Legends II - Legends of Love by Nicole Mayer

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Legends II : LEGENDS OF LOVE. (5/9)
by Nicole Mayer

"Uly?" asked True, tears in her eyes.

"I'll be alright," he said sadly. "I guess I said goodbye to her a long time ago." Only now could Uly appreciate that fact. That was why he had forgotten her at New Pacifica, that was why his future had seemed so bright. He *had* accepted the loss of his mother and could live on.

They sat quietly on a log, sunshine playing down over their faces. It didn't seem right that such a beautiful day held such tragedy. The gentle wind caused leaves to dance across the ground, in spiralling patterns that were eerily reminiscent of another time.

Because it was almost exactly like the last time, when True and Uly had sat on this very same log, two young hearts touched by the tragedy of loss.

"True," he said suddenly.

"What?" she asked. Her eyes were looking into the distance, but her hand sought his.

"If I'm ever like that, well, you know," he broke off awkwardly. True turned to face him.

He took a deep breath, and started again. "If I'm dying, let me go into the earth," he said. "I belong there."

This was more than an ancient Earth belief, it was his connection to the Terrians and the planet. Uly belonged with them too, and True understood perfectly.

"What about, uh, your mother?" She couldn't bring herself to say Devon's name.

Smiling sadly, Uly said, "She doesn't belong in the ground. She was a dreamer, and the stars were hers. If John wants to let her rest in the chamber, then it's okay with me."

His words were wise for someone still so young. True gently took Uly's hand, looking at him with a new understanding. His eyes were shining, not only with tears, but with hope as well because it was finally over.

Uly gently brushed the tears from True's cheeks, and said, "I'm glad you're here."

She could only smile sadly and whisper, "I'm glad I'm here too."

Julia was feeling terribly alone. Every moment she turned around, she expected to see Alonzo, or Yale, someone from the original group who would be there for comfort and counsel, to help them get through the pain. But this time, they were all on their own.

She could see True and Uly sitting close together, but did not want to intrude. Walman had taken a lonely walk to Eben's gravesite, to honour her memory and now that of Devon as well. And Danziger, Julia feared, was still inside the ship, his hands pushing against the glass that separated him from Devon.

His state was terribly unstable, Julia knew. But right now, she didn't have the strength to go talk to him and talk him through his pain. She was feeling enough pain herself.

She had failed. Oh, her diagnosis had been correct. But cold sleep had destroyed the resonances throughout Devon's body long ago and the damage had already been too great.

Julia tried to imagine what the vibrations would do to a person. Feeling a constant, discordant drumming throughout the body, fighting desperately against the unnatural rhythm until, at last, the person could fight no longer.

Shivering suddenly, Julia felt the tears again well in her eyes. This day, this moment, was one she had dreaded for eight years, the time when finally, nothing more could be done to save her friend's life. Julia could not forgive herself.

It was her fault that Danziger was so broken now. Her fault for suggesting cold sleep in the first place and just prolonging the inevitable. Her fault that she had been unable to do more for Devon.

Miserably, Julia kicked a stray rock and glanced at the waiting vehicles. They would be leaving very soon. There was nothing left for them here now, nothing but terrible, tragic memories. She didn't want to return to the ship to collect her things. They could stay. She didn't ever want to come back here again.

Gillian's head was swimming. She had not been reading the words anymore, she had been *there*, out in the desert with Danziger, Julia and the others. More than that, she had been inside Devon's mind.

But how was that possible? Why did she know things that even Bess had not written? Gillian was searching for the answers, yet even more questions were being raised all the time. Someday, perhaps, she would understand.

Yale walked along the path to the Martins' house with a quiet dignity. He didn't like the job he had to do, yet realised that he alone was the only one to deliver such news. Then, he could be alone with his own sorrow.

Ariel was playing in the front garden, her innocent face turned to the sun in an expression of pure joy. Pain constricted Yale's heart as he saw, in a sudden flash of memory, another little girl so many years ago. A tiny, yet strong-willed little girl with the flashing, defiant eyes and the arrogant toss of her determined dark head as she demanded to know why he was there.

A faint smile touched Yale's lips as he recalled his first meeting with Devon. In the confused world of the rich and powerful, she had been alone and without a true friend. Some said that was true of Devon Adair throughout her whole life. But Yale had been more than her teacher, he had been her friend and counsel, and eventually, friend to her son as well. Yale's destiny had become intertwined with the Adair family, and ultimately they had become his own family too.

