Learning Experiences by Allison McDonnell

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"All right, Zero, you know what to do," Baines asserted as he punched a few keys located on the robot's chest. The group had labored over a month to ready the man-like machine for a very special mission. Now, all nine members of Eden Project were assembled together near the edge of camp to bid farewell to Zero and see if all of their hard work would pay off.

"Most certainly, Sir. You have programmed my entire route which should be no problem for my frame to navigate. In addition, my sensors should detect-"

"Okay, okay, okay. We know that you're up to the job," Walman interrupted. "Just remember, if any Terrians show up, just, um," he shrugged his shoulders and looked at Magus, "act natural."

"And get the hell away from them," Baines added.

Zero was always happy to remind them of his superior craftsmanship. "That will not be difficult. I am equipped with several devices which-"

"We know!" the entire group chimed in unison.

Yale instructed, "Just remember that you have to get within two hundred miles of New Pacifica for the communication dish to receive our message. We are counting on you to warn the colonists on the Jamestown that their lives are in danger if they land."

"And you have to tell them our location so they can rescue us," Mazatl pointed out.

"My memory banks have been programmed with that knowledge and all information will be relayed when the goal is reached. I will now leave for New Pacifica."

A large hand patted the robot on the back. "Good luck, Zero."

"Good luck to you, John Danziger and to the rest of the members of Eden Advance. I will start my video processing unit now," the robot cheerfully said and began his slow march-like steps.

The plan was to venture southward fifteen clicks, retracing the group's steps from five weeks ago. Once there, Zero would resume the Edenites' original course which had already been previously mapped out. The crew would be able to monitor his movements with the help of a visual and audio hookup which broadcast to a vid-screen located in the navigation tent. However, the span of transmission was limited so they would rely on a homing beacon to know the robot's location once he was out of range.

The Advancers herded around the monitor in the map tent to watch as Zero was about to take his first steps out of the valley. Things were looking good. Perhaps the Terrians didn't consider the robot a threat to their survival and would let him travel undisturbed.

"I am picking up several sensory disturbances around me. I do not have a visual-"
The image on their screen suddenly lurched and Zero communicated in an all-too-pleasant voice, "Warning! Both of my legs have been secured by an unseen object and my frame is being pulled underground by force. After analyzing thousands of different suppositions programmed into my hard-drive, I calculate that, with the probability factor of ninety-seven percent, this event is what is commonly known as an ambush."

The group could only watch helplessly as the robot was dragged downward into the earth by the Terrians. As the ground encompassed him, Zero relayed, "This will alter my original calculations and it is unlikely that my mission to New Pacifica will be completed. It is with the probability factor of-"

Silence filled the room and Walman slammed his open fist against the now-dark monitor. "Shit!"

"Poor Zero," Magus murmured as she leaned her head into her hands on the desk.

"Poor Zero? Poor us!" Baines exclaimed in exasperation. "That bucket of bolts was our best chance of getting out of here!"

She responded, "I know that this is a setback, but we'll figure another way out of this valley."

"I still think we should use the river," Walman put forth the suggestion he'd mentioned several times previously. "As far as we know, the Terrians can't swim."

"Yeah, well neither can most of us," Danziger countered flatly from the back of the room. "Besides, those rough waters'll rip you, along with any boat that you build, to shreds."

"Look, we know from Yale's satellite maps that the river continues westward until it dumps into the Sea of Antius. Who's to say that the water's path doesn't flow more smoothly outside of this mountain range? It could be easy to navigate," Walman piped back, unwilling to let the idea go.

John took a sip of coffee before relating, "We have no idea what's out there. And if you capsize and the current or the sharp rocks don't kill you, what then? You think the Terrians are gonna welcome you with open arms when you reach the shore?"

"Well, we have to try something!" Baines snapped.

Bess stood from her chair and directed her question to Danziger. "What about the Hoverscout that I got from the Grendler last year? Do you think that you could fix it?"

"Why would we waste our time on that piece of junk?" Cameron queried before John could respond.

The wheels in Yale's mind began to turn and he excitedly answered, "Because when it operates properly, it can transmit data about a topographical region up to a radius of thirty miles."

"Exactly. We can see what's really out there and then decide whether or not the river can be used for traveling purposes."

"That is a wonderful idea, Bess," Yale warmly encouraged.

John nodded his own approval. "I'll get working on it tonight."

"Wait a minute. If the Hoverscout was fixable before, why are you waiting until now to repair it?" Mazatl scoffed loudly in annoyance. "We could have been using it the whole time!"

