Alonzo checked the coordinates of Danziger's gear signal. It was originating somewhere directly in front of him. Sand draped boulders were scattered across his line of vision. He wondered if one of them marked the Rail's tomb.
If the Rail had been buried during the duststorm, where were Julia and Danziger? He started forward and stopped. The strong scent of Grendler drifted up wind to his position. He heard them before he saw them, grunting angrily out by the farthest dune. Keeping low, he crept forward.
Figuring a little discretion couldn't hurt, the pilot worked his way commando style toward a better view. It seemed the Grendlers had found something and were digging furiously in an ungainly display of wasted motion. Periodically, they would check the sky, each others' progress and fight over the small articles that one of them would come across. Alonzo was sure of one thing, they had found the Rail. One of the beasts pulled Danziger's MagPro loose. Alonzo cringed as the others tried to pull it away from him and a general ruckus ensued.
A sudden beeping from his forgotten gear sent the pilot into a panic. He quickly switched off the audio, and shoved the urgently blinking light under his jacket. Had the Grendlers detected the sound? Alonzo waited, hardly daring to breath in the ensuing silence.
Time passed. Eventually curiosity drove him to risk a glimpse. He laid in the hollow of a small gully. Slowly, he raised his head to a point where he could see the shape of the half uncovered vehicle. The Grendlers were gone. Eyes straining, he searched the landscape for movement and caught something. A lighter shape against a darker backdrop. In the blink of an eye it was gone. But where? Alonzo found it difficult to believe the sound of his gear would have frightened the Grendlers off.
The gear! Maybe Danz and Julia had returned to camp. With another cautious glance around, he pulled it from his jacket. The light called with silent urgency.
Donning the equipment, he reactivated the audio and spoke softly. "Eden Advance, this is Alonzo. Come in."
Devon's relief was evident in her tone. "Alonzo, we've been trying to reach you!"
"I decided not to wait. I found the Rail."
"And?" If she was angry with him for disobeying her order, it was overridden by curiosity.
"A group of Grendlers were in the process of digging it out. They didn't seem too friendly so I decided to keep out of sight. Your signal took a few years off my life. I think I was able to shut it down before they heard it but something made them bolt just now. One minute they were there, the next, they're gone."
"Julia and Danziger?"
"No sight of them. I saw a Grendler pull Danziger's MagPro from the Rail just before they took off."
There was silence on the other end. Their thoughts were of a like mind, both knew something had gone wrong. Danziger would never voluntarily leave his weapon behind.
"Could they have been buried with the Rail?" Devon's voice with hushed.
"I don't think so. I've been moving toward it as we're talking. The Grendlers seemed to have moved enough of the dirt so that anything big, like Danzinger, would stick out."
Alonzo started toward the area where he had last seen a shadow. Something cuffed him from behind. A stabbing pain above his right ear sent him pitching forward. He hit the ground and rolled. The gear flew from his head landing a distance away. Instinctively his hand reached up to cover the pain. He felt the wet stickiness of his own blood. Something darted at his face. A flutter of wings filled his ears, brushing softly before razor teeth tore the skin on his cheek. He knew suddenly why the Grendlers had disappeared.
Pulling the jacket up to protect his face, he stumbled forward. The bats bit his exposed hands and clung to his clothing. Clawed feet roamed the material looking for exposed flesh. Blinded by pain and desperation, he crashed into a solid rock surface. Alonzo fell backward, staggered by the blow. The bats rose into the air and settled back down, descending like an angry dark cloud to cover him. He rolled, hands covering his eyes trying to shed the ripping talons that sought purchase.
Devon's voice droned on in the distance. She was unaware that the person she was talking to had been grotesquely transformed into a shape that bore no resemblance to a human being.
Hundreds of wings jutted at odd angles, their skeletal bones pale through transparent skin. They continued to swarm, jockeying for position. The pilot was draped in a living, pulsating shroud. Hungry mouths fought for a space to feast. Long pink tongues flicked greedily, their saliva adding an anticoagulant to keep the blood flowing steadily from hundreds of tiny slash marks.
Devon continued, "Morgan has worked out a signal to confuse the bat's echo location. Sent over our gear's frequency it should protect you. Alonzo, are you copying this?"
