(The Voice of John Danziger): "We've been traveling for over a year now. Our second summer is ending and we're still moving, still together. Sometimes I think about what my life was like when I lived in the space stations. It seems so long ago. It really seems like 23 years have passed, 23 years without ColdSleep. I can hardly remember the friends that I left behind. Here on this planet, there is only 'us.' When we started, we were strangers. Now, we something like a family. We still think about Eben, and how she was taken from us so quickly. It's funny, you never miss someone 'til they're gone. You never think about how you will feel or what you will do until it's too late. I don't think we've really recovered from that yet. Still, Devon is back with us. It only took time to discover the cure -- time, Julia's determination and a bit of luck. I thought I would go crazy waiting, but Julia never gave up, and now Devon is well again. We lost a lot of traveling time while Julia searched for that miracle. Summer is just about over and we are finally traveling again.

Sometimes I think our journey is like a river. I never used to think about rivers before we landed on this planet, but I've discovered that I don't think the same way that I used to. Like a river, we are always moving. Sometimes we travel easy and free, sometimes it is rough and dangerous. There are barriers that must be worn down. There are rapids and falls, still pools, and places where everything runs smoothly. We're at the mercy of the journey. The river continues and so must we."

* * * * *

"Well, will it work?" Devon asked, as Yale and Danziger walked toward her.

"It's about five centimeters too narrow," Yale stated.

Devon frowned. "Five centimeters," she repeated softly.

Danziger cut in, "I don't think it will be a problem. The wheels on the 'Rover are wide enough so that we can run with the edges of the tires hanging off either side."

"Will that work?" Devon's question was aimed at Yale.

"Yes, it will work," the cyborg answered. "If the driver keeps the TransRover perfectly centered, he should be able to cross over the bridge in that manner. There would be no room for error."

She had been aware of the great river for months. It had weighed heavily on her mind as they traveled. Yale had seen the massive waterway on the aerial photographs and had spotted it from high observation points. The two of them had spent long hours trying to devise a way to cross it. There were only so many options. They could follow it until they reached a point where the river was wide, slow and shallow enough to drive across. They could try to raft the vehicles at a calm section. Or, they could find a narrow stretch and build a bridge. At its narrowest point, the river would be fast, deep and dangerous, but Yale and Devon realized that this would be their most viable option. There was no evidence of a wide shallows and she could not trust the idea of rafting everything and everyone. Yale believed that they would be able to build a bridge out of local materials, so she had aimed their travel toward the narrowest section of the river. And now, when they reached that destination, they found the river just as fierce as they had feared, but they also found something that stunned them . . . a bridge.

The bridge spanned the river between two rocky brown cliffs. It was a tremendous stone structure, approximately 30 meters long, completely level on top, and with a structurally strong, arched base, beautiful, perfect, and simple. It was fashioned of a black stone, so dense that it showed no sign of erosion, despite the rushing water. Yale had examined the stone and found nothing like it in his databanks. There were no visible markings on the bridge, and no sign of who had built it. The structure was basic, clean, and flawless. The dark stone gave no sign of age and no clue to the bridge's origin.

The river was fast and furious, boiling around the bridge and frothing over the smooth rocks that attempted to impede its progress. The current whipped through the area so quickly that a branch, caught in the flow, disappeared from sight almost before it was recognizable.

"I don't like it. The whole situation gives me the creeps," Morgan said as he joined the group. "We know nothing about this bridge. Why can't we just go around it, huh?"

"You can't exactly go around a river, Morgan," Danziger grumbled.

"Still, I don't like it," Morgan muttered. "I mean, who built this thing? Are they going to come back while we're on it? Hey, maybe they'll be mad."

"By the looks of things, nobody has been here for many years," Yale explained. He gestured to the ground near the bridge. "There is no sign of any traffic here. The vegetation has not been disturbed."

"Still, I don't think it's a good idea." Morgan said, "Maybe it was some of those convicts. Or maybe a couple of ZEDs got together, figured out they had a brain between 'em, and built the thing. They might have booby trapped it or something."

"I'll drive the 'Rover," Danziger stated. "I think we should unload it before we cross. If we take off all this stuff, it'll make the 'Rover lighter and less top-heavy." He paused. "And if we were to lose it, we'd still have our supplies."

"Lose it?" Morgan quizzed. "What do you mean by 'lose it'?"

"I think you're right," Devon answered Danziger. "We'll get the TransRover unloaded, and then we'll take the DuneRail and Zero to the opposite side before we start the crossing, in case something happens."

"In case what sort of thing happens?" Morgan asked.