"Well, if you must know, I'm not sure if I can get it operational again. It was heavily damaged by the crash and I'm gonna have to rebuild most of the circuitry." Danziger's eyes blazed at the verbal attack and he growled, "And as for waiting so long to get around to fixing it, I had a few other more pressing issues to deal with at the time. Like maintaining the vehicles, not to mention trying to keep your sorry asses alive! So deal with it, Mazatl."

The mechanic slammed his cup on the table with a loud bang and stormed out of the tent, leaving the others staring after him in surprise.

"Nice going, Maz," Walman scolded as Cameron lightly smacked the offending crewman on the arm.

Bess conveyed in a calm voice, "No, I'm glad that you said it. I didn't agree with it, but it got John angry enough that his instincts kicked in. That's the most emotional he's been since True and Devon died."

"Fantastic," Baines cynically remarked. "Let's just keep pissing Danziger off and he'll be back to normal in no time."

__________

Sometimes the nights never seemed to end. Bess would lay in bed for hours and stare up at the canvas ceiling. Thinking. Remembering. Mourning. It had been almost two months since her beloved husband's death. She also noted that Eden Advance was only a few weeks shy of the first anniversary of their crash landing on the planet. She stirred uncomfortably at the memories. If they had only known then what lay ahead...

Her thoughts suddenly drifted to the chore roster. Was she scheduled for breakfast duty in the morning or was it the day after tomorrow? Not wanting to neglect her job and grateful for the excuse to leave her cot, Bess threw her jacket over her nightgown and exited her quarters. She stumbled in the darkness toward the meal tent where all the work-lists were posted.

She had just passed the Dunerail when a deep voice pierced the quiet night air. "If you're on your way to Magus' tent, I'd wait a little while. She and Walman are kind of indisposed right now." The word 'indisposed' was spoken with the slightest hint of sarcasm. She rotated around to see Danziger sitting on the ground with his back up against the vehicle.

"Oh," the Earth-res said as she made her way over to him. "You didn't accidentally walk in on them, did you?"

"Didn't have to. I could hear 'em all the way from the supply tent."

Bess cracked a small smile. A few weeks ago, Walman had finally gotten up the courage to tell Magus how he really felt about her. Well, he didn't exactly tell her in so many words, but the feelings were conveyed nonetheless. Ever since that time, they'd been sharing much more than just their duties as provisional co-leaders of Eden Advance. Recently, Walman had taken up permanent residence in Magus' tent. Although everyone was thrilled that they had found one another, it often meant sleepless nights for just about everyone else. Baines joked that either they were going to have to move the couple's quarters to the far end of camp or start investing in earplugs.

Bess plopped down in the soft grass next to the mechanic, her search for the roster now forgotten. She eyed the pieces of the Hoverscout spread out in front of him. "Are you having any luck with that thing?"

"Got most of it rewired and it should be ready for a trial in a couple more days," he answered as he delicately tucked in one of its filaments and replaced the console. After gently setting the equipment down, he looked up to meet her gaze. "Listen, this was a really good idea you had about using the 'Scout, but I need for you to do me a favor. I know that you've always been an optimistic person-"

"Not as much, recently," she sighed.

"Well, that's to be expected, but please don't put all of your hopes into this thing working. Everybody here seems convinced that once we get this machine up and running, it's gonna tell us that it's smooth sailing to New Pacifica. It's like they all think that the Terrians'll let us sit there on the beach and wait until our ship comes in." He shook his head as he began cleaning off his hands with a worn rag.

"And you don't think that's going to happen, do you?"

"Honestly?" He shifted uncomfortably and remet her gaze. "No. The Diggers said that they won't let us leave and I believe them. They destroyed Zero because he would've enabled us to contact the others, something else the Diggers said that we were never allowed to do."

Bess' eyes widened. "So you think that we're stuck here for the rest of our lives." It came out as more of a statement than a question. *We're all going to die here* flashed over and over in her mind.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but I do. And I don't think the rest of the group is prepared to hear that. They're concentrating on getting out of this valley when instead we should be preparing ourselves for another cold winter."

He could see that his words were having a strong effect on her and she appeared to be blinking back a tear. He leaned in and softly conveyed, "I don't mean to upset you, Bess. I just want you to ready yourself for the very real possibility that we are going to be here a long time."

She nodded as she drank in his startling disclosure. Taking a moment for reflection, she admitted that what Danziger said made perfect sense. Deep down, she'd probably known it all along. The nine surviving Edenites were destined to be guinea pigs, a sacrifice to help the Terrians determine humanity's role in the future of G889. Plus, they had been found guilty of crimes against the planet and this valley was designated as their jailhouse. In short, the Terrians would never let them leave alive.

