Home Sweet Home by Lynne Leeper

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Home Sweet Home, Part 4
by Lynne Leeper

The Fighter followed the caravan with ease. He toyed with the idea of picking off stragglers but the Strategist wouldn't let him. It had become clear that the group was heading toward his primary holdings, towards the monument he had fought so deviously to protect. So why wasn't he being allowed to protect?

The Strategist watched carefully, noting that the children were never left unattended. All the more the challenge for him. He decided it would be fun to let the group get to the pod - he knew what it was. All his efforts to break into it had failed. He didn't have the tools or the strength to do it himself. He regretted that he had killed the Grendlers he had captured. Turned out that they could have done the job for him. Well, it had happened before he had gained full control over his counterparts. By the time he had that control, all of the other Grendlers had fled. These new invaders would do the job for him just as well. So it had taken a bit longer. At least he'd have his prize now.

***

By nightfall, the Eden group had made it to the next series of washes that would lead them to Julia and Alonzo's delta. The cargo pod was only a couple miles away, but through dense forest. Instead of stories around the campfire that evening, everyone talked about reaching the pod so they could claim their goods and get to the site of the town they were going to build. There was never any question they could do it. It was a matter of how much effort it was going to take. The subject of dividing up the group never came up. It was a given these days that no one should be put at any more risk than necessary.

Since the Transrover could get no closer, it was decided that a team of 6 would make the initial trip to the pod. That way, any supplies they needed from camp could be brought out by others after the actual disposition of the pod was determined.

With a long day in front of them tomorrow, the group retired early. Walman decided to take the first watch and would be relieved by Morgan 2 hours later. Walman had a growing itch at the back of his mind and spent his time on watch trying to figure out what was causing it. He had set up the sensors again since it was likely that they were going to stay at the current camp for more than a day. He was particular scrupulous with the one sensor he had found out of sequence, making sure his personal marker was secure.

Walman also did something that he hadn't done for a while. He had asked Danziger to reactivate Zero. The robot had been shut down as the result of some faulty stabilizers that tended to allow him to trip over his own feet. Since Zero weighed nearly a ton, it was definitely hazardous to let the robot be near you when you're looking the other direction. The robot was put in storage, more for the safety of the kids, until Danz could find a way to fix him. This night, only the robot's head was activated, his sensors patched in line with those of the perimeter. Walman couldn't really explain why he had wanted the mechanical man reactivated, but Danziger accepted his request on faith.

***

It was the Fiend's turn at watch that night. He giggled to himself as he watched Walman turn the watch over to Morgan. He recognized Morgan as the mate of the woman with dark curls he had decided he wanted first. This was too good of an opportunity to miss.

The Fiend made his way down to the perimeter and chose a sensor to work his magic on. He noted the Zero unit that had been added and smirked. That wasn't going to help these amateurs much. He opened the panel and tweaked the locks with a small tool, then realigned the infrared beam to target the Zero unit instead. Having done this, he slid his way into camp and went to check out Morgan. The idiot was fondling a mug of something, his weapon propped up next to him. He didn't even glance around the camp once in while. The Fiend silently walked right past him, confident that Morgan would never notice.

Morgan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He set down his coffee, and slowly picked up the Magpro. He stared hard out into the darkness, and scanned around the camp. He missed the dark figure who was slipping into his own tent. After several minutes of extending his senses, Morgan decided that he was imagining things. He glanced at his watch. Still an hour left before Danziger would relieve him. He sighed, then went back to his coffee.

The Fiend stood just inside of the tent for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark. The tent walls were of a light color, so there was a small amount of light getting through from the rising moons. He padded his way over to the sleeping figure he saw there. Yes, this was the one he wanted.

He placed his hand close to her head, feeling the heat from her. He moved his face to hers, and took a deep breath of her. She shifted slightly but the Fiend held his ground. He moved his hand along her, just a fraction of an inch from her. He imagined feeling her soft flesh, and how he would enjoy the taste of it. But no, he wouldn't do that just yet. Instead, he reached to touch her long hair and dared to pluck one strand out. Bess jerked, but her eyes didn't open. Fiend laughed silently in delight.

He dared then to slowly peel the blanket off of her, exposing her bare arms. He was beginning to lose control. He reached out with his face to taste her when a burning sensation began at the back of his head. The Strategist had awakened!

