Learning Experiences by Allison McDonnell

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"John! Wake up! We have to stop them!" Bess cried while frantically shaking the sleeping mechanic.

"Stop who? What happened?" he mumbled, still disoriented by the nightmares he suffered from ever since True's death.

"I think they're launching the boat!"

He popped open an eye to find the Earth-res hovering over his cot. "Huh?" He lazily sat up in bed. "What boat?"

Bess hurled his coat toward him. "While you were working on the Hoverscout, the rest of them were building an escape boat."

"Are they nuts? It'd be suicide!"

John threw off the covers and grabbed his pants draped over the makeshift nightstand next to his bunk. He began to dress in a panic, shoving his feet into his boots and tossing his blue jacket on over his T- shirt. He charged out of his tent with Bess pulling up the rear.

As they hurriedly entered the forest leading to the river, he questioned over his shoulder, "You knew about this?"

"Yes," she answered guiltily. "It was something to keep everyone busy, but I thought it would only be used if the Hoverscout gave us promising results. I never imagined this." She shook her head as she caught up to his pace. "Especially after losing Baines yesterday."

"No time to argue about this now. Let's just hope we're not too late."

__________

"Are you sure you don't want some company? It might get kind of lonely out there all alone," Magus purred as she slipped her arms around her companion.

Walman warmly returned the gesture. "As much as I'd like to take you with me, someone needs to stay here and run things. Besides, there's not enough room for two people and supplies." He leaned in and whispered, "Gonna miss you though."

Magus almost let the phrase 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' spill from her lips, but thought better of it. It seemed inappropriate considering how many 'absences' they'd suffered recently. "I'll miss you, too."

They ambled over to a nearby clump of bushes to recover two oars which had been hidden from view. They returned to the water's edge and set them in the boat along with the food and equipment that Cameron had previously loaded. Yale was already there making one final maintenance check on the vessel. He felt a special responsibility for the success of this project. They had used his database for guidance and he had specifically chosen the outline for the boat's construction. In the end, the slender vessel most closely resembled a canoe. Although it provided only a limited amount of space, its sleek body enabled it to maneuver rougher waters. Yale also provided Walman with several vids and various reading materials to help him to learn how to operate the boat properly.

As Mazatl and Cameron pushed the craft into a shallow section of the lake, Magus knew that it was time to say good-bye. After all, Bess or Danziger would wake up any minute and everyone knew that they would somehow put a halt to their efforts. She tightly grabbed both of Walman's hands and began to quietly sob. "I'm afraid. I don't want to lose you."

He pulled her into a bear hug and reassured, "It's gonna be okay, Laura."

Walman was much more nervous than he wanted to let on. After all, he was sailing into a virtual unknown. The Terrians had mentioned that there were several tribes who were sympathetic to Eden Advance's unique situation. If he could just get out of this mountain range, there was a good chance that he would encounter at least one of them on his journey. He could then ask the creatures for their help in freeing his friends. If that scenario didn't present itself, he would continue onward until he reached New Pacifica and alert the colonists on the Jamestown of their predicament.

Either way, he knew that someone had to go for help and circumstances dictated that, as Eden Project's co-leader, it should be him. Besides, he didn't know how much longer he could stay trapped in the valley without going stir-crazy. Even with Magus to keep him company, this place was worse than the Biodome! He also harbored a certain sense of guilt over the loss of his good friend Baines as well as the others. Walman felt an intense need to get the survivors out of the mountains to safety and failure was simply not an option. Better things had to be on the horizon. They just had to be.

He pulled back and gave her a large grin. "Tell you what? As soon as we get off of this rock, what do you say about us getting married?" He nodded in the tutor's direction. "We can have Yale officiate."

Magus' mouth fell wide open for a few seconds. She finally threw her arms around him and happily answered, "Yes."

He chuckled and held her securely. "All right. But until then, you take care of yourself." Walman loosened his grip and kissed her one more time before letting go. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Greg."