Danziger continued, "Anyway, the temperature's already starting to get cooler. We probably only have a month or two before the snow starts rolling in. There's no time to set up permanent shelters, so I think we'll probably end up spending the winter in the cave located east of here. We can park the vehicles in the smaller cavern to try and protect them as much as possible. We also need to start figuring out ways to increase our food reserve enough to get us through the season. I've noticed that the berries and fruits are already starting to die out."

He stopped when he noticed Bess was staring at him with a stunned expression on her face. He momentarily wondered if he should have shared his somber projections with her. After all, her heart was already so heavily weighed down by the loss of Morgan and the others. He didn't want to see her have to suffer any more than she already had.

"I'm sorry, Bess. I shouldn't have told you any of this."

Bess regained her composure and thought about the situation rationally. "No, you were right to tell me. We need to ready ourselves for winter. Maybe Yale or Julia's files have information about canning so we can make our food supply last longer."

John was feeling a little better about his decision to confide in her. "Good. It would help a lot if you could look into that. I should have been doing all of this from the start, but I was kind of-" He shrugged his shoulders and absently looked up at the night sky. Neither of them had been much help to anyone these past two months. "Well, right now all of my time is being spent on getting this stupid piece of junk in the air. After that's done, I'll be able to do more." He added as an afterthought, "I didn't mean to dump all of this on you though."

"I'm glad that you did," she reassured.

It encouraged her that Danziger's leadership instincts were beginning to kick in, again. She studied his features and noticed that he'd regained some of the weight that he'd lost, although he still had several more pounds to go. He was less pale, but his eyes lacked the overall intensity that they'd had before True's death. His voice was still nearly a whisper and rarely veered from a monotone. But at least he was speaking more frequently, even if it was only regarding camp business and nothing more.

"Are you going to take over as leader, again?"

John leaned his head back against the metal of the 'Rail and let out a slow breath. "I don't think so. Walman and Magus are doing a good job of keeping everyone organized and their spirits up." He closed his eyes and sighed. "And, for what it's worth, I hope they're right. I hope that there really is a way to get us to the west coast. I just don't want everyone's expectations to be raised only to have everything blow up in our faces."

__________

The air was charged with excitement as the Edenites gathered together in the center of camp to see if Danziger had indeed performed a miracle. He'd been working day and night for almost three weeks to repair the extensively damaged Hoverscout. The mechanic had scavenged wires and spare parts from a multitude of items including the 'Rail and Julia's medical instruments to try to pull off the near-impossible task of bringing the equipment back from the dead. The job had actually been completed five days earlier, but heavy rainstorms impeded any earlier tests of the craft's abilities.

Now that the weather seemed to be letting up, the group enthusiastically circled the apparatus which sat in its place of honor on a large folding table near the 'Rover. There was almost a party-like atmosphere as Denner gleefully passed out cups of fruit-punch, a new recipe that she and Cameron had recently concocted. Walman was sitting on a crate with Magus resting comfortably on his knee. Both were giggling at some privately shared joke. Baines and Mazatl were in a jovial discussion about the first thing they were going to do when they got back to the safety of the Space Stations. Bess and Yale strolled together in quieter conversation, carefully avoiding several puddles and still-wet patches of grass as they walked. Although they tried not to appear too encouraged, the look of hope was written all over both of their faces. John sat silently on the rear bed of the Transrover with his legs dangling over the side, his own expression hidden by his sunglasses and dirty-blond curls.

Yale left Bess' side and approached the table. "I think that we should get started."

They held their breath in nervous anticipation as the tutor commanded to the machine, "Hoverscout, activate."

A low hum immediately emanated from the equipment.

"Hoverscout, commence levitation. Rise to the height of two yards."

Cheers erupted from the crowd as the craft lifted itself to the requested elevation.

"You did it, Danziger!" Magus exclaimed.

"Just don't get too excited," came the negative reply from the direction of the 'Rover.

Yale continued, "Hoverscout, rise to the height of one hundred fifty yards and commence data acquisition."

Without hesitation, the machine gradually rose upward toward the afternoon sun as it broke through the clouds. Many of the Advancers fumbled clumsily for sunglasses kept in their jackets, not wanting to veer their squinted gaze from the equipment as it became smaller and smaller in size. The machine finally reached the sanctioned height and began to successfully gather the geographical information of the area surrounding the valley.

"How long do you think it'll take, Yale?" Walman asked, still not breaking eye contact with the distant object.

"Not long at all. I would say that it should be just about finished."

