The Road Not Chosen
by Joan Powers
Chapter 10
"Danziger? Can I talk to you?" Bess caught up to the man as he walked away from the communal campfire.
He kept moving and gruffly replied over his shoulder, "I'm busy -- maybe later. I gotta talk with Devon about some things."
Reluctantly, the woman added, "Well - you might have more to talk with her about."
He stopped -- she'd caught his attention. His eyes met hers. "Okay, let's hear it."
Her voice was low so that others passing by wouldn't hear her. She was almost embarrassed as she told him, "I hate to sound paranoid, especially with all that's happening around here, but...I think something's going on with Morgan and Walman."
"What do you mean?"
It went against her pride, but she had to tell him her fears, "They don't look right. I think they've caught some sort of flu. They're both feverish, tired and they'reforgetting things -- important things."
Danziger had enough problems to deal with. "If it's just the flu, they can stay in one place until it runs its course. Don't you think Julia would be a better person to consult with about this?"
She swallowed nervously, "True, but there's more to it John. Yesterday, they claimed they were on their way back to camp, but their coordinates don't indicate this.
"Maybe they got disoriented. Or there could've been a malfunction with the gear compass. These sets have taken a lot of abuse during this trek across the planet."
His suggestions sounded logical, yet she couldn't dismiss the prickle of her intuition. "You could be right. But they missed this evening's check in."
"If they're as tired as you think they are, they're probably resting up. Let's give them 'til morning to contact us." He saw no need for treating this as a crisis -- yet.
"Is that what you'd do?" He looked at her strangely, "If True or Devon were out there? Could you just wait 'til morning?"
The mechanic took a breath. "What other choice would I have?" With sympathy, he added, "But I don't think I'd sleep much that night. Why don't you talk with Yale or Julia? They could help us determine if this flu really is cause for alarm. I'll catch up with you later."
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Danziger pulled a camp stool closer to Devon's cot. She'd been asleep but she stirred when she heard him enter. She propped herself up, leaning against her elbows, "Hey Danziger -- what's going on with camp? How's Alonzo?"
Old habits were hard to break. At first, their perpetual use of last names had been a protective device to maintain distance between them. While they still tended to greet one another in this fashion, it was done much more affectionately than it had been a few months ago.
"You always get right to business -- don't you?" He grinned as he shook his head, thankful that some things were still the same. "You look better." She was no longer ghostly pale, and she spoke as if she were more coherent than when he last saw her. Yet dark smudges remained beneath her eyes.
"Does Julia have any answers from the tests she did on me?" she asked anxiously.
His grin disappeared. "She's had higher priorities, she's been working night and day on Alonzo's problem. Besides, why ask me? I didn't think that was 'any of my business'." His sarcastic tone readily revealed that he was angry and hurt.
Devon swallowed hard then rather sheepishly replied, "I guess we need to talk about that."
"You better believe we do. But not now. You have to get better first."
"I am better," she answered confidently as she strove to change the subject. "Those test drugs are finally out of my system. But I'm still exhausted. I think it's those other pills that Julia keeps giving me. I'm gonna stop taking them."
Without raising his voice significantly, he firmly objected, "No way in hell, Adair. Julia knows exactly what she's doing, she's a smart doctor. You're gonna do everything she says." He didn't give her a chance to protest. "Speaking of getting better...". He filled her in on the latest news about Alonzo; that he'd woken from the coma in a violent state and that Julia had some success with her first attempt to treat him. All the while, he carefully avoided mentioning Uly's involvement in the affair, along with all the hocus-pocus of the Dream Plane.
"So how does this therapy work?" Devon asked.
He shrugged, "That's the doc's department. My impression was that he wouldn't be cured overnight. But she thinks it can be done over a longer time period."
She was pleased. "Good. Have you discovered what caused his illness? And how are those scouting teams? Did Baines and Magus have any luck? Have Morgan and Walman run into problems? Are the Terrians mad at us?"
"Slow down Devon. The Terrians aren't mad at us. Baines and Magus will be back in camp tomorrow. They didn't find an alternative route. Morgan and Walman haven't run into any troubles. Well -- not exactly. Bess thinks they've caught some sort of flu.
She frowned, "That doesn't sound good. Has Julia had a chance to check them out over gear?"
"Uh, no. She just brought it to my attention." He didn't want to get into camp squabbles at present, it got too complicated. He knew exactly why Bess had approached him, and not Julia or Yale. While everyone was still speaking with one another, there was an underlying degree of tension between them when certain topics were brought up. Undeclared factions had formed -- those in favor of using the passage, and those opposed. He didn't want to upset Devon by discussing the nitty gritty of camp problems, she had to concentrate on getting better.
