Shutdown by Allison McDonnell

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Later that same evening, Julia and Alonzo jointly called a group meeting in order to fill the rest of the crew in on their plan to revive Devon the following morning. They also let the Edenites know that all of them would be barred from attending any and all activities pertaining to their leader's resurrection, but promised to keep in gear contact as much as they could regarding their progress. The pair also remained true to their word and stuck to the details of the cure, as opposed to the particulars surrounding the origin of Devon's illness. Although Danziger had been temporarily coaxed from his self-imposed seclusion to attend the gathering, he said very little.

After the meeting was dispersed, Danziger again vanished for a few hours before finally resurfacing and making a beeline directly for Bennett's ship. Julia was already there and it became blatantly obvious to her that the mechanic had no interest in engaging in conversation, so their various tasks were individually executed in complete silence. Moreover, whenever Julia's work prompted her to relocate and placed her in closer proximity to Danziger, he would immediately and soundlessly move to a different section of the ship to continue his assignments along with his need for solitude.

Danziger toiled away in the bowels of the vessel well into the early hours of the morning when the doctor finally abandoned him so that she could prepare the med-tent for Devon's return. After garnering less than two hours of uninterrupted slumber, Julia returned to the craft to find that Danziger was still there. And judging by his haggard appearance, he'd not permitted himself a single moment of sleep nor even the smallest of breaks.

As Julia performed a quick inventory of Danziger's accomplishments, she realized that he had gone way beyond what had been asked of him. Not only were the cryogenic modules in perfect working order, he'd apparently given the entire ship a complete once-over. He'd inspected each wire and coil and had performed conductivity tests on every one of the vessel's leads. He'd even gone so far as to overhaul and update the entire electrical system. So much had been achieved that Julia wondered that, if they'd somehow been able to extract the Venus-class starship from the side of the mountain without too much structural damage, whether or not it could actually be used to transport Eden Advance to New Pacifica.

The doctor searched for Danziger among the many shades of gray before locating him along the far wall of the main room of the craft as he replaced a metal panel which housed several miles of cable. She noted that John looked as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. And at that moment, she knew just how he felt.

"You did an amazing job, John," she praised, trying to infuse as much hope into her voice as possible.

"Thanks," he muttered, briefly meeting her eyes before his gaze plummeted to the floor.

He paused to let out an exhausted breath before expressing, "I know this has been tough on you, too. You've been workin' really hard these past days and I want you to know that I appreciate all that you've done." He shook his head and swallowed hard. "Sorry that I didn't say anything before now."

Before Julia could answer him, both of their attentions were drawn upward to the craft's entrance where Alonzo appeared.

"The Terrians are ready to begin," he called down to them as he quickly descended the ladder's rungs.

Julia's stomach tightened and she traded a foreboding look with Danziger as they silently made their way into the smaller enclosure. Alonzo joined them but remained in the doorway while Julia and Danziger branched off to different sections of the room.

The physician turned toward Danziger. "Ready?" she asked, poised at the panel which monitored and controlled Devon's current cryogenic state.

Danziger stepped forward to stand directly in front of Devon's cold-sleep crypt, his eyes stinging as they adjusted to the bright light emanating from the vertical tube in the otherwise darkened room. His gaze remained trained on Devon's still form as he reached outward to slip the small Terrian staff from the door handle and set it aside on a nearby metal table. Only then did he rotate his head back to Julia and nod his affirmation that he, too, was ready to begin the process.

Once Danziger had concurred, Julia's hands were a myriad of activity as she punched in a complicated system of codes. Although it felt like several minutes to the trio of very nervous Edenites, in reality it was only a matter of seconds before the whir of the ship's cryogenic equipment came to life. And soon afterward, the small screen which monitored Devon's biorhythms began to react to their efforts.

Although Danziger had been physically ready, he clearly wasn't emotionally prepared when the door to the icy coffin automatically slid open and out fell Devon Adair into his awaiting arms. He tried to swallow his panic as he acknowledged how cold her skin felt against his own, as well as the blue hues of her lips and fingertips. Barely conscious, Devon's eyes opened ever-so-slightly though she was too weak to focus her gaze or to speak. She was also clearly fighting for every shallow, raspy breath that she took.

John scooped her pale and feather-light frame into his arms. "I gotcha now, Devon. Just hold on," he choked out, his voice uncharacteristically emotional. "You're gonna be fine."

It was uncertain if the leader had heard or understood his words, but Danziger couldn't waste time worrying about it and he sprang into action. He carried Devon into the main chamber before draping her over his shoulder and hurriedly scaling the ladder with Julia and Alonzo in hot pursuit.