Not wanting to go away empty, the Fiend grabbed the hair clip Bess had nearby and bolted out of the tent, the rustle of the flap waking Bess.

"Morgan?" she called out sleepily, but he wasn't there. She stared for a minute, suddenly noticing a foul odor about her. Sniffing, she sat up puzzled and looked around. Everything was as it should have been. The odor faded quickly, so Bess settled back into her blankets and went back to sleep.

Morgan thought he caught a flash of motion out of the corner of his eye. By the time he had swiveled his head to look full on, there was nothing to see. 'My imagination is really on overtime tonight' he thought to himself, then glanced at his watch again. Still another 45 minutes until Danziger would relieve him.

***

Everyone rose early the next day in anticipation of reaching the cargo pod. Breakfast was practically ignored as the six were chosen to go. Devon, Danziger, Alonzo, Magus, Walman and Baines packed their gear and headed off for the three mile hike. The terrain never got very steep and the pines were old enough to have discouraged much undergrowth. Danziger marked the path they took as they went, looking for openings wide enough for vehicles. There were spots where it could be dicey, but they might not have a choice.

It took less than an hour to reach it. To Devon, it looked like a gift from the Gods - whole, looming, with several fractured trees protruding out from under it. They circled the huge rust-covered monument, admiring the large "1" painted on it's side, still visible through the rust. Danziger checked the seals, still in place.

"What do you think?" Devon asked him.

"Well, it looks like we finally got lucky," he reported. Walman walked up.

"Notice the marks by the locks?" he asked, pointing at the seal Danziger had been looking at.

"Yeah," Danz nodded.

"What do you mean?" Devon asked. Walman looked at her.

"Someone tried to break in," he told her.

"Someone who had some tools, but not the right ones," Danziger added. He looked at the lock carefully. "It's a sure bet it wasn't Grendlers." Walman felt that itch in the back of his head getting worse.

"Come on, let's get this thing open and see what we've got," Walman said. Danziger nodded and started entering codes on the keypad.

***

Morgan had just finished KP duty. Since the Eden group was more or less likely to be camped right where they were for a day or two while the contents of the cargo pod were retrieved, he actually had nothing he had to do. He decided to go looking for Bess, who had seemed a bit distracted that morning. He eventually found her in their tent, in the middle of a pile of her stuff which she had tossed thoughtlessly around her. Bess was usually very efficient and tidy with the few possessions they actually had left, so Morgan knew something was up.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, surveying the mess. Bess looked up at him with a frustrated look on her face.

"Have you seen my hair clip?" she asked. She almost sounded as if she were accusing him of taking it.

"Whoa. No I haven't. Wasn't it with your other things, where you usually put it?" he asked carefully.

"No, Morgan, it wasn't," she said angrily. She let out a big huff, then sat glaring at the stuff around her. "I *know* I left right next to me last night. I had it right on top of the clothes I was going to wear today!" Morgan didn't know what to say so he just shrugged.

"Maybe it just fell off the pile and tumbled somewhere," he suggested lamely. Bess glared at him.

"I've looked all over. It just isn't here!" she told him. Morgan stepped gingerly over a wad of her clothes and sat down on the cot.

"Well, you've got another one, don't you? It's bound to turn up eventually," he offered. Bess sighed, then looked at the mess she had made.

"I hope so. That clip was my mother's. It was the last thing of hers I had," she said sadly. Morgan hated to see her that way, so he knelt down next to her and put his arms around her.

"I know, sweetie. I'm sure it'll turn up," he assured her. Bess sat there for a while, then slipped out of his arms and began to pick up her things.

***

Yale was reviewing Julia and Alonzo's video, starting to work out the geology of the old river delta. It would be important to determine what the annual weather cycle was like there and what effect it had on the area. It wouldn't do to built a town just to have it washed out into the ocean during a winter flood. He was interrupted when Uly came up and tugged on his sleeve.

"Yale?" the boy asked, looking a bit tentative. As always, Yale put aside what he was doing to attend to his charge.

"Yes, Uly?"

"Mom and Mr. Danziger promised I could go out to the hills today. I need to talk to the Terrians," he explained. Yale thought about that for a moment.

