Legends III : LEGENDS OF LIFE
by Nicole Mayer (destiny@wwdg.com)
December 1996 and October 1997.
In memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.
LEGENDS OF LIFE
---------------
The night was cold and black, and Gillian Brody could not sleep.
Knowing what she knew now: the tragedy, the pain, and the trapped
spirit, she could not rest until she did all she could, to help
Devon Adair. Even if it meant the woman's death.
She was supposed to die a long time ago. Only a freak of nature
brought on by the misguided actions of her friends had trapped her
soul between the worlds of the living and the dead, not even part
of the Dreamplane, but in a state somewhere on the edge. On the
outside, where it was cold, and dark, and full of terror. Gillian
knew this, because she had felt that fear and anguish herself, when
Devon's spirit had reached out to the land of the living.
Gillian had finally accepted that it *was* Devon who haunted the
wind. It was the only explanation that would fit, and Gillian had
fought her disbelief. G889 was a magical planet where strange
things were normal, and maybe, just maybe, that included trapped
spirits as well.
Slowly treading across to the window, Gillian stared out into the
moonless night. The sky seemed empty without the friendly orbs she
had become used to in only the few weeks she had been on planet
G889. A tear trickled down her cheek as she recalled the tragedy
of Bess Martin's story. Through reading it, and then accessing all
visual records of Eden Advance's historic trek across the planet,
Gillian couldn't help but feel as if she knew the people
intimately.
It was crazy, she realised that. Recalling her earlier
conversation with her family, she wondered why she had even
bothered trying to explain her feelings.
"It's just so sad!" Gillian had protested.
"Gill, you didn't even know these people! How can you possibly be
upset over their deaths that happened more than seventy years ago?"
reasoned her mother.
"Yeah, Gilly, who cares about a bunch of dead people anyway!" her
brother Lukas laughed.
Gillian's father's tone had been even more serious. "I think
you're becoming obsessed with the past," he said gruffly. "You
need to make some new friends. Lukas has fit right in at school,
but you, Gillian, haven't even tried!"
She made one last attempt. "But they're not all dead! Devon's
spirit is trapped, and we should help her!"
"That's enough of this nonsense!" snapped Gillian's father, and the
girl had despondently gone to her room.
"I'll help you, Devon," Gillian whispered onto the wind. An idea
suddenly struck her, a plan that entailed more risks than she ever
had taken in her seventeen years. What if she were to go out into
the desert, and find the place where Devon's body was trapped?
That region of the planet was still wild and mostly unexplored, but
surely she could retrace the original route. She could make a
difference....
"Gillian!" A low voice below startled her from her reverie.
Surprised, Gillian looked down. It was Jessie Solace. One of the
Transformed. And a girl about whom rumours abounded, yet that
never seemed to bother her.
"Uh, hi..." Gillian called down uncertainly. She'd never truly
spoken to Jessie before, although Jessie had made eerie predictions
about Gillian's life. The two girls had been curiously watching
each other, and now Gillian wondered if finally some answers would
be revealed.
"The Terrians want to talk to you," Jessie instructed. "We need
you to come with us right now!"
Indecision flickered across Gillian's face. She'd heard the few
vague rumours about Jessie and her friends, about rituals and
weekly communals with the planet through the Dreamplane. Many of
the other kids thought they were weird.
But as Gillian looked down at the earnest face before her, she
sensed a kinship through their respective obsessions with the
unconventional. Not allowing herself time to change her mind,
Gillian jumped down from the window and felt Jessie grab her hand.
The girls raced off into the night.
***
...great sadness...the trapped dark...crying...end it now...
The images of things unknown swirled past Gillian in a whirlpool of
colours and sounds, but two pictures kept appearing in Gillian's
mind. The first, of an ancient space ship in a barren landscape;
and the second, Devon Adair's haunted face.
...stop the pain... and those were the last words Gillian caught
before the dream ended and her consciousness flew back to reality.
Jessie's expectant face hovered before her.
