Alan Carter stood in the doorway and looked out across the campsite, another incredible view. Loki appeared to have an infinite variety of views. Or perhaps the view was all the more precious because of their years in space and the harsher seasons when the Alphans retreated again to space.
It was great to be back on Loki again and despite the serious nature of their search there was a holiday atmosphere in the camp. The kids added to that feeling, of course. There were children everywhere on Alpha now, and when Dave and Raoul had both asked if their kids could come along, Alan had agreed. Last season, he and Chris Potter had mounted three different expeditions and most of the crew had spent hours talking about their families, or using bandwith to call them on Alpha. John had a first hand view of the problem and agreed on the condition that someone was assigned to look after the children and continue their education while the other adults worked. John was quite used to having kids around now. Usually at least two of his own kids were with him at any given time. In fact, Alex and Emma had both been with them when they were planning this petroleum searching party. Both had eagerly volunteered to come along and work, but their father had sternly stopped their efforts and they went back to some game in the corner of John’s office.
So the two month-long expedition doubled in size. From a contingent of six, the party grew to include the three Reilly children, aged nine, five and four, the four Martinez children, ranging from two to nine, and Eva Zoref’s daughter, six year old Nina. Aiofe Reilly was drafted to include teaching and child watching along with her food prep and other camp support duties. Eva Zoref assisted when her data analysis duties permitted. The two were good friends and worked well together. Eva had admitted that she would never have considered volunteering if she hadn’t been allowed to bring Nina along, and Alan knew she was one of the most accurate and efficient analysts available. He and Dave generally had full reports from the previous day’s core drilling by the time they arrived in camp with the next lot.
They had just moved camp two days ago. They were making their way along the coast of the northern continent, and were now camped right on the equator. Their camp was on a small bluff that gradually sloped down to the ocean to the west. The water was an inviting blue-green, with patches of darker blue from the shadow of clouds. The surf was a constant booming here, as the prevailing wind was from offshore. The waves were presently at about four feet, and a stiff breeze blew off the water and through the camp. It moderated the temperature but created challenges for Aiofe’s cooking area, despite the fact that she had placed it on the lee side of one of their two Eagles.
Alan stepped down from the doorway and headed over to the canopy that shaded the open-air cooking area. Two pots were on the stove, one covered and one containing a bubbling vegetable stew. He leaned over and sniffed it, trying to suppress a wish for beef stock. He reached for a spoon to taste it when Aiofe exited the other eagle with a jug of water.
"Leave that stew be, Alan Carter!" she said fiercely.
He jumped guiltily, then tried to cover the move. "Hey, I was just going to stir it for you!"
"I don’t think so."
"I swear," Alan insisted.
A soccer ball bounced under the Eagle and distracted them both. It landed practically at Alan’s feet. Maggie and Nina rounded the end of the ship and stopped. "Come play with us, Uncle Alan!" Maggie called with a grin.
"Billy left to play cowboys with Da and Padriag, and the teams are uneven."
Aiofe rolled her eyes, "Cowboys again! Yes, Uncle Alan, go play with the kiddies. I’ll call you all for supper when it’s ready." She made shooing motions with her hands and Alan grinned at her as he kicked the ball back to Maggie and followed her around the Eagle to the flat section of ground. He really liked having the kids along.
Nina had just scored a goal when Alan heard Dave shout, "Padraig!"
Everyone looked up. There was a spire of rock just inland from the Eagles. It was a weathered and cracked volcanic extrusion. The four-year-old had climbed nearly to the top of the outcrop and was sitting on a ledge nearly twenty meters above the ground.
Aiofe was standing at the end of the Eagle looking up too. "David Reilly, you get that child down in one piece."
Raoul, who had been playing on the other team, walked up behind Alan. Alan glanced at the other pilot, "Get the climbing gear."
Raoul nodded and headed for the Eagle. Alan walked over to Aiofe. "We’ll get him down, Alan assured her quietly. "Get the other kids fed and keep them occupied."
Aiofe nodded and shook herself, rounding up the other children. Dave was standing just below his youngest son, who looked down at his father with a smile, holding his hand in an imitation of a six-shooter. "Bang, bang, Daddy. Fall down."
"I just may, son." Dave said faintly.
Five year old Billy scrambled around the rocks to stand next to his father. "Wow, Padraig, how’d you get way up there?"
"I climbed." The little boy explained simply, peering over the ledge in a way that made his father gasp.
