Wishful Thinking by Allison McDonnell

[Reviews - 0]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer

- Text Size +

John didn't care how or why the Terrians had done it. The only thing that mattered was that Devon was finally coming home to them. Of course, he'd only believe that such a miracle was possible when he actually saw the woman with his own eyes.

The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of emotion for the crew. Though they had traveled for five days and had significantly surpassed their daily twenty click quota, most felt that very little ground had been gained. As far as they were concerned, their physical proximity meant nothing as long as their hearts and minds had remained miles behind them, frozen along with Devon in the belly of Franklin Bennett's ship.

Considering the gut-wrenching circumstances that lead up to it, Danziger had somehow managed a fluid transition into his role as the sole leader of Eden Advance. It had greatly helped that, despite the group's anguish, he had their full support, and most stepped up to offer their assistance in any way that they could. Not only did they want to alleviate as much of weary mechanic's burden as possible, they wanted to afford him plenty of opportunities to spend much-needed time with the children.

He returned his friends' many favors by listening to their suggestions and by ensuring that they were kept in the loop regarding the overall decisions made for the group. Amazingly, Danziger had even appeared to have entered into an unspoken truce with Morgan. At the very least, the bureaucrat had assessed the situation well enough to know to hold his tongue regarding any reservations that he might have about Danziger's leadership abilities. At least for the time being.

Strangely enough, the one crew-member that Danziger had rarely seen or spoken to since Eden Advance had reinitiated the trek to New Pacifica was Alonzo Solace. It wasn't as if the two were actively avoiding one another. In fact, the pilot was busier than ever. From the morning they'd left the valley, he'd become all but consumed with his efforts to persuade the Terrians to agree to heal Devon. As such, he'd been spending most of his waking and sleeping hours on the Dreamscape doing everything from desperately pleading for their help, to attempting to garner their collective sympathy along with the basic understanding of their plight, to schooling the creatures in a child-like fashion about the fundamentals of human emotion and the attachment that one person could feel for another.

It was a difficult, exhausting process, but on the fifth day, Alonzo's hard fight had yielded a successful outcome. Although the Terrians were never able to fully grasp the importance of how the loss of one individual could so adversely affect the physical and emotional behavior of a group collective, their curiosity was piqued just enough by Alonzo's explanation that they were very grudgingly inclined to view the outcome of such an endeavor. Of course, Alonzo didn't care how or why the beings finally agreed to come to their aid, as long as they followed through with their intentions.

With Eden Advance's blessing, Alonzo and Julia had immediately commandeered the Dunerail packed with medical equipment and returned to Bennett's ship. Though they'd had a long journey ahead of them, they were able to cover ground quickly due to the speed of the vehicle, the even terrain, the familiarity of the route, and the fact that they could switch drivers whenever warranted. In fact, it was estimated that if they'd traveled from sun-up to sun-down without stopping, they would reach their destination in just three days.

In the meantime, Danziger and the remaining crew-members were able to do little else but set up camp and wait for hopefully good news. Although everyone was experiencing a certain degree of excitement and relief, their optimism was cautious at best. A general distrust of the Terrians still permeated the minds of many in the group which, for the most part, stemmed from their overall lack of understanding of the creatures' motives and behavior. Despite their lofty claims, the crew couldn't help but question whether the Terrians actually possessed the ability to heal Devon. And there was certainly no guarantee that the beings wouldn't change their mind and leave Devon exactly the way they found her. Or worse.

Meanwhile, Julia and Alonzo were well beyond gear range, and updates on the status of the operation were out of the question. As such, there was no way for Eden Advance to know that the pair was so fully committed to the rescue mission that they had opted to drive with almost no breaks through the night, thereby trimming a full day off of their trip. The stationary crew also wasn't privy to the knowledge that Devon's healing by the Terrians had gone off without a hitch. In fact, it was even better than expected. Devon was not only fully cognizant of her surroundings after only a few hours of rest, she was strong enough to issue the order to leave Bennett's ship at first light. And, of course, Julia and Alonzo had been more than willing to comply.

The trio had mirrored their now well-established path back to camp, again traveling throughout the day and night with minimal stops to recharge the Dunerail. As they reentered gear range, they were at least two full days ahead of what had been deemed the shortest projection of their schedule. No one in Eden Advance could possibly have expected their impending arrival within just a few hours time. Though it was difficult not to spoil the surprise, they somehow managed to refrain from contact, rationalizing that seeing Devon in the flesh instead of a small vid screen would end up having a much greater impact.

The sun was just beginning to appear over the distant mountain peaks behind them as Julia, Alonzo and Devon crested a small hill and the campsite came into full view. As they closed in on the perimeter, a single silhouette which had been hovering around the campfire immediately stirred and began to advance toward them with his Mag-pro in tow. However, it only took a second for the appointed sentry to recognize the Dunerail and its three occupants. And there was no missing the excitement in Walman's voice.

"Holy shit! They're back!" he hollered as he tossed the weapon aside and ran toward the approaching vehicle. "Danziger! Everybody! Get out here! Somebody wake up Uly!"