He climbed into the canoe and Mazatl and Cameron simultaneously shoved the vessel outward toward the river's mouth.

"Don't forget to check in each hour until you're out of gear range," Yale reminded him as he waved good-bye.

"Yep, and the beacon'll let you know where I am the rest of the way. See you in a few months when I bring back the cavalry."

"Be careful." Magus expressed, her voice full of emotion.

He winked at her. "You, too."

Walman entered the river's main path and began his journey out of the mountain range. Although the current was even stronger than usual due to several days of rainfall, he skillfully used the oars to steer between the large rock formations scattered throughout the landscape. The other Edenites tracked alongside of the crewman from the shore, wanting to keep him in sight for as long as possible.

Denner sprinted up ahead of the group and stopped at the edge of their imposed boundary to check for Terrians. She nervously inspected the scenery around her and was thrilled to find herself completely alone. She removed the telescanner from her bag and began a more detailed survey of her surroundings. Unfortunately, the water's route took a sharp turn just beyond the valley and her field of vision was completely obscured by large hills and towering trees.

Suddenly, her senses were overpowered by a loud whooshing noise. Just beyond the perimeter, a major section of the water's current had changed. Instead of flowing westward, it had begun to spiral into an entity resembling a huge drain. Its ever-widening circle pulled loose branches and other floating debris into its trap and vanished without a trace. She hurriedly activated her gear to warn Walman and the others, but her voice was drowned out by deafening sounds of the churning water. Only when she turned her eyepiece toward the river did the others become aware of the danger that lay ahead.

"Get out of there, Greg! Swim for it!" Magus frantically called.

The crewman began to furiously paddle backward, but the current was too strong and his boat continued to pick up speed. "I can't! I'll drown!"

Yale was startled by Walman's response. These past weeks, the cyborg had allowed himself to be caught up in the frenzy of planning to use the river as a means of escape. He and the others had become positively consumed by it. Only now did he realize that, in his haste to build the vessel and teach navigation techniques, he'd never even thought to ask Walman if he knew how to swim.

"Jump, Greg! I'm coming for you!"

Before anyone could grab her, Magus dove into the frigid waters. In spite of the fact that she could swim, she was quickly overtaken by the river's tempestuous flow. Her arms flapped wildly and she struggled for air between submergings as the current viciously tossed her about. She could hear Walman and the others screaming her name as she bobbed up and down. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to reach her companion, she tried in vain to turn back toward the shore. However, she was being thrashed around so harshly that she could no longer tell which direction her friends were.

She never even saw the grouping of sharp rocks ahead of her until the moment before her head struck a large boulder, crushing her skull. Her body went limp as blood poured from her open scalp and she floated face- down toward the valley's edge.

"Laura!" Walman cried in horror.

Forgetting his own predicament and refusing to believe that Magus was already dead, he plunged into the rapids to rescue her. But it was an impossible situation. Not only was Magus beyond saving, it was too late for Walman. He valiantly tried to stay above water, but he knew it was a losing battle. The current carried both crewmen past the valley's perimeter and into the swirling waters just beyond. Amidst the anguished cries of the Edenites, both were pulled down into the drain-like abyss and vanished. After the supply-filled canoe met the identical fate, the spiraling flow of water ceased and the river returned to its normal course.

Bess and John caught up to the group just as the boat was absorbed by the raging waters. Immediately noticing that two of their friends were missing, it wasn't too difficult to figure out what had transpired. Cameron was trying to subdue a hysterical Denner while Yale and Mazatl stood there in shock at the water's edge. Bess brought her hand to her mouth and muttered something unintelligible while Danziger silently surveyed the scene. Only then, did they notice that two Terrians had sprouted upward on the other side of the river bank, apparently witnessing the entire incident.

Mazatl was enraged by the sight of the creatures and angrily pulled a pistol from the inside pocket of his coat. The weapon, formerly owned by Commander O'Neill, had been his constant companion for the past two and a half months. He hadn't been given the chance to use it when Baines had died the prior day. Things had happened too fast. But today was different and Mazatl was eager to learn if taking revenge against the Terrians would be as sweet as he had pictured it so many times in his mind. The crewman closed one eye and extended his hand to line up the shot. Taking aim at one of the being's chest, Mazatl began to squeeze the trigger.