Danziger ignored him and responded to Devon. "You got it," he said, and strode off toward the TransRover.

"It sounds like a lot of extra work to me," Morgan whined.

Devon looked out toward the bridge and the deep, quick river. She had been considering a name for the river for some time; it would have to have an important name. The bridge had been an incredible piece of luck. The river crossing would be much easier than she had ever dreamed.

* * * * *

"Keep coming...slowly...keep coming..." Alonzo was shouting as he cautiously backed along the northern edge of the bridge, while Walman backed along the southern edge. They were acting as markers, to delineate the sides of the bridge. The TransRover followed them, inching along the massive bridge that wasn't quite wide enough. The tires swelled dangerously off either side of the bridge, but Danziger's driving skill kept the TransRover centered.

Walman gave a startled shout and the TransRover stopped as the man frantically caught his balance. "Careful!" Julia shouted as she and Devon came running up behind Walman, where they had been waiting with Zero and the DuneRail

"You don't have to tell me twice." Walman laughed uneasily, and toed the edge of the bridge. He had gotten too close that time. The water rushing out from under the bridge made his stomach flip. "All right, let's keep moving!"

The others watched nervously from behind as the TransRover began its slow movement again. Uly and True were standing at the verge of the bridge, watching intently, while Denner was teasing Matazl by pretending to push him into the water. They were standing at least a meter from the edge, but Matazl moved even further away, just in case.

Then suddenly, not far from where Walman had lost his footing, almost at the end of the bridge, the TransRover lost its footing as well. The huge vehicle started to tip slowly, then abruptly it lurched forward, crashing heavily onto its chassis. It dangled dangerously over the water while Danziger frantically held on. The collision with the bridge nearly shook him from the driver's seat, but he clung to the wheel as he watched his GEAR and the other loose items in the cab fall toward the dark water that now threatened beneath him. Danziger swung out his feet in an effort to catch the GEAR, but it was gone before he had a chance. The action almost made him lose his grip on the wheel. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered, as he regained his hold and wedged his feet into the sides of the TransRover's cab.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Alonzo rushed toward the vehicle, but he stopped before he clambered on. "We don't want to unbalance it," he said to Devon, Julia and Walman. The others were rushing onto the bridge from the opposite side of the river now.

Devon took charge. "John! Are you okay? Can you hold on?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem," Danziger said as he got a better grip on the wheel. "I could stay here all day."

"Get Zero over here! We'll get you out. Just hold on!"

"Yeah, no problem," Danziger muttered again, and looked out at the black and white rushing water under the bridge. "I got no problem with that."

It took almost an hour, using Zero and the DuneRail to pull the TransRover the last few feet. Zero would have been able to do the heavy work alone, but the unbalanced TransRover needed the DuneRail pulling from upriver to keep it from falling into the water. Slowly, with the front left wheel dangling over the edge, they pulled the vehicle back to solid ground. Danziger did his best to steer and hold on at the same time. The tension level was high until the massive vehicle finally had all four wheels back on the earth. True was in the disabled vehicle's cab before Danziger had a chance to climb out.

"Did you see that!" Morgan cried to Bess. "Did you see how it almost fell into that water. Any one of us could fall in just like that!"

"Nobody fell in, honey," Bess said, and smiled. The DuneRail was headed back across the bridge toward them, and they were already loading the ATV with the dumped supplies. "Anyway," she said, "the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get moving again."

"I don't know about that," Walman said as he stopped the DuneRail near them. "The 'Rover has had it. Danziger has at least a day's work on it. We'll get this stuff over and then we'll set up camp."

"Oh great," Morgan mumbled. "So we're stuck here."

"It's not so bad," Walman said with a smile, "as long as you don't fall in."

* * * * *

Danziger looked out across the bridge from the cab of the TransRover. Devon, Alonzo, Denner and Julia were unloading the ATV on his side of the river while Walman, Magus and most of the others loaded the DuneRail on the opposite side. Uly and True had just walked to his side of the river with a load of supplies and were running back across the bridge for more. Bess and Morgan were on the bridge too, but headed toward him, each carrying oversized poles that they had been using to support the camp's tarp. They were walking along the left side of the bridge. Bess had found the balance to the poles and was carrying hers effortlessly. Morgan, on the other hand, was dragging his behind him, looking uneasily at the edges of the bridge. Danziger had to smirk at the man. "He's just about useless," the mechanic muttered.