Alan climbed up beside them and picked Billy up. He spoke softly into the boy’s ear, "Go keep an eye on your mum. She’s going to worry about your brother until we get him safely down."
Billy nodded, and slid down to the ground and headed for the camp. He passed Raoul coming to join the other men. They all strapped on climbing harnesses while Dave examined the rock face. While talking to his son, he spotted the cracks that would make likely holds for climbing.
Alan quietly asked, "Can we throw him a rope?"
Dave shrugged. "It wouldn’t to any good. He can’t tie a knot yet, and we don’t have a harness small enough for him. I’m going up. You spot me.
Alan nodded. He and Raoul fed the line as Dave slowly inserted pitons and made his way up. He spoke calmly to his son all the while, talking about the climb and the rock and how to find just the right handhold. Alan wasn’t certain just how much the four year old understood, but he seemed fascinated by both his father’s words and actions.
When Dave finally swung himself up onto the small ledge, he pulled Padriag into his lap and gave him a hug. "You’re a terrific climber, my little man. But you need the proper climbing equipment to keep you safe. Promise you won’t go climbing like this again until I can make you a harness and come with you."
"I promise, Da."
"That’s my man!" Dave gave him another hug, stroking the boy’s silky dark hair. Padraig had his mother’s coloring, silky black hair, fair skin and gray eyes. Although Dave tried hard not to play favorites with his children, this youngest was special. The two sat for a moment and looked out over the ocean while Dave adjusted his harness to fit both of them.
The sun was setting, turning the sky orange and red and the clouds golden. The water was woven into a carpet of gold, green and blue. A particular patch caught Dave’s eye. It didn’t look quite like the rest.
"Raoul," Dave called down. "Have you taken any photos of the sea?"
"Now, Dave," Alan replied quickly. "You know we don’t have the tools for any offshore sampling or drilling."
"It’s not that…" Dave frowned. Something about that area of sea caught at his memory. "No, no, I’m not wanting to drill there. "It’s just that there’s a patch out there that looks… different."
The harness was now tight around father and son.
"No sea monsters?" Raoul teased.
"Just a difference in… wave pattern or color. I can’t tell in this light."
"Speaking of which, can we get you down before we lose the light?" Alan asked. "Take a bearing and we’ll have Raoul fly over it tomorrow. Saskia can bring you back all the pictures you need."
"Right." Dave looked around again. "Good rock, son. We’ll have to climb it again sometime." He slapped the ledge he was sitting on.
"With harnesses," Padraig confirmed.
"Right."
The slid off the ledge and made a gentle rappel down to the ground. Aiofe had been watching from afar. By the time they hit the ground she was next to them. She hugged them both fiercely before they could unlatch the harness, then she helped them remove the harness and transferred the little boy to her hip. She poked a finger at her husband’s chest and hissed. "You are in trouble."
"Me?" Dave replied innocently. Still untangling himself from the harness.
"Filling the boy’s head with ideas. Taking him up into the rocks. You and your bloody rocks!" She was furious.
Alan and Raoul tried to look like they weren’t watching. They expected lightening bolts to shoot from her fingertips at any moment.
"You’re always encouraging him to get into trouble!" She turned to her son and her mood shifted with lightening speed. "Come now, it’s time for dinner. Are you hungry?"
The wide eyed little boy nodded eagerly as his mother carried him back to camp.
"But darlin’!" Dave followed his wife down the trail leaving harness and rope in a forgotten heap.
Alan and Raoul let out a sigh of relief, glad they could remain behind for a few minutes to retrieve pitons and coil the ropes.
Reilly spent the evening trying to sooth his wife’s fierce temper. After dinner, Alan and Eva Zoref headed for the Eagle to review the previous day’s results. Dave usually joined them, but after an hour, he still had not arrived. Alan and Eva reviewed the work and transmitted the information to Alpha to be included in the ever-growing database on the planet Loki.
Alan opened the door to the Eagle to hear music playing. Dave and Aiofe were dancing to a country and western song, holding each other close and just barely moving in time with the music. The children were also dancing as were the Martinez adults. Alan grinned and watched for a moment.
Eva joined him at the door. "Looks like she’s forgiven him again."
"Yeah," Alan said, watching them.
Eva looked at him closely. "You’re not still carrying a torch for her are you?
For a moment Alan didn’t react. He had dated Aiofe for quite a while before she had caught Dave Reilly’s attention. "What? For Aiofe?" he finally responded. He shook his head. "I knew I didn’t stand a chance once Dave showed an interest. I wasn’t Irish enough for her."
