– Prologue –

          700 miles wide.  Solid water ice, frozen ammonia and dust.  Racing through the galaxy at 1,000 miles per second.  Origin: Unknown.  Destination: Unknown.  A tug of gravity from a nearby star slightly alters its trajectory along its uncharted journey.  Hundreds of years later, as it approaches the solar system, heat from the sun awakens the 2 billion-year-old rogue.  Jets of gas and dust emerge from vents, forming a glowing tail 1 million miles long.  As the comet nears the sun, asymmetric jets are activated by the heat, forcing the comet to change direction once again.  It’s pulled towards a syzygy of 3 planets just inside the asteroid belt.  The comet nearly collides with the smaller planet, coming within 100,000 miles of the surface before continuing into interstellar space.  While impact was averted, the small world’s path towards complete destruction was set in motion nonetheless. 

Earth Date:  September 22, 2019  |  Days Marooned:  13,251

Chapter 1

-82:10:14

          80 feet…it’s not that far, he thought to himself.  No more than 90…I can cover that in 6.5 seconds.  16 long strides and I’m there.  He stared intently at the stack of books on the floor in the corner, trying to work up the courage to commence his dash.  The giant footsteps were getting louder and closer.  It’s now or never, he thought.  He could feel his heart beating out of his chest.  Sweat from his brow was stinging his eyes.  He was in the open…vulnerable and defenseless…behind a table leg, but in plain view.  He tried to move but the fear was paralyzing.  The giant cautiously entered the room.  Over four stories tall, feet large enough to flatten him with ease.  When he saw the giant’s eyes fix on his position, his flight reflex overpowered his frozen legs and he bolted toward the stack.  He was running faster than he ever had, and his legs began to outrun his upper body.  He could hear and feel the giant closing in on him.  Just as he approached the books, he fell flat on his back and slid into the wall, wrenching both ankles. 

The giant reached down and scooped him up gently with both hands.  “Found you!”  Pamela squealed with glee, holding him up like a prize.  “You cheated Glumdalclich!”  Alexander replied.  “Stop calling me that…mouse-boy!”  “Mouse-boy?…that’s original” Alexander responded sarcastically.  “Put me down!  I hurt my ankles.”  “Serves you right.  That was the worst hiding place yet.”  Pamela said as she placed him on the floor.  “I didn’t have time to hide, you colossal creep, there is no way that was 30 seconds.”  Alexander protested. 

“You’re just a sore loser”

“And you’re just a cheater” he said under his breath. 

“You want to try again?”  She asked smugly. 

“No”

While they bickered constantly, Alexander and Pamela were more alike than different.  Primary differences being one a boy and one a girl, one 4 inches tall and one 4 feet tall.  However, they were both 10 years old, both headstrong and fearless, both far above average intelligence for children their age, and both lost their fathers.  Alexander F. Wilson was the son of Angela Burton and Andros Wilson…children of the original Spindrift survivors.

• 

He was named after Alexander Fitzhugh, another original survivor, who had died saving the life of his father Andros when he was a child.  Alexander’s father died five years earlier when his grandfather Mark was abducted by giants.  Pamela’s father died when she was a baby.  They had known each other since birth.  Pamela had to be watched closely as a baby, as she would pick up little Alexander and play with him such as a baby would play with any small toy.  As they grew older, Pamela became jealous of the relationship Alexander had with his father.  Having no father herself and helping the girls raise Alexander, Pamela grew up faster than most girls her age.  Alexander was not pleased to be cared for and watched after by a girl the same age as him, regardless of her altitude.  His constant teasing and name calling of Pamela only poured gasoline on the fire.  When they were both getting along, life for the families, giant and little, was great.  When either of them had a bad day, it was best just to stay out of their way.

“You don’t want to play again because you know I’ll find you” Pamela said derisively.  “I know what your problem is…”  Alexander continued…”Inferiority complex.”  “What are you talking about pipsqueak?”  “See, there you go again.  I’ve read about people like you.  Deep down you feel weak and inferior, so you take your frustrations and anger out on other people, especially me.” 

“You’re Earth books are stupid and they don’t apply here.”  Pamela stated.  “Anyway, you have a condition we call ‘little man syndrome.’  Because you’re so tiny, you feel inadequate and have to over compensate by exhibiting overly aggressive and competitive behavior.”  Alexander just rolled his eyes and walked away.  “I’m going to be the bigger man.” 

“Grildrig!  Come here!”  His little buddy hopped into the room from the kitchen and joined him.  Alexander had rescued little Grildrig three years earlier.  On Earth, little ‘Gril’ was comparable to a pygmy jerboa, a tiny cross between a mouse and a kangaroo.  Big ears, bigger legs, bright friendly eyes, and covered in cinnamon colored fur.  He stood 2.5 inches tall, full grown, a little over half of Alexander’s height.  Little Gril’s mother was killed by an owl, leaving him alone in the nest.  Alexander found him during one of his treasure hunting adventures.  Gril bonded with Alexander and they were soon fast friends. 

Alexander’s past pets had not stood the test of time.  He had, in order:

A baby hedgehog named Ophelia who ran away after two days…

A snail named Gretel who was stamped into paste by the mailman…

A caterpillar named Socrates who grew into a butterfly and flew away…

A tiny mouse named Friday that was picked up and eaten by a hawk…and…

A baby snake named Cleopatra who grew too big and tried to eat him.

Gril, on the other hand, was resilient and persistent.  Gril had recently acquired a girlfriend, whom Alexander named Alice.  Alice would come around every few days to frolic and hop through the tall grass with Gril as Alexander read his books. 

Pamela took Alexander and Gril out of the house and into the front yard, as she heard her mother pull up in the driveway.  “Hi mommy!”  She sat Alexander and Gril on the hood of the car.  “What are you doing out here?  Her mother asked.  “You know old Mr. Gedo next door is just looking for a reason to turn us over to the SID.”  Pamela apologized, scooped up Alexander and Gril and brought them back into the house. 

Old Mr. Gedo was a former Special Investigations Department inspector, who was terminated years ago for his excessively brutal treatment of little people.  He was convinced that they were menaces who brought nothing but pestilence and danger to this world.  Mr. Gedo was not alone in his convictions.  There remained a small minority of people who held on to the belief that little people were dangerous vermin that needed to be exterminated.  He knew something peculiar was going on at the Bara residence.  He would watch them from his window daily, taking notes on the comings and goings of all visitors and activities.  Lucky for Pamela at this moment, he was slumbering quietly on his couch.

-80:16:43

          Jody double checked his calculations.  As he wrote the final digit on the board, his hand dropped, the chalk fell to the floor and split in two in a cloud of white dust.  “It’s the end of the world.  3 days…we have 3 days”.  Two weeks prior, a rogue comet has passed the planet.  While they avoided a collision, the comet’s proximity disrupted global communication systems for days.  The planet’s gravity had captured some of the dust from the tail as it passed.  The entire planet was shrouded in a haze.  Religious fanatics claimed it was a sign of impending apocalypse.  He knew they were right. His calculations proved it.  The comet had altered their orbit, putting them on a direct collision course with Mars. 

The planet had an orbital eccentricity of 0.85, nine degrees off of the ecliptic around the sun, and crossed the orbit of Mars every 2,401 years.  Based on Jody’s calculations, barring any extreme circumstances, the chance of a collision with Mars was 1 in 29,979,245.  This was, however, an extreme circumstance.  If the comet fly-by would have happened a week before or after, they might have been safe…the planet could have swung inside or outside Mars’ orbit.  But that would not be the case.  It would be a direct hit.  If only we had the capability to reach Earth, Jody thought, the only other planet in the solar system that could sustain life, they might have had a chance.  But their scientists were no closer to interplanetary space travel than they were when he was a boy.  They had rockets that could just barely reach the edge of the atmosphere…unmanned rockets.  They used them for intercontinental parcel and cargo deliveries.  No one had ever escaped the gravity of the planet. 

He immediately felt a pit in his stomach.  He knew the little people who saved his life when he was a boy were still out there, and they would suffer the same fate as his people.  He knew they couldn’t escape either because he had their ship hidden in his home.  During the Second Judgment War 20 years earlier, almost all of the little people, whose population was estimated at greater than 100, along with most of the underground resistance were killed, captured or displaced.  Jody had gone to the Spindrift’s camp in order to protect them…but he found their site abandoned.  He took the ship and hid it safely in his attic.  He never knew what had happened to the crew he once befriended; he could only hope they found refuge. 

          Jody was conflicted about what to do next.  Letting everyone know would most certainly cause global chaos and panic.  He knew there was no way to avoid the destruction, no way to escape.  Within 24 hours, Mars would be close enough to be seen with the naked eye, getting closer every day, eventually filling the sky.  He decided it was not a decision he had to make.  This was a decision for the Supreme Council.  Jody went home early to be with his family. 

-77:11:38

Shrouded by perpetual fog, the Force for Freedom’s base on Mist Island was perfectly camouflaged.  Situated 20 leagues off the coast of the main continent, the resistance faction could work in absolute seclusion.  The wall encircling the compound was 100 feet tall, solid stone, 12 feet thick.  The base of the walls extended deep into the petrified clay.   No one knew who built the impenetrable structure over 1,200 years prior.  The resistance force found it abandoned and overgrown when they fled for their lives during the Second Judgment War. 

The Force for Freedom had originated as a resistance group whose goal was to undermine and overthrow the totalitarian government led by Prime Director Titus.  They combined forces with other resistance groups 27 years ago and successfully overthrew the government during the Underground Revolution.  The newly allied resistance groups formed the Freedom Government.  It was doomed from the start.  Almost immediately, each faction jockeyed for control of the new government, all promising reform and freedom for everyone on the continent.  Divisiveness, assassinations and failed coup attempts kept the new government on shaky ground. 

It was during this time that the ousted Director Titus picked up the pieces of the fallout from the splintered government.  He promised them titles and riches once he re-established control.  While in exile, Titus and his followers built up a large army in the southern part of the continent. Titus’ ancestors had fought in the First Judgement War 50 years earlier, when the State took control over the continent, which at that time, was just a collection of clans and tribes spread over the land.  The “war” lasted just 41 days as State forces went from village to village judging each to determine if they were worthy to join the State.  Those that were not, were burned to the ground. 

          The Second Judgement War lasted much longer than the first.  It took over 4 years for Titus’ army to defeat the Freedom Government and re-install the Directory.  Titus the Great, as he was now known by his subjects, convened a new Supreme Council and created a new, more powerful Special Investigations Department, whose sole purpose was the capture of little people.  Titus knew of their technological capabilities, and he was going to exploit every possible advantage to maintain his position and control.

          There was no future for the remaining Force for Freedom rebels on this planet, so they set their sights on Earth, where they could live as kings among the little people.  The resistance group had acquired a secret report from a Supreme Council investigation detailing the nature and location of the dimension lock, which the scientists referred to as an atmospheric anomaly.  The little people called it a “space warp”.  The dimension lock was a doorway to Earth, planet of the little people.  The anomaly was located in a fixed position approximately 45,000 feet directly above the ruins at Kêr-Is in the quarantine zone.  It was in locked in a geosynchronous orbit around the planet.  No one had ever reached that altitude.  Recent advances in rocket technology allowed unmanned rockets to reach altitudes of 50,000 feet.  Over the last four years, the rebel group had intercepted two intercontinental cargo rockets and brought them to their island base.  They needed one of the little people with the “big brains” to help modify them for manned capability.

          The rebels had a mole in the Science Institute, the primary facility focused on the “advancement of technology”.  Rumors were rampant that the Institute had live little people in their possession, as well as Earth technology, including space ships, communications devices, computers and many unknown objects.  The rumors were all true.  In fact, the Science Institute’s one and only focus was reverse engineering Earth technology.  They had 6 Earthlings, including men, women and children.  They had 3 Earth ships, none of which were functional. 

One of the Earthlings was a test pilot, Colonel Harris Allen.  He was evaluating a prototype high altitude fighter jet when he traversed the space warp and ended up on this planet 8 years earlier. The mole kidnapped the Earthling and brought him to the island to assist the rebels in converting the payload capsule component of the rocket into a passenger cabin.  Each rocket had an ejectable payload capsule with independent thrusters.  They were designed to eject at specific atmospheric coordinates and deliver the cargo to pre-defined locations.  The rebels wanted to add seats and environmental controls to the capsules in order to transport a crew through the space warp to Earth.

          The capsule modifications took almost a year.  When the capsule was ready for pressurization testing, four rebel giants ascended the rocket using an external elevator lift, entered the capsule and strapped into the chairs for the test run.  The hatch was sealed, and oxygen was pumped into the cabin.  Allen was positioned on the control panel at the top of the lift station.  He lowered the lift to the ground and disconnected the control wires.  He then cut the wires to the oxygen pump.  The four giants passed out and eventually suffocated before the other giants could climb the elevator lift scaffolding.  The base leader, General Nalor, killed Allen in a fit of rage. 

          The rebels eventually completed the pressure testing.  The capsule was now ready to transport up to 12 passengers.  The second rocket’s capsule was then modified.  The rebels could now send an envoy of 24 giants to Earth.  One problem remained.  The primary rocket booster and capsule thrust systems were remotely controlled.   The existing computer program was designed to send and receive guidance and telemetry signals from the rocket command center on the mainland.  Someone had to re-program the computer for local control. 

          Another Earthling, Nick, had been conspiring with the resistance force as a spy in exchange for his survival.  He told them of an engineer that could help them.  Nick had interacted with the Spindrift crew years earlier.  He lured Mark Wilson, one of the original Spindrift survivors and his son Andros to a rendezvous as a pretense to discuss the location of their lost ship.  Mark and Andros were ambushed by Nick and one of the giant rebels.  Andros was killed in the ensuing struggle trying to protect his father.  The giant took Mark across the sea to the island fortification.          

