Andy's Fan-Fiction Archive

TO HELL AND BACK
By
Ann Brill White

Timeline: On way to New Pacifica
Author's E-Mail: anniebw@umsa7.umd.edu

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
This is a work of fiction, and is not meant to infringe on any "Earth 2" copyrights. Yadda, yadda, yadda...
This takes place one year after "Church of Morgan"
NOTE: This work contains violence and sex, and is classified PG-18. You have real you can get this on page. Author hasn't sent it to list because it's classification.-Andy

To Hell and Back
By Ann Brill White

*Today is our first anniversary,* Bess Martin remembered as she woke up next to her husband. *It's been a year since we got remarried, this time forever. I just know that he's been planning something special. I wonder what it is?* There was time enough for that, though. It was morning. Time to get the coffee on before the rest of the camp woke up. Bess swung her legs over the side of their bed, stood up, and stretched. She looked down at Morgan's sleeping form, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. *Well, Mister Martin,* she thought, *happy anniversary.*
Bess washed her face and pulled on some clothes. It promised to be another warm early autumn day. Fortunately, they had turned south onto the final leg of their journey to New Pacifica, so the weather was milder than this time last year. The days were still temperate, but the nights were beginning to turn cold.
That was one thing that she had missed about Earth when she was on the stations - the change of seasons. It was part of the reason that she had agreed to come with Morgan to this planet in the first place. Of course, they had gotten more than they'd bargained for, but Bess had accepted it cheerfully. Morgan, on the other hand, had a lot of trouble adjusting from a level-four bureaucrat to an outdoorsman. The last year had changed Morgan for the better. The episode with the Morganite, their own trial with the spring flowers, almost dying from the Koba sting, and, most of all, the terrible ordeal of the scouting trip, had finally forced Morgan to grow up.
Bess opened the tent flap and walked out into the dawn. She waved hello at Cameron, who was on late watch. The taciturn Scotsman actually broke into a smile. "Mornin', Bess," he waved, "happy anniversary."
"Mornin' yourself, Cameron," she flirted. "Thanks." She got out the coffee pot and threw a few handfuls of nuts into the grinder. Eden Project was fortunate to find a tasty substitute for coffee, anyway. They could survive without real beds, houses, even permanent latrines, but not without coffee.
As the smell of breakfast roused the sleeping crew, Bess caught sight of some movement near the Danziger tent. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Devon Adair furtively snuck out of John and True's tent and into her own, which was conveniently located next door. Bess shook her head and smiled with amusement. "Looks like Devon was in John's tent again last night," she observed quietly to Cameron.
"Third time this week," he replied. "They're getting bolder."
Bess smiled as she recalled the first time she'd seen Devon sneak out of Danziger's tent. It was about six weeks ago. Bess had spied Devon leaving the Danziger tent early one morning. At first she had thought that something was wrong with True or John, but that wasn't exactly the case. Bess had kept her own counsel. However, it soon became the worst-kept secret in the Eden Advance group - Devon and Danziger were a couple. To Bess, it made a lot of sense. Both of them were single parents, and both were headstrong beyond belief. She couldn't understand the need for secrecy. After all, True usually sleeps like a rock, and Ulysses has Yale to look after him. Besides, it's not like people kept secrets for long in a community of fifteen. As she observed them more and more, Bess came to realize that Devon, not John, was forcing the issue. She guessed that it had something to do with when Devon was sick, and they had her in the cryo-chamber for six weeks until Julia found a cure.
One by one, the members of their community rolled out of their tents, some sleepily, and some wide awake. All of them had one destination in mind - the coffee pot. They each greeted her in turn, but none of them asked where Morgan was. It was, to Bess, rather suspicious.
"Well, I think I'm going to go see if Morgan's awake yet," she announced to the group, who were in various stages of awareness around the fire.
"Bess...," Alonzo intercepted her as she moved across the field toward their tent. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"And why shouldn't I go into my own tent?"
"Because....," he dissembled.
"Because I'm coming out anyway," Morgan said from behind her. She turned, and saw him striding toward her, hiding something behind his back. He stood directly in front of her, smiled broadly, and kissed her on the lips. "Happy anniversary, Bess," he beamed, and pulled a huge bouquet of wildflowers out from behind his back! "You'll always be my wildflower."
She was stunned for a moment, then flung herself into his arms. "Oh, thank you, honey!" she exclaimed between kisses.
When Bess finally came up for air, every member of Eden Project applauded, much to her and Morgan's surprise. Even John Danziger was clapping, although she wasn't sure if he was doing it as anything more than a formality.
Devon Adair stepped forward and gradually quieted the crowd. "In honor of your first anniversary, or your fourth, however you want to say it, I'm excusing both of you from chores today."
"Yessss!" Morgan exclaimed, earning him a dirty look from Danziger.
Devon shot John her own warning look, and continued. "Enjoy it, you two. We've had so little to be happy about this past year that you deserve every chance you can get. We all do," she told them, a haunted look showing in her face for just a moment. She then turned to Danziger. "Besides, John. When we have our own anniversary, we'll be excused from our chores, too. Although, knowing you, you'll still have to exert yourself somehow or you just won't feel right."
The big mechanic gulped, looking very much like a Koba in the headlights of the TransRover. "Adair..." he hissed a warning.
Bess sidled up to Danziger and smiled sweetly. "Now, John. It's a small camp, remember. We know what's going on. You don't have to hide anything." Danziger's face reddened noticeably.
"Anyway," Alonzo cut in to rescue his friend, "What do you two have planned for your big day?"
"Well," Morgan said smugly, enjoying the undivided attention of the entire camp, for once. "I'm taking Bess out to dinner at the fanciest restaurant on the stations."
"Gonna have to wait a while for that," Baines chimed in.
"In VR, of course," Morgan replied, with the tone of voice that implied that Baines was an idiot.
"Of course," Walman said sarcastically.
Morgan changed the subject. "If we could borrow the ATV this afternoon, I'd like to take Bess out for a picnic," he addressed Danziger directly, almost challenging him to refuse.
John hesitated, then acquiesced. "Oh, all right. But take good care of it, don't hit any rocks, and have it back before sundown - or else."
"Fine." Morgan shot back. Bess tapped him on the shoulder. He looked quizzically at her. She nodded, rather insistently. "Oh, yeah. Thanks, everyone. Especially Devon. Danziger, too."
Bess knew that it almost killed her husband to say thanks to anyone, especially the bane of his existence, John Danziger. However, they had to live with this group, and keeping on Danziger's good side was important. What she kept trying to tell Morgan was that working for the good of the group earned everyone's respect, and occasionally, days like today. She beamed at Morgan as he took her hand and led her back into their tent.
These colonists are so innocent, the man thought as he observed them from afar. Oh, he'd been watching them for about two days now, ever since they had wandered into *his* territory. Very interesting, to see other humans on this forsaken rock after so long. Not only that, but they had women among them. It had been so long since he'd even seen a woman.
Oh, yes, they had women. He watched from behind some scrub vegetation as the pretty one, whom he'd dubbed "Curly" came out to cook breakfast. A woman like that really made him miss the feminine persuasion. There were other women, too. The dark-haired one with the little boy. She was hot, but there could be trouble there. He'd seen "Mom" sneaking into another tent late at night, the one belonging to the big man, "Shaggy". Shaggy had a little girl, too. He could have some fun with the girl, but Shaggy didn't seem like the type to mess with. Then there was the one
that appeared to be the doctor, although he'd never seen a doctor like that in his part of the stations. Unfortunately, Doc was paired off with "Pretty Boy". There was another one that he didn't want to mess with. Pretty Boy seemed formidable, although he'd probably be more worried about his face.
There were two other women in the colony as well. One was black, and kind of shy. She didn't seem like she'd put up much of a fight. No fun there. Besides, she was paired up with Baldy, the black man with the shaved head. Baldy was easy to scare, but he was almost always armed - not a betting man's combination. And Blondie, well, she'd be good sport, but too butch for his type.
Nope, Curly was the woman for him. Especially because of her husband, "Flinchy", the girly-man with the ponytail. He looked like some kind of desk jockey, the same kind of man that had sentenced him here. He spat at the memory of the bureaucrats, the parole officers, the little men that didn't see things his way - the right way. They tsk-tsked as they sent him to the doctors, who drugged him. Then, he woke up here. Oh, yes. Doing in Flinchy would be a glorious revenge against his enemies.

