Lest we lose our edens by Lia Faile

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Lest We Lose Our Edens, Part 4
by Lia Faile

Something was nagging at Danziger. Trying to pull him up out of the comfortable oblivion his consciousness had retreated to. With the return of awareness came pain. He gasped and bit his lower lip. He tried to slip back into the nothingness, but the pain refused to release him this time. His head pounded, his body ached, and his throat was parched. What had happened? Slowly memory pushed past the bodily complaints and he remembered.

He'd been out checking the pass down from the mountain for a good site to camp. Their first day back on the road to New Pacifica would have to be a short one. The vehicles and people had taken quite a beating this winter. No need to push either one too hard the first few days. He thought if he found an acceptable site that Devon would agree to stop sooner rather than try to drive them just 'one more klick.' Devon was a very focused and determined individual, only she was short sighted when it came to the fact that not everyone was capable of pushing themselves as hard as she pushed herself.

Danziger groaned and rolled onto his side. The act was made more difficult by his bound wrists. He sat up quickly, sputtering and coughing. He'd rolled into a puddle of icy water and had inhaled some. The shock of the cold water revived him fully. He slid back until he was no longer in the puddle and was leaning against the cold wall. He remembered being jumped from above as he'd walked beneath a tree. Cold, wet, and shivering he carefully laid his bruised and battered face against the soothing coldness of the rock wall. He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes against the dizzying nausea that threatened him.

The dank foul air assaulted his nostrils and didn't help him with his battle for his stomach. He knew that smell. Would remember it till the day he died. He was in a Grendler warren. So it was a Grendler that had jumped him. Who would have thought those bulky snot machines could climb trees? What did it want with him? He thought it had at least accepted his shooting of it's mate, if not forgiven him for it. Or was this maybe another Grendler that would not accept or forgive his crime? Did they have a concept of vigilante justice? He heard the scraping of footsteps echoing from the dark passageway that lead to this large cave chamber. Nervously Danziger braced himself for the Grendler he expected to emerge from the passageway. Whatever the creature wanted, it wasn't coming to swap mechanical tips.

A dark shadow crept along the chamber floor and slowly engulfed the nervous mechanic. Danziger had thought that a Grendler would be the worst thing to emerge from the passageway. He was wrong, it was the second worst thing to come into the chamber. The very worst thing was Gaal. Danziger squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head gently. Man, this had to be a dream! No, make that a nightmare! Gaal was *dead*! He saw the Terrians drag him screaming into their underworld. Remember John, O'Neil had been dead too, but he had come back. Let's face it, dead wasn't always a permanent state on G889.

Gaal strolled towards Danziger with his face twisted in a grimace of a smile that would have passed for goofy if not for the deranged gleam that lighted his eyes. He squatted down in front of Danziger and studied his battered countenance, reveling in the other man's tense discomfort.

"Surprised?" He asked jovially, again flashing his feral smirk.

"Yeah, a bit."

His eyes shifting between Gaal and the Grendler hunched by the passageway. Danziger began tugging and twisting ever so slightly on his bindings. Gaal noticed his actions.

"That's quite futile, you know. Even Grendlers can't break free of Sidero vines."

"What happened to your face?"

"Ah, this." Gaal reached up and stroked his mishapened cheek. "This is the work of a careless Grendler."

He looked over his shoulder and glared at the being sitting behind him. It bleated plaintively and shifted nervously from one foot to the other. It reached up and stroked its own cheek where a similar scar marred its face.

"Their blundering rescue netted me this lovely memento. But a lesson well taught is a lesson well learned. Wouldn't you agree?"

"With the theory-yes. With the practice-no."

"Tut, tut. So high and mighty. So morally outraged!" Gaal lifted his eyebrows and chuckled. "Heavens, I merely improved its looks a bit. It's not like I *ate* it or anything like that. Though I understand they taste just like chicken."

"How did you know about that?" Danziger asked hoarsely.

Leaning towards him until their faces were mere inches apart Gaal spoke softly.

"Oh, you'd be surprised by what I know, Mr. Danziger. I even know my little Poppet forgave you your sin."

