 
Curtains of Time

By Wayne Rohrer

Copyright 2014 Wayne Rohrer

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – To Close For Comfort

Chapter 2 – Time On His Hands

Chapter 3 – The Early Years

Chapter 4 – Giselle

Chapter 5 – Marco

Chapter 6 – Universal Star Colony

Chapter 7 – Orientation

Chapter 8 – Crontonis

Chapter 9 – Mr. Everhart

Chapter 10 – R & R

Chapter 11 – Getting Away At Last

Chapter 12 – Twylo

Chapter 13 – Complications

About The Author

Chapter 1 – To Close For Comfort

Gismo and Marco were in trouble. The mission had been a success but Marco was injured and losing blood at an alarming rate. Gismo knew he had to get help fast or Marco wouldn't make it. The blast from the laser gun had nearly severed his right arm. Was this an ambush? Where had all the men with guns come from? This was supposed to be a clean job: get in and get out before anyone knew they were there. This wasn't what Gizmo signed up for. All this cloak and dagger stuff just wasn't who he was. He was more of a techno geek than a James Bond type. He was more the type sitting in a lab designing and creating the technology than the one in the field using it. Why did he let Marco talk him into this assignment anyway? He had made it all sound so easy.

Everything had gone as planned until suddenly gunmen had come charging into the dimly lit warehouse from all directions with guns blazing. Caught by surprise, they hadn't moved fast enough and Marco had been hit. Seconds before, Marco had stopped and seemed transfixed for a moment as though listening to something.

"There're men coming, we're surrounded. We have to get out of here fast," Marco had reached out to grab Gizmo and that's when he had been hit. If he had grabbed Gizmo and pulled him as he intended to do, he would have pulled Gizmo directly into the line of fire.

All the exits were being guarded and now with Marco down the men smelled victory and were closing in. Even in the dim light they would have no trouble following the trail of blood Marco was leaving behind as Gizmo dragged him between two large crates. Gizmo needed another couple of seconds to program leap frog to get them out of there. Hopefully this would buy him the time he needed. As he engaged leap frog, Gizmo looked up to see two of the gunmen raise laser guns in their direction.

Suddenly they were outside the warehouse but Gizmo still had to half carry the semi-conscious Marco the last few feet to Giselle under heavy gun fire. He was yelling orders to Giselle as they approached and climbed onboard. Almost before the doors were shut Giselle was in hyperspace.

"Giselle, engage cloaking and make sure we aren't being tracked, then notify The Colony that we are incoming with wounded," Gizmo said as he turned his attention to Marco.

Marco was in an enormous amount of pain and was losing a lot of blood. The blood loss was the major concern and had to be stopped first. If he couldn't stop the blood loss, the pain wouldn't matter. He pulled out Giselle's first aid kit which wasn't equipped to handle an emergency of this magnitude, so he would have to improvise. He needed a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, but all he could find was a tie down rope. It would have to do. He tied the rope above the severed arm as tight as he could get it. It slowed the flow of blood but didn't stop it. Next he took off his shirt and used it as a bandage to cover the wound. Working as fast as he could, he injected Marco with a strong pain killer which had an immediate effect. Marco stopped his painful restless groaning and closed his eyes as his head rolled to one side.

"Stay with me Marco," Gizmo said. "Don't leave me now. I need you to stay awake. Giselle how soon are we going to be there? Have you requested emergency medical equipment waiting for us when we land?"

"Yes sir, they are standing by. We will be there in 18.3 seconds."

"Did we make a clean get-away? Do we have a tail?"

"None that I can detect," Giselle replied. "We are landing now sir."

The cabin door opened and the emergency medical team swung into action. Gizmo shut down Giselle, and with a big sigh of relief at being home again, he grabbed his pack and stepped down onto the hanger deck. Sula was waiting, and with him was General Brand.

"Welcome back Gizmo," Sula said. "Looks like things didn't go as planned. I know you must be tired and worried about your friend, but rest assured, your friend is in good hands now. I'm confident he will recover fully. But right now, General Brand and I are anxious to hear what happened. As you know, we will also require a full written report from both you and Marco as well. General, can we use your office?"

Gizmo groaned inwardly. Why did they have to do this now?

"The mission was a success sir, I can have the full report on your desk tomorrow morning," he said hoping they would get the hint.

They didn't.

He was lead into the General's office just off the hanger deck.

"What happened?" Sula started when they were all seated.

"That's just it sir, I don't know. All of a sudden we were surrounded with gunmen blocking all the exits. Either it was an ambush or we tripped up a silent alarm that wasn't on our plans. Marco knew they were coming but we still only had seconds before they arrived."

Sula and the General exchanged a glance.

"We'll have to look into that. These kinds of mistakes are not supposed to happen. It appears our people were obviously not as thorough as they should have been," the General said making notes.

"Go on son."

"We were caught off guard. There was laser gun fire everywhere. When they first entered I heard one of the men yell to someone to check the plates to make sure they were okay."

"You did say the mission was a success, right? You had time to change the plates before they came in then?" Sula asked.

Gizmo reached into his bag and handed Sula two bank note printing plates.

"These are their plates sir, we exchanged them with the ones you gave us. We were just getting ready to leave when all hell broke loose."

"You and Marco have served The Colony well Mr. Morrison," General Brand said. "I'm not sure how much detail you were given prior to your mission but you deserve to know the whole story. It seems the Loudon family from the planet Gandos planned to print phony currency which would make them the richest family on the planet. It would also give them ruling power. The last two hundred years under their rule has been very bloody and violent. It also prevented their civilization from advancing and becoming contributing members of the intergalactic community. That's why we sent you back two hundred years to change the plates before they printed their forgeries and replace them with ours. With the plates you switched, the forgeries have small but detectable flaws that will be easily seen by an expert eye, and they will be caught at their own game."

The General sat down at his computer and a few minutes later he looked up from the screen. "Well, apparently it took a while for the forgeries to be detected, but when they were, it wasn't hard to trace it back to the Loudon family. The entire clan was rounded up as well as all the counterfeit currency. The currency was destroyed and the entire family was implicated and spent the remainder of their lives behind bars as was well deserved. There was a footnote in the police report that several members of the family reported seeing two guys, first in the warehouse and then outside the warehouse. First they were there, and then they were gone. The story sounded pretty farfetched, so the local police just dismissed it and never followed up with an investigation. In the hundred years that followed, the citizens of Gandos developed the means to travel between the stars and they now have a seat on the intergalactic assembly. I think that gives us reason to celebrate."

"In a couple of days when Marco is up and around and feeling better, we must arrange an award ceremony for the two of you on a mission well done," Sula said.

§§§

Even though Gizmo was tired to the bone, he wanted to check on his friend Marco. He was not allowed in to see him but was told that Marco was recovering from surgery and would be feeling much better by tomorrow and Gizmo should come back to see him then. Assured Marco would be fine, Gizmo called a transport platform and was soon crawling into bed for a much deserved sleep.

§§§

In the days that followed, while Marco was recovering, Gizmo had some time on his hands to make a few needed changes to Giselle. First on his list of changes was enlarging Giselle's overall size. When he first designed Giselle, Gizmo was by himself and didn't foresee the need for a larger vehicle. Now Giselle felt cramped. He drew up some designs and requested the use of a machinist to help more than double Giselle's size. The new design gave Giselle a sleek classy updated look and a much more comfortable interior. She was now oblong in shape and the cabin had four overstuffed lounging chairs that were capable of rotating and being locked into place when needed.

There were two seats in front, one for the pilot and one for the co-pilot, and there were two addition seats further back with a coffee type table separating them. That table could be raised or lowered as needed. All the seats could be rotated so they could use the coffee table as a table for meals or a conference table, or whatever suited their needs. There was not a galley as such, but there was a small area where meals could be made if needed. It consisted basically of a refrigerator and a microwave. Gizmo didn't see a need for much more than that. There were also windows all around for 360 degree viewing.

Another major change was to Giselle herself. He told her he would have to shut her down for a few days to make some modifications. Giselle wasn't thrilled about the prospect of 'dying' as she called it, but Gizmo promised she would have sweet dreams and when he awakened her she would have much more power and control. He told her she would also have many more enhancements, which should make her happier.

"You've been a lot of things Gizmo, but you've never lied to me," Giselle said. "When are you going to do this?"

"I just finished the design and the technology upgrades this morning so I'm ready to start it now, but I thought I'd start first thing in the morning if that's okay."

"Your wish is my command master," Giselle responded.

§§§

Two days later Gizmo reawakened Giselle.

"So when are you going to start master?" Giselle asked.

"I'm finished," Gizmo said. "Check your systems to make sure they're all functioning properly."

"Checking."

"As you see, I've also added another control module so you will respond to Marco's commands as well. I'm still the pilot, but if something should happen to me, you will need to listen to Marco and do what he says."

"I approve of the changes. A check of my systems show they are all up and functioning properly. There is one other thing though boss."

"What did I miss?" Gizmo asked.

"You lied to me Gizmo. This is the first time you've lied to me. I don't know how much I can trust you anymore."

"I didn't lie to you. What do you mean I lied to you?" Gizmo asked sounding hurt.

"You said when I was asleep I would have sweet dreams. I didn't have any dreams at all. In fact I have no memory of being 'out' at all, but then you knew that didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Gizmo said. "But I did it for your own good. I didn't want to scare you. Would you have felt better if I told you I was going to kill you for two days?"

Giselle was silent for a few moments. "But you still lied to me."

"I promise I'll never do it again. Really. I promise."

Silence.

I should have made an attitude adjustment while I had the chance, Gizmo thought. What he hadn't told Giselle, and had no intention of telling her, was about the 'kill' switch he had installed. He had buried it deep inside some of her other programing and designed it to look like an innocent switch designed for another function. He would carry the 'kill' switch with him at all times and if he felt Giselle was not acting in their best interests, he could regain control with the kill switch.

First though, he would need Giselle to give him driving lessons. Instead of having Giselle do all the navigating, he would need to take a more active part just to make sure he knew how to navigate should the situation ever arise. He would have to be delicate approaching that subject as well. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but if ever something happened to her, he would need to know how to get them back home. That should be a good enough explanation to satisfy her. He would start the trials as soon as Marco was recovered enough to join them.

§§§

Chapter 2 – Time On His Hands

While Marco was recovering, Gizmo spent most days in his lab, usually from early morning until late at night with barely time to eat. They had given him a fully equipped lab and pretty much anything he requested in the way of materials. What he was working on now was a further enhancement of his leap frog. With the close call they had on Gandos, he saw some changes needed to be made. During the mission, when he stopped to program leap frog it had almost cost them their lives.

What he was working on now was a miniaturized version of leap frog that would be controlled by brain waves, or by telepathy. He had experimented with that technology back in his workshop at home years ago and was trying to incorporate it into leap frog now. If you can think it, you can do it. He wasn't sure who had first coined that phrase, but Gizmo found it fitting. It was just a matter of programming his precise brain patterns into logical commands. But that was the easy part. That was the part he had worked out years ago.

He spent a few days fine tuning it so it would take him exactly where he wanted to go, to the exact place in time and space. When he was satisfied it worked to his specifications, he set about miniaturizing it as small as he could. For that he would need the use of an electron microscope and some very specialized equipment. Once he had the original design, the miniaturization process progressed smoothly.

But would it pass undetected through a high powered scan machine? He could think of many instances where that might be an issue. Scanning devices at transport terminals being the most obvious, but what about a hostile capture and search? That could become problematic as well.

Gizmo experimented with various synthetic materials but they all emitted anywhere from a shadow to a full image when scanned. There was nothing Gizmo tried that would go undetected through a scanner. He tried reflective materials but they too showed as luminous objects that did nothing but raise questions.

Over the time he worked on this device he got to know the Captain of the Guard on the flight deck scanning detail pretty well. It was actually the Captain who had given him the clue he needed to make the device invisible to scanning machines. Why not use the same cloaking technology the aircraft used to avoid tracking and detection? Gizmo had designed it to use telepathy from specific brain waves, he had miniaturized it, and now using the cloaking technology, there was only one problem he could see before it would be perfect. That's when the last piece fell into place. What if he was stripped searched? What if all his clothes were taken from him, such as a prison setting, and he was given different clothes to wear? That's when he knew he had it figured. It would have to be planted under the skin.

He also programed it to operate as long as the heart beat continued. If for some reason, the heart rate stopped, or became faint, or erratic, or otherwise irregular, it was programed to take him either back to Giselle who would immediately transport him back to The Colony for medical attention, or it would transport him back to The Colony directly. It all depended on the severity of the medical situation.

After a trial period and numerous tests supervised by the flight deck Captain, he decided it was time to have a talk with the medical staff. He wanted them to implant it under his skin. But before he took that final step, he built a second one and programed it for Marco's use.

§§§

A few days earlier, Marco had been released from the medical center as fully recovered, but before he would accept that decision, he had to put his arms and his body through his own tests. When he wasn't working out with weights, he could be found on the surface of the planet swimming in the lake. He wanted to make sure both arms were back to full strength. He had to know he could count on his body to react as expected when needed.

He found his new arm was as good if not better than the one he had before. It was in fact his same arm. It had been grown from his own DNA. It was impossible to see any scar tissue where the new limb had been attached. He and Gizmo spent hours diving from the top of the water falls into the pool below and racing across the lake. Marco had longer arms and was the better swimmer since he had been doing it for the better part of every day to gain back any strength he might have lost in the accident. He was now basically good as new.