Alonzo staggered weakly to his feet. He was growing faint as the creatures sucked away his life. The lip of the cave entrance stretched just beyond him. For a second, he was vaguely aware that he stepped into emptiness. A signal, too high pitched for the human ear to detect, emitted from his abandoned headset. It sent Alonzo's tormentors heavenward just before his bloodied, unconscious body plunged into the cavern's dark maw.
xxx
A sound of grunting, stones bouncing and ricocheting down an endless corridor, noise registered first in Julia's reviving senses. She opened her eyes. Why was everything still dark? Breathing was difficult. Something held her in a crushing embrace. Her hand reached out to break the hold and touched material, foul smelling and grimy, over straining leg muscles. Danziger whimpered above. She felt his grip on her slip. Faced with the precariousness of their situation, fear blew away the remaining cobwebs in her brain.
The doctor reached out, feeling for texture, something to hold on to while her feet tested the wall's surface looking for that niche or crag that would support her weight. There was jolt as the mechanic slipped another inch. His body shook in violent protest against the continuing strain.
"John, hang on. I think...yes...I've got hold of something."
Danziger felt as if someone had propped a chair under his dangling feet. Julia began supporting her weight taking some of the strain off him. Spots still danced in front of his eyes, his arms still burned with fatigue but he managed a deep breath. After a few seconds passed, he reached deep, pushing his body past the limits of endurance to climb.
The ledge was gained over time, each agonizing centimeter paid for with strains and torn muscles. In the end, Danziger could only offer his limb like a rope, something Julia managed to climb in her own passage out of hell.
Somewhere, a few feet past them, an opening allowed a continuous flow of cool fresh air. The shaft bent horizontally at this point. The worst seemed to be over. Instinct warned the mechanic against stopping. The coming dawn would mark the return of the creatures who owned these tunnels.
Danziger retrieved the light from his pocket and crawled forward. Disoriented and weak with thirst and exhaustion, the window to freedom wavered before him, a thin, jagged fracture in the earth's crust. Beyond the narrow fissure, the barren windswept desert shimmered in moonlight. Feeling reborn in every sense of the word, he poked his head and shoulder free. The intoxicating smell of cactus blossoms filled the air. He recognized the plant blooming before him. Reaching out, unmindful of the thorns that pierced his skin, he tore off a section and squeezed its juice into his mouth.
Warm, thick and slightly bitter, the liquid was life-giving. Twice it had saved his. Pushing against the rock that held him prisoner, he tore another piece free. Offering a silent apology to the plant, he leaned back and let the precious liquid trickle down his throat.
"Julia? Come on, try some of this." Danziger directed a trickle of fluid on to the woman's cracked lips.
She responded, swallowing painfully at first then with increasing eagerness until the pod was drained.
"There's more where this came from but you'll have to be the one to reach it. I tried. I don't fit through the opening."
xxx
The crew of Eden Advance waited anxiously for Devon's decision. Ever since Alonzo's transmission had broken off, the tension had been building. Morgan's confidence in his device's ability to keep the pilot safe from the bloodsucking, winged menace couldn't dispel the unease that was growing. Something must have happened to Alonzo. His gear registered as receiving but their frantic calls for acknowledgment went unanswered.
Devon paced nervously. The action did little to vent her increasing frustration. She wondered how she could have ever been naive enough to believe that traveling across an unknown planet would simply be a matter of moving from Point A to Point B. In reality, all her plans and schedules had been thrown out long ago. Now it was just a matter of if they would survive the distance between.
Baines and Walman, to their credit, had volunteered to go back into the danger zone to search for the team's missing members. The leader of the Eden Project however was not about to risk two more of her crew. After all, three people had already disappeared without a trace.
Torn by indecision and agonizing over the fate of her friends, Devon looked into the dark, empty night.
xxx
It was the Grendler who had bitten Julia who discovered Alonzo. The creature had been agitated ever since it had been deprived of its blood meal. Salivary glands wetted by the taste of the salty liquid had shifted in high gear causing a constant flow of thick rubbery drool to dribbled from its oversize mouth. It prowled the tunnels driven by a physical need for more.
