Title: Comeback - the alternative universe ending
Chapter: 1
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Rating: PG, Adventure
Universe: Land of the Giants - second season
Spoiler: you have to have seen Comeback to appreciate this
Feedback: treasured and drooled over
Archive: if you must, please let me know
Why: Because this is one of my favourite episodes and I needed some light relief
Disclaimer: I apologise for taking liberties with the storyline,
I imagine that purist will throw their hands up in horror, but what the heck,
its only a bit of fun. All hail to IA for creating the series,
and all hail the actors for bringing it to life.

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The Story so far.....

Mark, Steve, Valerie and Fitzhugh are caught, while out food gathering, by an out of work and desperate actor called Egor Crull.
Egor was about to jump off a motorway bridge when Steve stopped him. Egor put the Little People into a shoebox and intended to make a movie comeback with the help of the his captives. Steve manages to contact Dan at the Spindrift and he, with Barry, track them using Steve's radio signal. After being rejected by several movie studio's Egor goes back to his original studio, Manfred Studios. Here he pitches a story to Mr Manfred about an eccentric scientist that creates some 'devil dolls'. Manfred, after seeing the Little People, decides to use them in a movie, along with Egor. Manfred calls on his assistant, Quigg, to gather a small film crew, plus all the miniatures and props Quigg can find. Manfred also tells Quigg to find Baby, an old female Gorilla that Manfred brought, who also starred in movies with Egor. Dan and Barry have followed Egor to the studio and enter the warehouse after a close encounter with Baby. Manfred comes up with a storyline that Egor is the 'sinister butler' of the eccentric scientist Sir Jonathon, recently deceased. The Little People are to play the 'devil dolls' and fight over Sir Jonathans' will, all set in a spooky dolls house. Manfred gets the Little People to act out several scenes, one where Valerie is captured by Baby, one where Steve, after sword fighting Mark, falls over a parapet above a burning rubbish bin, another where Fitzhugh thinks he's firing a gun with blank bullets at Egor only to find out, thanks to Dan, that the bullets are real. Steve manages to push the gun so that it only grazes Egor's arm, but Egor gets wind of Manfred's plot to get rid of him. Manfred never intended to let Egor star in the film, and also never intends to let the Little People go. Manfred has Egor locked in a closet for the rest of the film shoot. Steve, Mark and Fitzhugh refuse to go on, but Manfred tells them to take a look at the next scene. It turns out to be Valerie suspended over a burning ash pit, with a candle burning through her rope, Steve manages to get to the rope, then with Marks help they get Valerie to safety. Dan had already found that the phone was disconnected, so calling for help was out of the question, now he and Barry wait for an opportunity to help their friends.

Now read on..............

Manfred was ecstatic, his face split by a huge grin, his cigar still firmly wedged into the corner of him mouth.

" Bravo, bravo, beautiful...take a rest my sweet little actors, you've earned it," gushed Manfred, clapping his hands enthusiastically. He turned to his assistant Quigg and waved him over, addressing the whole film crew.

" I think that's it for the day boys...I don't want to overtire my actors, wrap it up and lets go home." said Manfred, patting Quigg on the shoulder.

" Me too Mr. Manfred ?" asked Quigg, hopefully.

" You too Quigg, but be back early in the morning...the first shot we're doing is the one with the Little People walking through the gorilla cage." said Manfred, taking his cigar out and waving his arms around expansively. Quigg smiled broadly and turned to clap his hands, getting the film crews attention.

" Alright boys, lets go home."

Manfred leaned on the dolls house set, watching as his select crew switched off their lights and equipment, unplugging the cords and walked away, closing the warehouse door, plunging the room into gloom and deep shadows.

Mark, supporting Valerie, walked into the room below, followed by a shaken Fitzhugh. Steve walked beside him, rubbing his sore, rope burned hands. Fitzhugh hurried to stop Valerie, clasping her hand, his face full of remorse.

" I don't imagine I can tell you how sorry I am I called you unkempt, which you weren't. You were a marvellous leading lady," said Fitzhugh, genuine feeling in his voice. Mark looked on impassively as Valerie gave Fitzhugh a smile and tilted her head to acknowledge his apology.