Suddenly, a blinding burst of light shot outward from the northwest hills. The Edenites screamed and frantically ran for cover. Most scurried to the supply tent located nearest to them while John grabbed Baines and Yale by the collars and tossed them under the 'Rover's large carriage. The Hoverscout exploded in a hail of sparks and began a crippled free-fall to the ground. Because of its minimal weight, its light shell was easily picked up by the moderate breeze and it disappeared into a dense grouping of trees close by.

There were a few seconds of tense silence as the group peeked out from their hiding places looking for Terrians and the injured Hoverscout. When neither could be located in their field of view, Walman, Magus, Baines and Mazatl dashed toward the forest in search of the injured unit. The others followed more cautiously at a slower pace.

By the time the second group reached the woods, the craft had already been detected in the thick, high branches of an oak tree. Baines had already been boosted up by Walman and was meticulously climbing the limbs in an attempt to recover their equipment.

"Be careful," Bess worriedly called up to him. "The branches are still wet from the rain. You'll slip."

"Baines, it's not safe. Let it go," Danziger advised as he reached the base of the tree.

Baines halted mid-step and snapped in irritation, "What do you want me to do? Leave it up there? You heard what Yale said! It's already recorded everything we need!"

Bess exchanged a cautious gaze with the mechanic. She could ascertain from Danziger's demeanor that something was very wrong. Moreover, her own inner voice told her the same thing.

She attempted to diffuse the situation. "I think that John means that you shouldn't be risking your life for something that's probably too damaged to give us any answers." She continued in her most persuasive tone, "Now, why don't you climb down from there and we'll figure this out."

Baines took a step downward and then thought otherwise. "No way! To hell with that!"

"Listen to me!" Danziger implored. "You're gonna get yourself killed. You know that, don't you?"

Baines continued to climb as he shouted in defiance, "I'm not coming down without the 'Scout!"

John knew exactly how critical the situation was. His friend was definitely in danger, but from much more than the possibility of slipping on damp leaves. The burly mechanic firmly grabbed the lowest branch of the tree which was just within his grasp. He hoisted himself up with a grunt and deftly started maneuvering upward.

"Don't do it, Baines!"

"I can almost reach it," Baines triumphantly heralded down to the others. He was now almost at the very top. His legs were straddling a large limb as he inched himself outward away from the main trunk.

"Please, stop!" Bess yelled fearfully.

"No, he's almost got it," Magus countered, wanting Baines to continue his crusade. She couldn't understand why Bess and Danziger were acting this way. Maybe they've just given up hope, she concluded.

The silver hull of the Hoverscout was only a few feet away embedded in a cluster of rust-colored leaves and smaller branches. Considering what it had been through, the craft looked to be in remarkably good shape.

Baines stretched out his left hand and leaned forward as far as he could. "Just a little bit further," he muttered under his breath.

Without warning, another blast of energy shot through the trees and the Hoverscout exploded into small pieces. Baines screamed in pain as the burning shrapnel pierced his dark skin. No longer able to maintain his balance, he tumbled toward the earth, his body brutally slamming into several branches as the ground came up to meet him. Danziger could only watch in horror as Baines sailed past him, his limp body now resembling that of a ragdoll as it bounced from limb to limb. The crewman landed harshly on his back, his broken legs extending outward in an unnatural posture, his clothes and skin still smoking from the cinders of the obliterated craft.

The Edenites rushed toward their friend, but were halted by a Terrian who sprouted up from the ground directly next to him.

Baines turned his dazed eyes to the creature. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and uttered, "I'm dead."

As soon as the words left his lips, Baines' body stilled and his expression froze in place. Before the group knew what was happening, the Terrian crouched downward and placed a hand on the crewman's lifeless chest. Then together, they disappeared into the earth.

"No!" they collectively cried as Walman ran to where his friend had laid only seconds before.

"Why did they have to take his body?" Bess asked through her tears. Her mind began to race with images of the possible uses the Terrians could have for a corpse. Were they going to continue to study the Edenites even after they were all dead? She shivered at the thought of the creatures performing autopsies on their cadavers.

Yale suggested, "Perhaps the Terrians don't want to leave any evidence behind."

"Or maybe they're just cleaning up their mess," Danziger flatly noted as he descended the tree.

__________

That night, it was decided to temporarily forego the tradition of gathering around the evening campfire. Bess and Danziger assumed that it was because the group was too distraught over Baines' death and needed to spend some time alone to process the loss of their friend. However, unbeknownst to the two of them, that was not the reason.

In truth, the others assembled together in the mess-tent and held a secret meeting without their knowledge. A very important choice was made by the six Edenites and there was no time to waste. Plus, there was packing to be done.

__________

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