The Art Of Friendship by Allison McDonnell

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Chapter Six: Hitting the Fan

Danziger couldn't put his finger on it but something very odd was going on. Although he'd kept to himself and spent most of his day deep in introspection, he'd detected the frequent sound of indistinct murmuring from the other crew members taking place around him. The mysterious whispers continued throughout the construction of their temporary campsite and then during their supper in the mess tent. Additionally, John had looked up several times from whatever he was doing only to discover that he was the unwanted subject of weird stares from the Edenites, most especially Bess.

Now, he was experiencing the same behavior from the majority of the group as they gathered around the evening campfire. Unsuccessfully fighting against his ever-mounting paranoia, Danziger seated himself on an empty crate between True and Uly. It was then that he realized that Devon was also on the receiving end of the crew's peculiar gazes.

Before John was given the chance to ponder the possible implications of their unusual conduct, Alonzo decided that it was time for the inquisition to begin. But there were two smaller matters to take care of first.

"It's getting pretty late. Don't you think that True and Uly should be heading off to bed?" the pilot suggested, directing his question toward the two parents.

Devon and Danziger exchanged a nervous glance, correctly deducing that some sort of trouble was brewing. They looked around them to examine the anxious, smirking faces of their friends. To Devon, the crew bore a resemblance to a group of sharks circling their tank. And it was feeding time.

Meanwhile, both children were busy grumbling in protest. True rolled her eyes and exhaled as dramatically as she could.

"But we just sat down," she griped.

Uly immediately looked to his mother to put a stop to Alonzo's idea. "And Mr. Danziger promised to tell us a story," he told her with pleading eyes.

Before Devon could reply, Yale offered, "Uly, the adults have something that they need to discuss right now. Perhaps John can come by your tent and tell you a story after we are finished."

There was obvious disapproval in Devon's eyes as she rotated her gaze to the tutor. Apparently, the cyborg was a willing participant in whatever was going on. Et tu, Yale?

"But I'm not even tired yet," Uly pouted, tugging on the sleeve of his mother's shirt. Sometimes he really hated being a kid.

"Tell you what. Why don't you go back to True's tent and you can both play in Virtual until we get there," Devon proposed, also concluding that it would be best if the children weren't involved in whatever was about to take place.

Instantly, True's whole attitude changed. "Can we, Dad?" she asked excitedly.

Danziger hesitated a moment before finally giving his permission. "Okay," he agreed as he sifted his fingers through his hair. He added as an afterthought, "You guys can play anything but that God-awful gladiator program."

"But, Dad," True whined, "that's our favorite."

Devon chimed in with her own objection. "No way. That one's much too violent for children, or for some adults for that matter," she noted. "In fact, I don't know how we got that VR chip in the first place."

The remark caused to Morgan uncomfortably clear his throat and avert his eyes toward the ground.

"But it's fun," Uly persisted. "Please, Mom?"

"Not a chance, kiddo," John stated. "Every time you play, you either end up butchering each other in a bloody sword fight or one of you sentences the other to death by tiger mauling."

True grinned. "Yeah," she said dreamily, recalling the cheers of the coliseum crowd as they witnessed Uly being pounced on by six ravenous wildcats. John folded his arms in front of him with a frown, quickly shaking the girl back to reality. "I mean, okay, we'll play something else," she acquiesced, her smile evaporating under his stern gaze.

She threw her arms around her dad and planted a kiss on his cheek before climbing to her feet. She gave a defiant toss of her head to the group. "Hmmpphh. Let's go, Uly. We know when we're not wanted."

There were a few snickers from the Edenites as True started on her way back to her quarters.

Uly rushed to catch up to her. "But what are we gonna play?" he asked.

True's mind searched their inventory of game chips for a program that was mild enough to appease their overprotective parents. It had to be something that would challenge their competitive spirit, but wasn't too combative or bloodthirsty or they'd get in big trouble with the adults. Something that included sportsmanship and civility as opposed to mindless aggression. Hmm, True thought to herself, maybe they could play a nice, friendly game of VR ice hockey.

