Part II
It was hard to say who ran out of the ship faster--Julia or Alonzo-- but both were going pretty fast. They had a cure--or at least they were close. They had a lead, and surely that would be enough to convince John Danziger to revise his plans, or at least give them a few days' more time.
"Danziger . . . John, I know what wrong with Devon!" Julia exclaimed right out, immediately grabbing the attention of the entire camp. Crates were dropped, tents left to collapse on their own, and dishes clattered as the Eden Advance gathered 'round Julia, Alonzo and Danziger.
At this, the burly mechanic turned, looking quizzically at the doctor. "You what?"
"What? What's wrong with Devon?" Magus broke in, even before Julia could open her mouth to explain.
"Well, I *think* I know what's wrong with Devon," she corrected herself. They still didn't know for sure. "This'll take a while to explain, but . . . "
* * * * * *
The whole group sat in silence, where Julia had sat them all down around the fire circle for her lengthy explanation, once she was finished. No one knew quite how to react. They'd thought their situation completely hopeless, and few had ended up objecting to Danziger's order to move on, despite the discussions of past days.
Noting the hush, Julia ventured, "Any questions?"
"Are we still gonna leave, dad?" True Danziger asked, looking up at her father who sat, stony faced, beside her. "We're not gonna leave her, are we?" Ulysses also looked at him pleadingly.
Closing his eyes, and putting an arm around his daughter, pulling her tight, he asked Julia, "So what are you planning on doing about it?" He had evaded the question . . . but what did they really expect?
It was then that Alonzo stepped forward. Having been silent the whole time, the pilot now felt it was time for his contribution. "If it is true," he looked to Julia, who stood anxiously in the midst of the circle, near where the fire would have been, "that Devon has the Syndrome, then it's possible the Terrians might be willing to heal her, like they did Uly."
"Is that such a bright idea?" Magus interrupted, "We know so little about what the Terrians did to Uly."
"I think it's a great idea!" Uly interjected with enthusiasm. The color was coming back to his face, and he was smiling. Gone was the sad, withdrawn little boy.
Alonzo faced the little boy, dead serious. "Uly, I don't know if they'd be willing to help, though. You've gotta remember that the Terrians are sort of . . . stubborn. And I have no doubt that they'll want something in exchange for Devon's transformation."
"Devon's *what*?!" Danziger practically shouted, startling True who still sat beside him. "Oh no, oh no you don't. You don't just go screwin' around with a woman's DNA while she's asleep! I'm not gonna stand for this!"
"John, it's Devon's only chance," Julia said, through clenched teeth.
She looked about her, at all the members of the Eden Advance, their faces bearing expressions varying from elation to uncertainty. "It may be the only way to save her."
Danziger rose from the log he had been seated on, attempting to stare the doctor down. "I'm not saying your heart is in the wrong place. I'm just sayin' that maybe something this radical isn't necessary--"
"You heard her, John, it's Devon only chance!" Walman cried out in disgust, wondering how the man could be so blind to the obvious. But that was just it; after all, love blinds, and Danziger was almost legal.
"There's no cure for the Syndrome, Danziger," Bess Martin said softly, almost to herself. "There isn't anything less radical."
Julia nodded at the woman's words. "That's right, Bess. Dr. Vasquez researched for nearly 20 years on the subject and he has yet to find anything that does any good." Everyone knew this, of course. After they'd signed on Devon had issued plenty of information; the leftovers of her effort to educate the population of the Stations about her son's condition.
Danziger grimaced, and dragged his fingers through his scraggly mop of curls. "I just . . . I just can't justify doing something like that."
"Well it may not even be possible," Julia exchanged glances with Alonzo, who nodded solemnly. "As I said, it's still just a theory, and even if I'm right we'll still need the Terrians' full cooperation."
"Then, I guess Alonzo should try to talk to them right away," Bess suggested.
Her husband, Morgan, who sat beside her, nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yes, let's get her fixed ASAP, so we can get *outta* this godforsaken territory . . . "
Julia looked to Danziger, their leader in Devon's absence. "Well, John, you *are* going to wait for us to see, right?"
Danziger appeared to pause before answering her, weighing the possibilities. In the end though, he realized that what had to be done, had to be done. "All right."
