Context by Deborah Walsh

[Reviews - 0]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer

- Text Size +

Context (11/20)
by Deb Walsh

Danziger was beginning to hate the Venus-class spaceship that had brought Bennett, Elizabeth and their team to G889 more than 50 years ago. Local time. They must have left Earth more than 100 years ago - the trip had taken them 50 years each way, more than twice Eden Advance's 22-year trip. Ain't technology grand?

He found himself at the hatch again, no Terrian sentry in sight. The diggers were nearby, of that he had no doubt. They were pretty much calling the shots, he knew. But if it saved Devon and ensured a future for True ... hell, he'd play along as long as it took.

He lowered himself into the belly of the ship, noting absently that nothing had really changed. The control room didn't interest him anyway; only the sleep chamber. He turned toward the next chamber and halted suddenly at the sound of a voice. A voice greeting him.

"Hello, John."

It was Devon's voice. Not the disembodied voice of the first dream, not the weak, barely audible whisper of the second. This was Devon's voice as he remembered it, as he dreamed of it in dreams not guided by the Terrians. He hesitated only a moment, then strode quickly into the sleep chamber.

She stood in front of her cryo-crypt, her hand resting lightly on the open tube door, her hair falling loosely around her shoulders, a welcoming smile on her lips.

The warmth in her eyes fired an answering warmth throughout his body, and John Danziger felt himself wanting Devon Adair like he'd never wanted her before.

"Devon," was all he said, standing at the arch into the sleep chamber.

"Yes, John," she replied, a light laugh in her voice.

"You're okay."

"Yes, John."

"This is just a dream, Devon."

She closed her eyes briefly and nodded. "Yes, John."

"What happened?" he asked tightly, not trusting his voice.

Her expression grew puzzled. "I don't know. Suddenly, I woke up. The door of the chamber was open. I knew you would come, John. The Terrians told me you would come."

"Are you cured?"

She removed her hand from the door and held both hands out in front of her, turning them over as she looked intently at them. "I feel fine," she said at last.

"Strong. Healthy. Like I could walk all the way to New Pacifica without stopping." She lifted her face and smiled brilliantly at him. "I think so."

That smile made his heart stop. Intellectually, he knew it was still beating, but he couldn't feel it. Or maybe he could; maybe that was what was threatening to explode inside his chest, taking his breath away.

"John, I'm fine!" she cried, flinging her arms wide, inviting him to join her in her jubilation. Without consciously choosing to do so, he crossed the gap separating them and took her in his arms, embracing her as she enthusiastically returned the embrace.

"Are you sure?" he demanded huskily, burying his face in her hair.

"Oh, yes, John - I'm sure!" she breathed into his ear.

He tightened his hold on her. "This isn't real -"

"It will be -"

He pulled back, gazed into her face. He reached up a hand and smoothed back her hair, stroking her face with his thumb. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his palm, tilting her chin up and parting her lips. They drew together in a kiss as inexorable as gravity.

The kiss deepened, lengthened, followed by more. Hands roamed, garments disarrayed, passions flared. As one, they dropped to their knees, moaning softly. But as John thudded to his knees, Devon kept falling, out of his grasp. His eyes flew open, a howl of rage and frustration roaring out of him. Hands rose up from the ground, long-fingered, impossibly strong Terrian hands, pulling Devon down as she screamed and struggled against them. He made a grab for her hands, held on tightly as the earth swallowed her whole. His arms were dragged into the ground, up to the elbows, and still he hung on, ignoring the soil that boiled and thrashed around him.

Gritting his teeth so tightly, he believed they must shatter under the strain, Danziger hauled back, putting every iota of force and will into the act. The drag on Devon's body slowed, stopped, and gradually he felt her rising up through the ground, her fingers clenching his tightly. He groaned with the effort as she slowly moved back toward the surface, closing his eyes as he focused his strength. His eyes flew open again at the sound of her scream, and he joined in, for his hands gripped those of a Terrian, a Terrian who screamed. A Terrian whose hands he dropped, as he scurried backward across the sleep chamber, eyes wide with terror. A Terrian who dropped slowly back into the earth, its mouth still open, its scream still the scream of Devon Adair.

"She is one with the earth, now," came a soft, oddlyinflected feminine voice. "One with us."

Danziger whirled, and shock piled on shock as he found himself looking at Mary, her face streaked with dirt, her long hair matted and tangled. She stood a few feet away, staring blankly at the spot where Devon had fallen from his arms.

"What - what do you mean? Mary, you've got to help us -"

"We are. The Terrians have welcomed her back to the mother. Look," she added, pointing.

