Title: Ghost Town - The Rewrite
Chapter: One
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Ghost Town (duh)
Why: Because I can, and you know you want me too !!
Disclaimer: Never mine, apologies to the original writers, you did a great job, I just wanted to play around a bit. Thanks to I.A, and the actors that continue to inspire me.

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The Story So Far..... Valerie, Fitzhugh, Barry and Chipper are being chased by a vagrant through the woods. Barry becomes separated and runs away, the hobo follows, then Valerie and Fitzhugh hear a loud hum and see Barry caught in an electrical forcefield and fall to the ground. The hobo is also caught and crashes down, dead. Valerie and Fitzhugh run back to the Spindrift and tell the others what happened. Returning to the scene they find that Barry and Chipper have disappeared, together with the strange hum. Steve leads them to where Barry was last seen. Fitzhugh finds the boys knife just as the hum returns. Fitzhugh panics and tries to run but gets zapped by the forcefield and collapses. They all decided to stay put, until morning, then search for Barry.

They are awoken by Valerie shouting to them. Finding her clutching a tree, they discover that all the plant life appears to be Earth scale. Mark finds a signpost for a place called Midbury - Biggest little town in the State, so they think they've somehow landed back on Earth, but Steve is not convinced. They find houses a little further one, complete with a Doctors office and a Community Church, but no sign of any people. They hear a car horn blaring and see a blue pickup coming towards them, along the main street. They try to flag it down but it doesn't stop, almost running them over. They continue to search, for Barry. Fitzhugh runs ahead, shouting, and finds himself caught by a young Giant girl, who picks him up in a phone booth and carries him off to show to her Grandfather. The others split up and search the shops, finding everything dusty and uninhabited. Fitzhugh is released by the Girl, on the instructions of her Grandfather. Fitz runs back to the others, reporting that there are Giants and that the Grandfather had mentioned that Barry was injured and placed in a bar in the town. They all race there and find Barry and Chipper. The Giants arrive, peering through the roof of the building. The Grandfather, Ackman, tells the Little People that the town was built after an airship crash landed, many years ago, killing all its occupants. The Grandfather kept the books and magazines, as well as other artefacts, and used them as models for the town, all built by him by hand, as a hobby. The Giant girl, when the Grandfather leaves, vows to "get" the Little People, as they will be taking her Grandfathers attention away from her......now read on.

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Betty was helping Barry to sit up, the boy recovering quickly now his friends had found him. Steve approached and placed a finger under Barry's chin to lift his face up for scrutiny.

" How are you feeling Barry ?"

" I'm fine, Captain, just a bit shaky, I guess," Barry replied, giving Steve a wan smile. Chipper whined and Barry reached down to pick up the little dog.

Steve smiled at the boy and his dog, then turned to face the others. Fitzhugh was once more wringing his hands, his eyes darting upwards all the time. Mark and Dan were looking at Steve, waiting for his take on their situation. Valerie and Betty were also anxiously awaiting Steve's next move.

" We need to find out more about that forcefield." Steve stated.

" Ackman said it was to keep out small animals, so, given most Giant animals are bigger than us, that forcefield has got to be pretty high," said Dan, Mark nodded in agreement.

" We could try and find the power source, if it's in the town, then we might be able to disable it," suggested Mark.

" Let's find out how the Giants operate it first, then we can come up with a plan. Dan, see what you can find out from watching the Grandfather, you may get a chance to time how long it takes them to switch it on and off. But Dan, look out for his grandaughter, she could be trouble."

" No problem Steve," Dan turned to Fitzhugh," Where did the girl take you when you were Captured, which end of town ?"

" That monstrous child, she wanted to keep me, like a pet," Fitzhugh retorted, indignantly, pointing out the direction for Dan. Dan nodded and turned to go.

" Dan, don't be gone too long, we don't want them to see you and suspect anything," Steve cautioned, giving his friend a wave. Dan lifted his hand and left.

