Legends III - Legends of Life by Nicole Mayer

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Legends III : LEGENDS OF LIFE. (2/5)
by Nicole Mayer

He sat, still, silent, shocked. The last vestiges of his world had crumbled, and now he had nothing left. Nothing but the memories of *her* and one single strand of hair.

It was clutched in the palm of his hand right now, the delicate strand, and held close to his heart. He did not know what demons had burned down his home, but he knew it was a sign. A sign that his destiny had not yet been fulfilled, and nor had hers.

For everything he'd done, everything he'd tried to do in her memory still wasn't enough. It was useless if he withered away and died a worthless old man, crazy, as the rumours went. And he was dragging her down with him.

No, he had to leave this place. Protect his friends from the darkness that had consumed his soul and go in search of *her*. He should never have left her side in the first place.

"John." Bess Martin's gentle voice broke his reverie. He glanced up at her, not noticing the grey hair and tired eyes, but instead the compassion and kindness in her face. She had done so much for him over the years. Tried to help him even though she could never understand the guilt he felt. Or the love in his heart that would not allow him to let Devon go. *She* deserved better than this, she deserved to be put up on a pedestal and loved forever. He loved her more than anyone else, anyone ever. If only he had told her when he had the chance.

"True offered to have you stay with her as long as you like," Bess said softly. "Until you get a new house built, or...."

"I'm not going to any damn nursing home!" he suddenly shouted. Bess was taken aback.

"No, no, we didn't mean that. What I meant was...." and she broke off awkwardly, not wanting to upset him any further because that was precisely what she *had* meant. Worriedly pushing her hair back from her face, Bess exhaled slowly then continued.

"You're staying here tonight anyway, with Morgan and I. It's too far to True and Uly's place." The Adairs lived south of the city of Devon in the rapidly growing town Freedom, where they were respected members of the community.

Danziger just nodded mutely. He had no wish to hurt all these people who cared so much for him, so he would go quietly, out of their lives once and for all. He suddenly took Bess's hand, and stared sincerely into her eyes.

"I want to thank you, Bess. For everything."

"John, I'll always do anything for you," she replied. "You know that. Just like you've always helped me." For a moment, the memories flooded past the two of them. How he had led the group to New Pacifica and been strong for everyone. The time she had been lost in a storm, and he and Morgan braved the weather to find her.

Working jointly to build a city. The construction of their houses close together; and then dropping in every evening for a chat on the way home from work once the colonists had arrived.

The surprise birthday party he threw for Bess. Godfather to her first child Ariel. And being there for her during the harrowing birth of her second baby, his namesake.

Bess gave him a gentle hug. "Want me to sit here for a while with you?"

He glanced at the clock and saw how late it was. "No, you go to bed. I'll be alright."
Hoping desperately that she could believe him, Bess kissed him on the cheek, not noticing his soot-streaked face. "It'll be alright, John. I promise."

He smiled sadly at her, and whispered goodbye under his breath. As much as he loved her, there was a deeper love than friendship that was tearing at his soul. He had to go.

When all was silent, he crept through the dark house towards the other guest bedroom, where he knew his daughter True was asleep. He was glad she'd been in town that day for a colleague's fiftieth birthday party.

She lay peacefully, and he imagined he could see her as a little girl again, back in the days where she was the most important thing in his life and nothing else.

He still loved her so much. Yet even she had her own life now and no longer needed him. No one needed him but *her*. Kissing True on the forehead, he was surprised to feel slightly wrinkled skin beneath his lips. Somehow, she had aged and he never noticed.

As he closed his eyes, he looked to the past for the innocent face of his daughter, with her sparkling eyes, sweet little nose and beautiful smile. "Goodbye, True-girl," he whispered. Brushing back her hair one last time and noticing the glint of the wedding ring on her finger, he knew she would be fine.

He padded out of the room. Now, it was time to leave. Common sense made him pack a few provisions, however he was unsure if he would need them at all. There was nothing left for him here, so he would go to embrace the darkness that had taken *her* from him.

Gillian glanced at the horizon, and seeing the sun dipping below the edge, she sighed. "Mom and Dad will be starting to freak right about now," she told Jessie.

Smiling serenely, Jessie told her not to worry. "My parents will call them. They will make them understand that it is alright." Gillian wasn't too sure about this, but she realised that any influence Jessie's parents had would be good. The Solace family had always been strong dreamers with undeniable links to both the Terrians and the planet. It was a Solace whom the Terrians had first contacted.

"How much further do you think we should go tonight?" Gillian suddenly asked. The lights on the vehicle were powerful and the technology much more advanced than that of the original colonists' transport. As a result, they could make the several month journey in significantly less time.

Staring over the plains before them, Jessie decided, "We can travel for a few more hours yet. We need to."

"Did you dream it?" Gillian asked expectantly.