Uly and True were playing tag as they ran. They were laughing and Uly was It. He reached out to grab True just as they passed Bess. True spun out of his grasp as she ran past Morgan. And then Danziger saw his world compress down to a few seconds and a half-meter of space. True, as she spun, caught her foot on the pole that Morgan was dragging. She cried out, flinging her arms out toward the liaison. Morgan turned in time to see her fall. True seemed to hang in the air for a moment while Morgan looked on panicked and dumfounded. Morgan was statue-still as True fell from the bridge into the dark, turbulent water.

"True!" Danziger screamed, and he leaped down from his perch and sprinted across the short distance to the river. He glanced down the cliff face, unable to see a path down to the narrow bank below. He scrambled and tumbled downward as quickly as he could. His pant leg caught in a bramble. Danziger tore frantically at the cloth and the branches to free himself. It seemed to take forever. "True!" he screamed when he stood at the river's edge. "True!"

"Daddy!" Her cry was close. A scrubby dead tree hung just above the racing water, 20 meters downriver. He saw one long arm hanging onto the branch, and a head trying to keep above the waterline. He ran to it. Not one head...two heads. True was frightened, and trembling, and Morgan wasn't much better. "Morgan?" Danziger had not seen him enter the water, yet there he was. Morgan had his right hand firmly attached to the dead branch, his left arm tightly around True, and water up over his chin. Danziger dropped to his hands and knees. "True, grab my hand." She was shaking, but she reached out as best she could, against the water's rush. They were half a meter short of reaching each other. "Martin!" Danziger shouted, "You gotta get her closer."

Morgan nodded, water rushing across his face. He tried to maneuver the girl closer to her father. "Closer ...almost there. True Girl, come on, you can reach your daddy." Her fingers were several formidable centimeters from his. "Get her closer, Martin!" he barked, and then he tried to speak calmly, "True, come to Daddy." He was not even aware that the others had reached him, that hands where steadying him, keeping him from falling into the water. The only thing he could see was his daughter's hand, just out of reach. Somebody shoved something into his hands, a tarp pole, a miracle. He swung the pole out over the water and into the girl's hands. Once True had a hold on the pole, Danziger pulled her in immediately. He was embracing her, even before Devon, Alonzo, and Julia pulled the two of them from the brink of disaster. She was safe again!

"Morgan!" Bess yelled, she was on her feet and rushing back up the cliffside. Danziger stood, True in his arms, and looked out over the river. Morgan was gone.

****

Bess was up the cliff and running to the ATV. Her husband had been pulled away from their side of the river, and back toward the other. Danziger reached her before she climbed into the vehicle. "I'll drive," he said firmly. "You stand in back. You'll be able to see more." He wasn't sure what he saw in her face, whether it was fear or sorrow, or determination, but she climbed up into the back of the ATV as he sat into the driver's seat. He looked up to see True, still trembling, climbing up the riverbank, with the help of Devon and Julia. He waited until her eyes met his. Wordlessly, his expression asked if she was all right and she nodded an affirmative. Danziger started the ATV and they sped off across the bridge, passing the DuneRail.

"Unload it, now!" Devon said as Matazl pulled the DuneRail up alongside them. She was tearing supply packs off the vehicle before it came to a stop. They had nearly everything off the DuneRail in seconds, then she, Alonzo and Walman jumped in. Julia, who was hurriedly checking True, now moved to the vehicle. "No," Devon said curtly, "You stay here. We're staying on this side of the river. I don't want you with us if Bess and Danziger find him first. You'll stay in the middle." With that, Alonzo sent the DuneRail downriver.

Julia returned to True, who hadn't stopped shaking. Yale and the others walked to the river's edge. The ATV had crossed the bridge and was well on its way, and the DuneRail was hurrying to catch up on their side. Nobody moved until both vehicles were out of sight. When everything was finally quiet and still, except for the rush of the river, they turned back toward the crippled TransRover and began collecting the supplies that had been strewn around it.

* * * *

The DuneRail and the ATV were directly across from each other when they saw the great rock, which split the river. "It's an island, I think," Alonzo said, as they approached it. It was a black monolith, the same impenetrable shade as the bridge.

"I'm not sure," Devon said. She pulled on her GEAR and turned it on. "Bess, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I'm receiving you." Her voice was higher pitched than usual, her face was a mixture of emotions all trying to be repressed.

"I'm not sure about this rock. It seems to be dividing the river. We may be separated."

"Okay, we understand," Bess answered quickly.

"We'll need to make regular contact with each other. Transmit every 15 minutes."

"Yes, okay." Bess didn't seem to be listening. "Don't forget to check both ... of the river. He could...hurt... on the...of the rock...you might miss.." the transmission cut in and out as the huge rock passed between them.

"Bess, can you read me?"

