THE ALPHA INCIDENT (part 1) 
BY 
ELECTRO 


2012-3-18-2325:30 

She couldn't sleep, not this night. It was the best night to view the stars. The telescope was all set up on the balcony of her apartment. How could anyone want to miss the events happening in the heavenly space with all those stars . 

She knew most by heart. She slowly surveyed the heavens orienting herself to the stars at this latitude and longitude. The Island of treasure island was in a unique position.She could look up and point to any star and name it. This was no small feat for her. She wondered why no one else in the society was interested in Astronomy. 

Debbie was known to all of her friends in the Old Alphas society as just plain DJ. With a name like that , she thought,it could mean anything, even a disk jockey. Well, no matter. She had too many things on her mind to think about what they called her. But to some she was the "Beautiful One" she was selected to put things in order for the next day. It was a special day for the society. They would be celebrating another anniversary and she was setting things up for the gala party that was to take place. Since her apartment was one floor up from Ricks, head of the society, it would present no problem.Ricks apartment was larger than hers and could accomodate the more than twenty two members listed. 

But right now she was not thinking about the party. The heavens beckoned and she was caught up in the astral world of stars and moons 
Little did she know that this deep interest in the stars would save her life 
Just by looking in the right direction she knew exactly where she was on earth, let alone on the Island. She was tired from the days hunting expedition but not too tired to have that keen interest in the Polar stars and Polaris, friend of the mariners and the two bears and the dragon that wound their tortuous way around them. She knew each of the stars in the Big Dipper by their Greek designations and characteristics. 

The night was warm and her eyes began to flutter as she viewed the heavens. Finally she could not help herself and laid down to rest for a short while on the cot she had on the balcony. She so wanted to look in the west that night. She wanted to see Arcturus as it lay low on the horizon . But the atmosphere would make it difficult to view. So sleep finally overtook her, as the moon and the stars blinked at her beckoning her to arise and see them. 

When she awoke she thought she had been asleep for just a short while. But the sun had begun peeking its way up into the sky, beginning a new dawn and the day for celebration. She realized she had slept fully clothed from the night before. Her outfit of striking blue colors gave a kind of feeling of the heavens. The sky was blue she thought so why not blue?. but she had to change and get going if the party were to be a success. So she undressed and showered and put on a different outfit that made her look like a "Tough hombre". what with the bolero hat and tan boots and a whip wrapped around her waist with the handle tucked under her waist line. Off she went to Ricks Apt. and the beginning of an adventure that she could not possibly imagine. The one item she always carried hidden was her EWE EE 40 pistol. No arms were allowed at the party, but she was breaking this one rule just for sake of feeling secure. 
Who would notice it anyway under her clothing in a hidden holster.

ot forgetting the telescope, she rushed back to fold the tripod and put the telescope under her arm and off she went ot Rick's apt.. As she aproached the entrance she could hear music and entering there was Lomo. " Lomo, what inthe world are you doing here at this early hour?.asked dj. but Lomo didn't hear her. So inrapt with the music and fooling with the decorations was he that he never heard a word. Lomo was not a big guy, about 5 feet 8 and a small build. But he had a heart of gold. Would do anything for the Society. DJ went over to the juke box and pulled the plug. "Are you trying to wake up everyone in the apt. Lomo?" Now of course he heard her. "OH sorry DJ I just got carried away." "Just keep it down OK? . And where did you "borrow that Juke Box" 
' Well lets just say I am using with some sort of permission".'Yeah, whos permission, PE or the guys who helped you get it up here." Lomo assured her that it would be put back and no one would be the wiser. she sure hoped so and went about her business of setting up herscope on the balcony down the hall. She just loved the view at sea and the animals she could scope.Looking sown at the TP she noticed other members of Old Alpha arriving.This was going to be some party she thought. 

Swinging the scope around to sea she spotted what looked like white specks far out on the horizon. They were so far out and barely visible,that she did not pay too much attention to what they might be. She tried to focus the lens but it didn't help much. They looked like some sort of birds to me she murmured to herself. Leaving the scope on the balcony she returned to the apt. to greet the incoming members. 

By 1200 hrs all members were present except two. Rick and the old one as he was known .Electron-1 was up in years and dj sort of expected him to either get lost or fall asleep somewhere. So while waiting for them to show up she told Lomo that she was going out to the balcony again and see if she could see anything or maybe spot Rick with the old one in tow. 
The party was in full swing and the noise was deafening . What with the juke box roaring and the lauaghing and dancing of twenty two members. Dj needed the break anyway from all that noise. 

