Choices by Tara OShea

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The lights were out in Jack's room. That wasn't much of a deterrent. Miko slipped inside, tiptoeing so as not to wake his parents next room over, and clicked on the desk light.

Jack was sprawled (clothed, thank heaven) on the bed, not even under the sheet. One arm dangled to brush the floor. She touched his shoulder.

"Wake up."
He rolled over, and she had to snatch her hand away too keep it from being pinned. She made a small noise in the back of her throat, and shook him. "Wake up!"

"What?" he blinked sleepily, and pushed her away. "I can't sleep. Keep me company."
"You're nuts."
"My mom's not back yet. Do you think we should go over to the Hospital and see if she's okay?'

"You're worried about her, aren't you." "No," Miko insisted, and even she knew the word was a lie. But she clung to the lie for now. "No, it's just that there's so much weird stuff going on, you know? And it's so late."

He stared at her, blue eyes still clouded with sleep, and finally swung his legs onto the floor, sticking his feet in his shoes. Miko smiled at him gratefully, and he shook his head, chuckling.

"You're nuts."

"I don't like this," Julia said for the fifth time as she handed the seda-derm to Dr. Vasquez. They were in Devon's room, Taggert stretched out on Uly's bed, waiting. Devon laid a hand on her arm.

"If it doesn't work, then at least he'll sleep. I think we could all use that, don't you?"

The Syndrome families had gathered once more in the Common, though some had chosen to congregate and wait in the Grinning Grendler, and Walman had been roused from sleep to keep their mugs full. It was going to be a long night for everyone.

"Don't worry, I'll be with him," Alonzo said quietly, reaching out to touch Julia's hand, and then dropping his before making contact.

"Alonzo, tell Uly..." Devon trailed off. "Even though I know he's all right, I worry."

"Dev, you're his mother. Of course you worry." Alonzo smiled, and then stretched out on her bed. Julia handed him the sedaderm, and he caught her fingers. She blinked, but didn't pull away. She smiled wanly, and he pressed it to his neck.

Devon slipped outside, and leaned against the wall between the door to her office and quarters, running her fingers through her dark hair. Something... something had gone wrong, somehow. She had spent eight years with this day as her brass ring.

Why couldn't she reach out an grab it? Because she had almost four hundred people downstairs terrified they'd never see their sons and daughters again. Because in two days that ship would take off, and she wouldn't be able to stop it, protect them from the Council. From themselves. Because for all her achievements, she still felt like she should have been able to accomplish more. They had learned so much, about this planet, about each other, about themselves. All of which seemed to be threatening to slip through her fingers. Because...

Because her son was out there, and he didn't seem to need her. Because deep in her heart, she was afraid Taggert was right.

"Entering REM now," Julia reported to Vasquez.

"That's impossible, it's too soon." "No, this is normal. Heart rate climbing." She held her glove over Alonzo's chest, wanting more than anything to tear it off, and touch him... She shook her head as if to clear it, chasing those thought away for now. There was a time and place for such things, and this was definitely not it. "Devon was able to enter the dreamplane when they took uly. Hopefully Taggert's connection to Max will allow him access."

"Do you know how the dreamplane functions?" "This planet has a network of veins of rock, almost like crystal, that act like body systems, a brain so to speak. the Terrians are linked to the planet. Somehow, Alonzo was given access to the planet's dreams, the Terrians communicate with us through him, and to a certain extent through Uly. According to Yale's library program, Aboriginal on Earth experience similar connection to the planet, and would spend up to months of their lives in the Dreaming."

"Will all of the children have such experiences?" "According to Uly, yes."
"I always told them they were special. I had no idea how special." Dr. Vasquez's features softened. "For fifteen years, I've had to watch children die because the Stations took away that connection to their home planet. I can't believe I'll finally be able to watch them grow up, all of them."

