The Road Not Chosen by Joan Powers

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The Road Not Chosen (2/11)
by Joan Powers

As the sun began to set on the horizon, a soapy dish slipped out of Morgan's hands and splashed back into the tub of water. His attention was directed towards the people gathered by the camp fire, rather than the task at hand.

"Morgan!" His wife complained as she wiped the trickle of water off her cheek with the back of her hand.

As an afterthought, he mumbled, "Sorry." Then he craned his neck towards Julia and Alonzo who were most likely discussing their scouting findings with Devon, Danziger, and Yale.

"Morgan," Bess admonished him. She knew what he was up to.

With a look of feigned innocence, he claimed, "What?" Seeing that his wife didn't believe him, he explained, "I just wanna know what's going on. That pass is just around the corner. We should be reaching it tomorrow. But look at their faces - something's wrong."

Bess glanced over to humor Morgan, then she realized that he was right. So she urged her husband to hurry so they could finish cleaning the dinner dishes then both go join the discussion.

As the couple walked over to the group, who were seated on logs and crates about the camp fire, they heard Alonzo speaking. "The lake and the stream aren't water. They're acid."

Danziger turned towards Devon and commented with a wry grin, "We've seen this before."

She rolled her eyes in agreement as memories of that experience flashed through her mind. "Alonzo, did you see any Terrians around that area? When John and I were at the other acidic lake, they wouldn't let us approach it." The pilot shook his head.

"It was some sort of power source. We saw them energizing their staffs there. It's pretty potent stuff - it destroyed the canteen I lowered into it." Danziger explained to the others.

Morgan interrupted, clearing his throat to attract the other's attention, "Ahem. Excuse me, but what's the problem? We don't have to go directly through this stuff - do we?"

"Since the stream isn't very wide, we were just discussing that we should be able to rig some sort of bridge to cross it safely. But the Terrians were openly hostile about us approaching the other lake. They shot at John and I, knocked us out, then tied us up," Devon curtly explained.

"But Alonzo said he didn't see any Terrians here. So what's the problem?" Morgan insisted.

Devon sighed impatiently, "Last night the Terrians told Uly that they didn't want us to use the pass."

Morgan's eyes widened with disbelief, "So, our best chance over these mountains and you don't want to take it based on your kid's dream?" Devon shot a withering look towards the government liaison who quickly tried another tactic, "I mean, c'mon, I know he can talk with the Terrians but he's only nine. Couldn't he have made a mistake?"

"Of course that's a possibility," Devon begrudgingly admitted. "But Alonzo has similar feelings."

"Feelings ?" Morgan turned towards Alonzo, "Do you have any facts? Did they come right out and tell you that we shouldn't do this?"

Alonzo's jaw tightened as he barked towards the man, "How many times do I have to tell you? It's not that simple."

"Alonzo, can you tell everyone what they have shared with you?" Devon asked.

"All I can say is that they've been trying to show me something on the Dream Plane. I don't understand it yet, but it's important. It may have something to do with this area, it may not. But when Julia and I drove the Rail directly to the neck of that pass, it didn't feel right to me."

"Are those plants you discovered dangerous?" Devon turned to Julia.

"No." For the benefit of Morgan, Bess, and the others who'd joined them, Julia explained, "After we got out of the Rail and crossed over the stream, the floor of the valley was covered with these unusual vines. They're close to the ground, and have dark red leaves. It's really quite a site - I've never seen anything like it before. We didn't investigate any further at that point, I wanted to test out those plants first. So far, my tests on the leaves show they don't contain anything potentially harmful to us."

Baines joined in, "So it'll be okay for us to drive over them. What's holding us back?"

"We have to remember that this isn't our planet. We can't forget that. If the Terrians don't want us to go this way, we might want to consider alternate routes," Devon defensively snapped.

Yale gently reminded her, "According to our maps, there aren't any Devon. At least there aren't any without a significant detour from our ultimate destination which could add at least a month or more to our travel time. Unless the river's course alters significantly, it blocks any southern routes. Since it's so wide and acidic, we can't attempt to cross it. As you know from your scouting trip, the northern route doesn't look promising either. And we might encounter poor weather during our search."

"Why don't we organize a scouting team to investigate this pass?" John suggested. Dodging Devon's outraged look, he continued, "At the same time, we can send another party on a week long scout to check out our options further along the southern or northern routes." Several people agreed with him.

"We can't do that. Not just yet. We're not sure if Terrians want us to go there." Devon objected over their voices.

"She's right. As much as I hate the thought of spending more time traveling, I don't wanna rush into a situation that we don't fully understand. We should give them a few days to communicate with us," Alonzo added.