Danziger turned slowly to look back at the churned up soil, saw a dark head cresting the ground as Devon - looking as human and beautiful as ever - swam up from the earth. She kept rising, dirt falling away from her in a cascade, until she stood up on the deck again, and slowly lifted her head. The eyes that turned on him then were distant, disinterested. Devon turned toward Mary and nodded. Bits of dirt and stone drifted down around her as Devon walked toward Mary, Danziger already forgotten. Danziger felt a piece of him dying, then another, and another, until there was nothing left inside.

"No!" thundered Alonzo's voice. "Mary, this isn't right - Devon's not a Terrian -" The pilot raced into the sleep chamber, panting with effort. "She doesn't belong with them, she belongs with us -"

Mary pivoted slowly, looking over her shoulder sadly at Alonzo. "She belongs to the mother, Alonzo. As I do."

Mary turned away again then, and as one, she and Devon dropped into the earth, twin dust devils whirling on the floor to signal their passing.

"No!" Alonzo cried, lunging for the place where they'd stood. He landed on the ground, and pounded it with his fists.

Danziger slumped against the bulkhead, drained. "It's just a dream, Alonzo," he said in a voice that was devoid of feeling. "Just a dream."

***

"Alonzo! Alonzo, what is it?" Julia demanded, shaking Alonzo as he thrashed and yelled in his sleep. He erupted out of bed, gasping as he suddenly woke up.

Sweat streamed down his body as his chest heaved.

Julia was already out of bed, crossing the tent in just a few strides to reclaim the diaglove. She fitted it on quickly, and was already taking readings when Alonzo shoved her away. "No. We've got to get to John."

He didn't bother to dress, and stormed out of the tent wearing nothing but his shorts. Julia paused for a moment, and glancing down at her T-shirt and shorts, shrugged and hurried after him.

***

Mary looked around her uneasily. She'd entered that last dream, been a part of it. Yet she'd had no control over it. She'd simply been a player upon the stage of the Terrian dreamscape. Observing at a distance was one thing, but being an unwilling and powerless participant was quite another.

The dream didn't make sense, either. She was sure that if the Terrians chose to, they could bring each of the humans into the earth and make them one with it. Just as they had with her. But that didn't create an understanding between the two races so much as simply eliminate one of them.

Unbidden, an image of Uly came into her mind. She could imagine how the boy would react to losing his mother to the Terrians. Her own memories of her mother were often indistinct, hazed by time. But every once in a while, they crystallized with a bittersweet clarity, and she remembered the touch of her mother's hands, the sweet sound of her voice. The warmth of her embrace. The Terrians lived a life of great richness in the embrace of their mother, the earth. But at the times when memory returned, Mary found herself longing for the purely human love of her natural mother. Yes, she could imagine Uly's reaction. And she doubted the Terrians would understand.

And Mary found for the first time, she understood Devon Adair's resistance to Uly joining the Moon Cross ceremony. At last, a mother's fear made sense.

***

"I don't like this, Alonzo," Julia said, watching the erratic spikes on the readouts from Danziger. "I'm going to have to bring him out of it."

"No. No, Julia, you can't. You've got to get him into normal sleep. He's got to dream normally, it's the only thing that can -"

"Can what, Alonzo?" Julia demanded, looking up at him worriedly.

"Can counteract the horror of the dream," he replied quietly.

"What happened in the dream, Alonzo? John's already dreamed Devon's death - what could be worse?"

"Devon became a Terrian. And she walked away."

Julia stared at Alonzo for a long time, then let out a pent-up sigh. "Right." She looked down at Danziger's sweating, contorted face. His jaw was clenched tightly, the muscles rippling along the jawline as his head rocked from side to side. "Stay with us, John," she whispered, and spoke a command to the diaglove. A soft hiss of fluid injecting itself into his neck answered her, and a few moments later, Danziger relaxed into a more peaceful sleep. A few minutes later, Julia finally relaxed herself, brushing back her hair from her face. "He should sleep normally now."

Alonzo closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Good.

You should get back to sleep, too, Julia -"

"No. I'll stay here. I'll keep an eye on him. You go back to sleep."

Alonzo had explained about his experiences in other people's dreams over the last couple of nights, so Julia knew that he would be joining in with the next dream. She was surprised when he admitted, "Not sure I want to."

"There's a purpose to this, right? I mean, more than just shredding away John Danziger's sanity. You're a part of that purpose," she reminded him.

Alonzo stared at her, then blushed. "You're right.

Call me if you need me," he told her, and rose wearily to return to their tent.

