CHAPTER ONE
It had been over two years now. The crew of the sub-orbital spaceship Spindrift had passed through a space warp and crash landed in a giant land, where everyone and everything was hugely proportional in comparison to the sizes of their earth counterparts.
There was a team of seven survivors: the ship's captain Steve Burton, its co-pilot Dan Ericcson, an engineer named Mark Wilson, a criminal on the run named Alexander Fitzhugh, the ship's stewardess Betty Hamilton, a jet setting socialite named Valerie Scott and a young boy named Barry Lockridge. His dog Chipper had also joined him on the flight and was now stranded in the giant land with his youthful master.
In the two years which ensued, they had barely escaped a number of adventures with their lives. There had been other earthlings who had found their way into the giant land: Marna Whalan, Nick's Lost Ones, Major Kagen and some time travellers. All had ultimately gone their own way, leaving the seven Spindrift people still stranded in a world where they were only the size of the smallest dolls.
Tensions were mounting between the team. From the time they crashed, Steve Burton had assumed the leadership of the team by virtue of his captaincy. However, he had been either openly challenged by Mark Wilson or underhandedly defied by Fitzhugh or Valerie on many occasions.
Now several months had passed them by and there had been no incidents involving capture by giants, since the evil twins had used the Servo-Actuator in an attempt to serve their own evil ends. The seven visitors from earth were meeting in their base camp for a discussion which would turn things around forever.
"We've played it your way long enough, Steve!" said Mark, "All your precautions haven't kept us from nearly getting killed, and have done nothing to get us home."
"Half the dangers we've faced have been the direct result of half of you disobeying my orders," said Steve.
"Orders. For crying out loud. You're a pilot, not a policeman, not a military commander, not even a town mayor. You've been deciding for us long enough."
"Then what do you suggest?" asked Steve.
"Put it to a vote," said Mark, recalling the number of times they had exchanged blows during heated moments.
"You want us to vote for a choice of leadership between you and me," said Steve.
"No. Vote on whether we continue operating under a leader at all."
"Alright. Have your vote. Look where mutiny got you with Dr Franzen."
"He was innocent. He was played by an opportunist named Logar, who betrayed him and us to S.I.D. Inspector Kobick," said Mark, "Now let's vote."
Valerie voted against Steve. It was predictable. She had subtly become romantically involved with Mark during the second year of their time in the giant world.
Fitzhugh, being used to defying authority, also voted against it.
Barry recalled two times when Steve had been unwilling to act, when Chipper had been in trouble and voted against him now.
Dan, Steve's oldest friend predicably voted in Steve's favour.
Mark's and Steve's votes were already known.
Betty voted for Steve.
"Don't ask Barry to vote as well. Don't make the boy choose," said Fitzhugh, who had formed a special friendship with the lad, which brought out the few selfless deeds he had ever committed in his life, "He can't influence the outcome now. It's 4 to 2 now. Whether it's 5 to 2 or 4 to 3, Mark's made his point."
"If he thought Chipper counted when he needed us, Steve would have both our votes now," thought Barry.
"Alright," sighed Steve, "So what do we do differently?"
"We use some of the friends we've made, some of the giants who are grateful to us, some of the opportunities we've let pass by," said Fitzhugh, surprising them with his sudden contribution to the discussion, "Surely we could ask Mr & Mrs Farrer, Jody, Inidu, Professor Kerlitz and maybe some others to help us."
"Surely not both Inidu and Kerlitz," said Dan, "Both designed the means of teleportation. One used magic tricks. The other used science. Both were on the run from the law. And somehow I couldn't picture the two of them teaming up to help us. They both have the same persona. They wouldn't make room for each other."
"Fitzhugh's right," said Mark, "Many of the giants are untrustworthy, but some have already proved their moral integrity. We need to team up with them."
"It could just work," said Valerie.
"At the very least, it would give us a real chance at getting the equipment and materials we need to get the spaceship up and running. Then it's a simple matter to fly off this world. Even if we don't find the space warp, we could make it to another planet, where people may well be our size," said Mark, "I've got an idea. Steve, are you still willing to help us, if we go with my plans?"
"I'll consider it," said Steve.
"OK. Here's the deal. Steve would go to the Farrer's house and ask one of them to take him to the town of Elops to visit the giant scientist boy Jody and ask him for some of his enlarging and reducing pills. I'll stay normal sized to work on the ship. Some of you can enlarge and help us as fake giants. Combining that with the undetectable nature of those of you who remain small, we should be able to get everything we need in no time and repair the ship and get off this world. What do you say, Steve?"
"I guess the Farrers will always be grateful that we saved their kids," said Steve, "And Jody was always our friend."
"I'm surprised we never thought of this before," said Betty.
