Title: Crossing the Divide
Chapter: 1
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Universe: Land of the Giants
Rating: PG, Adventure
Archive: Sure, just let me know where, please
Feedback: craved and adored
Disclaimer: all hail the creator....IA of course, plus the wonderful actors *we're not worthy*

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Never underestimate the endurance of the human animal. For eight Earth people, and one small dog, the confines of the spaceship, Windsifter, had become their universe. After leaving the rural hamlet and the abandoned farm, they had flown due west for two days, stopping only to recharge or re-supply. The infrequent hamlets had started to become more frequent settlements, and now they were flying over a sizeable township. Steve, nursing his broken arm, was giving most of the flying over to Dan, with the occasional help from Barry and Mark. Both trainees were becoming quite proficient at piloting the craft, giving Steve more time to allow both his physical and mental self to heal. It also allowed Steve more time to devote to his new, favourite preoccupation....Betty. Within the limits of their accommodation, Steve and Betty had managed to give themselves small pockets of time away from the others to strengthen their tenuous bond. Everyone else, with the possible exception of Marna, worked very hard to give them that time and for the most part they made the most of every precious minute.

Mark and Valerie appeared to be in a world of their own, and didn't need the same level of seclusion. Their bond was forged from their shared experiences and deep, binding love for each other. No one else figured in their orbit if they chose to shut themselves away, figuratively speaking.

Now, flying over the townships presented them with a new set of challenges, over and above their normal day to day routines. Steve was all for landing near one of the townships and seeing what was on offer. Almost no-one else, given their recent experiences wanted to go anywhere near any Giant habitation, but Steve pressed for it, pointing out the opportunities for re-supplying critical areas of their stores. Food was being used up at an alarming rate, water was needing constant replenishing and other essentials were becoming urgent. Some could have been found in the forests and parklands, but not the refined items, like replacements for the medical chest and mechanical parts. Mark had been keeping a close eye on the engines and general ships performance, and for the most part the ship was holding it's own. Plus the spare parts from the Spindrift would overcome most emergencies, but their renewable resources for things like the reactor core and batteries were starting to run low. Mark backed Steve on the need to find a town to replenish those items as and when they could. You can't find graphite and radium on the forest floor, no matter how clever you are, and engine coolant and refined oil were definitely not available from your local river system.

So the ships company was split, those who could see the need to use what the Giants could possibly provide, and those that didn't want to be anywhere near where Giants would be.

On one of their more frequent stopovers, this one on the banks of a shallow lake, a meeting was being held to thrash out the problem.

" I don't see the need to put ourselves at risk, we didn't have any problem getting what we needed from around the Spindrift site," expounded Fitzhugh, using his hands to punctuate his remark.

" You seem to have a conveniently short memory, Mr Fitzhugh," said Dan, folding his arms over his chest, " we only just survived the rainy season, without more forays into the city we would have very quickly starved,"

" Alright, I concede you point, but that was before we found the Windsifter, surely this gives us the edge," Fitzhugh continued, "couldn't we find a supermarket, or some sort of super store and fly in then fly out ?"

" Hey, that's not such a silly idea," said Valerie, her face lighting up at the prospect of a shopping expedition, no matter how bizarre.

" You know, Fitzhugh has a point, why dicker around with landing outside the town and then having to tramp into the town, then carrying all the gear and provisions back out again," said Dan, warming to the idea.

" I don't know, the ship is not exactly silent, and even if we did find a department store, or food market, whose to say we will find all of what we want there," hedged Steve, not entirely sold.

" Well why not compromise, land close enough to tramp in, do a recky, then fly in when we locate the building we want," said Mark.

" Does this mean you all like my idea ?" said Fitzhugh, disbelief in his voice.

" Fitzhugh, I think you may have given us a plan that could work," replied Steve, patting Fitzhugh on the shoulder. " I would suggest, though, we find a fair sized town before we do this, as the bigger the town the more noise to cover the ships approach, and the more likelihood of a park placed in the inner city to give us less ground to have to cover."

