Earth2: Robin-a-Tumble Story: A Promise Unbroken

Alonzo stomped his foot on the brakes and in a cloud of swirling red dust the ATV came to a halt. He pulled the bandana that covered his mouth and nose away from his face and used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He grimaced at the caking of dust it left on the cloth. Leaning over, he grabbed a water flask from behind his seat and took a long sip. The bottle was almost empty and the warm water tasted slightly stale; he had been away from camp for a long time.

Overhead, the sun beat down mercilessly on the lone man, as it had done for days. Behind Alonzo, the rolling plain of red dirt stretched out to the far horizon. Only a few high buttes and thin spires jutting up into the sky broke the monotony. It was a strange landscape, with an otherworldliness that reminded him once again he was on an alien planet, light-years from home.

Alonzo's eyes moved over the metal frame of the ATV and he frowned at the sight. A thick layer of dust coated the vehicle. Danziger would never believe that he had taken it easy on the car; the sheer amount of dust would reveal him a liar.

Alonzo shrugged. He had been in a hurry. And when the group learned about the things that had happened during the scout, Danziger would surely forget about having his hide for the mistreatment of the vehicle.

Putting the bottle back behind his seat, Alonzo pressed down on the accelerator and resumed his course at a more moderate pace. He knew he would find the camp behind the next mesa. And in the camp, there would be Julia. He smiled at the thought. He had missed her.

Part 1

By: Sue Sadler

A noise sounded in his mind, similar to the static buzz that some malfunctioning equipment made. For some reason, it reminded him of a Terrian experience. The Terrian Dreaming he experienced, had an odd metal sound to it that he had never been able to explain to any of the others. Even Uly hadn't understood, but that could have been because he had been altered by the Terrians and didn't have to 'see' through totally human physiology.

Not words in his mind but the emotion of someone lost and alone. He'd come to rely on the odd sense that allowed him to communicate on the Dreamplane, so he stopped the ATV to give himself the chance to focus on the new sensation. His discovery of a ruined city would have to wait. It, after all, was not going anywhere.

The right. It was definitely coming from his right. Turning the ATV he headed in that direction. The further he drove the stronger the sensation. A small voice in the back of his mind was telling him to report to base. His logical mind knew that if he did that he would be told that he was imagining things and to return to base.

He'd been travelling around an hour when he saw what he could only describe as an igloo made of mud. It was a deeper red than the earth that surrounded it. The building, if it could be called that, was where the sensation of being lost came from. He drove up to it, stopping the ATV about ten meters from it. Swinging out of the vehicle he circled the structure. Now he was close he could see that half of it had fallen down leaving a quarter sphere. As he moved to the open side, G889 threw yet another surprise at him. A woman lay on a crude mattress of leaf material. She was small, approximately 5 foot 2 and beautiful. Dark hair, possibly a shade lighter that Devon's, fell to just below her shoulders. Hazel/green eyes stared up at him with an unmistakable expression of fear.

The dress she wore was strange, totally out of place. It was blue with small beige flowers. The length was very short, falling to mid thigh. It was sleeveless, held up by string straps with a plunging neckline. Totally impractical. The woman would be badly burnt by the sun within minutes if she left the shelter.

Alonzo crouched down by the entrance. The woman responded by pushing herself back to the wall. She gasped in pain and he could see her left ankle was badly bruised and swollen.

"It's OK. I'm not going to hurt you." He gave her his best 'trust me' look. The Alonzo charm was obviously having a day off as the woman pressed closer to the wall, visibly trembling.

How in hell did she get there? She wore no shoes so there was no way she could have walked, even if there was somewhere she could have walked from. Her skin was white, no sunburn, no red dust. It was almost as if someone had picked her up and put her in that place.

He gave her his best non-threatening smile. "I'm Alonzo." That was better. She looked a little more relaxed. "Who are you? And just how did you manage to get here?"

The woman looked intently at him, her head tilted to one side. He could almost see the calculation going on. Trust. Don't trust. Is he safe? Will he hurt me? He'd never been able to read a woman as easily as this one. It was a good job Danziger hadn't found her. With his aggressive approach the woman would probably been scared out of her mind.

Her eyes were almost changing color as he watched. While she'd cowered against the wall, fear had made them almost gray. Now, while she was deciding, they were returning to the hazel/green.

"I don't know. I woke up and I saw you. There's nothing else." Her voice was accented. One he'd never heard before.

She winced away from him again. The lost, alone feeling swamped him and he responded by gathering her in his arms. She tried to push him away as she panicked.

"It's all right. You're safe now. You're not alone anymore." He kept repeating the words until he felt her relax. There was a bond between them. A bond he couldn't explain, that had drawn him forty miles out of his way to find her. The woman felt it too. He wasn't getting the lost, alone feeling anymore. Just a general scared and overwhelmed feeling. She was crying. He could feel the sobs shake her frame. Eventually they stopped. The woman looked up at him

She nodded, looking embarrassed. "I wish I could say I'm not normally this weepy, but I honestly don't know?"

"It's ok. You're entitled. Finding yourself in a strange place with no memory is enough to unnerve anyone."

"Well. You come back to camp with me and our Doctor will sort out that ankle and your memory loss."

"Now let's get you back to camp." He grinned. "This is going to take a lot of explaining."

The Terrian pointed at him, then at Natalie. It trilled again, holding the Lightning Staff out to him

It trilled again in assent, placing the staff on the ground and backing away crossing its wrists chest height. Then pointed at Natalie again.

Part 2

By: Echo Hayes

Alonzo looked over to the woman, who was inching backwards in pure terror even though the Terrian had already gone. She was obviously putting a lot of strain on her ankle in doing so. Alonzo patiently went up to her and offered her his hand. To his surprise she smacked his arm away with a rough blow. He was sure it would leave a nasty looking bruise but he was more worried about the woman's terror. He stood there for a moment and the two of them stared at each other, neither sure what to do.

Finally, Natalie spoke, her voice low. "What is that thing and why were you talking to it?" The tone sounded almost like fury to him, rather than fear. He wasn't surprised, though he was a bit annoyed that the one he was trying to help was blaming him for the frightening thing that had just happened.

"That was a Terrian." He explained as gently and patiently as possible. "He asked me to help you." He motioned with his hand towards the staff. "He thinks you might be in danger of something. Can you think of anything else about why you are here?"

Natalie shook her head. She relaxed a little bit with Alonzo's explanation and offered him a smile that would have, were it not for his being already in love, completely melted his heart. Instead it just gave him the satisfaction of knowing that he was making her terrifying experience a little bit less so. He did feel attracted to her but not in a romantic way. It confused him a little bit because any feelings he had for women used to always be romantic attraction. He helped her towards the ATV, and realized how similar the situation was to when he brought Mary back to camp.

By the time he returned to camp it was already late afternoon and the sun was not so harsh. "Julia!" he exclaimed, as she rushed towards the ATV. Her intents changed when she noticed the woman that was with him. She immediately asked who she was and if she was injured or sick.

The Eden Project had seen the ATV before he had arrived, and most were already out to greet him and ask questions. He went through the tedious process of explaining how he found Natalie and the arrival of the Terrian.

Most everyone was extremely sympathetic towards her situation. Morgan acted a little more indifferent than was appropriate but Alonzo barely noticed. It was expected of Morgan. What worried him was Uly. He had been acting withdrawn ever since Natalie had arrived, which was unusual for the normally perky and curious boy. Alonzo watched as he suddenly got up and left the tent and made a mental note to speak to Devon about it later. At the time his thoughts were on Natalie and what had happened to her.