* * * * * *
"Anything?" Julia asked hopefully as Alonzo's eyes fluttered open. It had been eight hours since she'd administered the sedi-derm and he was just coming around. He'd displayed a great deal of REM activity while down, but that didn't ensure anything.
Alonzo grimaced, sitting himself up on his cot. Uly, Yale, and Bess were also awaiting his report, while Danziger had chosen to wait outside the tent. He still felt a bit groggy; waking up after a sedi-derm isn't as easy as normal. After giving himself a few seconds for his head to clear, he looked to the small group that was gathered in Julia's med/lab tent.
The four of them appeared to be holding their breath, and this was let out in a sigh all at once when he confirmed their fears. "Nothing."
"Oh . . . "
"There's always next time Alonzo, don't lose hope," Bess encouraged him, giving his arm a squeeze. "Maybe . . . maybe the Terrians just aren't in the mood to talk right now." It was obvious from his expression that he didn't take much comfort in her words.
"Bess is right," Julia agreed, moving to his side and giving him a once-over with her diaglove to be sure everything's all right. "I'm sure they'll come around eventually."
Yale's learned face frowned, and he questioned, "What exactly have they been saying?"
Sighing, Alonzo shook his head in resignation. "Whenever I try to ask them about it, they just tell me something like 'It's not the right time'. I don't know, maybe in a few days they'll come around . . . "
"We've been trying for three whole days," Uly mumbled mournfully, resting his elbows in the end of Alonzo's cot. Once again his eyes filled with hopelessness. "But they can help, I know they can . . . "
Just then, the three of them were startled by the sound of the tent flap being thrust aside as John Danziger ducked into the tent. He cast his gaze immediately to Alonzo, whom Julia was serving a cup of water to. "Well?" was all he asked. He hadn't been one to mince words lately.
Julia shook her head negatively, and that was all it took.
"All right, then," he said, sighing. "If you don't hear anything by tomorrow, we're pulling out."
"What?!" Julia exclaimed with horror, thrusting the cup of water into Alonzo's hand and standing up to glare Danziger straight in the eye. "I don't understand what's wrong with you Danziger! We're *this* close to finding the cure, and you *cannot*--you *will not*--make this group move on until I say so!" She'd had just about enough of his macho, man-in-charge business. She didn't give a damn if it was "what Devon wanted", and she would've, under normal circumstances, expected him to feel just the same way. What was going on with John? What was making him act so oddly? It had long been speculated that Danziger had certain . . . feelings . . . for Devon, but one would expect that any *normal* person would want to wait and save her--no matter *how* long it took. But that was just the thing. Any *normal* person. Danziger was far from your typical guy.
Danziger just glared right back, staring her down. "Listen Julia, Devon left *me* in charge. I've given you near three weeks now, and what have you got to show for it?" He cut her off as she began to reply. "No, you haven't got anything. Just a theory that, as far as I see, is damn near impossible."
"It is not impossible! If you would just *listen* for a minute instead of--"
"Would you two stop arguing!!" Yale finally growled angrily. Uly was watching the two adults with confusion in his eyes, and Bess was just stunned. Alonzo's mind was still too fuzzy for it to occur to him to break in. Both Julia and Danziger turned to face the elderly tutor, Devon's closest friend. "None of this is getting us *anywhere*. Danziger, you keep talking about what Devon wants. But did Devon not also instruct you to keep the group together *at any cost*?"
Danziger just stood there, expressionless. Julia sighed guiltily.
"Now listen. We have faith that the Terrians will help. Nothing so far has indicated that they are unwilling. If they're telling us it's not the right time, then we'll just have to wait. Wait for however long it takes. Devon may have wanted this group to make it to New Pacifica, but she did *not* want people to be dragged, unwilling there under someone's stubborn orders!" Yale looked Danziger straight in the eye. "You will give our good doctor *one* week. If we have not heard from the Terrians by then, we will take a vote. *That* is what Devon would have wanted."
That said, Yale took Uly by the hand, and then exited the med/lab tent, leaving Julia and Danziger to swallow that. Bess and Alonzo left soon thereafter.
* * * * * *
"C'mon True girl, time for bed. Did ya brush your teeth?"