Swinging the telescope around and down to the sea she saw the white spots again. Only this time they were much closer and she could make out the distinct shapes of rugged sailing vessels. some twenty odd she thought. Never has she seen any vessels at all near the island or for that matter on Eudoria. She watched them for what seemed like an hour and the vessels were approaching closely to shore that she didn't need the scope anymore. People could be seen clearly as they started to disembark climbing down a plank and half running toward the Apt. comnplexes. 
They looked odd in appearance and almost like the Bandits that roamed east of Ft. Argus. But something sinister and eerie about them. They came close to the building and dj took flight from the balcony. She rushed down the hall and into the apt screaming at the top of her lungs. but it was difficult for her to make everyone come to attention quickly. But it was too late anyway. A hoard of these creaatures were upon the apartment and entering the hallway. Up the red stairway they had come and straight into the apt. as if they knew exactly where to go . 

DJ could think of only one thing, she had the pistol out and pointed it menacingly toward the first intruder to enter. But there were so many, she didn't have a chance. The first one grabbed her arm in a vise grip and shoved her back into the room and all pandemonium broke loose. 
The intruders were armed with clubs only and the beating started. Dj was still wrestling with the one who grabbed her arm and she tried her best to get off a shot. But the vise grip was powerful and she was just about to let go when a voice came from around the hallway. It was Rick and he shouted "What's going on" thinking it was part of the party. Just then as DJ was about to let go she pulled the trigger h oping to at least strike one of these intruders. The shot went wild and struck Rick. he crumbled to the floor and lay still.'MY God,she cried what have I done?" 

The entire Alpha group was subdued, and quickly put in chains. They were all marched out of the room stepping over Ricks Body, and down to the ships. The ships were old dilapidated things that could not possibly withstand any kind of storm. But as long as the group could remember they had never seen rain or any kind of storm in and around the Islands. The first shock came when they were herded into the vessels.They were not the only ones who were taken. The other ships were also full of people . There was plenty of moaning from those they saw in the ship they were put into. 

Most if not all were bloodied and battered. Also all were in chains. Omega "the Moose" as he was referred to, whispered to dj about trying to escape. DJ paid no attention to him as her mind also was on that issue. She had to escape. And what about Rick in the apt.. Was he dead? He surely must be now. But she had to try anyway. So she started to formulate a plan on when and how to try. 

End Chapter one

Chapter two 

2012 3-19--1825:00 

Rick never knew what hit him. The shot fired by dj hit Rick up high on his chest and to the right of the collar bone. Some how it missed the major arteries and bleeding was minimal. He awoke with a very sore shoulder and could barely move it. He came to a sitting position and assesed his damage. Luckily for Rick he was still wearing his armor. It probably saved his life The three Kevlar sections that lined his armor stopped the bullet from going through the armor and into his chest. 

Rick got to his feet and looked around the apt.. There must have been a terrible struggle he guessed looking at all the furniture overturned and blood stains splattered on the floor. He tried to jog his memory to figure out what had occured. His mind began to clear and his eyes to refocus on everything he saw and heard. But what to do. He began shouting names and running about the complex but no one answered. Darkness was beginning to set in and he didn't want to venture out in darkness and the unknown. 

Back in the apt. rick spotted the pistol on the floor and wondered who had brought it. He had some light ammo left for it and would make him feel at least somewhat protected in the event of any new surprises. All his arms had been put in storage. That he remembered. He would retrieve them if needed sometime tomorrow. Right now he needed rest. taking off all his armor he relaxed on a recliner . Sleep came to him quickly, and so did the dreams. He thrashed about most of the night with wild dreams of killings and fighting off beasts that invaded his apartment. 

Morning came to him too quickly he thought, as the sun rose and filled his spacious apartment with light. He refreshed himself with a shower and cleansed his small wound and dressed it. Putting on a fresh set of clothes he wondered outside. looking around for something, anything , or anybody to talk to about what happened. But there were no sounds , no one running about. Strange he thought,where could everyone be? Surely even the gunshot that exploded in his apartment should have given cause for alarm. Nothing, nothing at all. 