Bess, in her patient understanding way, asked Natalie some questions for Devon as Julia treated the woman's ankle. She was no more successful than Alonzo had been, and Natalie kept looking over to Alonzo so often that Bess wondered if something had happened between the two of them, despite Alonzo's seemingly flawless relationship with Julia. The doctor herself didn't seem to notice anything or if she had, it didn't bother her. At least she wasn't showing it.

It was agreed that Natalie should stay the night in the med tent. Julia was concerned that she couldn't find the reason for the woman's amnesia and thought that it could be an injury that she simply hadn't found yet.

Alonzo went back to his tent. He was late in falling asleep and once he did it was a fitful one. He dreamed and though it had the feel of the dreamplane, it was very much unlike his previous experiences with it because it was not lucid. In the dream he saw Natalie standing in front of him, straight and proud. Suddenly, out of nowhere a bolt of energy struck her and she crumpled to the ground. Panicked, Alonzo turned in a circle, looking for where it had come from, only to discover that he was holding a charged lightening staff.

Part 3

By: Maggie Czarney

"Morning," Natalie replied, relaxing as she remembered where she was. She returned Julia's smile hesitantly.

"Do you remember anything?" she asked, looking at the results from the diaglove.

Julia's smile faded. "I can't find any sign of injury." She paused, and then continued speaking. "Loss of memory sometimes occurs when people undergo a traumatic experience."

"I... was afraid, but I don't know why. And I don't know how I got hurt." She shook her head and looked at Julia. "Is this going to be permanent? Am I ever going to remember?"

"I don't know," Julia said honestly. "A lot of times, the memories will return when the patient feels safe again. So you have to remember that you're safe here, and you're among friends."

Julia handed her some borrowed clothing and shoes, then went outside while Natalie changed. A few minutes later, she walked out. "Do the shoes fit okay?" she asked.

Julia smiled and led the way to the meal tent. "No problem. We always keep a stash of extra clothes and shoes around, just in case."

They entered and got their food. Natalie spotted Alonzo and immediately went over and sat by him. He looked surprised to see her and... a little worried? Julia frowned. His expression changed quickly to a charming smile. Julia followed Natalie over and sat down next to her. She let her mind and her gaze wander as Alonzo and Natalie made small talk. Devon and Danziger were sitting together with their children. The two of them were deep in discussion, probably about Natalie, judging from the way they kept glancing over at her. True was telling something to Uly, but Uly wasn't listening. He was staring at Natalie. Julia frowned at the look on his face. Uly had been quiet ever since Natalie had shown up, and now he was looking at her like she was a puzzle to be solved. She looked back at Alonzo and Natalie, and wondered about her connection to the Terrians. Alonzo had said that a Terrian told him to protect Natalie, but from what? What had happened to her, and why were the Terrians interested?

Julia looked back over to Uly, Devon, John, and True. Uly had gotten Devon and John's attention and was talking to them urgently. That didn't look good. Julia got more worried when Devon frowned and looked over at Natalie again. "Excuse me," she said to Alonzo and Natalie, getting up from the table. Alonzo smiled at her as she left, but aside from that, they barely paused in their conversation. Julia walked over to Devon's table. "What's wrong?"

They paused in their conversation and looked up at her. "Julia," Devon said, "how are you this morning?"

"Devon," Julia said, exasperated. "I saw Uly looking at Natalie. I know something's up. What's going on?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just do. You can see it in her eyes. There's something else there, something that wants to hurt people."

Julia looked at Devon and John. For a switch, John looked like he believed Uly while Devon was the skeptical one. "Who does it want to hurt, Uly?" Julia asked.

Julia looked back up at Devon and John. They exchanged worried looks and then John addressed True and Uly. "Why don't you two go play. We'll figure this out."

They looked at each other again when the kids had left. Devon was the one to break the silence this time. "I don't think we should take this too seriously. For all of my son's gifts, he is still only 11 years old. Julia, your tests showed nothing unusual about her, right?"

Julia nodded. "I didn't pick up anything, but that doesn't mean there's not something wrong, Devon. I didn't find any reason for her amnesia, it could be related."

"Look, I'm not sure if it's my suspicious nature or what," Danziger said, "but I'm getting the feeling something's wrong with her too."

Devon shook her head. "But something evil inside her? Come on," she said, still disbelieving.

John stared at her evenly. "What about that time the frozen Terrian possessed me?" Devon jumped slightly and looked at him, surprised. She had forgotten about that little incident. Or she had made herself forget. "That thing was evil, and from you all tell me, there was no way you could tell it wasn't me."

Julia bit her lip. "The only difference was your eyes." Devon looked at Julia, still in shock, remembering her son's comment. 'You can see it in her eyes.'

John shrugged. "I didn't say it was. But maybe it's similar. It's gotta be something with the dreamplane for Uly to pick up on it and for the Terrian to tell Alonzo to protect her."

Devon was quiet for a minute. "Uly said it wanted to hurt everyone. That includes Natalie, which would mean she needs protecting." She took a deep breath and looked at Devon and John. "We need to figure out what we're facing."

The commotion at the other side of the tent drew their attention. Bess lay on the ground, clutching her wrist, while Morgan knelt next to her and looked accusingly at Natalie. Natalie looked like she was near tears, standing off to one side. Alonzo had his arm around her, supporting her. Julia, Devon, and John shared a quick glance before standing and walking over there. They needed to figure out what was going on and find a solution, fast.

Part 4

By: Douglas Neman

"She attacked Bess!" Morgan snapped. "For no reason at all!" Bess thrashed with pain beside him, cradling a wrist that looked terrible. Julia quickly knelt to check it out and said to Mazatl, "Get my equipment, please. Hurry!" He ran to the med tent.

Devon raised her eyebrows at Natalie, who still didn't know what to say. "Come on," Alonzo said, gently leading Natalie back to a bench. "Sit down."

"Why did we bring her here in the first place?" Morgan shouted. "We don't know anything about her! For all we know, she could-"

"All right, all right, calm down," Devon said, holding her hands up, palms out. "Whatever happened, it's over, now, and we can sort this out rationally. Morgan, I think you're letting your temper and your fear get the best of you."

"Oh, yeah?" Morgan stood up and got in her face. Behind him, Mazatl came back with the diaglove. He handed it to Julia, who gave Bess a painkiller. "How many times do we have to go through this, Devon?" He turned to face everyone around him. "How many times do we have to suffer before the rest of you finally learn that we should just leave well enough alone on this planet?"

"Can it, Morgan!" Alonzo snapped. His arm was still around Natalie, who simply wept some more. Bess groaned and sat up, watching the argument silently while Julia scanned her wrist. "You're the prime example!" Morgan snapped back. "It seems like every time you come back from a scout, something dangerous happens. And it's something different every time! And you somehow keep managing to find mysterious orphaned young women in the wilderness who cling to you-"

There was a silence that could swallow worlds as everyone breathed in and tensed themselves. The temptation for Alonzo to use his smart mouth at the worst possible moment had been too much for him to resist.

"Please don't fight," Natalie whispered. "I'll go. I never wanted to be any trouble-"

"Cool it, you're not going anywhere," Danziger said wearily, sounding as if he'd just about had enough of all the bickering. "We're all jumpy because Natalie's presence here isn't something we can explain, but flying off the handle isn't going to help anything." He looked meaningfully at Morgan, who just glared back silently.

"John's right," Devon said, and sat next to Natalie. "Now, why don't you tell us what happened?" She looked at Morgan, silently imploring him not to interrupt.

"Natalie dropped her spoon," Morgan said sullenly. "She was having trouble getting it, so Bess just handed her another one. The next thing you know, Natalie's got Bess's wrist in a death lock like she's a pro wrestler. Then she twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her to the ground!"

