16/1/2002 Title: City Of Light Chapter: 4 Author: Squeezynz@free.net.nz Universe: Land of the Giants Spoilers: None Rating: PG, Adventure Feedback: ooooh live for the stuff. Archive: Sure, just let me know Disclaimer: All IA's, just having a blast...promise not to hurt them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Neeson turned from his computer terminal to see the robots coming through the concealed flap, carrying their comatose cargo over to where their controller waited. They deposited the limp bundles in front of Neeson, backing away as the Giant reached down and picked the tiny men up, carrying them over to the table, where the two women lay, still out cold. Neeson went back and bent down to collect the tiny back-packs, rope and weapons, putting them into the drawer where he'd placed the women's loose gear earlier. Then he went back to his computer, continuing to type in his notes covering the entire episode so far. He glanced briefly out the window next to his console, marvelling anew at how beautiful his city looked at night, a city of bright, luminescent buildings and soft colours. Neeson never got tired of his creation, he remembered how it had looked, not so long ago, with its people using and living inside the dome. Neeson blinked, the vision fading as the empty streets mocked his fantasy. He pushed aside his maudlin contemplation, getting up and checking on his new charges. He expected them to be coming round in the next hour or two. Neeson decided to give himself some downtime, there was nothing to be gained by standing over the Little People, they would awaken when they were good and ready. He left the room, shutting the door behind him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Valerie came back to consciousness slowly. Her first awareness was of the cloth under her cheek. She rubbed it lazily, wondering if it was time to get up yet. She could hear someone breathing behind her and it only took her a second to realise it wasn't Mark. Suddenly her memory kicked in...a noise...robots..Betty !!! Valerie's eye's snapped open and she rolled onto her side, pushing up with her elbow. She hung her head for a minute, letting the feeling of nausea subside, then she sat up, pushing the hair off her face. She saw, with surprise, the recumbent forms of the men lying a little way from her. They seemed to be asleep, the rise and fall of their chests affirming that they still lived. Behind her she heard Betty groan as she became aware of her surroundings. Valerie knew how she felt, she could still hear an echo of the sound that caused her to black out, but it was fading. Valerie turned and regarded her companion. Betty was holding her hands over her face, blotting out the light, as she groaned quietly. Valerie crawled over on hands and knees to sit next to her, touching her softly on the arm. " Betty, its me...are you okay ?" " Urrrrnh....I think so...is there a bucket nearby, I think I'm going to be sick " " No buckets....it'll pass, come on, sit up....the guys are here too." Betty took her hands away and looked over to where the men were sprawled. " Are they okay ?" Betty asked. " Well they're still breathing, I haven't had the strength to go check on them, give me a minute." Betty heaved herself upright, resting her head on her raised knees, willing the room to stop spinning. " Really Val...I think I need a bucket." " Then you'll have to crawl to the edge of the table we're on, there's nothing here to use." " Oh god...." Valerie gave her friend a sympathetic glance, then turned her attention to the men. She stayed on her hands and knees and crawled over to where Mark lay. He appeared to be asleep, but shaking him didn't wake him up, so Valerie left him and tried both Steve and Dan with the same result. Exhausted, she crawled back to Mark and used him for a pillow to rest her head on, wrapping her arms about him and hoping she'd feel better soon. She must have dozed, because the next thing she knew Marks hand was idly stroking her hair. Valerie raised her head to meet Marks bemused gaze. " Welcome back.....how are you feeling ?" Valerie asked. " Not the best, I just woke up....are you and Betty okay ?" " Yeah, but Betty was feeling pretty sick..." Valerie raised her head to see Betty curled up on her side, a little way behind them. " She's just over there, Steve and Dan are here too." " I noticed, have you seen any sign of our captor ?" " No...nor the robots...was that what captured you ?" Valerie asked. " We were looking for you and Betty, we heard someone on a speaker, then the robot zapped us with a sound " Mark frowned as he put his hand to his head, as if hearing the sound again. " That's what happened to us....a sound...then blackness." Valerie pushed her self upright to give Mark room to sit up. Mark got to his knees, looking over at Steve and Dan, who were also starting to come round. Dan groaned loudly and rolled onto his side. Steve was pushing himself up, looking round to find the others. " We're all here Steve." Mark informed him, getting to his feet and giving Valerie a hand up. She walked slowly over to where Betty was stirring, kneeling down to help Betty to sit up. Steve, looking ill, gazed around the table top, taking in its bare surface and lack of any obvious means of escape. " Any idea who or what has us ?" Steve asked, getting unsteadily to his feet. Dan still sat, his head in his hand, groaning. Betty was attempting to stand with Valerie's help, then together the two women came over to where Mark and Steve stood, surveying their surroundings. Betty went and crouched next to Dan, commiserating on the lousy wake up. " Mark, check the other side of this table top, we need to know if there's anyway or anything we can use to get down." Mark nodded and took off to carry out Steve's order. Steve turned and made his way to the other side, peering over the edge and gauging the distance to the floor. The view wasn't promising. They didn't have their packs, so no rope, and the table had nothing on it to use, no cables or drawers. The drop to the floor was impossible, so, as far Steve could see, there was no way to avoid meeting whoever was responsible for bringing them there. He made his way back to the others, seeing the same result in Mark's expression as he joined the group. Steve sat next to Dan, peering into his friends face, trying to see how things were with him. " Dan ?" " I'm getting there Steve, just fighting to keep my lunch down." " Take it easy, whatever they used, seems to have had a similar effect on all of us." Betty was walking around, feeling the strength return to her limbs as her head cleared. She took deep breaths, feeling the nausea abate. She looked over the room, seeing past the computer console to the view beyond the windows. " It truly is a city of lights, look at that...it looks alive." She said, pointing to the small dots moving through the