Dammit, it's cold, Danziger groused to himself as he readied the Dunerail for departure for the upcoming scout. He gave a hard yank on the cloth which served as the vehicle's rag-top roof, pulling the material tightly over the support bars and fastening it to the corners of the metal frame in one swift motion. Although it might not make the interior any warmer, at least the extra layer of fabric would ward off most of the wind and any snowfall, should they be unfortunate enough to encounter it on the journey they were about to embark on.
The crunching sound of feet walking on frozen grass alerted John that someone was approaching him. He turned to see True behind him holding out a small box of tools.
"I still don't understand why I can't go with you," she remarked, her cool facade attempting to camouflage her unhappiness that her dad had agreed to be away from her for such a long period of time.
"Sorry, Pal. There's no room for another person," he explained as he grabbed a spanner from the metal container and shoved it into one of the empty holes on his belt. "Besides, Sweetheart, you don't wanna go on this one. It's gonna be nothing but days and days of driving. Then, after we check in the supplies and pack up the new vehicles, it'll be more days and days of driving to get back. Trust me, you'd be bored to tears."
She sighed and unconsciously began to shuffle her feet back and forth, causing a small smile to form on Danziger's lips. Although his little girl was way too stubborn to say it out loud, she was going to miss him. And he was going to miss her, too.
He continued, "I won't be gone all that long; a week and a half, maybe two at the very most. I'll be back as soon as I can." John eyed Bess heading toward them and promptly added, "Now, in the meantime, you mind Bess and do everything she tells you to, okay, Sport?"
"Yes, sir," True said dutifully, before giving him a hug good-bye.
Danziger leaned down and gave her a quick peck before gently nudging her in the opposite direction. "I'll call you on gear tonight, all right?"
"'kay," she responded as she scurried off to join Uly. "See ya', Dad."
After the mechanic watched her leave, he turned his attention to Bess who was now standing beside him. He briefly met her gaze before nodding toward his daughter.
"Thanks for agreeing to take care of her. Hope she isn't too much trouble."
"She's never any trouble," she answered brightly.
John gave her a wry glance causing Bess to slightly amend her comment. "Well, she's hardly ever any trouble. She's gotten much better lately." She grinned, adding, "Don't worry. I'll keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't try to adopt any more kobas while you're gone."
"Just be sure that she gets to bed on time. Oh, and that she does all of her schoolwork. You may want to check with Yale to find out what he assigns her. She's been known to fib about stuff like that."
"Got it," Bess nodded before her expression and tone became more serious. "Promise me something, Danziger."
"Yeah," he said absently, his mind already refocused on getting packed up and leaving on schedule.
"I'm a little nervous about you and Morgan being on such a long scout together." She took a deep breath. "I want your assurance that you'll keep your head."
Danziger stopped what he was doing and gave her a withering look which only increased Bess' anxiety. She tilted in toward him. "I mean it, John. You've never hidden how much you dislike Morgan. Look, I know that he can be difficult sometimes, but you're not exactly what I would describe as a tolerant person, especially where he's concerned. I can't be worried that you and Morgan are going to be out there acting like a pair of two year olds. I need you to behave yourself, okay?" She furthered, "And if anything happens to him, I'm going to hold you personally responsible."
His face displayed the scowl that had practically become his trademark. "You gotta be kidding," he responded indignantly. "Morgan is his own person, Bess. You can't put the blame on me if he goes off and does something stupid-" He stopped midsentence when Bess gave him a death stare. Clearly the woman meant business and was not going to accept anything other than a yes. Realizing that this was a battle he couldn't hope to win, he capitulated. "Fine," he said, shaking his head in frustration. "I promise that Morgan will come back in one piece."
Obviously pleased by his answer, Bess smiled gratefully. "Thank you," she stated simply before taking her leave and returning to her tent.
Great. Just great, Danziger scoffed to himself. It wasn't like he didn't have enough to worry about already. Now on top of everything else, he'd somehow been talked into baby-sitting Morgan for the next week or so.
"Jeez," he muttered under his breath and he roughly tossed his gear under the front seat.
_____
Bess entered her quarters and was met at the door by her husband who was acting even more high-strung than his normal jittery self.
"What did he say?" he nervously asked as he fidgeted with the unyielding collar of his jacket.