Eva smiled, and looked as if she didn’t quite believe him.
"Besides. She’s a bit too … volatile for me."
With a laugh she brushed by him and started down the steps.
"Um, Eva. Want to dance?" Alan asked.
She shook her head. "It’s Nina’s bedtime. I need to get her tucked in."
Alan nodded and watched her collect her daughter and head for the other Eagle. Eva had shown no interest in anyone after her husband’s death. She was a hard worker, and relaxed and friendly around her women friends, but she never gave any man any reason to think she was interested in them, and pulled back quickly from any gestures of friendship from men. People had been surprised when she decided to have a child, but she had been quite open about the fact that Dr. Russell had helped her conceive using donated sperm from a man who had since passed away. She couldn’t have Anton Zoref’s child, but she could at least pass on his name.
The music changed from a slow romantic ballad to the "Boot Scootin’ Boogie". Maggie and Billy spotted Alan and ran up and pulled him out to dance with them. Padraig pulled on his father’s arm and Dave laughed and lifted the little boy onto his shoulders. The two danced with Aiofe, the little boy reaching down to hold his mother’s hand.
The next afternoon Alan and Dave returned to camp driving the moon buggy. Alan had already designed two different land vehicles for use on Loki, a land rover, which would have been perfect for today’s activities, with plenty of room for their equipment and core samples and another vehicle that most closely resembled a combination pick-up truck and a humvee. It would be invaluable in the farms around Dover, and Alan had carefully designed both to use easily made parts from the metals mined on C-2. All he needed was the lubricants and fuel that petroleum would provide.
Currently the farm equipment ran on alcohol—and used as much as they could produce. A diesel engine was much more fuel efficient, and Alan had taken care to make sure it would be as non-polluting as possible. Lack of lubricants was an even worse problem than fuel. Trying to find non-petroleum lubricants was a constant nightmare for him, even though they carefully recycled every bit of oil they had brought with them from Earth. That had left no room for expansion.
Some of the children had been watching from the rocks and ran out to greet them. Maggie, Billy, Marion and Jorge piled onto the buggy all clamoring for the chance to drive. Dave gave up his seat to Jorge and Maggie and boosted Billy onto his shoulders. Marion climbed onto the gear piled behind the seats. Alan let both nine year olds take a brief turn at the controls. As they pulled into camp, Padraiag dashed up and leapt into his father’s arms. "Dad! Dad! Can we, can we?"
The other Reilly children were scrambling around them. "You’re supposed to ask him," Billy prompted his little brother.
"Can we go swimming? Please? Please?"
Dave looked at Alan who shrugged and grinned. "That little cove looks ok. It’s just up the beach."
Maggie turned to Alan. "Will you come too, Uncle Alan?"
"Let me get these samples unpacked and I’ll join you." Alan said with a grin.
"The children scrambled away, calling "They said yes! They said yes!"
Dave and Alan unpacked the buggy and quickly helped Eva secure the samples. The children had dashed around the camp making enough noise about swimming that everyone knew what was about to happen.
Aiofe flagged down her husband and Alan and handed each of them a hamper.
"What’s this, darlin’? Dave asked.
"Supper. We’re all going for a swim, so I thought we’d pack a picnic.
"Great idea, Aiofe," Alan said with enthusiasm. They packed the supper in the moon buggy. There were immediately half a dozen children in the buggy clamoring for a turn to drive. Alan lifted Nina and Billy out of his seat and slid in next to Jorge. Nina and Billy climbed back on top of him and they headed out with all the children calling. "Faster! Faster!"
The water in the cove was shallow and calm. Everyone enjoyed the chance to cool off and splash in the water. The children enticed several of the adults into a splashing war, and until they were all hungry and tired. Everyone ended up sitting together on the beach eating supper as the sun set. Dave and Aiofe slipped away and walked down the beach alone, hand in hand. The children were sitting in a circle eating sandwiches and listening to Raoul tell some amazing story that included jungles and flying feathered serpents, both equally items of fantasy to the children.
Saskia sat down next to Alan. "I took those pictures you wanted, out over the ocean."
"I’ll take a look at them when we get back. What did it look like to you?"
"I’m not sure. The water looked kind of cloudy. It was a different color, and almost looked—thicker, or something. The waves didn’t have the same pattern."
Alan frowned. "How far offshore was it?"