He walked to the Transporter and pushed the button for Port Atlantis. He was sure there would be someone there. But as he stepped away from it in Port Atlantis, He heard the same souns of quiet. Nothing and nobody anywhere. He stepped back into the teleporter and pushed the button for Jimmys spaceship. That should be the place to be if anywhere for people to hold up in case of a problem. But the same results faced him when he arrived. 

Now where he thought. I have to get to a place where there has to be someone around. So he gave it another try and went to Ft. Fury.Nothing No sounds no music nothing. Looking around Rick decided to try the usually locked Exchang bulding. He tried the door but it indeed was locked. 
He always wondered what was inside these buildings and now was the time to find out. Taking the pistol he had picked up in hand, he fired three shots into the door handle. Giving the door a shove with his foot it gave way and opened. Sunddenly a shrill siren sounded. An alarm he thought to keep intruders out. Well, with no one about what was the problem. No one would or could hear it. 

"Hey whats going on here" came a voice from outside. Rick turned and saw to his delight "The Old One" Electron-1. "Hey old man where have you been?. I thought you were gone with all the others". "Gone? Me? If I went anywhere Rick I'd never get back. I get lost too easily." Yes but I mean ,didn't you go to the party last night?". No he replied I was a bit tired and just sat under the tree by the turret and fell asleep. Been there ever since and until the siren got me up." 

Rick explained the situation to him and asked if he knew anything about all the missing people. Nope didn't know anyone was missing he said. We have to do something here Old One. have to find out what happened and quickly. "Can't you at least shut that darn alarm off so I don't have to shout?" Rick still in an alarmed mood, took the pistol and fired one shot into the alarm system and it shut down. 

OK help me look around here OLd One. Lets see what we can find. "Well if you're looking for a telecommunicator there is on in the corner there. No wonder they kept this place locked up. "Can you fire it up for me OLd one" Sure no problem Electron-1 stood in front of the system and flipped a switch in the back of the set and raised the Antenna. Moving a few dials and adjusting for the band width the set sparkeled to life. A picture of a guard of some sort came on the screen and began to speak. It was obvious to Rick that it was a recording or tape.the person spoke: 

"Whoever you are seeing this, I must warn you. Get away. Now. Get as far as you can from this place. There is no time for you to waste. The ships are gone and all is lost. There are hunters out there looking for me. No time for me now Get away. They are here." the screen went blank 

.................................. 

Dj knew exactly what to do. but it had to be done during the evening hours. She had time to rest. Sleep was the best thing. It would bring all her strength back which would be needed. So she rested her head on her knees and fell sound asleep. She awoke sometime later to the sound of a voice getting everyone's attention. Looking up she saw with amazement the person who was speaking in perfect English. Let me have your attention everyone", and clapped his hands a few times as if talking to children. "I apologize for the inconvienence I have subjected you to. Let me assure you that no harm will come to you. But i must warn you not to try to escape. You will only make it tough for everyone. There will be shelter and food for all at our destinatioon. You will be well taken care of." 

Dj looked in amazement at this tall man speaking. He was dressed in Blue. All Blue. Blue hat, Blue shirt, Blue coat and trousers and spit polished blue shoes. " If you are wondering why I am dressed in blue, you will all know the answer to that when we arrive at your new home." 
Yeah I'll bet we will murmured dj. Something wrong with this whole thing. 
She looked around at the oafs who all seemed to be the same size and all had the same looks as if they were cloned. All wore the same tattered clothes all in brown. But they all looked healthy and carried those massive clubs. She could still feel the beating she took from one of those Oafs. 

Darkness was setting in and dj new it was time to make her move. "Sir please kind sir may I have a word with you please" she shouted to the "bue man". No talking he shouted back. ' But please kind sir , I beg you. There are things a woman has to take care of. I beg you"The Bue Man leaned over to one of the oafs and whispered to him. The Oaf headed in DJ direction and stopped over her. He grabbed a fist ful of her hair and raised her up to stand. He unshackled her irons and still with her hair in his fist he herded her to the bow forward of the main mast to where the Blue man was seated. He gave her a shove that made her fall forward toward where the man in Blue was seated. That was all dj needed. She knew she had to do everything in a split second and the shove was more than she needed. Ihrusting her arms out as she was shoved she hit the Blue man squarley in the chest , toppling him over backwards. The oafs instinct was to pick up his master and dj made her move. With a quick jump she was over the gunwale and into the water. Knowing that spears would follow her desent she quickly turned under the boat. She was an excellant swimmer and could hold her breath for long periods of time underwater. As she emerged on the other side ,the boat was quickly slipping away. The wind was brisk enough to move the boat at a speed of about 7 knots. She knew she had made it.She could hear the shouting and yelling as the boad drifted away and the sounds becoming dimmer. 

