When Dreams Don't Come True
by Greg Lincoln
The group was slowly traversing towards their goal. Devon Adair was in the back watching over her flock, almost herding them along. The cold winter months were nearly upon them, and its toll could be seen on all the members of the group. Walking in a large winter coat was never easy, especially with a strong head wind.
Morgan Martin was near the back walking with Bess Martin next to the ATV which had John Danziger at the helm. *Why does HE always get to ride, and I never can,* Morgan thought. *I never get any breaks. No one ever looks out for ME.* This thought made him even madder, and he kicked at the snow, with little effect. Bess was deep in a "walking trance," not paying much attention to her surroundings. She hadn't yet noticed Morgan's huff. *SHE doesn't even care what happens to me.* Anger filled him even more. *No one ever has...*
"Where are you, BRAT!", Adias Martin exclaimed. "You were late to the social meeting for the LAST TIME!" Morgan huddled in the corner of his small room on the station. The metal walls were cold against his warm, nervous body. *How could I have been so careless,* he thought, *I'm surely dead now.*
"MORGAN!!" His father continued to rant and rave, throwing a fit of rage. Being one of the most respected bureaucrats of modern time, he hadn't had the time for his son's foolishness. He was sure he had told Morgan that all family was expected at these socials, and the public would look down on him were any not to show. These meetings gave the public a chance to hash out council members; to voice their opinions. They also were devised to humanize the council, showing them with "normal" families and existence.
"Where are you Morgan," he said tauntingly. Morgan knew that it would only be worse if he stayed in hiding, he might as well face the music. "I'm coming, Father."
He joined his father in the great room. It was sparsely decorated, much like a showroom for a new condo complex. Pictures were hung on the wall at usual spots. No family pictures though. He would never put pictures of the family on the wall. "Son, I asked you to come today, now I had to leave during recess to get you! You will come NOW!" Adias grabbed Morgan roughly, and tugged him towards the door.
"Dad, I'm sorry," Morgan sobbed, "I was working.." "NOTHING can be more important than my orders," Adias interrupted, "Shut up child!"
Quietly, Morgan finished, "on your birthday present."
"Morgan dear?" Bess looked over, concerned. "Are you talking to me?"
"No Bess honey, sorry." Morgan continued walking more quickly now.
The group reached a clearing, and Devon called a halt for lunch. Julia opened the packs mounted to the Rover and began passing out spirolina to the hungry travelers. Morgan took his place in line, getting there last.
"Uly, you're on my FOOT!" True Danziger very indignantly shoved her way in front of Ulysses.
"True, I was here first!" Uly began to pout. *Someone should shut these kids up,* Morgan thought. *Kids talk too much.*
"Someday I will make a difference," Morgan said to himself. "I will make sure that people aren't judged for their appearance or their age. I'm going to be a big and important guy someday."
"BE QUIET", Adias screamed from his bedroom. "You shouldn't talk to yourself."
*I can never be myself. I will fix that.* Morgan jumped up from his bed and went into his father's study. *Where is that damn book...AHH!* Morgan pulled off the shelf a new looking copy of *Moby Dick*. He opened it, and inside was his Father's council issue protection device. It was called a Tazer, it could kill at the maximum setting, but it was mainly used for protection, and was rarely set off the stun setting. Morgan adjusted it to the maximum setting, and nervously walked into the hallway leading to his father's bedroom.
He waited a moment in the hallway just to the right of the door. The hall led to his father's room, and to a bathroom. It was an odd extension off the rest of the living quarters, but it gave Adias privacy. After taking several deep breaths, he kicked open his father's door, aimed the Tazer and shot.
The blast flew across the room, slamming into Adias' bed. Morgan then felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "Son, I wasn't in bed..." A look of death replaced Adias' usually controlled expression. "OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!"
Morgan ran. He fled as he never had before. He was heading for his only refuge. A place that only he knew...
"Morgan?!? Morgan!! You okay?" Julia had a look of sincere concern on her face as she shook him slightly.
"Morgan honey?" Bess looked over curiously. "Oh. Sorry, my mind sorta wandered off there a minute." He took his food and walked over to Bess. "Bess, do you think I'm paranoid?"
She looked at him as if he was insane. "Huh? What are you talking about."
