BEAUTY CAN BE DECEIVING
By
Rosa M. Moran
Timeline: On way to New Pacifica
Author's E-Mail: STSWNut@aol.com
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I decided to repost part 1 in two parts to make it easier to read without having to download it. This is Part 1A. I'm sorry if this causes any inconvenience. I haven't quite figured out how many pages to break it up in order to avoid having to download. Still learning, please bare with me. Thank You ---- Rosa.Hello Everyone!!!
I am proud to announce my second Earth 2 fan fiction short story, "Beauty Can Be Deceiving". This story takes place after my first story, "Mountain of Fear", which in turn, took place after "All About Eve". This story has a little romance in the beginning (and since I'm a Julia fan, it involves Alonzo and Julia), a funny little part near the middle (which also involves Alonzo and Julia), and dramatic danger filled part near the end (which involves, Uly, Julia, and Bess). Hopefully, the end will also leave you wanting to know "Now what's going to happen? Will it all work out in the end?" Those questions, and more, will eventually be answered in my third story (not yet written), which will take up where this story left off.
Please feel free to comment on anything, good or bad. I will freely accept all suggestions or comments with an open mind. Once again, all standard copyright laws and regulations apply (e.i. - the story belongs to me, the characters/people do not, etc., etc.).
Thank you, and Enjoy!!
Rosa
Email Address: STSWNut@aol.com
BEAUTY CAN BE DECEIVING, Part 1
by Rosa M. Moran
Copyright November 1995(Voice of Dr. Julia Heller)
We've been traveling for days without so much as a full days rest, and I could see how tired everyone was getting. The terrain has been flat and dry for many kilometers, so when we came across a large lake surrounded by trees, we found it to be a blessing. With Danziger's urging and my recommendation, Devon has decided to camp by the lake. It's a beautiful location. We're camped just outside the group of trees that surround and block the lake from view. Most of us, including myself, are looking forward to a couple of days of rest. It has been several weeks since we've had any kind of extended rest period. The lake will also provide us with the rare opportunity to bathe. A bath being something we don't have the luxury of without a large amount of water. Water being a scarce commodity in this particular region. The area couldn't be any more perfect. Maybe too perfect. It's like an oasis in the middle of a dessert. Although grateful for the rest, I'll be glad when we finally reach New Pacifica. At the rate we're traveling, all indications are that we should reach there within a couple of months.
They had just finished setting up camp, and the women had decided that they would be the first to try out the lake. Through the woods they walked for some swimming, bathing and relaxation. Julia and True were the first to reach the lake, where they promptly removed their clothes and jumped in.
Looking up, Julia saw Devon, Bess and Magus hesitantly removing their clothes and watching the water. "Come on in guys, the water's great!"
"Are you sure it's safe Julia?" Bess asked. "Yes, I am. I dropped by earlier today and tested the water. It checked out fine. In fact, it's some of the cleanest freshest water I've ever seen."
"The water is so clear. You can almost see the bottom." Devon remarked as she slowly waded into the lake.
They were soon having the time of their lives. Julia and Bess decided to have a race across the lake, while the others had a water fight. The lake was approximately one kilometer in diameter from north to south, and seven hundred meters from east to west, surrounded entirely by trees. There were no visible streams leading into the lake, although there was a very strong undertow in the center of the lake, which would have caused Julia and Bess problems, if not for the fact that they were strong swimmers. There were several large rock formations along the west side of the lake. They had entered the lake from a small beach along the south side, near the rock formation. On the north side there was another small beach, and nothing but heavy vegetation along the east side.
It was a beautiful day and they would have loved to stay there longer, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Devon signaled to Julia and Bess as they were leisurely swimming back from their race across the lake, then announced, "Okay ladies, I'm afraid our two hours are up. It's time to let the men have their fun."
"Ohhh, do we have to leave so soon? Can't we stay just a little while longer?" True begged.
"Now, True, that wouldn't be fair to the guys. We won't be leaving until the day after tomorrow, you can come back for a couple of hours tomorrow."
"Okay" True replied glumly. "I guess you're right. Boy, dad is really gonna like it here."
"I'm sure he will," she replied absentmindedly while she stepped out of the water and began to dress. Her thoughts were of a tall, curly haired, muscular mechanic, skinny dipping. It sent a tingle all through Devon's body. She involuntarily blushed at the thought, and reverently hoped that no one had noticed. *Get a grip on yourself Adair. This isn't the time or place for this.*
Once they were all dressed, Devon signaled the men that the coast was clear. They met up with Alonzo, Walman, and Baines on the way back to camp. "Have fun ladies?" Alonzo grinned as they passed. "Oh lots." Julia replied, then turned back toward the passing men and shouted, "Hey guys, be careful. For some strange reason, there is a very strong undertow in the center of the lake. You might want to stay away from that area."
Uly came barreling past them at that moment. Devon immediately called after her son, "Uly.....did you hear what Julia just said?"
"Yeah Mom."
"Okay, well I want you to stay along the shore. You are not to swim out to the middle of the lake. Understand?""Okay Mom. Don't worry."
Devon shook her head and grinned. *Don't worry! Yeah right, that's easier said than done.*The ladies happily returned to camp, and to various other activities, grateful for the rest and relaxation.
It was now the men's turn to have some fun at the lake, and they were taking full advantage of it, as they bathed and swam. They were all enjoying their two hours of fun in the water, all that is except Danziger, who was busy screaming at Morgan for all sorts of things.
Danziger had just climbed out of the water to start getting dressed, when he stepped on something hard. "Dammit Martin! How many times do I have to tell you, *don't leave your gear on the sand*?!"
"Sorry. I put it on the rock. I guess it fell off." "Yeah, well you're lucky I didn't break it, or my neck, after tripping over it." He shoved the gear into Morgan's gut. "*You* are going to clean the sand out of it. You hear me? I am *not* going to clean it, and you're *not* getting a new one!"
"Okay, Okay. Don't get all excited. I'll clean it when I get back." Morgan said as he started to dress.
