THE PLANET THAT LOVED PEOPLE (standard:science fiction, 1803 words) [11/12] show all parts
Author: Danny Raven	Added: Mar 13 2016	Views/Reads: 1617/1116	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
PART 3 - CH 11

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

She went into the hut for it and when she came back out Blaze had
mounted Zara and had led her on to the beach. 

“Hey whatever happened to those two birds you used to have?” Kane asked
him. 

“They built a nest up there,” Blaze told him, pointing to one of the
palm trees. “I visited them yesterday. Sarah explained to me about how 
the lady will lay eggs.” 

“Yeah, she probably will.” 

Blaze looked at him. “If she does and I show you them, you won't use
them to make omelettes, will you?” he asked. 

Kane laughed. 

“No he won't!” Sarah told him. “I'll make sure of that.” 

Blaze grinned. “Promise?” 

“Promise.” 

Blaze smiled at her then the smile died on his face. He opened his mouth
as if trying to say something and blood started pouring out. He managed 
a gurgling scream and began lifting his hands to his throat then his 
head suddenly sliced off his body at the neck, spun round a few times 
and landed with a thud on the beach. 

Bright red blood fountained into the air from the severed arteries in
his neck and sprayed on to the sand. His body remained upright 
momentarily then slowly toppled to one side and dropped on to the 
beach. His arms and legs twitched for a few seconds then he was still. 

Zara whinnied, kicked her front legs in the air then bolted. Sarah
screamed and dropped the pitcher of orange juice and it smashed on the 
ground. 

“Jesus Christ!!” yelled Kane, rushing over and staring at Blaze. 

What the fuck had attacked him? He glanced round quickly but the beach
was empty in both directions apart from the pony galloping away. There 
was nothing out at sea. 

He glanced up but there was nothing in the sky. He turned and searched
amongst the palm trees and the side of the hut but there was nothing. 

He raced over to Sarah who was standing motionless, staring at Blaze. 

“Into the hut!! Quick!!” he yelled and grabbed her hand. He raced for
the doorway then felt her entire arm come away from her body. 

He spun round and stared at her. Wires and circuitry dangled from the
hole in her shoulder. She glanced down at the hole then back at him, a 
stunned expression on her face. Kane dropped her arm then looked back 
at her and suddenly her other arm shot off and more wiring fell out. 

Sarah stared at him for what seemed an eternity, a pleading look in her
dark brown eyes then her head flew off at the neck and bounced away 
along the beach. She took a few faltering steps forwards then crumpled 
and collapsed near Blaze. 

Kane raced over to the doorway of the beach hut, turned and crouched
down. He stared at the horror in front of him. 

Blaze and Sarah were lying close to each other, the sand around Blaze
dark red with his blood. 

His head was lying a few feet away, his face turned up to the sky, his
eyes opened. 

Further along lay Sarah's head facing towards him. Her black hair was in
a ponytail and he could see one eye hanging down on her cheek, thin 
wires attached to it. The other eye had rolled upwards and was white. 

What the fuck had attacked them? Was it some invisible alien force? He
dived into the hut and came back with his laser rifle and set it at 
‘kill'. He crouched down again and searched horizon to horizon but 
there was still nothing. 

Then something dawned on him. 

Sarah was an Android. She really was an Android. All the wires and
circuitry proved that. So if she was an Android, the only person who 
could have had her created and programmed was Tyler....and he must have 
cloned them all using the accelerated method, despite what Sarah had 
told them. 

Tyler had beheaded Blaze's clone and when the clone died, the original
subject died, which was why Blaze was lying dead on the beach. Just for 
the hell of it, he must also have beheaded Sarah, probably by the flick 
of a programming switch. 

Which meant he had been cloned as well. By the accelerated method. Which
meant he was next. Probably the last. 

“Tyler!!!” he roared. “You bastard!!! You absolute fucking bastard!!!” 

Then he heard laughter. A man's laughter. He looked round about trying
to see where it was coming from. He heard the laughter again. It was 
coming from Sarah. 

He walked up the beach to where her head lay in the sand. The eye which
was white began moving then rolled round until the familiar dark brown 
one appeared. It looked at him. The face smiled. 

“Hello Kane!” a familiar voice came from her mouth. It was Tyler's. 

Kane stared disbelievingly at what had been Sarah. She was talking but
it was with Tyler's voice. 

“How does it feel to be in love with an Android!?” Tyler asked and
laughed mockingly. 

Kane brought up the laser rifle and his finger tightened on the trigger.


“Oh I wouldn't do that,” Tyler's voice said. “Not right now. Not if you
want some answers.” 

Kane lowered his rifle but his finger was still round the trigger. 

“There's a minute camera right behind this one good eye,” Tyler told
him. “There were two when the other eye was in place. There are minute 
receivers in both ears. I've seen and heard everything from day one! 
Everything!” He laughed again. “There's also a minute speaker in the 
Android's voice box. That's what I'm talking to you through.” 

Kane could feel a light drizzle start to fall, as he knew it would.
Kasabla had sensed the deaths and was responding. He looked up. The sky 
was starting to cloud over. 

“So sorry to have interrupted your little domestic paradise,” Tyler went
on, “but the game's over. I now know I can get through the Corridor in 
a Falcon. I now know what that planet of yours can produce – all that 
gold, all those diamonds, all those pearls! All just waiting for me to 
come and gather them up by the bucketful!” 

The rain was heavier now. The sky grey. Out in the bay, waves were
building up and were starting to crash on to the shore. 

“You've probably worked out by now that I had you all cloned by the
accelerated method,” Tyler went on. “The Android was programmed to tell 
you that you weren't.” The face smiled. “Oh by the way, she was a 
superb piece of work, wasn't she? The finest work the Surgeon General 
ever did for me!” Tyler's laughter rang out across the beach. 

Kane gritted his teeth and looked away. 

“And the programmer, he was superb as well!” Tyler continued. “While he
was alive, that is! An Android programmed to think she was actually a 
human! Except when you met the pirates. That's what the disc at the top 
of her spine was for – to fool them. Her real disc is at the base of 
her spine under some exquisite tissue grafting.” 

The rain was heavier now and a chill wind was blowing in from the sea. 

“Well I could chat away like this all day,” said Tyler, “but there's
something I have to do. Yours is the only clone left. I'm going to 
behead it personally. With a laser saw. Just like the others. Take a 
look at your watch, loser. You have exactly ten minutes to live. 
Goodbye, Kane. It's been nice using you!” 

Kane brought up the laser rifle, pulled the trigger and Sarah's head
exploded. He glanced at his watch then turned and trudged back through 
the rain to the shelter of the beach hut. 


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