Title: Lifelines
Chapter: 6
Author: squeezynz@free.net.nz
Universe: Land of the Giants
Rating: PG Adventure
Archive: just let me know where, please
Spoilers: Marginal for Golden Cage
Feedback: craved and appreciated
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine, all IA's, promise to put them back.

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Steve, Betty and Dan reached the biggest tent, ducking behind a crate left near one of the guy ropes. They had seen one Giant leave the camp, they had assumed it was the assistant Hoge. He had left about fifteen minutes after Steve had spoken to Mark. They hadn't seen the female Giant anywhere. They had heard voices in the big tent after the assistant left, but it had been too muffled to distinguish who was speaking. Dan sprinted over to the edge of the tent, signalling Steve and Betty it was all clear. They all lifted the canvas, Betty crawling under first, Dan and Steve following close behind. They paused, looking for the next place to hide. Betty pointed to a workbench leg, near to where a Giant bent over a microscope. Steve nodded and they ran to it, concealing themselves in the shadows. The Giant hadn't noticed them so they ventured further under the bench and ran along the tent wall, coming up to a solid wooden wall. Steve sidled to the corner of the sheer wall, checking on the Giant. The Professor was now standing at the workbench, leaning over something. Steve waved to the others to join him. Betty and Dan squeezed up next to him, looking over his shoulder to see what was happening.

" I checked round the base of this box, it's big enough to be what Valerie said they were being held in. There's no handholds or windows on the three sides I saw. Anything around the front ?" Dan tried to peer past Steve, but was pushed back when the Professor got off his stool and walked over to the box. Steve and Betty shrank back as the Giant appeared to lift a hinged cover and put something into the box. The Little People listened as the Professor spoke.

" Now don't fret, the gas didn't harm her, and the blood results are all negative. I'll see you Little People later." He shut the box-lid and walked back to the bench.

" He must have had Mark and Valerie on the table." Dan whispered.

" Yeah, I wonder what he meant about the gas ?" Steve whispered back.

" How are we going to help them, if their trapped in this box ?" Betty whispered. Steve and Dan took another look at the front of the box, the surface as smooth and unbroken as the other three sides.

" I don't know, Betty, we'll have to wait until its dark and see if we can get to the top. Maybe we can scale the bench and reach it that way." Steve crouched down, surveying the rest of the tents' equipment.

" Dan, I don't see any camp beds in here, if we're lucky the Giants will be sleeping in another tent, we only have to wait for night to have a clear attempt at a rescue." Steve said, hopefully.

" Lets get behind this box, we can take a rest there until the coast is clear." Suggested Dan. Steve nodded. " Good Idea, let's go." They scuttled to the rear of the box, finding a gap between the tent wall and the wooden prison. They settled themselves, Betty lying down using one of the packs for a pillow. Dan went to one end, while Steve kept watch at the other. Steve checked his watch, they would have several hours to wait before the Giant retired.

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Professor Tan had dropped Mark and Valerie back into their prison without taking them out of the beaker. He just tipped the glass over and let them slide out, landing in a heap on the floor. The wooden ceiling was replaced after the Professor gave his cryptic assurances. Mark got to his feet, holding out his hand to help Valerie. They stood there, feeling exposed and vulnerable. Valerie tried to straighten her tunic, but her hands shook and jerked the material. Mark put an arm around her shoulders and steered her to the table, getting her to sit down, her movements stiff. Valerie appeared to be dazed and turned blank eyes to Mark as he sat next to her.

" I don't think I can stand much more.." Valerie whispered.

" We have to give Steve a chance, he'll get here as soon as he can."

Valerie turned dull eyes to stare at Mark. " I don't want to be taken again, I'm tired of being gassed and drugged." Valerie's voice started to rise." I'M NOT A SPECIMEN, I'M NOT A LAB RAT !!" she shouted, looking up at the ceiling, pushing her chair over as she jumped to her feet, fists clenched. Mark stood and clasped her upper arms, shaking her to get her attention. Valerie's head snapped down, glaring at Mark. " Let go of me... now !" She hissed through clenched teeth. Mark let go in surprise and stepped back from the enraged woman. Valerie turned and ran to the door leading to the bathrooms, slamming it behind her. Mark stood where she had left him, one hand on his hip, running his other hand through his hair, wishing he knew what to do.

Valerie slammed into the lefthand bathroom, tearing at the pins holding her hair in place, unmindful of the pain as her hair caught. She pulled off the tunic while turning the shower control on full. The room quickly filled with steam as Valerie washed away the feeling of contamination. She was mad at the Giants for treating her like an object, mad at herself for losing control and mad at Mark for not being able to stop what was happening. All quite illogical, she realised, but in her present frame of mind she didn't care. She shut off the water with a savage twist, wishing it was the Giants head, then wrapped herself in one of the towels, happy to see her hair was now no longer hanging in ringlets, " more like rat-tails " she snorted.