          Five years later, the guidance computer modifications were almost complete.  Mark knew the consequences of allowing 24 giants to reach Earth.  He knew what had to be done.

Chapter 2

-74:11:16

Now 72, five years into his captivity, Mark was frail and malnourished.  The anguish of losing his son and being away from his wife and grandson was almost too much to bear.  The hope of seeing his family and friends again was the one thing that kept him going.  Mark was in the final stages of reprogramming the commands to allow the rocket and cargo capsule to be controlled locally.  The one giant who was working with Mark that actually treated him with kindness, was known as Juran.  Mark trusted Juran.  He didn’t know if Juran’s sympathy was due to inherent compassion for little people or self-preservation.  Without Mark’s help to escape to Earth, Juran had no future.  Regardless of the reasons, Juran protected Mark from the barbarity of the other giants on the island, who made life a living hell for him when Juran was away.  Mark’s clothes had deteriorated over the past year and Juran had made him some clothes out of spare fabric.  He would smuggle food for him from the mainland to supplement the paltry grain meal provided by rebel guards.  What Mark didn’t know, or more accurately didn’t remember, was Juran and Mark had crossed paths many, many years ago.

Mark and Juran would spend hours each day working as a team up in the capsule section.  The rocket was over 360 feet tall, or 4,300 feet to Mark.  So, from Mark’s perspective, he was working over eight tenths of a mile above ground level.  Mark would write the program code and Juran would enter the data into the ship’s computer.  The system they were using was similar to the XPL program language used in HAL/S, the program Mark was working on with NASA for the Space Shuttle program just before the unfortunate flight that diverted him to this place.

Over the past year, Juran had learned all about the Spindrift’s crew and circumstance from Mark.  He wanted to learn more about the Spindrift’s power source and navigation systems.  Today they completed the last phase, programming the post-separation capsule thrust sequence.  They were in the capsule atop the rocket waiting on the ground crew to send up the makeshift elevator platform.  “What prevented you from getting your ship up and running and leaving this planet?” Juran asked.  “Well, for one thing, we weren’t able to charge our solar batteries sufficiently enough to power the reactor initiator.  Three of the 4 panels were damaged in the crash, and the remaining one didn’t have enough surface area to do the job.  If we had ever found a lens, we could have focused the suns energy on the panel enough to charge them.  And, even if we did get them charged, we didn’t have any ion propellant to feed the reaction chamber.  We also sacrificed a fuel cell many years ago.  It was just one thing after another.  There was never a time we had everything we needed.  Now the ship is gone and there’s no hope anyway.” 

“Mark, you complete this job, and I’ll make sure you’re on one the rockets when we leave.  We’ll need a liaison once we get to Earth”. 

Mark nodded in agreement.  He had no intention of leaving this planet without his family and friends, but now was not the time to argue about it.  Mark had been trying to stay in the giant’s favor, in the hopes that they would release him once he completed his involuntary assignment.  He knew they couldn’t turn him over to the SID.  In years past, some of the underground factions would capture and turn in little people for the rewards in order to fund their operations.  The SID, however, began relentlessly tracking those who turned in little people and traced them to their base camps.  It was no longer worth the risk. 

Mark also knew that he could not allow the giants to enter the dimension lock and land on Earth.  The resistance scientists knew enough about the rocket systems from their prior captive to prevent him from sabotaging the engine.  They did not, however, understand the software program he was writing for the ships computer to control the thrust and guidance systems.  Mark had been surreptitiously inserting viral code into the programming that would to shut down the computer system 2 minutes after launch.  It was the one and only thing he could do to stop them. 

-73:05:14

Valerie bolted up from her nap, not knowing where she was.  The small room looked familiar though.  The bed she lay upon was covered with a silvery metallic sheet.  She herself was clothed in a lightweight silvery fabric jumpsuit.  There were cabinets and shelves above, a small closet opposite.  The fourth wall was essentially a silver pleated folding door.  Valerie hopped up off of the bed and slid open the folding door.  She emerged into a circular room with various metallic hatches and pleated curtains around its perimeter, the floor was highly polished.  Across from her, on the other side of the circular room, was a ladder and what appeared to be a lift.  “Betty?  Dan?”  She called out.  There was no answer. 

She walked across the room to the ladder and climbed up.  When she reached the upper deck, again, everything seemed familiar.  It was another circular room, but this room had computers, control panels and various arrays of glass and metal tubing traversing the circumference.  A round table-like console with a glass bubble covering the top was situated in the center of the deck.  To her right, there was a large window, where she saw Steve and Dan sitting in cockpit-type chairs directly facing the glass, frantically working over control consoles.  Outside the window, black space was dotted with thousands of stars.  “This is a ship.”  “Steve?  Dan?”  Neither answered. 

She walked toward them.  “Steve?”  She touched his shoulder.  Steve turned toward Valerie.  “Go back and strap in, we’re going to use this ship to rescue Mark.”  “Where’s Betty and Angela?”  Valerie asked.  “They’re in suspended animation” Dan pointed behind him and to the left without turning his head.  Valerie turned to see Betty, Angela and Barry in glass tubes.  Standing up, eyes closed, completely catatonic.  She walked over to the tubes, up to Angela and placed her hands on the glass.  “Angela, where’s Alexander?”  The frozen Angela was silent.  “Angela!”  she screamed, pounding on the glass.  “I’m right here!”  Valerie turned to see Alexander…and standing next to him…Fitzhugh.  But not the Fitzhugh she remembered.  He was not the silver haired septuagenarian, but appeared as he was when they first landed.  “Commander Fitzhugh!”  “Greetings Miss Scott, so nice to see you again” he replied.  “Liar!”  the Robot chimed in.  “Quiet…you dim-witted discombobulated droid!” Fitzhugh barbed. 

Fitzhugh! “We’re rescuing Mark!  I’m so glad you’re here to help, I miss you so much!”  Valerie gushed.  “Help rescue Mark?  Certainly not, I’m here to make sure we return to Earth!”  Fitzhugh walked up to the astrogator in the center of the deck and began pushing buttons, flipping switches and turning dials randomly.  “Mr. Fitzhugh!”  Alexander and Valerie yelled in unison.  The ship suddenly began to roll and dive, throwing everyone across the deck.  “I’ve got to get off this ship!”  Fitzhugh shrieked.  He made his way over to the main hatch and opened it.   Fitzhugh was immediately sucked out due the extreme loss of pressure, followed by the Robot.  Everyone else was hanging on to something for dear life.  The sucking force pried away one victim at a time.  First Steve, then Dan.  “Alexander!” Valerie screamed for him to hold on.  He lost his grip and flew out of the hatch into the vacuum of space.  Valerie held on to the rail as long as she could.  Just as she lost her grip, she awoke in a cold sweat on the couch.  “Are you ok?”  Betty asked?  It took a minute for Valerie to find herself. 

“Val?”

“I’m ok.  I had a nightmare.”  “Is everything alright?”  Angela asked.  “Yes.  Just got my adrenaline going.”  “What was it about?”  Betty asked.  “Well, let me put it this way…it wasn’t as terrifying as the Twilight Zone nightmare from last week, but a lot worse than the Gilligan’s Island nightmare”.

-72:01:05

          Pamela was standing in front of the table top camp meticulously setting a little table.  She set down tiny, 1” plates, cups much smaller than thimbles, and silverware so small, her small fingers had difficulty placing them.  She then placed very tiny portions of finely cut meat and vegetables on to 2” platters on the table.  Alexander was laid out on the plush washcloth “rug” reading intently.  Pamela had been chattering on throughout the place setting routine, oblivious of Alexander’s disinterest.  “Are you listening to me brat?”  “Hey!” she prodded at his feet, causing him to bolt upright.  “What?!  I’m trying to read!”  “I’ve been talking to you for 10 minutes!”  “Well…” said Alexander, “…you know what they say…wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something.”  Pamela scowled, tightened her lips and called for the others.  “Dinners ready!” 

Valerie, Betty and Angela came out first, from the little cottage just to the left of the main dollhouse.  Steve then emerged from his little workshop, which Valerie called his “Fortress of Solitude”.  “Where’s Barry and Dan?”  Betty asked.  “They’re out on a survey mission looking for the ship.  They got another tip from a friendly giant on where the Spindrift may be” Steve said.  “They should be back soon”. “Eat up now” Pamela instructed.  Betty complimented her, “This looks so delicious Pamela, thank you very much!”  They all sat down at the little table.

As they began eating, Angela broke the silence.  “It’s been five years today”.  Everyone silently looked around the table.  Alexander retreated from his plate; his head sank.  He felt his father was at fault for sticking his neck out trying to fight, when he should have ran.  Running was always the best thing to do when faced with danger in this place. 

Andros’ death was also a reminder that Mark was still out there.  They knew he was on the island, but they did not know if he was dead or alive.  Steve, Dan and Barry had tried twice before to enter the base to mount a rescue, but were not able to penetrate the fortress’s encompassing wall.  The rescue squad had hopped a ship that ferried supplies to the island.  That was the first obstacle.  The second obstacle was time.  The supply ship only visited the island every 90 days.  That limited the number of attempts they could make.  The next trip was more than 40 days away.  That’s how much time they had to devise a plan to breach the main wall. 

Valerie was fighting back tears as she picked at her food.  “We’re not giving up on him, Val” Steve promised.  “We’ll find a way in before the next supply ship.”  Steve’s confidence, however optimistic, did ease her pain.  Valerie thought to herself that she didn’t even have a picture of Mark.  His image was as clear as crystal to her though, and she didn’t want to lose that image.  “I will see him soon.”  She held her head up and returned to her dinner.

Dan and Barry returned to the house.  “Any luck?”  Steve asked.  “False alarm” Barry said.  It was an Earth ship, but not the Spindrift.  “It looked like it had crashed a long time ago” “Completely broken up, no survivors.”  “We were able to salvage a fuel cell, which can replace the one we lost years ago” Dan said.  “If we can ever find our ship” Steve reminded him.  They all nodded in silent agreement.  “Find any ladies clothes?  Maybe something in an open-back evening dress?”  Valerie was only half joking.  Eat now!  Pamela scolded Dan and Barry.  You’ve had a long day!  Valerie smirked as she returned to her meal.  The group finished up their dinner and retired to their little table top cottages for the evening.  Outside, night fell.  Rising above the horizon, a reddish orange half disk appeared ominously through the clouds. 

Chapter 3

-60:03:22

It was early morning; the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon.  Alexander knew he wasn’t supposed to be at the creek.  His parents had warned him since birth not to go past the red markers.  There was danger enough within the markers, what was the point of limiting himself to such a boring area, he thought.  Plus, he had ventured past the markers to the creek and other fascinating areas many times before without incident.  Today would be no different.  Mom just worries too much. 

Alexander had found a myriad of strange objects and trinkets near the creek.  He especially favored a specific seed husk that provided him with materials to complete his tree house back in the “safe” zone.  The outer husk provided a shingle-like surface for the walls and roof.  The inner fibers could be woven for a rope ladder and hammock.  If I can find just 4 or 5 more seeds, I won’t come out here anymore, he promised himself…immediately doubting if that was even possible.  He spotted a seed husk dangling from its fruit just above his head.  “Bingo!”  He tried tossing up a few stones to dislodge the prize from its branch to no avail.  It was stuck tight.  He scanned the area looking for a solution. 

There was a tree nearby with layers of bracket fungi protruding 5 feet from the base.  Each consecutive layer of conk rose in three foot increments.  He could use them as stairs.  He climbed each layer to the top.  He was now at the height of the seed husk vertically, but still too far lateral to fetch it.  He then noticed a tall plant that was easily climbable.  The top of the plant appeared to come close to the seed.  “That will work”, he said.  Alexander descended the fungal staircase and approached the tall green stem.  “Stay here Gril!”  He pointed to the ground in front of his little furry friend. 

Alexander began climbing the stalk of the tall strange plant.  The seed was just out of reach.  He ventured up on top of a large flat leaf covering the plant.  Just as he was stretching out to snatch the seed, the leaf collapsed and Alexander fell into a chamber within the stalk.  “Ok, I deserve that” he said out loud.  The walls of the chamber were covered in foot long, sharp spikes that pointed downward toward the bottom, where Alexander was wedged, ankle deep in a viscous fluid.  As he tried to stand up straight, the stalk swayed, forcing him into the side.  One spike cut his arm, another pierced his side.  He lowered his center of gravity and knelt in the bottom of the trap, now almost knee deep in the thick liquid.  He reached for his hand-made sundial in his pocket.  The sundial had a somewhat sharp stylus that folded out.  He thought he could use it to cut through the plant wall.  But his pocket was empty.  He had placed the sundial in to the ground while looking for the seeds.  “This is not my day” He said aloud.  “Gril!”  “Get help!”  he yelled to his trusty sidekick.  He could hear Gril squealing, and he knew it was his anxious squeal.  “At least he knows I’m in trouble” “Gril, GO!”  Gril turned and darted into the weeds toward the house, his tiny body covering 12 “giant size” inches per hop. 

As the morning sunlight hit the walls of the tall plant, the humidity and temperature inside began rising to uncomfortable levels.  The submerged parts of his lower limbs were also beginning to sting.  “This is not good” Alexander said.  “C’mon Gril, help me out”.  As Alexander tried to steady himself, the stalk swayed to and fro, causing a slight tremor in the ground beneath.  The vibrations were just enough to alert a nearby centipede, who interpreted the signals as lunch time.  Fourteen feet long, almost 2 feet tall, hundreds of 18” legs undulating across the soil.  Sensing the vibrations as its target, it began a circuitous path toward the source…venomous front legs ready to strike, leading the way.

