Title : Rain
Chapter: 4
Author: Squeezynz@free.net.nz
Universe: Land of the Giants
Rating: PG, Adventure
Archive: Sure, just let me know
Spoilers: hardly
Feedback: ever hopeful
Disclaimer: blah blah blah Irwin Allen blah blah *burp*
sorry !

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The car could be heard revving as it bumped through the potholes and over the weed choked driveway leading to the long abandoned shack. With one last resounding thump the vehicle ground to a halt as if finally admitting defeat against the weeds and ruts.

Mark and Valerie shrank back further into the shadows of the broken chair, hoping that it was a mistake and the Giants would just take a quick look and leave. Now that Mark had seen the map of the area, he was very surprised that the driveway to the shack was even negotiable by car, obviously the hut had been built here to be as far from the city and suburbs as possible. In fact if you wanted to hide from the world this was the place to do it. Of course it could have been a hunting lodge, but Mark didn't think so, given the lack of trophy's and amenities, and its lack of recent visitors. Anyway, all his musings would have to wait for now, the sound of a door slamming on the car broke his reverie and he looked anxiously towards the rotten front door for their first glimpse of the Giant intruders.

Valerie was clinging tightly to Marks hand, and silently praying that the Giants had made a mistake, but she was smart enough to realise that if someone had gone to all the trouble of driving out this far they would want to make the most of their efforts and explore the broken down house. Nevertheless she fervently wished they would just get back in their car and go. She realised that is was more than one Giant when the second car door slammed and the sound of the car boot popping open reached them under the table.

Outside, in the gathering darkness the two men were rummaging around in the boot, gathering together a box of supplies and a bag of as yet unknown items. The first man, Kettick, had been reluctant to participate in his friends current scheme, and was full of doom as to its success; but he was willing to help when the prospect of it all turning to riches for them both became a very real possibility. He hefted the box of groceries and turned towards the house. He hadn't known there were any buildings this deep in the forest and was at first sceptical of the plan working, but he had come to realise that Travin had been planning this for some time, and was doing everything in his power to make sure it all went off smoothly. Travin meanwhile was rubbing his lower back as the last pothole made itself felt, he was starting to feel his years and was glad he had managed to talk Kettick into being a partner. The first part of his plan had been almost too easy to carry out, now it was just a matter of waiting for the reply from the parents to the ransom letter and all the rest would fall into place. One of the reasons Travin had chosen this isolated spot was because it had been long forgotten by everyone, including the local Park Wardens and Police. He had been especially careful to make sure no evidence of their cars' passage through the weeds had been visible once they left the road and started down the overgrown track to the hidden hut. Now all they needed to do was hole up until Travin received a reply at the prearranged rendezvous and the rest was a piece of cake. The only fly in the ointment was the kidnap victim. It was a shame the kid wasn't older, it would have made matters alot easier, as neither men were married or had any experience with children close-up, and the sight of the kids teary eyes and mute appeal for release had been the hardest to overcome. But then Travin only had to think of the money that the kid was going to bring him and Kettick, and he got over the small lapse of sentimentality very quickly. Thinking about the kid reminded Travin that he had better check on the accommodations inside and make them ready, before taking the kid out of the car.

A quiet whimper from the back seat caught Kettick's attention and he leaned in the window and hissed at the child to keep quiet, before he turned back to the house and approached the door. He put down the box and attempted to turn the handle but the lock was rusted and stiff and he had to put all his weight into the turn to open it, even so two thirds of the bottom panel broke away, making the hole that Valerie and Mark had come in considerably larger.

Once Kettick had opened the door, he picked up the box and walked into the front room, looking around for somewhere to put the box, the table being the obvious choice. The box landed with a thump when it hit the table top and both Valerie and Mark ducked as a shower of small debris and dust rained down on them. Mark could only see the Giants legs from about mid thigh down, but the mans well worn workboots and ragged cuffed trousers provided enough information for Mark to surmise this was no family outing. The second Giant entered the hut and dropped a cloth bag onto the floor by the table, then walked over to the bedroom door and attempted to open it. As Mark had guessed, it took all that Giants effort to move the warped frame and get the door open. It protested loudly with a banshee like screech that made Valerie put her hands over her ears, and made Mark grimace in sympathy. Both Giants disappeared from view into the back room, and Mark craned his neck to see and hear as much as possible. One of the Giants was complaining about the state of the bedding and they could hear the other Giant reply that it was enough. Then both Men came through the door.