" I think that's a good idea. If we make our first flight at night, we'll be less likely to draw attention, we can use the night vision scope and radar to plot our landing, if we find a park in the right place," suggested Mark, Steve nodded his agreement.

" Okay, then lets get packed up and back flying, the batteries should have recharged by now and I want to find a place to settle for the night as soon as possible, let's get moving," Steve ordered, glad to see a measure of enthusiasm on everybody's face. For once there had been little dissension and he felt that maybe this time, they would be successful.

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Their mission to find a place to spend the night proved easier than Steve had imagined. They had flown for most of the afternoon, reaching the outskirts of a sizeable town by the early evening. A circular flight of the area had pinpointed the major shopping area's and adjoining parks and reserves. Dan was currently re-flying over a suburban area that had a large, centralised shopping centre almost surrounded by reserves and extensive parkland. They had been flying fairly high, hoping the sound of the engines would be muted enough not to draw attention, so far it seemed to have been successful. The radio had emitted a lot of chatter from the local stations but nothing to indicate the slightest awareness of a visit from the Little People.

" There," Steve pointed, indicating a large dark area of parkland, butting up to one of the shopping-centre's car park.

" The radar is showing no buildings of any size, it should be clear, the vegetation is pretty dense, it'll be a tight squeeze," said Mark, monitoring the radar and infared scope.

" Like threading a needle," quipped Dan, gripping the steering column.

" Just keep the speed down and we'll be able to practically glide in," advised Mark, glancing out the viewport.

" You take care of the radar, I'll take care of the threading," said Dan, glancing at Mark over his shoulder. Mark just grinned back.

" When you guys have finished, can we land this bird." said Steve, giving his co-pilots an exasperated look.

" Sorry Steve," said both men, hiding smiles.

Dan brought the ship in on a long gliding approach, slowing as much as possible without stalling. The dark parkland loomed ahead, the lights from the carpark not reaching very far. There were a few cars parked, but not enough to indicate a huge Giant presence.

The ship reached the first line of trees and Dan threaded his way through, making quick turns as the trees appeared in the ships searchlights. Steve had switched them on at the last second, making sure they wouldn't be observed by chance.

" There's a clearing coming up on the right, Dan, could be a picnic area," Mark reported, keeping his eyes on the radar sweep.

" Any indication of Giants ?" Steve asked, his eye's trying to pierce the dark wood.

" Nothing, all clear," Mark replied, glancing out of the window to check their progress.

Dan circled the clearing, the lights bouncing off the surrounding trees and casting long shadows over the trimmed grassy area. Eventually Steve pointed out a darker area over to one side and Dan eased the ship towards it, the retro jets roaring as the ship slowed even more.

Just behind the edging trees, Dan saw a tiny clearing, surrounded by dense bush. Cutting the engines the Windsifter coasted in and landed among the undergrowth, rolling to a stop. Steve cut the lights and started the shut down sequence. Mark continued to monitor the scope in case their arrival produced a Giant response. By the time Dan and Steve had finished their procedure Mark was able to report no sign of Giant activity within a two mile radius.

" Let's get everyone sorted for the night, a quick meal then an early night, we've got a lot to do tomorrow," Steve ordered, holding his arm close to his chest as he climbed out of the pilots chair and manoeuvred past Mark an Dan.

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" So, Boss man, you're actually going to let the others do all the work tomorrow, that must be the first time you've stepped down from a mission, ever," Betty teased, snuggling into Steve's side as they lay on a pallet to one side of the ships passenger cabin.

" I don't have a choice, this blasted arm is going to make climbing nearly impossible, and it could endanger the group if we got into a tight spot," Steve explained, obviously not happy with the circumstances. Betty had hit the nail on the head, Steve had never been anywhere but at the front of any foray, expedition or rescue attempt since they'd crashed on the planet. It was against everything he believed in to let others take over what he considered his responsibilities. The broken arm had forced him to limit his activities, in regards to climbing and all the associated physical stresses. Mark was going to lead the next days trip, taking himself, Dan and Valerie to the carpark, and ultimately to the shopping centre to find the location of the store that would provide them with what they needed. It was possible they would have to stay overnight at the centre, making Steve itch to be there with them, but he had to bite the bullet and accept his limitations. Plus, as Dan had pointed out, he was needed at the ship in case their landing area was discovered and a quick get-a-way was needed. Admitting defeat Steve agreed to remain with the other half of the group and limit himself to keeping close radio contact with them. Each of the members of the expeditionary force would be taking a radio in case they got split up or anything untoward happened, in which case Steve would co-ordinate whatever rescue attempt was needed from the ship. He still had four other people he could call on if the first foray was placed in jeopardy, it just went against the grain not to be there, in the front line, taking the risks.