She lightly batted his hands away from the garment and effortlessly smoothed down the fold of the fabric with her fingertips. "He promised me that he'll try to control his temper," she relayed. She took a step backward and used her most matronly tone as she lectured, "Now, it works both ways, Morgan. You have to swear to me that you'll behave yourself, too. Leave Danziger alone, all right? Don't try to goad him into any arguments. Sit in the back and be as quiet as possible." She folded her arms in front of her. "Just stay focused on the scout and it'll be over before you know it."
"Oh, sure it'll be over, once he pushes me off a cliff or, or decides to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere as a late supper for the vultures or for whatever flesh-picking creatures that fill the role of vultures are on this horrible planet!" the bureaucrat raved.
"Morgan, Honey," she began to console.
"And don't try to tell me that he's not capable of violence because we both know that he is," Morgan interjected with frightened eyes. "He could kill me, Bess! And the worst part of it all is that he'd probably get away with it!"
His melodramatic tendencies were in full swing as he adopted a higher, more feminine inflection in his voice. "Gee, Danziger, what happened to Morgan?" he mimicked, attempting to impersonate Devon. The liaison then drooped his shoulders and went slack-jawed, an obvious imitation of how he perceived Danziger's appearance to be. He adjusted his voice to a deep baritone and answered, "I dunno. One moment Morgan was there and the next moment he was gone." The pretentious feminine voice returned to ask, "But, Danziger, how did you get that blood all over your clothes?" Morgan slouched forward in a simulated version of Early Man and mumbled in a lower pitch, "Oh, that? I cut myself shaving."
Bess smiled, hoping that the warm expression on her face would calm her agitated spouse. "I think that you're overreacting a bit, Sweetie," she replied soothingly. "Danziger's good people."
"Ppfftt," he snorted. "I wonder if you'll still feel that way after there's nothing left of me but my bleached bones."
"You'll be fine, Morgan," she assured as she leaned in and gently kissed him. "I promise."
She stared into his trusting eyes for several moments before he finally nodded his acceptance. Morgan didn't offer any further protests as Bess fastened the buttons of his coat and guided him out of the tent into the morning sun.
As they made their way toward the Dunerail, Bess inwardly reflected about the hostile relationship between Danziger and Morgan. Momentarily, she let her mild resentment of the mechanic get the better of her. Although she liked Danziger and knew that he would never intentionally hurt Morgan, she was clueless as to why he still harbored such a deep-seated resentment toward her husband. Yes, Morgan had behaved irrationally when he'd taken the evacuation pod, but that was months ago. He'd forgiven Julia without a second thought when it came to her indiscretions with the Council. But when it came to Morgan, Danziger's anger was still as raw as ever and showed no signs of letting up any time soon. Why couldn't John forgive Morgan and let bygones be bygones? Besides, Bess rationalized to herself, it wasn't as if the mechanic had been directly affected by Morgan's cowardice. Danziger acted as though he'd been outside the door of the pod banging to get in.
Bess made the decision to confront John sometime soon regarding his inability to let go of his bitterness. Perhaps she could speak with him when he returned from the scout.
_____
"That's the last of it," Alonzo told Danziger after securing their sleeping bags to the Dunerail's roof-rack.
"Good. The sooner we get outta her, the sooner we get back," the mechanic replied, his thoughts again drifting to his daughter. His eyes quickly scanned the vicinity for her presence in order to say a final good- bye, but didn't see her. In fact, with the exception of Julia and Alonzo with him at the 'Rail and Bess giving Morgan one last pep talk nearby, the campsite was virtually deserted.
"So much for the big sendoff," Danziger remarked cynically. Never one to rely on subtlety or good manners when there were faster avenues to get his point across, he cupped his hands around his mouth and roared at the top of his lungs, "HEY, ADAIR! WE'RE LEAVING!"
Devon was busy huddled around the largest table in the Biodome with several of the other Edenites. They were up to their ears in maps and navigation equipment, checking and rechecking various figures and coordinates to ensure that Danziger had programmed the correct scouting route. Although the Dome was located at the opposite end of camp from where the Dunerail was parked, Danziger's bellowing rang through the dwelling's walls loudly enough to cause many in the group to jump backward in surprise. However, Devon didn't flinch or bother to look up from what she was doing.