Most of the crew had no idea what was going on as they were jostled from a deep sleep. Confusion and uncertainty reigned supreme as they hurriedly threw on their coats and shoved their feet into their boots. They simultaneously began to spill from their tents, realizing that Walman would not be yelling at the top of his lungs unless he was in distress or, at the very least, something serious had happened. Danziger, who had already been awake for several hours, came barreling from the opposite end of camp where the ATV and Transrover were situated, his gun drawn.

The mechanic skidded to a stop as his eyes fell upon Devon's beaming face, and the pistol, along with his jaw, dropped to the ground not too far away from Walman's abandoned Mag-pro. Too shocked to move or speak, he could only watch as the crowd reacted with cries of joy and proceeded to jubilantly surround the now halted vehicle. Uly's screams of delight eclipsed all other sounds as he ran to his Mom full speed, jumping into the front seat and embracing her. Many tears were shed and they tightly held one another while Devon assured him that the Terrians' cure was a resounding success and she'd indeed been returned to full health.

The leader remained only slightly weakened from her ordeal, but was still closely monitored by Julia as she exited the Dunerail and was warmly ushered back into the fold of Eden Advance. Uly was still all but attached to her hip as she made her way down the hastily thrown together welcome wagon, exchanging hugs and enthusiastic greetings with everyone. However, as she reached the end of the line of well-wishers, she realized that one person was conspicuously absent. She peered just beyond the throng of people to view Danziger who hadn't seemed to budge a single inch since his first eye contact with her.

It was difficult for Devon to decipher the mechanic's expression or body language, but it was clear that he either couldn't or wouldn't move. As such, Devon gently extricated herself from her son and took the initiative to go to him.

"Hey there, Danziger," she beckoned, stopping just in front him.

There was a noticeable gulp before John softly muttered, "Hey there, Adair. Welcome home."

He had barely gotten out the words when Devon eliminated the distance between them and pulled him into a hug, her arms weaving around his torso under his Ops jacket. Initially, John's posturing was rigid and he didn't appear to be breathing. There was also a fair amount of shaking, but Devon realized that she was just as much of a contributing factor as he was, if not more so.

Ever so slowly, Danziger returned her gesture by wrapping his arms around her, gradually easing her closer.

She noted the racing of his heartbeat as she set her forehead against his chest, relaying, "Julia and Alonzo have been doing nothing but singing your praises almost the entire trip back. They tell me that you did an amazing job while I was gone."

She felt the shrug of Danziger's shoulders. "Didn't really have much of a chance to muck anything up."

Devon could only shake her head as he yet again downplayed his importance. It was imperative to her that Danziger knew how much he was appreciated, and she arched her head backward to meet his eyes.

"Thank you for keeping your promises to me," she whispered, her expression infused with graciousness and warmth.

However, the leader's smile immediately faded and her stomach clenched into a thick knot as she witnessed a flash of deep pain flicker across John's face. Though he quickly regained control of his features, when he attempted to reply, no words would come forth and the best he could muster was to nod his acknowledgment.

Now Devon had lost her ability to speak and tears were beginning to well in her eyes as she drew Danziger back into an embrace. Slowly but surely, she felt the mechanic exhale a full breath and relax against her before gingerly resting his chin on the top of her head.

Even though there was an entire crowd of onlookers situated just a few feet away, for a few fleeting moments, Devon and John felt as though they were the only two people on the entire planet.

Devon held onto him much longer than she knew that she should have as she expressed in a voice strained with emotion, "It's good to be back."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Eden Advance's elation had subsided, Devon was anxious to get down to business. It was incredibly important to her for them to immediately resume their lives as they'd been before her collapse which meant packing up and getting back on the road to New Pacifica that very morning.

The leader seemed comfortable with leaving Danziger in charge for a bit longer to enable her to comply with Julia's strict orders of rest, and she spent the day off of her feet riding in the comfort of the Transrover. Additionally, Julia and Alonzo spent most of their daylight hours finally permitting themselves the opportunity to catch up on their sleep after pushing themselves to their physical and emotional limit for the past week. The rest of the crew was happy to either chauffeur the dozing trio or to walk alongside the caravan.

As the sun's rays were gradually replaced by the more muted beams of the planet's dual moons, Danziger called for a full-stop and supervised the construction of their temporary campsite, including the assembly of tents for the still-relaxing crew-members. Eden Advance's gleeful mood continued throughout the evening meal and the subsequent gathering around the campfire. By that point, Julia, Alonzo and Devon were recharged enough to join the crew, though this time it was Danziger who was a no-show. Instead, the mechanic had chosen to spend his time running a full diagnostic on the Dunerail's engine, ensuring that it wasn't teetering on full collapse after being forced to perform well beyond its expected breaking point.

Though Devon wasn't sure if John's reason for staying away was valid or not, she didn't want to tempt fate and ruin their terrific day by pushing him to interact with her and the others if he wasn't feeling up to it. As the night drew to a close, she successfully fought the overwhelming urge to see him and, instead, returned to her quarters alone.