It was then Gizmo and Marco decided to request some time away from The Colony as a holiday or a vacation. The Colony would always be their home but they still had a restless spirit and some exploring to do before being confined to life at The Colony. Sula was agreeable but told them he would keep in regular contact with them in case their skills were needed at The Colony.

§§§

Chapter 3 – The Early Years

Gilbert Zachariah Morrison was born under a full moon to Ben and Betty Morrison. He was their first and only child. It wasn't because they didn't want more children. Betty would have loved to have a houseful of kids under foot. Some women are just born with a mothering gene, and Betty was one of them, she had it in spades. Moments after his birth, when she held him carefully in her arms like a priceless ancient porcelain urn, Gilbert looked up at her and smiled. She knew then he was going to be a special child. There was an instant bond between them. She knew then he would be all she would ever need. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside his wife, Ben felt it too, and reached out to caress the top of Gilbert's head. Gilbert focused on his father and graced him with a smile too. In the blink of an eye, all three of them knew they were meant to be together.

Gil, as his mother called him, had said his first words before the age of one, and was stringing words together into meaningful sentences before the age of two. By the age of three, Gil had drawn the first rudimentary designs to what was later to become the centerpiece of the doctoral dissertation leading to his first doctorate degree.

As you might expect, his childhood was anything but ordinary. He had no friends because kids his own age didn't understand him and he had nothing in common with them. He had no interest in sports which he considered an unproductive waste of valuable time. Other things he put in that same category were riding a bike, skateboarding, just hanging out, fishing, skipping stones across the water, kite flying, and flying model airplanes.

Well, actually he could go either way on flying model airplanes. The kind you bought in kits and put together yourself were boring. He didn't understand how anyone could be entertained by such basic simplistic designs. He found he could improve on both the design and the engines of the airplanes to make them more efficient. He was soon designing and building model airplanes for the whole neighborhood. That's when he learned his first important lesson about human nature. Never, but never, show your designs to anyone unless you're prepared for the endless interrogations that inevitably follow.

"How'd you do that?"

"Where'd you learn that?"

"Can you teach me how you did that?"

"Will you make one for me too?"

Then he found he was wasting all his time building them for other people instead of spending his valuable time developing the endless stream of ideas he had running through his head.

Gil's head was so full of new designs he didn't have enough time in the day to build even a fraction of them. He had endless projects he started but had not yet finished in the small cramped space his father had carved out for him in the family garage. Each new project he worked on sparked other new and more interesting ideas which he just couldn't wait to get started on.

That was when he acquired the nickname Gizmo. It actually came from the first couple of letters from his first and last names with his middle initial thrown in between. Kids in the neighborhood and at school used to tease him about Gizmo and his gadgets. At first he wasn't sure he liked it, but he warmed up to it rather quickly and would just smile when called Gizmo. Of course his mother always called him Gil, and always would. Some things just didn't change.

Most of Gizmo's gadgets were just for family use and were never to be spoken about or shown to anyone else. One of his first gadgets, while he was still in grade school, was Gizmo's redesign of the family coffee pot. He set it to read the specific telepathic impulses from his two parents. Theirs and only theirs. All they had to do was think about coffee when they got up in the morning and the coffee pot downstairs in the kitchen would swing into action by grinding the required amount of their favorite beans and brew the coffee for them just the way they liked it.

Soon after the coffee pot came the toothpaste. Since Gizmo hated to brush his teeth, but knew his mother insisted on it, he invented a toothpaste that could be used without a toothbrush. The toothpaste had micro miniaturized gadgets in it that were activated when they came into contact with water or saliva. By putting a small amount of toothpaste in your mouth and swishing it around, the gadgets would activate and clean the teeth and massage the gums and the inside of your mouth. They were small enough to get between the teeth and remove all the plague and food particles. They were also delicate enough and gentle enough to leave the enamel intact. The gadgets had a life expectancy of just over two minutes and then they would dissolve into a tasteless powder that could be either swallowed, or washed down the drain with no harm to the water supply. Gizmo was, after all, very green minded. He had very good reason to be, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Another one of Gizmo's gadgets was a microchip he embedded in a harmless looking plastic devise his parents could carry with them at all times, or on their key chains. The chip was designed to lock and unlock the doors to their house. When they left the house and were more than two feet away from the door, the deadbolt on the door would engage. When returning home and they approached the door, the deadbolt would slide back when they got within two feet. The chip would also control the lights in the house, turning them on and off as needed, and the thermostat and air conditioning as well. Gizmo gave them a controller they could use to program the chips in any way that suited their needs.

Some of the many other gadgets Gizmo designed were an automatic lock / unlock of the car doors, an automatic start and stop of the engine, automatic breaking when the car sensed danger, and an automatic override to the cars controls in an emergency situation. Some of these enhancements were a little disconcerting to Ben and Betty at first. They weren't used to a car that could think and act fast enough to get them out of harm's way.

Ben and Betty were at first apprehensive about Gizmo's gadgets. He was after all, and for all intents and purposes, still a kid, even though he no longer looked like one. Gizmo had gone through a growth spurt and by the age of 15, he was six feet tall, so he no longer looked his age. He had big ears on his oblong head, with a shock of uncontrollable reddish blond hair on top. When he smiled, which he liked to do, and often did, he showed a big mouthful of very white perfectly shaped teeth. Gizmo's growth had been so rapid, it was hard to keep him in clothes that fit him. He could often be seen with shirt sleeves two inches above his wrists and pant legs several inches above his ankles. It gave him the appearance of a homeless person, which Gizmo didn't seem to notice, but it got him teased a lot at school. He preferred the long sleeve shirts even if they were too short. He never rolled up the sleeves and always kept the top button buttoned around his neck. To complete his normal daily outfit he always carried a pocket protector in his shirt pocket. He had learned that lesson too many times with leaky pens ruining his shirts. With all his gadgets, one would have thought he could invent a pen that didn't leak, but Gizmo actually liked the pocket protectors because it gave structure to the pockets and gave him the ability to carry other things as well without making the pocket look bulging. When referring to Gizmo, the words nerd and geek generally came to mind, but Gizmo embraced the terms because he knew he was special. He knew he had qualities others only wished they had.

The list of Gizmo's gadgets were endless, and there were as many more in various stages of production in his garage workshop. He had found it necessary to enclose the workshop and put a padlock on the door. Not so much to keep his parents out, because he had after all given them a key, but to keep the curious eyes of unwanted strangers out of his business. None of his inventions were patented and he didn't want them falling into the hands of strangers who could put them to ill-conceived purposes.

There was never enough time in the day to work on his inventions, and then of course there was school. His parents required that, but Gizmo considered it another colossal waste of time. In most cases he knew more than his teachers. They saw early on he was a gifted child, and after a battery of tests moved him along to the next grade level. By the age of ten he had finished high school with the highest grade point average in the history of the school. By the age of fifteen he had completed his first doctorate degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and by the age of seventeen he had completed his second doctorate degree from Stanford.

The dissertation for his first doctorate degree was on the leap frog effect. The design he started when he was three. Over the years, he had perfected it until it was completely safe and reliable. Of course in his dissertation he left out some key elements he knew his professors would neither catch nor miss. He knew this was cutting edge technology and his professors would not only have questions, but they would not be able to keep it to themselves. He didn't want his invention to get into the wrong hands and find some government type knocking on his door, which he knew would only be a matter of time. So in effect, what he had to do was dummy it up enough to get the degree and nothing more.

The project he presented with the dissertation was a very simplified space-time gadget designed to move a golf ball three inches from one spot to the next. It had his professors spellbound as he demonstrated it over and over again to their delight. It was all carefully spelled out in the dissertation complete with wrong algorithms so no one would be able to duplicate it. He knew he would have to leave it behind with them, but he had the forethought to build into the leap frog gadget a self-destruct mechanism that would reduce it to dust if it was tampered with. He could just see the government getting their hands on that, or getting their hands on him for that matter. He knew he had to move fast after that or he would have some explaining to do, but by the time of the dissertation, he was ready.

Gizmo knew they would come looking for him, and he was right, but by that time he was long gone.

§§§

Chapter 4 – Giselle

The leap frog gadget was Gizmo's pride and joy. He worked on it for years. Not even his parents knew about this project. He would tell no one until it was perfect. It was perfect now. All his hard work had paid off. The years of trial and error came down to this one glorious moment in time, as he always knew it would.

Simply put, his leap frog would take him anywhere in space and time. Through years of fine tuning, he had learned how to control it to take him precisely when and where he wanted to go. He also programed in a homing algorithm that would bring him back home again no matter where, or when, he might eventually end up. He had also programed in a few safe guards to ensure he didn't end up inside a wall, or a block of cement, or an atmosphere that was inhospitable to humans. If one of those things happened, his gadget would leap frog him on to another destination until all his criteria were met. Thus the name leap frog. He could leap frog across the universe and back.

The beauty about it was, he could be gone for years, yet come back home in the very instant he left. That's when he knew he had to have a talk with his parents.

§§§

"Mom, Dad, I have something I need to tell you and you must listen carefully. I don't have a lot of time and I need you to understand this. I've been experimenting for a lot of years with a gadget that lets me travel through space and time."

"Oh Gil, that sounds so dangerous," his mother said. "Shouldn't you let that to the space administration, or the government, or someone with a lot more experience with that kind of thing? They know how to regulate things like that. Are you sure it's safe?"

"That's just it Mom, they won't know how to use it and I don't trust they'll use it in anyone's best interests. But what I need you to know is I need to go away for a little while. I'll be safe, I promise. There'll be government people coming around to ask about me. Just tell them the truth. You don't know where I've gone or when I'll be back. I'm not in trouble and I haven't done anything wrong. They'll just want to get their hands on my inventions and I don't trust them. I've even set my workshop to explode if the lock on the door is tampered with, not a big explosion, just enough to destroy everything in the workshop. The garage is safe, it's set to destroy just the projects I'm working on. I don't want them to see any of that."

"Where will you go son?" Gizmo's father asked. "And when will you be back?"

"Well, that's just it, I can't tell you for your own safety, and partly because I'm not real sure yet myself, but I just don't want to be here when they come looking for me, and I don't want you to lie when you tell them you don't know where I am."

"Oh Gil, you're not doing anything dangerous are you?" his mother asked.

"No mother, I'll be fine, I promise. I won't be gone long."

§§§

Gizmo was true to his word. Two years later, he returned after he completed his second doctorate dissertation at Stanford. It had taken him two years to get the degree but he returned home six months after he left. He wanted to give the government time to stop looking for him. He thought six months was a pretty good bet.

His doctorate dissertation at Stanford had been called The Separator. Gizmo had discovered a way to separate the curtains of time and space which allowed him to step through into whatever universe he chose and into whatever time period in their evolution he chose. It was really an enhancement of the leap frog gadget. The leap frog was a personal portable gadget and small enough to be carried in his pocket, but the separator was a much more sophisticated gadget that was voice controlled.

Again, he had to dummy it up so he was sure it couldn't be duplicated by anyone else. The separator itself had been fairly easy once he understood the basic underlying theory to space time travel which he had worked out with his leap frog gadget, but his real genius had been his doctoral thesis. It was a masterpiece of deception.

Back home again, he worked night and day installing the separator in a specially designed vehicle that would be able to hold atmospheric pressure and would be comfortable for at least two people. He knew he had to work fast because he didn't feel safe at home anymore. Even though he had graduated from Stanford, he had arrived back home six months after he graduated from MIT, but he knew it would just be a matter of time before someone came looking for him. He knew they wouldn't stop looking until they found him. He wanted to be ready when that happened.

§§§

He put the finishing touches on his new craft and stood back to admire his handiwork. He would name her Gizelle, because of her ability to leap from place to place in the blink of an eye. He climbed into the driver's seat and felt the thrill of adventure ahead. He also felt goose bumps playing leap frog up and down his back as he wondered where to go first. In all the universe, where did he want to go? There were so many places he wanted to see, he couldn't make up his mind. In the end he decided to just spin the wheel of time and space and see where it took him.

"Are you ready Giselle?" he asked.

"I am at your service Gizmo. All my systems appear to be operating as per your design."

"Well then, let's go."

Gizmo held his breath and through the front window of Gizelle he saw his work bench and wall of the garage in front of him shimmer as though looking across an open meadow at the heat waves rising on a hot summer day. Suddenly the shimmering was gone, and looking around, he sensed he was no longer in his garage. He felt no sense of movement at all, but had no idea where he was.

"Giselle, do you know where we are?"

"Of course, master. We have arrived at the coordinates you set before we left."

"That's nice to know Giselle, but can you be a little more precise?"

"As you wish master. We have crossed through three universes and have arrived in an orbit around a planet that appears to have all the conditions necessary to sustain life forms. It has land, water, and a breathable atmosphere. It is the second planet from their sun. Shall I go on sir?"

"Not at the moment." Crossed three universes? It seemed only seconds had gone by since they left the garage. Was that possible? Of course, it had to be, they were here weren't they? He had tried to program into Giselle a sense of humor but it sounded more of an I-told-you-so attitude than what he wanted. He would have to work on that.

He was still having trouble with the three universes concept. He was only aware of one universe. Now they were really lost. All of a sudden he was in another universe that was not on a chart or map known to mankind. The separator had parted the curtains of time and space and he had truly gone where no man had gone before.

"Giselle, chart these coordinates in case we ever need to return here again. Can you make a map of this universe?"

"Of course master."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that."