She had to make a float of somekind. She took off her jacket and tore the lsleeves a bit and held them up to the wind. She had tied a knot on one end and as the wind inflated the sleeve she tied a knot to seal off the air from escaping. Effectively, she had a float. She did the same thing to the other sleeve and put them under her chin and she became bouyant. 

She turned over on her back and looked at the stars. The mariners friend was there to guide her back to the apts. She wasn't sure how long it would take her but she had no doubt that she would make it. She would swim for ten minutes and rest for two and then repeat the process and make headway back to shore. The stars were never wrong. Tonight they would guide her. 

End chapter two

Chapter 3 


PE Headquarters 
Main controllers bldg 

Gothbe was sitting at his terminal assessing his computer read outs of Eudoria when the alarm sounded.The signal reached him almost at the same time. There was no doubt that someone had broken into one of the storage sheds.Putting in a few commands he determined that the problem was at Ft. Fury. Island 22 was some 400 Kilometers from Ft. Fury. The closest place he could get help to assess the problem was on Treasure Island. So he punched in a few commands and sent word to the guard to find out who and what got into the shed. The telecommunicator was also engaged and he couldn’t make out the person who had spoken and pleaded for help. Something is terribly wrong there he thought..The guard on TI should be reporting back soon and he would know the extent of the problem. He didn’t want to alarm his superiors because there had been a rash of break ins recently, and he wanted to find out for himself and fix the problem. That would be a feather in his cap and maybe a promotion. So he kept all the data on his computer to himself for the moment. 

No one could get to him via a teleportor but he could get to them when and if the events there warranted it. So he stayed at his post and began to scan all the computers on the island. Everything seemed to be up and running except for one small detail. Well maybe not small but surely a problem. His scan should have spotted all the animals but he couldn’t pick up a single one. Neither could he pick up any action of anyone using the Tps and the revival terminals and the money exchangers. Nothing was making any sense.Should he tell his chief.? No dam it I will fix this myself. I have to, if I want to get that promotion. So Gothbe tried to work out the problem and kept everything to himself. It was a mistake and it would cost him his life. 

................................................................................................................................... 

Island 22, though it was the headquarters for the staff that controlled all of Eudorea and Amathera, was a conglomeration of some two hundred people. They took care of all the money exchanges, auctions, animal behavior and all the movements that occurred on both islands.Their trust in their personnel was unequaled to other conglomerates. No one knew Island 22 existed.. But there was something else about this island that was indeed unique. It had a transportation system that was so advanced in technology, no one could dream that a system like theirs could even be constructed. Or for that matter copied.. The system was indeed copied from Captain Nemo and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.. Well in a sense it was.Captain Nemo was a fantasy, theirs was not. 

At any given time they could send personnel to Eudoria or Treasure Island and back to Island 22 with no one being the wiser. It had to be kept a secret and guarded. With their lives if need be. The transportation system involved a unique underwater carrier , much like a sub but not in the general way that it is thought of.. There was a cable that was strung underwater all the way to Eudoria and them to Treasure Island. The cable had a system of towers to hold the subs or “cars as they were known, to sustain the weight of the cars and support them throughout their journey. The operator who controlled the system did so with a computer on Island 22. The speed was faster than a usual sub and the trip lasted only about thirty minutes. There was no need to worry about storms since none had ever been reported in the area.. But if need be they could shut the system down and wait till the storm passed. No chances were taken for any disaster to occur. 
Thus it was on such a trip that Gothbe decided to take and find out for himself what all the fuss was about. He had to get a special pass from his superior and had to explain certain conditions that he wanted to check on. Thus it was that Gothbe made this trip. 

........................................................................................................... 