"Can't...you...getting...interfere..."

Their reception was minimal. The best they could do was to understand only a word or two between them, and then nothing.

"Well, that blows that idea," Alonzo muttered. He did his best to keep the DuneRail as close to the edge as possible, while Devon and Walman scanned the rocky rapids below. "God, I'm glad that Bess taught him to swim." Alonzo said.

"It almost makes his smugness about being the 'Second Best Swimmer on G889' bearable," Walman said. For the first time, they had a chance to smile.

Bess almost had to twist Morgan's arm off to get him to learn how to swim, but once he learned he couldn't stop showing off whenever they camped near a body of water. "Look, I just invented a new stroke! I call it the 'Martin Wonder Stroke'," he would say, managing to splash everyone as he demonstrated his new swimming techniques. "Still," said Walman, "I can't believe he just dove into this river after True. I mean, I never expected that out of him. I don't know if I could do that."

"I can never quite figure him out," Alonzo said. "I hope we find him soon. It's getting late. There are some pretty big rocks in that water."

"We'll find him," Devon said.

* * * *

It soon became obvious that the monolith was not an island in one river, rather it was a wall that divided the main river into two separate forks. Danziger scanned their river carefully as he drove along its edge. He couldn't help thinking that if things had been different, if Morgan had not jumped into that water, they might be searching for his daughter instead. The mechanic couldn't bear that thought. Now, his only hope was that they would be able to find the annoying liaison, who saved his daughter. Danziger had noted that their section of the river was quite narrow, probably considerably narrower than the other fork, and moving even faster now. He didn't like the look of that. He didn't like the sound of it either, because the river started to roar.

"Slow down," Bess said suddenly. Then she screamed, "Stop!"

Danziger slammed on the brakes before the ATV ran off the cliff. They both jumped out of the vehicle and looked helplessly at the river they had been following. It had become a waterfall, with a 40-meter drop. Danziger felt ill as he looked down the long decline. This was not good.

Bess pulled on her GEAR and tried to contact the others. She was unable to reach Devon, so she tried Yale, with slightly better results. She was able to understand only a few of the tutor's words. They had recently heard from Devon, and her group hadn't found Morgan yet. They were still looking. Bess tried to explain what she and Danziger were faced with now, but couldn't get the words out. Instead, she snapped off the GEAR and said, "Come on," before she started to the cliff's edge and began to find a way down.

"Bess, wait," Danziger said softly, "Bess, I don't think..." he paused. "Look, we took the smaller fork. The chances are that he was pulled down the main part of the river. The current probably was stronger in that direction. Chances are, he didn't come this way. Chances are..."

"I don't give a damn what the chances are," she growled. "I am going down this cliff and I am going to keep looking for Morgan."

"Bess," Danziger tried to reason with her. The cliff was terribly steep. It looked doubtful that they would be able to make it down in one piece. If Morgan had been pulled down this route, Danziger seriously doubted that he would have survived. He was about to draw Bess back up to the top when he spotted something in the trees, not far below them. Something alien dangling from a branch. It took him a moment to recognize what was hanging there, out above the falling water. It was his own GEAR, which had fallen from the TransRover during the accident on the bridge. He stared at the GEAR for several moments, not wanted to believe what its presence signified. If the GEAR ended up here, well then... With a heavy heart, Danziger started down the cliff after Bess, toward the lower river.

* * * *

The upper river started to widen out, and the sheer sides became a gently sloping bank. And, finally, the pace of the river began to slacken. "I see something!" Devon shouted. She stood up and pointed. "There! Hurry up, Alonzo." The DuneRail sped toward the dark lump at the river's edge. Alonzo brought the vehicle to a stop, a short distance from the object and the three of them spilled out.

"Morgan," Devon ran the short distance, and bent down beside the man. "Morgan, can you hear me?" The unconscious man was lying on his side, half curled, his legs still in the water. His long hair was matted down to his head. He had an awful welt near his temple and he was very pale, but he was breathing.

"Come on, Morgan," Alonzo said, kneeling down next to him. "Hey, Morgan. We're here."

Devon touched his face, it was clammy. His eyes suddenly fluttered open. "Bess?" Morgan said weakly, he made an attempt to cough, but grimaced before he could make anything of it and then closed his eyes again.

"I think he's in shock. We should elevate his legs." Devon said.

"You're not supposed to move someone who's been in an accident," Walman said "We shouldn't even touch him."