Close by his side, Julia said, "I agree. There's still a lot we don't know about this planet."

Morgan pointed out, "But we don't have any other information about this place. You yourself said that the Terrians haven't told you anything specific over the Dream Plane. At this point, we don't have any other options. Shouldn't we at least check it out? It's stupid to throw away this opportunity based on what we think may happen."

Danziger uncomfortably cleared his throat, "I'm afraid I have to side with Morgan. I don't see what the harm would be in sending a few people to scout ahead."

"Really?" It took Devon a moment to disguise her disappointment about his comment. Then she vehemently argued, "What if the Terrians are warning Uly that this area is poisonous to us? What if there are Terrians here who are just as protective of their power source as the others were and they harm the scouting party?"

Without hesitation Danziger answered back, "That's the point Devon. We don't know. Sitting around waiting for God knows what to happen won't help us. I say we send some people in. I'm volunteering to go."

Devon's mouth hung open a moment, then she quickly regained her composure. "We can't do this. We owe it to the Terrians to wait and give them a chance to tell us more before we go exploring. Can't we at least do that? Don't we owe them that?"

"C'mon Devon, what do we owe the Terrians now?" Baines asked.

"My son's life. And my own."

Her statement effectively silenced the group. For despite their objections, no one could challenge those facts. Without the Terrian's assistance, Ulysses Adair would most likely be dead, and Devon Adair would indeed still be frozen in a cryotube on the abandoned Venus class vessel, with little hope of ever being awakened from her deep slumber.

"Okay. We wait a few days," Danziger mumbled as he walked away.

"Morgan! What're you doing?" Upon entering her tent, Bess discovered her husband stuffing some clothing into his pack.

"I'm tired of waiting around. I'm gonna take the ATV and check out that area myself. By the time I get back, the Terrians may've gotten through to flyboy, or at least I'll be able to prove that it's safe to travel there."

Bess stared at her husband in total confusion. "Wh-What? What's going on?"

Morgan tenderly grasped one of her hands and guided her to sit down beside him on their cot. Seeing the fear reflected in her eyes, he put his hand on her shoulder and began to explain, "Bess, let's face it. I don't belong here. -Not that I don't belong with you....it's more that I don't have the skills necessary for surviving in this wilderness. A fact I'm reminded of every single day. I'm tired of feeling useless. At least on the Stations, while I wasn't the best in my field, I was a hell of a lot better at it than foraging for food in the middle of some desert."

Her eyes began to cloud with tears. "What are you saying Morgan? Are you that anxious to get back to the Stations? With...or without me -?" The latter part of her statement was almost a whisper.

"No! That's not what I mean. You know I didn't especially want this assignment, but when the government asks you to do something, you don't have much choice. Yet, as you keep reminding me, once we finally reach New Pacifica and establish the colony, there will be new opportunities for us. Things we could never have or do on the Stations." He turned to hold both of his wife's hands and gaze into her eyes, "I am really glad this horrific experience has brought us closer together." Bess smiled warmly towards him and gently squeezed his hands. "It's just...the point I'm trying to make is that once the colony is established and the trappings of civilization have returned, I'll be able to fit in better. My skills will be...um....more appreciated, and I won't be some awkward, clumsy third wheel. Or at least, my flaws won't be as glaringly obvious to everyone else."

Bess objected, "Honey, it's not like that. You've grown since we've crashed here. You've already contributed to the group in many ways. Remember? You're the only person who was able to trade with that Grendler for the saliva which saved Baines and Danziger's lives. And if you hadn't released Franklin and Elizabeth from those cold sleep chambers--"

"And managed to kill them along with the other members of their crew."

"No! We all would've died. You're also the only person who managed to break the codes to access all the information in the main computer at Independence colony so Julia could learn more about Devon's illness."

He reminded her, "Bess, Devon didn't have the same disease as those people. The information was useless."

"No it wasn't! It helped us learn about those colonists and the mistakes that they made. Julia says she's still studying Elizabeth's notes and learning more about this planet. She thinks that information will help us survive here. And Yale says the data you downloaded about Eve's programming could be extremely useful."

He smiled meekly towards his wife then put his arms around her to draw her into a hug. "Thanks," he whispered into her hair since her face was pressed against his chest. After a moment, he added, "But I still have to go."

Bess turned to look up at him, "Why?"

"Because with each delay, I feel like I'm going nuts. Bess, I have to do something."

"But Morgan, um....of all of your skills,... scouting isn't one of your best," she diplomatically phrased.

"True. It's not something I want to, it's something I have to do. I can't just sit here waiting when we could be on our way to New Pacifica. You heard what Yale said, an alternate route could add at least a month to our travel time."

