Josh and Joshua were back in the mechanics garage with the long boat ready and waiting for Jim and Sarah's return. Jim had left hours before in the early morning but he had still not arrived by dawn. "Something's wrong. Jim said if they weren't back by sunrise that they probably had been captured and that we'd need to go get them" Josh said stating what needed to be done. ", but how are we supposed to get inside!" he said with a sigh. Joshua sighed with him and looked around the garage. Then something under a tarp caught his eye. "I think I may have an idea." Joshua said, revealing what was hidden under the tarp. Seeing what it was brought a smile of confidence to Josh's face. "Well my friend this changes things."
In the confines of his room, Tristan was sitting in a chair on his personal balcony with his head leaning back and his eyes closed to the light of the dawn. He was in a state of emotional isolation and had ordered all of the people in the house to keep away from him. Tristan absorbed himself in thinking about the events that lead to the current situation.
"It all started with that bastard from Montessor, Jim Hawkins." Tristan thought. "I had come to love Sarah in the short two months that she was here and no matter what I did or said she never fell for me…and him…She fell for him in three short days and went as far as to join him in his imprisonment; I bet they're bonding with each other right now. What has he done for her in the past that I can't do for her now?"
There was a knock on his door and he lifted his head and looked angrily at the door. "What do you want!" Tristan yelled in an infuriated tone towards the person beyond the door. "I'm sorry, Master Tristan; I know you asked to be left alone but your friend Mr. Joshua Cain is here to see you." said the servant who then retreated from behind the door. At this news, Tristan's anger was lightened and he was glad to have a close friend that he could talk to openly. Tristan made his way calmly down stairs and was more than glad to see his old red-finned friend.
As the two of them embraced in a friendly hug Tristan said in a voice full of heart ache, "It's good to see you, Joshua. The last time I thought I saw you it was an imposter who came with that felon from Montessor." Tristan sighed and continued by saying, "Things have not been going well for me lately." "I think I have something to cheer you up. Come with me." Joshua said with a friendly smile truly trying to bring a smile to Tristan's face. Tristan followed Joshua to the garage connected to the right side of the mansion and was happy to find his prized longboat rebuilt, retuned, and repainted ready to fly. "Joshua, you couldn't have come at a more opportune time." Tristan said "Glad I could help. I heard from someone that you weren't doing well so I finished up the fine tuning as fast as I could. I was thinking that you could take it for a test flight and take you mind off of things." Joshua said walking over and starting the engine. Tristan smiled a bittersweet smile and jumped into the longboat and took off from the garage leaving his cares behind him until he had to come back and face them.
Joshua watched him go farther and farther until he was well over the town and he pulled a communicator out of his pocket and spoke into it. "Josh, what's the status report?" "I'm in and it doesn't look like anyone is in here on guard. They all must be on break now that they have Jim and Sarah under lock and key. No one seems to be expecting us. Now can you tell me where the 'dungeon' was again?" Josh responded back. "If I remember correctly, when Tristan first gave me a tour of the house the was a unlit stair well he told me his parents once held someone who had broken into their house don there until the police came and got him; he called it the 'dungeon.' There's no other place I can think of that he'd put Jim and Sarah. It should be down the left corridor." Joshua explained.
"Ok, I found the stair well." Josh said taking a flash light from his pocket and heading down the steps. Every time he looked back it was darker and the farther down he went the faster the marble walls turned into dirty red brick. Josh reached the bottom which was roughly about 100 feet below ground and he came face to face with an iron door. Josh put the flash light under his arm and the communicator back in his pocket. To confirm that this was the place where his friends were being detained he banged hard three times on the door and said "Jim! Sarah! Are you in there!"
From their cold space inside the cell Jim and Sarah had been woken up from their sleep. Jim was leaning against the wall and Sarah had fallen asleep with her head on his lap. Jim was the first to hear Josh and gently shook Sarah awake. She sat up rubbed her eyes and jumped up when she came to her senses to hear Josh's call of rescue. "Josh? Josh, is that you!" Sarah called out. "To the rescue; Jim, can you tell me where the key to this door is?" "I saw Tristan take a loose brick out of the wall on the right. The key was hidden behind it." Jim answered back. Josh was able to find the brick quickly and was just as fast at unlocking the door. As soon as it was open, Sarah jumped at him and hugged him tightly to thank him. "We have no time for thanks right now; Tristan could be back from his flight at any minute." Josh said in a hurried voice. "Come on, Sarah." Jim said taking her hand as they started sprinting up the stairs.
