REALITIES

[Teaser]

Displeased by the view Devon murmured something unintelligible and looked back the way they had come. Far behind, tendrils of smoke poking at the gray clouds overhead gave away the location of their camp and spoke of a fire being fed with damp wood. It had been raining non-stop for the past four days; today was the first day the constant downpour had let up, although dark clouds still threatened. The endless rain had frayed tempers to snapping point and Devon called a few days' break when they came upon the swollen river.

"There has to be a way across," she thought aloud.

"No doubt there is," Danziger replied and shifted in his seat. "But we won't find it today. If we don't head back now, we'll be caught out in the dark."

"Just a few miles more," Devon said. "So we can see what's behind the bend there." She pointed ahead at the river that made a sharp turn to the right before disappearing behind a tall copse of grayish-brown rocks.

"Devon, we've been at it all day--" Danziger began when a sharp look made him swallow the rest of his protests. With an exaggerated sigh and a shake of his head in lieu of further objections he started the Rail forward again.

They didn't get far; a few hundred yards of bouncing across the rough terrain and they came upon a muddy stream that had cleaved a deep gully in the hillside. Danziger halted the Rail. "Okay, Adair, that's as far as it goes."

Devon eyed the stream intently. It wasn't very wide although it surged down the hill in its haste to join the river below. "I think the Rail can manage. Come on, Danziger, let's go," she told him firmly. Danziger hesitated. "The sooner you move, the sooner we can go back," she added in an attempt to persuade him.

Muttering below his breath about stubborn women, Danziger set the vehicle in motion again. He cautiously steered it down the steep slope and into the gully. The muddy ground was slippery and despite Danziger's deft handling the Rail lurched violently when they reached the bottom. With a loud squeal the wheels spun in place, creating a fountain of yellowish slop and the Rail refused to move any further.

"Damn," Danziger swore.

"We're stuck," Devon said, a surprised note in her voice. It was half announcement, half question.

Danziger didn't comment. "Take the wheel," he said instead and climbed out of the vehicle. He sank nearly to his ankles in the mud and rolled his eyes in disgust. Feet squelching sloppily he made his way to the rear of the vehicle. Devon moved into the driver's seat.

"Power up when I tell you."

The scene was eerily reminiscent of an earlier time they had been stranded, Devon thought and allowed herself a quick smile. Except their circumstances were quite different now, she added in her mind.

Danziger tore a couple of dried branches from a nearby brush and pushed them underneath the rear wheels as far as he could. "Now," he ordered and pushed with all his might. Devon threw back the handle and the engine whined shrilly. But the Rail didn't budge.

"Stop! Stop!" Danziger shouted behind her. Devon powered down and turned to look at him. She couldn't help it; when she caught sight of him she burst out laughing. He was splattered with mud, from the top of his head full of unruly curls to the soles of his feet half submerged in the slush. He glared at her and she tried to stop laughing. "Oh God, John, you should see yourself..." and she couldn't suppress another bout of chuckles.

A reluctant half-smile broke on Danziger's mud-splattered face. "I suppose it is sort of funny," he admitted grudgingly, wiping his brow and glaring at the smear of goo it left on his fingers. "But we're still stuck here."

Devon nodded, her face serious again. "We need more branches to put under the wheels, or some rocks," she said and climbed from the Rail to help him search. They tramped, half slipping and sliding, through the undergrowth, twigs snapping beneath their feet.

Devon bent to pull at a particularly promising branch. It tore loose with a rustle of dried leaves and almost as if the noise were a starting sign, the floodgates of heaven reopened and another downpour started. "At least we don't have to worry about our water supply," she commented sourly. Danziger didn't reply and she turned around. "John?" But he was nowhere in sight. Danziger was gone.

By: Sue Sadler

"Danziger!" Devon headed to where she'd last heard him. "This isn't funny. Come on out. This is no time for jokes." She was met by silence. "Please John."

Expelling the breath she was holding in exasperation, Devon began to retrace her steps to the DuneRail. Mental alarms began to sound as she realized there was no sign of the path she'd taken. No broken twigs, no footsteps. Although she would never claim to be an expert planetside, she'd been on G889 long enough to get the hang of the basics. Which meant that this was no joke. Past experience would indicate that Danziger was in trouble.

In reaching to get out the gear, she kicked herself remembering the petty bickering earlier that had led to her leaving it in the Rail. Lifting her speed up a notch she headed to the ford. Only to come skidding to a halt in utter bemusement. There was no sign of the Rail, let alone any indication it had ever been there. The deep impressions that it had left in the mud had also disappeared. She could believe that the Terrians could move the Rail, but to remove all trace of its existence seemed too petty for them.

After a few minutes of calling, she came to the realization that Danziger was not going to miraculously reappear. That really only left two options open to her at this time: continue to search or return to base for help.