"No, don't!" Bess implored, throwing herself directly in front of the gun's path.

Mazatl relaxed his finger before the weapon could release. "Get out of the way, Bess!"

He attempted to move around her, but the Earth-res shadowed him to keep him from firing. Danziger jumped in between Bess and the weapon and furiously grabbed hold of Mazatl's wrist, pushing it and the gun into the air.

"What the hell are you doing?" the mechanic shouted at the top of his lungs. With his other hand, he reached up and snatched the weapon from Mazatl and roughly shoved the crewman to the ground.

He towered over him and bellowed, "You wanna justify to the Diggers that we're the barbarians that they think we are? You wanna get yourself killed, too?"

Mazatl hollered back as the creatures sank back into the ground, "They're the barbarians! They've already murdered nine of us!"

"I'm not disagreeing with you. But shooting at them or trying to escape won't do anything except increase the size of the cemetery!"

Danziger's face became redder by the moment as he began ferociously pacing back and forth in front of the remaining five Edenites. His eyes were fierce and his nostrils flared wildly. The group was becoming a bit nervous by his unusual outburst... especially since he was still holding the pistol.

"Jesus Christ, I don't believe this! Have you all completely lost your minds? How many people have to die before you see the big picture?"

He seemed to suddenly remember that he had the gun in his hand. In utter disgust, he hurled it as hard as he could into the forest.

Waving his arms, John roared, "The Terrians said that they're studying us! Don't you get it? They've been watching our every move! They know exactly what we're doing! Just because we don't see them doesn't mean that they aren't here. They're in those rocks over there! They're behind that tree! They're under your feet right now! And they can take us away any time they want! Didn't you see what happened to Baines? To Zero? Didn't you see what they did to Dev-"

He abruptly halted mid-sentence and staggered backward, his gaze falling downward. His face was covered by his fallen curls and Bess worried that John might actually collapse to the ground. She was about to approach him when the mechanic returned his attention to the group. His face now bore a blank expression, his eyes and voice were drained of all emotion as he stonily drove the point home.

"The Diggers aren't going to let us contact anyone else. Even if, by some miracle, we were able to send a distress signal, they'll keep everyone away. There's not gonna be a rescue, either by the colony ship or by another tribe of Terrians. And they will never allow any of us to escape. Am I making myself clear?"

After seeing the effect his daunting words had on the crew, Danziger turned and made a beeline back to camp.

As he trudged through the woods, Cameron finally found his voice and called out to him, "Then what are we supposed to do?"

Not turning around, John yelled back in a hardened tone, "Survive."

__________

Making headstones is hard work. Danziger had searched out and hauled back to camp three large rocks and was busy readying them for implantation into the ground. He'd spent all afternoon chiseling them into the appropriate size and shape and now it was down to carving in the names of the dead. He had completed William Baines and Laura Magus and was now concentrating on Walman's inscription.

Because he hadn't assisted in the construction of the first six markers, he was having trouble making the lettering look the same. Should the stem for the letter 'Y' for 'GREGORY' be straight downward or curved? He racked his brain as to how Baines had etched the original letters. John would do anything to avoid having to actually go to the cemetery to confirm how the name 'ULYSSES' had been engraved.

He took a break to inspect his sore hands by the flickering light of the campfire. Even though there was a chill in the night air, Danziger was perspiring and wiped the dirt and sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.

He had worked all day in solitude while the others kept away, either by remaining in the nearby woods or retreating to their tents. Danziger didn't really want their help nor did he want to have to engage in conversation, polite or otherwise. He had a job and he wanted to get it done, even if it took him all night. Besides, he didn't want to think about how quiet it would be if he stopped his chiseling. About the fact that graveyard markers now outnumbered survivors. About the guilt and sadness that he feared would swallow him whole if he let it in. He didn't want to think at all. Instead, it was better to focus on keeping the remaining members of Eden Advance alive. Nothing else mattered to him anymore.

