Earth2: Robin-a-Tumble Story: CHILDREN OF THE PLANET

"Those people have no sense whatsoever. They have no idea of the possibilities this planet offers. And they never listen to sound advice. I told them we should check out that cavern at the top of the hill. But no, that Adair woman wants to move, move, move. She's always pushing us so hard. And then that Danziger character. That man is as stubborn as a... as a..." He couldn't think of a proper comparison for the mechanic.

Well, forget about them. He was going to make sure that he and Bess would be better off once they would return to the stations. No more groveling in the face of Level 5 bureaucrats. No more tiny cubicles to live in. No, all that would be different when they got back. And his father... too bad the man would be long death. It would have been worth all the trouble this planet could throw at him just to see his father's face upon discovering his son had it made!

He wasn't really watching where he was going and unexpectedly found himself caught in a dense brush, large thorns tearing at his clothes and skin. Ouch, that hurt!

Suddenly he stopped trying to break free. What was that? He heard noises - twigs creaking, a branch snapped. Someone or something was with him here in the brush.

"Oh God," Morgan thought to himself. "I sure hope it's not one of those creepy Grendlers again..."

[Part 1]

By: Sue Sadler

"If you remain still, we will free you before you are further hurt." A high pitched humming sound filled the air and the thorny twigs holding him loosened their grip on him leaving him able to pull himself free.

"My name is Krysty. And this is Ariadne." The woman was easily 6 foot. A mane of red hair flowed down her back almost to her waist moving gently in the non-existent breeze. The long green dress she wore accentuated her figure and set off her cat-like emerald eyes. She was the most beautiful woman that Morgan had ever seen.

"Ariadne?" Morgan's heart sank as his voice came out as almost a squeak. What kind of first impression was he making? He sounded like a babbling idiot. A small head peered around the folds of Krysty's dress. Then the whole body came into view. It was 3 foot high standing on powerful hind legs, with two clawed front legs crossing over it's chest. The reptilian head sat on a long, snaking neck and two translucent wings unfurled, completing the picture. It was the spitting image of creatures, albeit a lot smaller, that Morgan had read about in his story books until his father had taken them away telling him to concentrate on his education if he wanted to make anything of his life.

"A dragonet. This is as big as she'll get. I'm surprised you recognized her. Nobody knows her kind any more." The woman smiled. "She likes you. Perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself to her."

This was all starting to make sense. He'd obviously fallen and hit his head. That was causing the hallucination. You didn't just come across beautiful women wandering around with small dragons as company, not even on G889. All he had to do was to find Julia and she'd give him a shot to put everything right.

The others were looking for him. You couldn't have even 5 minutes to yourself without someone interfering. Privacy was a crime now, thought Morgan resentfully, ignoring the little voice in his head that reminded him that he'd wanted help. It was Devon's voice getting closer. Figures she'd be the one to find him.

"We all know Devon. We've been waiting for her. And you brought her to us. You have our eternal gratitude."

Her eyes grew large, the pupils in the center pulsing gently, rhythmically, irresistibly. So beautiful you could fall into them for eternity...

[Part 2]

By: Nicole Mayer

"Morgan wake up!" Danziger kept shaking until the bureaucrat pawed his hands away.

"Where the hell is Devon? Her gear's here. She contacted us to say you were unconscious and to hurry. There's no way she'd leave you like this."

Blinking blearily, Morgan looked around, trying to figure out where he was and what he was doing. But all he could think about were dragon, or more correctly, the beautiful woman who was with her. "Krysty -" he began and Danziger gave him a worried look.

"No, Devon. Devon Adair." Danziger waved a hand back and forth in front of Morgan's face, trying to decide if the bureaucrat was lucid. "You and Devon were supposed to be scouting for edible plant life when we got a panicked call that you were unconscious."

"Unconscious?" repeated Morgan dumbly. Now memories were beginning to come back to him. "No, not unconscious," he said, quite sure of himself (although he didn't know why). "I was wide awake, and I got caught in a bush and then there was a dragonet..."

Danziger shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "Morgan," he growled, "I want you to tell me what happened before that. Devon is missing. I have to find her." The last few words were spat out quite vehemently.

