Chapter Four

One...Two...

Nero entered the house first, his weapon at the ready, pointed in front of him as he looked up the stairs then to his right and left. The house was as rundown on the inside as it was the outside. Thick cobwebs and dust rested on every board, wall and stair step. The floor creaked beneath his feet as he stepped in further. He pulled a small clear device from his pocket and studied the screen. The small spheres that were lighting up the house also scanned for any movement or life signs. The report came back negative so Nero raised a hand up and motioned the others to follow into the threshold of 1428 Elm Street.

"All clear sir!" Nero called out as the rest of the group came up behind him.

After everyone was inside, Nero closed the front door behind them and the building became much quieter as they were cut off from the ferocious howling winds from outside.

"So are we just going to ignore the fact we are standing in a structure that has no business existing that also just so happens to be the location of an artifact that has no business existing and that we are here because our GPS system just so happens to ONLY pull up these coordinates?" Nyquilio asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

"Look I don't care if our GPS system gave us the coordinates for a Leprechaun's magical rainbow!" Donella retorted. "If there is a pot of gold at the end of it we're acquiring it and cashing in! Come on Big Blue, you worry too much. What was the old earth saying, Dr. V? Don't look a horse somebody gives you in the ass."

"Ya almost had it. It's don't look a gift horse in the mouth, but I get your point," Varissa said. She was about to add to her reply when her eyes fell upon something on the ground next to the staircase. "Oh my gosh! Don, Nero, look! I can't believe what I'm seeing!"

"What is it?" Candi asked.

Varissa dropped to her knees next to a rusted tricycle that sat next to the stairs, her eyes wide as she wiped away thick cobwebs from the seat, handlebars, and wheels.

"It's a twentieth century tricycle! It was a means of playtime transportation for toddlers. I wonder if..." Varissa trailed off as she stood back up and leaned over placing her hands on each handlebar and she gently pushed it forward. The wheels squeaked and rolled as age old rust broke loose and the pedals slowly turned.

"My scan shows that as a level three, sir," Nyquilio said to Donella while holding a small handheld device in front of the tricycle.

"Good, good. Dr. V please stop. Careful with the merchandise," Donella ordered. Varissa let go and stood staring in amazement.

"Sorry, I just got excited," Varissa said. "It really is amazing that it still rolls."

"Okay team, let's split up and find this level five plus and whatever else we can salvage from here" Donella said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity so let's not squander it!"

Nero turned to the group and said, "Okay, you heard the boss. Donella and Doc are with me. We will check the lower section of the house. Big blue, you and the honor student have the upstairs."

"Are you excited Candi? You are going on an Earth-1 scavenger hunt," Varissa asked her student with wonder in her eyes.

"Very much so! Thanks for bringing me," Candi replied.

Nyquilio looked up the stairs then to Candi. "Stay to the side of the stairs as we climb. Everything seems to be sturdy but our luck may run out."

Candi nodded and the two carefully began climbing the stairs, hugging the left side of the stairwell. Don, Nero, and Varissa watched the pair until they reached the second floor landing and disappeared down a hallway to the left of the stairs.

"Okay Nero, let's find our meal ticket," Donella said with a smile.

"Aye sir," Nero replied as he pulled out his scanner and held it up in front of him and began walking around the first floor of the home. The group found a few broken picture frames hanging on the deteriorating walls of the foyer. They entered the first open room which Varissa guessed by the looks of the old broken furniture had been a family room. A deeply rusted small bird cage hung by one chain from the sagging ceiling in a corner. Varissa moved towards it to examine it.

"Yeah, that's not creepy at all," Nero said, watching Varissa studying it.

"Fascinating, I can't believe it is still hanging here. Then again, I can't believe this entire place is still here," Varissa mused.

Donella motioned for Nero to scan the birdcage and he did so. "Less than level one, sir."

"Then definitely not worth our time, moving on," Donella said.

The group continued into what appeared to be a dining area and kitchen. Scans showed several level two artifacts but Donella insisted they find the five plus and come back to any lesser artifacts afterwards. After walking almost the entirety of the first floor they came upon a rotted door hanging from one rusted hinge affixed to the side of the stairwell. Nero held up his scanner, it began beeping.