"You can't reach them here either?" he asked.

"No. I don't think they want to come past that ridge," Uly answered, pointing back to a barren line of hills a few kilometers away. Yale looked at the ridge. It looked like an easy trip for the ATV, and it was in line of sight with the camp.

"Let me ask your mother, O.K.?" Uly nodded while Yale settled his Gear onto his head, then activated Devon's frequency. She appeared immediately.

"Yes, Yale?" Yale could see the pod behind her, the first of the compartments open and the men loading up a new vehicle.

"Uly wants to go up to the ridge line behind us. It's in line with camp, so I see no problem getting there. He says he needs to talk to the Terrians," Yale explained. Devon remembered John making that promise.

"We'll be here a while, so I don't see why not," she answered. "Just be careful. There are indications that someone tried to break into the pod, but quite some time ago. We haven't seen any recent signs of anyone else being here, though." Yale nodded.

"We should be back in a few hours. I'll pack us some lunch just in case," Yale told her. Devon nodded.

"O.K., See you later." She switched off her Gear. John had come up to her while she was talking.

"Everything O.K.?" he asked. Devon smiled.

"Yeah. Uly still wants to go try and talk to the Terrians. Yale said he'd take him," she told him. John could see the concern in her eyes.

"He'll be fine, Devon," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned into him a bit.

"I know. It's just one of these days, I'm afraid Uly will go with them and not come back," she said. John didn't know how to answer that, so he gave her a hug instead.

"John!" Danziger looked up to see Walman throwing a rope down from the upper frame work of the pod. "How about anchoring that for me?" he shouted down.

"Caught in the act again!" Danz said smiling. Devon grinned, then gave him a quick kiss and let him go. Danz went to anchor the line, so Devon returned to the lower level to help with the smaller crates.

***

Yale drove the ATV carefully up through the hills, Uly perched behind the roll bar. The vegetation here had become sparse and low to the ground leaving loose gravel exposed at the surface. It didn't take long to get where they were going. Yale stopped the vehicle and Uly climbed down, walking a few feet away and dropped into the familiar crouch. Yale leaned back against the ATV, prepared to sit a vigil if that's what it took.

Uly had been down on his hands and knees for only a few minutes when Yale heard the crunch of gravel behind him. He turned in surprise and was greeted by a fist to the jaw. He never remembered hitting the ground.

***

The Fighter grinned. He was finally going to have some fun. The Strategist had watched while the pair had left camp. Now that the enemy had made it to the pod, he was going to need leverage to force them to turn over it's contents to him. This pair, including one of the children was a perfect target. They couldn't have made it any easier for him.

The Fighter was put in charge. He easily tracked the slow moving vehicle, having no problem staying out of sight. He became a bit leery when they had crossed the boundary he had established between himself and the dirtmen, but the vehicle came to rest not too far behind enemy lines.

He was swift and efficient. He rendered the large dark man unconscious and draped him over the vehicle without disturbing the boy. The Strategist wanted him alive for interrogation. He swiftly crept up to the boy and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt.

Uly had been in contact with the Terrians. They were still some distance away, but at least now he could talk to them. At first, they seemed a bit wary of him, sensing he was near the Dead Zone. They searched his thoughts and learned of who he was, then accepted his presence. Uly began to ask questions. Why weren't they here or at the coast line? The Terrians began taking him back through time on the dream plane when suddenly all contact was lost.

Uly screamed, the pain of being torn away giving way to terror when he opened his eyes and found himself looking into the filthy face of a man he didn't know. As the man smiled, Uly gagged on the man's foul breath. The man laughed and shook him, causing Uly to start struggling. A snarl formed on the man's face and he struck Uly, making Uly's ears ring. The man dumped the boy into the passenger seat of the ATV, then started the vehicle back down the hill with reckless abandon and into the forest. He deviated his course away from the Eden camp and brought the vehicle to a sliding stop. He hauled both of his prisoners out one at a time and carried them for a distance, the boy first since he was stirring. He sat each against a tree and deftly tied them there. The Strategist then waited for his victims to regain consciousness.