Danziger locked gazes with him and replied just as softly, just as coldly.

"Stay away from my daughter."

Gaal cocked his head and gave a short bark of a laugh. "Didn't we have this conversation before? Why Poppet chose you over me I'll never understand."

"Her name is "True" and she isn't yours. She's *mine*."

Staring at Danziger hatefully, Gaal stood and towered over him menacingly. Then he began to strut around the chamber as if he were an actor delivering a soliloquy.

"No, but she could have been. Someone for me to mold and shape. I could have shown her the power that laid dormant within herself. Helped her achieve a higher plane. Given her a taste of power. Freed her from society's idiotic notions of morality."

Spinning around with his ragged cloak whirling about him, Gaal lifted his hands to the ceiling above him and proclaimed loudly, his voice echoing and ringing about the chamber.

"She could have been GLORIOUS!"

"You're insane, Gaal." Danziger whispered horrified.

Lowering his arms and turning back towards him, Gaal smiled.

"All great men are called insane in their time."

"Yeah, but not all insane men are great."

Snarling in rage, Gaal rushed Danziger and kicked him savagely in the stomach. Danziger cried out in pain. He slumped to his side clutching his stomach, coughing and retching. Gaal hunched down and grabbed a fistful of Danziger's hair and yanked him to a sitting position. The vicious animal was gone, replaced once more with the solicitous crony.

"So tell me Mr. Danziger, why do you allow that bossy bit o'goods order you around?"

"Who?" Danziger gasped still spasming in pain.

"That Adair woman. You know you could have been running that show.--Why weren't you? You have the classic Alpha male attributes: biggest, strongest, charismatic. You're even attractive in a Neanderthal-ish way..."

"Gee...thanks Gaal, sorry but you're not my type."

"What about Devon Adair? Is *she* your type?...Hmmm? Imagine her at your command. That snooty princess, who on the Stations would never have given you the time of day, obliging your every whim and fantasy....Or don't you have those either? And when you tire of her you could have the pick of any of the other ladies. Who'd stop you?"

Gaal paused to gauge the affect his words were having. When he saw he had Danziger's undivided attention he slitted his eyes and continued.

"...Or you could have the pick of the men for that matter if that's your preference. All it takes is a little flexing of those big biceps of yours. You're a natural leader. Why waste talent and opportunity like that? They would follow you over Adair."

Danziger sat looking at Gaal for a long moment. Much of what Gaal had said had struck a chord. But not the one Gaal had hoped to, he was sure. Yes, he had used his size and strength before to his advantage but never to the extremes that the man suggested now. He knew everyone had their dark side, and that thoughts weren't the same as actions. John knew he was staring into the eyes of a devil, and he didn't relish the idea of playing Faust to Gaal's Mephistopheles.

"First of all Gaal, I don't believe in using people. Been used enough in my life to know how shitty that feels. Second, I'm not interested in challenging Adair for leadership of the group. She does just fine...most of the time."

"Ahhh...There must be a defective gene on on your DNA strand. I first noticed it when you went along with Adair's decision to let me remain in camp even when your gut told you to get rid of me. I noticed it again when you couldn't pull the trigger and shoot me...either time. Do you recall that, hmm?"

Danziger remained stonily silent. Gaal rolled his eyes upward in a gesture of deep concentration. Then he reached up and scratched the scraggly stubble on his chin that passed for a beard.

"As I recall it...you promised to 'shoot me in cool blood. In front on your daughter. If I even dared to show my face within a mile of your camp.' Did I leave anything out?"

"What do you want Gaal? You didn't bring me here to give me lessons on leadership or reminisce." Danziger growled. The coldness and weariness making him forget caution.

"I want to kill you, Mr. Danziger." Gaal replied softly, smiling pleasantly as if he were commenting on the weather. "Leisurely, meticulously. You're a big strapping man, you should last for days, if I'm careful."

Danziger felt a shudder run through his body that had nothing to do with the cold.

"But for the time being you're bait. A big fat wiggle worm I've dangled in front of Devon Adair. You're going to help me land her."

