Higher Ground

by Becky Black

  He reached out. Adam took his hand and lay down beside him on a blanket. The stretcher kept them from getting as close as Zach wanted to be to him, but their hands stayed clasped. Nothing they could do but wait.

  * * * *

  “Adam! Adam! Wake up!”

  Adam jerked awake. Damn, he hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He was supposed to be watching over Zach. He looked over at him. Zach’s eyes were open and wide. He seemed okay.

  “What is it?” Zach said. Only then did Adam take notice of the shouts. They came from Simon. He shoved aside the canvas flap of their shelter and bent to look inside with a huge grin on his face.

  “They’re here. The ship’s back.” He ran off again, and Adam climbed out of the shelter. The noise of it hit him as he finally woke up fully. The ship he’d seen twice before, and at last would be getting aboard, hovered overhead. Third time lucky. He laughed with delight and turned back inside to Zach, who was struggling to sit up, trying to see outside.

  “Lie down. It’s okay, we’re rescued. The ship is here.”

  Zach flopped back and passed a hand over his eyes. He didn’t cheer or laugh the way Adam thought he might. He only spoke softly. “Oh thank God. Nobody else will die, Adam. Nobody else will die.”

  “You did it,” Adam said quietly. He took Zach’s hand and squeezed it gently. “You did this. You got us up here. We’re alive because of you. Nobody can ever take that from you.”

  “But—”

  He was going to talk about the people he hadn’t saved, but Adam wouldn’t let him. He shook his head. “Three hundred people who would have been dead are alive because of you.”

  “And I couldn’t have done any of it without you.”

  Adam bent down close to him. “It was great working with you, Dr. Zach Benesh.” He kissed him, gently, cautiously. The tent flap behind him pulled back. Whoever it was didn’t back out when they saw them kissing, just waited.

  Adam looked back when he was good and ready. Glyn.

  “If you’re done molesting him, we have to get him ready to move.”

  The ship couldn’t land, not only because they couldn’t find a large enough piece of flat ground but because of the seismic activity. If a quake hit while the ship was on the ground… Adam didn’t dare think about it.

  So they had to be hauled up. From a hatch on the bottom of the hovering ship, the crew lowered a cradle which could take two people at a time.

  “Zach should go first,” Adam said, but Torres shook her head.

  “Let’s give it a couple of test runs first before we start loading casualties into it. Volunteers?” Nobody stepped forward. Not out of fear, Adam thought, just nobody wanted to be the first to step into the lifeboat and look like a coward. “Okay, you and you,” Torres said, pointing at a couple of the men and giving them no chance to argue. “One of you lie down, one sit up. Come on, let’s move it.”

  Adam left her to organize that and went back to wait with Zach. About fifteen minutes passed, and then Simon approached them.

  “Time for Zach to take his ride. We’ve given it a good test. Jan’s already gone up. It’s safe.”

  “Here we go, then,” Adam said. He leaned close to Zach. “Zach, I want to come with you, but—”

  “I know. You’re in charge, you have to supervise, you have to be last off. It’s okay, I’ll see you on board.”

  They carried him from the shelter and lowered the stretcher into the cradle.

  Inescapable logic told Adam Glyn should go in the cradle with Zach, much as he hated the idea. He watched it all the way up until it vanished inside, and then a couple of minutes later, the empty cradle began to return.

  “Right,” Adam said, turning to the others, “let’s form an orderly line, please.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  People almost fought to be the last off, amusing Adam. Most of the women went first, the men gallantly insisting on it, too macho to go before the ladies. It took almost an hour, people going up in twos, sometimes with one of the dogs. Adam grew more nervous all the time, fearing a disastrous quake at the last moment would rip the ground from under their feet. He kept looking at the gaps in the ring of mountains that had once circled the island and imagined Shusara vanishing next.

  At last there were only four of them left. Adam, Simon, Torres, and Jones. Adam thought of the link he had to everyone who’d set out with them. They’d made it. Through fear and pain, they’d kept on climbing. Passing through this danger together had bonded him to all of them, not only to Zach. Soon they’d all go their separate ways, and he’d never see most of them again, but they’d all be part of each other from now on.

