One Fell Swoop by Allison McDonnell

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Devon was more than slightly perturbed. After all, it was horrible enough that Eden Advance had recently lost one of its most important crew members. And now their doctor and their Terrian go-between had also gone missing.

Most of the group members were still asleep in their nearby tents, so it was important that Devon did her best to maintain a calm demeanor in order for their slumber to remain undisturbed. She also wanted to put Baines at ease so that he might be more likely to divulge the information that she desperately needed.

"It's not a big deal, Devon," Baines fibbed, already looking nervous. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. "They just wanted to take a morning stroll before we broke camp. That's all."

Devon clearly wasn't buying what the crewman was selling. "I checked their tent, Baines. Though I'm not sure what's missing besides Julia's Diaglove, they've obviously taken supplies with them," she determined. "Now, they must've spoken to you before they left. Where did they say they were going? When did they leave and when did they say they'd be back?"

By this point, beads of sweat were forming on Baines' brow under the leader's intense gaze. "I- uh, they just," he staggered out, "I told you, they just wanted some private time, you know, as a couple. They said they'd be back real soon. They'll probably show up any minute now."

The interrogation continued without hesitation. "Which direction did they go? Have either of them been in gear contact? Did they even take their gear?" she posed, gradually losing her patience.

When Baines offered no response, Devon shook her head in disapproval. "I don't believe this," she spat. "Haven't we learned anything this past week? My God, how many people have to die before we start exercising some caution?"

The crewman figured that these were rhetorical questions and, therefore, didn't attempt to answer her. However, he did make a mental note that Devon was suspiciously starting to sound a lot more like Danziger.

In the meantime, Walman, who had also risen at the crack of dawn to ensure that all three vehicles would survive the day's travel schedule intact, had noticed Devon and Baines were locked in what seemed to be an embattled discussion across camp, so he made his way over to them. "Everything alright?"

"Yes." "No," came the simultaneous replies. Baines looked relieved to see Walman as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead with his sleeve.

"Devon's, uh, a little upset because Julia and Alonzo went for a walk," he explained, hoping that Walman would be able to detect the 'please help me' look in his eyes.

Walman's head arched backward in surprise. "This early? In the dark?" he asked, matching Devon's tone.

Baines realized that he apparently wasn't going to get the support that he needed from his co-worker, so he shrugged his shoulders.

Walman turned his attention to Devon. "Do you want me to look for 'em? I can organize a search if you want," he offered.

Before she could answer, all three snapped to attention at the sound of distant movement in the forest.

"Looks like we won't need to," Baines said in a 'told you so' manner.

However, Baines' entire demeanor quickly changed when he remembered the purpose of Julia and Alonzo's excursion. He realized that Devon was about to be in for a serious shock at what the couple would likely be returning with. He scrambled for damage-control, trying to prepare the leader as much as he could for what she was about to see.

"Devon, uh, there's something that you sort of need to know," Baines expressed hurriedly as the noise increased in volume, alerting them that Julia and Alonzo's arrival was close at hand. "I mean, they were just tryin' to help. And they were supposed to be back before you guys woke up."

"What are you talking about, Baines?" Devon asked, only half-listening as her focus had turned elsewhere.

Though the dawn had broken, the sun had yet to make a full appearance and Devon was having difficulty discerning the approaching pair among the myriad of thick branches and overgrown vegetation. However, based on the racket they were making as they shuffled branches aside and crunched leaves and twigs under their feet, there was little doubt that the couple was making a beeline directly toward their location.

Devon took a deep breath and folded her arms, steeling herself for Julia and Alonzo's impending presence. She organized her thoughts, intending to remain the epitome of professionalism as she admonished them for engaging in such a highly reckless action.

At the same time, Baines was in panic-mode. How could he possibly explain to Devon that she was only seconds away from coming face-to-face with Danziger's corpse?

"Well, they went out to, uh," he stuttered, "to, um..."

The crewman never got the opportunity to complete the sentence because Julia emerged from the brush, several yards ahead of the larger approaching shadow which was still too far away to distinguish.

The doctor's smile was from ear to ear. "Good morning," she said brightly.

The tension was molasses thick as the trio returned her greeting. Julia handed her med-bag to Walman before placing her hands on Devon's upper arms.

"Devon, I have something to tell you," she beamed. "Something wonderful."

