By Paula Austin

An early morning mist was rising from the damp ground as Alan made his way into the Eagle passenger module that served as John Koenig’s base of operations. Whistling softly, his mood was light for today was the day that he would put into motion a set of events that he had been avoiding his entire adult life. Today he was going to make arrangement for his wedding. Breathing in the cool morning air he felt filled with a sense of satisfaction he had not felt for a very long time, if ever. “Good morning, John” he greeted his commander full of cheer.

Koenig glanced up from his work and grinned broadly. “Yes it is.” He got up to greet his long time friend. “I hear congratulations are in order.”

“Thanks. You were my inspiration.” He said returning the warm handshake.

“Really? Well, I think we’re all overdue for a little happiness.” He gestured for Alan to have a seat.

“Yeah. It’s been a long haul.”

“And it isn’t over. We have a longer one ahead of us, but I think we’ll be fine. Maya is optimistic about the weather patterns. And Tony say’s the soil is suitable. It’ll be tough getting on our feet, but we have technology on our side.”

Alan nodded absently. He wished he could share his commander’s optimism, but he was certain they hadn’t seen the worst this planet could offer. Still, there was no need for pessimism, he thought, man had survived for millions of years under harsh conditions. “I hope so.”

Sensing the mood getting heavy again Koenig changed the subject. “So, what brings you around?”

Remembering the reason for his visit, Alan’s mood lightened again. “I wanted to ask you to perform the ceremony for Sandra and me.”

“Of course, I’d be honored. Just say when.” Smiling again he added, “As long as I’m not on my honeymoon”.

“Great, I’ll get Sandra to give us a date.” Alan started to get out of his seat.

“Have you got a minute?” Koenig said holding his hand up.

“Of course” Alan settled again.

“I wanted to tell you that you did a great job at the staging area. I hear almost all the containers have been brought out of orbit and stored. That was a very important job and essential to our survival.” He nodded at Alan’s thanks. “But now I have a much more important project for you. As you know many Alphan’s have to be reassigned duties more suited to their talents rather than their career fields due to a lack of manpower. Some Nuclear Waste Technicians will become farmers or medics or be trained in fields that satisfy their talents and our needs. It’s important to find the right individual for each job. That’s where you come in. I know you’re a pilot at heart and one of the best I’ve ever seen, but right now I have to tap some of your other talents. You have a practical mind and are a great organizer.”

Carter flinched inwardly. No pilot liked the adjectives ‘practical’ or ‘organized’ attached to his or her description. They preferred ‘fearless’, ‘bold’ or even ‘daring’.

“Right now we need housing, but that housing has to meet several requirements. First, we need to maintain our defensibility until we are more familiar with our surroundings. Second, the housing units will need to be able to accommodate a growing population. And third, they will need to be convenient for the population in terms of water, waste disposal, and ventilation, among other things. That’s going to take someone with a knack for design. I think that’s one of your strong points. Of course you can pick you staff, subject to my approval of course. What do you say?”

Any other time or place Carter would have flatly refused. He was born to fly and flying was his life, but he had to admit the logic in Koenig’s argument. If they needed his talents else where, that’s where he should go. Perhaps soon he would be back flying Eagles or even designing new ones.  “OK, I’ll do it.” He said finally.

Koenig smiled again. He knew what sacrifice this meant to Alan. Maybe someday he could make it up to him. “Great. Here’s what we have in mind.”

A couple of hours later a plan of action had been drawn up and Alan’s team was recruited. He was very satisfied with the selection and knew he could count on each of them to perform to the best of their abilities.  He read back the list to Koenig as he checked them off, making them off limits for any duty but that selected for. “Lets see, we have Dave Reilly in charge of construction; Pat Osgood will head up the exploration team; Pierre DuCharte is our unit designer and Sandra will head up the utilities team. Sounds good. I’ll meet with them this afternoon. Now all we need is a place to start.”

Koenig’s eyes lit up.  “I think I can help you there. One of the exploration teams found something very interesting a couple of days ago. Dave and Pat have been checking it out. Why don’t we have everyone meet us there.”

