Live And Learn by Allison McDonnell

[Reviews - 0]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer

- Text Size +

The only positive result of Devon's trauma was that her anguished cries pierced the blackness and reverberated throughout the cavern, eventually being heard by several members of Eden Advance. Once the rest of the group had reinitiated contact, they were able to orally direct Yale and a now silent Devon back to them. Afterward, Alonzo continued to weave them in a caterpillar-like fashion through the various passageways until they eventually spilled out into the safety of the main entrance to the cave itself.

To their surprise, Walman and Baines were waiting for them, their mag-pros and clothes saturated with dirt, wearing a look that could best be described as shell-shocked. And they weren't the only ones.

Most of the crew stood there in stunned silence, coughing up dust while fighting back tears as they tried to wrap their brains around the idea that John had willingly sacrificed himself in order to ensure their survival. Tears welled in Bess' eyes as she gently rocked True who was whimpering almost incoherently against her shoulder. Morgan attentively wrapped his arms around them both and gently kissed the top of Bess' head. Yale turned to comfort Devon in her time of loss, but as he attempted to place his arm around her, she shrugged him off and took two steps backward. The leader then cleared her throat, defiantly straightened her chin and marched to the center of the room.

It was time to take charge, again.

"Who is the fastest runner here?" she asked in a no-nonsense fashion

It was an unusual question that seemed to come out of nowhere. Several moments passed and many odd looks were exchanged before Mazatl finally stepped forward, raising his hand about chest high. "I guess that would be me," he stated, a bit uncomfortably, unsure of Devon's motivations. Plus, he didn't like to brag.

Devon was direct and her voice sounded increasingly urgent with each syllable. "Go ahead of the group, find Julia's diaglove and her medical bag and get back here as fast as you possibly can," she instructed. "Bring a gearset, too."

Mazatl was still processing her request and didn't immediately move, prompting Devon to impatiently blurt out, "Go now!"

The entire group jumped at the loud outburst, and without another word, Mazatl sprung into action, easily scaling the four foot incline out of the cave. Although he was temporarily blinded by the afternoon sun, the crewman sprinted full-blast into the forest to retrieve the designated items.

Devon then spun around to address the remaining Edenites. "Alonzo and Julia will stay here with me," she told them in a slightly calmer, but still anxious tone. "The rest of you need to go back to camp and stay there. Get something to eat. Get some rest. If the ZED did anything to the vehicles, fix them the best that you can. We'll be in touch with you soon."

Curious looks passed between the crew as they nodded their acceptance. Uly strode over and grabbed his mother's hand. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that something bad must have happened to Mr. Danziger. And if there was any way to help him, he wanted to be a part of it.

"Can I stay, too?" the child asked.

Devon crouched down and absently fussed at his hair, brushing out some of the dust and grit with her fingertips. "No, Honey, I want you to go with Yale," she said before leaning in and relaying in a hushed voice, "And I think that True could really use your company right now, too."

Devon glanced up at Yale, but couldn't bear to bring her eyes to view John's daughter. Instead, she gave Uly a quick peck on the cheek and rose to her feet. "I love you and I'll be there as fast as I can," she assured him.

"You can't make me leave," True piped up, her fiercely independent tone eerily reminiscent of her father's. "And I'm not going anywhere without my Dad."

Bess loosened her grip and arched backward in order to address True eye to eye. "No, Sweetie, it's best if we go," she expressed in a sympathetic voice. "If anyone can reach your father, it's Devon, Alonzo and Julia. You have to trust them."

After a few moments of contemplation, True turned her head back toward Devon. Just as the elder Danziger's emotions often did, True's pain and fear manifested itself as anger. "If he doesn't come back, I'll never forgive you," she warned through gritted teeth. "Do you hear me? Never."

Devon looked beyond True's hostile voice and downturned mouth to see the abject terror reflected in her large brown eyes, and it burned a permanent etch into her very soul. Fully realizing that there was nothing that could be said, even if she had been able to formulate the words, Devon responded with a determined nod.