"You really love them, don't you." "Yes. Sometimes, I'm all they have. Not all parents are able to deal with a having a Syndrome child as well as Devon Adair, or the other two hundred and fifty families that followed her here. There were dozen more back on the Stations who were too afraid to leave behind what they knew, too selfish to give up their lives for their children. The Syndrome Ward became something of an orphanage when the Syndrome was first identified, as children were just abandoned by their parents. Parents who couldn't pay the medical costs, or just couldn't handle the burden. Weak people, and I had to watch their children, who asked me every day 'When is Mommy coming back? Will I see my Daddy?' It was heartbreaking." "How can anyone do that to a child?" Julia asked, unable to believe that anyone who had brought a life into the world could be so callous.

"I don't know." Vasquez sighed, and looked up at her. "If I have been harsh with you, Dr. Heller, please understand that sometimes I can't see past the walls I build for myself. You are a good doctor, perhaps better than I am. I don't know if I would have been able to adapt as quickly as you have, been able to see things the way you do. Your research is extraordinary, especially considering the circumstances, and I owe you an apology."

"There's no need to apologise," she said stiffly. "Yes, there is. I was resentful when the Council pressed a young, experienced doctor on me."

Julia froze, all the colour draining from her face.

The world was white. Marshall Taggert squinted, and turned in a circle, seeing only the sky above him, and white sand stretching out into infinity.

"Max?" he cried, and his voice was snatched away by the winds. "MAX!"

A hand fell on his shoulder, and Taggert whirled, hand raised to strike, but it was only the pilot. Alonzo laid his hand on the man's fist, and Taggert lowered his arm, drawing in a ragged breath. "So where are they?"

"They're coming."

Vasquez saw Heller's distress, and waved it away. "Don't look so surprised. I know that in order to get some things done, strange bedfellows are sometimes called for. And I'm sure they never realised that they were doing me a favour, in the end. They couldn't look beyond the end of their noses, your mother included. All they cared about was whether or not we would reach G889, that was their biggest fear. They cared nothing for the children. I don't like being dictated to, perhaps it is the same stubborn streak that made me chose to work with children the system had written off as doomed. And I admit I was resentful. I had spent fifteen years searching for a cure, and to have a young, upstart chromo-tilt doctor hand me one on a silver platter, well... let's just say my pride got in the way of my judgement."

"I never asked to be a chromo-tilt. And I never asked to be an appointee of the Council. All those decisions were made for me before I was even born."

"I know. And you seem to have done quite well for yourself, here. You have respect, you have your young man there--"

"Had." Julia shook her head, and Vasquez chuckled. *Ah, to be so young again...*

His diaglove beeped, and he looked down, eyes widening in shock.

"His heart rate!"
"It's okay, it's okay, it just means he's found them."

The three Terrians shot up from the ground like new trees, watching Alonzo and Taggert. The leader of the tribe trilled its questions to Alonzo, who gestured to Taggert.

"He is worried about his son. The bond between them is strong, he only wishes to know that the boy is all right."

The ground stirred once more, and now it was uly who rose. "Alonzo!" the boy looked surprised. "You're not supposed to be here."

The pilot knelt in the shimmering white sand, so that he could be eye to eye with Uly. "Uly, this is Max's dad. He's really worried. You remember how worried your mom was when you were taken?"

"But that was different, we were scared then 'cause we didn't know. But we know now. Max is gonna be fine, he won't be sick any more." Uly looked perplexed.

"We know, yeah. But he doesn't yet. We have to show him. Can you help us do that?"

Uly trilled to the Terrians, who one by one disappeared back into the earth. Taggert was trembling slightly, and Uly took his hand.

"It'll be okay, I promise," the boy said solemnly, but Taggert untangled his fingers from the child's and wiped at his stinging eyes.

"I just want my son."

Max ran until he was far ahead of the other children, and stumbled to a stop, laughing.

"I won! I won!" he crowed happily to the sky and waves, dancing in circles until he fell dizzily to the sand, and he giggled, grasping handfuls between his fingers. "I'm the fastest, I knew I would be. I can run forever."

Max Taggert was having the best dream of his young life. And suddenly it became a nightmare as arms thrust up from the sand to wrap around his arms and shoulders. He shrieked and struggled as they began to pull him down, where once there was elation, now he was frozen with mind numbing terror as the earth closed over his head and there was blackness.

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