"Did they talk to you? What did you see? We couldn't get anything
from the Terrians, except your picture and that it was of great
importance." These were more words than Gillian had ever heard
from the mysterious Jessie Solace, but she was too confused to
marvel over the fact.
Gillian shook her head tiredly. "I don't know what I saw," she
said weakly. "It was all too fast." She looked around at the
gathering of teenagers, and wondered if their parents were used to
them going out in the dead of the night to a deep cave and
communing with Terrians through and with the Dreamplane.
A boy from the back of the group spoke up. "The first Dreamplane
experience is always traumatic," he said with authority. "I'm not
sure we did the right thing by bringing her here so soon."
"We *had* to," Jessie said vehemently. "It was the proper thing to
do. Remember, I told you about Gillian years ago. We just didn't
know who she was."
Feeling obligated to at least attempt to explain some things to her
new friend, Gillian began, "It was like a distorted kind of
reality, and I kept seeing two pictures over and over. A ship out
in the desert...."
"Let me see it," instructed Jessie. Placing a hand on Gillian's
temple and guiding her other hand to a wall, Jessie closed her
eyes. Gillian almost gasped aloud as she realised she was touching
a Terrian, now part of a Terrian ...and the sadness was coming
again... but this time, Jessie's reassuring presence kept Gillian
focused. This time, she saw. And she knew.
"You must go there." Whether it was Jessie, or Gillian herself who
said the words, both girls knew the truth in their hearts that
Gillian's destiny lay out there, with those who were meant to die
a long time ago.
***
She dreamed. She knew she wasn't supposed to, she knew she
shouldn't even be aware that she was alive, but her mind would not
rest. In any case, the dreams were better than the terrible
wakefulness where she was trapped forever.
In her dream, she could see the past. Close to two hundred years
ago, she had taken her last breath in the living world. For all
intents and purposes, she was dead, even though she wasn't ready to
go.
So when they placed her lifeless body into stasis once again, the
final flicker of determination - the fighting spirit for which she
was so famous - did not let her die. Caught between the worlds of
the living and the dead, her mind was trapped until she finished
her quest.
One more moment was all she had asked. A few precious seconds to
tell *him* what she should have said long ago, if only she hadn't
been so stubborn. And the tragedy of events had ruined everything.
She knew that he, too, had not been able to tell her everything
that he needed to. Perhaps now it was too late. For the years had
passed and it had been too long. He lived on while she was still
trapped until the years irrevocably tore them apart. No man could
live so long, even if he was bound by love.
Now their story could never be finished. And she, the one alone,
was destined to be trapped in darkness forever.
***
Jessie Solace walked the Dreamplane. Not in the literal sense -
for there were few physical constants that applied to this realm.
However, Jessie felt at home in the whirling whites and shifting
scenes. She adored the Dreamplane and had been visiting it ever
since she was born.
Yet there was something missing from Jessie's life. She had always
felt apart from the other children, even those who were Transformed
like her. Others spoke of a spiritual relationship with the
planet, and sharing with the Terrians. There were no secrets.
But when the Terrians talked to Jessie, they told her things she
did not want to hear. Showed her things she did not want to see.
And always, but especially of late, the problems manifested
themselves on the Dreamplane.
There was a hole in her mind. It had been there ever since Jessie
was born, one of a long line of Solaces born on planet G889. And on
the Dreamplane, this hole was so much clearer.
There was sweetness and light on the white plains. But in one
corner, shadows loomed. Jessie never feared the shadows, yet she
could never penetrate them either. There were secrets locked from
Jessie Solace.
And as she walked the Dreamplane this night, Jessie wondered if
maybe Gillian, the one prophesied, would also help Jessie conquer
her own demons.
It was a heartening thought. She reached for the Morganite nestled
near her heart, and it seemed to pulsate with a new beat that
promised, "Soon."
***
"You hear me, Lukas? *Don't* give Mom and Dad this message until
tomorrow night, okay?"
Lukas looked up at his big sister with his soulful brown eyes.