Realizing the time, Danziger turned toward the others. "Okay guys. It's time to head back." He then noticed Uly was further away from shore than he felt comfortable with, especially after hearing Julia's report. "Uly! Didn't your mother tell you to stay close to shore!" "Aww, Mr. Danziger. I'm not that far away. Besides, it's not bad here." "Uly, I don't have a problem with you going out that far, but your mother isn't going to like it, and we don't want her getting mad at us, right?"Uly nodded with resignation.
"Okay now come on out of there. It's time to get back, before the women send out search parties after us."Feeling refreshed and relaxed, they headed back to camp.
As the sun slowly began to set, all was quiet at the lake. Below the surface, life and death struggles continued, as fish and other creatures, fought for life and to feed. That struggle for life was soon magnified, as deep within the murky depths, a creature awakened from it's deep sleep. There was hunger. It was now time to feed.
Awakened with a start, Alonzo sat up, in the process waking the sleeping doctor that happened to be using his chest as a pillow.
Instantly alert, she asked with concern, "Alonzo? What is it? What's wrong?", as she ran her hand down his bare back in a gentle caress.
"I have to go to the lake." He said then swung his legs off the bed and started to stand.
Julia was too quick for him. "Hold it a second flyboy." Grabbing his arm, she pulled him back down. "Why in the world would you need to go to the lake in the middle of the night?"
"I'm not sure. It was in my dream." "You mean the Terrians told you to go to the lake?" He turned and looked at her with a sheepish grin, "Not exactly." "I'm confused. If they didn't tell you to go, then why are you going?" "Well, I appeared in the dream plane on the beach by the lake. I looked around wondering why I was brought there. I didn't see any Terrians, not at first. The next thing I know two Terrians popped up right behind me."
"What did they want?"
"I'm not sure. It was the strangest thing. All they said was 'Go now, danger'.""Go now, danger?" Julia repeated with a confused look on her face. "Yeah, strange huh."
"What do you think they meant by that?" "Don't know, but I'm going to find out." He climbed out of bed and began to dress. "The way I figure it, it's one of two things. They either want me to go to the lake now, or leave this area now, because of some danger that we don't know about yet.""Well, can't you just jump right back in the dream plane and ask them what they meant by 'Go now', before we head out in the middle of the night?" she asked as she followed him out of bed and began to dress.
"I tried. They wouldn't go into details, and then they just pushed me out of the dream plane." He stopped dressing as what Julia had just asked fully impacted. He looked at Julia, who he noticed was dressing. "Hey, what do you mean by *we*? Where do you think you're going?"
"You didn't honestly think I would let you go out there by yourself." "Julia......."
"Don't you *Julia* me, flyboy. There is nothing you can say or do that is going to keep me from going with you. Period."He finished dressing and watched as she finished, then walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Julia.....I wish you would reconsider. I don't want you to get hurt. I'm not sure what kind of danger we'll be encountering out there."
Looking into his eyes, she saw the love and concern she felt for him reflected in his own eyes. "We may not know what dangers await us, but at least we'll be facing whatever happens together."
He knew that he wouldn't be able to change her mind. He just hoped that he would be able to protect her from whatever did happen. Drawing her close, he kissed her tenderly, then pulled away, grabbed his gear, and headed out into the night.
"You know," she said as she grabbed her own gear, and followed him out, "I'm not sure who's crazier. You for going, or me for following."
Taking her hand, he grinned, "Come on, lets get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll be finished."
"Who's on guard tonight? We should let whoever it is know that we're out here. I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a Grendler, and get shot at."
"It's Walman, but I don't see him. We'll let him know on our way back to camp." He replied as they started through the woods. "Although I doubt he would mistake you for a Grendler." He chuckled. "A Grendler is much better looking." He teased and ducked as she swung to swat him on the head.
"Watch it flyboy, or you won't have any reason to hurry back. If you catch my drift."
Julia and Alonzo arrived at the beach and slowly walked up to the water. They stood there in silence looking around, but all was quiet. It was a beautiful night. The stars were shining bright, and the light of the full moons provided enough illumination that they had no need for lumalights. With moonlight reflecting across the water surface, they could see clearly across the lake. They appeared to be alone, with no sign of Terrians, anything or anyone else.
"Well, now what?" Julia asked.
"I'm not sure. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong." He sat down in the sand. "I guess I'll just wait around for a little while and see what happens."Taking a deep breath, she sat down beside Alonzo. "Okay.... How long do you want to wait?"
"Don't know. I guess I'll just play it by ear." Scooting closer to Julia, he wrapped his arm around her waste. She sighed and leaned her head onto his shoulder.
"It's a beautiful night," Julia whispered. Pulling her closer, he kissed the top of her head. "Not as beautiful as the woman I hold in my arms."
She gently pulled away to look into his eyes, then reached up with two fingers and lightly brushed them over his lower lip. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
He leaned forward and huskily whispered, "Why don't you show me how much?" Before she had a chance to respond, he pressed his lips to hers, and slowly lowered her onto the sand, as she eagerly deepened the kiss. A light moan escaped her lips as his hands moved over her body in a gentle caress. He began to slowly unbutton her blouse as his kisses traveled down her cheek, neck, then shoulders. He groaned as her hands quickly removed his shirt, and began the tender exploration of his body. Clothes went flying and there was soon nothing between them. With their cries of passion echoing through the night, their bodies joined and danced with want and desire.
Just before dawn, Julia awakened to find herself wrapped in Alonzo's arms. He was looking at her. He had been looking at her for what seemed like hours. Steadily becoming aroused as he watched her body respond to his gentle caresses. Images of last nights love making filled his mind, as he leaned down and gave her a very passionate kiss.
"Mmmm, good morning to you to." Julia whispered as their lips parted. "Shhhhh......."
She caught her breath as his hands urgently began to roam her body. She returned his gentle caresses with ones of her own, and heard him moan with pleasure. She eagerly urged him on, as her body became increasingly aroused. Anxiously pressing her body against his, their bodies merged. Once again their cries could be heard across the lake, as they continued the dance that had begun hours earlier.Moments later as they laid on the sand in each others arms, Alonzo said, "As much as I hate saying this." He tightened his embrace, and kissed her hair. "We have to get going before the others come looking for us, but first lets go for a swim. It'll wash some of the sand off before we dress and head back."