Natalie just shook. "I...I...don't know. I don't remember. Please, you have to believe me!"

Julia stood up and started checking out Natalie with the diaglove. "Listen, you're in shock," she said. "I want you to lie down. Don't worry," she hastily added when Natalie looked afraid. "No one's going to hurt you. I want you to get some rest, and let me do some further tests on you, all right? Remember what I told you earlier: you're safe here."

"Come on," Julia said. She began leading Natalie to the med tent and looked over her shoulder. "Bess," she began, but then she realized that having Bess share the med tent with Natalie right then wouldn't have been a good idea. "Just have a seat here," she finished. "I'll be back in a moment."

"I'm telling you, Devon, bringing her here was a mistake!" Morgan hissed after they'd left.

"Morgan, I have no idea what Natalie's story is, but we can't just ignore her because it would seem more convenient for you!" Devon said. "She exists, and she obviously needs help. Those are the facts, no matter how unpleasant they may be."

"And she's obviously got some kind of problem," Devon joined in. "But what she needs right now is help, not to be ostracized. Believe me, Morgan, that's the worst thing to do to someone...and I don't want to make that mistake again."

"Oh, yeah?" Morgan asked, his voice full of hurt. "Well, what if it had been Uly she hit, huh? What if it had been your son?" He faced Danziger. "Or your daughter? Would you be giving me these pretty speeches then, or would you, might you, do you think, possibly be just a little bit ANGRY?"

Devon and Danziger fell silent, unable to face either the sheer frustration in Morgan's voice or his uncomfortable questions.

"Oh, I'm glad you realize that," Morgan said, his sarcasm tearing through the air between them.

"But Natalie still needs help, and if we can help her, we should," Devon continued. "Even you must agree with that."

"But what if she can't be helped?" Walman asked suddenly, and everyone looked at him.

"What if we find out that she's got some serious mental disease that we can't treat?" Walman explained. "What if she really is dangerous - psychopathic, schizoid, whatever - and we decide we can't have her around, but to kick her out would be to kill her because she can't survive on her own? What do we do then? Keep her under 24-hour guard all the way to New Pacifica? Keep her drugged the whole way and drag her there?" Then he asked quietly, "Or do we let her die to save ourselves?"

No one wanted to answer that. Memories of Yale's psychotic episodes came to everyone's mind, but no one said it out loud.

"Look, let's not answer any questions that don't need asking yet, all right?" Devon said. "Julia will carry out some more tests on Natalie later today, and I'm willing to bet she'll find out something that will help us figure out what is going on."

"Just don't be angry with her," Bess said suddenly, startling everyone. "Please."

"Do you think Natalie's the first one to hurt somebody because of something she can't control?" Bess asked him. "I was just as angry as you were when it happened, Morgan, but I know that we have to be better than that. Wentworth crashed our ship because her mind was controlled by the Council. Yale almost went insane for the same reason. Danziger tried to kill Alonzo because he was possessed by a demon, and I hurt your eye once because I was taken over by plant pollen. If anything, we should be getting used to people not being themselves by now. Please don't treat her any differently than you would anyone else in the group."

"There's more than one way of getting hurt, Morgan, and seeing Natalie treated like a criminal would hurt me more than this," she held up her wrist. "Please promise me you'll help her."

Then he suddenly turned back to Devon, his face white. "But Devon, I will tell you one thing." His voice was quiet, full of terror. "When Natalie attacked Bess, I saw the look in her eyes. It was the look of someone who isn't human!"

Devon and Danziger looked at each other uncomfortably. "Listen," Danziger finally said. "Maybe it would be a good idea to investigate the place Natalie was found. Can you remember the way back?" he asked Alonzo.

"Why don't you try contacting the Terrians, also," Devon said. "Maybe they can give us more information."

"I'd better make sure the rail's charged properly," Danziger said, then looked at Devon and gave a quick jerk of his head in that direction. Devon followed him out of the tent and they walked over to the dunerail, where no one else could hear them.

"I don't like causing a panic," Danziger said. "Just because I think Natalie's dangerous doesn't mean I'm gonna be like Morgan and go on a witch hunt. But she did attack one of us just after your son identified something about her that's not quite right."

He shrugged. "I'm not suggesting anything right now. But the safety of the group is more important than any individual. That includes you or me, or Julia, or anyone else. If you don't want Natalie to be treated any differently from the rest of us just because she's new, then be prepared for the fact that we may have to cut ties with her to save ourselves."

Devon gave an ironic smirk, seeing Danziger's true thoughts now. "You want to leave her behind."

"No. Absolutely not. What I want is for you to be prepared for the fact that we may have to. The safety of the whole group is more important than an individual."

"That's odd," Devon said. "I thought it was individuals that made up the group." She walked away, leaving Danziger to stare after her and sigh.

"Natalie's a very pretty name," Julia said. "What kind of middle name would go well with 'Natalie?'"

"Well, you know how some names just seem to flow easily, they sound more melodic. If you were naming a child Natalie, what second name would you pick that sounded good?"

"Natalie Anne," Natalie said without hesitation, and smiled. "I always thought that was a nice name."

"Yes-" Natalie said, then stopped when she realized what that meant. "At least, it seems like I always have. Do...do you really think I'll be safe here? After what happened?"

"Your group...they aren't the type of people to leave someone behind, are they?"

Julia didn't quite know what to say to that for a second. "No," she finally said, and she knew she was speaking the truth. "None of us would leave anyone behind. Not even Morgan, for all his bark."

Then she took a deep breath. She knew Bess was still waiting for her wrist to be treated, but now seemed like a good moment to help Natalie reach some of her memories. "I want you to try something for me, Natalie. I want you to try a little exercise."

Julia took the diaglove off and held Natalie's hands in her own. She had never attempted to do what she was about to do, but Natalie didn't need to know that, and it was worth a try. "I want you to take deep breaths. Slow, even, deep breaths. I want you to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth."

"No," Julia shook her head. "I'm not. It's a meditation technique, and I'm quite serious."

"No!" Natalie said hurriedly. "I...I mean, if you think it will help, I'll try."

"Okay. Relax, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Keep doing that. Just concentrate on nothing else." She let Natalie breathe for about a minute and counted her heart rate with her hand on Natalie's wrist. "Just keep breathing," Julia whispered. Natalie's heart rate slowly dropped, and after several minutes it was beating in time to her breathing. From outside came the faint sounds of people doing various chores throughout the camp, and the smell of the grass and the trees. A breeze softly fluttered one of the tent flaps. The air was fresh and cool. Inside the tent was silence, and peace.

"I'm going to tell you something, Natalie," Julia said softly. "The most powerful feeling anyone can ever have is to be accepted, understood, and believed. All forms of loneliness stem from not being accepted, not being understood, or not being believed. So I want you to know something, and I want you to know it with all of your heart. You can tell me anything, anything at all in the whole world, no matter how bad, no matter how horrific, no matter how shocking you think it might be, and I'll still accept you, I'll understand, and I'll believe."

"So I want you to just say anything that comes to your mind. Anything at all. Any word, any phrase, any memory. A favorite color, a memory of getting hurt, a face of someone you knew. And if nothing comes to your mind, then you don't have to say anything. That's all right. I'll still accept you, and I'll still believe. It's entirely up to you."

"Do you mind if I make some suggestions?" Julia asked. "Try to prompt you a little?"

"I was afraid Alonzo would think I was clumsy. I felt...I felt like everyone was watching me. Like I was a specimen under a microscope."

Natalie's body stiffened a little. Julia could feel it, but she got the impression Natalie didn't realize she had tensed up. "I...don't know," she said.

"Remember, you can say anything. There is no judgment. Not here, not now. What did you see when Bess handed you the spoon?"

