Earth 266
Barry was missing.
As soon as Joe realised that, he went to check on the local river-going boats. None were missing and it did not seem at all likely that his foster-son would have set off on foot - especially not when interesting things were happening here. Iris went down to the beach area to see if he was checking the pots or engaging in some other work there - although she doubted that would be the case. It wasn't.
A search of the local area revealed no sign of the teenager.
By that time, Joe was beginning to have a suspicion about Barry's whereabouts. He mentioned it to Martin Stein, who didn't immediately reject the idea.
''The Barry I know on Earth 1 is clever - while not always entirely responsible in his choices'' the Professor admitted. ''It's possible he could have sneaked onboard the Acheron. If so, he's going to be found before too long. The onboard computer will see to that.''
With that, Joe had to be content.
This Earth's West family interested Martin, particularly the younger members. It had fascinated him to see Caitlin and Cisco in their childhood years. Caitlin, as he might have expected, was a serious little girl (perhaps modelling herself on Iris) but Cisco didn't seem to have quite the spark he'd expected.
''It was tough for him'' Joe had confided.
Putting the matter of the missing Barry aside, Joe, Martin and Jax had begun to journey to neighbouring villages, spreading the word of a chance of new life on Greenworld.
Durrant, leader of the village they were currently in, was sceptical. That reaction was not allayed when Martin demonstrated that he could create a breach with his hand-held device.
''You expect me to walk into that - thing?''
Joe and Martin looked at each other, suspecting that this sort of reaction was going to be typical of their audiences.
''I'll go'' Joe said ''and I'll bring back proof that there's an Earth-type world on the other side.''
Durrant looked like he was about to say something on the lines of ''it's your funeral' and appeared to think better of it.
Martin opened the breach again and Joe calmly walked through. When Martin switched off his device, Durrant looked startled.
''How's he going to get back?''
''He had his own device'' Martin assured him. It hadn't taken Joe long to master setting the co-ordinates accurately.
This time, while he didn't exactly worry, he did wonder why Joe was taking so long. It was a good twenty minutes before Joe opened his own breach. He was grinning as he stepped back through. He was showing off somewhat, bringing bask a selection of plants and small animals, not one of which could be found on the Earth they were currently on.
''Is this an - apple?'' Durrant looked curiously at a fruit which Joe had also brought back.
''Not exactly'' Martin informed him. ''But it is quite edible and tastes very good.''
Durrant looked at it for a moment, hesitated, then bit down into the fruit.
Between the two villages, they had fifty volunteers who had gone ahead to begin setting up a village on the Greenworld Island. Things were looking pretty good.
X
Joe's people, Durrant's and the few from the second village who had opted to come with them had taken a vote. The gathering was split evenly down the middle. Durrant had agreed that Joe would be in overall charge in the early stages of their new lives. It was up to Joe to decide - and whatever he chose half the group would disagree with him.
He looked up the hill to where a gathering of people were sitting or standing, waiting. He'd never heard the story from that point of view before. It had shaken him, as it had half the people here, He wondered what would have happened to Barry, Caitlin and Cisco if he hadn't taken them in.
X
It had been barely twenty four hours ago, when he, Martin, Jax and Durrant had come to a third village. Elise, the woman in charge, had agreed to give them a hearing and called a meeting.
Martin had put the offer to them. Durrant had described what he'd seen on Greenworld when Joe had taken him through.
''It won't be a picnic life'' he concluded ''but it's a million miles better than what we'll have here. You know that things are getting worse year by year.''
Elise had given something between a nod and a shrug. She turned to face a man sitting a few feet away from her.
''What do you want to say?''
The man slowly got to his feet, coming to stand facing the local leader. Something in the way he walked set off an alarm bell in Martin's head. It was a military style walk. The way the man looked at him and Jax confirmed his suspicion. The man wasn't a local. He was from Earth X. Savage's people were already here.
''I think they're trying to sell you a fairy-tale'' he replied.