The creature had approached the fallen figure cautiously. Its large cow-like eyes darted about, taking in the bundled clothing. A flick of its foot rolled the pilot onto his back. The Grendler gasped at the sight as scarlet steams of the precious liquid ran freely from tiny incisor marks on his hands, neck and face.
The Beast shimmied with happiness knowing what had transpired. Driven by the winged tormentors, this large male had fallen into the Grendler's den and lay stunned. A large leathery hand ripped the fabric covering aside, laying bare the pilot's throat. The fluttering beat in the hollow of Alonzo's throat excited it. Memories of similar kills, a strong bite to the throat, shaking its massive head back and forth would eventually tear through the thin skin. The ruptured vessels would spurt like a fountain.
Grendler drool, thickened with anticipation, dripped onto the spot where the pilot's pulse beat unaware of the oversized mouth that descended upon it. A noise echoed through the tunnels and the Grendler stopped, ears pivoting in the direction of the sound. The thirsting Grendler became agitated, recognizing the familiar shuffling of his approaching companions. Determined they would not steal his prize, the beast grabbed hold of the pilot's shirt and began dragging him through a narrow passageway to a pit.
The Grendler stopped and listened. If he hurried back and covered his tracks his friends would be none the wiser. Later, when they slept, he would come back and feast alone. A push of his foot sent Alonzo's still form into the dark shaft. A few seconds later, a heavy thud announced his contact with the bottom. A few well placed boulders would muffle sound and insure his victim would not be going anywhere.
xxx
Revived somewhat by the plant's liquid, Julia was able to find enough strength to crawl along with Danziger as he headed in the direction of the spot where he had found an exit. The rocky ledge was slimy with droppings and sloped into emptiness so Julia proceeded cautiously.
At one point, Danziger's light swung wildly. She heard him curse and there was a thumping sound followed by a squeal. In the light's arc her eyes caught the reflection of hundreds above, small juvenile bats hung from the ceiling like grotesque grape clusters, watching as one of their own was clubbed for attacking the invader.
Danziger beat the creature off with the light as it's teeth sunk into his skin. Julia tore her eyes away from the ceiling in time to see the mechanic's defensive move. The Lumalight's beam cut into the darkness following the injured creature's spiraling descent.
Instead of hitting the floor, the bat was engulfed by it. The crew members watched in horror as a dark wave rose around the creature. It struggled briefly before sinking out of sight. The ground moved, devoured, a living carpet of dark, hard shelled insects which found life in death, sustenance from whatever fell from above. Julia broke out into a cold sweat, while Danziger gulped. He had been so distracted by thirst, the surroundings of his first trip hadn't registered.
"You okay?" He asked.
Julia found herself nodding. Her throat too dry to produce sound. She must have grunted something he took as an affirmative because he began to move on. The thought of what waited below and above locked Julia's will to proceed. Fear froze her to the spot.
Danziger and the light vanished, leaving her alone in the dark.
xxx
Yale found Devon pacing nervously inside the hastily constructed communications tent.
"Anything?" he asked.
"No. No word from Alonzo. Nothing from Julia and Danzinger."
The tutor noticed the shadows of worry and exhaustion around Devon's eyes. He knew any suggestion that she rest would be fruitless so he tried to comfort her the best he knew how. "It will be light soon. These creatures are nocturnal. Soon they will return to their dens. We'll be able to go in and search without worrying about the danger of an attack."
The leader of Eden Advance joined the older man at the entrance and scanned the night sky. False dawn, a gradual brightening foretold the approach of the true dawn less then an hour away. "I hope you're right. We can't afford to lose anyone else."
"We will find them, Devon. At first light, Walman and I will go out and find them just like we did last time. Everything will be all right." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and she rested her head wearily across his shoulder, praying it would be so.
xxx
The pit that Alonzo laid in was far darker then any night sky. The creatures that inhabited this world had been born without eyes. They navigated by touch and smell and one had suddenly came across a large alien presence in its midst.
A long tubular worm, looking much like a thick snake, was the first to explore the pilot. Its head was composed of long, feathered feelers which it used to sweep the surrounding area. Tiny hairs covered with a sticky mucus caught small particles and bits of food which it eagerly swept into a gaping mouth located at the base of the feathered branches.