Twenty minutes later Alan Carter was standing in the middle of one of the largest caverns he had ever seen in his life. The expanse was overwhelming. Gigantic floodlights had been set up all around but he still as he craned his neck in each direction couldn’t make out the walls or ceiling. Several crews were working around them sounding the floors and ceiling. Off to the side near an indention in the far wall a group was gathered.  Koenig led him over. As they approached Alan recognized most. Dane Sirtis, a brilliant young mining apprentice seemed to be at the core of the small group. At his feet was a satchel. Dave Reilly and Pat Osgood seemed to be briefing him.  As Alan and Koenig drew near the group noticed and paused. Dave reached out a burly hand to Alan.

“Good to see you, Alan. Congratulations.” Dave offered, smiling sincerely.

Not sure if the big Irishman was referring to his upcoming nuptials or his current assignment. He accepted and nodded his thanks.

“Young Mister Sirtis is about to play tunnel rat for us,” Dave continued. “We found a small opening in the wall and our lights couldn’t penetrate its depth so, Dane is going to do a little exploring.”

 “Any ideas about its origin or where it goes?” Koenig asked.

“Well, we have a couple of schools of thought on that,” interjected Pat. “One is that it was originally a steam vent. It could lead us deeper to a larger cavern or end abruptly. Who knows? The other, and the opinion of my esteemed colleague I point out, is that this chamber was originally filled with water and that this leads to an underground stream.”

Another technician walked over with an ultrasonic drill and started working on the opening.

Alan and leaned over and watched him as he chipped at the opening then started on the floor. “What is he doing?” He asked.

Dane grinned broadly “Widening the opening a bit. You see, I don’t like tight spaces.” The group laughed tensely at the joke.

Alan was about to inquire about the curious satchel at Sirtis’ feet when he heard his name called. Looking up he noticed Sandra, the last team member and Helena approaching the group. He noticed that Helena carried a bundle under one arm. “Hello, ladies.” He said enthusiastically pulling Sandra to his side.

“We thought we would try to whisk you away for a quick lunch as soon as you can break away.” Helena said as she settled at Koenig’s side. 

“Sounds fantastic. Just a few more details to iron out for now.” He replied as he leaned down to kiss her.

Sandra looked around at the vast chamber. “Wow. I never knew anything like this existed. It is perfect.” She shivered involuntarily. “And a bit cool.”

Alan took his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders. “Better?”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“Hey, what’s mine is yours,” he replied gallantly.

Sandra rolled her eyes in mockery. “Well, that is a lot.”

“Commander, Mr. Carter, Pat, Dave? Can you come over here please?” A wiry man standing at a drafting table called from a near the center of the cavern.

“Excuse us,” Koenig said as the group of men started toward the table.

As the men walked off, Helena and Sandra noticed the technician working on the opening and walked over to him. After a couple of moments observation Sandra looked over at Dane. “What is this?” she asked him.

Dane walked over to them and pointed his light into the opening. “We’re not certain. I’m heading in there in a bit to see how far it goes. Hopefully it leads to a steam vent that we can tap into for heat.”

As he finished, the technician with the drill stopped and put the drill away. Then he took a large mallet from his belt and begun to pound at the sides. Immediately they felt a rumble under their feet. The technician moved closer to the opening to look inside. “What the….”

Suddenly the floor gave way in a jumble of sliding gravel and boulders. Sandra tried to jump to the side but could find no traction on the crumbling floor. Her heart sunk as she felt herself falling. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced her body for the fall, expecting a boulder to crush her at any time. Only the roaring sound of the landslide could she hear. Fear froze her and she couldn’t breathe or react. After what seemed like an eternity she felt her body tumbling down an embankment. She still couldn’t force her self to open her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her head to protect it from the impact that she knew must surely be coming. When she finally hit bottom she did so very heavily and finally came to rest against something hard and cold. She lay there for some time debating through her clouded thinking if she was dead or not when the pain gripped her and she had her answer. After several more seconds she found her breath coming easier. She lifted her head and tried to examine her surroundings but found she was immersed in total darkness. She was about to start feeling out to her sides in exploration of her surroundings when she detected a faint rustling off to her right. “Helena?” she called softly.

A weak voice crackled a couple of feet away. “Sahn? You okay?”

“I think so. A little shaken and bruised but OK.” Sandra strained in the darkness to make out Helena’s still form beside her. “How about you?”

I think my arm is broken.”