"A little over two kilometers. The water was still pretty shallow. The continental shelf extends nearly forty kilometers along here."
Raoul finished his story and the children began running in and out of the water again. They raced out to knee deep water and back onto the beach. Billy ran into Padraig, knocking him down. He came up sputtering and coughing. Alan and Saskia both tensed, ready to intervene, but Maggie grabbed her little brother by the wrist and stood him back up. She leaned down and talked to him. He coughed and nodded and she walked him back out of the water before running off again. Alan and Saskia relaxed slightly and took another head count of the children.
By the time Dave and Aiofe returned, Saskia’s youngest, two year old Willem had crawled into her lap and promptly fallen asleep. Alan lifted the sleeping child and noticed that Raoul had Louise who was a little less than two years older. Saskia stood and reached to take her son but Alan shook his head as the little one settled onto his shoulder, still soundly asleep. He motioned for Dave to drive the buggy, which quickly filled with the older children and they headed back to camp.
The pictures of the ocean looked like—pictures of the ocean to Alan. Once Saskia had her brood settled down she joined Alan aboard the Eagle. The videos did show how the waves changed as they hit the odd colored area, but neither had any experience with oceans and couldn’t come to any conclusions. Alan decided to send the whole lot up to Alpha for analysis and turned to reports of yesterday’s core samples before turning in for the night. Dave seemed to feel some of the indicators were looking promising, but there was no solid evidence yet.
The following morning Alan awoke and headed out in search of breakfast. When he opened the door of the Eagle where he was bunking an odd musty odor hit him. The sea breeze was blowing steadily and the morning was as dry and clear as the others had been. He headed for the cook tent.
"What’s that smell?" He asked. Aiofe and Dave were the only ones up so far and they were sitting at the table, cups of coffee in front of them.
"I don’t know. We woke up in the middle of the night and noticed it. I would have thought that the breeze would blow it away, but it seems to be getting stronger." Dave answered,
Aiofe shrugged. "It could be worse I suppose, but it is rather odd."
Eva Zoref and Nina exited the other Eagle and joined them. "What is that smell?" Eva asked.
The others shook their heads. Eva fixed plates for Nina and herself and settled at the table. Dave and Alan finished and prepared the moon buggy for the day’s work. The rest of the camp was stirring by the time they left. Billy asked to go with them, climbing into his father’s lap, but Dave swung him back to the ground and sent him back to breakfast with a quick playful swat.
With every bump the little moon buggy made, Alan wished for their search to be successful. The electric buggy had the most sophisticated fuel cells available at the time Alpha left Earth, but its range was still limited and it had a miniscule payload. It was also uncomfortable, transmitting every dip and bump directly to the lower back of its occupants and jarring the equipment. Using Eagles was an inefficient waste for journeys of a few miles. He knew there were people who would prefer not to introduce internal combustion engines to Loki, but Alan knew it was a necessity for expansion, and the sooner it was possible the better.
They pulled up to their first site for the day and Alan sighed as he climbed out of the buggy. Dave grinned as he unfolded himself from the buggy. He looked around at the rocks on the surface.
"Looks good Alan. I think we’re getting close!"
"Yeah. I’ve heard you say that before."
"No, Really. The rocks are telling me great stories today. We’re in an area where the rocks are just the right age."
"On Earth they might be. No offense on your expertise Dave, but Loki isn’t Earth."
"The theory is the same. Have some faith, Alan."
Alan tossed Dave the drill head. "Have some tools, Dave."
The pair worked their way across the grid pattern, drilling narrow core samples in ten different sites. Once away from the rocky coast the land leveled out into a flat area which actually descended to below sea level. Dave talked about how this area had once been a gulf—connected to the ocean. About ten million years ago it had tilted away from the ocean. The cliffs along the current shoreline thrusting up to cut this area off and the water draining off to the north. When Alan got tired of listening to rock stories he tuned Dave out, going over the design of a pickup truck in his head. Dave didn’t seem to notice.
They had traveled in a semicircular pattern and by the end of the day were back near the coast again. As they approached the camp they could smell the same odor they could detect this morning. The camp appeared deserted, but as they approached the two Eagles, Eva Zoref exited the survey Eagle and met them.
"Where is everyone?" Alan asked.
"Inside. It’s a little crowded, but Aiofe had an asthma attack this afternoon and we think whatever is causing this smell may have triggered it."
"Is she ok?" Dave asked.
