Next Phase (1/1)
by Nic (stardestiny@bigfoot.com)
http://www.oocities.com/Area51/Vault/8356/fanfic.htm
January 1998
AUTHOR'S NOTES: How many of you remember Margaret's little shocker
of a fanfic called "Endgame"? Some of us are still in
denial...myself included. That's why I wrote this - a *possible*
sequel to Endgame. It made me feel better. :) So thank you
Margaret for giving me permission to write this!
If you haven't had the privilege of reading Margaret A. Czarney's
"Endgame", it can be found on her website :
http://www.oocities.com/Area51/Vault/9742/ffindex.html
Or I'm sure she wouldn't mind email to : MCstarlight@hotmail.com
Enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: The characters and situations contained within are the
property of Universal/Amblin Entertainment. No copyright
infringement is intended.
************
NEXT PHASE
"We're going home, True-girl. Just you and me."
John Danziger picked up his sleepy daughter and strode towards
the waiting ship. He felt a twinge of sadness at leaving G889 and
his ex-comrades, but it was done. It was his duty as a member of
the Council and soon he would again live the life that was owed to
him, one of the elite. Just like Devon Adair had been.
Devon.
He hadn't wanted to kill her. There was something about Devon
that inspired him, she challenged him in ways he'd never
experienced. Trusted him even though he didn't deserve it. She
may have even loved him. And he'd murdered her.
Suddenly, Danziger shivered. So often he'd killed - it was a
necessary part of his occupation - but today's murders had been
different. It was no trouble to poison the food of Eden Advance
and let them die quietly. He could even tell himself that those
deaths weren't really his fault; certainly, he hadn't been witness
to them. It was out of his hands once they chose to eat the
tainted food.
But Devon, Devon...
He had shot her in cold blood. Now she lay sprawled on the
ground behind True's tent. The final resting place of the
beautiful, fiery woman who-
Danziger shook his head. He couldn't allow his thoughts to
travel down that dangerous path. What was done was done and there
was no time for regrets. It was her own fault, anyway. She should
have listened all that time ago to Blalock, to Reilly the computer,
to Elizabeth, she should have known that humans would never be
allowed to live on G889 without Council control. She deserved
everything she got.
Striding up the ramp of the waiting ship, a chill ran down
Danziger's spine. Here he was, about to leave G889, a place he'd
hated for so long and just realising that, somehow, the planet had
begun to grow on him. It had certainly been good for True - she'd
never looked so healthy on the stations. Danziger sighed heavily.
It was too late for regrets.
He nodded to the pilot and then walked through the corridor.
There should be a berth somewhere for his daughter...there. He
gently laid the sleeping True on the bed, affectionately stroking
her hair and hoping the change wouldn't be too hard on her. Then
he stood straight up and went to report to his superior.
"Have you completed your mission?"
"Mission complete, sir."
"The boy?"
"Dead as requested." The Council had deemed Uly's link with
the Terrians too dangerous after receiving the latest data. The
boy had special powers that could not be controlled and it was
decided that an autopsy would provide all the pertinent
information. "The body is marked with a homing signal for you to
retrieve."
"Good. And the Adair woman?"
"She is also dead." Danziger swallowed hard. Those words
were so hard to say. He couldn't possibly regret it, could he?
For a moment, her image flashed into his mind. Those blue eyes, so
full of hurt and shock when she realised what he had done....
"Well done, Citizen Danziger. Please prepare for cold sleep.
Full debriefing will take place when we arrive back at the
stations."
Danziger saluted. He turned to walk down the corridor but
stopped. He couldn't just leave like this, he couldn't. "Sir,
there is one more matter for me to take care of on the planet. It
shouldn't take more than ten minutes."
"Something you forgot to do?"
"Um...my daughter's doll. It's her favourite, and I forgot to
bring it with her..."
"Ten minutes," snapped the Council officer. "And not a second
longer."