The water wasn’t cold so there was little discomfort for dj as she plied her way toward TI. As she swam she suddenly remembered the whip. It was still wrapped around her waist and no one noticed it. In fact she even forgot it was there. The oafs never noticed and neither did anyone else. Well if she needed something to defend herself at least she had the whip.Her mind started to wonder a bit about what happened to Rick. She estimated she had been in the water now for five hrs. Dawn should be arriving soon and that would help somewhat except she would lose the stars 
She pushed herself to swim for longer periods of time. But she began to Hallucinate..She tried desperately not to drink the water.She knew that she needed to drink or else face dehydration. That could cause a problem. So on she went until fatigue began to set in. She had to rest. So she turned over on her back and buoyed by the aired sleeves she floated for a while.It didn’t take long for her to close her eyes. The sleeves kept her head above the water line and she dozed. 
She was so tired she just couldn’t help herself. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep but something hit her legs and it jolted her senses . She awoke instantly to see what had hit her. But in the darkness she didn’t see anything. Then just as suddenly she was hit again. Thrashing her arms around she felt what she thought was a piece of wood. Then she felt it again. As she pushed herself to swim in circles she was able to get hold of whatever had hit her. It was indeed a piece of wood. But she had no idea where they could have come from. She was in the middle of quite a few of them and she was able to get three of them . They were wide enough to make some kind of raft. But how was she going to put them together. Remembering her whip, she unleashed it from her waist and wrapped it around the three slats. It worked and she began to shout with glee. Hooray, I made it, she shouted as if someone could hear her.. 

In her delirium she forgot to check the stars, to keep her on the path to TI. When she looked up she began to cry . She had fallen asleep and drifted not eastward toward the island but westward. The wind was pushing her. How much time she lost she couldn’t guess. Regaining her senses and aligning herself with the stars she began to paddle eastward again. ‘Oh God she cried where am I”. She pushed herself once more to try to make up for lost time but it was having a toll on her. The planks helped her to stay afloat better than the sleeves she had made to keep her head above water. The planks did a better job. But she was now getting to be delirious. She wondered how long it would be before she made sight of land. It was closer than she knew. 

End Chapter 3

Chapter 4 
1. Rick and Electron-1 stared at the blank screen and wondered what was ahead. They had to do some planning in the event of an attack of something or someone. It was eerily quiet. Normally the sounds of animals could be heard running about the area. ‘Let’s explore a bit old one’ Rick said ‘and see of we can find anything that may give us a clue as to what happened’. He did not want be separate from electron-1 for fear of his getting lost. So they set out together and walked outside of the shed and toward the junkyard barn. The door was open and both went in. In the middle of the room was a command post of some kind that Rick never bothered to find out what it was used for. So he stepped into the middle of the three command centers and waited for something to happen. Of course nothing did... "Well either the power is off or else it is only used by special people". 
So out the door they went to explore once more. But once more Rick was becoming anxious about the safety of all the people and especially of the Old alpha group. “Tell you what Old One, lets TP back to TI and see if we can find anything in my apartment that can help us determine what or who made the raid’. So they headed for the TP and both stepped inside and waited for the box to appear. But nothing happened. All power must have been disconnected. Stepping away from the terminal he began to wonder about his next move when he remembered his TP chip... Mumbling to himself he wondered if it would work. "Hey old man, grab a hold of my waist and hang on. I’m gonna try to see if we can tp back to TI using my chip’. So Electron-1 got behind Rick and using the chip he punched the button to go back to Treasure Island. It worked and both made it to the TP just below the building where his apartment was located. 
Now why did that work and not the regular TP at Ft. Fury? He could only assume that something had broken at Ft. Fury. But he wasn’t sure. So he headed for his apartment, with the Old One in tow. Entering his apartment Rick looked around for some kind of clue. Although everything was a mess he just couldn’t bring himself to believe this had all happened. Walking out of the apartment he headed for the balcony to get a bird’s eye view of the surroundings. He saw dj’s telescope still on the tripod. Lifting it he put his eye to the scope and began to survey the area. Next he swung it toward the ocean and looked far out onto the horizon but saw nothing. He was about to give up when out of the corner of his eye he noticed something in the water about 300 meters off shore. Scoping it he realized it was a person or something clinging to a piece of wood... "Hey Old One lets get down to the beach. There is something out there’. Rick hopped over the balcony and hit the sand, rolling over as he did and began to run into the water. He stopped only to take his shirt and shoes off and began to swim the distance to the person or whatever it was. When it came to swimming he was probably one of the best. He had made All Athletic in college and was an excellent swimmer. It didn’t take him long to reach the person and soon realized it was dj...Rick tried talking to her but she only moaned. So he began to paddle his legs behind the boards she was lying on and headed for shore. 
The Old One came out to help in knee deep water and both lifted dj and carried her into his apartment. Rick almost drowned her with water but she didn’t move. Just groaning noises came from her mouth. Rick was no Doctor but he knew she was in bad shape and probably dehydrated. Lord knows how long she was in the water and also wondered where she got the wooden planks. 
He had to know what happened to her and to all the others. But dj was in no shape to be answering questions. She wouldn’t be talking until she comes out of her stupor. So they just had to wait. But Rick tried helping her dehydration by putting ice that he took from his decychlorator. He was one of the lucky few to have one. And it was a blessing for dj. It would cool her and make her more comfortable. The Old One helped by sitting on the floor and rubbing her lips with ice wrapped in a cloth. The Decychlorator made two different types of ice. An ice that would not melt and one that did. The ice that did not melt was used mainly for long excursions in their hunting trips. They would bring food for everyone and drinks kept cool in a box with the ice that did not melt. The ice saved dj from going into a coma. 
"Well, we have done all we can for her Old one. We’ll just have to wait and let her sleep it off.As they watched over her it seemed that her breathing was getting better and returning to normal DJ slept for almost 24 hours. When she opened her eyes she still felt as though she were still floating in water. But she wasn’t on the boards anymore. “Ah, I see you have returned to the world of the living. How do you feel dj? ‘Well I’ve felt better Rick, but how and when did you find me?’ 
‘By luck dj, your telescope was still on the balcony. I just happened to look through it and spotted you". "Damn, I’m hungry and thirsty" She gasped ‘All ready for you dj’ Rick said, and had the Old One bring in the food and drinks which she needed badly. She gorged herself and drank until she thought she was going to burst... ‘So’ Rick said, ‘are you ready to tell us what happened to you and the rest of our gang" 
"I hope I can remember it all Rick. It’s still a bit fuzzy’. And so she began her tale of what happened including the shooting that took place in the apartment." So this is your pistol I picked up off the floor?’ Rick asked. ‘If it’s a EWE EE 40, yes its mine’ dj answered, She was more concerned about what could have happened to the people in the boats and said that they had to do something. ‘We will dj, I promise. We will!’, Rick replied. 