"A hand coming at me!" Natalie's hands were holding Julia's in a grip as strong as a vise. Julia started to wince. She remembered the bruise on Alonzo's arm from when Natalie swatted it away, and the way she'd almost crushed Bess's wrist. "Straight at me! A flash of silver! That's all I saw. A quick hand holding silver!"

Part 5

By: Nicole Mayer

The rail trundled along, Danziger anxiously checking, every few seconds, how much charge was left. With the sunlight fading, he apparently didn't want to be caught out. "How much further?" he grunted to Alonzo, who was sitting on his left. Devon leaned forward from her perch behind them to hear the answer.

"It shouldn't be too far." Lifting one hand to his forehead, Alonzo surveyed the surrounding area and a frown appeared on his face. "It looks kinda familiar...."

"If you ask me, everything looks familiar on this planet," Danziger wryly replied.

"Wait, what's that?" Devon stood up and pointed to the half-igloo, which had just come into view from beyond a small butte.

A satisfied smile appeared on Alonzo's face. However, after another glance at Danziger, he decided it was best not to say anything. The warm afternoon sunlight highlighted the red color of the structure, and upon squinting, Alonzo decided that there was something decidedly foreign about the structure, something even more alien than he'd first suspected.

No, not alien. Wrong. Something that caused a chill down his spine because it spoke to him of nightmares, of a dream gone wrong.

The trio alighted from the vehicle and approached the igloo with caution. When it seemed apparent that nothing was going to jump out and bite them, Alonzo led them around to the structure's opening. Nothing had changed from its earlier appearance, with the leaf mattress still spread across the floor, almost as if it was covering something.

Of course. Alonzo couldn't believe he'd just left earlier, without properly examining the building. Then again, Natalie had been his main concern and helping her was far more important than possibly discovering how she'd arrived there. He ignored Devon's warning of caution as he strode forward and pulled the leaves aside, to be greeted with a rush of cool air which emanated from apparently nowhere. Alonzo frowned.

Shrugging, he stepped back and surveyed the surrounding area, looking for a wind that didn't exist. And even if it was windy out there, then surely it would be a lot warmer than the gust of air he was just greeted with. "I thought I felt something...maybe I just imagined it."

"Maybe," Danziger said darkly, "but something about this place doesn't feel right." He finished his circumnavigation of the igloo and then stepped into the interior and the slightly cooler relief from the still-too-warm afternoon sun. Another step forwards, and then Danziger promptly disappeared.

"Breathe deeply, Natalie. I know you're scared, but remember that you're safe here. No one's going to hurt you. Okay?" Julia was desperately hoping that she'd get through to the young woman, because she didn't know how much longer her hands could stand up to this kind of abuse.

"But what if I hurt you?" There was a sudden coldness in Natalie's voice. "Natalie-" After saying her own name, she suddenly shook her head violently. "No!" she almost shouted, pushing Julia away from her and retreating to a corner of the tent. "It's not going to happen again, I won't let her!"

"Danziger!" A faint echo of Devon's shout reached his ears, but that was all as Danziger fell through the tunnel which had been concealed by some sort of technology he didn't understand. Unfortunately, whatever made the tunnel look like dirt didn't extend to a physical manifestation and he'd fallen right through the illusion. Lights had sparked around him, and then nothing but the windy falling sensation, which reminded him of...

...oh crap. The last time he'd felt something like this was when he'd been sucked through the spider tunnels all the way to not-New-Pacifica. All he could do was hold on, not to anything physical, but to himself, his identity, the whole Danziger package which was being flung somewhere at the speed of light even though it felt like eternity.

And then he was out. Thrown into something that looked almost exactly like the igloo he'd just left, except for two salient facts: it was intact, and from what he could see through the small doorway, it was night. Instinctively, Danziger held his breath and willed his heart to calm down. There was danger out there; it was his military training that gave him the early warning.

He hunched down into the corner and listened. There was nothing, not even the familiar night calls of G889's sparse wildlife. Perhaps he'd been thrown into a desert area, or even another continent. It was possible, given the difference in time however he didn't notice any significant change in temperature which might be expected had he been in another hemisphere.

Carefully skirting around the tunnel (not disguised at this end, he noted, and accompanied by an electronic device of which he'd never seen the likes before) Danziger kept an ear out for any sign of danger, but still there was nothing but eerie silence. He risked a glance outside the door, and light from the twin moons hit his face, giving him some small semblance of comfort that at least they were familiar.

A fire flickered some meters away, and beyond that was a small metal building. And beyond that...Danziger paused in shock. He'd never been particularly partial to Terrians but there was something about this group that made him feel sorry for them, want to help them. The reason for this was quite obvious: the Terrians had adopted despondent postures which probably had a lot to do with the fact that they were chained together and each had a shock collar around his neck.

All the time spent on G889 had taught Danziger just how important the Terrians were, not only to Devon and Uly but to the human race as a whole. Yet looking at the scene before him, Danziger knew that not every human on the planet understood that, because there was no doubting that this was human technology keeping the Terrians trapped.

His approach of caution justified, Danziger slowly crept from the door and scuttled into the shadows around the side of the igloo. Closer to the fire he could see signs of human habitation: an empty mug, something which looked like a ration packet, and the weirdest looking mag-pro he'd ever laid eyes on.

What Danziger would give to have a mag-pro in his hands right now. Nothing like a bit of protection. He briefly considered going back through the tunnel but then remembered that there was no guarantee of where he'd be ejected, unless that was what the fancy equipment was for.

Sighing, Danziger continued forwards, knowing that this place held the key to the mystery of Natalie's arrival and while he was here, he might as well do something to help the Terrians. Upon reaching the closest wall of the metal building, he placed his ear against it. Again, there was no sound.

And around the far side of the building, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.

It was a ship. Nothing like the ancient Venus-class ship Devon had been trapped in for a while, no, this was sleek, sophisticated... Council technology. They were here, wherever here was. And they had transportation. His hands clutched into fists as he stared forward, thinking of the possibilities. If he could borrow the ship, fly over to Devon and the group (wherever that was), they could make the journey to New Pacifica in no time.

But Danziger wasn't a pilot, and he knew that if they had any hope of using the ship, Alonzo would have to be with him. And maybe Natalie, who obviously knew a hell of a lot more than she was letting on.

A low moan attracted his attention and he turned towards the Terrians. Again came the pang in his heart; they looked so miserable. Truly defeated. Danziger checked the area once more, but still there was no one around. Perhaps the guards were fast asleep in the building. He could only hope as much.

He crept over to the Terrians and they looked at him with wide, alien eyes. He glanced away, the Terrians had a way of getting inside your head sometimes and that was the last thing he wanted. He was there to help and that was it, no sense getting involved in some weird Terrian stuff because that was Alonzo's department.

For the second time, Danziger found himself wishing that it'd been Alonzo who'd fallen through the hole rather than him.

Slowly reaching his hands up to the first Terrian's neck, he felt compelled to whisper, reassuring the Terrian as he would a small child. "It's okay, buddy, I'm just gonna reach around and see what kinda locking mechanism this has on it." There was no guarantee that it'd be similar to the model he'd seen before, but if he could just get an idea of the thing....

And then the Terrian moved, placing a hand on his arm. It scared the crap out of Danziger and he almost toppled backwards at the odd sensation. This wasn't normal, there was some kind of weird pulsing happening at the contact point. The Terrian stared into Danziger's eyes, and Danziger got the eeriest sensation that it knew him, somehow, and because of that fact, what the Terrian was about to do was all right.