Morgan loaded a bag into the ATV, as Danziger approached him. A scowl was on his face. To Morgan, this wasn't unusual, but it meant that Danziger had business.
"Where're you planning on heading?" Danziger asked, a little too casually.
"Alonzo found a field about five klicks to the east of here. I thought it would be a nice spot for a picnic," Morgan answered, trying not to seem to hostile toward the mechanic.
Danziger looked over the ATV with the eye of a housekeeper giving the white glove test to an underling. "You stay away from hard terrain, and don't push the ATV too hard, y'understand? I can't have these vehicles crapping out on us a few hundred klicks from our destination," the mechanic stared at Morgan. "Got it?"
Morgan answered his stare with one of his own. "Got it." Then, he decided to get a dig in on his own. "You know, John, you and Devon should try to check this place out yourselves. It beats sneaking into each other's tents in the middle of the night like a couple of lovesick teenagers."
The mechanic narrowed his eyes dangerously. Morgan knew he'd scored a direct hit. "I don't know what you're talking about, Martin."
"Oh, come on. Why don't you just be up front about your relationship? It won't upset your daughter. She already knows."
"Don't tell me how to raise my kid," he warned.
Morgan continued to push. "Fine. But, you and Devon are going to have to go public sooner or later. Give it a try. You might like married life."
"If I needed romantic advice, I'd ask Alonzo, not you. Now, be careful with that ATV and get back before dark, or you'll have hell to pay," Danziger snarled, then stalked off. As he left, he passed Bess, who was on her way over to the ATV.
"What's the matter with him?" she asked, casting a puzzled look back at Danziger.
"Don't know. Just jealous, I suppose," Morgan shrugged. He would never understand John Danziger's reasons for doing anything. "You look fantastic."
Bess had put on her best pants and shirt. It wasn't much, but it wasn't the clothes that mattered. She'd fixed her hair, and it looked like she'd hit up every woman in camp except True for whatever makeup they had. To Morgan, she looked like an angel descended from Heaven. "Oh, thank you, honey," she beamed. "I tried to do my best. So, where are we going?"
"Oh, a place that Alonzo found. He managed not to sneak Julia off to it, for once. It's not far, but far enough. And, it's all ours."
With that, he climbed in the driver's seat. Bess climbed up onto the roll bar, and they took off at a relatively sedate pace towards the east.

He couldn't believe his luck. Flinchy and Curly were taking off, probably to catch a little peace and quiet. Not only that, but they were headed in the direction of his cave. With a vehicle, too! Either these people were very stupid, or it was a gift to him from whatever passed for God on this rock. All he needed was to follow their tracks, and it would be party time.

Bess had her eyes closed, which was a shame in this beautiful meadow. She felt Morgan affix the Gear to her head. She'd known that he was doing something in VR, but didn't know what. She didn't think anything could top their wedding reception.
She heard the whoosh sound of the VR Gear being engaged. "Okay, now open your eyes," Morgan whispered in her ear. She opened them. They had been transported from a sunny meadow on G889 to a fancy restaurant on the Earth of the Twentieth Century. The tables were covered with crisp, white linens, and fresh flowers were in vases. The silverware sparkled. Morgan was dressed in a tuxedo, and she was in a black sequinned dress that would have cost about six months of Morgan's salary in real life. A tall, aristocratic-looking, dark-haired maitre d' - who was also in a tuxedo - came over to them.
"Good evening, Mr. Martin," the maitre'd said, in a businesslike tone of voice.
"Good evening. Your best table, please," Morgan answered.
"Of course, sir," The maitre'd gathered two menus, and escorted them to a table positioned in front of a floor-to-ceiling glass window. Bess gasped at the spectacular view of the sun setting over an ocean. The maitre'd held out Bess's chair for her, and she sat.
"Morgan, this is absolutely fantastic!" she beamed.
"I'm glad you like it. Alonzo's thinking of borrowing it for him and Julia."
"Oh, definitely. How did you find time to program this?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Well, every morning you get up to make breakfast for the group. I pretend that I'm asleep until you leave, then I'll work on it until breakfast."
Bess was stunned. "Morgan, that's so sweet! I never knew!"
He reached over and took her hand. "Someday I'll be able to give you the real thing. When we get back to civilization, that is."
"Morgan, I've been wanting to talk to you about that...," she started, then stopped. She was interrupted by a strolling violinist, who positioned himself directly in front of their table. The violinist, who was dressed as a Venetian gondolier, began playing "O Sole Mio." Morgan took her hand, and they were lost in each other's eyes.
Suddenly, the scene was ripped out of focus, then disappeared. Bess began to shake violently. Her eyes wouldn't focus. Two dark forms appeared in front of her, and one of them was laughing. "Morgan? What happened?" Silence. "Morgan?" Bess felt the panic rising.
"Well, lookie what I caught," a gravelly male voice chuckled. The sound struck terror into Bess. "I found me a couple a'stupid colonists. Ain't nobody ever told you not to use your VR out in the open? You never know who's gonna come along."
"Wh...who are you?" Morgan finally answered. Bess was relieved, but not much. His breathing was labored, and he was just as afraid as she. Probably more, if she knew her husband.
"Shut up, girly-man!" Bess heard the impact of a boot on flesh, and Morgan cried out in pain. "I'll ask the questions around here. But, for now, you two cuties can call me Snake."
"Look," Bess stammered, "we don't have much, but you can take it. Take the ATV, whatever you want, just leave us alone."
Snake laughed again. Bess's eyes finally came back into focus. First, she looked over at Morgan. He was laying on his side in a fetal position. Blood was trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Then, she looked up at their attacker. He was about two meters tall, with long, unkempt hair that might have been blond at one time. He was wearing black leather pants, heavy boots, and a vest that showed his muscled chest. When he smiled, she saw that he was missing several teeth, and that a few others were black. "Take a good look, honey. I have the feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship." He squatted down and grabbed her chin between two filthy fingers. "Oh, yes. You'll do quite well."
Bess gave him a look that would melt titanium and jerked her chin out of his hands. "I said, let us go," she repeated more forcefully.
Snake just stared at her. "No," he replied, mimicking her tone of voice. "I've been on this planet for ten years now, and I sure as hell ain't seen a woman as pretty as you. Not unless you count them female Grendlers. And I'll bet you're a lot better lay than they are."
"Stay away from my wife!" Morgan yelled. He had managed to get to his feet. He half-ran, half-staggered toward Snake.
"Morgan, no!" Bess warned. It was too late. Snake spun around in his crouch and, like a Russian dancer in the holovids, used one leg to knock Morgan's feet out from under him. Morgan landed hard on the ground.
"Well, I guess your man, and I use the term loosely, might be good for some sport after all, eh, sweetheart? Whatta ya think? Shall we take him back to my place with us?"
"Bess and I aren't going anywhere with you," Morgan spat as he stood up again. Bess ran over to him. Morgan interposed himself between Bess and Snake.
Snake threw back his head and laughed. "I'm beginning to hate that laugh," Morgan half-turned his head and muttered.
Quick as a flash, Snake landed a right cross on Morgan's chin. Morgan staggered, then fell backwards. Bess caught him, but couldn't keep him from falling to the ground. "Okay, you have two choices. Bring your girly-man with us, or leave him here for the vultures, or whatever they are."
For Bess, there was no choice. She lifted Morgan, put his arm around her shoulder, and dragged him over to the ATV. Snake grabbed him and flung his inert body into the cargo area. "You drive, babe," he ordered. Bess nodded, afraid for her own life - and Morgan's. She got into the ATV, started it, and drove it in the direction that Snake pointed.

