Devon looked up in expectation as Yale entered the medical tent.
The old man answered her unasked question. "Everyone is settled down for the night. How about you, Devon? You must be exhausted. Why not lie down? I can take your place by Alonzo."
"No, I'm fine. I'll wait until he wakes up." Devon wanted to be sure the pilot suffered no relapse. She felt she owed Julia that much.
"Alonzo's blood levels are almost normal. We just have to be sure he drinks plenty of fluid once he awakens. He will be all right."
Physically, yes, Devon thought, but how would he react to Julia's death when it finally sinks in? Devon was finding it difficult to believe the woman was really gone. The ramifications of the doctor's loss were staggering. How would they handle a serious medical problem? What if Uly fell sick again? Devon shook her head. No sense worrying about "what ifs' There was enough to occupy her mind for the present. They would spend another day here to allow John and Alonzo time to recover. In her mind, she began to plan some type of memorial service for the doctor.
Alonzo's restlessness brought Devon to his side. She was about to cover him with the blankets he tossed off when the pilot suddenly sat up in bed.
"Alonzo, are you all right.?"
The pilot looked at her blankly. She tried getting him to lie down but he resisted. He mumbled something about trying to clear his head. She offered him water.
"Yale said you'll be fine but you need to replace fluids."
The pilot pushed it away and began looking for his shoes.
"Alonzo, what are you doing?"
"I have to leave."
"Leave? Leave and go where? It's the middle of the night. Everyone's asleep. We're staying for another day so you and John can rest."
He took her by the shoulders. "Devon, Julia's alive. I have to find her."
"No! Listen to me, Alonzo. Julia's dead. She died in the whirlpool. Don't you remember what John said. There was no way out ?"
"It's not true. Danziger thought it was, I believed it too because I had a dream but the dream was only a part of what happened."
He started for the entrance.
"You can't leave, we have to talk about this." Devon pulled at his arm. "Alonzo, for God's sake you were in shock. You passed out right after we got back to camp and have been unconscious."
"Julia's not dead."
"Alonzo, I can't believe she's gone either." Devon tried to reason with the pilot." It's called denial. It's part of the grieving process." Devon flicked her gear on when the pilot didn't listen. "Yale, I need you right away in the medical tent."
"Don't try to stop me, Devon."
She looked at him imploringly so he tried to explain. "Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. I don't understand it myself. I never asked the Terrians to get into my head the way they do. I never wanted to have the dreams but I do. Even though I don't always understand what they are telling me I have to trust them."
"Okay, okay, let's say I agree with you about that part.. I still think we should be logical about this and wait until morning when we can see what's out there. I'm sure everyone will be glad to help with the search. Alonzo, it's not only crazy to go off on your own, it's dangerous."
I'm sorry, but I've already wasted too much time." The pilot ran toward the vehicles after helping himself to a weapon.
Devon ran after him and was relieved to see Danziger waiting by the DuneRail. "John, stop him."
Baines came running in from guard duty. "Hey, what's going on? What's all the yelling about?"
Alonzo confronted them. "Stay away from me. I'm warning you. I'm taking the Rail."
Danziger jumped into the drivers seat. "Not without me, pal."
The pilot hesitated.
"Just show me the way." Danziger could tell Alonzo wasn't sure if he could trust him. "I overheard part of your conversation. You're not the only one having nightmares, 'Lonz. I was in a bad way back in that cave. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that Julia didn't have a chance. I've been questioning myself ever since. If you think you can find another answer, I'm more then happy to be wrong. I just want to know for sure one way or another even if it means going back into that hellhole." Danziger seemed sincere.
"We don't. The area we're looking for is wooded. No caves."
Alonzo looked for something to show him the direction. They had come from the east. The caves were to the west. "I'm not sure. It's either North or South."
"We haven't scouted those directions. You don't even know if it's passable." Devon reminded them.
"It must be." Baines chimed in. "Walman and I saw a Grendler coming from the South late yesterday. He was headed North carrying a heavy load so it must be okay some of the way in both directions."
Devon shot the guard a dirty look.
Alonzo jumped in the passenger side and gave the direction. "North."
As they sped off, Alonzo prayed he wasn't too late but his gut feeling told him in some way he already was.
xxx
Ethan walked deep into the woods until he found an area that bordered on darkness and the light from two full moons. He dropped to his knees laying the girl in front of him. Bathed in the moons' radiance, he found himself thinking how beautiful she was. He thought how he'd regret having to kill her if it became necessary.