Throwing back his head, the Terrian moaned softly and to Danziger's amazement, the shock collar began to spark, circles of electricity dancing around it until it dropped off. The two pieces fell to the ground with a clatter (of course, a small section of the ground had been geolocked, to prevent their escape) and Danziger pulled away, stunned.

That was when the first shot whizzed past his ear and exploded on the ground hundreds of meters away. Danziger whirled around, that weapon was fast. The Terrian, too, took the opportunity to escape and it scrambled forward towards real dirt. Yet at the moment he threw his head back to descend, another shot rang out and Danziger watched in horror as a red web of something surrounded the struggling Terrian and prevented its escape.

Danziger couldn't do a thing. "I'm sorry," he half-shouted as he raced for the darkness of the night, not wanting his attackers to realize that he'd come through the igloo. However, the two men who'd appeared from the building seemed much more interested in subduing the Terrian rather than pursuing a vigilante who was running into the empty desert. One pulled on a gear set and spoke rapidly, perhaps alerting other guards to his presence. Danziger skirted a wide angle, following familiar rock formations in the distance (familiar?) until finally circling back to the igloo. He didn't pause in his running even when he reached the tunnel entrance, and was still panting when he landed at Alonzo and Devon's feet.

Night was falling when Danziger finally completed his explanation. Devon frowned and went to call camp, informing Julia of what had happened and asking the doctor to subtly question Natalie all about it. Julia replied with even more interesting information, that Natalie was absolutely terrified of someone hurting her.

"Maybe she was trying to set free the Terrians that Danziger saw," Devon suggested.

"But she didn't know what Terrians were when they appeared in front of Alonzo, in fact, she seemed terrified of them," Julia quickly responded. Then she paused. "If she was involved in some kind of rescue mission, that could explain her paranoia. Memory loss sometimes occurs after a traumatic event. She doesn't seem like a freedom fighter to me - so maybe she got dragged into this and wasn't prepared for the consequences. I've read cases like this before: the mind shuts down and isn't prepared to deal with something horrifically out of the ordinary."

"She's calmer now," Julia said, "but I had to give her a sedative. I don't know how accurate this is, but she said that her name was Natalie Anne."

"That's a good sign." Devon sighed. "We need her to trust us, but Danziger said that the Terrians needed our help now. I can't help but think that every second we're wasting here is another second that destroys our chances of living peacefully on G889."

"I agree." Julia paused for a moment, apparently processing the information Devon had shared with her. "Natalie's not a fighter," she repeated her earlier statement. "Which leads me to believe that she wouldn't be alone in that place where Danziger found her - the other side." Julia tilted her head to one side and squinted. "You know, Natalie shares a lot of your features...."

Devon was already nodding. Natalie was of small build and dark haired. Under the right conditions, say, night, it was entirely possible that Devon could pass for Natalie as long as she kept her face hidden. There was just one problem, which she voiced. "What about her clothes?" Glancing down at her own pants and shirt, Devon knew they could never pass for the sheer blue dress Natalie had appeared in.

Sighing, Julia said, "I'll ask Walman to bring it out to you as soon as possible."

The conversation was halted while directions were pinpointed, and Devon informed Danziger and Alonzo of the plan. Neither man was too happy about it, and Danziger insisted on going along with Devon as back-up.

"No," she told him firmly. "They've already seen you - what if they recognize you? Then they'll know I'm not Natalie, or that Natalie's been compromised in some way."

"Then I'll go," jumped in Alonzo. "You said yourself," and he fixed his gaze on Danziger, "that I might've known how to help the Terrians, or even fly the ship you mentioned."

Although Devon wasn't entirely happy with the plan, she realized that some protection probably was a good idea because as Natalie, she couldn't take a thing with her. Not even a gear set. "Okay," she conceded, "but I want you to wait at least ten minutes before following me through."

While they waited, Devon contacted camp again, asking Yale for an update on Uly. "How's he feeling?"

"He's still avoiding Natalie, if that's what you're asking," Yale gently answered. "But he is quite conflicted over the whole thing; believing that the Terrians want all of us to help her while also suggesting that she might have to be...." He broke off.

"Killed?" Devon asked. "My son wants us to kill someone?" The disbelief in her voice was evident.

"No, Devon, he did not say that she had to be killed. He only said that Alonzo would know what to do if we couldn't help her, and that it would be for the good of everyone."

"Yale, I want you to keep watching him. Send him to bed early," - it was already dusk - "and don't leave him alone." She smiled at the tutor, trying to convey her thanks for his ongoing support. "Could you get him on gear? I want to say goodnight." And that I love him, she silently added, because she had no way of knowing what this night would bring.

Danziger grinned appreciatively, and Devon tugged on the dress, wishing it was longer at both ends. The scraps of material hardly covered anything and it was something Devon wasn't comfortable in, particularly considering she'd spent the last year in clothing that was practical rather than decorative.

Although given the look on Danziger's - not to mention Alonzo's and Walman's - faces, maybe dressing like this wasn't such a bad idea after all. She flashed them a smile, hoping to appear a lot more confident than she was. "I'm ready," she announced.

As she began to move towards the concealed entrance to the tunnel, Danziger caught her by the shoulder. She spun to face him, touched to see the concern in his eyes. "Take care, Devon," he said softly, almost caressing her arm.

"I will," she promised. There was one more moment of silence between them, and then she turned, held her breath, and stepped forwards into the void.

Natalie tossed and turned in the med tent; despite the sedative Julia had given her, her nightmares were full of demons. She walked in front of the captured Terrians, a sarcastic smile on her face. "It seems that the resistance is no longer capable of helping you," she said, "and soon, the resistance will be no more."

A Terrian trilled mournfully, tilting its head to one side. She thought she recognized it, perhaps it had been one of Ulysses Adair's group. Then again, most of the Diggers looked the same anyway.

She touched a button on her gear set, smiling as the pulse traveled along the group of chained Terrians. These were no ordinary chains, these were chains which harnessed the energy that Terrians possessed, allowing her to take control of their more unusual abilities. Such as Dreamplane manipulation. The technology was experimental at best, but she knew that she would test it very soon, and she also knew that the Terrians would not harm the innocent Natalie. She had Ulysses Adair to thank for that - he had given the Terrians a heart.

Natalie. Natalie was coming soon, and it sent a forbidden thrill through Anne. How ironic that the savior of the human race would be a woman who knew nothing about what she was killing for.

"Anne?" Devon froze at the calling of the name; she'd exited the tunnel successfully and was now paused at the entrance of the igloo. Outside, the moons had set and it was darkest night, and for that she was grateful. It would only help her deception.

She wasn't sure if she should answer the call, because maybe they hadn't seen her, had only heard a vague sound. But then the call came again.

"Anne - Citizen - is that you?" Then there was a snicker. "Or maybe it's poor sweet Natalie...." A crunching of footsteps reached Devon's ears, and she knew the voice's owner was coming closer. Boldly, she stepped from the safety of the igloo.

She kept her head down, as fitting of Natalie's demure personality, and hoped that the darkness of the night would do the rest. "Yes, it's me," she said softly. Devon hoped that by keeping her voice low, the lack of an accent wouldn't be noticed.

A second voice joined the first, swearing loudly. "She wasn't supposed to come back as Natalie; we should be talking to Anne!"

"Natalie, why did you come back?" asked the first voice, and Devon didn't dare look up at the two men who were surely close by now. "You were supposed to find the colonists and make friends with them."

"I tried," Devon said in a whisper, "but they didn't trust me." Her entire body was tense, ready to flee back to the relative safety of the tunnel if necessary the moment she was found out.

"Shhh!" The second man elbowed the first. Harsh whispering ensued, whispering that Devon couldn't quite catch no matter how hard she listened. Finally, it stopped.

