Title: Lifelines
Chapter: 2
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Universe: Land of the Giants
Rating: PG, adventure
Archive: let me know where, please
Spoilers: teeny tiny ones, maybe
Feedback: always welcome
Disclaimer: so sue me, I'm having fun...thanks to IA

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The light was fading fast as the three men approached the area Steve had seen from the top of the rocks. The grass was too high to see very far in front and the low light levels made visibility difficult. Steve held up a hand to halt their progress, deciding to try using his other senses to find the vehicle. As they stood there they heard the slow approach of the radio controlled car. Steve pushed ahead, closely followed by Mark and Dan. The engine sound was almost on top of them when a natural clearing appeared in front of them. Steve stayed in the centre, while Mark and Dan took each side, poised to flee at the first sign of danger.

The first thing they saw was the aerial, waggling back and forth as the vehicle bumped over the ruts and potholes. Then the nose poked out of the grass, followed by the wheels and eventually the whole body. The vehicle was moving slowly but steadily towards where Steve was standing. Steve moved out of the vehicles immediate path, coming to walk beside it as it trundled on regardless of its small observers.

Mark had approached from the other side and the three men walked next to the car as it pushed on, the only sound the whirr of its motor and crunch of the tyres as they flattened the grass. Dan looked behind the car, seeing a clear swathe of squashed vegetation leading into the closest stand of trees.

" So how do you plan to stop this thing, Steve ?" Dan shouted, running to catch up with the slow moving toy.

" Mark, can you see anything we can pull out to stop it ?" Steve called.

" I'll get on it and see...catch" Mark tossed the hatchet to Steve, leaping nimbly onto the running board and climbing into the passenger side of the car. The vehicle continued to bump its way towards their camp, oblivious of its passenger or the men walking beside it.

" I think I've found a wire.....here goes nothing." Mark yanked at the exposed wire, provoking a brief shower of sparks and causing the car to slowly grind to a halt, only the aerial still waving in the non-existent breeze. Steve and Dan climbed onboard, Steve taking the drivers seat. Dan clambered over the back, trying to make out anything that would give them some clues to its origin.

For all intents and purposes it resembled a dune buggy, complete with a dual roll cage and off road tyres. It had a low centre of gravity and a short chassis base. The aerial stuck straight up for about 12 feet, clearing the low vegetation easily. There were no badges or stickers to give them a clue, and nothing in the interior to help them either.

" I suppose it could have belonged to a kid camping in the woods." Dan suggested.

" I think he'd notice if his RC toy didn't return while he was playing with it." Mark replied.

" Not if it was turned on by accident and just rolled away on its own." said Steve. He got out and walked around the car, still not seeing anything that posed a threat to them. In fact he was starting to see some possibilities to having a car at their disposal.

" Mark....how difficult would it be to convert this for our use."

" You've gotta be joking."

" No....I want to know if we could convert this toy to manual and use it for ourselves." Steve fixed Mark with a look, daring the older man to laugh. Mark did, laughing out loud and hitting the dashboard with his hand.

" You take the cake, Steve.....what if the toys owner comes looking for it, there's a pretty clear trail for him to follow." Steve followed Marks arm as he pointed behind them.

" I can see that, but what if.....can it be done ?"

Mark wiped the smile off his face, taking Steve seriously.

" I won't know until I check underneath. The batteries must be pretty run down after all this time, but if they are rechargeable we could be in business."

Dan had kept quiet while the other wrangled over the technicalities.

" I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we get back to camp, in case your interested its nearly fully dark. We should radio the Windsifter and let them know we're fine and out of danger." Dan's comments pulled Steve and Mark up short, reminding them about the people worrying back at the ship. Steve pulled his radio out and thumbed the switch.

" Steve to Windsifter, come in Windsifter."

" Windsifter here, what's happening out there...is everyone okay." Valerie's voice sounded worried.

" We're all fine, no injuries. We stopped the car, and we're coming back right away. Can you switch on the landing lights to guide us."

" Sure,Barry just switched them on....how long before you get back at camp."

Steve paused before answering.

" Mark, can you reconnect that wire, we might as well ride this buggy back to camp."

" I can try....." Mark fiddled with the wire, re-threading it on the connector. There was a small spark then the car lurched back to life, carrying on its path through the grass.

" Valerie, we're on our way back now, expect us in about half an hour, if this things doesn't break down. Steve out." He thumbed off the radio, sitting back in his seat as the buggy plowed on.

They could see the lights of the ship outlining the rock formation as they got closer. A steering wheel set in the dashboard actually worked so Steve steered the car around the rocks and into the camp itself.

Valerie and Betty, followed by Fitzhugh, Marna and Barry were waiting for them by the lean-to as the odd transport rolled up to the ship. Mark pulled out the wire and the car gently ground to a halt. Dan jumped down off the back, a silly grin on his face.

" The only way to travel."

" It's fantastic, will we be able to use it ?" asked Betty.

" Mark thinks he might be able to convert it for our use." Steve told them. Fitzhugh clasped his hand together, going forward to walk around their new acquisition. He stroked a hand over the body, caressing the paintwork.

" It's marvellous." Fitzhugh breathed." simply marvellous."

" What about the owner....are we likely to have Giants out looking for this ?" Barry posed the question on everyone's mind.

" We don't think it's likely, we won't know for sure until we check out the forest and see where this came from." answered Steve, climbing out of the drivers seat and carrying the rope and equipment to the workbench in the lean-to.