Alonzo was beginning to get worried about Morgan and Bess. It was close to six in the evening, as the Colonists counted time, and they weren't back yet. Sunset was in an hour. He didn't know if he was concerned about the fact that they were out there by themselves, or what would happen to them once Danziger got hold of them. Frankly, with the mood John had been in lately, Alonzo would rather take his chances in the wild. He shrugged as he made his way toward the pavilion, and the radio.
"Any word from the lovebirds yet?" He asked Magus, who was working Bess's radio duty shift.
"Not a peep. You'd think they'd at least call in when they were coming back," she answered. "Stupid of them to go off on their own anyway."
"Yeah," Alonzo agreed halfheartedly. He had no right to talk. After all, he and Julia had done their share of sneaking off for a quickie without their Gear.
"So," Magus said, eager to change the subject, "What kind of bug has Danziger gotten up his butt lately?"
Alonzo snorted. "I dunno for sure, but I think its initials are D.A."
"I didn't think she'd gone back to being the ice princess," Magus started, then stopped suddenly. "Sorry, flyboy. I didn't mean that it was Julia's fault or anything." They were all pretty sensitive about Devon's illness, and the fact that they had to keep her in cryosleep for six weeks until they found the cause. Julia especially was bothered by it.
"No offense taken," the pilot answered. "Dev's got this attitude that she should live for today, since she might not be here tomorrow. I've seen it happen to people that have looked Old Man Death in the eye. Fact is, I think she's pushing Danziger a lot harder than he's willing to go right now. Morgan and Bess being the happy couple isn't helping matters any."
"What is it with you men and the c-word, anyway?"
"Marcia, anytime you want a commitment, just come to my tent and I'll get the idea," he flirted. He loved Julia dearly, but old habits died hard.
"No way, Jose. I don't want to be on the business end of Julia's laser scalpel."
"Darn. And I was so looking forward...," he started to say, but was interrupted by the arrival of John Danziger.
"So, any word?" he asked. Alonzo and Magus just shook their heads. Danziger pounded his fist into the table. "Dammit! I'm gonna kill Martin for not getting back here in time!"
"Wait a minute," Magus said, interrupting his rant to shush them. She listened closely to the radio, then shook her head. "This is strange. Morgan's Gear is on, but it's in transmit mode, not two-way comms."
"He's probably left it on his VR channel or something," Danziger snarled.
"John, it doesn't work like that. His loopback is good, he's transmitting and receiving a carrier signal, but he's refusing reception on his end. Looks like he's gone to mute. It's too complicated to happen by accident. Even if they weren't in VR, you'd think they'd have their Gear ready to transmit, in case a big ol' Grendler lumbered in and stole their clothes."
Danziger and Alonzo exchanged skeptical looks. "If anyone in this camp knows about Gear, its Morgan," Alonzo added. Magus waved him quiet. She listened closer "What's happening now?"
Magus tuned in the receiver. "I can't tell."
Danziger leaned in and studied the radio. "Can you get a fix on their location?"
"Its kind of fuzzy, like the signal's being blocked. It's east of here, I know that." Magus shook her head and tried again.
Alonzo looked at them. "I'm going after them," he announced. "I've got a real bad feeling about this." Danziger looked at him skeptically. "I don't know why or how I know this. Maybe it's just a hunch. I haven't heard anything on the Dream Plane since we got here. It's almost as if the Terrians are avoiding this area. Something is very wrong here."
John stood, not entirely convinced. "Okay, we'll go check on 'em," he said grudgingly. "If you think that there's something wrong, Magus, then there's something wrong. But, this had better be good."
Magus shook her head. "Heck, John, if I'm wrong, I'll fix the TransRover for a week."
"You're that sure? That's an offer I can't refuse. 'Lonz, you get Julia and I'll get the MagPros. See you in five minutes."

The first thing that Morgan felt when he woke up was something uncomfortable pressing against his chest. The second was pain like he'd never felt before. In order to forget about the latter, he concentrated on the former. The object pressing into this chest was his Gear, which he'd somehow managed to retrieve during that hellish scene in the field, and hide it from that... Snake. He listened for any sign of Snake or Bess. He could hear someone cooking something over a fire, and another unidentified sound. He prayed that Snake's attention was somewhere else at the moment.
Morgan slowly felt around inside his shirt for his Gear, and removed the VR chip. He then pushed a few buttons, hoping that they were the right ones to get a signal back to camp. Someone would be able to come after them then. Someone with a nice, big MagPro - or three. Once he was pretty sure he had a signal, he pulled the Gear out of his shirt slowly. He opened his eyes a crack. He was laying in a dark section of a cave, against the wall. Morgan could make out a pile of Eden Advance equipment stacked along the wall. *He broke into one of our cargo pods!* he realized. Well, at least another Gear set would probably go unnoticed there. Morgan grasped his Gear in his left hand, and rolled over onto his right side. He moaned loudly, and simultaneously pitched the Gear set behind a cargo box. The moaning wasn't entirely acting. Unfortunately, it managed to get Snake's attention as well.
"Looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally decided to wake up, eh, sweetheart?" Snake growled and crossed the cave to stand over him. "You're awake. That means I can ask you some questions."
Bess ran up behind Snake with a water canteen and something in a bowl. "Morgan, are you all right?" she asked. Thankfully, she was unhurt other than a few scrapes and cuts. She knelt down beside him.
"I've been better," he smiled, trying to put up a brave front for her.
"Here's some water, honey," she put the canteen to his lips. Snake kicked it away, and Bess looked up at him in surprise.
"No water or food until I get what I want, *honey*," Snake ordered. Bess glared at him. "What, you're worried about your man? Too bad. Remember, Bess, you is my woman now."
"Over my dead body," she muttered.
"That can be arranged," he shot back. "Go back to work. I'm gonna interrogate this Government scumbag." Bess refused to leave Morgan's side. "I said now, bitch!" Snake slapped her hard. Bess's eyes blazed with anger, but she did as she was told.
"Bess!" Morgan cried out, and tried to move. He felt pain in his ribs as Snake's boot connected with them again.
"You stay here, girly-man. I'm gonna ask you some questions. For example, when did the Council decide to settle this planet?"
Morgan laughed hollowly. "The Council? Are you kidding? They tried to kill us! Several times. No, we're not with the Council."
Snake's interest was piqued. "So, then who are you people, and what the hell are you doing on this rock?"
"We came here trying to find a cure for the Syndrome."
"The Syndrome, eh? That's that thing the kids were dying from. Who bankrolled you?"
Morgan gulped. Telling this monster about Devon and her wealth might put the entire group at risk. Snake might go after her, or maybe even Uly. The man was a sociopath. He thought of Devon, who fought for eight years to get to this planet. Of Julia, Alonzo, and - yes, even Danziger - who had saved his miserable life by feeding him Grendler blood. And, finally of Uly Adair, who held the promise of a new life for the whole human race. At that moment, Morgan Horatio Martin knew that he was not going to come out of that cave alive. He didn't want to leave this life as a coward. He had to protect Bess and the others at all cost. His life didn't matter as much as the other fourteen people that he'd spent the last year with. He stayed silent, and narrowed his gaze at Snake.
"Did you hear me, worm? I said, who bankrolled you? Who the hell are you people?"
"None of your damn business," Morgan answered. He was rewarded with another kick in the ribs. This time, he heard something crack, and felt blinding pain. In the background, he heard Bess scream.
"Listen, you piece of shit," Snake grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and hauled him upright. Morgan gasped for breath - his chest felt like it was going to explode! Snake shoved him against the cave wall. Bess screamed again. "It's people like you that wrote all of those damn rules on the stations. Rules that I fought to preserve, until the Council decided that I was a danger to them. Then, pencil-neck geeks like you threw me into prison. You took me to the doctors. 'Just a mild sedative,' you said. Next thing I knew, I woke up here. 'Exiled to planet G889,' the guard said before he jettisoned us down here. 'May God have mercy on your soul'. Shyeah, right. It's the fault of weasels like you that I've been stuck here for ten years of hell. Well, mister, may God have mercy on *your* soul, 'cause you ain't gonna get any from me."
"I... I had nothing to do with it. I wasn't in that part of the Government," Morgan stammered. If he was going to die, he didn't want to simply because some psycho wanted to take out his anger at the system on him.
"Shut up!" Snake shoved Morgan's head against the wall. He was momentarily stunned, and his vision got fuzzy. "I didn't ask you. I don't care if you were the chief sanitation officer. I'll get back at all of you. And, as for your purty little woman there, well, she'll be my repayment for ten years of loneliness."
The fear for Bess overwhelmed his fear for his own life. He made a fist and punched as hard as he could into Snake's stomach. "Leave my wife out of this!" he yelled.
Snake wasn't even affected. He just laughed evilly. "So, you do have some cojones down there after all!" The other man reached down and grabbed Morgan's privates. "Well, not for long, anyway." Morgan gasped as he felt agonizing pain in his groin. "Once I get done with your wife, I think I'll do you, too. After all, it's not often one gets to fuck the system," he leered. Bess ran over and tried to pull Snake off of him. The convict reached back, grabbed Bess's arm, and shoved her away roughly. She fell down hard on her left wrist.
"Morgan!" She called out desperately.
"No, not Bess..." Morgan gasped. Snake let go of his testicles, but grabbed a handful of his long hair instead.
"Shut up! I give the orders here, worm!" Snake ordered, and slammed Morgan's head against the wall. Morgan saw a white flash of light behind his eyes. He collapsed, his vision fading into a red haze punctuated by the flashes. As he fell, Snake continued to kick him on whatever part of his body seemed to be closest. He did his best to protect his genitals from taking a blow, at the cost of the rest of his body. Slowly, Morgan sank down into the darkness, where there was no more pain. His last coherent thought as he faded into oblivion was that he should have done more to protect Bess.