-59:07:29

          With less than 3 days remaining, Jody decided to forgo work and stay home with his family.  Just after breakfast, he was in the back yard with his son Martin when his wife Deanna emerged from the back door with two men in black suits.  “Mr. Kosa…why aren’t you at work sir?”  The taller one asked, feigning concern.  “I’m not feeling well, I thought I should stay home and rest”.  The two men were unmoved.  “You’re needed at the lab Mr. Kosa, we have an urgent situation requiring your presence” the short one explained. 

“I really think I need to stay here”. 

“We’ve been instructed to bring you back with us.”  “We’ll have you back here shortly.”  Sensing dread, Deanna appealed to Jody “Honey, it’s ok, it’s just for a little while, take care of your business.  You’ll be back home in no time.  We’ll be fine” she said, holding Martin close.  Jody could tell she was worried.  He was worried too, and felt if he didn’t go with the two men, Deanna and Martin may be in danger.  “Ok, let’s go.”  The two men escorted Jody to their car and they drove off hastily.

“This isn’t the way to the lab” Jody explained to the men.  He could tell by their expressionless faces that they knew exactly where they were going.  Jody sank back in to his seat.  Deanna’s intuition was right.  Peril lie ahead.  Leaving his wife and child behind was the right decision. 

The car entered a secure gate at the Supreme Council Headquarters downtown.  The two men brought Jody to the security post and handed him off to another suited stranger.  His ID was checked, thumbprints taken and body searched.  He was greeted by a Council representative who showed him to a small windowless room with nothing but a table and two chairs.  Within a few minutes, another representative entered the room. “Someone will be with you in a moment”.  Was he one of the Council members? Jody thought to himself.  No one had ever seen any of the current Supreme Council members, nor had any knowledge of who they were. 

There were always 5 Council members, no more, no less.  The Council had existed for over 500 years.  Early in their history, the Council was more of a religious sect…priests and monks, keepers of holy texts and artifacts, protectors of the sacred temple.  About 200 years later, they started shifting from religious focused to secular.  By 100 years ago, they were purely focused on governing and protecting the continent from outside threats, both global and extraterrestrial.  About 65 years ago, they created the Special Investigations Department (SID) to focus on extraterrestrial threats.  Little people from Earth, with highly advanced technology were their greatest concern. 

The little people had been arriving on our planet for over 100 years, intent on looking for ways to take over our planet for our resources…or so the Council would have us think.  Anti-little people propaganda had been distributed since before Jody was born.  The SID offered bounties and rewards, which were significant.  Citizens who found little people and turned them over to the SID were highly compensated.  Jody knew better.  He had helped the little people when he was a boy.  Was this about the little people, or his discovery yesterday?  Jody couldn’t understand why the Supreme Council would want to see him.  It had to be the discovery.  He hadn’t seen the little people since he was 12.

          The door swung open and the same agent that brought him to the room quickly swept him out of his chair and brought him through a series of corridors, elevators and security posts.  As they progressed deeper into the compound, each section became grander and more ornate.  Eventually they arrived at set of tall dark wooden doors.  The agent knocked, opened the large doors and let him in.  “Sit there” he instructed…left and closed the doors behind him. 

The dimly lit office was immense.  All of the walls were covered in bookcases, and an enormous desk sat in front of Jody, with a large overstuffed empty chair on the opposite side.  The only sound came from the ticking of a gold pocket watch suspended in wire caged dome on the spacious desk.  The only other items on the desk were a folder and a book “The History of Northern Religions:  From Ancient Times to Modern Day.”  Jody sat still in his chair, being careful not to appear too interested in the folder marked “Top Secret” on the desk.  A door at the far end of the room opened and a tall man in a dark suit emerged from the shadows.  As he approached the desk, Jody could see his face lit up by the desk lamp and immediately recognized him.  A wave of fear and panic washed over him. 

The tall man produced a folder from his briefcase and sat down.  “Jodar Kosa of Elacks.  Graduated top of class at age 15, degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology.  Post graduate degree in astrophysics.  Currently Minister of Astronomy at the Academy of Sciences.  Married, father of one.”  Jody sat still in his chair.  “Do you know who I am?” the man asked.  “Yes…”  “Inspector Kobick?” Jody spoke in a quiet voice, so quiet he almost wondered if he said it aloud.  It’ couldn’t be him though, Jody thought, he heard Kobick was killed 27 years ago while in exile.  “Director Kobick”.  “Kristopher Kobick”.  “Inspector Dobbs Kobick was my father.  The Supreme Council accused him of aiding the little people and placed him under house arrest.  He was killed shortly after.  They felt he had betrayed everything we believe in.  I have no intentions of abandoning my loyalty to the State”.  Kobick stared into Jody’s eyes.  “Do you know why you’re here?” Kobick asked.  “We’re on a path to collide with Mars in 3 days” Jody explained in a matter of fact manner, hoping that was the reason for his involuntary visit.  “Your calculations are correct” Kobick said.  “Our scientists at the observatory came to this conclusion a few days ago.”  “What happens next?” Jody asked hesitantly.  “That all depends on you” Kobick said.

-57:10:04

          Angela was beginning to worry.  Alexander was easily distracted, and could get carried away with books left behind by Dr. Oakes at the abandoned camp.  But he was never late for a check in.  Alexander was supposed to use his sundial to check in every 2 hours.  It had been over 3 hours since he left after breakfast.  She had Pamela checking all over the house, and Valerie and Betty were in the back yard calling for him.  Old Mr. Gedo was on his front porch, straining to see what the ruckus was all about.  Angela refused to let herself believe that the old senile codger could have snatched her son. 

Steve was in his workshop modifying the newly acquired fuel cell when Angela approached him.  “Steve, it’s not like Alexander to miss a check in”.  “How long past check in?”  He asked.  “Over an hour” she replied.  He’s usually at the old Dr. Oakes’ camp buried in books.”  Steve gathered the men in the main house.  “Dan, Barry, let’s head over to Camp 5 and see if he’s there, if not, we’ll spread out and search the area”.  Steve, Dan and Barry headed off towards Camp 5, one of numerous abandoned Earthling camps.  Alexander was particularly fond of Camp 5 because Dr. Oakes, a stranded professor who died many years ago, kept all of his books there.  World history, philosophy, the sciences, the Classics, over 200 tomes in all, and Alexander had read almost all of them.  It was their best hope…and it was over an hour away.

          Twenty minutes into the trek, they heard a rustling sound directly ahead of them.  “Giant!”  Dan whispered.  They ducked down into the thick weeds for cover.  The unknown creature was getting closer.  Suddenly, a furry blur darted past them as Gril bounded from the thicket, oblivious of the 3 hidden figures.  “Grildrig!”  Steve shouted as the furry blur was disappearing into the tall grass behind them.  Gril stopped suddenly in cloud of dust and turned back towards the group.  He hopped past them, and gradually continued hopping away from them back from where he came.  He was obviously trying to lead them, as his speed was about 10% of his typical gait. 

The men followed Gril all the way back to the deadly nepenthes.  As they approached the plant, the centipede had beat them there, and was slowly advancing up the stalk towards the top entrance.  Gril used every ounce of strength in his tiny legs and leapt the last 18” directly upon the deadly arthropod.  Before it could react, Gril bit down hard on its head and neck, killing it instantly.  It curled up, releasing its grasp on the stalk.  Gril was still biting down hard, and the weight of the fully disengaged insect caused Gril to tumble off of the plant on to the ground.  Once he could detect no further motion, he released his victim.  “Alexander!”  Steve yelled out.  “Grandpa!”  “In here!  In the plant” Alexander replied.  Steve grabbed his axe and began to climb up the stalk.  “Can you see my shadow against the side in there?”  “Yes!”  “Try to lean away from my shadow, I’m going to cut down the side”. 

Alexander tried to move away from the side where Steve was without getting pierced.  Steve shifted his weight to counter balance the weight of Alexander.  If the plant stalk tilted too far in one direction, it would fall over and Alexander would be impaled on the deadly spikes.  Steve carefully sliced down the side of the plant wall, releasing the noxious fluid.  As the cut lengthened vertically, the integrity of the plant structure began to fail.  The entire chamber section began to wilt, with Alexander still entombed.  “Try to sit all the way down, and move your feet towards the cut.  Alexander cautiously moved from a crouching position to sitting, moving his feet out of the open cut until his legs were fully dangling outside of the plant.  Steve descended from the stalk.  Barry climbed onto Steve’s shoulders and reached up for Alexander.  “Slide out and I’ll grab you”.  Alexander continued to slither out of the cut into Barry’s arms.  Steve lowered them all to the ground.  “Are you ok?”  Steve asked.  “I’m fine.  That’s enough adventure for today”, Alexander said.  Alexander gave Gril a firm hug around his neck.  Gril’s prodigious ears fell back and he pressed his forehead into Alexander’s chest.  “Thanks little buddy!”

“Look, I’m not even going to tell your mom about this because she would kill me right after she kills you” Steve said.  Alexander’s mother was a perfect combination of her parents.  She had the cautious nature and perseverance of Steve and the nurturing and protective qualities of Betty.  Steve had always wondered why none of his or Betty’s risk avoidance genes made it into his grandson’s makeup.  Alexander seemed to be made up of nothing but Mark and Valerie’s danger seeking, carefree spirit.  His father Andros, was hot tempered, reckless and impatient.  Steve and Andros had a rocky relationship.  While Mark and Steve fought head to head for the first 10 years or so after their stranding, they eventually grew very close.  Andros, however, never really bonded or connected with Steve.  Andros referred to Steve as “old man”, more in the pejorative sense than as a term of endearment.  Alexander was too similar to his father, Steve thought.  He felt Alexander blamed him for allowing Mark and Andros to meet with Nick.  “Get your things and let’s head back to camp” Steve instructed.  Alexander complied…just realizing that he wasn’t able to procure his seed bounty.  “Crap” he muttered to himself.  “C’mon Gril, let’s go buddy”.

Upon return to camp, Alexander’s mother ran up to him and gave him an unyielding hug.  “Don’t ever scare me like that again!”  She cried.  She was both angry and relieved.  Angry because he had once again violated the rules, relieved because he was still in one piece, mostly.  He had several deep cuts on his arms, and he suffered 2^nd degree chemical burns below the knees on both legs from the acrid plant venom.  Betty rushed to dress his wounds.  “Can we go one week without you getting seriously injured?”  Alexander exhaled a weak “sorry grandma.” 

-55:04:18

The device was small, but powerful.  On Earth, it could have destroyed an aircraft carrier.  Here on this planet, it was only necessary to destroy the rockets.  Placed adjacent to the fuel tank on the Alpha rocket, an explosion should trigger a chain reaction and take out the Omega rocket as well.  This was one of the rare Earth weapons that arrived through the space warp.  Most of the spacecraft that were trapped by the portal were transportation, cargo or single occupant vessels.  The craft that contained this nuclear missile appeared to be a high altitude warship.  Three missiles were recovered from the crash site and were sent to the Science Institute for analysis.  The rebel mole in the Institute was able to smuggle one of the warheads out of the building and brought it to the base.  He waited until late at night to plant the device.  Once the guard left the pad for a break, he quietly made his way over to the Alpha rocket, opened the access panel to the fuel tank and attached the device to the main fuel pump.  He reattached the panel and slipped into the shadows.

 While the guard was away, the rocket was not unguarded.  General Nalor was paranoid and did not trust his own security force.  There was one person he did trust.  Nick, the Earthling, was cold blooded and merciless.  He had betrayed his own kind and could not return to any Earthling camp for sanctuary.  Only Nalor offered him quarter and certain freedoms, for a price.  Nick was rewarded for turning over Earthlings and mutinous giants alike.  Nalor had him positioned in a secret alcove overlooking the rockets.  These rockets were the only opportunity for Nalor to realize his dream of being a living god, and he was not taking any chances.  While Nick could not make out the identity of the saboteur, he knew he had to alert Nalor. 

When Nalor found the tiny nuclear device, he knew exactly who was to blame.  He angrily rushed out of the pad area and up the stone steps to the confinement area.

Chapter 4

-55:04:18

          Mark and Juran were programming the remote launch console when General Nalor stormed into the room.  “Where is the Engineer?”  He demanded.  “He’s over here on the desk working on the remote”.  Nalor approached the desk and swiftly picked Mark up, with no thought of care or gentleness and brought him up to his face, so close Mark could feel his humid breath.  Marks arms were pinned to his side as the General’s giant hand was wrapped completely around his body, with only his head sticking out above the calloused thumb.  He spoke deliberately and loudly in Mark’s face “Who helped you sabotage the ship?”  “I don’t know what you’re talking about” Mark responded firmly.  “What is this about General?”  Juran asked?  “My first lieutenant found an explosive device inside the engine compartment of Alpha rocket.  This little person obviously created it, but someone had to help him place it in the position it was in.  Tell me who helped you or I will crush the life out of you”.  He squeezed Mark in his fist with more pressure to demonstrate his resolve to follow through with his threat.  “I don’t know anything about that”

          Mark struggled to reply, as the giant’s firm grip restricted his ability to inhale.  “General, he’s been either with me or in his cell since he’s been here” Juran offered.  “He hasn’t had any opportunity to create such a contrivance”.  Juran motioned to the doorway with a nod.  Nalor tossed Mark into his cell and they proceeded into the hallway.  Juran spoke quietly, “Look, the work is almost complete, we need the Engineer to finalize the remote console.  After that, you can do whatever you like.  I will sweep the Alpha and Omega rockets for any more devices and place guards on watch day and night”.  Juran promised.  “Be very careful Juran.  I know he created that device, it’s far more advanced that anything we or our enemies have in our arsenals.  And if you are going to continue to protect him, you should know now that I will kill you without hesitation if I feel you are betraying our cause.  Am I clear?” he said in a menacing tone.  “Yes, you are clear General” he replied.  Nalor stormed out of the room. 