"All right, everyone, let's get moving!" Yale proclaimed, taking the initiative and directing the majority of Eden Advance over to the exit. Although he hated leaving Devon behind and was more than a bit unsure of her plans, he knew that whatever they might be, she was never one to give up on anything until every avenue had been exhausted. And it was obvious to everyone that she wasn't ready to give up on John Danziger.

The group began to help one another up the sharp slope and out of the cave, shading their eyes from the brightness and removing their jackets due to the rise in temperature before beginning their half kilometer journey back to their campsite. Devon, Alonzo and Julia remained in place near the center of the enclosure. Though it had felt like a much longer length of time, it had been just over ten minutes since the cave-in and Devon realized there were no seconds to spare.

She rotated to Alonzo. "I want to talk to the Terrians," she demanded. "Either take me to the Dreamplane or bring them here."

Alonzo blinked several times. He was so rattled by what had become of Danziger that it was going to be difficult for HIM to reach the Dreamscape. He couldn't imagine that Devon would be able to clear and then focus her mind enough to allow her access to the alternate plane. Judging by her overall demeanor, it was fairly obvious that she was barely holding it together as it was. That left only one alternative.

"I'll call them," he relayed, immediately closing his eyes and doing his best to steady his breathing.

Devon took this short, but much needed time to calm her emotions as well as to call upon her many years of leadership experience as she organized her thoughts. It wasn't long before the pilot had established contact and two of the beings sprouted from the ground directly in front of them. Before Alonzo could say anything, Devon stepped forward, taking control.

"We need your help. We have a crewmember trapped inside," she said in a straightforward manner, motioning behind them toward the corridor's entrance.

When neither Terrian displayed even the smallest reaction to her declaration, she continued, "He's still alive and we need you to bring him out for us."

Alonzo and Julia glanced at one another in uncertainty. Although they hadn't witnessed the latter part of the cave-in firsthand, they'd understood that the entire structure had been destroyed. The assertion that John had somehow managed to survive his ordeal was a supremely optimistic viewpoint, to say the least. And because Devon had yet to share the details of her own account, Alonzo or Julia didn't even know if Danziger had already met a quicker end at the hands of the ZED before the dust had finally settled.

Meanwhile, Devon tried to remain professional and was all-business in her approach to dealing with the Terrians. It was almost as if she was running a board meeting and she was in the midst of addressing the planet's largest and most valuable shareholders.

"This man is very important to us," she explained. "He's the person who keeps the vehicles and the equipment in working order. More than anyone else, he makes sure that we have food in our stomachs and clothes on our backs. He's the biggest reason that we've made it this far and his presence is crucial to the success of our mission to colonize this planet."

The creatures were unmoved, literally and figuratively by her words. Devon could feel her fear and desperation starting to creep towards the surface and she swallowed hard in an attempt to keep those feelings at bay. But time was running out and she was at a complete loss as to what to say or do. How could she make the Terrians understand how important John is?

"He is our protector," she exclaimed, her voice and body language conveying an increasing sense of urgency. "He has continually risked his life for us and especially for Uly. He's also risked his life for you. He helped to save a tribe of Terrians from Gaal. And by killing the ZED, he has saved countless human and Terrian lives. John Danziger is, by far,--"

Devon's rising emotions coupled with the mention of Danziger's name forced her to pause. She made a feeble effort to compose herself, briefly looking downward and taking a shaky breath before starting the sentence again. "John Danziger is, by far, the bravest man that I have ever met."

Devon began to feel the sting of tears as her mind was flooded with images of the countless courageous and selfless acts that John had performed on her behalf and on the behalf of the other members of Eden Advance since their crashlanding so many months before. Her thoughts centered on Alonzo's revelation of the lengths that John had gone to in order to liberate her from her frozen tomb after she'd fallen ill. Devon then recalled the method that Danziger had employed which finally swayed the Terrians to agree to heal her. And this only served to upset her more.

"Uly, he-" she began, starting to choke up, "- he considers John to be like a father to him. And John IS a father to him, the closest that Uly has ever known. The loss that Uly would feel... that we would feel... it can't be measured or put into words."