" Okay, while Dan does a recky, why don't we pool our knowledge about this town," said Steve, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the round table. The others quickly followed suit. When everyone was seated Steve continued. " Dan and I covered most of the Main Street and found a hardware store with a few implements but not much, Valerie, you found the dress shop but no clothes, what did you find Mark ?"

" Most of the side streets appear to end in brick walls, or narrow alleys that lead around the back of the buildings, the few I explored were clean, nothing of any real use, just empty boxes and crates," Mark reported.

" I found a Pharmacy, but apart from some bottles in the front window, the shelves inside were empty, the same with the Bakery next door," said Betty.

" The dress shop didn't even have dress dummies or mirrors," said Valerie, looking round the group.

" So apart from what we brought with us, and a few tools from the hardware, what you see is what we have to work with," Steve stated, clasping his hands together.

The others exchanged glances, realising just how dire their situation was. Barry looked around at the adults worried faces.

" What are we going to use for food ?" he asked.

" We can only hope that Ackman wants his "pets" in good health, Barry," Mark replied. As Steve was about to make a comment, Dan shot through the front door, skidding to a halt.

" The pickup's on its way back to us, with something on board," Dan said, breathlessly. Everyone scrambled to the window, they could hear the cars horn tooting continuously, as it made it's way towards them. When it arrived Mark and Steve quickly climbed onto the back and found the battery connection, silencing the horn.

" Thank heavens," breathed Fitzhugh, taking his hands away from his ears. Suddenly his nose started to twitch, scanning the back of the ute, he could see the handle of a cauldron poking above the rail.

" Food !" he exclaimed, pushing past Valerie and Betty to reach the truck. Climbing aboard he rubbed his hands together and tried to lift the pot, finding the handle too hot to hold. " A cloth, or towel, something quickly !" he ordered. Betty went inside and came out carrying a piece of material.

" Will this do ?" she asked, handing it over to the excited man.

" Perfect," then with help from Mark, Fizhugh carried the steaming pot into the building, closely followed by the others. As Steve turned to follow he heard and noise. Looking up he saw Ackman and his grandaughter watching them from across the street, over the top of one of the buildings.

" I hope you enjoy you're meal, my little friends. " said the Giant, then just as silently they both left, leaving Steve standing alone in the street.

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Ackman returned to the gazebo, where his main control panel was blinking. Despite his placid exterior, he was seething with excitement inside. His plans were finally coming to fruition. Using the remote control he briefly switched off the forcefield, just long enough for himself and his grandaughter to exit the town limits. Stepping over the railway track he quickly turned the force field back on, the familiar hum filling the air.

" I want to collect my special supplies, now that the Earth people are finally with us, I need to equip them. Will you be okay here, or would you rather come with me to the house ?"

Lizzie kept her face a bland as possible, not wanting her beloved Grandfather to know the extent of her hatred for the little vermin that inhabited "her" special place. She had known the day would come when the long-awaited Little People would either arrive or be captured and brought to the town. She just didn't want it to be now. With their arrival, all her jealously guarded special attention would be focused on them, not her. She mentally stamped her foot and railed at her Grandfather and his silly dream. Now with them here, he would be even more obsessed with his new toys. Keeping her voice steady she answered.

" Oh I'll be fine here, I still have the train to set up, with one more carriage to assemble, and now our visitors are here, they might like to ride in your special train."

" What a good idea, maybe we could ask them tomorrow, I've been dying to test the track and see how the train runs with a load on,"

" Will you be long ?" asked Lizzie.

" Oh, about an hour or so, keep the forcefield on, we don't want to lose our tiny friends,"

" I will, Grandfather, don't worry, I'll be careful," Lizzie kept her fingers crossed in her skirt, unseen, her face innocent of all mischief. Her doting grand-parent smiled indulgently and left her there, walking the short gravel path to the house hidden behind the trees.

