Chapter 3

They parked the rover as close to the entrance to the Council ship as they could, Danziger aware of the possibility of being forced to make a run for it should the barracuda come calling. One eye always on the horizon, he and Julia quickly loaded the equipment and supplies they'd brought into the hatch of the ship.

They were glad to see the lights come up as they entered. Apparently all was still well with the power grid. Danziger walked over to the cold sleep capsule where Devon Adair's still form stood, shrouded in a misty white glow. He hadn't seen her in nearly three weeks. He didn't expect his first sight of her to affect him quite the way it did.

"Snow White. Sleeping Beauty," he murmured, reaching out unconsciously to touch the side of the sleep tube.

"What?" Julia asked from across the room.

"Nothing," he replied, snatching his hand back as if burned by the cold. Danziger walked over to where Julia was busily arranging her equipment, still tossing glances back at the princess in ice. She was that beautiful, that untouchable. He wondered whatever for a second could have made him think that maybe someday she would have any interest in him as a man. She outclassed him by light years. He shrugged it off and bent over the unit controls with Julia.

"So far, everything looks well within parameters," the doctor was saying in relief as she began to input data into the control panel. "Her life signs show perfect hibernation." Julia set out several other injections on the work surface, selecting one for Danziger. She passed it to him.

"This is the DNA," she said. "As soon as the unit opens, give it to her. Then you'll have to support her while I inject the serum."

Danziger turned the injection over in his hand, readying it for use. Then he nodded. Julia looked nervous. "She'll be fine, doc," he reassured her, again making those promises he had no way of keeping. "She only looks like a pushover. She's tough. She'll get through this."

He reached up to touch the call button on his gear and spoke briefly to Yale. "We're getting ready to start reviving her. It may be touch and go for a while, but we'll call back when she's stabilized," he assured the older man.

Yale's warm voice came back to them over gear, "Everything will be fine, John, Julia. We have faith in you and in Devon."

Taking visible comfort from Yale's words, Julia input the revival commands as Danziger signed off, pulling the gear free of his hair and tossing onto the nearest table. He then carefully removed Uly's little handmade Terrian staff from the door and set it to the side.

Danziger's heart began to pound anxiously as the sleep chamber's voice module began to declare revival in process. Julia stood over the controls tweaking the revival process expertly for optimal outcome.

At last the unit door unlatched with a whoosh. He pulled it aside to catch Devon as she began to slump, pressing the injection into her neck. Her skin was so cold to the touch. Julia quickly pressed the serum injection to her as well, then ran the diaglove over her as Danziger gathered Devon's limp form into his arms. "Put her down over there," Julia stated, gesturing across the room.

She didn't seem to weigh anything as he crossed the room with her, gently placing her onto the bed. Elizabeth and Bennett had gasped for air, fighting for consciousness when they'd been awakened, but Devon just lay there still and quiet. At last, she took in a deep breath, but it was a calm, even breath. It made him nervous.

Julia worked steadily and intently, diaglove and instruments checking, adjusting. At last she leaned back and said, "Now we wait."

"How is she?" Danziger asked, completely on edge.

"She's still asleep, but I think that's probably a good thing. The more natural the transition out of cold sleep, the better. Plus her body's energy needs to be concentrated on healing right now," Julia explained. Then the doctor gave him a sharp look of warning. "That doesn't mean we let our guard down. She could wake up fighting at any moment."

Danziger looked down at the sleeping princess on the bed. She didn't seem capable of much of a fight right then. Julia pulled a blanket out to cover her as she rested, then turned back to the diagnostic panel to watch Devon's vitals.

"John?" came a whisper. "John? Where are you?"

He looked down to see Devon's mouth moving. "Right here, Dev. I'm right here," he answered softly, reaching out to take her small cold hand in his. With her other hand, she reached out and grabbed at his shirt. "Don't leave me, Danziger," she ordered quietly, her eyes still closed. "Please don't leave me."

"I won't leave you, I promise," he said firmly, glad to make a promise that for once he could keep.

Out on the savanna, Morgan watched intently for any signs of the wild animals that stalked the plains. They were extremely difficult to spot when still, their reflective scales causing them to blend into the surrounding vegetation easily. It was easier to catch sight of them on the move and he began watching the tops of the grass for signs of something parting the blades below.

Fortunately, the buffalo were not grazing close by at the moment. Hopefully, most of the barracuda were off lunching somewhere in their vicinity. His concentration was so focused that the sound of Zero's chipper voice made him jump in surprise. "I have located a perimeter alert sensor approximately 200 yards dead ahead," Zero informed them.