……………………………………………………………………

Alan had his back turned from the opening when it collapsed.  All he heard was a dull rumbling and the sound of rocks falling and sliding. Even as his brain was registering these sounds, though, he knew what was happening. Turning back he tried to make out the forms of the two women through the dust and debris, but saw nothing. Heart pounding and breaking out in a cold sweat he ran to the site as fast as his legs would carry him hoping that he would find them there when the dust settled. He was almost upon the precipice when he felt strong arms reach out and pull him down. He struggled to free himself but the other man was much larger and stronger. He could only turn his head in the direction of the unbelievable sight.

Alan looked to see that the floor abruptly dropped off showing no sign of ever supporting a wall. In fact, a good portion of the wall had gone with it. As Dave’s grip released, Alan climbed to his feet and begun searching the surrounding area for the women.  He met John Koenig who was doing the same, calling the women’s names as he searched with a borrowed torch. The other workers who had been occupied came running up. “Did anyone see what happened?” Alan asked.

A tall, dark man spoke up. “Clavell, was working around the opening when it all just collapsed. Then they all disappeared.”

“Oh God.” Alan felt sick to his stomach.

………………………………………………………………...

>Sandra tried to sit up but the total darkness disoriented her sending cold waves of fear through her. She liked to be in control of her environment. One-on-one she could deal with a crisis, but now she felt out of her depth. “I wish I had a flashlight.” She sighed in frustration. “Sorry, left mine at home.” Helena joked. It was a weak effort at jocularity. “Wait, Dane had one. He was using it right before the slide. Dane?” she waited a couple of seconds but there was no reply. “Sahn, do you hear anything?”

“No, but the fall might have knocked him unconscious….or worse.” She tried to keep the desperation from her voice. “Wait. I have an idea.” She reached for her comlock hoping it hadn’t been lost or damaged in the fall. She breathed a sigh of relief as she found it there, but held her breath again as she reached for the activation button. She was immediately rewarded with a dim light from the carrier screen. It wasn’t much but it was enough in this absolute black. A quick glance at the screen told her she could not contact the others. “At least it is some light.” She said as she sat up and took stock of her surroundings. She could make out Helena’s form less than a meter to her right, but the light was not strong enough to penetrate farther into the interior. Feeling more in control she crawled to her friends side. “How do you feel?” she asked.

“Alright except for the pain.”  Her voice was sounding stronger. “Help me sit up.”

Sandra set the comlock down beside her and put her arm around Helena’s shoulders assisting her efforts. Through the dim light she wasn’t certain but she thought she could see her friend pale from the effort and pain. “OK?”  She was reassured when her friend nodded. “I must look around. Perhaps, Dane needs our help.”

After several seconds of searching she bumped into the canvas satchel that Dane had before the incident. Hopeful that it contained a flashlight or other useful items, she quickly opened it and checked then contents. A smile passed her face as she immediately saw two items that they needed very much indeed: a flashlight and a first-aid kit. Turning on the flashlight she again searched their surroundings. This time her search was more effective due to the strong beam of the light. They were in a small cavern with a low ceiling. Loose rock and debris was their floor. She gasped, as she came across the body of the young technician who had been drilling.  Clavell was his name she thought. His head lay at an awkward angle and his eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling. There was no doubt he was dead. Feeling more certain of her surrounding she brought her body up to a crouch and began to search for Dane. Another three meters to the right and over a slight rise she found him. Feeling for a pulse she was relieved. “He is alive Helena,” she called.

“Wait.” Sandra scrambled back to her friends side. “First we take care of you.” She handed the light to Helena as she pulled the first aid kit from the bag.  She opened it and set it beside them. “You will have to tell me what to do.”

 Moments after Helena’s obviously broken arm was splinted and a mild painkiller was administered Helena leaned over the inert form of Dane Sirtis. She spoke as she guided the light over his still body. “It isn’t good. If we were back at the base I could diagnose him, but all I can do here is guess ” She paused, looking into the small medical kit. Finally she took out a couple of one-dose injectors and administered them. “I’ve given him something for the pain and a steroid for any nerve swelling, but he needs help, and soon.”

