Shutdown by Allison McDonnell

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As the sun was in the homestretch of its daylong journey westward, Alonzo was on a quest of his own as he diligently searched the campsite. Julia and his unscheduled meeting with the Terrians had lasted nearly three hours. After the creatures' return to the earth, the couple had spent the remainder of the afternoon fine-tuning their plan to accomplish a task that had seemed beyond their reach only hours before. And now it was time to bring John Danziger into the loop.

Alonzo had a pretty good idea where Danziger was. Only hours after Devon had been placed in coldsleep, the mechanic had instructed the members of Eden Advance to unload their supplies and to re-erect the campsite in the shadow of Franklin Bennett's ship, just as it had been before. He then relocated all three vehicles to the outskirts of camp, far away from the nearest tent. It was obvious to everyone that John had done this to provide himself with a much needed hiding place and that's where Alonzo assumed that he could be located.

As the pilot made his way through the somber campsite, he stopped just outside of the navigation tent where Bess and Denner were washing their personal laundry in a large metal tub.

After exchanging greetings, he asked, "Have either of you seen Danziger around?"

Bess halted her scrubbing and gave the sleep-jumper a sad smile. "He's been with the kids all day."

"Actually, I saw him head towards the 'Rover about a half an hour ago," Denner interjected, motioning behind her. "I think he was pretty pissed off."

"Why?" came the simultaneous question from Alonzo and Bess.

Denner matched Bess' sullen expression. "He accidentally overheard Walman and Baines talking," she revealed. "They were wonderin' how long we're all gonna wait around before giving up and headin' on to New Pacifica. At first, Danziger looked like he was gonna blow a gasket. But then he said all calm-like that we aren't going anywhere. He said he'd made a promise to Devon that he'd keep the group together. And that she was part of the group and we're not leaving without her."

She continued with a shrug of her shoulders, "Then he stormed off toward the 'Rover and I haven't seen him since."

The trio took a moment to silently reflect before Bess summarized what all three were thinking. "He misses Devon," she expressed. "This has been really tough on him. Tougher than he'd ever admit to anyone; or to himself, for that matter."

And they don't know the half of it, Alonzo thought to himself as he let out a deep exhalation. "Thanks for pointing me in the right direction," he relayed as he as he reinitiated his quest to find Eden Advance's provisional leader.

It didn't take him long at all. The pilot edged his way along the camp's perimeter, carefully avoiding the newly positioned grave markers for Franklin Bennett, Elizabeth Anson and the four other crew members of the Venus class starship who'd perished when their first-generation coldsleep crypts had malfunctioned. As he rounded the rear bed of the Transrover, he noticed that the driver's side door to the vehicle was wide open and there was a pile of tools carefully laid across the front seat. He squinted in the waning sunlight to view John Danziger wedged completely underneath the main console. As Alonzo closed in, it became apparent that, although the mechanic had seemingly started some sort of repair, judging by the lack of movement and his anguished expression, he'd clearly lost interest in the project.

John snapped to attention and his face hardened into stone when he noticed Alonzo's presence. "What are you doin' here?" he muttered, reaching for a random tool to give the appearance that he was busy.

"Julia sent me to get you," Alonzo said plainly.

There was no missing the flash of panic in Danziger's eyes. "Is she-"

"No, Devon's the same," the pilot quickly interrupted to ease John's fears. "But we need to talk. I need you to put aside what you're doing and come with me right now."

Alonzo's rigid face and posturing made it clear that he wouldn't accept no for an answer. He'd figured that Danziger would go without a fuss, but taking into account Danziger's current overburdened and grief-stricken state of mind, there really wasn't any certainty as to what his reaction would be.

Luckily, Danziger didn't take issue with the pilot's orders. He wriggled his oversized frame out from the cramped space and used his voice-print to securely lock the vehicle before falling into step beside Alonzo. Both were lost in their thoughts and no conversation was offered between the two friends as they entered the more populated section of camp.

Danziger couldn't hide his surprise when Alonzo led him past the Med-tent, and he definitely couldn't mask his alarm when he realized that his meeting with Alonzo and Julia was going to take place inside Franklin Bennett's ship.

John hadn't been back to the vessel since placing Devon in her cryo-crypt and he certainly hadn't emotionally prepared himself to visit her now. As he descended the ladder behind Alonzo, he kept his eyes pointed straight ahead and purposely avoided even the quickest of glances in the direction of the chamber in which Devon was entombed.

Julia was in the largest room of the ship with her back to the approaching pair, busily punching away at the buttons on one of the vessel's built-in datapads. Danziger noticed that she seemed more energetic than he'd seen her in days and he tried his best not to read too much into it.

"So, uh, what's the verdict, Doc?" Danziger asked, hoping to get this over with so he could get out of the ship as quickly as possible. "You found something?"

The doctor halted her actions and swiveled toward John to give him her complete attention. There was no doubt in her mind that being in Bennett's ship again had to be an excruciating experience for the mechanic. And little did he know that it was about to get much harder.

