"A process of elimination may be our only option, but I must say, I would prefer if there were less choices available. At this rate we're going to be on this plateau forever," Challenger grumbled as he stamped down the path.

Roxton, in the rear of their short procession, laughed. "I'm sure it will be in the last place we look, Professor."

Veronica smiled from her place in the lead. "I don't know, this place isn't so bad is it? Maybe you'll want to keep looking for a way off even after you've found one."

The explorer's pace was easy, there was no rush to return to the tree house as they had no idea what shape it would be in when they got there. Leaving Malone and Marguerite behind to butt heads unhindered by an audience had seemed like an good idea when the three adventurers had left, but now returning to an unrefereed battle field sounded less than appealing.

Roxton shook his head and raindrops from the thick canopy flew from his wide brimmed hat. "You say that now Veronica, but if you came to London, you might be whistling a different tune."

Veronica looked back at the two men and rolled her eyes. "What could they possibly have there that I don't have here?"

Challenger stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Let's see. Automobiles, airplanes, electricity, refrigerators, ground level housing..."

"And don't forget all the things London doesn't have," Roxton chimed in. "Apemen, dinosaurs, hostile tribes, man-eating flowers, super natural phenomenon..."

Veronica held up her hands in defence. "Okay, Okay. But I still think that if presented with the opportunity some of you might decide to stay."

Challenger smiled softly at Veronica. "Perhaps Summerly would have stayed, but the rest of us need only the slightest push to get us going, my dear."

"Challenger's right." Roxton nodded as they began walking again. "We all have our reasons to go home."

Veronica raised her eyebrows sceptically. "Namely..."

"Well, Challenger's discovery isn't much use if he can't tell the rest of the world about it. Isn't that right old man?"

Challenger nodded. "As petty and shallow as it seems, I came here to prove something to the zoological society, not just to myself."

Roxton continued, "And I do have my estate to go back to."

Veronica shrugged. "Property and fame. That's what is so important? What about your reasons for staying? Challenger, this is the study of a lifetime for you. What if you couldn't come back after you left? And Roxton, you're never going to find a better safari than this one. By the way, you still haven't bagged that T-rex you were going on about when you first got here. Then there's Marguerite, we still don't even know why she really came, how do we know she's ready to leave? And Malone, if you ask me I think he rather likes it here."

Roxton laughed behind her. "I wonder why?"

"You make good points Veronica, but I'm afraid that if we were presented with an opportunity, I think we'd all take it." Challenger replied. "Though, you know, I don't think anything odd has happened to us in quite some time. Maybe the rest of our existence on the Plateau is going to prove uneventful."

---

"How could this have happened!" Marguerite wailed, only the voice came from Malone's body.

"It must have been the machine, somehow it switched our bodies..." Malone faded off, contemplating the severity of the situation.

Marguerite slumped into a chair and crossed her legs, which looked quite odd coming from Malone's body. She put her face in her, or 'his' as the case may be, hands and they both lapsed into silence. Suddenly, Marguerite's head snapped up and she nodded to herself.

"Isn't that the machine that Challenger used to get rid of those spirits in the cave when they were posing as Adrienne and Maple White?"

Recognition slowly dawned on Malone's face. "Right! It drew the ghosts out of the walls and set them free." He snapped his fingers. "And what are ghosts but souls, or the person's essence if you rather."

Marguerite shook her head in disbelief. "Somehow it took our, I don't know, 'life forces' from our bodies and put them back in wrong when it stopped?"

Malone started back towards the laboratory. "Then the only thing to do is to turn it back on and hope it does the opposite."

Marguerite pulled herself shakily to her new man-sized feet. "Right."

They both stopped in their tracks as they heard the distinct rumbling of the elevator.

---

"You underestimate, my dear, the rather strong pull of home. It has actually been proven that..." Challenger trailed off as he stepped out of the elevator. Veronica followed, staring curiously at the Professor as he stopped abruptly.

Challenger looked from the frozen Marguerite to the frozen Malone and back. "Is something wrong? You two look like you've seen a ghost."

Marguerite scratched the back of her neck (in a very mannish manner) and looked guiltily down at her feet. Before she could say anything, however, Malone jumped in.