Selecting the second option as the most viable, and mentally noting never to leave the gear behind again, Devon set off back to the camp. Although sure that she was following the same path driven by Danziger, there was still no indication of a DuneRail track. More importantly, though it took her a while to realize, apart from her footsteps and breathing, there was total silence. No noise made by the river. No sound of the wind rustling through the undergrowth. In fact nothing bar an eerie stillness.

Devon shivered. Each time she thought she was prepared for what G889 would throw at her it changed state and knocked her off balance. If she didn't hurry, it would be too dark for them to search for Danziger.

At that point the fear at the back of her mind surfaced. There was no sign of smoke from the campfires. She should see it. During the drive it had been visible.

Devon was beginning to give way to despair. It was twilight. Darkness would be on her shortly and she still hated it. She felt the back of her throat tighten and the sting in her eyes indicating tears. From long experience in loneliness and despair, she shut her eyes and reached deep inside herself. Reached until she could hear the sound of her heartbeat. Fast, erratic. She slowed her breathing. The heartbeat began to slow, the pulse becoming regular. The stillness between each beat stretching into an eternity, calming her.

When she opened her eyes again, she was herself, in control. She was Devon Adair and nothing would keep her from her son and those she was responsible for.

At that moment of resolve a mist began to rise, enfolding her. The thicker the mist became, the fainter her grip on consciousness became.

When she opened her eyes again the sun was at its highest point. Feeling the weight of a blanket over her she sat up. Only to subside again as a violent pounding in her head made itself known. As well as a blanket there was a roll of material serving as a pillow. In the back of her mind a phrase from a story Yale had read to her as a child surfaced: "Curiouser and curiouser".

When she looked to her left she saw a knife, two archaic looking weapons, a bag containing some items and a book. The type you saw in educational holos or in the artifact exhibition, made of paper.

This was strange even by G889 standards. A nagging doubt inserted itself into her mind. What if the real Devon was still in the undergrowth, catatonic? As a child she'd often wondered if the stations were a product of her dream mind and at night while she slept, her true mind lived its true life. A thought she'd never even shared with Yale, her closest childhood friend.

While she was wrapping her mind, confused and pounding though it were, around this latest event, in front of her appeared --

By: Nicole Mayer

-- a woman. She was tall, almost as tall as Danziger, and stood like a proud warrior. A mane of dark hair tumbled down her back and piercing blue eyes coolly assessed Devon. "You're here," the woman said, her voice deep and powerful. "Come on, we don't have much time." With that, she reached out and grasped Devon's hand, pulling her to her feet.

The touch was rough and entirely too real for it to be a dream, Devon decided. She looked back down at the small pile of things before glancing around again. "Are these yours?" Devon asked, gesturing. The woman shook her head.

"They belong to you. They're part of your quest."

"My quest?" Devon repeated as she quickly bundled the weapons and book into the bag, along with the roll and the blanket. She wasn't sure if she even knew what the weapons were designed for, let alone how to use them, but Devon couldn't shake the notion that they were somehow very important.

Devon shouldered the backpack, and then looked to the woman who was impatiently tapping her foot. "I should introduce myself," Devon said, holding out her hand. "I'm Devon Adair."

"I know," came the abrupt reply. "Quite a name for a princess."

"And you are??"

"My name isn't important," returned the woman. "I'm here as your guide, nothing more, and the sooner we get this over with, the better. Someone's waiting for me."

"Where?" The question flew from Devon's lips before she could stop it, even though by now she was beginning to realize that there would be few answers from her guide.

"Another place, another time," came the somewhat wistful answer. The woman beckoned, striding forwards, and Devon found herself following. The terrain was much what she was used to after having been on G889 for so long, yet it was subtly different at the same time. Sounds were sharper, the air contained an unidentifiable tang, and no matter how much this place appeared to be like the plains she knew well, it wasn't the same. A sudden fear struck her. "Where are we?" she asked.

"On the road to Valhalla," came the cryptic answer.

They began ascending a small rise and Devon shook her head in confusion while her mind attempted to come up with rational explanations. Perhaps she was on a vision quest of sorts, something the Terrians required of her. But why would the Terrians be using English, and names of places that meant very little to Devon?

"Are you a Terrian?" Devon knew there wasn't much hope of a response but she asked anyway as she struggled up the hill.

"I don't know that race," the woman replied. "I have traveled far and wide, and beyond the realms, but they are not known to me." There was a pause as Devon was again assessed, and this time, she saw a new respect in the woman's eyes. "You have come far, Chosen One. You must be special. Perhaps the Gods were correct in their selection."

