It was almost twilight when Danziger's message came in. He had run an advanced scout into the high ground looking for a campsite. What he found exceeded his expectations. From his viewpoint, he could see the Advance team's vehicles as well as the plain beyond them. No one seemed to be following the group. The wind was growing stronger, not a good night to travel in the dark.

Danziger gave them directions, adding, "Tell Walman, the turnoff will be a tight squeeze for the TransRover and we might loose some paint but the path widens a few hundred feet in. I'll meet you at the entrance."

Devon noticed the wind was picking up as evening came on. A hot wind blew from the south and visions of another sandstorm worried her. She sat on the edge of the seat beside Walman in the TransRover eagerly searching for Danz's landmarks until she spotted the small opening in the cliffs that rose to their left.

"There!"

"No way."

"He said it would be tight."

Walman hesitated, uncertain. "Are you sure this is the spot?"

"It had better be, we're almost out of light."

Just then Danziger appeared out of the brush and waved them on.

The big blond shrugged and swung the vehicle, lining it as close as possible to the opening before plowing forward. They heard the crunch of rock and scrape of limbs across the roof and sides of the mining craft as it pushed it's way through a blinding tangle of vegetation. Finally, they broke free and found themselves in the center of a natural amphitheater, surrounded on all sides by high rocky cliffs.

Walman parked the TransRover next to John's Rail.

"How did you find this place?" was Devon's first question.

"Not as easily as you think. I climbed the outside wall hoping to get a better view of the surrounding area and found this on the other side. There are Grendler tracks all over. I found a well worn path to the opening you came through. If I had found that way first, I could have saved myself some skin."

Devon noted for the first time, the mechanic's scrapes and torn clothing.

"Best of all, there's water."

He lead her to a series of small pools. The water was crystal clear.

"We can restock our supplies, take a bath."

Devon was uneasy. It seemed too good to be true.

"What about Grendlers?"

"I haven't seen any. Just to be safe, we'll post a watch. The view up there covers the valley for miles. We should be able to spot anyone that might be following us."

"We'll have to test the water to be sure it's safe."

"I already did. What's wrong, Devon, I thought you'd be happy. You wanted to stop. This place is a God-send."

"I guess I'm not used to things going right for a change."

"I know. You'll feel better after dinner and a bath."

She did. Later in the evening, after dinner was over, they took turns bathing. Devon took her bath late after everyone was settled for the night. She laid out clean clothing on a rock before stripping off the old dust covered, sweat-stained gear. She slid in and felt the shock of cool water raise goose-bumps over her flesh. Maybe it would have been better to ease herself in, but she still wasn't comfortable with being naked in the open.

Devon tucked her legs under her and the water covered her to the chin. Above her, the sky was ablaze with stars, cosmic dust lit the heavens and the earth below. Caught up in the beauty of the night, she felt herself relaxing. She dipped her head under and stood up pushing back her steaming hair. A sound warned her of someone approaching and was suddenly aware of her vulnerability..

"Who's there?"

"Just me. I came to collect your old clothes. I thought I'd clean them for you while I'm doing some of the others."

"Thank you, Magus. You frightened me for a second."

"Sorry. I guess it is kind of eerie back here all by yourself. I took the communal bath myself, couldn't wait to shake the grime. Do you want me to stay?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Sure you will. Besides, John is on watch up there. If you shout, I'm sure he'll come running."

Devon looked in the direction Magus pointed to and sure enough she could make out a dark form on the opposite ledge high above her. She was suddenly self -conscious. She thought the guards were all posted forward. Just her luck, he had moved. Had he seen her?

He had. He thought everyone had settled for the night when he took his new position. A sweep of the valley with the infrared jumpers showed nothing but a wind-swept wasteland. He turned the glasses on the cliffs surrounding the camp, sweeping each area as he worked his way down.

