Legends II : LEGENDS OF LOVE.
by Nicole Mayer (destiny@wwdg.com)
December 1996.
LEGENDS OF LOVE
---------------
"The place where we began to die..."
Tears streamed down Gillian Brody's cheeks as she read the terrible
words written by Bess Martin over a century ago. Ever since
she began the story of Eden Advance, Gillian had felt as if she
knew these people, the first brave colonists of Planet G889 which
was her new home.
And now, two were lost. Through her tears, Gillian strained
to make out the next words as they appeared on the data screen
before her. "With heavy hearts, but realising there was nothing
more for us here, we moved on. But each of us left a little piece
of ourselves behind, with Eben, with Devon, and Danziger vowed
that we would return for Devon someday. We would not forget her."
"But you did..." Gillian whispered softly into the quiet
night. She had heard the schoolyard rumours of a person buried
alive in the desert, abandoned by the friends she held dear.
Forgotten by her own son. And now eternally trapped in a prison of
ice from which her soul could find no rest.
Gillian closed her eyes and imagined the pain they must have
felt. It wasn't hard, because somehow, Bess' words had spoken
deeply to her and Gillian truly cared about these people. The
brave legends who had sacrificed their lives for so many others.
Suddenly flicking back to the beginning of the file, Gillian
reread the introduction. She shivered at the written words - they
hinted of more pain, of more suffering amongst the greatest project
ever known to humanity. How many more of her new friends, or the
ghosts of the past, would she lose?
"Gillian! What are you still doing up?" The girl's horrified
mother poked her head around the doorway to her room. Gillian
jumped, quickly wiping all traces tears from her face.
"I was just reading..."
"You need your sleep! You've got a full day at school
tomorrow, and how can you expect to make new friends if you're so
tired you can hardly see straight?"
Gillian wasn't in the mood to fight with her mother. And the
way she was feeling now, school seemed irrelevant compared to the
fight that had gone on for this planet close to a century ago. But
no one cared anymore...no one but her, Gillian.
"Okay, Mom," she conceded. "Goodnight." But Gillian did not
sleep. Her dreams were haunted - by a dark haired woman who ran
through the shadows, eternally searching for the light.
***
"Hey, Lukas!" hissed Jerry from behind a bush. Lukas Brody
jumped. He hadn't talked to Jerry ever since his very first day at
the new school, and it was surprising to hear Jerry's voice now.
Jerry was one of those 'tough kids' with no respect for authority
and great faith in his own actions. Lukas felt a little scared of
him, but also admired his courage.
Joining Jerry behind the shrub, Lukas asked, "Yeah?"
"What's with your big sister Gillian?"
Lukas frowned. "I don't know what you mean," he replied.
Jerry grinned at him. "She's a total babe, but she sure don't act
like one!" he announced.
His sister, a 'babe'? Lukas was confused. He didn't think of
girls in that way yet, much less his older sister. He said the
only thing possible. "Huh?"
"She's weird. She acts like she doesn't even notice the world
going past her. Just like those other weird kids, the ones who are
Transformed."
"I didn't know that Transformed people were weird," said
Lukas. He recalled the lessons he'd been given before coming to
G889 - treat the Terrians with respect, and those who have links to
the Terrians and their world as if they were your equals. They
were just the same as ordinary people, the lesson had reiterated.
So why did Jerry have a problem with them? Lukas gave a quiet
sigh of relief as he heard the school bell ring, and said to Jerry,
"I have to go," before racing off.
***
Gillian walked slowly down the halls. She still barely knew
anyone at her new school, save for the friendly teacher Ms. Baines.
But at this point in time, Gillian didn't care. Nothing was more
important than the story of Eden Advance, and Gillian found she
couldn't concentrate on anything else that day, much less making
new friends.
Hearing subdued footfalls approach, Gillian instinctively
glanced up. It was a group of Transformed students. Sure, there
were no physical differences, yet this group was unique. They
carried themselves with a dignified pride that set them apart from
other students, Transformed or not.
The girl at the forefront of the group stopped. She gazed
deep into Gillian's eyes, a surprised look of recognition crossing
the girl's face. The girl was tall, with flowing blond hair and
blue eyes. Around her neck was a pendant, containing, from what
Gillian could make out, a shard of Morganite. It seemed to
randomly pulse with energy, and Gillian had to tear her gaze away
from it to meet the girl's eyes.
"I know you..." the girl revealed. Surprised, Gillian stared back
at the girl. The blue eyes were fathomless pits that held many
secrets, secrets that scared Gillian. The girl leaned closer, then
foretold, "You are one." She gave Gillian a last appraising gaze,
then continued walking as if nothing out of the ordinary had
happened. Gillian stared at the retreating girl with a sense of
wonder. There had been a momentary connection between them....
"I see you've met the witch," a snide voice interrupted Gillian's
confused thoughts. She turned, and noticed a boy standing behind
her.
"Witch?" repeated Gillian. "Who?"
"Her," replied the boy, gesturing towards the group of students
walking down the hall. "Jessie Solace. She's one weird chick. So
are her friends. They go out every night, and do stuff."
"Like what?" Gillian countered. The boy smiled imperiously.
"You know, the usual. Casting spells, twisting the
Dreamplane, all that sort of stuff. It's dangerous, too. You'd
better not go anywhere near it!" he declared. "In fact," the boy
continued, "you probably need some protection. I can help. Jerry
Danthinore at your service."
"Really?" asked Gillian, now amused at the young boy's obvious
come on. "And what if I told you that I'm a witch as well?"
Jerry laughed. "I know you're not."
"But I've talked to the ghost," Gillian whispered ominously,
finally recognising Jerry as one of the boys who had scared Lukas
the other evening. Now was her chance for a little revenge.
Jerry blinked, and took a step back. For all his bravado, he
still believed in the ghost of the forgotten woman, for he too had
felt her presence. And that scared him, a lot.
"In fact," continued Gillian, "the ghost is my friend. She does
whatever I ask her to, and that includes chasing people who annoy
me...."
"Well, um, I have to get going," Jerry said, hurrying
backwards. "Bye!" With that, he raced down the hall in the
opposite direction, and Gillian allowed herself a small smile of
satisfaction. Then her thoughts rapidly returned to the mysterious
Jessie Solace, and the strange words she had spoken. "I know
you...you are one."
One of what? Gillian wondered. The question troubled her
deeply, so she returned her mind to the plight of Eden Advance, and
longed to return of the tale so full of wonder and tragedy.
***
Late that evening, Gillian sat reading. She smiled as she
read on, feeling their joy at the completion of their journey.
Bess' words were so powerful she could almost imagine herself
there....
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"We're here!" shrieked True. Running up the hill to catch her
was Uly. He couldn't wait for his first sight of the ocean.
"Dad, look! It's so big, so huge, it's - it's bigger than anything
I ever imagined!"
John Danziger smiled at his daughter's words. The first time
he'd seen the ocean, he, too, had been astounded by the vast blue.
VR simulations of old Earth just didn't do the sight justice.
"Can we go down to it? Please?" begged Uly, jumping up and
down with excitement. Danziger waved them ahead. "Go for it,
kids!" As he watched them sprint down the hill, he heard more
running behind him as the rest of Eden Advance abandoned the
vehicles and raced for the beach. Finally, after so many long
months, the journey was over.
