MOUNTAIN OF FEAR
By
Rosa M. Moran
Timeline: On way to New Pacifica
Author's E-Mail: STSWNut@aol.com
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I have wanted to write a short story for a very long time, but have never seemed to find the inspiration I needed to get started. That is until I started reading some of the wonderful fan-fiction written for one of my favorite shows, Earth 2. I finally was inspired, and decided now was the time to give it a shot. So one day several weeks ago, I sat down in front of my computer and started writting. What I ended up with is what I think is a good story written by a first time writer, but you be the judge. I wrote the story using Microsoft Word, then changed it to text mode, before transfering to the mailing list. (I hope it works.) Please feel free to comment on it, good or bad. (All the comments will help me for when I decide to write my next story.)Well, that's about it. ENJOY!
Rosa
STSWNut@aol.comThis story takes place sometime after "All About Eve". This is my first attempt at writing, although it is something that I have always wanted to do. All of the wonderful fan-fiction that I have been reading lately has inspired me to give it a try. I hope all of you enjoy this story. Please feel free to send me any comments good or bad. All comments will be welcomed, and would help me with any other stories that I write. (All standard copyright laws and regulations apply.)
Thank you,
Rosa
Email Address: STSWNut@aol.com
Mountain of Fear, Part 1
by Rosa M. Moran
Copyright September 1995
(Voice of Devon Adair)
We have been traveling long and hard. We had to make up for the time spent at the winter camp, and at Bennetts ship while they searched for the cure to my illness. Thank God, that cure was found, and we were soon on our way. Fortunately, I have not received any complaints, although I think that Morgan was about to say something last night. I think one look from Danziger kept him quiet. I thank God John has been so supportive of my efforts to reach New Pacifica as quickly as possible. Without his support I may not have gotten as far. But, even John has his limits, and I think we are getting close to that limit. Therefore, I have decided that a few days of rest are in order. We have decided to make camp for a couple days in a very small wooded area near a small ridge of mountains. The few trees we do have will provide us with a small bit of protection from the sun, and I am hoping it will provide us with some food and a water source. Our supplies are running low, and I'm a little worried. We may need to send a crew to check out the nearby mountain range.
Devon stepped into the Med-Tent, hoping that Julia would have some good news concerning the last samples brought into camp. "Well Julia, have we got anything?"
"What we have are some very pretty plants, but no food." Julia stated flatly. "Sorry Devon."
Devon looked at Julia with disappointment in her eyes. Unfortunately, there was nothing either of them could do. "I'm worried Julia, we haven't found anything edible in days, and we are running very low."
"Well, I'll keep testing, but I don't have much hope at least not with these samples."
"Thanks, Julia, but don't work yourself too hard. You need this rest period just as much as the rest of us."
Just as Devon was leaving, Alonzo entered with lunch. "Make sure she eats and takes a break."
"Oh, I intend to."
"Hey guys, I'm not a child, I don't need to be told what to do." Devon smiled then left. Alonzo turned toward Julia with a grin. "O.K., time for lunch, querida.""I'm not very hungry Alonzo, so maybe we should just save this for dinner, after all, we need to ration as much as we can."
"Don't give me that. You have rationed quite enough. You haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon. I'm not leaving until you eat something."
"Alright, alright, if it will get you out of my hair, I'll eat." They sat eating in silence for a while. Alonzo finished first, and sat back just watching her. She looked tired. He knew that she had not been sleeping very well, but she wouldn't tell him why. Something was bothering her, he only wished she would share it with him. Maybe a little walk would help.
He stood up and took her hand, "Come on, lets go for a walk, it's a beautiful day."
"I can't go for a walk. I've got samples that I haven't tested yet, and....."
"Enough talking Doc, you need a break, or you're going to fall apart. No more ifs, ands, or buts. And here I thought Devon and John were stubborn."
Reluctantly, Julia allowed herself to be lead outside. Alonzo was definitely pleased with himself over this triumph. He hoped that this little walk would lead Julia to discussing what was bothering her, or to at least relax.
As Devon went looking for Danziger, she saw Alonzo and Julia strolling off together. *Good job Alonzo, you finally got Julia to relax a little.* She smiled as she watched them go. She found Danziger working on the Transrover. She thought she would find True working beside her father, but then remembered that True and Uly were learning some new lesson from Yale that afternoon. Instead she found Baines helping him.
"How are the repairs going John?" "Fine Adair." When he received no other comment from her, yet noticed that she continued to stand there quietly, he looked up. "I get the feeling that you didn't come to see me to ask about repairs. You got something else on your mind?"
She glance over at Baines, who immediately got the hint and excused himself. "I'm worried about our short food supplies. We need to find something soon. I'm surprised with all of the nice weather we've been having that we haven't been able to find anything edible. It doesn't make any sense. I thought once winter broke, we'd find plenty of food, but that hasn't been the case, and I can't explain it."
"I'm sure we'll find something soon, it's just a matter of time." "Time is what we don't have," she says to him with exasperation. "I'm thinking of sending a team up to that mountain range to the East. We may be able to find something there. There appears to be a very large wooded area, and if we are lucky a cave or two that a Grendler may be using to stash food or other supplies. We haven't been able to find anything around here."
"That might be a good idea, but limit the size of the team to two or three people. Who did you have in mind for this trip?"
Devon thought for a moment, then finally decided on Alonzo, in case they met up with any Terrians, and Baines. "What do you think?"
"Well, why don't you send Walman instead of Baines. I could use Baines's help with the Transrover."
"Sounds good. I'll make sure to tell everyone the plan tonight. They should leave first thing tomorrow morning." With those words she left to look for Uly.
Alonzo and Julia slowly walked out of camp, hand in hand. They decided to relax under a tree near a small clearing close to camp. Alonzo enveloped Julia in his arms as he leaned back against the tree. It felt wonderful to feel her in his arms. He found it difficult to believe that he could be so much in love with any woman, but he was, and at the moment he couldn't imagine life without Dr. Julia Heller. If not for worrying about what was troubling her, he would be a very happy man right now. She hadn't said a word since they left for their walk. She seemed distracted. He decided it was time to undistract her. He began to gently kiss her neck, working his way up to her ear then temple.
"Tell me querida, what's wrong," Alonzo whispered. She sighed, "It's nothing important, 'Lonz." She turned in his arms and reached to caress his cheek. "Really, I mean it. Don't look so worried, I'm fine."
"But something has been bothering you, I can tell. Talk to me about it, I want to help. I hate seeing you like this."
"It's nothing, only a feeling I've been having for the last few days. A feeling that there is some sort of trouble coming. Don't ask me to elaborate because I can't. It's just a feeling. It started just before we decided to set up camp here. Maybe it's this place, or maybe it's just me. All I know is that I'll be happy once we get moving again. We haven't found any food around, so I think Devon will be wanting to move on now that everyone has had a chance to rest for a few days. I'm sure once we get away from this place I'll start to feel better, at least I hope I will."
She gave him a little smile, and he leaned over and lightly brushed his lips to hers. She softly moaned, and deepened the kiss. Without breaking the kiss, Alonzo gently lowered her flat onto the ground, and began to unbutton her blouse. Julia wrapped her arms around his neck, and ran her hands through his dark hair. She caught her breath as she felt his hands on her bare skin. Her body was on fire as she reached up and struggled to unbutton his shirt. Alonzo slowly pulled away and finished removing his shirt. They stared into each others eyes, eyes that were filled with passion. As he lowered himself onto her, she reached for him. Their bodies pressed together as they kissed with an explosion of desire and want. A soft groan escaped Alonzo as he felt her roaming hands over his body. He reached down to unfasten her pants and continue his exploration, but she suddenly yet gently pushed him away. Her body and heart were screaming for him to continue, but her mind was saying stop. Her mind won this battle.
"No Alonzo, this isn't the right time or place," she whispered. She sat up and began to rebutton her blouse.
"Ohhh, you're driving me crazy Julia." She blushed, stood, took his hand, and smiled, "I said that *this* was the wrong time and place, but that doesn't mean that our tent, later tonight won't be."
He stood and wrapped his arms around her, "Ummm..... I like the sound of that."
"Like the sound of what?" she questioned as she disengaged herself from Alonzo's embrace and started walking back toward camp.
"*Our tent*," he shouted after her as he started putting his shirt back on. Alonzo and Julia had been sharing a tent since they broke winter camp. Everyone new they had been spending their nights together. It didn't make sense trying to hide their feelings for each other any longer, or to be putting up two tents when one tent was all they needed. With a big grin, he caught up with her, and they walked slowly back to camp. He couldn't wait until tonight.
They had all gathered by the camp fire for dinner. Even though the days were warm, the evenings were still chilly, the fire provided warmth, and a much needed gathering place for the group to discuss important issues. The sun had just set and the sky was clear. It would have been a wonderful evening to sit back, relax, and watch the stars, if Devon didn't have so much on her mind. She looked around at her friends. It was time to discuss the problem, and the mission at hand. She exchanged a glance with Danziger, and he nodded.
"O.K. listen up people, Adair here has something she needs to say," Danziger shouted. The group quickly quieted down to listen to what Devon had to say.
"You all know that we are running short of food." She noticed grim nods from everyone, and continued, "Julia has not been able to find anything edible from the samples we have brought her. So, as I see it we have two options, we can pack up and keep going, hoping to find some food along the way, or we can send a small team over to those mountains," she pointed toward the small line of mountains in the East. "I talked it over with Danziger and Yale, and we felt that sending a team to the mountains was the best choice. There is a good possibility of finding some food in that wooded area along the mountain base, or maybe a cave that is being used by Grendlers for storing food or other supplies. A team would go while the rest of us waited here, and continued to search this area. We felt that the less energy we expend traveling the less food and water we would need, so it is better to wait here for an extra day and see if food is found at the mountains. If not, then we continue, but we haven't consumed that much food in the effort. In any case, we felt that it would be worth the risk." Devon looked around and saw the pensive expressions of the group.