Julia leaned up and got a good look at Alonzo and herself. Their sweat covered bodies were caked with sand. She began to giggle, "I guess you're right. I would hate to have to explain our appearance."
Jumping to his feet, he grinned and picked her up in his arms. "Alonzo! What are you doing? Put me down!" Julia exclaimed in surprise. "Your wish is my command," he happily pronounced as he threw her into the water, then jumped in after her.
They were soon splashing around and laughing, in the mist of one hell of a water fight.
In the woods, an onlooker, who had been drawn to the lake by the sound of their cries, was taking in the scene of the frolicking couple with curiosity. He spotted their clothes, and moved forward slowly.
After several minutes of splashing around in the water, Alonzo stood and just watched Julia as she continued to clean the sand out of her hair. His mind wandered back to the day he had almost lost her, first to the ZED, then to the cave in, back at the mountains they had passed a few weeks ago. He thought he had lost a piece of himself, a piece that made his life whole. He remembered the joy he felt at holding her in his arms again, safe and sound. Now, he watched her with a love that threatened to overwhelm him. Never could he have imagined his life being any happier. Swimming up to Julia, he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. He kissed her tenderly, but wanting more, pressed his body tightly against hers.
She gasped in surprise, a pleasant warmth spreading through her body as she felt his arousal pressed against her, "My, aren't you the insatiable one." Her heart skipped a beat at seeing the desire and want in his eyes. He didn't say anything, only lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. Kissing passionately, their bodies merged once again. It wasn't until after their last cries of passion, that Julia saw the approaching Grendler.
"Oh my God!" she cried as she jumped out of Alonzo's embrace, and lowered herself neck deep into the water.
Alonzo quickly turned around. He grinned with stunned amusement as he saw the Grendler picking up their clothes.
"Don't just stand there with a stupid grin on your face! Stop him!" Julia screamed.
Alonzo quickly sprang into action, but the Grendler was too fast for him. By the time he had managed to climb out of the water, the Grendler was gone. Alonzo turned back toward Julia, who looked totally mortified as she slowly climbed out of the water.
"Oh God....... now what," was about all Julia could manage to say. Alonzo, suddenly hit by the absurdity and gravity of the situation, collapsed to his knees in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
Julia just stared at him as if he had gone mad. "Alonzo! Stop laughing! This is *not* funny!" She slapped him on the arm. "What are we going to do now? What are we going to do?" She kept repeating as she paced in front of him.
After a few moments, Alonzo managed to compose himself. He stood up and grabbed her arm to stop her pacing. "Don't worry, querida......"
"Don't worry?!!" she screamed at him. "What do you mean *don't worry*?! That Grendler took our clothes and gear! What are we supposed to do now?! Walk back butt naked! Oh God......." She blushed deeply at the thought. Alonzo's grin widened as he walked over to a nearby tree. "That Grendler took *your* gear. My gear is right here." Reaching up to one of the branches, he pulled off his gear.
Julia just stared in stunned amazement, "Where......How......." Alonzo put on his gear and switched it to audio only as he explained, "When we were here earlier, I had put the gear up in the tree, because Danziger was complaining about us leaving it in the sand. I just hung it up when we got here last night. I guess the Grendler didn't see it." He reached up to turn the gear on and contact camp.
Julia quickly grabbed his hand. "Wait a minute...... Who are you going to contact? What are you going to say?"
He stared at her blankly for a moment. "I'm not sure." He noticed that the Sun had just risen over the horizon. "I'm pretty sure most of them will be up by now. Who would you like me to contact?"
Julia's blush deepened, then she sighed with resignation, "I don't care. What's the use? There's no painless way to explain why we are standing here naked with no clothes in site." She let go of his hand. "I don't know how I will ever be able to look anyone in the face again. We will never be able to live this down." She sat down dejectedly.
As he reached up and turned on his gear, Alonzo tried to give Julia a comforting smile. He made contact with Walman, who was manning the communications equipment, and told him their problem. He could tell right away that Walman was enjoying this. He felt sorry, more for Julia, than himself. After being told that clothes would be sent out right away, he reached down and took Julia's hand.
"Come on. Lets go for a swim and enjoy this beautiful lake before we have to leave."
Julia shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for a swim. You go." "Oh come on..... You're not planning to stay here until the clothes gets here are you?"
"That's exactly what I plan to do." She replied firmly. "But you'll just end up jumping in the water anyway once the clothes arrive. Unless of course you don't care if anyone sees you or not." "Of course I care......"
"Well then come on," he pulled her up to her feet. "What if someone tries to contact us?" Julia protested. "I'll keep my gear on and we'll stay close to shore." He responded at he smiled at her, his eyes urging her on."Alright, alright...... I'll go for a swim." His eyes lit up as he said, "Great!" Before Julia could think of any other excuses, he pulled her into the water and started to swim.
Walman stepped out of the communications tent looking like a cat that just swallowed a canary. He went over to the tent where breakfast was being eagerly consumed by the rest of the crew, and entered. The tent had several tables and chairs set out for people to use as desks and to eat. Food was being served at the far end of the tent by Magus and Cameron, who were both handing out equal portions for everyone. He looked around and spotted Devon sitting at a small table on the left side of the tent, near the serving table. The Danzigers, Uly and Yale were with her, with the Martins sitting at the table just in front of theirs. He walked past Morgan, who he overheard complaining to Bess about some problem he was having with sand and his gear, and straight up to Devon.
Before Walman could get a word out, Danziger spoke up. "Walman.... Have you seen Solace? He was supposed to meet me first thing this morning and show me what was wrong with the ATV he was using the other day. I want to try and get it fixed before we head out tomorrow. I walked over to their tent first thing this morning and neither he nor the Doc were there."
The biggest grin that anyone had ever seen came across Walman's face. "Funny that you should ask that. It just so happens that's why I came over to see Devon about."
Devon glanced up at Walman, "Oh...." Walman looked at Devon and Danziger, then glanced at Uly and True. Danziger realized that this was probably something that the kids shouldn't be around for, "True-girl......"
