I.
Dean and Annie sat silently together in the living room long after the Rhinestiens had gone home. The glow of a lamp provided little light in the otherwise pitch black room. From where she sat, Annie saw that it was nearing eleven PM; it had been three hours since her son had left.
"I don't believe it,"her husband said quietly."I just don't believe it."
She closed her eyes.Pulling a knife on someone isn't ever believable.
"He can be a handful sometimes, but Hogarth wouldn't do something like this. The last thing that he'd do would be to threaten someone and someone whose the shieff's son no less."Dean looked over at Annie."But then he did attack someone once, didn't he?"
"Hogarth wouldn't do something like that."
He touched her shoulder."The shieff wouldn't lie about this, Annetta."
Annie opened her eyes."I know my own son, he's not dangerous."
"I agree."Dean placed an arm behind the sofa to straighten himself to her level, his face inches from hers in the still darkness."But we can't-"
"Dean, I don't want to even consider this possibility!"She cut him off in an angered hush and turned away to gaze out into the middle of the room where Hogarth used to sit on the floor and watch old sci-fi flicks on TV.
"Shh. Julie."he reminded her."Annie, it's obvious something happened a few nights ago that we don't know about.I don't think our son-um-your son would do anything if there wasn't provocation involved in it."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying we need to wait for Hogarth's side of the story."
The ring of the doorbell caused them to jump a bit, Annie went stumbling around for the kitchen light and made it to the front door as Dean came up behind her. The couple looked at each other and she opened it to find a woman somewhat younger than Annie standing there.
"Does Garth Hughes live here?"She asked hastily in a Jersey accent.
"Yes."Annie gripped the knob slightly."May I ask who you are please?"
The woman dressed a bit skimpily under a trench coat with high heels.
"Trisha Evans. My daughter Taylor has talked about him non stop, so I figured when she left my car to call him he had picked her up. Traffic is jammed up so bad I had to hitch a ride with a Fisherman whose more familiar with the backroads than I am, I thought she might be here with him anyway."Trisha paused a moment and then grew very worried.
"Come on in."Annie motioned for the woman to enter and went to a counter."Ice tea?"
"No thank you."She walked inside to scan the inside carefully, but everything except the kitchen was in the shadows."Taylor's not here, is she?"
"We're looking for our son as well."Dean told her.
"That could mean they're out together."His wife added, sitting down as the adults looked at one another, things were now adding up.
"Shieff Rhinestien mentioned seeing Taylor headed back for Rockwell by herself."Dean sat down as well."He couldn't find her though when he came here several hours ago, but he saw his son was with her by a phone booth."
"Gorden?"Trisha gave a look of disapproval."He's my daughter's ex."
Annie thought a moment."Would she have gone anywhere with him?"
"Not after Wednesday. My darling walked home alone and teary-eyed. It was pretty apparent he'd been talking crap to her.I never did like him."
"I told you all."Came a little but strong voice."It was that Gord guy."
They all turned to see a bed-rumpled Julie in the living room doorway.
"Julianne..."Annie sighed tiredly.
"Hogarth's girlfriend called him on the phone 'cause of Gord."
"And what did Hogarth do?"Her father inquired.
"He was scared for her so he went after her."
Provocation.Dean thought intently, giving his daughter a proud nod.
She smiled back.
"Trisha,"he turned to their guest."Did Gorden ever do harm to Taylor?"
"Dean."Annie hissed and looked over at Julie."She's in the room."
"It's all right."
"Harm?"her face blanched at Dean's question."Oh,sweet heavens."
Both adults went to her side as she started having a panic attack.
"D-do you think m-my daugther is all right if s-she's with your s-son?"
Annie nodded at her husband and he considered his answer carefully.
He felt ashamed for not thinking of the truth sooner.
"Yes, if they're together your daughter is in the best of hands."
II.
Hogarth felt a bit of nausea mingle with excitement as he kept feeling himself being propelled through what he imagined was the vacuums of space, he was buckled to a chair but the sensation felt like a launch off.
Although the interior was dark there was an almost natural feeling to being sent into space, he imagined they were passing planets and stars on a large extraterrestrial expedition. This was something he was still processing.
It was all very nerve-wracking, and yet very thrilling--- it was like he was in a dream and yet he knew this was very real.
Hogarth gripped the armrests of the chair bracingly as everything began to slow down. Gravity once again claiming everything and his buckle unsnapping caused him to gather his senses as he rose to his feet.
"Uh...hello?"
There was a mechanical whirring noise and his shadowy surroundings began to dissolve. When Hogarth was able to search around, he saw the Giant had been reconfigured and now stood in a dazed state.
"Everything okay, Giant?"He asked concernedly.
His white eyes focused down on Hogarth and he seemed to recover.
"Those were just a few minor side effects."Kina informed them,brushing off some invisible dust from the sleeves of her robe."No need to worry."
There's always a need to worry.He thought guardedly.
When Hogarth turned back to the Giant he saw someone was sitting upon his shoulder; it was Taylor."Thanks for letting me come."she said to him.
