Title: Land of the Lost - the alternative universe ending
Chapter: 2
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Universe: Land of the Giants
Rating: PG, Adventure
Feedback: always appreciated
Archive: if you like, or visit my site at http://landofthegiants-tv.co.uk/Entrance.html
Disclaimer: never mine, all IA's and the original writers, just having fun in the sandbox....

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Valerie and Barry had explored their new home and found it lacking several essential items, food and water being the most important. After the woman had left them, they were not disturbed again until about an hour later, when the richly robed woman appeared and languidly made her way over to them.

" I see you're still in good health, I'm glad, its so tiresome explaining to Titus why his pets are not well,"

" We're not pets," shouted Valerie, " we're people, can't you understand that ?"

" You're trouble, and a nuisance. I don't see why Titus will insist on bringing you Little People here, you always make him so angry and irascible. It makes my head ache,"

" I'm sorry if Titus makes your life difficult, but we didn't ask to come here, we were kidnapped. We would be more than happy to return, if you were to free us ?" said Valerie, trying to appeal to the woman's sympathy.

" Titus would have me executed if I freed you, my place isn't so secure that I would risk his wrath," the woman retorted, turning and seating herself on a spindly chair near the glass enclosure. Realising that she had the Giantess' attention Valerie plunged on.

" We wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardise your position, we only want to go home. Titus has two of our friends still, and we're very worried about them, do you have any news of them ?" Valerie pleaded, coming up to the glass wall. The woman regarded the Valerie as one would a bug, her eye's narrowing slightly as she considered her answer.

" Do these friends of yours matter to you ?"

" Oh yes, one is the Captain of the ship that brought us here, the other man is a brilliant engineer,"

" Is either man the father of your boy ?"

" No, Barry isn't my son,"

" Shame, it could have helped you if he was. Titus and I have only been blessed with one child, and he is totally obsessed with family. He might have looked more kindly on you all if you were related, but that is nothing now,"

" Are Mark and Steve still alive ?" asked Barry, coming over to stand beside Valerie.

" I presume so, he doesn't usually tire of his toys that quickly, I'm sure you'll be seeing them soon,"

Thinking that the woman might leave at any moment, Valerie tried another tack.

" My names Valerie, what's yours ?"

" I am Selena, First Wife of Titus and mother of his first son, Taran,"

" How many wives does Titus have, if it's not a rude question ?" Barry enquired, his voice polite.

" My lord Titus has eighteen wives," said Selena, a note of pride in her voice, " but only one First Wife."

Valerie and Barry exchanged a look, realising how important the woman sitting in front of them really was. If they were to have any chance of influencing their future, this woman's sympathy would be a definite advantage.

" Selena...if I may address you so," a nod confirmed Valerie's request," we haven't had anything to eat or drink since yesterday evening, is it possible you could help us ?"

Selena regarded the two tiny creatures and smiled.

" Even pets need food and water, I will arrange it."

Valerie kept her elation under control as Selena clapped her hands and a servant quickly appeared. After issuing several instructions, Selena waved the slave away and turned back to the occupants of the glass cage.

" Your needs will be attended to by my body slave, Trius. I will see if there is any information about your Captain and your Engineer, so do not fret," Selena informed them, her expression benevolent.

" You said that you'd had other Little People in your care, what happened to them ?" Valerie asked, unable to curb her curiosity.

" They died." Selena told them. Barry glanced at Valerie, seeing the disappointment in her face.

" How ?" Barry asked.

" We didn't know how to care for their injuries, you're such fragile creatures, and their injuries were too severe for our Doctors to heal,"

" Thank you for telling us," said Valerie, quietly.

The moment stretched and Valerie was just about to ask another question when the door to the room opened and the slave, Trius, came in carrying a tray. Setting it down on a table, she carried over a small round container and reached over the glass wall to place it at Valerie and Barry's feet. Looking in they found a miniature glass jug containing water and a platter of food. Their appetite renewed, Barry and Valerie helped themselves to the bread and fruit pieces, taking turns with the water. Selena watched them, having a drink herself, then waved her slave away to stand in the shadows and wait. After watching for a while longer, Selena called over Trius and whispered in the woman's ear. The slave bowed and hurried out of the room. Selena finished her drink and stood up, obviously preparing to leave.