“What was that about?”  Mark asked, recovering from his anoxia.  “Don’t concern yourself with that.  It’s been a long day, let’s call it”.  Juran brought Mark to his cell, which was really just a 1 foot tall, 2 foot wide and 2 foot deep hole in the wall that was carved out of the stone to create a storage niche.  A water leak as old as the structure itself had deposited mineral concretions in the far corner, covered in a slimy green film.  Steel bars were affixed to the entrance to prevent escape.  So far, after five years of confinement, it was working exactly as designed.

-54:11:29

          “What do you mean, depends on me?” Jody asked Kobick.  “There isn’t anything I can do to prevent this.”  “We need a different kind of help from you” Kobick said.  “We know you had encountered little people when you were younger, and that they trust you.  We need you to try to contact them and bring them and their ship here so we can ensure their departure”.  Jody couldn’t conceal the doubt and mis-trust on his face no matter how hard he tried.  “I know this request sounds strange but we must ensure their ship leaves before the destruction.” Kobick explained. 

          “What I’m going to tell you now, no other citizen on the planet knows outside of the 5 members of the Council.  I only tell you this because in less than 3 days, our entire world will be gone, and we must act now”.  Kobick continued.  “Archaeological evidence proves that little people have actually been visiting our planet for at least 1,000 years.  We have fossilized remains and derelict spaceships in our archives that confirm this.”

“Our early ancestors believed the little people were gods, coming down from the heavens in fiery chariots.  The little people taught our ancestors about science, mathematics, theology, taught them a new alphabet and language so they could communicate better.  They also foretold our annihilation.  That one day our world would be destroyed.  Our ancestors thought that somehow, we could avoid it if we pleased our new gods.  The Supreme Council was formed as a religious order dedicated to doing everything in their power to satisfy the gods.  They built a temple of stone at Kêr-Is to honor them.  The sacred scrolls record decades of learning and interaction with the little people”.

“Over time, more little people arrived, some crash landed with no survivors…the little people they were worshipping died.  They realized these were not gods…they were mortals…just visitors from another place.  The Council began to shift from a religious conservator of faith and spirituality to a scientific agency, focused on extracting as much information and technology from the little people as possible, in the hopes that they could find a way to prevent the destruction or leave this planet for another.  But the religion that the little people introduced them to was already woven into the fabric of their society.  They couldn’t just tell everyone that everything they’ve believed in as a civilization over the last 500 years was a fraud.  There would have been mass chaos and panic.  They had to contain and control every aspect of little people information. 

There were always sightings and rumors of little people that they could not control, so they initiated a bounty and reward program that offered significant riches to anyone who capture little people and brought them in.  My grandfather created the SID specifically to manage this.  They put out communications that the little people were from a highly advanced civilization from Earth, focused solely on destroying us.  That they were working on a way to send advanced weapons through the dimension lock to our planet to destroy it…fulfilling our prophesized Armageddon”. 

Kobick continued, “Early little people told us that on Earth, it took them over 10,000 years to evolve from simple farming to the first uses of mechanical tools and machines.  Here on our world, we were just transitioning from hunter-gatherers to farming barely 700 year ago.  Over those 700 years we’ve adopted…or rather…stolen, hijacked technology from the little people and tried to replicate it as best we could.  But we’re not evolutionarily advanced intellectually, to even begin to comprehend what we’re dealing with.  We’re like children playing with toys that we don’t know how they fundamentally work.  Our brightest scientists are just standing on the shoulders of little people scientists that have thousands of years of evolution, history, trial and error…learning from failure.  We’re just copying what scant equipment and technology comes over to us through the portal.  All of our technology, communication, transportation, computation, infrastructure…it’s all a hollow shell of Earth technology”. 

“Our culture…our civilization…our world, will be gone in less than 3 days.  The little people that have escaped this planet have one story to tell, that ours was a world of evil giants who did nothing but try to capture them, experiment on them and torture them for information.  When we’re gone, there won’t be anyone left to dispute this.  We have one chance to help the Earthlings from the Spindrift get out of here and let others know that we weren’t all evil.  There’s no reason they have to die with us”. 

“From our understanding, the Earthlings just need a way to charge their batteries and obtain fuel for takeoff.  If we can get them the materials they need, and ensure their ship is able to fly after 36 years…we will have hope.  The Earthlings need Mark Wilson, their engineer to help ensure their ship can fly.  Five years ago, a resistance splinter group captured Mark and forced him to help modify a rocket capable of reaching the dimension lock and making it to Earth.  They’re holding him hostage until he completes the task.  Only the survivors of the Spindrift know where the resistance force is keeping him.  We need to find them.  We need Mark to help get the Spindrift flight ready…and we need to prevent the resistance rocket from taking off.  Bring them to me and I’ll make sure they are able to leave here”.

Jody’s mind was racing.  Was this just another of the SID’s attempts to capture the little people, and, at the same time identify the resistance force’s base?  What would the point be?  The world will be ending soon.  Jody tried to rationalize Kobick’s behavior.  He knew from past experience that the SID could not be trusted.  The senior Kobick and agents had double crossed little people multiple times.  They had sent decoy radio messages from Earth to try to trap them.  They had promised them freedom in exchange for aiding the SID.  Kobick himself personally oversaw the interrogation and torture of little people in order to extract information.  Jody knew if he provided the little people to Kobick, he and his family would be in as much danger as they would.  Jody didn’t want his family to be tortured the last few days they were alive.  He had to think of something, but now was not the time to develop a plan.  “I’ll do what I can” Jody said.  “Give me a day to find them, I’ll need distance from the SID, the little people are very good at sensing danger and I can’t risk having agents scaring them away”.  “Agreed” Kobick stated tersely.  Jody go up from his chair and was immediately met by an officer who escorted him out of the building.  Now I have to find them, Jody thought to himself.

When Jody arrived home, it was already dinner time.  Deanna had food on the table.  She ran up and hugged him firmly.  “Are you ok?” she asked.  “Those men from the lab didn’t look too friendly”.  “I’m fine, where’s Martin?” he asked.  Just then, Martin ran in from the kitchen, into Jody’s arms.  Jody took his family into the back garden and explained the imminent danger.  They prayed together.

Later that evening, Jody was racking his brain trying to think of a way to find Captain Burton and his friends.  He remembered Teddy and Leeda, the children they helped rescue from a mine shaft many years ago.  Could they have kept in touch with the Earthlings?  Leeda’s daughter went to the same school as his son.  It’s a start, he thought.  It was late now; he would visit her first thing in the morning.  Jody went to bed and tried to sleep.

-47:10:04

Back at base camp, the little people settled in for the night.  It was a long day for everyone.  Before going to bed, Alexander went around the room kissing everyone goodnight.  He was thankful for his fortune, that his family saved him despite his reckless behavior.  “Goodnight mom…Uncle Dan…Uncle Barry…Grandpa…Grandma Betty…Grandma Val.”  “Oh God, please don’t call me grandma!”  Valerie had half-jokingly protested to Alexander regarding this moniker since he could first speak.  He gave her a sideways smile and a wink.

Steve and Dan went out back to check on the advancing planet.  “It’s definitely closer than last night” Steve said.  “What do you make of it?” Dan asked.  “I don’t know yet, but I have a bad feeling.” Steve replied.

Chapter 5

-34:11:09

After a sleepless night, Jody lethargically rose out of bed, mentally and physically exhausted.  He kissed Deanna goodbye and drove to Leeda’s house.  Jody arrived as Leeda was sending her daughter off to school.  As he walked up the path, Leeda recognized him.  “Jody!  So nice to see you”.  “Good morning”, Jody replied.  “Can we talk?”  She brought him inside and offered him coffee.  As they sat down, Jody began to explain the events of the next 2 days.

Leeda’s face turned pale white and she struggled to speak.  “Are you sure?”  She asked.  “There’s no doubt.  Leeda, there’s nothing we can do for ourselves, but we can help the Little People leave here and get back to Earth.  Do you have any idea where we can find any of them?”  Leeda was silent, but Jody could tell she was wanting to tell him something.  “Leeda, we have to find them so we can help them, please, if you know anything…”  Leeda looked up from her coffee, “Come with me”.  Leeda led Jody to a bookcase that she slid to the side to reveal a door.  They went down the steps to the basement.  In the corner of the room lie the Earthlings base camp.  A little community of patched-together doll houses atop an 8 foot long wooden table.  As they approached the habitat, Steve and Dan emerged from one of the little buildings.  “Captain Burton?!”  Jody recognized him.

“Do I know you?”  Steve asked.

“It’s me, Jody.  It’s been…what…35 years?  I accidently got you in trouble a long time ago with one of my experiments that went wrong”.  “The enlarging formula” Steve said, “I do remember.  What are you doing here now?”  “Captain Burton, our planet’s orbit was disturbed by the comet from a few weeks ago.  We’re headed for a collision with Mars.  The planet will not survive the impact.”  Steve and Dan looked at each other.  “How much time do we have”, asked Steve.  “Less than 36 hours.  The Director of the Supreme Council says they want to help you escape, they want me to bring you and your friends along with your ship to the Science Institute”.  “Do you trust them?”  Steve asked.  “I don’t know what to think, but I do know we need to get you out of here”.

“We don’t have our ship”, Steve explained.  “I have it”, Jody said.  “What!?”  Steve asked.  “I went to your camp during the war to see if I could help, but no one was there.  I picked up the ship and took it home.  It’s there now.  Do you think you can get it flight ready?”  “Not without Mark.  We need Mark.  And we need ion propellant”.  “I think I can help you with that.” Jody said.  “There is a small amount of ion propellant at the Science Institute.  I think I can get in and bring it to you.” 

“We also need some kind of magnifying glass or lens to help us charge the solar batteries.  We’ll still need Mark to help us get everything working right”, Steve said.  “We’ll need you to help us get him.  We’ve been able to make it to the island twice, but there is no way into that compound. It’s surrounded by a wall that we can’t get over, under or through”.

“I think I know who can help us”, Leeda said.  “My brother Teddy is part of the resistance group that’s based on the island.  He may be able to get in and get Mark out”.  “Why would he help us if he’s one of them?”  Dan asked.  “He’s not exactly one of them.  This resistance group is a fanatical splinter group off of the main resistance alliance.  He’s a spy for the resistance, working within the Force for Freedom to collect information. If they ever found out what he was doing, they would kill him.  But I think I’ll be able to get him to help us.  One other thing, he doesn’t know I have the Little People here…I didn’t want him to have knowledge of them in case he was ever captured.” 

They all looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing.  “You know we can’t do this ourselves Jody” Steve said.  There is no way we’re going to be able to make it across that sea and back without you”.  “I know” Jody said.  “If you’re caught by the SID, that will be the end for you and your family” Barry said.  “We can’t ask you to sacrifice your family for us”. 

“The end is coming for us all, there’s nothing we can do about it…” Jody continued…”  If I can help you and your family leave here safely, I can make peace with what time I have left with my family”. 

-32:03:15

          As the planet continued on its immutable destiny, the tidal forces of gravity began to stretch the planet along its equator, triggering quakes across all continents.  Seismic distortions induced volcanic eruptions along the oceanic plate boundary.  By now, the entire planet was aware of the impending annihilation.  The southern continent’s population suffered panic as basic social services failed.  The far western continent’s population, which was far less advanced, gazed upon the approaching planet with eager anticipation.  Their ancient mythology spoke of the sun god sending a chariot to retrieve the chosen and bring them on an everlasting journey throughout the universe.  Here on the main continent, the majority of the population accepted their fate as prophesized destiny.  The last remaining rebels on Mist Island, however, refused to accept this conclusion.

The resistance base had been suffering mild tremors all day.  Cracks were appearing in the main wall.  Both the Alpha and Omega rockets were on the launch pads, secured by guy wires.  “Juran!”  Nalor called out.  “We’re running out of time, and I don’t trust that these rockets are flightworthy.  We’re going to launch Alpha as a test to ensure everything is working right”.  “General! We’d lose half our passenger capacity!”  Juran protested.  “If these rockets are compromised, no one will be leaving.  I’m going to verify there are no problems before we leave.  Bring the Engineer to me and prepare the rocket for launch”.  Juran went to the confinement chamber to retrieve Mark. 

“What’s going on?”  Mark asked.  “The General wants to test the Alpha rocket to make sure there aren’t any problems”.  Mark thought about the virus he planted.  “Wait!”  “There are two launch modes…one called ‘Simulation’ and one called ‘Departure’.  You’ll want to run ‘Simulation’ so the capsule will hit a virtual target.  Otherwise, the capsule will enter the actual portal and Earth will be alerted to your plans.  Juran gave a knowing look and nod to Mark and brought him to Nalor in a small box. 

Nalor removed Mark from the box by pinching the back of his shirt and brought him up close to his face.  “We’re going to launch Alpha to test your work little man.  If anything goes wrong, you will be dropped from the tower on to the rocks below”.  Nalor handed Mark over to one of his lieutenants.  “Bring him to the north tower and hold him out over the wall until I signal”.  The lieutenant followed his general’s orders and brought Mark up the rampart to the tower.  The north tower stood 30 feet above the top of the main wall, 130 total feet above the rocky shore below.  For Mark, the equivalent distance was over 1,500 Earth feet.  The lieutenant held Mark between his thumb and forefinger and extended his arm over the stone battlement with nothing but gray fog between Mark and the sharp rocks below. 

“Ready Alpha!”  Nalor commanded.  The ground crew disconnected the guy wires to the Alpha rocket and cleared the pad area.  Juran initiated the ‘Simulation’ program.  “Go for launch!”  Juran reported.  “Launch!”  Nalor yelled.  Juran pressed the launch button and the rocket’s main engine fired.  The rocket rose by minimal degrees at first, then picked up speed rapidly as it followed the programmed trajectory.  Mark was being held in a fashion toward the sea away from the launch and couldn’t see the rocket’s progress.  Nalor and Juran watched as the rocket reached its apogee.  “The capsule should eject in 3 seconds” Juran said.  Exactly 3 seconds later, a flash of light and smoke signaled the ejection of the capsule from the rocket booster.  The rocket booster fell to the ocean while the capsule’s maneuvering thrusters engaged.  “Simulated target acquisition in five seconds” Juran called out.  “…5, 4, 3, 2, 1…target boundary achieved”. 

