Title: End Of Innocence

Written by Echo Hayes, Tracy Price, Maggie Czarney, Nicole Mayer, Douglas Neman, Sue Sadler and finale by Nicole Mayer.

Fandom: Earth 2

Pairing: m/m

Rating: R

Summary: Alonzo and Morgan are taken captive by penal colonists

Tumble Story submitted to Earth2fic by Amanda

Also available online at
http://www.mooncross.com/E2Tumble/round3/endofinnocence.html

END OF INNOCENCE

by multitude of authors

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.

Weary from travel, yet excited about the tale he would have a chance to tell, Alonzo began the drive around the mesa, tapping his hands against the wheel. It was by sheer luck that he was able to be excited about the experience at all, for he had come very close to being overwhelmed in the stampede of-- well, he hadn't yet thought of what to call the species that the stampede had consisted of. He had spent more time going over how lucky he was to be alive and what the best way to tell the story would be.

Apparently, the species had an uncanny fear of Terrians, for just when it seemed that the large, fast-moving animals would crush him and the ATV, the entrance to the Terrian cave he had been searching for had come into view. It was a surprisingly instantaneous reaction for the herd-- they had almost risked their lives when it came to turning around.

Besides the excessive amount of dust on the ATV, his journey had been very successful. The Terrians had given him valuable information about the area of the continent they were approaching, that was very different geologically from the other parts they had encountered. The stampede of creatures was one of the things he had learned about, though that knowledge had come accidentally and not through the Terrians.

He could make out the shapes of camp, and sped up the ATV a bit, happy to be "home". As he drew nearer a concerned thought began to form in the back of his mind. A feeling of something being "wrong" swept over him, though he couldn't yet determine what it was. He pushed the ATV faster, not caring what Danziger would say when he saw him coming into camp like that. It was then that he realized what it was that he was so concerned about. Danziger wasn't there to receive his vehicles-- nor was anyone for that matter, not even Julia. Either everyone was spending the day in their tents, or was not there at all. The latter would certainly be odd if it was true, for Devon would never allow for the camp to be left unattended.

The camp reminded him a bit of one of Uly's VR games; the one that involved a Western American setting in the 19th century, where everyone in the town had either fled or been killed by some gangster. Then his concern turned into dread; he hadn't thought of the possibility that they could be, he didn't even want to think about the possibility, dead. Suddenly his stampede story lost all importance to him.

He brought the ATV to a very sudden stop as soon as he reached the camp and hastily climbed out, quickly grabbing for his mag-pro. "Is anyone here!? Julia? Devon? Danziger? Julia!!" His voice turned desperate. He ran about the empty camp for a few minutes, so panicked he almost had no idea what he was doing. Realizing this, he attempted to calm himself down enough to think clearly. Taking a good look around camp that was not as rushed, he noticed a few important factors. The vehicles were gone, as were most of the really important supplies, such as the water compressor. Many things were left laying about that wouldn't normally be, such as a gear set and some dishes from a meal.

There was the possibility that they had simply left the camp, though he couldn't imagine why. He couldn't find any tracks leading out of camp, though he hadn't expected too, for the ground had extremely high grass. As his adrenaline rush slowed more, he realized the best thing to do would be to try to reach them on gear.

"Alonzo to wherever the rest of you are!" he called, a bit louder than he should have, into gear.

An image came into focus on the eyepiece, and Alonzo gave a sigh of relief. It was Devon, though she had the expression of a scared rabbit.

"What's going on? Why isn't anyone at camp?" he asked quickly, his teeth chattering slightly as the adrenaline came back, this time from relief.

"Get out of there now!" she snapped at him. Seeing the confused expression on his face she continued. "I can't explain now. Just get as far away from camp as possible."

"Where are you? Is everyone all right?" he asked, already moving towards the ATV.

Devon hesitated. "We're safe, but you need to get out of there before you aren't."

"I'm going," he replied as he started the ATV again, hoping it would survive the trauma.

"I'm going to have to cut the connection," Devon told him reluctantly. "Call on gear when you've gotten away from camp." The image of her face disappeared suddenly. Impatiently he folded the eyepiece back, wishing that he knew what was going on. At least everyone was safe, for now.

Alonzo was about to start his second trek, after having a break of a whole six minutes, when he heard a click and a humming sound to his left. His eyes widening, he turned his head slowly-- and came face to face with a mag-pro.

"Well, well, well. Would ya lookee here. We caught us one of them elusive bunny rabbits," a gruff voice chuckled from behind the weapon. The sound was far from pleasant and the hairs on the back of Alonzo's neck stood on end as a feeling of dread swept through him.

He briefly considered trying to make a run for it, but that thought fled the moment he felt a gun pointed between his shoulder blades. Damn, he was trapped. Even though he could not see the face of the man who stood before him, Alonzo was pretty sure his captors were penal colonists. Who else could it be? A ZED wouldn't have bothered with trying to capture them. The
only other people on the planet they had encountered had been Council scientists or the bones of some radical scientists and their offspring. Anyway, no self-respecting Council agent would dress like that, in filthy rags. So where had they come from? But more importantly, what did they want? That, he was afraid, he would find out all too soon.

"Step out of the vehicle and put yer hands up where we can see 'em," ordered the man with the gun to his back. Alonzo wasted no time in complying. No need in angering them right off the bat. Taking his hands off the wheel, he stepped out of the ATV and slowly lifted his arms into the air.

The gun pointing in his face was lowered and he could finally get a good look at the man standing in front of him. He had hard, angular features and cold eyes. The angry red scar running from temple to chin heightened the meanness in his gaze.

"What're you staring at?" he growled at Alonzo.

Alonzo's eyes widened and he shook his head as if to say 'nothing'. He tried to back up, get as far away as possible from the man whose stare seemed intent on boring a hole though him. The mag-pro in his back hampered his progress. Alonzo shivered as the man looked him over, those malicious eyes promising no end of pain if he gave them any trouble.

"Tie him up, Cal. Pretty Boy here is comin' with us."

"Right away, Bill."

Bill grabbed Alonzo's gear and yanked it off his head, studying it thoughtfully as Cal went about following orders.

He set his weapon aside and took some rope from another man in the group and tied the pilot's hands together in front of him. Another rope was retrieved and tied to Alonzo's bound hands. Cal handed that rope to Bill.

"All right then. Let's move on out!" Bill yelled and gave a hard tug on the rope in his hands. Alonzo stumbled forward to the laughter of several men as they came from all areas around the abandoned camp to join Bill and Cal. There were six men total, all wretched looking and dressed in filthy, torn clothing. Every last one of them sported a weapon of some kind, be it a mag-pro of a knife or what appeared to be a hand made spear.