Then she had an idea that might be even more enjoyable than high-sticking Uly. "I'll tell you what we're doing when we get to the tent," she said as a sly smile crept across her face.

After the two scurried off and disappeared into the Danziger tent located at the other end of camp, an unmistakably annoyed Devon pivoted back to the others. "Now, what's so important that we had to find a diversion for our kids to keep them from hearing us?"

The self-appointed master of ceremonies took his place center stage. "We think that it's high-time for you and Danz to come clean," Alonzo announced with a gleam in his eye.

Devon creased her brow. "Come clean about what?" she posed.

Bess gave the leaders a look that was somehow kindhearted and crafty at the same time. "You two can stop pretending, okay? Every one of us knows that you're sleeping together."

"WHAT?!" Devon and Danziger yelled incredulously.

Devon took several deep breaths to remain as composed as possible. She'd suspected that after last night's encounter, Julia and Alonzo might confront her and John regarding whether or not they'd become romantically involved. She just hadn't realized that it would happen this soon... and in the presence of the other members of Eden Advance.

She turned to Danziger, who clearly had no idea that this was coming. The blood had drained from his face and he wore a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression.

"Oh, Christ," she heard him mutter under his breath.

Devon knew that it was up to her to keeps things from going completely haywire. Her mind raced as she decided upon the best way to respond to the allegation. She straightened up in her seat and forced out a small chuckle.

"You think that Danziger and I are having an affair?" She shook her head in amazement. "Where on earth would you ever come up with such a thing?"

Magus took great pleasure in revealing, "Baines saw you together in the lake about a month or so ago."

Okay, that one Devon hadn't counted on. She tried not to register her shock at the crew-woman's disclosure and, instead, concentrated her efforts on not looking guilty. At the same time, Danziger looked like he was about to fall over dead.

"Are you talking about the night that John and I went swimming?" Devon inquired innocently. She rationalized to herself that the couple had actually swum-- at least a little, so she wasn't really lying. Plus, there was no way in hell that she was handing over an admission on a silver platter.

Baines immediately felt the pressure of everyone's stares weighing him down. Danziger, in particular, had recovered enough to direct his most intimidating glare in his direction. He attempted to ignore the mechanic's piercing gaze and focused in on Devon, who appeared only slightly less-threatening.

"Well, uh, I know that it was really dark, but it sure looked like you and Danziger were, um, um," Baines backpedaled. "That is, I think that you were, um-"

Devon acted offended and tossed her hands skyward. "That's what your basing your suspicions on?" she challenged, hoping that no one noticed that neither she nor John was denying Baines' account. "All right, what else?" she pressed crossly.

"What do you mean?" Denner asked.

"I mean, what else would give you the impression that Danziger and I are together?"

"For one thing, Danziger has been acting really strangely," Mazatl offered.

Devon shrugged. "Well, Danziger is a strange man," she said, purposely sounding snide.

"Right back at ya', Adair," the mechanic countered, matching her tone. He was finally catching on to Devon's defense strategy to avoid directly answering any questions that could incriminate them. As mortified as he was by the crew's cross-examination, he was sort of curious to find out whether he and Devon could indeed pull off the near impossible task of keeping their affection for one another a secret and make a clean getaway.

"C'mon, even now he's acting weird," Cameron insisted. "Look at him. He's been sitting there quietly through this whole conversation."

"Yeah, he's obviously hiding something."

"Maybe I don't feel the need to dignify any of this with a response. Ever think of that?" Danziger said smugly as he refolded his arms in front of him.

Yep, the mechanic congratulated himself, that's me -- John Danziger, Master of Subterfuge.

Julia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Raking Devon and Danziger over the coals about their relationship was supposed to be a fun-filled evening for everyone (except Devon and Danziger, of course). But so far, it wasn't working out that way. Neither leader was flinching at their questions.

"Last night in your tent, you were both acting really guilty," she testified.