It was after dark. The campfire had just disbanded after a silent meal, and Danziger was trying to get his still fully-awake daughter into bed, which was always a trial. Uly, always rather compliant, went straight to his bed and was already sleeping soundly. Neither had spoken a word about his outburst in the med/lab tent earlier that day. In fact, no one in camp had, aside from Danziger's announcing that they would stay put for another week.
"No, come on dad, I thought you promised me a story. I haven't had a story in weeks." True pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair and shook her head, her blond locks falling gracefully over her shoulders. She gave him one of her best smiles, pulling her feet up on her cot to sit cross-legged. "Y'know, with all that's going on lately I could really use a good story . . . " she prodded. "And maybe it'll help you unwind, dad."
Danziger looked at his ten year old daughter from across the tent the two shared. Seeing her puppy-dog face he couldn't help but chuckle a bit; she always had that effect on him. "Nah, True, I'm not really in the mood for storytelling . . . "
"Aw . . . I'm sure you could come up with something," she said, laying down on her cot and pulling the sleeping bag up about her. At his sigh, she shrugged, and gave a yawn. "Please . . . "
"No," he said, moving across the tent to tuck her in and give her a kiss on the forehead. "Why don't we just get some rest. Maybe some other night. I've just got a lot on my mind this evenin'."
True nodded in understanding, patting her father on the shoulder. "It's all right Dad, Devon will be all right. The Terrians'll cure her . . . " She rolled over on her side, closing her eyes, resigned to her fate. "Fix her up right good, like they did for Uly . . . "
Danziger nodded. "Yeah . . . " He turned away, deciding to crawl into his own sleeping bag. Softly, he added, "That's what I'm afraid of."
* * * * * *
It was night on G-889. The twin moons hung in the sky over the Eden Advance camp. A lonely wind blew across the land, rifling the tarps and causing tent flaps to flutter. All the Advancers were asleep, as sleep was the only way to escape from the reality of their situation. At least, for most of them.
Alonzo stood outside his tent, staring blankly up at the star-filled sky. As soon as he fell asleep that night, the Terrians were there to greet him. Expecting their usual brush-offs, he was rather surprised by a different cryptic message this time: "Wake". Moments later he had found himself awake, lying in his cot.
He was distracted by a slight sound coming from the direction of Bennett and Elizabeth's ship. The sound of earth being displaced. Alonzo broke his gaze from the heavens to see what it was. The lumalights hung up at night to ward of marauding creatures illuminated the scene.
Two Terrians burst forth from the ground a few hundred yards away from Alonzo. They immediately headed for the ship's hatch, which Alonzo had opened a few minutes before. He took a deep breath as the two aliens entered the ship.
Minutes passed. Alonzo hoped the Terrians weren't encountering any trouble. Soon, however, they emerged, carrying with them an unconscious and gasping Devon Adair. Alonzo watched as the Terrians supported her in an upright position, then looked downwards, preparing to recede into the earth.
"Good luck, Dev," Alonzo said softly, and turned back to his tent.
* * * * * *
"Devon is *where*?" John Danziger demanded, looking Alonzo straight in the eyes. The man was inches away from his face, and Alonzo was beginning to wonder if he ought to be worried.
"She's with the Terrians," Alonzo returned coolly, daring to look Danziger right back. "We'd already discussed this. It's the only way to save her."
It was early morning and everyone had gathered beneath the tarp for breakfast. It wasn't long before Devon's absence was noted. The entire camp was in uproar until Alonzo awoke and revealed that the Terrians had come for her that night.
"Alonzo, why didn't you wake me up?" Julia asked as she poured some synth-coffee into her mug at the dining table.
He simply shrugged, as if he didn't really know himself. "Well, they dreamed to me, and it didn't sound as if they wanted anyone to interfere."
At that moment, Ulysses trotted up. For the first time in days he actually seemed rather chipper; a smile on his face, his eyes sparkling. He dashed up to the food table, selected a bar of spirulina from the crate, and plopped down on the ground to eat it.
"Hey, Uly, nice to see you up," Danziger smiled at the boy's sudden change in attitude, momentarily distracted from Alonzo's breach of protocol.
"Did you hear about your mom?" Julia inquired of the child.
Uly nodded as he munched on his breakfast. "Yeah, I know. The Terrians told me."