" Thank you Fitzhugh, and I'm sorry I called you a ham....even if you are one."

Fitzhugh dropped her hand as if it burned him, his eyebrows climbing to the sky in affront. Mark only smiled and turned to speak, but before he could Manfred made his presence known.

" And I'm sorry Little Friends, but its time to lock you up 'till morning, but don't worry, I've got a nice warm cage, full of good things to eat," Manfred beamed down at his captives, reaching one hand in to usher them towards the archway. Steve had snatched up the other sword, Mark still holding his, and together the two men slashed at Manfred's hand, making him quickly withdraw his hand, sucking on the fingers cut by the swords.

" Now you shouldn't have done that," he snarled, reaching back into the room and swiping at Mark and Steve, knocking them over. Valerie cried out as Manfred's hand closed around her, lifting her out of the set. Fitzhugh put out a hand as if to stop him, but instead went to help Mark and Steve get to their feet, all three watching as Manfred held Valerie in his hand.

" If you want to see your little friend alive, I suggest you co-operate gentlemen, one squeeze of my fingers and the little lady is no more,"

" Don't hurt her," shouted Mark, dropping his sword.

" We'll do what you say, just don't close your hand Manfred," shouted Steve, also dropping his sword and holding his hands out in surrender.

Manfred smiled, enjoying the feeling of power over the tiny creatures.

" I have a cage set up just beyond the archway, get yourselves over there and I'll release her, now move,"

Steve and Mark bundled Fitzhugh through the archway, finding a large wooden box with wire mesh inserts waiting next to the dressing room.

" You and Fitzhugh get into the box, now " Manfred instructed Steve, a satisfied grin creasing his face as he watched the two men reluctantly climb into the box. Then he lowered his hand towards where Mark stood, and for the second time that day Valerie was dropped into his waiting arms, only this time she was unconscious, having been smothered by Manfred's fingers.

" Now, you get in the box Mark, I'm sure Valerie will be fine....you'll find all you need inside, but don't try and escape, you wouldn't want Baby to get a hold of you...she's not the pussycat she once was," he said, watching as Mark carried his limp burden into the cage to be surrounded by Steve and Fitzhugh. Manfred just laughed and reached down to lock the box. Then he turned and left, secure in the knowledge he had the Little People right where he wanted them.

Manfred approached Baby's cage, another stick in his hand and mercilessly poked at the snarling animal until she again grabbed the stick and broke it into pieces, then he went over to the closet containing the recalcitrant Egor and knocked on the door.

" You okay in there Egor ?"

" Let me out, Manfred, you can't keep me here all night,"

" Oh I won't, just long enough to remind you who's paying your wages,"

Dan and Barry, watching from the corner could only look on helplessly as Manfred made his way into the office and shut the door. Pulling out his radio Dan called Steve.

" Steve, come in please...what's happening up there,"

" Dan, we're all okay, Valerie just passed out from being clasped a little too tightly, she's okay now. We're locked in a box cage, can you get up here, is there a cable you can use ?"

" Yeah, a power cable is hanging right by the table, it must feed the lights in the doll house set, Barry and I'll be right up, Dan out."

Dan hurriedly packed the radio away. Then, together with Barry, raced over the cluttered floor, jumping over cables and dodging around camera stands. Reaching the cable, Dan started up, followed by Barry. They reached the edge of the table and had to work their way round until they reached the balcony leading off the main room. Dan climbed over the railing, helping Barry, then they ran across the room and through the arch, reaching the cage.

" Steve,"

" Dan, I'm glad to see you, lets see if we can undo this catch, Barry, go to the edge of the set and keep an eye out for Manfred, we don't want you guys caught as well," said Steve, coming up to the wire.

" Okay Captain," said Barry, turning to run back they way they'd come.

Dan walked around to the front of the box and surveyed the catch. Unlike other box cages, this one had a tiny combination padlock.

" I don't think I can unlock this Steve, and I don't have a hacksaw on me," said Dan in frustration, throwing the hatchet down.