"Thank you, sir," replied Danziger as he hurried out of the
ship. He stepped on to G889 soil for the last time and sighed.
What was wrong with him? Why so many regrets? Why couldn't he
just put it all behind him and move on?
It was because of *her*. Devon Adair, who had meant more to
him than he ever allowed himself to realise. Danziger strode
through the centre of camp, keeping his eyes well away from the
nightmarish dinner scene. He paused as he approached the outer
tents, wondering if he should go on, because he *knew* what lay on
the ground beyond them.
One last look. One last time to see her face, to close her
eyes so that her horror and shock wouldn't haunt him forever. To
lie her peacefully beneath the stars and moons of G889, the place
she had forsaken everything to get to. To maybe even say he was
sorry it had to be this way.
There was something poking around the side of the tent and
Danziger strained in the growing darkness to see what it was. A
thin, white arm - Devon's arm. It looked so fragile and lifeless.
//That's because you killed her,// Danziger told himself.
Swallowing hard, he rounded the corner and stopped.
Dark hair framed the pale face that was tilted to the sky and
her eyes were already closed. Ignoring the red blood that was
pooled around her middle, Danziger stepped closer. The Council-
part of his mind was screaming at him, asking him what did he think
he was doing?, but his heart wanted to say goodbye.
He picked up one of Devon's hands - so cold, it seemed - and
pressed it close to his heart. "I'm sorry, Adair. I didn't want
it to be this way. But we're all in service to those who pay us -
isn't that right? Isn't that what you tried to teach us early on?"
Danziger sighed, knowing that her opinion had changed over the
months they spent trekking across G889. "You know, Adair, I never
met anyone quite like you. You were always so happy, so
optimistic, but you wouldn't let anyone tread all over you. You
knew what you wanted and nothing would stand in your way. Except
me. John Danziger, the only thing Devon Adair couldn't conquer."
He laughed, harshly. "What a reputation, huh? I destroyed
the formidable Devon Adair." Almost angrily, he placed her hand
across her chest. "But that won't mean a thing when I get back to
the stations. None of this will. All we went through - it's
already been covered up and in twenty odd years no one will care
about any of us."
He paused, suddenly realising what the change would mean.
"I'll be a nobody again. Sure, I'll be rich and have all of True's
needs cared for, but me? Geeze, Adair, I've got nothing *but*
True. And what happens when she grows up?" Danziger knew he would
be all alone. No friends, for they were all dead. Ellie,
Wentworth, even Alonzo and other members of Eden Advance. His
superiors in the Council wouldn't be inviting him to dinner either.
And he knew never again to fall in love with someone while on the
job, which, in his occupation, was virtually all the time.
"Looks like I screwed up, Adair. You know, you almost had me
believing that life could be good. You had that effect on people."
Danziger sighed heavily, traces of guilt in his eyes. He gently
touched her hair. "I'm gonna miss you, Adair."
She moaned.
"Adair?"
He couldn't believe it. How could she still be alive? He'd
shot her over an hour ago! Gingerly, he parted her clothing to
assess the extent of the gunshot wound to her middle. There was an
awful lot of blood around, but it seemed to be only superficial.
Danziger swore. His mag-pro was back on the ship and he had no
other weapons on him.
He didn't want Devon to be alive even though some small part
of him was singing with happiness. He would get in big trouble
over this, and Devon, too, would suffer. The Council would torture
her - especially Blalock (who was on the ship) - if she was brought
back alive. But how could he kill her again?
Danziger had nothing but his bare hands. And he knew what he
had to do. Not only to save his own skin, but for Devon's sake
too. He placed his hands around her neck, numbing his mind from
what he was about to do. She moaned again. And opened her eyes.
"John?"
That one word was enough to destroy Danziger's resolve. He
pulled his hands away, knowing that he could not do this. There
had been too much death already. No matter what happened next, no
matter what the consequences to him personally, John Danziger
decided right then that Devon Adair would be given the chance to
live.