"I don't care what either of you think," Alonzo stated. "I'm just getting him out of the water." Devon wavered between their suggestions, but agreed with Alonzo. They carefully lifted Morgan and pulled him a few meters up the bank. He awakened with a gasp, when they lifted him and cried out for Bess again. "Hang on, Morgan," Alonzo said, "we're just trying to help you out here. Hang on."

They settled him a few meters from the river's edge. They elevated his legs on a rock and carefully covered him with their jackets. He had moaned sharply when they set him down, and when they moved his legs, but once they had finished he had become quiet again. "Keep him awake." Devon said curtly to Alonzo and then turned to Walman, "Get Julia." Walman was in the DuneRail and gone within seconds. Devon attempted to make contact with Julia and the others at the bridge, with poor results. She could not reach Bess at all. Whether or not Julia understood what she had said was debatable. Maybe she would have understood their relief, if nothing else.

* * * *

Julia had her MedKit packed and ready. When Devon's call came through, she started off on foot in their direction with Magus and Cameron. She had been able to cull only a few words out of the garbled communication, but it was enough to realize that Devon's group had found Morgan. Yale tried to contact Bess, but there was no response on her GEAR. Communication in this area was so poor he couldn't even tell if their GEAR existed. The interference seemed to be coming from the black rock.

He glanced wearily about at their dwindling numbers. He didn't like it when they were split up into such small groups. Zero was standing guard by the TransRover and Uly was throwing stones into the river. Baines looked through their meager supplies, trying to find something for supper. There wasn't much left of their original food, but they had a decent supply of Cameron's potatoes. They would have to find some more native food soon. Mazatl and Denner were setting up the cooking equipment.

True sat quietly by herself. Although she had stopped shaking, she still had not had not stopped thinking about her plunge into the cold, quick river. She had learned to swim many months ago, but liked to stay in shallow water. A sense of panic always overtook her if she couldn't feel anything beneath her feet.

When she fell off the bridge and into the deep water, her first need was to touch bottom. The current pulled and tossed her, her lungs ached for oxygen. She plunged deeper into the water, hoping to make contact with the riverbed, and then, terrified with the realization that she couldn't, she tried to reach the surface. She thrashed and kicked and attempted to escape, but the water stayed closed around her. Suddenly, something grabbed her and pulled her to the surface. She gasped for air as the river crashed around her. The next thing she knew, Morgan was holding her painfully tight and her father was reaching for her.

"What's wrong True?" Yale said, breaking into her thoughts.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean for Morgan to get hurt. Why do I keep doing things wrong! It's all my fault. If I wasn't running on the bridge, none of this would have happened. I'm always the one who always screws everything up."

"Oh, True," Yale started.

"No, I'm always making things worse for everyone. Maybe I should have just drowned instead and that would make everyone happy."

Yale grasped her by her narrow shoulders and looked into her eyes, "Don't ever think that. You are so important to all of us."

"But this is all my fault."

"We all know you didn't mean to cause any of this. It was an accident. Morgan jumped into the river because he felt it was the right thing to do. It wasn't your fault. We are all so happy that you are alive and well. We'd never wish anything else." The tutor hugged the girl tightly. "And besides, they've found Morgan now."

"But he's hurt. He must hate me," True cried.

"You don't risk your life for someone you hate," Yale said confidently.

* * * *

"Hey Morgan, remember when Walman was trying to get that tent set up and the whole thing collapsed on him. He couldn't get out. He was in there lurching around, trying to find the door, but he was just getting it all tangled up and everything. He was in there shouting and yelling. We were just standing there laughing our asses off. Remember that?" Alonzo squatted beside Morgan and spoke quietly to him. "It musta taken him an hour to get out. I almost bust a gut. And when he finally... hey Morgan, come on, keep your eyes open now. If you keep closing your eyes I'll have to tell you the story again about how I almost didn't make it into flight school." Morgan opened his eyes slowly and gazed blankly, not at Alonzo, but at the sky. "That's good. Now, where was I? That's right, I was talking about the 'tent' incident." Alonzo looked up to Devon who was standing over them. "Why can't we just let him sleep? Look at him. He just needs some rest"

"I don't know everything about first aid, but I do know that you don't want someone to fall asleep if they have a concussion. I'm pretty sure he has one and I don't want to take any chances. He might never wake up again if he falls asleep." She knelt down beside Alonzo and touched Morgan softly on the forehead. "Stay awake Morgan. Help is on they way."

Devon wasn't sure if Morgan truly understood what they were saying. His face was too pale and expressionless, and that worried Devon. It seemed to take everything he had to simply open his eyes and come back from whatever depths he was falling into. If they could only keep him awake until Julia arrived, then everything would be fine. If only Julia would arrive.