"No, I just have the desire to get there as fast as possible," Jessie smiled serenely. "There is a great pain out here, I feel it grow stronger every day."

"You're right," agreed Gillian. Squinting to see beyond the glare of the vehicle's lights, she decided, "So how about we get to the foot of the next mountain range?"

That, Gillian knew, was the site of the fabled Valley of Dreams. It was rumoured to be more beautiful than any other place on G889, yet no one had travelled there since it was discovered, initially because of the tragedy associated with the place, and later, because everyone had forgotten.

The legends still existed, but somehow, the exact records had lain untouched until the valley was considered a children's story. Gillian suspected she was one of only a few who knew of that place's true significance in the history of G889 - she hadn't even told Jessie the whole story.

Gillian's eyes were again drawn to the darkness. Closing her eyes, she could imagine the brave trek of the five adventurers who crossed the desert to save their friend. A mission that had ended in tragedy for all of the party, especially Julia Heller.

They had done so much for the planet and humanity that Gillian was still struck by the unfairness of it all. Heroes such as Eden Advance deserved to live happily ever after with the ones they loved. As the girls travelled onwards, Gillian again shed a tear for the trouble-plagued group.

Suddenly, Gillian's vision blurred and she caught sight of a shape in the dark. Something tall, shuffling along determinedly....

"Jessie!" Gillian gasped, and just as quickly as it had come, the vision was gone.

"What?" the other girl asked.

"Did you see that? It looked like a person..."

Jessie shook her head in response. "I did not see it. I suspect you are being granted memories of times before. The past is a strong force here, for these ways have not been travelled for fifty years. It makes sense that the planet chooses to show us her memories...Oh!"

"What is it?" Gillian asked frantically as Jessie clutched at her own head. Fear began to appear in the cerulean blue eyes, and it was an expression Gillian had never seen on the calm girl's face. The mountains were almost upon them, huge monoliths rising up into the black night, and with them, came a sense of danger. "Those mountains...I feel something," Jessie whispered softly. "I know them!"

Gillian stared at her in stunned silence. Jessie had never mentioned anything remotely connected to those particular mountains before, and they were quite a distance away from the purpose of their mission. Gillian had planned to travel close simply out of curiosity. Yet now it seemed that something greater was at hand. Watching the emotions flicker over Jessie's now distraught face, Gillian felt a glimmer of recognition. She looked so much like her ancestor Julia Heller in those moments that a shiver travelled throughout Gillian's whole being.

"Jessie," she began softly.

"Not Jessie!" the other girl replied vehemently. "J-" She couldn't seem to get the word out. Bewildered, Gillian took the girl's hand. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

In response, Jessie jumped from the moving vehicle and began heading north, rounding the base of the mountain with a sense of confidence as if she had been there before.

"Vehicle, stop!" ordered Gillian and she too left the vehicle to chase after her friend. "Jessie! Talk to me! What's wrong!" Jessie continued running, and Gillian lost sight of her around the base of the mountain. "Jessie!"

When Gillian finally rounded the corner, she skidded to a stop. Jessie was kneeling on the rocky ground, sifting the dirt through her fingers as her tear-filled eyes looked to the moon. Gillian approached her slowly, but it appeared that Jessie's flight was over.

Hearing Gillian's footsteps, Jessie turned her head to face her. With her blonde hair highlighted by the moonlight, she seemed like a ghost of the past. The Morganite by her heart burned brightly in the night as an eerie sense of recognition touched Gillian's mind.

Lifting out her hands in a beseeching gesture, Jessie finally spoke. "I died here." Her words were simple, and the echo of truth in them could not be ignored. Jessie again returned her fingers to the ground, until she came across a fragment of metal buried by the century of shifting sand.

"It's my earring." Lifting carefully, Jessie/Julia held it up to the moon. Her other hand clutched the Morganite as her bright eyes turned upwards. "Was Uly okay?"

"Yes," Gillian automatically replied, while inside, she was gasping in astonishment.

"And Alonzo?"

"He loved you. That never changed. He never forgot you, but he was okay."

"Good..." whispered Julia. "I loved all of them."

Swallowing hard, Gillian told her, "They knew. I promise you, Julia, they all knew." Staring at her blonde friend, Gillian was overcome by an immense sense of joy and completion. As if Julia, unable to rest until she knew the end of her own story, was finally set free.

Jessie closed her eyes as her features took on an even wiser expression. "The story never dies."
"The story?"

"All of us. Jessie is here now, but Julia is a part of her, will always be. Ties carry strongly in families and in friends. You know it too, for you are connected to the past and the spirits that never die."

"Is Julia happy?" Gillian had to ask the being now shining with an eerie brightness.

"Yes, yes.... And now Jessie can be at peace, for she has discovered a part of herself." The figure sighed quietly, its outline becoming blurry as the silvery light began to dim.