"We're planning to cycle Devon's cryotube up first thing in the morning," she informed him. "I'm going to need you here for the entire process in case we have any electrical issues."

She ignored the burst of emotion that flashed in John's eyes as she furthered, "And sometime between now and then, I'd also like you to perform a general diagnostic of the ship's plasma core. I know that Devon has only been under for three days, but the age of these crypts makes me nervous. I don't want to risk a repeat of what happened last time."

It took Danziger a moment or two to absorb the full gravity of her words. "So you figured out why she's sick? You can fix her?" he asked, still working as hard as he could to stifle his hope for fear that he'd just be let down even more in the end.

"Yes and no," she answered. "I mean, the news is good. Alonzo spoke with the Terrians and they have a plan to help her. They also explained why she went into organ failure."

The physician let out a sigh before continuing, "This is where the news isn't so good. And it's important that we talk to you beforehand. You need to be brought up to speed on this... because what's already happened to Devon and what's going to happen to her... well, this affects you, too."

Danziger's brow furrowed, unsure as to where the conversation was heading. "I don't understand."

Julia and Alonzo traded an uneasy look before she relayed, "If all goes well tomorrow morning, I fully believe that she will make a complete recovery. But..."

She paused uncomfortably. Let the fishing expedition begin, she thought to herself. "Did Devon ever tell you that she came to me a few weeks ago complaining of fatigue and an upset stomach?"

Danziger shook his head.

Not getting the answer that she'd hoped for, Julia plowed forward, her awkwardness increasing with each syllable. "Did you notice that Devon had recently gained a bit of weight?"

Now John was definitely confused. "Sure, and I was glad to see her put on a few pounds. As thin as she was, I worried that she'd been giving Uly some of her rations. Why?"

Julia and Alonzo exchanged another glance while inhaling deep, simultaneous breaths. It was clear to them both that Devon had purposely kept Danziger in the dark about her health.

As such, Julia was forced to cut through the now molasses-thick tension and reveal something that she knew would change Danziger's life forever.

"John," she said plainly. "Devon was pregnant."

The mechanic's head and shoulders immediately lurched backward and his entire body visibly tightened. Alonzo sprang into action, hastily locating and rolling over a nearby chair. He slid the wheeled furniture next to Danziger, silently motioning for him to sit down before he toppled over like a statue and landed right next to his jaw which had relocated south the moment Julia's monumental words had been spoken.

"That can't be true," he finally croaked out.

Julia grabbed another chair and placed it directly across from him, seating herself. Alonzo stood behind her with his hands supportively on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry that she didn't tell you," she said sympathetically. "I wasn't sure if she had. And at the time, I was bound by my oath as Devon's physician to keep her medical issues confidential."

Danziger raked his hand through his tangled curls. "Then why are you telling me now?"

"Because I'm going to need your full cooperation and it's important that you're fully brought up to speed on all of the details. Devon's life is at stake and, as far as I'm concerned, that supercedes doctor/patient privilege. Plus, I think that you have a right to know."

She swallowed hard before continuing, "And before we go any further, I also need to tell you the very sad news that the baby did not survive. I'm very sorry."

Julia considered reaching out for John's hand in a comforting gesture as she spoke, but quickly realized that the mechanic looked as though he'd recoil from any and all physical contact.

He wore a shellshocked expression and was clearly too stunned to speak as Julia continued with her explanation.

"I've known about Devon's pregnancy for some time, but I'd never considered the idea that it was somehow connected to her illness. She'd seemed to become sick right along with the rest of us. It wasn't until after we placed her in cryosleep and I listened to her gearlog that I learned that she didn't have a bio-stat chip. It was a terrible coincidence, and one that almost killed her."

Alonzo took up where Julia left off, inwardly noting that Danziger looked as though he'd just been struck by a sledgehammer. And it was only going to get worse.

"Today, the Terrians came to us. And the first thing they did was to apologize, John," he relayed with both reservation and sadness. "Because it turns out that they were the ones who almost caused her death."

Before Danziger could react, Julia was quick to clarify, "The Terrains-- the planet itself-- had somehow known that Devon was with child. Not only that, it had detected that her fetus possessed the same hereditary Syndrome strain as Uly."

She furthered, "Their intention had been an honorable one. All they'd wanted to do was to help Devon have a normal, healthy baby. The planet tried to eradicate the strain while the fetus was still in the womb, as opposed to Devon giving birth to a sick child and then having to wait until he or she was old enough to undergo the same change that Uly had. In fact, their goal was to fix the fetus without encoding it with any Terrian traits at all. And the planet never expected Devon to be aware of what it had done on her and her baby's behalf."

Alonzo cut in, "At first there weren't any problems and Devon's body accepted the cure. But then her organs began to shut down and, even now, the Terrians have no idea why. And they're also devastated that the fetus was accidentally aborted in the process."

While Alonzo was speaking, John's gaze nosedived to the floor. This prompted the pilot to round Julia's chair and bend down on one knee in order to reinitiate eye contact with the mechanic.