The convict wrapped his fingers around her neck, so soft and vunerable beneath his strong hands. Tightening his grip, he watched her struggle for breath. Feeling the wild beat of her pulse, his blood raced with hers. Leaving up, his hands worked around her neck, feeling for any marking that would spare her life. There was none. Searching her clothing, worn and torn into nothing more than rags, he looked for a tag or some print mark which might give him some clue to their origin.
The only thing of interest was part of a man's shirt which had been used to wrap a wound on her leg. Holding it under the light, Ethan studied the remains wondering about its owner. The size and cut indicated it belonged to a male. Had the man been with her when she was injured? Had he gone for help and returned to find her gone? The Grendler wouldn't think to cover his tracks thereby leading any would be rescuers directly to their campsite.
He took one of the girl's feet in his hands. There was nothing to suggest that she had gone barefoot for any period of time. No doubt the Grendler stripped her of anything of value. He'd have to check the animal's bag before it left camp. He was about to do just that when the girl spoke. It wasn't much but it was the first indication of some coherency of her part. He leaned closer.
Exposed to the cool night air, she shivered. The Grendler had given her only a small dose of the drug, enough to last a few hours at most, all that would be required to complete his trade. Sensation was beginning to return.
"What did you say?"
"Cold."
"Tell me your name."
The question brought no response. Wrapping her arms around herself for warmth seemed to be all she could handle for it was done in a slow, jerking movement.
Before she could find comfort, he peeled her arms back, pinning them to her side. "Who are you? Tell me why you are here. Do you work for the government? Tell me, how many are with you? Where we can find your people? We can reunite you with them. You'd like that wouldn't you?"
The words were only an annoying buzz in a brain dulled by drugs, shock and cold. She began to retreat into the fog of oblivion.
"Oh no you don't."
Warmth descended; the crush of lean, hard muscle, stretched over her length, pinning and engulfing her body beneath it. The scratch of stubble against the side of her cheek triggered a flicker of memory. A name slipped from her lips.
"Alonzo?"
Ethan froze. Had she given him her name? No, it sounded more like a question? Alonzo could be a first or last name. Was this Alonzo the owner of the shirt? What was their relationship? Was he her man? Her leader?
'Maybe she thinks I'm her lover!' The thought amused and excited him. Enjoying the charade, he kissed her hungrily.
She felt his teeth hard against her mouth and knew something was wrong. Reality, the sound, the smell, the brutal feel of this piece didn't fit into memory's puzzle.
She tried to pull away. "NO!"
His mouth sought hers, whispering harshly in her ear.
"No, not Alonzo, someone much better."
xxx
Sully glared at Ethan as he carried the woman away. He had humiliated, rejected and robbed her of her most prized possession. Making her pay for that tramp only added insult to injury. She'd get even with him.
"He thinks he's so are you looking at?" The few people who had overheard her prior comment and wondered who she was talking to, quickly looked away. Her devious mind began hatching a plan. "We'll see if you think she was worth it, Mr. See-I'm-Not-Disturbed.'"
xxx
Danziger drove as fast as possible without throwing caution to the wind. After all, if they wrecked the vehicle, no one would go anywhere in a hurry. He tried to get the pilot to open up but Alonzo just sat there, staring ahead, seeing something in the darkness no one else could see.
John noticed the other man was pale and sweating. "Hey 'Lonz, are you okay? You don't look too good, man."
"Just shut up and drive, okay?"
Danziger held his tongue. No sense making matters worse. The mood the pilot was in, Danz might find himself at the wrong end of a MagPro, with a long walk home.
xxx
If Barkley was surprised to see Ethan emerge from the woods without the girl, he didn't show it. Don't know, don't want to know about that woman, he thought. Except for one thing, she was going to cause trouble for them all. That much was clear from the moment Ethan laid eyes on her.
"Is that Grendler still around?"
"Nope. I saw him heading out about a half hour ago."
"Damn. Which way?"
He pointed the direction and received a nod before the younger man walked off. A few moments later, the sound of a heated argument reached Barkley and he recognized the angry voices as those of Sully and Ethan.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I wasn't here the whole time. You want to know what I think? I think, while you were busy playing with your new toy, that Grendler saw an opportunity to take what he really wanted. You know something else, I'm glad, because now you know what it feels like to lose something that's important to you."
Before the guard had time to speculate on the cause of the disagreement, Ethan came running toward him. He took Barkley's weapon and a torch from the fire, shouting instructions over his shoulder as he ran off. It seemed that he was in a big hurry to catch up with the Grendler all of a sudden. Not long after, Barkley spotted Sully sneaking into the woods.