"You gotta be kidding me."He muttered as the Giant lowered her down to the ground, causing Kina to give a small chuckle at his reaction to their stowaway."You let her come?"
"Well, at least someone thinks I can take care of myself."Taylor barbed.
Hogarth took her hand to help her down."That's not the point!"
"Then what is?"She demanded,taking her hand back and leaping down half a foot.
"This could get dangerous."
"And if you knew that,"Taylor rose up on her toes."why did you come?"
Hogarth didn't answer right away, he looked up at the Giant who gave him a curious yet critical look in return. At that moment he realized how great of a risk he was taking, but he did know the reason as to why he was there.
He turned back to her, saying squarely."Because it's important to me."
Taylor smiled and said to both of them."It's important to me too."
"Good to see we are cooperating,"Kina commented."Please follow me."
Once he got a better look at his new surroundings, Hogarth noticed the entire area had many giant facilites made of reinforced metal that were scattered about with large, zig-zagging paths made of flat black pavement.
"There's other people here,right?"Hogarth asked Kina as they walked.
"Yes,the other citizens live outside of the scientists' facilites."she looked at him from the corner of her half-closed eyes."You will not be meeting them. After our failed droid experiment,we have been understandably shunned. With 7000 we hope to make up for the past."
"You said you were going to copy his DNA?"Taylor inserted.
"This will be better explained by my father tommorow,"Kina answered in her assuring voice as they approached a facility with doors that had to be a hundred-and-fifty-feet tall."For now, I will show you to your quarters."
"Something isn't sitting right with me."Taylor whispered.
"It'll be fine,"Hogarth told her,a lso whispering."If anything happens, we'll find some way to leave. She has good intentions and we can help her. Besides,I don't think she'd travel all this way across space for nothing."
Doubt still lingered in her eyes.
"It was your choice to come."He reminded her, but gave her hand a squeeze."But we're going to watch out for you, got it?"
"Who leads your government?"Taylor pressed Kina, looking away from Hogarth.
This made the young woman stop and stand a bit rigidly."Well,"she said a bit reluctantly."No one leads anyone here. What one person needs to survive, the other provides. As I have said,all will be made known soon."
"Sounds a little like anarcho-capitalism."
Hogarth glanced at her, heeding her words. They both had a good grasp on politics.
As the large doors shuttled away from each other in parting, Kina said.
"7000 will need to remain behind."
"Why's that?This place looks plenty big enough."Hogarth argued.
"Standard procedure, I'm afraid."she nodded at her droid."35,000 will be able to show him his own accommodations. Is that a problem with you?"
"Go on."The Giant urged them,wanting to keep things at peace. He did, however, look at the 'robot' to make sure it remained where it was; a good distance from the others.
"Are you sure?"Hogarth asked crucially.
He nodded his dome-shaped head, but still remained a bit concerned.
"Well..."Hogarth poised slightly to move inside."If you're sure..."
An inevitable feeling of unsettledness wrought within his chest as only he and Taylor followed Kina into the unknown insides. He didn't take his eyes away from the Giant until the doors closed off the outside.
Have we made the right decision? He thought to himself.
x.x.x
"It is intriguing the way you and him communicate."35,000 noted.
The Giant looked over at it. "Communicate?"
"One could almost assume you both were on equal ground,"It continued to speak before turning to meet his eyes."That is not true of course, you will quickly learn your place here that you are lower then Hogarth."
Pondering over 35,000's meaning ,the Giant put a hand over his head in measurement and then brought both hands nearly together in order to match Hogarth's height. But this made no sense at all as he stood taller.
"That is incorrect, he is above you."35,000 tried to explain and made a noise of frustation when the Giant looked skyward into the star-studded sky, giving his metal cranium a confused scratch. "No, 7000!I do not mean in terms of size but of status and stature."
They met eyes again.
"We do not mean as much as they do, as Kina and the others."
He looked closely at the steadfast creature and bent down to it's level, the creature inched back as he rested his arms on his rectangular metal knees. By meeting at this level he felt he could establish his own views better.
"We do mean as much."The Giant told it calmly, his upper shutters lowered.
35,000 backed away."You are far too naive to comprehend but you will learn in time. Now, if we will please proceed."It started toward the right.
The Giant stood up, now rendered doubtful about the whole thing.
"Do you need reminding that it was your 7999 kind that rained down on our planet in that failed experiment? You and you alone survived.I would think that you would wish to fix something that only you can. If so, follow me."
That was right, only he could protect the rest of his homeworld. This place needed him as Rockwell, Maine had once needed him.
Hogarth's actions to protect Taylor four nights ago came back to him, he had done what he had to do to protect his friend; who he assumed wasn't a boy. The Giant had seen that had been Hogarth's reason, but he still worried for him because his method had been wrong. The nine-year-old he had met all that time ago was different, and yet the same.
The same person who at least pretended to use violence, but he knew Hogarth would never harm anyone.
Just as he wouldn't.
The Giant followed 35,000.
To be continued...
