Part 11
Dylan observed the people around him, time was running out and he knew Beka was in no mood to hang around. He was also aware that Cutter, the local thug, could show at any moment to mess up his plans. No one seemed to be in any hurry to leave, and he then noticed Tolek, the woman who had been helping him, in a heated discussion with someone he didn't recognise.
"Lon," Dylan spoke up getting Tolek's brother's attention. "Who is that with your sister?"
"That's Lucas, one of the outsiders who live away from the camp," Lon stopped his work and stood with Dylan. "He's been harassing my sister for a few weeks wanting some of the curing oil, but we don't give it to those who chose to live outside of our community."
"He seems pretty desperate for it, why not share?" Dylan was confused. "We haven't got time to hang around discussing this sort of thing."
"It's not for us to encourage those who chose to live outside the community," Lon answered.
"Well should I ask him to leave? We all need to be moving pretty soon," Dylan suggested.
"Sure, maybe you'll have some luck in getting rid of Lucas where we have so far failed," Lon agreed casually, and Dylan used that as an excuse to walk over to where the discussion was happening.
"Please, Tolek, I would not be here if it wasn't important, my sister wants this man to live, and I want my sister to be happy," Lucas begged.
"Do you want this man to live?" Tolek questioned.
"That's not important," Lucas returned. "Look, just give me enough that my sister can feel she's at least tried to help, this guy is rapidly falling to the disease unlike our people, he's different from us and the illness is consuming him."
Dylan stopped close to them and it was enough of a distraction for Tolek. "Dylan, I was just telling this man to leave," she gestured. "He is soon to join those mining the caves, but you might have saved him that honour, to which I'm sure he'll be grateful to you for."
"What do you mean?" Lucas looked at Dylan unsure.
"We're all leaving, though whether we have time to rally the outsiders I'm not sure," Tolek offered. "Maybe you coming here was fate," she suggested without emotion.
"Leaving, you mean off this planet?" Lucas checked. "You're all going just like that, what about the miners?"
"They are coming too, everyone in this community is preparing to leave," Tolek stated and briefly smiled at Dylan. "Thanks to this man."
"We have a ship landing within the hour, and you are welcome to join us," Dylan stated and saw the look of joy in the man's features that quickly turned into a frown. "My sister won't leave, not whilst the man she is treating is ill."
"I can not give you the oil, I have told you countless times, Lucas," Tolek's patience was wearing thin. "I need to concentrate on the move, and I can't be dealing with this."
"Please, I beg," Lucas tried again. "If you are leaving then why take a cure you will no longer need with you?"
"The man has a point," Dylan stated.
Tolek hesitated and looked at Dylan. "For generations we have kept the oil within the community, and only for those within the community to use."
"You used it on me, and I am not a part of your community," Dylan reminded her.
"You have a special glow, it felt right to use it on you, to save your life and I have been proven right by my decision," Tolek justified.
"How do you know the man Lucas speaks off isn't like me, and in need of saving, he has already said this man is not like you, I can assume he knows nothing of the community, so why deny him a chance to live?" Dylan asked.
"We're wasting time," Tolek fussed now.
"So give me the bottle, and I will send Lucas on his way," Dylan suggested.
"It's not right to give it to an outsider," Tolek complained.
"He has a desire to leave, and if he does will he still be an outsider, if he chooses to join you?" Dylan persisted, seeing Lucas hanging onto his every word with hope.
"You do not know this man, Dylan, there is a reason he is an outsider," Tolek admitted.
"So you deny another man a cure due to your prejudices against this man?" Dylan questioned.
"It's not like that," Tolek was quick to return.
"It's exactly like that, it's why my sister refuses to come and ask for this oil herself, she can't stand the two faced nature of 'the community'," Lucas partially snapped. "Look, you know what, forget it I'll let the man die, I only brought him here to kill him myself so just forget it, let my sister suffer as she's forced to watch the stranger die, if that's what you want."
"It's not what I want," Tolek quietly spoke.
"Then give me the oil, there's nothing stopping me giving it to this man," Dylan spoke calmly.
Tolek moved towards Dylan and put the bottle of oil into the palm of his hand. "I'll continue with the plans here, maybe you should go with Lucas, he'll need help if he's to join us in time," she simply said. "Don't give him the oil, I'm giving it to you to do with what you wish," she stated, having found a way around the problem.
"I understand," Dylan smiled. "Thanks."
"Thanks, you know I love my sister dearly and it's been killing me seeing her so wrapped up in this guys' suffering, your actions mean the world to me, Tolek," Lucas offered sincerely, and then gestured to Dylan to follow him.
"Do you miss him?"
"Harper?"
"Yeah," Sembler asked as he absently wiped down the bar top. Doyle stood next to him, assisting him in serving the patrons of the bar on Seefra One. "He lost his mind, no other reason I can see."
"I still think about him, and what happened to him but I notice he's not here everyday," Doyle answered.
"So you miss him," Sembler deducted.
"He betrayed me."