" Selena, thank you for the food, could I ask you one more favour ?"

" Certainly, but if it is for information, I have already asked Trius to find out the state of affairs with Titus."

" Actually, its a bit more basic than that.....um..." Valerie looked around the glass box, the lack of facilities glaringly obvious.

Selena picked up on Valerie's discomfort and smiled serenely.

" When Trius returns with news of your men, ask her for anything, she will aid you. Now I must return to the audience chamber, there is much for me to do as First Wife. I will return later and see how you are doing."

" Thank you," said Barry, raising a hand in farewell.

Selena just smiled and wafted out of the room, her richly embroidered cloak fluttering in her wake.

Trius returned within a few minutes of her mistress leaving, coming over to the glass wall and looking at the tiny captives.

" I have information for you about the men who were captured with you,"

" Please, are they alright ?" asked Valerie, her expression anxious.

" They are both alive, Titus hasn't started his interrogation yet, and only one of them has a control collar on," Trius told them, no emotion in her voice.

" Do you know what Titus means to do with them ?"

" If he runs true, your friends will both go through a series of punishment routines until they learn to obey the collar, then, when they obey, Titus will ask them questions,"

" What happens if they don't co-operate ?" asked Barry.

" Pain" Trius told him.

" Are they likely to be kept here with us ?" Valerie asked, hope evident in her face.

" Once Titus has got what he wants, what's left will be returned here, to provide amusement for the First Wife."

" What do you mean by 'what's left'. What does the collar do ?"

" It robs the wearer of their mind, too many applications will result in death."

" How can you be so calm about this, Trius, you wear a collar too ?"

" My mother was a slave, I was born a slave, I will be a slave for the rest of my life, we are taught the collar from birth." Trius explained, her face still impassive.

" Don't you ever wish you could rip it from your neck, I know I would," Valerie said with conviction, her hand straying to her own neck.

For once, a spark of something lit Trius' eyes, for a brief moment. Then the mask slipped back into place and the serene face returned.

" I am to aid you in anyway you want. What do you need ?"

" Everything....how about a way out of here ?" Valerie quipped, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

" I can't help you with that request, but maybe something more practical ?" said Trius, a small smile creasing the corner of her mouth.

" We need something to sleep on if these are our permanent quarters, plus a bucket or something to wash in, and something for our physical need, which, I might add, are becoming more pressing as we speak," Valerie told her, spreading her hands wide in a rueful gesture.

" I think I understand, I'll return quickly with what you need."

Valerie and Barry watched as Trius jogged out of the room.

" We might have found someone to help us, Barry. Maybe Titus isn't such an absolute ruler after all."

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Titus took Steve back to the control-room and placed the cage once more on the table next to the balloon. Opening the door, Titus leaned back as Steve stepped out and walked over to the balloon's basket.

" Remember, you have little time. Your friends lives are in your hands, don't fail them."

As Steve climbed back into the basket, Titus pressed a button on the control panel. Shortly a guard appeared and was instructed to carry the balloon and its passenger to the launch bay. On the monitor Titus watched the balloon rise up into the air, then after setting the controls Titus sent Steve and the balloon winging their way back to the land across the Sea of Storms.

After checking that everything was performing as expected, Titus got up and left the room, intent on testing the control collar on the remaining man. He hoped that the little man, Mark, would prove as intelligent as his spies said he was, if the reports of what the tiny woman had told his wife were anywhere near the truth.

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Mark had tried everything to free himself from the jig holding him captive. His muscles were protesting at the constant pulling and twisting, and his whole body screamed at him to relax. The control collar weighed on his Adam's-apple and made swallowing uncomfortable. Laying on his back left him feeling completely vulnerable, Mark almost wishing that Titus would return quickly, even if it meant that his interrogation would also begin. Atleast he would be on his feet, not splayed out like a sacrificial lamb. Giving his wrists one more tug, Mark let go a huff of breath, trying to still his over active imagination and concentrate on mentally speeding Steve on his way, and hopefully to success in getting them all released.