He caught motion by the pool and he grew instantly alert but the figure was familiar. Devon leaned against a rock and pulled off her boots and socks. He watched mesmerized as she unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it from her shoulders. He dropped the glasses guiltily. Danziger found himself shaking and in a sweat, afraid to move. What would she think if she spotted him?

Without the glasses, he could still see her. Pale skin, the flow of dark hair, the arching curves that drew his eyes. Only when she slipped into the water, did he exhale the breath that been caught in his throat. The rippling surface shimmered in starlight, the water's transparency dissolved around her.

What the hell was she doing-taking a bath alone, so late at night, where anyone could see?.

Then he remembered. Devon and Bess had taken care of Julia first. After giving her a good soaking bath, they tackled the ordeal with the young woman's leg. There had been much discussion on the best way to break a leg.

In the end, Julia seemed to recover enough to take some interest in her treatment. She guided them in how to break, straighten, and brace her injury. Danziger wasn't needed so he cut out. Bad enough to see Alonzo standing by, looking alone and helplessly on as they worked on the woman he cared for. Knowing Devon, she had put her own needs on hold until everyone and everything else had been taken care of for the night. That would explain her presence.

He forced himself to look away and began searching the camp for the other guards. Walman was stationed by the entrance, Baines on the opposite wall. Only he held a view of the pool. Something moved in the shadows below and he heard Devon's voice questioning. Alert, he was ready to rush to her defense. Magus moved into view and he relaxed. Their conversation drifted up to him. He cringed when he heard his name mentioned and they both looked in his direction.

"I think I've had enough for tonight. Do me a favor and hand me the blanket, Lin. I think I'll dress in my tent." Magus restrained a smile and opened the covering to shield and wrap Devon as she stepped out of the pool.

'Shows over, Danziger.' she thought.

'Shows over.' Danziger thought.

Magus and Devon parted at Devon's tent. Yale was still in the TransRover. Uly and True had talked the adults into allowing them to hang hammocks in the open. Devon dressed in night clothing and lay on her cot. Light from the campfire sent shapes danced on the semi-transparent walls of the tent. Devon found it hard to sleep.

The wind outside their shelter was growing stronger. Every once in a while it would swirl into the camp and rattle the scrub trees and bushes, scattering debris ahead of its path. High on the ledge, Danizger found he was being hit with fine grit as the wind moaned around him. He moved into a more sheltered area and lost his view of the camp.

Walman was getting the worst of the wind as it funneled through the main opening. He threw a blanket over himself and sat huddled in a corner. The warmth caused him to grow drowsy and he nodded off.

Alonzo had set up his blanket on the back of the Rover. He wanted to be near Julia in case she needed anything. He was just nodding off when the Rover shook slightly. He opened his eyes. Had the wind grown strong enough to shake the vehicle or had someone climbed on board? He waited, listening, his eyes glued to the shadowed area where Julia lay sleeping. He felt small vibrations of movement running across the part of his body in touch with the truck bed. A large shadow moved across the curtain separating Julia's sleeping area.

Alonzo rose, on bare feet he silently crept toward the doctor's alcove and hesitated. Julia moaned inside and he flung the curtain aside. A large dark form loomed across from him and without thinking he flung himself at the shape. Hard steel met his head and he heard Julia scream. He lunged at a shadow but met only air as the Rover rocked.

"Somebody help!"

Alonzo's head was on fire. He felt blood dripping into his eyes. A light flashed, blinding him.

Cameron's voice. "Alonzo? What the hell's going on?"

"Did you see him?"

"See who?"

"Someone.. a man... sneaking around. I went after him and he hit me."

He felt Cameron's hand on his head. "You've got a good gash."

"Don't worry about me, go after him."

"Alonzo, I didn't see anyone. Julia? Did you see someone?"

The doctor eyes were huge with fright and she was trembling. . "No...I'm not sure."

Lights and voices crowded around them as everyone in camp came running. Questions and shouts filled the air.

"Uly?!?!?"