"Don't worry, Adair, everything's gonna be alright," he said
to her. "Just close your eyes and go back to sleep. Help's on the
way."
Momentary panic flitted through Devon's eyes, perhaps as she
remembered that it was *Danziger* who tried to kill her. But she
was too weak to do anything about it and then she slipped back into
unconsciousness.
Danziger gently lifted her up, surprised at how light her
small frame was. She was almost like a porcelain doll (albeit a
red-stained one) (oh, be quiet) in his arms. Still, silent, but
breathing just enough to stay alive.
He knew he couldn't leave her here on G889. She would die
without medical help - probably slowly, and painfully. If Danziger
could take her with him...then maybe he wouldn't be so alone.
Carrying her gently to the waiting ship, Danziger mentally
rehearsed what he was to tell his superiors. Devon Adair had one
of those unmistakable faces - or did she? In the past year, her
hair had grown long and reached halfway down her back. Her face
was brown and tanned from the sunlight on the planet, her clothes
threadbare and plain, but useful. Come to think of it, she didn't
look much like the wealthy woman of the past at all.
Danziger just hoped it would be enough. He stepped into the
central room, through which he had to pass to access the ship's
medical room. His superior officer was still there.
"Citizen Danziger, who is that?"
"My wife, sir. She was injured in the fighting."
The man's jaw dropped. "You made no mention of a wife
earlier."
Now was the time to see how well John Danziger could lie. "I
didn't know she was still alive. I thought she was dead - along
with the rest of them. I was wrong."
The officer's head snapped up. "There was a scuffle, then?"
Danziger nodded, feeling more and more worried by the second.
"The body of the mutant wasn't damaged, was it?"
Wincing to hear Uly referred to in such a manner (for they had
shared some good times), Danziger replied, "No, some of the ops
crew got a little out of hand. A few shots with a mag-pro soon got
them in line." The superior laughed, as did Danziger. "Has the
retrieval team got him in yet?"
"I believe so." The officer's eyes narrowed, again focussing
on the woman Danziger held in his arms.
"She needs medical attention, sir. May I-"
"We never gave you clearance to bring your 'wife' back with
you," he said, his voice dripping with disgust.
"Well, she's coming." There was a fierce undercurrent in
Danziger's voice. The officer, who had heard the rumours of the
retribution over Ellie's death, knew better than to argue with the
tall man.
"Can you trust her?" was the next question.
"She was part of the Eden Crew, but she's okay with my Council
connections. She understands what we're doing - she couldn't stand
life on the planet. She wants to go back." Sensing he wasn't
convincing the officer, Danziger quickly added, "She'll be my
responsibility."
"You never mentioned a marriage in your transmissions to us."
Danziger laughed. "What transmissions? I never heard from
*any* of the Council until a week ago, telling me that you were on
the way and I'd better dispose of the problem soon.
The officer nodded thoughtfully. "I expect you to make the
necessary entries in the computer system." Danziger smiled
internally - to note a marriage contract required getting into
personnel files, and if he could just swap Devon's with someone
else's....
"That will be all, Citizen. Take her to the doctor."
"Thank you, sir," replied Danziger, quickly turning to leave
the room.
"Oh, and one more thing..."
Danziger froze. "What?"
"Her name."
"Sorry, sir?"
"What is her name?" The officer pointed to Devon in
Danziger's arm. Danziger shifted nervously to the other foot, his
mind racing.
"Uh...Eben. Eben Synge."
Finally, Danziger was able to exit the room. As he hurried
down the passage to the medical facilities, he realised he was
sweating profusely with the stress of it all. But it would be
nothing, he knew, compared to the moment when Devon woke up and
realised what he had done to her. She would be as mad as hell.
She had a new identity now, and would become part of
Danziger's world. The Council's world, a place she had detested
for so much of her life. But there wasn't any other choice. She
was there with him to stay, and with both Devon and True in his
life, the future suddenly looked brighter to John.
He just hoped that it was all worth it.
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