* * * *

The journey down the cliff was difficult, but not impossible. Danziger silently retrieved his GEAR when they were near enough, and then they continued on their way. Bess and Danziger did not speak as they traveled. He watched her carefully. Her face remained stony and emotionless as they slowly, painstakingly climbed down the cliffside. Finally, they reached the bottom, near the thundering falls. In other circumstances, they might have considered the falls to be beautiful, but now, they only seemed cruel and terrible.

Bess took a moment to catch her breath and look out into the falling water. The mixture of white and black water formed mesmerizing shapes in the falls. She watched the lulling dance of the ghostly images, as if trying to draw meaning from them, but could find nothing. She pulled her attention from the water and snapped on her GEAR. She made several attempts to contact the Devon and the others without luck. Danziger looked on, silently noting her tense features. Finally, she reached Yale, and through a distorted message, she understood what he was trying to tell her.

"Oh, John!" She started weeping uncontrollably.

Danziger, fearing the worst, tried to comfort her, "Ah Bess," he opened her arms and she fell into his embrace. "I'm so sorry Bess. I'm so sorry."

"He's okay. They found him. He's alive," she was able to say through her tears. Danziger started to laugh. It was the best news he had heard all day. It was the best news he could have hoped to hear. He was tired, and scratched and scraped from their journey down the cliff, but he felt damn good all of a sudden. It was beginning to get dark now, which meant spending the night somewhere nearby on this rocky unfamiliar riverside. They would have to look for some sort of shelter soon. For now, though, he just wanted to laugh.

****

It was dark when the DuneRail arrived with Walman, Cameron, Magus and Julia. Walman and Magus set up a lean-to around Morgan from the supplies left on the DuneRail. Devon waited as the doctor examined Morgan and treated him. It was well into the night by the time Julia emerged. "I think he'll be okay," she said finally. "I've treated his concussion and he should be out of danger now. He has a couple of cracked ribs. I've done what I could with that already, and the bone-healer vaccine he received back at the stations should help with that. I'm a little worried about his left knee. His kneecap was pretty much shattered. I've rebuilt it as much as I can. We'll just have to see if it holds. If I had a decent surgery I would be able to do more. He's pretty beat up, but I think he'll be all right. The shock and exposure was the biggest danger, and it looks like he's out of that now. I've given him a sedative to help him sleep through the rest of the night. He should be feeling a lot better by morning." Devon couldn't believe the feeling of relief that swept over her. It seemed to take forever for Walman to return with Julia, and during that time, she and Alonzo had done their best to keep the man awake. Morgan never made any sign that he was aware of their presence, except for the fact that he dutifully opened his eyes every time they asked, cajoled or ordered him to do so.

Morgan was going to be all right. Still, Devon couldn't feel completely at ease until everyone was together again, until everyone was safe and sound and together.

* * * *

Bess and Danziger spent the night under the low branches of a thick-needled evergreen. They awoke at sunrise and looked out at the incredible waterfall. It was still powerful and tumultuous, but had lost its terrible threat. Danziger took a few minutes to gather up some familiar sort of berries for breakfast, because they had not eaten since lunch the day before. They ate quickly and started on their way. The ascent was easier than expected, because they were in high spirits. When they paused to rest, Bess quietly said, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." She pulled her long beautiful hair away from her eyes. "I don't know if I'd be able to go on."

Danziger said nothing. He always figured that Bess was the strong one of the two. If worse came to worst, she would be the one that survived.

Bess continued, "When I lived on Earth, I had nothing. We could barely afford the price of drinking water. I tried to stay clean as best I could, but it wasn't easy. My clothes were old and worn and I must not have smelled very good all the time. Yet here was this man from the space stations, in his beautiful new clean suit and his perfectly groomed hair and freshly shaven face. I saw these types all the time, and every one of them turned their noses up at me as if I wasn't worth stepping on. Yet when this man looked at me, he didn't see a dirty Earth dweller who couldn't afford enough water to keep her clothes clean. He saw *me*. He loved *me*."

Bess shrugged. "My father always loved me, always called me his "little girl". To my father, I was a little girl. He always took care of me. But to Morgan, I am his night and day. No one has ever treated me that way before. He loves me, just me." She sighed and looked down at the falling water. " You know, Morgan's parents died when he was still pretty young. There were people who took care of him after that, but nobody who cared about him. You know what I mean? He didn't have anyone who cared whether he was warm and safe and dry, whether he was even alive or not. Nobody to worry about him. Nobody to give a damn whether he was happy. Yet, when he met me, all he wanted to do was make ME happy.