"Your wish is my command sir. How do you wish to be addressed?"

"My name is Gizmo, Gil, or Gilbert. You can use any of those."

"Yes sir, master Gizmo."

"One more smart remark from you and I cut off your voice response. Understood?"

Silence. Giselle was pouting Gizmo knew. She was showing more personality than most of the girls he had known back home. Come to think of it, it just might be entertaining on these trips by himself. It might help pass the time. But he would seriously have to give her an attitude adjustment.

But he needed to turn his attention to matters at hand now.

"Giselle, can you detect life forms on the planet below? Please try to communicate with them to see if there is any response."

Silence.

"Giselle?"

Silence.

"Okay, I'm sorry. We need to have an understanding though about how we're going to communicate with each other. We need to work together. Can we do that?"

"Apology accepted."

"Send out some messages on all frequency bands to see what we get."

"Yes sir. Done."

Gizmo heard nothing but static through the speakers.

He was circling the planet about once every ninety minutes, but so far he heard nothing. After two complete circuits, he was about to give up when he heard a faint change in the sound of the static.

"Wait. Giselle, did you hear that? Can you pinpoint it and bring it in a little sharper?"

"I'm on it boss."

As he listened, he thought he heard distinct pattern sequences through the static. That was a clear indication to him that there was someone or something down there trying to communicate with them. These weren't just random fluctuations.

"Giselle, can you understand it? Anything?"

"Still working on it boss. It appears to be some sort of binary code but I can't be sure. Wait. Wait. Yes, that's what it is."

"Send a response before we get out of range. Something like 'Hello, can you read me?'"

"Sent."

That was all they had time for before they were around the rim of the planet and out of range. They would have to wait until they came back around the far rim of the planet before they would be able to get a response to their inquiry.

On his next circuit, he received. "Yes."

Gizmo was so excited, he wished he had someone he could share this moment with, but all he had was Giselle. He thought this just might be the first communication with another intelligent species in all of human history. And he was the first. What now? What should he say? What should he do?

Gizmo asked Giselle to transmit the coordinates of his orbit and ask if it was likely he was being tracked or followed from the ground. Gizmo wanted to know after all if he was about to be shot out of the sky.

With Giselle translating, through the speakers he heard, "My name is Marco. I am one of very few inhabitants of this planet who believe there are life forms outside our own species. Therefore my race has no interest in traveling between the stars. They see it as a waste of time with no purpose. I've spent my life tracking the movements of the planets and listening for any attempt at communication. I knew someday someone would come, it was just a matter of time. Where do you come from?" Marco asked.

"A universe far far away, but I come in peace."

§§§

That was Gizmo's first contact with life on other planets not to mention other universes. He still wasn't sure he was brave enough to land and meet this creature face to face. Having a conversation is one thing but meeting face to face is a whole different thing altogether. In the end curiosity got the best of him and he decided to take a chance.

Gizmo instructed Giselle to land at the coordinates the transmissions were coming from. He wasn't sure what he would find there but if the creature was smart enough to communicate with other life forms, how bad could he be? Gizmo took a chance they would have something in common.

Giselle touched down lightly in a field that appeared to be an open meadow with wild flowers waving in the soft breeze. Gizmo could see nothing as far as the eye could see. The landscape appeared flat with no hills and no structures he could see. He was checking the gauges to make sure Giselle had landed at the right coordinates when he looked up and saw a creature standing in front of his window. Gizmo was startled and had his hand on the emergency bounce button that would take him instantly back to his last orbital position if the creature came any closer or looked at all threatening.

"You're different than I expected," came through the speakers.

It took Gizmo a few seconds to collect himself. "You're not exactly what I expected either," he replied.

He heard what could only be interpreted as a laugh.

The creature standing in front of him was so familiar looking, it was unnerving. Marco looked every bit like a common domesticated cat from back home, only much bigger. He appeared to be a little over five feet tall and was standing on his hind legs with his arms, or front legs, at his side. The only real difference Gizmo could immediately see were the paws. They looked more like hands and feet. Other than that, the resemblance to a common house cat was remarkable.

Looking around, Gizmo was unsure where it had come from or if there were any more of its kind lurking around to ambush him. He just wasn't sure what the proper protocol was on these occasions. He wasn't sure what to do.

Marco said. "Don't worry, I'm alone. I mean you no harm. You said you come in peace and I trusted you, now it's your turn to trust me. This may be the first time our two species have ever been in contact. As you know, we have an oxygen based atmosphere, and if that is acceptable to you, you can disembark from your vehicle and we can talk face to face if you like."

Giselle confirmed the atmosphere was safe for humans, and with that Gizmo cracked the door to get a smell of the air. It smelled like a summer day in the meadow back home behind his house. He could hear birds and bees and other insects going about their business on a warm summer day. He looked up and saw the large pinkish sun in the sky above. It loomed much larger than Gizmo was used to seeing. In fact it filled most of the sky, but the pinkish color lessened the glare and the heat was not as intense as he would have expected from a sun so close to the planet surface. From the looks of it, he was sure the annual temperature here was much warmer than earth. Just before stepping out of Giselle, he grabbed his favorite Disneyland ball cap to protect him from the heat of the day.

"On guard Giselle. Be ready for immediate take off if needed," he said as he stepped lightly onto the planet surface.

§§§

Chapter 5 – Marco

Marco Leopold came from a large family. Well, large is a relative term, but four brothers and two sisters is a lot of birthing for any mother especially when they're just minutes apart. Marco always felt he was the odd one, and in fact, he was. Isn't the runt always the oddball? A lot can be said for the first born and the middle child, but the runt will always be, just the runt. They tend to the smaller, need more attention because they're less capable, more sickly, and in more cases than not, the runts are the ones that don't usually make it. In Marco's case though, the will to survive was strong.

Marco didn't need more attention, he demanded it. He proved to be smart and alert and inquisitive. He was the maddening one who always asked 'why' until he was either satisfied, or chased out of the dwelling. More often than not he was chased away.

To say the dwellings were subterranean would only be half true. Most of Marco's race lived in the mountainous regions where shelters and communities were built above ground, but some chose to live in the river valleys and meadow regions. Marco's family was one of the latter. Living on the plains came with its own set of problems though.

The planet was overrun with large boar-like creatures that roamed the low lands and with great frequency stampeded across the meadows leveling everything in their path. They were about three times the size of the normal boar with large tusks that could, and often did, impale their prey. Not much was known about the Thorus other than they were fierce and would kill anything in their sight. There was no collective knowledge of what caused them to stampede, where they went, or why. The one good thing was they always traveled in herds and could be detected advancing from miles away. The vibration in the ground, and the thundering sound of their hoofs hammering the terrain would generally give anyone sufficient time to seek shelter.

Cities were built with big rocks and fallen trees. The Thorus went right through them with seemingly little effort. The cities were rebuilt with great stone walls to divert them. They too were destroyed. Nothing yet had been discovered to withstand the sheer brute force of their great strength and numbers. An adult Thorus usually weighed somewhere around 400 pounds, but Marco's people had prevailed. Large communities had been carved out of the country side in the low lands formed by centuries of water erosion. In these valleys and canyons, many with the streams, creeks, and small rivers still running through them, very sturdy roofs were constructed overhead, from one bank to the other. They were covered with dirt and planted to look like the surrounding terrain. The Thorus could go thundering by overhead without harm to the structure or anyone in it.

With the roof securely in place, rooms and enclosures could be constructed and carved out of the banks. If they were lucky enough to have water flowing through, the water's edge was built up to keep the water on its designated course. Flood gates were also built upstream to regulate the flow of the water during the rainy seasons.

At each end of the community, the roof was extended in an overhead series of webbing and nets designed to snare at least one of the Thorus as they passed by. If they were lucky enough to get one caught up in their nets, a big community feast followed. Marco liked those the best. A pit would be dug and a big fire built, and when the hot embers were just right, the creature would be lowered into the pit and covered over. The community excitement would build as preparations were made for the big feast on the following day. The celebration sometimes would last for days. The live music and dancing created a festival atmosphere and those special occasions lived long in Marco's memory.

§§§

Marco's people were more concerned about day to day survival than they were about whether they shared the universe with other intelligent life. The night skies held little to no interest for them. On the rare occasion when the light trail of a meteor in the night sky was seen, there might be a brief discussion about it but no real curiosity. Marco, on the other hand, would lay for hours looking up at the night sky and wondering what was up there. He couldn't believe that in all that great space, they were the only living creatures. His greatest wish was to find out.

Using crystals he found in mountain streams, he discovered he could see the lights in the sky better. It appeared to bring them a little closer. Not much, but some. Excited about his discovery, he started to map the lights and found they were moving. Nothing was stationary. Everything was moving. That must mean they were moving as well.

When he tried to discuss this with his friends, they either made fun of him or didn't want to hear it. He soon found he had no friends at all. No one wanted to be seen with loco Marco as he was referred to.

Over the next couple of years Marco spent every free moment he had on redesigning an old radio he had managed to get his hands on. He wanted to enhance the radio from a simple device used only to receive signals, to one that would transmit signals as well. This wasn't easy for a couple of reasons; first, he didn't know what he was doing, and second, he was of an age when he was required to help build new communities.

§§§

New communities were built or expanded every year by the elder males and the young males in their second season. By their second season, all offspring had been taught enough of the basic survival skills needed to live on their own. By then they were accomplished hunters and strong enough and confident enough to handle most of life's challenges. Moving out of their home community was essential to make room for the annual birthing. Marco had experienced that last year and didn't want to live through that chaotic period again. Mothers were generally frantic trying to meet the needs of their new offspring. Marco was only too glad to be moving in with the males.

The males lived in one community and the females and their offspring lived in another community. The fathers were never known, nor did it matter who the sperm donor was. During mating season, there could be multiple donors for one mother. So Marco's brothers and sisters didn't necessarily have the same father.

The males did all the construction of the new communities and the females gave birth and taught them the needed survival skills. That was the way it had been since the beginning of time and there was no reason to change it now. Marco was just glad he didn't have to be around for this coming birthing season, so he was glad to be lending a hand building what would be his new home. That way he could design and build it to his own specifications. He didn't need much, but he did want to live alone rather than share a room with someone who was going to make fun of him for his experiments. He also wanted a workshop so he could work on his communication device.

The one thing that bothered him the most was being able to 'hear' everyone, and have everyone 'hear' him. In his last two seasons he had experimented with various materials to try to eliminate that, but was not completely successful. He could diminish it but not completely eliminate it. Finally he fashioned a metal head gear, very much like a helmet that would cut out most telepathic waves. Telepathy, being the main way Marco's people communicated with each other, made it difficult to keep secrets, and Marco didn't want everyone to know what he was experimenting on.

When Marco was in his workshop, he generally had his head gear on, but when it was time for the trials, he took the device out to the meadow and laid in the tall grass so he wouldn't be seen. Telepathy is range limited so he would make sure he was out of range of his living community when he tried the communication device. He would spend hours every day laying in the meadow testing it.

Maybe he was using the wrong frequency. Maybe the antenna wasn't strong enough or big enough. Maybe his communication device didn't work at all. Disappointed, he would go back to his workshop every day after hours in the meadow and make adjustments to it. Someday he dreamed he would hear something. He never gave up his faith that there was other life out there. It was just a matter of connecting with them.

He was helping to build a new community and had just finished for the day. There was a rush to finish this community because the birthing season was almost on them. Time was running out. Since this was the time of the long days, the building chief had two crews working. Marco had been on the first crew and had just been relieved. It was still light and Marco didn't feel like sitting in his room. Besides he was anxious to try out the changes he had made to his communication device. He headed back to his room just long enough to stuff the device into his pack and head out.

He went to his usual spot and laid down in the meadow grass. After a long day at work it felt good just to lay down. After a few minutes, he turned on his device and rotated the dials to see what he would find. Static. Just static. That's all he ever heard.

He was just about to give up when he thought he faintly heard something. Something different anyway. He worked with the dials to see if he could get a better reception. Still nothing but static. There could be any number of reasons for the fluctuation in the noise he heard. Then it was there again.

No, there was definitely something there.

Then he heard it "Hello, can you hear me?"

Marco was so excited his trembling fingers would hardly work. He finally sent back "Yes."

Then a thought came to him, what if this were one of his family community playing tricks on him? He knew they took great pleasure making fun of loco Marco. But he didn't know anyone else able to duplicate the communication device he built so he was fairly sure this had to be the real thing.

Then suddenly there was a strange looking vehicle sitting in the meadow in front of him. With his heart beating so hard he almost couldn't move, he mustered all the courage and strength he had in him and stood up. This is what he had been waiting for all his life. This was his destiny. How could he turn and run away now?

Marco was shaken when the alien stepped out of his vehicle wearing something on his head with a picture of one of his prime food sources. Could that possibly be a religious icon, or a deity, or something? What would this stranger think when he found out that creature depicted on the strangers head gear would most likely consist of Marco's evening meal?

§§§

This being an historic event, and not knowing what to say, Gizmo thought humor would be the best course of action.

Smiling he said, "Take me to your leader."

Marco was speechless. He just stood there not knowing what to say or do. Finally he said. "I can't take you to my family community and I can't let them see you. They wouldn't understand. It would just be safer for you if no one else knew you were here. I have been hoping for this moment all my life, I knew you would come, but we can't stay here. Can you take me with you?"

Now it was Gizmo's turn to be speechless. Share Giselle with a stranger? He'd never even considered that possibility. What do I do now, he thought.