"Well, I think that everyone in this group is out to get me. To try and ruin me." Morgan took a bite of his spirolina, and continued. "I've been thinking, that maybe I am being paranoid."
"I don't know Morgan. I don't think you need to worry about it."
"Okay honey... "
He was nearly out of breath when he got to the cargo shed. It was about a ten minute walk, but he made it in three minutes flat. *I need to think this out,* he thought. *There must be a way out.* The shed must have been used sometime in the past to store supplies or something. Now it was just an abandoned room with a broken pass lock. Morgan had been exploring one day when he discovered it. You could get in just by pushing the open button! No code required! It had been a refuge for him ever since. He didn't think anyone knew of it but him.
*I suppose I should go back, but will he let me stay. I need to figure this out!* He stood up and began to pace. That usually helped him to think. If only he had a friend to ask for help. But Adias had seen to that. Anyone who was seen with him soon was visited by Adias, and told sternly that Morgan was not allowed to socialize with lessors, and since he was nearly the highest, Morgan didn't have many equals.
Morgan slowly began to calm down as he sat in the corner of the room. Some of the liquid supplies that were long forgotten had started to leak onto the floor. They consisted of mainly cleaning fluids, so they gave the room a sort of "flowery" scent that was calming to Morgan. This was really the only place he felt safe, he knew no-one would find him...
"Okay troops, we should probably get going, I want to make more progress while its warm." Devon addressed the group in her usual commanding manner. Morgan never cared for her commanding attitude. He didn't like being told what to do. As usual though, Morgan just got up, without saying a word. He knew that he could never cross Devon. Not because of her strong, in charge attitude, that was of little consequence to Morgan. It was only that she looked so much like Julie...
The door suddenly began to open. Fear shot though Morgan. *Oh no! It's Dad!* he thought. *How could he have found me?* Morgan could hear faint sobbing as the door closed again. *Hmm. Not Dad...* Standing in the room, now, was a girl who looked to be in just as bad shape as Morgan. She looked to be about 14 or 15, about the same age as Morgan. She looked very upset, her pretty brown hair all mussed, and her face puffed up. Her eyes widened with fear when she looked over towards Morgan. She turned with great speed, to leave the way she came.
"No wait...Stop!" Morgan called. "I won't hurt you." That was all he could think to say. Perhaps he said it in a convincing enough way to calm her slightly, for she halted her flight, and turned back to him. Continuing to sob, she seemed to consider his words.
"What are you doing here?" She flashed him with her brown eyes, seemingly much calmer.
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing!" Morgan forced a smile, which seemed to have an additional calming factor.
A small, bashful smile flashed on her face. But only for a second, one could not have blinked or miss it. She still didn't seem totally pleased with the situation, but she seemed to be calming at least. "I come here often." She didn't seem to want to reveal much yet.
Morgan, being naturally outgoing, had a different attitude. "Hello! I'm Morgan. Morgan Martin." He smiled wider, and offered her his hand. Suddenly, her face filled with a look of utter terror and jumped back, the crying starting again. "What's wrong? What did I do?!" He pulled his hand back quickly.
She was crying very hard now. She then began to shake slightly as she knelt down into the corner of the small room. She looked at Morgan apologetically, "I'm...*sob* sorry. I thought *sob* you were going to hit me." She hid her face and shook with the force of her crying.
Morgan just hated seeing a girl cry. He really hated that. It made him feel horrible. She looked so miserable, so vulnerable. Something truly horrible had happened to her. This was obvious. *I wonder how I can help her?* He looked at her closely. She seemed to be clutching her stomach as she cried. *Hmm.* He didn't want to walk over and sit next to her, as that may scare her again; so he sat down across from her, which placed them only six feet apart, since the room was so small. The distance seemed like a million miles to Morgan though. He decided to take the direct approach.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing...Nothing. I'm sorry." She didn't seem to be in a talking mood. While he was very curious, he felt it would be best to respect her privacy; besides, he wasn't really in the mood to talk himself. He decided to just sit there and let her get herself together. He felt that she was being very trustful by just staying. Try as he may, he could not easily get his mind off her. Maybe it was the crying. He just felt so bad for her. He knew what it felt like to have the feeling that there was no one to turn to. That everyone was only going to make things worse. He had to find a way to show her that he was not going to be like the others; that he understood. His depression was returning quickly. *What could have happened to her?* He began to cry slightly himself.