"They're gonna do their part to heal her," Alonzo expressed with as much optimism as he could muster. "They've also learned from their mistake and they've given me their promise that this won't ever happen again."

He felt the need to add, "They're so upset over what they've done that I could actually feel their pain while I spoke with them."

At this point, Danziger seemed to be on synapses overload. His bulging eyes were still trained on the floor and he began blinking so much that Julia could almost picture the gears grinding in his brain as he sorted out the particulars.

"I'm sorry that I had to keep the details of Devon's pregnancy from you," she felt the need to reiterate, her tone laced with guilt. "This was a difficult situation for me to be in because, not only was she my patient, I consider you both to be my friends. Alonzo didn't even know until this morning when the Terrians told him."

"How far along was she?" Danziger asked in nearly a monotone, still not meeting either of their gazes.

"About thirteen weeks," the physician answered simply.

Alonzo, still leaning on one knee, angled forward to pat Danziger comfortingly on the shoulder. "Look, I know that this won't seem like much of a consolation right now, but the Terrians assured me that there's nothing stopping you two from having another baby in the future," he divulged with as much enthusiasm as possible under the circumstances. "Not only can Devon still carry a baby to term, the child will be Syndrome-free because the DNA strand which carried the disease has been permanently wiped away. It won't ever be an issue again."

Gauging by Danziger's spiritless expression, the pilot's words of encouragement had little to no effect.

"What are you going to tell the group?" he asked stoically.

"Nothing," Julia replied. "That is, nothing beyond the fact that the Terrians have come forward and offered to heal Devon. The details surrounding her illness and her cure are a private matter that will stay between the four of us. Later, you and Devon can dispense whatever information that you want to when you're ready. Or don't say anything at all. That's your choice to make, not ours."

The doctor gave Danziger's knee a reassuring squeeze to emphasize her words. "But please don't forget how much everyone here cares about you two. You're not just the leaders of our group, you're members of our family. You and Devon have suffered a terrible blow and there's not a person here who'd hesitate to offer their love and support to help get you through this."

At almost the very moment Julia had finished speaking, Danziger sprung to his feet, causing the pair to jump backward in surprise.

"Do you need me to start working on the plasma core right now or can it wait a few hours?" he asked in a low, unwavering voice, again avoiding the topic at hand.

He was already stalking off toward the exit by the time Julia responded. "The Terrians are going to start the process just after sunrise. It just needs to be done by then."

As Alonzo joined the doctor at her side, she impulsively called out, "John!"

Danziger halted mid-step, but didn't turn around.

"I know this is a lot to take in at once," she offered supportively "But try to focus on the positive. If all goes as it should, by this time tomorrow Devon will be back with us."

"And in the meantime," Alonzo offered to the still nonresponsive mechanic, "whatever you need, all you have to do is ask."

As fortune would have it, Danziger realized that he had stopped exactly at the doorway to the chamber which housed Devon's cold-sleep crypt. As Julia and Alonzo relayed their words of encouragement, Danziger was unable to resist the pull of his line of sight ever-so-slowly drifting to the side and into the room to permit himself a lingering look.

Danziger remained with his back to Julia and Alonzo and his partially rotated head still eclipsed most of his features. But even behind a curtain of unruly curls, there was no missing the sorrow etched across the mechanic's face. In fact, in Julia's eyes, Danziger looked as though he'd aged ten years from the time he'd entered Bennett's ship.

At last, John was able to force his feet to move forward again and he reinitiated the small journey out of the capsule and back to his emotional sanctuary, otherwise known as the three vehicles along the campsite's edge.

"I'll be back in an hour or two," he declared, his voice sounding numb as he listlessly climbed the ladder and retreated into the ever-darkening twilight.

There was a few moments of silence before Alonzo turned to Julia and shook his head defeatedly. "Jeez, as if the guy hasn't been through enough already."

Julia did her best to view the glass as half full, instead of half empty. "Things'll be better once Devon is awake and they can talk things out," she relayed in a hopeful tone. "They'll get through this."

However, despite her projected optimism, the doctor couldn't help but exhale a sad sigh. Over the past months, she had witnessed Devon and John slowly transition from constant adversaries to a tempestuous friendship. As they'd gotten to know one another better, the edges of their sharp personalities seemed to soften somewhat and many in the group had noticed that the pair had been spending more and more time together. Recently, there had even been a few whispers suggesting that perhaps their partnership had secretly extended well beyond simply running the day to day operations of Eden Advance. And now it was readily apparent that Devon and John had indeed become lovers. Julia wished that she could have persuaded Devon to confide in her regarding the details surrounding her pregnancy. And she certainly wished that Devon had chosen to confide in John.

Julia couldn't imagine the emotional roller coaster that Danziger must be currently enduring. She sincerely hoped that his burgeoning relationship with Devon would be able to survive this.

And most importantly, she hoped that the Terrians' cure for Devon would be a successful one. The alternative was too upsetting to dwell upon.

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