At 6:30, Alonzo, Danziger, and Julia were no closer to finding the ATV, or Morgan and Bess. Alonzo swore that he knew the field where they had gone. But they had found no sign of them. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, and with it, Alonzo's hope of finding the Martins.
Julia, riding in the back seat, looked through the Jumpers to the southwest. "Wait a minute," she said, then Alonzo heard the whirr of the Jumpers resetting to a higher magnification. "I think I see something reflecting. Head about five o'clock." Danziger turned the 'Rail toward where she was pointing.
A short distance away, the headlights on the 'Rail caught a reflection. "Good eyes, Doc," Danziger nodded appreciably. They stopped the vehicle in front of a patch of crushed grass.
Alonzo bent down and picked up the shiny object. "It's Bess's Gear," he said, examining the headset. "I think the VR program is still running."
"That's odd," Julia agreed. "Morgan is always very careful about not pulling VR Gear off of someone while it's running. It can cause temporary blindness and seizures."
"Look here," Danziger shone his LumaLight at a dark lump on a pile of grass. "It's the lunch bag that Morgan was packing. And this," he pointed to a small patch of reddish-black on the grass, "looks like blood. And, three sets of footprints. One of them is heavier than the other two."
"Human?" Alonzo asked. He was definitely worried now.
"It ain't a Grendler," John confirmed. He was worried, too.
Julia knelt and examined the blood spot with her DiaGlove. "It's definitely human blood." She looked up at the two men with dread. "It matches Morgan's blood type and genetic structure."
Danziger exhaled sharply. "Guess I won't be making Magus fix the TransRover. You were right, 'Lonz. Let's see if we can find some tracks, either from the ATV or footprints." The three of them split up to search the area.
A signal from their Gear interrupted the searchers. At a nod from Alonzo and Julia, Danziger answered the hail. "Danziger here. What's up, base camp?"
Magus answered, but they could clearly hear Devon in the background. "Did you find anything, John?"
"Yeah, we just found Bess's Gear. Why?"
"We're getting fragments of a video signal. It's like Morgan's Gear is on, but it's shoved in a corner or something. We've got a definite signal, though. Coming through about a klick to the southwest from your position."
Alonzo looked through the Jumpers. "Got it." He focused in on a cliff that enclosed the valley from the south. The setting sun reflected off of something hidden behind a tree. Alonzo focused in further. "Hey, I think I've got it! I see the ATV. I caught a reflection of its solar cells. There's a cave a few feet away from there, too."
"Okay, let's move! We don't have much light left," Danziger ordered. The three of them jumped into the 'Rail, and John pulled out at top speed.
"John, Alonzo," Devon broke in. "We've got another visual. This one's lasting a little longer." She paused, and sucked in her breath. "Someone's got them all right. Looks like he's beating up Morgan."
"Can you see where he is? Is there just one person? What about Bess?" John asked.
"Devon," Yale interrupted. Alonzo knew that tone of voice from the cyborg. It was a combination of dread and recognition. "I recognize that man."
"What?" Devon, Magus, and Julia gasped simultaneously. If it had been another circumstance, Alonzo would have chuckled at Gear in stereo.
"I mean," the tutor continued, "The part of me that is Yale doesn't recognize him. The part that was Braden Croix does." He paused again, painfully. Dredging up memories from before his mind-wipe was difficult. "His name is Malcolm Grant, but his nickname in the Special Forces was Snake. He was the most decorated soldier in our unit. We all thought he was insane. When we were sent out to take care of the radical biologists, he did his work entirely too well. Not only were all of the biologists killed, they were tortured and raped as well. Grant had an almost pathological hatred of civilians, and people associated with the Council in particular."
"Oh, my God," Devon gasped. "And Morgan and Bess drove right into his lap. John, be careful!"
"I always am, Dev," he replied as they pulled up in front of the cave.
Danziger parked the 'Rail next to the ATV, and pulled two MagPros out of the back. Alonzo took one of them from him. Julia put on her DiaGlove and slung the medkit over her shoulder. A woman's scream emanated from the cave. It was Bess.
"Stay between us," Alonzo told Julia. She nodded. Danziger took the lead, lit his LumaLight, and they entered the dark interior of the cave, following the sound of Bess's screams to their destination.

Bess was still reeling from the blow that sent her across the cave when she saw Morgan collapse. Even though Morgan was clearly unconscious, Snake kept up his assault. The convict bent down and hauled her husband upright again. As he did, he reached into his boot and pulled out a wicked-looking, all black knife about eight inches long. Bess panicked. She had to stop this, to save Morgan. She stood, and steadied herself against the wall. "Stop it! You'll kill him!" she screamed.
Her scream seemed to attract Snake's notice. He stopped before stabbing Morgan in the stomach, and turned to face her. "You do have a point," he commented. "If I kill him now, it would ruin my fun. After all, I do have to make up for ten years of punishment." The felon released Morgan, who dropped to the floor. He threw down the knife. It stuck in the dirt floor of cave point-down. Snake stepped over Morgan's inert body and stalked toward her. To her horror, Bess realized that Snake had an erection. "Now that I've taken care of your girly-man, it's time you and I had a little party."
Bess took a step back for every step Snake took toward her. She put her hands up to ward him off, not that it would do any good. "No, please," she begged. "Don't hurt me...."
He answered her with an obscenity as he seized her wrist and twisted it. Snake threw her down onto the floor of the cave, knelt down beside her, and unzipped his trousers. "Take off your clothes!"
"No!" she cried, and tried to slide away from her attacker. He grabbed her right arm and pulled it out from under her. She fell down hard. He seized the collar of her shirt and tore it top to bottom. Then he slapped her across the face.
"Take the rest of it off, or I'll tear it to rags!"
*He wants me to fight him!* The realization burst through her terror. *He got excited by beating up Morgan. If I don't fight him, maybe...* she thought of the knife, still sticking up from the cave floor. *If I fight, he could kill me. Then, we'd have no hope of getting out of here. I'd rather live...* Shaking, sobbing, with trembling fingers, Bess unzipped her pants. Snake pulled them down to her knees with one meaty paw, and climbed on top of her. She forced herself to stay perfectly still, which seemed to enrage him even more.
"Damn you, bitch! I'll make you do what I want!" He grasped her right breast and pinched her nipple until she screamed. He went on, pinching the other nipple and running his filthy hands against her, scratching her with his ragged nails. Then, he seemed to have had enough foreplay. He forced her thighs apart and prepared to penetrate her. Bess braced herself for the worst.
It never came. Inexplicably, he stopped and a look of surprise crossed his face. He arched his back as a small trickle of blood bubbled out of the corner of his mouth. Bess was taking no chances. She slid out from under Snake as he fell to the floor face down. She saw a black blur, and a knife sunk to the hilt into his back. She looked up and realized that it was Morgan holding the knife.
"Stop... hurting... my... wife..." Morgan said repeatedly, his voice racked with anger, grief, and pain. He was kneeling over Snake and punctuating his words with two-handed thrusts of the Ranger knife into the criminal's back. A growing puddle of blood was beginning to cover the floor. Morgan looked like a wild man - his battered face was barely recognizable, his eyes were feral and unfocused, and his long hair was disheveled and matted with blood. If it wasn't for his voice, she would have thought it was a crazed stranger who knelt there. Her terror was replaced with overwhelming relief and love for her husband.
Bess crawled over to Morgan, who was still methodically stabbing Snake. She gently touched his arm. He stopped and brandished the knife at her. She didn't flinch, but locked her eyes on his. He realized who she was and stared blankly at her. "Morgan, honey, it's all right. I'm all right," she reassured him. "He's dead, honey. He can't hurt us anymore."
Morgan shifted his focus from Bess to the knife in his bloody hands. His eyes got wide, as the realization hit him. He dropped the knife as if he'd been burned by it, and gaped numbly at his hands. "I killed him," he mumbled. The horror of the situation was overwhelming.
Bess's heart went out to her husband. She pulled him into a tender, comforting embrace. "You saved my life, Morgan," she reassured him. "It's going to be all right."
"You were screaming. I heard it, and woke up. He was hitting you. I couldn't let him hurt you. I found the knife and... I killed him," Morgan whispered painfully. "I killed him. I killed him."
She didn't know what to do. All she could do was hold Morgan, so that's what she did. He laid his head on her shoulder, and she gently rocked back and forth to calm him. Bess kissed the top of his head, and prayed silently that it would be all right. Although, she knew, their world and their love had been irrevocably shattered.