"What you can do now is take me with you. I'm ready to go now."

"You can read my thoughts?" Gizmo asked.

"Yes, that's how we communicate."

"Well, that makes things easier... for you, but what about me?"

"We'll figure something out. Please take me with you. I have been waiting all my life for this," Marco said.

"Well, okay, but this is my first trip in space so I don't have much experience with this either."

"Then we learn together. That's even better."

"You need to say good bye to anyone or get your things?" Gizmo asked.

"No I'm ready now.

§§§

Chapter 6 – Universal Star Colony

Since that historic meeting between their two species, Gizmo and Marco had become fast and inseparable friends and traveling companions. They had hopped around the universes at random exploring and meeting new species. These were good times for them. Until very recently they had each thought their species were alone in the universe. Now they had come to the realization their individual species were still in the infancy stages of their development. Other species and civilizations that were much older and far more advanced than theirs had been trading, forming alliances, and traveling among the universes for centuries. It was not only a hard concept for them to grasp, it was an eye opening experience for both of them, and a truly unique education neither of them could take back home. Who would believe them?

One evening in an intergalactic bar they met an interesting pair of individuals claiming to be from a distant star they would undoubtedly find interesting. They claimed the technologies being produced there were unrivaled anywhere. They talked about cloaking devices, personal force fields, and the secret of staying forever young. Gizmo would have been interested even if he hadn't been drinking a brew of unknown origin, but as they talked, Gizmo found himself hooked. He wanted to learn more. They agreed to go with the two guys to see the new technology for themselves.

Gizmo said, "Give me the coordinates and we'll meet you there."

"We can't do that. You'll have to trust us. Your ship is small enough, we can take it with us and that way you can leave any time you want to."

During the conversation the drinks kept coming, and these two guys were looking, and sounding, more and more trustworthy. Finally Gizmo and Marco were ready to agree to just about anything.

§§§

Now as Gizmo and Marco were escorted from their living quarters, they weren't sure what was happening, they had been told nothing. They had been brought here and detained for what seemed the better part of two days now. Their living quarters had been quite exquisite, and they had been given everything they requested except their freedom. It had all the appearances of a house arrest, for what, they weren't sure, and now as they were being lead down the hall, they still didn't know the reason for their detention. For all they knew they were going to their own execution. Not for the first time, they wondered what they had gotten themselves into and whether they could get out of it alive.

Since they had arrived here, they had made several requests to speak to someone in authority about why they were being detained and when they could leave, but they were allowed to speak to no one. They were being held in complete isolation. Besides, they had been brought here under false pretenses. They had gotten to see none of the new technologies the two strangers had promised to show them. None of their questions had been answered or addressed in any way. Being lead down the hall now meant some of their questions would be answered, at least that's what they hoped.

§§§

The Universal Star Colony, on the planet Colossus, was set up in the furthermost corner of the furthermost known universe. It was designed to be so far off the beaten path as to be all but undetectable, and as far away from normal trade routes as possible. They didn't want curious people to stumble onto their doorstep by accident. Since its atmosphere was not particularly hospitable to most life forms, it was not a destination, or generally on the way to any known destination. Like the tip of an iceberg, the major part of The Colony, as it was referred to, was carved out of the interior of the planet. Only the tip was on the planet surface, and that was enclosed in an invisible force field that held atmosphere in and most other things out. Only ships emitting the proper frequency were permitted through the force field.

The force field itself was designed to mirror the surrounding terrain of the planet surface so anyone who did happen along would see nothing unusual on the planet surface, nothing that would catch their eye or draw attention to it in any way. The enclosure under the force field actually contained a fairly sizeable farming co-op that grew most of the food The Colony consumed. This made The Colony as self-sufficient as possible, so very few other things were needed from outside. They didn't want questions or suspicions being raised about where such large quantities of food were going, and for what purpose. This further limited the trail leading to their front door.

Most of their space going vehicles were equipped with a cloaking technology to prevent them from being seen or tracked coming and going from this unknown part of the universe. They had taken every precaution to make sure they left no trail leading in their direction.

The Colony was pretty much a closed community, and only accepted new members rarely, and then only by a unanimous vote of the council. No visitors were allowed and the only non-members ever brought here were potential new members who were told nothing until a vote of the council could be taken. If they were not accepted for membership to The Colony, they would be taken back where they had been picked up and all memory of where they had been and who they had seen would be wiped from their minds. It would be as though it had never happened.

§§§

In the council chambers the councilmen were now discussing the membership of two potential new members. Sula, the council chairmen from the Gandy galaxy, sitting on the raised platform was trying to contain a lively debate on the induction of the two new members.

"We must have order or I will delay this discussion until another time."

"But your honor, if we delay this discussion, what do we do with the two we are holding?"

"They will just have to be contained in their living quarters until a decision can be made," Sula said.

"They will not like being held prisoners. They are already showing signs of restlessness and discontent, but there is another option," Tigure said. "We can take them back where we found them and let them go on their way. That will allow us to keep a close watch on them and their actions until we can all come to a consensus. We brought them here without disclosing our location and we can return them the same way. They will never be able to find their way back here."

There were mutterings and a general commotion throughout the chambers as council members discussed the issue among themselves.

"I say we deny them membership."

"I agree. If there's so much indecision, they can't be right for us."

"I have no problem with the humanoid, but I can't agree on both of them."

"But they have made it clear they are a team and if we can't accept both of them, I doubt either of them will accept."

The debate went on until Anders called out. "Your honor, may I address the chamber?"

"You may," Sula said.

A hush fell as everyone settled back into their seats to hear what Anders had to say. Anders was one of the most respected of all the members of the council. He was the oldest member of The Colony as well as one of the founding members. He didn't often speak in the council unless he felt he could provide some direction. He preferred to let the younger members have their say before bringing the matter before the council back to the basic issue at hand. He stretched the silence almost to the breaking point, and then slowly stood, arranging his robes of office about him, and shuffling his notes in front of him. He knew he commanded their complete attention.

"These two have crossed our paths and come to our attention numerous times already. We have had resources focused on them for some time as well. What more do we need to know about them that we don't already know? They have done some remarkable things, isn't that what brought them to our attention to begin with? But the fact remains, it's better to have them on our side than have them jumping from universe to universe doing whatever pleases them. If it were just the humanoid, I think we would all be in agreement. What has us at an impasse is the two of them together. I ask you, what harm could the other one be to us? Alone he would not meet our criteria for membership, but just for a moment may I remind you of his own accomplishments? It would take centuries for his species to rise to even a minimal amount of awareness of intergalactic affairs, if in fact they ever do. But the one calling himself Marco has risen above his species by mapping the movements of the planets and designing and building a communication device to contact life forms outside his own planet. Isn't that in itself a remarkable feat given the current level of development of his species? Has he not risen to the top of his race with these accomplishments? As we know, the two of them are a team, and as such, they can be controlled. Over the millennia we have perfected our techniques on control have we not? I say we vote them in and welcome them to The Colony with full membership. As with all new members there will be a period of observation. This will be no different. We will know soon enough if adjustments need to be made. I believe they will be a valuable asset to our membership. I personally am ready for a vote. I vote to accept them right here and now, today."

Anders sat down to the applause of the council. There seemed to be general agreement.

"Are we ready for a vote then? Is there any more discussion?" Sula asked.

The chamber was silent as everyone looked around.

"Hearing no further discussion, I put this matter up for vote. Please enter your votes now."

§§§

Their escorts approached a set of doors and stopped. With a signal, both doors opened wide and Gizmo and Marco were ushered in. As they entered, they were speechless as they took in the room. There were nineteen seats in a semicircle facing a seat on a raised platform. From the elaborate décor and furnishings of the room, it looked like an assembly room of some kind, and the individuals seated there didn't look like the everyday sort one would meet on the beltway. Since they were escorted here under armed guard, Gizmo correctly assumed they were about to be told what decisions had been made about them and their future, if they were to have a future.

It could be good news or bad, Gizmo wasn't sure how to read the lengthening silence in the room while all eyes were on them. While he was contemplating what he could do to get them both out of here alive if the news wasn't good, the whole assembly rose as one to applaud them.

After a moment, Sula stepped down from the raised platform and approached them. With a slight bow he spoke.

"We must apologize for confining you to your living quarters until we could bring this to a vote. In the meantime, we tried to make you as comfortable as possible. We hope it did not unduly distress you. You see, we are a small community and taking in new members is not something we do often. We watch for young individuals like yourselves from all the known galaxies, who excel and rise from an early age above their peers. We've been watching your development for some time now and are sure you have a bright future with us should you choose to accept our offer."

Sula was a small creature unlike any Gizmo had yet encountered, so it was hard to gather any information from facial expressions. He had the air of authority about him and Gizmo could see he did not look like someone he would want to oppose. His voice was all sweet and kindness, but it was hard to tell what was behind it. The hush in the chambers seemed to indicate they were waiting for a response from him. Marco was a half-step behind Gizmo, and when Gizmo turned to look at him, Marco seemed as unsure how to respond as Gizmo. Gizmo turned back to Sula.

"You mentioned an offer; just what is it you are offering us?"

"Why membership in The Colony of course," Sula said. "By unanimous vote we would like to welcome you into our membership. We all work together for the good of intelligent species everywhere. We help developing species become contributing members of the intergalactic community, and, within limits, we correct misdeeds of others that would lead us all into a disastrous future. This will all be explained in greater detail during your orientation. You will each be given a guide to help you through the process. Once again, on behalf of all of us, welcome."

As Sula finished, with a sweep of his hands, the doors they had come through once again opened and their escorts were waiting for them. They were taken back to their living quarters and told to wait there. Their guides would arrive shortly and they would be given a tour of The Colony and would have complete freedom to come and go as they wished after that.

Once back in their living quarters, they barely had time to collect their thoughts and discuss what they had gotten themselves into when the door chimes announced visitors. Their visitors turned out to be their guides. They were each given a one piece floor length white robe that, when slipped over their head was loose fitting and made of a finely woven material Gizmo was not familiar with. Gizmo was instructed to wear nothing but the robe. He would have no use for his old clothes for the time being. Marco resisted the robe but was told the robe was required of all new recruits when outside their living quarters. Following their orientation, they would be allowed to choose other robes or other clothing of their own choosing, but these robes were required in all public areas at all times until the completion of orientation.

When they were properly outfitted in their robes, their tour guides lead them out of their living quarters where two transport platforms waited. The luminous platforms were just large enough for two adults to stand on. There was nothing to hold onto and no visible means of steering. With Marco and Gizmo each on a transport platform with their individual guides, the platforms glowed and with no sense of movement, they were off down the corridor on a cushion of air approximately two inches above the corridor surface. Their orientation was about to begin.

§§§

The first stop on their orientation tour was the medical units of The Colony. Their guides told them this was really the heart and soul of The Colony itself. Without it, they would not be able to exist. Here some of their most important work was done. It was also the first stop because they both would undergo a complete medical examination and they would need to remain here for the first few days. During that time DNA samples would be taken and studied. It would also give their doctors and medical personnel a chance to study their species in the event of further medical emergencies.

"Medical emergencies? Like what?" Gizmo asked.

"If you should lose your arm, we can grow you another one. Or if your heart should fail, we can replace it with an exact duplicate of the one you have now. It is also our way of preventing our bodies from aging. We just simply grow you another body so you never age. The rejuvenation process only takes a couple of days while your new body is grown and prepared for you and you are transferred into it. It is really quite an effective process we have developed over the last few centuries. But you are both from a new species and our technicians have much to learn from you before you can undergo that process successfully. Our technicians are really quite good though and have never lost a patient."

Gizmo and Marco were both silent as they tried to assimilate the information.

Leeta, Gizmo's guide said, "We will leave you here and come back for you in a couple of days. Please be seated and wait to be called for your examination."

They sat and waited. Some things just never changed.

§§§

During the next two days, Gizmo and Marco were separated and only saw each other in passing and were never given an opportunity to compare notes. Gizmo had never had such a complete examination before. Blood tests, biopsies, x-rays, scans, and so many other tests, he wasn't sure anymore what they were doing. He also met a battery of doctors and medical staff asking for complete details of his life, both medical and physical. He was put under hypnosis and asked to recall events that were not in his current memory banks. He was asked for numerous sperm samples that were to be frozen for some unknown reason. Just when he had given up trying to keep track of everything they were requiring of him, he was given some rather distressing news.

Gizmo found himself sitting across a desk from a young man who identified himself as Ivan Strom, the lead surgeon. Dr. Strom informed Gizmo some abnormalities had been found during his examination. The good news was they could be fixed and he could be good as new in a couple of days. They just needed his permission to proceed.

"Just exactly what did you find?" Gizmo asked.

"One of your kidneys is not functioning as it should and we have run numerous projection tests all with the same conclusion. The kidney will fail completely within four years. Your choice is you can wait four years until it fails, or we can fix the problem now and you won't ever have to worry about it again. The decision is yours."

"What do you mean you can fix it now? How would you do that exactly?"

"We would grow you a new kidney from your own DNA, so it would be an exact duplicate of your kidney only without the genetic defect. It would take us two days in the lab to grow your new kidney, and then we would take out the defective one and replace it with the healthy one. In three days' time you would be completely healed and recovered and ready to get on with your orientation with no further worries of kidney failure. A minor inconvenience now could eliminate years of future worries about when and where it will fail."

"Okay, let's do it," Gizmo said. "While we're waiting for the new kidney, can I continue on with my orientation?"

