Home Sweet Home by Lynne Leeper

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Home Sweet Home, Part 5
by Lynne Leeper

Uly had come around pretty quickly, not having ever really being unconscious. He stared at the dirty figure that lounged against a tree a few meters away. He was dressed in what appeared to be standard Ops gear - the utilitarian vest and pants he was very familiar with. The shirt underneath was in shreds, but the man didn't seem to notice.

The man just glanced up at him once in a while, there being no expression on his face for Uly to read. The man got up and started to move around, apparently out of boredom. When he turned his back to him, Uly was shocked to see VA-1587 on the yellow stripe across the back of the rust-colored utility vest. This man was from the Eden ship? Or had he stolen it? If so, from whom? The condition of the vest told Uly that it wasn't from his camp.

Yale moaned and started to blink. This got the man's attention. Yale suddenly found a glaring pair of eyes inches from his own, the stench of the man's breath acting like smelling salts on his fuzzy brain. He struggled for a moment to get up, then realized he was securely bound. Yale forced himself to relax. The man slowly backed away from him.

After having a moment to understand his situation, Yale was immediately concerned about Uly. He saw the boy bound to a tree a few meters away from him, but apparently unharmed. The ATV was no where in sight. Yale returned his attention to the man, who was studying him carefully in return. He came over and examined Yale's cybernetic arm with great interest giving Yale a chance to get a good look at the man's features. The look in the man's eyes wasn't even human, yet Yale got a feeling of familiarity from the man.

"Who are you," Yale finally whispered. The man jumped back snarling and crouched, then straightened and relaxed his features. He turned on his heel and went over to a pack sitting by a tree. Yale then saw the ship's ID on the man's back. The man rummaged through a toolbox he had extracted from the pack, then returned to Yale.

"Were you on the Eden ship?" Yale asked. The man didn't answer. Yale started searching his memory as he studied the man hoping that something would click there. The man had loosened the rope on his one arm and pulled it up in front of Yale. He started probing the access panel that housed the power controls to his cybernetics. Yale tried to pull away, but his arm was still quite stiff from being held behind him. The man snarled and cuffed him on the temple, the rebuke being quite clear.

Yale glanced over at Uly, deciding just how far he dared push this insane individual. He thought if he could at least get the man to talk, he might at least be able to delay the inevitable. Glancing up to look at the sun, Yale new he and Uly were late getting back to camp. Devon would be worried and undoubtedly would already have John with her out looking for them. He needed time.

He decided to take a chance. At least with his arm out he could activate it. He mentally switched the power on, startling the man. This time the man held his ground but instead of getting angry, looked fascinated. Yale took another chance.

"Access files Eden Ops Crew" he ordered. The holographic projector in his arm lit up to display a roster. Again, the man held his ground, but his face had lost all expression.

"Begin scan, alphabetical order," Yale ordered. The man watched as pictures popped up one by one, each with a name and ID code label. Yale scanned the pictures as they went by but kept one eye on the unidentified man. The man seemed to be just as interested in the information as Yale. He sat unblinking, then suddenly a look of fury filled his eyes. He made a fist as if to smash Yale's arm, then held off. The man retreated to his tree, facing away. Yale tried to pull himself free again, hoping he would be fast enough with the help of his freed arm, but he couldn't reach the knots in the back. The man turned to glare at him and Yale took the hint. Yale again glanced at Uly, who was staying inconspicuously quiet.

Yale decided to go through the files again, this time with the audio on. He gave the specific instructions, then listened as a monotonous voice began identifying the pictures as they went by. The man listened for a while until again he became angry. Yale deactivated the program quickly, but noting the name at which the man had become angry.

"Gregory Thompson," Yale called out. The man stood with a defiant look on his face. "You're Gregory Thompson," Yale repeated. He studied the man's face and tried to fit it to the picture he had glimpsed of the man. If he was Ops crew, then Danziger should know him.

"Do you know John Danziger?" Yale asked. The man didn't get angry this time. Instead, he strode over to Yale and hit him hard, knocking him out.

