Stepping Stones
By Joan Powers
Chapter 4 The Investigation Part 2
"It's not fair. He has two kids all ready" Bess complained to her husband as she changed for bed. She was on the verge of tears.
Morgan was surprised - almost shocked in fact, his wife was not usually this easily disturbed. He realized that these nightmares had been disturbing his wife's equilibrium and that this issue had been the last straw. Though he was equally tired and irritable (and secretly glad that the suspicious young boy would not be staying with them), he sincerely loved his wife and wanted to console her,
"Were you ever a ten year old boy, Bess?" he asked gently. "He just wants to be with the other kids, who are close to his age." She sat on their cot next to her husband, tears beginning to trickle down her cheek,
"But Paul spent part of this evening with Danziger, without the other kids."
He was inclined to believe that she was over-reacting on that issue. The boy had briefly followed Danziger about the camp as the older man performed some of his duties. But rather than argue the point he put his arm around his wife, "Honey, a young boy identifies with his dad. And maybe Danziger just happens to remind him of his father. That doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with you." He pulled his wife closer to him to whisper in her ear, "You know I think you're pretty special."
Bess softly replied, "Thanks Morgan." She nestled her head against his chest.
After several minutes, the couple lay down on their bed, and adjusted themselves to become more comfortable. Bess was starting to feel a little better. Now if she could just stay awake until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore perhaps she could avoid that horrible dream. She abruptly pulled her head back from her husband's chest, "Morgan"
"Hmm.."
"Honey, I told you about my dream, but I don't know what yours is."
He evaded her, "It's not the same as yours."
"So..." encouraging him to open up.
"Umm...do you remember I made that comment about the Dream Plane amplifying our fears?" She nodded. "That's what I dream of."
"Come on Morgan, you have to tell me. I'm you're wife" she urged sensing his reluctance.
"It's more of a feeling than an event. I feel...confined...trapped. Like my motions are very limited." He paused, hesitant to continue, "Remember what happened with Commander O'Neal?"
"The Koba?"
"No, that we mistakenly buried him alive. I had nightmares for weeks about it, so I figured this bout was more of the same." And it was a horrible reminder of some of the sensations of his own near death experience as well.
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Bess, Denner, and True were just about finished cataloguing the contents of their first unit. In addition to the toys that Bess had discovered, True had found some children's clothing in the crates by the beds in the main room. Yet, all of the skeletal remains discovered thus far had been of adults.
"Where are the kids?" True wondered.
"Maybe they grew up and this is old stuff?" Denner suggested.
Bess disagreed, "There's not much storage space in any of these units. And we found these clothes in easy access positions, not where I would be likely to place items for long term storage. Even though this group seemed to have more resources than we do, they would probably have to recycle clothes about their community just like we do."
"We could still use these" True indicated as she held up a pair of blue overalls. They seemed close to her size.
"I agree. Why don't you set aside the clothes you like then select our next target?"
After quickly making her selections, True left with Denner. Bess activated her gear to complete her report,
"Completing Unit 1 inventory, far north side of camp. This unit consists of two rooms and items listed in File C1. Observations: Although no human remains were discovered in this unit, it does give the appearance that the occupants were not planning to be gone long - the remains of the preparations for a long overdue meal were in the kitchen. The items in this unit seem not to have been disturbed as far as we can tell. The presence of children's items and two rooms leads me to conclude that a small family must have lived here."
She prepared to leave and notify Baines that he and his crew could check out this unit, giving the room a final glance. She chuckled to herself, Leave it to a Station dweller to design a home with no windows and no aesthetic beauty what so ever. She hoped that Devon's plans for New Pacifica housing would incorporate more of the natural beauty of this environment.
As she removed her gear from her head, an older version of the device caught her eye. She quickly looked back to her own - they were pretty similar. While her husband would probably be finding most of the official information they needed on the larger communication computer, it wouldn't hurt to see if she could uncover some additional details. She grabbed the older model, adjusted it on her head and proceeded to fiddle with the controls. While she wasn't able to access any video display, the audio relay was functional,
/Personal log: Marie(static)
I'm so excited. Our experiments with the new strains of wheat arewell. At this rate, we'll be able to plant the new stock within a few months and possibly double our food supply before winter. Not like the fiasco is my Georgie's birthday. It won't be like home -no trips to the zoo or big parties. But life is good here. He's going to have opportunities that I never dreamed of as a child.and he won't miss what he never really knew. We'll have a party of sorts for him. I'm going to whip up a special meal he'll never truly realize how lucky he is to live in such a close knit community where each member trusts and depends on one another. Not like the Stations. I don't regret having left.