The screaming had stopped. Alonzo didn't know whether to be relieved, or more worried. He touched Julia's shoulder, and she looked back at him. She was definitely worried. Danziger, sensing that they had slowed, turned around to face them. He wordlessly pointed out a light up ahead, where the cave seemed to widen. The men powered up their MagPros as they walked forward. As they reached the entrance to the chamber, John hid against the right side of the tunnel, and Alonzo and Julia took the left. Danziger counted one, two, three, with his fingers, and the two men swung into the chamber, MagPros ready to fire.
The first thing Alonzo saw could only be described as a lake of blood. In the center of it was a man laying prone and naked from the waist down. Kneeling beside him were Bess and Morgan. Or, at least he thought it was Morgan. The bureaucrat's face was battered, and his hands were bloody to the elbows. He was leaning on Bess's shoulder, repeating the words *I killed him.* Bess's shirt was torn in two, her trousers were crumpled below her knees, and her face and shoulders were beginning to bruise. She looked up at her three would-be rescuers with all the pain in the universe in her eyes.
"Oh, my God," Julia exclaimed as she pushed past him and ran toward Morgan and Bess. She ran a quick scan over the man laying on the floor. Alonzo had learned enough from her this past year to realize that she was doing triage. No question about it, the man was dead. Then, she examined Morgan. "Class two subdural hematoma to the dorsal part of the skull, three broken ribs, bruised left kidney, internal bleeding... My God, Morgan! What happened?"
"Save Bess," he answered weakly, his eyes clouded with pain. One of them was beginning to swell shut. "Let me die."
Alonzo blinked, and exchanged looks with Danziger. *Morgan? Killing someone? Telling Julia to let him die?* The two men just looked at each other, dumbfounded.
Julia moved away from Morgan, and scanned Bess, who was still cradling her husband in her arms. "Bess? Did he...?" She indicated the corpse, and if he had raped her.
"No," Bess replied. "Morgan stopped him before it happened."
"Just a minor concussion and some contusions," Julia read her DiaGlove readout. "But, Morgan's going into shock. John! 'Lonzo! I need some help here," she ordered. It shook Alonzo out of his horrified stupor. They crossed over to where she was working. "See if you can move him over there," she pointed to a pile of furs that the previous occupant called a bed. "We need to find some blankets, or something to cover him." They scrambled to do her bidding, as she turned her attention to her patient. "Morgan? Can you hear me?" She pulled a dermal patch out of her medkit and placed it on the back of his neck. "I'm giving you a pain blocker. I need you to stay awake. After this takes effect, we're going to move you. Got it? Just stay with us, okay?"
"Why does he need to stay awake, Julia?" Bess asked, worried for her husband.
"Because he has a serious head injury. Has he lost consciousness before we arrived?"
"Yes, twice," she replied. "The second time was longer."
Julia exhaled in frustration. "That's not good. If he loses consciousness, there's a good chance he'll go into a coma." Morgan's body lost tension. "Okay, Morgan? How are you doing? Still in pain?"
"Kinda numb," he replied fuzzily.
"Good. John, you get his head. Alonzo, take the feet." Alonzo stepped into the puddle of blood and gripped Morgan's boots. Danziger had grabbed Morgan's shoulders, and Julia was holding his head steady. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!"
Alonzo and Danziger lifted Morgan out of the puddle, and carried him over to the bed. "Oh, God, it hurts!" he cried out in agony.
Bess, who had managed to fasten her trousers, brought over a blanket and made her husband comfortable. "I thought that pain blocker was working," she snapped, while trying to arrange a piece of cloth to cushion Morgan's head. She hovered over him, blocking the light from the fire.
"It is. It can't suppress cranial nerves very well. My only other option is to sedate him, and I can't do that without risking a coma," Julia replied, while scanning. She was getting that familiar tension crease on her forehead that Alonzo knew meant that she was very concerned.
Then, Alonzo noticed something. A box by the bed had an Eden Advance logo on it. A lot of the contents of the cave did. "Hey, John," he pointed them out angrily. "Look what else the bastard's taken from us."
"I see it, 'Lonz. Looks like he found one of our pods," the mechanic growled possessively, and stared at Snake like he wanted to kill him all over again.
"Guys," Julia interrupted, "I still need some help here. John, go out to the 'Rail and get the stretcher. You might want to check in with Devon, too." Danziger nodded, and took off down the tunnel. "'Lonz, why don't you help Bess find something warm to wear, and make sure she's okay?" Alonzo nodded. That was doctor code for *get her out of my way*.
"Come on, Bess. You heard what Julia said. Believe me, you don't want to go against Julia's orders." At that point, Bess finally noticed that her shirt was in tatters, and she had been exposed in front of two men. Her eyes widened with terror, she went white, and tried to hide herself from him. Alonzo, understanding, took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders. She cringed and turned away to fasten it. He took a step back, not wanting to intrude on her personal space. "How's the jacket?" he asked, sitting on a crate.
"Fine," she stammered. Her body was beginning to tremble. Alonzo wanted to reach out to Bess, to hold her. Not as a lover would, but as a dear friend. Bess Martin desperately looked like she needed a friend right now. He held out his hand to her. She hesitated, bit her lip nervously, then took it. She tentatively sat on the crate next to him, still holding his hand, but keeping a safe distance. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked.
Again, she hesitated, but then she realized that he wouldn't try to hurt her. She proceeded to tell him the whole story, with several breaks in between to cry. Alonzo held her hand through the whole tale, letting her weep on his shoulder while Julia tried to stabilize Morgan. He was appalled at what they had gone through, but was even more amazed that Morgan had not only withstood it, but hadn't told Snake anything about their group, and had saved Bess from being raped. It was certainly a change from the Morgan Martin that he'd come to be friends with. Alonzo wondered if he would have had the courage to do the same.
At some point, Danziger had come back into the cave, carrying the stretcher that Alonzo knew from his first days on G889. He set it down next to Julia, who was intently moving her DiaGlove over the four-inch gash on the back of Morgan's head. He must have realized that there wasn't much that he could do to help Julia, so he crossed the cave to where Alonzo sat with Bess. She looked up at Danziger, and started to shake with fear. *Oh, God*, Alonzo thought, *John has the same build as that monster.* He glanced toward the corpse involuntarily. The mechanic nodded knowingly, and moved away. Danziger found an old fur, and threw it over the corpse to hide it from sight. Then, unsure of what to do next, he went back to Julia and held up a LumaLight for her, while she stabilized Morgan.
"Okay, I think I've got him stabilized," Julia said finally. "We've got to get him back to camp as soon as we can. Alonzo?" she called out. He let go of Bess's hand, and crossed the cave. Bess was right behind him. "We've got to get him on the stretcher. Same as before. John, you take the shoulders." Alonzo positioned himself to lift Morgan's feet. "On three. One...two...three!" Alonzo and John lifted Morgan onto the stretcher. Morgan gasped raggedly as he was lifted, then set down.
"Good," Julia encouraged. "Morgan, stay with us, okay? We're getting you out of here." Alonzo and John lifted the stretcher poles. Julia grabbed the LumaLight, and guided them out of the cave, followed by Bess. As they emerged, they saw the smaller moon hanging overhead in a crescent, and the larger full moon rising. As Julia supervised loading Morgan into the DuneRail, Bess turned back and looked at the cave entrance in the moonlight.
"Bess?" Alonzo came up behind her. She jumped, and whirled around. He saw the terror in her face, until she realized who was speaking to her. "We had to lay Morgan flat in the back of the 'Rail. John and Julia are going to go back with him. You and I are going to go ahead of them in the ATV."
"I want to stay with Morgan," she insisted.
"There's no room. We'll keep in contact with them on Gear, and I'll stay with you." She nodded her consent. Alonzo held out his hand, and she took it. "Let's get out of here," he said. As they walked away, Bess turned back to look at the cave one last time. Then, she squared her shoulders, and climbed onto the back of the ATV.