Baines found himself gawking in wide-eyed surprise at Julia, wondering how she could possibly be so pleasant about the presentation of Danziger's dead body. The world has gone crazy, he deduced.

Meanwhile, apprehension was the dominant emotion intoned in the leader's response. "Okay," she relayed, her arms still tightly folded. "I guess we could all use some good news for a change."

"I couldn't agree more," came a low, but resonant voice from just beyond the forest's threshold.

Devon drew in a sharp breath, unsure if her ears and her psyche were playing tricks on her. Julia momentarily strengthened her grip on the leader's shoulders, in case the woman's legs transformed to jelly. Devon looked beyond Julia to peer into the woods, blinking several times when she realized that the one larger shadow was actually two smaller ones. Alonzo was the first to come clearly into view and he arrived hoisting their supplies, including the stretcher that Danziger had vehemently refused to be carried back to camp on. Then with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, the pilot stepped aside to reveal a disheveled, but very much alive John Danziger.

There was an audible gasp from the small crowd as the mechanic stepped into the ever-brightening sunlight.

"Holy shit," Walman and Baines blurted out in nearly perfect unison. Devon was too dumbstruck to say anything.

"Hey there, Adair," John greeted with a slight nod of his head.

Devon wasted no time and she nearly trampled the physician as she propelled herself forward, her feet barely touching the ground as she rushed toward Danziger. However, she wasn't all that sure if her first act would be to embrace him in happiness or to slug him for the almost infuriatingly casual way that he let her know that he'd returned from the grave. Luckily for John's already impaired body, Devon chose the former option and she threw her arms around his neck, locking them securely.

"We thought you were dead," she whispered breathlessly against his neck.

He encircled her torso with his arms and lifted her entire body several inches into the air, mentally pushing aside his continuing weakness along with the physical discomfort that the act caused him.

"Yeah, I heard," he said with both tenderness and guilt. "Sorry about that."

He could feel her entire body trembling against his own as her mouth began a trail of kisses across his heavily bearded cheek, ending with the covering of his lips with her own. Danziger had been completely unprepared for such a blatantly open display of affection and, after a few moments of shared passion, he instinctively pulled his head back and broke their embrace.

His eyes briefly darted to the other smiling Edenites before reinitiating eye contact with Devon. "You know, not that I have a problem with this," he said with amused curiosity, "but aren't you and I breaking the number one Rule Of Engagement right now?"

Devon didn't miss a beat and she broke into a grin that was somehow coy yet confident at the same time. "While you were gone, I created a whole new set of Rules Of Engagement," she explained while she reclosed the distance between them.

"And rule number one is 'No More Rules,'" she said just before resuming their kiss.

This time, Danziger didn't pull back, though he couldn't resist letting out a husky chuckle.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna like the new rules," he mumbled against Devon's mouth. He then deepened the sentiment by pulling her even more firmly against him, her legs still dangling in mid-air.

As Devon relished his embrace, she briefly reflected on the parameters which, months before, she and John had mutually agreed upon regarding the suppression of their feelings for one another. It had seemed to be the natural and least complicated choice to put the needs of Eden Advance before their own and to wait until after they'd reached New Pacifica to pursue a relationship. They'd rationalized that a four month postponement would matter little in the grand scheme of their lives. How incredibly stupid they'd been.

Their passionate kiss eventually ended in order to allow both parties some much-needed time to replenish their breath. But as Devon buried her chin against Danziger's shoulder, she felt him involuntarily wince and let out a small gasp. She angled her head back and, for the first time, noticed that much of his body was deeply shaded by bruises as well as marred by dozens of week-old lacerations that had yet to fully heal. In fact, she'd been so overjoyed to see Danziger among the living that she hadn't even noticed the crude bandage underneath his torn shirt which covered a good portion of his stomach.

"You're hurt," she expressed with concern. "We need to get you to the med-tent."

John arched his body forward and loosened his grip, gently lowering Devon's feet back to the earth.

"Yeah, I will," he relayed, his eyes filled with emotion. "But there's somethin' that I gotta do first."

