Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own it; I just like to think I do…
Rating: PG-13, for some possible rough language
Author's notes: Every time I get a review, I just squirm with pleasure. I am a review whore, I admit it… :)
Chapter Five
Somewhere during the time it took to set up camp for the night, Danziger decided that he wasn't crazy after all.
It had been a close thing, especially after Adair had said she hadn't seen the cat-girl. That had come as close to freaking him out as anything had in his entire life.
But he'd thought about it, and came to realize that too much weird shit had happened since they'd crashed here, to say that what he'd experienced had been insanity rearing its ugly head. And he'd had his fair share of it, thank you very much!
The wind made the tent material crackle and hiss as John paced the entire length of the space. Devon had requested that he'd have Julia check up on him, and he'd agreed. He needed to prove to everyone else that what he'd seen was real, and the quick way to do that was to be poked and prodded. He had no idea if insanity would show up on a medical scan, but perhaps the reason for his seeing things was something the doctor could find in an exam.
And so he waited, the wind keeping him company. It wasn't doing anything good for his nerves; it sounded too much like unseen beings speaking in an unknown language around him. He still felt not right; it was as if someone was watching him. Danziger wondered if it was his mysterious visitor, checking out his reactions to her invisible presence. The very thought made gooseflesh rise up along his arms, yet it made him determined not to knuckle under to the pressure.
The tent flap was pulled back, making him jump even though he had been expecting it. Julia, then Devon, entered the tent. The doctor went over to her equipment, motioning Danziger to have a seat on the bunk while she made her preparations.
Adair, though, stood near the entrance, her arms crossed, looking at him as if she were expecting him to do something really strange. It made him a little angry, but it surprisingly made him sad, too.
"I'm not gonna bite, Adair," he murmured.
She made a careful show of lowering her arms to her sides. "I know that, John."
"Then please quit acting like I'm gonna jump you and take off. By the way, you can tell Solace he doesn't need to guard the entrance, I'm not going anywhere."
That made her jump. "How did you –?"
"'Cause it's what I would've expected you to do."
Adair sighed. "You gave us quite a scare –"
"You were scared?" he interrupted. "Gee, join the club!"
"That was uncalled for."
"And so is your distrust of me. You should know better, Devon."
She looked as if he'd just slapped her. He didn't want to feel guilty, but he did. He also noticed that she didn't call Alonzo off, either.
"John?" Julia called, motioning again to the bunk.
He took the proffered seat. Julia sat beside him, diaglove on one hand and a portable scanner in the other. She went to work, and for one of the few times John didn't fidget or give her a hard time.
For a few minutes, the only sound in the tent was the wind whistling outside and the faint hum of medical equipment doing what it was supposed to do. Once Julia made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a sigh, and while Danziger was dying to know what had caused it he waited for her to finish.
Finally, Julia sat back, looking at him squarely. Outwardly, she was the picture of professional detachment, but the mechanic could see the confusion in her eyes. "What's up, Doc?" he asked, trying to be upbeat.
"I'm stumped," she admitted.
"About what?" Devon asked, stepping closer.
"The scans are all within normal parameters, John. Your blood pressure is a little high, but that's most likely due to the stress of the situation…"
"Ya think?" he sniped automatically.
"John!"
"Sorry, Adair… sorry, Julia." And he was.
"I understand, John," the doctor answered, smiling slightly. "But, as I was saying…everything seems to be pretty much normal. That is, until I ran a simple brain scan."
Damn, insanity can be detected… "What did that say?"
"Well, your theta waves are abnormal. They're still in line with baseline readings…but, for you, it sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb."
"What does that mean?" Devon demanded.
"The only other person I've seen with readings like this is Alonzo…when he's dreaming with the Terrians."
Danziger's mouth dropped open. "Are you saying I'm dreaming?"
"Simply put…yes, that's what I'm saying."
"Julia, how is that possible?" Adair asked. She looked as if the wind had been knocked out of her. John could relate.
"I…don't know. Especially since it's obvious that John's not sleeping at the moment."
"What's caused it?"
"I'm with Adair on this one," Danziger said sharply. "If someone's messed with my brain, I want to get the bastard!"
"I wish I had some answers for you, I really do. Alonzo can travel in and out of the dream plane with relative ease, but you…you've never shown any ability to do that yourself."
"Could this have something to do with being possessed by that evil Terrian?" Devon inquired.
"That's certainly a possibility, although I think anything would have shown up long before now. John, have you had any other strange experiences you couldn't explain?"
"Not until yesterday, when I got my first look at that skull…" Okay, he knew this was time for complete honesty, even though it irked him to expose himself in order to do it. "Look, ever since the moment I saw that…thing…I've been having really weird…feelings."
"What sort of feelings?" Julia asked.
"Like…like someone's watching me, that I'm not alone. I've been…scared, for no apparent reason." There. He'd said it. And it hadn't been that bad, really. "It's like I want to jump out of my skin most of the time."
They were both looking at him, and Danziger really didn't want to see that kind of worry for him on anyone's face.
"That would explain the increased adrenaline in your system…" Julia murmured.
"What can we do to fix this, Julia?" Devon asked.
"Yeah. Seeing cat-people isn't my idea of fun," Danziger added dryly.
"And it was definitely a felinoid species?" Julia asked, sitting up straight.
"Oh, yeah…she was obviously a cat, only she stood upright."
"And the skull was of a cat-like race…"
"That can't be a coincidence," Devon said.
"Look, Adair, I just want to stop it." John got up, and started to pace again. "I'm really creeped out about this." The wind wasn't making doing him any favors. It seemed louder, trying to regain his attention. A particularly hard gust rattled the tent so hard the poles actually jumped. So did he, and his heart.
"John, you need to calm down…"
"Yeah, well, it's not your head that's been played with!" He didn't like the way he was sounding, but he couldn't help it.
"We'll find out what's happened, and fix it."
He stopped pacing, standing so close to Adair that he was totally invading her personal space. She didn't flinch. "Look, Adair, I know you'll try your best, but right now it's really hard to deal." He wasn't lying. Suddenly, the feeling of being watched was getting much worse. The short hairs on the back of his neck were standing up.
"I can give you something to help you relax –" Julia began.
He spun on her. "No drugs, Doc! If you did that, you'd take away what little defense I have against this."
"Then I'd like to monitor you while you sleep. If this is related somehow to the way Terrians dream, then maybe the readings I get during regular sleep will give us a clue."
"Fine." He started for the tent flap. "I have to get out of here, get some air."
"Don't go anywhere alone," Devon cautioned.
"You gonna hold it while I take a piss too, Adair?" With that parting shot, he stormed out of the tent, nearly colliding with Alonzo on the way out.