………………………………………………………………………

Alan looked into the abyss again and shook his head.  Surrounding the opening were a multitude of rescue personnel as well as Dave, Pat and the commander. Alan turned to Koenig who was listening to the strategies offered up. “I’m going in there,” he said.

Koenig looked up.  “What?”

“I’m going down there. Someone has to find them.” He made no attempt to hide the frustration he felt.

“No you’re not.” Koenig replied. “And someone is. But we can’t just jump in there and risk more injury if…” he lowered his head a second. “If they are still alive.” He put a hand on his friends shoulder “I….I know how you feel. I’m going crazy inside, too, but we have to let the experts do their job. You know I’m going to do everything I can. Helena’s down there, too.”

The last sentence softened him a little. “But I can’t do nothing.”

You won’t. You’re going to make sure these guys have everything they need. OK?” Koenig bent slightly forward to look him in the eye.

“Right.” Alan started to turn, but then had a thought. “What about Maya?”

“I tried. She and Tony are over the horizon and are incommunicado.”

Alan swore under his breath. He couldn’t stand this feeling of impotence much longer.

……………………………………………………………………

“That should do,” Helena commented as she put the finishing touches on the crude stretcher they had constructed for Dane. “Fortunately, he is a small man. We should be able to handle him easy enough.

Sandra put the straps around her shoulders and stood up. Helena had the ideas of this stretcher from the ones the Native American’s used in the old west. Sandra would pull it behind her dragging the other end. The theory was that most of the weight would be concentrated just behind her shoulders, reducing the weight she would have to pull. Adjusting the straps for comfort, Sandra hoped that practice followed theory this time. “Well, shall we get started?”

Looking back one last time at the cairn they had constructed for Clavell, Helena took the lead, scanning the trail ahead with the flashlight. “The grade is a little steep at first but it levels out fairly quickly.” She said keeping Sandra appraised of the conditions.

At the end of two hours of climbing grades and voiding boulders Sandra called for a rest. Releasing her load she sat down on the cold ground next to Helena. “It is easier than I thought.” She said.

“It would be eaiser if I were some kind of help.” Helena felt frustrated at being unable to share the burden.

Sandra shrugged it off with a smile. “I am a little surprised that the tunnel has not narrowed some. The walls seem very smooth also.”

 Helena looked around slowly a little surprised that she hadn’t noticed it earlier. But the throb of pain from her arm kept concentration an active effort. “I wonder where it leads.”

“There is one way to find out.” Sandra rose and shouldered her pack again.

After another fifty meters Sandra stopped. She wasn’t sure why, she couldn’t see much except what the light from the flashlight fell on, but she sensed something up ahead. “Helena? Do you hear something?”

Helena stopped and looked back, then looked forward again. Closing her eyes she strained to hear what Sandra had detected. Finally, a faint sloshing sound registered in her pain-wracked brain. “I… it sounds like…” She turned the beam of the flash light ahead and tried to make out the source. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she turned back to Sandra. “It’s water!”

Sandra set her burden down gently and crossed to Helena’s side. Taking the second light from the pack she approached it carefully. The water was black, or so it seemed in this lightless world, so she couldn’t tell how deep it was. Unfortunately, it completely blocked their path…if the path even continued. Leaning down, she stuck her hand in it. It was warm. She put her wet fingers to her nose. It was odorless. She looked at Helena who was doing the same. “What do you think?”

“It seems ok, but I can be sure without analyzers. I haven’t found any tainted water here yet, but I don’t suggest we try drinking it until there are no other options. I wonder where it goes.” Helena said as she watched it glide by.

"I read somewhere that most underground water sources eventually lead to the surface.... on Earth anyway.”

“Yeah, but how long is eventually.” Helena echoed Sandra’s thoughts.

…………………………………………………………………

Alan didn’t hear John’s approach until he was almost to him. Acoustics in the cavern were much better he would have expected, but it didn’t concern him at the moment. Getting up from the cargo crate that he had been occupying for the past several hours, he turned to face John. Neither felt like talking so Alan took the bottle of water that was offered with a nod of thanks.

John stood and watched the workmen for several minutes in silence before Pat Osgood noticed his arrival and came over to report.

 “We’ve shined every light we have down there and can’t see a thing so we have sent to Medical for their endoscope. We think we can rig it so that we can get some idea of what’s down there, but I have to tell you, Commander, at this point things look pretty hopeless.”