Nalor looked at Juran intently.  “Prepare Omega for launch.”  “Bring the Engineer back to his hole.”  Nalor left the launch area and Juran retrieved Mark.  He returned him to his cell and left for the mainland.

-30:01:20

          Leeda arrived at the coffee shop later that morning to meet with Teddy.  She brought Valerie with her.  She carefully removed Valerie from her purse and placed her on the table. Valerie hid behind a 10 foot tall carafe.  Leeda and her brother had a strained relationship.  Teddy had been associating with resistance groups since he was very young. Over time, he became more involved in their anti-government tactics.  Leeda didn’t care for the current government either, but she had a daughter to think of.  Teddy was a bad influence and was dangerous to be around.  She knew this meeting was a risk, but there was no time to wait.  Teddy, also known as Juran by the Force for Freedom, arrived and sat down at the table, looking around cautiously.  “You said this was important, what do you need?”

“Teddy, do you know where the rebels are holding Mark?” 

“Why do you ask me this Leeda?  You know better to ask me about what I do.  I thought you wanted to stay out of this anyway”.  “Teddy, this is important.  The scientists say we’re going to collide with Mars in a few days.  This will all be over, the rebellion, the State, you, me, my daughter, everyone we know.  There’s no point in keeping the little people here, we need to give them the chance that we don’t have”.  “It’s all lies Leeda, it’s a government hoax designed to spread fear.  There’s no point in trying to get that one little person out, his people don’t have a ship, their group is scattered all over the place.  It’s not worth the risk.  Do you know what they’ll do to me if I get caught?”  “I know, Leeda said.  But they’re not scattered.  They’re staying with me.  And Jody from the Institute has their ship”. 

“What?!  You have them?”  Teddy whispered loudly, just realizing everyone in the shop was looking at him.  “Yes.  They’ve been staying with me since the War”, she said quietly.  Valerie emerged from behind the carafe.  “Teddy, please…the resistance has Mark.  We have a chance to leave, and I can’t leave without him.  We once saved your life, you need to help us now” she pleaded.  Teddy looked at Leeda and paused.  The little people of the Spindrift did save his life, and his sisters.  He felt enormous guilt using for using Mark in the service of General Nalor.  He had to maintain his cover.  He had his orders and this was an opportunity for him to fulfill his mission objective.  “Ok.  If you can get the others to help me, I’ll make sure Mark gets out.  Have Jody bring the ship to your house.  You’ll need to help them charge their solar batteries.  They’ll also need ion propellant.  They only store that at the Science Institute, so Jody will have to find a way to get some”.  Teddy looked at his watch.  “I have to get back to the compound.  I’ll get a boat for the little people to travel to the island.  It’ll be hidden in a blue crate in slip 68.  Have Jody drive them to the dock and see to it they meet me at the south wall entrance tonight at midnight.  It will be about a two hour trip for them.  The sea is calmer at night but their small size will take them longer.  I’ll bring them back in my boat and be back at the dock at 6:00 am”.  Teddy left without saying goodbye.  Leeda gathered up Valerie, gently placing her in her purse and they headed back to the house.

-28:02:04

The red phone rang one time.  Kobick picked up the secure line. 

“Kobick…”

“Where?…”  Kobick wrote down a name and address in his notepad. 

“How many?…”

“Go along with the plan until you have the others.  Call me when you have them for further instructions.” 

Kobick hung up the phone, picked it up again and dialed.  “703 Aurora Lane…7 targets”. 

Chapter 6

-24:11:23

Later that evening, Leeda brought Steve and Dan to Jody’s house.  “Hi Jody, Teddy agreed to help get Mark out.”  “What’s the plan?”  Jody asked.  “Teddy said to bring Steve and Dan to the harbor.  There will be a small boat in a blue crate in slip 68.  They need to be at the south wall on the island by midnight.  He said it’s about a 2 hour boat ride so you’ll need to be at the dock by 10:00 pm.  He’ll be back at the dock with Mark at 6:00 am.  You’ll need to meet him then at slip 68.”

“Got it.”  Jody confirmed.

“Teddy said they also need some ion propellant for their ship, and that you should be able to get some from the Institute.”   “Yes, I know.  There’s several containers in the Experimental Materials Lab. That reminds me, I have something for you”.  Jody went up into the attic and came down the steps gingerly with a large tarp wrapped object.  “Here’s their ship.  Take it to your house.  Tomorrow when the sun is high in the sky, they’ll need to charge their solar batteries”.  He gave Leeda a magnifying glass.  “This will help.”  “I’ll get the fuel they need and bring it to your house” he said.  “Jody, is this going to work?  What if something goes wrong?”  Leeda asked.  “We have one chance to make this work.  It has to work.” he said confidently.  Jody helped Leeda bring the ship to her car and place it into the trunk.  He then loaded Steve and Dan into his car and drove off toward the harbor.  Leeda headed back to her house.

When she arrived home, she struggled to remove the Spindrift from her car trunk.  The ship was heavy and unwieldy.  The noises of her efforts awoke her prying neighbor.  Old Mr. Gedo went to his living room window and observed the alarming activity.  As she brought the ship up on the edge of the trunk, the tarp fell away, fully exposing the ship’s hull.  Gedo immediately knew what it was.

-23:02:13

Alexander and Pamela were trying to distract themselves from the anxiety of their situation.  They sought an activity that had always managed to mitigate their discord.  In Pamela’s room, on the floor, Alexander walked across the chessboard among the two-foot-tall pieces thoughtfully analyzing his next move.  “Knight to King’s Bishop 7”.  He leaned his shoulder into the neck of the horse and shoved the piece into position.

Continuing their dialogue prior to his move “…Technically, I’m the tallest 10 year old Earthling on this entire planet”.  Alexander proudly exclaimed. 

“In reality, you’re not an Earthling, you were born here”.

“Touché”.  He smiled back.

Pamela studied the board.  She sensed she was exceeding their unwritten allotted time to move.  “Sorry I’m talking so long, you’ve put me in quite a predicament.”  She apologized.  “Take your time, I’m not going anywhere.”  Pamela smiled and moved her piece.  “Rook to King’s Knight”.

While Alexander paced the board calculating his next move, he glanced up at Pamela and gave her a wink.  She sensed a moment of tenderness.  “Tell me about your dad.  You two were so close, now it seems you never want to talk about him.”  “I guess I’m just angry with him” he said.  “I never got to say goodbye.  He wasn’t even thinking of me when he stuck his neck out for grandpa.  Now he’s dead and grandpa is never coming back.  It wasn’t worth it”.  “Didn’t Mr. Fitzhugh do the same for your dad?”  Pamela asked.  “Yes, and look where that got him…dead too.  It’s not worth risking your own life for someone else in this world.  You have to look out for yourself”. 

“Alexander, if Mr. Fitzhugh had not ‘stuck his neck out’ for your dad when he was a boy, you wouldn’t even exist right now.”  Alexander paused.  For the last five years he had blamed his father for leaving him, for taking an unnecessary risk.  He became a cynic that day.  His mind was so clouded by anger and grief that he could not perceive that his own existence was wholly dependent on a selfless act of heroism.  It was not a random act of reckless abandon.  Alexander sat down on the chessboard next to Gril and began to stroke his head gently.  Pamela was quiet.

Leeda brought the Spindrift in to the back yard and hid it in a large storage box against the back of the house.  She then proceeded through the back door and went into the basement to check on everyone.  Barry was in his room playing his harmonica.  Betty and Angela were in the main house crocheting.  Valerie was in the same room writing in her journal.  “Where’s Alexander?” She asked Angela.  “He’s in Pamela’s room” Angela replied.  “You may want to check on them” Valerie commented…”If they’re not killing each other, they’re up to no good!” 

As Leeda emerged from the basement stairway, a loud knock at the door startled her.  She opened the door.  “Mr. Gedo, what can I do for you?”  He pulled a gun from his coat and forced his way into her house.  He walked her in to the living room.  “I know you have some little people here, I saw you with their ship.”  “Mr. Gedo, I think you’re seeing things, I don’t know what you’re talking about” she tried not to sound deceitful.  “Don’t lie to me Ms. Bara, I know what I saw.  Either you bring them to me or I’ll tear your house apart until I find them.”  Leeda glanced over toward the hallway and was horrified to see the bookcase slid open…she had just returned from the basement and forgot to close it.  It was clear he was going to find them.  To prevent any potential harm to Pamela, she brought him down to the basement. 

Pamela and Alexander heard the disturbance.   “Gril, GO!”  Alexander pointed to a small hole in the base board.  Gril quickly hopped across the floor and disappeared into the hole.  Pamela picked up Alexander and brought him into her closet, where she tried to cover herself with clothes.  “Put me in your pocket” Alexander asked her. 

“Why?”

“If he takes you or my family anywhere, I’m going with you”.

Pamela reluctantly placed him in to her dress pocket.  “Be careful in there” she whispered. 

In the basement, Gedo approached the table top house and peered into the main window.  He saw the girls trying to hide behind the couch.  He picked up the entire top floor of the house and had complete access to the living room where the girls were seeking cover.  Gedo grabbed a mason jar near the table, picked up the girls and placed them one by one into the jar.  He looked through the other 3 smaller houses and found Barry hiding beneath one of the tables.  He placed him in the jar with the girls.  Once he was confident there were no more little people in the small community, he placed a brick on top of the jar.  “Where are the others Ms. Bara?” he asked.

“I don’t know, they left this morning”. 

“Where is your daughter?”

Leeda was silent.

Gedo showed his gun.  “Where is your daughter?” he repeated slowly.  “I’m going to find her.  If you tell me where, we won’t have any accidents while I’m looking for her”. 

“She’s in her room, please don’t hurt her” Leeda began to cry.

Gedo handcuffed her to pipe against the wall and went upstairs to Pamela’s room.  He entered her room tentatively and began looking around.  “Come out, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to bring you to your mother”.  He looked under the bed.  Pamela’s heart was racing.  She tried to shrink further under the pile of clothes.  He opened the closet door and began poking the piles of toys and clothes with his foot.  Pamela let out an uncontrollable shriek once he reached her.  He pulled the clothes off of her and picked her up by her hand.  “Come with me, I just want to keep you with your mother”.  Gedo walked Pamela down to the basement and handcuffed her to her mother around the pipe.  Pamela saw her friends in the mason jar on the shelf with a brick covering the top.  “They’ll suffocate!  You have to take that brick off!”  She screamed. 

          Gedo lunged toward Pamela, right up to her face.  “They’re going to suffer a fate far worse than suffocation” he said maniacally.  “They are the cause of our pending annihilation.  They must be sacrificed to prevent the apocalypse.  I had numerous chances before to destroy them but I was obstructed at every turn.  I have them now and this is going to end tonight.  You and your mother will be sacrificed with them for harboring them all this time”.  Gedo proceeded to arrange some wooden boxes in the center of the basement floor.  The resulting configuration resembled an altar.  He placed the mason jar center on the top box.  He then went upstairs and back over to his house to retrieve a container of kerosene. 

While he was away, Alexander was able to extricate himself from Pamela’s pocket and on to the basement floor.  “Can you unlock these handcuffs?”  Leeda asked Alexander.  “I need something to pry the mechanism” Alexander scanned the floor of the basement.  In the corner lay a pile of sweepings yet to be cleaned up.  He ran over to the pile and sorted through the dusty trash.  He found a small, bent finishing nail in the pile.  It was about ¼ of Alexander’s height, but light enough for him to carry.  He ran over to the pipe where Leeda and Pamela were bound.  Just then, they heard Mr. Gedo enter the house.  As he descended the stairs, Alexander hid behind Pamela.  Mr. Gedo proceeded to splash the kerosene from the container all about the basement floor.  He lit a match and tossed it toward the main puddle.  The floor was ablaze.  “Tonight the gods will be appeased and our destruction rescinded”.  Gedo quickly ascended the stairs, left the house and drove away from the scene to distance himself from the crime.

Chapter 7

-22:05:19

The flames were spreading over the floor, beginning to climb the walls.  Leeda and Pamela lowered their cuffed hands to the ground, where Alexander could access the key slot.  He inserted the nail end into the slot and began to force the locking pin to disengage the cuff’s teeth.  After a few seconds of prying, the metallic click indicated success.  The cuffs fell away from Leeda’s hand. 

          Leeda quickly snatched up her daughter, picked up Alexander and grabbed the mason jar as the conflagration began to consume the altar.  She skipped every other step all the way up to the main floor and out of the house. 

Pamela removed the Earthlings from the jar.  “Thank you Alexander, you are my hero!”  She kissed him on the top of his head.  “Are you blushing?”  Valerie asked.  “No!”  Alexander replied sheepishly.  “She’s being weird”.

“Well I think you’re our hero as well!”  Suddenly, Alexander was surrounded by Valerie, Betty and his mother hugging and kissing his head.  Barry interrupted the hug fest…”We need to put that fire out before the house goes up in flames!” 

“Pamela, go ‘round back and grab the fire extinguisher from the shed!”  Leeda instructed.  “I have one in my car!”  Pamela and Leeda were able to douse the flames before they got out of control.  The fire was out, but the back end of the basement and the walls directly above were severely damaged.  “The ship!”  Leeda screamed.  “I put this ship in a box behind the house!” 