And now, Yale was grieving as a father who had lost his beloved daughter. He had tried to be there for her over the years, but in the final, cataclysmic moments of her life, she had been on her own, the way it was meant to be. Devon Adair, the loner.

Yale wished that Devon'd had the chance to fall in love and be free of the demons of her past. He remembered comforting her after the incident with Uly's father, when she had sworn away from love for the rest of her life. Yale had always hoped that someday, her wounds would heal and she could learn to trust again.

He had watched her deal with men since then, always so cool and aloof. Until coming to this planet, and discovering the true meaning of friendship and trust.

Quietly, Yale had watched her become especially close to John Danziger, and hoped in his heart that Devon could find the happiness that she didn't know she was searching for. But fate had taken that opportunity from her, so now Yale could only think of what might-have-been, and pray that Devon had died in peace with the knowledge that she had made a difference.

Yale stepped up onto the front veranda, and gently tapped on the door.

Bess called out, "Coming!" in her musical voice and, with baby John on her hip, opened the door and invited Yale in.

He stood formally in the living room, observing that although Bess looked tired as all mothers do, she still had a radiance within her that Yale suspected would never die.

Bess saw the solemn expression on his face, and suddenly knew that he was not paying a social visit.

"Is Morgan home?" Yale asked.

"No, he's over at the office," she replied nervously. "Yale, what is it?"

"She didn't make it," he said with the quiet dignity of one in much pain.

Bess' clear blue eyes clouded over as she comprehended Yale's words.

"They couldn't help Devon?" she asked, her voice quavering.

The look on Yale's face was all the confirmation she needed.

Bess sat down suddenly. Shock registered across her features as the implications of Yale's news set in.

"I guess I was really lucky then," Bess said slowly. Time seemed to have slowed down for a moment, and all the colours were harsh and bright. Her mind was whirling with confusion.

"Yale, I'm so sorry." There wasn't much Bess could say to him. She felt as if she should cry, or at least express her sadness in some way. But Bess was strangely detached, as if this had been expected for a long time and all her tears were already shed.

Instead of picturing Devon as she last saw her, Bess could recall their first meeting, the forceful leader of the Eden Project. Morgan hadn't liked her much back then, and neither, come to think of it, had Bess.

But that had changed on one magical journey. Devon, the one to look to for strength when life seemed grim. Devon, who had inspired their hearts to conquer the vast, unknown land. Devon, the friend who had been there for them all. Suddenly, Bess realised that she hadn't considered their first journey over yet. That is, until just now, when the final part of their mission was ultimately closed. Forever.

As Yale began to move back towards the door, Bess suddenly offered, "Yale, stay for a while. Morgan will be home soon. You can have dinner with us."

"Thank you, Bess," he replied. "But I really must get going. I have work to do, to prepare for tomorrow's classes." Bess recognised his need to be alone.

"Well, if you ever need anything, feel free to drop by," she offered weakly.

Yale smiled in gratitude, then walked slowly away. He still had one more sad message to deliver, to a pilot beginning his new career in the stars. Then both Bess and Yale were alone, grieving for a friend whose death had been cruelly twisted by time.

"Danziger! We're leaving now!" snapped Walman. He had been attempting to reason with the man for the last five minutes, but Danziger refused to move from inside the old spaceship.

"Go," he grunted. "Leave me here. There's nothing for me back there anyway."

"Are you crazy, man? You've got the whole town," Walman tactfully did not mention the town's name, "to look after. And what about your kids?"

"The city'll survive without me. There's lots of qualified people back there. And as for True and Uly, they're practically grown up. Don't need a useless father hanging around in the way."

Danziger was pacing inside the ship, but he could not tear his eyes from Devon's coffin. She looked so beautiful through the glass, an ethereal spirit just out of his reach. He remembered the dream and now knew it had been a premonition of things to come.

"Dad!" True's voice was frightened. She stepped slowly to the hatch, blocking the sunlight that was streaming in. She was terribly worried and scared. In all her eighteen years, she had never seen her father behave in this manner.

She stepped inside. "Dad?" she repeated, more softly this time. "I know you're sad, but we still need you."

