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Nightmare Journey
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Chapter Twelve- A Blast from the Past “You three have
what is referred to on Anoxis as the anot,
Professor,” Smith said. “It
is a slang term of an old word for ‘welcome to the planet,’ and is
something that happens to every humanoid that comes here.
It’s not contagious, and once one has had it and recovers,
there is no reoccurrence.” The doctor was
checking Penny and finally noticed the silence that followed his
explanation. Glancing up,
he saw that the professor was asleep, which didn’t surprise him in the
least. When he examined Will, he nodded in satisfaction, but he
frowned in concern when he finished checking over the other two.
Sighing, he put his diagnostic tools back in the bag he had
brought with him. He
wondered where the rest of the family was and where the Jupiter II had
landed. Something that
large would have been noticed even in this rural setting. Leaning over Will,
Smith gently shook him on the shoulder.
“William? William,
can you hear me?” The boy groaned
slightly and then opened his eyes, finally focusing on the doctor. He
gasped in surprise as he recognized him.
“Dr. Smith! Is it
really you or am I delirious again?” “It is I, William.
In the flesh. You are not delirious,” he said, with a slight smile.
“You have grown, my boy.” “I’m so glad to
see you. I’ve missed
you,” Will said. “So
much has happened....” He
stopped and looked around as though aware of his surroundings for the
first time. “Where are
we? I don’t remember much
except slogging through the swamp.” “The swamp?
Where did you three come from and where is the rest of the
family?” “It’s kind of a
long story, but....” Will paused again and turned to his dad. “Oh, Dad is sick, too, isn’t he?
Is he going to be okay, Dr. Smith?” “Yes, William, he
is sick, but normally this illness is not fatal.
He should be all right with rest and medicine,” Smith reassured
him. “How are you
feeling?” “I’m very tired,
but I feel a lot better than I did when we first came to this world,”
Will replied. Looking up he
saw six sets of golden eyes staring down at them.
“Nova, it’s okay. You
remember Dr. Smith, don’t you?”
A petulant squeak came from the rafters. The doctor looked up
in surprise. “Well, I see
you still have your little friends.
Are they as obtrusive as they were before?”
Silverado floated down from his perch and landed on John’s
chest, first glaring at Smith and then rubbing against his friend’s
chin. “Oh, dear.
I believe that he still remembers that little incident back on
K’rt’rm doesn’t he?” Smith
asked. John woke up with a
start, his feverish eyes regarding Dr. Smith intently.
“I wasn’t dreaming, was I?” he asked.
“Did I understand you correctly, that we are sick due to
something on this planet?” A
racking cough interrupted his questions. After gasping for breath, he
finally asked, “Penny? How
is she?” “Yes, you
understood correctly, Professor. As
for Penny, I need to give her something for her fever, which is quite
high. But she’ll be fine in a couple of days. In your case, I will have to deal with whatever got into your
lungs before you catch pneumonia. If
I heard William right, you three came through the swamp?” John just nodded,
unwilling to risk saying anything that would cause his lungs to spasm
again. “Then it’s no
wonder that you are so tired. I
have my car parked outside. The
ride will be a bit rough, but my house is much more conducive to your
recovery than this barn would be,” Smith explained. “Thank you, Dr.
Smith,” John said, grabbing a peg that stuck out from the wall and
pulling himself up. Will
held onto his arm to steady him. As though in
anticipation of the professor’s next comment, Smith said, “I will
get Penny. You worry about
yourself.” The doctor
went out and by the time John reached the doorway, he was coming back
in. He had opened the doors
to the bulkiest land vehicle that John had ever seen.
It didn’t quite have the same lines as a tank, but it looked
almost as secure as one. Perhaps
the vehicle that it came closest to matching was a humvee.
Leaning against the outside of the building, John decided that he
would be grateful for a goat cart.
Anything to keep from walking anymore.
Another coughing spell left him gasping for breath and dizzy. Smith came out
carrying Penny, placing her carefully in the back seat, Will climbing
after her. The
flutter-dragons floated in behind the children.
With the doctor’s help, John got comfortable in the front and
leaned his head against the cool metal frame as Smith started up the
engine. “It is not
anything to look at, but it’s perfect for getting around these marshy
areas and it certainly doesn’t blow away in a hurricane,” Smith said
as though excusing his transportation. “Beats walking,”
John murmured. ‘Talon?’ he
called. ‘I will follow from above. That would be better, John,’ the raptor
answered. ‘All right,’ he answered, trying to relax. Smith was saying something, but for some reason, his voice
seemed to get softer and softer, and soon John remembered nothing more
of the ride.
============================== Lying in the cold
snow, Don muttered and cursed under his breath, before handing the
binoculars to Dar. “We
missed them, just as we did on Valanna,” Don commented to Maureen who
was behind him. The echoing
boom of the departing spaceship told the others what Don had already
seen with the binoculars. “Do you think they
have John and the children?” Maureen asked with concern. “I don’t know, I
just don’t know,” Don answered quietly, frustration evident in his
voice. “Major West,
look,” Dar said, thrusting the binoculars back into Don’s hands and
pointing in another direction. Don searched the
indicated area and was astonished to see an alien peering over a ridge
near theirs. And he
didn’t look happy. “Well,
well,” Don muttered. “Someone
got left behind. Maybe he
has the answer to our questions.”