"Are you running away?" he asked.
"No! I just have to see something, do something...I'll be back as
soon as I can." Impulsively, Gillian leaned down and gave Lukas a
hug. He squeezed her back, an action he had avoided ever since he
started school, but now he seemed to realise the seriousness of the
situation.
"Bye, Gilly..." he whispered as he watched her crawl out the
window. Lukas fervently hoped that his sister would be alright.
Slinging her pack over her shoulder, Gillian waved and slipped off
into the night.
Jessie Solace was waiting for her behind a tree growing near the
statue of Devon Adair. It was the statue that had begun the entire
crusade and Gillian had decided it was an appropriate place to
begin her quest. Besides, people rarely visited this place, a fact
obvious when looking at the statue's state of disrepair.
It was a situation that Gillian intended to fix. But not now. Now
was the time for running, for escaping into the darkness and
chasing the figure of her dreams. To finally learn of the truth.
"Gillian!" Jessie whispered, stepping out from the shadows. Weak
moonlight played down across her face as she tossed her thick
blonde hair behind one shoulder. "Over here!"
Gillian followed the voice, glad to see that Jessie had not backed
out on her word. "Did you manage to borrow a vehicle?"
Gillian had recently discovered that Jessie's parents were very
rich, which was understandable considering the vast empire of the
Solace Transport Corporation.
"Yes," replied Jessie, her solemn eyes showing an unusual hint of
excitement. "It was no trouble. Have you heard anything else from
the spirit?"
Although Gillian was now quite convinced that it was Devon Adair
who was trying to contact her, or more accurately, screaming for
help to end the torture, she was still unsure about voicing her
beliefs. Especially since Jessie and the other Transformed
children had such strong links to the Dreamplane whereas Gillian
had only experienced the edges of it once.
Yet through all this, Gillian knew that Jessie believed her, and
this gave her the strength to go on.
"I had another dream," Gillian began. "More images of Eden
Advance."
"What time period was this?" Jessie asked. Gillian had told her of
the dreams which brought into stark reality the story Bess Martin
had written; and revealed so much more.
"It was the later years, I think. John Danziger was quite old, and
I could see that he was, I hate to say it, crazy. It must have
been some time close to the fire that destroyed his house, because
I saw him shuffling to the statue and talking to it.
"Do you think," Gillian asked suddenly, "that the dreams are
beginning to focus on Danziger for a reason?"
Jessie nodded slowly in agreement. "Perhaps you will also discover
his fate," she said wisely. "It could be *your* fate to finally
lay his bones to rest."
Gillian shivered. She didn't know if she could handle coming
across a dead body, or, more correctly, the sun scorched bones of
a man out in the desert.
Jessie stared into Gillian's serious face. "Don't worry," she said
softly. "I know that everything will be fine."
Gillian wished she could believe that. A sudden thought struck
her. "What about you, Jessie? Have you heard anything from the
Terrians lately? Or the planet?"
"The Terrians are not involved," Jessie reminded. "Yet I can pick
up fragments from the Dreamplane. You are the one who has been
chosen to complete this quest."
Nodding, Gillian impulsively gave her reserved friend a hug.
"Well, I guess I'd better get going," she said. Then Jessie
surprised her once again.
"*We* had better get going."
"You're coming with me?"
"Yes."
"But why? It's not your problem, and it's dangerous out there...."
"More dangerous for a girl alone," Jessie reminded. "Did you
really believe I would let you travel halfway across the planet by
yourself?" Jessie did not mention her own reasons for accompanying
Gillian - to perhaps learn the truth about her own heart. She felt
an overwhelming sense that she, too, was meant to be a part of this
quest no matter what.
The shard of Morganite around Jessie's neck flashed suddenly in the
moonlight and Gillian was sure she could see a small glow. Looking
up into Jessie's eyes, she suddenly had the sensation that Jessie
was not just an ordinary girl. There was age in those blue
eyes....
"Come." Jessie interrupted Gillian's reverie and took her hand.