Danziger stared down into his daughter's face. "I failed her, True."

"No, you didn't! You did the best you could, but now, it's time to let go." Tentatively, True took Danziger's hand and gently pulled him towards her.

"*I* need you, Dad."

Indecision flickered across Danziger's face as his heart was pulled in two directions by two very different kinds of love. "Please?" She didn't see the silent vow in his eyes as he turned to Devon's coffin one last time. Then he let True lead him outside, and away.

Quickly, the vehicles were repacked. They hadn't taken much down, anyway. Climbing on board, Walman couldn't help but feel shocked at how much everything had changed in less than half a day. He gave a half-salute to the towering ship, and turned to face the future.

Uly and True, too, took last looks at the place where they "began to die". Julia never looked back. And Danziger could not tear his eyes away, even when the shimmering of the craft had long become lost in the distance.

"People die, sometimes," Bess foreshadowed. "Not by choice, not deliberately, not even because they deserve to. It just happens, whether accidentally or not. You never expect death. Even when I was staring Death in the face, I still felt a sense of my own immortality, and believed I would go on no matter what.

"Yet sometimes, Death sneaks up on us in ways we never suspect, in ways we cannot imagine. One little mistake, one of hundreds you can make in your life, can lead to lethal consequences and there's no turning back. You don't get a second chance.

"My friend made a mistake. Bad judgement, perhaps, or maybe she too believed in immortality. Whatever it was, death came, and we couldn't stop it. We were powerless against the terrible force that had taken our loved one, and that scared us all and helped destroy others. Because nothing can stop destiny."

They were still one week out from the city of Devon when the larger vehicle died. The engine gave out for no apparent reason - it just ground to a halt during the middle of another endless, silent day. For no one was really speaking to each other, as each was too lost in memories and grief.

"Well, this is just great," groaned Walman. "What do we do now? We can't all fit on the scout vehicle, and it wouldn't be able to carry enough supplies anyway."

"Besides," chimed in Julia, "the city can't afford to lose even one vehicle." Uly wandered over to the scout vehicle to tell Danziger and True the news.

"So who's going to go back?" asked Walman, his tone low.

Julia stared at him, worried. "Danziger needs to get back to town as soon as possible. I don't think he's said one word since Devon died. He won't listen to me at all and he only listens to you when he wants to."

Julia took a deep breath, and went on, "I think he needs to be surrounded by his work and friends again, to get back into everyday life. Hopefully, that will snap him out of his depression."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I don't even want to consider that possibility," stated Julia darkly. She remembered case studies from her medical training of people who went crazy with grief or guilt, and Danziger was definitely suffering from both of those. She didn't want to lose her friend to the dark paths of the inner mind and soul.

"So Danziger goes back. Who stays? You, or me?"

"I'll stay," offered Julia. "I don't mind. It'll give me a while to clear my head on my own."

Walman asked, "Are you sure?" but then saw the determination in her eyes.

"I need you to get Danziger back safely. You and True are his best hope for the moment."

"Okay," conceded Walman. "But you're not staying out here alone. I'll ask Uly to stay with you."

Uly was more than happy to volunteer. He sensed that True would be alright once she got back to the city and saw her friends again, especially Bess and Ari. But for Uly, one of his best friends was out here now and he would not abandon Julia. For anything.

"Good luck," wished True, hugging Uly and Julia goodbye. "We'll be back with a repair crew as soon as possible."

"Or at least a bigger vehicle to take you back!" laughed Walman wryly. "Come on, Danziger. Let's get going!"

"My life is awfully full of goodbyes lately," remarked Uly as he stood waving to True.

"Well, hopefully, that should be the last one for quite some time," Julia replied absently, rummaging in her backpack for something to eat. Finding a couple of ration bars, she held one out to Uly and asked, "Hungry?"

He took the bar and casually tossed it into the air. Catching it perfectly in one hand, he asked, "So what do we do for the next week or so?"

"We rest," declared Julia, allowing a smile to almost reach her eyes. "It's just been so depressing lately and I know that we all have a good reason to be upset, but the stress of racing such huge distances in so little time... and then there's Danziger to worry about as well...."

Julia's eyes clouded over, until she realised that Uly was patting her arm.

"Don't worry about it, Julia. We'll do what you said, rest for a while. We can try and put this behind us." A sudden idea came to Uly, and he wondered if Julia would go for it. Well, there was no harm in trying.

