Chapter 8

When the quake hit, Enik disappeared from the Marshalls' point of view. The family found themselves trapped between worlds, in some sort of neutral area that was neither their destination, nor their point of origin. Rich led his family toward the sound of the car horns. Though he knew the other Earth was not safe, perhaps they could find a time doorway that could save their lives.

The family worked their way through a maze of tunnels, not unlike those in the Lost City. There were rocks everywhere, but they knew that on the other side of those rocks was their home – or at least some version of Earth. Either way, it was worth investigating.

Rich figured that they were alive either because the quake had interfered with Enik's plans, or because of the fact that they were not only being sent between worlds, but between universes. Not sure of where they were, Rich simply hoped for the best, though he knew there was a good chance he had brought his family to its doom. He quickly put that negative thought out of his head. Instead, he focused on getting out of there and he quickly decided what to do once they did. "This way," he said as he led his family toward a well-lit cave. Inside the cave he saw a matrix table. "Holly, wait here. Bill, come with me."

Rich and Bill walked into the cave and examined the table. "What do you think Dad?" Bill asked.

"Well, we are in a time doorway and somehow trapped halfway through. If this table is here, then there must be a way to get out of this. If I can arrange the crystals in the right combination, I bet we can open a doorway back to our universe." Bill smiled at the thought and watched his father attentively.

Rich examined the table and noticed that there was a crystal missing. He spotted a green crystal that was lying on the floor. He picked it up and placed it in the open spot on the table. To his delight, a doorway opened. Rich smiled and thought that his luck was finally about to change when he saw what appeared to be Earth in front of him. He guessed that he was looking at the wrong Earth, but at least he had produced something. Hope remained alive.

Then the table started to glow brightly and it made an odd sound. Suddenly a second doorway appeared side-by-side with the first one, almost like a split screen on a television. Earth was visible, but so was the Land of the Lost, or at least a Land of the Lost. Luckily, the half doorway moved around to various areas in the Land, and when Rich saw the black Sleestak, he knew that he was looking at his universe, not the other one. Rich's experience in the Library of Skulls taught him that no black Altrusians existed in the other universe.

Fortunately, the doorway seemed to be visible in only one direction. Although the Marshalls could see Enik, the black Sleestak did not appear to be able to see them. Enik appeared agitated. Rich did not want to go through the portal until it was safe, and it was not safe with Enik there. Of course, he did not know how long this doorway would be open, so within moments, the family would have to take their chances and go through the door. Rich sighed and looked at his son. He was about to explain to Bill why he left Holly outside when his son spoke first.

"Dad, if we go through that doorway, will we end up in the Land of the Lost, or on Earth?"

Rich replied, "I'm not sure son. But if we take Enik at his word, that's not our Earth. It's the Earth where those other Marshalls are from, and if that's true, that's not where your mother is and we can't even survive there." He pointed to the other side of the doorway. "At least we know for a fact we can live in that Land of the Lost."

Rich's expression got very serious. "Bill, listen to me carefully. I don't want to take a chance until we absolutely have to, but we are running out of time. I know it isn't safe to try to get out of here as long as Enik is there, but we are getting to the point where we have no choice. That doorway can't remain open forever and it can close without warning, trapping us here. In another minute, I will call Holly in here and we are going to go through the portal on the Land of the Lost side. I'm going to fight Enik off, and you're going to get Holly out of the Lost City."

"No way Dad! I'm not leaving you!"

Rich interrupted. "I know what you're going to say and I understand how you feel. But I am your father, and I will protect you by any means necessary. I need you to get your sister to safety. No matter what happens to me, you two have to be safe."

"But Dad!"

"Bill, I have no intention of sacrificing my life, but I need to know you will take care of your sister. My best chance at surviving is knowing that you and Holly are safe so I can focus on fighting Enik. If you do what I say, I have a better chance at escaping. I need you to be a man and understand what I'm asking."
Bill's heart filled with love for his father and with hate for Enik. But now he understood why his father had Holly wait outside. She was too young to hear the conversation. He just looked at his father and nodded. He would pick up Holly and carry her out of the Lost City if necessary. The two men hugged.

"Thank you, son," Rich said as they broke the embrace.

Bill sat down and put his hands on his head. It had been a long day. His father turned away from the doorway and patted his son on the shoulder. Bill looked up at Rich and said, "I was so sure this time. Dad, I miss her so much."

Rich understood. "I miss her too Bill, but your mother would want you alive, and we are alive, and as long as we're breathing, we have hope. We will get back to her. Maybe not today, but we will. You need to believe that."

Bill nodded and forced himself to his feet. The two men looked at the doorway again, and to their delight, they watched as Enik finally walked out of the room. Rich knew that this was their best chance to avoid the scenario he had just discussed with his son. "Holly, come here, quickly!" Rich summoned. His daughter complied.

But fate was not being kind to the Marshalls as their luck once again turned sour. Just as they were about to enter the doorway, the ground shook once again. "Daddy!" Holly screamed.

Rich was thrown off balance, but in a valiant effort, he shoved his daughter through the time doorway, saving her. His aim was good, and she clearly went through on the Land of the Lost side of the portal. He cursed himself once more for allowing his family to be in this situation and wondered about this second quake. The timing was too coincidental to be an accident. Since crystals and pylons controlled the weather in the Land of the Lost, perhaps Rich touched something that set off the quake. He hoped that was not the case, but he would never know for certain.

Meanwhile, Holly's entrance through the portal seemed to cause it to go haywire. With the ground still shaking, a third world appeared, looking similar to the Land of the Lost. Before Rich could even consider what that third world was, both men were thrown off balance. Rich and Bill stumbled through the portal, right at the intersection, head first. To make matters worse, the portal closed right behind them, suspending them between worlds. They found themselves trapped in a wall, with their heads and torsos sticking out one end, and their legs sticking out the other. They were still alive, but they did not know where. The ground stopped shaking and Rich quickly looked to his right. He could see yet another crystal table on the wall. Bill was lodged just under and slightly to the left of the table, to Rich's right. Rich knew that the way to freedom had something to do with that table. Unfortunately, it was just out of their reach.

Bill struggled to free himself and in the process, a loose button on his shirt fell off. When it hit the ground, it exploded. Rich then realized where he was – the other universe, and based on the existence of the crystal table, he believed he was in the alternate Land of the Lost, complete with its own set of Marshalls. Rich did not understand why he and his son had not exploded themselves, but he theorized that their being alive had something to do with a residual effect of being in a time doorway. "Add that to the list of mysteries of the Land of the Lost," he thought to himself.

Rich was about to say something reassuring to his son but before he could speak, another aftershock hit, and he saw three green crystals fall off the table. One fell toward him, and he was able to catch it, but the other two hit the floor. When the crystals hit the ground, he somehow found himself in a state of flux. He could no longer speak and he could barely move. It was as if time slowed down for him dramatically. Judging by the lack of communication with his son, he assumed Bill was in the same predicament. Rich and Bill were helpless. For now, the lives of the Marshall men were in the hands of the only person who knew where they were – Holly.