Julia was not happy to see Danziger up. She was even more upset to see him by Alonzo's tent talking to Yale. The doctor hopped clear of the Rail after it came to a stop and hurried to meet the two approaching men. "I thought I told you to stay in bed until I had time to check on you. Do you want to end up on your back again?"

"And how long was I supposed to wait? What if you didn't come back?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about our only doctor exposing herself to a plant that has a taste for humans, penal colonists, murderers, and god knows what else. I hope whatever you were after was worth the risk."

"What I found has more to do with your risk than mine. You'd better talk to True. There are to be no more pets in camp and I would advise you to avoid kobas in the future. Your life may depend on it."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The doctor ignored the profanity and turned to address Yale. "I'm afraid I wasn't able to get a sample. The koba's venom proved fatal to the plant."

The mechanic paled. "What?"

She turned back to Danziger. "In my rush to free Alonzo, I accidentally overdosed it. Since you also received a large dose, you'll have to be cautious until it works its way out of your system. That means you can't take the chance of being stung again."

"I never intended to get stung in the first place. I was trying to get what you needed when it sneaked up on me from behind. The next thing I know, everything goes dark, and four days of my life disappear. But, what really has me pissed off is the fact that I'm still in the dark about what is going on around here."

"What do you want to know? Why did I go back? I went back to get a sample of the enzyme the plant used for a defense. It not only burned our skin, it injected a toxin which is suppressing our immune systems. Because of that, Alonzo has become critical and Walman and I have been getting sicker each day. You're four days behind us on the curve. The facts are: I don't know what I'm dealing with, the limited amount of medication I have left is practically useless and time is running out. Anything else?" When she finished, the young woman began to shake.

Danziger reached out to steady her. "Take it easy, Doc. I'm just trying to find out what's going on. I'm not the enemy here."

"I'm sorry. I don't feel well. I'm disappointed the plant is dead. It means we have to start over again." Turning toward the tutor, "Yale, I will need your help. We need to get started right away."

"Of course."

Danziger couldn't help but feel he was being dismissed. "If there is anything I can do Julia--"

"I'll call you," she finished.

"Yea, right."

The mechanic held the elderly man's eyes as the doctor turned away and entered the tent. Like a tightly drawn bow, they both felt Julia's tension. How long would it be before she snapped?

Wordlessly, with a look, Danziger conveyed his desire to be informed of any change in the situation.

Yale nodded and followed the doctor. Once inside, he asked, "Don't you think you were a little rough on him?"

"You don't know everything that went on out there, Yale. I don't want Danziger or Walman near Alonzo."

Yale was worried about Julia. Clearly, she appeared feverish. Had it begun to affect her rationality?

"I don't understand. They helped save him."

"Yes, they did. But only after I convinced them not to kill him."

"Julia, do you know what you are saying?" Yale's voice was stern, almost reproachful.

"I'm sure they thought what they were going to do would have been for the best... A mercy killing."

"Go on."

Julia paced, reliving the horror again.

"When we realized what they had done to him, what was happening to him inside that thing...it was inconceivable. We tried everything we could think of to free him. Nothing worked. Yale, I was so desperate I couldn't think. Somehow, between them, Walman and Danziger decided it would be best to end Alonzo's suffering. Danziger raised the Mag-Pro....." Remembering shook her.

"They didn't tell you because they knew you would try to stop them," he surmised.

Julia nodded. "Walman held me back when I tried."

The tutor could imagine the woman's fear. He knew how deeply she cared for the pilot. "Julia, they did not harm him. If they are guilty of anything, it was that they didn't want him to suffer. I'm sure it was something neither took lightly, but something they felt had to be done because there was no other way. In the end, you came up with an alternative, one which they were willing to listen to. They helped you to make it work, Julia."

"For a while at least."

"Julia, it is something you still might have to face. Alonzo may die."

"No, not like this. I won't let him die. I won't let anyone help him to die."

The tutor laid a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Julia, you cannot hold back death if it's meant to be any more than you can hold back the night."

She offered no reply but he saw her jaw tighten with resolve as she gathered the remains of her medications. Donning her mask, she slipped through the clear tarp and settled by the pilot's side. Yale sighed. There was nothing he could do but wait. If the medication didn't work, it would only be a matter of time.