"Destiny awaits."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
He sat, still, silent, shocked. The last vestiges of his world had
crumbled, and now he had nothing left. Nothing but the memories of
*her* and one single strand of hair.
It was clutched in the palm of his hand right now, the delicate
strand, and held close to his heart. He did not know what demons
had burned down his home, but he knew it was a sign. A sign that
his destiny had not yet been fulfilled, and nor had hers.
For everything he'd done, everything he'd tried to do in her memory
still wasn't enough. It was useless if he withered away and died
a worthless old man, crazy, as the rumours went. And he was
dragging her down with him.
No, he had to leave this place. Protect his friends from the
darkness that had consumed his soul and go in search of *her*. He
should never have left her side in the first place.
"John." Bess Martin's gentle voice broke his reverie. He glanced
up at her, not noticing the grey hair and tired eyes, but instead
the compassion and kindness in her face. She had done so much for
him over the years. Tried to help him even though she could never
understand the guilt he felt. Or the love in his heart that would
not allow him to let Devon go. *She* deserved better than this,
she deserved to be put up on a pedestal and loved forever. He
loved her more than anyone else, anyone ever. If only he had told
her when he had the chance.
"True offered to have you stay with her as long as you like," Bess
said softly. "Until you get a new house built, or...."
"I'm not going to any damn nursing home!" he suddenly shouted.
Bess was taken aback.
"No, no, we didn't mean that. What I meant was...." and she broke
off awkwardly, not wanting to upset him any further because that
was precisely what she *had* meant. Worriedly pushing her hair
back from her face, Bess exhaled slowly then continued.
"You're staying here tonight anyway, with Morgan and I. It's too
far to True and Uly's place." The Adairs lived south of the city
of Devon in the rapidly growing town Freedom, where they were
respected members of the community.
Danziger just nodded mutely. He had no wish to hurt all these
people who cared so much for him, so he would go quietly, out of
their lives once and for all. He suddenly took Bess's hand, and
stared sincerely into her eyes.
"I want to thank you, Bess. For everything."
"John, I'll always do anything for you," she replied. "You know
that. Just like you've always helped me."
For a moment, the memories flooded past the two of them. How he
had led the group to New Pacifica and been strong for everyone.
The time she had been lost in a storm, and he and Morgan braved the
weather to find her.
Working jointly to build a city. The construction of their houses
close together; and then dropping in every evening for a chat on
the way home from work once the colonists had arrived.
The surprise birthday party he threw for Bess. Godfather to her
first child Ariel. And being there for her during the harrowing
birth of her second baby, his namesake.
Bess gave him a gentle hug. "Want me to sit here for a while with
you?"
He glanced at the clock and saw how late it was. "No, you go to
bed. I'll be alright."
Hoping desperately that she could believe him, Bess kissed him on
the cheek, not noticing his soot-streaked face. "It'll be alright,
John. I promise."
He smiled sadly at her, and whispered goodbye under his breath. As
much as he loved her, there was a deeper love than friendship that
was tearing at his soul. He had to go.
When all was silent, he crept through the dark house towards the
other guest bedroom, where he knew his daughter True was asleep.
He was glad she'd been in town that day for a colleague's fiftieth
birthday party.
She lay peacefully, and he imagined he could see her as a little
girl again, back in the days where she was the most important thing
in his life and nothing else.
He still loved her so much. Yet even she had her own life now and
no longer needed him. No one needed him but *her*.
Kissing True on the forehead, he was surprised to feel slightly
wrinkled skin beneath his lips. Somehow, she had aged and he never
noticed.
As he closed his eyes, he looked to the past for the innocent face
of his daughter, with her sparkling eyes, sweet little nose and
beautiful smile. "Goodbye, True-girl," he whispered. Brushing
back her hair one last time and noticing the glint of the wedding
ring on her finger, he knew she would be fine.