Something caught the corner of his eye and John realized that he had company.

"Hi," his visitor hesitantly greeted as she joined him.

"Bess," he muttered in a distant voice, still gazing straight ahead at the blaze.

She pulled her coat closed and stretched out her hands to allow the flames to warm them. After fidgeting awkwardly, she softly commented, "You know, I think the others are afraid to come out here."

His silence was response enough to let her know that maybe the group's fears were valid. Although they liked and trusted him, Danziger's eclectic behavior had certainly made the other Edenites a bit uneasy. When it came down to it, no one was really sure of John's true state of mind these days. However, Bess was never one to be easily frightened. Besides, she couldn't exactly throw any stones his way. Keeping her own emotions in check and working through her grief was a daily battle that sometimes came close to defeating her. These last few months had changed her, too.

Bess hoped that her deception regarding the boat escape hadn't destroyed her friendship with the mechanic. "Are you angry with me?"

John sighed heavily and shook his head. "I'm angry, but not at you." He paused a moment before continuing, "What happened today was my fault. Same with Baines, yesterday."

The widow jerked her head back in puzzlement. "That's ridiculous. You're not to blame for any of this."

John abruptly stood and walked away as if he hadn't heard her. She followed him to an area behind the supply tent where Danziger had set up a temporary workshop to construct the gravestones. He was already busying himself by filing down a few sharp edges on Magus' marker when Bess arrived. She sat on a discarded crate and waited for him to respond to her, but he never veered his concentration from his task.

"Can I ask you a question? If you knew that we weren't going to be able to escape, why did you work so hard to repair the Hoverscout?"

John stopped his sanding, but didn't look upward. He woodenly replied, "The Diggers aren't gonna let us leave, that I was always sure of. I figured that they would've taken plenty of precautions to make sure the valley was impassable. I thought that the information that the 'Scout gave us would finally show everyone that we're gonna be here permanently."

He shook his head. "My theory was wrong. I realized that when the Diggers shot the 'Scout out of the sky. For whatever reason, they don't want us to see what's outside of these mountains. Maybe there really is a pass out of here and they don't want us to find it. We'll probably never know. I just wish I could've stopped Baines in time." When he finished speaking, he immediately began working again.

Bess was grappling with her own guilt and quietly expressed, "I'm sorry about my part in Walman and Magus' deaths."

"Wasn't your fault. You must've known all along that an escape by boat wouldn't have worked. Why else would they not include you in this morning's sendoff?" he said as he tossed the instrument aside. With a small grunt, he lifted the smooth rock and gently laid the finished product against Baines' completed marker. "Trust me, your hands are clean."

"I thought we were just being prepared. If the data showed that the river was safe for travel, I knew that there would be a limited window of time to leave before the cold weather set in. I would never have gone along with it if I thought that they were going to blindly launch without knowing what's ahead."

She added as she toyed with a few blades of browning grass, "And, for what it's worth, I wanted to tell you about it. But the others convinced me that you would be against it."

"They were right. I would've tried to stop you."

"Well, I'm sorry all the same," Bess remarked ashamedly.

He kneeled down a few feet from her and started gathering his tools together. "Don't be. What's done is done. But I'm glad you're here because I need to talk to you."

He paused and met her gaze for the first time. "Tomorrow morning, I'm calling a meeting to tell them that we're taking control of the group."

The Earth-res wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly. "'We'?"

"Yeah, you and me. Winter's comin' up on us fast. Much quicker than last year. In fact, I'll bet that we've relocated to the cave by the end of the month. There's a lot of work to be done and I sure as hell can't do it alone. We're gonna have to hustle our asses to be ready."