Once she'd checked on an already slumbering Uly, she climbed into her bed, her mind in overdrive as she recalled the events just before she'd been placed into cold sleep. Of course, Devon had been fully aware that her health would continue to deteriorate even after the threat of the implant failures had been neutralized. However, although her eventual demise was inevitable, it had been shocking nonetheless when she'd collapsed outside of her tent on the morning that Eden Advance was scheduled to leave. In fact, she'd been suddenly overcome with panic.

She'd struggled to tell Uly good-bye before she'd lost the ability to speak or move. And by the time the desperate decision to place her in cryo-sleep had taken place, she could only decipher little more than muted, muffled tones. She was horrified at how fast she was slipping away, as well as how truly helpless she'd become. After all, there was so much more that she still had to do. There were so many things that she had yet to say. Most importantly, she'd made a promise to over a thousand people to provide them with a functioning colony in just over two year's time. Everyone was depending upon her and it was painfully clear to her at that moment that she'd failed every single one of them.

But then something miraculous took place.

As she was in the process of being placed into the vertical sleep capsule, her eyes focused in on John's somber face and an almost overwhelming feeling of calm proceeded to sweep over her. In those presumably final seconds of her life, she'd reminded herself that, though she would not be able to see her mission through to its conclusion, John would tirelessly labor to ensure that what she'd begun, he would finish.

For the very first time, Devon had contemplated that her role in the success of The Eden Project and in humanity's settlement on G889 wasn't necessarily to be their leader. Perhaps her true position was to have served as the architect and the facilitator of the overall expedition, and her life's work was making the necessary arrangements that placed the right people in the right place at the right time. And if she couldn't be there, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that the right person to fill her shoes was John Danziger.

As she'd closed her eyes and accepted her fate, she'd briefly worried that Danziger would bear too much of the burden by himself without delegating some of his responsibilities to others in the group. She'd learned better than anyone after working with the mechanic these past months that, although their management styles often clashed, it was good to have a second opinion and someone to assist in keeping things running as smoothly as possible. Devon rationalized that Julia would likely be the best candidate to work alongside of, and she'd sincerely hoped that the doctor wasn't beating herself up too badly for failing to save her.

As the door to the crypt had hissed to a close and Devon had sensed a staff or a marker of some sort being slipped into the door's handle, she'd briefly wondered if she would still possess the ability to dream while in a state of deep hibernation. But she'd immediately concluded that such experiences weren't necessary. As her mind had drifted into nothingness, she was completely at peace with where she was, as well as with the knowledge that Eden Advance and the colonization of G889 would be a resounding success. The journey would continue on without her and everything would be okay.

But now Devon had been healed and her plans had changed yet again.

Life could return to the way it had been before her collapse. But did she really want it to? Obviously, she'd retake her spot as leader of Eden Project and Danziger would be right there at her side as second in command, at least until the Jamestown arrived. But now she was considering making some profound changes in her life, particularly where John was concerned.

Though their reunion had been fraught with happiness, instinct had yet again kicked in prompting Devon to forcibly hold at bay the true depth of emotion that she'd felt where the mechanic was concerned. And much to her chagrin, she'd barely seen or spoken with Danziger since her homecoming that morning. She'd wished that she'd been able to spend more time with him and hoped to rectify the situation as soon as she possibly could.

In fact, as Devon drifted off into a peaceful sleep, she began to consider the idea that maybe it was time for her to throw caution to the wind and finally permit herself to follow her dreams.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A determined smile stretched across Devon's face the moment she opened her eyes in her virtual cot. With a plan of action in mind and much too excited to worry about needless formalities such as her shoes, she tore out of the tent in her bare feet and sprinted across the landscape as fast as her legs would carry her.

"John!" she called out with every few steps that she took.

She'd crossed about two-thirds of the grassy field when Danziger appeared in the doorway of his quarters. The sight of him caused her toes to dig into the soft earth as she skidded to a stop.

Devon's eyes beamed with delight and her voice transformed into little more than a whisper. "John."

With nothing to hold them back, it was as though a starter pistol had been fired as the two simultaneously sprinted the remaining distance into one another's arms, tightly embracing.

"I love you. I love you so much," she repeated breathlessly, her mouth buried against his neck, just under his ear.

Danziger strengthened his grip around her, practically crushing her body against his as he echoed her words of affection. However, even through a passion-fueled haze, Devon couldn't miss or ignore that John's tone was laced with anguish, reminding her of the pain he'd briefly exhibited at her homecoming.

Any semblance of rational thought lagged several steps behind their need for physical contact. The mechanic's arms scaled Devon's slender back and his hands dug into her hair, guiding her head as he began a trail of kisses from the tip of her brow down her cheek and ending at her lips. Both let out strained gasps as their mouths met and they immediately deepened the sentiment.

Now that their previously quelled desires were permitted complete liberation, their movements became progressively intense, ambitious and uncontrolled. Several articles of clothing had already been yanked loose or removed entirely by the time John had guided an equally anxious Devon back into his tent.

The couple nearly buckled Danziger's cot as they crashed onto the mattress and, this time, there wasn't a single reason that Devon could think of to keep her from acting upon her impulses. So she stopped thinking entirely and just allowed herself to enjoy her fantasy to its fullest potential.

She'd never slept so well.

You must login (register) to review.