"Any more hidden bunnies found?" Bill asked them. They all shook their heads 'no'. Bill grumbled to himself and yanked on the rope once more as he headed out of the camp. Alonzo had no choice but to follow. He doubted that Bill, who was apparently the leader of the bunch, would tolerate any disobedience or slacking. "We'll use this one here as bait to draw all the pretty bunnies out. And he's pretty enough himself to be of some use back at camp," Bill chuckled evilly.

The other men nodded emphatically among themselves and eyed Alonzo. Not all of them were exactly interested in the pilot himself, they would prefer the pretty blonde woman or the curly haired one or the redhead who appeared to be the leader. If they couldn't catch any more of the group that had scattered to where ever however, they would not have any problems using him for their own personal entertainment. They had gone long enough without.

As he was yanked along, Alonzo wondered how he was going to get himself out *this* mess. Silently, he cursed his luck and offered a prayer to whatever God that would listen that Julia would remain safe.

* * *

Danziger stayed hidden for long after the penal colonists had disappeared from view. Partly because he didn't want to be caught, partly because he didn't want to go back and tell Julia that Alonzo had been caught. He eased out of his hiding place and started a roundabout path back to the others. Dammit! Bess was already freaking out because Morgan had been caught, they didn't need Julia panicking too. And worst of all, he'd have to tell Devon that they'd lost another person.

When the penal colonists hit, their group had scattered. Danziger had hesitated, trying to find True, and finally spotted Yale ushering them away. He ran to catch up to them and scooped up True, leaving Yale to gather up Uly. They didn't stop running until they reached a set of caves and were deep in them. They rested for a while and after debating for a few minutes, called the others. Devon had been relieved beyond belief that her son was okay. She had run into the caves with Julia, Bess, and Cameron. Mazatl also made it to the caves, with news that wasn't so great. Denner and Morgan had been caught. Baines and Walman went back for them. Baines had been shot, from Mazatl report, and no one was sure about Walman. When he and Cameron had scouted out the penal colonist's camp, they had only seen Denner and Morgan. While everyone wanted to believe that Baines and Walman were simply captives along with Denner and Morgan, Danziger knew they were probably dead already.

At least now they knew why they were keeping Morgan and Denner alive. Although from the way the group of penal colonists was looking over Alonzo, Denner and Morgan might be wishing they were dead by now. They had to get them out of there. Danziger stopped for a moment and briefly considered detouring to where Yale was watching over True and Uly, but he knew he couldn't. The farther away they stayed from the kids, the better. They may get the rest of them, but he'd be damned if those bastards got their hands on True and Uly. He was the only one who knew where they were, he hadn't even told Devon where her son was. It was safer that way.

He reached the caves and paused outside the entrance, making sure to call in on gear to warn them he was back. He didn't want to get shot.

"Any sign of him?" Julia pounced on him the second he entered the chamber they were in. The rest of the group waited expectantly.

"I'm sorry, Julia," John said.

Julia paled and bit her lip. "No..."

Devon came up and put an arm around her shoulders. "We'll get him back, Julia."

"How, Devon?" Danziger exploded. "How the hell are we going to get him back? We can't attack these people, not with one pistol. We can't sneak them out, there's too many of them. What the hell do you think we're going to do?"

"What do you suggest?" Devon yelled back, pulling away from Julia. "Just give up? Grab the vehicles and run away?"

"Yeah, right, grab the vehicles," he said. "At this point, we can't even do that, Devon."

She stared at him. "I won't leave anyone behind," she said.

John sighed. "I don't want to leave anyone behind, either, Devon," he said. "But it's better than dying."

Devon glanced over at the rest of the group. "Well, is that what the rest of you want? To just abandon them?"

"Adair, will you face reality already?" Danziger stalked forward and stood right in Devon's face. "If we try to get our people back, we will die. And I am not going to let that happen," he said, staring stubbornly at Devon. She just stared right back at him.

* * *

Denner hugged her knees close to her body, trying to stop shivering. Morgan was tied up beside her and they were prominently displayed in the center of the penal colonists' camp - for the day, at least. When the night came again, so would the horror.

She was so cold. Despite the fact that the days were more than warm, they were imprisoned beneath the shadow of a large mesa and the inactivity didn't give Denner any chance to get her blood flowing. She'd been in the same position for most of the day and the ropes were chafing her wrists. She could barely feel her fingers at all.

Glancing sideways at Morgan, Denner knew that he felt as miserable as she did. Her stomach rumbled at her for the thousandth time but the thought of eating anything made her almost choke with revulsion. Not just because of what she'd been through, but because of what they'd been offered....

Tears threatened to fill her eyes yet again as she remembered the previous night's butchery. The penal colonists hadn't been content with merely killing a member of Eden Advance. No, their laughter had echoed for hours as they congratulated themselves on what a coup it was, and how they hadn't had fresh meat in months.

And then, to be offered a serving of freshly bar-be-qued flesh... Denner dry retched again, knowing that out of everything they'd suffered in the time since she'd been captured, *that* was the worst. It didn't matter what they did to her, and her body, at least she was still alive, she hadn't been consumed by a bunch of psychotic convicts.

"Denner!" She heard her name as a low hiss, so soft she could almost believe she'd imagined it. Looking around, she realized that it was no joke. Morgan was staring at her with hope in his eyes.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered.

She nodded, slightly, not wanting to give anything away to their captors. That was when she noticed that the camp seemed relatively empty, for once. Did that mean that the colonists had gone on another strike against Eden Advance? She fervently hoped not.

Something brushed against her back and she almost screamed with fear before she heard Morgan breathe a sigh of relief. "Walman! You have no idea how glad I am to see you, you have *got* to get me out of here, do you know what they did to us, ohmygod, how can I ever tell Bess? Is Bess okay? Please tell me that she is, can you hurry up with those ropes..."

"Morgan, quiet!" hissed Walman and Denner could feel that he was struggling to untie the bonds that kept her arms firmly strapped to the stake. Her ankles were similarly bound, and once her hands were free she shook them out, and with trembling fingers tried to undo the ropes around her ankles.

Walman moved on to help Morgan, but not before Denner caught sight of their rescuer. The man had also been shot, and the wound in his leg was bleeding freely over bloodstained makeshift bandages. "Are you okay?" Denner managed, as her fingers finally got the strength to free one ankle.

Coughing, Walman replied, "I will be." He then swore under his breath and the expression on Morgan's face grew more and more nervous.

"Please, Walman, I'll do anything if you just get me out of here, you don't know what they're capable of and if you leave me here then they'll do it again..."

A shot suddenly streaked past Morgan's shoulder and Denner screamed. It was accompanied by a shout of outrage as one of the penal colonist guards rounded a tent corner, and within moments the sounds of running feet were pounding in their direction. Sheer desperation caused Denner to rip at the final rope binding her and she struggled to her feet, not caring that she was still partially trapped because she had to *run* right now!