"We made it, Morgan!" shouted Bess in jubilation. "We
actually made it!"
"I know!" he replied happily, swinging his wife around in the
shallow waves. He scooped up a handful of the salty water, and
threw it over her head. Bess shrieked, and began splashing him
furiously. The flying water caught Alonzo by surprise, and soon a
waterfight was raging between all of the Advance Colonists. Save
two. (Or three, if you counted Zero, but no one usually did.)
Yale stood on the shoreline, smiling serenely as he watched
his friends rejoice. But it was Danziger, still on the hill, who
was alone. Not only in the physical sense, but emotionally as
well. He had long dreamed of the moment when they finally reached
New Pacifica, yet in all of those dreams, Devon Adair had been
there to lead them.
But she was gone. He was in charge now, and it was his duty
to make everything turn out alright. No matter how much he missed
her. Gazing down at his friends, Danziger felt some small sense of
joy and satisfaction. He saw True and Uly shrieking as they dashed
between the waves. The waterfight still raged on and it
looked as if Magus and Denner were winning. Julia and Alonzo were
locked together in a passionate embrace as they celebrated the end
of the journey.
Danziger smiled sadly at that one. His mind whirled with the
possibilities, everything that could have been between Devon and
himself. But Devon's dream, and with it, those same possibilities,
had been torn from all of them those long months ago.
Instinctively, Danziger's hand moved to his pocket and the
small box that was secreted there. Inside, he knew, was a single
strand of hair, Devon's hair. It had caught between his fingers as
they locked her in the chamber and he could not bear to throw it
away. It had become a talisman, a reminder to keep up hope. And
complete the journey.
He had finally done just that. New Pacifica was theirs, and
Danziger finally believed that they could make this work. The
journey had not been in vain.
***
It was a balmy, warm evening in the growing city of Devon.
The reddish glow of the sunset lit up the sky with glorious hues,
a sky so pure and unpolluted that Bess sighed with joy every time
she saw it.
She sat on the front veranda of her house, watching the
colours flash by her. Children laughed in the streets as games of
tag were played, each hoping to enjoy the last moments of the day
before their parents called them inside.
Bess swung backward and forward in her chair, one hand firmly
on her swollen abdomen. She felt a small movement, and smiled
happily. Soon, any day now, her second child would be born.
Morgan was hoping for a boy this time, but Bess knew she would love
the baby no matter what. And so would Morgan. He had mellowed a
lot over the past few years. After his initial compulsion to name
as much of the surrounding countryside as possible, he had set
himself up as a true leader capable of managing the expanding town.
Smiling with pride as she recalled her husband's achievements,
Bess couldn't think of a greater moment for him than when he had
unanimously been elected Administrator of Devon. Although, perhaps
the light in his eyes when he held his baby daughter for the first
time hinted that his family was more important to him than a job
could ever be.
The shadows lengthened, and Bess peered into the darkness.
Ari should know to come home by now. Even though the girl was
barely five years old, Ariel Martin seemed to have a wisdom beyond
her years. It arose from her link with the Terrians, which was
present in approximately half of the children born on G889. The
doctors still could not figure it out, but the phenomena was now
part of the accepted culture. They even had a word for it -
Transformed.
But none of that made any difference to the parents of these
children. They were loved without reservation, because the
Terrians had given so many children life.
"I'm home, Mommy!" called Ariel's tiny, silvery voice as she
danced up the pathway.
"Hi, sweetie," replied Bess, smiling from her chair. It was
too much of an effort to get up this late in her pregnancy, so she
was content to sit outside and enjoy the glorious air. Her life on
Earth was now nothing more than a dim memory but she still
appreciated, every day, what a wonderful place this planet was.
"Hi, Bess!" called another voice from behind Ariel. It was a
voice she knew very well, someone who was almost a part of her
family. Everyone from the original Eden Advance crew had remained
close as they worked with the arriving colonists to found a city on
a new world.
"John! How are you?" asked Bess. As Ariel dashed inside,
Danziger strode up the stairs and collapsed into the chair beside
her.
"I'm beat," he replied, tiredly brushing back his hair. Bess
wondered if he liked the golden curls dangling in his eyes, because
every time she saw him, his hair was no different. Sometimes, her
fingers just itched to cut it.
"Tough day on the job?" she asked sympathetically.
Danziger groaned in response. "We had three recycling units go
down! Must've been the residue electricity in the ground from that
storm last night," he grumbled.
But Bess knew that Danziger wasn't really complaining. He
loved his job, in charge of the workings of the city - the design,
the mechanical aspects, all the little things that kept it running.
Once the colonists had arrived, Danziger had been happy to step
back from the limelight and let others take over the bureaucratic
functions.
In the seven years that had passed since then, Danziger felt
as if he had fulfilled his promise to Devon: to lead the group and
establish the colony at New Pacifica. And now, he was back working
in his element, but still a highly respected member of the
community.
"Anyway, enough of my grumbling," said Danziger, giving Bess
a warm smile. "How are you doing?"
"Getting there..." she responded. "I just hate this waiting, you
know?"
Danziger didn't know, but he nodded with understanding anyway.
"Well, if you ever need anything, you know you can give me a call.
Right?"
Leaning across, Danziger gently stroked her cheek. Bess
wondered if he could see the tiredness in her eyes, and the worry.
The past few days, she'd been suffering slight dizziness and
shortness of breath. When she'd gone to see Julia, the doctor had
found nothing wrong with Bess. Julia told her it was probably only
anxiety, and she would be fine.
But that morning, Bess had experienced another blinding
headache. She didn't tell anyone because she didn't want to worry
Morgan. He had enough to do lately without caring for a wife who
probably wasn't sick anyway. It was just nerves....
"You look really tired, Bess," Danziger said gently. "Is
everything okay?"
"It's probably just the heat," she replied. "I'll be fine."
"Maybe I should ask True to come round during the day, to see if
you're okay," offered Danziger. "She needs a break from her
studies."
"No, no," protested Bess. "True does more than enough for me
already! Who do you think helps me watch Ari a lot of the time?"
Danziger laughed. "That's right," he said. "Ari's the little
sister she never had."
He marvelled again at the strong friendships that existed
between all of them. Danziger and Bess spoke daily. True and Bess
were very close, almost like sisters. And speaking of close
friendships, Uly seemed to love every member of his extended
family, especially Julia. Danziger suspected that was where the
teenager was now, with Julia over at the hospital where she worked.
Uly aspired to become a doctor, to help sick children just as he
had been helped when he was younger.
Glancing at his watch, Danziger realised he had better get
going. True had been very adamant that he and Uly arrive home at
an early hour that evening, though for what, he didn't know.
"Sorry, Bess, I have to get home," he apologised. She smiled
serenely, not minding. Danziger helped her inside, and then said
goodbye. He didn't notice the flash of pain that crossed Bess'
features, or the dizziness that clouded her eyes. And Bess did not
say anything. She would be just fine.