"I don't know, sending someone over to that mountain range sounds dangerous," Morgan spoke up nervously.
"Don't worry Morgan, you're not going," Danziger growled. Julia looked at Devon and asked, "Who will be going, Devon?" "Well, I've thought about it, and taking Danziger's advice," she glanced at Danziger, who was grinning from ear to ear. It wasn't often she admitted to taking his advice. "I've decided to keep the team small. Two people to be exact. I think that Alonzo and Walman should go. Alonzo, in case they meet up with any Terrians, and Walman is a good backup."
"Hey, what about me?"
"I need you to help me with the Transrover, Baines." Julia had quietly sat there listening, and for a moment seemed lost in her own thoughts, then suddenly suggested that she should go along too. "I could take some equipment and test whatever samples we find while there, rather than bringing all the samples back here."Devon looked at Julia, "No, I'd rather you stay here. There could be some danger over there that we're not aware of, and I don't want to risk our only Doctor unless it is absolutely necessary."
"But...."
"No Julia, besides I don't think you or Alonzo would get much work done. Without you, Alonzo only has to concentrate on himself. If you were there he would worry about you and vise versa.""Now wait a minute you're not giving me or 'Lonz much credit here. We've worked together before without any problems. I am perfectly capable of separating my personal and professional obligations."
"I'm sorry Julia, I didn't mean to imply you couldn't do the job, I just think it becomes a little more difficult, especially in an unfamiliar setting. In any case, I don't want you to go. I would prefer you stay here and continue to test the remaining samples we have already collected."
Julia angrily got up and walked to the Med-Tent. She knew that it was useless to argue anymore, once Devon Adair made up her mind, there was no changing it. All she knew was that she should go with them, or at least prevent them from going. Something was not right, something felt wrong, she just didn't know what. All she knew was that they should just forget the mountains and just get out of here, keep moving. It was just a feeling, *Why am I getting so upset about a feeling?*, she didn't know, but right now that feeling was screaming *LEAVE*.
Devon watched Julia go, surprised at her reaction. Alonzo seemed surprised too, and got up to go talk to her, but was stopped by Devon. "Hold on Alonzo, there are a couple more things I want to say. You can go talk to her in a minute. Maybe you can find out what is bothering her."
Alonzo sat back down, "I asked her already, but she won't tell me. I'm a little worried about her."
Devon glanced back over toward the Med-Tent that Julia had just disappeared into. She was a little worried about Julia too, but at the moment there were other more pressing matters to take care of. She turned back to address the rest of the group, and more specifically Walman and Alonzo.
"I want the two of you to leave first thing in the morning. Take some water and food, enough for two days. I don't want you out there longer than that, and take a gun and Mag-Pro with you too. One more thing, make sure you both have gear on, and I want one of you to check in every two hours. Understood."
The two men nodded.
"Anyone else have any suggestions, or does anyone think I forgot to mention anything?" Devon said while scanning the group. Most of them remained silent, others simply shook their heads or said no. "O.K. then that's all."Alonzo quickly got up and headed for the Med-Tent. He was determined to get an answer from Julia about what was bothering her, once and for all. He walked in and saw her sitting in front of her equipment testing, or at least going through the motions of testing possible food samples. He walked up behind her, and lightly touched her shoulder. He could feel her tense at his touch.
"Julia?"
"What is it Alonzo, can't you see that I'm busy. Besides shouldn't you be getting ready for your little trip." She had put up her walls again. The walls that kept her real feeling and emotions in check. He had broken through that wall long ago, and he thought, once broken, it would never return, at least not with him. He was wrong, and that fact hurt."Dammit Julia, can't you see how worried I am. Can't you see how much I care for you. How much I love you. Talk to me, please. I hate it when you put up those walls of yours, and keep me out." She didn't turn, or respond to him at all. She just kept working as if he wasn't even there. He slowly backed away from her. "I thought we had something special going. I never thought, never even imagined, you would shut me out of your life like this, not after all we've been through together," sadly he turned to walk out. "I guess you don't care for me as much as I thought."
Julia had sat through all of what Alonzo was saying with tears in her eyes, but she was determined to hold up that wall, even as he chipped away at it with his words. It was that last statement by Alonzo that finally broke through the wall. Realizing just how much she had hurt him, she quickly turned and shouted, "Alonzo, wait, don't leave."
When he turned, he could see that she was crying. Quickly he came back toward her, and she jumped into his arms as tears now flowed freely. "Julia, querida, what's wrong?"
"Just hold me, Alonzo. Just hold me." He silently stood there holding her in his arms as she sobbed. He was willing to wait as long as it took.
It wasn't late, but Devon had convinced Uly to go to bed early. It will be a long day tomorrow. They would all be getting up early to see Walman and Alonzo off. Devon tried to turn in early too, but she couldn't sleep. *Maybe a walk will do me some good.* After checking on Uly, she left their tent. A figure was standing by a small fire near the edge of camp. *I wonder who is on watch tonight.* She decided to pay a visit.
"Hello John, I didn't know this was your night for watch." "Hey there Adair, I thought you were turning in early." "I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd take a walk. Anything interesting happening?"
"Nope, all is quiet. Care to join me on watch for awhile?" "Sure, I could use the company."
"Something troubling you, Adair."
"Oh, just the usual things....... no food, no water, long trip ahead, dangers we're not even aware of yet, trying to keep the group moving, getting to New Pacifica in time, etc., etc., etc. Plus, now I have to worry about Alonzo and Walmans trip tomorrow, and our only Doctor is acting very strange."Danziger grinned, "You're worrying too much. Besides worrying is supposed to be my job, your job is to tell *me* not to worry." To John's delight, that caused Devon to break into a large smile. God, he loved watching her laugh and smile. "Look Alonzo, and Walman are big boys, they can take care of themselves, and as for Julia, well, I don't know what's wrong with her. Maybe she's just overworked. Maybe we've been pushing her too hard to find something edible. She might just be letting the pressure get to her."
"I hope that's all it is."
"Trust me, in another couple of days, you'll be pushing us just as hard as ever to get moving. You'll be reminding us about all the families that are depending on us to get to New Pacifica on time.""I knew it was a good idea to come out here. I can always count on you to cheer me up." Devon yawned and stood up. "I better get going, it will be a long day tomorrow, and I've got to get up early." She reached for his hand and gave it a little squeeze, "Thanks John."
Danziger watched her go, but wished she had stayed. He was finding it harder everyday to keep from thinking about her. *Dammit, Danziger get a grip on yourself, at least until we get to New Pacifica.* He swore he would let her know how he felt when they got there. He suddenly wished New Pacifica wasn't so far away.
Alonzo woke up with Julia in his arms, but he just laid there holding her, it was still too early to get up, and he didn't want to awaken Julia. They had not fallen asleep until the early hours of the morning. So, he laid back and began to replay their last conversation, and the other events of the evening.
He had just stood there quietly holding her in his arms as she sobbed. She had cried for only a few minutes but to Alonzo it seemed like forever. He hated when she cried. Julia slowly pulled back to look into his beautiful dark eyes.
"I've been having these feelings of danger awaiting us if we stay here. Those feelings intensified when I found out we were staying and we were sending a team over to those mountains. It's not a dream Alonzo, I don't know what it is, but the thought of you going there is giving me feelings of near panic. I can't seem to shake those feelings. It's almost like I'll lose you if you go." She stared into his eyes with fear and despair.
"Julia, there isn't anything in those mountains that's going to keep me from loving you, and holding you in my arms. I'll be back before you know it." He gently brushed his lips over hers. "I'll be careful, I promise. Don't worry so much. Everything is going to work out. There is nothing you need to be afraid of. I won't let anything hurt you, and since you think I'm the one in danger, I'll be extra careful to make sure nothing happens to me either. O.K."
She gave him a small smile, then reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. "O.K. flyboy.....but you better keep your promise, or I'll haunt you forever in your dreams."
With his lips nearly touching hers, he replied in a husky whisper, "I don't dream, remember, although I wouldn't mind being haunted by you."
He leaned down and kissed her softly, and was surprised when she deepened the kiss with a desperate passion and urgency he had never felt from her before. Hands that were gently caressing turned into roaming, groping hands. They were forced to part to come up for air, and he saw his own needs and wants reflected in her eyes. They quickly undressed with a desperate need to fulfill their desires. As they embraced again, Alonzo slowly lowered her down onto a nearby cot.
Alonzo looked down at the still sleeping Julia. He wasn't surprised that she was tired. They had made love several times that evening before falling to sleep, then had awakened several more times throughout the evening to continue their explorations of each other. Alonzo couldn't understand why Julia seemed to have an almost desperate need to continue their love making even though they were becoming increasingly tired as the evening continued into the early hours of the morning. Yet, through it all, he didn't have the heart to deny her. He had a feeling that she feared it would be their last night of love together, and that she wanted it to be a night that neither of them would ever forget. No matter how hard he had tried to dissuade her fears, it continued to grip her like a vise, refusing to let go. He was almost tempted to ask Devon to choose someone else for this trip, but that would be like giving into the fear. He refused to be controlled in that way. *This is crazy, nothing is gonna happen. Why am I letting this bother me?* He didn't have to think very hard to answer that question. He was troubled because Julia was troubled, and what troubled Julia troubled him. He felt Julia stir, and was glad she was waking up, he would have to leave soon.
