Do you know my shadow? by Lisa04

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Do You Know My Shadow? (15/17)
by Lisa 04

"Any word yet?" Devon asked Morgan.

The former Council liaison turned around to face the woman who had been constantly in and out of the communications area asking the same question since early this morning. "If you're asking about the scout teams," he began for the umpteenth time, " the answer is ‘yes'. They've all checked in and are heading back for lunch. Alonzo and Walman found a few tracks but lost them when they crossed a stream. Otherwise, there's nothing new to report." This last statement was meant to convey the message to Devon that Danziger and Yale had still not checked in. Devon sighed then nodded. She was going to read those two the riot act for taking off without letting anyone know where they were going and then not checking in on top of that. As mad as she was, however, she felt badly about snapping at them this morning and wanted to apologize...after she chewed them out for the disappearing act, of course.

"Dammit!" Danziger growled as he crawled out from under the vehicle.

"What's wrong with it?" Yale asked, looking down at the mechanic.

"The connection from the solar panel to the main battery cells came loose. The batteries are dead."

"Can't we run off of main power from the panel and bypass them?"

"We could if it weren't so cloudy," Danziger said. "With it being so overcast, the panels can capture enough energy to charge the batteries but not enough to run the vehicle by themselves. We'll have to wait until the batteries have stored enough energy, before we can get moving again."

"How long will it take?" the tutor asked.

"At least a couple of hours...sooner if the sun comes out again," sighed Danziger, hitting his hand against the side of the vehicle in frustration.

"Maybe we should call back to camp and let Devon know what we found out?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want to alert Sheppard that we know about him just yet. We don't know what he might do. Besides, we don't know exactly what kind of hold he has on Devon. I want to have a ‘private' conversation with him before he catches on that we know what's going on," Danziger said.

"Well, we don't really know what's going on, do we?" Yale stated.

"What do you mean?"

"What if the evil wasn't released from Katarina? Or if it was, what if Sheppard was strong enough to fight it and is still the changed person that he became after the exchange? We can't accuse him of anything until we know for certain that he's become his ‘old self.' "

"Yale, I *know* he's up to his old tricks. I can feel it and I'm gonna prove it. If I can get him alone, I know I can get him to show himself," Danziger asserted.

"John, if he has returned to his old ways, then we both know what he is capable of. I don't think it is wise for you to be alone with him."

"Don't worry about me," Danziger assured him, "I can take care of myself. I'll be keeping a very close eye on him.... I won't be going in unprotected either." The mechanic patted the sidearm that was holstered on his hip as he made the last statement.

Yale scrutinized Danziger closely and from the determination that he saw in the other man's eyes, he knew he wasn't going to change his mind.

Sheppard stood to the side of the tent and observed as the scout teams returned for lunch. He watched Devon and Julia meet them and inquire about their progress in finding the missing supplies. He had gone off to be alone to determine his next move. He wasn't sure what Danziger and Yale were up to, but he had a very uneasy feeling about it. He had decided that he couldn't afford to continue at a slow pace with Devon's ‘conversion' and would speed up the process tonight, in her dreams. He needed to think more about how to do this, as well as what to do about Danziger. "That man has entirely too much influence over Devon," he thought. He knew that he would never be able to win her over while the mechanic was around. He needed to do something to remedy the situation.

After the initial reports and greetings were conducted , the Eden Advance team ate their lunch in an uncharacteristically silent atmosphere. Usually there was conversation and noise as they gathered to eat their meal. Today, everyone seemed to be reflecting on their own thoughts. Sheppard waited until Devon finished talking with Alonzo then joined her at the table.

"How is the search for the Grendler's den going?"

"Alonzo and Cameron found tracks, but lost them when they crossed a stream," Devon answered.

"Well, maybe you could use an extra pair of eyes out there looking for it," Sheppard suggested. A plan was slowly forming in the back of his mind and he wanted to get away from camp to think. He knew that aiding in the search would allow for him to break away for a few hours without arousing suspicion.