  “Simon, Mr. Jones,” Adam said as the cradle touched the ground again. “You next.”

  “Barbara should go before me,” Jones said.

  “No, she shouldn’t,” Torres said. “Get aboard, Jonesy.” He didn’t argue any further. Simon didn’t either. He slapped Adam on the shoulder.

  “See you upstairs.” He and Jones climbed into the cradle and hunkered down. It began to ascend.

  It had only gone a few meters off the ground when they heard the familiar rumble. The ground began to tremble.

  “Stop! Stop!” Simon yelled up at the hatch.

  “No! Keep going.” Adam dropped to sit on the ground, fearing being thrown off his feet and hurt. He grabbed Torres by the arm and pulled her down beside him.

  “Lower us back down!” Simon shouted up to the hatch above. The cradle stopped.

  “No, dammit,” Adam groaned. The cradle might get damaged if it came back down. The quake would pass; they’d be fine. Though the water was so close now…

  The cradle lowered but not all the way to the ground. It stopped about a meter short, and Simon and Jones reached over the sides. Adam and Torres scrambled up, and before Torres could protest, Adam grabbed her around the waist and lifted her. Simon and Jones grabbed her and hauled her into the cradle. He dropped back down to the ground until she was safely aboard.

  “Now you,” Simon called down, and the three of them reached for Adam. The cradle rocked alarmingly, and Adam was terrified it would break and strand the four of them down here. But the quake wasn’t stopping—he had to go. He reached up, and Simon and Jones grabbed his arms. His feet left the ground, and he tipped up into the cradle. Torres hauled on his clothes and then his belt to pull him all the way in.

  An instinct told Adam to scramble for one end of the cradle once he was securely inside it. “Spread out,” he called to the others. They were overloaded, and they had to distribute their weight more evenly. The cradle rose, but its cables creaked, and it moved more slowly than usual.

  Adam stood when he reached the end of the cradle, hanging on to the cable. Probably against safety rules, but he wanted to leave on the feet which had carried him up the mountain.

  The shaking ground fell away as they moved up slowly, chilled by the dark, cold shadow of the ship looming overhead, until the cradle passed through the hatch into a burst of warmth and noise and activity. It swung away from the hatch, and crew members helped everyone out. When his feet touched the metal deck, Adam felt the vibration of the engines and the hovering motion of the ship, yet it seemed more solid than the ground had for the past week.

  “Stand clear. Hatch closing,” a crew member called. Adam dropped to his hands and knees on the deck to look out of the hatch, wanting one last glimpse of the ground he’d climbed so high to reach. He’d come so far, in more than just kilometers, to gain that ground. It had cost so much. A strange stillness held them all for a second when the hatch closed, cutting off the wind and the noise of the ship’s engines. The crew member spoke to one of his colleagues.

  “Report hatch secured to the bridge.” He helped Adam to his feet, giving him a weak smile and appearing almost as shaken as Adam felt. “Thought we were going to lose you four at the end there. Welcome aboard. We’ll be on our way home in a second.”

  Home? Perhaps for him. Where was Adam’s home? Zahara w
as gone. Earth was three months away. He knew where his home would always be from now on.

  “Can you take me to see Zach Benesh?”

  THEY TOOK HIM to a tiny medical bay, where Zach lay unconscious on a bed, with a nurse methodically cutting his clothes off. A doctor stood by the bed, writing notes and checking scanners. There was no sign of Glyn, which suited Adam fine.

  “Doctor, how is he?” Adam asked.

  “Mr.…?” she said.

  “Gray. Adam Gray, his partner.” The word came easily, entirely naturally. “Why is he unconscious? He wasn’t before.”

  “I gave him a light sedative. He needs the rest.”

  “Oh yes. Of course. Thanks, Doctor.”

  “He’ll need surgery on his leg to reset it and repair some muscle damage. I’ve already started replacing the blood he lost, so he can go straight into surgery when we arrive at Dunbarrow.”