" Its not exactly a palace, is it" Kettick complained with a whine, " I mean where's the rest of the stuff, there's no sink, no loo, whatcha expect me to do, piss in a bucket ?" Kettick turned to Travin and crossed his arms, waiting for a reply. Travin just went over to the couch and started to pull it away from the window.

" Shut up whingeing and give me a hand. We've got to move this before we can get the boy in here " Travin grunted as he attempted to slide the dilapidated sofa further along the floor. Kettick huffed and went to the other end and tried to grasp the arm of the chair but all he got was a handful of stuffing when the rotted fabric gave way. A cloud of mildewy dust rose up and he started to cough.

" *cough* why do we have *cough* to move this *cough* rotten old couch ?" Kettick had moved away a bit to clear the lingering cloud of dust. Travin merely straightened, and with a long suffering air of someone having to explain the obvious, proceeded to harangue the hapless Kettick.

" And just where were you planning on putting the boy, in the back bedroom ? where he could get out a window ? I don't think so. Under the couch is a trapdoor to the basement. That's why I want to move the couch, of course if you are feeling so strong that you could lift the couch and the trapdoor, go right ahead " Travin was starting to go red in the face and Kettick waved his hands in a placating gesture, afraid Travins' tirade would surely bring on a seizure in his friend. Afterall Travin wasn't getting any younger. Kettick attempted to grasp the sofa arm again and this time he got a good grip and lifted his end easily, Travin lifted the other end and together they shuffle walked the couch further along the wall. Now it was clear that there was something cut into the floor. Like the rest of the house the wood of the trapdoor was warped and twisted, and one edge now lifted above the floor level, clearly showing its location. There were small piles of sofa stuffing scattered all over the floor and Kettick kicked these out of the way before getting a grip on the metal latch that lay flush with the surface of the trapdoor.

Valerie had been listening and watching all this activity with considerable interest.

"Mark, I think they must be kidnappers, what are we going to do ?"

Mark had also been very interested to see the trapdoor revealed, he was wondering what else had been stored under the house, but Valerie's query reminded him of the Giants sinister purpose in coming to their hideout.

"I'm thinking on it " Mark whispered close to Valerie's ear. " I'm going to have to confer with Steve and Dan, but I don't think we can afford to hang around here too long."

Mark didn't like the way things were going, obviously the Giants were planning on staying for the long haul, and the chances of him and Valerie being discovered increased the longer the Giants stayed.

"Mark, we have to do something, maybe we can help whoever they've kidnapped, to escape " Valerie's urgent whisper tickled Marks ear, but he ignored it and addressed a more pressing concern.

"Val we can't do anything for anybody if we're caught, and Steve and Dan are too far away to help us if the worst happens. I have to think of our safety first. That's just the way it is." Valerie gasped and gave Mark a hard look.

"How can you say that, we have to help if we can " Valerie's voice was rising with her agitation and Mark quickly pressed a hand over her mouth to calm her down.

"Shhh Val, we'll stay long enough to see if there is anything we can do, but I'll not jeopardise our safety for a hopeless cause." Valerie's eyes snapped at him over the edge of his hand, but she nodded slightly and Mark removed his hand, laying it on her shoulder.

"I know you want to help, but its already a dangerous situation without complicating matter..let's wait and see, okay ?"

"Okay, we'll wait " Valerie peered out to see what the Giants were doing, she couldn't see them right away so she swivelled her head from left to right.

"Where have they gone ?" Mark looked up quickly at Valerie's query.

"They must have gone down into the basement. I sure would like to see what's down there."