He handed the binoculars to Maureen and slid back down the ridge.
“I’m going to see why our friend was left behind. I’ll
be right back.” Using
bushes, trees and rocks, Don made his way around to the position where
the alien was last seen. A
muttering sound told him that the spaceman was still there.
The snow was slippery and his quarry became aware of his
approach, running away before he could reach him. But the slick surface
gave Don an advantage, as he quickly scouted the smoothest way down and
slid downhill as though he was on skis, knocking the alien off his feet
and tackling him. The tall, thin
humanoid fought; trying to bite, scratch and hit him, but Don pulled his
arms behind him and was able to subdue him until Dar and his men could
reach them. While the
guards held the Brumyatta crewman, Don pulled out his translator and
turned it on. “Who are you?” the major asked. The man was silent.
Don sighed. “They
left you. Abandoned you.
Wouldn’t wait. How
loyal are you going to be to that?” The dark little eyes
changed from defiance to despair. “What
little I know would not hurt my employers anyway,” the alien said in
resignation. “I am
Mrindren, a technician on the spaceship that just took off.” “Why were you
left?” “Captain clo Yondah
had what he wanted. Especially
after the Guardian and his companions destroyed the gate to the next
planet,” he answered. “What do you mean,
destroyed the gate? Do you
mean the Guardian is on the other side and no one can follow?” Don
asked, wanting corroboration for the assumptions he was making. “Yes,” came the
short answer. Don turned to
Maureen. “Well, at least
we know that John isn’t a prisoner of this clo Yondah.
He can’t chase John and the children anymore, either.” “Oh, but he can.
He has a copy of the gate destinations and can go there in the
ship. It just takes
longer,” Mrindren stated with pride. “That is how ubi Biro was able to come here and meet Capt.
clo Yondah.” “And what is the
planet that this next gate went to?” Don asked tersely. “What is in it for
me, if I give you the answer?” Mrindren asked, folding his arms and
staring resolutely at Don and the rest of the company.
He had regained his composure quickly. “A great deal, if
you also give us the coordinates,” Maureen interjected. Staring at her in
curiosity, the Brumyatta technician just blinked and then finally said,
“Give me an example of your generosity and maybe I can help you.” Don was seething,
wanting nothing more than to backhand the smug alien into the snow. Maureen put her hand on his arm.
‘Don, no.’ “Safe passage to
your home world,” Maureen offered. “Not enough, there
has to be some monetary gain in this, too.
I am losing pay by not being on the Lucky
Harvester,” he said. “You
have to do better than that if you want me to give you the information
you need to find the Guardian.” “You should have
taken me up on my first offer, Mrindren.
I know now that the planet in question is Anoxis.
Now, you can cooperate with us or I can use my telepathic
abilities to find out the rest. I
just wanted to give you the opportunity to do this the easy way,”
Maureen said smoothly, her whole body a study in firm resolve. Mrindren paled.
“Telepathic?” “Yes, and I can
make digging the information out of your brain very unpleasant, if you
refuse to tell us what we need to know,” she bluffed, sounding very
menacing and convincing. Mrindren’s thin
white lips were drawn tightly across his teeth in fear and his bulbous
eyes seemed almost to be bulging out of their sockets.
“Yes, I can help you with the location of Anoxis.” “Good and if you do
the job in a pleasing manner, then I will follow through and take you to
the planet of your choice,” Maureen told him. Don caught himself
gaping at his mother-in-law and had to exercise great control to avoid
showing his surprise. “I
would suggest that we return to the Jupiter II so we can let Mrindren
follow up on his end of the bargain.”
While slogging through the melting snow, Don realized that while
this was not the conclusion that he had hoped for, at least they were
heading in a positive direction.
====================== Penny sat at a small
kitchen table sipping spicy tea, thinking in wonder of the arrival of
her other three friends. During
her illness, she had sensed the presence of all of her zanlings, but
wondered if she was dreaming. When
she felt better, she was delighted that they had come to her.
The sacrifice they had made coming through the gates and hostile
climates touched her deeply. “Hey, Penny, you
look better. How are you
feeling this morning?” Will said brightly, entering the room. “I feel much
better, just so very tired,” she answered. “My arm hurts, too, where
Dr. Smith had to take out that tracking device.” “Well I’m glad he
did. That would give me the
creeps, having a device like that in me.
Dr. Smith says being tired is natural with this sickness. I think I slept almost all day yesterday,” he replied. “I still can’t
get over meeting him again. But
I’m grateful, because from what Imothera has told me, paranormal
abilities are feared here almost as much as they were on Krimlon,” she
said. “Yes, but what I
can’t get over is the fact that Dr. Smith seems more...um...” “Happy?”
Penny answered for him. “Yes, that’s it. Happy,” Will answered. |