***
"Hi, Julia!" called Uly as he strode through the hospital's
main entrance the next afternoon. She turned, and smiled at the
young man before her. Ulysses Adair was growing taller every day,
his shoulders broadening and his voice deepening. Julia suspected
that fairly soon, all the girls would be after him.
"Here again? Don't you have a home?" she teased, but they
both knew that the hospital was like a home. For both of them.
"I've finished my lessons," said Uly conversationally. "So I
thought I'd come down here and help out."
It was the same situation every day. Not that Julia minded.
Uly was like a son to her, and she was delighted to see his growing
interest in the medical field.
"Come here, Uly, and give me a hug," laughed Julia. She
embraced him warmly and was glad they had not lost touch. When
Devon had been left behind, Uly had turned to Julia, his doctor,
for support and love. She had provided it willingly and the bond
that arose between them had grown stronger every year.
"What's wrong?" asked Uly, sensing a tenseness in her embrace.
Julia sighed. "It's Alonzo. Again."
Closing his eyes, Uly wished there was something he could do to
help. He loved Julia more than anyone else, even his adopted
family, and was saddened to see Julia constantly having trouble
with her husband.
"Is he asking you to quit again?" he asked with sympathy.
Julia nodded, and pulled Uly into her office. There, they sprawled
into their respective chairs and Julia sighed deeply.
Uly looked across at her. He could see the light from outside
streaming in behind her, illuminating her hair with a warm glow.
Her face was still beautiful, even though signs of stress lined the
edges of her eyes. And Uly knew the person underneath was even
more lovely.
"He just doesn't understand how important my work is to me!"
Julia exclaimed suddenly. "I enjoy the long hours I work. I love
helping people. And I can't just drop that. It was hard enough
convincing Miguel to let me come back so soon in the first place!"
Uly listened silently, not wanting to interrupt her tirade.
He knew how she felt. Ever since he had begun 'working' part time
at the hospital, he'd been drawn into the world of medicine,
especially the incredible satisfaction at truly being able to help
people.
"I'm home most evenings, I see the kids plenty, so what's his
problem? He should understand how I feel!" Julia flared. "I never
used to complain about his cross country scouting missions!"
That wasn't entirely true, but Uly felt it best to say
nothing. He'd stayed with Julia on occasion when she was lonely,
however that had been many years ago. "He called me an absent
mother. Me!"
Julia's voice took on a darker tone. "Do you think I'm
abandoning the twins?" she asked Uly. "I always swore I wouldn't
be like my own mother, caught up in my work...I love Ethan and
Lissa so much."
"Maybe," began Uly nervously, "Alonzo's feeling a little left
out." Even though he and Julia were very close, he still didn't
feel comfortable telling her what to do.
Julia smiled sadly. "You could be right," she admitted. "But
what am I doing dumping all of this on you? Come on!" Julia
jumped up from her chair. "Today I'll teach you how to use
the DNA sequencer." Grabbing Uly's hand, Julia's face was a little
happier as she strode out of the room and pushed her troubles from
her mind. There would be time enough to sort it out with Alonzo
later.
***
Danziger's gear crackled to life. Grabbing it off the table,
he jammed it on his head and sighed with resignation. Danziger had
learned a long time ago that it was best to keep the device with
him, even if he hated it. But there were too many dangers in being
cut off.
He didn't expect to see Bess Martin's frantic face before him.
"John!" she gasped. "I, I..." she broke off as her face contorted
in pain. Her blue eyes were wide and frightened as she struggled
for control.
"Where are you? At home?" Bess managed to nod weakly.
"I'm coming over," he replied. "Hold tight, and keep this
frequency open."
As Danziger raced for the door, Bess regained her breath
weakly told him more. "I tried to call Morgan, but I can't reach
him, I didn't know what to do, I don't want to lose my baby...."
Bess began crying in between her gasps.
"Don't worry, Bess, you'll be fine," panted Danziger as he
raced through the streets.
"I just feel so weak..." she cried as another wave of pain
assaulted her body. Her face was ghostly pale, and her breathing
shallow.
"Hold on!" shouted a panicked Danziger, but her eyelids closed
and she slumped to the floor.
"Damn..." Danziger swore as he increased his speed beyond what he
thought was humanly possible. He switched to the hospital
frequency, and Julia's face hovered before him.
"Julia!" he shouted. "We've got an emergency! Bess just
collapsed."
Julia's face showed a worried shock, but then the doctor inside of
her took over. "Where is she now?" she asked calmly.
"I'm almost at her house. I'll get her to you as fast as I can."
Finally, Danziger rounded the last corner. He heard Julia cursing
the fact that they didn't yet have an emergency vehicle for the
hospital. It was something on the long list of conveniences they
still had to do without.
Danziger burst into the Martins' house. There she was,
collapsed on the kitchen floor. Danziger felt his heart constrict.
She lay on her back, so still, and so deathly pale. One hand was
flung out, and the gear set hung awkwardly from her head. Danziger
couldn't even tell if she was breathing. As carefully as possible,
he scooped Bess up and hurried out the door.
***
"Get Dr. Vasquez down here now!" Julia ordered the young
assistant who hovered nervously by the door of the emergency room.
Her eyes wild, Julia desperately rechecked the medical scanners,
hoping for some clue as to what had afflicted Bess.
Danziger stroked her long curls as she writhed on the
exam table. She was in terrible pain, and there was nothing
Julia could do to help her.
"Don't let my baby die..." begged Bess as she choked on her own
words.
"You're going to be just fine, Bess, just fine," reassured
Danziger over and over. He felt terribly inadequate as he held her
hand, not knowing what to do as Julia raced around frantically.
"There is just *nothing* showing up on the scans!" protested
Julia. "Her heart's beating erratically, her lungs aren't
functioning..."
These were not words that Danziger wanted to hear. Bess cried out
suddenly, then slipped into unconsciousness again.
"We'll have to deliver the baby," Julia suddenly declared.
She knew that Bess' chances were dwindling with every passing
moment, and Julia realised that the baby's only hope for survival
was to be born now. Before her mother died.
Dr. Vasquez burst through the doors. "I heard there was an
emergency. What is it?" he snapped brusquely.
"I need you to deliver this woman's baby," replied Julia. "I don't
think Bess is going to make it." It pained her to say those words,
but Julia could not see any options left. If only they had more
time....
She returned to the medical scanners again, but as she feared,
nothing new could be found. With anguished eyes, she turned to
Bess again. Bess lay silently, still, and the amplified sound of
her erratic heartbeat from the monitors jarred throughout the room.
Dr. Vasquez carefully directed the laser across Bess' middle.
A caesarean was the only option in her current condition.
Suddenly, Bess' eyes opened wide and she shuddered. Her free hand
flailed wildly, knocking the doctor's arm so that the laser sliced
through her inner organs, only narrowly missing the baby. Bess
emitted a silent scream.
Staring in horror at the mess below him, Dr. Vasquez let loose
a string of words that Julia had only heard once when visiting the
Quadrant back on the stations. "Will somebody sedate her!" he
roared as the assistant rushed to comply.
There was blood everywhere, and Julia felt her stomach lurch
at the sight. A major artery had been sliced open and Bess'
internal organs were a mess. Julia moved in to stop the bleeding,
but couldn't do anything until the baby was free.