"Natalie, darling, I know you must be very confused right now, but you have to listen to me." Even though she was still looking at the ground, Devon could now see two boots in her line of vision. He was very close. "I love you, sweetie, and that's why I'm asking you to do something very special."

"You do know," and a hand reached out and touched her. Remembering how scared Natalie had been when they first met her, Devon felt perfectly justified in jumping back. "I'm Baylar, your husband."

"Anne's husband," the other man snickered softly, only to be rewarded with a harsh shout.

"Natalie, I know you. I know you volunteered for a very special mission, only it's not finished yet. Once it's over, you'll understand everything."

"Yeah, once it's over, Anne'll be back." This time, Baylar punched Welsh for his indiscretion and Devon felt a stab of fear at the casual violence exhibited by Natalie's - or Anne's - so called husband.

"Who is Anne?" Devon asked, knowing the question could cause more trouble, but she was beginning to suspect that Anne was someone she would not like at all.

"Oh," and Devon nodded, desperately trying to think of the most inconspicuous way to ask for more information. "Where is she now?"

"No, she's asleep somewhere else, but she'll come back at the right time. When you've finished your mission."

"That's okay," Baylar said gently, and this time when he reached out to caress her shoulder, Devon let him, suppressing the shudder that went through her at the feel of his fingertips on her bare skin. "You'll know when the time comes. Anne will tell you."

"Your sister," he confirmed, lying again. He reached out, placed his other hand on her shoulder, and Devon knew that in moments, she would be found out. Baylar drew her close, resting his chin upon her head, and then he froze.

He roughly thrust Devon away from him, one hand tilting her chin so that she was looking directly into her eyes. "You're not Anne," he said, stating the obvious.

"No," Devon said, giving him a steely glare. "I'm Devon Adair and I demand to know what's going on."

"Devon Adair, hmmm?" And then he chuckled, giving her a once-over. "The files never said what a looker you were." He roughly kissed her and she pushed at him in disgust. Where are you, Alonzo? she screamed in her mind.

"Why, wiping you from history, of course," he smiled, and then withdrew a weapon from his pocket and pointed it at her. "It's been a pleasure."

Part 6

By: Douglas Neman

With deeply mixed emotions, Julia gently applied the sedaderm to Natalie. The Hippocratic Oath, and her conscience, demanded she always do good for her patients, but was she about to do harm? The only thing she was certain of was that having good intentions wouldn't help her later if she was wrong.

"Hi," Julia said. "I'm sorry for waking you, but I needed to speak with you, and I felt it couldn't wait."

Julia simply decided to tell her straight out, hoping to revive some memory. "We've discovered a tunnel where Alonzo found you. It leads to a place with some very bad people who are keeping some of the Terrians prisoner."

"I said, 'Good,'" Natalie replied. "The less Terrians roaming free, the better." Her voice was as simple and meek as usual; she simply seemed to be stating something she considered a fact, and evidently felt Julia would naturally agree with her.

"Natalie, I'm sorry you feel that way," Julia said. "The Terrians have done nothing but help us since we arrived. They saved Uly's life."

"Uly," Natalie whispered, looking off to one side. "Such a sweet boy." Her gaze was very distant.

Natalie's gaze snapped back to meet Julia's, causing the doctor to jump. "Where is Uly?" she asked.

Julia tried to take in this odd behavior. "He's asleep. Listen, please, this is urgent, I need to know-"

"Well, I don't think that would be a good idea," Julia said, growing cold with fear. Natalie was giving her the absolute creeps.

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" Natalie asked. "You said I was safe here, didn't you? You said I had nothing to fear. Were you lying?"

Julia stood up, realizing she had made a grave error. "No, I wasn't lying, but I find your request odd. I woke you because the people who are out there trying to help you could be in danger and I desperately need information-"

"Stop it," Julia said. "Whatever your problem is, it isn't with me. I just want to help you."

"It's always been with you!" Natalie said, and Julia was stunned by the sheer hatred in Natalie's voice. "You're trying to guilt-trip me into giving you what you want, just like you always do! Listen to yourself!" Natalie's voice became mocking. "The people who are out there trying to help you could be in danger!" Her voice returned to its new state of hatred. "You've always wanted something from me, but you never cared about what I wanted!"

As she spoke, Julia realized that Natalie had suddenly transferred some deep hostility towards another person onto her. Perhaps a little role-playing was in order. Maybe she could find out more this way than through direct questioning. As she switched the setting on the sedaderm (just in case), trying to look casual, she asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"I'm talking to you, you cold-hearted bitch! You thought you were hot stuff, didn't you, waltzing around the planet, playing your little games. But you could never care enough about me!"

Ah, Julia thought. Bingo. Now we're getting somewhere. She fought down feelings of her own mother which these words brought to the surface. Not now, she told herself.

Natalie continued. "Leaving me in the hands of freedom fighters? Leaving me to be raised by dirt-swimming aliens? You call that being a good mother? All you cared about was helping Devon and Ulysses!"

"I never even saw Dad except twice a year," Natalie continued, her voice a harsh, croaking whisper. "Everyone told me, 'He's the only pilot the resistance has,' but that was a lie! Everyone told me, 'Oh, Anne, your mother's an ex-Council agent and a superb doctor, she has access to classified information,' but that was a lie! All you wanted was to make history and free an alien civilization that didn't give a shit about anyone but themselves! All you wanted was for everyone to know how much Dr. Julia Heller and her precious pilot husband had helped save the world, but you never gave a damn about your own daughter!"

Julia's mind was reeling. Obviously, Natalie (Had she called herself Anne?) had constructed some sort of fantasy in which she, Julia, was the victimizer (Had she said 'ex-Council agent?'), probably because the real trauma was too much to bear (How could she know about that?). But before she could bring her mind up to speed, Natalie had lunged for her, grabbed her arms and thrust her face into her own.

"You know," Natalie whispered with hatred, "I actually believed that crap you told me about grandmother telling you she altered your DNA because, in her own twisted way, it was the only way she could love you - by trying to give you her version of a better life. I thought that meant something, but you didn't learn a thing, did you, Mom?" And Natalie pushed Julia to the ground. The sedaderm rolled free beside her.

Julia was shaken to the core, too stunned to move. Natalie had just referred to a conversation one lonely night between herself and her own mother, one of the last they'd ever had, a conversation in which her mother had actually expressed regret for some of her decisions. Julia had never told anyone of this conversation, nor recorded it in any journal. Ever.

"Typical," Natalie sneered. "You don't even know." And she picked up the sedaderm and shot its contents into Julia's neck.

Devon stared down the barrel of the gun from half a meter away, tensed once and jerked her body to the left just as Baylar fired.

She had chosen left because Welsh had been standing on that side of Baylar, slightly behind him, and he was still cringing in pain from Baylar's punch in the stomach. Devon ran forward and around Welsh, giving him a quick shove as she sped past. Baylar spun to track her with the gun but suddenly found Welsh stumbling into his arms.

Just a couple of meters beyond the two men was the fire. It had been burning for some time, the crude pit full of hot coals which had been collecting for hours. Devon reached its right side and spun viciously around on her left foot in a 180-degree turn, her right foot swinging with all her might.

Baylar pushed Welsh out of the way and raised his gun again just in time to see Devon kick a load of hot coals right in his face.

He screamed and dropped the gun, slapping at his arms and face. Devon scooped up the spare magpro which had been lying by the fire, just as Danziger had described.

"If you want to keep your heads on your shoulders, then both of you keep perfectly still!" Devon ordered.

Anne slipped out of the back of the med tent, crawling under the tarp, keeping to the shadows. Because she was supposed to be sedated, no one was watching for her. Typically, Mother hadn't thought to tell anyone else she was going to wake her up and try to talk to her. Well, too bad, so sad, she thought.