Finally managing to sit up straight, Morgan noted the obvious worry on Danziger's face. He has it bad, he thought to himself. Then he realized that he'd better not keep a growing-more-annoyed-by-the-moment Danziger waiting one second longer for an answer.

"I'm sorry," Morgan admitted. "I don't remember. All I can think about is leaving camp this morning and then the dragon." And the beautiful woman, he added silently to himself. "Do you think it was a Terrian dream?" Morgan asked hopefully. "It all seemed so real!"

Danziger didn't seem to care. He was scanning the area intently, searching for tracks, a broken leaf, anything that could indicate where Devon had gone. "DEVON!" he suddenly called, causing Morgan to leap several feet into the air in fright. He gave Danziger a dirty look, which went unnoticed as the bigger man continued calling Devon's name.

"I think we should organize a search," Morgan finally interrupted. "I'll call camp - on Devon's gear," he added, noticing that once again, Danziger had left his own behind.

"Fine," Danziger responded distractedly. "I'm going to start looking around here. You stay put."

Morgan was more than happy to do that. He planned to call the others, then settle down to wait for them (just so they didn't lose track of the spot where Devon had last been seen). And if he happened to fall asleep and have a certain dream again, well, Morgan wouldn't mind a bit.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," said Danziger in an oddly British accent.

Devon was falling. She didn't quite know what was happening - one moment, she had been with Morgan, and the next, she was falling into a black abyss. Devon supposed she should feel at least a little afraid but she was more curious. She'd been out scouting with Morgan, who had suddenly dropped to the ground, unconscious. After placing a rather hurried call to camp, Devon had attempted to ascertain what was wrong with Morgan when an incredible drowsiness had overcome her and she had felt compelled to lie down...

And then she was here in the darkness. Only now it was getting lighter. She was now falling through more of a light-dark and the musical tinkle of laughter filled her ears. Again, Devon felt calmed with the noise; perhaps it was the intended effect. The light grew steadily, flashes of color appearing randomly, until suddenly, she wasn't falling anymore.

Devon stood in the middle of camp, but it wasn't camp. There was a wrongness about it. Something just didn't make sense...

That was when she saw the woman. And the creature - from what she could tell, it was a dragon of some sort. That was when Devon decided she had to be dreaming.

"Welcome, Devon Adair," smiled the redheaded woman. "I am Krysty, and this is my companion Ariadne. We are pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I'm pleased to meet you," responded Devon, automatically holding out her hand, which was gently shaken. She stared at her new acquaintances, realizing that the whole experience was much more real than most dreams she'd ever had. "Is this a Terrian dream?" she asked.

Ariadne laughed musically. "In a sense," she said. "Yet it is so much more." Devon did a double take as she realized the dragonet was talking.

Devon stared, hearing the innate truth in the woman's words. "Who are you?" she finally managed.

Ariadne and Krysty shared glances. "We are a manifestation of what you call this planet. We are its heart and soul," Krysty offered simply.

Devon drew in a breath, trying to calm her racing pulse. "You're saying that G889 is sentient?"

"And there are two of you who are the core of this planet?" Devon tried to clarify. She shook her head, knowing that it didn't fit with what she knew of G889.

"In a sense. We are the manifestation of what exists. We are everything. We took this form because it was familiar, desired by the other."

"Which other?" Devon had a sneaking suspicion that it was Alonzo who had conjured up the image of the beautiful woman. She was surprised to hear the answer Morgan.

"Morgan is special to this planet," revealed Krysty. "And he brought you to us. You should give him your gratitude."

"Maybe," answered Devon, thinking that if the planet's spirit had taken the form of something Morgan dreamed up, then why couldn't it have been something more useful, like an adult-size dragon who could fly them to New Pacifica?

Devon stared at the woman. "Why haven't we met you before? We've been here for months, we've talked to the Terrians, we've been through the tunnels - if you need us to help you, why didn't you ask before?"

"We sleep," answered Krysty. "We have been asleep for a thousand of your years. Only now, as the great darkness approaches, do we awaken."