"What if we, like, pretend this is a camping trip? Like a holiday, for just the two of us."

That caught Julia's attention. "You want to pretend we're camping out here? In this desolate wilderness?"

"Hey, it's not so bad," reassured Uly. Pointing to the north, he said, "See those ridges up there? I bet there'd be some great views from the tops of those mountains. I haven't *really* climbed a mountain in ages!" Uly's tone was a little wistful, and Julia's eyes sparkled with memory.

"So you're allowed to climb mountains again, are you? I didn't think that day would ever come after that morning. You and True, throwing things off a cliff like that...." Julia found herself giggling, and was surprised. Laughter was a rarity in her life lately.
Uly pretended to be indignant. "Of course I can climb mountains. I don't know what you're talking about!" Then the laughter infected him as well.

"We have a lot of good memories," said Julia, her face becoming serious again. "And you're right, we need to have some fun. Okay, Uly, do you think we can hike to the top of those mountains and back again in two weeks?"

"Easily," he scoffed. "We could do it in ten days."

"Okay, so that means we set out, say, the day after tomorrow?" Uly nodded, and the pact was made. They would have fun while stranded in the desert. And more importantly, they would conquer the ghosts of the past once and for all.

The vehicle rumbled into Devon, pulling to a stop outside the Danziger home. Instead of the joyous reunion they had all envisioned, only Bess, Morgan, Yale and Walman's girlfriend Donna had come to welcome the travellers home.

Bess was frightened when she saw the look on Danziger's face. His eyes were empty, his features carved in stone, and he looked straight past her even as she called out, "John!" in the hope that he would hear her.

But instead, Danziger walked straight past the gathered group, not even pausing to acknowledge the fact that they, too, were hurting.

True jumped down from the vehicle a little more slowly, and straight into Bess' waiting arms while Morgan and Yale looked on and smiled. Walman swept Donna off her feet and swung her around. Watching their happiness out of the corner of her eye, Bess suddenly suspected that there could be wedding bells in the future for that couple.

But she could not think of that now. "It's good to see you again, True," she said, hugging the girl who was like a sister to her.

"It's good to be back," replied True, her eyes a little misty with tears. She had grown taller than Bess, but still felt comforted by the older woman's embrace. Finally pulling away, True turned to greet Morgan, and Yale.

Yale took her hands in his. "And how is my prize student?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm okay," she replied. Not great, but she would survive. She knew it.

"We cooked you dinner," said Morgan suddenly. Bess glared at him. "Well, that is, Bess and Yale cooked the dinner. I sort of, uh, helped a little," he quickly amended.

True allowed herself to smile. Life was getting back to the way she remembered it.

"Yale, Morgan, Bess, good to see you again," interrupted Walman, having finally detached himself from Donna although they still held hands.

"Likewise," offered Morgan graciously. He and Walman had never got along too well, but over the years had developed a tolerance for each other.

Yale shook the man's hand, and thanked him for making the journey.

"I was happy to," replied Walman. "It gave me a chance to sort out a lot of old feelings, and realise some things about the life I have now." He looked to Donna and she smiled back radiantly.

"Well, I guess I should get going. I'll get in touch with Alonzo. He should be ready to leave tomorrow morning. Have you decided if you're coming out again, True?"

"I'm going to stay here," she replied. "Dad needs me. But thank you for doing all this. I know that you weren't as personally involved as the rest of us...."

"Hey, you're my friends," cut in Walman, grinning. "And friendship is what's important, right?"

"Right," replied True as she hugged him. "I'll come see you off in the morning."

"See you then," said Walman, and he and Donna left.

"Well," said Morgan. "Shall we go inside?"

"Sure," replied True. "Where are Ari and John tonight?"

"With Mary." Mary, Morgan's personal assistant, had been more than happy to babysit that evening. She loved Ari and John almost as much as her own children, although she complained that she didn't get to see the Martins nearly enough.

"She's been a great help lately," continued Bess. "And now that you're back, I'll feel like I don't have to care for my own children at all! That is, if you feel up to playing with Ari."

"Of course I will," declared True. "Life goes on," she stated with conviction. She didn't yet realise that sometimes, the past could trap a person and there was nothing anyone could do to help them escape.

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