"Of course. We can call you when your new kidney is ready."

§§§

Chapter 7 - Orientation

Following their medical examinations, Gizmo and Marco were again reunited to get on with their orientation. The next stop on their tour / orientation was at a classroom in the communal wing. It was a small room with a table and two chairs facing a lectern in front of a chalk board that extended the entire width of the room. They were told to wait there for the first instructor.

"First instructor?" Marco asked in a low voice. "This is sounding more and more like school to me."

Just then the door opened and a man entered carrying an old fashioned leather briefcase. He had long hair and a long bread, and wore a floor length robe that seemed to float around him. He eyed them curiously as he approached the lectern. There was silence in the room as he arranged his papers, continuing to eye them suspiciously, and then he approached them with two small objects.

As he approached, he asked to have their personal communication devices. With each in turn, he inserted a computerized chip, then handing the devises back to them, he said, "You will probably need these."

Back at the lectern now, he held their steady gaze, "My name is Alexur Thoren, the Director of Security, from the Noraz Galaxy, and I have just given you everything you need to know about Colony security. You will be expected to review the contents of those chips and know everything on them. If you breach Colony security in any way, there will be dire consequences. It may include anything from revoked privileges up to and including termination."

Gizmo and Marco exchanged a look. Neither one of them liked the sound of that.

His voice softening, he continued, "But in the history of The Colony, we had only had one mandatory termination. The lesson here is the importance security plays in the day to day functioning of The Colony. Once you understand that, everything else will fall into place. In the meantime, I will give you both a chance to review those chips, and then we will talk further. Any questions?"

"How long do we have?" Gizmo asked.

"Take as long as you like, but you will not be leaving The Colony until we have had a chance to talk again."

With that, he picked up his briefcase and headed for the door. When the door closed behind him, Gizmo and Marco looked at each other and wondered, not for the first time, what they had gotten themselves into, or whether it was too late to get out.

They picked up their communication devices and found that each chip had been programed to their individual brain patterns. Just thinking about a security issue, a voice resonating inside their head would explain the identified section. It would take some experimenting and fine tuning on their part to be able to get the devices to pull up the precise issue in question, but it seemed all security issues were now at their fingertips; so to speak. With that realization, it dawned on them that it would take a long time to get through the entire contents of the chips.

Just then the door opened again and another person walked in. To refer to this individual as a person is to use the term in its widest possible sense. The creature, if you will, looked like a cross between a humanoid and a lizard. It walked upright on its hind legs with the long tail trailing out behind. It had a long snout with a forked tongue that tested the air with eerie regularity.

When it approached the lectern, it carefully and gracefully wrapped its tail around its feet. There was a moment of silence as if waiting for their full attention. It should go without saying it had their full attention from the moment it passed through the door.

"My name is Lizbeth Lizarmbro, Director of Housekeeping." She hissed.

And so the day went.

§§§

That day they had heard from the Director of Security, the Director of Housekeeping, the Director of Research, the Director of Engineering, the Director of Agriculture, the Director of Internal Affairs, the Director of Operations, the Director of Health Care, and the Director of Food Services.

They could only imagine what tomorrow would bring.

§§§

The following day, their breakfast was served in their room. They barely had time to finish it when their guides arrived to take them to the classroom again for another fun filled day of lectures.

Donning their white robes, they climbed aboard the transports, with their guides, and off they went. Gizmo watched all the other traffic zooming by around them and wondered when he would be able to have free run of The Colony and travel alone on his own transport. As he watched the other members of The Colony around them, he knew they had all started with the same orientation. His day would come.

He still didn't understand how the transports worked and would have loved spending some time taking one of them apart and learning its secrets. Did everyone have their own transport that operated only by their individual brain waves? How did they float so effortlessly above the floor with no sense of movement? How did they keep from colliding into other transports in a busy hallway? But all that would have to wait for another day.

They arrived at the classroom and were just getting settled in when the door flew open and Sula and General Brand came rushing in. Sula was extremely agitated and out of breath. General Brand followed a step behind him. They were both in an extreme state of excitement.

"I know this is highly irregular and I hate in interrupt your orientation, but your assistance is needed in an urgent matter that cannot wait," Sula started.

General Brand stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak but Sula raised his hand, silencing him.

"Not here. These matters are best discussed in private. General Brand, can we use your offices?"

General Brand, the Secretary of Defense, just nodded and took a step back.

§§§

Chapter 8 – Crotonis

With General Brand seated behind his desk and Sula perched on the edge, he spoke in an urgent but hushed voice.

"You have only just started your orientation so you have not yet been instructed in intergalactic politics. That will come later, but we can't wait until later. This is a matter of the utmost urgency, and must be dealt with immediately for the preservation of our entire civilization. We don't usually send new recruits into matters of this nature," he paused while exchanging a look with General Brand, "but all our best operatives are otherwise occupied on other urgent business at the moment."

"You see, they are..." General Brand started, but was cut off before he could go further.

"If you please, General Brand," Sula said, standing and starting to pace. As he paced in front of the General's desk, he seemed lost in thought as he stared at the floor and stroked his chin.

He suddenly stopped his pacing and stood looking at Gizmo and Marco seated in front of him. "You might as well know the full of it if we're going to send you into the midst of the fighting."

"The fighting, sir?" Gizmo started. "We are hardly trained solders to be sent into battle."

"Yes, yes. We know all that," Sula said. Taking a deep breath, he started in, "Okay. So Assembly Woman Arcon, representing the Trogis Galaxy on the Intergalactic Assembly has suddenly resigned her position, and returned to Crotonis, her home planet. The Crontonians are in the midst of a civil war and the Intergalactic Assembly has been putting pressure on her to intercede before it becomes an Intergalactic war. It would appear her sympathies lie with her kin instead of the rest of the civilized worlds.

"The civil war there has been going on for some sixty-five years now already. It has been a matter of great concern but as long as it remained contained on their own planet, and their own species, the Intergalactic Assembly has maintained a hands-off policy. Let them fight their own battles as it were.

"It's an age old problem between the haves and the have-nots. The ruling class with all the money wants to enslave the working class. They want to take all their land and make them work for nothing. The workers will be given room and board but nothing more, not even their own freedom. In some cases, families with a lot of land, have fallen on hard times and will not give up their land and their freedom to be enslaved. Assembly Woman Arcon is, as you might imagine, part of the wealthy ruling class and is not about to defy them. If she did, she could just as easily end up losing all her land and end up becoming subservient as well. It could also endanger her own life. It was, after all, the ruling class who put her in the Assembly. She can't fight them on this.

"The Intergalactic Assembly offered her protection if she would step in and end the fighting. She fled instead.

"As I said before, the Intergalactic Assembly has maintained a hands-off approach until now. But it seems matters have escalated quickly in the last few weeks. Members of the ruling class have been in contact with the Algronians in a neighboring galaxy and have asked for their help to put an end to the fighting. They are in negotiations now but it looks like they will reach a favorable agreement. Knowing this, the workers have been in negotiations with the Grotins in another nearby galaxy to protect them.

"If this happens, a true intergalactic war will result. It could be disastrous for all of us."

"So where do we come in?" Marco asked. "We are neither fighters nor negotiators. How do you expect us to have an impact on turning things around?"

General Brand stood up and came around the front of his desk. "That's just it, we can't let this civil war even get started. So you see, you will not be going into the actual fighting, you will be going back in time before the fighting starts. You will need to make sure it doesn't start. We haven't worked out the exact details yet but we know you are both resourceful and will find a way. We know a man named Marion Everhart was the first man to suggest it and devise a plan to make it happen. He needs to be taken out."

"Taken out?" Gizmo said incredulously. "You mean you want us to kill him?"

"No, we don't think you need to kill anyone, but he needs to be stopped. He needs to be removed as a member of the ruling class. At the time the civil war started, he became their leader because there was no one else capable of leading them. If he is removed, the civil war has a good chance of not starting at all."

"Just how do you expect us to do that?" Marco asked.

"We haven't figured that out yet, but I'm sure you'll come up with something," Sula replied staring at the floor. "But you have to leave immediately before things go any further."

§§§

It was a silent group leaving General Brands office. There were at least a million questions they didn't have answers too. How were they going to find this Marion Everhart? If the civil war had already been going on for sixty-five years, the master mind behind it was probably already dead. How old was he when he put his civil war plan into action? Was any of his family still alive? If so, how were they to find them?

One thing they knew for sure was; they had very little to go on.

As they walked out onto the hanger deck toward Giselle with General Brand and Sula by their side, Gizmo saw Alexur Thoren, the Director of Security standing off to the side, by his office, watching them intently. In that instant, the Director's words came back to him, "you will not be leaving The Colony until we have had a chance to talk again."

Gizmo returned the Director's gaze and spread out his hands as if to say, "This was not my idea, I have no control over this." The General's expression did not change. Gizmo was sure General Brand was destined to give Sula a dressing down on this matter in the very near future. But that was not Gizmo's immediate problem.

§§§

"Welcome back master, I've missed you," Giselle said as they climbed on board.

"Do we have everything we need for an extended trip? Gizmo asked.

"All systems are functioning as designed, my batteries are charged, and there is plenty of food for both of you for as long as we need," Giselle responded.

"Good. Marco and I need a couple of minutes to talk before we leave. Standby mode please."

"Standing by."

"Any ideas?" Gizmo asked Marco.

"I got nothing," Marco said looking distressed.

"Me either," Gizmo said. "Giselle, do a search on a Marion Everhart from the Crotonis Galaxy. Give me everything you can find."

"Checking."

Seconds later the screen started filling with a picture and a biography of Marion Everhart. He even looked like an evil man. The biography was just what they needed. It gave them the place and time of his birth, and all his accomplishments in life. It also gave the place and time of his death.

Silent for a moment, Gizmo finally looked up at Marco and wondered out loud. "What if we kidnapped him just after he was born, and placed him with another family: a working class family? Wouldn't that change history enough to prevent the start of the civil war?"

"Yeah, but it can't be just any family," Marco said. "Won't the real family come looking for him when he disappears? And the new family? They have to have just had a child of their own. If we switch them, what do we do with the other child?"

"What about if we arrange to have him adopted by a working class family who is unable to have a child of their own?"

"What about if we prevent his real mother from having a live baby; what if the baby were stillborn?"

"What about if we kidnapped the mother before she was to give birth and brought her back here, then after the birth, we erase all memory of her pregnancy and take her back home again?"

"But that would leave questions for the family when she got back home without the baby."

"Why are they sending us on this when they have no information to give us on how to deal with it? Marco asked in frustration.

"I don't know," Gizmo said. "But we gotta go. We'll just play it by ear when we get there."

"Play it by ear?" Marco asked. "I'm not going to lose an ear am I?"

"It means..." Gizmo started.

"It's a humanoid phrase that means: to decide on one's actions as one goes along, depending on the situation," Giselle interrupted.

"Right. Are you ready to go Giselle?

"Your wish is my command master, but where are we going?"

"To the birth home of Marion Everhart, just before his birth," Gizmo said. "And use the cloaking device."

"Yes sir."

§§§

"Landing now, sir," Giselle said seconds later. "We are just beside their driveway by their garage."

"Good, we'll be able to see when they come and go," Gizmo said.

"So, what's the plan?" Marco asked.

"Not sure yet, but what do you think would happen if we went to the hospital and switched the babies?"

"That's brilliant," Marco said. "With Leap Frog, you could be in, switch arm bands, and back out again before they even knew you were there."

"Yeah, it would have to be at night when the hospital is quiet, and there are fewer staff who could see us. The babies would also be sleeping then."

"It would probably be better if you went in by yourself. It would be easier for one person to sneak in and out than two."

"Gee, thanks," Gizmo said.

§§§

The front door of the Everhart house flew open and a very pregnant woman was being assisted out with a woman at each elbow. Mr. Everhart, carrying a small suitcase, rushed out slamming the door behind him. He hurried on ahead to the garage to get the family car.

It floated out of the garage soundlessly on a cushion of air and he quickly turned it around and stopped at the end of the sidewalk where his wife was waiting. Before it lowered to the ground, the doors opened and Mrs. Everhart was seated in the front seat. Almost before the doors were closed, the car was up and moving, quickly picking up speed.

"Follow them Giselle. We need to know where they are going," Gizmo said.

§§§

At the hospital, Gizmo climbed out of Giselle and instructed her to hover above the Emergency entrance and be ready for him to Leap Frog back after switching arm bands. With Giselle guiding him through the labyrinth of corridors, he was able to find the maturity ward. As he sat in the waiting room with the rest of the expectant fathers, he kept a close watch on Mr. Everhart sitting across the room from him. He hoped it would not be a long wait.

It seemed he had been sitting there an eternity when a nurse approached Mr. Everhart. After a brief conversation, Mr. Everhart jumped up excitedly and asked if he could see his wife. He was led through the double doors and down a hallway. Gizmo stood outside the doors and watched through the small windows. Mr. Everhart entered the fourth door on the left.

Gizmo went back and sat down by a young man he hoped was also an expectant father. The young man was trying to read but was obviously far too nervous to concentrate on it as every few minutes he looked at the double swinging doors expectantly.

"You're not from around here are you?" the young man asked.

"No, but having babies is the same everywhere. Endless waiting. Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"We paid for a boy. I needed help with the farm work. I just want to be with my wife now though," he said as he looked toward the doors again.

