Chapter 16

In the Black Universe, the day began as normally as possible in the Land of the Lost. Grumpy's roar could be heard in the distance and the triple moons were giving way to yet another sunny day. Rich Marshall stood at the edge of High Bluff, staring into the distance at nothing in particular.

"Penny for your thoughts," Bill said as he approached his father.

"Guess," Rich answered with a half-smile. Bill knew.

Holly was never far from Rich's thoughts in the years since she went home. He felt a constant guilt and sadness that he was not able to raise her. Yet at the same time, he was also glad that his daughter made it out of this dangerous place.

"Dad, I'm sure she's all right," said Bill, trying to comfort his father yet again. "Besides, she's with Mom."

"I know she is son, but that doesn't mean I can't miss her. I miss them both." Rich really did believe what he had just said. In his heart, he knew that Holly had found her mother and that she was indeed safe. Still, despite knowing the benefits of his daughter's return home, Rich still longed for his girls.

He smiled at the irony of the conversation. When they first arrived in the Land of the Lost, Rich had been the pillar of strength for his children. They had seen him outrun dinosaurs and wrestle with the Sleestak. Yet since Holly's return home, the scales of strength balanced a bit. Rich had learned not to hide his own insecurities as much, and Bill had grown from a teenager to a man. Having John around also gave Rich someone near his age to talk to, which Rich had never realized how much he had truly missed. The Marshall patriarch was as strong as he ever was, but he allowed himself to rely on his family a lot more. Their support truly helped him deal with the guilt he continued to feel for their predicament. Rich may have blamed himself for everything, but his son and his brother did not.

Bill simply looked at his father and said, "I miss them too."

As father and son shared a moment, John could be heard inside High Bluff, preparing for whatever the day had in store. To his credit, John had adapted to the Land of the Lost quite well. Rich and Bill had been very helpful in educating him. John definitely had the Marshall spirit and was a survivor. Like his brother and his nephew, John would not rest until they all found a way home.

Tired of feeling sorry for himself for the time being, Rich decided to lighten the mood. "Well, if Holly were here, I would let her know that the water jugs need filling, but since she isn't…" Rich didn't have to finish. He simply picked up the jugs and handed them to his son.

"Great," said Bill, smiling, "that's what I get for opening my big mouth."

Suddenly a shout could be heard coming from the cave. "RICH! BILL!" It was John. The father and son rushed to his aid.

"What is it?" Rich asked.

"It was the strangest thing. It looked like Bill, but it wasn't. It was like some floating image of him. And he was wearing a different shirt."

"DAD! Do you think?" Bill asked, instantly remembering his family's betrayal by Enik five years prior. The Marshalls still had not returned to the Lost City since that incident. Enik was too big of a threat. Even a chance to get home was not worth alerting the black Sleestak to their presence.

Rich did not need Bill to finish the thought. "I don't know son. It's not impossible. We did it."
John spoke up. "Excuse me, but would someone care to fill me in as to what you are talking about?"
Bill answered, "before you got here, we almost made it home, or so we thought."

Rich continued, "Remember when we told you about the black Sleestak?"

John understood. "Right. You were trapped and Holly got these other Marshalls to help. That incident is the reason we never went to that Lost City you told me about. You think this…thing could be one of those other Marshalls?"

"If there's one thing about this place Uncle John, anything is possible. If that's my counterpart, his name is Will." Bill said.

"There he is!" yelled Rich, spotting the image again.

Will looked down at his alternate family as he hovered above them. He tried to speak, but he was unable. He was taken aback when he saw Rich. Staring at his father's counterpart reminded Will just how much he missed Rick. But right now, he had a message to deliver.

Before Will left, Enik mentioned that these people went by slightly different names. He was advised that when referring to himself or to Uncle Jack, he should use the names Bill and John. He had to concentrate. He felt himself drawn to his counterpart and he remembered that the only way he could communicate would be to somehow join with him.

Then, Rich helped Will out. "Well, if that is Bill's counterpart, then something is wrong and he needs our help." He turned to his son, "Bill, remember how Holly said she communicated with our other selves? If you stand still and let him float into your body, he'll be able to talk to us through you."

Bill looked at his father uneasily. "I can't say that I like the idea of another person inside me, but I guess I do owe him one." Bill stepped away from his father and allowed Will to merge with him.

"Not much time. Help Holly," said Will/Bill.

"Holly?" John asked.