"Boss, I think what we are looking for is in here!" He said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Donella replied.

Nero reached out and pulled the door open. It immediately broke off it's one remaining hinge and fell to the floor in pieces. Whatever lay before them was dark. Nero reached into his pocket and pulled out another tiny sphere and tossed it into the doorway. It floated then shot seemingly down at an angle and then lit up. The three peered into the lit doorway and saw a set of stairs leading down into a basement.

"It's clear," Nero said.

Donella smiled big, "Lead the way handsome!"

Nero, Donella and Varissa began walking down the stairs into the basement of 1428 Elm Street.

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"So, is everything blue?" Candi asked as she and Nyquilio turned left at the top of the stairs.

"What do you mean is everything bl-...ohhhhh, um yes," Nyquilio said, a bit flushed.

"Is it, ya know, like humans?" Candi asked curious, biting the corner of her mouth.

"If you mean compatible, yes it is, though it may not be as enjoyable to human females due to having a much larger size than human males. Is this appropriate conversation?" Nyquilio replied, regretting his answer immediately and growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Hmmm, how much bigger exactly? Like this?" Candi held out her hands palm facing palm and was about to begin spreading them apart to represent length when Nyquilio thankfully found a way to change the subject.

"Hey, look here! My scan is picking up a Level four!"

"How disappointing I was guessing at least a level twelve," Candi said under her breath.

"What was that?" Nyquilio asked.

"I said lead the way," Candi lied, now very curious about her blue alien partner's physiology.

Nyquilio followed the scanner into a bedroom. Long tendrils of dust and cobwebs covered the interior of the room. The scanner took the two across the room to a rusted metal table on the far side where a large wooden object covered in centuries of dust and cobwebs sat waiting. Nyquilio pulled out a small pen sized tool from his waistband and pointed it at the object. A strong stream of air shot out and within seconds the object was clean and completely visible. Nyquilio checked his scanner. This was indeed the level four artifact and with good reason.

"Wow, this is strange but very close to the real deal indeed," he chirped.

"It's a model! Ms. V said this was a hobby lots of people took part in on old Earth! Wow, it looks just like this house, like exactly like it if it didn't have all the boarded up windows and damage and everything. It's very pretty, don't ya think?" Candi asked in awe.

"Indeed," Nyquilio answered "Whoever built this was truly talented. Let's look around for anything else of value in this room and then safely get this down stairs by the toddler cycle thing Dr. DeGenarro spoke of."

Candi laughed, "Tricycle, it's called a tricycle. You're so cute, ya know that?" She said putting a hand softly on his forearm. Nyquilio looked down and pulled away nervously.

"I thank you, you are moderately attractive as well, but we have a job to do. Here use this," he replied, handing Candi another small scanner.

"Dang, Blue, you sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet," Candi said, a bit disappointed. She took the scanner and moved towards one corner.

The two began scanning areas of the bedroom. Candi found herself in what appeared to be a small room affixed to the bedroom and upon closer inspection she ascertained it to be a closet. Her scanner wasn't registering anything above a level one but her eyes fell upon a small rectangular object on a shelf at the top of the closet. She reached up and took it in her hands, shaking off ages of dust. It was a small book with a withered leather cover. Candi opened it and smiled.

"It's a diary!" Candi said. "A window into the past! Nyquilio, look at this! This was written in 1984!"

"Diaries are less than level one because so many have been found," Nyquilio responded. He had very little interest in the artifact. "Apparently people from the twentieth century were really vain and felt the need to fill countless notebooks with every aspect of their mundane lives. You might as well leave the thing. Donella will have no interest in it. Anyways, there's really nothing else in this room. Let's get this model downstairs and come back up to check some other rooms."

"Sure thing, Big Blue," Candi said, emphasizing the word big while sneakily stashing the diary in her waistband under her shirt. She then turned and helped Nyquilio gently lift the model house off the table and the two of them took it carefully downstairs.

