Blood Brothers by Vicky Seleya

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The Grendler eagerly led the men down the passageway away from the cavern. The humans followed far behind, the task of carrying Alonzo across the uneven ground slowing their progress. As they rounded the second turn, they entered a larger cavern. Danziger's eyes went wide at the assortment of paraphernalia as his nose reeled at the overwhelming odor of Grendler. The floor and walls were covered with all manner of things -- most notably, equipment from Eden Advance's Cargo Pod #7.

"I believe this is your cue to make that offer you mentioned earlier. There must be crystal fuses somewhere in this mess," Morgan commented dryly from in front.

"Very funny, Martin. After we get out of this mess, we'll have to come back and try some bartering. We can't just leave all of this equipment behind. Some of the stuff I've seen we could really use." Danziger shifted Alonzo's weight uncomfortably as his back protested. He surveyed the eclectic collection, cataloging the important items for future reference. Glancing up, he found the Grendler shrewdly watching him. Danziger shook his head disagreeably as it handled some of the objects the mechanic had been eyeing, then indicated the dreaming pilot. "It doesn't take 'no' for an answer, does it, Martin?"

"I think it's just hoping to find out what our price is," Morgan replied over his shoulder with a shrug. He shook his head emphatically at the Grendler and nodded toward the tunnel.

The Grendler snorted in disgust and ambled onward.

The men followed the Grendler for hours, weaving through the labyrinth. In spite of the cool, dry air, both men found themselves heavily sweating in no time. Exhaustion and the weight of their burden made their travel more and more of a struggle. Through it all, Alonzo slept on, peacefully dreaming, his eyelids fluttering, his body occasionally twitching reflexively.

As they neared yet another fork, Morgan stumbled, dropping Alonzo's legs and dragging an exhausted Danziger down on top of the pilot.

"Martin! Watch what you're doing!" Danziger bellowed as he rolled off the unconscious pilot. The mechanic sat back to catch his breath, glaring at Morgan.

"I tripped. I'm sorry, Danziger, but I'm tired and I can't keep up with that Grendler and carry Alonzo forever."

Danziger sat back with a groan and turned to look for the Grendler. Not seeing it, he turned his attention to Alonzo who had landed face down on the ground. Hearing a low moan, Danziger looked across to Morgan. "What was that, Martin?"

Morgan looked back at Danziger innocently and replied, "I didn't say anything."

With another moan, Alonzo attempted to raise his head, using his elbows to lever himself up. "Where the hell am I?" he groaned.

"'Lonz?" Danziger helped roll the pilot over. He watched with concern as Alonzo's eyes unsuccessfully attempted to focus independent of each other. "How're you feeling?"

"Awful. Who sat on my head?" Alonzo replied groggily. "Here, help me sit up."

Danziger and Morgan propped the pilot into a sitting position. Alonzo swayed uncertainly, then leaned heavily against Danziger.

"Look, 'Lonz, maybe you should lie back down," Danziger suggested uneasily.

"No. I gotta... I don't feel so hot..." Alonzo immediately started to heave, emptying his stomach of its contents in a rush. Spent, he again rested heavily on Danziger, coughing and sputtering quietly.

"'Lonz? Alonzo? You still with us?" Danziger asked. "Morgan, I can't tell from here. How does he look? Is he conscious?"

"Yeah, he's still awake, but he looks like hell. And he's bleeding again."

Danziger glanced down the tunnel. "Any sign of the Grendler?"

Morgan rose and jogged down the tunnel, slowing to cautiously peer around the next bend. He trotted back, shaking his head. "No sign of him. I'm not sure whether I should be happy right now he's not here or sad that we lost our guide."

Danziger gently slid Alonzo to the ground. The pilot lay with his eyes half-open and unfocused. The mechanic lightly tapped the pilot's intact cheek. "'Lonz, you have to wake up more. Come on, man." In the distance, the sound of shuffling footsteps could be heard. As Morgan returned to the tunnel to determine the source, Danziger lightly shook the semi-conscious pilot. "Come on, 'Lonzo! You have to enter the dreamplane now!"

"Can't..." the pilot slurred.

"Why not?" Danziger asked frantically.

"My head... ..can't..."

"He's coming and he's bringing a friend!" Morgan shouted from the tunnel.

Danziger looked down at his friend who was blearily trying to clear his eyes.

Morgan returned and crouched across from him, watching the tunnels agitatedly. "They're coming!" he exclaimed anxiously.

Danziger looked over his shoulder. He could see the lumbering forms of two Grendlers as they rounded the corner.

Alonzo lifted and turned his head slightly, trying to make sense of what was happening. "What's that awful smell?" he croaked.

As they both caught sight of the awake pilot, the Grendlers grunted in anticipation and enthusiastically quickened their pace.

Morgan anxiously looked from the grim mechanic to the dazed pilot. "Do something," he hissed.

Danziger glanced over his shoulder to see the Grendlers almost on top of him. In desperation, he grabbed the front of Alonzo's jacket, pulling him into a sitting position. Before Morgan could utter another warning, Danziger's fist connected with Alonzo's face, plunging the pilot back into unconsciousness. The Grendlers bowled the men aside in pursuit of the bloody pilot, who was now bleeding freely from the nose.

Danziger paled at the muffled slurps as the Grendlers hungrily descended on Alonzo. Suddenly, mere seconds after they started, the contented grunts were replaced by indignant squeals as the Grendlers scrambled frantically from the pilot.