" Oh, I'll be very careful," Lizzie muttered, turning back to look at the town spread out below her.

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" Ackman has a remote control, as well as a main control panel which seems to control the force field, it only took him a couple of seconds to deactivate it, then switch it back on," said Dan, spooning another morsel of the stew into his mouth.

" Did he put the control down, or carry it with him ?" asked Mark.

" He put it down briefly when he loaded the food onto the truck, but otherwise he and the girl carried it back and forth," Dan told them.

They continued the rest of their meal in relative silence, even Chipper quiet as he finished a plate of the stew. Fitzhugh had tested the food on the dog before pronouncing it fit to eat. With all the excitement they had worked up a fair appetite, making substantial inroads into the cauldron. They had found the plates and implements tucked away under the bar, together with tiny glasses. The tap behind the bar worked so they had a water source.

Fitzhugh continued to glance up at the open roof above them, inbetween his mouthfuls of stew.

" We won't be able to stay here tonight, where are we going to sleep ?"Fitzhugh asked, wiping his mouth.

Everyone looked to Steve.

" I was hoping we'd find a way out of here before dark, but in the event we don't we can use the time to check out the other buildings,"

" I was thinking of that hillock we climbed to get into the town, if we could find some tools for digging, we might try a tunnel under the forcefield, I'm sure I saw a cave back there," Mark suggested.

" That will take some time, Mark, even if there is a cave to give us a start, we'll need to check out the hardware store again. In the meantime, when we're finished here, Fitzhugh and the girls can go through the other buildings and act as a distraction if Ackman returns while we're digging." Steve looked pointedly at Fitzhugh, caught attempting to fill his plate for the third time. "Of course, that's if we've finished eating," Fitzhugh looked up sheepishly at the amused expressions around the table.

" I was famished, you can't expect me to work on an empty stomach."

" I wasn't aware you ever did any work," said Valerie quietly, earning herself a hard look from her target.

" I'll have you know, young lady..."

" I'm sorry to interrupt your tete-a-tete, but we need to start on that tunnel. Mark, Dan you come with me, the rest of you start checking out the town. We'll meet back here at sundown. If Ackman or the girl come back, send Barry and Chipper to get us, be careful."

" We will Steve," said Betty, watching the three men leave. Then she started to stack the plates with Barry's help. Barry put some of the plates down on the floor and watched Chipper make short work of the small amount of left-overs.

" Good dog, Chipper, makes my job easier," joked Betty, folding her arms and watching the little dog.

Valerie propped her chin on her hands and sighed.

" It's almost eerie, everything our size and so Earth-like, under different circumstances, I'd almost vote to live here, permanently,"

" I know what you mean, but I don't see Steve or Mark settling down here, do you ?" Betty replied, picking the plates up off the floor.

" I ,for one, am tired of forever living off scraps and sleeping in beds made of twigs," remarked Fitzhugh, coming to sit next to Valerie at the table, " I don't see why we can't settle here, its safe, we would be protected by the forcefield, we would have regular food,"

" We would never have any freedom, Ackman and his grandaughter would come and peer at us like pets or circus freaks," said Valerie, " and who knows who else they'd tell, we would become a side show."

" Plus what would happen if Ackman died or got sick, we would starve or be left to the tender mercies of that Giant menace of a girl," added Betty.

" I suppose you're right," sighed Fitzhugh.

" Let's get going, we need to check as many of these building as possible before our benefactor returns," Valerie ordered, getting to her feet and heading for the door. Barry and Chipper followed, together with Betty, but Fitzhugh lingered in his seat, looking mournfully at the pot on the table.

" Come on Fitzhugh," Valerie called, turning to regard the older man.

" I'm coming, I'm coming, you young people are so impatient," he grumbled, getting to his feet and following the women and the boy out into the street. Looking up they could see the sky above them. The blue of the clear morning had gone, replaced by a deepening gloom as grey clouds gathered overhead.