"When you and Alonzo came in, Danziger and I weren't even talking. We were facing opposite directions. How could that be considered acting guilty?" Devon responded, turning the tables on her accuser.

"Your blouse was only halfway buttoned," Julia reminded her, her voice becoming more irritated. "You can't deny that."

Devon was almost flippant in her reply. "I'm not denying that a few of the buttons were undone. You, yourself, complained how hot it was in the tent. And besides, I certainly wasn't exposed, was I?"

She turned to address the other Edenites, furthering, "And I'd also like to mention that, except for our shoes and socks, John and I were completely dressed. Am I right, Danziger?"

The mechanic nodded. "Right." Except for my missing underwear, he inwardly noted.

"And John, tell the truth, before Julia and Alonzo arrived, did we or did we not have an argument?"

"We did," he affirmed, proudly adding, "As usual, you royally pissed me off."

John noticed a smile briefly cross Devon's lips as he directed his attention to the colonists. "In fact, I tried to change the sleeping arrangements because I didn't want to share a tent with her," he divulged, motioning to Devon. "But fly-boy and his partner in crime didn't give me any other choice."

"Is that right, Alonzo?" Bess asked in a surprised voice. "Did Danziger tell you that he didn't want to stay with Devon?"

Now Solace was on the hot seat and not enjoying it one iota. "Not exactly," he stumbled. "I mean, um, not in so many words-"

John let out an exasperated sigh and told the group, "There were only two tents, so I suggested that Alonzo and I share one and Julia and Devon share the other. What does that tell you?"

At this point, the majority of the Edenites were becoming more than a little confused. A few started to wonder to themselves if Devon and Danziger's ongoing love affair was nothing more than a product of several misread signals and their own overactive imaginations.

Walman was getting so frustrated that he was about to yank the hair out of his skull. He shot to his feet and blurted out, "Oh, for cryin' out loud, I am so shankin' tired of this! Let's get an answer once and for all, okay?"

He spun to directly face the leaders. "Maybe it's true that you didn't want to be in the same tent with each other. There's certainly no doubt in any of our minds that you had a fight. But be honest with us, did the two of you have sex last night or not?"

Devon almost laughed out loud at the question. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see John stifle a grin as well. The pair traded an indescribable look with each other before slowly turning to give the colonists a truthful response.

"No," they declared with fortitude.

"You swear that you're not lovers," Magus persisted, shaking her head in disbelief.

Devon's eyes narrowed. "You know, even if Danziger and I were romantically involved, how is that any of your business, anyway?" she exclaimed indignantly.

John piped in, "Yeah, where do you get off cornering us and demanding answers about our personal lives, huh?" He shook his head in annoyance. "This looks to me like you guys sat around and planned out how to trap Devon and me into saying that we're having an affair. And if that's the case, then you all obviously have way too much free time on your hands."

As soon as the words left his mouth, both he and Devon had a burst of inspiration. They turned toward one another, each wearing a grin that was decidedly wicked.

"Well, we can fix that, can't we, Danziger?" she pointed out as the crew immediately began to shift uncomfortably in their seats.

"We sure can," the mechanic answered without hesitation. His expression hardened and he rocked back on the crate he was sitting on. "I would strongly suggest that all of you turn in for the night and get as much shuteye as possible," he instructed using his most uncompromising tone. "Because you're gonna be getting a very early start tomorrow morning."

"You mean, we're leaving even earlier than we normally do?" Morgan whined.

"No, we'll be moving out at the same time as always," Devon assured, her features just as serious as Danziger's. "But before that, there are some chores that will need to be done."

"Like what?" Cameron choked out as the rest of the Edenites braced themselves for the apparent punishment that the leaders were about to dispense.

Danziger arched forward and began pointing out his victims. "Walman, Magus, Mazatl, Denner, Baines and Solace. You're with me," he decreed in a loud, rough voice. "Before we leave, you're gonna do a complete overhaul on all three of those vehicles. That includes rotating the tires, checking and cleaning every coil, belt, hose and filter, inspecting all the fluid levels and battery terminals along with the ignition and suspension. I also want the crystal fuses dismantled and conductivity tests run on all the leads. In fact, every nut and bolt should be examined and cleaned from the engine right down to the screw used for the thermos-holder between the seats."