Towards evening, Julia asked Yale to check on Walman. When the tutor entered the tent, he found Bess trying to feed soup to the sick crewman, who resisted her efforts.

Laying the bowl to the side, she got up. Taking the elderly tutor's arm, she turned him around and led him back outside. "Yale, we have to do something. The medicine Julia has given him is not working. The infection on his hands is deep. It's beginning to remind me of gas gangrene." At Yale's surprised look, she went on. "I saw it a lot in the mines. Any injury that produced an open wound became easily infected. Remember the conditions we lived under, there were no doctors or medications. We were on our own as far as medical care went. We made do with homemade remedies. It wasn't always pretty, but it worked."

"Are you saying you have something in mind? Because if you do, I believe now is the time for suggestions. We are out of medicine, homemade or otherwise."

The briefest hint of a smile passed over the young woman's face. "As a matter of fact, I did put something together. Just in case, you know. Down in the mines, we had a saying, 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best.'"

"A wise policy."

"There's just one problem." As one of his eyebrows rose in question, she answered, "Julia."

"You think Dr. Heller would not be receptive to your suggestion. Is that it?"

"Let's face it, Yale. I'm an uneducated Earther compared to Julia. She's been chromo-tilted to excel in the medical arts, attended the best schools, and was handpicked by Dr. Vasquez. Do you really think she'll take kindly to me telling her how to do her job?"

"Perhaps it would be better if I plead your case, but first I must know exactly what you have in mind."

Morgan's wife went on to tell him of some of the folk cures of Earth's mining community she had seen used.

"Yale, I know I can duplicate all the elements I need for the procedure."

"If you are sure, I'll speak to Julia."

"Everything is in my tent. Help me carry what I need and we can show her together. Walman has all ready agreed to be the test subject."

Yale shook his head, amazed by her tenacity. Bess took his hand and led him to her tent. Morgan looked up from his journals, startled, as they both entered. Bess ignored her husband while she searched among the roots that hung on the supports.

Morgan smiled uncertainly at the tutor, not sure what the man was doing in his tent. "Ahhh..is there something I can help you with?"

"Morgan, where is my white-root?"

"White-root? Is that the one that smelled? It was attracting bugs so I threw it out."

"WHAT?!?!? You threw it out without asking me?"

"I had to. The smell was making me sick."

"Morgan!!!" Bess was exasperated.

"Now, don't get upset. I know where I put it. No one, aside from a Grendler, could stand the scent so I'm sure no one took it."

Morgan led them to the spot in a tree where he had hung the root. Yale immediately was hit with the smell of rotting vegetation, but he put aside his revulsion. With Bess, he leaned close to examine the soft mass.

"What's this all about?" Morgan asked.

"Your wife thinks she may have a cure for the infection that has baffled Julia."

"Really? Sweetheart, is that true?" Morgan asked, excited by the prospect.

"I'm hoping it is."

"It has something to do with this root?" With Bess's nod to the affirmative, her husband began to calculate. "A mold? Something like penicillin, only different, because it comes from here. That means it's not patented," he schemed out loud. "We could make a fortune. We'll call it Martincillin."

Bess was suddenly uneasy. "Morgan, I don't think..."

"Oh, Bess. I know I've been naming everything after myself. Morganite, the Upper Morgan River, but this is something we can share, like that other famous married couple who discovered.....whatever it was. In the future, when they think of Martincillin, they'll picture us."

"I don't want anyone picturing me."

Morgan brushed her remark aside and said to Yale, "My wife's a genius, but she's too modest. It's a good thing she has me to look out for her interests. I'll make sure she gets the credit she deserves. Yale, you can be our witness."

"Thank you. But, first, we must have Dr. Heller's approval."

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Yale, we both know Julia is close-minded about natural cures. I had to literally sling Grendler drool all over her precious slides before she realized it was the greatest pharmaceutical discovery of the century. Did she even thank me or offer to share the credit? No. I was the one who gave the shirt off his back for the supply that saved Baines and Danziger, but everyone forgets that."

"I intend to talk to Julia and plead your wife's case. I'll be sure Bess will get any credit she deserves."