She stumbled, but strong hands steadied her arms and pulled her forwards. As Walman dragged her towards the edge of camp, towards freedom, she heard Morgan's anguished "NO!" from behind them, but there wasn't a thing she could do. It was better for two to escape, regroup, and plan a later rescue than for all three of them to be caught. Denner told herself that over and over as she ran through the light cover of trees into the more open, but more confusing, arrangement of canyons and arroyos.

But if she told herself the truth, she was running because she was scared out of her mind and nothing would *ever* make her go back.

* * *

Alonzo heard shots ring out as he was dragged along through the dirt, Bill pulling him along like some kind of cattle being led by a rope. And if he didn't keep up with the pace, Cal was right there to prod him with the butt of his rifle. Already, Alonzo's back was covered in bruises he might not be able to see but could certainly feel.

At the sound of gunfire, the pace increased even more and several of the colonists abandoned the formation altogether, preferring to race ahead to join in whatever fray awaited them. Bill barked some kind of order peppered with language best belonging in the gutter, and Alonzo suddenly found himself sprawled face-first in the dirt as an unexpected burst of speed pulled him off his feet.

"Get up, Pretty Boy," snarled a voice in his ear, but the voice wasn't entirely evil, it also dripped with a lecherous kind of promise. "I have plans for you, and I don't like my merchandise covered in dirt." There was a pause, and then Bill added, almost as an afterthought but Alonzo knew it was a deliberate taunt. "Wonder if you'll scream as much as your friend did." He fought the impulse to spit in Bill's face; at this point in time, it wouldn't do him much good. With as much dignity as he could manage, he got to his feet and resumed his subservient position, trying to keep up with the rope so that he would no longer be dragged along.

The scene that greeted him in the colonists' camp quickly doused any remote hopes that Alonzo had of an easy escape. The tents - if they could be called tents - were filthier than the men themselves, and he wondered why Eden Advance's tents hadn't been commandeered yet. Perhaps it was an intentional trap, for Alonzo, although he wasn't sure how they'd known he would be coming. No one would have told, would they?

His next glance took in the depressing sight of the vehicles - *their* vehicles, carefully guarded by the penal colonists. They'd probably soon to be joined by the ATV. Fighting the impulse to groan, Alonzo squared his shoulders and continued marching, feeling as if he was being paraded like a piece of meat. There was an odd smell in the air and it reminded him vaguely of the awful time they'd cooked a Grendler, only it was different somehow.

And then he saw Morgan, tied to a pole and looking hopeless. His face was gray, a huge bruise covered his left cheek and as Alonzo got closer, he could see that Morgan's lower lip had been bleeding. There was an empty pole beside Morgan surrounded with remnants of a rope, and he could only hope that it meant someone had escaped. He remembered Devon telling him earlier that everyone was safe...but obviously, that was no longer the truth and maybe it never had been.

"Alonzo!" The hope in Morgan's voice was painful to hear, and it was quickly lost as Morgan watched Bill tie Alonzo to the pole, accompanied by another string of curses.

"Where's the bunny?" Bill growled at his men.

"One of the group, he got in here, freed the woman, and they took off down the canyon. Alex and the others are still leading the chase but the light's fadin' and I don't like their chances," the spokesman snarled. "I told ya the men were getting slack."
"Never mind," and Bill stroked Alonzo's cheek with a touch that made him shudder. "I have a new prize tonight." He glanced away, he refused to look at his captor, and when he met Morgan's eyes, he could see the terrible truth in them and he shuddered at the thought of what he was in store for later.

When Bill had deemed Alonzo's ropes secure, he left his captives alone. One of the men - Alonzo thought it was Cal - sat a short distance away with a mag-pro trained on the pair. It was probably Danziger's mag-pro, he realized bitterly, and it left them no opportunity for escape.

"Morgan," he asked, his voice cracking because of all the dust he'd inhaled during the scuffle, "what happened? Where's Julia? Is she okay?"

Morgan gave him a quick synopsis, describing how the penal colonists had taken Eden Advance completely unawares. "Last I saw of Julia was her running for the hills right alongside Cameron. They shot Baines...." Morgan's voice cracked on the word. "I - I think they shot Walman too, but then Denner and I were captured, and Walman managed to free her just before you arrived." There was a pause and Morgan looked at the ground, shaking his head. "They didn't have time to get me free. Guess they didn't want to, anyway."

"Morgan, don't say that!" Alonzo quickly insisted, sensing that Morgan's self esteem was at an all time low and with good reason. "You're an important part of Eden Advance. They did *not* leave you behind on purpose."

"Oh really?" he countered. "Then why did everyone else manage to escape except for me and Denner? Even *Bess* didn't try and save me!"

"From what you said, there was nothing you could do, Morgan. You and Denner were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Alonzo paused, studying Morgan's bruises, and shivered. He was glad Denner had been rescued and he knew that Morgan was too, even if it was at the expense of his own freedom. "What happened, Morgan?" he asked.

"I already told you."

"No," Alonzo insisted, not wanting to hear this but needing to know what they were up against. "After you were captured."

Morgan shook his head violently, saying over and over, "You don't want to know."

"I do, Morgan!" he burst out, wishing he could grasp Morgan by the shoulders and shake the man out of his semi-hysterical state. "If we're gonna get out of this, you have to tell me *everything*."

"I can't."

"You can. Come on, Morgan, do it for the group." No response. "Then do it for me. I'm your friend, right, and I'm in this as deep as you are."

"Do you really want to know what they did?" Morgan burst out. "They *ate* Baines! They ate him! And then they took Denner into the tent, and they took me into another one, and..." He was screaming now, his eyes wide, and obviously their guard had had enough.

"On your feet!" announced Cal as he strode towards them.

"No, please no," Morgan managed as Cal produced a knife.

"I said on your feet, rabbit." With a derisive flick of his wrist, he sliced through the ropes that bound Morgan to the pole and neatly placed another rope around his neck. "Seems to me you're gettin' way too talkative for your own good. I think ya need another lesson on how to be quiet."

There was a low chuckle from somewhere across the camp; the conversation providing a means of entertainment for several of the penal colonists. Alonzo watched in horror as all blood drained from Morgan's face. He was more scared than Alonzo had ever seen him, and as Cal tightened the rope, Morgan began to painfully walk forward, demonstrating an odd limp with every step.

It was too much. "Wait," Alonzo suddenly said, knowing he would be getting himself into more trouble by protesting but given Morgan's fragile state, he couldn't let Morgan go through that again. "I'm the one who made the noise, I made him talk. It's not his fault."