***

True had been spending the morning with Julia, who like everyone else was just waiting for the salvage team to either ask for help or come back. They went for a walk around camp, Julia looking for herbs that could either be eaten or used as back up medication. True made herself good company, taking an interest in what Julia was finding. Julia was glad for the company and made a point of explaining everything she was looking for. After awhile though, Julia could see that True's attention span had been maxed out, so they stopped to sit on a convenient felled tree. True stared a Julia for a moment, then went back to scuffing the dirt with her toe.

It was obvious that True had had a lot on her mind lately, and it wasn't hard to guess why. Julia decided to see if she could help.

"You thinking about your dad?" she asked. True looked up at her, startled.

"Umm, sort of," she answered, returning to her scuffing. Julia smiled.

"Sort of? Well, how about Devon then," she tried. True looked up at her. It was obvious that True wanted to ask her something, but was afraid to for some reason.

"What?" Julia prompted. It was obvious True was struggling with something.

"Come on, you can trust me," Julia encouraged. Whatever it was, it was important enough that True just couldn't hold back any more.

"Well, it's just that dad and Devon want to have more kids," True explained. A big grin split Julia's face.

"That's wonderful, True!" Julia told her. True looked up at her shyly.

"Dad and I started to talk about that, but he didn't tell me how it actually happens," True said. Then corrected herself. "I mean, I know how it happens, sort of, but I don't understand how you actually have one." She looked hopefully up at Julia. "You're a doctor. Can you explain it to me?" Julia suddenly felt on the spot. True could see her hesitation.

"I don't think dad can really explain it to me. Please?" she implored. Julia knew that it was important for True to know the mechanics of what she would be facing, and very soon it suddenly dawned on her. Even though she suspected that John would prefer Devon to talk to her about this, Julia was reasonably sure that Devon wouldn't mind her at least filling in about the biology of it.

"I'll tell you what. Since we have the time, I'll show you how it works. Then, if you have any questions about it, about how it affects you, I suggest that you ask Devon. I really think she would like to do this for you," Julia suggested. True nodded in agreement.

"Dad said she would."

"Did you bring your Gear?" Julia asked. True answered by pulling it out of her pocket. Julia set up their Gear to read the data files of her diaglove. After True had her Gear in place, Julia activated the files.

"Ready?" she asked. True nodded, then began her journey of discovery.

***

It was well after lunch when the salvage team made their way back to camp with three heavily loaded vehicles. All six members of the team were exhausted, not only from the heavy work of loading the vehicles, but from the stress of negotiating the vehicles through the forest. All was immediately justified when they cleared the forest and entered the camp to the cheers of the others. They had only unloaded about a third of the pod. There was another large vehicle in it, but it was going to be tough getting it out. Danziger was determined to try.

Devon jumped off of the larger of the three vehicles, a sort of mid-sized transport designed to be used for long hauls. It had a much beefier suspension and was geared for higher speeds than the old Transrover. It would be a good work horse when building the township of New Pacifica.

John joined her, scanning the camp. "Where are the kids?" he asked. Devon looked around. Not seeing them, she grabbed Cameron who was helping to unload the vehicles.

"Haven't Yale and Uly returned yet?" she asked him. Cameron shook his head.

"I don't think so. I haven't seen them," he answered. Devon, suddenly worried, activated her Gear.

"Yale?" she called. There was no response. She tried again several times, but it was if Yale had turned his Gear off. If it had been John, she wouldn't have been immediately worried, but this was not like Yale at all. Danz could see the alarm building in her face.

"No answer?" he asked. Devon shook her head.

"It's like he turned his Gear off. He would never do that, knowing it would worry me," she said looking straight into his eyes. He didn't have to ask what she was thinking.

"Alight." Danz turned to Cameron. "Did they say exactly where they were going?" he asked. Cameron pointed at the barren ridge of hills.

"Yale said they were going straight that way. He said he would be staying in sight of camp." Danziger pulled out his jumpers and scanned the hill tops for some sign of the pair.

"I sure don't see anything," he said. One look at Devon told him exactly what she wanted of him. "We'd better pack a few supplies just in case," he said, then looked at the new vehicles. "We'll take one of those," he said, nodding his head towards the smaller scout vehicles.

"I'd like Julia to come with us," Devon said. He nodded in agreement.

"I'll get the vehicle ready while you find Julia," he said, then headed towards the first of the new scout vehicles to help get it unloaded.

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