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Gothbe’s trip to Eudoria went smoothly, arriving on the western shore. The undersea car stopped up against a large cement like structure. Two doors opened and the car was sent inside.into a chamber. When the doors closed, the water began to recede until it left the chamber dry.When the chamber was empty the door to his “car” opened automatically and he stepped onto a platform. Ahead of h im and against the wall was a ladder. He climbed it and entered another chamber where a door opened just before he reached the top rung. As he went inside he hit an internal switch that closed the door. 

This room contained all sort of equipment. Clothing, Armor , weapons of all kinds, food and water. Lastly he went to a wall that contained a sort of safe. It had a tumbler with strange markings on it, reminding him of ancient Hierogliphics.The safe would open only to the right combination of the markings that had to repeated two times and then do it once more with another set of markings. Thus the safe opened and inside was a type of transporter that was used only by the personnel that worked for PE. Only certain members held the combination. Gothbe was one of them. This transporter was quite different than anything used on the two Islands. It would transport him to any part of the Islands even though there was no TP present in the area. This programmed teleporter was one of a kind and could not be replaced.. Designed by PE and its personnel, it was a largely guarded secret. Should this device fall into the hands of anyone other than the PE Conglomorates people it would have a devastating effect on the Islands. 
Gothbe would not use it now nor would he ever get the chance to use it. After outfitting himself he went thru a set of doors that took him to another craft. This had a watertight entry door and he stepped inside. The controls were on a panel that faced a large window that gave him a panoramic view of the shoreline under water. Pushing the paddle like controls , it sent the craft down into the water on a set of rails. Once the craft fell from the rails he was on h is own. That is until he reached his destination.. He guided the craft southward and around the shore line keeping well away from any rocks and sand bars. And so he headed for Ft. Fury and the unknown that awaited him. 
End chapter 4