Personal log: Marietta Anderson; Day 1080
We had another encounter with the natives today. As usual, they sprouted out of the ground without warning and strolled about the center of our village making those odd noises. Weller and Taimes have been trying for quite some time to analyze the sounds to attempt to learn their language but they haven't had much success. It's very frustrating that we still haven't been able to establish any method in which to communicate with the creatures. For the most part they have been non-threatening, they just periodically appear and wander about our camp - studying us. Adams and Grant are especially curious about these native inhabitants and have been going on scouting trips to further study the creatures and investigate the caves which they live in. The rest of us have too much other work to do. At least the tall creatures are better than those others. Those monsters are terribly strong and robbed us of all those supplies. Thanks to them several members of our colony starved to death last winter. While Emily sincerely believes that these creatures have souls and are intelligent beings, I don't consider them to be friendly or trustworthy.
Person Marietta And Day 1085
Today we had some problems with our containment field, but fortunately Ron really knows his stuff. Thank God most of us are highly trained professionals. I wonder how the Station is surviving without us. (She laughs.) The kids are feeling sick again. I'll have to take them by the doctor. I'm so glad that she's here. It was awful not having a doctor for so long. She claims that we all are still building up new antibodies to the various micro-organisms on this planet and that would account for why many of us have been battling minor ailments lately. I'm still not sure /
Bess continued to press buttons on the gear set. She had no manner in which to systematically recall the files, but information was information. She wished she could have seen Georgie's party. It was apparent to Bess that this woman loved her child dearly and seemed pleased to be on this planet.
After a few more combinations, she accessed another segment of the journal. As she listened, her face became pale.
XXXXXXXX
While Danziger, Magus and Walman were scanning the perimeter of the nuclear waste containment field with Geiger counters, Uly and Paul were exploring an adjacent area. Periodically Danziger sternly glanced over to check on the boys to ensure that they didn't wander off.
"So what's it like where you're from?" Uly prodded Paul.
Despite the groups' repeated attempts to obtain factual information from Paul about his party, the boy refused to open up and became very agitated upon extended questioning. He insisted that his parents were alive but offered no explanation as to their location. Thus the majority had concluded that the boy's parents and group members must have died and that the boy was too upset to talk about it.
Paul began to brag to Uly, "Have you ever seen a horse? I have one at my home which I get to ride and take care of. My Mom says I'm a great rider."
Uly paused, remembering his brief interlude with his horse Pegasus. With the innocence of youth he briefly hoped that maybe his horse was still alive and they could be reunited one day. But that hope was rapidly extinguished by the burgeoning adult within him which scoffed at such childishness. With the collapse of his mother, the walls of childhood were beginning to crumble to be replaced with adolescent skepticism.
Despite his cockiness, he liked Paul. It was great to have another boy to play with and talk about guy stuff. Not to be shown up he replied, "Yeah, I had a horse. I watched him grow up overnight from a frozen embryo. He was great - he loved me best. I just knew it."
Continuing their game Paul added, "Well, I bet you've never been on a sled ride."
"Have too - I've done it. Yale made me a sled for my birthday and my Mom showed me how to use it."
"Where I live we have enough kids to play baseball. I can hit a home run." Paul abruptly closed his mouth then swiftly changed the subject. "How do you stand the nightmares here?"
Uly shrugged. "I don't know. I just try not to think about them."
"What do you dream about?" Paul had heard Uly crying last night. He knew the boy's dreams were as bad as his own. But Uly didn't want to share. Paul sincerely liked Uly and wanted to engage the boy's confidence, "I'll tell you what I dreamed about. That something bad happened to my Mom and I would never get to see her again."
Pain flashed across Uly's eyes, "That's pretty bad."
Paul continued, "Where are your Mom and Dad?"
Uly briefly explained about his mother's illness.
"So Mr. Danziger isn't your Dad?" Uly shook his head. Paul smiled, "He's neat."
"I think so too. Will you really get to see your Mom and Dad again?"
Paul stuck to the same story determinedly thrusting out his chin, "Of course."
Uly tried to probe deeper. Since he and Paul were becoming fast friends maybe he would share his secret with him, "They didn't die or leave you?"
The boy's lower lip began to tremble as he vehemently denied, "Of course not!"
XXXXXXX
While taking a break from their respective tasks, Julia and Alonzo entered a room just off of the main communication area to seek out some privacy. As the door swung shut behind them, Alonzo pulled Julia to him and held her tightly. He closed his eyes and caressed the small of her back with one of his hands, still amazed by how much he loved and needed her. Her relentless persecution of herself was draining to him as well as her. As worn down as he felt, he could probably spend all day just holding her, but Julia was charged with nervous energy and unable to hold still long. Breaking away from him she began pacing the room,
"Anything new?"
He shook his head but replied confidently, "The operating system has been damaged but Morgan and Yale think they've figured out a way to get it functioning. We'll have information before the end of the day. How about you?"