air, and travelling down the many wide roads. " The maintenance robots, I'm guessing, hard to tell from this distance, but I don't see anything big enough to carry a Giant." Mark observed, coming to stand next to Betty and take in the view outside. As they watched, a robot flew close to the window, its lights flashing a complex sequence as it hovered, then it flew off, joining a cloud of lights around one of the taller towers. " Any idea what could be their source of power ?" asked Steve. " I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION.....It's an anti-gravitational-flux" Everyone jumped as the voice boomed next to them. Betty spun round so fast she almost fell, only Mark putting out a hand stopping her from falling. In front of them stood their host, he appeared to be in his fifties, sporting a full head of silver hair with long sideburns. The rest of his face was clean-shaven. His eye's, a mossy green, crinkled as he gave them a wide grin. He moved closer to the table, seeing the men gather together, forming a defensive line, the women standing close behind them. Neeson pulled up his chair and sat down, bringing himself close to the table and on a level that allowed him to converse without shouting down at them. " Welcome to my City of Light....I'm very pleased to have you here." Neeson grinned to see the men shoot looks between them, unsure of his attitude. " Why have you brought us here....what do you want with us ?" asked the man in red. " First let me introduce myself, I am called Neeson, I helped design and build my City. What are you all called ?" Steve exchanged another look with the other members of the group before speaking. " I'm Captain Steve Burton, this is my co-pilot Dan Erikson " Steve indicated Dan, who nodded. " The other man is Mark Wilson, behind us are Betty Hamilton and Valerie Scott." Steve completed the introductions. " Pleased to meet you all....I've heard alot about you Little People, it's nice to finally meet you in person. Are you really as fierce as you're made out to be ?" Neeson rested his arms on the table, smiling broadly. " Whatever you've heard is probably grossly exaggerated, how could we be of any danger to your race. Just look at us " Steve spread his hands, to show his sincerity. Neeson nodded, he had already reached the same conclusion, but he decided to persist with this line of questioning. " You must have done something to get the population on this planet so riled up, you're often referred to as Enemy Aliens, a danger and a threat to our safety, that you spread disease and have fantastic weapons of destruction." " We aren't a threat to anyone, big or small, we crashed on your planet by accident. We have had to defend ourselves on occasion but we never wanted to be here. Given a chance we'd leave here in a second." Steve said, pleading their cause and trying to read the Giants mood. Neeson looked friendly, but looks too often were misleading. " I believe you, Captain, you plead your cause very eloquently." " What do you intend to do with us ?" Mark asked. Neeson appeared to think about Marks question before answering. " Well, I wasn't exactly prepared for your arrival, but now your here I'd like you to consider a proposal." " What did you have in mind ?" asked Steve. " I've read that your technology if far in advance of our own, I would like to learn more about you, find out if the reports are true. For my part I would be happy to help you, anyway I can. Is there anything you need, that I might be able to supply ?" Neeson looked down at the tiny people, as they exchanged looks, holding a silent conversation. Finally the one called Steve took a step forward. " There are things we need, to get home. We saw your observatory, that's what drew us here. We need star charts, and any information you have on the space anomaly that brought us here." " I have all that here, on computer. I have been studying the stars since my youth, I must have the most comprehensive library on the planet." Neeson beamed with pride, sitting back and folding his arms over his chest. He saw the one called Mark shoot a look of triumph at the Captain, giving Neeson an opening. " I would be happy to share that knowledge with you in exchange for an opportunity to study your selves and your ship." Neeson saw the Captain give a start and he realised he'd said more than he should have. " What do you know about our ship ?" Steve queried, giving Neeson a narrow look. " Why, only that it's already here in the city, I despatched my robot collectors as soon as you approached the domes outer wall. I've had you on camera ever since you arrived. Your ship, and your people arrived some time ago." Neeson smugly smiled at the astonished expressions on the Little People's faces. " We can't stay here on this table top, where are you planning on keeping us ?" this question came from one of the women, Neeson saw she was quite pretty, in a doll like way. " I have a secure place for you, the robots are just getting it ready for you now. You and your ship will be quite safe there." Neeson told them. " Are you the only person in this city ?" asked Steve. " Yes.....I am.....but I hope to change that situation shortly." Neeson answered, cryptically. " How ?" asked the one called Mark. " I don't intend to answer that question right now, it's time you were taken to your quarters." Neeson got up, going over to a concealed cupboard and opening it, drawing out a cage, which he carried back to the table. " If you'd be so kind to climb aboard, I'll take you to your other friends, and your ship." Neeson explained. He set the cage on the table top, lifting the catch and opening the door. The Little People looked uncertainly at the cage, the men exchanging wary looks, the women eyeing the cage with suspicion. None of them made a move to get in. " It's the easiest way to transport you, unless you prefer to travel in a pocket, or my hand. I could call a robot and have them take you, but I don't think you'd like the trip, very uncomfortable." Neeson tried to smile reassuringly at them. Steve, Dan and Mark conducted a hurried exchange, ending when Steve turned back to Neeson. " Fine, we'll travel in the cage, Can you use the cloth to line the base so we have something to sit on ?" " Sure, hang on." Neeson picked up the cloth, the Little People moving away from his hand, as he stuffed the handkerchief into the base of the cage. " There you are....okay now ?" " Fine, thank you." Steve gestured for the others to precede him into the cage. When they were all inside, Neeson let the door down, securing the catch. The men and women in the cage watched him warily as he got up, picking up the cage and carrying them out of the room and down a corridor. They travelled for what seemed like hours, down several stair-cases, down endless corridors and passageways. Neeson smiled to himself, maybe things were picking up afterall.