"Well, I guess now we just have to wait for the Terrians to do their part."
"But wait," Bess, who had been sitting by silently, interrupted, "Aren't the Terrians asking for anything in exchange for her healing?"
At this, a slight frown tugged at Alonzo's lips. Then he nodded slowly. "I'd wanted to bring this up later, when you were all thinking more clearly, but yeah, they do want something."
"Well, what is it Alonzo?" Julia asked immediately.
He put aside his mug of coffee, and took a deep breath. "Well, they're not really saying. It could be anything. My guess would be they don't know themselves."
"Or it could mean they don't *want* us to know," Morgan broke in, always first to remind the group that things were not always what they seemed.
"Now, now Morgan, we all want Devon back among the living, so I say whatever it is, I'll be glad to give it if it means she lives." Several others voiced a similar opinion. Danziger just sat there silently, something like a glower upon his face. "What about you, Danziger?" Bess looked to the mechanic.
He made a noise of distaste under his breath, but then grumbled, "Yeah, right, whatever it takes." Though he sounded rather insincere on the outside, within he knew it was what he really wanted. No matter the cost . . .
"Well, then I guess the vote is we make the promise. Any objections?" Julia noted that no one in the group dissented, and so it was decided.
* * * * * *
John Danziger sat alone on the camp's perimeter, whittling a stick absently, his thoughts apparently on other things. Bess had watched Danziger for several months, figured out what made him tick. One had to approach this man carefully, or else risk being shut out. She slowly made her way through the many tents and tarps of the Eden Advance camp, around the back of the hulk of the Venus-class ship, to join him where he sat on the side of the hill beneath the shade of a fir tree.
"Danziger?" she said cautiously as she approached. He looked up at her, then looked back to his whittling dismissively. "I just wanted to let you know that we're saving a serving of spirulina for your breakfast," she motioned back to camp with a smile. "Thought you might like to eat."
His head shook slightly. "Not hungry." He continued his carving, stripping the rough edges off of the stick and casting them onto the ground.
Slowly, she made her way up the slight incline, and crouched beside him, watching him work. It was after several seconds that he ceased his efforts and laid his gaze upon her expectantly. "Yes?" he questioned gruffly.
She shrugged, looking away. "Oh, nothing, just wanted to see what you were up to," she said nonchalantly. He clearly didn't believe her, but wasn't going to let it trouble him. So he went back to his whittling, and moments later he stopped again.
"Listen, Bess, do you mind?"
Bess blinked. "Umm, mind what?"
"I was sort of doing something."
"Oh, oh yes I realize that," she agreed, nodding. "I just thought you might like some company."
He rolled his eyes, pocketing his knife and tossing the stick off into the underbrush. "Well I don't." He rose and strode down the hill and across camp. She watched him for a few moments as he ducked beneath the flap to his tent, then decided she was *not* going to let him escape.
"John! John!" she called after him, trotting through camp. She knocked on the side of his tent when she reached it. "John," she said, tapping on the canvas, "Can I please speak to you?"
She heard a grumble from inside the tent, then a more coherent, "Yeah, sure, c'mon in."
Cautiously, she bent beneath the flap and entered the Danziger tent. John sat on his cot, staring distantly at the roof of the tent, pretending to be indifferent to her presence. She crossed the tent and took a seat opposite him, on True's vacant cot, and gave him a warm smile. "John, there's no need to separate yourself from the rest of the group. We're your friends. This is a hard time, we'll all help you get through this."
He looked at her skeptically, then snorted. "Get through *what* . . . "
Bess shook her head. Such denial. She'd never seen anything like it before. "John, Devon's illness has hit us all pretty hard. You, especially." Realizing he probably wouldn't appreciate that statement much, she added, "I mean, you're left in charge of this group, left with her son--"
"Yale's helpin' with Uly."
"Well yes, of course. But John, that's all going to be over with soon. Devon's going to be healed by the Terrians, and everything will be better." There was that skeptic look again. Curios, Bess probed, "What is it, exactly, that bothers you so much about the Terrians healing Devon?"
He gave her a wry smile, lay back in his cot, and said, "Nice talkin' to you, Bess."
And with a sigh of defeat, Bess left.