"Twelve hours…time's running out," continued Will/Bill.

"I get it," Rich answered, "in their universe, Holly must not have gone home." He addressed the visitor by his true name. "Will! Where is Holly? How can we help her?"

Will understood Rich's question. He found it very hard to concentrate, but he knew that these people would help. He tried to deliver his message, hoping that Rich was as intelligent as his own father. "Lost City. Enik took Holly. She's still alive… Using her as bait for me …. and…..Uncle…John…. Need your help. Has weapon. Time's short. Crystals are universal."

"I think I understand," said Rich. "John, somehow, Enik, our Enik, made it to the other universe and took their Holly."

"Right," said John, "and if I'm following correctly, somehow he has a way to allow her to survive here, but only temporarily, and their Bill, Rich, and John can't help her because just coming here would kill them."

"More like just their Bill and John," said Rich. "If my theory is right, my double made it home, like Holly did here. Since Holly and Bill both have counterparts in their Land of the Lost, the only explanation is that either your counterpart never arrived or mine went home. And your counterpart is clearly there."

"How do you figure that?" John asked.

"Because," Rich continued, "he mentioned you. Whatever this trap is, it's for him and his uncle, not his father. Remember, this is a closed universe. If your counterpart came into their Land of the Lost, and Bill's and Holly's counterparts are still in their Land of the Lost, then that means my counterpart left their Land of the Lost. Our lives have paralleled for the most part. If we lost a family member in a pylon, I'll bet you anything that they did too."

He pointed to Will/Bill. "And besides, call it parent intuition, but he hasn't seen his father in a long time. I could just tell by the way he looked at me." Suddenly, Rich felt a deep sorrow for his counterpart. He had always dwelled over the loss of Holly. He could only imagine the guilt he would feel if he was the one that escaped, leaving his children behind.

Will listened to the brothers' conversation and he was impressed by the logic. Rich was like his own father in more than just looks. His mind began to wander a bit as he thought about various events of his childhood. But time was short and he felt the pull of his own universe. He shook off the cobwebs, cleared his head, and delivered one final plea. "Help Holly. I can't hang on." Will then involuntarily exited Bill's body, and while Bill collapsed into his uncle's arms, Will was pulled back to his own universe.

"Are you all right son?" Rich asked.

Bill was visibly shaken. "Dad, it was weird. I don't recall much, but I was in his head, just like he was in mine. Memories. He saw you and remembered things. I experienced pieces of his life. Dad…his mother died before he and his family fell into the Land of the Lost."

Rich did not know what to make of that information. After his family arrived in this world, his main drive to get home was to get back to his wife. She meant everything to him. Even separated by worlds, he never gave up trying to get back to her. The thought of losing her was too horrific to imagine. He felt badly for his counterparts. However, right now, he needed to focus on his own son. "Go on, Bill," he said.

"It was an experience," Bill replied, "but not something I want to do every day. What did I say? I mean…what did Will say?"

"It seems that in their universe, Holly didn't go home. Your old friend Enik kidnapped her. Looks like our doppelgängers need our help," said John.

"But how will we get her back to her own universe?"

Rich once again used his intuition. "Your counterpart gave us a hint a long time ago. Remember how I was holding that crystal when we were trapped in the wall? Will took that crystal out of my hand and stuck it on the table to release us. That means that whatever the crystals are made of can be held by people in both universes."

Bill looked at his father and asked, "If we can get a hold of Enik's weapon to open a doorway, couldn't we make a path of crystals for Holly to safely walk on? She could use that path to go through the portal back to her own universe without even touching the ground here."

John answered. "That might be a little difficult given how small crystals are and how much time it would take to do that. I think you're on the right track though. Crystals are the key. I have an idea that should work using some good old-fashioned human ingenuity. Leave that to me. But the next question is: how do we get to her? And what if we can't get Enik's weapon?" asked John.

"I have a plan," said Rich. "I think it's a safe bet that Enik is expecting a rescue from the other Marshalls. But we haven't seen him in years. He is arrogant enough to think that he is unstoppable. Perhaps we can use Enik's ego against him and pay him back for almost killing us. John, it looks like you're finally going to get to see the inside of the Lost City. Here's the plan: Bill, go get that bag with our other clothes. Put on your version of the shirt that Will was wearing. We've got to make Enik think that you and John are your counterparts."

Rich explained the rest of his plan, and the Marshall men prepared to bring it to fruition.