"Right here, mom. What's going on?"

"Bess, Morgan, stay with the children."

"Yale?"

"I'm all right, Devon. What's happening?"

"He's getting away." Alonzo stumbled to his feet and felt the ground spin under him.

"Whoa." Cameron caught him as he fell.

"Who's getting away? Alonzo, what did you see?" Danziger's face peered down at him.

"Someone climbed aboard the `Rover. I saw his shadow move into the area where Julia was sleeping. I lunged for him. I guess he hit me with something."

"Baines, Walman, did you guys see anything?"

"No. I was here in seconds and didn't see a thing. Sure it wasn't the wind playing tricks on you?"

"I don't believe this. Why are you wasting time questioning me instead of trying to find him." Alonzo snapped.

"Okay, those with weapons spread out but don't shoot without challenging. We don't need anyone shot by friendly fire. Devon keep everyone close to the `Rover until we sweep the area."

Adair followed Danziger. "Do you think someone followed and found us, got past the guards?"

"It's hard to say. I can't imagine anyone scaling the outside wall in this wind. The only way in that I know of would be past Walman and I had Baines set up the laser grid across the entrance as a precaution. I'm not saying there isn't another way into this place, but who would be crazy enough to take on an armed camp?".

"Someone hit him."

"Or maybe hit his head chasing a shadow. I don't know, I guess we'll have to see if we can find anything that supports what he's saying. In the mean time, someone needs to put a few stitches in his head."

The group waited around the campfire for the searchers to return. The howling winds did little to relieve their nerves. Finally, Danziger returned to inform Devon of their findings. While the other men left to return to their old or newly posted positions, Alonzo joined Danziger and Devon at the campfire.

"We didn't find anything." Danziger held his hand up to stop Alonzo's protest. "I'm not saying you didn't see something, I'm just saying we didn't find anyone or anything missing that suggests someone was here. Now it's dark, so there's not much we can do. I've posted guards and Baines is setting the laser grid around our campsite. The camp will be enclosed. No one is to move outside the perimeter without authorization so no one should be able to get in. I suggested that everyone not on duty get rest so they can relieve the others later. Alonzo, this includes you."

The pilot looked from Danziger to Devon and stalked off. He knew who was out there even if Danziger wouldn't admit it. Let them think he was crazy if it made them feel better. He settled in the shadows outside Julia's sleeping quarters. The convict was determined to have her and would return to try again. Next time Alonzo would be ready.

Devon couldn't sleep. This spot which had seemed to offer so much seemed to be nothing more than a trap now. She worked off her anxiety, moving from area to area checking on the camp, offering refreshments to the guards, making sure the children were secure and safe. She climbed the TransRover to check Yale and almost had a heart attack when Alozno popped from the shadows to confront her.

"I'm sorry Devon. I don't want anymore slip-ups."

She could understand how he felt. "I'm just checking on everyone myself."

Alonzo settled back into his position and Devon went to check Yale and found him sleeping soundly. She caught Alonzo's eye to motion she was going to check Julia. He nodded. Devon slipped inside the drawn sheet feeling suddenly nervous. Had someone slipped past their security and been here?

Devon lit a flashlight. Keeping the beam away from the sleeping woman, she swept the dark corners. Her beam caught a smear on the TransRover's panel directly across from the entrance. Devon touched it -- fresh blood. Had Alonzo collided with the steel beam instead of being hit by someone?.

Julia tossed in her sleep and her blanket slipped to the floor. Devon bent over and retrieved it, covering her. She noticed the dressing on Julia's shoulder wound was stained. Perhaps in the excitement, the wound had opened again. A few flies buzzed about, drawn by the moisture. She'd have to change it before the insects created more problems.

Devon fumbled with the first aid kit and noise woke Julia. She mumbled something to Devon about the storm.

"Yes, it seems to be getting worse. Julia, I hate to disturb you but I have to change your dressing, it's soiled."