It was hard to say who ran out of the ship faster--Julia or Alonzo-- but both were going pretty fast. They had a cure--or at least they were close. They had a lead, and surely that would be enough to convince John Danziger to revise his plans, or at least give them a few days' more time.
"Danziger . . . John, I know what wrong with Devon!" Julia exclaimed right out, immediately grabbing the attention of the entire camp. Crates were dropped, tents left to collapse on their own, and dishes clattered as the Eden Advance gathered 'round Julia, Alonzo and Danziger.
At this, the burly mechanic turned, looking quizzically at the doctor. "You what?"
"What? What's wrong with Devon?" Magus broke in, even before Julia could open her mouth to explain.
"Well, I *think* I know what's wrong with Devon," she corrected herself. They still didn't know for sure. "This'll take a while to explain, but . . . "
* * * * * *
The whole group sat in silence, where Julia had sat them all down around the fire circle for her lengthy explanation, once she was finished. No one knew quite how to react. They'd thought their situation completely hopeless, and few had ended up objecting to Danziger's order to move on, despite the discussions of past days.
Noting the hush, Julia ventured, "Any questions?"
"Are we still gonna leave, dad?" True Danziger asked, looking up at her father who sat, stony faced, beside her. "We're not gonna leave her, are we?" Ulysses also looked at him pleadingly.
Closing his eyes, and putting an arm around his daughter, pulling her tight, he asked Julia, "So what are you planning on doing about it?" He had evaded the question . . . but what did they really expect?
It was then that Alonzo stepped forward. Having been silent the whole time, the pilot now felt it was time for his contribution. "If it is true," he looked to Julia, who stood anxiously in the midst of the circle, near where the fire would have been, "that Devon has the Syndrome, then it's possible the Terrians might be willing to heal her, like they did Uly."
"Is that such a bright idea?" Magus interrupted, "We know so little about what the Terrians did to Uly."
"I think it's a great idea!" Uly interjected with enthusiasm. The color was coming back to his face, and he was smiling. Gone was the sad, withdrawn little boy.
Alonzo faced the little boy, dead serious. "Uly, I don't know if they'd be willing to help, though. You've gotta remember that the Terrians are sort of . . . stubborn. And I have no doubt that they'll want something in exchange for Devon's transformation."
"Devon's *what*?!" Danziger practically shouted, startling True who still sat beside him. "Oh no, oh no you don't. You don't just go screwin' around with a woman's DNA while she's asleep! I'm not gonna stand for this!"
"John, it's Devon's only chance," Julia said, through clenched teeth.
She looked about her, at all the members of the Eden Advance, their faces bearing expressions varying from elation to uncertainty. "It may be the only way to save her."
Danziger rose from the log he had been seated on, attempting to stare the doctor down. "I'm not saying your heart is in the wrong place. I'm just sayin' that maybe something this radical isn't necessary--"
"You heard her, John, it's Devon only chance!" Walman cried out in disgust, wondering how the man could be so blind to the obvious. But that was just it; after all, love blinds, and Danziger was almost legal.
"There's no cure for the Syndrome, Danziger," Bess Martin said softly, almost to herself. "There isn't anything less radical."
Julia nodded at the woman's words. "That's right, Bess. Dr. Vasquez researched for nearly 20 years on the subject and he has yet to find anything that does any good." Everyone knew this, of course. After they'd signed on Devon had issued plenty of information; the leftovers of her effort to educate the population of the Stations about her son's condition.
Danziger grimaced, and dragged his fingers through his scraggly mop of curls. "I just . . . I just can't justify doing something like that."
"Well it may not even be possible," Julia exchanged glances with Alonzo, who nodded solemnly. "As I said, it's still just a theory, and even if I'm right we'll still need the Terrians' full cooperation."
"Then, I guess Alonzo should try to talk to them right away," Bess suggested.
Her husband, Morgan, who sat beside her, nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yes, let's get her fixed ASAP, so we can get *outta* this godforsaken territory . . . "
Julia looked to Danziger, their leader in Devon's absence. "Well, John, you *are* going to wait for us to see, right?"
Danziger appeared to pause before answering her, weighing the possibilities. In the end though, he realized that what had to be done, had to be done. "All right."