***

The Strategist was mulling over what he had seen from the dark man's mechanical arm. A crew roster that had his face in it. He had never been this Thompson person, but it's possible that one of the others had been. He had been fascinated to see how strongly the Fiend had reacted. It had prompted the Fighter to respond. It was a good thing the Strategist had been able to regain control before the cyber arm had been damaged. He wondered what other information he could get from the dark man. He could prove to be quite useful in communicating with the Eden invaders. He glanced at the boy who had remained silent through all of this. The boy was still his bait. Perhaps he could use the dark man as a messenger, record the image of the boy into his arm and send him back with his demands. The Strategist also realized that the adults who owned the child would come looking for him eventually. It would be good to have the messenger ready and left out to be found when they came looking. The dark man was still unconscious when he had the Fiend return to working on the man's arm.

***

Julia and True had heard the commotion brought on by the return of the salvage team. They had finished reviewing the material provided by Julia's diaglove and True was finding question after question to ask her. It was with relief that Julia returned with True to the camp.

Danziger was unloading the scout vehicle when True came to greet him, but instead of the usual tackle she gave him, she stood back and stared at him with wide eyes. The look on her face was so amazed that it stopped him with a crate in mid air. He had to quickly catch himself before it landed on his foot.

"Hey, True-girl. What bit you?" he asked setting down the crate. He stepped up to her and opened his arms, an invitation she never refused. Danziger was confused by her hesitation but she finally launched herself at him.

"Are you O.K.?" he asked. She pulled back a bit, her eyes still a bit wide.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, then a coy look came over her face and she started giggling. She left him like that, wondering what could possibly be going through her mind. He glanced over at Devon who was standing with Julia and Alonzo in front of their tent. They had been watching him and True. He could see them smiling and wondered if he had been the victim of some bad joke.

Julia then hurried off inside to get her gear and the emergency of the moment came back to him. The vehicle had been unloaded, so he indicated to Devon that they should get their own stuff for the trip. He followed her into their tent. She was adding things to their packs that they hadn't needed for the trip to the pod. She turned to him with a grin on her face.

"Mind telling me what the joke is?" he asked irritably, planting his fists on his hips. Devon moved up to him and molded herself to him, pulling his head down so she could whisper in his ear.

"Julia just explained the difference between boys and girls to True," she said softly. She felt him sag against her and moan. She pulled back enough to see his face and found him blushing.

"Why, John Danziger. I do believe you're embarrassed," she teased. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them to see her still grinning at him.

"My own daughter looking at me that way! Wait until it's your turn with Uly," he warned. The reference to her son wiped the smile off of her face. His own expression became sober.

"Let's go find him," he told her, then gave her a quick hug before they parted to finish their packing.

***

Uly had found it within himself to stay calm when the strange man had been with Yale. He even was able to withhold his cries when Yale had been hit. Yale was unconscious now and the man was doing something to his mechanical arm. Uly reached deeply inside himself, drawing on his Terrian part to clear his mind. He had been slowly working his hands loose so he could touch the ground. It was proving to be a slow and arduous task since the man had been very efficient with the job of tying him up. But the man had thought Uly to only be a child. He never would have considered him to be of any threat at all. Uly knew that he and Yale had to get away as soon as possible. He knew his mother and John would come looking for them, but Uly was afraid they would be too late. He continued to work on his hands and his prayers at the same time.

***

The rest of the Eden Group had been left to continue working on getting the cargo pod unloaded. Alonzo had wanted to go with Devon, Danz and Julia, but since there was no immediate reason to be worried, Danziger insisted he was needed to drive one of the new vehicles back to the pod. He didn't like it, but he understood. There was enough time to make one more quick run to the pod and bring back the easier to load items there. Tomorrow their efforts would be on figuring out how to get the larger Transport to camp.

The ATV had left occasional tracks in the loose soil so it didn't take long to find which track Yale took to go upwards. About halfway there, the tracks suddenly overlapped themselves and branched off to the north. Danziger decided to follow the split since they still couldn't see anything at the top of the hill.