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Donella, Nero, and Varissa came to the bottom of the stairs and stared around at the completely empty basement. They stood in several inches of dust, detritus, and cobwebbing. Nero's scanner was still beeping rapidly but there was nothing they could see in the room that could be causing it.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this may actually be too good to be true. I'm not seeing anything but dirt, floors, walls and an old rusted furnace," Nero said disappointedly.

"Well shit! Let's do a full sweep of the room. Maybe we are missing something!"Donella said. She noticed Varissa moving towards the furnace and turned to face her. "Hey doc what are you doing?"

"Maybe we aren't missing it," Varissa answered as she stood before the furnace. She tried to open a small door on the front of the rusted hulk but it was stuck tight. She then reached into her pouch and pulled out the sphere Lubdan had given her. She held it and concentrated and it morphed back into a crowbar like shape. She began to try to pry the door open but it wouldn't budge. Nero saw her struggling and stepped over.

"Hey doc, care if I give it a try?" he asked.

Varissa handed the crowbar over with a smile. "My hero," she said in mock adulation with a smile on her face.

Nero struggled for what seemed to Donella like an eternity. It seemed the door would not open.

"Come on, Nero! Use those pythons! Make momma rich!" Donella shouted.

"I'm trying," he grunted. "It is pretty damn stuck...and please don't call yourself momma, that's just wrong. Wait! I think I..." Nero strained giving it his all. "...got it...YEAH! HOOAH!" he barked as the small door swung open with a creak. He handed the bar back to Varissa who concentrated for a moment to return it to a metallic sphere before putting it away.

Donella rushed to stand with Nero and Varissa and the three looked into the dark mouth of the furnace. Some sort of object wrapped in a thick cloth with a withered dried leather strap tied around it lay inside. It appeared to be well preserved, mostly untouched by time, and Donella didn't stop to wonder why. She reached in and lifted it out feeling a nice heft to it's weight. As Nero and Varissa watched, Donella began unwrapping the item like an excited child on Christmas morning. Because she was so excited and not being as careful as she should've been, her finger ran across something sharp under the cloth and she winced in pain and instinctively let go of the item as blood poured from her finger. The item fell from her hands and hit the dust covered floor with a soft metallic clink.

"SHIT! OH NO!" Donella yelled.

"Here, let me look. How bad are you cut?" Varissa asked.

"Don't fucking worry about me! THE ARTIFACT! IS IT OK?!" Donella snapped.

Nero leaned down to pull the cloth away and lifted the item up, careful not to cut himself as well. Donella stopped holding her bleeding finger and stared at what he held as did Varissa. No one spoke for what seemed like forever. Nero held what appeared to be a leather glove affixed with a steel frame and four razor sharp blades attached to four of the fingers. The thumb did not house a blade. The supple leather was still in excellent shape, the steel shiny and new. The blades glistened, as sharp as if they were forged that very day. Blood dripped from Donella's finger to the floor but she didn't notice.

"What is it doc?" Donella asked.

"I actually don't know," Varissa said, perplexed. "I've never seen anything like it in my studies of Earth-1. But more importantly, how is it still in this kind of condition?"

"This must be why it's registering as a level five plus. This condition is like nothing I have ever seen working in salvage and recovery." Nero said awestruck.

"We are going to be so rich," Donella swooned with dollar signs in her eyes.

Varissa snapped out of her reverie and reached into her pouch and pulled out a small lipstick sized device. She pressed a small button and held Donella's hand up and pointed the device at the cut on her finger. A holographic light emitted from the device and shown on the wound. Within seconds, the wound was gone and Varissa put the small device away.

"What now boss?" Nero asked.

"We may have hit the motherload with this place. There is no telling how many high priced items may be hidden in this house. We are going to take this glove back to the Beowulf and get Lubdan and Talos on finding out exactly what we have and then we are going to come back here and strip this place for every level two, three and four we can find. This is why we do what we do kiddos. After we cash in this find and everything else we rip out of this gold mine the name Hawkins will be spoke of as the best in the business!" Donella was going to keep rambling on but in that moment the ground beneath their feet began to softly shake and then the shaking began to build in intensity.

"Boss, we need to get out of here before this quake hits its crescendo!" Nero barked. "This place could be a hole in the ground in minutes!"