"Then I'm coming with you." She resolutely stated.

His eyes lit up as he considered the idea. "As incredibly tempting as that sounds..." he sighed, "I'd better go by myself."

"Morgan!"

"Hey, I need somebody here at camp to report back to. Someone who really cares about me. If something would happen to me, you'd know my status - the last time I checked in and my exact location." Morgan swallowed hard, he was having difficulty buying this argument himself. But if anything were to happen to Bess, he couldn't live with himself. She'd be safer at camp. "I know I can count on you honey."

The twin moons shone brightly in the night sky as John Danziger hunched over, peering into the guts of the Transrover, to tinker with an adapter valve. Of course, since he'd neglected to bring an appropriate work light, he could barely see what he was doing, but it was a handy excuse for hanging around the outskirts of camp, and avoiding Devon. She was upset with him so he thought he'd give her some time to simmer down before he tried to talk to her.

So much for that strategy, he could sense her angry gaze before she announced her presence. Quickly glancing over his shoulder, he could tell that she was debating whether or not she should approach him. To the others, she would've appeared to be the same cool and confident woman they'd come to know, but it was evident to him that she was aggravated and a bit confused. He decided the issue for her, wiping his hands on a cloth then walking towards her. He offered a weak grin, which was met by a cool stare.

Since they were alone, and he'd always been a direct person, he got straight to the point. "Devon, I'm sorry. Just because I care about you doesn't mean that I'm going to agree with you all the time. Would you really want that?" She didn't respond. He tried to grasp her forearm, but she yanked it away from him. "Hey -- we have to talk about this," he said, with some irritation.

"After all the Terrians have done for us, how can you still doubt them?" she accused him, in clipped tones.

He retorted, "It's easy. I don't understand them. They're not like us. Sure, the diggers saved your life -- which I'm grateful for, don't get me wrong on that. But we had to stick our necks out for them first before they'd do a thing to help us. It was the same with Uly, they'd only return him after you promised to do something for them."

"It's not like that," Devon objected.

"How would you know? " His outraged tone caused Devon to turn in surprise to face him. "Were you there when 'Lonz and Uly searched the Dream Plane every night for over two months, begging them to help us? We got nothin' from them, not even any information about what might've happened to you. They coulda cared less about our situation."

"If you don't trust them, why did you let my son visit those sick Terrians, all by himself?" she smugly replied.

His color rose and he began to shuffle his feet uncomfortably, "We were desperate, Devon -- ready to try almost anything at that point. I already told you about all this after we brought you back to camp. I fought tooth and nail against his going, I thought it was too dangerous. An unacceptable risk. But the camp voted on it, and for a nine year old kid, Uly stood firm." His voice became softer as he remembered, "You'd have been proud of him, he's just as stubborn as you are. Man, waiting for him outside of that cave just about killed me. I was imagining the look on your face when I told you that something had happened to your son because of my stupidity."

"But everything worked out. And, you did exactly what I would've done," she answered more softly, making eye contact with him for the first time. Her eyes twinkled as she told him, "I think you do trust the Terrians -- a little."

John shook his head, attempting to deny her statement. "Uh, well--regardless what I think, we're not like the Terrians. We never will be; we don't think with one mind like they do. People in this group are gonna think what they're gonna think. Nothing you can do about that."

"I know that. But if we're going to survive on this planet, we have to cooperate," Devon stressed.

"We have been, Devon. I know you mean well, and you believe you're doing what's right for the group, but you can't control people. Maybe you could to some extent on the Stations with your money and position, but the rules are different here. People are gonna make up their own minds. And they won't always agree with you, or do what seems right."

More agitated, she replied, "If we don't cooperate with the Terrians, we may never get to New Pacifica. We have to get that colony set up. Two hundred and forty eight families are counting on us."

John put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. As his face brushed against her hair, he was reminded of how much he loved the way it smelled. More tenderly, he reassured her, "We'll get there. One step at a time. We'll organize some scouting teams in the morning. That's all we can do right now."

"So you checked our supplies?" Baines asked.

Walman nodded as he looked up from the Rail. "Everything's here."

"Looks like you're ready to roll," Magus whispered. It was long past midnight, yet the three were quietly loading items into the vehicle. "I still think you should've told Danziger what you're gonna do. He said he wanted to go."

Baines replied, "We've already discussed that. I hate to go behind the guy's back, but he's too close to Devon. I don't wanna put him in a bad position. It'll be better if he finds out at the same time as the rest. We just can't blow this chance to get across these mountains."

"Somebody's coming," Walman hissed, so the three ducked behind the vehicle.

"Morgan, you're gonna check in every few hours, right?" Bess's voice carried forward.