" If only Fitzhugh was on the other side, he'd have it open in a second," quipped Steve, trying to lighten their situation. Inside the box Fitzhugh got to his feet and came over.

" Without someway of being able to hear the tumblers, I can't do much, sorry," said Fitzhugh, giving both men an apologetic glance.

" That's okay Fitz, next time, we'll leave you at the ship, just in case," said Steve, Fitzhugh shot him a look, not quite sure if Steve was being sarcastic or not.

Mark, an arm around her for support, came forward with Valerie. Dan looked at her pale face, then at Marks grim expression.

" Are you okay Val ?" Dan asked, his obvious concern for her welfare raising a wan smile.

" Just a bit bruised and shaken, nothing serious," she replied, " It's been that kind of day,"

" Well if what I heard is true, Manfred has similar plans for you tomorrow," Dan informed them, noting the looks of dismay.

" What did you hear ?" asked Steve.

" Apparently they plan on having you all walk through the gorilla's cage for the first scene," Dan told them. Valerie gasped, her face going so white Dan was sure she was going to faint, only Marks arm keeping her upright.

" Oh no, not Baby....please, I can't," whispered Valerie, looking around at the men in dismay.

" We won't, don't worry, we'll get out of here before that happens," said Mark, trying to allay her fears.

" Mark I think...." Steve started only to be interrupted by Barry running up and telling them that Manfred was leaving his office.

" Dan, hide...quick," hissed Steve. Dan grabbed Barry and ran to the rear of the cage, ducking down behind the dressing room box. The other's gathered at the front of the cage, trying to see where Manfred was, not able to see much beyond the edge of the set.

Manfred walked out of his office, intending to get something to eat, then halfway across to the door he appeared to change his mind, coming over to the miniature set to check up on his 'actors'. He leaned over the wall, peering into the box at the pale faces looking up at him.

" So, how are you settling in, all okay ?" he asked.

" Lets us go, Manfred, it's illegal to keep us here, you won't be able to release the film, if you do the authorities will know you have us captive," shouted Steve, trying to reason their way out. Manfred only threw back his head and laughed.

" You don't think I'm intending to release this for general exhibition, Oh no. This film is only for a select audience, a very wealthy select audience happy to pay for novelty...and they don't come more novel than genuine alien invaders," Manfred explained, chuckling at Steve's naivety. As he turned to go he caught sight of something on the floor in front of the cage. It was Dan's hatchet, dropped earlier and forgotten.

" What's this ?" exclaimed Manfred, reaching down to pick up the tiny artefact. Mark and Steve watched in horror as Manfred inspected the weapon, realisation dawning on the Giants face as the implications of the hatchet made themselves plain.

" Sooooo there are more of you around, of course. Well I can't leave you here to be rescued, now can I, you'd better come with me." Manfred reached down and lifted the cage from the set with frightening ease, swinging the box up and over, causing the occupants to be thrown around like marbles in a jar. He then marched over to the roller door, putting the box briefly on the ground as he pushed and heaved the door open enough to walk through. Baby's cage was near the door and she hooted and screamed at Manfred, reaching a long hairy arm out to snag him. Manfred jumped nimbly out of reach and snatched up the box, jolting his passengers unmercifully.

" Oh no you don't you damn ugly gorilla, these are my toys, not yours,"

Dan and Barry ran out of their hiding place in time to see Manfred disappear from sight, carrying their friends to who knew where. Dan kicked at the balcony railing, frustration boiling over, angry at his own stupidity in leaving the hatchet for Manfred to find. Barry watched as Dan silently berated himself, at a loss as to how he could help the others now.

" Dan ?" Barry queried. Dan snapped out of his funk and looked over at the boy.

" Yeah, Barry,"

" What do we do now ?"

" We know they'll be back here in the morning, I can only think of finding somewhere to hide and wait 'till then," said Dan, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

" What about the dressing room, that's where they'll be put, won't it ?" Barry persisted. Dan looked at him and started to laugh. Draping his arm around Barry's shoulder, Dan started to lead them back into the dolls house set.