  “He…he will be okay?”

  She smiled at him. “Oh yes. He’s going to be fine.”

  Adam sagged with relief and had to lean on the bed to keep his knees from giving out.

  “You should get some rest too.”

  “Yes, I…” He remembered what she’d said about resetting the leg. “Ah, I set his leg, after his accident. Did I screw it up?”

  “No, Mr. Gray,” she said, smiling. “Falling down a mountain screwed it up. You did the best you could in the circumstances. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong we can’t fix. Now, please, you’re clearly exhausted; go and find yourself a bed and sleep. I promise I’ll call you if there’s any change.”

  Though he hated to be away from Zach, Adam knew she was right, so he would come back once he could see straight and stand up without swaying. The tiredness had caught up and hit him like a club, as if it finally had permission now they were safe. After thanking the doctor some more, he went to find a place to sleep.

  He didn’t get straight to his bed. When he left the medical bay, he bumped right into someone who’d left the mountain days ago, not only minutes.

  “Ann!”

  “Hello, handsome.”

  Korrie looked cleaner and tidier than when he’d last seen her. More like the lady he and Zach had visited what seemed like a year ago. His exhaustion forgotten momentarily, he caught her up in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet.

  “What are you doing here, you mad old rock witch?” he asked, setting her down and grinning stupidly at her.

  “I was there at the start of the colony, I had to come and see the end of it. After all these years studying the island and…” She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Well, I had to come.”

  Her words sobered Adam, and he followed her to a port to look out at the ring of islands that was all that remained of Zahara. Adam put his arm around her as the ship accelerated away, the ring growing smaller, finally disappearing from sight. Tears ran down her face, and Adam didn’t say anything, just held her. Someone else he’d be bonded to forever. More of the group had drifted over to join them, saying a silent good-bye to their friends, homes, and lives.

  “Hello, Simon,” he heard Korrie say and turned to see her unbutton the bag she carried. “I have something for you. Amina was a little frightened on the flight, and she was worried you might be too when your turn came, so she asked me to bring you this.” She took a rag doll with long striped legs from the bag. “I think she called her Peggy, but you probably know that better than me. Anyway, she said she thought Peggy would help you not to be scared.” She smiled. “She and Visha are fine. They’re taking care of Tuzo for me until we get back.”

  Simon took the doll, staring at it, then looked at Korrie. “Thank you.” His voice came out choked, and he turned and walked away abruptly. Simon, their rock, would never want them to see him cry. But in less than a day, he’d give the doll back to his child and hold her in his arms. He wouldn’t be able to hide his tears then.

  “Hey,” Korrie said, taking Adam’s arm suddenly. He’d stumbled as he’d turned back from watching Simon, and his head swam. She looked into his face and scowled. “How long since you had enough food, water, and sleep? Too long, I’ll bet.” She took his arm and led him away. “Let’s get you working on the sleep part first.”

  * * * *

  Zach knew he’d seen Adam several times over the last couple of days but hadn’t had a coherent conversation. The drugs the doctors gave him were much more exciting than the ones in Glyn’s medical kit. Even when hypothetically awake, he’d been only dimly aware of the world.

  But at last he reached what he could finally call a state of full consciousness to find himself in a bed in a hospital ward. This must be the infirmary on Dunbarrow outpost. There were a half dozen other beds in the ward, all unoccupied and dark, the only light in the room over his bed. His broken leg was held immobile in a plasti-cast from ankle to thigh, only the site of the incision from the surgery exposed.

  Ah yes, he’d had surgery; he remembered going into the OR when they’d arrived at the outpost. His leg felt heavy and numb but not painful. Probably full of local anesthetic. Everything else seemed to be in order, he thought, looking down at himself. He had a few dressings on cuts. And he felt the freshest he had for days. When he raised a hand to touch it, his hair felt soft and clean. He’d been shaved recently; his chin was smooth.

  “You’re awake.”