Before he could get anything else out, True rolled her eyes, got up and grabbed Uly. *Grown ups. It figures.* "I know. I know. Take Uly, and go out and play, right?"
John grinned at his daughter, then reached out and ruffled her hair. "You're getting too bright for your own good. You know that?" "Daaaddd.......cut it out. Come on Uly." They watched as Uly reluctantly followed True out of the tent. Then Devon turned back toward Walman. "Okay spill it. What's going on?"
Walman began to chuckle. "I just got a call from Alonzo. You guys are never going to believe where he and Julia are."
Bess suddenly announced, "They're at the lake." Walman's mouth hung open in amazement as he turned toward Bess. "How did you know that?"
"It's not hard to imagine them there. It's the type of romantic thing that Alonzo would do."
"Well then Walman, tell Solace to stop fooling around, get back up here and help me out with the ATV." Danziger growled.
"I'm sure he'd like to," he managed to get out as the laughter he was trying to hold in threatened to explode.
"What are you talking about? What is going on?" Devon questioned with exasperation.
Looking at their expectant faces, he couldn't hold it in any longer and collapsed into a nearby chair laughing so hard that tears fell. The laughter caught everyone else's attention and they all came over to Devon's table to see what all the commotion was about. They all just stared at Walman as if he had gone mad, which only caused him to laugh harder. He finally managed to compose himself enough to explain his merriment.
"Solace contacted me from the lake. He said that he had gone there last night because of a dream he had that seemed to involve the lake."
Devon's ears immediately perked up. "What was the dream about?" "He didn't go into details. He just said they went to the lake hoping to get answers, but nothing happened. They hung around for a while, then a couple of hours later they decided to go for a swim." He started to double over with laughter again.
"Walman! Spill it!" Danziger said as he grabbed Walman's arm. "Okay, Okay. Just give me a second......." He leaned back in the chair and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Solace said that he and the Doc got a little distracted, if you know what I mean, so they didn't see the Grendler before it was too late." Laughter began to escape his lips again, then finally between breaths he spit out, "The Grendler stole their clothes!"
They all just stared at Walman in stunned silence for only a moment. The men all had amused expressions on their faces, all except Yale who looked on with a thoughtful expression.
"Oh no." Bess said.
"Poor Julia." Devon whispered, as she could imagine the doctors embarrassment. She looked at Walman. "I take it that they were calling to have someone bring out some clothes?" Walman nodded. Devon then slowly surveyed the group and noticed some rather eager expressions. She frowned, there certainly wouldn't be any lack of volunteers for this little delivery. Running her hands through her hair, she came to a decision, stood, then started walking toward the entrance of the tent. "Walman, get Zero. Have him meet me by Julia and Alonzo's tent. Then signal Alonzo and tell him that Zero will be delivering the clothes shortly.""Zero. Why Zero? I can do it." Walman called out as he stood to leave. Devon stopped and turned around. She took a good look at the rest of the group. "Because Zero is the only one I know that will go there drop off the clothes, turn around and leave, without the slightest thought of trying to catch a peak."
A faked expression of hurt came across Walman's face. His expression clearly said *Who me?*. Devon just shook her head and grinned before turning around to head out. As she got ready to step out, she heard faint laughter breaking out behind her. She stopped, turned around and pointed her finger at the rest of the group.
"Now listen here all of you." Everyone immediately quieted down. "I don't want anyone to tease or even mention what just happened. I'm sure they are both embarrassed enough as it is. You hear me?" She received silent nods from everyone, but had a feeling that this was *not* going to work. *I'm sorry Julia. I tried.* She just hoped that the group wouldn't give them too hard of a time. She left and went to find some clothes.
Alonzo turned off his gear then looked at Julia. "That was Walman. He said that Devon is sending Zero with the clothes. He'll be here in a few minutes." He looked off toward the north end of the lake, then handed Julia his gear. "I'm going to go for a swim across the lake. Just give me a shout when Zero gets here."
"Okay but be careful around the center of the lake." "I will." After giving her a quick kiss, he started his swim. Julia watched him for a moment, then turned back toward the south shoreline to watch for Zero. A few minutes later she spotted Zero making his way through the trees.
Alonzo had just reached the center of the lake when he heard Julia announce that Zero had arrived. "Okay I'm on my way!" He turned to swim back and felt the pull that Julia had mentioned. It wasn't there a minute ago, it just started all of a sudden, and it was strong. He wondered what could be causing it, but now was not the time or place to figure it out. He quickly swam back to shore.
Below the surface a long arm reached out. *Food.* It reached for its prey. It was not fast enough. It was too late. The creature it hunted had moved too quickly, and it did not see the arm that broke the surface in its attempt to capture it. Next time it would be ready.
Zero dropped the clothes onto a nearby rock then turned around and left as instructed by Devon. Once the coast was clear, Julia and Alonzo quickly climbed out of the water and dressed.
Alonzo finished first. "Ready to go?" "No, but I don't have much of a choice now do I?" Julia grumbled as she finished putting on her boots, and straightened.
Alonzo grinned and took her hand, "Come on querida. We might as well face the music now and get it over with." They slowly walked back to camp.
Continued in Part 2...........
BEAUTY CAN BE DECEIVING, Part 2
by Rosa M. Moran
Copyright November 1995Devon stood by the Transrover keeping an eye on the kids and at the same time watching out for Alonzo and Julia. The rest of the group were walking around going about their business. Moments later the young couple quietly walked out of the woods and toward their tent. Devon watched with amusement as Julia was clutching Alonzo's hand tightly, head held high, back straight, bracing herself for the worst. The worst never came. Devon watched with pride as the young couple was acknowledged, and greeted warmly. Everyone went about their business as if nothing had happened. She could see shock followed by relief spread across Julia's face. Devon couldn't have been happier with the way things were turning out. She knew that the others could have given the young couple all sorts of grief over this incident. The fact that no one was, showed what kind of character her friends had. She was very proud to be part of this group. Julia and Devon made eye contact for an instant, acknowledging each other, before Julia disappeared with Alonzo into their tent. She turned back toward the children, and noticed they were heading in her direction.