Ethan followed the Grendler's tracks heading down the hill, away from the camp. At one point, he stopped to examine a pile of loose dung, shoving his finger in to test for heat, he knew the beast was close. The hunter in him was instantly alert, dousing the flame, setting the arrow while his eyes scanned the surroundings. Dawn was breaking to the east, aiding his search. Finally, Ethan saw the creature below him and smiled. The dumb beast had no idea he was being tracked. Raising the bow, he took aim and fired. The animal cried out and fell heavily to the ground.
The convict raced in for the kill. On hearing his approach, the Grendler rolled as far as the arrow would allow him to face his attacker. The wounded animal recognized the man he had traded with and patted his chest and held his hand out indicating they knew each other. In some primitive sign language, he questioned why Ethan shot him.
The man dumped the contents of the Grendler's bag on the ground. "This is why, you filthy thief." Ethan held up his cross-bow.
The creature's hand jerked back and forth indicating their trade.
"Don't play stupid with me. You know what I traded for the woman."
Ethan rummaged through the Grendler's possessions. He should just kill the beast but for some reason he needed to prove the animal's guilt first. He pulled out the cup and searched for the charm but the only necklace he found was a silver chain which held a holo-photo ID. He held it up to the light. The picture was a cleaned up version of the woman he'd traded for, Dr. Julia Heller of the Eden Project.
The animal's moaning snapped back his attention. He pocketed the chain and flipped through the rest. The girl's boot, a blanket, some pieces of what might pass for Grendler food but no charm.
"Here is the mug. Where is the charm I gave you that made up the rest of the trade?"
The Grendler motioned his hands back and forth trying to indicate he had traded it but the human seemed to be dim witted. The beast used a gesture he had seen other human males using to indicate a female. The man's face showed a growing awareness but his expression frightened the beast. He was sure the man would kill him now and he cringed.
"So you traded with a woman. The one I took it from?" Ethan imitated ripping the necklace from Sully's neck again
The Grendler shook its head indicating that was correct.
"Well, friend, it seems Sully's made a victim of you and a fool of me. Count yourself lucky. A tough hide and a borrowed bow may have saved your life but she will surely forfeit her's."
Ethan jumped to his feet and ran off leaving the critically injured beast to fend for itself.
Someone called a name over and over. The voice was a lifeline thrown to someone like she was, lost and alone in the darkness. She could utter no sound, see no light, only hold on to the sound of his voice word repeating the name.
"Julia. Julia."
Her name! That realization surfaced along with an awareness that she lay face down in the dirt, her arms and legs tied tightly behind her. How long she'd lain there, she had no idea but the rawhide restraints which bound her had cut off any feeling in her limbs. Any attempt to move or relieve the strain called up an army of painful demons.
Julia's tattered clothing did little to protect her from the cool night air. Chilled to the bone, she shook uncontrollably, her teeth chattering against the foul-tasting rag that had been stuffed into her mouth.
The sound of movement in the brush grabbed her attention. Something moved in a slow deliberate manner and it was headed her way.
xxx
"There." Alonzo stood up in the moving Rail and pointed at the sky.
Danziger felt his blood run cold at the sight of some many dark shapes circling on the horizon. "Bats?"
"Vultures. They look smaller because of the distance. Step on it. We have to hurry!"
Danziger gunned the accelerator, the vehicle responded and raced across the plane.
xxx
Sully picked her way carefully through the darkest area of the forest. She knew Ethan would not leave the woman in plain sight. Her search would have to be methodical, involving time and a certain amount of luck if she was to find the girl before her lover returned to camp.
A light would have made everything much easier but she couldn't take the chance of anyone seeing her. The woman's death had to look natural. Every so often she stopped and listened but there was only the sound of the wind and a few night birds. She resumed her quest wondering why she felt so threatened by this woman.
There had been others. Ethan had been through most of the woman in camp but Sully knew none came close to matching her. Besides, she was as cunning and ruthless as he was which was why he always came back. They were a perfect match. Today, that had all changed. Something told her this woman was different. She had to remove the source of temptation, to protect Ethan from himself and claim back what was rightfully hers.
Something caught Sully's sharp eye. A patch of pale skin reflecting the rising moonlight gave away the hiding place among the darker shadows of brush. She crawled into the bushes and found what she was looking for.