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True Danziger loved to sleep because it was her only opportunity to escape a somber reality which no longer included her father. At night when she could shut out the world, she could dream about her Dad and remember his constant love, support and guidance that had shaped her young life. Sometimes her Dad would tell her how proud he was of her and of how much she'd meant to him. But by far her favorite recent recurring dream was the one where her father was standing on the sandy shores of an ocean. He always wore a smile as he relayed that he was just fine where he was and insisted on promising her over and over that everything was going to be okay. Of course, True knew this to be a lie, but her Dad seemed so genuinely sincere about it all that she didn't want to spoil the happy scene by telling him otherwise. It was just like her Dad to try to make her feel better and to give her hope regarding her uncertain future. It made her love and miss him all the more.

And now it was the dawn of yet another day without him. True had been awake for almost an hour, but had yet to open her eyes for more than a second or two, much less to make an attempt at getting out of bed to face the day. Earlier, the little girl had heard Devon rise from her cot and she'd pretended to be fast asleep when the leader had checked on both her and a still-slumbering Uly before exiting their quarters. Though her corner of the enclosure was still shrouded in darkness, True could sense that there was a gradual increase of light filtering in through the crease in the fabric. As such, she gracelessly flopped over to face the canvas wall and jerked the blanket over her head with the intention of staving off the morning for as long as she possibly could.

The younger Danziger clamped her eyes shut even harder when she detected a flurry of boisterous activity which appeared to have originated along the outskirts of camp, but was now in motion and slowly moving in the direction of her tent. She had no idea what was going on, and more importantly, she didn't care. She just wanted to be left alone.

The sound of voices continued to grow in volume and in enthusiasm as the tarp to True's quarters was yanked open, allowing the full strength of the rising sun, along with several Edenites, to spill into the room.

"True, we need you to wake up," Devon beckoned. "You have someone here who really wants to see you."

True wasn't in the mood for visitors. "I'll be out in a minute," she declared crankily in a tone reminiscent of her father's.

There was a long, awkward pause and it became abundantly clear that the child would not be making any effort to move or to engage them in conversation. Therefore, John had no choice but to break the silence.

"It's me, True-girl," he said quietly, speaking to her back. "I'm alive."

The very moment that Danziger's deep voice filled the air, True acted as though her body had been shocked with a large jolt of electricity. In one fluid motion, she twisted around to face him and scrambled to the sitting position in her cot. But surprisingly, instead of flying out of bed and into the mechanic's awaiting arms, True recoiled against the tent wall.

"What is this?" she exclaimed in disbelief, her large brown eyes already brimming with tears. "Am I in VR?"

John's heart broke as he witnessed how upset she obviously was. "No, Baby. It's really me," he assured in a gentle tone.

"Hi, Mr. Danziger!" Uly interjected excitedly from his bed on the other side of the enclosure.

"Hey there, Kiddo," Danziger greeted with a fatherly smile. He exchanged a glance with Devon as she seated herself next to her son and lovingly placed her arm around him.

Meanwhile, True was clearly confused. "Morgan said that he was making me a VR chip of you. That way, I could visit you whenever I wanted to and I wouldn't miss you so much," she timidly relayed in a child-like voice. "Is that what this is?"

John ran both of his hands through his overgrown mane of tangled curls while he turned his gaze downward to inspect his current, extremely tousled condition.

"Sweetie, take a good look at me. If this was VR, would I look and smell this bad?"

True thought about it for a moment. "Maybe," she haltingly replied. "Morgan never liked you very much."

This brought out a chuckle from the crowd gathered behind John. The kid had a point.

Danziger could no longer hold himself back and he dropped to his knees beside True's cot and pulled her into his arms. As soon as she confirmed that he was indeed real, True burst into tears and melted into her father's embrace.

"I missed you so much, Daddy," she sobbed. "I was really sad without you."

"Yeah, me too, Sport," he responded as tears formed in his own eyes, as well as in nearly everyone else's in the room.

True was so emotional that she could barely get her words out in between clipped breaths. "Please-" she sputtered. "Please don't go away again, okay?"

John arched his head back to meet her eyes. "I'm not goin' anywhere," he proclaimed earnestly, wiping the moisture from her cheeks with his fingertips. "Cuz you and me, we're a package deal."

She hooked her arms around him again and held on for dear life. "I love you," she cried as new streams of teardrops followed the identical path as those brushed away only seconds before.

Though Danziger should have been in a considerable amount of discomfort due to True's death grip around his neck, at that moment, he felt nothing but an all-encompassing devotion for his little girl, the center of his world and his greatest reason for living.

"I love you, too, Baby," he whispered tearfully as he delicately stroked her hair.
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