"Mom, can True and I go play by the lake?" "Ummm.... I don't know. I don't like the idea of the two of you going off by yourselves."
"We promise to be careful." True pleaded. "I just want to show Uly some interesting plants I saw by the rocks."
Devon looked at the two of them with their hopeful eyes. She could almost hear Danziger's voice saying, *You need to learn to let go a little Adair. You can't be hovering protectively over Uly all his life.* "Okay. But stay out of the water, and off of the rocks. Understand?"
Uly rolled his eyes at his Mom. "Okay Mom. We will." Then they both hurried off toward the lake. She watched them with mixed feelings until they disappeared through the woods, then headed off to get a cup of coffee.
True led Uly through the woods, across the beach, and over to the rocks on the west side of the lake.
"That strange looking plant is over here some where." Searching for the plants, she climbed some of the smaller rocks.
"Hey! Mom said not to climb the rocks." True continued to climb. "*Your* mom told *you* not to climb the rocks. She didn't say anything to me." When she reached the top of the first set of rocks, she looked around, but still couldn't see the plants. Frustrated, she began to climb back down. "Well, it looks like you can't see the plants from here anyways. I guess you can only see them from the middle of the lake."
"The middle of the lake? How do you know that?" She jumped down the rest of the way. "Because I swam out near the middle and when I looked back I saw the plants."
He walked up to her, mouth open, eyes wide. "You swam to the middle of the lake! How come you got to swim to the middle but I couldn't?!"
"I guess I'm just a better swimmer than you." "You are not!"
"Am too! I'll even prove it. We can race out to the middle of the lake and back." Turning toward the lake, she pointed to a fallen log on the east side that was lying about half way along the side of the lake. "See that log over there. We'll race out toward the middle until we pass that log then we turn and head back. First one back to the middle of the beach is the winner."Uly turned to see where she was pointing then looked out toward the middle of the lake. He wasn't too sure about this. His mothers warnings kept running over in his mind. If he did this, his mother was going to be furious. He decided it wasn't worth the trouble. He turned back toward True with every intention of saying forget it, but the words stuck in his throat at seeing the expression on her face. That smug expression that said *you haven't got a chance in hell of beating me*. His ego got the better of him.
He said, "Okay lets do it," and had the satisfaction of watching that smug expression disappear, replaced with one of surprise. He smiled. *She didn't think I'd say yes!*
True quickly recovered from her shock. "Alright then, take your shoes and socks off, then we'll start." She reached down and started removing her shoes. Soon they were both ready. True glanced over at Uly, "Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Ready......set........go!" They ran for the water. The race was on.
Julia sat in her tent reading over some medical text. Alonzo had gone out to see Danziger about the ATV, but she was contented enough to just sit there reading. Unlike Alonzo, she wasn't quite ready to face the others. Maybe by tonight she would summon up the nerve to leave the tent, but for now she just wanted to be left alone to her own thoughts.
"Julia?"
*Oh no, not Bess! So much for being left alone.* "Yes?" "Can I come in a minute?"
Frowning, she put the data pad down. "Sure, come in." Bess entered and smiled. "How are you doing?" "Bess, I'm really not in the mood for a social call......" "Oh this isn't a social call......not really. I came over on group business." She interrupted cheerfully.Julia looked skeptical. "Okay......what is it?" "Well when we were at the lake yesterday afternoon, I noticed some plants that could possibly be edible." She held up a small pocket knife and a couple of sample bags. "I was hoping you would come down there and check them out with me. We could collect samples of plants that you think are good." Bess could tell that Julia was not to thrilled with that idea.
"Look Bess, I'd like to but I really have a lot of catching up to do. Can we go tomorrow?"
It was obvious to Bess that Julia was going to make up any excuse she could to get out of this. *This is going to be harder than I thought, but I'm not going to let her get out of this that easily.* "But we're leaving tomorrow. We won't have time. Come on......you owe me for that race I won yesterday." Julia visibly flinched. *That damn race. I knew that was a mistake.* She could see from Bess's expression that she was not going to go away. "Alright, alright......I'll go. But only for an hour. You got it?!" Bess's smile widened, "Promise!" She turned and headed out, with Julia following reluctantly.
True was winning and loving every minute of it. She was already more than half way back to the beach when she heard Uly screaming for help. Turning quickly, she saw Uly struggling to stay a float in the middle of the lake. He apparently had been caught in the strong undertow that had come close to catching her. She was a strong enough swimmer to break free, but it was obvious that Uly was not. Realizing that she wasn't a strong enough swimmer to pull herself *and* Uly out of this, she quickly continued swimming toward shore, yelling for help. She just had to hope that Uly would be able to hold out long enough for help to arrive.
Julia and Bess had nearly reached the beach when they heard True cry out for help. Glancing briefly at each other, they began to run. They reached the beach just as True was scrambling out of the water.
"True, what is it?!" Bess cried out as True ran into her arms. They didn't have to wait long for an answer as they heard Uly's cries for help.
Julia's head snapped up and she saw Uly struggling in the middle of the lake. "Oh my God!" She quickly removed her boots and jumped into the water.
"True call camp and tell them what's happening!" Bess said as she too removed her boots and headed for the water. "I'm going to help Julia."
True quickly called camp, and within seconds half the camp had arrived. "Uly!!" Devon screamed as she saw her son struggling to stay afloat in the water. She ran toward the water with every intention of jumping in and swimming to her son, but Danziger had other ideas as he grabbed her arm.
"Hold it Adair!" He glanced around. "Everyone stay put!" Devon struggled to free herself. "Let go of me John!!" "Dammit Adair, look at me a second!" He grabbed her other arm and turned her to face him. "You are not going to help your son by running into the water half crazy."
"No! He'll drown! I have to help him!" She screamed still struggling. "Dammit listen to me!!! Julia and Bess are out there and they are both excellent swimmers. By going out there you would just be getting in their way. Let them take care of it. They will save Uly." Danziger pleaded. He could see the worry and terror in her eyes. The terror of a parent whose child was in danger. He understood exactly how she felt. If it were him, he would have wanted to jump into the water too. His eyes pleaded with her to believe in what he said, and amazingly she calmed down enough so that he could release her. Turning toward the water, she stood silently watching as Julia and Bess neared her son.
