Heritage. (1/4)
by Nicole Mayer
Ulysses Adair wandered across the temporary campsite, a look of intense concentration upon his young face. A gentle wind ruffled his hair as he kicked at the dirt with scuffed shoes and then stopped to idly trace out a pattern. Two stick figures - his mother, himself - and then the beginnings of a third, the unknown quantity in his life. Uly wondered if that third figure should be there at all, and as he saw True approaching, he quickly dusted it out.
"Hey Uly," she called. "Watcha doin'?" "Nothing much," he replied quickly. "Just thinking, you know." True nodded, and crossed to stand by him and study his crude drawing. He watched her, and suddenly wished that she wasn't so inquisitive. True always seemed to want to know what was going on, and although she was his friend (most of the time, anyway) he couldn't help being a little annoyed at her presence on occasion. Like right now.
"Who are they?" True asked.
Uly sighed heavily, realising that he would have to answer her or she wouldn't leave him alone. "Me and Mom."
True knelt down in the dirt, and sketched out her own picture. "This is my family," she stated proudly. "Me, Dad, and my mother. Have I told you about my mother?"
Uly mumbled, "Yes," hoping that he wouldn't hear about True's mother yet again. The lady wasn't even around, but True repeatedly reminded him that if she was here, with True, everything would be wonderful; and that her mother was the most beautiful person who ever lived.
He didn't want to hear this. Especially not now, while he was so confused himself. Uly had never thought to ask these questions before, but somehow, ever since he turned nine, it was becoming important. Almost too important for him to ignore anymore, so Uly was working up the nerve to finally ask questions. That was why he had to go talk to Yale, as soon as the tutor was finished discussing their route through the mountains with the other adults.
True finished her drawing, and stood back with her hands on her hips as she sceptically studied it. "Mmmm, doesn't look quite right," she mused, reaching down to adjust her mother's hair. "I just wish I could see her, and get to know her a little. Even one time would be good. She's a part of me, and my heritage, and, you know, it'd be kinda nice to find out if she was anything like me." True's eyes were saddened as she thought of the mother she never knew. Uly watched her, and felt a deep empathy with the girl. They shared this, the absence of one parent, only Uly did not even know if he had a father.
Looking at True, Uly was compelled to console, "But your Dad's great, isn't he?"
"Yeah!" agreed True rapidly. "He's the greatest dad in the universe!"
To this, Uly had no reply, so he mumbled, "I have to go talk to Yale. See ya later, True," and walked off. True paused for a moment to gaze at Uly's drawing once more, and wondered about the scuffed area. But all too soon, she shrugged and was on her way again.
***
Stepping inside the door of the tent, Uly paused while his eyes adjusted to the darker interior. It was the middle of the day and the light outside was brilliantly white, not to mention the heat that came with it. Eden Advance were temporarily camped at the foot of a large mountain range while the best path through it was discussed and charted.
This was wonderful news to Uly, who grew tired of travelling *every* day with no respite. He enjoyed the chance to explore an area and get to know it properly, as well as the rest opportunities the days of no travel offered. It reminded him of the winter camp - a place that was dear to his young heart.
"Uly? What is it?" Devon Adair's voice broke his thoughts, and he turned towards his mother.
"Hi Mom," he said awkwardly, still standing in the doorway. Nervously, he looked at the ground and shoved his hands into his pockets. Uly heard the sounds of Devon swinging around her chair to face him, and the boy swallowed hard. When Uly had talked to Yale earlier, the cyborg told Uly that it was not his place to answer Uly's questions, that was best left to his mother. A chore Uly wasn't sure if he could face.
"Do you have something to say, Uly, because I'm extremely busy with these maps..." said Devon, pushing her hair back from her face. Every time she thought they'd discovered a feasible trail, another difficulty was encountered and the whole thing was too much of a headache.
Finally, Uly gathered the courage to speak. "Mom, how come..." He paused, not quite sure how to phrase his question. "True has a dad, and a mom. But I only have you. How come...why don't I have a father?"
Devon gasped imperceptibly. This was a question she hadn't expected so soon, and something she had hoped to avoid for a few more years to come. It was far too difficult for her to bring all of this up now, so she gave a clipped response. "You just don't, that's all. Not everyone needs two parents."
"I know that," said Uly, shyly ducking his head. "I was just sorta - wondering about it all."
Sighing, Devon motioned for Uly to come across to her. "Uly," she began, a sadness tugging at her heart as she looked at his innocent, wondering face, "I've tried my hardest to be a mother and a father to you as you've grown up."
"I know that, Mom," said Uly, impulsively giving her a hug which Devon openly received. She felt as if he were growing up too fast, and welcomed any displays of affection for they would not last.
"I love you more than anything," Devon continued. "You know that if you ever need someone, I'm here for you. Yale is too, he loves you like a son."
Uly pulled back. "Yeah, but what if..." The boy stopped, unsure of how to express his thoughts.
"There's nothing wrong with having a single parent," Devon reassured, wondering if his worries arose from the arrival of the colonist ship in a few months. So often they'd discussed all the families that were coming, so perhaps Uly felt he wouldn't fit in.
Devon tried another approach. "Look at True - she grew up fine with only her father."
"Yeah, but True knows all about her mom. She's even seen her in VR! So what about me - don't I have a dad? I'm sure that Yale, or Morgan, could program something for me," said Uly, suddenly getting excited at the possibility.
Devon froze. There was no way that could happen, never! She had to get Uly to drop the whole subject.
"Ulysses," she said in a suddenly cold voice, "you do not have a father. Subject closed."