"Uly!" Julia hollered. He was the only other person currently
on duty at the hospital (if basic tasks counted). But Julia knew
she could trust him to help, when they were desperately shorthanded
of qualified people and every moment counted.
He raced through the doors immediately, having been nervously
waiting outside.
"I need you to synthesise O-positive type blood. Now!"
Uly dashed off almost immediately, but not before he caught sight
of the terrible mess. Bess.... His heart pounding with fear,
Uly raced to the equipment, and the niggling sensation that
something was very strange was pushed aside and forgotten until
later.
"Okay, the baby's free!" declared Dr. Vasquez. Holding the
tiny child up to the light, he performed a quick examination, but
the baby boy appeared to be just fine.
"Here, you take him!" commanded Dr. Vasquez, handing the baby
to Danziger. Danziger did as he was told, and silently backed away
from the table. Bess was out for good now, and there was nothing
he could do to comfort her. Besides, he was in the way of the
frantic race to save Bess' life.
Danziger exited the room in time to see a hysterical Morgan
Martin burst into the hospital. "Where's my wife?" he shouted
desperately.
Uly raced past, holding a container as if it were the most
important thing to him in the world.
"Morgan! Slow down," choked Danziger as stepped before the man.
His voice was heavy with sadness, but Danziger knew he had to be
strong. "Meet your son."
"My son?" repeated Morgan in surprise, realising the small
bundle in Danziger's arms was more than a pile of cloths.
Gently, Morgan took hold of the baby and stroked his tiny head.
The baby had thick, dark hair, curly already, he suspected.
Staring in wonder at the new life before him, Morgan momentarily
forgot his frightened flight to the hospital.
But not for long. "Bess?" he asked again, his voice full of
apprehension. Danziger could only shake his head.
"I'm sorry, Morgan, they don't know what's wrong." He felt it best
not to mention the mishap as it would make the situation seem even
worse.
"I need to see her!" Morgan shouted. Bess was everything,
absolutely everything, to him. He would never have made it this
far in life if it wasn't for her. Jumping to his feet, he
strode towards the swinging doors, but felt a restraining hand on
his shoulder.
"Don't go in there," Danziger warned. "She's unconscious. Julia
is doing the best she can, and she'll take care of her."
Tears began to appear in Morgan's eyes. "Bess... I can't let
her die..." he began, but let Danziger guide him to a seat.
"Your son needs you," he pointed out. As if on cue, the baby began
to cry and Morgan held him close.
"Shhh, little guy," he crooned. Inside, he was desperately praying
that Bess would be alright. His life had seemed so perfect that
morning. Morgan had achieved the type of job he'd dreamed of all
his life as he worked his way up through the ranks.
Marrying an Earth girl had been a big risk to his career, but it
was Bess who'd convinced him to accept the mission to G889. Bess
who'd stood by him during those turmoiled first months on the
planet. Bess who'd taught him to believe not only in himself, but
others as well.
At that moment, realised Morgan he would give everything to save
Bess. Even his coveted position as Administrator. It had been a
long, hard road for Morgan to convince the citizens of G889 that he
was the right person for the job, but by the time the first
elections came around, he'd won by a landslide.
There wasn't even any animosity towards him for naming half of the
country side after himself. Morgan had declared that his name
would never be forgotten.
But right now, he didn't care one bit if the Martins of G889 were
never spoken of again. All that mattered was his
family...especially Bess. He again drew the baby close to him,
smoothing the hair on the tiny head.
"Your Mommy's going to be fine. I know she is," Morgan repeated
over and over. As Danziger watched him, he wished he had that
faith.
***
As Julia prepared for the blood transfusion, Uly realised what
was bothering him. He could hear a strange, lilting noise...
"Her blood, it's singing!" he realised. Julia's head snapped up in
surprise. "What?" she demanded.
Uly stared in fascination at the pool of blood beneath the
table. Concentrating hard, he discovered he could almost see the
music in the rapidly congealing blood, but whatever lifeforce had
been present was slowly decaying. The song was dying.
As fresh blood slowly made its way through Bess' system, the
singing grew less and less.
"The bleeding's stopped," announced Dr. Vasquez as he sealed the
last of her wounds. But it remained to be seen if irreparable
damage had been inflicted.
"I've done all I can," replied Julia. She ran a diagnostic on
Bess' condition, and sighed. Still, her heart was failing. In
her sedated state, the symptoms were less, but still there. "I
just can't figure it out," repeated Julia despondently.
"Wait!" interjected Uly suddenly. "Can't you hear it?"
"Hear what?" demanded an irritated Dr. Vasquez.
Uly strained his ears for the last few notes of the tune. "It's
gone," he said a little wistfully. The music had encompassed an
ethereal quality, one that reminded him of the planet itself.
Taking Bess' hand in her own, Julia's eyes filled with tears.
She lay quietly, almost at peace as the mysterious disease that had
ravaged her body neared completion. "I'm so sorry," she whispered,
directing her eyes to the heart monitor.
Julia blinked in surprise. The readings suddenly showed a positive
increase in Bess' condition! Switching to full medical mode
again, she said, "Doctor, I'm getting stabilised heart readings.
Do you agree?"
Checking his own equipment, Dr. Vasquez was astounded to see Bess'
internal organs begin to function normally.
"Why?" he asked, astounded. Only Uly had an explanation.
"The singing is gone," he said simply. "There was music in her
blood, and it was killing her. But you replaced her blood and it
died."
Julia didn't understand what he was saying, but right then she
didn't care. Bess would live, and that was all that mattered.
***
"You can go in now, Morgan," announced a jubilant Julia.
Holding his son ever so carefully, Morgan walked into the hospital
room. His heart constricted at the sight of his wife, so pale and
thin, but there was a light in her eyes as soon as she saw him.
"Hi," she said weakly.
"Bess!" Morgan said, racing to her side. "I - I love you so much.
I don't know what I would have done if...." He couldn't bring
himself to say the words.
Bess smiled at him. "I was scared," she admitted. "But I
thought of all the wonderful friends I have to take care of me, and
somehow it didn't seem so bad."
"I'm *so* sorry you couldn't reach me," apologised Morgan, pulling
up a chair. "When I got that call...."
"It doesn't matter," Bess shushed him. "You're here now."
Morgan tenderly kissed her on the forehead, then held up the baby
for her to see. "We have a son, Bess. A son!"
Bess reached out her hand to touch the fragile newborn.
"Bring him close," she said, her eyes filling with tears of joy.
As Morgan held the baby to her cheek, she closed her eyes and
sighed blissfully.
"Mommy?" called a small voice at the door.
"Ari!" responded both of her parents. "Come here, sweetie,"
invited Morgan. The little girl raced across the room and peered
anxiously at her mother.
"Are you going to be alright?" she asked, her voice quavering.
"Mommy's going to be fine," reassured Morgan. He patted his knee
and allowed Ariel to climb up.
"Meet your little brother, Ari." She looked at him carefully,
taking in all the sights of such a tiny baby.
"What's his name?" asked Ariel. Bess and Morgan looked at each
other.
"I was thinking..." began Bess.
"What?" her husband pressed her.
"Maybe we could name him after John. He's been such a good friend
to us, and he held my hand through the operation...."