Uly struggled as the pull from below kept forcing him beneath the surface. He managed to kick back up for air each time he went under, but was growing tired with the effort. Julia had nearly reached him when he felt something grab him from below.
"Julia!!! Help!!! Somethings got me!!!" Uly screamed as he was pulled under.
Julia pulled back from shock, for in the blink of an eye he had disappeared. She quickly recovered, took a deep breath and dived. What she saw caused her to almost cry out in disbelief. There pulling Uly down was a creature of immense size with several large arms. Each arm had a series of suction cups running down to a large opening which appeared to be the mouth of the creature. The mouth was part of a large triangular shaped head. The creature had situated itself in front of a large underwater cave opening. Julia realized it was the cave opening that was causing the strong pull, like a current running in and out. The creature was smart enough to know that this was a good place to live and wait for food. It just had to wait until something got caught in the down pull, and at the moment that something was Uly. She had to do something and she had to do it fast. While trying to avoid the arms that were reaching for her, she swam toward Uly. Reaching Uly, she immediately tried to pry the creatures arm away, while at the same time swatting at the other arms that tried to capture her. It wasn't easy, the creature was strong, but she managed to force Uly out of it's grasp. With a strong kick from Julia, they broke through the water surface and gasped for air.
"Swim Uly!! Swim!!" Julia screamed as she pushed him forward. Bess swam up just then and grabbed Uly's arm to help push him along. She pulled him in front of her, then looked back at Julia. Her eyes widened in terror as she saw a long arm rise up behind Julia.
"Julia, look out!!! Behind you!!!"
Before Julia could react to the warning, the arm came down over her shoulder pulling her under.Bess turned back toward Uly, and saw that he had stopped, a look of terror in his eyes as he saw Julia being pulled under. "Uly!!! Swim!!! Don't turn around, keep going!!" Uly quickly turned, spotted his mom, and began to swim toward her in a near panic state.
Bess took a deep breath and dived under. She spotted Julia struggling fiercely to free herself. Pulling out the pocket knife she had been using to cut plant samples, she swam forward to help Julia.
Devon and the others just stared in helpless shock, as Uly swam toward them, while Bess and Julia disappeared below the surface of the water. As her son neared the shoreline, Devon ran and jumped into the water to help him up the beach. Once he was safely on the beach, she knelt before him and held him close to her heart. Uly threw his arms around his mom and held on for dear life as he shook with fear.
"Mom!! There's a monster in the lake!!" Uly screamed, then hurriedly described it to her.
Yale walked up behind Devon and Uly. "That creature you described sounds very similar to an Earth creature known as a giant squid. It was very strong, and with its many arms it was very difficult to escape once it had you in its grasps. On Earth, the squid lived in the salt waters of the oceans. This creature appears to thrive in fresh water."
"Oh no! Julia saved me Mom, and now the squid has her!" Uly cried out as he continued to hold his mother tightly.
"I know sweetheart. I know." She quietly replied as her watery gaze returned to the center of the lake.
Bess had managed to help cut Julia loose, and they both broke the water surface for much needed air. They started to swim for all they were worth, but the creature was not going to let his prize catches of the day go that easily, not this time. The creature pulled away from its hiding place near the underwater cave opening, and went after its prey. It was faster than the two ladies, within seconds it overtook them. It's legs sprang up in front of their path back to shore, causing them to stop and back away quickly, but not quickly enough. The arms came down hard, forcing them under the water.
"Bess!!!..........Bess!!!" Morgan screamed as he stood by the waters edge next to Alonzo. He turned back toward the others. "What are we going to do?!! We have to do something!!! They need our help!!"
"What do you suggest we do Martin?!" Came Danzigers exasperated reply as he intently watched trying to think of any idea that could help. "We can't fire on it. It's too far and we might hit Julia or Bess. We can't just swim out there without endangering or risking our own lives, which also wouldn't help Julia or Bess."
"All we can do is hope and pray." Devon whispered as she stood and walked over to the men, placing a comforting hand on Morgan's shoulder.
They anxiously watched as a minute passed with no sign of Bess, Julia, or the creature.
Devon turned toward Morgan. "How long can Bess hold her breath?" "I'm not sure. Maybe a minute or two." Morgan sadly replied. Looking at Alonzo. "And Julia?"
"She can hold it longer. About two or two and a half minutes." Came Alonzo's steady answer as he watched with extreme concentration.Continued in Part 3.........
BEAUTY CAN BE DECEIVING, Part 3
by Rosa M. Moran
Copyright November 1995
Below the surface, Bess and Julia struggled with the creature as it corralled them down toward the bottom of the lake. It's arms seemed to be everywhere at once. Each time they tried to swim back up an arm would block their path. Julia realized that they would not be able to hold the creature off for much longer. They were nearing the underwater cave entrance and the pull was getting stronger. She grabbed Bess by the arm and pointed toward the cave. Bess looked at Julia and nodded. It was their only hope, for if they stayed there, they would surely drown. Although the cave may not provide the much needed air they needed, it was a risk they would have to take, for the creature was constantly blocking them from surfacing. They dove toward the cave. With the current pulling them in, they were able to quickly distance themselves from the creature. The cave entrance was large, but fortunately the tunnel soon narrowed enough that the creature would not be able to follow them too far into the cave. The current pulled them along, like the rapids of a river, and when it felt like they could hold their breath not a moment longer, it spit them out into an underwater cavern, filled with life giving oxygen. The cavern was approximately twenty meters in diameter, with a two meter ledge that surrounded the water on all sides, and the ceiling was about ten meters in height. The two women slowly made their way to the ledge, gasping for breath, then pulled themselves out of the water before collapsing with total exhaustion.
Leaning up to look at Bess, Julia cried out, "Dammit Bess. Why did you come after me? You could have been safely on shore by now."
Bess closed her eyes breathing in deeply. "I couldn't just leave and let you die. Not if I thought I could help."
Julia leaned back down contemplating everything that had just happened, then whispered, "Thank you for saving my life. Are you okay?"