The life continued to drain out of Devon's body as Danziger made his way out of the porthole-like exit and down the hill. The med quarters had been dismantled and then re-erected at the base of the small mountain in order to save precious seconds. The cure would take place there as opposed to Bennett's ship because the Terrians were unable to penetrate the craft's metal hull. Plus, it was imperative that Devon be as close to the Mother as possible.

The small group entered the tent and were greeted by six Terrians. Alonzo immediately began to interpret the creatures' instructions and, at their request, Danziger laid Devon flat on her back on the dirt floor in the center of the enclosure. Both he and Alonzo briefly averted their eyes as Devon's bathrobe was hastily removed and a light blanket placed over her in order for as much of her skin to be in direct contact with the Earth as possible. At this point the rise and fall of Devon's chest was barely discernable and her eyes had closed.

Without a moment to spare, the Terrians took over and it was almost shocking how simple the healing procedure was. In fact, it reminded the threesome of the Terrian healing remedy employed when Uly's health had briefly relapsed after Gaal had captured and enslaved an entire tribe of the creatures. However, this was on a grander scale.

Alonzo, Julia and John could only stand back and watch as the six Terrians surrounded Devon and crouched to the squatting position, their heads bowed in reverence to their Mother. Simultaneously, the beings leaned forward and placed both of their hands onto the ground. One hand remained connected to the planet's life-force while the other gathered a handful of dirt which was then generously applied to Devon's bare skin.

As they dispersed the loosened soil, one of the Terrians raised his head in John's direction and let out a small trill.

"He wants you to place a handful of dirt on Devon's head," Alonzo interpreted to the confused crewman.

Danziger immediately complied, approaching Devon's still-limp body and lowering to one knee. He dug his fingers deeply into the ground and removed a large helping of soil; so much so that the loose particles spilled from between his fingertips as he gently massaged the dirt into her auburn hair and scalp.

As the process continued, Julia came forward and ran her Diaglove over the length of Devon's body to monitor their progress.

"She's stabilizing," she exclaimed, so happy that she almost let out a relieved chuckle. "All of her life signs are strengthening."

Julia's good news inspired John to grab more dirt for Devon's head while the Terrians seemed to ignore the doctor entirely. As they continued their work, the color began to return to Devon's skin and her breathing increased in both speed and intensity. Moreover, her lungs no longer sounded as if they were filled with fluid. It wasn't long before her eyes began to flicker, though she was still unable to open them, and there was some minor twitching in her fingers and toes as the circulation returned.

Their mission complete, the Terrians' hands returned to their sides and they stood back up to their full height. As all six raised their heads and took two paces backward, a chorus of overlapping trills filled the air.

Alonzo didn't hesitate in his reply. "Yes, we understand. And we thank you for fixing your mistake and for returning our leader to us," he expressed with compassion, yet with a healthy dose of authority in his voice. "You are forgiven."

Obviously pleased with what they'd heard, the Terrians nodded in unison before vanishing back into the Earth. Not wanting to separate Devon from the planet's healing properties just yet, she remained on the dirt floor for several more minutes. Julia continued her examination while John raised Devon's head slightly in order for Alonzo to hold a cup of water to her lips. All were pleased when the leader was able to swallow a few small sips of the liquid.

With Julia's eventual endorsement, John lifted a much-improved Devon into his arms, swaddling her in the now dirt-riddled blanket as he transferred her to the comfort of a nearby cot. Though Devon's eyes had yet to reopen, Danziger felt her nestle against him and she exhaled a slow, steady breath. As soon as she was settled in her new sickbed, Julia placed a hypogun to her neck and injected a synaptic enhancer to aid in her recovery. The effect was immediate and Devon's eyes opened to view Julia as she kneeled next to her cot.

"Welcome back, Devon," Julia greeted warmly as Alonzo joined her at her side.

Devon opened her mouth as if to speak, but the doctor cut her off. "You need to conserve your energy, so don't try to talk. Just listen, okay?"

She did her best to answer the most pertinent questions that she might have, deliberately concentrating on the more positive news and leaving out the information that she'd suffered a miscarriage.

"You were only in coldsleep for four days. The Terrians healed you and you're going to enjoy a complete recovery, as long as you follow doctor's orders, of course. Uly is doing fine and I'll let him come by to see you in a few hours, once you regain a bit more of your strength. However, I see no reason why you can't have your first visitor right now."

A half-smile graced Julia's lips as she rotated her head. "Danzi-" she started to call out but stopped when she realized that she was addressing an empty space where Danziger had been standing only moments before.

Julia and Alonzo performed a quick scan of the room and, to their shock, found no sign of the mechanic. Without notice or detection, he'd slipped out of the tent sometime after depositing Devon into bed.

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