The pilot moaned. A tickling sensation was prodding him from unconsciousness. His attempt to brush it away ended with a startled awakening as his hand met the soft skin of the worm. It immediately coiled to protect itself. Alonzo pushed blindly in the darkness at the weight on his chest. The creature began to slide backwards as he attempted to rise.
Feeling its world shifting, the feathers flared open, exposing the worm's anterior mouth which contained three toothed plates. It used these to anchor itself to the base it was exploring.
Alonzo felt the brief pain of the bite, then a spreading numbness. He grabbed his assailant in an attempt to pull it free. Its tail twisted, opening up a rear sucker which attached itself to his arm. Again the pain of the bite was quickly followed by numbness.
The pilot staggered, hitting the wall that lined his prison. "Help me! Somebody, help me." His voice echoed in the sealed tomb. He felt desperately for a way out with his good arm. The other hung at his side paralyzed by the creature's sting.
The animal hung at its anchor points, draped contentedly between his chest and upper arm. Exhausted and feeling faint, Alonzo leaned back against the wall. He slid down into a sitting position.
There was a slight tugging on his skin as the weight of the worm settled in its new position. Gingerly he touched the creature. It remained firmly planted. The tubular body was soft and segmented, the surface of each ring covered with warty papillae. It quivered under his fingertips, both mouths immediately burrowed deeper into his flesh. The pilot felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He couldn't seem to think, perhaps if he laid down he'd feel better. Sliding sideways, his head came to rest on the rough stone flooring. A few inches from where he laid a mucous cocoon stretched under the protection of an overhanging rock. Inside, the worm's young were about to hatch.
xxx
"Open your eyes!"
Impatiently tense, Danziger's voice rumbled in the dark cavern. Julia's eyes flew open. She hadn't even realized she had closed them.
"Let's go. We're running out of time."
She hesitated and the big mechanic could see the woman trembling in the small beam of light. He wasn't sure if it was fear or the effects of shock from all the physical punishment her body had been subjected to.
"It's all right. Here, take my hand. I won't let you fall."
The doctor reached out toward her companion. As their hands touched, an explosion of shadows and sound filled the cavern. Both Julia and Danziger flinched as they were raked by the wings and claws of hundreds of returning bats fleeing the first light of dawn. They covered their faces with their hands and gave away the security of a stable grip on the surrounding surface.
Precariously balanced on the ledge and partially blocking the tunnel to the surface, Danziger took the worst of the assault. He swung wildly and faced his attackers as sharp teeth opened a gaping cut on his neck. The smell of fresh blood drove the creatures into a frenzy and they targeted his exposed face, driving him forward.
As he was hit by another wave of the creatures, the blow forced him into Julia, knocking them both off balance. For a moment they teetered on the edge, before Julia tumbled off. Danziger managed to hang on a few seconds longer before following the doctor into the inky darkness.
The vision of the type of death waiting below flashed before Julia's mind just before she hit bottom. Her fall was cushioned by a thick mixture of bat dung, sand and the soft-shelled insects which were crushed beneath her weight. Any relief of surviving the jarring impact evaporated into horror as Julia felt herself being swallowed by a quicksand of foul smelling guano and slithering arthropods.
She couldn't breathe, didn't dare try as she sunk beneath a mass of wiggling invaders who dug at her closed eyelids and pushed into her nose and ear canals. Her mind screamed as the nightmarish penetration continued under her clothing, the nips and strings of tiny relentless jaws attacked her flesh. Submerged in a living pool of assorted beetles, roaches, centipedes and grotesque creepy crawlers, she thrashed violently, driven to the very brink of madness.
Danziger's impact moments later collapsed the flooring which supported the whole squirming mess. It spilled the doctor, the mechanic and thousands of panicked bugs downward into a deep running stream.
Over the eons, the ebb and flow of water-born minerals had built up a crusty scale against the rock. It formed a thin dome which eventually closed. The thin plated layering which supported the crawling inhabitants, barely survived Julia's weight. Danziger's bulk crumbled it instantly.
The mechanic barely noticed his passage from one liquefied mass to another. He rose sputtering and gasping for air and swallowed an equal portion of bugs, oxygen and foul tasting water. Along with insult came injury as he received a smashing blow to the nose. Julia surfaced in front of him still wrapped in the hallucinating nightmare of the preceding moments.