" You're going to have to let it go if you plan on getting any sleep tonight," Betty chided, as if she'd heard his internal conversation out loud.

" How do you do that ?" Steve asked, a smile evident in his voice.

" Oh, its a female thing," Betty replied, smugly, making Steve chuckle.

" Oh, that old stand-by, okay, then how do you suggest I take my mind off all these things ?" teased Steve, giving Betty a squeeze.

" I'm sure I can come up with something to pass the time," Betty whispered, bringing her head closer and successfully erasing most of Steve's worries away with one, intense, toe curling kiss.

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" From our aerial survey, you need to cross the carpark to reach the loading bay, it would appear to be your most direct access. There will still be plenty of Giants around, but with the confusion of the loading and unloading of goods you should have a fair chance of slipping inside the building,"

They were gathered outside the front hatch of the Windsifter, listening to Steve's instructions as they geared up for their first visit to the shopping mall. Mark, Valerie and Dan had packed supplies for at least two day, expecting to stay overnight, food and water, plus flashlights, radios and rope. They hadn't taken clothes or bedding, expecting to find whatever they needed inside the complex. They needed to travel as light as possible, so they could move speedily over the open ground of the carpark area. Steve, with Dan's help had drawn a rough map of the layout as seen in the flyover, so, in the predawn gloom, they were as ready as they'd ever be. Mark was dressed in his brown jacket, poloneck and trousers, Dan in his much darned grey flight uniform, and Valerie had cobbled together an outfit that, while not the height of fashion, was easy to wear and practical, a blouse, jacket, tight trousers and boots. Betty and Marna watched the preparations with blankets wrapped around them to ward off the chill, Barry was similarly covered and Fitzhugh had donned his great coat to keep warm. Steve, his arm cast gleaming in the reflected lights of the ship, directed operations, still wishing he was going along.

" We'll radio every two hours, it's best you don't call us unless it's an emergency," said Mark, adjusting the strap of the backpack, " we may be in a tight spot and a radio call could alert the Giants." he explained.

" Fine, but I'll be waiting for the two hourly call," Steve chided, concern in his voice.

" Don't worry Steve, I'll keep them out of mischief," Valerie joked, making even Fitzhugh smile.

" You'd better go, the sun will be rising soon, be careful out there," said Steve. The three turned to leave, giving a wave before finally disappearing from sight. The other's turned to go into the ship, leaving Steve standing watching where Mark and Dan had vanished. Eventually Betty came out and fetched him in, chastising him for staying out and getting cold.

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They jogged for the best part of the next hour, trying to beat the sunrise and make the most of the poor light to hide them. They reached the edge of the forest and struck out, over the concrete lip and onto the asphalt of the carpark. The scattered street lamps, placed to illuminate the parking spaces, cast sickly yellow light over the barren, open ground. Only occasional clumps of vegetation, growing out of the concrete spacers, afforded any cover. Mark had the compass, and after taking a note of the direction, signalled for the other two to follow him. There were still one or two cars parked randomly about, probably belonging to the night staff, but not enough to provide true cover if danger threatened. Their only hope lay in speed and the continued cover of darkness, now rapidly dissipating as the sun rose above the horizon. Mark guided them to a large concrete bollard used to shield a metal trolley park. There they rested, catching their breath and had some breakfast. By now the sun was well over the horizon and starting to heat up. They had to be off the black asphalt before the sun got too high and started to melt the road surface. Plus the added hazard of cars coming to park would mean a huge push to reach the loading bay. Mark took one more heading from the compass and started off. Valerie and Dan followed closely, keeping a watch for any pedestrians or animals about so early in the morning. They fully expected that possibly there would be stray dogs and cats, but hoped they would be more interested in food scraps from the rubbish bins than to actually hunt fresh prey. Their assumption was proved largely correct, with the local feral population looting the large square rubbish bins and completely ignoring the small figures hurrying across the expanse of the carpark.