"Who are you?" Gillian implored.

"I am all of you," it replied cryptically. "All but two. Help them, Gillian... and remember, nothing really dies...." The ghostly words faded out as Jessie slumped to the ground. Approaching her nervously, Gillian asked, "Jessie?" She took the girl's hand in her own, and was rewarded by movement.

As Jessie got up, she gave Gillian a beautiful smile. "It's alright now, Gillian. I understand so much more!" Looking with wonderment at the earring in her hand, she continued, "Now that I know the memory of Julia is a part of me...my heritage...it makes sense."

Gillian nodded slowly, still very confused at what she had seen. Jessie boldly stood up. She had a lot of thinking to do, but now the emptiness in her mind was gone.

"Time to move on, Gillian. We have a mission."

Bewildered, Gillian allowed herself to be led away. And dreamed of a time decades earlier....

Sweat was pouring down John Danziger's face as he struggled onwards. The ground was harsh and dry as the angry sun baked it with incessant ferocity. Even the sparse shrubs and clumps of grass had a defeated air about them.

Danziger's life was over. He finally understood that now. His daughter was practically a grandmother, his friends had all led successful lives and now there was nothing left for him. Nothing but *her*, the one person who would have made his life complete. He would never get over leaving Devon in the desert, or burying her there for eternity. She didn't deserve to be alone, not when she had lived and loved so much.

"I will protect you forever," Danziger promised into the still air. Wearily, he trudged one foot in front of the other, over and over, his mind focussed on nothing but her image. A wind began to blow.

For weeks he had been trekking the vast wilderness while driven by the love in his tormented heart. Weeks that had vanished in a haze as he focussed on his goal. His body was withering and dying, something in which Danziger took a perverse form of pleasure. Time was ticking down for him and all was as it should be. As long as he could reach *her* before he died, and then his own spirit could chase her through the darkness and bring her home to love.

"John," he heard her voice dance in his memories. His heart leapt, she sounded so close! But there was nothing but the angry orange haze of the desert and the dust that billowed everywhere, threatening to choke him. It filled his eyes and nostrils, and then he saw a shape in the shadows.

"Devon?" he called in a hoarse voice, for he had not spoken for many weeks. "Is that you?"

A musical laugh sounded, and Danziger shook his head in confusion. What demons were tormenting him now? Why couldn't they just leave him alone!

He blindly struck out his hands in front of him as he imagined more mysterious shadows. "Who are you?" he shouted. "What have you done with her?"

...she is ours as long as she is part of the dark... The cloud seemed to descend over Danziger, clogging every pore in his body and he coughed as he fought for air. Swinging around wildly, he could not even see the sun.

"DEVON...!"

The spire glinted from afar and Gillian couldn't help but give a scream of excitement when she saw it. She grabbed Jessie's arm and shouted, "There it is!" Gillian stood up in the moving vehicle and uttered a long cry of happiness.

"We made it!"

Jessie joined her friend's jubilation, laughing aloud. The whole expedition had been crazy from the start, but at last, they were almost there. Their fears over the dated directions were now unfounded as both Jessie and Gillian recognised the downed spaceship from their dreams.

"We're only the third group of people *ever* to be out here," mused Jessie. She gazed around intently at the surrounding terrain: large rocks were randomly strewn about the ground and wilted plants struggled for life amongst the small pockets of shade. Then she closed her eyes and listened for traces of the unknown, the spirit whose destiny had become intertwined with Gillian's and therefore her own.

"Can you feel anything?" Jessie asked when she drew a blank. Gillian shook her head no. "There's nothing at all. Perhaps she can only reach me when it's dark."

"What if she's not even there..." Jessie suddenly thought aloud.

"But the ship is here and so are we," reminded Gillian, her eyes flashing excitedly. The gleaming beacon grew closer, its surface little tarnished by the years of exposure to wind and rain. Gillian almost felt as if she was approaching a revered place, a temple or shrine where legends of the past were laid to rest. She took a deep breath and ordered, "Vehicle, stop." It complied immediately as Jessie turned to Gillian and asked,

"What are you doing?"

Running her fingers through her windblown hair to smooth it down, Gillian replied seriously, "I just feel like - we should honour Devon Adair's memory. Not just casually drive into her resting place...if this was a cemetery, wouldn't we be walking quietly?"

Jessie nodded in agreement. "We walk." Both girls carefully jumped down from the vehicle and proceeded onwards to the ship in silence. The air was deathly still, as if all of nature had taken a hushed breath and was waiting in quiet reverence. Until a huge explosion rocked the world.

Screaming, Gillian threw herself to the ground and was vaguely aware of Jessie copying her movements. However, most of her attention was drawn to the smoking hole in the ground only metres in front of them. A siren was wailing shrilly, the sound coming from the direction of the ship while a voice repeated, "Perimeter alert!" at regular intervals.