Morgan heard a steady beeping, that matched the echo of his heartbeat in his ears. Then, he heard voices, but couldn't identify them. One was definitely a man's voice. He's back! Morgan thought, and mentally prepared himself to take another beating. Then, he heard another voice. A woman, and much closer to him.
"EEG is showing signs of activity. He's climbing back out of it. Should be any moment now," the woman said. He recognized the voice as belonging to Julia.
Someone took his left hand in theirs. He felt a feather-light touch trace his jawline. The contact was excruciating! He flinched, and grabbed the offending hand as he opened his eyes. Or eye, since his left eye seemed to be swollen shut. He tried to talk, but his lips wouldn't form the words. His mouth was parched. "Hurts," was all he managed to croak.
"It's me, Morgan honey," Bess whispered as she pulled her hands out of his grasp. His vision was blurry, but he could tell that her angelic face was lividly bruised, and her lip was swollen. The sight of it just about ripped his heart in half. She took a container of some liquid from Julia. "Here, honey, here's something to drink." She fitted a straw through his swollen lips. The liquid tasted sweet. He looked up at Julia, as if to ask what it was.
"It's a glucose and potassium solution," Julia explained. "It'll help balance your electrolytes. Drink it slowly. You'll probably have some nausea from your concussion and internal injuries. Do you know where you are?"
"Still...on...damned...planet," he whispered.
A slight chuckle came from behind him. "He's alive, Julia," Alonzo commented. "He's still feisty enough to complain."
Julia silenced her lover with a look. "How much do you remember?" She had that damned crease in her brow again. Alonzo moved in to stand next to her. Contrary to his previous comment, the pilot looked as tired and worried as Julia did.
He thought for a moment. "Ride back from cave," he whispered, a little more easily. Actually, the whole ordeal was pretty hazy - except for one moment of painful clarity when he held the knife in his bloody hands. He vaguely remembered being lifted onto the stretcher and being placed in the back of the DuneRail. The ride back to camp was almost as much of a hell as the cave had been. Every time Danziger hit a bump - which Morgan swore he did on purpose - he'd feel the pain even through Julia's block. It was all he could do to stay conscious, and that was only because Julia kept talking to him the whole time. He kept calling out to Bess, but she'd ridden back on the ATV with Alonzo. It was only after they'd gotten back to camp, and Danziger and Cameron had carried him on the stretcher into the med-tent, that he'd finally lost consciousness.
Julia scanned him again with the DiaGlove and bit her lip. "Good. That's a good sign, Morgan," she looked up and addressed Bess. "Some short-term memory loss, but not as bad as I'd feared. Most people with head injuries rarely remember anything after the trauma occurred. The fact that he remembers events after the trauma is very positive."
"But you're still worried," Bess finished the thought.
A shaft of light temporarily dazzled him, as someone else entered the tent. *What is this? The freak show? Come see the murderer?* Morgan thought guiltily. *Yeah, Julia. I wish I'd had some memory loss. Maybe it would help me forget the fact that I just stabbed someone to death.* He closed his eye, and felt himself unconsciously thrusting a knife.
"How's he doing?" Devon's voice broke his train of thought.
"He's awake," Julia answered. "Very little memory loss, but still not out of the woods. We've got to watch the concussion for a few days, until it starts to heal. I'd say that it would be at least a week before he can travel, even in the back of the TransRover."
Devon looked relieved. "Good. I'm grateful that he's not worse off. He could have..." she looked at Bess, then stopped. "That week will give us a chance to find the rest of the cargo pod supplies, anyway." Then, she turned and bent over him. Bess moved the stool aside, and Devon took his hand. "Morgan, Bess told us what happened. I want you to know that you did a very brave thing back there. I know that penal colonist wanted information about our group. I'm very grateful that you didn't tell him anything. Besides that, you managed to save Bess, and find the contents of one of our cargo pods." She reached down and patted him gently on the shoulder. He winced at the contact. "Well done, Morgan."
"Don't... feel... heroic," he whispered. Bess put the straw to his lips, and he sipped the solution. "Feel like hell."
"I'm sure you do," Devon laughed musically. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh since they brought her out of cryosleep six months ago. "But, it'll pass. Trust me."
"Don't understand," he said. "I killed him."
Julia looked at Devon. The doctor understood what he was saying. Devon didn't understand that he was a murderer. "Devon, Morgan needs to rest," Julia ordered. "We can talk about this later." Devon looked at Alonzo, who nodded in agreement. The pilot escorted Devon out of the tent. As they left, he heard Alonzo trying to explain the situation to Devon.
"Morgan, honey," Bess said, and stroked a stray piece of hair away from his face. "She's right. You are a hero." His wife leaned over and kissed his forehead, in probably the only spot on his body that wasn't bruised. "Go to sleep now, honey. I'll be right here in case you wake up." Julia put the hypo to his neck. The last thing he heard as he drifted off was Bess saying, "I love you, Morgan."
"I love you Morgan," Bess whispered to her husband as he faded off to sleep. He mumbled something that sounded vaguely like *I love you, too,* then he was out. Bess gently stroked his hair and kissed him again.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up. Julia looked exhausted. She had fought to save Morgan's life the entire night. After a risky operation, she'd managed to stop the internal bleeding. It was not a miracle that Morgan had survived - it was due to Julia's knowledge and skill. Julia looked down at her patient, then at Bess. "Morgan should be asleep for a while. He needs to be immobilized, so that his body can heal properly. However, I've been remiss in examining you."
"That's all right, Julia. I'm fine," Bess lied.
She frowned. "You may be. However, you were assaulted. I wouldn't be any kind of doctor if I didn't make sure you didn't have any injuries. Let me do my job." She looked over at Morgan. "You'll be right here, in case something happens."
Bess nodded her assent, and moved away from Morgan's side. Julia steered her toward her and Alonzo's bed, then sealed the tent flap so that no intrusions would interrupt them. Now that the danger to Morgan was receding, she felt exhausted and numb. However, she realized that Julia was right. She looked down, and realized for the first time how Snake's blood had soaked into her pants, and how Alonzo's jacket hung off of her shoulders. She had to get them all off, and NOW. She removed the jacket, and placed it on the bed carefully. Then, she pulled off her pants and tossed them away in a corner, along with the clothes that Julia had cut off of Morgan.
Julia looked surprised, but understanding. "Okay, Bess. Why don't you lay down on the bed?" she asked gently. She complied, and Julia scanned her with the DiaGlove. "Moderately swollen muscular tissue in the left wrist, indicative of a slight sprain. I'll wrap that for you. Moderate to acute strain on the pectoral muscle base... fairly acute trauma to the aureole and mammary glands. That will all heal on its own, but you're going to be sore for a while." Julia winced involuntarily, and looked at Bess with compassion. "But, you didn't need me or my Glove to tell you that, did you?" As she reached her abdominal area, Julia frowned. "I'm going to give you an antibiotic, and something else to make sure you don't get pregnant. It's just a precaution."
"Is there something?" she hesitated and shuddered, "Is anything wrong?"
"I just want to make sure. I'm picking up traces of semen. It's possible that your attacker ejaculated upon death. Did you and Morgan...?"
Bess' thoughts flashed back to Snake on top of her, just before Morgan... she slammed down a mental wall to block it out. "No, we didn't. We were...interrupted. Do whatever you have to, Julia. I don't want a trace of that monster anywhere." She fought back tears as Julia turned away to get the hypo. *I can't fall apart,* she thought. *I need to be strong for Morgan*.
Julia returned with a shirt and leggings over her arm, and gently placed a hypospray against her neck. "Okay, I'm giving you a penicillin derivative, and a large dose of progesterone as a 'morning after' treatment. You may experience some cramping, heavy bleeding, and nausea. It'll probably feel like the worst period you've ever had." Julia patted her shoulder to reassure her. "I want you to come back in twelve hours for another dose of antibiotic. Until then, you need to go back to your tent and get some rest. Devon brought something for you to wear." She offered her the clothes.
Bess quickly dressed, and looked over at Morgan's sleeping form. "I'm not leaving him," she insisted. "He stayed strong for me in the cave, and I gave in. I can't leave him now. I couldn't live with myself if something happened and I wasn't here."
"Look," Julia told her, gently but firmly, "I'll have Alonzo or Yale monitor his condition. You'll only be a hundred feet away. If anything happens, we'll get you in here in seconds. But Bess, you've been injured, too. I'll take care of Morgan, but you need to take care of yourself. That's the only way that you can help him through this." To emphasize the point, she lifted Bess's left wrist up, and wrapped a bandage around it to immobilize it. That seemed to get through. Bess nodded, and stood up slowly. She gave Morgan another kiss, and allowed Julia to steer her out of the tent. "I'll call you when he wakes up. Get some sleep," Julia instructed, "that's an order."
To her surprise, Devon was waiting for her when she left the med tent. Devon folded her into a comforting embrace, just the way she'd seen her do for Uly any number of times. In Devon's arms, Bess thought of her long-dead mother for the first time in several years. She desperately wanted her mother, but Devon would have to do. "Bess," Devon said gently, "let's go back to the tent now. If you want to talk about it, we can. If you don't, then, that's okay too." Bess let Devon lead her back to her and Morgan's tent. Then, Devon grabbed the water basin and went to get some fresh water. Bess found herself alone for the first time since the cave, and she was afraid.
The flowers that Morgan had given her yesterday morning were still there, sitting in a plastic container that she'd managed to confiscate from the cooking supplies. Nothing had changed in the tent from yesterday morning, but Bess felt like the world had come crashing down on her. The bed was still neatly made. Bundles of native plants that she was drying still hung from the tent frame and swayed in the breeze. She picked a delicate bloom from the bouquet and crushed in her hand. She released the flower and it fell to the ground. She felt like that flower - bruised, damaged, ruined. A tear fell down her cheek unintentionally, and she wiped it away. But more kept coming.
At that point, Devon walked in with the basin. The older woman immediately put the basin down and rushed over. Bess felt herself being led to the bed, and Devon's arms around her. The tears kept coming. Bess cried for her mother, the father that she'd never see again, for Morgan who almost died, and for herself. All the while, Devon held her, rocked her, and stroked her hair. Time stood still as the two women sat on the bed, clinging to each other.
Eventually, Bess ran out of tears. She stirred, and Devon gently released her. Devon stood up, crossed the room, and went to the basin. She dipped a cloth in the cool water, and washed Bess' face of the blood, grime, and tears. "Thank you, Devon, for looking out for me," she said quietly. "I really appreciate this." She collected herself, and exhaled. "I'm sure Uly's wondering where you are."
"He's off with John and True looking for the cargo pod. We didn't want them around to ask a lot of questions. All they know is that something bad happened to you two, and that they need to stay out from under foot."
Bess smiled wanly. "They're both good kids." Then, she got quiet and faced Devon. "I wish that I could be that innocent again..."
"Bess, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay."
"No, I want to. I have to talk about it. I need to face it," Bess insisted. "I was a virgin when I married Morgan. All of my friends were pregnant by age seventeen. On Earth, we didn't have a whole lot to do except work in the mines or support offices, get drunk at night, and sleep with each other. I had this boyfriend once, Bobby Kagle. He kept trying to get me to go to bed with him, but I wouldn't. He called me a tease, and would constantly pressure me. One day, he got off work early and came to visit. Daddy was still at work. Well, we started to make out. I thought that we could go halfway, but that would be it. He'd unbuttoned my shirt, and he was all the way down to his underwear. Anyway, one thing led to another. I was about to go all the way with him, and Daddy came home. He hauled Bobby out of my bed and ran him off with a MagPro." Bess smiled wanly at the memory of her boyfriend running out the door in his underwear, with her father firing MagPro bolts all around him and threatening bodily harm if he ever came back. "Then, Daddy gave me a stern lecture about saving myself for the right man. He said I had a future, and it didn't include being a baby- making machine for some drunken loser that didn't respect me. Ever since then, the only man that I've been with is my husband. Until now," she shuddered. "Oh, Devon, what am I going to do now? I'm ruined, damaged. I'm not good enough for Morgan anymore. He was so brave, but I gave in to Snake, just like I almost did with Bobby. And now Julia's worried that I might get pregnant!" Her breathing got shorter and more shallow, as she felt herself beginning to hyperventilate. She couldn't stop. She wanted to cry more, but the tears wouldn't come.
Devon reached out and pulled her in close again. "If it's one thing I've learned in the past months, it's to take life a day at a time. You once told me that your father taught you to look life in the eye. Now you've looked evil and death in the eye - and you have survived. With Morgan. You chose well when you chose him. I just wish that it hadn't come to this for the rest of us to understand him the way that you do."
Her words made Bess think. "I guess you're right, Devon. It's just that... I've got to be strong for him. He's going to have a hard time with this. I can't be strong for both of us."
Devon embraced her again. "Morgan is a lot more resilient than you give him credit for, or he wouldn't have done what he did. What I'm trying to tell you is that you don't have to be strong. We'll all help you and Morgan. You're not alone here."
A wave of gratitude flooded over Bess. "Thank you, Devon," she whispered. "I'm glad you're here."
"If there's anything you need, just ask," Devon replied. "We're all in this together."