"And he sat by me in the waiting room," continued Morgan. "Okay,
then, John it is."
"Hello John," Ari welcomed her brother. Morgan hugged both
his children close and locked eyes with his wife, knowing that
nothing was more important than his family.
"I love you, Bess," he whispered for the thousandth time, and
meant it with all of his heart.
***
"Good work, Julia. You saved her!" congratulated Danziger.
He was more than a little shaken by the day's events, but felt a
lot calmer now that he knew everything had turned out alright.
However, there was on small thing on the edge of his consciousness
that was bothering him....
Julia smiled gratefully. "It's a miracle. I'm still not sure
why, but it was the blood transfusion that saved her life. Or so
we think." She relaxed against the waiting room chair, pulling her
hair free from the high ponytail. It felt good to sit down.
"She was suffering a complete system failure," continued
Julia. "I couldn't get any reading on the medical scanners, and we
had no idea what was wrong. It's like nothing I've ever seen
before..." and suddenly, Julia broke off as she fully comprehended
her words.
"Complete system failure..." she repeated. "Oh-
"-my God," completed Danziger. His face drained of colour, and he
was whiter than a ghost.
"We forgot..."
That was what had been bothering both of them all day, a sense of
deja-vu that had been lost in the frantic pace. But now that they
could sit, and think....
"She's still in the desert..." said Julia numbly.
Danziger jumped to his feet. "Damn!" he cursed, kicking the wall.
"I promised her! We promised we'd go back!" Whirling around,
Danziger grabbed Julia by the shoulders.
"What's it been? Eight years? And we freakin' forgot all
about her!" he raged. He was angry with Julia, angry with the
whole universe, but mostly, angry with himself. After all they'd
been through together, he had forgotten his promise to Devon Adair.
Julia sunk weakly into her seat as Danziger released his hold.
She felt intense guilt course through her body. All this time, and
she hadn't even thought about going back for Devon. Even when the
Syndrome children were healed and the hospital up and running, she
still hadn't thought of Devon. Somehow, one distraction rose after
another until her situation no longer seemed important.
And they had forgotten. Her plight had vanished without a trace
from their memories, and all they thought of was the friend they
had loved, but lost forever.
"The whole city's called Devon! How could we just forget?" raged
Danziger. "I can't believe we did this to her! How?" he asked
nobody in particular.
"I didn't even try looking for a cure," whispered Julia numbly as
the memories of her old friend came flooding back. "Even when I
had the time."
True and Uly wandered into the room, talking animatedly. But
when they saw the stricken faces of Danziger and Julia, they
stopped short.
"Did something happen?" nervously asked Uly.
"Yeah," laughed Danziger mirthlessly, "something did happen. A
long time ago."
Confusion crossed the teenagers' faces until Julia explained.
"Devon," she said softly. "We never went back for her."
Uly's face paled. True took his hand, and led him to a seat, but
inside she was trembling with horror as well. She vividly recalled
the pain and the misery they'd all endured so many years ago, and
could not believe that it had slipped her mind.
"I abandoned my own mother," said Uly dully. Of course, he
hadn't completely forgotten her, she was just something he thought
of less and less as time passed. Time did heal wounds, but it also
stole important memories.
A distressed silence descended upon the room as each person
silently blamed themselves. Finally, Danziger could take it no
longer.
"How soon can we organise a team?" he asked. "We're not putting
this off any longer."
"I'm going," announced Uly.
True quickly chimed in. "So am I."
Julia looked suddenly worried. "We still don't know what was
wrong with her," she stated.
"Well then, get analysing Bess' records! Didn't you say it was
the same thing?" flared Danziger in annoyance.
"You're right, I'll go look," Julia replied unsteadily. She
felt sick to her stomach. Devon had trusted Julia with her life,
and look where it had left her.
But she still didn't know why the blood transfusion had saved
Bess unless she believed Uly's strange story of the singing
blood. Striding over to the young man, Julia said, "Uly, I need
your help."
Willingly, he followed Julia from the room.
***
Alonzo Solace wandered down the path, his eyes focussed on the
heavens. The sky was blue, an intense, brilliant shade that
inspired so many dreams. But Alonzo was not watching the sky. His
vision lay beyond the false colour refracted by G889's atmosphere.
He was looking towards the stars.
After so many years, Alonzo Solace was going back up. He
supposed he should be smiling, and racing ecstatically home to tell
Julia the news that he was accepted into the fledgling Pilot's
Association and assigned a mission. Yet Alonzo was suddenly,
surprisingly, afraid.
He had discussed his piloting license renewal application long
and hard with Julia. After nine years of being grounded, it was
obvious that he couldn't just go straight back into it. Even if
piloting was in his blood.
It had been his entire life, Alonzo realised. And after
crashing on G889, that life was taken from him and he had to
discover a new way to cope. He nearly hadn't, and only much later
had Alonzo thanked the Terrians for saving him from himself, and
his own nightmares. The man shuddered, recalling those dark days.
Yet those days were long gone. He had a life here on G889, a
beautiful wife he loved very much, and children. Children! Back
in his flying days, Alonzo never dreamed he would be a father. He
would have laughed at the thought.
Now, Alonzo Solace was a changed person. The past nine years
of his life had been devoted to the planet : the trek to New
Pacifica, building a city, and then building more towns as they
fought for survival on a strange, new world. Most surprising was
the fact that he'd overcome his homesickness for the stars, and
accepted the planet-bound way of life as normal.
All that was about to change. Alonzo wasn't quite sure
what had re-inspired the love of space inside him. Perhaps it was
the fact that there was less and less for him to do each day; or
maybe it was loneliness while Julia was at work, and his children
absorbed in each other or the Terrians.
Sometimes, Alonzo couldn't help but feel jealous of the bond
Lissa and Ethan Solace had with the Terrians. It was stronger than
his own, and the twins sometimes seemed wise beyond their years.
Most of all, it appeared that as they grew older, they didn't need
him quite as much.
But the stars were always there. And now, finally, he had
responded to their call. Alonzo wondered how he would feel when he
finally sat in a pilot's chair again. Happiness would definitely
be a part of it, but also, he was afraid. The last time he'd
piloted a ship it had devastatingly crashed.
Alonzo knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't shake the
feeling that he could have done something more. It was a guilt
he'd managed to suppress for so long, but now it wanted to rear its
head again. And the only way Alonzo would ever conquer his demons
of the past would be to face them, and face the job as a pilot.
He was accepted. They already had his first mission assigned
- a short tour to one of this system's inner planets. Because of
G889's unique status as perhaps a sentient planet, the residents
were unwilling to mine and abuse its resources too much. And many
minerals and compounds were desperately needed for the rapidly
expanding townships. Planet G885 promised to be abundant with
these resources.
Additionally, the residents of G889 had already decided to
expand and learn about their neighbours, for knowledge would give
them more leverage when the final showdown with the Council came.
If it ever did.
There was no backing out for Alonzo now. The contracts were
signed, and the preparation for the expedition already underway.
Besides, he *had* to face flying again. If he didn't do it now,
Alonzo doubted if he ever would. He just hoped that Julia wouldn't
be too upset.