"Stay down!" hissed Gillian, her face in the dirt. "We must have set off some sort of motion sensor!"

"But why?" Jessie's eyes were filled with confusion. "And when? Your book never said anything about this!"

"I don't know!" the girl replied, nervous and upset. The dust was beginning to settle, and she could see no signs of any weaponry that could have fired such a blast. She cautiously lifted her head higher and noticed that the sound of the alarm was gradually fading.

"What do we do now?" Jessie asked in a fearful voice.

"See if you can sort of wriggle backwards. Slowly, this time! If it happens again, the blast might not miss."

The girls awkwardly shuffled backwards, destroying their clothes in the process as numerous sharp rocks dug into them. However, it was better than being blown apart by an unknown enemy.

Finally, they were back at the vehicle. Gillian was shaking and she grabbed onto the framework for support. She had never anticipated this kind of trouble.

Jessie lay her head against the warm metal with an air of defeat. "I did not think something like *this* would happen." She was prepared to fight ghosts of the dreamplane and monsters of the dark, after all, the Terrians and the planet could be counted on to help her. However, against an aging technology that still provided deadly force, her allies were useless.

Thinking hard, Gillian's brow furrowed. "What if we can somehow shut the system off?"

"Do you have the knowledge?" asked Jessie, beginning to recover her composure.

"No... we could always destroy the system if we have to! The vehicle has an emergency laser installed into it, we could aim it at the controls...." Gillian's eyes flashed excitedly as a plan began to form in her mind. She scanned the area for suitable implements.

Jessie lay a steady hand on Gillian's arm. "Gillian," she began, "perhaps we are not meant to interfere. We can turn around and go home now." She was being a voice of reason as she considered their situation - two teenage girls alone in the desert faced with a deadly enemy. It was a wonder Gillian's parents hadn't come after them long ago.

"No!" Gillian burst out. "You know I was called here, you felt it too!" She implored, "We cannot leave her until we help Devon!"

"How?"

"By letting her die." There. Gillian had finally said it. She had come all this way to release Devon Adair from her prison and then, no matter how hard it was, kill her. It was the only way. For Devon was meant to die two centuries ago.

Jessie nodded, silently relieved that Gillian had stood up to the test, the last test the planet had insisted she perform. Without a doubt, Gillian was the one.

"What is your plan?"

The girls gathered a small stockpile of rocks and then prepared the laser for use. They stood squarely together in front of the vehicle, facing the ship and prepared to take action.

"Ready?" asked Gillian, picking up a large rock. "Fire!" She hurled the rock in the direction of the ship, and was rewarded to see an immediate blast in exactly the same position as before. Jessie launched her own projectile, which was rapidly fired upon. A quick succession of rocks were thrown in all directions, allowing Gillian and Jessie to determine exactly where the blasts were coming from.

"It's over there," pointed Gillian as the dust finally cleared. She could see the evil glint of metal in the sunlight of an oldstyle cannon with plenty of firepower. "Let's take it out." She threw one more rock for reassurance, then knowing she was right, Gillian returned to the vehicle and adjusted the controls.

"Full power," suggested Jessie and Gillian cranked up the levels.

"Systems check okay, target okay..." She looked to Jessie. "Want to do the honours?"

Jessie shook her head, so Gillian muttered, "Well here we go... Vehicle, activate laser."

A brilliant orange beam soared across the clearing, causing the girls to shield their eyes as sliced straight through the cannon. "Stop laser!" commanded Gillian, looking up. The cannon was gone.

"We did it!" she shrieked in happiness, and threw another rock just to be sure. There was no return fire. "Ready for a second approach?"

This time, they walked much more slowly out of fear and worry rather than reverence. The girls didn't want any more unexpected surprises. They passed the barrier of the first attack with no problems, nothing, that is, until they reached the ten-metre circumference around the ship.

A projectile whizzed past them.

"Go away!" shouted a strange voice as Gillian and Jessie dropped to the dirt again. "Leave this place! It's cursed!"

Another shot rang out. Gillian heard pounding footsteps ahead of her, a noise that seemed to round the ship itself. "GO AWAY! Leave Devon in peace!"

Devon? Gillian almost jumped up at the mention of her name. How did this mysterious person know Devon's name? Unless it was... no, that wasn't possible.

"You hear me? Go! GO!" A random shot whizzed over the girls as a figure shuffled into view. Lifting her head ever so slightly, Gillian squinted at the shape.

A mag-pro was slung around his shoulders, but that was not what drew Gillian's attention. Instead, she focused on the man himself. The crazy, blue eyes, the wild, curly, grey hair, the tall stance...Gillian recognised him!

Against all possible odds, against every rational explanation, John Danziger was here, in the desert and *alive*.

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