"Good morning."
Julia slowly opened her eyes, and sleepily looked up at him. "Is it morning already?""Yep, in fact it's about time to get up." "Oh, lets just lay here a little while longer, please." She snuggled deeper into his embrace.
"Alright. I guess it couldn't hurt to wait a little longer." He kissed the top of your head as he shifted slightly in order to caress her gently while he cradled her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Umm.....ya.....as well as can be expected for the amount of time we had to sleep. How about you?"
"I always sleep well with you in my arms." She lifted her head to look up into his eyes. She then leaned up and lightly brushed her lips against his. He wanted more, so he leaned into her and deepened the kiss. His kisses traveled down her neck and along her shoulder. A light moan escaped her lips.
Just as things were starting to get interesting again, Walman banged on the tent, "Wake up loverboy. Time to get up. Devon wants us to get going within the hour, and Morgan tells us you and the lovely Doc have had plenty of fun already. You guys have really got to learn to tune it down a bit, Morgan can really be a bear when he doesn't get enough sleep."
Alonzo gently disengaged himself from Julia who he noticed was deeply blushing. "Alright, alright. I'm getting up. Hold your horses. I'll be out in a minute." He climbed out of the cot and began to dress. Julia for her part stuffed her head under a pillow. Alonzo chuckled, "Come on out of there. You have to face up to this sooner or later. Can't hide from the world forever. You really have nothing to be embarrassed about, it's not like they don't already know what we do when we're alone together."
Reluctantly she climbed out of the cot and began to dress. "That doesn't mean we have to advertise. You know I'm uncomfortable talking about my personal life in front of everyone."
Alonzo smiled but didn't say a word. He went over to her, kissed her on the forehead, and then continued to get dressed, thinking how there couldn't possibly be a happier more contented man on this planet right now.
The group had gathered around the ATV that Walman and Danziger were busily storing supplies for the trip.
"Don't forget the cases for the samples." "We haven't."
"What about the Mag-Pro? Have you packed it yet?" "It's packed."
"What about water? Are you sure you have enough water?" "They're taking plenty of water, Adair. Enough with the questions already." "Just trying to make sure no preventable problems crop up later." "Well quit worrying we've got everything covered." Danziger looked up and spotted Alonzo and Julia heading their way."Hey Solace, you want to shake a leg. You and Walman should have gone an hour ago."
Alonzo and Julia walked up to the ATV. Alonzo with a big grin. "Sorry about that Danziger, I had some unfinished business to take care of." Julia blushed slightly as she pretended to check over some medical supplies the two men would be taking.
Devon walked over to them. "O.K. you two ready." "As ready as I'll ever be. You ready Walman?" "Ready."
"O.K. then get going."
Walman climbed on, and Alonzo was about to do the same, when Julia came up to him, threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. "Be careful," she whispered in his ear.He could still sense the fear that was gripping her, then he tightened his hold, and whispered back, "I will. I promise." He pulled back and kissed her lightly before climbing on and starting the engine. Julia stepped back to stand with Devon and John. She watched with concern in her eyes as they started to leave.
Devon quickly stepped forward and yelled, "Hey, don't forget to check in every two hours. I want you back within two days. First sign of trouble, you turn back!" She hoped they would take care of themselves. She turned and saw that the group had dispersed, and were going back to whatever they were doing, all that is except Julia who stood there watching as the ATV slowly disappeared from view. She walked up to Julia.
"Hey, you O.K.?"
"I'm fine."
Devon placed her arm around Julia's shoulders and steered her toward the Med-Tent. "Alright then come on. There is no sense in just standing here. That won't bring him back any faster."Julia nodded bravely. "You're right. I'd rather keep busy anyway. Bess brought by some type of root yesterday that may be edible. I really should start testing it."
"Good," Devon said as she started to walk toward her tent, after dropping Julia off at the Med-Tent, " and don't worry Julia, he'll be back before you even have time to miss him."
Julia looked off wistfully in the direction that the ATV had taken. *I hope you're right Devon.* It was time to get to work, she turned and entered the tent.
Continued in Part 2..............
Mountain of Fear, Part 2
by Rosa M. Moran
Copyright September 1995
It was going to take about three hours to get to the wooded area at the foot of the mountains. It had been about an hour since they had left, and not a word had been spoken. Walman looked over at Alonzo, who was driving. "Hey Solace, listen, I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you and the Doc a while back. It wasn't intentional. Devon wanted us to get going, and so I thought I'd go and wake you up. I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."
Alonzo chuckled, "Well, you did interrupt, but don't worry about it. You didn't embarrass me, but I'd stay away from Julia for a while."
"Man you really got it bad for her, don't you?" "Yeah, I really do. I have never felt this way about any woman before. This is one hundred percent for real, no doubt about it."
"I'm happy for you. I really am." Walman glanced toward the mountains. "How much longer before we get there?"
"Well I figure about an hour and a half, maybe two at the most, if everything goes smoothly."
"Well lets hope everything goes smoothly. I don't want to spend anymore time out here than we have to. Those mountains are giving me the creeps."
"Oh, not you too."
"What do you mean 'not me too'?"
"Julia has been having bad feelings about the mountains since we camped here.""Is that what's been bothering her?" "Yeah, but I'm not going to let it keep me from doing my job. We'll just have to be extra careful. You might as well relax. I'll let you know when we get there."
"O.K., but remind me to check in with Devon in an hour, or we'll never hear the end of it."
Devon was sitting out in the middle of camp watching Uly and True play. A small smile played on her lips. *I can't believe those two are actually playing without trying to rip each others heads off. It looks like there's hope for them yet.* She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard her name called. She turned and saw Magus heading in her direction.
"Sorry to disturb you Devon, but I thought you'd like to know." "You're not disturbing me Magus. What is it?" "Well, Walman just checked in, and so far so good. They should be arriving at their first stop, the wooded area at the foot of the mountains, in about an hour."
"That's great. I'm glad everything is going well. Thanks for the update." Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by two screaming kids. Devon turned to see Uly and True fighting over a swing that Yale had hung from a tree branch.
"So much for peace and quiet."
Magus walked away chuckling, "Well, it looks like you have your hands full. I certainly don't envy you.""Thanks a lot." Frowning Devon heads over to break up the fight. "O.K. enough. You two had better play nice or I'm taking away the swing."
"Awwww Mom. True started it."
"*I* started it!!!!"
"I don't care who started what, you either share or I take it away. That's final."Uly and True looked at Devon, then at each other. True finally broke the silence, "You take it. I'm going to look for Dad, and see if he needs any help." She then went running off to find her father.
For some reason Uly no longer seemed as interested in the swing, now that True had left. He decided to find something else to play with, and went running off. Devon watched them go smiling to herself, and wishing that all her problems were this easy to solve.
Julia had been working for hours, or what seemed like hours, she wasn't sure anymore. She had lost track of time, which was fine with her. It kept her mind off Alonzo. She stepped out of the tent, and noticed that darkness had fallen. *I've been working longer than I thought.* She noticed that the camp was pretty empty, and figured that they were all having dinner. However, she wasn't hungry, so she decided to just keep working, and maybe turn in early. It was only minutes later, when Devon, Danziger, and Yale entered her tent, that her whole world fell apart.
They all had very serious expressions on their faces, and Julia immediately new something was terribly wrong. It was Devon who finally broke the silence.
"Julia can we speak with you a moment. There is something you need to know."
She held her emotions in check. *Come on Julia, keep it together. You don't know it's Alonzo they're coming to talk to you about.* "Sure Devon, what's up?"
"It appears we have a slight problem." "Problem? What kind of problem?"
Devon looked to Yale and John. Near panic feelings began to creep up in Julia. Yale decided the best approach was to just simply say it. "We've lost contact with Alonzo and Walman." Julia's heart dropped, and she visibly paled.Devon took it from there, "They were supposed to check in several hours ago, but they didn't. We at first thought they had forgotten, so we waited. But, when the next check in time came and went with still no word, we started to worry. We decided to try and reach them. No good. We're haven't been able to get through."
Julia quickly put up her walls, the walls that kept her emotions from overwhelming her. She wanted to scream and cry, but new if she started now there would be no stopping the flood of tears. She had to think positively. *Alonzo is not dead, just missing.* She felt that if she told herself that enough times, then she just might start to believe it. "So, what do we do now?"
"Baines and I will be going out looking for them first thing in the morning."
"I'm going with you," Julia stated with determination. "Me too," Devon said with a look that told Danziger there would be no discussion.
"Now wait a minute, Baines and I can travel faster and track them down quicker without the two of you tagging along."
"Danziger, they may need immediate medical attention." A pleading look entered Julia's eyes, "Please John, I can't just sit here waiting, I'd just go crazy."
"Alright. I suppose we could use you." Danziger turned to Devon. "What's your excuse?"
"No excuses John, just facts. I knew there would be no keeping Julia from going, and if, when we get there, we need to split up for some reason, it would be safer to be in groups of two. So I'm going."
John didn't like it, not one bit, but he knew that both Julia and Devon were determined to go, and there would be no changing their minds. "Fine, we leave at first light. We better get some sleep, looks like we have a long day tomorrow."
As they started to leave Julia to her own thoughts, Yale placed his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry Julia, he will be found, alive and well. You must believe that."
