Author's Notes: In this chapter, I used a slightly modified Sixth Challenge Paragraph from The Lost World Fix website. It's a great site, and if you haven't ever been, I highly recommend it.

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"I'm home!" Veronica cheerfully called as the elevator rumbled into view. As nice as visiting the Zanga was, it was good to be home again. She smiled as she removed her pouch and hung it on the equipment rack, listening for the replies of the others. "Challenger? Ned? Hello…" she called again when no one answered her. Surprised by the lack of replies, she wandered further into the kitchen area. She spotted Ned's abandoned journal on the table, pages rustling in the light breeze. Veronica began to worry, knowing that he never left his journals laying about if it could be helped. "Hello, is anyone here? Ned?"

As if in response, a muffled explosion sounded in down in Challenger's lab. She spun in the direction of the noise and noticed smoke billowing from the lab. With a knowing grin, she trotted over to the ledge and looked down.

Challenger stood in the middle of the smoke cloud, vigorously waving his hand in front of his face as he surveyed the remains of his experiment. "That was unexpected," he muttered to himself. "One of these days, I really must put a window in down here."

"I don't know if that will help," Veronica teased as she rested against the railing.

"Veronica! I didn't realize you were home!" Challenger grinned up at the blonde. "Did you have a nice visit with Assai?" he asked as he hunted for a pencil.

"I just came in when you had you little...accident," she answered, motioning at the still smoking mess on the table. "Yes, I had a very nice time. Everyone sends their regards. Assai also reminded me of a Zanga legend she thought Ned might like for his journals. I thought maybe he was down here with you. Where is everyone?"

"Oh, Roxton took Finn hunting. They should be back in a day or two. Marguerite and Ned are around here somewhere," he said as he finally found one and began recording information.

Veronica looked over her shoulder at the kitchen table, a sense of unease growing in the pit of her stomach. "Well, he's not there now."

He stopped writing, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Oh, wait a moment. Ah, I recall talking to Marguerite about…something. She said something about them going out."

"Are you sure? Their equipment is upstairs." Veronica frowned. Something about this situation didn't seem right. "Did they mention where they were going? Maybe I can catch up with them, or at least meet them on the way home."

"I think they mentioned something about finding a noise."

"A noise?"

"Yes, I believe she said something about music although I can't be sure. My experiment was at a critical stage," Challenger explained as he perused the calculations again. He was sure the numbers were perfect when he began.

"Music?" The uneasy feeling became stronger as memories of her time with the insane musician Ducart began. "Think Challenger! How long ago was that," she impatiently demanded.

Challenger looked up from the page, Veronica's distressed tone finally getting his attention. "Well, let's see...the initial reaction was just starting to occur, so I'd say at least a couple of hours ago."

Veronica glanced out the window. "They've been gone for a couple of hours and they said they'd be right back," she said, struggling to keep her voice under control.

"I'm sure they're fine. They're both capable adults Veronica," he said, attempting to soothe her.

Veronica's uneasiness turned into full-blown fear as she realized what was bothering her. She looked down at Challenger, her eyes widening in horror. "They have no guns!" she blurted out.

"What!"

"They have no guns!" she repeated frantically. "When I put my things away, I noticed that the only things missing from the storage area were Roxton's and Finn's. Where ever Ned and Marguerite went, they didn't take anything with them."

Challenger dropped his pencil and rushed upstairs. "We must go look for them. Quickly, before we lose any more light."

Veronica raced to grab some supplies while Challenger got his gun and pack. Without a word, the two entered the elevator and descended to begin the search for their friends.

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Veronica picked up their trail as soon as she stepped off the elevator. For nearly half an hour, the pair of explorers followed their friends' aimlessly meandering and occasionally circling trail.

"Look at this," Veronica said as she pointed at the trail. "This is the third backtrack in five minutes. What were they thinking? Look at this trail, it just wanders all over the jungle. Now they're just going 'round and 'round in circles until their tracks end here." She sighed, frustrated and scared. She wished Roxton was here. Maybe this trail would make sense to the hunter.

Challenger grunted in response as he studied the surrounding terrain. A sudden prickling sensation ran down his spine. He had learned the hard way not to ignore that sixth sense. But there were no variations in the usual sounds that filled the jungle - No, wait! Was that a flash of movement off to the left? Yes, there it was again, barely a glimpse visible through the dense underbrush. But nothing could have prepared him for what emerged from the shrubs.

A small child rolled out of the growth, shrieking with laughter. Picking herself up, she shouted at the opening she tumbled out of in a language he didn't recognize, and plunged back in. He looked at Veronica in surprise. "Did you see that?"

She nodded, and without a word, followed the little girl through the bush. Challenger hesitated for a moment before following her. The last thing he saw was Veronica sneeze before his own sneezing fit began and the world went dark.

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To be continued...