Devon Alone IV: The Legacy of Tears by Nicole Mayer

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DEVON, ALONE. PART IV
The Legacy of Tears (3/9)
by Nicole Mayer

"Devon? Uh, hi. I was wondering if you got my last message, seeing as you didn't get back to me.

"If you want me to stay out of your life, well, that's fine, but I guess I care about you. As a friend, that is, but I just wanna know if you're okay."

Danziger paused, hating the message recorder even more with every passing second. "Well, that's about all, I guess. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye..."

He turned off the terminal, and sank into his couch. Devon Adair haunted him, and he couldn't shake the final image of her tearstained, anguished face as he had walked out.

*It was for the best* he reminded himself. So why did he feel a sense of guilt now? He didn't owe her anything at all. Not yet, anyway. Kassidy was meeting with Morgan Martin later that day, and Danziger tried to quell a growing anxiousness inside.

He sighed, looking at the time. What a way to spend one of his rare days off. He supposed he should be doing something more constructive than sitting around worrying about Kassidy and Devon, but he couldn't quite bring himself to start anything. It was true that the Resistance always needed attention, although at the moment there were no urgent demands. They were gathering forces in secret for when the time was right, and searching for a powerful ally or weapon.

Sighing, Danziger wished for the days when the Council was only a minor faction of the government - a name that was foreign to most. Yet, somehow, the Council had grown, feeding on corruption and lies until they held most of humanity in their grip. It was a sobering thought.

Danziger allowed his mind to drift back to his last day off, the beach trip with Devon Adair. Never had he seen a more beautiful place than that holographic planet. No wonder Devon had so desperately believed that it was real - it was a wonderful illusion away from the depressing life on the stations.

The door chime sounded, and Danziger jumped. He didn't encourage his 'associates' within the Resistance to drop by, and he knew for a fact that most of his friends were at work. In that case, would the Council just walk up to his door? He activated the voice panel (drones couldn't afford visual screens on their home entrances).

"Yes?" he asked warily.
The voice that replied was smooth and cultivated. "I am seeking Mr John Danziger. I have a message for him."

Danziger paused, unsure of how to continue. "Uh, you can give me the message and I'll pass it on to him," he hedged.

Quietly, but firmly, the person replied, "I think it is prudent of me to give it to Mr Danziger only."

"Where are you from? Who sent you?" snapped Danziger. "The message is from a mutual associate, a Ms Devon Adair." Devon. Instantly, Danziger keyed the door open to greet the mysterious messenger.

He took a step back at the sight of the imposing form on his doorstep. Noticing the patch on the man's temple, Danziger realised he was a Yale unit, and wondered how it had managed to avoid termination during the war against cyborg technology a few years earlier.

Yale held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Sir, I am only here delivering a message. I will not cause any harm to you."

Danziger nodded, and stepped inside, motioning Yale to follow him. As covertly as possible, Danziger positioned himself close by his hidden weapon near the table, just in case.

The door slid shut behind Yale, and he began to speak. "Are you Mr Danziger?" he asked bluntly.

"Who wants to know?" he shot back. "Are you with the Council?" Danziger realised that the cyborg probably wasn't, because a Council member would know without question exactly who Danziger was.

Yale gave a slow, rare smile. "I can assure you, I am not from the Council, nor do I have any desire to become associated with them. I am merely a messenger."

Danziger was inclined to believe the cyborg, for there was something in his tone and mannerisms that inspired trust.

"But, before we go one," Yale suddenly cautioned, "I must know more of your relationship with Ms Adair."

"How about you go first," countered Danziger. "Why would she send you to me, she never even mentioned you!"

"I fear Ms Adair has become involved in a great many secrets, and was attempting to restrict the flow of information to protect her friends," Yale said, hoping that Danziger was the contact he could trust. The man was the only one Yale could find in Devon's recent files with possible connections to an uprising against the Council. Yale hoped he'd guessed correctly.

Nodding, but with suspicion, Danziger offered, "Devon and I are, well, I suppose you could call us acquaintances."

Yale pondered the other man's words, and made an important decision. The quarters were sparse, Danziger seemed to be a typical drone, and if he *was* working for the Council, then surely Yale would have seen some sign of it by now? So Yale would trust Danziger. He just prayed that it was the right decision.

"If I told you I carried vital information pertaining to the Council's reign, what would you say?"

Danziger stopped his restless shuffling for a moment. "I would say," he said gravely, "that such information could be very useful."

Yale slowly, carefully, passed Danziger a data chip. "Do not allow this to be seen by anyone within the Council," he cautioned. "Your life depends on it. Now, I must go. Do not attempt to contact me at all." Yale turned and left the room, hoping that he'd done the right thing.

Yale still had the original, encoded copy of the information, and would endeavour to find others that could help in the quest against the Council. John Danziger had been the first candidate, for there were only a few others for Yale to consider. Time would tell if the information had been correctly passed on. Yale could only hope that he, too, would not vanish.

Danziger studied the chip with intense scrutiny. As far as he could tell, it wasn't rigged to blow up or anything equally destructive when he plugged it into a reader. He smiled, realising what the information could mean.