Mark heard the door open and craned his neck to see who it was. Titus came into view, accompanied by another drone.

" Let me out of this contraption Titus, it's damn uncomfortable,"

" I see you have lost none of your spirit, good. I am looking forward to training you to the collar."

Mark felt his wrists being released, then his legs, and finally the body clamp was also freed. Pulling himself up awkwardly, Mark rubbed at the red marks that showed where he'd tried to free himself.

" So what now, red hot needles, boiling oil ?" Mark queried, getting to his feet and putting a hand up to feel his latest accessory.

" Nothing so barbaric, I assure you, just a simple question and answer session. How much you suffer is entirely up to you."

" What makes you think I know anything useful, I'm just an ordinary man,"

" But you're an engineer, a brilliant one by all reports," Titus retorted, a wide grin on his face at Mark's obvious surprise.

" Who told you that ?"

" Your female companion, apparently you are indispensable to their survival,"

" Barry and Valerie are still alive ?"

" Of course, my wife is taking good care of them. You will be returned to them in due course."

" What do you want Titus ?"

" I want to know about the machines in the other land, how can they possibly have anything that could hurt us, we are too far away ?"

" They have long range missiles, rockets that can be guided by remote to hit whatever target they like,"

" Have you seen these missiles ?"

" Not in the flesh, but I've seen pictures, and they look similar to the ones we had on Earth,"

" So...you admit to helping the people of that land build rockets to destroy me...infamous !!" said Titus, his fist coming down and banging on the table, causing Mark to stumble as the table shook.

" We didn't help them, they did it all by themselves, we found out about it by accident,"

" But you said you had similar things on your planet....this Earth,"

" We did, we do....I even helped design them in one of my manufacturing plants,"

" Then you can design them for me, I will be Absolute Ruler of this world, you can build these missiles and I will conquer them all,"

" Don't count on me to help you Titus,"

" I command you, or suffer for your foolishness," raged Titus, swinging up and away from the table, flipping switches on the control board behind him.

Immediately a high pitched hum filled the air and Mark felt the collar around his neck vibrate slightly, then his body was racked with shudders of pain as white lightening shot down his veins and crackled along his nerve endings. Titus watched as Mark writhed on the bench top, his fingers grasping the gold collar, his teeth gritted against the all engulfing pain. As quickly as it started the pain stopped, and Mark was left lying on his side, panting and gasping.

Titus moved away from the control panel and stood looking down at the breathless man.

" I think you will feel like talking very soon, in fact, I think you will be begging to tell me everything before too long,"

Mark, his breath only just starting to come under control, only grimaced and glared up at the Giant looming over him, his defiance still white hot.

" Ah well, it always takes a couple of sessions to tame the most unruly of recalcitrants," said Titus, looking at the guard who had winced visibly during the first example. The guard looked pityingly down at the man on the table, remembering his own lessons in the collar. Titus only shrugged and flipped another switch. Immediately Mark started to writhe, but this time his overtaxed brain took over and blacked him out after thirty seconds. Mark's unconscious body sprawled on the table, making Titus cluck his tongue in annoyance at the brief entertainment. The man would be out cold for a period of time, so he might as well be taken to rejoined his companions, until Titus decided it was time for another lesson. Anticipation always made the collar much more effective. Waving the guard over, Titus watched as Mark's body was cradled in the guards hands and carried out of the room. Sighing to himself, Titus checked the time remaining for the Captain's mission, then turned and left the room.

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Steve was checking his watch, trying to gauge how far he had come, if it was worth trying to contact the Spindrift yet. After gnawing his lip for a minute Steve decided to risk the batteries and make that call.

Pulling up the aerial to its maximum extension, Steve depressed the call button and spoke into the microphone, turning himself away from the battering wind.

" Steve calling Spindrift, coming in Dan, can you hear me ?"

The radio spat back static, undeterred Steve tried again.

" Burton to Spindrift, is anyone listening ?"