She had a mission to do, and Natalie had kept her at bay for too long. The timid bitch was so scared of her she'd sell her soul if it mean keeping Anne locked inside for one more moment. But Anne's time had come. She quietly made herself gag and threw up her communicator, then gingerly picked it up and put it in her pocket.

It was late at night, and half the Edenites appeared to be asleep, the other half huddled around the fire, for the desert night was cold. Anne looked at them as they sat, occasionally talking easily with one another, silently sharing a vigil for their companions who were away, and she hated them. She hated them for having a camaraderie she couldn't belong to, and had never had. She hated herself for being so alone. She hated the whole universe.

She crept around the perimeter of the camp to the Adair tent and listened for two minutes. She should have listened for ten, but she was too eager. She wanted to get this over with.

She slowly raised the back of the tent flap. Only darkness was within. She crept forward, slowly and silently, and stood up. There were two bunks, for mother and son. They were both occupied, for the tutor was keeping watch tonight in place of Devon. But he was asleep.

"Don't play games!" Devon snapped. "You don't think I recognize this place? It's the same spot I left. Same igloo, same cliffs, same rocks. This tunnel travels forwards and backwards in time, but not in space."

"Well, the files always did say you were one sharp lady," Baylar said, casually sitting at the flimsy camp table off to one side, pretending to nurse his burns. Devon wasn't fooled. Welsh just stood and glared.

"Woof woof. Bark bark. What do you want me to say? Just because you hold a gun doesn't mean you're getting what you want. I'm prepared to die for my cause. Are you prepared to kill?"

Devon hesitated, knowing even as she did it would cause her to lose face. She needed answers and hadn't expected him to be so unafraid. But before she could think of anything else, she felt a gun barrel at her neck.

Devon dropped the magpro and stood very still. Her heart hammered away in her chest.

Baylar sighed. Welsh looked like he was about to do something stupid when Alonzo came out of the darkness behind both him and Baylar, carrying one of the magpros Walman had brought from camp. Jenkins dropped his own gun. Devon hurriedly stepped out of the line of fire and picked her gun up again.

"I don't want them on our side of the tunnel, or anywhere near the others," Danziger replied.

"But there might be more guards coming back at any moment," Devon argued. "If another Jenkins comes along, we don't have a chance."

"I wasn't talking to you," Alonzo replied, and bowed his head. One of the captive Terrians trilled softly. After a few seconds, Alonzo raised his head again.

"These aren't like normal shock collars," Alonzo replied. "They're for a different purpose, but I can't tell what."

"It doesn't matter!" Welsh snapped, a gloating hatred in his voice. "We still completed the mission. Uly should be dead by now!"

"That's what we sent Anne back for, to kill him!" Welsh continued, unable to keep his tongue any longer. Baylar just sighed and shook his head. "By this time, your precious little boy and his dirtdigging sympathies should be history!" He giggled insanely.

Anne spun around. The tutor sat up in his bunk and swung his legs to the ground.

"Safely somewhere else," Yale replied easily. "I got to thinking about all the things Uly said, about how he sensed a danger within you that no one else really did. I'm not counting Morgan, he senses danger in everything. And it occurred to me that perhaps the reason Ulysses felt you were dangerous was that he was the only one in danger from you. So I thought it would be prudent to move him. I'm glad I did."

"You die in his place," Anne said. "Too bad you're a Yale. That non-violence chip must be a real drag when someone wants to kill you. The files say you can't fight back."

She lashed out with her fist. Yale easily parried and smacked the heel of his left hand into her sternum. She landed on Uly's bunk, stunned.

She kicked with her left leg, but Yale was expecting it. He caught her foot and twisted it to the outside. She rolled left with the twist, turned her body completely over and brought her right leg up in a circular kick aimed at Yale's head. She patted herself on the back for the move even as she executed it.

Yale jerked her left leg back and used it to parry the other one. Almost upside-down, she whip-kicked him in the head with her right foot only, not as hard as she would have wished. She wrenched herself free and rolled upright in a very undignified scramble, standing near the front of the tent.

"That was an Elite Services move!" she spat. "Where the hell did you learn that?"

"More of my memories come back all the time," Yale said, completely at ease as he wrestled her. "Just last month, I remembered my drill sergeant teaching us this."

He pulled a move so fancy Anne couldn't even see what it was. It involved his left foot, her loss of balance and the ground, in that order.

Before he could kick her or pick her up, she rolled to the right, beneath his bunk, and kept rolling. One second later she was out of the tent and moving fast. One second after that, Cameron had her in his arms.

"Thought we heard a commotion," he said, as Mazatl helped him to hold her. She struggled mightily, but when Yale quickly joined them, she was held fast and she stopped. They brought her to the fire and threw her to the ground beside it. She looked up into the magpro held by Morgan, who looked at her with the hatred of the betrayed. Everyone who had been asleep came out to see what was going on, including True and Ulysses.

Anne calmly took something out of her back pocket, then thrust it in front of her suddenly. "Everyone, back away right now!"

Baines finally broke the silence. "I don't think I've ever been threatened by a gear set before."

Mazatl sighed. "Give it up, Natalie. What are you going to do? Threaten to call us?"

Anne palmed the capsule she'd placed in her pocket earlier and slipped it into the gear set, then activated it. No one heard anything, but Uly clutched his ears and screamed.

"That's enough!" Yale said and stepped forward. But just before he reached her a Terrian rose out of the ground, its staff crackling with energy.

Morgan raised his magpro to aim carefully. The Terrian shot a ball of energy at his feet. Morgan fired, but he jerked the gun up in surprise and the round went into the air.

"My bodyguard," Anne explained, wrapping her arms around the creature. "And they make great chauffeurs."

"Welsh talks too much," Baylar said, just a little too quickly. "Can't hold his drink, you see."

"No," Baylar replied, again very quickly. "I told you once, and I won't tell you again. We'll die before we talk."

Danziger said calmly, "Well, my philosophy is that the best way to fight someone who's willing to die for his cause is to accommodate him." He leveled the magpro at Welsh. "And we'll start with you."

"Go to hell, Baylar!" Welsh screamed, panicking. "You think I'm gonna take a round for you?" Welsh punched Baylar in the face. It was so sudden, he was taken completely by surprise, and it knocked him into Jenkins.

Danziger was also surprised. "Two-and-a-haaaaaaalf," he muttered under his breath.

"You've had that coming for years," Welsh whispered to Baylar, with absolute hatred.

"We're Council," Welsh said. "We run the planet. You're in the year 2231. Ulysses Adair is the leader of the resistance group. The plan was to send an agent back in time to kill him. You too, Devon, if possible, but mainly him."

"Who is Natalie?" Alonzo asked, as he began unlocking the collars around the Terrians.

"That's an ironic question, coming from you," Welsh said, barely turning around. "Lemme guess, you're the one she contacted first, right? And you felt protective of her, right?"

"Riiiiiiiight," Alonzo answered suspiciously, not sure what to make of his questions.

"Thought so," Welsh answered. "Natalie was a member of the resistance, but not a very good one. But she was an important figurehead, a symbol, because her parents were bigshots in the resistance, so it was a coup when we captured her. She was already nuts when we picked her up. She'd had an identical twin named Anne, but she died as a baby. She felt abandoned by her parents, always felt like they'd loved both Anne and the resistance more than her. We corrected her thinking about the Terrians-"

"If that's what you want to call it, yeah. The lab boys also used her as a subject in this breakthrough time travel equipment. That's what the captive Terrians and the collars are for, to harness some special energy for the spider tunnel, and it has to be a spider web with no opposite web to complete the circuit. They originally tried to inject spider venom into people directly, and that's what they tested on her. It gave her increased strength, a little bit, by accident, but it didn't work. Drove her right out of her mind. She brought back her dead sister in her head, the one she both idolized and feared, to escape what was happening to her. She called her her guardian angel at first. I think she uses Anne to protect herself.