Eva nodded. "We’ve already talked with Dr. Koenig. Aiofe has had attacks before, but not since she was a teen. There was an inhaler in the med kit, and once she used that and rested a bit she was better."
Raoul and Jorge joined them and helped get the day’s samples into the lab module and Alan sent Dave inside to check on his wife.
"How serious is this?" Alan asked Eva quietly.
"Helena seemed to think it had something to do with the odor here. She’s the one who suggested everyone stay inside. She also asked for water and air samples. I’ve already started working up an analysis. I should have something to transmit to her this evening."
"Good. We’ll bed everyone down on the Eagles tonight."
Eva nodded. "I’ve already had dinner. I’ll get started on these samples and stay here so I can transmit the information to Alpha as soon as it’s ready."
Alan nodded. He was surprised to find Aiofe at the cook tent. Dave was with her pleading with her to go back inside the Eagle.
"I just need to finish up here. You and Alan need to eat," she was saying.
"We can fix it Aiofe. We’re not completely helpless," Alan said.
Aiofe gave him a withering look. "It may be only a tent Alan, but I’m not having you two mess up my kitchen," she turned away. Alan could hear a wheeze in her breathing that hadn’t been there before.
Dave gave Alan a helpless look and he shrugged in return. They waited for Aiofe to fix their plates then Alan returned to the lab module, figuring the other Eagle was crowded enough. Eva sent off the data and gave Alan the report on the previous day’s samples. Dave joined him, bringing Maggie and Billy with him. The two kids settled on the floor with their slates while the three adults gathered around the desk.
They were interrupted by a call from Alpha. Helena’s face appeared on the screen.
"Hello, Alan. How’s the prospecting going?"
"So far, no luck, but Dave swears we’re getting close."
"We are," Dave insisted.
"I’ve done some preliminary checks on the water and air samples Eva sent me."
"Is that what triggered Aiofe’s asthma attack?"
"Could be. It’s not conclusive yet. She’s had attacks before, but not for years. Tell me, did any of you swim in the water?"
"We all did, last night." Alan replied.
"Did you ingest any?"
"Of course not," Dave replied.
"Wait a minute, Padraig came up coughing once. He could have swallowed a bit. What’s wrong, Helena?" Alan asked.
"The water samples are indicating a bacteria similar to red tide on Earth."
"The stuff that causes fish kills?"
"The same. It also exacerbates certain respiratory illnesses in humans. The bacteria itself really isn’t the problem, but it excretes a toxin that removes free oxygen from the water. That’s what kills the fish on Earth. This Loki version seems to produce a similar kind of neurotoxin that acts on the membranes in the lung."
"How dangerous is this, Helena? Should we move camp?"
"I’d suggest it, Alan. I’d also like to examine Aiofe. Padraig too, since you say he’s taken some water in. Has he shown any symptoms? Breathing difficulties?"
"No, no he hasn’t," Dave said.
Maggie stood and leaned against her father. "He’s been coughing today and was kind of stuffed up. We thought he was fooling around because of the smell. Then Mama got sick and no one paid much attention to Padraig."
Eva spoke up. "He also wasn’t nearly as active today as usual."
"Alan," Helena said with a frown. "I want both of them up here."
Dave glanced at the core samples. Alan followed his gaze and said, "The samples can wait. We can come back later. Helena, we’ll break camp and head up straight away." He did some quick calculations. "It’ll take a little over twelve hours to make Alpha. We should be able to have everything picked up by about midnight and be on our way by then."
Helena nodded. "We’ll be expecting you. Call me if you need anything."
Alan nodded and broke the connection. "Let’s tell the others and get packed up."
Everyone except the youngest of the Martinez and Reilly chidren helped pack. Jorge and Maggie were put in charge of keeping the littlest ones corralled. Billy, Nina and Marion were drafted to help pack the bedding and break down the tents while the adults packed the moon buggy and the other heavy equipment. It was nearly an hour after midnight when they were really ready for lift-off. Alan was tired, but knew he could get some sleep once they were out of Loki’s atmosphere and on course for Alpha. Raoul agreed that he was also fit to fly. Saskia and their children were aboard the survey Eagle with Raoul and the Zorefs. The Reilly’s were packed aboard the lab Eagle. Dave carried his sleeping youngest son aboard, strapping him in without waking him. Maggie was yawning, but asked if she could ride up front in the co-pilot’s seat. Since neither Dave nor Aiofe were pilot rated anyway Alan agreed.