* * * * * *
"Anything?" Julia asked hopefully as Alonzo's eyes fluttered open. It had been eight hours since she'd administered the sedi-derm and he was just coming around. He'd displayed a great deal of REM activity while down, but that didn't ensure anything.
Alonzo grimaced, sitting himself up on his cot. Uly, Yale, and Bess were also awaiting his report, while Danziger had chosen to wait outside the tent. He still felt a bit groggy; waking up after a sedi-derm isn't as easy as normal. After giving himself a few seconds for his head to clear, he looked to the small group that was gathered in Julia's med/lab tent.
The four of them appeared to be holding their breath, and this was let out in a sigh all at once when he confirmed their fears. "Nothing."
"Oh . . . "
"There's always next time Alonzo, don't lose hope," Bess encouraged him, giving his arm a squeeze. "Maybe . . . maybe the Terrians just aren't in the mood to talk right now." It was obvious from his expression that he didn't take much comfort in her words.
"Bess is right," Julia agreed, moving to his side and giving him a once-over with her diaglove to be sure everything's all right. "I'm sure they'll come around eventually."
Yale's learned face frowned, and he questioned, "What exactly have they been saying?"
Sighing, Alonzo shook his head in resignation. "Whenever I try to ask them about it, they just tell me something like 'It's not the right time'. I don't know, maybe in a few days they'll come around . . . "
"We've been trying for three whole days," Uly mumbled mournfully, resting his elbows in the end of Alonzo's cot. Once again his eyes filled with hopelessness. "But they can help, I know they can . . . "
Just then, the three of them were startled by the sound of the tent flap being thrust aside as John Danziger ducked into the tent. He cast his gaze immediately to Alonzo, whom Julia was serving a cup of water to. "Well?" was all he asked. He hadn't been one to mince words lately.
Julia shook her head negatively, and that was all it took.
"All right, then," he said, sighing. "If you don't hear anything by tomorrow, we're pulling out."
"What?!" Julia exclaimed with horror, thrusting the cup of water into Alonzo's hand and standing up to glare Danziger straight in the eye. "I don't understand what's wrong with you Danziger! We're *this* close to finding the cure, and you *cannot*--you *will not*--make this group move on until I say so!" She'd had just about enough of his macho, man-in-charge business. She didn't give a damn if it was "what Devon wanted", and she would've, under normal circumstances, expected him to feel just the same way. What was going on with John? What was making him act so oddly? It had long been speculated that Danziger had certain . . . feelings . . . for Devon, but one would expect that any *normal* person would want to wait and save her--no matter *how* long it took. But that was just the thing. Any *normal* person. Danziger was far from your typical guy.
Danziger just glared right back, staring her down. "Listen Julia, Devon left *me* in charge. I've given you near three weeks now, and what have you got to show for it?" He cut her off as she began to reply. "No, you haven't got anything. Just a theory that, as far as I see, is damn near impossible."
"It is not impossible! If you would just *listen* for a minute instead of--"
"Would you two stop arguing!!" Yale finally growled angrily. Uly was watching the two adults with confusion in his eyes, and Bess was just stunned. Alonzo's mind was still too fuzzy for it to occur to him to break in. Both Julia and Danziger turned to face the elderly tutor, Devon's closest friend. "None of this is getting us *anywhere*. Danziger, you keep talking about what Devon wants. But did Devon not also instruct you to keep the group together *at any cost*?"
Danziger just stood there, expressionless. Julia sighed guiltily.
"Now listen. We have faith that the Terrians will help. Nothing so far has indicated that they are unwilling. If they're telling us it's not the right time, then we'll just have to wait. Wait for however long it takes. Devon may have wanted this group to make it to New Pacifica, but she did *not* want people to be dragged, unwilling there under someone's stubborn orders!" Yale looked Danziger straight in the eye. "You will give our good doctor *one* week. If we have not heard from the Terrians by then, we will take a vote. *That* is what Devon would have wanted."
That said, Yale took Uly by the hand, and then exited the med/lab tent, leaving Julia and Danziger to swallow that. Bess and Alonzo left soon thereafter.
* * * * * *
"C'mon True girl, time for bed. Did ya brush your teeth?"