The way the tracks were cut it was clear that Yale had been driving like a mad man. Devon's face became stoic as it looked like Uly and Yale were in some sort of trouble. There was no clue as to what had happened, but the swinging tracks of the ATV indicated that it was serious.

The tracks led to the next tract of forest where the loam was soft enough to leave a clear trail. They had gone in about a kilometer when they came upon the ATV. It had been ransacked and there was no sign of Uly or Yale. There were no footprints to be found to indicate what direction they might have gone, the loam springy enough to return to its original shape after being stepped on. It was very confusing.

Danziger pulled out and EM tracker, hoping to either pick up Yale's Gear signal or even his mechanical arm, if it was active. He got no readings, but all that determined was that Yale was not close by. He looked up at Devon, who had become quite pale. He suddenly wished that they had brought more people with them.

"Call camp," he said softly. "We're going to need help." Devon snapped into action and activated her Gear. She was surprised that Walman answered her call. He was supposed to have gone back to the pod. She didn't take the time to question him since she needed his help more.

"Walman. We've found the ATV in the forest to the north but there's no sign of Uly or Yale. We need to form search teams to look for them," she told him. Walman nodded, his face grim.

"Magus, Cameron and I will take the dunerail and work our way towards your signal. The three of you had better stay together until we meet up with you," he instructed. Devon could tell by the look on his face he wasn't telling her something.

"You know something we don't?" she asked. He took a deep breath, then exhaled, looking away for a moment.

"Baines found something near the pod when we got back there and he went for a leak," he began. There was a pile of bones half-buried in a depression. Probably uncovered by the weather."

"Human?" Devon asked, holding her breath.

"No. Grendler by the look of them, and they've been there for a while- long enough to have been scrubbed clean. There were remnants of clothing as well," he told her. Devon started breathing again. Walman saw the relief in her face.

"Be careful, Devon," he warned her. "These Grendlers looked like they'd been ripped apart and I have the feeling that whatever did this is still around." She nodded.

"I'm activating the homing signal." Walman nodded back, then she ended her transmission.

"Well, there's no sign of them anywhere," Danz said, walking back to her. Is help on the way?"

"Walman, Magus and Cameron are coming to meet us in the dunerail." She grasped his arm, then looked over at Julia. "Walman says they found some Grendler remains, and that it looks like they'd been torn apart. He thinks that what did it is still around here." Danziger felt a chill go down his spine. Julia wrapped her arms around herself.

"We'll stick together," Devon announced. She got no complaints.

***

The Fiend had finished his work on the dark man's mechanical arm. It now contained the message the Strategist had composed as well as a picture of the boy. The Fiend had added his own little touch. He had rigged the power supply in the cybernetic arm to discharge itself in one quick burst right after the message had been delivered. The Strategist approved. The job complete, it was now time to move the messenger to where his companions would find him.

The Strategist checked the on the boy briefly. He had apparently fallen asleep and was still secure in his bonds. Satisfied, he instructed the Fighter to pick the cyborg up and deliver him to his vehicle.

Uly was not asleep, rather he was deep in his efforts to communicate with the Terrians. The man hadn't noticed that Uly had managed to get his hands down to the ground. Uly broadcast for help as loud and as far as he could. He felt the Terrians he had been in communication with at the top of the hill there in the distance, and beseeched their help. They would not come to him directly - he was too close to the strange man. He told them that he would die if they didn't help him. They understood his peril, but would not endanger themselves. They told him he must deal with his own kind without their help. They were incapable of the violence required.

Feeling that he had lost, Uly's thoughts drifted to his mother. She had always been there for him. She had done the impossible to save his life, nearly at the cost of her own. Although he was still deep in his Terrian part, the human emotion of sadness crept through. The Terrians in the distance faded away from him.

