Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but what I create…and Earth 2 isn't it.
Author's notes: Are you ready for the big boom now? Heehee…
Chapter Forty-One
Danziger squinted into the emotional storm the cats were creating, watching in awe as they dealt with the Changed.
Okay, he was bloody impressed…
His heart had gone nuts when he'd first realized that the girl standing in front of him wasn't his daughter, even though it was her own body confronting him. But then, it hadn't been so obvious with her; with Martin, from the very moment John clapped eyes on the other man he'd known that wasn't the same person he'd barely managed to tolerate ever since their arrival here. The unnatural arrogance, the way he'd moved… it all had just screamed "imposter" at Danziger with a voice louder than all the threats being uttered in his direction.
Of course, once the ghosts started with their "exorcism," there was no stopping them.
He managed to finish his work, but it was hard, knowing that his allies were fighting for his only child. His usually sure fingers fumbled more than once as he imagined what was going on behind him. But, when he was done, he could turn to watch the fireworks…
Just in time to see the spirit True regain her rightful body.
But seeing her lying there, unmoving…there were times when he could so completely relate to Devon Adair's life with a son who would most likely die by nine years. While True really hadn't been sick all that much, Danziger had had nightmares about his child being in that damned immunosuit that Uly had worn until the Terrians had healed him. And seeing her, lying there, just about tore his heart out by the roots.
The only two things that kept him from breaking that circle and going to her were N'Merra's sudden appearance, and D'Lorrak's telling him that everything was all right and to stay back.
Danziger felt again every bit of doubt he'd had about N'Merra's ability to deal with her father, as she joined the circle, the unutterable sadness she brought with her making the tears come to his eyes. What father could ever do that to his own child…it was inconceivable. Just as inconceivable as D'Lorrak's daughter betraying him the way she had.
But those two had the strength to do what truly needed to be done, despite what they'd been through.
And he'd had the balls to actually doubt her!
Could he have been any more of an asshole?
He should have had faith in N'Merra. Trust had never been an issue – he'd known she'd only done what had needed to be done, and Danziger accepted that. But faith…
He stood by as N'Merra and Martin had pulled the leader from the other mans' body. While he couldn't hear what was being said between the two, John admitted that, watching them work together, his respect for Morgan went up a couple of notches. The commander had taken him over, using some method he didn't know what, but there he was, fighting for his very existence.
But he'd never admit it if asked though…after all, he had a reputation as a hard-ass to maintain…
The power began to fade the moment the commander was out, and Martin's body lay on the deck. The Changed one's spirit writhed about N'Merra's hands like a noncorporeal snake, and John shuddered slightly. The two spoke once more, then Morgan's ghost was gone, disappearing back to where it belonged.
It grew still again, the hushed atmosphere of the tomb surging back into place as if it had never left. He watched as the other ghosts slowly vanished, until only N'Merra, D'Lorrak, and one other – a calico-looking female – remained.
The engineer stepped toward John, his hands trapping the small orb of smoke that was his daughter's spirit. Is all ready, John?
"Yeah," he answered. "We'll have about ten minutes to get away before the ships blows."
We must replace these two in the cage, N'Merra said, joining them. "C'rrownan will show you the way out.
The other cat bowed slightly, then spoke, her words sounding like a faint breeze through trees.
"Sorry," Danziger answered her, "I can't hear you now."
C'rrownan scowled in response. She said something to N'Merra; the girl's answer audible, You do not need to speak in order to guide him.
The woman nodded, although she didn't look very happy.
We shall see you outside, my friend, D'Lorrak replied.
"See you there."
Danziger watched as the pair faded away, then turned to Morgan and True.
Who still lay on the deck, unconscious.
"You mean I'm gonna have to carry them both out?" he murmured in disgust.
C'rrownan just looked at him. He wondered if she recognized some of the language he was using to colorfully describe this particular situation…
Well, sometimes cursing was a really great outlet for his frustrations, but in this situation it wasn't going to make it any better.
He glanced at the door, realizing he wasn't going to be able to carry them both through that narrow gap. John dragged Martin out into the corridor first – not being all that careful, to be honest – then carefully lifted his daughter through after. He'd have to grab them both and run, once he set the engines to explode.
Doing just that took only a moment; the engines had been building power slowly, and all John had to do was disconnect the buffers…which meant he grabbed a handful of wires and yanked. Almost immediately the engines started to make a sad, whining noise as they quickly went out of control.
Then Danziger ran.
He darted between the blast doors, throwing Martin over his shoulder then grabbing True in a one-armed hug. C'rrownan was waiting for him, and together they made their way up the main corridor toward the hatch.
In moments, John was out of breath.
The dead air burned his lungs as he gasped. It had been difficult enough when he'd just brought his own weight with him; carrying nearly twice that was almost impossible. It slowed him down, and only the terror of being caught in the conflagration was keeping him going. There was no way in hell he was going to die like this…
The problem with keeping a mental count of the time elapsed was that John was constantly expecting to feel that first blast of heat on his back as he made his too-slow way up toward the surface. The engine room had been buried, so the corridor was sloping upward. Danziger's cat-given strength was fast fading under the load he was carrying; but he knew if he hadn't had it, there would've been no way he'd have made it even half the distance.
C'rrownan was ahead of him; the calico cat-woman looked worried at his lack of progress. He didn't have the breath to reassure her.
Then Danziger was in recognizable territory. The air was a little better, most likely coming from the open hatch. He tried to put on some more speed, knowing that time was running out.
The cat-person was suddenly waving and pointing, and John knew he'd made it. He practically pitched Morgan through, then followed with True cradled in his exhausted arms.
He still had to get far enough away to avoid getting caught in the explosion. He could only hope that all the earth between himself and the engines would somehow dampen the violence of the blast.
Pulling Morgan's unresponsive form over his shoulder again, Danziger stumbled away from the buried ship, C'rrownan keeping pace with him. Suddenly, other cat-people were surrounding him, silently urging him on.
The mechanic was actually able to gather strength from that support, and managed to put on an extra spurt of speed in a staggering sprint away from the mound. His lungs were still burning and his legs were like rubber, but still he continued on.
Danziger was about three hundred meters from the ship when the ground heaved, throwing him and his burdens into the tall grass.
He tried to twist in an effort to protect the unconscious bodies he carried, and went down onto his back. Danziger's head impacted sharply, and his vision went dark…