"You over estimate my worth to the group, Gaal. Devon isn't going to stick around waiting for you to pick everyone off one at a time. She's not that stupid! She knows you aren't to be trusted. Right now she's packing up camp, heading out." Silently Danziger prayed that he was right. Hopefully Devon saw the idiocy of coming for him.

"Oh, she'll come for you. 'Stubbornness and stupidity are twins.' And then the only quandary I'll have is who to kill first. You...or True."

Danziger exploded forward with a fury. No bonds or bruises could hold him back. Catching Gaal by surprise, he landed on him heavily knocking the wind out of him. Danziger immediately had him by the throat and began squeezing it and thumping Gaal's head against the cave floor.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER! YOU DON'T TOUCH HER! YOU DON'T SPEAK TO HER! YOU DON'T LOOK AT HER!"

Bellowing loudly the Grendler rushed to the defense of Gaal. Grabbing Danziger by the back of the neck it pulled him off Gaal and slammed him against the wall. It then bellowed some more and began shaking its head and gesticulating wildly. It pawed the dirt like an enraged bull poised to charge. It let out one more bellow and started for Danziger who laid crumpled and dazed in a heap on the floor.

"STOP!"

The Grendler stopped, turned to Gaal and whined disappointedly at him. Gaal sat up and glared at the Grendler as he rubbed his throat.

"A bit slow back there, friend. Next time he better not touch me or I'll decided to satisfy my curiosity about the taste of Grendler meat myself."

Again the Grendler made soft bleating noises of supplication.

"Save it. Hold him. Tightly."

The Grendler shoved Danziger against the wall and pinned him there with one meaty hand. Gaal stood up, made a show of brushing himself off then moseyed over to the two of them. Sneering Gaal gave Danziger several kicks in quick succession. Unable to defend himself the mechanic could only sit there and cry out in response to each blow. He finally regained his self control and stopped his mindless assault of Danziger. Once more he lowered himself to Danziger's eye level.

"You've just decided for me, friend. You'll get to hear your daughter's screams of agony as she cries out for daddy to help her. Yes, I'll enjoy that immensely."

Danziger reached up his bound hands to grasp Gaal's tattered cloak.

"Please Gaal, she's just a little girl. Don't hurt her. It's me you want revenge on. Take it out on me. Leave her out of this. Please!"

Danziger turned beseeching eyes on Gaal and willed his words to reach some small iota of human decency that had to remain within him. The man couldn't be completely soulless. He wasn't a ZED for Christ's sake! Gaal looked down at Danziger with cold flat eyes. Slowly he disengaged himself from his grasp.

"But don't you see, Mr. Danziger?" Gaal whispered ever so softly. "This is my best revenge on you. That little girl is your whole life, you're very soul. By taking that from you, I take everything. In fact, I might just let you live afterwards. Just to watch you blow your own brains out. That could be quite entertaining."

"NO! Gaal please! I'm begging! Leave her alone! She's innocent!"

"Well, she'll die enlightened. My gift to her."

The Grendler reached out and tugged at Gaal's sleeve burbbling intently.

"What? Oh, all right."

Gaal pulled a knife out of his billowy cloak. He sawed through the bindings at Danziger's wrists. Before he could even think of moving the Grendler quickly grabbed both wrists and extended his left arm towards Gaal, who expertly sliced him from his wrist to the crook of his elbow. Danziger hissed at the burning pain. Immediately blood welled up bright crimson and wet.

The Grendler made soft moaning noises before lowering its head to Danziger's arm. The sensation of the Grendler's warm, moist, drool ladened lips on his arm sickened Danziger. When the Grendler began to suckle loudly and probe his wound with his tongue encouraging the blood to flow, Danziger started hollering and beating it with his free hand. The Grendler was unfazed by the blows. It pushed him down to floor and continued to nurse, stroking Danziger with one hand while it sighed contently. between swallows.

"Just make sure you don't drain him. I want him alive. When you're done tie him back up and put him in the back."

Gaal turned and started for the passageway. Danziger lifted his head and clawed futilely at the ground. He watched him exit the chamber with a purposeful stride whistling a tune to himself.

'GAAL! GET THIS DAMN THING OFF ME! DON'T DO THIS! GAALLL!!!"

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