Alonzo would be away for a month or so - a time that was once
nothing to him, but now could be an eternity. He would miss his
family terribly, but Alonzo sadly realised that perhaps some time
apart would be good for Julia and himself. They had been fighting
too much, too often, over inconsequential things that they didn't
really care about.
Alonzo sighed. He loved Julia more than anyone else, ever,
but didn't quite know what had gone wrong with their relationship.
Someday, he hoped, they would be able to put all the trouble behind
them.
For now, though, his future lay amongst the stars as it always
used to. Alonzo felt a glimmer of excitement rise within him. He
was going back up.
"Alonzo!" he heard a voice call. Dragging his attention from
the sky, he focussed on the beautiful young woman running towards
him.
"True! Hi!" he returned. She raced up to him, breathless.
"Did you hear the news?"
Alonzo shook his head. "I've been busy at the new flight centre
all day. What's up?"
True gave a huge, exasperated sigh. "What *hasn't* happened
today!" she exclaimed. "Bess had her baby. She nearly died.
Julia saved her, and it's a boy and they're calling him John...."
True was prepared to babble on for hours, but Alonzo neatly
interrupted her.
"Bess nearly died? How?"
"Oh," True gasped, "and I guess you don't know about Devon,
either!"
"Devon?" repeated Alonzo. "Devon Adair?"
True nodded.
"You mean...oh...I haven't thought about her in the
longest time..." Alonzo felt his heart sink to his feet.
"We *all* forgot about her, Alonzo," whispered True sorrowfully.
She stared at the ground and the guilt on her face was evident.
Alonzo was feeling that very same guilt. Devon Adair had been
one of his close friends on the Stations, and then on G889, she had
practically been a part of his family. All of Eden Advance were
his extended family.
"I can't believe it," said Alonzo, repeating a statement said
so many times by other people that day.
"Neither can any of us," commented True. "Devon did *so* much for
everyone, it was her who inspired us to come to G889 in the first
place!"
"I know," murmured Alonzo, remembering the time when Devon had
nervously come to him, searching for any pilot crazy enough to take
them twenty-two light years from home. She was so full of spirit
and determination, and he owed her so much.
"What are we going to do?" Alonzo suddenly snapped. If True
noticed the harsh tone in his voice, she didn't say anything.
"We're going back as soon as we can. I didn't tell you yet, but
Bess had all of the same symptoms as Devon did, so as soon as Julia
and Uly have any kind of diagnosis, we're going."
"Count me in," vowed Alonzo. He would do almost anything for
his friend.
"Great," said True. "I'm going too, so is Uly, and Julia." The
teenager's brow furrowed as she thought of something else. "What
about Lissa and Ethan? I mean, it's going to be really tough
travelling all that distance again."
"Why not fly it?"
True stared at Alonzo in disbelief. "You really think that we'll
be allowed to borrow the air-ship for a rescue mission of that
distance? You *know* we've barely got enough fuel to keep it
running." The young woman knew much about strained resources,
having had to make do for most of her life.
"You're right," Alonzo admitted. Their small city was still
lacking in many resources, another reason why the mission to G885
was so important. He'd been carried away with the idea of *his*
new mission, almost believing it was like the old days when
everything was available at his fingertips.
Wait a minute. His mission.
"Damn!" Alonzo suddenly swore. "You're going back for Devon right
away, aren't you?"
"Yes," began True.
Alonzo kicked at the ground. "I can't go. I can't go back
for Devon. I just signed a contract," he tried to explain. "I
feel so awful about this whole thing!"
True looked at him, tears of understanding in her eyes. "You
still miss her," she stated.
"Yeah."
"She'll be back," True suddenly promised. "We'll save her, and
bring her here to New Pacifica. I'm sure she'll understand why you
couldn't be there."
Staring again at the sky, Alonzo wondered how his life had
become so complicated in the matter of one day. He was heading for
the stars, Julia was heading across the desert, the children - what
would they do about the children?
But he could live with all of that. Devon Adair, his friend,
was the important topic. There would be good to come from this,
Alonzo was sure of it. He would cope, they all would cope, and
finally, bring Devon home.
***
"No," Uly shook his head again. Sighing, Julia called out,
"Next!" wondering if this arduous process would ever end.
Searching for others with signs of the mysterious disease that had
afflicted Bess was harder work than either of them had guessed. A
tall man strode in and crashed heavily into the chair.
"I've got important things I should be doin'," he grumbled.
"We won't be long, Mr, uh, Monsoon," Julia replied in her most
professional tone, rapidly checking the medical records in front of
her. She glanced at Uly, expecting to see the same quick shake of
the head, but this time was different.
Uly frowned, and stepped closer to the man. Cocking his head
to the side, he exclaimed, "I can hear it!"
"Are you sure?" asked Julia, suddenly excited. She ran her
diaglove over the man's body, but not surprisingly, the readings
did not change.
"Yes," replied Uly. Smiling at the tones, he wondered how
such a wonderful noise in tune with the planet could kill people.
"Okay, I'll need to modify the scanner," muttered Julia, more to
herself than anyone else. She punched a few buttons, but could see
no change in the data.
"Maybe you need to use something else," suggested Uly. "Your
diaglove is set to measure biological readings, but this is
something else. Something to do with the planet..." Uly's voice
trailed off as he closed his eyes to hear the song more clearly.
"Music," declared Julia. "Okay, we'll get an modulating
oscilloscope in here."
"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" demanded Mr
Monsoon. "All I know is you're doing a standard test on every poor
sucker in the city."
Uly took the initiative. "Sir, you're the first person we've seen
all day who shows any trace of a rare condition that could result
in death."
Mr. Monsoon's dark face instantly paled. "You're telling me
I'm gonna die?"
"It's easily treatable," hastened Uly. He hoped he was telling the
truth. Julia returned to the room, carrying a different device.
"We're just not sure of the cause yet," Uly finished.
"And with your help, sir," continued Julia, "we can learn exactly
about this condition and make sure it's not a problem again."
Connecting the oscilloscope to her medical scanners, Julia
began carefully analysing the readings. Nothing, yet. Running the
device through different frequencies, she finally caught sight of
a tiny waveform.
She was picking up subharmonic frequencies in the man's blood!
Uly was right, it was nothing biological at all. The phenomena was
more mechanical than anything else. But how? she wondered.
Uly moved to stand beside her, staring at the dancing
patterns. "It's the music," he asserted. Following the
oscillations on the highly sensitive scanner with his eyes, he
noticed something. "The song is weaker than before," Uly declared.
"You're right," agreed Julia. "The vibrations in his blood
are gradually slowing." The equipment was showing minute
differences in the amplitude of each wave.
Mr. Monsoon stood up abruptly. "Will someone please tell me
what's going on?"
Julia spoke calmly, hiding the growing excitement and triumph
beneath the mask of a doctor's face. "Something has set up
vibrations in your blood," she said. "It's resonating at a
molecular level, and it's very difficult to detect. Tell me, Mr.
Monsoon, have you been exposed to anything out of the ordinary
lately? Have you been near any high frequency equipment?"
Mr. Monsoon shook his head. "Nope, nothing like that," he
said. "I work in the hydroponics area."
