CHILDREN OF THE PLANET

[Alternative Part 6]

By: Sue Sadler

Alonzo and Uly had reappeared in the cavern where they had last been seen. Animated corpses. Two bodies that breathed. Veins that blood pulsed around in. But no soul. No brain activity. A medical impossibility. But real. Terrifyingly real.

Unnoticed by the small crowd of people clustered around the beds, Devon's eyes snapped open. Despite the sedative, she was fully awake. Moving silently off the bed she glanced over at her son, then Alonzo. Seemingly unperturbed, she walked to the door of the tent and out into the camp. No one noticed. She walked through the camp and into Morgan's tent. Once again unnoticed.

"Morgan. We need to go. Time is running out."

"Devon? What are...." Bess' sentence remained unfinished as a blow from Morgan rendered her unconscious.

"Do you remember what Krysty said? Without good, there can be no evil. Without evil, there can be no good. I think I know how to stop Dhowron."

"Yes. But they will try to stop us. They won't understand."

"That's why the Terrians sent Uly and Alonzo back. They will focus attention away from us. Julia won't let Alonzo die. We have to get back to the cavern."

Morgan knelt down beside Bess and gently brushed his lips against her forehead. "You'll never know how much I loved you. I wanted us to be together forever. I'm sorry that can't be."

Anyone who knew Morgan wouldn't have recognized the bureaucrat. There was no self-interest in him. It was almost as if his personality had been distilled down to the best parts of him.

Devon held out her hand. Smiling he took it and they walked out of the tent together. At the edge of the camp they turned back.

"Our champions. They will live and repopulate this planet."

***

A short while later in the medtent Uly and Alonzo returned to their bodies.

"Mum!! NO!!!!!"

"Morgan!"

Uly brushed tears from his eyes. "We have to go to the cavern."

"Now," added Alonzo. "Devon and Morgan are in trouble." All those in the tent turned to where Devon should by lying sedated.

"That's impossible. She should be out for at least another 3 hours."

At that moment Bess decided to make her entrance, rubbing her head. Her voice was filled with disbelief as she said, "Morgan hit me. And now he's gone." the last part of the sentence barely coherent as her body shook with sobs.

"We need to go now." Uly dived under Danziger's arm and ran out of the tent.

Giving in to the inevitable, Danziger followed with a small party.

***

Nobody knew how Uly beat them to the cavern. A small boy on foot couldn't outrun the DuneRail.

But he had. And when they found him he was kneeling in a pool of blood.

"We're safe now. One sacrifice for good. One for evil. They guard the core."

The knife was still in Devon's hand. The one she had used to slit her wrists after cutting Morgan's throat.

--END--