"Don't say 'dead'," Morgan commented in an undervoice.

"Drove you right to it, didn't I?" Zeke bragged.

"Yeah, very good," Morgan replied, less than enthusiastically. "Now let's load this thing up and get to the other one."

"Calm down, Morgan," Zeke said easily as he pulled alongside the battered sensor. "I told you those animals don't like me very much. They keep their distance." Zeke hopped out to check the sensor's condition, making sure it wouldn't fall apart the minute he attempted to load it.

"Why is that, do you think?" Morgan asked, still nervously scanning the grass for signs of movement.

"Honestly, I don't think they like how I smell," Zeke responded, satisfied that the unit would come off the ground in one piece and not hundreds. He lifted it into the back seat, strapping it in carefully with some webbing.

"What do you smell like to them?" Morgan wondered aloud. "You had a shower, maybe you washed it off."

Zeke got back in the driver's seat and headed toward the last known location of the final sensor. "No, I think I smell too much like technology," he answered, then added in his mind--too much like death.

She was dying—that much was certain. Devon Adair's last thought before going under for cold sleep was that she was dying, twenty-two light years from home. She was leaving behind her only child on a strange planet, with only Yale to care for him.

And John. John would watch out for him.

But John was a stranger still—even after months of travel, she didn't really know him, not like she wanted to. Even so, she trusted him to be a father to Uly, just like he'd trusted her to take care of True for him.

How could she do that? How could she leave her child alone so far away from everything he'd ever known?

She was going to die and they were going to leave her behind. Someone else would raise her child. When the colony ship came, John would meet someone who would become Uly's new mother. They would be a family, and this other woman would take her place in her son's life. And she would be dead.

Over her dead body.

Devon still had a tight grip on Danziger's shirt, even as she slept. Over an hour had passed and she still rested quietly. Even Julia had come to believe that the DNA's side effects would be much milder than she'd imagined.

So far, Devon's recovery was progressing very well, the serum had already reduced the particle count in her system and the DNA was supporting her life functions as well as could be hoped. It wasn't over yet, Julia kept telling herself, but it was certainly looking good.

Then out of nowhere, Devon's eyes snapped open. "Why did you leave me, Danziger?" she snapped angrily. "I was not dead. I am not dead. You can't do this to me!"

The look of shock on Danziger's face was both priceless and heartbreaking at the same time. "She's not in her right mind, John," Julia reminded him. "Just talk to her. Keep her calm."

"Don't you dare talk about keeping me calm, Doctor Heller," Devon put sarcastic stress on her title. "I will not be calm. You left me for dead. You were going to replace me."

She sat up, her fingers still tangled in Danziger's shirt. She tugged on it, bringing him closer. "I will not be replaced, John Danziger," she threatened furiously. "I am not dead and you will not replace me with some other woman."

Danziger blushed. He couldn't help it. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? At the same time, her words stirred up memories—the dreams he'd had of Ellie and Devon begging him not to leave them behind. And he had. He'd left both of them. Ellie had died. He didn't blame Devon for being mad at him. He was furious with himself.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think of to say. "We weren't going to replace you. Nobody could take your place."

"You remember that, Danziger," she snapped. "I am Uly's mother. Not some other woman. You might be his father, but no one else will ever be his mother but me, do you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Danziger responded. He began to see now where her worry lay. She'd practically turned Uly over to him when she got so sick, just like he'd done with True when he was nearly dead of heat exhaustion that time looking for water.

She trusted him to raise her son, but not with some other woman as his mother. He could understand where she was coming from. "You are Uly's mom, Devon. Nobody could replace you in his heart," he reassured her.

She nodded, then lay back down, never releasing her grip on his shirt. After a little while, she slept again.

Julia looked at him with approval. "She's getting better," the doctor commented. "I'd say give her another couple of hours and the worst will be over."

He tried to pull the folds of his shirt free of Devon's grip, but to no avail. He settled for dragging a stool over to sit on while he waited for her to turn loose of him on her own.

Out on the prairie, Morgan had a deathgrip of his own on the rollbar of the dunerail. Zeke's driving was making him nauseous. "Do we have to hit ever rut and mudhole on this entire prairie?" he groaned.

"Just trying to make best time," Zeke replied absently.

"Any particular reason?" Morgan asked, hoping his breakfast would stay down.

"I think we're being tailed," Zeke answered, casting a quick look over his shoulder.

"Oh please no," Morgan found himself exclaiming, "not by barracuda I hope."