Thinking about it for a minute, Devon replied, "I suppose you could pair up with Baines. I could use Laura's help again with mapping the locations already scouted."

Disappointed because he was hoping to be allowed to *search* on his own, Sheppard nodded. "That sound's fine, " he half-smiled. He figured he could come up with some reason why he and Baines should spit up after they were away from camp.

"Where's Devon?" Danziger asked as he climbed out of the vehicle. "In the Biodome, and man is she pissed that you two took off without letting anyone know where you were going," Magus said. "What about Sheppard, where's he?" Danziger continued, ignoring her warning about Devon's disposition.
"He's out with Baines helping look for the missing supplies. Why?" "What was their location when they checked in last?" Yale asked, coming around the from the other side of the dunerail. "Southwest from here, about 2 ½ miles I'd guess. What's going on?" Magus asked again, not liking the vibes she was getting from the two men standing in front of her.
"Yale, you go talk to Devon. I'm going to find Sheppard...Have someone call me with their exact coordinates," he said, taking the gear Magus had hanging around her neck.
"All right....and John, be careful," the tutor cautioned as the Danziger climbed back into the dunerail and headed in the direction where Sheppard and Baines last reported.
Before Magus could turn to Yale to ask him what was going on, he had taken off in the opposite direction, heading for the biodome. She thought about following him, but then guessed it would be better to wait and see what happens.

"Devon, I need to talk to you," the tutor said, walking quickly over to her. "Yale, where have you and Danziger been?" she demanded after hearing him come in.
"I'll tell you, but first, I need to talk to you about something," "What's wrong?" she asked, sensing the urgency in his voice. Yale didn't answer, instead he walked swiftly over to where Morgan sat at the communications console and leaned over to speak to him before Devon could say anything more. He didn't want Devon to know where Danziger was going just yet. "Morgan, I need you to contact Danziger on a private channel and give him Baines' and Sheppard's location," Yale said, quietly yet quickly. "Well, I would if I could," the former Council liaison remarked sarcastically, "but, as usual, he doesn't have his gear on. I've been trying to reach you two all day."
"He has it on now, just do it, OK?" Yale said sharply, losing his patience. Before Devon could walk over and hear Morgan trying to reach Danziger, Yale ushered her into the back room.
"Fine, fine," Morgan uttered to no one as Yale and Devon disappeared into the other room "Morgan Martin the com-link operator at your service."

"Yale, what is going on?" Devon demanded as the cyborg closed the door behind them. "Where have you and Danziger been?" "We went to see the Elder," he answered. "You what? Why did you do that and why didn't you tell me where you were going?"
"Listen Devon, we've found out some things about Sheppard that I think you should know," Yale continued, not addressing the questions that she had asked. "I can't believe you went behind my back and asked the Elder about Sheppard. I would expect that from Danziger, but not you...You had no right," she said, angered that her oldest friend would question her judgment too. "Devon, I know that you do not think it is important to know about Sheppard's past, but after I tell you what we've found out, I think you will change your mind."
"What are you talking about?"
"The story that he told us about his sister being the one that involved him in black magic and killing innocent people isn't true....It was him." "What do you mean, it was him?" Devon asked, confused. "I think you had better sit down," Yale sighed before continuing with the incredible story told to he and Danziger by the Elder.

"Are you sure those coordinates are the most recent?" Danziger asked Morgan over the secured gear channel. He listened as the other man made a remark about knowing how to read numbers before interrupting, "OK Martin, fine, I believe you. Now, I need you to call Baines and make some excuse to get him back to camp. Tell him he's needed to do something and you're sending someone else to join up with Sheppard, just don't tell him it's me. Can you do that?" Again he listened to the other man's response on his gear before answering, "I don't have time to tell you about it right now, just do this, OK? I'll fill everyone in on what's going on when I get back...And Martin, it's very important that you don't tip Sheppard off that I'm the one coming out to join him."
Danziger checked the coordinates that Morgan had sent him one last time then took off his gear as he adjusted the course of the vehicle. He knew that Devon would try to call him as soon as Yale told her what was going on and he didn't want any interruptions while he was ‘talking' to Sheppard.