Alan looked over at John abruptly. The desperate pleading in his eyes said everything he could not.

John set his jaw and looked from Alan to Pat, “I’m not giving up. If you have to dig up this entire cavern you do it, but I want my…. people back.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “And if they aren’t…alive,” his voice wavered, “I want their bodies. Understood?” The last word was delivered pointedly to Pat Osgood.

“Yes, sir. I do.” Pat turned and immediately went back to work.

Alan sat back down on the crate and rested his head in his hands. John put a comforting hand on Alan’s shoulder. Finally Alan looked up, eyes rimmed with red. “You don’t believe they are dead do you?”

Koenig looked away for a second, and then took a seat next to Alan on the crate. “No, I don’t believe so. I don’t believe that we finally found a home only to lose the people we wanted to make it with. I don’t believe fate is that cruel.” He looked back at the work party for a moment, “And something deep within me knows Helena is still with me.”

“I don’t think I could make it if I lost Sahn now.”

John looked at Alan with compassionate eyes. “Yeah, I know. Me, too.”

………………………………………………………………………

Digging through the satchel, Sandra found a small length of rope and after a few minutes of searching the ground she found a small flat rock that she tied securely to one end.  Finally, she dipped it into the water. “Crude, but it should do.” She let the line pay out slowly until it stopped. Then she moved it back and forth over the bottom for several feet before pulling it back in. Examining the length of rope she smiled faintly. “Looks like a little less than two feet.”

“Right here.” Helena looked at her skeptically.

“Yes, right here. Maybe our luck will hold out”

“I hope not.” Helena said to herself.

After much brainstorming they were able to rig some air bladders fro the water proof specimen bags Dane had carried in his satchel They wouldn’t keep him entirely afloat but would lessen the drag as Sandra pulled him through the water. Finally, Helena stepped to the waters edge and looked both ways.

“Well, which way to Kansas?”

“Go with the flow,” Sandra replied with a smile.

 Alan needed to get out. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since the accident and if he had to face one more long-faced Alphan with pity in his eyes he would lose it. He called back to Dave as he left. “Call if you find anything else.” He didn’t know how to give John the latest report: Clavell’s comlock and drill had been found under a jumble of rock, smashed to bits.

John Koenig sat alone in at his desk, head in hands. The lights were dimmed and if it weren’t for the faint tracks of tears on his face, Alan would have taken him for asleep. Feeling like an intruder Alan turned to leave, but changed his mind. How could he leave his friend who had tried so hard to relieve his own suffering? He paused, trying to find the right words to tell his friend that he grieved with him and for him.  Command was lonely and if John lost Helena now, Alan knew that loneliness would destroy him.

“You know, it’s ironic. Just a few days ago I was worried about losing Helena to a risky pregnancy. And now….” John let the words trail off to a whisper.

Alan couldn’t find the words he needed. His own grief was too close to the surface. He went to the dispenser and poured two cups of coffee. Setting one in front of John he sat down opposite him with the other.

………………………………………………………………………

Helena wondered how many miles they had traveled. Walking with the current had eased Sandra’s burden but she was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. At the next opportunity she knew they would have to stop and rest. The snatches of sleep they had during their previous stops didn’t do much to recuperate their bodies and Helena felt a fog enveloping her mind slowing her thought process. She knew she would need to shoulder the burden of her patient soon. Dane was regaining consciousness and becoming restless making him harder to pull.

“Something is wrong, Helena” Sandra said breaking Helena’s reverie. “The current, it is getting stronger. And the water has become swifter.”

Helena stopped and shined her light at the water. It had definitely changed.  The water was cooler, as if they were farter away from the geothermal source.  The channel was narrower and the water rushed by more quickly. “What does it mean?”

“I do not know, but we must be very careful and pay attention.”

“Doctor?”

Helena twisted her head around at the word. Sloshing back through the rushing water she knelt by Dane’s side. “How do you feel?” She avoided shining the light directly in his eyes.

 “Tired. My side hurts and my head.” He croaked. “What happened?”

“We had a little accident, but everything is going to be fine. Can I get you anything?”

He licked his cracked lips. “I’m thirsty. Could I have some water?”