Very faintly, Steve could hear a voice reply, but the static made it almost unintelligible. Obviously he needed to be closer before trying again. Hunkering down in the basket to minimise the chill from the wind, Steve told himself to be patient.

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" I'm sure it was Steve, but the signal was so faint, I don't think he heard my reply,"

Dan chewed his lip in frustration as Betty told him of the brief radio contact.

" Maybe we should take it as a sign that they're on their way back, and need to get closer," suggested Fitzhugh, squeezing into the cockpit.

" We don't have a choice, if the distance is as great as they told us, then Steve will know he's not close enough. Betty, I'll man the radio for the next two hours, you get some rest," said Dan, smiling at the concerned face of the girl in the captains chair.

" If your sure, you will call me if you make contact, won't you ?"

" Sure, I'll send Fitzhugh to wake you, the minute we hear from Steve and the others, go rest."

" Okay,"

Fitzhugh pressed himself back to allow Betty to pass through the door, then he waited while Dan seated himself in Steve's seat. Swivelling the co-pilots chair, Fitzhugh flopped down and turned to regard the obviously worried man sitting next to him.

" You should be happy, Dan. Steve is on his way back, probably with the others as well."

" I am happy, but I'm worried as well. Who kidnapped them and why are they being returned, if in fact they are. How are they going to find us, or for that matter, how are they going to land safely ?" said Dan, worry drawing his brow down in a crease.

" Why not try calling Steve, maybe he's close enough already ?"

" No, I'll wait for Steve to call me, I don't want to waste his radio's batteries any more than we have to, we'll wait."

Shrugging his shoulders, Fitzhugh turned back to face out the front viewport of the spaceship.

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" He's coming round, pass me that cloth Barry,"

" Is he going to be alright ?"

" I don't know, I hope so. Mark, can you hear me ?"

Coming slowly back to consciousness, Mark lay still for a moment, recognising Valerie and Barry's voices, but not sure why he must have been unconscious for Valerie to sound so worried. The unfamiliar feel of something around his neck jolted his memory and his eye's snapped open as his last conscious thought came back sharply into focus. He found himself being regarded with concern by Valerie and Barry. Behind them he could see a high glass wall.

" Where am I ?"

" They brought you in about half an hour ago, we're in a glass walled box in the apartments of the First Wife, Selena," Valerie told him, helping him to sit up.

Mark looked around, seeing the richly appointed room beyond their prison. Bringing his hand up to feel the collar around his neck, he was surprised to see it tremble slightly, a residual reaction to the shock from the collar. Clenching his fist, Mark made to get up, Valerie and Barry scooting back to give him room to move. Once on his feet, he swayed slightly making Valerie put a hand on his arm to steady him. Giving her a grateful look, Mark turned his head to survey their accommodations.

" Not exactly the Hilton, I'm afraid," said Valerie, as if reading his mind. " Selena's slave brought us what we asked for, so we have food and water and the basics, but don't expect too much."

" Have you seen Titus at all ?"

" Not since we left the room we were all in to start with," said Barry.

" Where is Steve ?" asked Valerie.

" Titus sent him back, over the sea to our land, to bring back evidence of the Giants ability to defend themselves," Mark explained.

" Is there such proof ?" asked Barry.

" Steve seems to think so, in Kobick's safe at Headquarters. He expects to get help from Dan and Fitzhugh, but he's on a tight time schedule. If Steve doesn't get back in time, Titus has some definite plans for us."

" What sort of plans Mark, are we all going to get fitted with collars ?" Valerie asked, eyeing the one round Marks neck with unease.

" Don't worry about it, Val. Steve will get back soon and we'll be out of here. Titus will see he has no reason to keep us, and the photo's Steve will bring will convince him to leave the Giants in the other land alone."

Valerie gave him a sharp look, making Mark feel momentarily guilty for not telling her and Barry the truth. If Steve didn't return, all their lives would be forfeit. Valerie and Barry's would atleast be quick, Mark feared his would be drawn out and quite possibly messy. Keeping the gruesome facts a secret for a little while longer seemed right, no point in needless panic, yet.

Steve would get back in time, he had to. The alternative was unthinkable.

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