"Isn't this nice. Ethan's left you all wrapped up just like a present. One, he no doubt, intends to open later." Sully rolled the girl over onto her back and found the woman awake and watching her, the pale blue eyes wide with fear. In the dim light, Sully noticed the torn clothing. Fresh anger surfaced. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't touch you ever again."
Sully took off her hide jacket and folded it into a tight ball. Straddling the woman, she pressed the thick skin against the woman's nose and mouth with all her strength. The girl's body bucked beneath her, struggling for breath. Sully laughed enjoying the ride, enjoying it to death.
xxx
Alonzo and Danziger found the ground beginning to slope upward into a thicker wooded terrain. They'd have to leave the Rail soon. The birds were directly above them now. The creatures' habit of being the first to arrive when something was dead or dying had reminded Yale of his file on Earth's vultures and so his name for them stuck.
Danziger gritted his teeth as the wheel hit a rut, jarring them both. The mechanic stopped to check for damage. "I don't think the vehicle can go much further."
Alonzo stood up and scanned the area. "We have to be close. You take that way." The pilot jumped down and took off in the other direction.
Danziger shouted after him. "I don't think we should split up!" Shaking his head, he followed his friend.
Alonzo ran toward the higher ground hoping for a better view of the area. Only when he stopped, did Danziger catch up. "I thought I told you to check the other direction."
"In case you haven't noticed, I don't respond well to orders. Besides, you're the one who's supposed to know where he's going."
"Quiet!"
Danziger was about to say he'd had enough when he heard something too. "Careful, it might be a trap."
Alonzo paid no attention and took off in the direction of the sound. Danziger swore and raised the MagPro.
The Grendler wailed as he caught sight of the two men.
Alonzo dropped to his knees beside the creature. "No wonder he's afraid of us. Look at this."
Danziger looked at the protruding arrow and immediately dropped down into a defensive position and began searching the area above them for the shooter. "Great. I'll bet there's more where that came from too."
The pilot looked at the Grendler's spilled possessions. "It looks like he was robbed."
"Now that would be different."
The big blond glanced over to see the pilot pick up something from the pile. He held it out to Danziger who took it and had a sudden flashback. He had held the mate to this boot beside the underground river. The leather of this one was still damp.
He looked into the pilot's tortured eyes and hated to play the devil's advocate. "It doesn't necessarily mean she's alive. He may have just found it somewhere."
"No. He knows where Julia is. Don't you?"
Danziger didn't think the animal could be of any help to them but he felt pity for it so he didn't object when Alonzo offered it a drink from their canteen. The Grendler drank greedily. Alonzo reached for the blanket and covered the beast who rolled it eyes toward the sky.
The Grendler seemed to know these men where different and trying to ease it last moments. Too bad he hadn't traded with them instead. Weakly, his massive fingers searched a secret pouch wanting to repay their kindness. He pressed some metal into the hand of the one who offered the water. He saw the man's expression change to one that looked more like pain then gratitude.
Danziger was saying, "I'll call Yale, maybe he can tell us what to do." when he caught the pilot's expression. "What?"
Alonzo opened his hand slowly, in the center of his palm lay Julia's silver rings.
xxx
Ethan had told Barkley to keep an eye on Sully so the man did as he was instructed and followed her. He knew what she was looking for and he prayed she wouldn't find it. As usual, his prayers went unanswered. He kept his distance and almost lost her when she stopped and crawled into the bushes. It was the soft laughter that gave her away. It took him longer to realize what was going on then to react.
He dove in without thinking, pulling Sully away from the other woman. "Jesus, what have you done? If you've killed her, Ethan will have our heads."
"You fool. Why did you stop me? He doesn't have to know. He left her tied up, face down in the dirt. She could have suffocated naturally"
Barkley crawled over to the woman's still figure and pressed his ear against her chest, listening for a heart beat.
"She's bad news, a useless chain around our necks."
"Shhh. I can't hear if she's alive or not." He knew Sully was right; it would be better if the girl was dead. She didn't have to worry, he wouldn't tell Ethan what she'd done.
Sully didn't want an accomplice. Barley sealed his fate the moment he butted in. She couldn't take a chance that one day he might talk so while he checked on the woman she found something hard enough to bash his brains in.
The man was a fool to turn his back to her. Sully found it an easy killing except now she and the girl were both soaked with the idiot's blood. She sat back figuring a new course of action. It called for a change in plans but nothing she couldn't handle. First she needed to get rid of the bodies, somewhere they would never be found. The perfect place popped into her mind and it wasn't too far away. She might have enough time to dump them and clean herself up before anyone realized she was gone.
xxx
The Grendler groaned, wondering if he had made a mistake by giving the metal rings to only one of the men. The other was shoving the boot in his face. Didn't they know they could take anything they wanted? He was in no shape to stop them.