"Yale, I can't believe that. It's too incredible." Devon said, shaking her head after hearing the story he told. "The Elder must have gotten it wrong....Katarina was the one. She tried to kill Sheppard and me. Why would she do that if she wasn't the one that got him involved in the cult in the first place?

"Devon, she was crazy, driven mad by the evil that she had taken from Sheppard," Yale explained.

"I just can't believe that he was capable of those things. I know him, Yale. He is a gentle, kind man. He cares about me and he cares about Uly. If it hadn't been for him, I would have never known about this place," Devon said, not wanting to believe that the man who had saved her son's life was capable of such horrible things. "The Elder had to be wrong. He must have been confused about what happened."

"Devon, I don't think the Elder was lying, or confused. Look, Sheppard may well be the man that you think he is. According to the Elder, Sheppard changed after the Terrians allowed the evil to be placed in Katarina. It's just that..."

"What? It's just that what?" Devon asked, still shaken at the thought that the man she had trusted with her son's life, could have been a cold blooded killer and was now only good because his sister sacrificed herself.

"It's just that we don't know if he's going to stay that way."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Elder said that the Terrians were worried that the evil might need another home now that it no longer lived in Katarina...They are worried that that evil will return to where it came from." Yale looked at Devon and saw her confused expression. "They are worried that it will go back to Sheppard, he explained.

"You mean they think that Sheppard will become a monster." she said, still not entirely believing the story about Sheppard's past and his ‘conversion'.

"They do not know for certain," the Tutor explained, "but it could. Devon, you know him better than any of us...has anything happened? Anything that would make you think that he isn't like you remembered?" Devon stood there. She didn't want to believe the things that Yale said about Sheppard, but why would the Elder lie about it? She had to admit there was something different about him...she just couldn't put her finger on what it was. She didn't speak for what seemed like an eternity to Yale. He couldn't quite read her expression but he could tell that she was thinking about something. She turned and started to walk to the other side of the room, her arms wrapped around her. She didn't face him when she started to speak. "I don't know, but maybe something is different." Turning to look at him, he saw the turmoil in her eyes.

"What do you think is different?"

"I'm not sure. At first I thought it was just because it had been so long since we'd had contact. I mean, I didn't even remember him at first. Then, I thought that maybe it's because we'd both changed in all those years, but...." Devon shook her head. Yale didn't say anything, he just waited for her to continue. "I don't know Yale, one minute he seems like the man I remember from my dreams, and the next minute he'll say or do something that is so different than what I'd expect. I don't know how I could really tell if he's different though, I've been so confused lately...."

"You have been a little on edge lately," Yale agreed. "Why is that?"

"I don't know. I haven't been sleeping too well. I guess I'm just tired."

"Yes, well Danziger thinks that there's more to it than that, and I am inclined to agree with him. I've seen you tired before Devon, and you don't usually let it affect you that much. You practically bit Danziger's head off this morning."

"I know, I know. I snapped at you this morning too and I'm sorry." As if hearing his name made her realize that she hadn't seen him, she suddenly asked, "Where is Danziger anyway?"

Yale wasn't certain that he should tell Devon the truth, but he'd never lied to her and wasn't going to start now. "He went to find Sheppard."

"What?!" Devon exclaimed. "Yale, we don't even know if this whole story the Elder told is true and you let Danziger go off half-cocked to confront Sheppard?"

"First of all Devon, I did not *let* Danziger do anything. When he sets his mind to something, anyone...even you... would be hard-pressed to stop him," Yale said. "And secondly, he is just concerned about you and the group. He may be impulsive, but he's not going to do anything rash. You have to admit, if the Elder's story is true, we all have reason to be concerned."

Devon sighed, her shoulders slumping. She didn't want to believe the story about Sheppard's past or even worse the possibility that he could become the monster that Yale described, but if it were true..............

End Part 15

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