§§§

The doors opened and a nurse came through looking around the room of expectant fathers. Her eyes finally found the young man and started in his direction. The young man had been watching her as she emerged from the double doors and jumped up as she started in his direction.

"You have a beautiful healthy young boy," she told him. "If you follow me, you can see your wife and son now."

The young man, grinning from ear to ear, turned to Gizmo and wished him good luck as he started after the nurse. Gizmo felt a stab of guilt as he thought about what he had to do. When the doors swung shut behind them, Gizmo got up and went to the doors to watch what room they went into. They entered the third room on the right.

Gizmo slipped through the doors and walked quickly down the hall toward the nurse's station. As he passed the third room on the right, he saw the name on the door was Northam. With Giselle's help he found a locker room and a stack of clean blue nursing uniforms which he quickly put on. He dumped his clothes in a linen basket.

§§§

The nursing station was chaotic with nurses rushing in every direction. Trying to blend in, he found a list of new deliveries and searched it until he found the Northam baby: Arturo Northam. He found a bin of name tag bands and made out one for each new baby: Arturo Northam and Marion Everhart.

It was feeding time for the babies now, and then they would be taken to be bathed and put down for the night so the mothers could get some rest. Gizmo tried to stay out of the way as he watched the nurse's bath and dress each baby in turn. When the Everhart baby was put down for the night, Gizmo waited until the nurse left the room then he quickly cut off the name tag and replaced it with Arturo Northam.

One down and one to go he thought to himself.

At last the Northam baby was put down in his crib for the night and Gizmo quietly approached the crib and snipped off the name band replacing it with Marion Everhart. Just as he was standing up, he heard a voice.

"You there, what are you doing in here?"

"He had started to cry and I was just trying to calm him down," Gizmo said.

"I didn't hear anything," the nurse said as she started in his direction.

Gizmo sensed danger and he started backing away, not sure what to do. Just then another baby started to cough. When the nurse turned in that direction, Gizmo hit the Leap Frog button and was back in Giselle instantly.

"Mission accomplished. Let's get out of here," he said.

§§§

Chapter 9 – Mr. Everhart

Sula and General Brand were waiting for them when they arrived back at The Colony. "What happened?" Sula asked.

"What do you mean, 'what happened'?" Gizmo asked. "Mission accomplished."

"No, the civil war is still going on. It was shortened by two years, but it is still going on. What did you do?" Sula asked.

"We changed arm bands with another baby. The real Marion Everhart is now Arturo Northam, a member of the working class."

General Brand was sitting at his computer intently looking at his screen. Presently he looked up. "The real Marion Everhart is the leader of the resistance against the ruling class, and the real Arturo Northam is the ruling class leader."

There was a shocked silence for a few minutes as the news sunk in.

Sula was the first to recover, "Apparently it was Mr. Everhart, Marion's father, who was behind the civil war and not his son. That changes things. You'll have to go back and make sure Mr. Everhart Senior is stopped. It may mean taking him out in the true sense, or it may mean preventing him from meeting his wife, and having a son."

Marco and Gizmo exchanged a look but neither of them said anything; there was nothing to say. It appeared they would have to go back and do the job all over again. Neither of them were looking forward to that scenario.

As they both stood up and exited General Brand's office, they headed back to Giselle. This time their walk was slower.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon, Master," Giselle said.

"Yeah, me either," Gizmo replied darkly as he sank down into the pilot's chair.

"Where are we going now, Sir?"

"We have to go back and do the job right this time," Marco said.

"Oh. That explains the tone of voice. How may I be of service, Sir?"

Looking at Marco, Gizmo said, "We need to go back to Mr. Everhart, Senior's childhood. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Sir. Plotting the course now."

"Can you tell me when Mr. Everhart, Senior first met his wife? Or when they were married?" Gizmo asked.

"Checking. Mr. Everhart married his childhood sweetheart at the age of nineteen, Sir."

"What? You mean they've known each other all their lives?"

"It appears they lived across the street from each other," Giselle said.

"Oh crap," Gizmo said. "I guess we can't stop them from meeting. Now what?" he asked looking at Marco.

"Can we prevent the marriage?" Marco asked.

"He would just marry someone else and have another son. I only see one option. Giselle, let's go," Gizmo said.

"Your wish is my command, Sir," Giselle said brightly.

"I'm really not in the mood Giselle. Just do it," Gizmo said.

§§§

"Landing now, Sir."

"I think we should just sit and wait and observe," Gizmo said. "Maybe we will see something we can use. Giselle, can you eavesdrop on conversations?"

"You should know that Sir, you programmed me with extraordinary hearing abilities."

"We have never tested your hearing capabilities or the range though. Can you hear conversations inside the houses? How close do you have to be to hear what they are saying?"

"I can hear voices inside the Everhart house, but I cannot detect the young Everhart. Wait. Wait. A female voice just said young Nevel is expected home soon."

"So we wait," Marco said.

"Can you hear voices inside the house across the street, Giselle?" Gizmo asked.

"Of course, Sir. They are discussing the wedding at the 'Our Lady of Everlasting Love' cathedral in two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Gizmo asked. "We can't just sit here and wait for two weeks. And I don't see any way to stop the wedding. Our focus has to be on young Nevel. If we kidnap the wife, he will just marry someone else. What about if we kidnap him?"

"And take him where?" Marco asked. "Just eject him in open space?"

"Well, there's a thought. And it would solve our problems, but if he just disappeared wouldn't there be a search for him?"

"You got anything better?"

§§§

The seaside city of Lavaria was gearing up for the big event also. Young Nevel Everhart was one of the most eligible bachelors in the city. With his good looks and his family's money, he was considered quite a catch.

His father owned the largest, and only, mining and mineral processing factory in the area and young Nevel was set to inherit it all. Since they had tapped into one of the biggest orion deposits ever found on the planet, they couldn't mine it fast enough. They were raking in the money faster than they could spend it.

Young Nevel's future was set for him. His father was having a big house built for him on top of a mountain overlooking the sea. Nevel and Gala had been there many times to make sure the construction and interior decorations were up to their discriminating tastes. The house would be complete just in time for the wedding.

Every florist shop in town was busy ordering the mass of flowers for the floral arrangements at both the cathedral and the bride and grooms house. Since nearly all the social A-lister's had been invited, it was taking three catering companies working together to prepare the food required for the wedding guests.

It had every indication of being the event of the century. The upcoming wedding was on everyone's lips as they went about their daily business. The excitement was almost palatable and seemed to be building with each passing day.

§§§

"Giselle, let's jump ahead to the day before the wedding. This is going to be painful just sitting here for two weeks waiting for this wedding to happen," Gizmo said.

"Done Sir."

Nothing appeared different except the Intergalactic date displayed on Giselle's instrument panel had changed. Gizmo had no idea what they were going to do but was sure something would come up.

"Giselle, can you determine if young Nevel is at home?" Gizmo asked.

"He is Sir, but is just getting ready to leave. He said he was going to go up to the new house to make sure everything would be ready for them after the wedding."

Just then the front door opened and young Nevel headed for his car in the garage. As he backed out and slowly turned the car around on the cushion of air, Gizmo was frantically trying to figure out a plan of action. Time was getting very short and action was needed soon. What to do? What to do?

Quickly Gizmo said, "Giselle follow him."

He and Marco exchanged a look, but no words were spoken.

"Is this what you meant by playing it by ear?" Marco asked.

"Something like that."

Young Nevel was driving slow on the city streets, but on the outskirts of town when the traffic started to thin out, he quickly picked up speed. Giselle accelerated to keep pace with him. Nevel had elected to drive up the coast road to the mountain top house since it was a beautiful day with the large pink sun spanning the whole horizon. He always enjoyed this view.

The coast road wound around the edge of the mountain as it overlooked the view out over the water. His late model car floating inches off the ground took the turns smoothly as he sped up the mountain. He had been up and down this road many times and knew every turn so he felt comfortable stealing a look out over the water from time to time, but most of his focus was on the road ahead.

Suddenly Gizmo had an idea. "Giselle, get in front of him and lower yourself to his level. I want you to face him but keep pace with him. On my mark, I want you to lower your cloaking shield briefly. Got it?"

"Yes Master."

When Giselle was in place, in front of Nevel and going backward to match his speed, Gizmo was closely watching him. The next time Nevel turned away to look at the view, Gizmo shouted "Now" to Giselle. Giselle instantly lowered her cloaking shield making her visible to the oncoming vehicle.

When Nevel turned back to look at the road, all he saw was what he determined to be an oncoming vehicle he was about to crash into. Without thinking he swung the wheel hard left, away from the mountain, to avoid a collision. His car instantly went through the guard rail and over the side of the cliff. Giselle rose up over the cliff just in time to see Nevel's car crash on the rocks below.

Marco was speechless and Gizmo felt sick to his stomach.

"Let's go back to The Colony Giselle," a shaken Gizmo said.

§§§

Chapter 10 – R & R

With the threat of an Intergalactic War no longer of immediate concern, Sula granted them some time off from their studies. They requested and were granted some time away from The Colony. Although they had not completed their orientation, Sula had seen how distressed they had been when they returned from their last mission, and allowed for special consideration under the circumstances.

Alexur Thoren was not so understanding. When he stormed into Sula's office, he was cut off before he had a chance to open his mouth.

"I know what you're going to say Alexur, but I'm not going to change my mind in this matter."

"But it is unprecedented to let new recruits leave The Colony until they have completed orientation; at least the security part of it. You know you are putting the whole Colony at risk. I forbid it."

Just then Sula's communication console beeped for his attention. Glancing at it briefly, he signaled for Alexur to sit down. He pushed a button on his wrist band and a voice only he could hear spoke quietly in his ear.

"Sir, this is Dr. Strom in the medical clinic. I'm sorry to bother you, but I have been unable to reach Gizmo. As you know, we have detected a weakened kidney and have grown another one for him. It is now ready, but I have been unable to reach him. I know he was on a Colony mission for you Sir. Can you tell me if he has returned? The sooner we replace his kidney, the better for him."

"Understood. I will take care of it."

With another push of the button on his wrist band, he turned to face his Director of Security. "Well, it seems you have gotten your wish after all Alexur. Gizmo will be reporting to the medical clinic for a kidney transplant. I will restrict him to The Colony for one week following the surgery as a precautionary measure, although that is hardly needed. You will have one week to instruct him on Colony security measures. Will that give you enough time?"

"Barely," the Director of Security said as he got to his feet and headed for the door.

§§§

Sula pressed the button on his wrist band again and said, "Find Gizmo before he leaves The Colony and have him report to the medical clinic as soon as possible."

§§§

Gizmo was still feeling lazy but most of all he wanted out of this bed. Not that it wasn't comfortable; he thought it was probably the most comfortable bed he had ever been in, but he never was one to just lay around when there were dozens of other things he could be doing. But the doctor's orders had been explicit. No activity until morning.

He was still in the recovery room following the transplant and had been awake for the better part of two hours. He felt great. Even the incision where the kidneys had been replaced seemed to be healing with remarkable speed. Dr. Strom had been at his bedside when he opened his eyes following the surgery and had smiled when Gizmo asked when the surgery was going to take place.

"The surgery was a complete success, as we had anticipated, and you are already well on the way to recovery," he had said. "However, you must remain in bed until morning when you will be released if everything remains stable. Your activity will be restricted for the first week, and then if there have been no problems; you can resume normal activity after that. During that time you are not to leave The Colony. In a week, I want to see you again so I can give you a medical clearance."

Gizmo hadn't been happy at that news, but all things considered, he was feeling remarkably well especially after such an intrusive surgery. He was wondering what he was going to do lying in bed with nothing to do until morning.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Marco walk through the door. He looked like a Cheshire cat grinning from ear to ear.

"I never thought I'd see the day when you weren't in motion. You have always been a blur doing ten things at once. But don't worry; I brought you something to do."

With that he handed Gizmo's communication device to him. Marco had been holding it until after his surgery.

"While you recover, Sula has given Alexur Theren one week to get us trained on Colony security. I have a feeling this will be a crash course, so you better get busy. Instruction starts tomorrow."

Gizmo groaned.

§§§

The following morning Dr. Strom released Gizmo from the medical clinic but again reminded him against any strenuous activity for the next seven days. Gizmo was feeling 100% and thought the seven day restriction had more to do with Alexur Theren than it did with his medical condition, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

Since their instruction was set to start immediately following lunch, they spent the morning reviewing Colony security measures in their private quarters. When their guides deposited them at the classroom, they found Alexur Theren impatiently waiting for them. It appears they had all gotten off on the wrong foot. Gizmo only hoped things would improve over time, but had his doubts they would ever be on good terms with the Director of Security.

§§§

Over the next week, they were instructed, questioned and tested on every aspect of Colony security. Most of it was common sense, but some of it just defied logic. But they were told logic had nothing to do with it. "Just follow established policy," they were told.

As the week progressed though, Gizmo increasingly became aware of a loop hole in the security system that he was not able to put his finger on. It had started out at the back of his consciousness giving him an uneasy feeling that something was not quite right, and then it had slowly worked its way to the forefront. He still really didn't understand it and searched the chip in his communication device to see if he could find it addressed in any of the security measures, but so far had been unsuccessful.

Finally the issue had reached a state of clarity in his mind to the point he saw it as a major security breach. He could no longer ignore it. How is it the Director of Security had not seen it and addressed it before?

"Sir?" Gizmo started.

The Director gave him a withering look. "Is there something I have not made perfectly clear to you?"

"Well sir, you have told us to use our cloaking devices both coming and going from The Colony."