It was after dark. The campfire had just disbanded after a silent meal, and Danziger was trying to get his still fully-awake daughter into bed, which was always a trial. Uly, always rather compliant, went straight to his bed and was already sleeping soundly. Neither had spoken a word about his outburst in the med/lab tent earlier that day. In fact, no one in camp had, aside from Danziger's announcing that they would stay put for another week.
"No, come on dad, I thought you promised me a story. I haven't had a story in weeks." True pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair and shook her head, her blond locks falling gracefully over her shoulders. She gave him one of her best smiles, pulling her feet up on her cot to sit cross-legged. "Y'know, with all that's going on lately I could really use a good story . . . " she prodded. "And maybe it'll help you unwind, dad."
Danziger looked at his ten year old daughter from across the tent the two shared. Seeing her puppy-dog face he couldn't help but chuckle a bit; she always had that effect on him. "Nah, True, I'm not really in the mood for storytelling . . . "
"Aw . . . I'm sure you could come up with something," she said, laying down on her cot and pulling the sleeping bag up about her. At his sigh, she shrugged, and gave a yawn. "Please . . . "
"No," he said, moving across the tent to tuck her in and give her a kiss on the forehead. "Why don't we just get some rest. Maybe some other night. I've just got a lot on my mind this evenin'."
True nodded in understanding, patting her father on the shoulder. "It's all right Dad, Devon will be all right. The Terrians'll cure her . . . " She rolled over on her side, closing her eyes, resigned to her fate. "Fix her up right good, like they did for Uly . . . "
Danziger nodded. "Yeah . . . " He turned away, deciding to crawl into his own sleeping bag. Softly, he added, "That's what I'm afraid of."
* * * * * *
It was night on G-889. The twin moons hung in the sky over the Eden Advance camp. A lonely wind blew across the land, rifling the tarps and causing tent flaps to flutter. All the Advancers were asleep, as sleep was the only way to escape from the reality of their situation. At least, for most of them.
Alonzo stood outside his tent, staring blankly up at the star-filled sky. As soon as he fell asleep that night, the Terrians were there to greet him. Expecting their usual brush-offs, he was rather surprised by a different cryptic message this time: "Wake". Moments later he had found himself awake, lying in his cot.
He was distracted by a slight sound coming from the direction of Bennett and Elizabeth's ship. The sound of earth being displaced. Alonzo broke his gaze from the heavens to see what it was. The lumalights hung up at night to ward of marauding creatures illuminated the scene.
Two Terrians burst forth from the ground a few hundred yards away from Alonzo. They immediately headed for the ship's hatch, which Alonzo had opened a few minutes before. He took a deep breath as the two aliens entered the ship.
Minutes passed. Alonzo hoped the Terrians weren't encountering any trouble. Soon, however, they emerged, carrying with them an unconscious and gasping Devon Adair. Alonzo watched as the Terrians supported her in an upright position, then looked downwards, preparing to recede into the earth.
"Good luck, Dev," Alonzo said softly, and turned back to his tent.
* * * * * *
"Devon is *where*?" John Danziger demanded, looking Alonzo straight in the eyes. The man was inches away from his face, and Alonzo was beginning to wonder if he ought to be worried.
"She's with the Terrians," Alonzo returned coolly, daring to look Danziger right back. "We'd already discussed this. It's the only way to save her."
It was early morning and everyone had gathered beneath the tarp for breakfast. It wasn't long before Devon's absence was noted. The entire camp was in uproar until Alonzo awoke and revealed that the Terrians had come for her that night.
"Alonzo, why didn't you wake me up?" Julia asked as she poured some synth-coffee into her mug at the dining table.
He simply shrugged, as if he didn't really know himself. "Well, they dreamed to me, and it didn't sound as if they wanted anyone to interfere."
At that moment, Ulysses trotted up. For the first time in days he actually seemed rather chipper; a smile on his face, his eyes sparkling. He dashed up to the food table, selected a bar of spirulina from the crate, and plopped down on the ground to eat it.
"Hey, Uly, nice to see you up," Danziger smiled at the boy's sudden change in attitude, momentarily distracted from Alonzo's breach of protocol.
"Did you hear about your mom?" Julia inquired of the child.
Uly nodded as he munched on his breakfast. "Yeah, I know. The Terrians told me."