"Hydroponics, hydroponics..." mused Julia, but she couldn't see any
connection.
"Julia," broke in Uly, "it sounded like the planet itself," he
reminded her.
"What about a surge of, say, electricity from the planet?" She
searched the man's face for any signs of memory.
"I stay right away from storms," Mr. Monsoon declared. "And I
don't go in the caves that much, except for that one time, oh,
about a month ago," he revealed.
"Which caves?" asked Julia.
"The new ones we found recently, you know, with the first safe
planetary travel system. The spider tunnels," he explained.
An idea began to dawn on Julia.
"Did you go through it?" she asked.
"Yeah, I had a job on the East Coast. Helping set up the new
colony and all that."
Bess had gone through that tunnel about three months ago, at
the official opening when Morgan, as Administrator, had declared it
safe. And Devon...she had been one of the first to ever travel
through a cross-dimensional tunnel!
"That could be it!" she told Uly. "The tunnels!" He knew she
was right. They still weren't sure how they worked, but it made
perfect sense that travelling at such a speed through the heart of
the planet could set up planetary vibrations within a person.
Julia stared at Mr. Monsoon, and he grew a little anxious under
her penetrating gaze. "Have you experienced any headaches? Any
dizziness?" she asked. He shook his head no.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to run a few more tests," Julia said.
"You've been very helpful so far, and I think we can figure this
thing out!" She and Uly smiled excitedly at each other. Finally,
there was a solution.
***
"So you're telling me," repeated Danziger, "that every time we
go through one of those tunnels the planet starts singing in our
blood?"
Uly laughed at the simplified explanation. "Something like that,"
he conceded.
"Then why aren't people dying all the time?" asked True, frowning.
"It made Devon and Bess sick, didn't it?"
Julia began to explain in her clear voice.
"Generally, the vibrations aren't a problem. They slowly
dissipate over a couple of months, until the person is functioning
normally again. But for some people, the vibrations set up
standing waves within their bloodstream, and these waves compound
over time until the vibrations begin to affect the inner organs.
The constant drumming causes eventual failure of the person's
heart, lungs, and other vital organs, and that's when we see all
the symptoms. Certain people are more susceptible to the phenomena
- I think it's to do with the ratio of major artery length within
the body to the person's height and weight. Both Devon and Bess
are small women."
"So are you," True pointed out to Julia. "And you weren't
affected."
Julia sighed. "There's still so much we don't know about it," she
admitted.
"But the phenomena is very rare," concluded Uly. "Think of
all the people who've used the tunnels, and only two have been
affected so far."
Danziger shook his head in disbelief.
"So why didn't you hear the 'singing' the first time?" asked True
suddenly.
Uly frowned. It was a question he had deeply considered, and could
only come up with one plausible explanation. "I don't think I was
fully connected to the planet yet," he said. "As I grow older, I
notice more things, and the Terrians show me more. I guess we -I-
just didn't know enough back then."
"So all we had to do was replace Devon's blood and she would
have been fine," Danziger stated, returning to the original purpose
of the conversation.
"Not fine," cautioned Julia. "Bess is still very weak. It'll take
a while for her heart to recover from the competing vibrations.
And I suspect that Devon's condition could be worse."
It pained her to say the words aloud, but Julia felt it was
her duty to warn everyone. For Bess, her pregnancy had aggravated
the severity of her symptoms, but Julia recalled just how badly
damaged Devon's system was. And for Devon, they had kept her
conscious in the dangerous condition for so much longer.
"We still have to go back for her," declared Danziger with
conviction. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.
"I'm coming, Devon," he whispered under his breath. She was
everything to him, and always had been. He knew that now.
***
"Can you believe it, 'Lonz? Can you believe we forgot her?"
Alonzo sighed heavily. Julia's constant guilt was really beginning
to annoy him, along with her determination to go on a several
month long journey when she had a couple of young children to care
for.
"I still think another doctor should go. Or one of the
assistants. Surely some of them can perform the procedure? It
should be simple enough. Julia, I know how much this means to you.
Devon was a wonderful friend to both of us, and I want to go more
than anything, but this contract...." Over the past few days,
Alonzo had rationalised his duties and sorted his life into neat
categories. Now if only he could convince Julia to stay behind,
everything would be fine.
"Sure, you can't escape your duty, but you expect me to give
up my responsibilities!" returned Julia. "I'm not going to hand
Devon over to a bunch of strangers!"
"We'll see her when she gets back," reminded Alonzo. But Julia's
eyes flashed angrily at him.
"Devon was *my* patient," she reiterated. "More than that,
she was my friend. I owe it to her to be the one to bring her out
of cold sleep. God knows, she's been waiting long enough."
"She was my friend too," said Alonzo, now getting a little
annoyed. "But does that mean I would abandon my children when they
need me the most? We discussed this a long time ago, Julia. If
one of us had to go away, the other would stay with Lissa and
Ethan."
Alonzo glared at his wife. "Your being there won't make too much
of a difference. Everything's changed and Devon's not going to
just fit back into your life like nothing's happened," Alonzo
realised. "It's been eight years!"
"That's why *I* have to be there. Honestly, Alonzo, you can
be so damn cold hearted!"
"You're the one with the frozen heart," he shot back. "What about
the kids, Julia? Pretty soon, they're going to forget they even
have a mother!"
That hurt her, and Alonzo knew it. He just couldn't face the
idea of being separated from his wife for so long. His mission
would be over well before she got back, but not soon enough for him
to join them. In fact, Alonzo's expedition began only shortly
after Julia left. He would miss her. It was bad enough that she
spent so much time at the hospital, but to be gone on a wild chase
halfway across the continent was just too much.
Julia's voice was frosty when she spoke to him again. "I'm
sorry, Alonzo. But this is something I have to do." Turning to
face the window, Julia sighed as the gentle wind caressed her face.
She could see Lissa and Ethan playing happily, their chubby three-
year-old faces laughing as they chased dancing leaves.
"Maybe we can go away on a family holiday when I get back,"
Julia offered. He was right, she would miss her family so much.
Alonzo hesitantly walked up beside her, and murmured, "I just feel
like I'm losing you, doc."
"You won't lose me," Julia reassured. She gave him a hesitant
kiss, but there were too many unresolved situations between them.
Stiffly pulling back, Julia announced softly, "Well, I'd better go
get packed."
"Yeah," replied Alonzo distantly, his thoughts in a whirl. He
barely noticed her leave the room.
***
Danziger's dreams were haunted. Every night, he saw the dark-
haired woman running from the shadows and crying out to him. But
he could never quite reach her, couldn't save her, and ultimately,
the darkness always won.
Sitting bolt upright in his bed, Danziger vowed, "Not this
time. We'll save her." He couldn't fully comprehend just how he
had managed to forget Devon's plight or how her memory had faded
from everyday life. She was everything to him. Without her, his
world was incomplete.
Another memory suddenly returned to Danziger and he jumped up.
He snapped on the light and swung open the wardrobe. There,
buried in the back, was a carton of things from the past. Digging
deep, his hand finally closed on a tiny box and he reverently
pulled it into the light.
Ever so slowly, he opened it. One single strand of dark hair
lay nestled inside. "Devon..." he whispered, caressing the strand
softly. His eyes glazed over as the memories flooded back.