She still had the presence of mind to wash her underwear while in the shower, having only one set made it a necessity. She wrung it out using one of the dry towels and put it on still damp. Putting the tunic back on was distasteful but preferable to being half naked, not that she was particularly shy, she had worn less at most of the pool parties she had frequented on the Riviera. She just needed as much 'armour' as she could wear. Clothes, however flimsy, provided a much needed barrier. Valerie finger combed her wet hair, leaving it to dry naturally. It had a tendency to curl and fluff out if she didn't comb it ruthlessly.

Feeling a lot more in control, her anger, for the time being, bottled up, Valerie exited the bathroom and headed back to the living room.

Mark was sitting at the table, a pile of books by his elbow. He looked up as she entered.

" Feeling better ?" He asked.

" Much." Valerie came over and sat in the next chair.

They sat there quietly, the only sound being the rustle of pages as Mark flipped through the book.

Valerie cleared her throat.

" I'm sorry about that outburst, I think I was a little overwrought."

Mark smiled at her choice of words.

" You had every reason to be angry, I'm sorry there was nothing I could do to stop the Professor." Mark looked up and caught Valerie's looking at him with over-bright eyes.

" I know there was nothing either of us could have done. I'm just glad I'm wasn't alone." She smiled and leaned over, giving Mark a peck on the cheek.

" We ought to radio Steve and see what's happening outside this box." Mark suggested. Valerie nodded. They got up and went to the bedroom where the radio was hidden. Sitting on the bed Mark extended the aerial and thumbed the on-switch, speaking softly into the speaker.

" Steve are you there..?"

" We're here Mark, just inside the tent, we're at the base of the box."

" Can you see any way into this prison...we haven't found anything on inside, except the roof, which is hinged." said Mark.

" We haven't found anything yet, we're hoping that we'll get a chance when the Giant goes to bed."

" Be extra careful Steve, the Giants are really keen to catch us all."

" We will be. Sit tight, we'll be in touch later. Steve out."

Mark retracted the aerial and tucked it once more under the pillow. Valerie was leaning against the wall, her head bowed, eyes closed. Her eyes flew open when Mark scooped her up and carried her to the other bed, setting her down gently, despite her laughing protest.

" I think its time you rested, you've had quite an ordeal, one way and another. We've got a few hours before Steve can get to us."

" What are you going to do ?" Valerie asked, her eye's fighting to stay open.

" I'm going to take a look at some more of those books, I wouldn't mind taking a couple with me, Charles was a special friend." Mark looked pensive for a moment then turned and left the bedroom, a thoughtful Valerie watching till he passed from sight.

Valerie turned on her side, her hand tucked under her cheek and fell into an exhausted slumber.

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Professor Tan worked late that night. He was joined by his wife for a brief time, both Giants poring over samples and notes until Steve was ready to scream at them to go to bed. Finally they packed up and left, leaving a desk light on to faintly illuminate the tent. Betty had been awake for several hours, allowing Dan to relax his watch and get some much needed rest. Steve had catnapped since speaking to Mark hours ago. He couldn't bring himself to relax entirely. He felt the need to keep alert as much as possible for any chance or opportunity to learn more about the Giants and their plans for Mark and Valerie. So far he'd learned very little, other than the Giants were still expecting to capture all the Earth people, soon. Once the two Giants left the tent Steve waited another hour before feeling safe enough to move away from the shelter of the box and investigate their options. Dan felt their most successful avenue was to climb on top of one of the benches next to the box and try to open the box from there. Steve had his doubts but with no obvious doors or windows it seemed their only choice.

Dan used a power cord to climb onto the workbench. Steve quickly followed leaving Betty to keep watch on the ground. Dan and Steve scouted the bench-top, taking note of the beakers and tubes, slides and specimen boxes amassed against the raised back of the bench.

" They certainly seem to have stocked up." Steve observed caustically.

Dan was standing at the edge, looking down on the box that contained Mark and Valerie. It was very big, even by Giant standards, similar in size to the film set they had been held captive in when they were captured by Igor Krull. Only this had a solid roof and no collapsing balcony. The lid was hinged halfway across the flat roof, allowing the Giant to open the roof from either side, like a picnic basket. They could see that any idea of lifting it was out of the question, it was simply too big. Another option was to use the gas cutter and slice a hole in the back of the box. This would produce a lot of heat and with the wooden construction, smoke would be a problem inside and out. The smell alone could bring the Giants running before they had a chance to escape. Steve was rapidly coming to the conclusion that the only course open to them was to get one of them captured and do something from the inside. If they used the cutter to only lightly score the plywood at the back, they could possibly do a partial cut from the inside. With Mark and Valerie's help they would then knock through the weakened panel. The biggest problem was what would they be able to use in the inside. Mark had indicated that there was little or nothing of use in there.

" What if we only cut a very small hole and pass through the cutter once someone is inside. We should be able to disperse the smoke, and it won't be so noticeable. It might take longer but it should work better." Suggested Dan.