"Well, I guess now we just have to wait for the Terrians to do their part."
"But wait," Bess, who had been sitting by silently, interrupted, "Aren't the Terrians asking for anything in exchange for her healing?"
At this, a slight frown tugged at Alonzo's lips. Then he nodded slowly. "I'd wanted to bring this up later, when you were all thinking more clearly, but yeah, they do want something."
"Well, what is it Alonzo?" Julia asked immediately.
He put aside his mug of coffee, and took a deep breath. "Well, they're not really saying. It could be anything. My guess would be they don't know themselves."
"Or it could mean they don't *want* us to know," Morgan broke in, always first to remind the group that things were not always what they seemed.
"Now, now Morgan, we all want Devon back among the living, so I say whatever it is, I'll be glad to give it if it means she lives." Several others voiced a similar opinion. Danziger just sat there silently, something like a glower upon his face. "What about you, Danziger?" Bess looked to the mechanic.
He made a noise of distaste under his breath, but then grumbled, "Yeah, right, whatever it takes." Though he sounded rather insincere on the outside, within he knew it was what he really wanted. No matter the cost . . .
"Well, then I guess the vote is we make the promise. Any objections?" Julia noted that no one in the group dissented, and so it was decided.
* * * * * *
John Danziger sat alone on the camp's perimeter, whittling a stick absently, his thoughts apparently on other things. Bess had watched Danziger for several months, figured out what made him tick. One had to approach this man carefully, or else risk being shut out. She slowly made her way through the many tents and tarps of the Eden Advance camp, around the back of the hulk of the Venus-class ship, to join him where he sat on the side of the hill beneath the shade of a fir tree.
"Danziger?" she said cautiously as she approached. He looked up at her, then looked back to his whittling dismissively. "I just wanted to let you know that we're saving a serving of spirulina for your breakfast," she motioned back to camp with a smile. "Thought you might like to eat."
His head shook slightly. "Not hungry." He continued his carving, stripping the rough edges off of the stick and casting them onto the ground.
Slowly, she made her way up the slight incline, and crouched beside him, watching him work. It was after several seconds that he ceased his efforts and laid his gaze upon her expectantly. "Yes?" he questioned gruffly.
She shrugged, looking away. "Oh, nothing, just wanted to see what you were up to," she said nonchalantly. He clearly didn't believe her, but wasn't going to let it trouble him. So he went back to his whittling, and moments later he stopped again.
"Listen, Bess, do you mind?"
Bess blinked. "Umm, mind what?"
"I was sort of doing something."
"Oh, oh yes I realize that," she agreed, nodding. "I just thought you might like some company."
He rolled his eyes, pocketing his knife and tossing the stick off into the underbrush. "Well I don't." He rose and strode down the hill and across camp. She watched him for a few moments as he ducked beneath the flap to his tent, then decided she was *not* going to let him escape.
"John! John!" she called after him, trotting through camp. She knocked on the side of his tent when she reached it. "John," she said, tapping on the canvas, "Can I please speak to you?"
She heard a grumble from inside the tent, then a more coherent, "Yeah, sure, c'mon in."
Cautiously, she bent beneath the flap and entered the Danziger tent. John sat on his cot, staring distantly at the roof of the tent, pretending to be indifferent to her presence. She crossed the tent and took a seat opposite him, on True's vacant cot, and gave him a warm smile. "John, there's no need to separate yourself from the rest of the group. We're your friends. This is a hard time, we'll all help you get through this."
He looked at her skeptically, then snorted. "Get through *what* . . . "
Bess shook her head. Such denial. She'd never seen anything like it before. "John, Devon's illness has hit us all pretty hard. You, especially." Realizing he probably wouldn't appreciate that statement much, she added, "I mean, you're left in charge of this group, left with her son--"
"Yale's helpin' with Uly."
"Well yes, of course. But John, that's all going to be over with soon. Devon's going to be healed by the Terrians, and everything will be better." There was that skeptic look again. Curios, Bess probed, "What is it, exactly, that bothers you so much about the Terrians healing Devon?"
He gave her a wry smile, lay back in his cot, and said, "Nice talkin' to you, Bess."
And with a sigh of defeat, Bess left.