His voice showed a hint of emotion as he relayed their course of action. It was clear to her that he'd given this a lot of thought.
"You did a great job getting our food reserves up. I need you to help me with organizing the rest of our inventory- supplies, vehicles, everything that isn't nailed down. Some of it can be moved to the smaller cavern. Some stuff we'll have to leave out here in the open because there's no room. We also need to get the larger cave ready to serve as our living quarters for at least the next three months. Are you up to it?"

Bess nodded in agreement as Danziger rose to his feet and walked over to her still-seated form. His tone was low and he wore a serious expression.

"I also want you to promise me something." He placed his hands on his hips and leaned down to keep eye contact. "No more secrets, do you hear me? I know that you meant well by not telling me about what the others were doing. It also shows me how little attention I've been paying to what's goin' on around here. Anyway, if we're gonna make this work, I need to be able to trust you. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand and I promise," she answered with conviction.

John seemed satisfied and straightened up to his full height. "Okay. We'll work out the details tomorrow."

He grabbed his toolbox and carried it toward the front of the supply tent. Correctly sensing that their conversation was over, Bess shuffled to her feet and began to make her way back to her quarters. She halted as John peeked his head around the canvas.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added in a cautious voice. "For God's sake, don't ever step in front of a loaded gun like you did today. We've already lost enough people."

She almost reminded him that he'd stepped in front of the weapon, too, but reconsidered. She knew that both of them had put themselves in danger in an effort to stop the possibility of additional bloodshed. It was the correct choice to make, even if it had ended up costing them their lives.

Instead, she answered, "Deal."

"See you in the morning," Danziger uttered as he disappeared into the tent.

Bess wandered back to her shelter, deep in thought about the most recent deaths of her friends and her new responsibilities as co-leader of the remaining colonists.

__________

"It was the one year anniversary of Eden Advance crash-landing on the planet. It was also the day that Mazatl died. It was the early morning hours when we heard the shot. By the time John got to his tent, there was nothing left but the gun and a mound of displaced dirt with blood still around the edges.

I feel so guilty. All of the signs were there and we should have known that he was capable of this type of behavior. He was so angry all of the time; that pistol never left his side. He'd searched half the day to retrieve it after John had thrown it into the woods.

He'd certainly been depressed. Truth be told, I don't think Mazatl had been the same since Eben's death. Those first few months planetside, I remember him watching her whenever she looked in the other direction. He'd schedule himself on her meal duty shift just to be near her. I even teased him about it once, but he never gave any indication of how deep his feelings ran. I don't think Eben ever suspected that he had fallen in love with her. And then, before we knew it, she was gone in the blink of an eye. I guess when he added Eben's loss with everything else that we'd been through, it was just too much for him. He decided that it was time to give up.

I still pray for his soul every day and hope that God will forgive him for his sin. I hope that He understands that Mazatl wasn't really thinking clearly anymore. May God have mercy on him... and on those who are left behind."

- Bess Martin Journal Chronicles, Archive File, Entry Date- Year 2 (Day 694)

__________

There was no opposition to Bess and Danziger taking over leadership duties and the two threw themselves into the task of readying themselves for the coming winter. Bess concentrated on making the cave habitable and moving in their essentials. John headed the effort of protecting the rest of their equipment and vehicles from the elements. He used the smaller cave to store as much as possible. However, none of the vehicles would fit and it was necessary to build a crude wooden garage to house them. There was an infinite sadness when the Edenites packed up several of the tents including the med-quarters and the units of those no longer with them for the final time. They stored the personal belongings of their deceased friends in the 'Rover's inner compartments where True's were kept.

Although Bess and John became completely absorbed in their quest to survive the season, it became very noticeable that the other three colonists seemed to lack the initiative to make suggestions or undertake any chores on their own. Maybe it was because their confidence was destroyed by the botched escape attempt that cost Magus and Walman their lives. Perhaps it was Mazatl's suicide. At any rate, Bess was concerned that they were beginning to give up hope. She and John spoke about this privately and it was decided to try to keep the group as busy as possible. After all, they assessed, having a project to concentrate their efforts on was often what had gotten them through the long, painful days. Even now, they seemed to be practicing what they were preaching by working nonstop.