"I'm Julie," she said suddenly. Her soft voice pulled him back to reality. She was looking right at him with her beautiful brown eyes, filled with concern for him.
"Hi Julie." He managed to recover. *Now what do I say,* he thought. An awkward pause once again filled the room with silence. He decided to try again. "Why are you crying?"
Julie looked down, sadness filling her eyes again. She seemed to be reliving a horrible experience. She looked at him, and slowly lifted the side of her shirt, exposing her stomach and side. It was saturated with bruises, some that had obviously been there a while, and others that were bloody and new. Morgan gasped. "What happened!"
She again started crying softly. "My dad didn't like my new haircut. I did it myself. I thought it was good! He told me that it would never do, and that I would need to do better. Then he punished me." She looked up at Morgan.
Anger filled Morgan. Yet another innocent put though pain unjustly. He got up slowly, so as not to frighten her, and sat down by her side. He touched her hair softly. "Your hair is beautiful. He was wrong."
She looked into his eyes and smiled brightly. The feeling was astounding. He knew then that he would have to watch out for this gem, this wonderful person. He would have to protect her.
"My dad is pretty mean to be too," he added, "but not as bad as yours." He looked down a minute. "Do you come here to escape?"
"Yes. I thought I was the only one." They sat with one another, each basking in the others strength, perhaps even borrowing some from love itself. The feeling of companionship was enough to warm their cold, aching hearts. They began to study each other with much scrutiny. Morgan was the first to recover from the ecstasy.
"Oh, sorry," he said with a little embarrassment in his voice.
"No, it's okay! Really!" Julie looked right at him, a warmth in her eyes that could heat a room fifty times the size of their sanctuary. "You know Morgan, you're really nice!"
The warmth made its way to Morgan, and filled him with happiness. *I'm nice,* he thought. *Wow!* He realized that during their trance, they had moved closer, and nowwere nearly touching. She reached over and took his hand...
Morgan jumped. He saw before him and equally shocked Bess. "Morgan, honey, can't I hold your hand?" "I'm sorry Bess, dear. I was thinking again, and you startled me." Morgan sent her a warm smile. The concern left her eyes. They stopped for a moment, leaving the caravan to its travels, and entered an embrace. "Bess, I love you so much." Bess kissed him. They hugged again, and rejoined the caravan, hand in hand.
"I love you too, Morgan." She smiled at him...
"I think I love you!" Julie suddenly added. Several months had passed since their initial meeting. Morgan's father was far away, much to his happiness, perhaps indefinitely. He heard that Adias was supervising the transfer of some penal colonists. They were being sent somewhere off Earth in an attempt to be rid of them for good. Morgan had been caring for himself, and Julie. She would visit him at home whenever she could come up with and excuse for her father, and they would spend hours talking. Something magical had happened in that little storage room. Something had acted as a bonding agent, and had produced permanent friends from complete strangers. And now lovers.
"You do?" Morgan was surprised at this sudden admission. The idea was wonderful. Things had been going so well for him. Since he met Julie, his life had changed to become almost a dream, rather than a nightmare. They spent all of their free time just being together, mostly talking, and sharing their past.
Julie's smile widened. "Yes! Yes, I do!" She was sitting next to him on the large love seat which was near the center of the great room. Today they had been deep into a discussion on chaos theory. Suddenly Julie grabbed Morgan's hand. "You're a sweetheart!"
"Oh Julie, I love you so!" It took a moment for Morgan to gain the courage to spit it out. He had always been so careful about extending himself, as he was opening himself to be hurt. But he felt safe with Julie. In fact, he couldn't seem to remember a time that he didn't love her. She had surely captured his heart.
They sat together silently for a while, continuing to hold hands. Morgan felt a warmth that he had never felt, a feeling that someone actually cared for him. His father had never given him that. He had never been a desired person.
"Morgan, I hate to bring this up now, but my dad told me that I had better be home for dinner." She looked a little disappointed.