"John, I think we should go get Morgan and Walman."
He looked at her oddly, "What are you talkin' about? It sounds like they only have the flu. Let 'em wait it out then come back. They just need to rest up."
Devon explained, "But it must be more than that. Bess obviously thinks it is, otherwise she wouldn't have brought it up. She's not the type of person who makes a big deal out of nothing. And it might not be an ordinary flu or fever, like the one you caught. We can't make too many assumptions on this planet."
Damn, that sounded like something he should've said. "It's not practical to send in a team now Devon. The TransRover is all we have. We'd make horrible time. The ATV won't be back in camp 'til tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Also, I don't want to divide us up even further than we already are. We need to stick together."
"I agree. But I still think we should go get them. They're members of our group and they could be in trouble."
"I told you --the Terrians aren't mad at us -- that's not a problem," Danziger emphasized.
Her expression indicated that she wasn't fully convinced. "Bringing Morgan and Walman back could be construed as a sign of good faith. A willingness to work with them."
Danziger sighed. He did not want to get into a debate about Terrian politics, nor did he want to go into details about why he felt this wasn't a problem. So he stalled, "I'll talk with the others about your suggestion."
His strategy wasn't successful. Her eyes narrowed, she knew he was hiding something. "Oh, I see. There is more to this -- isn't there? There's a link between all these things: Alonzo's strange behavior, the Dream Plane and the passage. I knew it! What is it? What have you found out?" She insisted with a determined glint in her eye.
"Hey -- calm down. We're working on theories, we don't have any proof. I'll tell you more about our ideas -- tomorrow -- you need to rest now." He wasn't sure if she was going to buy that.
To his relief, she appeared willing to let it go. "Okay, if you insist on not telling me more about our camp situation, let me pick our next topic of conversation."
He agreed, readily.
Slyly, she asked, "How about bio-stat implants?"
Shank, he set himself up for that one. He was out of the frying pan and into the fire. He didn't want to talk about that either. But he knew that look, Devon wasn't going to rest until he coughed up some information. Uly's involvement on the Dream Plane was guaranteed to upset her, she could be fanatical about her son. So he reluctantly agreed to the uncomfortable subject of her bio-stat implant.
"Okay," he mumbled.
She rapidly fired her question. "How did you know that I didn't have one?"
This was going to be extremely difficult for him. Heck, just accepting what had happened that day was a huge stretch for him. He'd always been a skeptical person who assiduously tested what was before his eyes. If someone else had shared this story with him, he would've laughed his ass off. He didn't want to look like a jerk in front of her.
He took a breath, "Before I start, promise me that you won't bring this up again -- ever."
Confused, she agreed, "Okay."
"You told me."
"Me?" she sputtered. "But when? I myself didn't suspect until I collapsed and you put me into that cold sleep chamber. There wouldn't have been time for me to tell you. And I don't think I mentioned it to anyone after you revived me -- did I?"
There was his chance. He could lie to her -- tell her that had been the case. She'd been so groggy, her first week back at camp was probably a hazy blur to her. But that wasn't his style. He could feel himself growing warmer, "Do you remember what happened to Morgan when we approached Bennett's ship?"
"His VR encounter with Franklin? Julia thinks that was Eve trying to save herself."
"I dunno." How humiliating, he couldn't even look her in the eye. Okay, he was gonna get it over with -- just spill it, "'Cause I had that kind of encounter with you."
For a moment, Devon was stunned. "Wh...what? When was this?"
"Maybe a week after we left you on that space ship."
"How?"
He still couldn't look at her, "I have no idea. Morgan did something to my VR gear."
"Morgan? What did I say?" Her cheeks grew red.
"Nothin' to be embarrassed about," he assured her. "You asked how everyone was at camp, told me about your bio-stat implant to help Julia find a cure for you...stuff like that.."
"What else?" He looked to her, pleading her to stop. "What is it, John?"
"You honestly don't remember?"
"No, I'm sorry -- I don't," she answered.
He had no idea how to explain what had happened -- the fact that the emotions of that moment were far more important than any spoken words. He took a breath and said as quickly as he could, "Let's just say that seeing you standing in front of me, looking alive and healthy, just after we'd presumably left you for dead, frozen in that chamber, was one hellava shock."
More softly, she replied, "It's okay, John. I understand."
XXXXXX
TBC