Without hesitation or feeling the need to open the door in order to address the mechanic directly, she hollered back, "Fine! Just be careful!" After a brief contemplation, the leader raised her voice even further and screamed, "And, Danziger, your compass better be in working order this time! None of us have the time or the patience to go searching every snow drift for your frozen body! And I doubt that you'll be lucky enough to find another underground commune to take you in!" Oblivious to the shocked and very curious stares she was getting from the other members of the crew, Devon went right back to work. That is, until she had an afterthought. "AND, FOR GOD'S SAKE, JOHN, KEEP YOUR GEAR TURNED ON!"
There was about thirty seconds of excruciating silence while everyone waited for the inevitable heated response from Danziger. As prone to flying off the handle as John was, they were certain that he wouldn't let Devon's battle cry pass him by unrequited. Several colonists kept their eyes fixated on the door, ready to jump out of the way at a moment's notice in case the enraged mechanic burst in looking for vengeance. Mazatl discreetly put some distance between himself and Devon so as not to become directly involved in any skirmish that might take place.
Finally, a faint noise pierced the still air. The startled colonists turned toward Devon and realized that her gear was sounding off, alerting her that someone wished to engage her in conversation. Uh-oh.
The leader swung the eyepiece around while touching a few buttons on the small keypad near her ear. "Yes?" she answered, infusing as much impatience into her voice as possible.
No one in the Biodome except Devon could hear Danziger's words to her. Instead, the Edenites sat back and watched, transfixed by Devon's face as it displayed momentary surprise followed closely by a stare so frigid that it could have easily caused icicles to form on the sun.
"Oh, you think so, huh? Well, you go right ahead and try it, that is if you think you're man enough! I'll be waiting right here when you get back!"
Devon was on the warpath as she barreled past the colonists toward the exit, swinging the door open so violently that one of the hinges broke loose from the frame and it remained stuck in the ajar position. Many of the Edenites spilled out behind the leader as she advanced several more steps until Danziger was in view. Devon was the personification of fury as she glared at him, one eye boring into the mechanic's gear image while the other eye focused on his physical presence situated about seventy-five yards away. "Of course, it might be more difficult for you to accomplish that or anything else after I take that gear-set of yours and -"
The mouths of the crew went agape as Devon dove into an obscenity laden tirade that would have made the most seasoned sailor blush with embarrassment. Yale made a quick survey of the immediate area and was thankful to find that the children were out of earshot.
After Devon finished what she had to say, the pair stared at one another in eerie silence. The campsite became a twisted version of The Last Gunfight at the O.K. Corral as each waited at the ready for the other person to make the next move. At one end of camp was Danziger, the epitome of smugness as he leaned on one leg, wearing a lopsided grin and a gear-set positioned slightly off-centered on his head and tangled in with his dirty blond curls. At the other side of camp was Devon, bristling with rage, her fists clenched so tightly that her fingernails were digging into her palms almost enough to draw blood. At that moment, she would have considered selling her soul for the opportunity to wipe that self-satisfied sneer off of Danziger's face.
At last, John answered her, taunting, "Jeez, Adair! You eat with that mouth?" With an overly confident nod, he chuckled, "Well, it sounds to me like you've given this a lot of thought. Guess I have something to look forward to, huh? See you in a few days, Adair."
Knowing that it would only increase her ire, John shut off his gear before she could answer him. She immediately attempted to call him back, but he ignored her. Instead, he drowned out the beeping sound of the equipment with his hearty laughter.
Determined to have the last word, she ripped the gear-set from her head and sarcastically yelled across camp, "I'll be counting the moments!"
"I bet you will!" he wisecracked, enormously pleased to still be getting in the final jab.
In an almost blinding rage, Devon slammed the heel of her boot into the ground. "UGH!" she grunted before whirling around and storming back into the Biodome. The mechanic's roars of laughter continued to follow her as she stomped past the Edenites and headed straight for her personal quarters located at the rear of the building, banging the door not-so- gently behind her. A few moments later, Yale followed with the intention of having a private word with her.
The air in the Dome's main room remained thick with tension and Baines shook his head in puzzlement. "Um, what the hell just happened?" he asked, directing his question to the small group gathered in and around the shelter's now-broken doorway.
Magus winked and replied, "I may be wrong, but I think that we just witnessed Devon and Danziger having gear sex."
Walman and Baines smirked while Eben stifled a giggle. Denner cringed and let out an 'Ew.'
_____
Yale slipped into Devon's cubicle to find her angrily pacing back and forth within the confines of the small space. Before the tutor was given an opportunity to speak, Devon's temper exploded.