He padded out of the room. Now, it was time to leave. Common
sense made him pack a few provisions, however he was unsure if he
would need them at all. There was nothing left for him here, so he
would go to embrace the darkness that had taken *her* from him.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gillian glanced at the horizon, and seeing the sun dipping below
the edge, she sighed. "Mom and Dad will be starting to freak right
about now," she told Jessie.
Smiling serenely, Jessie told her not to worry. "My parents will
call them. They will make them understand that it is alright."
Gillian wasn't too sure about this, but she realised that any
influence Jessie's parents had would be good. The Solace family
had always been strong dreamers with undeniable links to both the
Terrians and the planet. It was a Solace whom the Terrians had
first contacted.
"How much further do you think we should go tonight?" Gillian
suddenly asked. The lights on the vehicle were powerful and the
technology much more advanced than that of the original colonists'
transport. As a result, they could make the several month journey
in significantly less time.
Staring over the plains before them, Jessie decided, "We can travel
for a few more hours yet. We need to."
"Did you dream it?" Gillian asked expectantly.
"No, I just have the desire to get there as fast as possible,"
Jessie smiled serenely. "There is a great pain out here, I feel it
grow stronger every day."
"You're right," agreed Gillian. Squinting to see beyond the glare
of the vehicle's lights, she decided, "So how about we get to the
foot of the next mountain range?"
That, Gillian knew, was the site of the fabled Valley of Dreams.
It was rumoured to be more beautiful than any other place on G889,
yet no one had travelled there since it was discovered, initially
because of the tragedy associated with the place, and later,
because everyone had forgotten.
The legends still existed, but somehow, the exact records had lain
untouched until the valley was considered a children's story.
Gillian suspected she was one of only a few who knew of that
place's true significance in the history of G889 - she hadn't even
told Jessie the whole story.
Gillian's eyes were again drawn to the darkness. Closing her eyes,
she could imagine the brave trek of the five adventurers who
crossed the desert to save their friend. A mission that had ended
in tragedy for all of the party, especially Julia Heller.
They had done so much for the planet and humanity that Gillian was
still struck by the unfairness of it all. Heroes such as Eden
Advance deserved to live happily ever after with the ones they
loved. As the girls travelled onwards, Gillian again shed a tear
for the trouble-plagued group.
Suddenly, Gillian's vision blurred and she caught sight of a shape
in the dark. Something tall, shuffling along determinedly....
"Jessie!" Gillian gasped, and just as quickly as it had come, the
vision was gone.
"What?" the other girl asked.
"Did you see that? It looked like a person..."
Jessie shook her head in response. "I did not see it. I suspect
you are being granted memories of times before. The past is a
strong force here, for these ways have not been travelled for fifty
years. It makes sense that the planet chooses to show us her
memories...Oh!"
"What is it?" Gillian asked frantically as Jessie clutched at her
own head. Fear began to appear in the cerulean blue eyes, and it
was an expression Gillian had never seen on the calm girl's face.
The mountains were almost upon them, huge monoliths rising up into
the black night, and with them, came a sense of danger.
"Those mountains...I feel something," Jessie whispered softly. "I
know them!"
Gillian stared at her in stunned silence. Jessie had never
mentioned anything remotely connected to those particular mountains
before, and they were quite a distance away from the purpose of
their mission. Gillian had planned to travel close simply out of
curiosity. Yet now it seemed that something greater was at hand.
Watching the emotions flicker over Jessie's now distraught face,
Gillian felt a glimmer of recognition. She looked so much like her
ancestor Julia Heller in those moments that a shiver travelled
throughout Gillian's whole being.
"Jessie," she began softly.
"Not Jessie!" the other girl replied vehemently. "J-" She
couldn't seem to get the word out. Bewildered, Gillian took the
girl's hand. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"
In response, Jessie jumped from the moving vehicle and began
heading north, rounding the base of the mountain with a sense of
confidence as if she had been there before.
"Vehicle, stop!" ordered Gillian and she too left the vehicle to
chase after her friend. "Jessie! Talk to me! What's wrong!"