-21:07:18

As they made the journey through the countryside toward the harbor, Steve worried to himself about their chances.  Jody would only be able to take them as far as the port.  It would be up to him and Dan to complete the journey across the sea, rescue Mark, and return.  At 68, Steve was still in excellent shape, with the energy and stamina of a man half his age.  Dan, on the other hand, had been injured several years earlier during an escape from a giant.  His knees were weak from tendon tears and had broken his ankle twice.  Steve knew he shouldn’t be coming along, but he also knew there was nothing he could say that would change Dan’s mind.  “How’s your ankle Dan?” Steve asked.  “Never better” Dan replied instantly.  “Still have that Olympic speed”.  “We need to go over the plan” Steve said.  “There’s going to be a powered boat ready for us at the dock.  We’ll get in, and Jody will set us out in the direction of the island.  Once we get there, we’ll make our way to the south wall where we’ll meet Teddy.  We’ll get Mark, head back to the boat and meet Jody at the dock.”

The sound of a siren pierced the black night as a bright light in the rear-view mirror blinded Jody.  “Get down!” Jody warned Steve and Dan.  They removed their restraints and hid under the driver’s seat.  Jody pulled over to the side of the road…the unmarked black car quietly rolled up behind him.  The siren stopped, but the bright light remained focused on Jody’s rearview mirror.  Jody tried to reduce his breathing and pulse rate, to no avail. 

Seemingly an eternity later, the SID agent approached his window, shining a flash light in his face.  “Have you seen this man?” the agent pulled a photograph from his pocket and held it in front of Jody’s face.  It was Teddy.  As Jody furrowed his brow, pretending to study the face, the agent aimed his flashlight into the front seat floorboard area, sweeping towards the backseat, and into the rear floorboard.  Steve and Dan were just under Jody’s seat, barely out of the bright beam of the flashlight.  “No, he doesn’t look familiar” Jody said.  “I’ll keep a look out for him, though”.  “He’s a dangerous resistance fighter, if you see him, don’t try to engage, just contact the SID immediately.”  The agent instructed.  “Will do” Jody responded.  The agent panned the flashlight one more time across the interior of the car before leaving.  As the black car departed, Jody’s heart rate and breathing abated.  “We don’t have much time” he told Steve and Dan.  Jody pulled out onto the road and headed for the harbor.           

-20:01:00

Jody arrived at the dock and located the powered toy boat Teddy had hidden in the blue crate in slip 68.  He placed Steve and Dan in the motorized boat and set them off in the direction of Mist Island.  As the boat made its way out of the harbor, Jody headed back to Leeda’s house to pick up Barry.  He would need his help getting into the ion propellant containment area at the Institute.  The Experimental Materials Lab was the only place on the continent that produced the substance, and the inventory was closely guarded. 

The Sea of Storms was calmest at this time of night.  The motorized toy boat cut through the black water toward the island, disturbing the bioluminescent plankton in its path, creating a striking bluish light in the expanding wake. 

The otherwise beautiful light show betrayed the position of the small craft to a shoal of young squid, who darted just behind and below the tiny boat.  As the creatures maneuvered around the boat fighting over the microscopic feast, two squid became entangled and capsized the small boat. Steve and Dan were flung into the water.  The bluish glow emanating from below allowed them to see each other in the pitch-black night and swim back to the overturned boat and climb on to the hull.  One of the larger squid, almost 6 feet long, was ready to move on to multicellular meals…Dan in particular.  The giant beast began wrapping its tentacles around Dan’s legs trying to pull him back in the water.  Steve was able to grab the matchstick axe that was floating nearby and began chopping at the tentacles.  The squid quickly released Dan and slid back into the darkening water.  The bluish glow was diminishing, and they had to right the ship before the light completely faded.  The blood from the injured squid began to attract other predators.  Large shadowy figures moved below the tiny floating Earthlings.  They swam to the boat and were able to flip it over, expending tremendous effort.  They barely had enough energy left to pull themselves in.  They lay in the boat, exhausted and catching their breath.  They were behind schedule.  They had to keep going.

It was after midnight.  They had to be getting close.  The fog was thick, the island could have been right in front of them and they wouldn’t have seen it.  Suddenly, without warning, the ship struck a sandbar, throwing Steve and Dan to the front of the ship.  “I guess we’re here” Dan said.  They carefully stepped out of the boat into the shallow water.  A spotlight mounted on the south wall tower was sweeping across the beach.  Steve and Dan ducked behind some rocks.  The boat was in plain sight. 

The tower spotlight gradually moved away from the boat landing area.  Steve and Dan walked up the sandy, then rocky beach to the base of the wall. Teddy had hung a rope attached to a basket over the south wall.  Steve and Dan climbed into the basket, tugged on the rope and looked up.  The steep stone wall vaulted straight up and disappeared into the thick fog.  They were due at midnight…and they were 45 minutes late. 

After a few minutes, they were abruptly lifted off the ground with a quick jerk, then rose in rhythmic thrusts upward.   After several upward lurches, they were immersed in the fog and couldn’t see above or below to any degree.  It was probably for the best, Steve thought, for on their scale, it was the equivalent of 1,200 feet. 

They finally breached the top of the wall.  Teddy picked up the basket and set them down on the stone floor.  “You made it” Teddy said.  “I’m going to take you to Mark, then we’ll get him out of the confinement area and back here.  I’ll lower you down and you get back to the boat”.  They made their way into the confinement area where Mark was being held.  Teddy placed Steve and Dan on the stone ledge of the cell.  “Mark!”  Steve yelled into the cell.  Mark awoke and came to the cell entrance.  “Steve?”  “We’re here to get you out”.  “Step to the back of the cell” Teddy instructed Mark. “Juran, what are you doing?”  Mark asked.  “I’m setting off a small charge that will dislodge these bars.  Get to the back and cover yourself with the blanket.”  Mark complied.  Teddy set the charge and brought Steve and Dan to the other side of the confinement area.  A small spark was followed by a loud explosion in the cell entrance. 

Mark emerged through the smoke and bent cell bars.  As Teddy picked Mark up to place him in his pocket, a rebel fighter making his round entered the chamber.  “What was that explosion?  Juran, what are you doing?”  Teddy turned to see the rebel fighter with a gun drawn.  Teddy still had his hand in his pocket along with Mark…Steve and Dan were on the floor by his feet.  The rebel fighter looked down to see the other 2 little people.  “It’s under control Trill, I caught these two trying to free the Engineer” Teddy explained.  The rebel fighter approached Teddy cautiously.  “Back away Juran, I’ll get them” As the fighter knelt down to pick up Steve and Dan, Teddy slammed his head against the stone wall, knocking him unconscious.  There would be another guard check before Teddy could make it to the boat, so he dragged the motionless rebel into an adjacent alcove. 

          Teddy placed Steve, Dan and Mark into a transport box and quickly descended the stone stairs to the base of the tower.  He made his way across the bailey and over to the gatehouse.  With the transport box underneath his coat, he attempted to walk right out of the gate at his normal brisk pace as if leaving in the middle of the night was not unusual.  “Juran?”  The gate lieutenant asked.  Teddy stopped in his tracks and turned.  “Yes lieutenant?” 

“Why are you leaving at this hour sir?” 

“The General requested I venture to the mainland to gather supplies for our victorious departure tomorrow.”

“But sir, it’s so late…dawn is arriving soon and the sea will be most perilous.”  

“Lieutenant…” Teddy walked up to him, placed his hand underneath the man’s jaw and turned his head toward the horizon.  “…Do you see that monstrosity yonder?”  The lieutenant saw the red-orange glow rising behind the early morning cloud cover.  The approaching planet consumed ¾ of the horizon.  His eyes widened. 

“THAT is peril.”  Teddy continued out of the gate house toward the dock.  He boarded the boat and pulled a radio from his coat… “SID Command, come in”.

“Command…go ahead”. 

“I have them, request instructions”. 

“Bring them to the Institute immediately”. 

“Will do” Teddy responded.

“What?!”  Steve yelled.  “I thought you were going to help us!”  “I have my instructions” Teddy replied flatly.  Teddy had been posing as a Force for Freedom fighter, working for the resistance, but he was actually an SID agent working on gathering information from both rebel groups.  As the boat departed the dock, the Sea of Storms was rousing from her nocturnal calm.

Chapter 8

-18:05:11

When Jody arrived at Leeda’s house, everyone was in the basement ensuring the fire was completely extinguished.  “What happened here?” Jody asked.  “Old Mr. Gedo busted in and tried to kill us!  He said he had to sacrifice the little people to prevent the apocalypse.  He set a fire in the basement and Alexander was able to free us.”  “Is everyone ok?” Jody asked.  “Yes, just shaken up.  I thought we lost their ship but it was undamaged.”

“Where is Gedo now?”

“He left, drove off…I don’t know where he went but he could be back any minute.” Leeda said. 

“Alright, I have a shotgun in my car, I’m going to leave it with you.  Lock all of the doors.  Everyone try to get some rest, we have a big day tomorrow.  I need to be back at the dock by 6:00 am to pick up the guys.” 

“I’m going with you” Valerie stated.  Jody knew there was no point arguing with her. She’d waited five years to see her husband and she wasn’t going to wait one minute longer than she had to.  “I’ll come too” Barry chimed it.

“Fine, get some rest, we’ll head out in a few hours.”  Everyone tried to sleep.  The red-orange glow emanating from the basement window precluded any hope of slumber.

-15:03:03

The delays at the base put Teddy behind schedule.  Time was a factor, as the sea’s rage was awakening for the dawn.  Seven leagues out from the island, 30 foot swells began to crash over the small boat.  Teddy moved the transportation box containing the three Earthlings into a watertight storage compartment below the passenger seat.  The small engine struggled against the surging waves, fighting out of the troughs and plunging powerless over the crests.  Each swell proved more laborious than the last. 

The intermittent lightening had been the only source of illumination, allowing Teddy only brief moments of terror, however, the closing planet was rising quickly over the horizon.  While completely obscured visually, the proximity and intense solar reflection pierced the thick black storm clouds.  The light cast a dark reddish-orange glow across the sky, and the sea reflected the hue.  The rolling waves appeared as if burning embers in a sea of magma. 

The small vessel wasn’t yet halfway across the Sea of Storms when the rogue wave hit. 

-13:00:42

When Teddy regained consciousness, he was outside of the boat, his legs wedged between two large boulders on the shore of a small skerry, blood staining the sea foam.  He knew he had broken either his leg or ankle, for the angle of his trapped lower limb was in an anatomically impossible position.  “Mark!”  He yelled up to the boat.  “I need help!”  

The wave had tossed the boat into the rocks, sending every non-stowed object over the bow, including Teddy.  The seat tops opened up and ejected the small transportation box into the bulkhead, dislodging the door.  Steve, Dan and Mark survived with only cuts and bruises.  “Mark!”  They heard Teddy’s voice coming from over the port side.  The driver’s seat was at least ten feet above their heads.  Mark climbed on to Steve’s shoulders and was able to summit the seat cushion and pull Steve and Dan up.  They then utilized the side mounted throttle lever to scale up to the helm control panel.  From there they made their way to the side of the boat, which continued to sway in the rolling waves. 

They saw Teddy just below the bow, waist deep in the cold sea, bloodied but conscious.  “I vote we leave him there” Dan said angrily.  “No, we need him to get us out of here, we can’t drive this boat” Steve said.  “He’s right” Mark agreed.  “He’s our only chance of making it back to shore”  “How are we going to get him unstuck and on the boat?” Dan asked.  “The life jackets, life preservers and rope coils all went overboard”.  Mark evaluated the situation.  “He looks like he’s just below the anchor”  “We could use the electric anchor winch and lower it to him.  Steve, you stay here and signal when the anchor reaches him.”  Mark and Dan went back over to the helm control panel and located the anchor switch.  The spring loaded paddle switch was almost two feet long.  The down position lowered the anchor, and the up position raised it. 

Using all four hands and all their strength, they pulled the switch down and heard the winch activate.  They struggled to hold the switch down against the spring tension as Steve gestured with his hand to continue lowering.  He raised his hand to stop the anchor.  Mark and Dan released the switch and it snapped back into neutral position.  Steve watched as Teddy wrapped his arms around the anchor.  Teddy then raised his thumb to indicate he was ready to ascend.  Steve motioned to Mark to raise the anchor.  Mark and Dan positioned themselves below the switch, and using the ledge of the helm panel to brace their stance, pushed the switch upward.  As the anchor pulled Teddy up above the waterline, his leg made a nauseating sound as it broke free of the crevice.  Teddy screamed in pain.  As the anchor reached its zenith, Teddy used all of his upper body strength to pull himself over the side of the boat, landing hard on the deck.  He lay motionless, but conscious.  The fury of the sea was getting worse by the minute.  Steve walked up to Teddy’s ear.  “Teddy we have to leave now, it’s only going to get worse”.  Teddy listlessly rose to a sitting position, then used the steering column to pull himself up into the driver’s seat.  Steve, Dan and Mark were at his feet.  He picked up the damaged transportation box, then placed the three men back into the box, and the box back into the watertight compartment beneath the passenger seat.  “You’re welcome!”  Dan yelled sarcastically.  They could feel the engine start.  They were moving again toward the City harbor. 

-12:05:30

          Jody arrived at the meeting point on time.  They saw Teddy’s car, but the men were nowhere to be seen.  “The sea is rougher than usual due to the gravitational effects” Jody explained.  Neither Valerie nor Barry seemed relieved by Jody’s technical analysis of the situation.  “I’m just saying, it’s probably delaying their arrival.” 

Two hours had passed.  “Something must have slowed them down.”  Jody said.  No on in the car was willing to accept that the mission was a failure.  “They’ll be here” Valerie said confidently.  “I have to get back to get the ion propellant for the ship” Jody said.  “I’ll stay here” Valerie said, leave me a radio and I’ll contact Betty when they get here.”  “Ok, but stay hidden and be careful.” Jody warned.  Jody removed Valerie from the car and placed her behind a post near the meeting point.  “Call us when you see them” Jody instructed.  “10-4!”  Valerie replied.