Josh was leading them through the house and took the communicator out of his pocket and said to Joshua on the other end, "I've got them and we're heading for the exit. Where is Tristan?" Joshua spoke back saying, "You gotta hurry, Josh. Tristan is heading back right now." At that moment, Sarah gasped and remembered what Tristan had taken from her after her attempt to escape before Jim came for her. She twisted her hand from Jim's grasp and ran towards Tristan's office. "Sarah, what are you doing!" Josh yelled after her. "Josh, go get the long boat ready to leave I'll take care of her." Jim said going after her. As Josh went out the front door Jim ran into the office to find Sarah searching through the drawers. By the time Jim was at her side she had retrieved the golden locket Tristan confiscated from her and put the chain around her neck. She looked over to Jim with a smile and said, "Ok now that we've got everything we can go."
Josh was running out towards Joshua who was watching Tristan come back in his longboat which wasn't too far off. "What's going on! Where are the other two?" Joshua asked as Josh leapt into the escape longboat that was prepared. "Sarah had to get something important, but they're – there they are!" Josh said pointing to the two figures bursting out of the entrance.
From the his elevated position in his longboat, Tristan knew that coming back was going to mean facing his problem but he didn't know it would be as bad as it was. He was only 50 feet above the ground and was closing in on the garage where Josh had parked the second longboat and could barely believe what he was seeing. Jim was guiding Sarah over to the garage and she was running like she had nothing behind her that she was going to miss. At first Tristan was torn then that feeling turned to rage and he thrust the controls forward to force the longboat to its fastest speed. Joshua and Josh were getting anxious as they saw him get closer and yelled out in unison, "Come on! Run like there's a black hole behind you!" They looked at each other awkwardly but then returned to getting the long boat ready to take off.
Jim and Sarah still hadn't reached the long boat by the time Tristan abandoned control of his longboat and was getting up to speed with the two of them. Sarah was able to jump into the getaway vehicle before Tristan got to them, but not Jim. Jim had gotten hold of the edge of the ship and was about to jump in but Tristan caught him by the shoulder. Knowing that Sarah wouldn't leave without Jim he tried his best to pry him away from the boat. Before Tristan could get Jim to budge Sarah took a tight grip on Jim's wrists and turned to Josh saying, "Take off now!"
Josh did as he was told and the long boat shot off taking Jim and Tristan up with it. The sudden take off speed didn't loosen Sarah or Jim's grip but Tristan found himself holding onto Jim's ankles instead of his shoulders. Joshua was watching from the ground and saw that Tristan was in trouble. "Oh boy…" Joshua said jumping into Tristan's longboat. He was trying his best to catch up to Tristan and the trio so that he would catch his friend from falling.
Sarah was struggling to pull Jim up into the long boat because every time his head came above Tristan would tug hard on Jim's legs bringing him down and causing Sarah's grip to fail slowly. "What is it about you Hawkins that she loves so much! I did everything for her but I can see that that wasn't enough." Tristan said pulling down harder on Jim. "Tristan, it's not anything you or Jim has done, but you know perfectly well that this world isn't where I belong. My family, my friends, and my future are not here and the only way I can get back to them is if you let me…Please, Tristan." Sarah said looking at him with pleading eyes. Tristan was staring back at her and his eye softened from their stony look of anger. He knew that he was restraining Sarah and that no matter what he did he would never be as dear to her as the people that she wanted to rejoin in her world. Tristan reluctantly let go of Jim and began to free fall through the air.
As soon as Sarah had Jim safely in the long boat she peered over the edge to make sure that Tristan had somehow made it to safety. When she found him, he was sitting by Joshua who had caught him in his longboat. He looked up at her and smiled sadly to wave goodbye. Sarah smiled back and waved back as the three of the approached the worm hole. Jim put his hand on Sarah's shoulder and said, "Get ready, going through is going to be a rough ride." Sarah held on tightly to Jim and the edge of the long boat as they entered the dark void of the worm hole. Josh let down the sail and the turbulence and wind that Josh and Jim had experienced on their first entry of the worm hole. They could feel the long boat spiraling in circles until they felt the cold air of space wrap around them.
Sarah opened her eyes and took a look at the world that she almost completely forgotten. "Welcome home, Sarah." Jim said hugging her shoulder. Josh flew them out to where the ship they had come out on was waiting. "Captain!" Jim called up to the deck. Captain Amelia looked over in surprise and called back saying, "Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Cain, what are you doing back so soon!" "Soon? We've been gone for four days!" Josh yelled back. "That's impossible we've only been waiting for your return for the past 4 hours." The captain told them as they boarded the large ship." The three of them looked at each other and shared a silent laugh amongst themselves. "None the less, it's good to see that Miss Reigns was found unharmed." Captain Amelia stated.
"Actually Captain, during the two months that Sarah has been missing she suffered a blow to the head causing her to forget memories of her past year at the academy." Jim explained. "I see, well then my dear would you be willing to retake your lessons at the academy where after you graduate you will be permitted to join Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Cain on their new ship the R.S. Royal?" Captain Amelia offered. The three young cadets were ecstatic and didn't hesitate to say yes to her offers. A new adventure was starting for the three of them.