"Hmm. John?" the doctor asked sleepily

"Danziger? "

"Is he okay?"

"Yes, he fine. Why?"

"I thought he may have bruised some ribs in the crash."

Devon stopped what she was doing and stared at the young woman.

"How did you ever find us in this storm?"

Julia opened her eyes. She turned toward Devon and flinched. "What happened to me? I don't remember being injured."

"What do you remember?"

"A storm...we were caught in the open..couldn't contact you. We were trying to find shelter. The Rail hit something."

"Julia, that was days ago."

"Days? Have I been unconscious all that time?"

"No. You mean you don't remember what's happened.?

"You mean besides our accident? Is everyone all right here? Alonzo?!"

"Everyone's fine. Alonzo's right outside. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you, it's just..."

"Julia? Did you call me?" Alonzo peered in.

Julia strained her eyes. "Alonzo? What happened to your head? Devon, I thought you said everyone was all right?"

"It's...it's a long story."

"I'm fine, Julia. It's nothing serious." The pilot knelt by the doctor's cot. "Do you remember everything?"

"Why are you both saying everything?"

Alonzo glanced up at Devon.

"What Alonzo means, is do you remember anything after the crash. What happened to you and John afterwards."

The young woman's frowned with concentration. "We were trying to find something for shelter.. a cave. I remember a dark passage...we were lost....I remember being afraid that we'd never find the way out." A flashback -- solid rock inches from her face, the feeling of being buried alive. The young woman shivered. "What happened to me?" She tried to sit up and only managed to cause herself pain. " My leg, is it broken? "

"We set it. The bone healer should kick in soon. I'm afraid you're going to understand what all my yelling was about." Alonzo teased, steering her away from what seemed to be a troubling memory. .

She smiled back at him. "Payback time? Will you be here to massage it for me? "

"Sure. I wouldn't miss it." A big weight lifted from the pilot's heart.

She no longer looked at him with the eyes of a stranger.

Julia glanced at Devon who stood watching all this, the dressing still in her hand. She looked from the bandage to her shoulder and saw a small round hole. "God! How did that happen?"

"We're not sure." Devon lied. She was suddenly all business, slapping the bandage across Julia's shoulder and adding strips of tape to hold it in place.

It drew Julia's attention so that she missed Alonzo's momentary look of surprise.

"It's very late. I think the rest of the questions can wait until morning."

Devon wanted to sidetrack the conversation until she felt more in control of the situation. Just how much should they tell Julia? What would she remember on her own?

"You need to rest Julia, and Alonzo has a watch to keep. I just stopped by to check on you." Devon hastily added another strip of tape." There that should do it. We'll let you get some sleep now."

Julia glanced at the overwrapped bandage and made a mental note that Devon needed more first-aid training. "Thanks. Seriously, Devon, Alonzo shouldn't be on watch with a head injury."

"It's okay, Doc. My watch is just outside your door. I'm not going far."

Devon shot him a look.

"Just yell if you need me, okay?" He winked. Taking Devon's hint, he rose to leave, then, as an afterthought, he leaned over and kissed Julia.

Surprised, she blushed and glanced shyly at Devon. "I guess there's nothing wrong with him after all."

Once outside, the pilot and the leader of the Eden Project confronted each other after making sure they could not be overheard.

"I know, it was wrong to lie," Devon conceded, "but I wasn't expecting this sudden return to normal and after what you told me, I wasn't sure just how much I should tell her. Apparently, she remembers very little of what happened."

"But she might, eventually." Alonzo added then grew quiet, lost in his own train of thought.

"Alonzo you couldn't have done more. I don't want you second guessing yourself."

"You're right. Next time, there'll be no mistakes, I'll do what has to be done."

Devon didn't like the look in his eyes. "Let's hope there will be no next time."

He didn't answer her.

xxx

Dawn turned the sky hot orange as the light filtered through thick suspended clouds of dust and sand. Any thought of leaving ended in the face of 20 foot drifts that had piled across the entrance.