"Besides, Morgan, I only promised Yale this would clear up the infection and buy Julia some time. She would still have to work on eliminating the toxin."

"Well, she'd better not look this gift horse in the mouth."

As Bess scraped specks off the root into a jar, Yale contacted Julia on gear. The tutor moved out of Morgan's earshot to speak to the doctor in private which aggravated the bureaucrat.

"Bess, why didn't you tell me about this first instead of going to Yale? As a lawyer, I know the proper way is to present this as something we have and they need. Then we negotiate a price. Everyone knows you only give something away when it's not worth anything."

Before Bess could reply, Yale rejoined them. "Julia is in the middle of debriding Alonzo. She'll join us as soon as she's able."

"In the meantime, poor Walman has to suffer."

"No. I told her after some research, I had found this procedure was used with remarkable results in the late 21st century when viruses built up an immunity against the antibiotics used to fight them. An over-use caused the medication to become useless over time. This procedure was used in desperate circumstances."

"So it's okay to start?"

"Yes. I explained what needed to be done. Since we have to wait for it to ahh...take effect, Julia will be here in time to monitor the situation. I must warn you, Bess, she told me she will stop the procedure if she feels the results are causing more harm than good."

"Thank you, Yale. All I ask is a chance. You and Julia won't regret this."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started," Morgan prompted.

Morgan found one look at Walman's putrefied hands brought him close to voiding his stomach, so he quickly exited on the excuse of watching for Julia. Yale's voice startled him.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave the witnessing to you. Julia needs me to watch over Alonzo while she's gone. It seems he is extremely critical. I pray your wife is successful."

"But..."

"I'm sorry. You will have to look out for your own interests."

Morgan swallowed back bile as he watched Yale trade places with the doctor across camp. Julia was intercepted by Danziger on her way, but she never broke her pace. He was forced to walk with her. Morgan brightened. Danziger could be a witness.

Unfortunately, Julia and Danziger were disagreeing about something and brushed past him before he could negotiate with the mechanic. Morgan had to wait a good portion of the afternoon before Danziger came back out.

"Finally! Look, Danziger, I need you as a witness. I'm sure we could arrange a small settlement for you and True. You understand we are the ones who discovered the cure and we will have to bear the full cost of manufacturing, but we can still be generous to those who would offer an endorsement. "

The big man looked distracted. "What the hell are you babbling about, Martin?"

"Bess's cure."

Over his shoulder, Danziger advised, "I wouldn't go counting your chickens--"

"Chickens? The discovery of the century for chickens. Are you out of your mind?"

What had his wife agreed to now? The thought of the loss of a great fortune forced Morgan to overcome his queasiness and he burst in on the women. Julia held her diaglove over the sick man's hands.

"Bess, what this about trading our discovery for chickens?'

"Morgan, not now!!"

Julia ignored him and spoke to Bess. "I think we can open the wound now. I'm not reading any sign of infection. It's amazing how fast it's absorbing the poison in his system."

Curious, Morgan approached for a better view. He blinked as the man's swollen hands seemed to pulsate.

"Just a small cut should do it. Be careful, they're going to gush out."

"What is?" he asked.

Bess looked up. "Morgan, I don't think you want to see this."

"Are you ready, Walman?" Julia asked.

"Yea, hurry!"

Morgan was frozen to the spot, unable to tear his widening eyes away. Walman's hands were deathly white, contrasting against the inflamed corruption of huge blisters which seemed to undulate under Julia's laser. A small incision was all it took.

Julia moved quickly to avoid the spewing mass and almost tripped over Morgan who had dropped in a dead faint behind her. Regaining her balance, she checked her readings while Bess purged the wound. "It worked! The remaining tissue is healthy." Julia looked in awe at the other woman.

"I know. It always did back on Earth." Bess bent over her husband. "Morgan, sweetheart, I tried to warn you."

"Good job, Bess! Walman, how are you feeling?"

"Better. It's over, right?" he asked anxiously

"I'd say we at least have a level playing field right now," Julia assured him. "Bess, I'm going to need your help with Alonzo. His wounds are much more extensive. I hope you have more of this."

"Sure. There's plenty more where this came from," the woman said happily.

Walman groaned, "I'll never understand why they call you the weaker sex."

--end Part 7--