Ariadne's eyes grew large and frightened. "We could all be gone. All will be lost forever. Help us, Devon Adair, you're our only hope..."

[Part 3]

By: Emily Foster

The group gathered quickly around the spot where Devon had disappeared. They all had questions, but Morgan had no answers. He didn't know where she was, but he sensed she was okay. He didn't feel like sharing with the crew his incredible dream. He didn't even want to discuss it with Bess. He felt changed by this experience. He felt special, as though he'd been chosen for something bigger than himself.

The Edenites agreed to split up and join Danziger in his search. They struck out in pairs and headed in different directions. Only Bess and Morgan remained.

"Okay, Morgan. What's going on?" his wife inquired. She found his behavior odd, and she was worried about him.

"Now you're starting to scare me, honey. Maybe we should call Julia back to re-examine you. I think you hit your head or something."

"I'm fine. Julia said so herself. Let's head back to the camp," he said as he started walking away without waiting for his wife's response.

Bess was concerned. He wasn't acting right. He seemed almost serene--not a normal state of mind for Morgan Martin.

Bess left her husband asleep in their tent while she stepped outside to check on the progress of the search. No one had found Devon yet, and it was starting to get dark. She could hear the worry in everyone's voices. She decided to go ahead and start cooking supper. They would be hungry when they returned and would need their strength to continue the search.

As she stepped into their tent to ask for Morgan's help, Bess was startled to find her husband was gone. Her repeated calls to him went unanswered. He had left his gear behind. Panic-stricken, she called to rest of the crew back to the compound. Things were getting too bizarre, even for G889.

Morgan entered the cavern that was somehow as familiar to him as his quarters back on the stations. He effortlessly navigated the various tunnels as though he'd been born in them.

Finally, he reached his goal. He stepped into an enormous room bathed in glowing light. Sunlight filtered delicately through a series of holes in the roof. Water trickled soothingly down the walls, creating a rainbow around the vast grotto. He felt as though he had come home.

Morgan turned to see Ariadne smiling up at him. He smiled back. "I know," he replied. He followed the dragonet to a smaller chamber behind one of the waterfalls. There he found Krysty and Devon enjoying a quiet chat together. They greeted him warmly. Devon seemed especially pleased to see him.

"I'm glad you're finally here," she said as she hugged him. As he hugged her back, Morgan felt oddly comfortable although he had no reason to be. This was the woman who had made his life a living hell since leaving the stations.

"Am I dreaming again?" he asked with a perplexed look on his face. The three chuckled at his confusion.

"Have a seat. We have quite a story to tell you." As they settled into the cozy room, a familiar feeling passed over him like déja-vu. He sensed they had all done this before.

"We have something important to tell you and not a lot of time," Krysty began. She explained about being the heart and soul of the planet, which Morgan accepted readily. Somehow he just knew it to be true.

"We are in danger. All of us. You and Devon are the only ones that can save us. That is why you were destined to return to us," Ariadne told him. "You were both born here many, many years ago. You are our children."

"You and Devon are brother and sister," the dragonet explained. "You were born here a millennium ago. For your safety, you were sent to a distant planet in, what you call cold sleep, to await the time when it was necessary for your return. We are uncertain how you were separated, but we're pleased that you've found each other again." Ariadne beamed like the proud parent that she was. "The two of you are not like the others," she added cryptically.

"I'm not sure how it's possible that the two of you could be my parents or that I could be over a thousand years old. I really don't understand how Devon can be my sister," he exclaimed.

"You will understand all in good time," Krysty reassured him. "Right now we must concentrate on how you and your sister will save us from the evil that threatens all our lives."

[Part 4]

By: Melanie McManama

"A sister," Morgan echoed, still dazed. It seemed impossible, but he sensed it was true. "Why were we sent away, and how were we separated? Why were we endangered?"

Ariadne's face darkened with sadness. "It was The Other -- The Darkness. Your father, so to speak."

Krysty nodded. "As we've said, Ariadne and I are only the physical manifestations of this planet. Of the POSITIVE aspects of G889," she repeated meaningfully. "We are but one side of the coin. Dhowron -- your father -- is the dark side."