What was unspoken between them was the knowledge that if Julie didn't go home, her father would surely beat her. He was an extremely abusive man, with little tolerance for imperfection. And due to the human flaw of imperfection, Julie was never satisfying to him. Morgan was pretty familiar with this idea, since his inadequacies were constantly pointed out by his father... at least they were. He was now partially free. Morgan had always felt that humankind should act as they truly are, on their true feelings. He knew, though, that neither had been able to do this.
Morgan reached over and touched Julie's shoulder tenderly. The look in her eyes was enough to tell him of her love for him. Her smile seemed to spread over her entire face.
"Please be careful, don't make him mad." "I won't." She locked her arm in his. "So I'll see you tonight?"
"Yes...tonight....
Julie arrived home with plenty of time to spare. She had planned it that way to insure her safety. She thought that her father had begun to suspect something. She would have to be extra cautious. She could not bear to think what would happen to here if her father knew where she had been. To her surprise, her father was waiting inside the door for her. He smiled ironically. *This is bad,* she thought with fear.
Morgan was flowering in ecstasy as he lie in bed. In just a few hours, Julie would arrive again, having completed dinner, and he would be so happy. Now all he could think of was that she loved him. *She actually loves ME!* Whenever he began to think of her, he could forget all his troubles, all the drudgeries of life. He would dream of marrying her, and them living happily ever after, together. His thoughts were interrupted by the door beep.
Morgan jumped out of bed and ran into the great room. *She's here!* he thought with excitement. He hurried over to the door and pressed the open plate. "Dearest Jul..." The battered, bloody body that lie across his doorway shocked him to near fainting. Her arm was twisted in such a way as it surely wasn't meant. Blood was drooling from the side of her puffy, crooked mouth. Her legs were twisted and mangled, and her clothes covered with blood. He had no idea how she had made it to the door.
"Help me Morgan. He left me here to die...Help me.." Morgan leapt into action. He picked her up and carefully placed her on the couch. He went over to use the vid-phone. It was dead. Obviously his father had it disconnected. He went back to Julie.
She had turned and awful shade of blue, and her eyes were wrenched open and staring blankly where he had left the phone. She had stopped breathing.
Morgan froze. His mind just sort of "locked up." He didn't know what to do. He had to help her, he had to find help. He ran from his room, from the once cause of all his happiness, and now the cause of his sadness. He ran faster than he should have been able, his anger and emotion feeding his body. Strengthening it as love had before. He ran towards the square, somewhere where there would be people. "HELP ME!" he bellowed. His fear pushing him further, he looked more, he had to find help...help...to find help...
"NOOOO!"
"Morgan, what's wrong? What is it! Why are you crying." Bess shook him softly.
His mind returned from the darkness. Returned from the constant torture and anger. He could not stop his tears, his sadness. He had to put up with far to much then what anyone should have to endure. And he kept wondering if he could have done something more.
"Morgan?"
"I'm okay Bess. I was just reliving some bad memories..." His mind pressed further into depression. The darkness seemed as though it would smother him. And then he saw Bess. Her beautiful eyes filled with concern, and love. The light banished the darkness, as it usually does. And he smiled. Then he knew that his dreams had come true!
EPILOGUE
They continued their walk together towards a new life, a new hope. A promise at a second chance at happiness and health. A promise that seemed to most to be an act of blind faith. But they all believed. They believed in Devon's dream. Believed in their dreams, and most importantly, believed in themselves. They would be successful in this journey of second chances, and then all their dreams would come true.
-The End-
Story Notes:
This is only the start of Morgan's history, only a glimpse into his past. I hope to soon walk with him again, where he can reveal more of his dark disturbing past, and to expose his true loving nature, and the source his fears. This is my first attempt at E2 fan fiction. I hope I have lived up to the standards of this fine series with my story.
I'd like to offer special thanks to Elizabeth Heckert, and Lilly (Known to me as the other Elizabeth) for their helpful hints and encouragement via Nancy's Chat Room. They always seem to be there cheerful and ready to help. It is to them that I owe any success of this story. Please let me know if you like this story.
Thanks.
I'd like to offer special thanks to Elizabeth Heckert, and Lilly (Known to me as the other Elizabeth) for their helpful hints and encouragement via Nancy's Chat Room. They always seem to be there cheerful and ready to help. It is to them that I owe any success of this story. Please let me know if you like this story.
Thanks.