Bess looked over and smiled, "Yes. And no thanks is needed. You would have done the same for me." Her smile faded. "Julia, what are we going to do now? We can't stay here forever. How are we going to get out and past that creature?"
"Don't know." Julia replied as she sat up. "But as I see it, we have a couple of options. We can wait the creature out, hope that he forgets about us and leaves, or maybe wait until it goes to sleep so we can slip past it."
Bess sighed, "Somehow I don't think it will be forgetting about us anytime soon."
Julia grinned as she stood up. "I don't think so either." "So what's our other option?"
Julia leaned over to look into the water, then she drew her eyes along the floor and up the side of the wall. "Well, I'm not sure you are going to like the other option, but I don't see as we have much of a choice. It doesn't look like we have much time.""What do you mean?" Bess asked nervously, as she sat up. She pointed to the wall behind them. "You see how the wall is all wet, up to the ceiling?" Bess nodded. "That means that the water rises and falls on a regular basis. I think that is what causes the pull we felt." She suddenly turned and looked at the water, eyes wide. "You see! The water is rising even now."
Bess jumped to her feet. "Oh God! What are we going to do now?" "Well, just before we were pulled in here, I noticed that the tunnel continued past this cavern. I have a feeling that this cavern, with the water running in and out, is not the only thing that is causing the current we felt. I think the current is being caused by an underground river or stream. This cavern is just part of that stream and was established after years of erosion."
Bess walked around nervously as the water began to rise above the ledge. "So you think that if we were to continue swimming through the tunnel that we would eventually come out into another body of water, like a stream or river, or perhaps another lake." It was more of a statement than a question.
Julia grinned at Bess. "Yes, I do. I can't guarantee it, but the pattern seems to indicate that water is flowing back and forth from two water sources, collecting here before continuing. Remember when we swam across the lake?" Bess nodded. "The pull was strong when we went across it the first time."
"Then it was gone or barely there when we swam back over." Bess excitedly interrupted.
"That's right! The water must have been running out of the cave then. When we went over the first time the water was being pulled in." She looked down and saw the water had reached their knees. "We have to get out of here." Julia saw Bess's worried expression. She went over and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Bess, I know it's a long shot. I don't know if my theory is correct, or even if it was, I don't know how far we have to swim to get to the other water source. We may not make it, but we either go back and face the creature, or we take our chances and move forward. We'll die for certain if we stay here. You decide."
They silently stared at each other for a few moments as the water continued to rise. "We move forward." Bess stated with determination in her voice.
Julia grimly nodded. "You go first. You're a faster swimmer than I am." "Okay, lets get it over with. You ready?" "Yeah. You give the signal."
They stood there taking several large slow breaths, preparing themselves for their swim. With one final intake of breath, Bess looked at Julia, nodded, then dived. Julia followed moments later.
Five minutes had passed, yet they still stared toward the middle of the lake, hoping, praying. Realization slowly began to sink in. They weren't coming back. They were gone. Devon lowered her head as a tear slowly trickled down her face.
"Where are they mom?" Uly sadly questioned. She looked into her son's sad eyes. "I'm afraid they're gone Uly." She held her son close, then glanced around at the rest of the group. "Okay everyone. I know this is hard. It is never easy when you lose friends and loved ones. But there is nothing we can do. They couldn't have survived under water for this length of time, and as much as I hate saying this," tears were threatening to overflow, "we have to face facts. They are dead, and they're not coming back."
Everyone remained silent, reflecting on their loss, like a silent memorial. Devon turned and started slowly back toward camp. "Come on Uly, lets go." The rest of the group followed slowly, all except Alonzo and Morgan, who continued to stare out across the lake. They were afraid to turn around, afraid to leave, afraid to in any way acknowledge that Julia and Bess were dead. It wasn't until a couple of hours later, when Devon and Danziger returned to the lake looking for Morgan and Alonzo, that the two of them finally moved. Devon had walked up to Morgan and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. That was all it took for Morgan to finally release all of the grief and sorrow he had been holding inside. Devon held him in her arms as he sobbed uncontrollably. Danziger looked into Devon's sad eyes before turning his attention to Alonzo. He continued to stare out across the lake, even after Danziger placed a comforting hand of support on his shoulder. For a moment he just stood there, then slowly turned around watching Devon, John, and Morgan with distant eyes. Before Devon or John could say anything he started walking back to camp. Holding a stunned Morgan, Devon and John soon followed. It was over.
The water flowed as if being forced through a plunger, pushing forward to its ultimate destination. Julia was soon praying that their destination was close. Her lungs burned from lack of air. She wasn't going to last much longer. Her only consolation was that Bess would probably make it, if she hadn't already. She had long ago lost sight of her friend. Just as she thought she could no longer hold her breath, she was pushed through the opening on the other side. A hand grabbed her. It was Bess. She had surfaced just moments before, then had gone back to wait and help Julia when she came through the opening. Thankful for Bess's assistance, she quickly swam to the surface, then broke through gasping for air.
"You okay?"
Julia nodded still trying to catch her breath. "I am now, but I was worried there for a minute. How about you?""I'm fine. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Julia grinned. "Speak for yourself." She looked around to get a look at their surroundings. They appeared to be treading water in the center of another lake similar in size and shape as the first lake. The lake was surrounded by tress and rich vegetation on one side, and an open field as far as the eyes could see along the other three sides. Mountain peaks were visible behind the open fields along the horizon. There were a couple of small streams flowing into the lake from the direction of the mountain peaks.
"It's beautiful, isn't it." Bess commented. "Yeah.... well.... we both know from experience that beauty can be deceiving. So I would rather get the hell out of the water before we meet up with any other strange creatures. Once a day is more than enough for me." Julia started swimming.
"I have to agree with you on that point." They both swam toward the open field, opposite the wooded side, then slowly pulled themselves out of the water. Lying there in the grass, they both realized how fortunate they were to be alive. All they wanted to do now was rest. Exhaustion soon took over and they fell into a deep sleep.