Jessie continued running, and Gillian lost sight of her around the
base of the mountain. "Jessie!"
When Gillian finally rounded the corner, she skidded to a stop.
Jessie was kneeling on the rocky ground, sifting the dirt through
her fingers as her tear-filled eyes looked to the moon. Gillian
approached her slowly, but it appeared that Jessie's flight was
over.
Hearing Gillian's footsteps, Jessie turned her head to face her.
With her blonde hair highlighted by the moonlight, she seemed like
a ghost of the past. The Morganite by her heart burned brightly in
the night as an eerie sense of recognition touched Gillian's mind.
Lifting out her hands in a beseeching gesture, Jessie finally
spoke. "I died here." Her words were simple, and the echo of
truth in them could not be ignored. Jessie again returned her
fingers to the ground, until she came across a fragment of metal
buried by the century of shifting sand.
"It's my earring." Lifting carefully, Jessie/Julia held it up to
the moon. Her other hand clutched the Morganite as her bright eyes
turned upwards. "Was Uly okay?"
"Yes," Gillian automatically replied, while inside, she was gasping
in astonishment.
"And Alonzo?"
"He loved you. That never changed. He never forgot you, but he
was okay."
"Good..." whispered Julia. "I loved all of them."
Swallowing hard, Gillian told her, "They knew. I promise you,
Julia, they all knew." Staring at her blonde friend, Gillian was
overcome by an immense sense of joy and completion. As if Julia,
unable to rest until she knew the end of her own story, was finally
set free.
Jessie closed her eyes as her features took on an even wiser
expression. "The story never dies."
"The story?"
"All of us. Jessie is here now, but Julia is a part of her, will
always be. Ties carry strongly in families and in friends. You
know it too, for you are connected to the past and the spirits that
never die."
"Is Julia happy?" Gillian had to ask the being now shining with an
eerie brightness.
"Yes, yes.... And now Jessie can be at peace, for she has
discovered a part of herself." The figure sighed quietly, its
outline becoming blurry as the silvery light began to dim.
"Who are you?" Gillian implored.
"I am all of you," it replied cryptically. "All but two. Help
them, Gillian... and remember, nothing really dies...."
The ghostly words faded out as Jessie slumped to the ground.
Approaching her nervously, Gillian asked, "Jessie?" She took the
girl's hand in her own, and was rewarded by movement.
As Jessie got up, she gave Gillian a beautiful smile. "It's
alright now, Gillian. I understand so much more!" Looking with
wonderment at the earring in her hand, she continued, "Now that I
know the memory of Julia is a part of me...my heritage...it makes
sense."
Gillian nodded slowly, still very confused at what she had seen.
Jessie boldly stood up. She had a lot of thinking to do, but now
the emptiness in her mind was gone.
"Time to move on, Gillian. We have a mission."
Bewildered, Gillian allowed herself to be led away. And dreamed of
a time decades earlier....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sweat was pouring down John Danziger's face as he struggled
onwards. The ground was harsh and dry as the angry sun baked it
with incessant ferocity. Even the sparse shrubs and clumps of
grass had a defeated air about them.
Danziger's life was over. He finally understood that now. His
daughter was practically a grandmother, his friends had all led
successful lives and now there was nothing left for him. Nothing
but *her*, the one person who would have made his life complete.
He would never get over leaving Devon in the desert, or burying her
there for eternity. She didn't deserve to be alone, not when she
had lived and loved so much.
"I will protect you forever," Danziger promised into the still air.
Wearily, he trudged one foot in front of the other, over and over,
his mind focussed on nothing but her image. A wind began to blow.
For weeks he had been trekking the vast wilderness while driven by
the love in his tormented heart. Weeks that had vanished in a haze
as he focussed on his goal. His body was withering and dying,
something in which Danziger took a perverse form of pleasure. Time
was ticking down for him and all was as it should be. As long as
he could reach *her* before he died, and then his own spirit could
chase her through the darkness and bring her home to love.