After another shaky breath, Devon furthered, "And John also has a little girl of his own. You may have met her already. Her name is True. She's eleven years old, has big beautiful eyes, she loves to go exploring and doesn't hesitate to question authority. In her own way, she is... she's the spitting image of her daddy." Her voice cracked as her emotions swelled. "John is True's entire world and she needs the guidance and unconditional love that only he can give her."

One of the Terrians responded with a slight trill. Devon had no idea what the creature said, but judging by its tone and subsequent lack of motion, she knew that no real progress had been made.

No longer able to hold back, the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. "I'm only asking you to retrieve him and bring him back to us," she implored, her tone rising in pitch with each syllable. "If it takes making you another promise, I'll do it. If you want to take my life in exchange for his, I'll do that, too. I'll do anything that you ask. Just please don't leave him there to die alone! Help him!"

She was openly weeping now, and becoming more distraught by the moment. "We cannot lose John. I... I can't lose him."

Devon took two quick paces forward and took one of the Terrians by the hand, much to the surprise of everyone in the room, including the Terrian. She was so upset that she could barely speak, and her words came out as more of a whimper. "I am begging you... please... please help him," she sobbed, her grief, along with several other emotions, an open book for all to read. "Please don't let him die. I couldn't bear it."

Devon's grasp remained firmly around the Terrian's hand as her head swung backward to the couple behind her. "Alonzo, do something! Make them understand. Make them see what John means to us!"

Alonzo stared at her in stunned shock throughout the entire exchange. It also didn't escape his notice that he'd been a party to something very similar to Devon's display once before. However, that time it had been Danziger who had appealed to the Terrians for their aid in rescuing Devon, instead of the other way around. And it was just as gut-wrenching. The pilot sincerely hoped that the Terrians could somehow be persuaded to save a member of Eden Advance a second time. And he wished to God that he had the slightest clue as to what to say.

He stepped forward and gave it his best shot. "Your help would mean a great deal to us and we'd consider this an act of friendship; a further bonding of our two species and proof that we can work together toward the same common goal. And in the future, should you ever need assistance, you can always come to us and we will do everything within our power to help you. Because that's what friends do for one another."

The combination of the two pleas seemed to finally have an effect on the creatures. The Terrian slowly placed his other hand over his and Devon's joined ones and lowered its head slightly to speak directly to her. After letting out several gentle trills, he gingerly pried their hands apart. The other Terrian wasn't quite as pleasant and shouted a few trills in Alonzo's direction which sounded almost scolding in nature. Then, both beings disappeared into the ground, causing Devon to stumble backward.

"What happened? What did they say?" the leader asked, worried and befuddled, and still barely able to catch a full breath.

For the first time that day, Alonzo felt like smiling. "They're going to bring Danziger out for us." The pilot purposely chose not to give Devon the exact translation of the Terrian's words to her which were 'We will find and deliver your mate.'

Alonzo added, "They also told us not to make this a habit."

She exhaled so quickly that it came out as a snort. "We won't. I promise," Devon sputtered out, acknowledging, but barely paying attention to the latter part of the Terrians' message. She was consumed with relief that John would rejoin them soon. And she knew in her heart of hearts that he was still alive. He just had to be.

She shut her eyes, inwardly offering a prayer of thanks before crossing her arms tightly across her stomach, squeezing hard as if she was fighting the urge to become physically ill. Julia, who had remained silent up until that point, placed a comforting hand on the leader's shoulder from behind.

"Devon, it's going to be okay," she said, doing her best to mask her doubt. In the doctor's mind, it would be a miracle if Danziger was found alive. She hoped that the Terrians were in a healing mood today, especially since her medical equipment had yet to arrive.

Devon turned to Julia. "I know it will," she nodded, bound and determined to keep the faith. "I'm just so... so..." Devon paused as her self-imposed barriers began to break free again and she looked as though her legs were about to collapse from beneath. Julia pulled her into a supportive hug as Devon's sobs burst forth. The leader's continued distraught cries and shuddering breaths as she clung to Julia like a lifeline were more than enough to bring tears to her own eyes. And to add to her sadness was Julia's understanding that the pain which Devon and the others were currently feeling over John's almost incomprehensible loss was unlikely to go away anytime soon.