Alan took a last look around the camp and waved Raoul off. Returning to the cockpit he completed his preflight check and took off. Maggie was already asleep in the co-pilot’s seat by the time they left the atmosphere. Alan checked the lab section. The lights were dimmed and the occupants all asleep. Alan called Alpha to confirm their ETA. He discussed their status with the duty pilot, turned over control to Main Mission and settled in for a few hours sleep himself. He would have preferred to have another pilot aboard, but Alpha’s people were spread thin, each working hard during this mild season on Loki. The farms were in full swing, building at the main settlement was at a fever pitch. There were two other prospecting teams on Loki right now. More pilots were needed, and by the next season, Maggie, Jorge and some of their contemporaries like the Koenig kids would be old enough to be trained, but for now, pilots were in great demand. He drifted into an uneasy sleep.
When Dave came forward and shook him awake the chrono showed he'd only been asleep for two hours.
"Aiofe and Paddy are both having trouble breathing."
"Let's call Helena," Alan said, standing up and heading back to the lab module.
Aoife was lying on the bunk at the rear of the Eagle. She looked transparently pale with dark patches under her eyes, her face almost tinted blue. Dave had already placed an oxygen mask over her face.
Padraig was on a pallet on the floor while Billy was curled up in one of the passenger seats sleeping soundly. Both Padraig and Aiofe's breathing was labored and loud. Padraig also had an oxygen mask over his face.
Alan felt an intense frustration that he had no clue what more to do with them. He activated the comm panel and entered a code that would place a call directly to Helena. It was an agonizingly long minute before Helena's face appeared on the screen. A desk lamp illuminated her face for the camera, but the background was dark. Alan knew he woke her up, but wasn't concerned.
"Alan, what's wrong?"
"Aiofe has gotten worse. Padraig too." Neither bothered with greetings or formalities.
"Patch her vitals to me, please." Helena leaned off screen, bringing up a second monitor. Alan complied.
Helena examined the information she was receiving while asking a few questions. "What's your ETA?"
"Helena, we're still ten hours out."
She frowned, and looked over her shoulder. "Can I have a medical team rendezvous with them?"
Alan and Dave could hear John's voice from off screen. "It'll take a little over five hours to match speed and get them aboard the rescue Eagle. How about returning to the settlement on Loki?"
"I don't think they'll have the equipment or people to deal with this." Helena responded with concern. "Ben is pretty much on his own down there right now."
Alan got the feeling that Helena wasn't sure exactly how to deal with it herself, even with Alpha's well-equipped Medical Center behind her.
"Dave, you've been using the inhaler?"
"Yes. We brought the one from the other Eagle as well, but it's having less and less effect every time we use it."
"On both of them?"
"Yes."
"Dave, these asthma attacks are a reaction to the toxins they've been exposed to. I want you to administer an antihistimine and a mild sedative to both of them. If we can get them to rest easier they'll have less trouble breathing. Also, prop them up. That should assist their breathing." Helena proceeded with a list of details which Alan jotted down on his slate.
"I'm bringing a team out right away. Alan, be prepared to rendezvous with us," she finished.
"Right, Helena."
"Call me if you need me." Helena signed off, the concern in her voice evident.
Alan and Dave set about making the two as comfortable as possible. Padraig clung firecely to his father, so Alan found the required medicines and prepared the injections. He hated shots, and hated giving them even more, but years ago Helena had insisted that everyone who could find themselves in isolated positions such as this take advanced courses in first aid. She and her staff had packed very complete medical kits on each Eagle and insisted that all his pilots learn how to adminster each item. At the time, Alan had thought of the courses as busy work to keep both the medical staff and his pilots from green sickness between the stars but he had come to understand the value as this preparation saved lives.
Dave held Padraig tightly and spoke soothingly to him as Alan cleaned a patch on the child's upper arm. Alan tried to convince himself that this was no different from the fruit Helena first had him practice on years ago. Padraig gave a ragged wheezing breath as Alan carefully administered the shot and withdrew the needle but the little boy didn't cry. He looked at Alan with wide grey eyes.
"OK, cobber?" Alan asked gently.
Padraig nodded slowly and gave a small smile.
"Now that I've practiced on you, I'll give your mum one." Padraig looked unsure if Alan was joking or not. Alan felt the same way.
He helped Aiofe to sit up more. She had been watching silently from the bunk. The blue cast to her pale skin bothered Alan a great deal.