“Sure. Just a minute.” Moving back to Sandra’s side, she handed her the satchel while she took out the empty canteen. She lowered it to the water, filling it with the rushing water.

“Helena, do you think we should?” Sandra asked, full of concern.

“We don’t have a choice. We all need water, food and rest. I can’t do anything about the other, but we have water. Right here at our feet.” Helena took the light back and lowered her voice. “If we don’t get fluids in him he could go into shock.  I said sooner or later we would have to chance it. Well, later is now.” Helena drew the canteen to her lips and took a big swallow. Handing it to Sandra she pulled another empty out and began filling it. “Food we can do without for a while. Water we need.” She said as she returned to her patient’s side

Once Dane began taking in fluids his became stronger. He adamantly protested that he could walk, but Helena vetoed it. He might need to soon, but for now he would conserve his energy. It was difficult enough for them to maintain their balance in this very swift water. As the group stumbled on Sandra and Helena became aware, at almost the same instant, of a rumbling sound. They had been approaching it for some time but it had failed to register with their exhausted brains.

“This cannot be good.” Sandra sighed. Almost before the words had left her mouth she felt her balance falter. She tried to regain it, but her exhausted body was no match for the current. Constantly trying to get he feet back under her she failed. The stretcher still strapped to her back kept her off balance, turning her around in the fast current. It was then that she realized in horror that the patient was undoubtedly no longer on the stretcher “Helena!” she screamed as she was swept further and further down stream. Darkness surrounded her, confusing her. Finally, her last reserves of strength gone, she surrendered to the current and let the water carry her. Exhaustion rules her as the world faded around her. She felt the sensation falling into a deep abyss, free at last.

The first thing Sandra felt when she hit the water at the bottom of the waterfall was a thousand needles stabbing her body. Something was pulling her down, down to the bottom of the pool. She tried make her way back to the surface but was impeded by the stretcher still attached to her back. Shrugging it off she pushed herself toward the surface only to be drawn back again. Her lungs were screaming for air and she had to consciously fight the urge to breathe. She became aware again and conscious of her surroundings. I’m under the waterfall, she told herself. Instead of trying to swim up she swam for several feet along the bottom. In agony and fighting natural instinct to breathe she felt the blackness closing in around her again. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her up to the surface. As soon as her head broke she filled her lungs, choking on the water that has entered with it.

“Where’s Dane?” Helena asked, pushing her toward the embankment.

“I don’t know.” Sandra said between gasps “I lost him before the fall.” Her breath was coming easier now. Looking around slowly, it occurred to her that there was natural light in this cavern. A dark shape was floating in the center of the pool. “Helena!” she said pointing. Calling on the last of her inner strength she launched herself back into the turbulent water.

Helena helped her pull Dane’s body up on the embankment. Immediately the doctor began artificial respiration.

“Should we compress his chest?” she asked.

“No,” Helena replied between breaths, ”he has a pulse. The diver reflex just stopped his breathing.” As if on cue, Helena’s patient began to sputter and cough. Soon his respiration was near normal. “Thank God!” Helena sighed. She looked up to see Sandra in obvious awe of her medical talents. “When he hit the water and his face went under, the cold temperature caused his brain to release endorphins that slowed his heart rate tremendously and stopped his breathing. It’s called the diver reflex. All I had to do was get him breathing again.”

“You mean he could have stayed like that and not drowned?” asked Sandra

“For a while, but eventually the urge to breathe would have won out and he would have had to. It would have taken quite a bit longer than with you or I who were conscious. Perhaps twenty minutes.” Helena smiled, Sandra was obviously awe struck by this revelation.

Dane opened his eyes slowly. “Thanks, Doc. Sandra.” His browed creased for a moment “Hey, it’s light. Did we make it?”

Sandra looked up. In the excitement she had forgotten all about the light that seeped into the chamber. She spotted the source. Near the roof was a small opening allowing sunlight to seep in.

Getting up she looked for a way to reach it. Eventually, she decided on a group of hand and foot holds that would likely support her weight. She began taking her boots off.

“What are you doing?” Helena asked.

“It appears that I am the only one well enough to reach that hole.”

“What will we do if you break your neck on the way up. Those rocks look very smooth and slippery.”

