Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Sixty Six

Chapter Sixty Six

Adam, George, Malcolm, the Bug and Brigitte stood waiting outside the great doors of Lung's chamber. Now the Dominator was gone the multiverse returned to normal. The CGI on George's world was gone, Robin Hood and his Merry Men were back in the greenwood, free as birds. Brigitte's world had Father Christmas and his elves back and Krampus was gone. The Bug's father was out of prison and fighting crime once more.

Jake was back safe and sound and all the cosmic champions had been turned from crystal back to their original selves by a surprisingly simple process, not dissimilar to unscrambling an egg.

The Dominator was destroyed and his son Clifford Watt and his two friends Caliban and the daughter of Lady Whitesnake had been thrown out of the Nexus for good. Those students who had joined forces with the Dominator claimed they had been frightened at the time and had gone with the Dominator because they feared for their safety, and not because they were plain bad.

A likely story.

Still they had been given the benefit of the doubt. Captain Trinity had been rescued from the planet's core, from where he could not teleport, and Matron freed from her cage. Meknos, like Humpty Dumpty, was put back together again. After all he was a machine. Dr Armstrong emerged from where he had been hiding. Matron had fixed Adam up, healing his cuts and bruises. Jake met Malcolm,

"The son of Robin Hood," he said.

"The same," said Malcolm. "I have to admit you people of the future are truly weird, but in a way that's growing on me."

The great doors swung open and the children entered the chamber. On either side of the chamber were androids who raised long trumpets to their mouths and declared a joyous fanfare.

On the walls of the chamber were tiers of balconies on which the assembled students of the Nexus stood or sat. They all applauded and shouted appreciative cries at the five figures as they made their way along the chamber.

One girl stood with a sign saying, Adam, marry me. Putting aside they were both far too young for marriage, the fact the girl had three heads, green skin and six inch fangs and even longer talons caused Adam to think matrimony was not a good idea.

As they passed Matron, she blew an exuberant kiss with both hands at Adam. The children approached a podium on which stood Lung, Captain Trinity and on which floated the rippling face of the multiverse.

Brigitte bowed her head as Lung draped a gold medal around her neck. Next was George who received a cartoon gold medal, then Malcolm, then the Bug and finally it was Adam 's turn who was given what looked like a silver medal. He felt disappointed.

"It's platinum," said Lung.

Adam smiled and turned. The children luxuriated in the applause and adulation from the other students. The androids went on playing the triumphant fanfare on their trumpets. Adam performed a flourish with his hand.

These fellow students with their strange forms no longer seemed alien or menacing. In fact now they seemed benign. Adam realised all these creatures were his friends.

"It does not get better," he said.

Later he sought out Jake who was sitting on his bed in his room.

"I spent the last few months on our earth," Jake said. "But millions of years in the past. It was primeval. There was life in the sea but the earth was bare rock. I had nobody with me. I was given a tent and every day a package of food, and once a month new clothes were sent to me. That was it. I wandered the young earth until I came to the sea and settled there. There were tiny things on the sea shore, limpets, cockles, crabs. Once I saw a giant squid, or at least I saw its tentacles rise out of the sea. That's the only large creature I saw in all that time. It was the loneliness that got me. I missed you so much, you little prat."