"Alan, have you ever given anyone a shot before?" she whispered using as much strength as she could.
"Yeah, about two minutes ago," he replied softly.
She snatched the syringe from his hand. "Give me that," her voice was soft, but still held annoyance. Before he could protest she expertly performed the injection and handed him back the plunger.
"Alan," she gasped. "This doesn't feel like a regular asthma attack." That simple sentence seemed to exhaust her.
"Helena says its similar but caused by a kind of poison in the water."
She nodded, and watched her husband cradle their son, her eyes closing as the sedative took effect.
Alan sat with her as she dropped off to sleep, then headed forward. He made contact with the Eagle containing the medical team and discussed course considerations with the pilot. Rendezvous in space required careful matching of velocities.
Less than an hour passed before Dave called him again. "Alan, contact the doctor, quick."
Alan patched Helena through the passenger section and headed aft. Padraig was lying on the floor in convulsions, his face blue, his body jerking.
"Respirate him," came Helena's urgent comment.
Alan tore open the first aid kit and followed Helena's step by step instructions. Alan slipped the bag over Padraig's face and began to help the child breathe with Helena's patient coaching. Motion from the bunk attracted his attention. Aiofe had been still and silent but now she began to gasp for breath. Dave moved to her side as the convulsions began.
Alan looked up in panic at Helena. "I can't help them both!" he exclaimed without pausing in his actions.
Helena could only look on in frustration. Dave called to him, "Stay with the boy. Do what you can. She'd insist on it. I know." Dave held her shoulders and did what he could with Helena's instructions. Aiofe's color changed to a more bluish hue and Alan could hear Dave speaking softly to his wife, "Please stay with me darlin', please don't leave me."
As Alan squeezed the Ambu-bag that was forcing air into the boys lungs he saw Padrag's small body go rigid. He looked at the screen giving Helena a pleading look. "There has to be something...."
Helena slammed her hand down in frustration. She needed to be beside her patient assessing their condition and watching for the tell-tale signs that would give her some clue as to what to do next. It was time for heroic measures and she knew it. She would just have to do the best she could. "Alan----"
"Helena, he's not breathing!" A sharp edge of panic was in his voice.
"Start CPR. Dave you've got to help him."
Dave wasn't moving. He knelt on the floor of the Eagle with his wife's head cradled in his arms silently sobbing. Aiofe's eyes had glazed over and her pale skin had a waxen look. She wasn't breathing.
"Dave! Listen to me, mate," Alan was pleading "We can't help her, but you still have a little boy over here and I need your help to save him. Paddy needs you!" Alan continued compressing the small boy's chest. Dave didn't move for several seconds. Finally he looked up at Alan and gave him a slight nod. Laying his wife's head gently down on the bunk, Dave scooted over by Alan's side. "What can I do?"
Helena breathed a small sigh of relief. She wouldn't trust him with the drugs right now, but he was an extra pair of hands to aid Alan. "Take over for Alan." There would be time later to express her sorrow for the loss of Aiofe. When the two men had changed places
she instructed Alan to check for a pulse. There was none. " Alan, go to the Med cart and get the EEG machine" Alan pulled the machine over and started placing leads on the young boys small skull. When he was done he look up waiting for instructions. She instructed him on the settings and had it patched to her in medical center immediately. Within seconds she was holding a small pink strip of paper in her hands.
There were no signs of brain activity. She pushed blonde hair from her eyes which were filling with tears. She shook her head and looked back at the screen. "Dave, I'm sorry he's gone." She felt like she had been punched in the stomach as she watched the emotion cross Dave's face.
Dave reached out to touch his little boy’s hair. Alan pulled the leads off and packed the medical equipment away, wanting only to do something. Dave gathered up the child in his arms, far too distraught for tears. He stood and carried the child’s body over to the narrow bunk in the back of the Eagle and laid the child beside his mother, carefully arranging him to lie in the protectively in the crook of his mother’s arm. He took a blanket from the floor and gently covered them both, hesitating a moment before covering their faces. Alan turned away and only then saw the other two Reilly children standing together by the door of the command section, eyes wide, Maggie’s arm around Billy’s waist. Dave was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice them, so Alan stood, and held his arms out to them. The boy and girl rushed forward, tears falling and clung to him.