Julia gave him a small smile, "Thanks Yale." Julia just stood there alone and in silence. She knew there was nothing she could do, but hope and pray. She decided to try and get some sleep, but her thought kept turning to Alonzo. *Please Alonzo be O.K. I can't lose you.* It was those thoughts that started chipping away at her walls. She tried desperately to keep the walls up and intact, but to no avail. Her walls soon collapsed and tears flowed freely. She finally stopped fighting, gave in to her emotions, and cried herself to sleep.
Bright and early the next morning, before the Sun had even risen over the horizon, the group left in the Dune Rail. Danziger and Baines in the front with Julia and Devon in back. The trip would take almost three hours, and for the most part it was three hours of silence. Each sat there immersed in their own thoughts, mentally trying to prepare themselves for whatever awaited them. Each hoping that they would find their friends, and for one, lover, well and safe.
"Heads up everyone, we'll be entering the wooded area any minute now," Danziger announced.
Devon leaned forward, "I'm still not getting any signal from their gear." "Well, we'll just follow the route they were supposed to be taking. Assuming they didn't veer off somewhere, we should run into them."
"I hope so," Julia whispered.
Devon turned toward Julia, "Hey, are you going to be O.K.?" Julia glanced at Devon before returning her gaze toward the woods they were about to enter, "Yeah, I'll survive.""O.K. everyone here we go," Danziger yelled out as the Dune Rail began it's trip through the woods, and up around the mountains. "Keep your eyes open for anything."
Hours passed and their friends were no where in site, nevertheless their search continued. They held their fears in check for no one was ready to give up just yet. They were determined to find Alonzo and Walman. Danziger decided to widen the search area. Another hour passed.
"Man, this is hopeless. They could be anywhere." Baines said with frustration.
"Don't say that. We'll find them. We have to." Devon chided. Then with a shout that caused the others to jump, Julia cried "STOP! STOP! I can see the ATV!" Before anyone had a chance to react to what she had just said, Julia jumped out of the still moving Dune Rail, nearly falling flat on her face in the process. She started running in the direction of a small clearing toward the western side of the mountains.
Devon shouted after Julia, "Slow down and wait for us." Baines noticed that the ATV appeared to be overturned. "Maybe they crashed, and that's why we lost their signal."
"Lets hope that's all it was and that their not badly hurt." Danziger looked over at Devon and Baines. "Keep your eyes open for any trouble."
Julia was the first to reach the overturned ATV. She found Walman lying near the vehicle, face down and unconscious. To her dismay Alonzo was no where to be seen. She had just slipped on her diaglove and was beginning to assess Walmans injuries, when Devon and the others arrived.
"Baines keep an eye out for any trouble, and for Alonzo." Danziger bellowed. "I'm going to check out the ATV to see if we can get any clues from it as to what happened here."
Baines nodded and took up a defensive position, while Danziger checked out the ATV.
Devon knelt down beside Walman, and worriedly asked, "How is he?" "I'm not sure yet. I can tell you this much, he's alive." Julia responded distractedly. "Help me turn him over."
Devon helped Julia turn Walman over, then Julia continued her examination. A few moments later, Julia looked up and stated, "Well, he doesn't have any broken bones. It appears he was in a fight with someone or something. He has the typical cuts and bruises associated with a fight or struggle of some sort. He also has a mild concussion."
Devon breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God it's not too serious." Julia nodded in agreement then noticed a small bloody mark just above his ankle. "Wait a minute. What's this?" She ran her glove down his leg. "Oh, my God!" she cried out in shock.
"What is it?"
"He's been shot with a ZED worm bullet, it has worked it's way up his leg, and is now just above his hip. I've got to get it out of him." She quickly made an incision right above the position of the bullet. She reached in, removed the bullet, and threw it as hard as she could away from their location. They all flinched as the bullet exploded."What the hell was that?"
"Baines, drop that Mag-Pro. NOW!" Danziger yelled with urgency. "There's a ZED around here somewhere."Baines quickly dropped the Mag-Pro, and crouched down. "Now what?" Before anyone could answer, Walman moaned as be began to regain consciousness.
"Walman, can you hear me. It's Julia." "Ohhh.......my head."
"It's going to be O.K. You have a small concussion and you were shot by a ZED. I took care of the bullet.""Can you tell us what happened?" Devon interrupted. "Devon, I don't think we should..." "No, it's O.K. Julia. You need to know and I want to tell you what happened." With Baines and Danziger listening intently, and with Julia and Devons help, he slowly sat up and began his story.
"We had been traveling through the wooded area for about two, maybe three hours. We were headed up into the mountains, and to be perfectly honest with you, we had forgotten to check in. We did find some interesting fruit though, and picked them up along the way to bring back with us for testing. We had stopped for a moment to take a look around. Alonzo was looking through Jumpers when he mentioned he saw what looked like a cave opening along the western side of the mountain ridge, about a kilometer away. We decided to head in that direction, knowing that it wasn't exactly along our planned course. We were about half a kilometer away from the cave opening, entering this clearing when all of a sudden two humans popped out of no where. Alonzo swerved to miss them and the ATV overturned in the process. We were both thrown out. The humans, which I think were penal colonist, began to rummage through our stuff. They were taking our gear, and some other stuff. Alonzo and I tried to stop them, when two more humans jumped us. I'm proud to say we were holding our own considering we were a little dazed from the fall off the ATV. It looked for a moment that we had won, when out of no where a ZED appears, knocks Alonzo over the head, turns and knocks me on my back. I thought this is it, we're goners. The ZED looked at the humans, pointed to Alonzo and said something like 'This one will be of benefit to us.' He then bent down over 'Lonz. I thought he was going to shoot him, so I tried to get up to help, when someone knocked me over the head from behind. The last thing I remember before blacking out was the ZED turning back toward me, while his buddies picked up 'Lonz and took him in the direction of the caves we were heading towards. He must have come back this morning to check and see if I was still alive, saw that I was, and he decided to finally finish me off by shooting me in the leg. You know, now that I think about it, those penal colonist actually appeared to be working for the ZED, if you can believe that."
They all sat in stunned silence quietly trying to absorb everything Walman had just said. Devon had contacted Yale and the others to let them listen in to Walman's story. They too were now quietly digesting the information. It was Julia who finally broke the silence that had prevailed over the group.
"I don't understand, why would the ZED take Alonzo and wait 'til morning to finish off Walman?"
"A better question is why would penal colonist be helping him?" Devon stated.
"Yeah, you would think he would shoot them with one of those damn worm bullets, then try to get all the information he could out of them." Danziger said with a confused look.
It was Yale who came up with an idea that had not occurred to anyone, "Maybe this ZED has been given a different set of orders to follow. Orders that involves the cooperation of others to fulfill his mission."
Walman suddenly spoke up, "Hey, you know this may sound crazy but that ZED seemed to recognize Alonzo, and I know we've never seen him before."
"Which means that this mission involves us." Julia concluded. "Maybe he was sent to track us down and kill us." Baines said. "No, the ZED wouldn't have taken Alonzo if his mission was to just kill us, and he certainly wouldn't have let Walman live as long as he did. Besides, it was probably EVE, or EVE as Reilly, who sent him his new orders, and EVE needs Uly, and it probably wants me too, for turning my back on the Council."
"Which explains why he took Alonzo. He wants you, Julia. EVE must have told him the two of you were involved." Danziger grimly stated.
"Which then explains why Walman was found here still alive." Devon interjected, "He could have easily killed Walman, but he didn't. Instead he waited until just over an hour ago, then shot him down by the ankle......"
Julia jumped in and continued Devon's line of thinking, "Knowing that it would take a long while for the bullet to work its way up to Walman's abdomen, especially since he was unconscious. He figured we would come looking for the two of them, and that Walman would then proceed to tell us what happened, and would be able to tell us in what direction they took Alonzo. Even if he died before we got to him, we would be able to tell by the way he died that at least a ZED was involved."
"You know he will be expecting you. By looking for Alonzo, you would be walking into his trap." Yale informed them.
"Well, that's a chance I'll just have to take, because I'm not leaving without Alonzo." Julia stated with determination. "I'll just have to be extra careful. Forewarned is forearmed, right?"
They all looked toward Devon for the final decision. Alonzo was a friend, and he needed them. He was always there when they needed him. How could she honestly justify not going after him. Devon could tell that Danziger wanted to try and save Alonzo too. Besides, the only way to really know what the ZED wanted was to find him. She hesitated only a moment longer then announced to everyone, "Danziger, Julia, and I are going after Alonzo. I'm going to send Walman back with Baines. Yale, I want you to double the guard around the perimeter of the camp in case this ZED or one of his friends decides to show up looking for Uly or anyone else. We'll keep in constant contact so that you can monitor our progress."
"Now wait a minute Adair, why is Baines going back? We could use him." "Danziger, we can't leave Walman here. He needs someone to take him back to camp, to recuperate. I think that Baines is the best choice, because he can then provide additional security back at camp. Besides, I was the one who sent Walman and Alonzo on this little adventure. It's my responsibility to make sure they get back safe and sound. We got Walman, now it's time to get Alonzo."
"O.K. then, where to first?"
"I think we should pay a visit to that cave Alonzo spotted up on the ridge." "Sounds like a good start to me. I'll go and get the Dune Rail. Baines you take Walman in the ATV. It still runs, and should get you back to camp."Danziger and Baines flipped the ATV back on it's wheels, and then Danziger carefully placed Walman in the passenger seat before heading off to get the Dune Rail.
Devon walked over to Baines, "Be careful. You should have enough water here to last you the trip, but just to be on the safe side, I'm going to have Yale send someone to meet you half way to help you or back you up. Now get going." She watched as Baines gave them a small wave and started for camp. Knowing that her gear was on, she cried out, "You hear all that Yale?"