Chapter 5 


Friday March 23 2012 
1600 hrs GMT 


He was known to all his people as Shu-Shu–which was short for Shumanduka. The Ogres never could pronounce his name, so it was easy to just say Shu-Shu. He was revered almost as a God or Lord as they constantly bowed to him. As the vessels came to a halt at the piers built for them, the Ogres unchained all the captured people. The Island was some two days sailing time from Treasure island. As they herded the people off the boats almost in unison the Ogres chanted Shu-Shu, Shu- Shu.. Shumanduka was not his real name. His given name was Corey Bruker. Corey had a doctorate degree in science relating to reproduction which he had earned on the Island of Furthman. It lay about 4000 Kilometers from this Island which he named Flora Bunda meaning Island of many plants. He had discovered the Island when he was on an excursion sailing around the globe. It was a hobby to him and he enjoyed the ocean and its quiet tudes. He made it a plan to come back here and live on the Island. He had no idea who and what lived there. So it was that Dr. Corey Bruker came and settled down at first just himself and a tent. Later when he began to explore the island he came across a small village of people and noticed their strange shape. He made friends very quickly with them by showing them some of the things that he could do with plants and also help them with their medical needs. Horticulture was a second science that he had learned. So he delved in both sciences and made the island what it is today. 

To say that the Island looked like a vertual Paradise was not wrong. It indeed was very beautiful with all sorts of colorful plants, with birds chirping and animals running around with no concern to people , almost as if they were tamed.. 

Each vessel discharged a parade of people and were handled by the Ogres and sectioned into groups. Females were separated from the men. The vessel carrying the Alpha group was the last to disembark. Because of the commotion caused by the Ogres in making people leave the boats and because the Alpha group was last to get off, they were able to converse with one another. Omeon was the first to speak. He was the most educated of all since he was once a College Dean. He leaned over to Worry, known as the Worm because he was capable to sneak around people and get information and learn things of interest to the society. “ Worm, listen, we have to make a break from this place”.”Yeah, don’t I know it Prof” worm replied.. “Lets’ see what happens first and then when we have a chance we will make a plan to get us off this Island and hopefully take all the other’s with us” Crew heard the conversation and passed it to Crumb and Lomo. Pass the word around to everyone not to try anything without the Profs knowing about it. 

So it was the entire Alpha group got word that the Prof was the leader and that they would follow his bidding. Without knowing it Shu-Shu was putting the clans together and with the exception of the women most stayed together. Whether it was to keep harmony or for some other devious objective, only time would tell They were all lead through a path through the foliage 
finally emerging into a clearing that made everyone gasp in awe. What they saw was a small city, large enough to hold everyone taken there. The Prof could not believe his eyes and neither could anyone else. There were houses built in trees and under these houses was a sort of elevator that would carry them up. The houses were not small. Indeed they were quite spacious and comfortable to house six or more people. Each house contained tables chairs beds and most amazingly, running water. The Prof murmured and wondered who could have built this place to house all these people let alone feed them and clothe them and give them all the necessary care. Eventually he would learn all the answers to those questions. But Shumanduka still dressed in the blue clothes, which also worried the Prof., would provide many answers in the days to come. Because he was a college Dean he would be chosen, the Prof knew, because of his education and title. He would make sure that Shumanduka would learn of his literacy and his title. Just like Shu-Shu, they both bore the title of Doctor. 

Once up in the tree house no one could get down. They were drawn up on a platform that had four ropes tied to the corners forming triangles tied to a single heavy rope to a winch and then down to an animal. That was the strange part. The animal resembled the Atroxes on Eudoria and Treasure Island. They had two large massive legs a huge body , large neck and a massive jaw that housed many sharp teeth. The prof remarked to himself that they reminded him of the Brontosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago. How this man could get those animals and tame them was no small feat. 

All the captives were herded into a clearing where a raised platform sat with the man in blue standing and calling for every ones attention. Amazing thought the Prof. He’s talking as if into an amplifier. What the Prof reasoned he had was nothing more than a wireless mike. Seems this guy has thought of everything, the Prof murmured to himself. 

“Attention everyone, my name is Dr. Shumanduka.. As you have already heard my friends call me Shu-Shu-. You may call me Dr. Shu. It will be easier for everyone including me. I am a true Dr. Of Science and of horticulture as you probably have noticed already. You have arrived at your new home. You will all be fed and given water to drink and housed with all the amenities that you would have in your own home. There is running water and beds with linen and blankets. You will grow to love this place just as I have 
However there are certain rules that we all must follow if we are to be a happy society. Some of you will farm and some of you w ill do sewing and tailoring and some of you w ill do hard labor that is necessary for the management of this community. But let me warn you that should any of you break the laws which I have set down and which will be made available to you, there will be harsh discipline, even imprisonment I will let you rest today and tomorrow we will begin to do our work”He stepped off the platform and was not greeted with the customary applause. Just “Shu-Shu” from the Ogres. No one said a word. All wondered what would happen next. Tomorrow they would find out that Paradise was not like this Island. This place was not a garden of Eden. All would be thinking of ways to escape, and the plans for the escape would fall on the shoulders of one man.