A low rumbling emanating from below their feet alerted the trio that the Terrians were returning. The two creatures sprung upward from the floor, and in between them was a battered, motionless John Danziger. The Terrians held the mechanic by the upper arms and he was covered from head to toe in dirt which made his entire body ashen in color. His head was hunched forward with crimson streaked curls completely obscuring his face which, along with his tattered clothing and his obviously broken legs dangling lifelessly beneath him, made him resemble a badly weathered scarecrow.

But Devon barely took note of Danziger's severely impaired state. She was too overcome with joy at seeing him in the flesh again.

"John," the leader whispered, a wave of relief washing through her entire body. "Thank you. Thank you," she repeated several times to the Terrians as they relinquished their precious cargo to Julia and Alonzo.

The beings didn't feel the need to stick around any longer and promptly vanished back into the ground while the remaining Edenites centered their efforts on carefully stretching Danziger's body out across the cool stone floor. Devon lovingly cradled the back of John's head, but her happiness quickly transformed into alarm as she pulled her hands away only to find them both stained with his blood.

"Julia!" she gasped, holding her open palms out in front of her and staring at them in shock.

The doctor was unable to answer her frightened cry because she already had her own hands full. She pushed beyond her amazement that Danziger had somehow managed to possess a weak pulse as she furiously checked him over to determine the depths of his injuries. A cursory glance produced the knowledge that, although there were several broken bones including both legs, at least four ribs, one of his arms and a hand, thankfully, none of them appeared to be compound fractures. There were also several deep lacerations, some of which would need stitching, along with dozens of ever-darkening bruises, including one particularly menacing-looking contusion which blackened almost the entire expanse of his throat. But all of that was irrelevant because, at the moment, there was a much more pressing matter to deal with.

"Oh, God, he's in respiratory arrest," Julia proclaimed.

Alonzo looked up, confused. "Huh?"

"His heart is beating, but he's not breathing," she answered before further clarifying much too bluntly for Devon's taste, "It could be due to a number of things: There could be excessive blood loss or there might be large amounts of dirt or gravel blocking his windpipe. He could have suffocated from the lack of air in the chamber after the collapse. Or his vital organs may have been crushed beyond repair." Although she didn't voice it aloud, Julia guessed that the source of Danziger's distress was most likely option four and that he would succumb to his injuries in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

"So, what do we do?" the pilot queried, his dark eyes brimming with concern for his friend.

Julia shook her head. "I- I honestly don't know," she exclaimed, her voice and expression reflecting her feeling of powerlessness. "I need my equipment here in order to help him. And there's no time to get him back to camp." Where in the hell is Mazatl, she added in her mind.

Devon's gaze remained riveted to John's emotionless face as Julia delivered her sober assessment of his plight, obviously deep in thought.

"He needs oxygen?" she asked, reaching out and delicately wiping away a streak of smeared blood from the mechanic's already bruised brow.

"Yes," Julia nodded, her own eyes beginning to tear up, again. "He's going to die without it."

Upon hearing those words, Devon immediately sprang into action, angling forward and prying John's mouth open with her fingers to ensure that his airway was clear. She then pinched his nostrils closed using her thumb and index finger and inhaled a full breath before covering Danziger's mouth with her own and blowing a large burst of air into his lungs.

Julia and Alonzo's heads shot back in surprise. "What are you doing?" the physician questioned.

Devon leaned in and forcefully exhaled another breath into Danziger's mouth. "I'm trying to get him breathing on his own, again," she relayed matter-of-factly. "If nothing else, I can breathe for him until Mazatl gets back with the medical supplies."

The pair exchanged a look of astonishment as Devon pushed another rush of oxygen into Danziger's lungs, and they watched as his chest rose and then gradually fell as soon as the seal was broken. They searched his face and body, looking for any signs that her efforts were having a positive effect, but he remained as still as a statue.

"Come on, Danziger," Devon rasped, already experiencing a physical drain due to the exertion on her own lungs, "Breathe for me. Please."

She blew another breath into his body. "I'm not giving up on you. Do you hear me?" she pledged to his unconscious form. "Not now. Not ever."