"I heard it Devon. Cameron is on his way out to meet them even as we speak."
"That's great." She turned as Danziger rolled up in the Dune Rail and Julia started to climb in.
"Come on Adair, time's a wastin'"
"Good luck Devon, and take care. Concentrate on finding Alonzo, don't worry about us. We will all be fine."Moments later they were on their way. "O.K. ladies, here's the plan. We take the Dune Rail up to within one hundred meters of the cave entrance, then we walk from there. If he is waiting for us, I would rather not let him know we're coming. I'll then take the lead with the Mag-Pro, Devon you follow with the pistol, but for Godsake keep it hidden. Julia you take the rear, but keep your eyes open for an attack from behind. Any questions?"
The ladies silently shook their heads in response to his question. They drove on.
Alonzo woke up slowly, and tried to focus on the figures surrounding him. He wasn't sure about what had happened. He was sure that his head hurt. He heard someone calling out 'He's awake.' as he started to sit up. It was then that his eyes focused, and he saw the ZED approaching him. He quickly glanced at himself looking for bullet holes, but he didn't feel like he had been shot, and he didn't see any blood.
"You do not need to search. I have not shot you, yet." "What do you want?"
"Part of what I want will arrive here shortly. You have others searching for you now.""Where's Walman, my companion?"
"He was left behind. He was needed to tell the others what had happened." "You wanted the others to know?" The Zed nodded. "Why?" "I needed them to find us."
"Why?"
"You ask too many questions."
"That's because you're not acting like a typical run of the mill ZED." "My orders have been changed. I have a new directive." "What are your new orders?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. You are in no position to warn anyone, or to do anything about it. My new orders were given to me by the Council. I am to track down the Eden Advance group, and capture the boy named Ulysses Adair, and the doctor named Julia Heller. They are to be delivered to the Council, alive. The remainder of the group is expendable.""Why go through all this? Why didn't you just kill the rest of us and take them?"
"I was only one and you are many. There was a higher chance of discovery, and therefore failure of my mission, in proceeding in that fashion. Instead I decided to collect supporters," he swept his hand over the group of penal colonist standing nearby, "these men will be pardoned by the Council and will be able to return to the Stations once my mission is complete. I was informed that you were nearby. We were in the process of formulating a plan of action. One that would have gotten me in and out with minimal detection, and only a few causalities, so as not to attract interest. We ran into you and your companion by mistake. It has forced me to change my plans, fortunately all is not at a loss. I will be able to deliver the doctor."
"What do you mea.........," it was at that moment that Alonzo's eyes flashed with sudden realization and knowledge, and his heart froze with fear. Julia would be coming with the search party in case there were any injuries. They would find Walman, and he would tell them about the ZED and that he was taken. Julia of course would want to join in the search for him. She was virtually handing herself right into the ZED's hands. *And there's nothing I can do to stop it*, he thought in horror.
Continued in Part 3......................
Mountain of Fear, Part 3
by Rosa M. Moran
Copyright September 1995
Danziger pulled the Dune Rail to a stop about one hundred meters away from the cave entrance. They slowly made their way toward the cave, using the trees as cover. Soon they were standing at the entrance.
"Um, I don't like this. Why are there no guards?" Danziger grimly stated. "Maybe this is the wrong cave." Julia suggested. Devon feared, "Or, maybe they want us to go in. Maybe they're expecting us."
Danziger started walking off to the side of the cave, "Lets see if there's another way in."
They walked in a radius around the cave for several meters but found no other entrance. Discouragingly they made their way back to what appeared to be the only entrance. They were going to have to do this the hard way.
"O.K. you know the plan. I'll go in first. We are going to take it nice and slow, and keep your ears and eyes open for anything."
Danziger glanced at Devon and Julia before turning and heading into the cave. Devon followed closely holding a lumalight. Julia took up the rear, often glancing back to make sure they weren't surprised by an attack from the rear.
The mouth of the cave was wide and smooth from years of erosion. After walking about twenty meters into the cave, it began to narrow, and the walls became ruff with jagged pieces of stone sticking out. Fortunately they were walking single file, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid some of the jagged rocks.
"OW!"
"Be careful, John!" Devon chided.
"Geez, some of these damn rocks are sharper than knifes." "Yeah, and you're bigger than Julia or me, you have to be extra careful, so for God's sake watch where you're going, and keep quiet.""Yes ma'am," John grumbled sarcastically. They continued into the cave. The cave remained rather narrow for quite some time. The only good thing about their little adventure was with the cave being so narrow, it would be difficult if not impossible for anyone to hide for an attack. So, on the one hand they were feeling safe, but on the other hand they were beginning to wonder if perhaps they did have the wrong cave. John was about to suggest that they turn around and try to find another cave in the area, when the passageway they were traveling through began to widen. He slowed down, and went into instant alert mode. They went on wondering just how large was this cave.
Several minutes later, Devon broke the silence, "Look at that. Doesn't that look like a light up ahead."
"Adair is right, that's a light. Now keep quiet. I think we have surprise on our side. They're probably not expecting us to just walk right in."
"I hope you're right, or we're all in big trouble," Julia whispered. They walked toward the light.
"O.K., the light appears to be just around this corner. When I say three, Devon, you and I will turn the corner with our guns pointed, Julia you follow." John received determined nods from both women. "Alright then, one, two, three......now!"They turned the corner, and they were each awed and amazed by what confronted them. They were standing in a large dome shaped cavern filled with beautiful stalactites, and stalagmites. There was a small stream of water flowing down from the roof of the cavern down the back wall and then disappeared into the cavern floor. In the center of the cavern stood the ZED next to Alonzo who was sitting up against a boulder. Behind them stood two humans, one of which was pointing a gun at Alonzo's head. *So much for the element of surprise.* John thought glumly.
Alonzo looking up with fear and horror cried out, "Julia RUN! Run get out of here! It's a trap!"
Julia hesitated only a moment before she began to back out of the cavern, but it was that moments hesitation which was her downfall. The remaining two humans jumped out of their hiding places near the opening, blocking their way out. Julia, defeated, went back to stand next to John, and Devon.
The ZED called out, "It is so nice to finally meet all of you. I have been told so much about you. I must admit you took longer than expected to find us. Now, I would suggest you drop your weapons."
Both Devon and John hesitated. Realizing they needed an incentive to drop their weapons, the ZED turned toward Alonzo and shot him in the leg. Alonzo screamed in pain as he reached and clutched his leg. Julia paled and instinctively moved forward to help him, but Devon and John grabbed her. She struggled against their hold for a moment as tears welled up in her eyes at seeing Alonzo's pain.
"Now, shall we try that again. Drop your weapons." He pointed toward the human standing behind Alonzo, who cocked his pistol.
"Alright, alright. Take it easy. We'll drop them." Slowly Danziger and Devon lowered their weapons to the ground where they were swiftly picked up by the two humans standing behind them.
"A very wise choice, Mr. Danziger." "You didn't give us a choice.....Wait a minute, how did you know my name?" "I know all your names." Pointing to Devon then to Julia he said, "Devon Adair, and Dr. Julia Heller."
"That doesn't answer my question. How did you know our names?" "I was informed of your names, along with other facts about each of you, from the Council."
"The Council has been in contact with you?" Devon asked with surprise. "A Council representative has. I believe you know him....Councilman Reilly."
If the situation were not so grim, Danziger would have laughed at hearing that. "Sorry to tell you this buddy but Councilman Reilly doesn't exist. You've been following the orders of a computer."
"Your lies will not save you from your fate." "I'm telling you the truth. He is only a holographic image created by a computer in orbit named EVE."
"Although I do not believe you, regardless of his form, he has provided me with all proper Council codes, to the highest level. I *will* follow the orders."
Devon's ears perked up, "What are your orders?" The ZED proceeded to repeat his orders, as he had done with Alonzo. Through it all, Julia had been worriedly looking at Alonzo, anxiously wanting to help him. She could wait no longer. She stepped forward pleading, "Please let me treat Alonzo's injuries." Devon had reached for Julia to try to restrain her, but Julia determinedly brushed her off.
The ZED turned toward Julia. "You care for this one?" He pointed at Alonzo.
With tears in her eyes she replied, "Yes." "Why should I let you treat him?"
"You wanted me, right? Well, let me treat him and I'll come with you willingly.""Do you care enough to give your life for his?" "NO JULIA!!!!" Alonzo, Devon, and Danziger all cried together. She stood up straight, squared her shoulders, and looked him right in the eyes as she said, "Yes. But don't get me wrong, I would do the same for any one of the others."
"That is very noble of you, but you are giving me nothing that I don't already have. I have you already."
"Your orders were to bring me back *alive*. I will do whatever it takes to prevent you from fulfilling your orders, even if it means killing myself, if you do not allow me to treat Alonzo. I also want you to release my friends without harm. Think about it carefully, if I die you fail in your mission. Just in case you have any doubts," she reached into her medical bag and pulled out a hand gun. This both surprised the ZED, as well as, Danziger and Devon, who had no idea that Julia had been hiding away a hand gun.
"No Julia, please don't do this. Devon tell her please......" "Very well, I will let you treat this one, and I will allow your friends to leave the cave unharmed. You will then come with me."
Devon turned toward Julia, "Julia...." "I agree," she said while turning back to face Devon. "It's the only way Devon. Believe me, if there were any other way, but there isn't."
"There has to be another way," Devon sadly looked at Danziger for help. "We could fight." Danziger suggested. "What, and then one, if not all of us, gets killed in the process. All because of me. Well, I'm sorry but I can't let that happen. How could I possibly face Uly or True and say I'm sorry but because of me your parents were injured or killed. That's not going to happen!"