Staring into the horrified faces of the crew, John couldn't resist adding, "Oh, and I want the exterior washed, too. I expect to be able to see my reflection in the chrome when you're finished."

Devon didn't miss a beat and relayed her own laundry list of demands. "Bess, Morgan, Cameron, Julia and Yale. You'll be working with-" she paused with a raised eyebrow, "or should I say, for me."

She heard several of the aforementioned colonists let out nervous gulps as she continued, "While the others are busy with the vehicles, you'll be performing a complete inventory of all of our supplies including, but not limited to, the navigation, communication and medical equipment. I want everything counted, right down to the last spoon. Of course, after you're done adding up all the figures, you're going to wash and disinfect it all, too. It'll be like a spring cleaning."

"But- But it's the middle of the summer," Bess stammered out.

"Have it your way. We'll call it a summer cleaning," Devon said dryly.

Devon and Danziger were thoroughly enjoying themselves and the devilish smiles returned to their faces. As the couple simultaneously rose to their feet, Devon was struck by another idea as she looked beyond the shell-shocked stares of the crew and scanned the campsite.

"You know what? Speaking of summer cleaning, it just occurred to me that it's been a while since the tents were given a good scrubdown. Maybe both groups can work on that after they finish their other duties," she suggested to the mechanic in an overly cheerful voice.

God, I love this woman, was the first thought that entered Danziger's mind. "Hey, good thinkin', Adair," John encouraged, his grin widening.

She gave him a nod of appreciation. "Why thank you, Danziger," she replied jovially before refixing her gaze on the colonists. "Well, I guess that we'll be seeing you all in a few hours. Good night everyone."

Devon and John continued to chuckle and make small talk about the rare but enormously satisfying perks of being in charge as they promenaded off to rejoin their children. Once the pair was gone from view, there was a chorus of defeated groans from the Edenites.

"Oh... my... God," murmured Denner as her head sank into her hands.

Magus could only sit there baffled. "What the hell just happened here?"

"I'll tell you exactly what happened," Morgan scoffed. "Eden Project's own version of Captain Bligh and her overgrown ape of a first-mate just sentenced us to hours and hours of hard labor, that's what."

"Perfect," Walman exclaimed cynically while harshly tossing his almost-coffee into the fire. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Go to bed and pray that both of them oversleep," Bess shrugged as she poured the remaining contents of the coffee pot over the dwindling flames.

Yale shook his head. "I wouldn't hold your breath."

"Dammit, Baines, this is all your fault!" Mazatl snapped.

The crewman's head jerked backward. "Huh? Why me?" he hollered.

"You lied to us about seeing Devon and Danziger in the lake together."

"Baines didn't lie," Cameron corrected him. "He just screwed up."

"And screwed us in the process," Walman grumbled in a disgusted tone.

"Hey, if you're gonna blame anyone, blame Julia and Alonzo! This was all their cockamamie idea!" Baines spat defensively. "And I stand by what I saw last month," he added.

"You don't even know what you saw. You said yourself that they were too far away and it was too dark to be sure of anything," Magus countered as she and the others began kicking loose dirt into the campfire to smother the last of the embers.

"Well, Devon and Danz weren't swimming, I can tell you that much."

"And no matter what either of them say, something went on in that tent last night. I'm sure of it," Julia furthered as Alonzo nodded in agreement.

The rest of the group all but ignored them.

"I don't care anymore," Cameron called back over his shoulder as he and the colonists trudged toward their quarters to get some rest. Plus, they wanted to make sure that they were long gone before Danziger began his guard shift. The last thing they needed was for him to find more projects for them to do in the morning.

__________________________________________

After making their triumphant escape from the other Edenites at the campfire, Devon and John laughed harder than either of them had in ages as they made their way toward the Danziger tent. Both were nearly winded by the time they approached the dwelling's threshold.