Devon could not ignore the sound of raw faith in the woman's words. Outwardly, they were tinged with cynicism, but the woman believed that Devon was something special, and Devon didn't have a clue how she was supposed to live up to the expectation. "You mentioned a quest - can you tell me more about it?"

"You must learn the path by yourself." And with that, the woman reached the top of the hill and paused, her eyes drawn to something far away. Devon hoisted herself the last few steps and stopped beside her guide, stunned. There, far below them in a green valley surrounded by a flowing blue river, lay a small city. Its design was ancient in Devon's view, rounded windows, spires, arches and decorative icons, and beyond all that, the sense of aliveness that the town radiated. People in vibrant robes hustled through the streets, and even at this distance, Devon could hear bells ringing and voices calling.

"Is that Valhalla?"

A laugh was her only response, and Devon surmised that no, this wasn't her destination. Still, it was a beautiful place, and after so many months of enforced loneliness save for a group that numbered less than twenty, Devon was almost ecstatic to see so many other people.

And then a deadly arrow flew through the air and missed Devon's left ear by inches.

With an inhuman cry, Devon's guide launched herself into the air and seemed to fly halfway down the hill to a dense copse of bushes, and within moments, bandits were flying and running in every direction. Devon whirled, wary of attack from other directions, and realized that she had nothing to protect herself with. No friendly mag-pro, and no friendly Danziger or Alonzo either. For the first time, Devon realized how her pacifist stance could quite possibly mean her death.

A bandit thudded at her feet, and the dagger in his outstretched hand was suddenly dropped, causing Devon to recall the knife in her bag. She pulled it out and felt a tingle as she held the blade tight; it was almost as if it were melding with her skin. It was her weapon, it was a part of her.

She didn't even flinch when a man lunged up the hill and into her dagger. And as quickly as it had begun, the battle was over.

Devon shook her head, blinking, trying to erase the sight of death that lay before her. It had all happened so fast and she barely comprehended that she had killed someone and it had felt entirely natural. "I was protecting myself," she said softly. There was a delighted grunt beside Devon, her guide had returned.

"I guess you might have what it takes after all. But you'll have to get a lot better than that."

"I - I don't want to kill anyone," Devon protested, but by now it was a little too late.

Her guide's expression became sympathetic. "I've known many like you. I should introduce you to someone - she'd help you understand. The killing, it's a tragedy, but sometimes it's necessary for the greater good."

"For the greater good?" repeated Devon, now becoming more upset. "Every single life is precious, how can you be so callous?" Another glance at the dead on the hillside caused a wave of guilt to flood her. "What about the families of these people? Someone's going to mourn them, and think of what they could have achieved. Who gives us the right to deliver death?"

"Devonadair," and the woman took her face in her hands, staring eye to eye, "there are a thousand, a hundred thousand, lives at stake. You must be strong. Grieving is for later."

"But-" Devon tried to protest, and was interrupted by a loud rumbling. Both heads snapped up and looked to the horizon, where an eerily green and purple cloud was assembling.

"Magic," hissed the woman. "Its strength is growing. Come on, we have to hurry!" She took off again, almost running down the hill and neatly skirting the bodies.

"I'm sorry," Devon said, helplessly, and then took off after her guide, hoping to learn more about her quest before she ended up dead in this strange land.

By: Maggie Czarney

Devon followed her guide as they entered the town, trying not to lose her in the maze of alleys and side streets. Her thoughts were back at the hill, at the site of the battle, with those men that were slain, one by her own hand. Devon was so lost in thought that she barely noticed when her guide stopped in front of a building, knocked twice and then entered without waiting for a reply. Devon followed her in, standing just inside the doorway.

A short, slender woman with short, light brown hair entered the main room. "Who's there," she started to ask, then seeing Devon's guide, said, "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"It's time," the guide said, gesturing to Devon. She then turned and walked out the door, pausing briefly to tell Devon, "Stay here, I'll return soon."

Devon stepped out of the door after her guide. "Wait, where are you going?" Devon called down the street after her.

"I will be back shortly," was her guide's only reply.

"Well don't just stand there with the door wide open," the young woman said from inside the house. Devon turned back towards her and obediently shut the door. "So you're the Chosen One." She considered Devon for a moment, and then nodded. "The Gods have indeed made a good choice."

Devon exploded; tired of no one telling her what was going on. "A choice for what? What am I supposed to do?" Devon held up a hand, stopping the woman from what she was about to say. "And if you say I have to find the path for myself, so help me..."

The woman smiled. "You do have spirit. I think I'll like you. As much as you don't want to hear it, you must find the path for yourself. Be patient, the knowledge is within you. You'll discover it in time."

Devon sighed and sat down on one of the chairs surrounding a small table, dropping her pack to the floor. "Will you at least tell me who you are?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, your guide never did introduce us before she stormed out of here, did she? My name is Kara," she said, "I will be joining you on your quest."