As the sun rose just above the horizon, the caravan moved slowly west toward its' final destination. Devon walked along side the caravan, near the back, watching the rest of the group. No one had slept well, if at all, last night. She could see the sorrow and pain in their eyes. The group had voted late last night that it was best to get out of the area and try to leave the horrible memories of their lost friends behind. It wasn't going to be easy. They could move on, but the memories would always be there. She watched Uly sitting quietly next to True on the Dune Rail, and was grateful that he was alive, but was saddened by the price paid for his life. Her eyes turned toward Morgan lying unconscious on the Transrover. Yale had given him a seda-derm to calm him, as his grief threatened to overwhelm him. With the death of their doctor, Yale would now have to perform the duties of mentor, friend, and physician. She hoped that his services as physician would never be needed. Her eyes moved forward toward the front of the caravan where Alonzo was driving the ATV. It was Alonzo who troubled her the most. He hadn't said a word since the tragedy. He hadn't shed a tear. He walked around like a man who just had a piece of his soul and heart ripped out. The expression on his face was as if chiseled in stone, never moving, emotionless, afraid to let go, afraid to feel. Like an emotionless robot, he just went about his business, too numb to feel anything. Devon hoped and prayed that time would help them all heal. They were still a couple of months away from New Pacifica. If all went well, they would get there in record time. But for some, she glanced at Alonzo and then Morgan, time had no meaning, it only brought with it knowledge. Knowledge that it would be time spent alone. An eiry silence had settled over the group, as each was left to their own thoughts, and with heavy hearts the caravan continued.
Bess awakened to a hand lightly shaking her. She opened her sleepy eyes and looked into the concerned face of Dr. Julia Heller.
"Come on Bess. Wake up."
"What......what is it? Is everything okay? What time is it?" "I'm not sure what time it is. All I am sure about is that it's morning." Bess sat up, "Morning?! You mean we slept through the evening?" "It looks that way. We must have been more tired than either of us thought. Listen Bess, do you have your gear? My gear must have slipped out of my pants pocket while I was struggling with the creature." Julia stood up and helped Bess to her feet.Bess reached into her pant pocket. "Yeah, I think I still have mine." She pulled out a couple of small plastic bags, a pocket knife, and her gear. She then tried to reach camp. Nothing. She looked up at Julia with a worried expression on her face. "It's not working. It must have gotten damaged in our fight with the creature or when I hit the tunnel walls a couple of times while swimming here." She watched as Julia jubilant expression turned into a grim expression at her news.
Julia turned away from Bess and looked out over the water. "I see." Bess placed a hand on Julia's shoulder. "Julia, maybe we can fix it to send out some sort of signal they can trace. Something they can use to help them find us. I'm sure they all must be very worried about us. I know Morgan would be worried sick about me."
Julia turned and looked intently into Bess's eyes. "I hate to burst your bubble Bess, but no one is looking for us. No one is even worried. They might be sad, but not worried. As far as they're concerned we're dead."
"Dead! Why would they think we're dead." "Think about it a second Bess. They saw us being pulled under the water by that creature, and they never saw us surface. They didn't know there was a cave underwater. As far as they know we were killed and eaten by that creature."
"Oh no. What do we do now?"
"I don't know Bess. I won't lie to you. Our situation is not great. We don't have any food. We only have the clothing on our backs. Not even shoes for protection. We don't have any medical supplies. We don't have any way to carry water except for two small plastic bags. We can't communicate to let them know we're alive. We're not even sure how far away we are from camp. All I know is that camp is in that direction." She pointed toward the wooded side of the lake, which was opposite their present location. "How far in that direction, I couldn't say. I do think that we should head in that direction. If we're lucky they will still be there, but if not, we'll at least be able to continue in the direction of New Pacifica, and hope to catch up with them." She turned her gaze over to the other side of the lake.Bess followed her gaze across the lake. "How do you know that camp is in that direction?"
"I don't know for sure. It's just an educated guess. We know that the other lake is surrounded by trees and I can't believe we traveled far enough to cover the length of this open field. That leaves us with one direction, and that's over there where the trees are."
"Well don't sound so glum. Things could be worse. Look at the bright side. At least we're alive. We may not have much clothes or any shoes, but we have socks that will protect our feet a little. And, sure we could use something better than plastic bags to carry water, but at least that's better than nothing. As for food, well.....when we get back to camp, if they're not there, then before we go after them, we'll just have to go fishing. I mean there has to be something other than monsters in that lake."
Bess turned, and noticed Julia staring at her with a big grin. "You're something else, you know that Bess."
"Yeah, well you make sure you let Morgan know that when we get back." "You sound so sure that we'll get back." "Of course I'm sure. I don't know what you think, but I *know* we are going to make it."
Julia looked into Bess's eyes and saw fear mixed with strength and determination. "You know that it's not going to be easy."
"Life never is, but we've survived so far, and I know we'll survive this." "Okay. What are we waiting for? Lets get going." With those words, the two friends started off on their journey to find the others. They had not gotten far when Bess noticed Julia's far away look.
"Hey, you okay?"
Julia snapped out of it before answering quietly, "Yeah. I was just thinking of the last time when I was left behind, alone."Bess gently placed a hand on Julia's arm, forcing Julia to stop and look at her. "Only this time you weren't left, and you're not alone." A grateful smile graced Julia's lips, as they started walking again.
"Bess?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here with me."
"I'm not." The two women looked at each other for just a moment before bursting out with laughter. It was the first time they had laughed since they found themselves in this predicament. It felt good, and so with those feelings fresh in their minds, they continued their journey home.
(Voice of Dr. Julia Heller)
We begin our journey into the unknown, with nothing but our own wits and senses to protect and guide us. Hoping that whatever obstacles we encounter can be surpassed. Believing each obstacle or adventure we encounter, will bring us that much closer to finding our lost friends and loved ones. Trusting and needing to believe that our search will not be in vain. Knowing that time is our own worst enemy. We've placed our lives in the hands of this planet, whose beauty can be both breathtaking and deadly, to help us survive long enough to rejoin our 'tribe', as the Terrians would say. God willing, we'll make it.
-The End-
//From e-mail 17 Nov 1995
This text file was ran through PERL script made by Andy. Original text file is available in Andy's Earth 2 Fan Fiction Archive.