Steve considered the idea, liking its simplicity.

" That might work, we have a couple of hacksaws in the pack, plus the gas cutter, with you and Betty working on the outside and the three of use working on the inside, it could be the answer."

" I guess that means you're going to be the next one captured." Dan stated, his hands on his hips.

" I guess it does...."

Dan looked at his shoes, biting his lip to stop himself arguing the logic of Steve going instead of him.

" Dan, we can't both be captured, we need someone free who can fly the ship." said Steve. Dan shot Steve a hard look. Steve continued.

" If this all comes to nothing, you need to get Betty back to the ship and take off with the others." Steve rested a hand on his friends' shoulder.

Dan opened his mouth to protest. Shutting it again before uttering a sound as he realised the truth of Steve's words. Every rescue was a gamble, this one more so than most.

" I don't like it Steve, but I see the sense of it.." Dan gave Steve another hard look. " You just make sure its not necessary for me to fly out on my own. "

" I don't fancy a life as a test subject anymore than Mark and Valerie." Steve clapped Dan on the back, turning to go back down the power cord.

" We need to co-ordinate with Mark, so I'll make a call and we'll plan our next move." Steve eased himself over the edge and disappeared from Dan's view. Both men reached the bottom without incident, a nervous Betty glad to see them both back.

Steve, Dan and Betty hurried to the rear of the box, concealing themselves once more. Steve pulled out his radio and thumbed it on.

" Steve to Mark, come in Mark."

The radio stayed silent for a beat before Mark's sleep roughened voice replied.

" Mark here, what's up."

" Sorry to wake you, is Valerie with you ?"

" Next bed over, but she's still out...what's the plan ?"

" We can't open the box from the outside. We're going to weaken a panel at the back of the box and then I'm going to get captured and together we'll attack the weakened spot from the inside. " Steve informed him.

" What about tools or equipment, there's nothing here." Mark asked.

" We're also going to cut a small hole, just large enough to pass gear through." Steve explained.

" Why not cut a bigger hole, and get us out ?" said Mark.

" We're afraid the smoke will alert the Giants and get us all caught."

" Fine...okay, we'll be waiting for you. I make my way over to the back bedroom and contact you by tapping on the wall. " Mark stood up and softly padded out of the bedroom, making his way to the room across the corridor. He still held the radio and spoke to Steve as he went.

" You realise you may be subjected to the same tests Valerie and I had." Mark warned him.

" It's a risk, but I don't see any other way. I'll provide a diversion and take the heat off the search for others for awhile." Steve replied.

Mark had reached the back wall of the bedroom and started to tap a steady rhythm. He soon heard a similar tapping coming from the other side.

" I hear you Steve, I'll tap down at floor level for the hole." Mark crouched down and tapped again to indicate where the floor level was. He heard an answering tapping, then silence. The radio suddenly squawked.

" Stand away from the wall Mark, Dan is going to start cutting though."

Mark switched the radio to stand-bye and stood clear of the wall. It took nearly five minutes but eventually a tiny wisp of smoke rose from the wall, gradually building until a glowing light showed clearly. Mark became concerned the smoke would invade the whole complex so he went out of the bedroom and shut the door. Standing outside, he pushed the blanket he'd pulled off the bed against the bottom of the door to trap the smoke.

He couldn't smell anything so the blanket was working fine. He only hoped the Giants wouldn't take the roof off that side before it had time to dissipate back thought the hole Dan was cutting.

" Mark, Steve here....Dan's finished the hole, he and Betty are going to hide in the tent and wait for me to be put in with you."

" Try and avoid being caught by Hoge, he's not nice to people our size." Mark cautioned, remembering his own rough treatment.

" I'll see what I can arrange. I'll leave the radio with Dan and -Betty."

" Okay, we'll see you soon..." Mark thumbed off the switch, tucking the aerial back down. He turned and went back to the bedroom where Valerie slumbered on, oblivious of the plans being hatched for her rescue.

Mark watched her sleep for a few minutes before moving over to the bed and lying down behind her. Spooning up behind her, he draped his arm around her slender waist, pulling her back snugly into his embrace.

Valerie murmured but didn't awake, drawing her knees up, giving Mark more space to curl around her. Listening to her breathing and feeling her warm body curled against his quickly soothed Mark back to sleep.

Steve and Dan talked out their plan as much as they could, Betty putting in her views and comments now and then. It was decided that Steve would attempt to find the tent containing the two scientists, then he would 'accidentally' knock something over or make a sound, enough to alert the Giants to his presence. The rest would follow. Dan and Betty would wait until they had confirmation from Mark that Steve was with them before proceeding with the next part of the rescue. Betty held grave misgivings about Steve's safety but there was no other way.

Steve only took a rope, torch and small knife with him, not wanting anything truly valuable to fall into the Giants hands. They would expect him to have something so the knife was it. He synchronised watches with Dan then, waving his shipmate's goodbye he made off into the night. Dan and Betty settled themselves in for a long wait.

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