WINTER, Part 1
By Cathy F. Bolton
Winter arrived rudely late one night, heralded by strong winds which tore down autumn's remaining leaves and sent them scurrying before it's path. Lights came on in the camp as equipment broke loose. Those venturing out to secure it were greeted with a splattering of sleet which glistened like crystal confetti under the glare of the Lumalights. The cold breath of winter stole into every rip and crack in the tents and there was a sudden rummaging for extra blankets to ward off the chill.
Sleet changed to snow which fell for days before it reluctantly tapered off. Strong winds returned driving the clouds away and piling snow into deep drifts which in some places rose to half the height of tall trees. The temperature dropped steadily.
The bio-dome rode the storm well considering its age but it could do nothing to shrug off the heavy snow that piled on top of it. The men were forced to periodically shovel off the buildup to keep the roof from collapsing on the group huddled below. As the storm raged, they had forsaken the privacy of their tents for the warmth and safety of the dome. Sleeping bags and blankets littered the floor in the front room. The camaraderie of the ordeal wore off in a few days replaced by the boredom of isolation.
Once the snow stopped, small groups, made up of two or three people, ventured out into the frozen wilderness to forage for food, expending more energy in the search then they were able to replace. Each day the same cold, barren, landscape greeted them. Deep snow sapped their strength and gave little in return. It seemed that life itself had relinquished the world to winter and retreated deep into the earth to wait for Spring.
There were days when no food was brought back into camp. On those occasions, the group that had assembled in anticipation of the search team's return would share their disappointment before they withdrew from each other, some to sit alone with their thoughts. Hunger remained an unwelcome companion shadowing their days and haunting their nights with dreams of food.
Dr. Julia Heller watched as symptoms of malnutrition began to affect all the members of the Advance Team. They had grown lethargic as their metabolisms slowed in an attempt to preserve precious heat and energy. She watched John and Devon give their portions of food to their children. She understood their motives but she worried about the risk they took with their own heath. Feeling the group's well-being was her responsibility, she grew more frustrated with each unsuccessful search, feeling a personal failure if there was nothing at the end of the day to put in their stomachs. The supplies were getting low and none of them had any idea how long winter would last on this strange planet.
Julia had insisted on accompanying each scouting trip. She traded her energy each day in the hope that her medical knowledge would uncover an early find, something edible they could take back to camp thereby eliminating unnecessary hours in the cold. More often then not, they would search long hours only to bring back meager samples which required extensive testing.
As soon as she returned from the day's search, Julia would retire with her collection to a small room at the back of the dome which she had claimed for a lab. Hours would disappear as she became engrossed in the mystery of unlocking each plant's potential.
Experiments would last late into the night as she continued to look for answers while the others slept.. It was here that Alonzo would find her asleep in the morning, her head down on the table, amidst test tubes and slides. He worried about her as she drove herself relentlessly each night, while still insisting on joining in the day's scouting mission. Her only rest consisted of short naps when she could find the time. His attempts to reason with her were meet by a mindless determination. She had no energy to argue and wouldn't be swayed from her course.
Then one morning on a trip to find food with Walman and Danzinger, it all caught up with her. The lack of food and adequate sleep weighed heavily on her as she tried to keep up the pace. After stopping to examine a bush, she looked up to see the men had walked away from her. They were each caught up in their own struggle of putting one foot in front of the other in the drifted snow and had not noticed she had fallen behind. She yelled for them to wait but they did not hear her. She was exhausted and wondered if she had the energy to catch up. Her lapse of concentration caused her to slip on a patch of ice and losing her balance, she rolled down a steep embankment. The snow cushioned her fall so she was not seriously injured, just shaken from the close call. It was at the bottom of this ridge, where her passage had brushed back the snow, that she found the ancient Terrian frozen in the ice.
When the news of the discovery reached camp, Alonzo had been furious. He argued that she might have been lost or seriously injured because of Danziger and Walman's negligence. He crushed her own stubbornness for insisting on going when she was clearly exhausted. She had forgotten to wear her sunglasses after she had lectured them countless times on the danger of snow blindness and worse of all, she had no communication gear, which in these conditions, might mean the difference between life or death if someone was separated from the group. She brushed aside his concern, excited by the find. She was so occupied with the frozen corpse, she never noticed that he became withdrawn and sullen.
The problems caused by the Terrian's unearthing had deeply affected them all. Now they dealt with the consequences. One of these was the fact that the episode had robbed them of precious time in their search for food. The possibility of starvation loomed as the weather became threatening once again. It had warmed slightly for awhile but the morning awoke to find heavy, gray clouds, pregnant with snow, rolling across the weak sun. Alonzo went back to wake Julia for their scouting mission. He found her on the floor holding her stomach, doubled over with cramps.
"Julia, what's wrong? What is it?" He searched her face. It was coated in a fine sheen of perspiration grimly contorted as she struggled against the pain.
"Help me to the table. I'll be all right. I just need to take something." Bracing herself against him, she tried to rise but as another wave hit her, she trembled in his arms.
"What is it? I'll get it for you." and he helped her onto the cot.
She described the vial which contained a black liquid. When he brought it to her, she held it tightly, "I don't think I can go with you today. I'm not feeling well."
"Forget it. There's no way I'd let you. Look at you!
"I'll be fine Alonzo, I just need to rest."
"You're killing yourself with these crazy hours. Promise me you'll stay in bed today."
She answered him with an edge to her voice. "Fine, I'll do that. Now just go, I'll be all right." He hesitated, stung by the rude dismissal. She looked at him, her pale blue eyes the color of glazed winter ice. "Alonzo, please, just leave me alone!"
The banging of the door was his only answer. Relieved that he left so quickly, she drank the vials contents and impatiently waited for it to purge her body.
Alonzo stormed into the front room of the dome, his face was as dark and angry as the day's beginning. He was confused and hurt by her tone. He announced to the forms piled in sleeping bags, "Julia's not coming. I need someone to take her place."
There were grumbles under the blankets. Rising to meet the day was becoming impossible for some. If they could not eat, they only wanted to sleep. Danziger got up. "I'll go with you. What's wrong with Julia?"
Alonzo looked down not wanting to let his feelings show. "I don't know. She says she's not feeling well."
Devon joined them and she glanced toward the back room. "Did she say what was wrong?"
Alonzo waited until Danziger moved away. He felt more comfortable confiding in her. "No, she just took my head off when I asked. Devon, I found her doubled over. She looked really bad but she said she'd be all right after she took some medicine. She told me to leave her alone. I'm concerned about her, is that so wrong?" As Devon began to reply, he went on. "Maybe you can talk some sense into her. She won't listen to me."
Devon had intended to speak with him about the scouting mission. Now there seemed to be another problem which would have to be deal with. She let him vent his feelings, he was clearly upset. "Ok, I'll talk to her." He nodded, seeming somewhat relieved. She went on to her real purpose, "Alonzo, I'm worried about the weather, I don't want you to go too far today and make Danziger keep his gear on. At the first sign of snow, come back." He agreed and as soon as Danziger was ready they left.
Story Notes:
This story was started at the request of Seleya8, who asked me to write an A&J story. Alot of credit goes to Vic for correcting endless pages of spelling and grammer errors. If you still happen to find a few, it's because I lost some of her corrections under tons of rewrite material. The story was started at the end of Dec. when I asked the great FF god for a little inspiration. Shortly afterwards, I was given the *Blizzard of 96* so I guess we should be careful what we ask for...I hope you enjoy it.