  A quiet but delighted voice. Adam stepped out of the shadows where he’d been looking out of a window into darkness. Clean and shaved, like Zach, but, unlike Zach—who wore only a hospital gown—dressed in utilitarian and unflattering basic fatigues he must have got here at the outpost. Somehow he made them look good. He didn’t look tired anymore either. He had color back in his face, and the dark circles under his eyes had faded.

  “Adam, you look wonderful.”

  Adam laughed. “You know how to start a conversation, I must say.” He sat down by the bed, rested his elbows on it, and took Zach’s hand.

  “Is this Dunbarrow?” Zach asked.

  “Yes. We’ve been here nearly two days.” He nodded around the empty ward. “You’re the last of the casualties. Everyone else has been discharged. Long-range transport ships are on the way to pick us up and take us out of here.”

  “Take us where?”

  Adam shrugged. “Still being straightened out. We’re waiting to hear from the Terraforming Authority. Most of us are under contract to them. And who knows what’s going to happen to a couple of scofflaws like us? Sending illegal distress calls, waving guns around, stealing trucks.” He was grinning, which made Zach suspect Glyn hadn’t made any of his threatened complaints against Adam or Torres.

  “Yes, clearly we’ll be tossed in jail.”

  “As long as they put us in the same cell, I’m happy.”

  “I think I’d be in the prison hospital for a while.”

  “True,” Adam said, looking at Zach’s bad leg.

  He reached out and touched the good leg, resting his hand on the bare thigh, close to the hem of the gown, under which Zach had no underwear. He’d have to have a word with someone soon about the gown. He felt sure he was putting far too much on display. But later. Now he wanted to enjoy the warmth of Adam’s hand on him in an intimate gesture which felt like one of ownership, reminding them both of the permission he had to touch Zach.

  “What about us?” Zach asked. “We kept saying we’d talk about things afterward. It’s afterward.”

  “Yes, it is.” He didn’t move his hand from Zach’s thigh. “I want to be with you, Zach. I know, it’s been strange so far, everything moving too fast. We definitely need to take it slowly for a while.”

  Zach gestured at his leg. “I’m going to be taking everything slowly for a while.”

  “Quite. And I’m volunteering to take care of you while you’re laid up.”

  It didn’t surprise Zach. Adam had done so the last few days as naturally as if he’d been doing it all his life. With anyone else, Zach might have felt belittled and emasculated being so dependent. But all h
e’d felt with Adam was trust and gratitude.

  “I accept your offer.”

  “Good.” Adam grinned. “They figure it’ll be about six weeks before you’re walking normally again. Then a few months of physiotherapy. If we can still stand the sight of each other after six weeks of being together all day, then I guess we can call it love.”

  “I can call it love now.”

  “Me too. But let’s see if it can survive real tests, you know, like who gets which side of the bed. By comparison, earthquakes are a piece of cake.”

  “Adam, would you kiss me, please?”

  Adam chuckled. “I do love the way you talk, you know?”

  “I can’t do what I want to do, which is grab you and throw you down on this bed and ravish you. So if you’d, please, just kiss me.”

  Chuckling, Adam stood up and leaned in. Zach raised his arms, which ached with the effort. But he forgot the ache quickly when he put them around Adam and their lips touched. Adam slid his arms around Zach, more cautious than usual. The feel of him through the light hospital gown raised goose bumps all over Zach. He opened his mouth, inviting and welcoming, and touched Adam’s tongue with his.

  When they parted, he relaxed back into the pillows with a sigh, Adam still leaning over him, smiling.

  “Go on,” Adam said. “You know you want to say it.”

  Zach looked at him, puzzled for a moment, then got it. He smiled back.

  “Thank you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The apartment door slammed, and Zach clicked his tongue. Adam could never just close a door.

  “Hi.” Adam stuck his head round the door into the living room. Zach looked up from typing at his terminal. “I bought some groceries. I’ll put them away and then come bother you, okay?”

  “Sounds good,” Zach said. He went back to typing while Adam banged around in the kitchen. In a few minutes, the noise subsided, and Adam came in carrying a couple of glasses of orange juice.

  “You looked thirsty,” he said, putting one down on the desk and leaning over to kiss Zach. “How was physio today?”