But first, you and I must come to an agreement. I want you to leave your guns here." "In that case, how about you come unarmed as well?" replied the tall one. "How do you think I'd react to a couple of armed guards on my trail?" "That I don't know," I said, looking both of them in the eye. "What I can assure you is that as long as you leave your weapons here, you'll never feel compelled to turn them on us. What you'll notice is that my men and I are well-trained. Your guns and those of your men are going to have absolutely no effect on us, at least not while you're on this planet. You'll both have to make a decision at that point. And I'll tell you again that my mission, and what I want you to do, is nothing less than life-changing, and nothing less than Earth-changing. My plan—your plan—means a planet of humans becomes something that it never has been before. So yes, there's a risk, but that risk and I are quite equal. Which brings me to the last point. You've asked what I'm really after. It's something you'll never understand. I really don't think it needs to be spelled out. It is enough that you know that I want you to understand that we're on the same side. Are we?" "Yes," said the shorter man, "we're on the same side. If it was up to us, there wouldn't be any side." "You certainly make me feel better," I said. "It would have been easy for us to continue this conversation as enemies, but you didn't see how unbalanced that would make you and how you'd come off as the enemy." I sat there for a moment, thinking about how to best get to the point. I had to find out how they would respond to this proposal. I turned my attention to the young girl, who was still very much under the influence of our trip through the cave. "What do you say? Will you join me and my people? I know it must seem impossible to imagine, but trust me. It's all true, and it's all going to happen." I looked back over my shoulder and noticed that the two were watching me. "Just as I believe in my mission and my plan, I also believe in their mission and their plan, and believe me, the difference between us will never be more than that—a difference in belief. I really don't think the two will ever be equal. On this planet and anywhere else, humans have been the enemy of humans, and we've treated humans terribly, and our actions have cost us dearly. It is time for humans to become the enemy of humans, and not of the planet or the environment. It is time for you and your people to join me and my people, for no other reason than because the need for humans to be the enemy of humans has become abundantly clear. There are more of you than there are of us, so we've to learn to live with the fact that you're going to have a greater impact on the planet than we do. I have to know that when you join us, you understand the real value of that." The two simply looked at each other, as if they were trying to guess what the other might say, and finally the young girl nodded. "Now let's get down to the business of how we're going to get out of here," I said, looking back at them. * * * "Let's get started," said the young woman. "Where do we start?" "Well, let's see," I said, pausing to think, "let's see... We start right here. The girl is not going to be able to move on her own, but she will not get lost on the way out. We'll take her back through the tunnel and into the forest, then we'll set her loose." "But we won't set her free in the jungle?" asked the taller one. "Why?" I asked. "She's not dangerous." "Why not?" "She's very vulnerable. You saw what happened when she stopped for a moment. Even without being hurt or threatened, I would have lost her and she would have either died or been eaten. I'll be leaving her some food. I'll use it when I need it. Then we'll place her in a safe place." "She'll get lost," said the tall one. "Not if we help her," said the young girl. "What?" said the tall one. "We'll leave a trail for her," said the young girl. "You'll be leaving a trail, all right," said the tall one. "For how long?" asked the young girl. "Well, for as long as it takes us to go through the jungle. After we leave, if you want her to be safe, you'll have to keep a better look-out." "She'll get caught in a trap, or killed," said the young girl. "Not if we help her," said the young girl. "The way I see it is that we'll be leaving her better off if she stays with us than if she stays on her own." "And how do you propose that she be left better off?" I asked. "Let's face it. She'll never be better off on her own," said the young girl. "Yes, you say that now, but you won't be better off on your own when you have to fight for your life every time you try to move. You'll be better