"You sayin' something, Pretty Boy?" And to Alonzo's relief and dread, Cal stopped.

Swallowing hard, Alonzo met his eyes directly and said, "Yeah."

Cal grinned and several of the men approached, sensing more entertainment. Cal easily sauntered up to Alonzo. "You got a mouth on you, pretty boy," he said, and held his chin lightly. "I'm bettin' you can use it for more than just talkin' trash."

Alonzo just closed his eyes.

"Aww, what's the matter. Don't want to look at me?" Cal suddenly gripped Alonzo's chin harshly and jostled his head around. Several other men stood around laughing. "Huh? Whatsamatter, pretty boy? Don't like me very much, do ya?"

"Bring 'im," a voice said, and all the men looked up to find Bill standing a few meters away. "Leave the sniveling one. He's useless. Bring the other one." Bill eyed Alonzo up and down. "We'll have fun breakin' him."

They dragged Alonzo to a nearby tent and threw him inside. It was empty save for the horrible smell. He quickly staggered to his feet, determined to go down fighting. He was barely able to use his hands, still tied in front of him and almost numb. Outside, he could here Morgan sobbing with relief. "Shaddup!" someone yelled, kicking him.

Bill entered the tent alone, a leer on his face. He was a big man, over two meters tall and well over 200 pounds. Alonzo crouched low, breathing hard, eyeing the walls of the tent where they met the ground.

"Don't try to run," Bill said easily. "The boys like to shoot off any body parts they see stickin' outta the tent, and I wouldn't want you to lose anything before I was done playin' with it."

He suddenly lunged, faster than Alonzo would have thought possible. Bill tackled him to the ground and lay on top of him, his rancid breath hot on Alonzo's cheek.

"Listen up, pretty boy, and listen close," he whispered, and Alonzo got the immediate impression that Bill didn't want the other men to hear what he was saying. "We don't have to go through with this. I'm a nice guy, I really am, and I'm willin' to cut you some slack. I'll let you go without a scratch, see? Both you and your friend out there. You want to free him, doncha? I'll give you both three days of supplies and a free walk. All you gotta do is tell me where the rest of your little bunnies are."

Alonzo spit in his eye. Bill sat up, backhanded him across the face and angrily stood up. Alonzo rolled, sensing the blow, and took the kick in his back, right in his kidney. He gasped and lay shuddering with the pain.

Bill didn't kick him again. He just went to the entrance and shouted, "Bring the other one."

Oh, God, no, Alonzo thought. Don't let them do this.

They threw Morgan into the tent. He landed in the dirt beside Alonzo, who looked up. Their eyes met, Alonzo's full of apology, Morgan's full of fear. But as Morgan saw the blood trickling from Alonzo's mouth and the way he was doubled over in pain, a small spark began to appear in his eyes, and Alonzo suddenly realized that Morgan wasn't done for. Almost, but not quite. Without even speaking, both men just nodded, very slightly.

"Get out!" Bill yelled at the rest of them men crowding the entrance. "You'll have your fun later. Right now I want some of you out searching for those two jackrabbits who got away."

"We already got people after 'em," Cal complained.

"Send a second group!" Bill shouted. "I want those two found. Move!"

The others left. Bill crouched down next to his captives and said to Morgan, "Do you know what your friend here just did? Hmm? He just kept you here forever. I told him that all he had to do was tell me where the rest of your little bunnies are and you could both walk. If he'd said yes, you'd be free right now."

"I'll never be free," Morgan whispered.

"Not now, you won't," Bill smirked, completely missing the meaning of Morgan's words. "I knew you didn't know where your bunnies were 'cause we got you on the first day, but I think your new friend does. And because I'm a really nice guy, I'm gonna give him another chance. Go on. Convince your friend here to agree. If he does, you get to go." Bill smiled and stood up,
pacing around the two men, anticipating the sheer delight of watching Morgan beseech Alonzo to betray everyone else to save themselves.

But nothing happened. They both just sat there, staring at the ground.

"Hey." He nudged Morgan with his foot. "Did you hear me? Huh? Convince your friend to say yes and you get to go."

"How..." Morgan whispered, his voice cracked and barely audible. He licked his lips and tried again. "How powerful you must feel right now."

Bill looked at Morgan in sheer confusion, convinced he'd gone completely insane, then was even more amazed as Alonzo suddenly laughed.

Alonzo lay on the ground, his shoulders shaking with quiet laughter, and he looked up at Morgan. "He's pretty tough stuff, isn't he?" he asked, and burst out laughing again, louder this time. A smile slowly crept across Morgan's face. "I mean," Alonzo went on, gasping for breath between whoops of laughter, "how manly can he be, pushing around people who are tied up..."

"Killing them when they can't fight back..." Morgan said, beginning to giggle also.

"Kicking them when he's backed up by an army," Alonzo said.

"Raping them," Morgan said, tears in his eyes, unable to believe he'd just said it out loud.

"Well, he'd have to, wouldn't he," Alonzo said. "I mean," he gulped for breath, "he wouldn't be able to get any, even if he was in a whorehouse!"

"Shaddup!" Bill screamed, kicking Alonzo viciously.

Alonzo took the kick and kept on laughing. "What were you sent here for, anyway?" he asked, tears in his eyes. "Torturing cats?"

"No," Morgan said. "It must have been torturing small kittens. The bigger ones would have been too much for him to handle!" Alonzo's mouth burst open in a shriek and Morgan fell beside him, both laughing too hard to care what happened to them now.

Several other men poured into the tent, wanting to know what was going on. *"Get out!"* Bill raged, chasing them. "Get out! Don't come in here until I tell you!"

He turned to look at Alonzo and Morgan again, breathing hard. "You think you're funny," he said. "But I can think of a million ways to torture you, and by the time I'm finished, you'll wish you'd never existed in the first place!"

"Whatever you say, *big guy,"* Morgan mocked him.

Alonzo burst out with another shriek of laughter. "Oh," he said, rolling on the ground, "oh, don't do that, it hurts my sides!"

Bill ran up to Morgan and kicked him viciously, over and over. It was as if he contained all the rage in the universe and he couldn't be savage enough, couldn't kick him hard enough, to get it all out.

Morgan rolled up into a ball and took the kicks, one after the other. He lost count after about six or seven. He just tuned out.

"Hey, 'Lonz," he said, a smile on his face, even as he was being kicked. "Thanks for sticking up for me out there, when they were gonna do it to me again."

"No problem," Alonzo said.

Bill stopped kicking. He just stood there, breathing hard, looking down at the two men, beginning to realize that they had retreated into some kind of place that he couldn't reach, something to do with their friendship.

"Finished?" Morgan whispered, his eyes closed.