"A ghost? If only, it's been dreadfully boring around here. But now that you're back, you can tell us all about your trip. Isn't that right, Marguerite?" Malone scooped up Challenger's arm and began directing him briskly over to the table away from the slack-jawed Marguerite.

Marguerite stammered uncomfortably, "Well, I-"

Roxton filled the silence. "Dreadfully? Well, isn't that terribly English of you, Malone."

Malone shrugged and plopped down into one of the kitchen's chairs. His legs began to cross, but he quickly untangled them and slumped down in his seat.

"I guess you've left Marguerite and I alone so long, I'm beginning to pick up her mannerisms."

Roxton frowned, his eyes on Malone's tangled legs. "Maybe a little too many."

"Well I don't know about anyone else, but I'm exhausted," Challenger supplied, "I'm off to bed."

Veronica's eyes never left Malone as she nodded. "Me too. I'm sure we'll all feel better in the morning." She disappeared into her room while Challenger headed to his.

Silence enveloped the other three as they stood motionless in the small circular room. Marguerite shifted her weight from one foot to the other before turning away from the others.

"I need some air." she managed before vanishing in the direction of the balcony.

Roxton stared after her and put his rifle on the table. "A little fresh air certainly couldn't hurt."

"No!" Malone jumped up, nearly overturning the table. "What I mean is, I think she wants to be alone."

Roxton stared at his friend curiously. "I'll risk it." And with that he was gone.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," 'Malone' muttered as he slumped back into his chair and put his face in his hands. He snorted angrily as his fingers slipped through his terribly short hair.

---

Malone grasped the balcony's railing firmly with both hands as he stared out into the inky blackness of the jungle. He breathed in deeply of the cool night air as nausea threatened to overcome him.

Why had Marguerite lied to the others and pretended to be him? Malone had been so shocked by her taking on his persona that he had been unable to do anything but go along with it. After all, how did you tell your friends that you had an accident and, oops, you were in the wrong body? They would think he was mad, wouldn't they?

Malone pounded the railing with his fists in frustration and then examined his new petite, slender hands in disgust.

"I don't know, they look pretty good from where I'm standing."

Malone jumped at the deep, teasing voice behind him.

"Roxton!" Malone twisted around to see the hunter sidling slowly onto the balcony, his face hidden by his wide-brimmed hat and the evening darkness.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," Roxton said as he rested his arms on the railing. A little too close, Malone noted, for comfort. Roxton removed his hat and started playing with it between his hands. "But I would like to know what's going on," Roxton added, his eyes never leaving his hat.

"Going on?" Malone blurted out nervously, "Nothing's going on. Just a quiet evening at home. Nothing unusual at all."

Roxton's hat froze in his hands, and he looked up quizzically at Malone. Trying to be reassuring, Malone smiled back weakly.

"I guess I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me," He attempted. "Probably the eggs for breakfast. You know how Marguerite cooks..." Malone's voice faded away as he realized that he had just technically referred to himself self in the third-person.

The hunter straightened up slowly and his expression darkened, "All right Marguerite, no lies. What are you up to? If you did anything to poor Ned while we were gone-"

"Ned? No!" Malone interrupted, "Nothing happened. Really."

Roxton stared at Malone searchingly for another minute and Malone mentally cringed under the close scrutiny. "Alright, Marguerite. I believe you," Roxton finally said but his eyes were still wary.

"Umm. I think I should be getting to bed," the frazzled journalist said as he inched towards the inside of the tree house. While trying to walk backwards, Malone's foot misjudged and he tripped awkwardly on Marguerite's long skirt. "Uh, you know, beauty sleep and all that," he added as he recovered his footing and rushed off the balcony.

---

Roxton hadn't even leaned back onto the railing before he heard an angry shout from inside. He turned in time to see a very flustered Marguerite being pushed out of Malone's bedroom and in the direction of her own.

What was wrong with her? Roxton had never seen her so jumpy before. Instead of her usual smooth, cutting remarks, the heiress had practically fallen over every ungraceful word that she had said. And had she actually blushed when Roxton had stared at her? Something was definitely going on, but at the moment, Roxton wasn't sure that he wanted to know what it was.

To Be Continued...