" I hope it's not going to rain," said Betty, looking up at the clouds.

" These streets would become a bog if it does, lets hope it passes over," replied Valerie, eyeing the dirt street with concern.

" Maybe we'll find an umbrella in one of the shops," suggested Barry making everyone laugh.

" Let's get started, Fitzhugh, take that side road and check those buildings. Barry, you and Chipper take the next road and Betty and I will check the main street again. Remember, we're looking for anything at all we can use, plus somewhere to sleep, so keep your eyes peeled."

The small group split off to their separate assignment, all of them wondering how the men were progressing with their digging.

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" Steve, take a break," Dan called, wiping an arm across his own sweating brow. Mark pulled another bucket of soil away from the hole, emptying it over the small cliff, adding to the growing pile of soil below. Steve appeared at the opening of the cave, his arms and face liberally smeared with dust and sweat.

" How deep are we now ?" asked Dan, coming over to take the shovel from Steve.

" Not far enough, but atleast the soil isn't compacted, its fairly easy to dig,"

" We need to get some timber or planks to shore up what we've done so far or it will all cave in," said Mark, wiping his hands on his already dirty trouser legs.

" Yeah, I know, I think we need to do that soon, plus we're going to need lights as well," said Steve.

" I don't like the look of that sky, Steve, if it rains, all our work could be for nothing," said Dan, looking up at the rapidly darkening clouds overhead. All three men contemplated the sky, Steve looking down finally and surveying their work for the past couple of hours.

" We need to also consider disguising our work here," he waited while Mark and Dan fixed their gaze back on their Captain. " If Ackman or that girl see what we've been doing, all our effort will be for nothing. We need to get rid of this soil and find brush to conceal the opening."

" Somehow I get the feeling we won't be leaving this town today," said Dan, ruefully.

" Hey, do you hear anything ?" asked Mark, suddenly. The three men listened intently, hearing nothing but their own breathing.

" The forcefield.....its switched off !" Steve exclaimed. They all turned and scrambled over and around the hillock, reaching a clearing on the other side, roughly near where they hoped their tunnel would open out. They stood their, expecting the hum to start up, a thin, black, scorch-line on the ground the only indication of where the forcefield would normally be. Mark made to walk over the line, but Steve pulled him back.

" Wait...lets test it first," he picked up a rock and tossed it up and over the scorch line. All of them watched keenly as the rock flew away and rolled gently to a stop.

" It's safe, lets get over while we can," cried Dan, pushing past Steve and stepping onto the line. Before either man could react the air around Dan erupted into bright lines of energy, surrounding Dan with a crackling corona of light. Steve grabbed his friend's t-shirt and pulled back, feeling the snakes of electricity shooting down his fingers and arms. Mark snagged Steve and together they all tumbled backwards, ending up in a heap, the hum of the forcefield mocking them as they lay panting on the ground.

" Dan...Dan are you....are you alright ?" Steve panted, his chest aching from the electric shocks still tingling along his nerves. Mark slowly got to his knees and reached over Steve to where Dan lay unmoving. Feeling for a pulse, Mark grimaced wearily when his fingers felt the faint beat of life in Dan's neck.

" He's still with us, Steve,"

" Help me get him back to town," said Steve, groaning as he raised himself to a sitting position. Mark waited while Steve gathered his strength, then the two men lifted the limp body of Dan between them and started the long walk back to the deserted town. Unseen by either man, Lizzie watched from behind a tree, her hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter threatening to break out. She watched the tiny men walk slowly away until they disappeared from her sight.

" You Little People are such fun to play with, I can't wait for you to discover just what I have planned for you," Lizzie spoke softly after the retreating Little People. Brushing off her knees and picking up the remote control, Lizzie hurried back to the train station and waited for her grandfather to return, already thinking of the next cruel trick to play on the unsuspecting Earthlings.

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