Over the next several minutes, Devon continued to supply John with the oxygen that he needed to remain alive, all the while alternating between gentle encouragement, direct orders and even the occasional threat imploring him to start breathing again and that dying was not an option. Julia also monitored him at regular intervals to confirm that his pulse remained faint, but steady.

At long last, Devon and the others received the answer that they'd been hoping for. Devon had just removed her mouth from Danziger's for what had felt like the thousandth time when his entire body began to quake and he erupted into a violent coughing fit.

Julia was so elated that she could barely speak. "Turn him on his side," she instructed, to which Devon and Alonzo immediately complied.

Alonzo rolled John sideways and took a firm hold of his shoulder and arm while Devon drew the mechanic's hair back from his face and patted him lightly on his back as he began to expel several mouthfuls of dirt that he had no doubt swallowed during his ordeal. Danziger then took in and exhaled his first unassisted breath which came out as more of a wheeze. To Devon, it was one of the most beautiful sounds she'd ever heard.

After the spell had subsided, the two eased him back to his original position. "That's it, John, keep breathing. Now I want you to wake up, okay? Open your eyes," Devon urged, her voice only slightly commanding in tone.

Thankfully for all parties involved, for one of the few times in his life, John decided to listen to authority and his lids ever-so-slowly raised to reveal a brilliant, though slightly unfocused, shade of blue. It took him a couple of moments to overcome his confusion enough to realize where he was and how he'd gotten there.

He swallowed and let out another cough, obviously struggling to find his voice. "Did I miss anything important?" he croaked out, somehow managing the hint of a smirk.

Julia shook her head, pleased to see him alive, but almost annoyed by his nonchalant attitude. "Not much, John," she said dryly. "You've broken several bones and probably suffered a pretty serious concussion."

"Not to mention killing off a few million brain cells," Alonzo deadpanned.

The mechanic seemed disinterested in his own prognosis, instead asking, "Did True and the others get out in time?"

"Yes, Danziger, everyone made it. They're already on their way back to camp," Julia replied, leaning forward and placing a hand on his chest to confirm his ever-strengthening heartbeat. "But you're still not out of the woods yet, so try not to move too much, all right?"

Danziger responded with a small nod, and his expression and demeanor were relaxed as his eyes traveled upward to the cavern's jagged ceiling. Despite his continuing weakness, the mechanic was surprised at how easily he was able to cope with his currently raging headache and the ebbing pain which coursed through just about every part of his body. He surmised that perhaps it was easy to set aside his discomfort because he was just so damn grateful to be feeling anything at all.

He ignored the throbbing in his head as he pivoted toward Devon, immediately noticing that she looked physically and emotionally exhausted. Moreover, her eyes were red and slightly swollen, giving off the distinct impression that she had been crying, although Danziger couldn't discount the possibility that she'd simply gotten some dust in them.

"Adair," he beckoned in a gravelly tone.

She leaned in and almost took hold of his hand, but stopped herself when she realized that it was badly fractured. "Yes, Danziger?" she said with a gentleness in her tone that caused John's still-returning breath to become a bit more shallow.

"I told ya' that everything was gonna be fine," he expressed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Devon broke into a smile that was brilliant enough to light the entire room, if not the entire continent. "And you were right," she agreed. "Now get some rest, okay?"

The mechanic wanted to remain awake and continue the conversation, but he had no energy left to fight his fatigue. "You're the boss," he mumbled, his eyes falling shut.

All three Edenites sat around John, completely transfixed as he slipped into a deep sleep. After a few moments of doing nothing but watch him breathe, Alonzo blurted out, "I still can't believe it. The man has more lives than a cat."

John's amazing track record of cheating Death wasn't the only thing on Julia's mind. It was Devon's behavior over the past hours, including her impassioned outburst pleading for Danziger's life, that had been nothing short of a revelation to Julia. With the exception of her interactions with her son, through most eyes, the leader usually came across as standoffish in nature. The physician knew from her own childhood experience that this could almost certainly be attributed to Devon's strict upbringing and the demands which had been placed upon her from a very early age.

But seeing Devon before her now, the heartfelt devotion in her face as she sat at John's side, barely resisting the urge to dote on him for fear of disturbing his slumber or causing him additional distress, Devon had never appeared so accessible, so human, before. And just as Alonzo had played a significant role in the many changes in her own outlook on life, Julia was certain beyond a doubt that the majority of Devon's own emotional progression could be attributed to John's weighty influence.