Ariadne picked up the narrative. "Almost two millennia ago, G889 was a much more peaceful planet, teeming with a multitude of species -- some humanoid, like your companions. All life forms lived in harmony. Life was good -- too good."

Devon wondered briefly how anything could be "too good." As if divining her thoughts, Ariadne went on to explain. "Even good can stagnate if not balanced by a countering presence. The life-forms, caught up in their own self-importance, became greedy: reproducing without check, depleting natural resources without regard and leaving the byproducts to pollute what little remained. It put a tremendous stress on the planet. That is how Dhowron came into being. Rather, he was already there; this abuse of the planet was simply a catalyst for his manifestation."

It was Krysty who answered. "Chaos reigned. There were wars. Terrians turned upon each other. Whole species were extinguished. Others fled the planet."

"Couldn't anyone stop Dhowron?" Devon felt a twinge of sorrow for the devastated planet.

Ariadne shook her head. "Everyone was too busy fighting with each other to resist. The Darkness had to run its course. In that course, though, so much was destroyed. As we faced the possibility of our own demise, we decided a sacrifice was necessary so that the future would not be lost. You are both children of the planet. We had to send you away so that you would be safe from Dhowron. But we knew you would return in our hour of greatest need and put a halt to the spreading evil of Dhowron's influence."

"You have come back," Krysty pointed out. "And you have brought with you your chosen group of champions."

"Champions!" Morgan scoffed openly. Even Devon looked a bit dubious. She tried to imagine the cobbled-together group of colonists as heroes, and found she could not. Exchanging a worried glance with Morgan, she prayed Eden Advance would be up to the challenge.

At that very moment, the only challenge Eden Advance was aware they faced was finding their missing comrades. The search was not going well.

"We need to stay calm and focus," Yale told the assembled group. "We will find them, but only if we marshal our intellect and don't let our emotions cloud our judgement."

"What good is intellect without action?" Danziger demanded. "We should be out there beating bushes, looking for whoever took Devon. And Morgan," he added hastily as Bess glared at him.

"Intellect can be a powerful ally," Yale intoned solemnly. "Do not underestimate its force."

"I'll take a good MagPro at my side any day." Next to him, Alonzo grunted a wordless assent. It was obvious the pilot shared his friend's opinion. Disgusted by the pair's brash dismissal of Yale's respectable talents, Bess turned toward the older man. "What do we do now, Yale?"

"We should split into smaller groups and make a systematic search of the area," he directed. "You three," he motioned to Bess, Danziger and Alonzo, "remain here in case Devon and Morgan return."

Yale divided the remaining colonists into smaller groups. Denner, Cameron and Baines headed northwest; Magus, Mazatl and Walman fanned out southwest; Yale and Julia went due west. Uly and True remained with Danziger, Bess and Alonzo.

Soon, Danziger began pacing in impatience. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he groused. "And who put that crazy old man in charge? I don't know where Devon dug him up!"

Bess bristled at Danziger's cavalier attitude. "Yale is a great man!" she said hotly.

"I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas," Bess was quick to point out. "If Yale said to stay here, then I say --"

She was interrupted by an excited exclamation from Uly. The children were gathered a few paces away, consulting the Echo tracking device. Uly hopped about frantically, waving Echo.

True shrugged at her playmate's antics. "I don't know," she admitted. "He keeps saying, 'I've found her, I've found her!'"

"Yes," True said, though no translation was necessary. "He says they're that way."

"I thought you said we should stay here." Danziger wasn't exactly protesting; he wanted to find his missing crewmates just as badly. He simply enjoyed playing the devil's advocate.

Bess knew that. She gave him a level look. "And I thought YOU said anything would be better than sitting around here."

Danziger made a show of relenting, but Bess knew his reluctance was feigned -- he was already heading toward the DuneRail.

"We're going in that!?" Now it was Bess' turn to protest. "What a piece of junk!"

Danziger scowled at her. "Hey, she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts. I put in some special modifications myself."