Bill angrily brought his foot back for one more blow, but didn't deliver it. He scowled and gave up. He paced around the two men for several moments, fuming, then he leaned down and grasped Alonzo by the shirt front.

"Listen, you little bunny rabbit shit face," he said, then rushed forward with his words so much he actually stumbled over them. "I need to know where you li- I want to know where the others are. You may think you're clever shit, but if you don't give me an answer right now I'll get all the jollies I want from you, then I'll send all my boys in and they'll have fun with both of you all night long. Last chance!"

Alonzo smirked, still full of some of the mirth from a few moments before. "I don't know where they are. I was coming back from a scout. I had no idea my group had been attacked. They didn't tell me where they're hiding." He laughed again. "So, you see, I couldn't have helped you anyway."

"Too bad for you," Bill said and began to rip off Alonzo's pants.

"I'll bet your gang would love to know you're really a Council agent," Alonzo said.

Bill stopped.

"'Ulysses.' That's what you were about to say, wasn't it?" Alonzo asked him. "You let part of his name slip out. 'Ulysses.' And there's no way you could have known his name unless you were Council."

"The...the girl told me the brat's name before she ran off," Bill said awkwardly. "She told me last night."

"No, she didn't," Alonzo shook his head. Beside him, Morgan slowly opened his eyes. "So what's the deal, then? The Council promise you a free ride back home if you attack us and deliver him?"

*"That's right!"* Bill sneered, shoving a knife into Alonzo's face. "I got a free pardon and a ticket home if I come up with the little jackrabbit, no questions asked!"

"And you really think the Council will honor that?" Alonzo asked, a contemptuous grin on his face.

Bill just stared at him uncertainly, not having an answer to that. Alonzo could tell he desperately wanted to believe he could go home.

"Why don't you want any of your followers to know about this deal?" Alonzo asked. "Will they kill you if they find out?"

"I'll cut your tongue out before that happens," Bill said, sticking his fingers inside Alonzo's mouth and making ready with the blade.

Then he stopped as they all felt a slight rumbling. "What the hell is that?" Bill asked, sitting back and looking around. The rumbling began to increase. It sounded like thunder coming from the ground.

Bill got up and ran to the entrance to look out. Alonzo took the opportunity to shift closer to Morgan. "I discovered a new species on my scout," he whispered. "Whole herds of animals who are so afraid of Terrians that they'll stampede just to get away from them. Just before we were brought in here I contacted the Terrians and asked them to find one of the herds and frighten them, and direct them so they would stampede into this camp. We've got to leave as soon as the confusion hits."

Morgan didn't move. "Not going anywhere," he murmured.

Outside, the men started shouting and running uselessly as the animals appeared out of the gathering night and tore into camp. The thunder of their stampede was deafening. The tent around Alonzo and Morgan fell as tent stakes and ropes were torn up, then the cloth was ripped away. They lay there, exposed, and Alonzo began to wonder if his solution was going to be worse than his original situation. Beside him, Morgan didn't move a muscle.

A lone Terrian rose out of the ground in front of the two men, standing between them and the herd. The oncoming sea of animals parted like water onto rocks in a desperate frenzy to go around the Terrian, leaving them as a tiny island of calm in the middle of the storm.

Everything else was torn to pieces. The animals were large, with long, angular noses and loads of shiny white fur. They each had two straight horns, about half a meter in length, with swirling patterns like that of a unicorn. Strangely, they made not a single sound with their mouths.

Alonzo saw men picked up and tossed like rags, men falling beneath the creatures' hooves, tents ripped to shreds. He could barely hear the screams of the dying, such was the thunder of the hooves around him. The DuneRail was nudged around and the ATV was toppled like a toy. Only the TransRover remained relatively unharmed.

Because of his strength and speed, Bill had done a good job of standing in place and dodging the first few dozen animals that had come running in. Just as it seemed he would be overwhelmed, he reached out to grab the horn of one of the passing animals and actually swung himself onto its back! Alonzo couldn't believe his eyes. Bill rode the animal out of camp, hanging
on for dear life as it followed the stampede, carrying him away.

It was all over in another minute or so, and when the last animals had passed there was nothing in their wake to tell that a camp had once existed there. Except for the vehicles, Alonzo and Morgan, the devastation was complete. The Terrian sank back into the ground.

"Morgan," Alonzo said. His hands were still bound together, but he reach out and gently laid them on his shoulder. "Morg-"

*"Don't touch me!"* Morgan shrieked, his voice echoing up to the sky. Alonzo backed away and could only look at Morgan in compassion as he lay sobbing into the dirt.

* * *

Denner supported Walman as they climbed a narrow gully up a hillside. Behind them came the shouts of their pursuers. Denner caught a glance of one of their faces over her shoulder as she pulled Walman up beside her. It was one of the more vicious men who had raped her repeatedly. "Come on!" she said through gritted teeth as they finally reached the top of the hill. She just had time to see him raise a MagPro and fire, the round throwing up dirt at her feet, before she and Walman made it over the hill. They both lost their balance and tumbled down the opposite side, which was a lot steeper than the one coming up.

"Oh," Walman groaned, clutching his leg. His face was white and bathed with sweat. Denner took one look at him and knew he couldn't go any further.

They were in a ravine. The opposite side was just as steep as the one they'd just fallen down. They could have climbed it on a good day. She glanced around and saw a nearby boulder, barely large enough to hide them if they lay on the ground and remained perfectly still. Beside it was a single small tree with thin branches and tiny leaves.

"Denner," Walman said. "Go on...without me."

She slapped him hard. "Get up!" she said. "I think we've got a chance if we can just go a few more meters. You hear me? We both get a wonderful long life of happiness and joy for the next five decades if you can just move your ass another 15 meters." She pulled at his arm. "Right now!"

Walman found himself laughing hysterically, but he allowed Denner to help him up. They hobbled to the boulder and sank down behind it, just as their pursuers reached the hilltop and looked down into the ravine.

They lay still, looking up. The sun was almost down, throwing the ravine into shadow, and they both knew this would save them more than anything else, if they could be saved at all. The small tree hid them from above, but Denner knew that if they looked closely, directly at them, they would be spotted.

What then? she thought. Would she leave Walman and keep running? She bit her lip, knowing perfectly well that she would, if she had to.

But they weren't spotted. The men cautiously descended, looking around intently. "We know them bunnies couldn't a' got up the other side," one said. "Got a bad leg. So left or right, take your pleasure."

Three of the men turned left, heading away from their camp and away from Denner and Walman. The two in the lead, including the one who had raped her so many times, turned towards them. They heard them approaching and looked at each other in horror.

Walman quickly took off his jacket, making slight rustling noises as he did.

"You hear that?" one of the men asked. "I think we just found a rabbit hole."