Not only was it a new weapon against the Council, but it meant that Devon wasn't ignoring his messages. Didn't it? Of course, she couldn't contact him directly if her information was as explosive as Yale appeared to consider it.

But what was Devon doing with such data anyway? When did she get it? Danziger decided he should do some reading before attempting to answer any of his own questions.

"The Council is no longer wholly human..."

***

Morgan Martin sat in his office, nervously folding and unfolding his hands. He was terribly jumpy lately, and had every reason to feel that way. But he didn't know why, and he didn't know what was going on. He was afraid.

Strange things were happening within the Council, or perhaps they had always been happening and he'd just never noticed. He was beginning to regret his involvement in the Devon Adair situation. It had seemed like a great chance for promotion, but now, now with the frightening evidence of those who had gone before him, Morgan just wanted to disappear back down into the world of the underlings where he had been safely anonymous.

He gave an involuntary shiver as he remembered Dison Blalock. Morgan had never liked the man, although they *had* tolerated each other on occasion. When Blalock was demoted, Morgan silently cheered.

However, three days ago, Morgan learned of Blalock's reinstatement when he passed through Morgan's office. There was a new determination about Blalock, and while Morgan welcomed the absence of the expected snide comment, Blalock's robot like actions had worried him a great deal. The man's eyes were empty.

For the next few days, Morgan had studied the faces of every Council member he encountered. Those with similar, or lower ranking than his own seemed perfectly fine and normal. But those above him, in the positions of power, they...their eyes...were empty.

Morgan wondered what it would be like to look upon the face of the President of the Council, or one of those on the Board of Directors. Would they, too, be strange and frightening? No one ever saw them face to face, and now Morgan appreciated the fact that it may have been one of these very people he reported to about Devon Adair.

He hoped that they wouldn't contact him again about the woman. Morgan wanted to disappear.

"Hello?" called a cheerful voice. Morgan almost hit the roof in terror. *Breathe, Morgan, breathe* he coached himself. *It was only a friendly greeting, they're 'not' out to get you...*

He looked up towards the door, glad he had the lights on full. A woman stood there, one with flowing, curly hair and mischievous blue eyes. A new sensation began curling its way through Morgan. She was beautiful.

"Ah, hello," Morgan finally replied, struggling to regain his composure. He remembered his duties as a Council member and said, in an extremely polite voice for him, "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," she said, entering the room and holding out her hand. "I'm Kassidy Quinn."

"Morgan Martin," he automatically returned. "Level 3..." He stopped, realising that he wasn't obligated to give out that information. For so much of his life, he'd been proud of his status, but now it was a dark part of his life. A *very* dark part.

Kassidy seated herself in the chair opposite Morgan's desk. "A mutual acquaintance suggested I get in touch with you," she began with little hesitation.

Morgan gulped, wondering why he was suddenly the focus of so many beautiful women and evil Council members. But upon glancing into Kassidy's friendly face, he relaxed a little, feeling sure that he could at least trust her.

"Why me?" Morgan asked, truly curious and silently thanking the mysterious benefactor for this opportunity to meet Kassidy Quinn.

Kassidy was prepared to neatly sidestep the question, but suddenly found no need to. "I've been told that you're a man who can be very 'helpful' in certain situations..."

"I am?" Morgan was really beginning to wish he could manage more than two word responses, which clearly showed the effect that Kassidy was having on him. When was the last time he'd had a date?

As delicately and diplomatically as possible, Kassidy began telling Morgan the fabricated story of her inability to get a message through to friends on Earth. "The Council seems to be screening more and more lately, and it is *imperative* that I speak to my father before he dies." She watched Morgan carefully, trying to judge his reactions and the depth to which his loyalty lay.

However, there was something about his expression that - intrigued her. And Morgan, too, found himself watching Kassidy as she spoke. The way her mouth formed each and every word, although he couldn't recall what was being said even if his life depended on it. There was something about Kassidy that reminded him of happiness, and a time of innocence before everything became so complicated.

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" Kassidy didn't know whether to be amused or insulted. His gaze was more than a little unnerving, yet there were other feelings to contend with, some part of her that just wanted to reach out and protect him from the dark...

Their eyes locked, and it was Kassidy who was the first to turn away. She was here on business, that was what was important now. So Morgan's next words completely floored her.

"Ah - would you like to join me for lunch?" he stammered. Kassidy meant to say no, she really did, but was surprised to hear a definite "yes" coming from her lips. Damn, what was it about him? She quickly added, "I think you should know : I'm married."

"So?" Morgan countered, hoping he wasn't being too presumptuous but he couldn't let Kassidy go without getting to know her. And, he vowed, he would do everything in his power to help her whenever he discovered the truth behind her strange, yet fateful, appearance at his door.

"Well, okay," relented Kassidy. "There's no harm in having lunch together..." The latter comment was more to abate her own worries rather than Morgan's. What if John got the wrong idea? But he'd been paying too much attention to Devon recently, so maybe, it was time for Kassidy to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Morgan escorted Kassidy out, his fears temporarily forgotten. He had an angel at his side and life was suddenly good.

End 3/9

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