As Danziger had predicted, the Advancers were forced to retreat to the cave as the month drew to a close. An intense cold front had moved in and the chill in the air extended into their new dwelling. Due to the chamber's lack of ventilation, they were unable to enjoy the heat of a campfire. Instead, they sought refuge under piles of thermo-blankets to stay warm. A small pit outside of the cavern's entrance was used for all of the cooking. Bess had done an amazing job of turning the dreary setting into something suitable for their occupation. The cave floor had been cleaned of all debris and she'd had John and Cameron remove several medium sized rocks to create as much room as possible. She had lined the dark shaft leading into the cave with lumacones and there were also lumalanterns adorning several key areas of the chamber that allowed them to reflect the most light.

Space was cramped, though, and the cavern was crammed with canned foods, a generator, basic medical equipment and other needed materials. Plus, five people also had to live there. Bess attached linens to a rod to divide much of the single room into four smaller nooks to serve as personal quarters. Each individual cubicle barely had enough room for a cot and a crate to stack their belongings on, but it would have to do. She gave Cameron and Denner a slightly larger space because they were sharing and she moved them behind a wall of supplies to give them as much privacy as possible.

A heavy snowstorm rolled in from the northern hills less than a week later. It lasted for days and the Edenites found themselves almost completely trapped in their surroundings. It was only then that they encountered a new, cruel foe within their midst. It wasn't hunger. Bess had made sure that there was plenty of food to last several months. It wasn't the Terrians. They kept their distance as long as the group played by the rules. Actually, it was something that they had struggled with during their first winter, but it had never been this severe. The enemy was boredom and it was to have a devastating consequence on the survivors.

There was nothing to do. Nothing to do but sit and think about what they'd endured; about what they were still living through and the realization that this would be their existence for the rest of their miserable lives. Their dream, whether it was escaping on the colony ship or living long, happy lives on the sandy shores of New Pacifica, was gone. The Jamestown would arrive with no one to greet them. The Syndrome children would succumb to their illness after the Terrians refused to heal them. The children's families were probably in danger, too. What if the Terrians continued their wrath and decided to exact revenge on them as well? And there was no way to warn them. No way for the members of Eden Advance to escape their prison. Their friends and family were already dead. Some of them had died violently right in front of them. And there was nothing that could be done. Nothing to do, but wait until they died, too.

It was these foreboding thoughts that occupied and started eating away at the minds of several of the Edenites. Yale stayed in his unit all day long with the curtain drawn. Cameron and Denner hardly spoke and also rarely ventured from their small quarters.

However, Bess refused to give in to the negativity and kept herself busy with a variety of activities. She ended up doing all of the cooking when no one else volunteered except John, whose own culinary talents were dismal, if not almost lethal. She also continued to try to familiarize herself Julia's Diaglove and other equipment.

Danziger kept himself occupied by working on plans for the coming spring. He tried to involve the others and get their input on things such as building permanent homes and growing crops, but it only seemed to increase their depression. If the weather permitted, the mechanic would venture out to check on the status of the supplies in the smaller cavern and the housed vehicles. He made sure not to stray too far or stay out for too long. Bess would kill him if he ended up wasting precious medical supplies just because he didn't have enough sense to come out of the cold.

It was ironic that the two people who had lost the most ended up taking care of the needs of the remaining colonists. However, the other three didn't seem to notice or care. They were too busy wallowing in their own pity. This self-defeatist attitude systematically wore them down and left them exposed to an even more sinister and deadly enemy.

It started with a cough. Denner was the first to show signs of the infection as her lungs became increasingly congested and she complained of a headache that wouldn't go away. It wasn't long before she was suffering from a high fever accompanied by chills. Soon after, Cameron was also at the beginning stages of the sickness. Bess was still learning how to use the medical equipment and had no idea how to treat the virus. She could only administer mild pain blocks to ease their discomfort and she also tried to slow the illness' progression by administering vitamin injections. She, Yale and Danziger scoured the medical logs to find a treatment for the pneumonia-like symptoms, but nothing worked.