"Well you might get your chance if they decide to sleep in the back bedroom, that would leave this room free for us to move about in." While the Little People had been conferring, the two Giants had managed to get the trapdoor open and now they had descended the wooden steps leading down to the basement floor. Neither Giant had taken torches or lamps with them, and with the onset of night the room had become increasingly gloomy. Not surprisingly a head popped up through the hole in the floor and Kettick quickly climbed out and disappeared outside, again rooting around in the boot of the car for the torches and batteries. Soon Mark saw a beam of light swing towards the house, from his perspective it appeared to be a huge searchlight and he shrank back as far as possible, not because he thought the Giant would be looking under the table any time soon, but just because the light made him feel vulnerable. It so easily could pinpoint them like insects caught on flypaper. He was no coward but even he felt insignificant when faced with the sheer scale of the world they had to survive in.

Kettick didn't pause but went straight to the trapdoor opening and descended once more into the basement. Mark and Valerie could hear their muffled voices as they bumped and shifted whatever was down there. All too soon both Giants came back upstairs and stood next to the table.

"Its pretty dirty down there " Kettick was wiping his hands on his already dirt encrusted trousers. Mark could see cobwebs hanging off his boots.

"That doesn't matter, he won't be there long enough. We should all be out of this dump before it becomes a health hazard." Travin was also liberally covered in cobwebs and he attempted to brush them off as he talked.

"So where are we gonna sleep ? I still don't know where the kitchen is, or the bathroom " Kettick started to fidget from one foot to the other, as if he had something crawling up his leg.

"What is your problem, if you need to go, there's enough trees out there to take care of it " Travin sounded exasperated at his partners' idiocy. He turned around to go back outside but stopped and looked back at Kettick, still standing by the table.

"Come on, you can help me get the kid out of the car, I'll bet he needs to use the little boys room too, you can take him before we get him settled in down below." Travin let loose a nasty laugh at his weak joke, Kettick just scuffed his boots and pushed past him to go outside.

Mark let go the breath he hadn't known he was holding, he felt Valerie relax slightly next to him, she had let go of his hand earlier on, but now she lightly touched his arm to get his attention.

"Mark, they've got a point, I need to do something as well, and we need to sort out what we are going to do tonight....do we stay here, or try for the front door when the Giants go to sleep." Valerie had crouched down while speaking to rifle through her backpack, she brought out the water bottle and they both took a long overdue mouthful.

"I think our best bet is too hold tight here until they sleep, then we'll investigate the trapdoor and see what can be done, in the meantime if you can forego your modesty, that large pile of waste paper in the corner can act as our bathroom for the time being. Its not exactly the best, but it'll have to do. " Mark saw Valerie grimace but she nodded and started off in that direction after handing him the water bottle. By now it was almost full dark, but their eyes had become accustomed to the lack of light and Valerie managed to make her way there and back without a problem.

"Ugh...that was interesting, Mark do you want to get those map pieces while they're outside ?"

"We could try to reach them, but I'd rather wait."

At that point the Giants reappeared, and between them, being held firmly by his upper arms, was the kidnap victim. Valerie gasped when she saw the child. He was only about 8 years old, his face appeared tear streaked and grubby. He was wearing a t-shirt and jumper over lightweight trousers, all of which looked rumpled and dirty. His hands were secured in front of him by what looked like electrical cord, and his mouth was gagged with a rag. He looked terrified and tired. He looked up at his captors then started to take in the room, when he saw where they were taking him, he began to struggle and writhe. Kettick picked him up and tucked him under his arm, then started to carry him down the wooden steps to the basement, with the boy whimpering and groaning behind his gag. Travin stayed near the front door, trying ineffectually to close the opening, being thwarted by the warped wood, and busted lock. After securing the door as best as he could, Travin came over to the table, his torch bobbed over the floor and bounced off the walls, he started to rummage inside the box, finally producing a storm lantern which he lit and left standing on the table. Then he swept the table clear with his arm, sending the remaining pieces of the map to the floor, along with the cans that clattered and crashed noisily before rolling towards the wall that Mark and Valerie were crouched against. The room was now illuminated by the soft glow from the lantern, Travin lit another lamp and hung that from a convenient hook in the ceiling beam. This raised the light level further, clearly illuminating Kettick as he came up through the floor and shut the trapdoor behind him.

"That's that then..." Kettick brushed his hands together, and wandered over to see what Travin was doing.

"What we gonna eat for supper...I don't see a fireplace anywhere, so I guess whatever we have will have to be eaten cold....urrgh"

Travin gave him a pained look but didn't disagree with him. Both Giants now stood by the table and shuffled the contents of the box as Mark and Valerie crouched and tried to protect themselves from the nearly continuous cascade of dust and debris as the Giants knocked against the edge of the table.