They had just reached the outskirts of the loading bay when the first truck arrived and started backing into the bays. The noise was incredible, with the backing siren screeching and the engine roaring. It was well nigh impossible to make themselves heard, but Mark used hand signals and they traversed the last hundred metres to the wall and safety without the need for speech. After a quick look round they found a large, square air conditioning vent without any mesh over it. After checking it out as far as the torch would shine, they crawled in and found themselves at a large T-junction, there they decided to rest.

Mark got out his radio and contacted Steve, appraising him of their progress so far.

" We've reached an air-conditioning vent and it seems to lead either back to the loading bay or off to the right, possibly towards the mall itself, either way Dan and I will do a short sortie and see where they both lead then make a decision on which one to follow,"

" Okay Mark, keep in touch, it's all quiet here, no visitors, large or small," said Steve.

" Good, let's hope it stays that way...Mark out,"

Mark re-packed the radio and turned to where Valerie waited patiently for her assignment.

" Valerie, you stay here and provide a base, keep the radio handy. If Dan and I aren't back within the hour, get out of here and make your way back to the Windsifter,"

" You have got to be joking," Valerie exclaimed," I didn't come all this way to be an ornament, I'll go with one of you two,"

" I'll take the landing bay, Valerie can go with you Mark, see what's down the other way, we'll meet back here in an hour, unless you radio me with further information, okay ?" said Dan, pouring oil on potentially troubled water. Mark and Valerie may be an item, but Mark's over-protective attitude was going to get him in hot water with his firebrand of a partner. Valerie didn't have red hair for nothing. Dan preferred to be well clear when Valerie decided to go off....wild horses wouldn't persuade him not to investigate the loading bay. Mark shot daggers at Dan's back as the man turned to start down the dark tunnel. He ground his teeth at Valerie's perceived foolhardiness, but he couldn't fault her courage, so he bit back the retort poised on his lips and instead gave the fulminating woman a dazzling smile. He started to lead the way down the opposite tunnel, leaving Valerie to deflate like a pricked balloon. She had been quite prepared to go toe-to-toe with Mark over his macho attitude but instead he'd nearly knocked her flat with his devastating smile and then ignored her. Worked like a charm every time...dratted man, Valerie thought to herself, smiling at her own foolishness.

Behind them Dan's torch bobbed down the tunnel and eventually disappeared as Dan rounded a corner, then the tunnel was once more plunged into total darkness. Ahead of them stretched a seemingly endless pipe, with no relief in sight. Mark checked that Valerie was close behind then struck out, keeping the pace steady but cautious, watching for any other visitors of the rodent or insect variety that surely used the same highway to travel about the buildings.

They walked for the prescribed hour, then called Dan for a progress report. Dan had reached the end of his leg of the vent fairly quickly, and had spent the remaining time watching the movement of the Giants around the loading bay. In his estimation they had no chance evading capture if they used that route. Mark's radio call came on the dot of the hour and Dan filled him in on the latest. Mark suggested that Dan join them as they had found several useful jumping off points, to reach the upper floors.

Dan arrived to find Mark and Valerie stationed beside another grill, looking out over, what appeared to be, a lift shaft. Just as Dan squatted down to voice his opinion a strong blast of air nearly knocked them all over as the air wave blasted past them, presaging the arrival of the lift. The huge black mass passed very close to the grill and passed in a roar of sound. Dan could see the cables and counter weight rush past with a hissing crash and was glad the grill was between him and the downrush of air that sucked at his clothes.

" I'm hoping that you aren't going to suggest we use the lift shaft, but I have the feeling I'll be hoping in vain," Dan announced, eyeing his companions.