Walman and Denner heard the footsteps approaching. Straining with the effort, Walman gradually sat up and put his feet beneath him, working into a crouch. Denner knew it must have been excruciating, but Walman was biting back the pain. For now.

She also knew the men nearing them were over-confident because she and Walman weren't armed, or else they would have split up to approach the boulder from both sides. As it was, they were just walking towards them.

Walman waited until he could hear that the men were almost upon them, then threw his jacket out from behind the boulder, away from the approaching men. Half a second later he sprang up with a vicious yell of purest rage, right in their faces.

All the man in the lead saw was a dark shape burst from cover on the right side of the boulder, which didn't surprise him a bit. He swiveled the MagPro and fired, blowing a hole in whomever it was. But even as he realized it had just been a piece of clothing, Walman was suddenly in his face while his gun was facing the wrong way.

Walman put all of his fury into one punch and smashed the man's face in. He went flying back, dropping the gun, screaming in pain. Denner stuck her head out, watching in horror as events unfolded in almost slow motion. The second man raised his MagPro. She screamed and, without even thinking of what she was doing, dove for the first MagPro. Even as she did, the second man fired at point blank range. She saw Walman's left shoulder disintegrate, saw Walman spin and drop.

Denner screamed again, and kept on screaming. She found the MagPro in her hands, she saw the man in front of her, a man who had raped her repeatedly, the man who had just shot Walman. She raised the gun and pulled the trigger. Since she was on her knees and had raised the gun only as far as she needed to, her first shot went right through his groin.

She kept screaming and kept firing. Again. And again.

The remaining three pursuers were already running towards her. Two of them were armed, one with a MagPro, another with a pistol. As soon as they saw one of their escapees with a gun in her hands, they dove for whatever cover they could and returned fire. Denner fired back, not thinking to take any cover herself. Luckily, because of the gathering gloom, her repeated
firing, and the fact that the penal colonists had never really taken the time to become marksmen, she wasn't hit.

"Denner!" she heard. "Denner! It's okay! Stop it! Ease up."

She stopped screaming but remained where she was, shaking, crying, not knowing what was happening. Danziger was beside her. What he was doing there, she could hardly grasp. She didn't know. She didn't care. She let the mag pro drop to the ground.

"They're dead, Denner," Danziger said. He was holding a pistol. Behind him was Devon, Cameron and Yale. Julia was crouching over Walman.

Denner slowly collapsed into Danziger's arms. "Thought...thought you'd abandoned us!" she sobbed.

Danziger held her and felt the tears come. He couldn't look at Devon. How could he tell Denner that she was right? How could he tell her that he *had* abandoned her, and that only the stubbornness of Devon had convinced him to launch a rescue attempt? He had led the others to the kids and half the remaining group had stayed with them, with instructions to move on if
the rest of them never came back.

In the distance, they heard a muted rumbling sound. It almost sounded like thunder, but not quite. What it was, they couldn't even begin to guess.

"Come on," he gently said to Denner. "We're not out of this, yet. Before we found you, we hid from another group of those men. They looked like they were out searching for you. They're still out here, somewhere, and they'll have heard the gunfire, like we did. We don't have much time."

Denner mutely nodded. "How's Walman?" she asked.

Danziger looked enquiringly over at Julia who shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry. He didn't make it."

"No. He can't be dead. He came into the camp. He saved me." The words were almost incoherent, each syllable punctuated by sobbing as the woman started to reach a level of hysteria, the relief she felt at being back with her friends overtaken by grief and guilt at Walman's death.

Danziger was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. Dealing with that level of emotion was not a thing he did well. He looked round for support. Fortunately Devon seemed to read his mind and came to his rescue.

"Denner!" Devon's tone snapped the woman's head toward her. "We don't have time for this now. You can give way when we're safe. Not now."

She reached out toward Denner in the same way Danziger had seen her do to Uly when she wanted him to do something. The maternal instruction worked and Denner went to Devon like a tractable child. "Let's have Julia check you out before we do anything. Danziger, can you and Cameron keep watch. We don't want any surprises."

Danziger nodded and when he turned found Cameron with a cold smile on his face, having retrieved the weapons from the dead men. He breathed a sigh of relief. Things seemed better when you had some firepower at your disposal.

Julia ran the diaglove over Denner mentally inventorying the injuries. From the readings she was getting from the woman it was going to take a long time for her to heal mentally. And on this planet time was usually a luxury they didn't have. While she did this, Devon was gently interrogating her about the whereabouts of the penal colonists' camp.

* * *

At the remains of the camp Alonzo left Morgan curled up in an almost fetal ball, still sobbing gently. The man had shrugged off all his attempts to help. What was more of a concern to Alonzo was that in trying to reach out to him, he appeared to be making things worse. Each overture seemed to send Morgan deeper into shock.

He decided to investigate the vehicles to see if any of them were in working order. If they were to continue with their journey and get as far away from the convicts as possible, then he needed a working vehicle quickly. The men that had gone after Denner would be back soon.

He also needed to make contact with the others. The stampede had destroyed his gear along with the camp. Now he had to hope that there was a spare gear in one of the vehicles. If Danziger had been using it he could be in luck, the mechanic invariably put his down somewhere rather than wearing it. Provided it hadn't been stripped by the convicts. He needed to get help for Morgan quickly. And he also needed to warn Devon about the Council influence: that 'they' had somehow managed to contact the colonists of this planet. If there was one plot, then knowing the Council there were more ahead. He needed to be back with Julia. Once the others heard that the Council was involved, then Julia would be under suspicion again.

More worrying was the niggling feeling at the back of his mind that Bill escaping would come back to haunt the party. The more contact with the Terrians he had, the greater his abilities seemed to become. His Great Grandmother had been renowned for her ability to read the future and on more than one occasion his 'hunches' had saved him. This prophetic feeling was not one he would ignore.

He was unlucky. If there was a gear there the convicts had taken it. It was then that he noticed the absence of sound. While he had been searching he had been able to hear the sound of Morgan sobbing. Now there was only silence.

Dusk was becoming night now and his visibility was severely limited. "Damn. I don't believe it." The man had disappeared.

After a fruitless search of the area and the moonlit night not the best means of finding the missing man, Alonzo headed in the direction he believed Denner and Walman to have taken. At the moment he couldn't help Morgan. He might just be able to help Denner and Walman, provided they had escaped their pursuers.

Luckily for Alonzo he ran into Devon and Danziger at the site of the mini massacre. Devon had insisted on burying Walman so scavengers wouldn't take his body. They planned on returning later to properly pay their respects, but the needs of the living took precedence over the dead. Danziger had taken the chance to hide the bodies of the convicts to prevent their being discovered. The rapidly falling night was in their favor as they did not seriously expect another search party.