"That is correct. We do not wish to be tracked by anyone. We wish to keep the location of our Colony secret from prying eyes. What is it you don't understand about that?"

"I understand the use of cloaking devices sir. That will keep anyone from visually seeing us and tracking us by visual means," Gizmo said.

"Then what is your point?"

"Anyone capable of tracking brain wave patterns will still be able to track us sir. That technology is commonplace these days. I just thought..."

Gizmo stopped when he saw the look on the Director's face. It had drained of color and his mouth had opened as if to say something but nothing came out. He just stood there looking at Gizmo.

Gizmo was beginning for feel uncomfortable in the lengthening silence when the Director recovered with a start and said. "Class is dismissed for today. We will resume class again in the morning."

With that he was out the door before another word could be said.

§§§

The following morning Gizmo and Marco were again in their seats in the classroom waiting for class to begin, when the door opened and Alexur Theren, Sula, and General Brand walked in.

"The Director has informed us that you brought up a security issue that we have, until now, been unaware of," Sula started. "We have suspended all incoming and outgoing traffic until a remedy can be found and implemented. Can you fix it?"

"Well, sir," Gizmo said. "Yes, I think I can, but I will need a lab and a couple of technicians."

"You can have anything you need. How long do you think it will take?"

"I'm not sure. With Marco's help and a couple of technicians it may take a couple of days, then some testing."

"If you will come with me, I will show you to your lab and let you get started immediately. Your orientation has been suspended in the time being."

With that, they all headed to the door.

§§§

Gizmo and Marco were both taken to the Colony transportation shop and given their own transportation platforms. After modifying the platforms to their brain waves, they were given instructions on using them. If you can think it, you can control it. The platforms could only be used by and be controlled by the individual they were linked to. They also had a tracking mechanism in them to track when and where they went. All their movements would be public knowledge from here on out. But weren't they already? Ever since they arrived at The Colony?

From there, they were given a map of The Colony showing all the different wings and public areas. There were wings that were restricted to authorized personnel only and they were warned not to go there. They were told their transportation platforms would not allow them to go beyond a certain point into a restricted area without the proper authorization code.

From there, they were taken to the lab that had been prepared for their use. Gizmo's eyes widened when he saw how well it was equipped with all the latest technology. He had created the Leap Frog and Giselle in a garage with just ordinary tools. He could only image what he could do with a lab this well-equipped.

He now had everything he needed except an idea how to solve the problem of blocking brain wave patterns from being tracked. How many people were depending on him to solve this in the most expeditious manner? How many people had he inconvenienced when Sula halted all incoming and outgoing traffic until a fix could be found?

§§§

Gizmo tracked down Cepheus Arcadia, the Captain of the Guard, who had helped him miniaturize his leap frog using synthetic material that could not be scanned. From Cepheus he learned that none of The Colony vehicles were equipped with tracking devices capable of tracking brain waves.

The way Gizmo saw it; he would first have to install brain wave tracking devices in all the vehicles, and then find a way to create a way to block it. How else could he be sure his blocking device was effective? Again, Cepheus came to his rescue. He knew where such technology could be obtained. It was just a matter of getting it into The Colony.

Gizmo got Cepheus to bring up the technology on the computer and then he brought up the schematic for the device. After a quick look, Gizmo was able to determine how the mechanism worked and went back to his lab to see if he could make one of his own. It looked pretty straight forward and it turned out to be just that. He was able to install it on his first attempt.

From there, he installed it in one of The Colony vehicles. Then he installed it in Giselle and in the Captain of the Guards office. Anyone sitting in either of the vehicles could be tracked or 'seen' as an object on radar able to pick up brain wave activity. Now that he knew how to track it, it gave him a few clues on how to block it.

He created a device to scramble the brain waves for any radar pointed in that direction, but although the brain waves could not be detected, there were still static like images on the radar that were telltales signs of a presence of some kind. Not good enough. He had to erase any indication of a presence at all.

Over dinner that night, while discussing the problem with Marco, it was Marco who gave him the missing piece he needed. "What if you used the same technology as the bubble force field shield above ground that mirrors back the surrounding terrain?"

Gizmo jumped up, "Marco, you're a genius. Of course. That's perfect. If anyone were trying to track brain waves, the mirror device would mirror back just blank space. It would be as if each vehicle had its own force field bubble around it. That, in addition to the cloaking devices on each vehicle would make tracking them virtually impossible. I'm going to start on it immediately."

"Tonight? Why not wait until morning? I know you Gizmo, you'll be up all night."

"I have to work on it now while it's fresh in my mind. I wouldn't be able to sleep now anyway. You go to bed, I'll work up a model and you can help me with it first thing in the morning."

Marco just shook his head. He knew it was no use arguing with him. He had seen that look come over Gizmo before. Nothing he could say would make any difference now.

§§§

Chapter 11 – Getting Away At Last

Gizmo was still at work when Marco showed up at the lab the next morning. Marco had stopped at the dining room on the way in and gotten enough food for both of them. But Gizmo was far too excited to eat.

"I have it Marco. I have it. I'm just about done with the model. Then we can try it out."

§§§

Gizmo installed the device in Giselle, and then sat back. With Cepheus standing by in the Captain of the Guards office he signaled that he was ready. Cepheus switched on the brain wave radar, and Gizmo watched him smile and nod his head. Gizmo leaned over and activated his device and watched as Cepheus' eyes grew wider.

Gizmo told Marco to stay seated inside Giselle and when he signaled, to turn the device off, then he walked over to Cepheus.

"I see it but I don't believe it," he said. "I had both of you on the brain wave radar, and then all of a sudden there was nothing."

Gizmo motioned Marco, who switched off the device. Immediately the radar lit up with Marco's presence in Giselle. Gizmo again signaled Marco and watched as the image on the radar disappeared. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Next we will have to do a field test but I will have to get Sula's permission for that," he said. He couldn't have been happier, but there was one further modification he had to make.

§§§

Back in the lab with Marco, he explained that he wanted to combine the cloaking device and the brain wave cloaking device into one complete unit. The technology was clear to him but would take the better part of a day to complete and miniaturize for use in the entire Colony fleet of vehicles.

He returned to Giselle and removed her cloaking device over her protests. He told her he was going to improve it and would install the new device within the next day or so.

He was back in the lab and working again when Marco entered with more food. This time he would not take no for an answer when Gizmo said he was too busy to eat. Marco led him to the food and sat him in front of his lunch.

"You haven't slept or eaten in two days now. You either eat or I will tie you to your chair until you do."

§§§

A day and a half later Gizmo had completed his gadget to his satisfaction. It was small enough to fit into the palm of one hand and yet had the power to disguise both the space vehicle and the individual brain waves of all the passengers inside. While he had been working on it, Marco had gotten Sula's authorization to do a field test once the gadget was ready.

Today was the big day. He alerted Cepheus on the flight deck and as they climbed on board Giselle, Gizmo felt that thrill of excitement he always felt at the completion of one of his inventions. It was a mixture of excitement and anticipation, mixed with a nagging twinge of uncertainty. Had he forgotten anything as his thoughts leaped from option to option and were at least four steps ahead of his fingers? But multitasking was something he had become quite good at.

He took a deep breath as he looked at Marco. This would be the moment of truth. He requested and was given clearance from Cepheus. Giselle lifted gently rotating in place, and headed toward open space. Once in the open, Gizmo gave her the command to proceed to the coordinates he had given her. Instantly they were in a galaxy far, far away from the Colony.

The exercise they had worked out required them to engage in a zigzag course while returning to The Colony, engaging and disengaging the cloaking device randomly. They were careful to never travel in a direct line back to the Colony with the cloaking gadget turned off in case anyone was 'watching' them.

§§§

As Giselle settled gently down onto her assigned parking space on the flight deck, Sula, General Brand, Alexur Thoren, and Cepheus were waiting. The field test had been a success. Gizmo's gadget had performed to their expectations. There was only one step remaining. Install the gadget in all The Colony's vehicles so business could get back to normal.

Gizmo created a second cloaking device and turned it over to the Colony lab technicians. They would take it from there, reproducing the gadget and making sure all Colony vehicles had their own clocking device. That meant Gizmo and Marco were free to go on their long awaited vacation.

§§§

Climbing aboard Giselle, Gizmo said, "Let's go raise some hell."

"Raise some hell?" Marco responded with a quizzical look on his face.

"Giselle?" Gizmo called out.

"It is a humanoid express meaning making trouble just for the fun of it," Giselle said.

"Yeah, let's get plastered."

"Plastered?"

"Giselle?"

"It's a humanoid express meaning to get extremely drunk."

"I don't understand drunk?"

"Marco, don't tell me you've never been drunk. Don't you have alcohol where you come from?"

"If by alcohol, you mean the spirits of the Gods, then yes we have some in limited quantities, but only the elders are allowed to drink it."

"You remember the Star Bar don't you? That was the intergalactic bar where we were drinking and met the men from The Colony for the first time? There was alcohol in those drinks. That was my first time drinking alcohol too. Back where I come from, there is an age limit on who can drink it. They don't serve alcohol to anyone below the age limit. I was not only under age, I was also considered a nerd."

"A nerd?"

"Giselle?"

"It's a humanoid expression to mean a person who behaves awkwardly around other people; someone who is socially inept, and usually has unstylish clothes and hair, and is somewhat unattractive. It also includes a person who is very interested in technical subjects, like computers, and is usually slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits."

Marco just sat staring at him. In the lengthening silence, Giselle said, "For what it's worth Master, I don't see you as a nerd."

Marco finally said, "I don't see you as this nerd either. You're the smartest person I know Gizmo."

"Once a geek, always a geek."

"Geek?"

"Different word, same meaning," Gizmo smiled. "I always knew I was different from everyone else, but it didn't bother me. In fact, I was glad other kids left me alone. It gave me more time to work on my gadgets. And it paid off didn't it? If I wasn't a nerd, we wouldn't be here now would we?"

"Let's go raise some hell," Marco said straightening himself in his chair.

§§§

Gizmo was quiet for a moment then, looking at Marco he said, "Marco, you and I come from different universes right?"

"I don't know," Marco replied. "All I know is you showed up and found me. But I do know that we have been to other universes in our travels. At least that is what Giselle says, and I have no reason to argue with her."

"I want to go back to my own universe and prove a few theories I have been brought up with. There are many people on my planet who do not believe in multiple universes; they believe that the very definition of 'universe' is all that exists for us in all of time and space. You and I now know that is not true, but there are a few other things I would like to explore if you are up for it."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not at all, at least I don't think so."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Okay then. Giselle, I don't know the coordinates but I want you to take us back to my home universe and then to the very limits of it. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Master. Your wish is my command."

"Giselle, I thought we talked about that. Do I have to reprogram you, AGAIN?"

"Sorry Master."

"Enough of the 'master' crap. Okay?"

Silence.

"Okay?" Gizmo asked again.

Silence.

"Okay then. As soon as we get back, I am going to pull the plug on you and do a major reprogramming of your attitude."

"I understand sir. I will no longer call you 'master.' But you are still my master whether I call you that or not. Is it okay if I call you 'sir'?"

After a brief pause, Gizmo said, "I will allow that, but I would prefer Gil or Gizmo."

"I request to be allowed to call you 'sir' because if it weren't for you I would not exist. I am merely expressing the fact that you are not only my creator, and my master, I will endeavor to follow your every wish. I use it as a sign of respect sir."

It was Gizmo's turn to be silent.

Turning to Marco, he said, "I hate it when she uses logic on me to beat me at my own arguments."

"Okay, Giselle. You win this round. You may call me 'sir,' but I'm putting you on notice. Consider yourself warned."

"Yes sir," Giselle said with a decidedly smug tone in her voice.

§§§

Gizmo and Marco slowly exited The Colony air space and were soon on their way. Gizmo turned to Marco and continued his explanation of why this journey was important to him.

"Although the concept of multiple universes is being talked about more and more on my home planet, I want to test some theories that have been discussed. Our cosmologists have estimated that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in our universe, very few of them believe there is more than one universe. It is becoming a more popular theory but so far there is very little evidence to prove it.

"Most believe in the 'big bang' theory where our universe was created by a big explosion that moved outward from a given point forming the given galaxies. Most cosmologists believe the universe is ever expanding since there continues to be a growing distance between galaxies, but there seems to be some difference of opinion on whether it is growing as one would blow up a balloon, or whether it is expanding on a linear line.

"That is why I want to see the edge of our universe to see what is beyond it. If our universe continues to expand, what is it expanding into? Is there another universe out there that ours will combine with, or will it again trigger a big explosion if our universe collides with it? If colliding with another universe will create another big bang explosion, it will annihilate all living beings in both universes."

"Excuse me sir, we are arriving in the galaxy on the edge of our universe. It has a small weak sun with an inhibited planet closest to it. The planet surface has breathable air but a rather inhospitable atmosphere. Temperatures on the surface tend to be somewhat colder than what we are used to. Most inhabitants live underground. Shall I attempt to communicate?"

"Yes. Send out signals on all wave lengths," Gizmo said. "There is little chance we will be able to establish contact with them, but at least we can try."

§§§

On their second circuit around the planet, they were all surprised to get a strong signal from the surface.

§§§

Chapter 12 – Twylo

Giselle was in orbit around the plant Twylo in the galaxy Argus, at the edge of Gizmo's home universe when they heard the signal loud and clear from the planet below. In the silence that followed, Marco and Gizmo just stared at each other.