" You'd be right then, we need to get to the upper floors speedily," Mark stated, " if we climb we'll be here for a week, not a couple of days, we need to get to the main floor as soon as possible."

" Don't you think this way is just the tiniest bit dangerous ?"

" Just being here is dangerous, Dan, but Mark is right, we need to get to the upper floors, and this appears to be the speediest transport around," said Valerie, trying to allay Dan's concerns.

" If we make any slips, we'd be sucked into the shaft by the down draft," Dan remonstrated, still not convinced.

" That's why we wait for the lift to be stopped before we venture out, then we attached ourselves to the cable and ride it to the top,"

" That's it, you are crazy," Dan muttered.

" We can use the straps on the packs to make hand grips, then when the cable is close, we latch on and slide down to the elevator's roof. There we can wait for the lift to stop, then climb down and enter the lift itself. This close to the loading dock, it must be a goods lift, it never seems to go very high before returning to the ground floor. I'm guessing that if we can find a way through the roof, we could drop onto the cargo inside and make like a Trojan horse."

" Are you sure this is the only way ?"

" Dan, we checked the tunnel further on, it stretched for miles, the only upward access tunnels went literally straight up, now I'm no spiderman so if you know a way to climb smooth pipe work, I'm open to suggestions."

" Fine, we go with the lift," Dan paused as the transport under discussion blasted them with noise and wind," how do you intend to allow us to avoid getting sucked out the vent when it goes past ?"

" We only partially cut the webbing and use the remainder to anchor ourselves," Mark answered.

" Alright, I'll give this crazy scheme a try, but the next time I come up with a lunatic suggestion, you're not allowed to shut me down, deal ?"

" Deal."

The two men exchanged grins, Valerie content to let them thrash out the logistics.

The next half hour passed in a blur of action, cutting the mesh, attaching the ropes, watching and timing the lift as it made further runs up and down the shaft, making the straps and testing them.

Finally they were as ready as they'd ever be. Mark had them all tied into harnesses and anchored to the mesh. The lift was on it's way down and Valerie felt the hair lift off her face, then get blasted with the advance wave of air, then the lift had passed and they felt the suction pull at them. Then all was relatively quiet as the elevator paused in its descent. The cable dangled tantalisingly close, swaying slightly. They had agreed that Mark would go first, Valerie second and Dan last, to meet altogether on the lift roof before going any further.

Mark, his knife at the ready to sever the rope once he'd made it to the cable, prepared to jump. They could faintly hear voices and the thump of boxes and crates being moved either onto, or off the lift, it was now or never. Mark leaped and reached the cable with ease, wrapping his hands and legs around the twisted wire. A quick flick of his wrist and the tether was cut. Then the elevator started up again and he was carried from Valerie and Dan's view. They had to wait for the lift to make another ascent before Valerie had her chance. Then another descent and Dan hitched a ride as well. A jolting, swaying cable ride later and they had all climbed down to the roof of the car and hung on as the cab swayed and jerked on it's ride back up again. The noise near the lift was incredible and again hand signals had to communicate instead of mouths. Mark found a small access hatchway for the car's light source, and, prising it off, he was able to look past the lightbulb and into the lift car itself. The light only had a mesh covering so they had a clear view. The car was on it's way to the bottom and appeared empty of goods and Giants. There was a hand rail that ran around the inside wall and another round rail at floor level. Mark pointed this out as a likely place for them to hide out, until suitable cargo was loaded for them to hitch a ride on. They decided to wait until the next descent, preferably from the highest floor, to give them the time to lower a rope and descend to the floor. The opportunity arose the next time the elevator was used. They watched as a storeman loaded a trolley onboard with half a dozen boxes. They could just see the control board and saw him punch up the highest number. The lift jolted into life and started to go back up the shaft. Under different circumstances it would have been a fun ride, but they were too keyed up to enjoy the experience. Dan still have grave misgivings but was wise enough to keep them largely to himself. They had already contacted Steve before starting this stunt, and he had given his cautious approval, given their options. It was Mark's play and Dan wasn't about to try and take over, he just wanted to come out of this particular adventure in one piece.

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