"But Julia........"
"No buts Devon, we both know this is the only way." For several long moments there was just silence, no one knew quite what to say. There was just nothing left to say. Julia looked over her shoulder at the ZED and Alonzo then began to slowly walk toward them.As Julia reached Alonzo, the ZED stepped forward, blocking her path, and held out his hand, "The gun."
"Oh no, I'll just keep the gun until you have released my friends." The ZED didn't say anything, he just lowered his hand and moved aside. Julia bent down and began to examine Alonzo, concentrating on searching for the bullet, to remove it.
"Julia........"
"Shhhh Alonzo, I'm trying to concentrate. I need to get the bullet out of you." She finally found the bullet, then proceeded to remove it. Once that was accomplished she began to treat his other injuries sustained from the fight."That is enough. He will live. It is time that they go. Give me your gun, and my bullet."
As she handed the ZED her gun she said, "The bullet will explode shortly, it has been almost an hour. I'll give it to my friends to dispose of outside the cave."
He took the gun. "Very well."
She looked back toward Danziger and Devon. "May I have a moment with my friends before we separate?""I will allow it. You have five minutes." Devon and Danziger walked over to where Julia and Alonzo were. Julia stood up and handed Devon a bullet and the rest of her medical equipment. She wouldn't be needing it any more. To Devon the bullet looked strange, but she quickly set that thought aside to concentrate on saying good-bye to her friend.
The two friends hugged, "Oh God Julia, I wish there was something we could do."
"I know Devon."
"If we can think of any way to get you out of this, to bring you back to us, we'll do it. I promise." Tears welled up in Devon's eyes, and she could barely get the next words out, "We love you.""I love you guys too," Julia whispered. She pulled away from Devon, and wiped away the tears that began to blur her vision. She turned to give John a hug, and was surprised to see tears in his eyes too. He hugged her tight.
"We will get you back," he whispered in her ear. She pulled away, and knelt to say her hardest good-bye. John placed his arm around Devon in an effort to try and comfort her, as they watched Julia and Alonzo.
She tried to smile as she looked into Alonzo's sad eyes, "Well flyboy it looks like you won't have any reason to stay once you get to New Pacifica. You can go off and continue to be the best damn pilot around. Breaking the hearts of every girl at every port you stop at."
He reached up to caress her check. "I don't want that life anymore. I haven't wanted that for a long time. I have new dreams now. Those dreams are of making a home for myself and the woman I love, with a white picket fence, overlooking the ocean. I love you, Julia. I want to grow old with you. I want to have children with you. Those are my dreams, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna give up on those dreams now."
Julia dropped her eyes. "I wish I could be a part of those dreams." "I'll go with you. Let the ZED take me to the Council too. I don't care if I make it to New Pacifica. Making it there will mean nothing without you."
She looked back up into his eyes. "No Alonzo, my place is here. Yours is back with the others. Go to New Pacifica, you'll find someone else to love," she started to cry, "and your dreams will come true." With those words she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. She broke the kiss to hug him tight, and whispered, "I love you. I'll always love you."
"It is time for your friends to go." Alonzo didn't want to let her go. Julia had to force herself out of his embrace. She stood and moved away from his reach.
Looking at Devon and Danziger, the ZED pointed toward the exit, "Take the pilot and go. You are free."
John and Devon carefully helped Alonzo to his feet, supporting him on both sides. They took one last look at Julia, then slowly headed for the tunnel. Alonzo turned his head one last time to look at the woman he loved before disappearing from sight, and shouted, "I'll never forget you Julia! I'LL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU!!"
"Good bye my friends, my love, and good luck," Julia said in a barely audible whisper.
Devon and John heard her though, their gear was still on. They also heard the ZED when he told the penal colonists, "Wait five minutes, go after them, and kill them."
"What?! You promised you would not harm them." Julia cried out. "I promised I would let them leave the cave unharmed. I did not say no harm would befall them once outside the cave. I still need the boy. Killing them now means three less I have to worry about later."
Devon, John, and Alonzo increased their pace. They had to get out of the cave, and take up some sort of defensive position to have a fighting chance against the armed penal colonists. It wasn't easy, moving an injured Alonzo through the narrow passage was very difficult. They were nearing the entrance when Devon voiced a concern of hers. "John how are we going to fight with no weapons?"
It wasn't John that answered, "Don't worry about that Devon, Cameron and I are waiting for you outside the cave entrance."
"Baines?!"
"Yep."
"What are you doing here? Where's Walman?" Yale spoke up before Baines had a chance to say anything. "Cameron met up with Walman and Baines about half way back. I was worried about you. Walman said he felt well enough to return to camp on his own, so I sent Cameron and Baines back to help if needed. Now I'm glad I did.""So am I Yale, thanks."
They soon met up with Baines and Cameron outside of the cave. Devon handed the bullet to Danziger, "Here John throw this as far as you can. It's due to explode any minute now."John grabbed the bullet and was about to throw it, when something caught his eye, and he looked at the bullet a little more closely.
"Are you crazy?! What are you doing?! Throw it!" "This isn't the right bullet Adair." "What do you mean it's not the right bullet? That's the bullet Julia gave me."
"Well she gave you the wrong bullet. This comes from a hand gun." "What do you mean she gave me the wrong bullet?" She grabbed the bullet out of Danziger's hand. "Here let me see that." With Alonzo looking intently over her shoulder, she took a closer look at the bullet. "Oh my God John you're right! She made a mistake and gave me the wrong bullet!"
"Somehow I don't think it was a mistake Devon. I think Julia intended to give you the wrong bullet, and keep the ZED's worm bullet."
"But why?" Alonzo said.
Devon turned back toward the cave entrance, realization shining in her eyes. "She did it to protect Uly, to protect us. She must have known the ZED would not keep his word." With tears in her eyes she whispered, "She is sacrificing her life for us."At that moment an explosion was heard and then felt as the ground shook beneath their feet.
"JULIA!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!" Alonzo screamed as he staggered toward the cave entrance. Danziger grabbed him, while Devon, Baines, and Cameron stood staring in shock. Alonzo struggled to free himself from Danziger's hold. He had to help Julia.
"It's too late 'Lonz. There's nothing you can do. There's nothing any of us can do." he said sadly, as a cloud of dust and smoke escaped the entrance.
Alonzo stopped struggling. *She's gone. Oh God, she's gone.* He fell to his knees and sobbed. All his dreams, all his desires, all of his hopes, destroyed in the blink of an eye.
Julia knew she didn't have much time left. The five minutes had passed quickly, but she was more interested in the time left for the bullet she was holding to explode. She was fortunate that no one had heard the bullet start beeping yet, signaling that it was near time. She had to think fast. *There has to be a way for me to stop the ZED, and the penal colonist from going after the others, without killing myself in the process.* One thing Julia did not want to do was die, not if she could help it. The only problem was that she wasn't sure how to help the others and stay alive at the same time. She watched as the ZED motioned for the penal colonist to go after her friends. They had just started to leave the cavern and enter the tunnel leading out of the cave, when an idea struck her. *Well, it's now or never.* Before anyone realized what was happening, and before anyone could react, she threw the bullet into the tunnel. The explosion that ensued sent shockwaves through the ground. A large portion of the cave tunnel collapsed, trapping and more than likely killing the penal colonists. Part of the cavern she and the ZED were standing in began to collapse as well. She tried to find some sort of protection as pieces of rocks and stalactites came crashing down on top of them. She felt an impact on the back of her head and fell, as the ground continued to shake. Her last thoughts before darkness overwhelmed her, were of Alonzo and lost dreams.
Devon felt awful. She felt awful for Alonzo, awful for herself, awful for all of Eden Advance. They had just lost a friend, a member of their family. She absentmindedly walked back toward the cave entrance.
Danziger grabs her arm. "Adair, where do you think you're going?" "John, I have to see that she is gone. I have to know, for my own peace of mind. I can't just walk away without knowing for sure."
"That explosion could have made the cave very unstable. Parts of the cave could still collapse."
"I know, but I'm still going."
"Fine, I'm going with you." He walked over to Baines and Cameron, and pointed to Alonzo, "Make sure he stays put. He's injured and he'll just slow us down if we have to get out in a hurry." Both men nodded. He picked up a lumalight and headed back toward Devon. "O.K. Adair, lets go."They started walking into the cave with Danziger leading the way. They took it nice and slow. They had gotten through the narrow portion of the cave, when Danziger came to a dead stop.
"Why are you stopping?"
"Because it's a dead end."
"What?! There's still a good fifty meters before we reach the cavern. You mean to tell me the passageway is block this far away.""That's exactly what I'm telling you." "Wow, that must have been some explosion to have caused such a large cave in."
"Devon! John!" Alonzo shouted through their gear. Devon replied first, "What is it Alonzo?" "You're not going to believe this, but I'm getting a signal from Julia's gear."
"What? How can that be? Is she responding?" "No response, just the signal."
"I don't understand it John, you would think her gear would have been destroyed in the explosion or the cave in."John thought for a moment, "Unless the explosion didn't occur in the cavern. You said yourself that it would have had to have been a huge explosion to have caused a cave in this far away from the cavern. What if the explosion happened in the tunnel."
"You think she threw the bullet into the tunnel?" "That would make sense. She either threw it or took it into the tunnel herself, but since her gear is working, I'd lean toward the first choice. She was probably trying to trap the penal colonist, and the ZED in, maybe she even hoped to kill a few of them."