With both arms, Danziger pinned her to his body and rolled onto his back trying to keep the deranged woman's head above water. Half floating, half drowning they were swept into a dark passage as the underground river carried them deep into the earth.
xxx
"What happened?" Devon was visibly shaken as she rushed to Yale's side.
The elderly man was doubled up and in apparent agony.
"We were moving some crates. Yale wanted a medical kit but Julia's stuff got shuffled after we dug out from the storm. The medical supplies are buried under all this." Baines indicated the various crates of equipment the team packed in the TransRover each night.
"He was lifting one when suddenly he collapsed and started groaning. I was going to give him a hand if he'd have just waited a few minutes."
"Yale, can you talk to me? Where does it hurt?"
The tutor's eyes reflected the agony he felt. "I must have pulled something. Such a stupid thing to do..I'm sure I'll be fine in a few moments."
"I'm sure you will be." Devon raised her head looking to see who was close by. "Cameron, Baines, give me a hand getting him to the tent."
"No..No..Devon, there's no need for that, just let me rest a second."
"You'll rest better and so will I as soon as Julia checks you over and says you're all right."
"Devon.." Yale didn't finish.
For a second, Devon had forgotten Julia was not in camp to give that evaluation. "When she gets back, that is."
The men glanced at each other. No one wanted to voice the "if" word that popped into everyone's head.
"Okay, easy now." Devon supervised as Yale was lifted onto a backboard and carried into a nearby tent.
Baines caught her arm. "No way he's going to be able to go on the search. Walman's in no shape either, he's all cut up from those things."
"Are you volunteering?"
His startled look gave her the answer. "Devon, no one wants to go out there with those things. How many people do we have to lose? Danziger, Julia and Alonzo have all disappeared without a trace."
"Yale seems to think it's safe to search now. The creatures don't come out in the light."
"Yea? What if Dansziger and Julia aren't in the light? Another thing, Morgan swore that device he made would protect Alozno but we haven't heard Jack Squat from him since last night. I wouldn't be surprised if they got him, too."
"I don't want to hear that sort of talk. If you don't want to go then fine, no one is making you but I don't want to hear you or anyone else speculating or writing anyone off without knowing what's happened. We... I am going out to find them and I will bring them back."
Baines watched her storm off before he mumbled to himself. "Yea, dead or alive?"
Adair gathered the remaining members of Eden Advance. She was deadly serious and all business. "Yale has just been hurt. I would like a volunteer to go with me to search for our three missing crew mates. I don't need to tell you there is some risk but based on our research I feel we should be relatively safe in the daylight. No one should feel obligated to accompany me. I intend to go with or without you."
There was muttering and exchanged looks. Devon searched their faces but found no one who would meet her eyes. She turned away from them feeling very let down and walked to Yale's tent to tell him of her decision.
"Devon, you cannot go alone. This is madness. Your responsibility is here with the children, with this group. It's you who must lead them on to New Pacifica."
"What kind of leader puts his or her own safety above all others? I sent John and Julia out on that scout. I feel responsible for their safety. I'm going to find them no matter how long it takes."
Yale tried to rise but the pain stopped him. "I'm sure I'll be able to manage..."
"You're not going anywhere and you know it. I promise to stay in contact with camp and I'll be back before dark."
"You always were a stubborn child."
"Say a prayer they're safe." Devon gave him a quick kiss. "I have to go. I want to say good-bye to Uly. You rest. Bess will watch the kids until I get back."
"Devon....please be careful."
"I will." She turned so that he would not see her eyes.
If anything happened to her, the responsibility for Uly and Eden Project -- her mission -- , would fall on Yale. It would be a terrible burden for this dear old man to bear alone.
Uly accompanied her to the ATV. "Why can't I go with you? The Terrians wouldn't let anything happen to me and I can make them take care of you, too."
"I need you to stay here and take care of Yale. Be a good boy for him. All right?"
"Ahh Mom, anyone can do that."
"Give me a kiss."
She knelt down. They kissed and held each other close. She was use to living one day at a time, worrying about his health and safety. Now he was learning to do the same for her.