She shrugged, "What's there to say? This room served as their medical facility so I just started exploring it. Their equipment is pretty crude by modern standards. So far I've found some salvageable supplies, but the medical records must have been stored in the main communications computer." She had been impatiently waiting for Morgan to announce that the system was operational. At least that guy is good for something, she thought rather uncharitably. "I'm tempted to believe that these people died of some sickness rather than any outside force, but...I'm only guessing."
He grinned as he reminded her, "Sometimes you have to fly by the seat of your pants love."
She sighed, aware that he wasn't saying anything new. His former accusation, "Haven't you learned anything from this planet?" echoed in her mind. This was an issue which they had argued over multiple times - their different views of the world. She knew that sometimes you had to take a chance. It was just awfully difficult for her to accept. It went against her training and her very nature. There was always a logical and scientific way to approach problems...and to minimize risk. Jumping in impetuously usually lead to trouble, she had often reminded her young lover.
She wandered to the other side of the room to avoid Alonzo's gaze. She didn't have the energy to get into this discussion with him today. She rubbed her temples, her head ached. This continual lack of sleep was giving her horrendous headaches.
Alonzo had recognized Julia's ploy, so he let her play her game. He began to walk about the room, "Hey Julia, what is this thing?"
He had moved a piece of equipment which was obstructing some type of door with n electronic keypad attached to it. Julia crossed the room, she hadn't noticed that item earlier. As she grew closer, her heart began to pound furiously. "Oh my God! Alonzo - do you know what this is?"
He immediately responded to the excitement in Julia's tone. "What?"
She wiped the transparent window in the door with her shirt tail and peeked inside. Wide eyed, she explained, "This is a cold storage unit."
"You mean like the cold sleep chambers on the ship?"
"No, no person would be able to survive in one of these. It's like a big refrigerator. And look inside."
Alonzo pressed his face against the window to see...It couldn't be...It was human corpses. He felt unsettled by the sight. "Why wouldn't they just bury the dead? I don't understand"
Julia rushed to explain, "If there was some disease that was affecting them, they would have to burn the bodies to ensure that they had killed whatever micro organisms caused the disease as well. These specimens were possibly preserved so the doctor could learn more about the disease and how to save the others."
She was so thrilled she could hardly stand still and practically yelled, "Do you know what this means? We could have human tissue to assay. We have almost a hundred years on their medical equipment where significant advances in diagnosing micro organisms have been made. We may be able to determine what they died of."
And with this information she could save her friend's life - one of the first people to believe in her abilities as a physician. She threw her arms around Alonzo and kissed him soundly.
XXXXXXX
Bess approached Yale who was taking a break, sitting on the ground in the afternoon sun while resting his back against the large main facility wall. She crouched down onto the ground beside him, "Having any luck?"
"Not yet. It's taking us a while to get the system up. I believe we'll have it figured out within a few hours. Your husband is pretty talented."
Her brief smile was rapidly replaced by a concerned frown. "Yale, I need to know something. Do you remember any of the information that you had access to while you were linked to Eve?"
"Unfortunately, due to the crudeness of our hook up and the power surges Eve experienced, large portions of those files were distorted or destroyed. Were you interested in anything in particular?"
Bess opened her backpack to pull out her gear. She had been making backups of the excerpts of Marietta Anderson's log so she could be sure to recall the portions she needed it. "I found parts of a personal journal. I can't tell much about the time sequence of the passages and a lot of the audio quality is poor, but I want you to listen to something." She activated her gear as Yale leaned forward,
/They don't know what's going on either. I hate to tell Peter, but I don't think I believe them anymore. They don't look as sick as the rest of us - the original colonists. But he wouldn't want me to say such things because it would upset the others. I just can't stand not knowing what to do. Georgie and Emily are tired and crying and I don't know what to do to help them. This doesn't seem like any of the other infections that we have battled. I feel so dizzy and disoriented, like I'm going to pass out half of the time. It's so difficult to concentrate. doing a screen for All I can say is Dr. Anson better be working as hard as she claims to be/
Yale's eyes widened as he listened to the recording. He began to play back his mind's eye to try to review the data he was exposed to while linked to Eve. Despite numerous blank spaces, within minutes he caught a relevant passage. As he replayed the section his own response vibrated in his head, I can see them. I can see the others, their settlements, their children. They're dying! They're all dying!
Bess grasped Yale's arm, startled by the shocked expression on his face, "What did you see? Can you show me?" Using his holographic projection attachment - a compilation of images flashed by in a matter of seconds - buildings, crops, people, their children; then sick children, burning corpses, fainting individuals and those sick in bed - pale and dying.
Yale and Bess exchanged horrified glances. Maybe the planet never had been their true foe.
To be continued in Stepping Stones: Deceptions Chapters 5&6