"I can't work like this, Yale! There is absolutely no way that I can work like this! That... man," the word 'man' was spoken with such contempt that it came out sounding like a vulgarity, "is the most arrogant, infuriating pain in the ass I have ever met in my life! He lives to annoy me! It's, it's like a sickness with him! No, that's wrong. It's more like food to him! That's what it is. Tormenting me is, is, is like a big fat energy bar to him!" She continued to fume between deep, heaving breaths. "He couldn't have just left quietly, could he? Oh, no! He had to make sure that he got in one more good dig so he could wreck my day!"
Yale determined that the best approach was to talk rationally to his former charge and perhaps remind her that she wasn't exactly guiltless when it came to her infamous squabbles with the stubborn mechanic "Devon, although there is no doubt that you and John have locked horns many times, especially since the crash, I hardly think that he has been-"
Devon clearly wasn't prepared to listen to reason, interrupting, "Out of all the people that I hired for Eden Project, how did I end up getting trapped on this planet with John Danziger? From the moment I put him on the payroll, he's been nothing but a thorn in my side! And what was I thinking when I assigned him to be head of Ops on the Roanoke? I should've made him crew chief for the colony ship. Right now, he could be sleeping away the next two years with the other Syndrome children and their families. He'd probably never have set foot on G889. He would've dropped off his cargo and gone right back to the Stations. I never would have seen him, again."
Devon halted mid-step at the sobering thought of how different her life would be if Danziger wasn't around to challenge her every move. Her anger evolved into a mixture of emotions, none of which she really understood.
Yale observed her sudden change in demeanor and smiled. While Devon may not yet possess the ability or the inclination to sort out her complicated feelings for John, the cyborg had no problem recognizing the sentiments that were buried just beneath the surface. Besides the added benefit of being older and wiser, Yale had also seen Devon act this way once before. Although it had occurred long ago, he recalled the memories with such clarity that it seemed as though it could have happened yesterday. He reminisced about a time when, for a few cherished months, Devon had allowed herself to wear her heart on her sleeve, openly displaying every type of emotion from wild impulsiveness to unharnessed rage to, eventually, an all-encompassing devotion. Yale's grin became slightly melancholy as he remembered that her brief metamorphosis had taken place right after she'd been introduced to the man who was later to become Uly's father.
The change in the tutor's disposition didn't escape Devon's notice and she eyed him quizzically. "What?" she asked, somewhat irritated. Although she remained angry, now there seemed to be a healthy dose of confusion reflected in her face and voice.
The darker shadings in Yale's expression faded away, permitting a warm smile to fully shine through. After so many years of guarded seclusion, it appeared that Devon may finally be reopening herself to the tumultuous, frightening and wonderful prospect of letting love back into her life. Of course, she was completely unaware of this fact and Yale certainly saw no advantages to revealing his personal observations to her. At this point, the cyborg resolved that the best course of action would be to sit back and allow Devon to figure things out on her own.
"Nothing," Yale replied, his tone deceptively neutral.
_____
Danziger smiled satisfactorily as he glanced at his chronometer. It wasn't even 9 a.m. and he'd already managed to piss off Devon. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad day after all. He proudly bebopped his way back to the 'Rail and replaced his gear under the driver's seat.
"What?" he challenged after catching Julia's skeptical gaze as she climbed into the front of the vehicle.
The doctor wasn't sure whether to classify John's fiery argument with Devon under the heading of a hostile attack or a shameless flirtation (although she suspected that it was the latter). Either way, for the moment, she decided that it was best that she held her tongue. "Nothing," she said, shrugging her shoulders noncommittally.
Alonzo had no such qualms about discussing the pair's altercation. As he jumped into the back seat next to Morgan, he chuckled, "You know, Devon's probably still gonna be pretty ticked at you when we get back."
"Are you kidding?" Danziger proclaimed with a snort. "She'll have forgotten all about it by the time we get to the pod. She'll be too busy ordering us around, tellin' us which supplies to take and what to leave behind to come back for later."
As the engine was started, Morgan remarked nervously, "Uh, I still don't see why I have to come. I mean, manual labor isn't exactly my strong suit. I'm sure I'd be much more useful if I stayed and helped Devon to, um, you know, monitor everything from here."
John took a deep breath. You promised Bess that you would try to remain calm, he reminded himself. Christ, you haven't even left camp yet and it's already happening. "We're not goin' through this again, Martin," he said coolly, his eyes fixated on the road in front of him as he propelled the vehicle forward. "The pod's manifest lists three Transrovers which means I need three drivers. You're one of 'em." Lucky me, the mechanic cynically added to himself.