Reluctantly he returned to Bess's side. True stood to the other side of the woman watching Devon closely.
"True, I will find your Dad and bring him back."
"I know."
Devon knew it was the most she would get out of the child. She hugged the girl and kissed the top of her head but got no response. True saved every emotion for her father. Devon didn't want to have to face her if anything had happened to John.
Bess had volunteered to go with her but Devon wanted her with the children. She put Morgan in charge of communications. If Bess had gone with her, he would have driven them crazy with worry.
Devon shouldered her pack and walked to the ATV. Baines, Cameron, Mazatl, Magus, Denner and a battered Walman stood waiting.
She half expected a protest but Cameron stepped forward and said, "We all wanted to go but since it could only be one of us, we flipped for the honor. I won."
Devon swallowed a sudden lump in throat. "Thank you, everyone of you."
They all knew this was a private mission for their leader so they didn't push the issue. All they could do to show their support was load the supplies and speed them on their way.
xxx
On the Dreamplane, Alonzo roamed the dark tunnels of the past. The distorted sound of a metal against stone, a muttering of voices, followed by a shout and groans pointed the way. He stumbled disoriented by sudden brightness shining from the walls. There were soldiers, uniformed backs blocked his view of what was transpiring in front of them.
"Clean this mess up." barked orders echoed from a distant time.
The pulsating cadence of the Dreamplane had the pilot spinning as he worked his way forward. The men parted and Alonzo saw a familiar figure......Gaal kneeling beyond them. A stream of dark liquid flowed from the convict to the Dreamer until it met his boots. Finding its path blocked, it pooled then continued around his feet. Alonzo reached down, touching it with his fingers. Warm and sticky, blood red, the pilot followed the stream's path, past the penal colonist, to where a body lay in the shadows.
xxx
"Someone is laughing at you Johnny-boy." Danziger's mind taunted him. "One minute dying of thirst, the next struggling to keep from drowning."
The blackness blotted out hope as the river swept them away from any chance of rescue.
How could things have gone this wrong? It was beyond bad luck at this point. John wondered if Katrina, Gaal or maybe both had joined forces in some G889 after-life to haunt and torture him in the remaining hours of his life.
Cold and numb with fatigue he sunk under the surface. Julia struggled in his arms as he pulled her with him. He tried to kick his way up but her weight held him under. His lungs pleaded for air and in a desperate bid to survive, he let go of the doctor and struggled toward what he hoped was the surface.
Danziger caught the faint glow of light flickering through the water that streamed from his face and into his eyes as he broke the surface. He swallowed some water as he gasped for air, creating a spasm of coughing. He went under but this time, a half meter down, his feet touched bottom. Kicking hard he fought his way forward into shallower water. Veins of Morganite in the surrounding rock lit the surface of the water creating a wavering marbled effect on the passage walls. The mechanic used their light to crawl up a small sloping beach.
"Julia?" Bracing on his elbow, he cried out her name as he glanced back at the dark, unbroken surface.
There was only the sound of the rushing stream.
Danziger's head dropped onto his forearms and a groan turned into a sob. His hands dug deep into the glistening sand and squeezed with frustration. The river had either swallowed or swept away Julia Heller. He was alone.
xxx
The water swirled and turned a ruby color as Gaal soaked up the pool of blood. He'd have to lose the guard to trade with the Grenders again. This bucket should be worth what he had demanded from the hideous creatures -- a weapon.
These creatures, Grendlers, had appeared not long after the penal colony had been established. They tried to trade at first but the guards drove them away so they returned to steal what they wanted instead
It was by chance, when Gaal was made to clean up another accident that he discovered the Grendlers were unearthing the dead convict soon after burial and stealing the corpse's wrappings. The smell of dried blood on this particular shroud must have drawn their attention. Gaal found them sucking on the stained cloth like contented babies.
Instead of running, they shoved the wrappings at him and demanded more, offering pillaged items in return. His cunning mind instantly seized the opportunity and through sign language he communicated his desires. He killed a fellow inmate and made it look like an accident. The man's blood was traded for a weapon with which he won his freedom.