The Eagles continued toward Alpha as a funeral procession. The medical Eagle landed first, a few hours ahead of the two returning from Loki. Helena and a medical team met Alan’s Eagle. Bob Mathias and another team met the other Eagle. All were checked thoroughly while in the isolation lab. No one questioned the procedure. Alan felt too stunned to do more than follow Helena’s directions. Eva Zoref appeared with Nina at her side and led the two Reilly children away. Mathias arrived shortly and took Dave in tow.
It was Helena who led Alan from the isolation section. He wasn’t thinking coherently enough to even wonder where she was taking him. He had felt the life slip out of the little boy. He had never imagined anything so horrifying. He didn’t know how Helena could cope with this kind of pain on a regular basis. Then there was Aiofe. Dave was the grieving widower, but Alan had known her well, loved her in his own way. She had chosen another. All the intimate moments they’d had together were gone. He felt lost, adrift.
Helena led him back to her apartment, put him to bed in Alex’s bed and gave him a sedative. He shivered when she administered the shot, remembering the last words he had exchanged with Aiofe. Helena sat on Richie’s bunk and they talked quietly while the shot took effect then she left him to retreat from the horror in sleep.
Two days later he stood with the Koenig family in Alpha’s small chapel. Today the chapel was Roman Catholic and the funeral included the incense, holy water and prayers for the dead that sounded familiar to him from his Anglican upbringing. The Koenig children had obviously been threatened to be on their absolute best behavior. Even with the numbness of his own grief for both Aiofe and Padraig he could sense both Emma and Richie bursting with unspoken questions about the ceremony. Their liveliness was a comfort to him. As the chaplain began to speak, Helena slipped her hand into Alan’s. He appreciated the comfort it brought. At almost the same time, Emma, standing on the other side of him, slipped her own small hand into Alan’s. He clung to them both as if they were his lifeline.
Afterward there was a gathering in one of the larger areas of the recreation complex where pictures of the mother and child were displayed. People mingled and talked and Alan managed to say polite things without embarrassing himself. He had spend much of yesterday talking to both Helena and John about the guilt he felt over the deaths, and the decisions he had made as mission commander. Both of his friends had assured him that this was a normal part of grief and unfortunately the feeling would remain despite the fact that he had made good decisions. Both John and Helena had certainly been through this situation before, but the death of a child had hurt Alan deeply.
Eva Zoref appeared at his elbow. "I thought you should know," she started abruptly, businesslike. "I finished the evaluation on those last core samples. There’s substantial evidence of petroleum in those rocks."
Alan stared at her. "That information cost us two lives."
John was there to hear his comment. "Yes, it did, Alan. So we have to make it worth while. We’ll need to get a mining team in there as soon as possible."
Alan had the horrible feeling that John would have him leading that mission too.
Eva spoke up, "I’d like to volunteer to work on that. If there’s something I can do." She looked at Alan rather than the Commander as she said it. "Nina enjoyed the chance to be outdoors."
It was a vote of confidence, and she was letting him know she was willing to risk her daughter’s life too.
"I’m sure Alan will keep you in mind as he puts his team together," John said, smoothly appointing Alan to the job and seconding Eva’s opinion with one sentence.
Emma, Richie and Billy rushed past giggling, a game of tag in progress. Helena had been nearby too and she moved to stop them, but Dave stepped over to her. "Don’t, Doctor. Let them have a little fun. Aiofe loved to hear the children laugh. And they’re so young." Dave watched them weave in and out of the other guests wistfully.
Helena nodded, but soon the children returned. "Mama, can me and Billy go to the Playplace for a while?" Richie asked hopefully.
A section of the gym had been set aside with tumbling mats, some slides and a few pieces of large plastic tubing for the children to crawl through and climb on. It allowed them to expend some of their boundless energy in a small space.
"Not by yourselves," Helena said, trying to say no gently and manage to avoid a scene with her five year old.
Emma dashed up behind her mother and grasped Alan’s hand. "You’ll take us, won’t you?" She smiled up at him.
The children’s smiles were like a fresh breeze on Loki in what had become a tightly enclosed room. Alan returned her smile. "Of course," he said, relieved to find some excuse to leave. "If it’s okay with your parents."
Both Dave and Helena smiled gratefully. Alan reached out and grasped Dave’s hand, not trusting his voice to say anything at the moment, but Dave seemed to understand.
It was good to have children here on Alpha, Alan thought to himself as they moved out into the hallway. There were more than a half dozen children surrounding him by the time they reached the door. It changed the whole atmosphere of the place.
Ellen Lindow
November 14, 1999