I know that he was married once, before me…" Bess nodded when Danziger looked at her in disbelief. "It was all to better his position. He had it annulled. He didn't love her. He didn't even love the girl he left her for. I guess he couldn't go on that way, without someone to love. He needed someone to love and screwed up that marriage just to get out of it. Then he came to Earth and our eyes met and…" She smiled, a sweet sad smile, "He cares more about my life than he does his own, you know. I would be lost without him." She sighed again, "I miss my husband. I miss him so much." With that, she started climbing again.

They reached the top of the cliff late in the morning and returned to the ATV. Bess was anxious to keep moving, so Danziger had them turned around and headed back to the others immediately. The trip back to the bridge was quick. Crossing the bridge, Bess hung tightly onto the rails of the ATV, not wanting to look down or remember what had happened there.

The rest of the group greeted them joyfully, True standing out in front of them all. Danziger was out of the ATV before it stopped. He had True in his arms almost as quickly.

Bess climbed into the driver's seat of the ATV immediately. "Thanks John, for all your help," she said quickly. "I have to go."

Danziger smiled, "We'll see you soon," and the ATV sped away. Then he caught sight of the TransRover and remembered. He had a lot of work ahead of himself.

* * * *

"Morgan..." Bess said softly. He was still asleep under the lean-to. "Morgan, honey."

His face twitched slightly and then he opened his eyes. "Hey, Bess," he said simply, squinting up at her. He smiled as he looked into her eyes. "Is it morning already?" The others, who were crowded in around them, sighed with relief.

Julia scanned him with her DiaGlove. "Welcome back, Morgan."

He looked up at Julia, somewhat startled, and tried to sit up. He was only able to lift himself a few centimeters before he gasped with pain, and fell back. "Ow! That hurts! What happened?" he cried. "What happened to me?"

"You had a little trouble at the river," Bess said, and kissed him. "But we found you and you're going to be okay now."

His face clouded with thought, and then a flash of memory came across him, and then an expression of pain. "Oh..." He looked around, slowly at the group. He seemed close to panic. "I want to be alone now. I...I...just want to be alone, okay? Would everyone just go."

The others were somewhat taken aback. "All right, Morgan," Cameron said as he moved away.

"Yeah, sure no problem." Alonzo shrugged as he and the rest left until just Julia and Bess were still beside him.

"Everyone," Morgan said quietly, looking at no one. "I just want everyone to go."

Bess stood up, startled. "Okay, honey. I understand, you need your rest. I'll be here for you. Right outside."

As they walked away from the lean-to, Julia said, "He's been through an awful experience. He's not himself yet."

Bess shrugged sadly. "He seemed so glad to see me at first." She sat down not far from the lean-to and waited.

* * * *

It was late in the afternoon when Alonzo switched off his GEAR and turned to Devon and Julia, "Danziger said that they should have the TransRover ready by tomorrow morning. They wanted to know if Morgan is doing any better. I didn't know what to tell them."

Julia shook her head. "He should be getting better. The concussion might have been worse than I thought. He's unresponsive again. It makes no sense. He seemed to be fine when he woke up this morning." Ever since then, Morgan had stopped talking, and now just stared out into space. Bess was sitting with him now, trying to get him to eat. He knew she was there, but didn't seem able to speak to her. She talked quietly to him, being sure not to mention anything about the river. It seemed to agitate him.

The river was relaxing here. It had given up its fierceness for calm. The water was smooth and slow, soothing to their jangled nerves. Walman and Magus decided to try fishing, and were an instant success. They pulled two large silvery fish out of the water almost as soon as they cast their lines. Cameron started to catalog the plant life that grew nearby.

Alonzo, after a little exploring, found another outcrop of the black rock on their side of the river. He ran his hand along the too smooth, too flat surface of the stone. It was obvious that someone had sliced through the rock. It was most likely the quarry for the bridge. Alonzo wondered what the Terrians thought about the quarry.

* * * *

The work on the TransRover was difficult, but Danziger had a well-trained staff. True enjoyed working with her father, and was always eager to please him with her mechanical skills. Denner, during Devon's long illness, had put the time to good use. With Yale's tutoring and Danziger as a mentor, she learned vehicle-electronics, and discovered that she had a certain knack for it. She was now working at rewiring most of the undercarriage. Zero made a perfect wheel-jack for the huge vehicle. With any luck, the TransRover would be ready by morning. Danziger, True and Denner had been at it all day, and would hopefully have the majority of it done by nightfall.