* * *

Morgan ran into the darkness wanting only to be away from everyone and everything when his flight was brought rapidly to a halt by a familiar voice.

"Hello bunny."

* * *

"Where's my husband?" was the first thing Alonzo heard when the ragged group arrived back at Eden Advance's temporary hiding place.

All eyes were on Alonzo, even Julia's, and that was when he realized that there hadn't even been time to say a proper hello. A brief hug was all they'd managed when they caught up on the way back to the others, along with a "thank God your're alive" before she returned to taking care of Denner who was still visibly shocked. Devon and Danziger had managed to fill in Alonzo who still couldn't quite believe that Walman was gone. It was sick, horrible, all of it, and it was something he didn't want to think about. Because they were still missing one person.

He hated to disappoint Bess, but he couldn't give her a solid answer. "Morgan's alive. He's out there somewhere, and I think our first priority is to go find him."

"There are still at least three of the bastards running around, with weapons," Danziger added, then shouldered the MagPro he'd commandeered from Denner. "At least this time we have a chance."

It didn't take long to recruit those who'd go hunting, because there wasn't much choice left. Magus joined the already exhausted team, and nothing would keep Bess and Devon away. Danziger soberly handed Devon his knife, saying, "You can use it for protection."

Devon caught his arm, sensing what he couldn't say. "You don't want me to attack them."

He grunted in assent.

"But you're going to."

"That's what this is for," Danziger patted the MagPro. "Seems to me like we don't have any choice." He nodded to Alonzo, who rounded up the small group, ready to head out, when Devon held up one hand and frowned.

"Wait. What are we going to do if we actually find them?"

It seemed a stupid question, and Magus laughed. "Get our people back, for starters," she said.

"And then?"

"We'll do what we have to do."

Devon whirled to again face Danziger, her eyes a mixture of uncertainty and anger. "Does that mean murder?"

"They've already killed two of ours. What do you expect, Devon?" It was Bess speaking, her voice cold and resolute. "Let them join the group, just like we let Gaal join us?"

"No, but..."

Devon was floundering, and Alonzo understood. "We don't want to kill them," he said softly, "and I hope we won't have to make that choice. But if we do -"

"Who gives us the right to play judge and jury? I thought we left all of that -" Devon gestured wildly "- back on the stations."

"Devon," Bess' voice was steely cold. "My husband is out there. He's alone, he's been beaten, and he may already be dead. And you're standing here trying to decide the morality of a rescue attempt?" Even after all they'd been through, Bess was still a formidable foe.

She had a point, and Devon reluctantly tucked Danziger's knife in her belt. "I'm sorry, Bess. But we need to think of the consequences."

"Later," Danziger said. He didn't give Devon a chance to respond, and to be honest, no one really wanted to think about it that much. It was best if it was a quick and dirty fight, and if the penal colonists got caught in the crossfire, then all the better. No consequences.

"Shhh," Alonzo hissed, holding up a hand. The group instantly paused, falling into silent formation like a group of well-trained soldiers. "I thought I heard something," he whispered after a minute or so of silence.

Danziger grabbed his jumpers and lifted them to his face. He didn't expect to see much, not with the light completely gone, but it made him feel better to have something to do. "I can't see much, but maybe-"

"Wait!" This was Devon, who'd heard what all of them were now hearing, a low-pitched moaning sound. It was eerie, otherworldly, but Bess was paler than the rest of them.

"That's my husband, she declared.

They all stared at each other for a moment, relieved he was alive, but knowing it was far from over. "I'll go this way," Alonzo pointed in a generic left-forward direction, "and you go round to the right." He directed his words to Danziger and took off before receiving confirmation.

"Wait!" Devon hissed at his retreating back, but already Alonzo was gone. "He needs backup!"

"You go," Danziger said, nodding to Magus. ""We'll circle around the other way, and Cameron, I want you to hold the fort here. Just in case they head this way."

Cameron looked decidedly unsettled and understandably so. One man against who knew how many were out there still. Alonzo couldn't say for sure that everyone else was dead, and from what they'd heard, Bill was the worst of the bunch. Cameron activated his gear to keep in touch with the others, then hunched down behind a nearby bush to wait for the call.

Danziger kept marching, somewhat furtively, with Devon and Bess close behind. Again there was a moan, pitiful in nature. They couldn't be too far now, and just for a moment, Danziger wondered why Morgan wasn't gagged, because if he were still captive, he was leading them right to Bill's hiding spot.

All too soon, Danziger's worst fears were confirmed. In a small clearing sat Bill, holding a weapon of unknown design as he perched on a rock and kept careful watch in random directions. At his feet lay Morgan, but what surprised Danziger most of all was the fact that Morgan wasn't bound. He was bruised, trembling, obviously in terrible shape, but there was nothing
obviously keeping him there.

"Why doesn't he run?" Devon asked.

"He won't get very far, that's why," Danziger answered. He activated his gear. "Lonz, do you see them?"

There was no answer, just a steady hiss of static. Damn. That meant interference of some sort, or that Alonzo's gear was broken. Or maybe he hadn't switched it on. "Cameron?"

"Here," the man checked in. "Haven't seen anyone come this way, though."

Bess was edging her way closer with every step, almost bouncing with desperate anticipation. Devon pulled her back, realizing what Danziger had suspected all along. "It's a trap."

"You don't know that," Bess quickly answered. Morgan groaned again. "No matter how much pain he's in, Morgan wouldn't be part of something like that!"

"He might not realize what he's doing."

Danziger had continued his whispered conversation with Cameron, and they appeared to have reached a decision. "We're going in, me first to draw their fire, then Cameron'll pick 'em off one by one. Alonzo should be able to figure out what's going on."

"Danziger, no!" protested Devon, sounding more upset than ever. "I don't want you risking yourself like that, you're the best shot we've got...."

But before she had a chance to finish, they both realized that the point was moot. Bess, either thinking along the same lines, or blinded by desperation to reach her husband, had already taken matters into her own hands. She raced into the clearing, screaming," Morgan!"

Bill jumped to his feet, a slow smile appearing as he saw that Bess was armed with nothing more than a knife. "And the next missing bunny comes home." He didn't seem particularly concerned as he reached into his pocket and all hell broke loose.

A blinding light flooded the clearing, the entire area, it seemed, and Danziger swore with utter disbelief at how things could go so wrong in such a short space of time. No wonder Bill hadn't been concerned. No, he'd been content to sit there, reel them in, and then have a freakin' Council space ship at his call to tip the odds in his favor. The ship loomed closer, and Danziger knew with sickening clarity that the laws against weaponry on spacecraft had no jurisdiction here.

