[Danny]

thanks, i will.

mainard says this chapter is good, so i hope you all like it.

CHAPTER 32

“But he’s a SLIG!”

Jal snarled. “He’s also a friend, and I trust him more than I trust any mudokon.”

Another mudokon spoke up. “Maybe you’d rather not be among us, then.”

Jal calmed himself. “No, I… I trust you, I just meant that he’s as trustworthy as anyone.”

Int, who’d kept quiet, looked down at Crim, who was silently watching his future be decided for him.

“Come on, we’ll leave them to argue.”

Crim looked up at him. “Leave them?”

Int picked him up. “Trust me,” he said, and carried Crim out of the hut. “You’ll be accepted. There’ll always be people who won’t like it, but Bil and Ana have accepted you, and they’re the ones whose opinion counts. If they let you stay, the others will, however much some of them complain. Besides, I was in favour of ditching you before I heard Jal’s story about how he lost his arm. It made me think, and it’ll make them think too.”

“Where are Sill and Meet?”

“I haven’t seen them. You know them best, where do you think they’d go?”

Crim thought. “I don’t think they like crowds. They’ll have gone somewhere quiet.”

“We could try down by the river, then.”

Meet and Sillan were indeed down by the river, with Ana and several small mudokon children. The children were at the edge of the river, throwing stones into the waters. Sillan hovered above them, making sure none of them fell in. If the children did fall, Sillan would catch them and return them to the bank. Several of them found this fun, and fell into the water deliberately, so that they could be carried back. Ana was sat with Meet, watching the children.

“Ana!”

Ana turned, and saw Int descending the bank. She sighed.

“How is the argument going?”

“They’ll be done in a few days, at this rate.”

Ana sighed again. “Look at the children. They’re more sensible than any of them. They don’t have any prejudices. Look how they’ve taken to… Sillan, was it?”

Crim looked. “They your children?”

Ana smiled, despite herself. “Sort of. We’re all sterile, except for Ulis and Mat. They have the children, and the rest of us take care of them. Me and Bil take care of Art, Dis, and Ela.”

Crim smiled sadly. “We never had family. From birth, we’re brought up to kill. That’s why most of us enjoy it. It’s like we’re pre-programmed to be sadistic.”

“You’re not like that, though.”

“Some of us are less impressionable. We tend to stick together.”

Ana looked down at him. Int had set him down beside her, while he went off to speak with the children. “Where are the others now?”

“I don’t know. Probably dead. It’s just the four of us, now. There were ten in our group, and there were probably more who would have liked to join us, but were afraid.”

“Your ‘Group’?”

“We called ourselves the Slig Revolutionary Movement. I think we were named after this past group of revolutionaries, who all got slaughtered when they rebelled. There was me, Meet, Sill, Greeb, Ret, Til, Gorm, Jal, Sal, and Groz. Groz was a glukkon. He was kind of the son of the Factory Manager. He was caught helping Jal, Meet, Sill, and me to escape. Sal was killed earlier, and then the others were taken to the Drill Hall, and probably executed. We didn’t see them again, anyway. So now it’s just us four.”

Two of the children were approaching them. They were the ones Ana had called Art and Dis. Art was staring unselfconsciously at Crim.

“What is it, you two?” asked Ana.

“Are you a slig?” asked Art.

Crim looked up at him. “Yup. That’s me.”

“Have you come to kill us all? Where’s your robot legs?”

Crim smiled. “I don’t have any pants.”

Dis spoke up. “Why not?”

“Long story. And yes, I have come to kill you all.”

He made a half-hearted lunge at Dis, who giggled and dodged away. Art leapt on Crim, and held him still, laughing all the time.

“Akk! Okay, I surrender! You’ve defeated me!”

Art released Crim, and turned back to join Dis and Ela, who were trying to fall in the river again. Ana smiled. Int came up to join them, with his finger to his lips. He picked Crim up, and called Art’s name. When Art turned, Int threw Crim at his chest. Crim gripped his shoulders and growled into his face. Art screamed and pulled Crim off him. He threw Crim back at Int, who caught him, laughing at Art’s expression of terror.

“That wasn’t funny!”

Int grinned. “Oh, yes it was!” He pretended to throw Crim again, but Crim struggled.

“Put me down! You’ll have to carry on without me. I’m retiring from the job of Evil Bad Guy.”

Despite himself, Art smiled a little, and went off to play with his sisters. Ana was grinning.

“You see, the children don’t have any trouble accepting you.”

Int nodded. “You’ll be fine.”

Crim frowned, and looked back at the hut. The argument hadn’t finished yet, and no-one else had left the hut. “I’m not so sure.”