As the group left the campsite, Morgan turned around to see Bess waving good-bye. When he met the Earth woman's gaze, she nodded before bringing her thumb and index finger to her lips and making a twisting gesture similar to turning a key inside of a lock. She mouthed the words 'behave', quickly followed by 'I love you.'
His wife's image became smaller and smaller as the Dunerail traveled further and further away, prompting Morgan to make one final appeal. "You know, I really think that it would be better for everyone if-"
"You are not weaseling yourself out of another scout, do ya' hear me?" Danziger seethed through gritted teeth. He let out another deep exhalation in an effort to stay as composed as possible. He decided to concentrate on something soothing to try to curtail his anger. Unfortunately, the first image that popped into his mind was him wringing Morgan's neck with his bare hands, followed closely by the sight of Morgan's tombstone. Although both mental pictures were pleasing and oddly comforting on some level, they only fueled Danziger's bloodlust so he sought out a different vision. He remembered the beach that he'd visited about two weeks earlier. Okay, much better, John applauded himself as he attempted to tune out Morgan's ranting and focus on the sights and sounds of the ocean. Just think about the calm, rolling vibration of the waves and the water's brilliant color of blue as the sky reflected off of it. All right, I can do this. Must ignore Morgan. Do not kill Morgan. Calm blue ocean. Calm blue ocean. Calm blue ocean...
Meanwhile, completely unaware of Danziger's inward struggle, Morgan continued to push the envelope. "Are you sure that we brought enough food?"
"Don't worry," Alonzo assured. "As long as we stay on half-rations, there's more than enough food and water to get us to where we need to be."
The liaison was far from convinced. "But what about after that?" he pondered in a frenzied voice.
Danziger bit down on his lip and his face reddened slightly as he tried to maintain his self-control. Calm blue ocean. Calm blue ocean. Calmblueocean. Calmblueocean. Calmblueoceancalmblueoceancalmblueoceancalmblueocean!
"There's an entire bay full of food less than a weeks drive from here," Julia said encouragingly, briefly pivoting to face the distressed bureaucrat. "We'll be fine, Morgan."
"But what if we get delayed or run into some sort of trouble? Or what if the pod is damaged?" Morgan whined. "Shouldn't we be bringing some extra provisions, just in case?"
Unable to contain himself any longer, Danziger blew his top. "The camp has less than two weeks worth of rations left! I'm not gonna let you take food outta their mouths just because you might get the urge to snack between meals!" he snarled menacingly over his shoulder. "No one's gonna starve to death, okay? So sit back there and keep your mouth shut."
Morgan did as he was told and sank into the shadows. He patted his coat and felt the outline of two extra packages of Spirolina that Bess had undoubtedly taken from her rations and placed in his pocket just in case of an emergency. Although he was comforted by the knowledge that the extra food would make starvation a less likely option, Morgan's fear that his life was in peril was far from neutralized. Yep, Danziger's definitely going to try to kill me, the liaison thought as he uncomfortably squirmed in his seat. I'm going to die on this scout. I just know it.
Julia, Alonzo and Danziger all exchanged a weary look before the mechanic forced his right foot to the floor, causing the Dunerail to accelerate to its full speed. John didn't know how he was going to be able to put up with Morgan for the next week. He was grateful that he had Julia and Alonzo with him to run interference and keep him from acting on his animosity toward the bureaucrat. And he could hold on to the certainty that at least his trip home would be quiet and Morgan-free. In fact, after they reached the cargo pod and restocked their supplies, all of their lives would be greatly improved.
It had been an incredible stroke of good fortune that they had picked up the pod's signal at all. And now, it looked as though #9 was going to be Eden Project's lucky number. Food, vehicles, clothes, medical equipment. It had a little bit of everything in its belly and it was all there just waiting for them to come and claim it as their own.
Focusing his mind on the recovery of cargo pod #9 seemed to compose Danziger's temperament much more than imagining a beach that he'd never see again. He sighed contentedly to himself. Adair's optimism must be starting to rub off on me, he thought with a smirk. Or maybe for one of the few times in his difficult life, his hopefulness was justified. It didn't matter to him either way. John was just plain thankful that, after the string of horrible luck that Eden Advance had endured these past few months, things were finally starting to look up.
THE END
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: They're not mine. They're Universal's and Amblin's.