He watched as a blast struck out across the clearing, to the south, where Cameron was. They were probably all being tracked - damn implants, or maybe it was the gear, but that was one thing he needed. Bess threw herself over Morgan with a scream, not noticing that Morgan had yet to notice her.

Gunfire was coming from the trees, from behind the rocks, there seemed to be seventeen hidden enemies out there but Danziger was focused on one thing alone at the moment. Bill. He couldn't do a thing about the ship, not right now, it was best to let it land and they'd deal with the Council later. But for now, his friends, *family*, were in the line of fire. Lifting his MagPro, Danziger stared straight down the line. Bill had also lifted a weapon, something Danziger didn't recognize, but its intent was obvious. His role was clear - shoot, or be shot. Kill, or be killed. And in that moment of realization, Danziger moved his aim away from Bill's weapon and straight for his heart.

The actual firing of the weapon was almost an afterthought, and Bill dropped like a stone.

It was all coming back to him now, the brief stint of military training something which could be ingrained for life. He was no longer John Danziger, he was the protector of his tribe, and Danziger pounded in the direction of the weapons fire, shooting with deadly precision. One down, then two. His gear crackled in his ear but he barely paid attention to it, Cameron shouting something about, "More over this way!"

"Stay out of sight, I don't know what kind of precision aiming that ship has, but there's gotta be a reason it's flying so low!" The orders were instinctive, and he knew they would be followed. The ship seemed to be hovering over the clearing; perhaps its pilot was attempting to ascertain if Bill was worth saving. And over the noise of the engines, and the constant gunfire, there was a low trilling, a noise that somehow permeated everything.

"Where's Uly?" and Devon - how could she still be so close to him? - managed to shout back an answer.

"Safe! That's not him, Danziger, that's-"

There was a roar, and Danziger dropped to his stomach as something streaked across the sky just above him. A golden blast, deadly, the shot far too accurate for Danziger's comfort. He glanced back and saw Devon close behind him, her face covered in dirt, her eyes large and haunted. The trilling continued, as did the chaos.

For a moment, the landscape *shifted*, and Danziger experienced the falling sensation he associated with Terrian weirdness. Now was not the time for the Dreamplane, he had enemies to take down, but then he thought he heard Alonzo's voice saying, "Thank you."

And when he looked again, the whole sky was tipped crazily, or maybe it was just the ship, because it wasn't hovering anymore, it was headed straight down, way too fast, another victim of G889's gravity. As the fireball went up, Danziger laughed. Served the bastards right, and he could only hope that Reilly had been with them.

"They've got Magus!" someone shouted, and he raced off in the direction of the call, abandoning Devon behind him. He knew she'd be all right, they were winning, because they were the good guys. They had the Terrians' help, they had the planet's help, and there was no way the final remaining penal colonists were going to escape. Danziger was still pumped with adrenaline, and it was with a sense of satisfaction that he nailed the next bastard. "Raid our camp by surprise, rape our women, our men, *eat* us, you bastards had this coming from the very first moment we laid eyes on you." The litany was mumbled, but the message so clear as he stood above the body and Magus looked at him with wordless gratitude, before shouldering her own weapon and continuing pursuit.

It was impossible to count how many there were, but the fire was getting less and less, and even Cameron gave a victory cheer, and those that were left were surely fleeing. There, ahead of him in the bushes, a dark shadow approaching. Without even thinking Danziger fired again, no qualms about where to aim now. A strangled shout was cut off mid-vocalization.

And Danziger paused.

Because the shout had been familiar.

And suddenly Magus was screaming at *him* when everything else had gone quiet, so quiet, no more shooting or even running or even flames, just the knowledge that they must have won.

* * *

It was two days before Morgan spoke. Two days before he had the presence of mind to lift his head from the bed in the med-tent and ask, weakly, for water. And then - "Alonzo."

"What?" Julia managed, then set her mouth in a resolute line. "Bess is waiting for you outside. She wants to see you, Morgan, she has to know that you're doing better."

Morgan managed the barest shake of his head. After all he'd been through, how could he possibly speak to Bess again? He was tainted beyond belief; she could never want him now. She'd never understand what he'd endured, she should never have to, and the only person that could possibly understand a fraction of it was Alonzo, because he had been there, he *knew*.

"Denner wants to talk to you," Julia continued bravely. Denner and Morgan had been put in separate tents, because the nightmares that each had were sure to keep the other up. "She was..."

"No." Morgan didn't care what Denner said; he couldn't face her, because he'd failed her as well. Failed everyone, become nothing more than a whimpering pile of nothing, but what was worse, he'd almost become something else entirely. In those last, fatal hours with Bill, he hadn't wanted to leave. He'd had a choice, to run and hope he'd find Eden Advance, or grimly accept his fate and give himself up.

His choice had been the latter.

And why? He told himself it was because Alonzo would know where to find him, Alonzo, the only one who could pull him out of this - thing - he had become.

The last hours haunted him. After the shooting - it wasn't a rescue, it never had been a rescue - Bill had collapsed beside him, and Morgan, curled up on the ground, hadn't found the energy to move. Not even the knowledge that Bess was holding him, crying, made any difference. His eyes were drawn to Bill's, and Bill's alone.

"You'll never forget me," Bill managed, his breathing discordant as his lungs slowly filled with blood. "Just like I'll never forget you. Or Pretty Boy. Or your other friends, the one who was so tasty...." Bill coughed. "Made a great last meal," he managed one last feral smile. "Guess that means he's a part of both of us now...."

Morgan couldn't react, only silently agree with the knowledge. "We couldda been great together, you and me," he whispered. "Bunny." Strange how that was almost a term of affection now. "My precious little rabbit...."

It didn't matter when Bill actually died, because Morgan already knew the truth.

"Morgan," Julia interrupted his thoughts which had played out a thousand times in the last few days, always the same agonizing truth. "Alonzo came to save you. So did Bess, she would have done anything for you - do you know how brave she was? She risked her life by reaching you. She would have done anything, all of us would have. And we had to make sure that
something like this would never happen again." Her words were oddly resolute, almost as if she were trying to convince herself of something. "We had to do anything...."

"Bad things happen sometimes," Morgan said soberly, remembering what Alonzo had told him during those grim hours in the destroyed camp. Even though he hadn't responded at the time, Morgan could still remember every word.

"Yes," she replied softly, and now there was a definite hitch in her voice. "They do."

There was a long pause, and Morgan turned, meeting Julia's eyes for the first time.

"We buried him yesterday."

A protest. "He was supposed to come back for me."

"He did, Morgan," she whispered, taking his hand. "He saved us all."

Morgan broke away from her hold, turned, and faced the wall of the tent. "Not me," he whispered, so softly she barely heard. "'t's too late."

--End.