"We never got the chance. We were always on the run from this giant or that giant. Things have been quiet lately, and we need to take advantage of it," said Mark, "OK. Steve, you and Dan go look up their address. Steve, you go see them. Dan came go to the edge of the garden and report back to us with the address in case anything goes wrong. Steve, if you get to Jody, come back with a good supply of both formulas, so that we can change a few people's size both ways if need be. You're the best choice. You're known to Jody from when he enlarged you to giant size. You're also one of the two of us most directly involved in the rescue of the Farrer children. We'll work it from there."
Steve and Dan snuck into the nearest house and struggled to turn the pages of a telephone book, a few dozen at a time, until they found the Farrers' address.
They began the long walk to the giant property. It was a huge mansion. They were obviously wealthy.
"I'll wait in the garden at the front of the place," said Dan.
Steve walked over, picking up fallen twigs on the way.
He stood on the door step and threw the twigs up to the bell, until a direct hit made it ring at least loud enough to be heard by the residents.
The door opened, and Mrs Farrer stood in front of him.
"One of the little people. Aren't you one of the two who saved Lida and Teddy," she asked.
"Yes, I'm Captain Steve Burton, and your husband stopped Kobick's men from grabbing us."
"Late husband," she said, "You'd better come in."
She knelt down and picked Steve up and took him inside, closing the door. She sat at a table and placed Steve in front of her.
"I'm very sorry," said Steve, "What happened?"
"Kobick and his Sergeant both made reports about the incident. My husband was arrested for aiding Little People. He was taken to the S.I.D. prison. He was shot, when he tried to break out."
"I shouldn't have come here," said Steve, "I was going to ask your help, but helping us has cost you enough already."
"You did save my children, and you must resent Kobick almost as much as I do. I'll help you for those reasons only. What did you want me to do?"
"I have a friend, a boy who actually invented a formula to enlarge us to giant size and then an antidote to reduce us later. With some of us enlarged, we could get away from Kobick once and for all. He lives in another town called Elops. We could never hope to reach him, now that he's moved away from here. You could travel there, with me."
"I'll do it on one condition," said Mrs Farrer, "Shrink Kobick. It would be exactly what he deserves, to become the very thing he hunted, to become the very embodiment of the reason he contributed to my husband's death. Drug his drink with the antidote, and leave him your size forever."
Steve actually smiled at the irony. It would also get the SID's best man off the backs of all earthlings forever.
"We'll do it," he said.
"I'll have to gather the children and head for the station. You can ride in my handbag," she said, and gently placed Steve into it.
Steve was suddenly aware of something totally irrelevant to their mission. He liked the feel of the giant widow's hand. She was around ten years older than him and very pretty. Yet his escape from Kobick had once led to the death of her husband. He would not presume too much on her. He would just get his team back to earth.
His team?
It was more Mark's team now. But maybe this bold new approach would work, and then any leadership concept would be obsolete.
Mrs Farrer closed her handbag, and Steve heard her calling the children to come down from upstairs.
She walked them to the station and bought their tickets.
Steve smiled at the irony that his journey would be free. It was a guaranteed way to get away with fare evasion. He assumed she would not tell her children about him, lest they let the information slip to anyone who might turn them in to the SID.
When the train finally pulled into Elops, Mrs Farrer found a telephone book and looked up Jody's address. She took Steve to his apartment and knocked on the door.
Jody opened the door to her.
"Madam?"
He did not recognize her.
"I'm a friend of Steve Burton. Do you mind if I leave the children in the lounge room and talk to you in another room?"
"I guess it would be alright," said Jody, and led her into his home laboratory room.
"I'm Mrs Farrer, and I believe you know Steve," she said, opening her handbag.
"Captain Burton!" said Jody.
"Hi Jody. It's been a long time. We desperately need your help. Could you make some more of your formulae, both of them?"
"I guess so."
Soon Mrs Farrer had returned home, called a babysitter for the children, who had been frequently sympathetic to her single motherhood for a while, and was walking Steve and the pills through the forest.
As they got to the ship, she lowered Steve down, and took the formulae out of her bag.
Steve called the others out.
"Did you get it?" asked Barry.
"Yes."
"So who wants to be giants?" asked Mark.
"Not me," said Steve, "I've done it before."
"That wouldn't put me off," said Fitzhugh.
"No, but you're not to be trusted. Look at the trouble you got us in last time," said Mark.
"I guess then men should stay small. That way we can break into places easily and work on the ship with Mark," said Dan.
"I'd love to be a giant until we leave," said Valerie, "How about you, Betty?"
"It could be fun," said the pretty stewardess.
Something about the thought of these ladies becoming giants began to please Barry. He had developed crushes on both of them. His attachment to Betty was stronger, as she had offered to take the young orphan home with her, when they had been on the flight, which had brought them here.