Danziger faced it glumly and declared. "Everyone dig."

Of course since shovels were in short supply, this meant everyone took turns digging. By late afternoon, they had shifted a considerable amount of soil with an equal amount left to go before the TransRover could work its way clear. Seeing everyone was exhausted, Devon called an end to the day. Their remaining energy would have to go into cleaning up, cooking a meal and bedding down for the night. Names were pulled for night watches.

Alonzo traded for a later shift to be with Julia when the bonehealer kicked into high gear. He waited patiently outside, watching the hours slip by until the first spasms had her cry out. He had to admit, she put up a good front, stoically giving him the nod to work her leg while she tried biting back the pain.

When she broke into a sweat and grew pale, he told her, "For God's sake, Julia, yell if it'll make you feel better."

She cried instead and seemed embarrassed by it.

"It's okay to cry. I remember. It hurt like hell." The tears flowed like rain as he felt the tightness loosen and become flexible beneath his strong hands.

"It's better now." She kept brushing the free-flow of tears away like they was nothing more then an errant lock of hair that didn't know its place.

"Stop." He finally captured her hands and held them against his chest. "Stop holding it in. Let it go, Julia."

She sobbed and buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry, it's not that bad, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's okay." He put his arms around her and rocked her gently. "I know, I know."

In time she quieted. "Thank you." She lifted her head and gave him a weak smile, brushing the front of his shirt. "I got you all wet."

"And, I got you all dirty." He smiled back.

Julia's face was streaked with the layer of dust he wore from digging.

"I think we both could use a bath. What do you say?"

"Now, Alonzo?"

"No, let's wait until later when everyone else is done. We'll have the pool to ourselves."

"I don't know. What if someone saw us?"

"Everyone will be in bed or too tired to care." He kissed her, testing her resistance until he felt her relent.

"Okay. " Julia broke away breathless. "Come for me later."

Later, Alonzo caught Danziger setting up the grid for the night. "Do me a favor and hold off on that for about an hour. I'm going to take Julia up to the pool to do a little therapy on her leg."

"Therapy? Is that what they're calling it now? "

Alonzo broke into a grin. "Come on, give me a break."

"How long do you need?"

"I never got a chance to clean up."

"Well, we can't have you start digging tomorrow dirty can we?"

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"Hold up. Don't go getting so involved with Julia's "therapy" that you forget to keep you eyes and ears open while you're up there. We still don't know if we've got an intruder around here."

"No one knows that more then me." He touched his bruised forehead.

"Okay. I'll be within shouting distance if you need me. You've got 55 minutes left."

Fifteen minutes later, Alonzo eased Julia into the lower pool that was reserved for bathing. He glanced around, and began stripping off his clothes to join her.

"Oh, this is nice."

Unlike Alonzo, Julia only removed her clothing after she entered the water. She gave them a quick dipping and scrub then she handed them up to Alonzo to hang somewhere to dry.

"Hand me your stuff and I'll wash it for you."

"Forget that."

He was mindful of time slipping away as he jumped in beside her.

"How does your leg feel?"

"A little stiff yet. Let me hold on to you while I flex it a bit." Julia had more than a woman's appreciation of Alonzo's body. The doctor also admired the perfect male anatomy that put most medical book illustrations to shame. She noticed the numerous bruises and cuts that marred this perfection. "Alonzo?" She touched strange marks, circles and slashes covered by healing scabs.

"Don't worry about those."

She saw he didn't want to talk about it and wondered why. Alonzo supported her while she used the water's resistance to work the injured limb.

"That's good enough. No sense overdoing it."

"No problem, I can always carry you back." He began teasing.

As he moved toward her, she stepped back into deeper water and for a second, slipped beneath the water. A flashback of drowning overwhelmed her senses, throwing her into a panic.

