The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 4

(Bess Martin)

The thought of Morgan, all alone in the wilderness, had frightened me more than I was willing to admit. I was relieved that Walman was going with him on the scouting trip, but it was still painful to watch my husband drive off into the unknown without me.

I wondered about what Morgan would find out there. I agreed with him that there didn't seem to be a valid reason to hold back from the investigation. Yet, in the back of my mind, some worries remained. Was there any credence behind the dreams of a nine year old child or Alonzo's instincts? Would my husband make it back to me?

Why was he even doing this? He didn't have to prove anything to me. Then again, maybe that was the point. Despite the trials that we'd already endured on this planet, perhaps Morgan felt he had to prove something to himself.

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Walman took a swig of water from his canteen, then placed the container on the back seat of the Dunerail. Looking up, he impatiently shouted over to his companion, who was in the bushes, "Let's go Martin!" Within half a minute, Morgan joined him. "About time" he sarcastically commented. The government liaison ignored the jibe as the two men climbed into the Rail.

Walman started driving. "You know, except for these weird red vines, this place looks perfectly normal to me. I don't see what the big deal is. There's no sign of any diggers and we haven't had to go anywhere near that lake."

Morgan answered with a loud yawn.

"Geez, do you have to keep doing that?" Walman scowled.

"Doing what? Hey -- I didn't get much sleep during our so-called break this morning. Those stupid plants are bumpy and not comfortable." He glared towards the other man, who grinned slyly in response.

"Guess I'm not as sensitive as you are. Why didn't you just pull some of the vines out of the ground?"

"Why didn't I think of that?" Morgan responded sarcastically. "Of course I tried that, those things are stubborn. They wouldn't budge. I got some sort of weird powdery stuff all over my hands. I think I'm allergic to it, I feel itchy." He proceeded to roll up his shirt sleeves to display his flushed forearms.

Walman grunted, "I don't wanna hear about this. The doc said the leaves weren't harmful and she didn't say a thing about any 'pollen', so don't worry about it."

"Easy for you to say."

Walman started to respond, then thought better of it. He turned his attention to their surroundings as he drove the vehicle through the valley which meandered between the mountains and through a forest of pine trees. "Let's scout ahead for at least another full day or so. No use bringing the whole group out here only to run into another dead end."

"For once, I agree with you." Morgan leaned back to settle himself more comfortably in his seat.

Other than traversing the creek in the wee hours of the morning, the two men hadn't run into any impediments. Parts of the valley had been covered with fallen rock and debris, but there'd been more than ample space to maneuver the vehicle. They hadn't encountered many animals but edible vegetation abounded in the area.

The only unusual features they'd found were the hardy crimson vines which covered every inch of the ground; they practically served as a carpet. Their sturdy leaves were large, almost the size of the palm of a man's hand, and darker maroon veins ran throughout them. The stems resembled a member of the tuber family, yet they were much sturdier. In fact, even though the Dunerail had torn some of the leaves, none of the plants were up-rooted. As Morgan had discovered, the plants were firmly anchored in place by an elaborate root system.

The men traveled in silence for a while. Finally, either curiosity or boredom got the best of Walman. "Hey Morgan,"

"Yeah?" The government liaison forced open his drooping eye lids.

"Why did you insist on coming on this scout? Are you that desperate to get back to the Stations?"

Morgan furtively looked towards Walman. Sensing that the man's request contained a trace of sincerity, he replied, "At this point I'd settle for any form of civilization. I'm sick of living like a gypsy - packing up and moving everyday. The sooner we get to New Pacifica and I can at least live in a room which doesn't have nylon walls, the better. Besides, I think Devon's over-reacting. I get tired of her, 'I'm the Boss, I know what's best for everyone' routine. Especially after the stunt she pulled a few weeks ago. If anyone else had done that, they'd never have heard the end of it from her."

Walman eagerly jumped to her defense, "You're not being fair. You'd have been a little stir crazy too at that point if you'd been cooped up in your tent for over three weeks."

Morgan snorted and added a sarcastic, "Right. Anyway, do you seriously think I'd be out here if I thought we'd be in danger?"

The other man smirked, "True. But she may be right."

Somewhat unsettled, the government liaison responded, "Based on what? Uly's dream? Besides, we haven't had any trouble yet...Why did you decide to come if you thought she might be right?"

"Figured it was worth the risk. You're being too hard on Devon, she's been through a lot these past few months. And she usually tries to do what's best for the group."

"Uh, yeah," Morgan replied, lacking conviction.

Walman swallowed his annoyance and tried to direct the conversation elsewhere. "You gonna stay after the Colony ship arrives?"

Morgan pursed his lips and thought a moment. To his surprise, his wife's words immediately came to mind. New opportunities. A new life for us. "I..don't know. A lot could happen between now and then." Memories of their escape from the Station, and the horrible crash came to him. More thoughtfully, he added, "A lot already has happened."

Walman heartily agreed, "That's for sure."

More to himself, Morgan mumbled, "Even back on the Stations, I knew the Council was trouble but I never thought they'd actually try to kill us."

"Think they'll be waiting for us at New Pacifica?" Walman asked, grimly.

Horrified, Morgan groaned, "Christ Walman, are you trying to make it impossible for me to get any sleep these days? I don't even wanna think about that. "

"Doesn't mean it can't happen." He grinned, taking pleasure in the other man's obvious discomfort.

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TBC