"I'm Devon Adair," she said. "Why did my guide storm out of here, anyway?"

"Oh, she's never had much use for magic," Kara replied, sitting besides Devon at the table. "She never really took the time to try to understand it, I suppose."

"You're a magician, then?"

Kara nodded. "You could say that, although I've never used that term before. I practice the art of magic, and because of that, your guide and I have never quite seen eye to eye."

"If it's not something I'm supposed to learn on my own," Devon said dryly, "may I ask why you're coming along on this quest?"

Kara paused, considering her words carefully. "There are those who wish you to fail on your quest. There are some among them that also practice the art of magic, and the magic is growing. I will come along to aid you against them."

"I don't understand, who are these people? What do they want?" Devon asked. She got up and started pacing, frustrated with the entire situation. "How am I supposed to help when I don't know what's going on?" Devon looked at Kara accusingly. "And what about afterwards? How will I get home? What about Danziger? Is he here too? Is he caught up in all of this? Why won't anyone answer my questions?"

"Be calm," Kara said soothingly. "Your answers will come in time. You are the Chosen One, and when the time comes, you will know what is needed of you. Do not worry, your guide and I will be with you on your journey." She sighed. "After your quest is over... I cannot tell you what will happen, as I do not know." She smiled slightly at Devon. "I don't mean to be evasive. Whatever answers I can give you, I will."

Devon sank back into the chair. "Do you know if Danziger's here?"

"I don't know any man by that name. He is your companion?" Kara asked.

Devon shook her head. How in the world was she to explain her relationship with John Danziger. She took a breath and was about to try when her guide came in the door.

"It's time. We must leave."

By: Sue Sadler

"Not until someone starts explaining things to me." Devon put on what had been described as her command voice. It usually got people's attention.

"I'm sure you must have many questions, but at present I can only tell you that you must make a choice."

"What do you mean choice?"

"I'm afraid...."

"That you can't explain at the moment," Devon ended the sentence for her, a note of resignation in her voice. She'd learnt a long time ago that sometimes, just sometimes, events had to take their course.

"None of us are trying to be awkward, but until you have committed to our cause, any information about how could be dangerous to us if you leave us. All will become clear in the caverns. The Priestess will show you why we have brought you here."

* * *

Kara and the Guide led her to the entrance of a small cave. The Warrior Woman's silence was beginning to unnerve her.

"Just go forward. Your heart will guide you. I hope that you will return and join us."

Devon stepped into the cave and was immediately aware of a sensation similar to the one she experienced in the spider caves, the feeling of being moved through a great distance.

When she stopped, she was at the foot of a temple. White marble pillars lined the steps up the huge double doors. Above the doors, a white statue depicted a female warrior battling with a creature that could have come from an old earth legend of demons that Devon had read as a child. Runes were written across the door and as she studied them, the language changed to a form she could read.

'Enter Warriors of the Light'

Well. It was a temple and Kara had told her to seek the Priestess. Warrior of the Light was a pretentious way to describe herself but many times in her life she had been forced into paths not of her choosing. So she took a deep breath and walked up to the doors. As she approached them they swung open, not with the traditional creak associated with large wooden doors, but silently. This was getting far too much like the adventure tales she used to read as a child, the ones Yale found for her. The ones her parents didn't approve of.

The doors opened up into one large room. In each corner, there were statues similar to the one above the doors depicting warriors in battle with creatures. At the rear, there were two exits.

Above the central dais, a holo image circled slowly, depicting a planet. At the end of each rotation the planet changed. In one image, it was shown as a green vibrant world. In others, it was black, unfit for human habitation. And in yet other images green and black fought for dominance.

And in her mind a voice spoke, not with words, but with images. This world was constant, with many possibilities in the struggle with the Darkness, a battleground to decide the fate of the universe. And images of possible futures, worlds taken over by demons, of evil freed with no control, of people enslaved and killed, entire planets destroyed.

Then the promise that she could help. That she yielded power combined with the compassion not to abuse the power. This was a rare gift that they had long sought.

And the warning that joining the fight had a price.

Then all that was left was the choice: to join Kara and the Guide on a quest against evil or to return to G889.

She stepped through the right hand door and was met by Kara's smiling face. Even the Warrior Woman's face lit up on seeing her.

"All I can say is that you had better start explaining this quest now!"

* * *

In the med-tent Julia was baffled. Ever since Danziger had bought Devon back, she'd been trying to find a reason for the woman's condition.

"I've run every test I can think of and I can't find a reason for this."

As many of Eden Advance as could had filled the tent after Julia had called Danziger over. Non of them could believe that the vibrant woman they had known just sat there, staring into space, her eyes vacant.

--END--

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