" Well whatever you decide to do, it can wait 'til the morning. We kept some supper for you so come and eat." Valerie offered. All three men's faces lit up at the mention of food. Now the adrenalin rush had subsided they found they were ravenous. Valerie and Betty fetched the plates and brought them out to the table where Mark and Dan pulled up the stools to sit on. Shortly they were tucking into a hearty meal, the prospect of danger giving them a healthy appetite. Marna and Fitzhugh had gone back into the ship and Barry had finally decided to go to bed, curling up with Chipper in the upper bunk under the lean-to.

Valerie and Betty sat at the table as the men ate, the girls sipping mugs of coffee, keeping the men company as they related what happened out on the plain.

" What about the clear track left by the buggy. Will we be able to cover it up ?" asked Betty, she had seen the trail of bent stalks and worried that it left a clear marker to their camp.

" We'll see how it looks in the morning, I imagine the grass will spring back by itself, but we can follow it back and disguise as much as possible from the forest end." Steve yawned, content that the immediate threat was over.

" That's going to be our biggest problem...the tracks left behind the buggy. If a Giant ever comes this way he'll have to be blind not to see the trail to the camp." Mark wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin, reaching out and taking the mug of coffee offered by Valerie.

" If....and its a big if, we get the buggy working reliably, and if we get the batteries recharged, we could leave the car at the edge of the forest and just use it to get around for long treks." Steve took the mug proffered by Betty, sipping the hot brew gratefully.

" I suggest we leave all this speculation 'til after we have a good nights sleep. We all got woken up early this morning with that hail storm, so why don't we hit the hay and have a fresh start tomorrow." Dan looked around the table at the tired faces.

" That's the best idea I've heard all evening...thanks Dan." Steve clapped his co-pilot on the shoulder and got up, gathering the plates together to take into the galley. Betty followed Steve into the ship, carrying the mugs, Dan wandered off to sort out his own bed, at the back of the lean-to, behind where Barry and Fitzhugh slept.

Valerie came and stood next to Mark, who put his arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. They enjoyed a lingering kiss, only stopping when Steve exited the ship, pulling up short at the sight of the lovers embrace. Valerie blushed, not meeting Steve eyes. Steve just shot them a rueful smile and continued on his way to the lean-to, looking to turn in early. Fitzhugh was on first watch that night.

Mark and Valerie sat together for awhile longer, enjoying the solitude and quiet night after their hectic and noisy start to the day.

" I don't know who was more embarrassed, you or Steve." Mark teased Valerie, who poked him in the ribs to shut him up.

" I'm sorry, it's just taking me awhile to get used to all this." She said, ducking her head and resting it on Marks shoulder as he wrapped his arms tighter round her middle, pressing her to him in a warm hug.

" I know."

" Mark....?"

" Hmmmmm."

" What are we going to do about it."

" It ?"

" Our whole thing, us, whatever we have....you know what I mean."

" I'm getting a picture."

" Well I want to get on with it." Valerie lifted her head, looking Mark in the face, trying to get a feel for his reaction. Mark returned her look, his eye's soft and encouraging.

" Whatever the lady wants of course."

" Mark, don't joke. It's serious. I spoke to Betty and there's nothing we can use as a contraceptive. Nothing in the ships medical supplies at least. If we had access to a pharmacy we might find something." Valerie was trying to keep the topic serious but Mark kept peppering her face with kisses and it was distracting her. He started to nuzzle her neck and she lost all interest in what she had been saying.

" I hear you Valerie, we'll just have to "keep it above the waist" as my father used to say." Mark continued to nibble on Valerie's neck, eliciting soft moans from his willing captive.

Valerie would have been happy to stay there for the rest of the night, cradled in Marks arms, but a few discreet fidgets alerted her to the fact that Mark wasn't exactly comfortable on the hard stool and it would be sensible to continue their 'conversation' somewhere more practical.

" Mark....lets take this inside, its getting cool out here."

" Fine...." Mark continued to nuzzle her kiss swollen lips, pulling another moan from Valerie as she succumbed to his kiss.

Eventually Valerie had to pull away with a jerk, bringing Mark back to earth and the realisation that one of his legs had gone to sleep.

" Um Val....I need you to get up...now."

Valerie wriggled off his lap, making Mark groan as the blood rushed into his leg creating a painful pins and needles sensation.

Valerie giggled at his grimace as he pushed himself upright and reached down to massage his tingling leg.

" I must be getting too old for this." He grumbled. Valerie just reached for his hand and pulled him up, leading him towards the ship and their bedrolls. The light from the cockpit illuminated the corridor as they made their way to the back of the passenger cabin, past the sleeping forms of Betty and Marna.

Not long afterwards they settled down to sleep, pulling over their blankets, snuggling close together, quickly warming each other. Slipping peacefully into slumber, wrapped safely in each others arms.

In the cockpit Fitzhugh smiled to himself. He had seen Mark and Valerie making out like teenagers at the table. He had felt a twinge of envy at their youth and their obvious attraction for each other. Fitzhugh was both overjoyed and dismayed at the prospect that they were becoming a real item, maybe even getting serious. He wasn't insensible to the possibility that if Mark and Valerie started to 'live' together the logical result could be a child, or children. So far as he could tell they had decided not to go that far....yet. But Mark was only human and Valerie was very attractive. Nature would have her way eventually. Fitzhugh just hoped they were back on Earth when Nature took its course. The thought of bringing a child into the nightmare that was their lives didn't bear thinking about. He was pretty sure that Mark and Valerie had reached the same conclusion, they were adults and it didn't take Marks renowned genius IQ to figure it out. All that aside, Fitzhugh was genuinely please that Mark and Valerie had made a go of it. For one thing, it left the way clear for him to pursue the fair Marna, a campaign he was sure he was winning.

Fitzhugh smiled happily to himself as he pictured a fanciful future for himself and Marna. Life was always open to improbable possibilities.