"It worked," Danziger observed, grimly watching the two Grendlers as they swayed in frustration nearby.

"Yeah, and it looks like you broke Alonzo's nose. Wasn't there a better way of handling this?" Morgan asked.

"Hey, did I have time? 'Lonz couldn't get on the dreamplane himself, so I helped him." Danziger reached over to pinch the bridge of Alonzo's nose as the Grendlers irritably grunted and pulled at their ears. "Morgan, we have to get him to Julia. From what I do know about head injuries, he's in trouble and I probably just made it worse. Why don't you just make sure your friend is still going to honor our agreement."

Morgan sighed and turned to the two Grendlers.

________________________________________

The next morning, Yale met Julia outside the med-tent with the ATV, which was already loaded with medical and climbing equipment. They quickly double-checked everything and left camp, retracing the DuneRail's path with the TransRover slowly following. A light rain continued to fall, soaking them thoroughly before long. Julia found herself wishing she was on the TransRover, where she would have had an opportunity to stay reasonably dry. But, the TransRover was slower and much less maneuverable than the smaller ATV. Already, the larger vehicle was far behind them.

Before long, Julia could see the pod off to her right. She held tightly to Yale as he swung the ATV in an arc around the pod before directing the vehicle across the saturated plain, towards the woods beyond.

When they reached the woods, Yale slowed the vehicle. The rain had intensified again, obscuring visibility even in the shelter of the trees. The path was difficult to follow, the Grendlers having cut a zigzag path to elude the DuneRail. Yale picked his way through the woods carefully, stopping now and again to double check a landmark in the diffused light. They finally reached the fire ravaged area, Yale slowing the small vehicle even more to pick his way over and around fallen trees.

"How did the DuneRail negotiate this rubble so fast?" the doctor asked the tutor.

"It has larger tires and a different center of gravity," Yale explained. "It is a good thing we went ahead of the TransRover. Much of what we went through was denser than other parts." He pointed to the east. "I can barely see the plain from here, I cannot see it at all, nor would I expect to, from whence we came."

Julia nodded, leaning forward over the tutor's shoulder to scan for the hole. At Yale's suggestion, she contacted the larger vehicle, giving them their coordinates and heading. Cameron had just reached the woods and was waiting to parallel them before entering the forest. Suddenly, Yale tugged on Julia's sleeve, attracting her attention. He stopped the vehicle for a moment and pointed directly ahead of them.

Pulling her jumpers out of her pack, Julia stood up on the back of the ATV. "That's definitely the location of the hole?" she asked the tutor apprehensively.

"Yes," the tutor stated grimly as he took the jumpers to look more closely for himself. He looked up in surprise as Julia rushed past him, her medical bags in either hand. Shaking his head, he stowed the jumpers and followed the doctor on the ATV, radioing back to the main group what they had found. That, where the hole had been, was a deep depression in the ground.

________________________________________

As they continued to follow the Grendlers through the tunnels, Danziger examined the new arrival with distaste. He had always thought that all the Grendlers strongly resembled each other, not that he had really bothered to look. Not anymore. The odor alone from the second Grendler was unbelievable -- even for a Grendler. Its body was hunched and a viscous, yellow discharge hung in long wet streams from its mouth. Danziger cringed every time that particular Grendler approached, certain it was not a good idea to let it get too close. When he looked down, he could see some of the discharge on Alonzo and grimaced in disgust, vowing to remove it at his first opportunity. Danziger noted uneasily that the newcomer, while still frightened of Alonzo's Terrian dreams, was much bolder. This Grendler wandered back to scrutinize the pilot regularly, only to snort resentfully before rejoining its companion ahead.

________________________________________

As Cameron pulled the TransRover to a halt, Devon and the others sprang from it, surveying the crater in shock. A short distance from them, Yale stood near the ATV, a rope wound around his waist, through the vehicle's frame and out to Julia who was carefully picking her way across the crater, her scanner in hand. At his beckoning, the crew hurried to Yale's side, Walman taking the rope from the old cyborg with a nod. Devon watched the doctor uneasily as Yale briefed them.

"The hole was approximately ten meters east of where Julia is currently standing. The ground here is quite unstable, due to the storms and the deforestation. We have been able to detect a considerable number of tunnels, perhaps old Terrian tunnels, in this area. The men could still be alive down there. We have not detected anything yet, but are conducting a search on a planned grid. I must stress that the crater itself is very dangerous. Julia has fallen several times and it would not support my weight at all. I would recommend that Baines and the women be the only ones to aid in the search in the crater itself, searching two at a time. You must be tethered with someone watching only you, however."

Baines urgently raced over to the TransRover and strapped on a rope. Cameron rummaged in the cargo box for a scanner and followed Baines towards the crater. Yale explained the search pattern to everyone at once. With Cameron supervising, Baines plunged into the crater, sinking to his knees almost immediately. Doggedly, he pulled himself loose and started scanning.

Devon watched through the jumpers as Julia worked herself out of a sinkhole, her eyes remaining trained on the scanner as her body worked itself free. "How long has Julia been out there?" Devon asked worriedly, as Julia stumbled again when one of her legs sank to the thigh.

"Since we arrived," Yale answered, joining Devon in watching the young doctor. "It was all I could do to get her to tie-on."

"Well, I think it's time she came in, don't you?"

"It would probably be best. However, I wonder about your chances for success." Yale raised his eyebrows with a soft smile. "She is a very determined woman."

Devon grimly pulled her gear into position. "I am, too."

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