After he'd gone, she whispered to herself, "I always need you, Alonzo."

***

Baines was on watch as Julia and Alonzo raced out of their tent toward John Danziger's. As he made his circuit of the camp, he clutched the MagPro tighter, as though the solid reality of it could ward off the bogeyman, in the form of a Terrian dream.

No cries rose up out of Danziger's tent, yet Julia and Alonzo had clearly been worried. Baines's tension grew as the minutes stretched, and he debated going into the tent to see if they needed help. He glanced nervously around him, hearing phantom footsteps in the brush beyond the camp, feeling imaginary eyes boring down on him out of the trees. This whole dream business gave him the creeps, and he'd rather go without sleep for a week than face the prospect of a Terrian dream. He didn't care what Alonzo had to say about it, it made him nuts.

Finally, Alonzo came out of the tent, dragging wearily across the clearing. Baines looked out into the night and assured himself that nothing was approaching the perimeter, and hurried over to join the pilot. They'd known one another a long time, a couple of trips at least. He was nowhere near as old as Alonzo, but he felt a kinship with Solace that he didn't share with anyone else.

"Yo, Alonzo!" he called, trotting up to join him.

"What's happening?"

"Another dream," Alonzo answered with a sigh. "You're safe another night, Baines," he added.

"Safe? What d'you mean?"

"No Terrian dreams for you tonight. Some other lucky devil'll join in instead. The next one'll be coming soon."

"How'd you know Danziger already had his dream? I didn't hear anything."

They'd reached the med-tent, and Alonzo was bending down to hold the flap out of his way to enter. He straightened slowly, in that moment looking every minute of his 110 years. "G'night, Baines," was all he said, and disappeared into the tent, the flap fluttering shut behind him.

Baines snorted in response, but stood there a few moments longer before returning to his watch.

Sometimes you never really knew a guy after all, he guessed.

***

After two nights of shared dreams with the diggers, everyone was somewhat reluctant to sleep, perchance to dream. But eventually, everyone succumbed. Fresh air, a grueling pace over the last few months, physical exertion, and the lingering effects of the biostat chips caught up with them all, sooner or later.

Magus had listened to Walman and Cameron drifting gradually off to sleep, their breathing finally settling into the regular pattern of slumber. Denner and Mazati had paired off a few weeks earlier, and shared a separate tent; she suspected Eben and Cameron had been about to when Eben had fallen ill. Cameron was quiet, and he held his grief in, but she could see in his eyes the pain, every so often. Truth be told, there was pain in everyone's eyes, at some time or another.

Baines was on watch, and she was sure this was one night when he wouldn't allow himself to doze off. To sleep could mean you were pulled into the dreamscape.

She'd heard some movement in the camp earlier, from the direction of the med-tent. Not the sort of sounds you hear from young lovers, but two people running across the camp. To Danziger's tent. John Danziger was a hell of a guy, a good boss and a terrific mechanic.

She wouldn't wish these dreams on anyone, least of all a stand-up kind of guy like him. It hurt, watching the dreams eat away at him. All the worse because he'd never admitted, even to himself, how he felt about Devon Adair. When this was over ... when the dreams had passed, and they had Devon back ... she was going to have to have a real long, in-your-face heart-toheart with Danziger. Chances come along rare enough that you should always grab on and hold fast with both hands.

The thought of giving Danziger a stern lecture about love and opportunities made her smile, and that smile softened as she drifted off to sleep.

***

"Shit, I knew it!"

Magus turned and saw Walman clenching his fists and swearing at nothing in particular. She turned further, and saw Cameron a few feet away. As she continued to pivot on her heel, she realized that her efforts to stay awake had been fruitless. They'd made it onto the dreamplane. It was their turn now.

"It'd be easier if we knew what Danziger dreamed, you know," Cameron offered calmly. "We'd have some idea of what to expect, then."

"Yeah, well, we don't. And we're stuck here, so we might as well find out what the hell's going on," Walman grumbled, and trudged up the slope away from the crashing surf, toward the valley that stretched on the other side of the rise.

Cameron chuckled to himself and turned to follow. He reached the crest of the rise and turned back toward Magus. "Coming?"

She shrugged and started walking across the soft sand.

"Might as well."

This dreamplane place was definitely weird. Strange lighting, like klieg lights all around but no real source. Things moved in odd ways, like old rotoscopes.

Or time-delay, like seconds were missing all along the way. It felt real enough, though - the ground was firm, dotted with stones and ruts, some deep enough to catch you and turn your ankle. She wondered if an injury received on the dreamplane would translate itself into reality. Sincerely hoping it wouldn't, she started watching where she put her feet, just in case it did.