"Well, Anne basically shouted out all the hatred that Natalie had but was afraid to admit. Anne was the true expression of Natalie's soul, all her anger at her parents and her resentment towards the resistance rolled up into one. So Natalie's a captured resistance fighter and Anne's a Council agent, all in the same package.

"And you wanna know the good part? She comes with a guarantee!" Welsh laughed. "Ulysses thought Natalie was so damned precious as a child that he made the Terrians swear an oath to protect her wherever she went, no matter what! So they can't harm her even when she's Anne, or let someone else hurt her! She was the perfect choice for this mission. Only Natalie could get close enough to your group, but only Anne could carry out the mission without fear of retribution from the Terrians. The perfect wolf in sheep's clothing. Natalie fought hard before we put her into the tunnel, sprained her ankle trying to run away. She knew what was going on and blocked it out, probably tried hard to keep Anne from coming out."

They all turned to face the newcomer. Anne walked boldly out of the igloo carrying Walman's magpro. Danziger turned sideways to cover her with his own, watching Baylar and Jenkins as well. Alonzo freed the last Terrian - there were five in all - and they all stepped off the geolocked area of ground. Alonzo stood up, also trying to cover everyone with his weapon.

Devon visibly relaxed. "If you'd killed Uly, you would have gloated about it. You failed."

Anne leveled her magpro at her. "Blowing you away would solve so many problems," she whispered.

"I've hated you for so long," Anne said. "Everything has always been about you and Ulysses. No one else exists for you. You've always thought you were the center of the universe."

As the firelight flickered along Anne's face, highlighting her soft features, a memory crashed briefly through Devon's mind: Julia standing on a virtual mountainside, saying, "You're not God here!" Something about the face, the timber of her voice and the resentment they both held seemed so similar. But the memory flitted on into nothing the moment it arrived; she had other things to worry about.

Danziger swiveled his magpro to cover Anne completely. Baylar appeared to tense, seeing his chance, but Alonzo kept his gun trained on the three men.

Danziger quickly took aim, also, and one of the Terrians behind him blasted him in the back with lightning. He fell to the ground, screaming.

"Ha! I'm invincible!" Anne smiled, reveling in his pain. Alonzo was too shocked to move, and in that moment, Baylar and Jenkins jumped him. Devon couldn't fire at them for fear of hitting Alonzo. Their struggle lasted only a few moments, and they wrested his magpro from him.

Devon started forward to help, but Anne laughed and trained her own magpro on her again. Devon raised hers in return, but saw the Terrians look at her menacingly, lightning crackling on the tips of their staffs.

"After all we've been through," she asked the aliens, choking back her feelings of betrayal, "you would let them win?"

The ball of Terrian lightning which sailed out of the darkness and slammed into her made her shot go wild.

Welsh, Baylar and Jenkins looked around wildly, but they, too, were quickly hit with Terrian lightning, from multiple directions. For a second, the campground was as bright as day, leaving an afterimage on everyone's eyes, and through this afterimage came people.

Figures emerged quickly and quietly from the darkness, the humans dressed in black and carrying weapons, the Terrians carrying staffs. Danziger and Alonzo both groggily sat up. Devon, her eyes wide, tried to take in what was happening.

The human members of the resistance quickly tied up the three Councilmen, while others formed a protective perimeter.

Three people approached Anne, who was lying still. One looked both Terrian and human at the same time, somehow; the other two were a man and a woman.

"She'll be okay...physically," the woman said sadly, and she and the man began to take her in their arms.

The couple stopped all motion, just for a second, but neither looked at Devon. They continued picking up Natalie.

The other, a young man, turned to Devon, a staff in his hand, his face in the firelight. "Don't worry, Mother. Natalie will be all right. We'll take care of her. This time," he added bitterly.

Devon's universe spun. Meeting this young man on the dream plane didn't do justice to meeting him in the real world.

"I really shouldn't be meeting you here, now," Ulysses answered. "But I'm literally the only one on the planet who can stop Natalie when she's Anne. I had to come on this mission."

Ulysses shook his head. "I can't tell you. All I can tell you is that you made the right choices, all along. None of this is your fault."

Behind Ulysses, an older Julia Heller and, she now saw, an older Alonzo Solace picked Natalie up and turned to leave, and as they turned, Devon caught a glimpse of their faces in the firelight. They locked eyes with her, briefly, and even as Uly spoke, the look of damnation in their eyes told her another story. Then they strode back into the darkness without saying a word.

"You three should go back," Ulysses said, as Alonzo and Danziger quietly joined Devon, looking around them in wonder. "You don't belong in this time. The Terrians will control the tunnel long enough for you to use it one last time."

"You know who we are and what we're doing here?" Alonzo asked. From the surprise in his voice, Devon suddenly realized that Alonzo, and probably Danziger, did not know who the man was. Certainly, they had not seen the older Julia and Alonzo.

"Yes," Ulysses answered. "Once these events were experienced by you, the knowledge of it was retained and prepared for. That's how we knew to be here on this night."

"No questions, no answers," Ulysses replied. "Times must not cross. Please. You must go. We will handle things at this end."

Devon took a deep breath and looked away. She knew Ulysses was right, and she wanted to be away, far, far away from this awful time. She closed her eyes, just for a moment, then she turned and said, "Come on. We need to get back."

Still shaking their heads, Danziger and Alonzo followed her slowly. Alonzo was the last, and one of the resistance fighters softly called his name. He turned.

The woman who approached him was an older Devon Adair, dressed in black and holding a magpro. Alonzo stared.

"Please, Alonzo, hear me quickly," the older Devon said. "I need to say this, but the Alonzo I know, in this time, won't speak to me any more. I...I...I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Tears fell down her face. "I never failed to keep a promise before, but I failed the one I made to you, the biggest one of all. Just please, know that. I'm sorry." She turned and hurried into the darkness before anyone noticed what she was doing.

Alonzo couldn't speak. He just stared after her with confusion, a million questions burning in his mind. Then Devon yelled from the darkness, "Alonzo, come on!" He jumped, took a step forward, pleading, then realized this call had come from the younger Devon. She was standing behind him at the igloo with Danziger, waiting for him. He slowly joined them, his feet dragging, his questions unanswered and, perhaps, unanswerable.

All was silent in their own time. The moons shone with a soft radiance, looking down upon the world without a care for humans, or for Terrians, or for their troubles.

There was no sign of the Terrian who had helped Anne and had stunned Walman. They called base camp, revived Walman and piled into the dunerail. Danziger answered Walman's questions as best he could, but Alonzo and Devon, in the back seat, were each too deep in thought, too shaken and disturbed by something private, to speak about any of it. Devon kept glancing from time to time at Alonzo, pain in her face, but no one noticed.

Halfway home, after Walman's questions had ceased and all in the dunerail were silent, Devon finally spoke.

Devon took a deep breath. "I swear to you, with all my heart and soul, that future will not happen." Her eyes blazed with the wrath of suns.

Alonzo looked at her sadly. "That promise was broken before it was made, Devon," he whispered, and turned away.

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.

A Promise Unbroken

[Teaser]

Part 1

By: Sue Sadler

Part 2

By: Echo Hayes

Part 3

By: Maggie Czarney

Part 4

By: Douglas Neman

Part 5

By: Nicole Mayer

Part 6

By: Douglas Neman