Cameron steadfastly remained at Denner's bedside. He held her hand and made sure there was always a cool cloth on her forehead to try to reduce her high temperature. Even though it was unlikely that she could hear him, Cameron begged her not to give up and to continue to fight the illness that was ravaging her body. When he became too sick to sit on his own, his cot was placed next to hers so they could be with each other.

It only took four days for the illness to take Denner's life. A Terrian came to claim the body as Cameron openly wept next to her limp form. The crewman was inconsolable after losing the second woman that he had loved. The remaining Edenites did the best that they could to comfort him, but his health spiraled downward quickly. Two mornings later, they awoke to find him gone, too.

Now, there were only three members of Eden Advance left and Bess was determined to make sure that no one else was lost. Thankfully, she was not suffering from the effects of the virus. John claimed that he also felt fine although Bess noticed that he did look a bit peaked.

Yale was another story altogether.

"Just hang in there, Buddy. You're gonna get through this, all right?" Danziger soothed, trying to keep his tone as light as possible. He and Bess were keeping a vigil at his bedside as the tutor gradually worsened.

"I'm so cold. Why is it so cold?" Yale murmured as beads of sweat trickled down his face.

John wiped the perspiration from the cyborg's brow and tucked in his blankets. "Probably because it's about minus ten degrees outside. Would you like some hot soup? Bess just made some."

"I don't think I could keep it down," he responded. The high fever was taking its toll on him and they could barely understand his garbled words. Bess grabbed a small bowl of broth and brought the spoon to his lips.

"Why don't you try just a little bit, okay?"

Yale mumbled something incoherently and his eyes began to flicker. Seeing that he was drifting into unconsciousness, Danziger reasoned, "Maybe we should try again later."

Bess nodded in agreement and they both began to rise to their feet. Without warning, Yale's hand shot outward and firmly grabbed the surprised mechanic by the forearm and yanked him back to the seated position.

The tutor's eyes were wide open and he was clearly in a delusional state as he proclaimed, "She loves you, you know that, don't you? She may fight it and try to push you away, but I can see it in her eyes. I've known that stubborn nature of hers since she was four years old. Devon loves you, John. Please don't give up on her! You could be very happy together. I'm sure of it!"

Danziger's head shot backward and he looked as though the air had been knocked out of him.

Before he was able to mask it, he face displayed a look of unadulterated pain and sorrow. For a few moments, he could only stare at the cyborg is total disbelief.

Eventually, John was able to release the breath that he had been involuntarily holding and his expression hardened back to the stony demeanor that he usually displayed. He reached forward and patted Yale on the shoulder with a slightly shaky hand.

"You get some rest, okay? I'll check on you a little later."

The tutor shut his eyes and was asleep almost instantaneously. Bess looked to John to see how much damage Yale's outburst had caused. Although he outwardly showed no emotion, the mechanic's breathing was shallow and he looked like he was struggling to keep himself under control.

"John, are you-"

He held up his hand to stop her. Whatever Bess was going to say, he didn't want to hear it.

"I-I need to get some air," he whispered.

He stumbled to his feet and hurried out of the main room before she could respond. Danziger could feel a burning sensation rising in his throat and barely made it out of the cave before losing the contents of his stomach. His head was spinning as he clumsily fell to his knees in the snow.

He hadn't been prepared to hear her name; to be reminded of Devon and the fact that she was forever lost to him. His beautiful daughter. She was gone, too. How could this have happened?

No, he rationalized, it was best not to think about it. Remembering them hurt too much. He had to clear his mind of those memories. Nothing mattered except keeping Bess and Yale alive. He had to take care of them and make sure they were safe. He repeated it over and over to himself. Nothing else matters. Bess and Yale have to live. Somebody has to survive this nightmare.