She slid down the last few feet of the slope, and joined Cameron and Walman in the valley. Ahead of them stretched a construction site, several buildings in various stages of completion. The beginning of New Pacifica. Seems like they made it in every dream so far. That was good. But in each of the dreams, something had gone wrong. She wondered what it would be this time.

The building materials were rustic at best, local timber from the look of it. Obviously they hadn't found anymore of the pods, at least none of the ones containing the pre-fab construction materials that should have made building the colony a matter of connect the dots. The sounds of old-fashioned hammers and saws drifted across to them, and Magus winced; a laser probe she could handle, but anything with a sharp edge ... anathema.

The scene looked sedate enough, everyone was working.

She swore she could even see Morgan Martin, stripped to the waist, wielding a hammer like a pro. That alone made the dream worth having, she thought to herself with a smile.

"C'mon," Walman urged, and the trio moved forward toward the buildings.

As they came into the town, they could see that the buildings stretched further along the valley than they'd originally thought. The number of people was greater, too. Not the 16 members of the Eden Advance group, but hundreds of people. The colony ship had obviously landed, but Eden Advance had not been ready.

She noticed a couple of completed buildings, including a large one that stretched for several hundred yards.

Kind of a dormitory, she supposed. Then she noticed the ship.

The colony ship, which had never been intended to land on a planet, sat nestled on the crest of a hill to the east. It looked strange there, like some downed bird.

She realized with a start that she could see through places on its hull, where plates had been removed.

Cannibalizing the ship? What for?

"Look over there," Cameron pointed, and she saw it, too. A group of men were excavating an area roughly the size the building she'd identified as the dormitory, and the flat plates of shielded metal from the ship were being welded into place. The scent of ozone filled the air as they came closer; sparks flew from ten different places in the large depression in the earth.

"What the hell's going on?" Walman demanded, and one of the workmen turned toward them then.

"What d'you think? We're building the hospital. Grab a torch and pitch in, or go away. Ain't got time for chit-chat."

"The hospital? On a bed of steel? What for?" Magus asked, dropping down into the work area. Now that she was closer, she could see that the plating was being welded together to form a single flat expanse of steel.

Braces had been fitted along the perimeter in places, and the beginnings of walls were being erected.

"Keep the Terrians out. This building'll be completely encased in metal - they can't swim through metal. No creature's taking _our_ kids away from us. Not even Adair."

"Adair?"

The man turned a pitying gaze on her. "Don't tell me you're a digger-lover." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I know you - you're one of the Advance team. You're the ones preachin' love thy alien. Hey!" he shouted to the others. "We got intruders!"

Magus scrambled back up the slope, helped by the reaching arms of Walman and Cameron. They hauled her up the last few feet and pulled her back from the edge.

All around them, the workmen switched off their equipment, carefully placing their torches and the massive metal plates on the ground as they advanced toward the trio. The sense of menace was palpable as they retreated step by step. As the men swarmed over the edge of the pit, Magus, Walman and Cameron turned and started to run.

They'd covered a hundred meters or so when they heard the thunderclap. Curiosity overriding sense, they turned as one to see a figure rise up from the earth near the pit. It turned toward them briefly, and with a shock, Magus recognized it as Devon Adair, her hair crusted with dirt, her face smudged and filthy. In her hand was a Terrian staff, held menacingly toward them.

All around the excavation, bodies shot up from the ground, lightning sticks held tightly. Electricity crackled, arcing from staff to staff, forming a light show like she'd never seen before. A howl rose up from the men then, as the crowd stood suspended between the intruders - Magus and her companions - and the Terrians ringing the foundation of the hospital. The staffs tipped in toward the base of metal, and suddenly the world went magnesium white.

A sound like a great outrushing of air followed, but it was a few minutes before the spots in their eyes faded enough for them to see. The hospital foundation glowed a sickly green, current arcing fitfully over its smoking surface. One of the men turned back to the excavation and lobbed an object toward the sizzling metal, and the object exploded in a shower of sparks.

A low growl started from the mob, and as one, they turned back toward Magus and her companions.

The trio started to run again, but they could hear the mob growing closer. Suddenly, three figures erupted out of the earth, blocking their escape. Magus gasped as she looked into the blank, implacable eyes of Devon Adair. Wordlessly, Devon and her two Terrian companions stepped up to Magus, Cameron and Walman.

Strong arms closed around them, and just as suddenly, they were dropping into the earth.

You must login (register) to review.