"No, knowing Julia, she wouldn't have tried to kill them on purpose. If any died they died by accident. But, if what you say is true, then Julia could still be in the cavern, and could still be alive." Devon immediately went into action. "Alonzo keep trying to reach Julia. Don't stop."
"Don't worry about that Devon, I don't intend to stop." "Yale, you get all that?"
"Yes Devon. What would you like us to do?" "Send Zero in the ATV Walman brought back, and throw in as much digging equipment as the ATV can handle.""I'll send Zero right away. Do you want the rest of us? We could bring the Transrover."
"No, you would be traveling too slow. If she is alive, she needs help now. As it is, it will take Zero at best two and a half hours to get here, and depending on the amount of air in the cavern, that may be too late."
"O.K. Devon. Good luck, and we will pray for all of you." "Pray for Julia, Yale. She's the one who will need all the help she can get." She turned toward Danziger. "Come on John, let's get out of here. We need to come up with a plan of action before Zero gets here." They quickly made their way back outside with hope rather than sorrow in their hearts.
Deep within a mountain in a dimly lit cavern full of swirling dust and stale air, Julia stirred. She was slowly regaining consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes expecting to be immersed in total darkness. To her surprise there was a very dim light. She was lying face down on the ground, with small pieces of rocks and dust covering her. She groaned as she tried to turn over. She hurt everywhere, but managed to turn over and shortly thereafter sit up. She decided to try and assess her injuries. Her left leg was a mess, the knee was twisted, and there was a nasty deep gash on her calf. She tore a piece of her shirt off and tied a tourniquet below the knee. Unfortunately, she couldn't do much else without her diaglove. She almost wished she hadn't given Devon the diaglove to take back with her. Her right shoulder was killing her, it didn't feel like it was dislocated. She figured it was probably badly sprained. The back of her head hurt, and she felt a little bit of blood, more than likely a concussion. Other than that there were just your basic cuts and bruises. She looked around and noticed several large rocks lying nearby. *I suppose I shouldn't complain. I'm lucky to be alive.* She suddenly thought of her gear. She reached up to her head, nothing. *It must have fallen off.* She tried to stand and had to lean on a rock for support as the room began to spin. After a few moments, the room stopped spinning and she was able to get a better view of her surroundings. She saw that the light was coming from a lumalight that had survived the cave in, and was fortunately still working. She hopped over to the light, trying to put as little pressure on her left leg as possible. She grabbed the light and came back to the area she was lying on, to look for her gear, praying that it would still work. After what she feared was a hopeless search, she found it, it was working, and to her delight Alonzo was calling her.
"Julia, can you hear me? Julia, are you there?..............Julia, can you hear me? If you can hear me, please answer........Julia, ca........"
"Alonzo! I'm in the cavern. I'm alive. Can you hear me?" The dust had not yet completely settled, and it caused her to cough.
"JULIA!! Thank God!!! Are you O.K.?" He turned toward the others. "Devon, John, I have her. She's alive!" They quickly put on gear to join the conversation.
"I'm alive," she said between coughs, "I can't say much more than that." She went on to describe her injuries. "My biggest concern at the moment is air. I'm not sure how much air I have."
"Julia, I've sent for Zero, and other digging equipment. He should be here in about another hour and a half. We have already started removing some of the stones, but it will be a slow process. There is at least fifty meters of rock we have to dig through."
"I hope you make it in time."
"We will Julia, I swear!" Alonzo cried out. "Just sit tight and try to relax.""No I better keep moving, or at least talking. I want to stay awake because of my concussion." She decided to search for the ZED. He had to be around there somewhere. He wasn't standing that far from her when the cave in began.
Danziger cut in, "Julia, what happened? Are you alone?" "The ZED wasn't going to keep his word John. He was sending the penal colonist to kill you outside the cave."
"Yeah, we know. We heard over gear. What happened after that?" She continued searching for the ZED. "I still had the worm bullet. I had kept it hoping to get a chance to use it again the ZED. How, I'm not sure, but I had to do something. I couldn't let him hurt you guys. When I saw the penal colonist heading out to go after you, I made a choice. I threw the bullet into the tunnel where it exploded causing the cave in. I'm afraid the colonist were buried. I don't think any of them could have survived. The ZED and I were in the cavern, and a small part of the cavern also collapsed. I'm lucky to come away with what I did. I'm not sure how the ZED is. I'm looking for him now."
"Are you crazy? Just leave him be. If he were there instead of you, he wouldn't give a damn about you." Alonzo said angrily.
"I know that, but I have to know anyway." "Just be careful." Devon said.
"I will."
She continued to keep a light conversation going, while continuing her search. She found him a few minutes later. He was a bloody mess. He was trapped under a large boulder from the waist down."I found him."
"Is he alive?" Devon asked.
She reached down to feel for a pulse. Nothing. "No." "You sound almost disappointed."
"I always hate it when a life dies. I know he was a killing machine, but he was made that way by the Council. The Council turned him into a cyborg. The Council took away his emotions. The Council taught him to kill. And now the Council has cost him his life. Damn them." She started to cough uncontrollably."Julia?! Are you all right? Julia?" Alonzo called out. "Yeah. There's a lot of dust still floating around. It's not exactly the freshest of air. I'm going to head over to where that water was coming in, and see if it's drinkable. I need to clear my throat."
"Do you think it's still flowing?"
"I think so. I hear something. It could be water." "O.K. Let us know when you get there, and be careful." "I will." She then headed in the direction of the sound, hoping that it wouldn't be blocked from her reach.
Devon paced nervously in front of Alonzo. She was taking her *mandatory break* as Danziger had put it. They were each taking turns on breaks from the digging, and right now it was Alonzo and her turn. They had tried to convince Alonzo to relax, that they could handle the digging themselves, but he would hear nothing of it. He was going to help and that was that. Unfortunately, it was a slow process without digging equipment. Zero had just contacted them to let them know he would be there in a few minutes. That was twenty minutes ago. *Where is he?* Devon thought in frustration. She continued to pace watching for Zero, while Alonzo spent most of his time talking to Julia.
Julia had reached the source of the sound, and it was water. Fortunately, she was able to reach it, and it was drinkable. Now all she wanted to do was rest. She had lost a lot of blood from the wound in her leg and was feeling a little dizzy. Trying to breath shallow in order to conserve her air, she sat down leaned back against a rock and waited.
Ten minutes later Danziger, Baines, and Cameron came out of the cave, to grab something to eat and some water. Devon almost laughed as the three men came toward them. They were all, including herself, covered in dirt and dust from head to toe. It was indeed a site to behold.
"Zero not here yet?" Danziger asked. "No."
"Well, he better get here soon. We've gone about as far as we can go without other equipment. There are a couple of pretty large boulders blocking our path.""I'll try and reach him again."
Suddenly Baines grabs Devon's arm, "Hey, I see him!" They all turned toward the West and sure enough there came Zero barreling toward them at full speed in his ATV. He pulled to a stop in front of a very tried but happy group."Zero, are we glad to see you," Danziger said while helping him out of the ATV. Meanwhile Baines, Cameron, and Alonzo started removing some of the digging equipment that was tied down onto the ATV. Alonzo excitedly informed Julia that Zero was there, and that she would be out in no time.
"Come on, we still have a long way to go before we reach the cavern where Julia is trapped." Devon said while she grabbed a shovel and headed for the cave. The others followed closely behind, with their own shovels and picks.
It was a frustratingly slow process, even with Zero. With each hour that passed they managed to dig through three to four meters. Eight hours had passed since the cave in, and they had only gone about twenty meters. They still had thirty meters to go before they reached the cavern entrance, then they had to dig through part of the cavern. They had to come up with a faster way, or Julia was not going to have a chance. The process wasn't made any easier with the narrowness of the tunnels. Zero often had to break the larger boulders into smaller pieces so that they would pass through the tunnels out of the cave. But, even the smaller pieces were often too heavy for the men to lift. It was Danziger who came up with a way to move the stones without Zero taking the time to carry them all out himself, as he had been doing. He suggested pulling the Dune Rail into the cave as far as it will go, then tying several pieces of rope together. They would then tie the end of the rope to several rocks, then the Dune Rail would pull the rocks out of the way. Everyone thought this was a great idea. With his injured leg, Alonzo was an easy choice as the driver of the Dune Rail. They were soon digging through at a much faster pace. Hope was renewed.
Continued in Part 4.............................
Mountain of Fear, Part 4
by Rosa M. Moran
Copyright September 1995
Julia had just received a message from Alonzo saying they had managed to dig through about thirty-five meters, and that things were going much smoother and faster now that Danziger's Dune Rail idea was going full steam. They had gone another fifteen meters in three hours. They were now digging at a rate of five to six meters per hour.
"That's great 'Lonz. At that rate you should be here in maybe four or five hours at worst, right?"
"That's right, Doc. So, get ready, 'cause when we get you out, I'm going to give you the biggest hug and kiss you've ever had."
"That would have been nice, 'Lonz." She had said that so quietly that Alonzo didn't quite catch it all.
"What was that? What did you say?" "Nothing. It was nothing." She didn't want to worry him, so she never mentioned to Alonzo or the others that she wasn't going to make it. She didn't have another four or five hours to live. Already it was getting hard to breath. She was fast losing her air supply. *Well there's no sense in just waiting around to die. I might as well try to do something productive to keep my mind off it.* "Listen 'Lonz, I've noticed some light reflecting off of something metal on the other side of the cave. I'm a little tired of just sitting here. I think I'll just head over there and see what it is."
"O.K., but take it easy, we wouldn't want your injuries to get any worse then they already are."
"Don't worry I will."