Alonzo witnessed it all. He was a spectator to events on the Dreamplane, where the past became the present. As a dreamer on G889, there was no normal awakening when the eyes opened and a safe, warm, reality returned. This was a nightmare that was real, occurring both inside and outside his mind. His eyes were already opened and unmoving, transfixed as the planet downloaded Gaal's evil history into his psyche.
Centimeters from his head, small pressure waves moved across the cocoon. The larva were breaking through their silken womb. Soon there would be hundreds of hungry mouths to feed. The blood lust started so many years ago would be passed on to succeeding generations.
xxx
Using Alonzo's abandoned VR signal as a beacon, Cameron and Devon spotted the wrecked DuneRail in the distance. Both of them leaned forward, searching for any signs of their missing friends but only Dust-devils danced across the horizon.
Devon was out first, MagPro balanced and ready as Cameron pulled up beside the Rail. She kept watch as he surveyed the damage. "Can you get it running?"
"Looks like it. The driver's side took the worst of the impact but it may be just a matter of bending things enough to free the wheel up."
The big man went to work while Devon widened her search pattern, always keeping an eye on their surroundings. She found the pilot's gear not far from the Rail. The wind dusted sand across recent tracks. She followed the shuffling steps with growing unease as the drama played itself out before her mind's eye, the abandoned equipment, what appeared to be dried blood on hard surfaces, signs of a struggle ending suddenly at an opening in the earth.
Morgan's device had come too late to help Alonzo. The trail lead to the pit was almost hidden from view by the recent storm.
The trail had ended but Devon had little doubt the cave would hold the answer to Alonzo's disappearance. Had Danziger and Julia ended up here too looking for a refuge from the storm? If so, then what danger waited in the darkness that allowed them to enter and not return?
Cameron voice startled her. "I got her running. Found this." He held up Danziger's MagPro. "They must have been in a big hurry for John to leave it."
"So wherever they went, they were unarmed. Any sign of Julia's medical kit?"
"Ahh, no, I didn't see it."
"I can't see Danziger leaving his weapon unless there was a reason he couldn't carry it."
"Think one of them was injured?"
"I'd be guessing but I'd lay odds it was Danziger. I think that explains why the medical kit was chosen over the MagPro. I think we'll find the answers to our questions in there." She walked to the edge of the opening and peered into the darkness. "Alonzo's gear was on when I found it, just a few meters away from here. This is where his tracks end."
Cameron raised Danziger's MagPro. "Let's go."
xxx
Julia had little memory of events. Time was an unending gauntlet of misery. She closed her eyes and held her breath against the breaking waves that beat against her face. She couldn't swim, was barely managing to float in the swift current. Danziger, her one link of hope had disappeared. If she had opened her eyes, she might have seen the light, seen him reaching shallower water. The bottom came up to meet her and missed by a foot. She passed by unaware of how close salvation had come.
John Danziger walked to the water's edge and raised his light. He circled the area around the whirlpool searching until something bobbing in an adjacent eddy closer to shore caught his attention. He waded out and immediately felt the strong pull of the current as it caught his legs, almost pulling them out from under him. Falling would be certain death. He angled in, one slow step at a time, waiting until the thing floated close enough to grab.
He scooped it up, prepared for resistance, but the object came away in his hand throwing the big man off balance. He fell backwards, splashing into the stream. The river caught hold, sending him sliding sideways over the rough stone bottom, he bounced against a submerged rock, tumbling and rolling in the frenzied broth. The mechanic raked the gravel of the stream, desperate for something solid to hold on to. With this as an anchor, he fought his way into shallower water until he lay panting from the effort. The sunstone still lay where he left it. Danziger crawled to the light, the laces of a boot intertwined through his bloody fingers. Pressing the sodden leather close, there was no doubt in his mind about its owner.
How long he sat there he had no idea. The air seemed to be heavily oppressive, pushing at him from all directions. His world was compressing and he adjusted curling into a fetal position for comfort. A fragment of memory, his daughter's face, buried shallow enough to signal tugged at his conscience. Like a wave, it rose, coming from the deep ocean to crash on shore. His obligation, the desire to see True once more, was enough of a motivation. At some point he rose and began the long journey back the way he had come. Barely able to lift his feet, his gait was slow and staggered. Somehow his body found the strength to go on, following some primal instinct of survival. His mind however disconnected, too exhausted to go on.
xxx