Now what?

"Awaiting your orders sir," Giselle said.

"I don't know," Gizmo replied. "What do we know about them? Are they humanoid? What are they like? Are they friendly? Giselle, you got anything?"

"Not much is known about them sir. They are a small colony of nomad miners that roam around looking for anything they can sell for a profit. From the limited reports I have been able to locate in my memory banks, they are a rough group that work hard, play hard, and are reportedly not to be trusted."

"So what do we do? We can't just ignore them since we were the ones to initiate contact." Gizmo said.

Marco gave the equivalent of a shrug.

"Giselle, open the circuit," Gizmo said.

"Circuit open sir."

Gizmo turned to the control panel and flipped a switch activating the circuit. "Greetings from the starship Giselle. We are on a research mission and just arrived in your airspace for a brief visit."

"Welcome to Twylo at the edge of nowhere. Stay as long as you want and if you want to land, we always welcome visitors. We don't get many at this outpost."

"Thank you for your generosity. We haven't yet decided how long our research will last or how long we will be in your airspace. How long have you been on this planet? And how much can you tell us about this galaxy and what lies beyond?"

"We been here far too long if you ask me, but it won't be much longer before we can leave this hellhole. We're almost done with our work here so hopefully we can leave this place soon. As you might have gathered, this ain't been my favorite assignment. We have a planet scientist on staff here and if you want, we can set up a conference with him. I'm sure he'll be able to answer many of your questions. Up to you of course but if you want to land we can give you the coordinates and landing instructions. As you no doubt know by now, the planet surface is not the most hospitable place. We all live in catacombs beneath the surface since that's more comfortable."

"We need to run some tests which shouldn't take more than a day or so, but we would be very interested in talking to your planet scientist. Can we set up a meeting with him say, tomorrow afternoon?"

"I'd have to check with him first and get back to you but I don't think he'll holler too much."

"Great, I look forward to hearing from you."

§§§

Two days later a time had been set for the meeting and landing instructions had been given.

"Permission to initiate landing sequence," Gizmo requested from the planet below.

"Cleared to land."

With the circuit closed, Gizmo said, "Giselle put yourself on your highest alert. If you see or hear anything suspicious get us out of here as fast as you can. Don't wait for an order from either Marco or myself. Our survival is in your hands in case of an emergency. We don't know what we're walking into. When we're on the planet surface, don't allow anyone to board or even to get near you. I don't want any tracking devices or anything else attached to you, and I don't want anyone close enough to examine you. Give them a verbal warning first and if that doesn't work zap em enough to get their attention."

"Your wish is my command sir."

"You have my permission to pull us back on board at the first sign of trouble. Marco and I both have our Leap Frog devices implanted and if we should find a need to use them, be prepared to take off immediately."

"Understood sir."

§§§

They continued to descend slowly toward the planet surface. The last thing they wanted was to draw attention to Giselle's special Leap Frog technology. As they descended on the coordinates they were given, they saw the planet surface below them beginning to open like the petals of a flower to allow them to land on a subterranean landing pad.

They settled down gently on the landing pad that rose to meet them. As soon as they were securely down on the pad, it started to lower and the flower petal surface started to close over them. It was an ominous feeling knowing they were completely encapsulated in a subterranean chamber beneath an unknown planet surface. Had they made a mistake? Too late now.

With the landing pad doors above them completely closed now, they became aware of the glow of interior lights. They expected the landing pad would be alive with activity but it seemed deserted. In fact the landing pad was empty except for them. Gizmo wondered briefly where the miner's vehicles were, and where were their hosts. Shouldn't someone be here to greet them?

Gizmo and Marco exchanged looks. "Well, we knew they were a rough group. Keep your eyes open and let's just be friendly but cautious. At the first sign of trouble Leap Frog back to Giselle. Are we ready?"

Marco looked apprehensive but slowly nodded his head.

"Show time," Gizmo said as he reached over to open the door.

§§§

As they stood on the hanger deck looking around wondering which way to go, they saw their hosts approaching from a far corner. From this distance, they looked humanoid but not quite human. They looked almost a cross between Marco and Gizmo, having some characteristics of both. It was as if their species had crossbred. It was disconcerting to say the least.

Their hosts approached quickly and stopped a few feet away. "Sorry for not meeting you when you arrived. We had a minor emergency to attend to. I am Devir, the leader of our little band of nomads, and this is Eagnor, our planet scientist. This is Nale and Kotar," he said indicated the two others by their side. With a sweep of his uncommonly long arm he continued, "If you will follow us please."

They were led from the landing pad into a corridor or unknown origin. The walls were rounded and porous making Gizmo wonder by what method they had been constructed. As they walked, Gizmo looked around to determine the source of the indirect lighting. No source was detected; the light was just strong enough to see where they were going but not strong enough to read by. It was then he realized the maze of corridors branching off in various directions and disappearing in the distance as far as the eye could see in the dim light. They had already made several turns and Gizmo was glad he had an escort because he was sure he would never be able to find his way out again.

After more twists and turns they arrived at a door which opened with a wave of Devir's hand. The room they entered was small and contained nothing but a table and six chairs; one for each of them. Gizmo wondered briefly how they had known how many chairs would be needed.

Once seated, the chairs seemed to conform to their shapes. Gizmo was impressed and his mind went immediately to the mechanics of how they had been built and how he could duplicate them. He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of Eagnor's voice directly across from him.

"I understand you have some questions for me. I can't promise I'll be able to answer them but I'll do my best. Who wants to start?"

Gizmo looked at Marco, then at each face around the table before he started. "I guess this is my party so I'll be asking the questions. I'm from this universe but Marco is not. It is generally accepted that this universe is continuing to expand outward. My research is to determine what it is expanding into. This galaxy is at the edge of the known universe. We want to know what lies beyond. Is there a neighboring universe? If so, how close? And what happens when they collide with each other?"

He stopped to catch his breath and looked at the faces around the table. Kotar was sitting at the end of the table and as Gizmo's gaze passed him and moved on, he caught a slight movement. He quickly looked back at Kotar but saw nothing unusual. Kotar was looking down at the pad in front of him. Gizmo was just about to turn away when he saw it again.

It was almost as though he were watching an old time TV with a poor signal. Kotar looked just as he had when they first met him then it seemed like his image flickered and momentarily his image changed into another very different creature. Stunned, Gizmo watched as Kotar now reverted to his true form.

Form changers, he thought. As he looked around the table, all of their hosts had reverted back to their original form. There was no longer a reason to keep up the pretense. They each had very large unevenly shaped hairless heads in a mauve hue with big pointy ears. They resembled stick figures with thin bodies and long skinny arms ending in smallish hands with seven long fingers. It was when Kotar stood that they noticed he had three very long legs. In the silence that followed Gizmo saw their large bulging eyes were all focused on them. Gizmo was only sure of one thing. They had to make a quick get-away. With Marco's telepathic abilities, he thought, "Marco, Giselle, now."

Suddenly laser guns appeared in the long boney fingers of their hosts. Where they had come from and how they had appeared so fast, they were not sure. As the guns started to come up in their direction, Gizmo grabbed Marco's arm and they were suddenly back in Giselle.

"Now Giselle," Gizmo yelled. "Get us out of here."

They looked out the windows of Giselle at the large group of aliens gathered around them all pointing guns in their direction.

"Giselle?"

They were suddenly back in space.

§§§

Chapter 13 – Complications

They were still confused about the sudden hostility of their hosts on Twilo. What was that about? They had come in peace, tried to be polite, and they had only come seeking information. They were still discussing what might have gone wrong when Giselle was rocked by a neutron explosion close by.

"Giselle?" Gizmo yelled ducking.

"Checking sir."

Just then another explosion rocked Giselle again, this time closer than the last one.

"Can they 'see' us Giselle? Didn't you engage cloaking?" Gizmo yelled.

"Cloaking engaged sir. They shouldn't be able to read our location. Wait. Wait. It appears a small beacon has been attached to the aft underside. I am unable to disarm it at this time. We will have to land somewhere to remove it."

"You were supposed to keep everyone away from you. How could this have happened?"

"Replaying video now sir. Got it. It was attached by a mechanical arm rising from the hanger deck floor. It should be easy to remove once we land. It appears to be a magnetic device."

"Take us to the nearest planet with a hospitable atmosphere and set us down at a local bar. I want a place with a lot of space going vehicles. We can't go back to The Colony with a tracking device," Gizmo said.

"Landing now sir."

Once on the planet surface, Gizmo was the first out the door. He went immediately to the rear of Giselle and quickly located the small beacon. It was easy enough to remove but now what to do with it. His first inclination was to place it on another vehicle and be out of here as fast as he could. Once he thought about it though, he decided that would be hardly fair to the owner of the vehicle he attached it too. They could become unsuspecting victims for something they had no knowledge of. He had to find somewhere else to put it – fast. He didn't know if they were even now being pursued or not.

Marco squeezed himself into a garage at the back of the bar and explored the contents inside. His eyes adjusted almost instantly to the diminished lighting and he saw the space was used as a storage area. It took him a few minutes to search the space for a suitable object but just as he heard Gizmo calling him, his eyes settled on the perfect place for the beacon.

He went to the garage door and called Gizmo to look at his find. Gizmo had come up with nothing outside and knew time was quickly running out so he followed Marco into the darkened garage. His eyes did not adjust as quickly as Marco's had but when he finally focused on what Marco was pointing at; he knew it was the perfect solution.

In front of him on the work bench was a model spaceship. After a quick inspection, Gizmo realized it was a very basic but operational model. They could attach the beacon, take it into space with them and release it on a course that would lead their attackers on a course away from them and The Colony.

Gizmo wasted no time attaching the beacon and together they snuck back out of the garage and boarded Giselle again. Giselle reported an incoming ship from the direction they had just come from. It was unclear if it was their attackers from this distance but they couldn't hang around to find out.

Giselle was immediately in hyperspace again and moving fast. Gizmo and Marco both watched the screens as the incoming spaceship turned in their direction. That pretty much confirmed they were being followed.

"Giselle," Gizmo said, "eject the toy spacecraft on a fast trajectory away from us as fast as possible and engage cloaking. Then stand by from a distance and let's watch what happens."

"Understood master."

"Giselle, I thought we talked about this. Now is not the time but we will talk again."

"Sorry sir."

With the model spaceship and the beacon quickly disappearing in the distance, they sat quietly by and watched. Presently there was a blinding explosion and the model disintegrated. Hopefully their attackers would now leave them alone.

They watched as their attackers turned and headed back the way they had come.

§§§

Now back at The Colony, it had never looked so good to them. They were more than happy now to resume their orientation. A safe environment and a regular routine is just what they both needed. They had much to learn before they wanted to go exploring on their own again.

§§§

THE END

About the Author

Coming from a small town in the Midwest, the author used the Navy as a stepping stone to college in California where he got a degree from the California State University, Chico. During his first two years of college, he majored in Journalism where he learned the fine art of journalistic writing. He had a dream of traveling the world photographing and writing about current breaking events. Although the dream lives on, the photography and the writing have become more of a hobby than a career. That window of opportunity is gone, but the joy of writing remains strong. As is usually the case, life got in the way and he ended up getting a degree in a field totally unrelated to writing or photography. He changed the focus of his studies and earned a degree in Psychology. The bulk of his career was spent working in the California Department of Mental Health where he worked in various capacities ranging from a psychiatric nurse to the Hospital Administrator of one of the State medical facility prisons. That is where his creative writing skills were really put to the test.

Looking back over the course of his career, the single most important element that stands above all others is his ability to write effectively. Being an avid reader, he read work related journals and scholarly books on treating the psychiatric patient, but he also read the entire works of authors such as Dean Koontz, John Grisham, and Tom Clancy. These were master story tellers. He marveled at their ability to weave an engaging story. It was only through the encouragement of friends that he set out to write a book of his own.

The author has recently moved to Fort Myers, Florida, where he lives a quiet life. The first book by this author is entitled: The Cemetery At The End of Harvey Road. The story sprang from a single experience from his college days in Northern California, an episode late one night on a lonely road leading to the cemetery at the end of Harvey Road. With a friend, he encountered a dark shadowy figure with a gun blocking their passage on the road. From that single experience, this book seemed to write itself. There were times when he wondered who was in control of the story. He seemed but a conduit to ensure the story made it to paper. The story took on a life of its own and controlled the many twists and turns leading to its inevitable conclusion.

The author has since completed a second book which he feels is better crafted then the first one. The second book entitled Breaking Point follows the lives of four people who are on a path that will define the rest of their lives. Everyone has a breaking point. What is yours?

The third book entitled Finding Harry is a biography about the life of a young boy growing up in a Midwestern Protestant family. It's the story of a Midwestern upbringing gone wrong. It is a coming out story, and a coming of age story that will take you on the many twists and turns in what he believes to be his inconsequential life and what he feels made it so. It will also take you on his journey to find his voice and break free of the bonds allowing him to rise above and stand tall despite those who would keep him down.

Curtains of Time is the authors first attempt at science fiction. It is currently released as a short story or perhaps a short novel but may someday be further developed into a full length novel or series. This short novel follows the adventures of Gizmo and his friends through the many and varied universes, in the many varied times of their evolution.

All books can be found published on Smashwords.com. If you, the reader, have comments regarding the books by this author, he can be reached at the following email address: wr55@att.net. Please put the book title in the subject line to ensure your comments receive the proper attention and response. Any comments you have would be appreciated.