John had no idea how long he'd been out there in the frigid temperature. He heard something move and looked up to see Bess standing in front of him with an extremely worried look on her face. He barely noticed that the sky was now dark as she helped him to his feet with great difficulty. Several inches of snow had fallen around him and the mechanic was almost completely covered as well. She practically had to hold him up as she guided him back to the cavern. She was speaking to him, but he was having trouble hearing her over the loud pounding in his head. He could only blankly stare at her in confusion as she removed his wet outer clothing.

Bess carefully stretched him out on his bunk and wrapped him in several blankets to warm him. She brushed the damp curls from his eyes and said something else to him before walking away, but he didn't know what. Perhaps he should get some sleep, was the only thing Danziger's clouded mind could comprehend. He was having real trouble concentrating. In fact, he wasn't feeling too well at all.

The following day, Bess was still cursing herself as she rested her head in her hands on the edge of John's bed. How could she have let him leave the cave in such a distraught condition? How could she not have noticed that he wasn't wearing his heavy winter coat? She should have at least tried to stop him, even though he probably wouldn't have listened to her. Still, she should not have left him alone for so long.

She had planned to check on him, but had accidentally fallen asleep. When she'd finally awakened, she was alarmed to see that it was nightfall and John hadn't returned. When she found him outside, he was just sitting there motionless in the snow. Bess thought that he had frozen to death. She was relieved when he'd lifted his head to meet her gaze, but frightened by his fragile appearance.

Now, as she studied Danziger at his bedside, it was painfully obvious that he was exhibiting the same symptoms as the others. During the night, he had developed a high fever and his breathing was becoming more and more labored. Bess tried to communicate with him, but he was no longer cognizant of his surroundings. Occasionally, he would toss and turn in his bunk, evidently in the grips of a fever-induced nightmare. Several times, she'd heard him murmur True's name. It was the first time she'd heard John speak of his daughter since her eleventh birthday at the cemetery four months before.

It rattled her to see the burly man in such a frail state. She had become closer to Danziger than any of the other Edenites since their imprisonment by the Terrians. Although the doors remained closed regarding his own feelings of grief, the mechanic had always made time for Bess whenever she'd needed to talk about the loss of her husband. He would sit with her for hours while she cried or vented her pain and frustration. Sometimes she would just feel the need to relay stories of her life with Morgan. Their first date, their first wedding, living as the wife of the government's 'Deputy Secretary In Charge Of Interstellar Development'- anything that came to her mind. And to his credit, John never reacted negatively or brought up any of the bureaucrat's less favorable attributes. Since they had become co-leaders of Eden Advance, they had developed even more of a camaraderie and had come to rely on each other. In short, John had become her best friend. And now she was going to lose him, too.

Bess practically jumped out of her skin as a powerful rumbling noise erupted behind her. A Terrian had burst from the ground and was positioned next to Yale's bed. She staggered to her feet in astonishment.

Yale was awake and noticed her horrified expression as she nervously edged away from Danziger's cot toward his. "No, Bess, it is okay. I called him."

Not averting her eyes that were deadlocked on the creature, she stuttered, "What are you talking about? Why would you call the Terrians?" In her mind, she also wondered how Yale could have contacted the beings. Almost all of the Edenites had attempted to access the Dreamplane these last few months to plead their case without success. How was the tutor able to get hold of them now?

"I told them that I was ready."

She turned to him in shock. "Ready for what?" She was fearful that she already knew the grave answer to her question.

He spoke simply as he grabbed for her hand, "I let them know that it was time to come for me. That I am ready to die."

"Yale, please," she implored. "You can't just give up."

"I am tired, Bess. I cannot stay here any longer." The cyborg brought her captured hand to his lips and gently kissed it good-bye. He wore a small smile as he weakly declared, "It is all right. I am not afraid."

"Yale-" Bess cried as his body relaxed and his cybernetic hand slipped from her grasp.

She leaned over and softly kissed his cheek, several of her tears falling onto his face in the process.

"Good-bye, Yale," she whispered.

She said a small prayer as she stood and backed away from the cot. She respected his wishes and surrendered him to the awaiting Terrian.

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