Jody left the harbor with Barry and proceeded to the Institute for the fuel.  He was 10 miles out from the harbor when smoke from a nearby grass fire ignited by magma drifted across the road.  Visibility was zero.  Jody reduced speed as the road was no longer discernable.  He quickly rolled up the windows and closed the vents as smoke began to infiltrate the interior.  “Stay low Barry”.  Jody covered his nose and mouth with his shirt.  If he proceeded, he could run off the road.  If he stayed put, he could be rear ended by a careless driver oblivious of the hazard.  This was the only road from the harbor that connected with the highway to the Institute.  He had to do something, time was running out.  If he drove, it would barely be at the pace of walking.  It was safer to walk, he decided. 

He estimated a two hour walk to the Institute and another two hour walk to Leeda’s house.  They had about 7 hours remaining, which would just give him enough time to get to Leeda’s with the fuel.  He picked up Barry and gently placed him in his shirt pocket.  “Cover your nose and mouth with your shirt” he instructed.  He could just distinguish the sun through the thick ashen clouds and knew he had to walk in that direction to reach the Institute.  As they began their long trek, the ground below began to tremble.  Jody’s pace increased from a steady gait to a brisk stride.

-06:04:19

Teddy finally arrived at the harbor.  He removed the transport box containing Steve, Dan and Mark from the seat compartment and limped haltingly to his car.  He placed the box in the passenger floorboard and fell into the driver’s seat with a groan, his mangled leg hanging out of the car in the gravel lot.  He wasn’t going to be able to drive anywhere.  Valerie saw Teddy and cautiously approached the car. 

She made her way up to his bloody boot and yelled up as loud as she could “Teddy!!!”  Teddy had passed out from the pain, but Steve, Dan and Mark heard her.  They wanted to warn her to get away, but any attempt to call to her would surely rouse Teddy.  “We have to warn her” Dan pleaded.  “Then we need to find a way out of this box” Steve said.  While the three men were feeling around the inside of the box for a defect that would lead to their escape, Valerie was exercising her climbing skills, deftly and methodically ascending the leather boot, traversing to the denim pant leg, jamming the folds and creases, up over the knee, sans rope or rack.  It was at least a 25 foot climb at a 70 degree angle.  She made her way across Teddy’s lap over to the passenger seat, overlooking the floorboard below where the trapped men were feverishly trying to escape to save her. 

“Do you gentlemen need any assistance?”  She quipped.  They looked up, astonished but not surprised.  “Val!”  Marked yelled out uncontrollably.  “You need to get out of here!”  “Teddy is with the SID!”  Just then, Teddy began to wake from the pain of his swelling foot, as it expanded past the constraints of his boot.  He saw Valerie before she could bolt or seek refuge.  “Wait!”  he warned…”I’m trying to get you to your ship so you can leave here.”  “Why should we trust you, you’re SID!”  Steve yelled.  “Mark, tell him, I’m trying to help you.”  “I don’t know what to think Teddy…or Juran, or whatever you’re real name is!”  Mark replied. 

“It’s true, Kobick wants to get all of you to the Institute.  Jody is preparing your ship.  Contact Leeda, she’ll confirm everything.”  Teddy explained.

“I have a radio!”  Valerie interrupted.  “Call the base” Steve instructed.  “Val to base, come in!” 

“This is Betty, what is it Val?” 

“I’m with Mark, Steve and Dan” Teddy has them in a box and says he’s supposed to take them to the Institute to meet up with you”.  Betty looked at Leeda, “Is Teddy taking them to the Institute?”  “I don’t know about the Institute but Teddy was going to meet Jody at the harbor this morning.” Leeda replied.

“Val, Leeda said Teddy was supposed to meet Jody.” 

“Betty, Teddy is with the SID, is this a trap?”  Valerie asked.

Betty turned to Leeda.  Leeda was stunned.  “I didn’t know he was with the SID, I thought he was with the resistance.”  Teddy could just barely hear the conversation, but he pleaded Valerie to help him communicate with Leeda.  “Leeda, I’m sorry I lied to you, I didn’t want to risk you or Pamela getting involved.  Kobick wants to help them escape before it’s too late, that’s the truth.” 

Leeda paused for a brief moment.  “I believe him” Leeda said with confidence. 

“Val, Leeda believes him, we need to find a way to have someone bring you all to the Institute.” 

“I’ll contact another agent to pick us up” Teddy said, struggling through the intense pain.  Just make sure the ship is ready.  I have Mark, he can ensure the systems are good to go.”  Teddy opened the box and the three men exited.  Valerie jumped from the passenger seat down into Marks arms.  He held her fully in his arms, as they embraced and kissed enough to compensate for the five year absence.  Mark was physically weak from his confinement, yet he could not summon the mental strength to put her down. 

As they waited for deliverance, the sea began to encroach the harbor shores.  The boats tied up in their slips were tossed asunder as they were no match for the unstoppable tidal forces.

Chapter 9

-05:09:27

The sun was now high enough in the sky to charge the solar batteries.  Leeda brought the magnifying lens left by Jody out back to the ship.  She quickly checked old Mr. Gedo’s house for activity, he was still away, assuming the police were performing their investigation into the fire he left behind.  Betty and Angela helped Leeda position the lens to focus the sun’s rays on to the solar panel.  The bright red-orange half-disk of Mars was now hours away, filling the sky.  As it approached, the gravitational forces continued to cause quakes, and volcanos to erupt ash, clouding up the skies, diminishing the sun’s effect on the charging process.  After 30 minutes of charging, Leeda asked “How does it look?”  52% charged and rising, Betty replied.  The ash cloud overhead began to thicken.  The batteries were charging at a decent rate…with the ash cloud thickening overhead, the charge rate decreased significantly.  Almost an hour later…” Where are we now?”  65%.  What do you need to reach in order to take off?  Jody said 90% is the minimum.  As the minutes passed the gauge gradually crept up…70%…80%…  Just then, the sound of screeching tires came from the front of the house.  “SID!”

-04:04:22

As Jody neared the Institute, the surrounding roads were deserted.  No cars, no people.  No panic.  It was like a ghost town.  Everyone was home with their families.  The giants had accepted their prophesized fate and wanted to be with their loved ones. 

At long last, they reached the Institute.  Jody was not surprised how easy it was to get through to the Experimental Materials Lab.  The building was completely vacant.  He and Barry made their way to the room where the Ion Propellant was stored.  The heavy door was locked.  Even if he could get Barry into the room, he wouldn’t be able to access the propellant containers in the vault at the rear of the room.  The vault was sealed and a code was needed to open the door.  Jody looked through the window around the lab looking for something he could use to break into the vault.  He noticed a small vial of the propellant on a lab bench near some equipment.  “They pulled a sample to run tests!”  He yelled. 

He sat Barry down on the floor near the bottom of the door.  “Slide under the door and make your way to the lab bench.  You’ll need to lower the tube down to the floor, carefully, and roll it back to the door.  We can only hope it will fit under the door”.  Barry made his way to the table, which was no less than 50 feet tall, and swung his grappling hook up to latch on to the drawer handle.  He tried once, twice, then a third time.  Jody watched helplessly from behind the glass.  With each cast, the apex altitude diminished as Barry’s strength waned.  Barry paused, took a deep breathe, swung the grappling hook forward…backward, forward…backward…and with all his might, cast the hook upward.  This time the hook found its catch.  With all of his remaining strength, he climbed up to the table top, wrapped a rope around the propellant tube and lowered it to the ground gently.  He then abseiled the rope down to the floor.  Barry rolled the tube to the doorway.  It just did clear the bottom of the doorway. 

Jody picked up Barry and the tube.  As he turned for the exit, a voice from the shadows broke the silence.  “Where are the rest of them?”  It was Kobick.  “You were going to bring them and their ship to me so we could get them out of here”.  Jody froze.  “I couldn’t do it”, Jody said.  “I thought I could help them.  You said you couldn’t betray the State”, Jody said.  “I’m not betraying the State; I’m trying to preserve the memory and legacy of the state…of our civilization.”  Jody thought of turning to run, but just as he was readying his leg muscles to sprint…he heard the sounds of movement behind him.  Two SID agents were now between him and the exit.  “Jody, we have their ship, come with me” he walked up to Jody and placed his hand on his shoulder.  They proceeded to the launch area behind the Institute. 

-02:08:08

The 1,200 year old wall could no longer suffer the increasing tremors and aftershocks.  When the north tower fell, it was time to leave.  “Ready the rocket, assemble the emissaries”.  General Nalor commanded.  The capsule capacity was 12.  Nalor, Juran and 10 select individuals hand-picked by the General himself.  They would be the new leadership of Earth civilization.  The little people would worship them as gods.  “Send for Juran, we need to board now.”    

The gatehouse guard approached Nalor.  “General, Juran left the island early this morning before dawn.”  “What!?  Was he alone?”  “I believe so sir.”  “Check the Engineer’s cell, right now!”  Nalor instructed.  Nalor’s lieutenant returned from the confinement area with a dazed and bleeding Trill.  “What is this?  Where is Juran?” Nalor asked angrily.  “Juran is gone, he took the Engineer with him.”  Trill was still being held up by the lieutenant.  Nalor approached Trill, grabbed a fistful of his shirt and coat, and proceeded to lift him up off of his feet.  “Where did they go?”  “I don’t know general, he had two other little people with him.  That was the last thing I remember.”  Nalor threw Trill to the ground.  “The Engineer was to be our liaison on Earth.  We’ll need another.  Bring the little spy to the launch area”.  “What about Juran sir?” asked the lieutenant.  “It’s too late for him now, he can stay here and perish with the rest.”

The lieutenant drew Nick from his cell and brought him to Nalor.  “It seems your luck has changed Earthling-traitor.  You’re coming with us.”  Nalor said with disdain.  “When we arrive, you will ensure the Earth people understand that we are in charge.”  Nick looked up at the General with a mix of relief and dread.  He’d finally be leaving this planet for home, yet he knew there was no way the 12 giants would be able to overtake any city or state, let alone the entire planet.  Earth forces would most certainly use bombs and missiles, the likes of which the giants could not even imagine, to destroy them.  Possibly even nuclear weapons.  His homecoming would be a short one.  “Yes General, as you wish.”  He said with resignation.

Nalor shoved Nick into his front coat pocket and boarded the Omega rocket.  “Prepare for launch!” he ordered. 

-01:04:09

Two agents came through the house, four around the side into the back yard where the Spindrift’s solar batteries were being charged.  Leeda and the girls had no time to escape or hide.  “You need to come with us” one of the agents instructed.  “Get the ship, put it in the back of the car” he pointed to another agent.  One of the agents disconnected the wires to the solar panels just as the green light appeared, signaling 90% charge.  He scooped up the ship and carefully placed it in the car.

“Where is Teddy?”  Leeda asked.  “He’s at the harbor, we’re sending a transport to bring him and the others to the Institute.”  The agent escorted Leeda and Pamela to the car.  Another agent picked up Betty, Angela and Alexander and placed them into a transport container.  Alexander held Gril tight.  The car sped away to the Institute.

-00:42:00

Teddy arrived at the Institute with Steve, Dan, Mark and Valerie shortly after the other agents. He brought the four to the rear of the building where the Spindrift was resting upon a small, raised makeshift launching platform, Barry was already there.  Teddy released them from their transport box.  “Mark, it’s time to leave.  You need to prepare your ship for takeoff.

“We’ve supplied you with everything you need.  The fuel cells and ion propellant are on board, batteries charged.  Here are the coordinates to Earth” Teddy handed Mark a tiny piece of paper with the coordinates.  “Teddy, we couldn’t make it to Earth if we wanted to” Mark explained. “Earth is over 1,000 hours away at full speed.  Our ship has a flight range of 8 hours.  Plus, it wasn’t built for interplanetary travel.  It’s a sub-orbital craft meant for high atmospheric travel over shorter distances.  If the solar radiation didn’t kill us, we’d run out of power after 8 hours.  “The only chance we have is to get back to that space warp.  Do you have the coordinates for that?”  “I do” Kobick answered.  Mark and Teddy turned toward Kobick.  He instructed one of his agents to bring the folder marked ‘Top Secret’ from his desk. 

“Teddy, did you disable the other resistance rocket?”  Kobick asked.  “No, I didn’t get another opportunity once Nalor found the first device on the Alpha rocket”  “But Mark was able to load a program on the Omega rocket’s computer that will prevent it from leaving the planet.”  “Let’s hope that works” Kobick said.  Once the report was in hand, he transcribed the coordinates and provided them to Mark.  “Good luck” Kobick said sincerely.

The other agents released Alexander and the girls from their box; they all ran over to Mark.  After a hasty group hug, Mark broke away.  “Steve, Dan, let’s get this ship ready to fly”.  As they began to board the ship to prepare for departure, the approaching menace began to eclipse the sun.  The proximity of the two doomed worlds was pushing the atmosphere away from the surface of the planet, generating hurricanes and tornados.  They had minutes.

Jody joined Kobick and Teddy at the launch area.  “Load the cargo and ensure all are aboard that ship and that it takes off immediately” Kobick instructed.  “Bring the other little people from their housing section in the south wing”.  Three of the six SID captives had survived.  The cargo was loaded and the crew and passengers completed embarkation.  Steve was the last to board.  He went through his pre-flight ritual of touching the hull just outside the hatch and saying a prayer before entering.  It was an automatic reflex he didn’t have to think about.  He didn’t even realize he had performed the routine until he sat in his chair and buckled up.  Betty assisted the passengers in securing their belts.  There were now more passengers than available seats.  She was able to strap down the extra 3 passengers as well as Gril in the cargo hold.  She had to ensure the inner hatch door was vented, as the cargo hold was typically an airtight compartment.