"Didn't you say he could have been protecting you? Just as I am now, tech police or not, if these people found out you were not of flesh and blood, we'd have a riot on our hands, they've grown up to fear tech," Sembler whispered.
"Then why do you not fear me, I told you and you didn't seem too freaked out," Doyle asked.
"I guess I wasn't surprised," Sembler shrugged. "Ok, I didn't know Harper all that well, just the few meetings, and a couple of wild nights drinking that we had in the tech underground zones, but I knew him well enough to know that when it came to tech he knew the score," Sembler stressed.
"Seems I was the only one who was surprised," Doyle decided with a frown. "Because that's what he wanted, it was his will."
"Doyle, sweetheart, you have to stop thinking like this, especially if Harper is dead," Sembler advised. "You do not suit mean and nasty, you're too nice and you're the person you are because of you, and because of Harper, because he wanted you to be a nice person and that's not a crime."
"I just wish I knew where he was," Doyle admitted. "I still have this instinct to protect him and that will never leave me."
"Well whatever the motivations were, you gotta love Harper for making you as human as possible, you truly are remarkable, you're special," Sembler stated.
"I am?" Doyle smiled.
"I think you are, and it looks like table two over there would like to get to know you better, special barer of drinks that you are," Sembler teased.
Fully aware of the teasing, Doyle just rolled her eyes and keeping her smile she moved to serve the waiting table.
Kalika was worried, and she tried to stay strong as she watched Harper through a troubled sleep. His body was tense and pulling against the restraints and there was nothing she could do to alleviate his suffering. She was aware of someone approaching the tent, but was too focused to acknowledge them as they entered, she was feeling that things were beyond help now and her destiny lay with watching this man suffer till his end.
"Kalika!" Lucas exclaimed. "Good news, I finally have the oil!"
Kalika took a moment to register the news, and then on instinct embraced her brother with untold joy. "That's great, but how?" she had to ask before becoming aware of another man entering the tent.
"Oh no," the stranger spoke, his face turned ashen as he looked at the man restrained to the bed.
"We might be able to still save him please it's not too late!" Kalika misinterpreted the stranger's reaction.
"Harper?"
"Dylan, you know this man?" Lucas asked.
"Seamus Harper, he was on my crew, disappeared a few weeks back we thought he was dead," Dylan spoke with shock evident in his voice. "We thought the tech police had killed him, or Marika."
"I brought him here," Lucas admitted. "He became infected by the quartz crystals shortly after arriving, look we don't have time for this; he needs help."
Dylan's communicator beeped and the high guard captain immediately responded, hearing Rhade's voice. "Rhade, the people are moving, go and meet them half way I'll be taking the rear," Dylan simply said.
"Got that, will do," there was a pause. "Are you ok, Dylan? You sound kind of shaken, have they tried to kill you again?" Rhade's voice returned.
"Is Beka with you, within earshot?" Dylan asked.
"No, she's back on the Maru; I'm outside, what's going on?" Rhade sounded concerned now.
"I've found Harper," Dylan announced.
"Crap," Rhade returned on instinct.
"Don't let Beka know, not until we have him on board and we're away from this planet, she doesn't need the distraction," Dylan stressed.
"We'll you have to move captain, because we're not hanging around and I can tell from your life sign that you're far behind the rest of the group," Rhade warned. "Beka won't hang around, and if you don't want me to tell her."
"Ok, we're leaving now," Dylan stated and signed off. "We have no time to administer the oil now, we'll do it once we reach the ship but you have to come now."
"Where?" Kalika asked with surprise.
"Everyone is leaving, a new life away from Cutter and away from the illness," Lucas stressed.
"I can't leave, and Harper can't be moved," Kalika stressed.
"Tough, because I'm not leaving without Harper, there's one stressed female who would kill me the minute she found out," Dylan moved to untie Harper.
"His wife?" Kalika asked.
"Worse, his soul mate, and she's not in the best of moods right now, so give me a break and help me out here, grab what you can and let's go!" Dylan ordered. "I'll make sure personally that anything you need in your new location is supplied to you, but we have to go now!"
"Tie his hands and feet together, trust me," Lucas warned as Dylan freed Harper from his binds. "That illness causes violence and if we're in a hurry, that's the last thing you need."
Knowing there was no time to argue, Dylan did as he was ordered and secured Harper's arms and feet before lifting him up and over his shoulder. He noticed both Lucas and Kalika had failed to collect any belongings, but looked ready to move. "You travel light?" Dylan asked.
"I trust you will look after us, for looking after your friend, everything I care about is already in your arms," Kalika offered.
"My sister gets easily attached, you might need to look out for your friend if he recovers, he might find he's grown an extra limb called Kalika," Lucas teased and Dylan couldn't help but smile, briefly wondering how much truth there was in Lucas's teasing but not having the time to consider it.
"My brother is the joker," Kalika simply responded.
"Then lets go," Dylan encouraged and setting a fast pace, they headed out to the Maru.
TBC