Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: Nothing pertaining to Earth 2 belongs to me.
Author's note: You have all been very patient with me, and I hope to reward your patience eventually…
Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Hey, Uly."
Uly jumped up into the Dune Rail beside Alonzo. "Mom said you wanted to talk to me," the boy said, making himself comfortable in the passenger seat.
The pilot nodded toward John Danziger, who was walking alongside the vehicle. "Actually, he's the one who wanted to get your opinion on something."
Uly actually squirmed in pleasure. It wasn't often one of the adults wanted his opinion on anything. "It's about the Terrians, isn't it?"
The mechanic grinned. "Looks like you're ahead of me here, kiddo."
The boy shrugged. Mr. Danziger was quite possibly his favorite adult – next to his mom, of course – and Uly always did his best to please him. "It makes sense, because I know a lot about them, probably more than Alonzo does."
"I'm not going to argue with you." The pilot meant it, Uly could tell.
"It's not exactly the Terrians I need to know about," Mr. Danziger replied. "It's about the dreamplane."
Uly curled up in the seat, looking at the mechanic closely. Of course, he knew about the changes that Danziger was going through, but surprisingly it didn't disturb the boy in the least. Uly had gone through his own set of changes, and it was just one more thing he could identify with. He did understand that it bothered his mom, and while a year ago anything that bothered her would naturally have bothered him, Uly had gained more than just his health since they'd arrived here on G889. Besides, it was obvious to nearly everyone that his mom liked Mr. Danziger, and more than in just a friendly way. Well, obvious to nearly everyone but his mom…
Well, Uly had discovered that sometimes adults could be stupider than kids…
He listened as Mr. Danziger explained about the ghosts, and how the Terrians had taught them how to use the dreamplane to fight their enemies. Uly took it all in, digesting what the mechanic was telling him, putting it together with what he knew about dreaming.
Well, knew wasn't quite the right term, and Uly would've been hard-pressed to put it into words for someone who didn't have his unique perspective. A lot of what he did was instinctual, and he really doubted he could've shown anyone how to do what he could. Still, what Mr. Danziger was telling him made sense. The Terrians would've felt threatened by another race who could move on the dreamplane and affect others, and so they would've gotten involved. Uly didn't always agree on what the Terrians did, and their reasons for doing it, but he had to admit they had a fine sense of self-preservation. Which was the real reason they'd healed him; the Terrians knew that other humans would come, and Uly would be the conduit through which they could make their wishes known. Uly might've just been a kid to all the others, but he did understand that.
He understood a lot of things that the adults didn't give him credit for. Well, except for Mr. Danziger. Which was why Uly would do what he could to help him.
"But the ghosts themselves don't actually exist on the dreamplane," the boy said, just to be clear.
"Right," Mr. Danziger answered. "They can travel on it, but they actually connect to me in some other way. Julia thinks it's almost like dreaming, and it affects my brain the same way dreaming does, but as you can see, I'm wide awake."
"But if I went onto the dreamplane, I could see them?'
The man turned away for a moment; Uly knew he was speaking to his cat friend. Then he nodded, and turned back to the boy. "N'Merra says she can manifest herself there, but it's not where she's the most comfortable."
Uly was excited. "Can I talk to her?" he asked, almost breathlessly. "Can she show me where this cage is?"
Alonzo didn't look happy, but Mr. Danziger was smiling. "I think that would be a great idea, kiddo. N'Merra can show you better than I can explain it."
Actually, Uly thought he was doing a really good job of explaining, especially since Mr. Danziger wasn't someone who actually understood the notion of the Terrian dreamplane. Sure, he'd been there once or twice, but being there wasn't the same as knowing what it was.
"Wait a second," Alonzo put in, "Devon agreed to let us get Uly's opinion, not to bring him into this actual mess."
"But how can I know what's going on, without seeing it?" Uly asked. "I mean, I get what Mr. Danziger says, but it would be so much better if I could really see it. That way I can give you the best answer." He tried to sound adult and convincing, but he didn't think he pulled it off. In fact, Uly thought he came across as whiny.
Apparently, Mr. Danziger didn't think so. "The kid's right, 'Lonz. There's no way I can explain it the right way. If N'Merra can show him…besides, she won't let him get hurt. I trust her."
That made Uly feel even better. The mechanic trusted N'Merra, so that meant Uly trusted her, too. "I want to meet her," he insisted.
"I…I guess there wouldn't be any harm in that," Alonzo gave in.
"Great!" Uly cried. "Can I go now?"
Mr. Danziger chuckled. "No better time, kiddo." Then he turned serious. "Listen, Uly, we could all be in danger here. The Changed of N'Merra's people have already messed with a couple of our own, and we need to figure out how to stop them from doing anything more. We know at least two have escaped from whatever prison they're in, so you be careful. N'Merra and her followers will look out for you. The more information you can come back with, the better plan we can come up with. Think you can handle the mission?"
Uly sat up straighter, proud of the confidence Mr. Danziger was showing in him. "I won't let you down, Mr. Danziger."
He grinned. "I know you won't."
That smile was the last thing Uly saw as he closed his eyes and dreamed.