True tiptoed past her father's doorway, but he didn't notice
her. The young woman was worried. Ever since they realised their
terrible mistake, True had noticed Danziger becoming more and more
obsessed with the memory of Devon. True just hoped he wasn't
expecting too much. She remembered that her father and Devon had
liked each other a lot and romance had seemed destined. But that
was a long time ago.
"I'm coming, Devon," True heard her father whisper. Feeling
even more troubled but unsure of what to do, True slunk off down
the hall, past Uly's room and to her own. She climbed back into
bed, but sleep would not come for a long time.
***
"John, meet John," Bess declared proudly, holding up her tiny
son. Danziger smiled at the name.
"He's a tough little guy, isn't he?" Danziger said.
Bess laughed as she realised that the baby had wrapped his hand
around Danziger's pinkie. "Look, he's learning from you already!"
she chuckled. "You never did know when to let something go."
Bess didn't realise how true to life her words were. She had
no idea that such demons could entirely destroy a man's soul.
Gently caressing Bess' hair, Danziger said softly, "Well,
he's got one of the best mothers in the universe to bring him up
right. I'm so glad you're okay."
"I want to thank you for being there that day," said Bess
warmly. "So does Morgan. We don't know what we would have done
without you."
"Ah, it was nothing." Danziger casually brushed aside the
praise, knowing he would have done the same thing a thousand times
without thanks, because his friends were the world to him.
Danziger sat down on the chair beside the hospital bed. Bess
offered him the baby, and he took hold a little apprehensively.
John gurgled happily, and promptly spit up all over Danziger.
Bess laughed at Danziger's surprise. "He must like you!" she
giggled. Danziger smiled wryly. "Haven't experienced this since
True was a baby!" he recalled.
Casually patting Bess' arm, Danziger took a deep breath. He
had to tell Bess what they were planning to do, and that he and
True were going away for a while. He knew he would miss Bess a
lot.
As nonchalantly as possible, Danziger began, "Did you hear
that we're finally going back for Devon?"
Bess' face momentarily clouded. She, too, felt guilty for
abandoning her friend.
"I heard," Bess said softly. "I just hope everything turns
out okay."
"I'm sure it will," reassured Danziger. "Remember, it was you who
made this possible! Not that it was good that you got sick," he
added quickly.
Laughing again, Bess replied, "Well, I'm glad that some good
came of this. And I have a wonderful new son...." Her eyes misted
over as she returned her gaze to the child nestled in Danziger's
arms.
"When you get back, I'll make sure the baby gets to know his
Uncle John," Bess suddenly declared.
"You know I'm going?" Danziger asked, surprised.
"Of course, you *have* to go," responded Bess. "You loved her,
didn't you?"
Danziger uncharacteristically blushed. "You knew that?"
Smiling, Bess told him, "I think everyone knew that. Except the
two of you. You were always both so stubborn...."
"Yeah, well this time I'm not letting her go," vowed Danziger.
"As soon as she's well, I'll tell her how I feel. No matter what
she says. I've waited long enough."
Nodding in agreement, Bess said, "Just don't forget about me
while you're gone!"
"As if I could ever do that," Danziger promised. "I'll always be
around if you need me, Bess."
"I know."
A brief silence followed as each comprehended the truth of the
words. They played with the baby and marvelled at the miracle that
had brought him here. Eventually, though, it was time for Danziger
to leave.
"I'll miss you," said Danziger sincerely, kissing Bess on the
cheek.
"Me too. But don't worry, John," predicted Bess. Your journey is
going to be wonderful."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"So off they went," wrote Bess. "In my mind's eye, I can
still see them as they were that last morning. I felt so alive on
that day, my first out of hospital. It was the last time our
circle of friends was truly together in the sense of love that
bound us all. Death was fast approaching and we did not know.
I can see True and Uly, trying to be calm and adult, but
bouncing with an excitement that made us all smile. Walman, making
up the fifth member of the expedition, kissing his girlfriend
goodbye before he left. Alonzo clapping Danziger on the back and
wishing him luck. Julia hugging her children and husband goodbye,
and even though the embrace was a little strained, I truly believed
the rift would not last.
Morgan was handing out ridiculous gifts to everyone. "This is
for luck," he said, and even Ari, Lissa and Ethan were given some
sort of small toy. It was as if we were having a party to say
goodbye.
I shall never forget Julia's face as she waved from the
vehicle. Her eyes were so full of hope and dreams of the future,
as were Danziger's. But even then, his eyes held hints of
shadows...a prophecy of what was to come.
That morning was one of the most joyous of my life. We
exchanged bittersweet tears and wished the travellers the best of
luck. Morgan wrapped his arm around me as we waved furiously,
until finally the vehicles disappeared over the horizon.
I believed in my heart that when they returned, Devon would be
with them, and our journey begun so many years ago would finally be
complete. How wrong I was."
***
Gillian looked up from the page with confusion in her eyes.
According to local legend, they never did go back for Devon. Was
it possible that everyone had got it wrong? Or was Bess herself
somehow mistaken?
But no, that couldn't be right. Everything Gillian had read
so far concurred exactly with the sketchy 'official' records, down
to the smallest detail of each child's name. Gillian presumed Bess
had asked all of her friends to help her with the account, as
intimate secrets of each were revealed.
Suddenly, Gillian didn't want to read any more of the narrative.
Everything looked good at the moment. Sure, Julia and Alonzo were
fighting, and Devon was still in cold sleep, but they were little
things. Reconciliation was entirely possible between the estranged
husband and wife, for Bess had often repeated how much they loved
each other. And now that a cure for Devon's illness had been
found, a desperate hope had arisen in Gillian's soul.
But they were destined to die. It was written in the history
books, the terrible legends of a time long ago. Gillian did not
want to know. She didn't want it to happen. So she would not
read, could not read, because she was afraid of the future. Or the
past.
***
Wandering the streets of the rapidly darkening city, Gillian
found herself near the statue. She hadn't wanted to go there, but
had felt compelled as the light faded. Now, gazing again upon
Devon Adair's strong features carved in stone for eternity, Gillian
felt guilty.
She hadn't touched the story in two days. Her life was empty
and hollow, for Gillian felt detached from the real world. Nothing
was real anymore except the past. And it was a past that Gillian
would not let move on.
Gillian guiltily remembered Jessie Solace's disappointed words
from that morning. The strange girl had again approached Gillian,
but this time, her eyes were sad.
"You are forgetting our heritage," she intoned. "The cycle
cannot end as long as you hide from destiny." Then, just as
quickly as she had come, Jessie had disappeared into the crowd.
"I don't want to know, I don't want to know," Gillian coached
herself, desperately trying to believe that what she was doing was
right. There were no ghosts. Her visions were just figments of
her overactive imagination. There was *not* a lost spirit
wandering the darkness.
But as Gillian gazed at the statue, she could again feel the
sad eyes upon her. If there was a chance that Devon still existed
in between the planes of life and death, didn't Gillian owe it to
her to help? The whole planet owed so much to Devon Adair.
And in her heart, Gillian realised that she must read on, and
learn the awful truth.
***
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