"NO! We need this place! There's still so many untouched artifacts! Lets try to get everything we can first!" Donella shouted. The quake began to get even worse. Nero could see the ceiling above them crack in places.

"Sorry, sir, but there may not be a place to ransack in a minute. I apologize but we gotta go!" Nero argued and grabbed his boss by the arm, dragging her behind him. Varissa didn't need any coaxing. She ran with Nero and Donella up the stairs and out the doorway towards the front door of the house.

Nyquilio and Candi had just made it to the bottom of the stairs with the model home in their hands as they reached they emerged from the basement stairwell. Before anyone could say anything the floor to the right of the stairs broke open as the earthquake continued to intensify and the tricycle began to creak loudly as its rusted wheels rolled towards the new hole and fell through the broken floor. They could hear it crash to the basement below.

"THIS EARTHQUAKE IS BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE!" Nyquilio yelled as the stairs behind them cracked down the middle and fell in completely. The second floor landing gave way and fell around them.

"LET'S GO!" Nero yelled as he swung the front door open.

"GODDAMNIT!" Donella yelled.

Nyquilio and Candi rushed out the front door almost dropping the model home,.Varissa followed and then Nero had to forcefully push his boss through the door and pull her away from the house. The ground beneath their feet shook like it was going to open up and swallow them whole. The group moved fast away from the house and heard an ungodly groan almost like a guttural growl that made the hair on the back of Varissa's neck stand on end followed by a thundering creaking and cracking noise. The five crewmates watched in dismay as the house at 1428 Elm Street in Springwood, Ohio collapsed and fell to ruin in a thundering boom. The dust and debris of the destruction joined the dust storm that blew perpetually on the planet. Almost immediately the ground stopped shaking. Donella tried to run back towards the debris of what was once a house full of the promise of huge paydays and Nero grabbed her arm again, stopping her in her tracks.

"It's not safe sir! It's gone...I'm sorry...It's gone! But look, I got the glove, we have the five plus!. At least we got that right?" Nero asked trying to bring his boss back to reality. "The quake may have stopped but we don't know for how long. We need to get off this rock before we get stranded here."

"But...but," Donella began.

"Sir, we also found a very interesting artifact upstairs," Nyquilio, added trying to help calm his boss down. "It is a level four!"

"Yeah! Ms V. check it out!" Candi chimed in.

Varissa walked over and looked at the model of the house that had just collapsed before her eyes. It was an almost perfect replica of what the house probably once looked like centuries ago. Varissa could not wait to further examine it back on the ship. "Extraordinary! But Nero is right. We need to go."

"Fine! FINE!" Donella snapped. "Fuck this miserable shithole of a planet!"

The group of five began their half mile trek back to the shuttle where Warlock, Butch, and Christina waited. After a few minutes the group passed the street sign that read Elm Street. Nobody looked back. They were mostly all thankful to still be breathing. Had they thought to look back though they would have seen the sign seemingly be swallowed slowly into the earth and the ground fill in the hole entirely as if the sign had never stood there at all.

Christina embraced her mother as they reached the shuttle and began buckling in.

"Did the quake hurt the shuttle at all Warlock?" Nero called to the pilot.

"Quake? We didn't experience any quakes here, just run of the mill Earth-1 dust storms," Warlock answered back.

"Oh," Nero said, frowning. He thought that was strange considering they were only half a mile away but had much bigger things on his mind. "Well that's good, would've sucked if you had to leave us here."

"All clear on the homefront, soldier," Warlock chuckled back.

Butch got a full report from his boss Nero and the two helped Nyquilio and Candi secure the model house and glove in a separate small storage section of the shuttle for the flight back.

Christina was happy her mother had come back from the place she could feel was evil. She couldn't look at the small model house or the glove without her skin popping into gooseflesh. She leaned her head on her mother's shoulder as Warlock closed the shuttle door and waited for everyone to get buckled in and then he began their flight back to the Beowulf.

In the dark storage section of the shuttle the model house sat strapped against a wall, the glove in a protective case next to it. As the shuttle cleared the atmosphere of Earth-1 a small window of the model house lit up, casting a light into the dark storage room.

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