***

Now that there was a tactical problem to solve, Danziger resorted to digging up the memories of his military training to find a way to begin. Devon was for choosing a direction and going, but Danz was able to convince her that they didn't dare go off half-cocked. Julia marveled at the sudden role reversal, but then that's the way it had always been between these two. Balance and counter balance. It's what made them more than just the sum of two individuals.

Using the ATV as a focal point, the began to spiral out to see if they could find any clues as to which direction Yale and Uly might have gone. They stayed within a few meters of each other and worked they way out for about a half a kilometer. It was if the pair had suddenly grown wings. It was obvious that this wasn't getting them anywhere, so they returned to the ATV to find an unconscious Yale was sitting in the passenger seat. They ran up to him, Devon frantically looking around for Uly. Julia immediately got out her diaglove and ran it over Yale's swollen head.

"It looks like he's been beaten. He has been hit repeatedly in the same place here," she said, indicating the swelling at his temple. Julia dug through her medical kit and administered anti-shock treatment and anti-inflammatory. Devon was panicking.

"Can you bring him around? I've got to know where Uly is!" Danziger grabbed her before she landed on Yale.

"Easy, easy!" he said crushing her to him. "Let Julia do her job!" Devon strained against his hold for a moment then gave in, but she didn't cry. She couldn't afford the luxury of that right now.

Julia continued to check him over and discovered the tampering that had been done to his mechanical arm. She carefully examined the interface controls and found that the temporary data storage was waiting to be dumped.

"John, look at this." He let go of Devon and stepped up to see what Julia had found. She showed him the blinking light.

"Looks like a message," he told her. Devon moved up to look.

"About Uly?" she asked, hanging on to her composure.

"Only one way to find out," Danz said. He reached over and activated the data dump. The holographic projector sprang to life showing Uly tied to his tree. A message began printing out on the viewer when a lone Terrian shot up out of the ground and reached past Danz to grab Yale's arm. The data dump must have been finished because the projector shut down. A surge of current formed a halo over Yale's arm and shot down the Terrian's arm. The creature howled in pain and as soon as the halo died out, released Yale's arm and sank back down into the soil. The humans stared for a moment, stunned.

"What in hell was that?" Danziger finally said. Julia shook herself free of her shock, then examined Yale's arm. The power lines visible within the hatch were blackened and the smell of burning electronics met her nose.

"His power supply was set up to electrocute him!" Julia exclaimed. This got Devon's attention.

"He was set up to deliver a message and then he was suppose to die?" she asked, the anger rising in her face.

"Sounds like a Special Forces technique to me," Danz said. Devon stared at him.

"Someone from the Special Forces has my son?" she asked, getting pale again. Danz put a supportive arm around her.

"We'll find him, Devon, even if we have to uproot this forest tree by tree!" Danz said in a determined tone. "Julia, were you recording the message from Yale's arm?" Julia immediately checked her diaglove.

"It's here, but you'll need to see it on Gear," she told them. Danziger put his Gear back on. Devon had never removed hers. Julia keyed the glove to replay the message.

Danziger heard Devon's sharp intake of breath as they again saw the picture of Uly tied to a tree. He looked around the scene for as much information as he could to see if there were any clues as to where the boy might be, but whoever had created it had done their job well. He could see nothing. The printed message then began to scroll by again. It was in broken sentences and was barely in Universal English. He studied it for a moment, the message being short enough to be seen all at once.

"It looks like a ransom demand," he decided. "From what I can tell, it looks like Uly is to be exchanged for the entire contents of the cargo pod, but there are no instructions on how the exchange is supposed to happen." Danziger switched off his Gear to see Devon slump by Yale, who was still unconscious.

"Julia, how is he? Can you wake him up?" she asked desperately. Julia shook her head, and didn't say a word. Danziger looked away, trying to figure out what to do. His gaze suddenly locked on a figure just in view through the trees.

"Devon. look!" he exclaimed turning her to look, then pointing. A lone Terrian stood watching them. Seeing that he had caught their attention, he started walking away.

"Come on!" he said, pulling her, then turned to Julia. "Stay with Yale!" Julia stayed.

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