Mark and Valerie were helpless to do much more than watch the Giants gather together their provisions and repair to the bedroom. A couple of kitset campbeds solved the mystery of where the two men were going to sleep for the night, and Mark was more than happy to see that the main room was going to be unoccupied for most of the night. With that in mind, both Mark and Valerie made themselves as comfortable as possible and settled down for a quick nap, in preparation for a long night.

Several hours later Mark gently shook Valerie awake. The Giants had pulled the door of the bedroom as close as it would go. They hadn't once glanced under the table, but had ventured down into the basement a couple of times to check on their captive. Only once had Mark felt a moment of real fear. It was when one of the Giants, Kettick he thought, had attempted to sit on the one remaining intact chair. Despite the chair being perfectly able to support the weight of the Little People, it was woefully inadequate when faced with the weight of the Giant. Before Kettick had settled his full bulk on the seat it began to lurch sideways, and he had to jump quickly to the side to avoid an undignified fall to the floor. Travin only laughed and called him a fool. Now both men had retired for the night, taking their lamps with them, plunging the main room into darkness. The storm that had caused Mark and Valerie to take shelter the previous day had well and truly blown itself out and a fitful moon now shone through the dirty windows providing a weak light source. Valerie was fully awake now and looking towards Mark for hint as to their next move. Mark was weighing up their options. He had spoken briefly with the Spindrift, while Valerie had slept, to apprise them of their current situation so he now brought her up to date.

"Steve has offered to start out at first light to help out here, but I've told him to hang back until he hears from either of us. I don't want to put anyone else in danger and more of us right now would only increase our chances of capture." Mark reached down and picked up their backpacks.

"I think your right, do you think its safe to check up on the boy ? I'm really worried about him. He was so upset. If only there was something we could do to help free him." Valerie took her smaller pack and swung it over her shoulder. Mark had taken out the water bottle so it felt alot lighter, and they both carried a rope and grapnel each.

"I think we could certainly take a look, I can hear snores coming from the backroom so our boys are out of the picture for the time being. There's enough light now the moons up so its now or never."

They both double checked their equipment, then set off towards the trapdoor. It took the best part of the hour to make it over there as they had to be extra cautious and use every bit of ground cover, in case one of the Giants decided to wander out. Finally they reached the trapdoor and began their reconnoitre of the area. It didn't take long for them to find a way into the basement. A large knothole had fallen through the decaying wood leaving a neat manhole sized access for them. Mark looked down the hole and could just make out a faint yellow light gleaming in the darkness. They must have left a storm lantern for the boy, this would make Marks job easier as he could clearly see the top step, it was only just within the reach of their longest rope, and the climb down would be arduous, but in all conscience, he couldn't leave this house and not try to help the captive, albeit a seemingly futile gesture.

Valerie kept glancing behind her, checking all the time for any sign that the Giants were stirring. Where they were on the floor was painfully exposed, with literally no where to run and hide. She hoped that Mark was devising a plan because at that precise moment she couldn't think of any way to aid the boy's escape. She turned back to see Mark ramming the hook into the edge of the knothole and dropping the rope into the darkness.

"Do you want to go first this time ?" Mark was torn between allowing Valerie to face whatever peril was at the end of the rope before him, or letting her stay up here alone until it was her turn and maybe facing the Giants. Valerie made the decision for him.

"You go first Mark, we don't know what the conditions on the steps are like, I'll be fine here, I won't be far behind you. " She smiled briefly and gestured for him to proceed. Mark gave her arm a quick squeeze and lowered himself through the hole, quickly disappearing from sight. With Mark gone Valerie felt the room press in on her. With the moonlight shining fitfully through the windows and the sound of the Giants snoring in the background she felt terribly exposed. The sound of Marks voice calling for her to start her climb was sweet music to her ears and she quickly lowered herself through the knot. Any danger would be better than standing up there alone.

Marks anxious face was looking up towards her as she made short work of the descent. He helped her near the bottom of the rope and together they surveyed the stairs in the slight light afforded by the storm lantern below.

It was not an encouraging sight.