"Yep," Zeke responded merrily. "I make two of them keeping us under watch."

"Can you outrun them?" Morgan asked, nervously casting glances of his own behind them.

"That's what I'm working on," Zeke answered. "Still want me to slow down?"

"No, no!" came Morgan's enthusiastic reply. "Keep up with the breakneck speed—just try not to break our necks literally."

"Perimeter alert sensor three hundred feet ahead and closing," Zero offered helpfully.

"Thanks, Zero," Zeke responded. "Keep a sensor peeled for any big animals while you're at it, okay?"

"I sense two large quadrupeds about four hundred yards west of our position, moving at 20 feet per second," Zero stated in his customarily cheerful voice.

"They're too fast for us," Zeke answered. "We'll have to make a stand, Morgan. Do you know how to use that thing?" He gestured at the magpro.

"In theory," Morgan replied helplessly. "I've never actually shot it before."

"Take this then," Zeke said, passing him the pistol. "It'll be easier to use and has an autotrack feature. That ought to make your aim better."

Morgan took it with a shiver. "I never shot anything before," he complained.

"Don't worry—it's on heavy stun only," Zeke replied as they raced across the field, coming to a sudden stop next to the fallen sensor. "Listen, some quick advice for you. Shoot anything that moves but me. If they bite you, push into their mouth, don't pull. Their teeth curve backwards. If you pull, you'll just rip the flesh off. Push and they'll eventually let you go."

Morgan felt completely sick now.

Zeke pulled Morgan out of the vehicle and pushed him to stand against the rail. Then Zeke took up a position about four feet in front of him in a slight crouch of readiness. "What about you?" Morgan stammered in fright. "Where's your weapon?"

"Who needs weapons?" Zeke flashed him a devilish grin. "But you might want to call camp so they'll know where to find us."

Morgan touched his gear, his fingers fumbling. "Base camp, we're being chased by barracuda. Please locate our coordinates."

"Morgan, Morgan, honey, is that you?" came Bess's cry of disbelief and fear. "What are you doing?"

"We went after the perimeter alerts, sweetheart," Morgan replied, suddenly completely calm as a pair of barracuda heads appeared at the edge of the slight clearing they sat in.

"Why, Morgan?" Bess's cry was heartbreaking.

The barracuda began to circle them, making a low whuffing sound that vibrated across the grass. "Somebody had to do it," Morgan replied evenly. He didn't Bess to worry about him. "Bess, I'm going to have to let you go for a minute. Zeke and I have some business to take care of. Love you." Then, turning a deaf ear to Bess's pleas, he turned off his gear and tossed it into the seat behind him.

"You take the one that doesn't jump on me," Zeke said, stepping out to the side carefully.

Suddenly Morgan heard a whuffing sound from behind him. "A third quadruped has entered the area," Zero said belatedly. Morgan turned to see the narrow head of a barracuda staring directly at him from its stand on the seat of the rail, long front claws creating deep scratches in the cushions.

"How about I take this one first?" Morgan asked, certain that he was going to die miserably and right then.

Zeke turned slowly to see himself reflected in the eyes and scales of the barracuda. "Works for me," he said calmly. "I'll handle these two until you get time to help out."

Morgan brought the pistol up to fire just as the barracuda leaped at him.

On the Council ship, Devon began to turn restlessly in her sleep. She was dreaming again. She was back on the stations racing to get to the ship before departure. Every door was locked against her. Years of planning, years of investment, years of pleading, and it was all down to this. The ship was leaving without her. In her dreams she ran, she fought against station security trying to hold her back, she ran again.

Julia stood next to the bed, sediderm in hand. "Hold her, John!" she yelled. "Please try to hold her." But despite Danziger's best efforts, Devon was uncontrollable in her fear and agitation. They couldn't make out her words for the most part, but her cries were desperate.

Julia didn't want to use the sediderm, the effects could set her back seriously, but they were running out of options. Danziger already bore a long, bleeding scratch down one cheek from wrestling with Devon. He was afraid to do more for fear he would hurt her.

The only thing he could think of was something he'd never managed to do completely by himself. Sending up a call for help whether Mom could hear him or not, Danziger pulled Devon into his chest and pressed his hand against her forehead.

Devon ran to the last boarding entrance only to see Uly's face pressed against the window. "Mom," he mouthed in the silence. But she couldn't get the door open. She fought against the lock with all her might, watching as the ship pulled away without her.

Then she felt strong hands pulling at her, pulling her through the station wall onto the surface of G889.