Alonzo caught her as she thrashed about. She caught him in a death grip. He reached down and cupped the back of her thighs, lifting her effortlessly into an embrace. Instinctively, her legs wrapped around his body .

"It's okay. I have you." He reassured her.

She clung to him desperately, a rock amid a storm of memory that lashed and threatened to tear her sanity away.

He could see the pulse in her neck beating wildly. He felt her panting, her breast rising and falling against his chest. "Julia?" His voice was husky with passion.

She cried softly against his neck.

"What is it? Tell me."

"I was drowning." Her voice grew distant, remembering..

"No, I had you in a second. You were never in danger."

"Before this. It came back to me, just like it was happening all over again. I was drowning. I felt myself dying." She seemed unaware of him, lost in distant moment of time in which he had no part.

"No, Julia. You're here -- alive. It never happened." He shook her, snapping her back to the present.

"But it was so real."

"The only thing that's real, is you and me, here and now."

"I want to believe that." She hugged him tightly, afraid somehow he'd slip away and the nightmare would return.

"Let me prove it to you."

She looked into eyes that ask her to trust. As she relaxed, he took control. His lips on her lips, moving down her neck. He lifted her and nuzzled her breast while guiding her into position against him. Then he took her, slowly, gently, allowing her to control the pace of their joining until she was ready to give herself up to him. Caught up in the passion of the moment, he failed to notice, she never closed her eyes.

Danziger glanced back toward the pool area, checked his watch. Alonzo had fifteen minutes left. As he turned, a small avalanche of stones cascaded down the hillside. John looked down toward the source of the spill and saw something moving on the ledge below him.

"Who's there?"

xxx

Julia stared at the night sky, aware that pleasure could evaporate as quickly as moisture in the dry desert air. The sensation replacing it, was caused by the countless prickly surfaces and rough edges of sticks, stones and pine needles that pressed into the exposed skin of her back and buttocks. Alonzo seemed oblivious, laying half on his side, his shoulder, arm and head draped across her breast, his leg and hip covering the lower part of her body. Both lovers still remained half in, half out of the water.

"Alonzo?" She tried moving but was pinned solidly under the long, hard length of his body. Parts of her not warmed by him felt the first chill of exposure as the cool water sucked heat from her body.

Julia reached up and touched his head. The water had molded his hair into jet-black spikes.

"I'm cold. Are you asleep?"

He stretched lazily, tilting his face to nuzzle her neck. He hadn't shaved and the rough stubble of a day brushed against her skin sparking a violent reaction.

"NO! GET OFF ME!" She attacked him, raking his face with her nails.

"Ouch! Stop that." The pilot grabbed her hands, wondering what had gotten into her.

She wrestled with him until he pinned her with his body, locking her wrists above her head with his hands. She strained under him, her body arching like a tightly drawn bow. He felt her chest heaving against his, heard the drawing of each ragged breath that fueled her resistance. And above all this, he heard something more, clear and close. The hair on his body stood rigid with fear, a primeval response to the soft rustle behind him. It had the sound of wind passing invisibly, shaking the leaves of bushes or trees but there was no wind. No foliage of any kind.

Julia had drawn him from the shadows, like a moth to a flame. Alonzo had counted on some risk but hadn't anticipated anything like this happening. His plans were in a tailspin as he fought to control the woman beneath him.

"Julia...stop! I have to get the gun." Alonzo's whisper was both harsh and demanding, his grip, a vice, tightening painfully cruel as he tried desperately to sort the noises around them. His weapon lay concealed under his clothing, just out of reach. Covering her mouth, he cut off a sob and heard the crack of twigs close by.

His eyes darted, seeking a direction, but nothing moved. Silence. The night held its breath, waiting.

Julia's movement had frozen with the sound. Alonzo glanced down into eyes which looked beyond him. He saw the pale blue irises being swallowed by widely dilating pupils and in their black depths, he saw the reflection.

xxx