The next time Morgan awoke, he could tell that he was recovering. The pounding in the back of his skull had subsided to a dull ache, and he could breathe without too much difficulty. He still couldn't see out of his left eye, but could see clearly out of the right one. Something Julia had given him must have kicked in and started to work. He felt better, until he realized who was sitting next to his cot.
"What are you doing here, Danziger?" he whispered to his visitor. "Did you come here to gloat?"
The mechanic turned away from the medical equipment that he'd been repairing to look at him. His eyes narrowed, as if he was ready for another verbal sparring match. Then, he must have thought better of it. "If you must know, I'm spelling Julia. She hasn't had any rest in two days." Then, to Morgan's utter surprise, Danziger held out the water bottle for him to drink. He sipped it gratefully, then looked up at his unlikely nurse.
"Thanks," he muttered, "and thanks for coming after us. I know that took a lot."
Danziger cracked a half-smile. "Nah, just a promise from Magus to fix the 'Rover," he chuckled. "Besides, all differences aside, you and Bess are part of this group, and you were in trouble." John hesitated, as if to gather his thoughts. "I want you to know that I admire what you did back there."
If Morgan wasn't so thirsty, he'd have spat the water all over the tent. As it was, he swallowed hard and said scornfully, "YOU? Admire ME?? I have to resort to violence, to kill someone, to finally get your respect? Oh, yes. Morgan Martin is reborn now, washed in the blood of the Snake. Spare me your pity, Danziger. I don't want it." He tried to roll over, but a sharp pain in his left side convinced him that it was a bad idea.
"You really are a piece of work, Martin," John groaned, then counted to ten. "Look, I was trying to say that standing up to that psycho took a hell of a lot more guts that I gave you credit for. I know what you're going through right now. You killed someone in self- defense. So have I. Remember the Grendler?"
*It's not the same....* Morgan thought about it for a moment. "You shot a Grendler with a MagPro. I stabbed a human being in the back. The coward's way. You've been right all along, Danziger. I am nothing but a coward." He looked away from Danziger, ashamed. "A real man wouldn't kill someone when their back was turned."
"Better him than you. Or Bess. Martin, that guy beat you to a bloody pulp, and was in the process of raping your wife! You did what you had to do. Besides, Snake wasn't a shining example of humanity. He was another piece of garbage that the Council dumped here. A particularly nasty piece of garbage."
Before Morgan could say another word, another person entered the med-tent. "Good, you're awake," Yale observed as he walked in. "Julia is still asleep, and Devon is taking care of Bess. I don't see the need to disturb them."
"I was just telling Morgan about his friend Snake," John explained. Morgan shot the mechanic a nasty look for his choice of words.
"Ah, yes," Yale responded, and pulled up another stool. As the cyborg told him about Sergeant Malcolm Grant, the rest of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in Morgan's mind.
"He was worse than that ZED," Morgan said, amazed.
"That is correct," Yale agreed. "A ZED has no emotions. It is a pre-programmed killing machine." Morgan saw Danziger shudder at the memory. "However, Grant was worse. No one programmed him to be a monster. He became a monster of his own volition. He was a sociopath long before he set foot on this planet, and exile made him worse. Your actions in that cave didn't just save Bess. You gave peace to the ghosts of many innocent people who dared to question the System. It is not right to take another life, Morgan, but sometimes it is necessary. Grant's violation of you and Bess made his death necessary, just as Gaal's was."
"That's what I keep trying to tell him," Danziger agreed.
"I should have done more," Morgan continued. "I didn't protect Bess in the first place. I should have fought harder. I could have gotten us out of there without committing murder."
"Morgan," Yale put his human hand on Morgan's shoulder. He winced in pain, but Yale's hand remained. "You did the best that you could have under the circumstances. In a situation like that, the most courageous thing you can do is to survive. You and Bess survived. That takes more fortitude than you know."
Morgan thought about their words, then closed his eye. He could feel the knife in his hands, severing the spinal column, thrusting again and again... "No!" he yelled, and tried forced it out of his mind. "You don't understand. I went berserk. I didn't just stab him once, I kept going. I tried to go after Bess when she stopped me. In my mind, I've never stopped stabbing him! I wanted justice. Hell, I admit it. I wanted revenge. I see it every time I close my eyes, and it makes me sick. I'm a killer, an animal, just like Snake was..."
"No, Morgan," Danziger explained, "you're human. He wasn't. He wasn't even an animal. Animals kill for food, not for sport."
"He is right, Morgan," Yale agreed. "You were pushed to the limits of your endurance. You should not hold yourself accountable for an action you took when you were under severe physical and emotional stress. We are just grateful that you are still alive."
Danziger nodded. Morgan saw something in his face that was usually only reserved for True, or Uly - kindness. "You did the right thing, Martin. Nobody in the universe could think otherwise. And, if they do, they'll have to convince me."
*Perhaps, someday,* Morgan thought, *I could learn to respect myself again. But not for a very long time. For now, I have to live with the guilt of what I did to survive.*