Kobick and Jody stood at the observation deck as the agents loaded the precious historic cargo containing DNA samples, microfilm of historic texts and other documents onto the Spindrift.  After the agents left, a man in a dark coat placed 3 silver canisters in the rear storage compartment. 

“Do you know why my father was exiled?” Kobick asked Jody.  “I heard he was a traitor” Jody responded.  “He found a top secret report from a Science Institute investigation into the little people and the space warp that brought them here.”  Kobick said.  “The conclusion from the report was that the Earthlings were here by accident and posed no threat”.  Jody already knew this to be true, but it was a relief to hear this from a State official.  “The SID needed its enemy to substantiate its existence” he said.  “My father couldn’t continue persecuting the little people. When he brought the report to the attention of the Supreme Council, he was immediately exiled and the report was destroyed.  Fortunately for the little people, he had made a copy and hid its location among his hundreds of books.  All of his books were about justice and legal precedent.  I had read them all many times over.  But one book was different.  It was about the religious history of our people.  I never gave it second glance.  Until last week.  When the scientists confirmed our imminent destruction, I pulled the dusty book off the shelf and opened it.  A piece of paper fell out with a combination on it.  They had pulled my father’s safe from his office after he died.  It sat in my basement for 26 years.  When I opened it, I found the report along with his journal”. 

“There’s more” Kobick said.  “It’s time you knew the entire story.” 

Chapter 10

-00:21:04

“34 years ago, scientists from the Force for Freedom were experimenting with technology that could shrink our people to the size of the Earthlings.  They wanted to send a scout team to Earth using a ship they had captured.  They were having issues keeping the subjects a miniaturized.  They kidnapped a physicist doing cloning experimentation, Dr. Arno, and they succeeded in cloning the miniaturized subjects.  The cloned miniatures were stable and could maintain their size.  The cloning process froze the genetic structure of the miniaturized beings.”

“They sent 24 miniaturized clones and 4 Earthling guides to Earth to collect information for a future planned invasion.  They weren’t heard from again.  Until just last year.  Our radios had been too weak to detect signals beyond our atmosphere.  Last year one of our scientists developed a receiver that could detect signals from very far away.  And…we started to receive radio messages from Earth.  It was the same clones and their descendants that left here 34 years ago.  The only thing was…they had found the planet completely devoid of humans or their technology.  They weren’t on Earth.  The Earthlings they took with them said they were on Mars.  Jody…that dimension lock, the space warp that the Earthlings have been coming through for over 1,000 years…they say it’s a gateway to something called a wormhole.  It connects spacetime in ways we can’t even understand.  All this time what we thought was Earth was Mars.  The Earth…is the planet we’re about to collide with”.

“The Earthlings are from over 4 billion years in our future.  In this time, in our time, Mars has an atmosphere, water, life.  That’s why we thought it was Earth.  Earth today is a barren proto planet, covered in molten rock, devoid of water or life.  The Earth scientists say in their time, Mars is the barren world.  There’s a high likelihood that descendants of those cloned miniatures and the Earth guides made their way to Earth before Mars became uninhabitable”.

“We need this ship and her crew to return from where they came from and bring our DNA samples and recorded history with them so our existence will have meaning”.

“Jody, did you know Earthlings from 900 years ago gave our planet its name?  Theia.  Did you ever wonder what it meant?  Theia was a goddess in Earth mythology.  Her daughter was Selene, Goddess of the Moon.  After the collision of Theia and Earth, their Moon will be formed.  If our history is able to cross through that portal, and future civilizations learn about us, they will be reminded of us every time they see their Moon”.

-00:17:01

          “Everyone buckle up”, Steve instructed.  “Let’s see if this is going to work.  Fire up the batteries Dan”.  Dan flipped 4 switches in deliberate succession…”  Bat 1, 2, 3, 4, check”.  The front dash control lights lit up first, followed by the inertial guidance and navigation control lights on the port side.  Then, the reactor control systems on the starboard side lit up.  A thick layer of dust covered all of the control surfaces, dimming the lights and gauges.  Steve moistened his finger and wiped across the face of the ships clock, which was powered by the atomic reserves.  The clock had kept Earth time all these years.

          The Giant’s planet had slightly shorter day and year lengths.  Steve had lost track of Earth time.  36 years…It felt like it had been much longer.  His reflection was interrupted by a severe tremor.  The ground below was beginning to crack open.  The façade of the Science Institute fell to the ground.

Steve:  “Activate inertial confinement …”

Dan:  “Magnetic field Check”

Steve:  “Initiate reactor ignition procedure…”

Dan pressed the button to initiate the deuterium fuel flow…  “D2 Check”

A second button activated the ion propellant laser…  “Laser Check”

The final button would focus the laser array on the fuel stream and activate nuclear fusion.  Dan hesitated as his finger approached the red button.  “Cross your fingers”.  Dan depressed the button.  A faint red light shone through the aged button face…after a long 3 seconds, a low rumble was felt as the fusion reaction ignited.  It was a sound Steve and Dan knew well, but had not heard in over 36 years.  “It’s working!”  Dan excitedly yelled.  Soon the smell of the engine core drifted into the passenger cabin.  This was the last smell from Earth that they remembered.  It was reminiscent of the air right after a thunderstorm.  It rarely rained on this planet, but when it did, the air was more stale than fresh afterward.  Everyone’s spirits were lifted.  “We’re going to make it” Valerie stated confidently.

Steve picked up the microphone…” We’re ready to lift off…Everyone hold on.  We’re going to encounter significant turbulence up there.”

Steve and Dan looked at each other.  Steve had his hands firmly on the control yoke handles.  “Lift off” he said calmly.  Dan pressed the lift button and the Spindrift’s bow tilted up toward the gray sky as the ship gradually rose from the crumbling surface.  Spindrift was airborne under her own power for the first time in over three decades.  Dan called out…”500 feet…1,000 feet….1,500 feet….2,000 feet, ready for drive”.  Steve advanced the drive lever forward.  The ship darted into the churning stratosphere, its plasma exhaust igniting the volcanic ash in its wake, leaving behind a trail of light glowing in the leaden sky.  “Godspeed” Kobick said as he and Jody gazed upon the tempest.

The thick ash was pummeling the ship like a desert sandstorm.  Dan continued to call out “10,000 feet….20,000 feet….”  In the distance, out of the starboard viewport, Valerie observed a frightening sight.  “The rocket…it’s taking off!”  Steve and Dan glanced over to see the rebel rocket rising from the sea riding a column of fire straight up toward the portal.  Being a larger, faster vehicle than the Spindrift, it was catching up quickly.  Mark yelled out “I programmed a virus in the software, their ship computer will shut down any minute and they’ll lose control!”

“Engage maximum speed” Steve directed Dan.  Dan advanced the throttle lever forward into maximum drive.  “Max speed engaged”.  Everyone was pushed back into their seats experiencing 5 g’s of acceleration.  The volcanic ash was now clogging the ships cooling intake vents, causing the engine core to overheat.  Alarms rang and warning lights flashed on the main control panel.  As both ships raced toward the portal, the Earth was closing in on the planet.  Impact was seconds away.  The sky behind them appeared as if on fire.  The gravitational forces were pulling the seas over the continents below.  “40,000 feet…45,000 feet”.  They were at the edge of the atmosphere.  Stars began to appear in the haze.

“I see it!”  Steve called out.  Straight ahead was a spherical blur, distorting the stars behind it.  Steve adjusted the yoke and pointed the bow of the ship straight at the portal.  At this time, the capsule broke away from rocket and was hurtling toward the anomaly.  Both ships were now being pulled toward the portal.  “I thought you said they’d lose control after separation!”  Dan yelled to Mark.  “They have lost control, their computer is down and they have no power…it’s pulling them in like a tractor beam.  If they make it through, they won’t have any power or control”.  The ship was now shaking violently in the dense atmosphere…if not for the seat restraints, the occupants would be smashed against the walls of the cabin.  The cooling intake vents were now completely choked and engine core temperature was reaching critical.  A few more seconds and the magnetic containment system would fail and the ship would explode in a burst of plasma.

00:00:00

          The Spindrift entered the portal first, followed by the capsule.  In an instant, the sky went from ash gray dusk to pitch black.  Steve and Dan struggled to maintain control of the ship as it pitched and yawed.  The speed indicator and magnetic compass were giving bizarre readings, hull temperature was pegged at absolute zero…Steve could feel the ship rolling but the controls were non responsive.

Suddenly, the ship emerged in a flash of brilliant sunshine against the deep black backdrop of cold space.  It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the bright glare.  Straight ahead, the curvature of the planet presented itself…the blackness of space met the crystal clear azure atmosphere.  The ship stabilized and the horizon indicator leveled out.  Far below them lay a blanket of white stratiform clouds.

The giant capsule that came across behind them was continuing on its forward trajectory due to momentum, but was losing altitude rapidly.  As the Spindrift descended, Steve could see a coastline in the distance beyond the cloud line.  He recognized the geographic features immediately.  “That’s the North Channel…and there’s Isle of Man.  It’s Earth!  Steve surveyed the landscape with wide eyes.  There are roads so it’s at least the 20^th century.  “Look!” yelled Alexander as everyone peered out of the viewport…the giant capsule continued to tumble end over end below them, through the clouds below and into the Irish Sea at 1,730 miles per hour.

“It’s Earth!”  Steve yelled to the passengers through the cabin doorway, forgoing the cabin mike.  There was quiet relief, almost disbelief.  As the passengers looked at each other, they knew that their achievement had come at a cost.  They thought of Jody, Leeda, and Pamela…Andros and Fitzhugh.  Everyone they knew and loved over the last 36 years.  It was bittersweet.  But they knew they were the custodians of an entire civilizations’ history and legacy.  Mark took Valerie’s hand.  They both smiled as they looked upon Angela and Alexander.

The radio broke the solemn silence.  “Flight 6-1-2…do you read?…over” A polite British controller asked.  Steve and Dan looked at each other as Steve picked up the microphone.

“Flight 6-1-2, this is London Control A, please respond…over” the voice pleaded.

“This is 6-1-2, is this Earth?…over”  Steve asked with hesitation.

“I beg your pardon Captain; did you ask if this was Earth?…over”

“What year is this?”

“Year sir?  It’s 1983 Captain, 12 June…over”.

Steve looked down at the ship’s clock:

“We lost you on radar for a second but we have you now.  You are clear to land on pad B-23…over”.  “Lost us for a second”, Steve thought to himself.  He and the others had just lived over 36 years in that second.  It was hard to wrap his mind around.  The passengers heard the radio call and were looking at each other in stunned silence.  There were no words.  “Confirm…6-1-2 inbound, clear to land, pad Bravo 2-3…over”.  Steve responded.  The Spindrift continued to descend over Birmingham, Oxfordshire and the picturesque Chiltern Hills.  A few minutes later, the ship slowly approached London Spaceport and Steve gently brought the Spindrift down into bay B23.  On time.

The ground crew gathered around the Spindrift and could not comprehend the scene in front of them.  The essentially brand new Spindrift, with barely 2,000 flight hours logged, looked like a derelict shipwreck freshly pulled from the scrap heap.  The hull was faded and heavily scratched.  The livery was barely discernible.  They had to double check the registration plate, which was severely damaged to confirm they were, in fact, looking at the U.S.S. Spindrift.

The passengers and crew disembarked the ship into the brisk London air.  The smell of jet fuel and tarmac snapped Steve and Dan into reality…they had made it.  Mark found his chauffeur holding a sign with his name in tall, bold letters.  Another man was holding a sign Mercury Holidays UK Adventure Tours Ltd:  Miss Valerie Scott.  Barry embraced his cousins, whom he had never met.  Two representatives from Interpol were standing by an unmarked government vehicle.  Today, they would leave the spaceport without their quarry.  Angela and Alexander felt like they were now giants on another world.  “Everything is so small!  I’m in Lilliput!” Alexander looked around the spaceport in amazement.  Betty assisted the 3 passengers and Gril in exiting the cargo hold and escorted everyone into the VIP lounge.

– Epilogue –

Goodbye, For Now

+316:05:17

          Almost two weeks had passed since the intrepid travelers returned to Earth. It was the night before they were all to go their separate ways.  The group met for dinner on the banks of the Thames in downtown London.  They discussed their future plans.  Steve was asked to return to Intra-Space Airlines to train young pilots.  Betty planned to complete the nursing program she started before they left.  Dan was going back to the states to fulfill a lifelong dream of coaching track at his alma mater.  Barry had developed a love for music on the giants’ planet and planned to stay in London and play with the local bands.  Mark retained his leadership position in his company, but planned to retire with Valerie to France after completing a project he had promised a family member.  Angela and Alexander were now in an alien land.  They were still trying to get acclimated to the “giant dollhouse” they were staying in.  They planned to return to Los Angeles with Steve and Betty and stay with them.

As dinner was being served, they reminisced about their time in the land of giants.  They shared stories of Alexander B. Fitzhugh, Andros, Leeda and Pamela…even Gril and Alice.  It’s so beautiful here, Angela said softly, as she gazed at the setting sun.  I could get used to this, she said with a grin.  Alexander was finishing up his first milkshake.  “I’m having this for dinner every day!”  Everyone united in laughter.  After dinner, as everyone was saying their goodbyes, “for now” Valerie firmly stated, a brilliant full moon rose from the clouds behind them.  “What’s that!?” Alexander pointed curiously.  Everyone turned and faced the dazzling view.  “Let me tell you the story of Theia and Selene…” Mark took Alexander’s hand as they all strolled along the Queen’s Walk.

The End

The RETURN Trilogy:

I. Escape from the land of The Giants

II. The Time Tunnel: Final Transfer

III. Lost in Space: Terra Firma

Supplemental:

1.Chaos Rising [A Prequel]

2. Interregnum Obscura [1947 – 2035]