"John," he heard her voice dance in his memories. His heart leapt,
she sounded so close! But there was nothing but the angry orange
haze of the desert and the dust that billowed everywhere,
threatening to choke him. It filled his eyes and nostrils, and
then he saw a shape in the shadows.
"Devon?" he called in a hoarse voice, for he had not spoken for
many weeks. "Is that you?"
A musical laugh sounded, and Danziger shook his head in confusion.
What demons were tormenting him now? Why couldn't they just leave
him alone!
He blindly struck out his hands in front of him as he imagined more
mysterious shadows. "Who are you?" he shouted. "What have you
done with her?"
...she is ours as long as she is part of the dark... The cloud
seemed to descend over Danziger, clogging every pore in his body
and he coughed as he fought for air. Swinging around wildly, he
could not even see the sun.
"DEVON...!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The spire glinted from afar and Gillian couldn't help but give a
scream of excitement when she saw it. She grabbed Jessie's arm and
shouted, "There it is!" Gillian stood up in the moving vehicle and
uttered a long cry of happiness.
"We made it!"
Jessie joined her friend's jubilation, laughing aloud. The whole
expedition had been crazy from the start, but at last, they were
almost there. Their fears over the dated directions were now
unfounded as both Jessie and Gillian recognised the downed
spaceship from their dreams.
"We're only the third group of people *ever* to be out here," mused
Jessie. She gazed around intently at the surrounding terrain:
large rocks were randomly strewn about the ground and wilted plants
struggled for life amongst the small pockets of shade. Then she
closed her eyes and listened for traces of the unknown, the spirit
whose destiny had become intertwined with Gillian's and therefore
her own.
"Can you feel anything?" Jessie asked when she drew a blank.
Gillian shook her head no. "There's nothing at all. Perhaps she
can only reach me when it's dark."
"What if she's not even there..." Jessie suddenly thought aloud.
"But the ship is here and so are we," reminded Gillian, her eyes
flashing excitedly. The gleaming beacon grew closer, its surface
little tarnished by the years of exposure to wind and rain.
Gillian almost felt as if she was approaching a revered place, a
temple or shrine where legends of the past were laid to rest.
She took a deep breath and ordered, "Vehicle, stop." It complied
immediately as Jessie turned to Gillian and asked,
"What are you doing?"
Running her fingers through her windblown hair to smooth it down,
Gillian replied seriously, "I just feel like - we should honour
Devon Adair's memory. Not just casually drive into her resting
place...if this was a cemetery, wouldn't we be walking quietly?"
Jessie nodded in agreement. "We walk." Both girls carefully
jumped down from the vehicle and proceeded onwards to the ship in
silence. The air was deathly still, as if all of nature had taken
a hushed breath and was waiting in quiet reverence. Until a huge
explosion rocked the world.
Screaming, Gillian threw herself to the ground and was vaguely
aware of Jessie copying her movements. However, most of her
attention was drawn to the smoking hole in the ground only metres
in front of them. A siren was wailing shrilly, the sound coming
from the direction of the ship while a voice repeated, "Perimeter
alert!" at regular intervals.
"Stay down!" hissed Gillian, her face in the dirt. "We must have
set off some sort of motion sensor!"
"But why?" Jessie's eyes were filled with confusion. "And when?
Your book never said anything about this!"
"I don't know!" the girl replied, nervous and upset. The dust was
beginning to settle, and she could see no signs of any weaponry
that could have fired such a blast. She cautiously lifted her head
higher and noticed that the sound of the alarm was gradually
fading.
"What do we do now?" Jessie asked in a fearful voice.
"See if you can sort of wriggle backwards. Slowly, this time! If
it happens again, the blast might not miss."
The girls awkwardly shuffled backwards, destroying their clothes in
the process as numerous sharp rocks dug into them. However, it was
better than being blown apart by an unknown enemy.
Finally, they were back at the vehicle. Gillian was shaking and
she grabbed onto the framework for support. She had never
anticipated this kind of trouble.
