him. Her breath hitched and she halted mid-sentence as she caught the passion that he knew showed clearly on his features. Slowly he drew her to him and kissed her gently. She answered his kiss with an urgency that surprised him. When he lay back on the cot, pulling her with him, they both forgot about trekking across the sand of death for a little while.
* * *
It became part of their daily routine. Every day, after they withdrew to their tent for the night, Julia took out her diaglove and checked Alonzo. And every time her frown deepened. On the fourth night, the glove beeped three times in quick succession. She shook her head in dismay at the results that caused the alarm.
"These levels are rising too quickly," she told him. "I'm gonna have to tell Devon. I also need to scan everyone else, especially the children. And we'll need to use the water. I just hope there's an end to this desert before we run out."
Alonzo nodded. "What about you?" he asked. "Don't you need to test yourself?"
Julia didn't reply right away. Instead, she avoided his eyes and turned towards her worktable. She fiddled with the buttons on the glove. Then she pulled it off her arm and dropped it among the clutter on the table's surface.
"No," she said. "I'm not a typical test case. I'm different." Her voice was so low he had to strain to make out the words. He was about to ask her what she meant when it hit him.
"Your enhanced genes." It wasn't a question.
She nodded in reply, still refusing to look at him. "I'll probably last longer than any of you," she said. "My DNA can break down the minerals faster and better than regular human DNA."
He moved over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said while he gently squeezed her arms.
She stiffened when he touched her but after a moment gave in to the comfort he offered. She slumped and leaned into his embrace. "I know," she whispered. "I'm not embarrassed. I'll hate to have to stand by helplessly and watch while you're--" She faltered and hid her face against his chest.
He stroked her hair, not knowing how to reply. He felt a shiver run through her underneath his hands. Her words evoked grim images in his mind and he pushed them away with an effort. He wasn't about to give up. So far they had survived all kinds of hardships and diseases. They would make it through somehow.
"Hey, hey, we stood up against Reilly and the Council. Little bit of dust isn't going to do us in that easily."
It appeared his determination was contagious. Julia sniffled once and straightened. She suppressed her anxiety; once more she was the competent doctor. She grabbed the glove that lay on the table and turned for the exit. "I'll go talk to Devon now." Her tone made it clear that she didn't relish the conversation.
Alonzo followed her out. The night was quiet, the camp devoid of movement. Everyone was asleep except for Magus, who sat watch. Stars twinkled overhead, their cool glimmer reflecting on the windshield of the TransRover. It seemed so peaceful here, so safe. Yet danger lurked in the shadows; death sneaked up on them and came closer with every step and every whirling grain of sand.
Light-footed they crossed the camp, placing their feet on the ground gingerly as they had learned to do over the past couple of days. They came to Devon's tent, light still burning inside.
Julia called out, "Devon, are you awake?"
Inside someone moved and the tent flap was pulled aside to reveal Yale. Despite his rumpled look and clothes in disarray he managed to uphold his stately poise. "Julia," he said. Surprise washed over his face. "I was just about to get you. It's Uly. He's not feeling well."
Quickly Julia stepped past the older man and entered Devon's tent. Alonzo followed suit. Inside Devon sat on her knees next to Uly's bunk. The boy moaned and shifted. Concern showed on Devon's face as she felt his forehead. She turned at the sound of their voices.
"What's wrong?" Julia asked as she bent over Uly. She stretched out her hand; the diaglove was firmly placed on her arm and she moved it across his body.
"He complained of feeling woozy and nauseous," Devon answered.
Julia nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on the glove. It beeped a quick warning when it finished its examination. She straightened and turned off the glove.
With a last consoling pat on Uly's small hands Devon also got to her feet.
"He's suffering from mineral poisoning," Julia said. "I was about to tell you. This desert is full of metals. Arsenic, mercury, the same stuff used centuries ago to make pesticides. We're ingesting it by breathing, and probably through our skin. It slowly poisons all of us. I've been scanning Alonzo every night and the levels in his blood are rising quickly."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Devon demanded. The worry lines around her mouth deepened and her eyes brightened with consternation. She visibly struggled to keep her voice level.
"Julia didn't want to bother you until absolutely necessary," Alonzo quickly replied.
"I thought that with the precautions we've taken we'd be okay. The poisons are accumulating in our bodies faster than I'd anticipated. And Uly's levels are higher than Alonzo's," Julia added.
"How can that be?" Devon asked. "Because he's so small?"
"That's probably part of it," Julia replied. "I think it also has to do with his Terrian DNA. That absorbs the minerals faster than human DNA."
Devon's eyes narrowed and she scowled. "You're saying that what made him better is now making him sick again?"
"So what can we do?" Alonzo asked, attempting to turn the conversation to more practical matters. Devon turned her attention back to her son. When her eyes met his her features softened and she offered him a soothing smile.
"There isn't much we can do," Julia said. "More people will show the same symptoms soon. We have to get across this wasteland as fast as we can."
She started pacing back and forth in the small tent. "We should put True and Uly in the cabin of the Rover so they'll be exposed as little as possible. We'll all have to drink more water so some of the poison will be flushed out. You'll have to sponge Uly to wash off as much dust as possible. But our water supply won't last longer than two more days..." Her voice trailed off.
The people in the tent were quiet for a while. Everyone mulled over the doctor's disheartening words. Uly's soft whimpering was the only sound that broke the silence.
Yale was the first to speak. "So what you're telling us," he said, "is that if this desert doesn't come to an end soon we'll have a choice between dying of thirst or dying of poison."
TBC