“When I was a girl growing up in Burma, I climbed a lot with my cousins. Trees, rocks or whatever was around. This is child’s play.” She finished rolling up her pant legs.

“How many times did you do it starving and completely exhausted?” Helena knew she was losing this argument.

Sandra pulled the comlock that had amazingly stayed attached to her belt. “A situation that I will remedy soon, I hope.”  Grimacing she tried to activate the communicator. “Check your comlock. Mine did not survive well.” She looked at the tiny devices cracked case and wondered how she had managed to keep it.

“Hmmm, mines dead, too.” She handed it to Sandra. “Dane must have lost his.”

Sandra hefted the two dead comlocks in her small hands. Both were out of commission, but for completely different reasons. Helena’s appears to be shorted. A plan began to formulate on the mind as she sat down and began to disassemble the electronics.

Helena sat watching for several seconds. There was nothing more for her to say or do. If anyone could reincarnate the dead comlocks it was Sandra. Helena decided to check on her patient and give her room to work. Dane had drifted off again, so Helena took her time checking and dressing his wounds. Up to this point she had been too busy to feel, but now she couldn’t deny the emptiness she felt without John. She knew how very much she longed to have his children and share his life with him no matter what hardships they encountered. They were meant to be.

“Cross your fingers.” She heard Sandra say. Sahn held a piece of machinery that looked like a hybrid comlock and flashlight. “I had to use the batteries from the flashlight, but I think…and hope I have a broadband emergency beacon. I just hope someone picks it up.” She tucked it into the pocket of Alan’s borrowed jacket and started climbing. Several timed her feet slipped. Helena held her breath hoping silently that Sandra would not be added to the ranks of the wounded.

Sandra looked out the small hole. It was not much bigger than her head, and just big enough for her to slip the tiny device out and activate it. Hearing the faint ping, she knew it was functional and drew a deep breath. She only hoped someone would be able to pick it up. Carefully, she climbed back down to wait.

………………………………………………………………

“Commander!” the young man burst into Koenigs office out of breath and flushed. “Mr. Verdeschi reports they are picking up a strange radio signal coming from one of the canyons in Area 12. He stresses that it is not natural.

John Koenig’s eyes met Alan’s each one read hope from the others. They immediately went into action. “Get me an Eagle ready with a full medical compliment.” He jumped up from his desk. “Come on, Alan!”

They raced to the Eagle hopeful but afraid to hope. Once strapped into the pilots seat on their way Alan turned to his friend, “How could it be them?”

John looked thoughtful for a moment. He had been wondering about, too. “I don’t know. But who else could it be? Everyone else is accounted for.” He smiled thinly, “And if I know Sandra…” He reached over and pushed the throttles up.

……………………………………………………………..

Sandra was dreaming of their rescue. The Eagle sounded so real and she could even hear Alan calling her name. Soon she would be in his arms again. She pulled the jacket up around her and snuggled in. She liked this dream. Someone was shaking her, trying to wake her. She pushed them away. Then she heard Helena’s words.

“Sahn, they’re here. It’s John and Alan!” Helena didn’t try to hide the excitement from her voice.

Sandra sat up, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. Then she heard it, too.

Faint footsteps above and someone calling her name. Someone that sounded a lot like Alan. She scrambled to her feet and up the incline “Alan! We’re here!” she screamed as she climbed. She prayed they would hear. Reaching the hole, she stuck her arm through it trying to draw attention. She continued to yell through the opening. Something touched her arm and she found herself face-to-face with the brilliant blue eyes of the man she loved.

“Hello, love.” Alan said as he reached in and wiped the tears from her face. “Need a lift?”

……………………………………………………………….

She looked to the side to find Helena. She and John were gazing deeply into each other’s eyes and conversing in low tones. On the other side of Helena, she spied Dane. He was asleep and his wife Angela slept at his side. Dane and Angela were hoping to have a baby as soon as possible.  Sandra was glad he would now have that chance.

Bob Mathias entered the room and looked in on his other patients before drawing the curtain and sitting down next to Sandra. He whispered so not to wake Alan. “I’m glad to see you awake. How do you feel?”

“Tired” she smiled “but glad to be back.”

Bob reached down and patted her hand. “We’re glad you’re home.” He said as he exited.

“Home,” Sandra repeated the word. “I’m home.”