They piled into the 'Rail, Uly sitting on Bess' lap. She thought about Danziger's remark regarding "special modifications," and had a sudden flash of worry. "You DID remember to charge the panels earlier, didn't you?"

"Of course!" Danziger gave her a wounded look, then added reluctantly, "I think."

"Well, you better hope so," Bess warned as the 'Rail jolted off, "or this is gonna be a real short trip."

Unaware that the small group comprised of pilot, mechanic, two children and Morgan's wife was only minutes away from them, Devon and Morgan contemplated the story Ariadne and Krysty had told them.

"So, what are we and our 'champions' supposed to do to kill this Dhowron?" Morgan asked.

The woman looked vaguely surprised. "Oh, you needn't kill Dhowron. This planet needs its dark side just as it needs the light side. But Dhowron must be checked before his evil influences are allowed to destroy all life on G889 once again. The balance must be restored."

Devon leaned forward intently, sensing they were getting to the heart of the matter. "What must we do to bring balance to the planet?"

Krysty and the dragonet exchanged grim glances. Devon had the sinking feeling that she wasn't going to like the answer...

[Part 5]

By: Lahaylia St. James

Krysty opened her mouth to answer Devon's question, but before she could, Danziger, Alonzo, and Bess burst into the cavern where they were seated. Bess rushed into Morgan's arms, he stood, and they embraced. Danziger stared at the woman and the dragonet, wondering just what to make of the situation.

Alonzo did the same, then met Devon's gaze as if to ask *what the hell is going on here?* From behind the pilot, the two children appeared.

Uly was talking faster than Devon could decipher, rambling about how he knew all about his uncle while he hugged her enthusiastically; then grew quiet and greeted Ariadne and Krysty by name, as they were already acquainted.

True, on the other hand, went right to Ariadne and poked her in the arm, rather rudely in retrospect, and Danziger could tell that his daughter was contemplating the possibility of another pet - as if that Koba wasn't already enough.

"Yeah," Alonzo said, still staring with obvious lust at Krysty, who didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the fact that Alonzo was undressing her with his mind.

Morgan and Devon proceeded to tell the story, what they knew of it so far, to the others. When they were finished, Danziger looked at them skeptically. "You're both crazy." he said.

"We're not crazy," Morgan said defensively, but Bess looked at him like he was totally nuts.

"Mm hm," Alonzo mumbled, having sidled a little closer to Krysty and no longer paying attention to the conversation. Uly had joined True. The conversation continued to escalate as Danziger tried to convince Devon and Morgan to go back to camp and lay down for a while. At one point, the mechanic looked up and realized that Alonzo, Uly, Krysty and Ariadne had disappeared. True lay on the stone floor, fast asleep.

He scooped up his daughter in her arms, and grabbed Devon, pulling her out of the cave as she frantically began calling for her son. Bess pulled Morgan out similarly, though Danziger was sure that if Morgan had been in his right mind, he would have been running of his own accord.

When they arrived back at camp, Devon was fuming, yelling at Danziger, swearing she would kill him for making her leave her son, and that Krysty and Ariadne needed her and Morgan. Bess had been trying to calm her, but had so far been unsuccessful.

Yale and Julia, along with others, approached them as they got off their vehicle, Devon still loudly proclaiming all of Danziger's faults. True was still asleep.

Danziger shot Devon a look - a nasty look - and she lunged at him with a decidedly animal sound. Julia and Yale grabbed at her...

A few hours later, Devon was sedated, and Morgan had been taken to his own tent by Bess. Julia sat in the medtent, near Devon's side, going through a handful of tests that were standard for pretty much any sort of medical situation. Danziger had insisted that Devon had hurt herself somehow, possibly hitting her head, and had filled Julia in on the details of their story, and of the two creatures that had disappeared with Alonzo and Uly.

True entered the tent, still looking half-asleep. She had wakened with a horrendous headache, and Morgan had told everyone that True was weird, that he hadn't felt that way when he woke up. The little girl had promptly burst into tears, her induced nap making her more than a little moody.

Julia was about to start the same tests on True that she had been doing on Devon, when Danziger practically fell into her tent. "Julia, it's 'Lonz and Uly," he said, "we found them."