" I'm glad someone's got some brains, come on, I'm sure Steve mentioned some food, let's go get comfortable," ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the box cage, the reluctant 'actors' were getting a rough ride as Manfred strode across the lot to a trailer home parked against the back wall. Fitzhugh was clinging to one of the mesh inserts, moaning when a particularly violent jolt strained his arms. Steve was braced in a corner, arms and legs splayed to avoid being thrown about. Mark had Valerie pinned to the opposite mesh window, his arms braced either side of her to provide a 'soft' cage, keeping her from being thrown around like a doll, Valerie clung to his jacket, both hands gripping the material until her knuckles turned white. Mark and Steve were both trying to keep track of where Manfred took them so they could update Dan when they got a chance. Seeing the trailer home appear squashed their hope that escape would be a simple matter. It was looking as if they would have to wait until the next day before attempting an escape, possibly during whatever elaborate scene's Manfred had in mind for them. Steve was trying to sort through their limited options when Manfred put the box down briefly to unlock the trailer home, picking them up for one last jolting ride, ending when Manfred placed the box on a fold-out table top. Pushing the box to the back of the table he stepped back to survey its contents.

" Hope you enjoyed the ride, I've decided to keep you close, so welcome to my home sweet home," he extolled, waving his arm around to encompass the dingy interior.

Valerie, released from Marks embrace, looked around the gloomy trailer in disgust, the musty smell enough to make her sneeze.

" I've seen some dumps in my time, but this beats them all, haven't you ever heard of a duster ?" said Valerie, letting go another sneeze.

" Fussy, aren't we, well its good enough, make yourselves at home, this is it for the night. I'm off to get something to eat," with that parting shot, Manfred manoeuvred himself out through the narrow door, the click of the lock loud in the sudden silence. Valerie turned back to face the men, rubbing her arms in an attempt to dispel the sudden chill that ran down her back.

" What now, can Dan help us in here ?" she asked, looking at Steve.

He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

" The locks too secure, Dan couldn't break it, even if he could reach us, which I doubt,"

" Oh why did I agree to do this," moaned Fitzhugh, sinking to the floor, " How can he treat us like this, we're his stars,"

" His pets, more like," spat Mark, running a hand through his hair in an effort to marshal his thoughts. " If we don't get out of here, Manfred will have us jumping through flaming hoops tomorrow, Baby will be the least of our problems."

" We can't do anything right now, so lets just calm down and see what we do have, Fitzhugh move yourself, lets see what you're sitting on," said Steve pragmatically. Fitzhugh heaved himself up, looking at the pile of material that had cushioned him against the wooden floor. It turned out to be several squares of soft felt-like blankets. On the back wall were two boxes, like feed trays, one with more of the bread squares and meat slices that had been left in the dressing room. The other had a thimble of water, half empty after the violent jolting, but still holding enough to give everyone a long drink. Handing out the blankets, Steve settled down to eat something, trying out various scenarios in his head as he chewed. It was still light outside, although hard to tell through the dusty, faded net curtains. Their watches told them it was early evening, still a long night to get through yet. Steve had contacted Dan, filling him in on their plight, glad to hear Dan and Barry were enjoying the hospitality of the dressing room. It was agreed that there was no point in Dan following them to the trailer, Steve suggested they might try to free Egor, how was up to Dan, but maybe the old actor might be willing to help the Little People if they freed him. Dan suggested that maybe the gunpowder from the gun shells could be used to blow the lock. Steve discussed the idea with Mark and they agreed that Dan should at least try it. They would have to take the chance that Egor would genuinely want to help the Little People, and not hand over Dan and Barry as well. Given that Egor had been locked up while trying to help them gave them even odds on being right about the mans character. Dan also suggested that Egor not try to free them right away, given that Manfred would be on the look out for someone to try something that night, but rather that Egor could make up with Manfred and maybe be in a position to help them escape later on. It was all a game of if and buts but that was all they had to play with, it all hinged on Egor's answer to Dan's proposition.

For now, all they could do was wait.

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