The mechanic halted in his tracks a few feet from the entrance. "That was quite a rush, wasn't it?" he exclaimed in between chortles.

Devon stopped and turned toward him. "I can't believe that we actually talked our way out of that," she said, shaking her head in amusement.

Danziger inclined forward and lowered his voice, "You know, if Julia and 'Lonz's tent had collapsed two or three seconds later last night, we would've had to answer Walman's question a lot differently."

The leader thought about it for a moment before confidently raising her chin. "I would have worded our response very carefully," she beamed.

"Ever the politician," John chuckled. He briefly paused, his heart skipping a beat as he studied the look of happiness displayed on Devon's face. How he loved to see her beautiful smile, especially when it was directed at him.

Danziger was finally able to pull his gaze from hers and resettle it on the ground, deep in thought. It was obvious to him that they were being kept under surveillance by Alonzo and his cohorts and were going to have to be even more careful about openly showing any affection toward one another.

His tone became somber as he advised, "Under the circumstances, it might be wise for us to call off tonight's meeting."

Devon couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. She had desperately wanted to tell John about the realization she'd made regarding the depth of her feelings for him. She'd also planned to reopen the subject of postponing their relationship until they'd reached the shores of New Pacifica. That notwithstanding, after the three ring circus they'd just experienced with the other members of Eden Advance, she completely understood why John suggested canceling their scheduled rendezvous. Taking a night to allow things to cool down would probably be for the best. And her news could wait... at least a little while longer.

"Maybe we can talk tomorrow," she offered with a hopeful expression.

Danziger answered with a shrug, "Let's see how it goes, okay?"

Devon nodded back and fell into stride with the mechanic as he took the remaining steps toward his tent. At the same instant, both of them reached to lift the flap and John's large hand inadvertently covered Devon's smaller one. They remained frozen in place for several seconds with their hands gently pressed against the canvas. The sparks of energy between them was almost unbearable and it took nearly all of John's self-discipline to resist the temptation to pull Devon into an embrace. Instead, he settled for sliding his fingers in between hers and delicately caressing the top of her knuckle with his thumb. All the while, their gazes remained fixed on one another, their blue eyes effectively conveying the feelings which, at that moment, could not be put into words. Finally, Danziger slipped his hand from her grasp and he ever-so-slowly lowered his arm to his side, making sure to glide his fingertips down Devon's wrist and forearm just lightly enough to give her goose bumps.

Devon would have been perfectly happy to stare into Danziger's eyes for the rest of the night. However, even perfect moments like the one they were currently experiencing couldn't last forever, at least without attracting unwanted attention from the rest of their nosy crewmates. Therefore, Devon decided that it was time to break the stillness between them. She broke her gaze with the mechanic and raised the nylon crease to reveal their children seated next to each other on True's bunk.

"Come on, Uly. Time to go," she declared brightly.

The older pair entered the tent as Uly removed his gear and hopped off the cot.

"Did you guys have fun in VR?" Danziger asked as he took the newly vacated spot next to True. He drew his brows together as he took a closer look at his daughter. "You okay, True-girl? You look sorta out-of-breath."

She exchanged an awkward glance with Uly, who also appeared to be gulping for air, before relaying, "Yeah, uh, I just got really caught up in the action, that's all."

True breathed an inner sigh of relief when her father seemed satisfied with her answer and turned his attention toward Uly. "Do you mind if I skip tellin' you a story tonight, pal? It's getting pretty late and I've got guard duty." He briefly eyed Devon before adding, "But I promise that I'll make it up to you soon, all right?"

"M'kay," Uly replied as his mother started to guide him out of the tent.

Devon stole another quick look at John who winked back at her as she lowered the fabric behind them. She lovingly placed her arm around Uly as they ambled back to their quarters.

"So what did you and True play?" she asked.

The child was hesitant in his reply. "Uh, um, ice hockey?" he finally responded, carefully avoiding eye contact.

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