"I don't think we're getting through to him, 'Lonz. He keeps fading in and out."
"We have to. It's the only way we're going to find out where Julia is."
The mechanic watched as his friend tried to communicate again and grew frustrated. He began looking around the area. "Anything strike you as funny about this whole scene?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well for one thing if this was a robbery why did the thief leave this stuff. Granted there's nothing very valuable but the Grendler did have the rings. Any good thief would have checked his pockets.
Alonzo sighed as the animal drifted off again. Rising, he followed the other man's gaze. "Maybe the shooter got what he wanted."
"Could be. I figured if the Grender didn't move much after he was hit, the shot might have come from somewhere up there. We might find tracks but that doesn't mean they'll lead us to Julia."
"Anything is better then nothing."
"There isn't anything more we can do for the Grendler until Yale gets here."
"I covered him with the blanket. That should keep the birds off him. Let's go take a look."
Together they climbed the hillside looking for clues.
"Alonzo, check this out."
To the pilot, what Danziger pointed out, looked like scratches in the soil. "Maybe an animal made them."
"Yea, a two legged animal trying to cover his tracks." Danziger bent closer to the ground following the markings. He held up a piece off a tree limb. "This is a small part of what he was using to wipe away any sign he was here."
They searched for another 15 minutes before Danziger stood up. "Nothing. We'll have to go back. I must have missed something."
"No, we're going the right way. Up there. It looks right."
Danziger looked at his friend strangely. "I guess you wouldn't want to tell me how you know that."
"I don't know. I just do."
"Go ahead then, it beats anything I've got."
xxx
The sun was up over the horizon and Sully was sweating. She hadn't expected it would take this long. She was exhausted from pulling the man's dead weight. When she finally reached her destination, she rolled the corpse down the embankment, waiting only long enough to see the body hit the soft shifting mass below. For a second the body seemed to float, then one side dipped and slowly began to sink from sight. Wiping the perspiration from her face, she headed back for the woman.
Julia found the only way to lessen the acute ordeal of living was by retreating into a coma-like state. Vaguely aware of the sounds of the outside world, there was little sense of time and place. However, the peace didn't last. This dim, quiet world, was shattered by a well placed kick in the ribs. Julia rolled onto her side gasping with pain. Rough hands cut the cords that bound her, freeing her hands and feet to the fresh agony of restored blood flow.
"I'm not dragging you, too. You'll walk."
Sully pulled the woman up into a sitting position then, draping Julia's arm around her shoulder, she put her arm around the woman's waist and lifted her to her feet. Julia's legs collapsed under her and she would have fallen except for the other woman's strength in bracing her.
Sully dragged the doctor forward on her knees. "Get up, bitch."
Julia tried to do as she was told but her legs were almost useless, one weak, the other flopping painfully under her.
"He'll be back soon. If he catches us, he'll kill us both."
There was a vague memory of a man with questions. He was brutal in his search for answers. Fear made her concentrate, leaning against the other woman to support her crippled leg, she managed to stumble along. The journey was arduous and there were times when one or both of them fell along the way. They were exhausted and breathing heavily by the time they reached the bog.
In what seemed like just another break, Sully dropped Julia to the ground at the lip of an embankment. The doctor was still dazed from the drug-induced stupor but she was growing uneasy about the woman who was helping her to escape. Her mind kept blocking her efforts to remember. As the doctor rose to her hands and knees, the convict suddenly planted her foot against Julia's side and pushed her down the steep incline.
Julia tumbled out of control, visions of light, greenery and dust flashed before her eyes as she reached desperately for something to hang on to. Her hand caught something at the last moment, halting the slide but not before her lower body hit the pool of quicksand. She sank to her waist in the seemingly bottomless pit. With the consistency of wet cement, the quagmire offered no chance of escape. Any movement just created more suction which in turn pulled her in deeper.
"Help me!"
"I'll help you all right."
Sully was furious the woman had managed to foul up her efforts again. She picked up a heavy stick to break the woman's hold and began working her way down the hill to get close braced herself and swung but she still wasn't close enough. She only managed a glancing blow.
Julia suffered the sting, her hand slipped a bit causing her to sink to mid-chest. The suction grew stronger. Tendons and veins in her arm bulged with the strain of holding her weight. She looked up to see Sully moving closer. The woman's eyes burned with a murderous rage.
xxx