Jessie lay her head against the warm metal with an air of defeat.
"I did not think something like *this* would happen." She was
prepared to fight ghosts of the dreamplane and monsters of the
dark, after all, the Terrians and the planet could be counted on to
help her. However, against an aging technology that still provided
deadly force, her allies were useless.
Thinking hard, Gillian's brow furrowed. "What if we can somehow
shut the system off?"
"Do you have the knowledge?" asked Jessie, beginning to recover her
composure.
"No... we could always destroy the system if we have to! The
vehicle has an emergency laser installed into it, we could aim it
at the controls...." Gillian's eyes flashed excitedly as a plan
began to form in her mind. She scanned the area for suitable
implements.
Jessie lay a steady hand on Gillian's arm. "Gillian," she began,
"perhaps we are not meant to interfere. We can turn around and go
home now." She was being a voice of reason as she considered their
situation - two teenage girls alone in the desert faced with a
deadly enemy. It was a wonder Gillian's parents hadn't come after
them long ago.
"No!" Gillian burst out. "You know I was called here, you felt it
too!" She implored, "We cannot leave her until we help Devon!"
"How?"
"By letting her die." There. Gillian had finally said it. She
had come all this way to release Devon Adair from her prison and
then, no matter how hard it was, kill her. It was the only way.
For Devon was meant to die two centuries ago.
Jessie nodded, silently relieved that Gillian had stood up to the
test, the last test the planet had insisted she perform. Without
a doubt, Gillian was the one.
"What is your plan?"
The girls gathered a small stockpile of rocks and then prepared the
laser for use. They stood squarely together in front of the
vehicle, facing the ship and prepared to take action.
"Ready?" asked Gillian, picking up a large rock. "Fire!" She
hurled the rock in the direction of the ship, and was rewarded to
see an immediate blast in exactly the same position as before.
Jessie launched her own projectile, which was rapidly fired upon.
A quick succession of rocks were thrown in all directions, allowing
Gillian and Jessie to determine exactly where the blasts were
coming from.
"It's over there," pointed Gillian as the dust finally cleared.
She could see the evil glint of metal in the sunlight of an old-
style cannon with plenty of firepower. "Let's take it out." She
threw one more rock for reassurance, then knowing she was right,
Gillian returned to the vehicle and adjusted the controls.
"Full power," suggested Jessie and Gillian cranked up the levels.
"Systems check okay, target okay..." She looked to Jessie. "Want
to do the honours?"
Jessie shook her head, so Gillian muttered, "Well here we go...
Vehicle, activate laser."
A brilliant orange beam soared across the clearing, causing the
girls to shield their eyes as sliced straight through the cannon.
"Stop laser!" commanded Gillian, looking up. The cannon was gone.
"We did it!" she shrieked in happiness, and threw another rock just
to be sure. There was no return fire. "Ready for a second
approach?"
This time, they walked much more slowly out of fear and worry rather
than reverence. The girls didn't want any more unexpected surprises.
They passed the barrier of the first attack with no problems, nothing,
that is, until they reached the ten-metre circumference around the
ship.
A projectile whizzed past them.
"Go away!" shouted a strange voice as Gillian and Jessie dropped to
the dirt again. "Leave this place! It's cursed!"
Another shot rang out. Gillian heard pounding footsteps ahead of
her, a noise that seemed to round the ship itself.
"GO AWAY! Leave Devon in peace!"
Devon? Gillian almost jumped up at the mention of her name. How
did this mysterious person know Devon's name? Unless it was... no,
that wasn't possible.
"You hear me? Go! GO!" A random shot whizzed over the girls as
a figure shuffled into view. Lifting her head ever so slightly,
Gillian squinted at the shape.
A mag-pro was slung around his shoulders, but that was not what
drew Gillian's attention. Instead, she focused on the man himself.
The crazy, blue eyes, the wild, curly, grey hair, the tall
stance...Gillian recognised him!
Against all possible odds, against every rational explanation,
John Danziger was here, in the desert and *alive*.
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