Baines, Walman, and Magus exchanged confused looks.

"Honey are you sure you don't wanna take the Dunerail? You could probably make better time."

"They'll need it for the other scout. I'll be fine." The two paused by the ATV, which was parked near the Dunerail.

With some reservations, Bess mentioned, "Maybe you should wait 'til morning. It is awfully dark."

Morgan nervously replied, "If I don't do this now, I'll lose my nerve."

"I believe in you Morgan. Just travel for a day or two to establish that the area's safe, that's all you need to do." Bess responded confidently.

"What the --" Walman's voice carried. Bess and Morgan froze as the others rose from their hiding places. "You're gonna check out the passage?

"What's so strange about that?" Morgan asked. As he looked over towards the group by the Dunerail, he noted, "Looks like I wasn't the only one with that idea."

"Don't let it go to your head Morgan, but for once, you're right. There's not a good enough of a reason for us to sit around and wait." Baines explained. "So why don't you two go back to bed and let us take care of this."

The government liaison considered it briefly then replied, "No...I need to do this." Baines and Walman groaned. More resolutely Morgan stated, "I'm going. Which one of you is joining me?"

"No way. " Baines protested. "I'm not gonna go into some unknown and potentially dangerous situation with you."

Morgan knew how to manipulate this situation. He craftily added, "Fine, so I'll just wake everybody else up to let them know about your plans. Then nobody'll go." Baines scowled.

Walman approached the Rail and firmly stated, "Okay. Get in Morgan. But I'm in charge -- got that? Don't you forget it." He addressed the group, "We'll keep in touch via gear through Bess and Morgan's private channel. That way camp can't call us back in immediately, they won't know where we are; but someone here will know our location."

"How are you going to get the Rail over the stream?" Morgan smugly asked.

"I've packed a piece of dura-steel which we can lay across it. Alonzo thought it would work for the Transrover so it ought to be fine for the Rail." Walman answered. "Let's go."

Bess threw her arms around Morgan to give him a quick good-bye kiss, then the two men got into the vehicle and drove off.

After the men disappeared from their sight, Baines mentioned to Bess, "Remember, Magus and I don't know a thing about this. It'll be better that way. What are you gonna say about Morgan?"

"That he left me a message saying he didn't want to wait around and he'll contact me when he can," she answered.

"Think anyone will really believe that?" Baines and Magus laughed.

Bess shrugged her shoulders, "I don't care."

Ah-ha! He was back. Back in the tunnels. The elusive bubble comprised of golden light, floated in the distance ahead of him, teasing him -- irresistibly beckoning to him. He began to jog to catch up to it. Though he couldn't detect a breeze, it was as if the shimmering object was being pulled along the corridor. As he rounded a corner, more bubbles, possibly from another tunnel branch, joined in. They varied in size and color. Giant turquoise ones, practically the size of bowling balls, glistened along with tiny twinkling ruby colored flecks, as minute of the head of a pin. Dark purple, emerald green, Mandarin orange, practically every color of the rainbow was represented. The intensity of their glow almost made him flinch, he wished he had his sunglasses.

He began to laugh out loud -- a hearty, boisterous sound. The sight of all those shimmering orbs filled him with a tremendous, almost euphoric, sense of joy. As he finally caught up with a silvery bubble, which was the size of his fist, he recklessly dove forward, face first, to grab it. The instant his fingers made contact with its filmy exterior, his earlier sense of well-being seemed almost trivial in comparison. He was flying! It was like his experience in the Terrian bed, but even more intense. The giddy sensations overwhelmed him.

The walls of the tunnel about him faded to images of the planet's surface as he began to soar above the landscape of G889. He was flying -- over the deserts, the mountains, the forests. At this rate, he felt as if he could traverse the entire planet and still be fully energized. He could do anything, he was invincible!

He attempted to control his direction, bringing to mind an image of the ocean at New Pacifica. In response, his surroundings became cloudy. Another jolt of excitement stabbed through him, was he about to see their new home?

Before he could determine if he'd been successful, he blacked out.

"Alonzo! Alonzo!!" Julia shouted as she vigorously shook the pilot who lay motionless by her side on their cot. She jumped up to dash for her medical equipment as he came to.

"Julia?" he groggily responded. He was disturbed by her appearance, her face was extremely pale. He stumbled with his words, "Wuz wron'?"

"Don't move." She frantically scanned him with her diaglove. In a panic, she breathlessly explained, "Your heart beat and respiration rate have shot up dramatically. Your system can't handle much more of this. I'm gonna have to give you a sedative to get your system calmed down."

"But....I hafta tell ya--" The hiss of the hypodermic silenced his statement.

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