Baines and Mazatl had taken Uly on a short hike downriver, and were just returning. Uly chatted endlessly while Baines did his best to ignore the child. Mazatl still had the presence of mind to say, "Yes Uly," every few minutes to make the boy think that they were still listening. Denner looked up as the trio approached and laughed at Baines' pained look and at Mazatl's robot-like responses.

Yale was examining the bridge. He ran his hands along its flawless sides and contemplated its origin. As he bent over the left side, something caught his eye, something he had missed before, some sort of imperfection in the smooth surface. He had to climb down along the side of the bridge, near the rushing water, to get a better view. Once he was close enough he realized that strange letters had been carved there. He ran his hand over the impressions and scanned his database to see if he could match it. He was surprised when he succeeded. He had to sit back on his haunches to think. This was certainly interesting.

* * * *

"I see them!" Alonzo shouted. "They're coming now." He ran down the riverbank, toward their makeshift camp. The group had been separated for two and a half days now, but it seemed like much longer. It was good to have everyone back together. Bess was sitting with Morgan when the TransRover arrived, and she noticed an obvious change in him. Where he had been almost zombie-like, he suddenly seemed very anxious and afraid.

The TransRover groaned to a halt and Danziger jumped down from his seat. He headed directly to where Morgan and Bess were seated. Danziger had been waiting for days now to thank Morgan for saving the most important thing in his life, his daughter. Danziger hadn't been able to put his gratitude into words yet, but he knew he would come up with something. Morgan's response to his arrival completely surprised him.

"I'm sorry!" Morgan said frantically, suddenly fully awake and aware, "I'm sorry Danziger, I...I...didn't do anything...I just stood there... I just...I couldn't move. I just ... I just..." he stammered, "I just couldn't..." He tried to move away from Danziger, but was stopped by the pain. He was obviously terrified of the mechanic at that moment.

"Morgan," Danziger was startled, "I don't understand. What's wrong?" Bess looked at her husband's sudden animation with concern.

"I shoulda stopped her. I wanted to grab her, but I just couldn't. I was just...just...just." Morgan stuttered, unable to form a complete thought, as he looked between the two of them. And then True was beside him. "True?" Morgan's panicked behavior stopped as he looked at her in disbelief. "True," he reached out one shaking arm to touch her. "You're alive? I thought that I... I thought that you...."

Danziger and Bess looked at each other, suddenly understanding. Morgan didn't remember anything past the moment he failed to catch True as she fell from the bridge. His mind had shut out his own actions to save her. He thought that he had allowed her to die.

True was the one that moved first. "Thank you," she said, embracing Morgan gently. "You saved my life."

"I did?" Something about him finally relaxed. "I did?" and he just smiled. "I did."

* * * *

"German," Yale said simply. "The inscription is in Old Earth German."

Devon frowned. "How old is the inscription?"

"It was dated around the same time that the space stations were built. The text reads, 'In the name of those that gave their all, we dedicate this bridge. May it stand as long as hope survives.'."

She frowned. "How did they get here? And where were they going?"

"The rock was quarried here to build the bridge, so they must have come from this side of the river. I'd say they were headed east, in the opposite direction from us," Yale said. It certainly gave Devon something to think about. They had found other humans living on the planet already, but this was different. If the inscription on the bridge was left by people from Earth, then humans had been on this planet for much longer than they had ever suspected, longer than the penal colonists or anyone else they had found. If there were humans here for so long, then why had there been no other trace of them? Had they died out, or did they stick together and move on? It was possible that her group would run into their descendants in time. But until then, Devon and the rest would have to wait.

* * * *

(The Voice of John Danziger): "We remained at the river's edge for about two weeks, until Morgan was ready to travel again. During that time we found plenty of time to fish and relax. But, summer was over, and it was time to start moving again, onward toward New Pacifica. We were together again. Morgan was back too, in both body and spirit. He hasn't really remembered anything about the whole incident, but after hearing us tell him about the experience, he can repeat the story so that it sounds like some sort of Greek myth. Well, I guess I can put up with that. I'm not even sure if he really believes it all yet. I kinda think he believes we're making the whole thing up. We made a unanimous decision to name the river after him, including its two forks. Now there's an Upper Morgan, a Lower Morgan, and just plain Morgan River on G889. Morgan has already started referring to the main river as the Mighty Morgan. I don't know how long I can handle that.

I don't know whether or not we will meet those other humans, if that is what they are. I mean just because somebody writes something in German doesn't necessarily mean they come from Earth, right? Well, I don't know. We'll keep our eyes open for signs of them. They're travelers, just like us. It makes the planet seem friendlier and more like home. As for us, we'll keep moving . . . like a river."

THE END