And there was something else about Devon's recent actions that had greatly surprised Julia. She turned toward the leader wearing a wrinkled brow. "Where on earth did you learn how to respirate?"

Although Devon's gaze didn't veer from Danziger, her skin suddenly took on a flushed tone and many seconds passed before she gave them a reply.

"John taught me," she said, evenly.

Julia and Alonzo's curiosities were suddenly piqued, especially when taking into consideration Devon's obvious awkwardness regarding the subject.

The pilot glanced at Danziger to ensure that he was indeed unconscious before inquiring, "So he gave you, uh, lessons?" He tried not to make the word 'lessons' sound like something overtly sexual, and was only partially successful.

Another few moments passed and Devon's body language gradually became more rigid. She attempted to sound casual, but her voice ended up coming out louder and more artificial than she'd intended as she explained, "Yes, I'd remembered how he'd tried to revive Morgan after he'd been stung by True's Koba, and I thought that it would be helpful to learn. So a few weeks ago, I asked him to show me." She felt compelled to add, "And, as a matter of fact, he was a very good instructor."

"I'll bet," Solace muttered under his breath.

A sudden thumping sound along with a cloud of rising dust behind the small group alerted them that an exhausted and sweat-saturated Mazatl had finally arrived. Fully understanding that Danziger's life could very well be in his hands, the Edenite had raced the entire way to and then back from camp, barely slowing down when he reached the cave's entrance and literally throwing himself into the cavern. He purposely landed squarely on his back in order to protect Julia's medical bag and diaglove which he cradled within his arms. Ignoring the scrapes and bruises he'd received from his tumble, he jumped to his feet and hurried the final few yards to his fellow crewmembers. He skidded to a stop, freezing in place as they parted to reveal a living, breathing John Danziger.

Mazatl did a triple take and his jaw dropped open. Although he'd given his all in order to help, there was a large part of him that had never truly believed that any of his efforts were really necessary in the first place. Rescuing Danziger had seemed to be a lost cause and it was too much for him to hope that he'd ever be fortunate enough to see friend alive again. Yet there he was.

"I don't shankin' believe it!" he exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Is he-"

"Yep, he's pretty banged up, but it looks like he's gonna be okay," Alonzo declared, finishing Mazatl's thought for him. "Right, Doc?"

Since Mazatl remained in a state of shock and made no attempt to move, Julia took it upon herself to relieve him of her diaglove.

She hastily donned the apparatus and scanned John's vital signs, confirming that her original diagnosis had been almost spot on, although she mentally noted that he had broken five ribs, instead of four, and had also fractured his right wrist.

"It would appear so," she answered, opening her med-bag and retrieving her hypogun. "I need to get Danziger stabilized before we try to move him," she added, slipping a capsule into the device and administering a pain block into the sleeping mechanic's neck. "Can you contact basecamp and ask them to bring us the stretcher?"

"The rest of 'em are right behind me," Mazatl informed them, wiping the perspiration from his brow with the equally wet fabric of his shirt. "Walman, Baines, Morgan, hell everybody but Bess and the kids. We weren't sure what you'd need, so everyone grabbed a piece of medical equipment, as much as they could carry, and they're all on their way back here. I'm almost positive that someone had the stretcher with them."

The crewman pulled a gearset from his front pocket. "If you'd like, I can give 'em a call to make sure," he offered.

Devon, in particular, was overwhelmed at the entire crew's kind gesture, especially when there had been no way for them to know that Danziger had indeed survived. "I don't think that will be necessary," she replied. "If it didn't come on this trip, we can always send someone back for it."

The leader climbed to her feet, forcing herself to momentarily leave John with the promise that she would return very soon. She closed the short distance to where Mazatl stood.

"Could I borrow your gear for a moment?" she asked

Although the cave was dimly lit, Mazatl could see the depth of emotion in Devon's eyes as she turned back to gaze at Danziger. Her voice choked up a bit as she spoke.

"I want to let True know that her father will be home very soon."

You must login (register) to review.