"But Mom!" protested the boy. "I have to! Yale taught me and True all about..."
"I said," broke in Devon, her voice unnaturally high, "end of discussion!" She swung back to her work, so that Uly did not notice the slight trembling of her hands.
Uly was surprised. "Okay, well, I guess I'll just go now..." Nervously, he backed out of the tent and hurried away, even more confused than ever. Did he have a father? Or was it something worse, like being part of an experiment... He remembered how Julia was so fascinated with his changes after becoming joined to the Terrians. Was it possible that his whole life had been some test project?
Uly shook his head, suddenly knowing that wasn't right. His mother loved him far too much for him to be a freak, and besides, she'd always said that he was the most wonderful surprise she'd ever had. Whatever that meant. Frowning, Uly wandered across the campsite to sit on a log, and stare up at the mountains as he pondered the mysteries of his heritage.
***
Uly was not the only one deeply troubled. Devon gave an exasperated sigh and threw down the map she had been studying. There was no possible way she could concentrate after Uly's unexpected questioning, something she wasn't prepared to deal with until a long time in the future. If the truth came out now, there would be a lot of -things- to deal with. People could get hurt, and Devon doubted if she would be able to face many of her friends. That was the trouble with living in a closed community. They generally felt like one big family, but if a rumour, or truth, got out, everyone would be affected by it.
Still, Devon knew she couldn't let Uly's questions go unanswered. He deserved to know about his father, if only it could wait at least until the colonists arrived... If they had never crashed, mused Devon, life would be a lot simpler. She would have had the freedom to tell Uly of his heritage, or at least part of it. Briefly, Devon considered fabricating a story that would hold for a while, but just as rapidly discarded the idea. She couldn't lie to her own son, but could she tell him the truth?
One thing was certain, she could not make this decision on her own. And she couldn't ask Yale for guidance, either. No, there was only one person she could talk to, someone she *had* to talk to before anything was decided.
Alonzo Solace.
***
"Hey, Dev, why all the secrecy?" asked Alonzo as he half-tripped over yet another rock. Devon was leading him through the foothills of the mountains on a confusing path that seemed to do its best to avoid any line of sight with the camp.
Devon paused, standing on a small rise, and called back to him, "We're almost there, hang on." She jumped, and promptly disappeared from view. Alonzo quickly followed, and soon he was standing beside Devon in a secluded clearing amongst masses of rock in every direction. Breathing hard, he glanced at Devon who hadn't even broken a sweat. Instead, she paced nervously before situating herself on a rock.
"You wanna tell me what's going on?" Alonzo asked again, taking his own seat across from her.
"I wanted to make sure that no one could hear us," Devon said, speaking in a whisper.
"I'm pretty sure no one'll find us out here," reminded Alonzo, gesturing to their surroundings. "And we left our gear back at camp, so I think you're safe to speak freely." He frowned, worried at Devon's actions. Her behaviour wasn't usually this irrational.
Devon took a deep breath, and met Alonzo's eyes. "Okay," she said, this time in her normal tone. "Uly was asking about his father today."
Now Alonzo understood. "Hell..." he said. Smacking one hand against his thigh, he continued, "What did you tell him?" The worry, and slight anger on his face was evident.
"Nothing!" retorted Devon. "What was I supposed to say? Your father..."
"Shhh!" hissed Alonzo.
"I thought you weren't worried about anyone hearing us?" "Voices carry sometimes...ah, never mind." Alonzo began shaking his head. "Hell," he repeated.
"You're right about that," sighed Devon. "Where do I, we, go from here?"
"Don't suppose you could sorta, well, bend the truth a little?" Alonzo started to give her a disarming smile, but stopped as he saw the ice in her eyes.
"I can't lie to *my* son," she said, emphasis on the term of ownership. "I'm all he's got, 'cause his father never bothered."
"Hey, I thought we already discussed this!" protested Alonzo. "You know what we decided..."
"Yes," acknowledged Devon. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. We need to work together if we're going to come up with a solution for *now*. It's not like I can trust Uly to keep it a secret. He'd try, but it wouldn't be long before True, or anyone else for that matter, found out..."
Alonzo stared with unseeing eyes around the clearing as his mind desperately searched for a solution. When nothing immediately came to him, he turned back to Devon and offered, "I'm sure we'll work something out." He took her hand and smiled gently. "Promise."
Devon sat with him in silence, as memories of another time, another place, and another promise, began to drift over the both of them...
End of Part 1.
Story Notes:
In the midst of writing "Devon, Alone" pt III, this idea suddenly crept up me and I was compelled to tell the tale. (I hear your screams of protest! Don't worry, "D,A" will be finished someday...)
However, "Heritage" is quite a different story. It deals with Uly's parentage (a fascinating topic!), and I admit that I have taken liberties with the characters on the grounds that people change as they age.
A warning for those of you who are anti-romantics : "Heritage" is primarily a love story, with a PG rating.
Many thanks to Tressa, for proofreading/editing "Heritage". Her assistance and wonderful suggestions were much appreciated.
DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained within belong to Universal/Amblin Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.
However, "Heritage" is quite a different story. It deals with Uly's parentage (a fascinating topic!), and I admit that I have taken liberties with the characters on the grounds that people change as they age.
A warning for those of you who are anti-romantics : "Heritage" is primarily a love story, with a PG rating.
Many thanks to Tressa, for proofreading/editing "Heritage". Her assistance and wonderful suggestions were much appreciated.
DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained within belong to Universal/Amblin Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.