Ariadne and Krysty sat together in their rock cavern, shaking their heads. "Now what?" Krysty asked.

[Part 6]

By: Sue Sadler

"You have to wake Devon up, Julia." Alonzo's tone was serious as he brushed off questions about where he and Uly had been taken.

Morgan came into the tent dragged by an excited Uly followed by Bess who was trying to get some sense from her distracted husband.

"Nobody is doing anything until someone explains what is happening!" Danziger's irritated tones effectively silenced the group of people.

"The planet is unbalanced. Two halves of a whole. One cannot be dominant or all can be destroyed. Dhowron represents the evil side of the planet. Krysty and Ariadne the good." Uly's voice tailed off as he found Danziger staring at him with a look of utter bewilderment.

Alonzo stepped in to rescue the boy. "Ok, Danz. It's like this. The planet is alive and sentient. Think of it as a dual personality. One side represented by Krysty and Ariadne, the other by Dhowron. Neither of them consciously knows this. The conflict between them causes the chaos. We need. Or rather Devon and Morgan need to reunite the two into a whole." His voice tailed off.

"No. It's making perfect sense. The planet is schizophrenic and needs therapy. Simple. Just what are you on, Alonzo?"

"Listen Danziger. They are right. Krysty said that they took the form they did from my mind. That we were the champions and that we didn't need to kill the evil. She was right. If we kill, then we kill the planet because one can't exist without the other."

Finally he was shouting, making the other Edenites pause. Morgan never shouted at Danziger, he normally had far too much of a self-preservation instinct. That he was concerned enough to do such a thing, together with some of the experiences they had so far on the planet was a good reason for him to be given the benefit of the doubt.

An hour later Devon was awake and had organized a party to return to the cavern. She and Morgan sat together silently, their breathing in unison.

Walman nodded in their direction. "Of all the things that have happened to us - those two like that is the absolute weirdest."

Ulysses looked at him, his head tilted to one side. "We will protect. Form a barrier to keep all out of the cavern. The planet is both mother and father to my mother and Morgan. They will know how to heal it. We are its champions. We will protect and nurture it."

At the cavern mouth, they were joined by a group of Terrians making their usual entrance via the earth. Gently the Terrians guided the party to form a chain with them in front of Devon and Morgan, guarding the entrance.

As they went into the cavern, Devon turned to look at Uly. When he looked back in his memory, Danziger thought she was memorizing him.

A gentle humming by the Terrians became louder and one by one the humans in the chain entered the Dream Plane. There, each of them seemed larger, more perfect than their earthly selves. They formed a circle. Human and Terrian around a bright pulsating shape which appeared to be splitting slowly in two. Behind the darkness was filled with terrible shapes. Beings that were too terrible to remember. Sounds that filled them with dread.

"Nothing can pass through as long as we are together. As long as we believe in ourselves. This is a representation of the planet's soul. Devon and Morgan will reunite it."

In here, in their dreams, Alonzo's words made sense. No one questioned them. And they stood firm as the creatures from the darkness made promises of unlimited power and threats of long lingering death.

And gradually as they watched the shape pulled in on itself and became a globe. Bright white light pierced the darkness and the Edenites found themselves outside of the cavern.

Sixty years later True looked down. She was surrounded by littles hanging on her every word. They never tired of hearing of the adventures of the First Ones as the original Edenites were called in history. She was the last.

"We never knew what Devon and Morgan did and we never saw them again. But they saved us and our home. And one day, when this planet is threatened, if you need them, they will come again."

Disclaimer: the E2 Robin-a-Tumble stories are based on the Amblin Entertainment/Universal Television series Earth2. All characters are owned by the original creators. The Tumble is only for fan purposes and does not have the intention to infringe on any copyrights.

CHILDREN OF THE PLANET

[Teaser]

[Part 1]

By: Sue Sadler

[Part 2]

By: Nicole Mayer

[Part 3]

By: Emily Foster

[Part 4]

By: Melanie McManama

[Part 5]

By: Lahaylia St. James

[Part 6]

By: Sue Sadler