(Morgan speaks)
It was nearly another month before Bess and I finally celebrated our anniversary. For the first two weeks, well..., we simply weren't physically able.
The morning-after drug was not kind to Bess. In fact, I think it really just finished out the rape that Snake began. As for myself, it's hard to explain. I couldn't hold my head high. Literally. When I laid down or got up, I had to carry my head in my hands like a crate. And the crate felt empty - except for this black kind of sticky stuff I really, really didn't want to look at. It was kind of like Snake's blood.
It was my own guilt.
The next two weeks were worse than the first. Julia had released me from the med-tent, and I went back to my own tent. I walked around camp like a stiff old man, enduring the looks of the rest of the crew. I knew what they were thinking - coward....killer...murderer.... I don't think that they knew what to say. So, I rode in the TransRover, or the DuneRail, and endured their stares. Every afternoon, Danziger and Alonzo would set up the tent for me and Bess. And, every morning, they'd take it down for us. It was damned humiliating. I couldn't even set up my own living quarters. Alonzo claimed that it was a sign of respect. I knew better. It was a mark of their pity.
The worst, though, was Bess. For the first two weeks, she was at my side whenever she was able to be. Gradually, I noticed that she wasn't able to meet my eyes. She wouldn't talk about what had happened. At least, not with me. I could tell that she was afraid of me, of what I'd do to her. When we were finally able to sleep in the same bed, it was like there was a twenty-two light-year gulf in the scant four inches between us. I wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but she wouldn't even let me touch her. One night, when she woke up screaming, I tried to put my arms around her. She looked at me like I was Snake attacking her, and ran out of our tent. Five minutes later she came back, leaning on Baines and apologizing. So, not only did I feel like a failure as a human being, I felt like a failure as a husband, too.
In the end, it was Devon who told me what was wrong - and what to do about it. It wasn't for lack of prompting. She'd sit there around the campfire and hold Danziger's hand, and look at me with those haunted eyes that she has since her illness. But, I still didn't take the hint. She finally pulled me aside at breakfast one morning and explained that Bess felt too ashamed to be around me. In that annoying Adair way that she has, she warned me that my marriage would be Snake's final victim, if I didn't do anything - and soon. We needed to finish what we'd set out to do that afternoon. In the end, Bess agreed.
So, we drove off in the ATV - about 300 yards away from camp. As we drove away, Danziger scowled at me and told me not to harm the ATV in the most colorful terms possible. He didn't mean anything by it, though. I think he knew that he could trust me... finally. Not just with his precious vehicles, but with the our lives. With Bess's life. We drove to a nice, blank field that Bess said looked like Earth clover - and had nowhere for a potential attacker to hide. We laid down, pulled blankets and pillows over and around us, all under the watchful "eye", and very large MagPro, of the Zero unit. Bess said that she trusted it not to broadcast the first adult holovid ever shot on G889 back to camp. I wasn't so sure, but I trusted her.
We laid down in that field, away from everyone except the Zero unit, and slowly, carefully, removed each other's clothes. The stars still strobed in my head. I couldn't avoid the throbbing in my skull as my blood pressure started going up with the excitement of my body. The stars pulsed along with the throbbing. Concentrating on my back didn't help - I could feel every torn muscle. It was all trying to rush over me, swallow me up... it was like the hopeless fall to the planet in the escape pod that I stole. The whole way down, all I saw, all I knew was Bess.
I couldn't let the throbbing take me. I concentrated on the constant - Bess. Where she was touching me. She gently traced every scar, every bruise, that I'd incurred in that horrible ordeal. She knows me too well. She knows exactly who I am, all I am, what I've become...
We were side by side. I felt driven to push her over, roll onto her. She knows how to make me want this. She knows me too well.
God DAMN IT, she knows me TOO WELL! She knows...
"Morgan? Honey?" Beneath me, *(how did we get like this?)* Bess was frowning. "What's the matter, Morgan?"
No...
"Talk to me, Morgan."
"No..."
"Morgan, PLEASE!" She pulled me down, hard, so I'd be speaking right into her ear. So I wouldn't have to look into her eyes as I admitted the awful truth to her. "Morgan," she whispered, "I love you. I love you as you are. I love your feelings. What are they?"
My body was already a taut band ready to spring. My voice rode the full force of it. I couldn't lower it, but I could push away, so as not to deafen her. "RAGE!!!" I hit the ground beside her, and she didn't flinch. "He took you from me! Everyone in camp thinks I'm a hero, but I'm not! I still know what that knife feels like! He took me from you!" By that point, I could feel the burning in my throat. I'd blown out my voice. But it had to be said, voice or no.
"Bess..." All I could do was whisper in her ear. "You're still my wildflower. You're my whole life. But I'm a killer. I can feel it in my hands, in my mind... I know how to hurt. I know how to kill. I will hurt you. I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU!"
She couldn't speak. She was crying. "No, Morgan... it's me. I'm ruined.... I'm not good enough for you. You should find someone else.... Maybe when the colony ship arrives?"
I realized that she was looking up into the sky for it. She really wanted me to be happy - with someone, if not with her.
We both cried for a long time.
Zero never moved. It was silent and impassive. I envied it. I resented needing its protection. That hot feeling finally dried the tears. The throbbing came back, redoubled, and I had to stay ahead of it. I focused on Bess.
"You're still looking for that colony ship, aren't you?"
"Yes," she answered.
"And if you thought I'd be happier with someone else, you'd let me go?"
"Yes."
"But, I'm happier with you. Maybe not HAPPY happy. I'm not exactly enjoying meeting the natives on this stupid planet. But, at least I have you. If you'll have me. If you're not afraid that someday I'll be just like him..."
"No, Morgan! I love you! I wish I could be good enough for you!"
There was only one way to shut her up. I put my lips over hers and kissed her. And, I kept kissing her. I tried to heal everything that monster had done to her - and to me. Eventually, her fear gave way enough to allow her to respond in kind.
We were like that for a long time. Finally, there was just one thing left to do. Genetics left it up to me. But... I couldn't. Well, I *could,* but it was too much like...
"Morgan... please... I need you," Bess urged. But I saw the fear in her eyes, too.
I had to kill Snake one more time.
I looked up. The moronic Zero unit actually wanted me to do it. It just waited. Waited to see if there was anything left of pathetic, old, cracked-up Morgan. There was. I had to prove it, if not to myself, to a faceless robot.
Bess... I will make that fear leave your eyes. I will make you happy again. I will make you cry out, and when Danziger hears you all the way in camp, he will look over at Ms. Adair, and I will make him know what a coward he is for not telling her that he loves her.
The pain arched down my back, toward the root. As if some Terrian had fired a bolt from a lighting stick and hit me. The pain was heat now, pure energy.
Bess, I will kill your fear...
I positioned carefully, and stabbed. But not with my hands. And I kept stabbing... because I'd never stopped. In the back of my mind, I'd never stopped.
Her face contorted, her nails dug into my back, and the panic was clear. But, I know you, too, Bess. You have a threshold, and you're almost...
The nails came free, and she pulled me down, matching my rhythm. The fear was dead now, but I kept stabbing... until the knife exploded in a burst of light I could see through her eyes. She shook and shook, but she definitely did not die.
And, somehow I knew that Danziger did hear her, and had to look away from Devon's direct, accepting stare. But, ten feet away, the Zero unit had no idea what it had missed.
Lying over her, exhausted, the throbbing returned. But the rage was gone - for now, anyway. No doubt she'd have to help me up, support me. But then again, she always had.
My God... oh, my God...
I love you, Bess....
-The End-

This text file was ran through PERL script made by Andy. Original text file is available in Andy's Earth 2 Fan Fiction Archive.