Half limping, half hopping, Julia slowly made her way over toward the reflection. She found it buried under rumble. It was a slow process, especially with a bad shoulder and leg, but she managed to clear away the rocks and dust to get a better look at her discovery. What she found made her smile."Heller to Adair. Are you there Devon?" "Julia? Is something wrong?"
"No. To the contrary, I've got great news!" "Don't tell me you found another way out of there!" "I wish. No, I'm afraid I'm stuck here until you dig me out." "So, what's the *great* news?"
"Well, you know that your water problems have been resolved, because there is plenty of fresh water flowing here in the cave that you can collect. Now, I'm happy to report that your food problems have been resolved as well!""What?!"
"I found food! Lots of it!"
"You're kidding!"
"Nope! I guess this is where the ZED and those penal colonist kept their supplies. Devon, I think there is enough food here to feed everyone for at least a month. It looks like something good will come out of all of this. You really lucked out.""We all did Julia. We found food. You're alive. Things couldn't be any better."
Julia shook her head as a small smile crossed her face. *Yeah, right, things couldn't be any better.* "No Devon, you and the others lucked out. I'm afraid my luck just ran out." Julia whispered.
This time Alonzo heard her. "What are you trying to say Julia?" "Nothing. It's nothing important." "Don't give me that dammit. I know you too well Doc. You're hiding something, so spill it."
Julia hesitated for a moment. What was the use, they would worry regardless of whether she told them or not. "Oh 'Lonz, I don't have four or five hours left. My air is going to run out before you reach me."
Alonzo didn't know what to say. He just sat there in stunned silence, as his dreams began to unravel again. In desperation, he closed his eyes and entered the dreamplane, searching for help.
It was Devon who finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "Julia are you sure?"
"No, I'm not sure. All I know for sure is that I'm starting to experience some difficulty in breathing, and it will only get worse."
"Well just do whatever you can to hang on because I'll be damned if we're going to let you die now, not after all you've had to go through to survive this far. We'll do what we can on our end to try and speed things up."
"O.K., I'll do what I can Devon, but hurry," and with those words she sat back down and waited.
Three more hours passed before they had finally reached the entrance to the cavern. Sure enough it was going to take more digging before they could get Julia out. How much? No one was quite sure. Hopefully not too much. Alonzo had pleaded with the Terrians for their help. Hoping they could rise up from the ground in the cavern and bring Julia out. But they would not interfere, to them we had brought this upon ourselves. The Terrians could sense Alonzo's grief and sadness growing within him, so they said even if they would help, they couldn't. There were too many rocks. They can not pass through the rocks. Alonzo disappointedly relayed to the others what the Terrians had told him. It was up to them. They kept digging in silence, left to their own thoughts. Not long after that, they noticed that Julia has been unusually quite. They had not checked on her in a while, and were getting worried. Devon felt it was time to check on Julia.
"Julia, it's Devon. How are you doing?" Silence.
She tried again, a little more urgently this time. "Come on Julia, don't scare us like this. How are you doing?"Silence.
This time it was Alonzo who spoke as panic threatened to overwhelm him. "Julia, querida, answer us please. We're almost there. Just a little longer. You have to hang on just a little longer."Silence.
Danziger quickly jumped in and began to swing a pick ax like a man possessed. "O.K. everybody, this is it. It's now or never. Give it all you've got!" The others quickly followed suit.
Oxygen levels had dropped steadily for the past several hours. In the cavern, Julia laid in silence. Each breath taken was a struggle. She was losing consciousness, and was barely aware of her surroundings. There in the distant reaches of her mind, she could almost hear someone calling her. It was Alonzo, pleading for her to hold on, just a little longer. *I'll try.* It felt so good to just let go, to just let it end. The pain, the fear, the uncertainty of the future, all gone, replaced with a felling of peace. Her thoughts turned toward Alonzo. If there was one thing in her life worth living for, it would be the feel of his arms around her, the touch of his lips upon hers, and the thought that his love for her was unconditional, unquestioned. She loved him more than anything, more than life itself. Blackness slowly engulfed her, as unfulfilled dreams filled her thoughts.
Zero had increased his speed, as had all the others. They had managed to cover the remaining distance in record time. It was Danziger who screamed, "Eureka!," as his ax went into and then through the wall. Fresh and precious air was now flowing into the cavern.
As the opening was widened so that they could enter and look for Julia, Cameron told Devon that on their ATV there was some additional medical supplies, including an oxygen mask.
Devon quickly contacted Alonzo, who was still manning the Dune Rail. "Alonzo, did you get all that?"
"Yeah Devon, I'll take out the medical equipment and have it ready to treat Julia when you bring her out."
"Get the oxygen ready too. She'll be needing it." They all quickly entered the cavern, except for Zero who headed back out of the cave to assist Alonzo. They headed in the direction of the sound of water they heard, and then from that point walked toward the rear of the cavern. Devon was the first to spot Julia. She rushed toward her friend, and ignoring the feelings of dread, and hopelessness, anxiously felt for a pulse, praying she would find one. Tears were in her eyes as she turned toward the others and announced to Alonzo over gear, "She's alive!" Devon watched as the men reflected the relief and joy she was feeling.
"Well don't just stand there lets get her out of here. She may be alive but she still needs medical treatment for her injuries."
Danziger knelt down and carefully lifted Julia into his strong arms. "I'll take her out. Baines, you and Cameron start removing these supplies."
"O.K. Danz, no problem."
Devon quickly exited the cave with Danziger close on her heels. They brought Julia over to where Alonzo and Zero were waiting by the vehicles. Alonzo placed an oxygen mask on Julia, and almost instantly her breathing began to improve.As Devon and Alonzo worked on Julia, Danziger turned toward Zero. "Go back and help Baines and Cameron with removing the supplies from the cave. Oh, and take whatever containers you can find from the two ATVs and the Dune Rail, to collect water."
As Zero headed for the cave, Danziger turned back toward Devon and Alonzo, who were attending to Julia. Truth be told, Julia looked like a bloody mess, with cuts and bruises over most of her body. He watched as they tried to dress her wounds. That helped a little, but they weren't physicians. They new how to prevent the problems from getting worse, but not necessarily how to treat the problems themselves. That had always been a real concern of Devons'. They had a doctor to treat the colonists, but if the doctor got sick, who was there to treat the doctor. Their only hope was that Julia was strong enough to recover enough to treat herself. They had done all they could do. All they could do now was wait.
She opened her eyes, and saw the handsome dark eyes of the man she loved. She saw the expression of love and pure happiness. She saw the walls, roof, and noticed the equipment that was normally associated with the Med-Tent. Julia was dreaming, or at least it felt like a dream. This couldn't be real. She should be lying dead in a cave in the mountains. It wasn't until she tried to move, and felt pain, that she finally realized this wasn't a dream. *I'm alive!* She glanced back up to the man sitting beside her.
He reached up and gently caressed her cheek, "How are you feeling?" Devon walked in as she answered, "Tired. Everything hurts. What happened? How did I get here?" With Alonzo's help, she slowly sat up.
Alonzo and Devon smiled and began their story. They told her how they found her. How they tried to treat her injuries as best as they could.
"Your leg is still in bad shape, but now that you are feeling a little better you can treat your other injuries yourself." Devon said.
"After we had done what we could, we loaded you into the two man ATV and I drove you back to camp. Devon followed in the one man ATV with as many supplies as she could carry. Danziger and Baines came back in the Dune Rail with more supplies, then they went back several more times for supplies, then to pick up Cameron and Zero."
Devon picked up the story. "Each round trip took about six hours, and they had to make several trips before they had all the food supplies and had filled all of the water canisters. It was a great find. We were lucky, in more ways than one." Devon said with emotion. "We decided to just camp here while the food supplies were gathered, and to give you time to recover. You've been out cold for the past thirty six hours."
"Thanks, I appreciate everything you've done." "We couldn't very well leave our only doctor behind." Devon looked straight into Julia's eyes. "And, I couldn't let my best friend die." Julia just smiled as she shed tears of joy. Joy at being alive, joy at being with friends, and family. Devon bent over and gave Julia a small hug, not wanting to hurt her shoulder. "Well, I better go. Get some rest, we'll be moving on soon." Pointing at Alonzo as she stepped out of the tent, "Don't tire her out Mr. Solace."
Alonzo smiled and saluted to Devon's departing figure, "Yes ma'am", then turned back toward Julia. He helped her back down onto the bed and tucked her in.
She looked up at him and smiled. "Well flyboy, it looks like your stuck with me a little longer."
He looked intently into her eyes, then slowly bent and gave her a tender kiss. Julia just melted. It felt so good to be alive. Alonzo slowly pulled away with a small grin on his face, "That's O.K. by me. I'm just happy to know that my dreams are still alive and kicking."
Julia blushed, "So am I." She leaned up and returned his kiss. She no longer had anything to fear from those mountains, and tonight for the first time since they had camped there, she would sleep peacefully.
(Voice of Devon Adair)
This past week was difficult for all of us. We came close to running out of food, and we almost lost a friend, a member of our family. We came through it all, as I had hoped we would. Working together as a team, never giving up, although it would have been the easy thing to do. Julia is slowly recovering from her ordeal. The scars on her body will soon heal, the mental scars will take longer, but Alonzo has been constantly by her side, and I have little doubt he will always be there. We now continue our journey to New Pacifica, grateful for the food and water we did find, grateful that we didn't lose anyone, but weary of other dangers that lurk out there. We now know that EVE has not given up on us, but I have confidence that we will be able to handle anything it manages to throw at us, together as one.
-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.