BOOK TWO 

MYSTIFICATION 



Now let us, dear friends, sit back for a moment and try to make sense of the unacceptable. What kind of world am I describing, that would be at all real in relating the events that have taken place up to this point? Of the unbelievable events so far depicted here? Could Islands exist in the year twenty twelve that would have a conglomerate that would function as it does? Would an Island exist that would have a dictator such as Dr. Schumanduka? Could there be a Teleporter to transport people from one place to another and still materialize with their entire body intact? 

Let us for the moment project ourselves to the year thirty twelve. Visualize yourself in that era and you may come up with the same conclusion that I have assumed. Yes, it is possible but highly improbable. So how could this world have materialized? Since the human brain contains billions of cells to make man think, move, smell, taste, walk, run, jump, cry, be happy and sad, is it not possible for him to create just what has occurred in the year twenty twelve? 

If one brain contains billions of cells, imagine the amount of creativity that they would make when all the people involved would put all their ideas together on one project? Creativity then becomes, in a broad sense, unimaginable. This is just what has occurred in the minds of the people at the Evolutionary Project that they have created... 

In retrospect, we are seeing three different areas of thought. One is imaginary, one is controlled and one is dictated. The land and oceans existed millions of years ago, and went through many changes. The mind of man has also gone through changes, creating this entire environment where people roam an Island to hunt all types of animals living in a fantasy world. And in this world as with any other civilization, there is crime, corruption, stealing, killing both the human kind and the animals; animals that look like they may have come out of a book that described them as they roamed the earth eons ago. 

What of this dictator? What role does he play with his improbable creations? So we have two creators, one dealing in fantasy and the other dealing in reality. But fantasy has turned to a sort of realism. In this case it can be mystifying for anyone to understand the construction of the universe and its evolutionary changes. 

P.E. exists and controls basically, three Islands. Island twenty-two which is headquarters, and the fantasy Islands of Amathera and Eudorea. The capture of all the inhabitants from these fantasy Islands has created a dilemma for P.E. The disappearance of the animals, if indeed they did, has also become a mystery. However, the kidnapping was no mystery. 

Where and how can these people propel themselves back to their fantasy world? I will relate the incidents as I have learned of them from a source close to P.E. and Island twenty two.

Book Two 

Chapter 6 

For the sake of security, since I wish no harm to come to our Mr. T.........., his name will remain anonymous. I will use it throughout his recital of the events that occurred, though I must tell you that even the letter T is not his correct Initial. 

His revelation was astounding, concerning our Dr. Shunanduka. I asked Mr. T.......’How P.E. had learned of him’. In reply, he related the accounts of the exploration team that P.E. had sent to the Island. The team indeed did discover the village and the odd looking people who inhabited therein. However they did not make known to these people of their presence. Word was sent to Island 22 of their discovery, and preparations were made to send another team with technological knowledge of telecontroller systems, to send back to Island 22 the activities of the people residing there. The possibility of any type of animal inhabiting there, was somewhat remote, since no-one had been spotted. But that was later to be refuted when Dr. Shu came upon the scene. 

His craft was spotted as it headed for the sandy beach, and buried its bow into the soft sand. All his movements were tracked, even when he approached the inhabitants. We were astounded to see the transformation which our Dr. Shu accomplished. The island became a virtual greenhouse with all the different plants that soon arose from his plantings. The people seemed to be growing in numbers and we began to notice, after some years had gone by, that they appeared to look all alike We had no idea that he was a scientist of reproduction of the human body. We knew from his planting’s that he was well versed in that field. 

As PE kept track of his accomplishments, we soon learned that he knew more than we thought. Somehow he had found some of our telecontroller sets and began to dismantle them. So of course he was able to find most all of the spying equipment we had planted there. But there were some he did not find. Though the undiscovered ones did no favors for us, they did however keep track of him as he made sail with most of his people, that is to say the "Cloned Ones" on a journey which we could not trace. 

Island "Flora Bunda" as he called it, was not far from Island 22. The area that contained all the Islands in this group was a bit unusual, in that if one were to draw a line from one Island to another It would form the letter I. They were all contained in the same latitude very close to the equator which resulted in a scarcity of rain. No storms have ever been recorded since we have been here. Also we later discovered that his Island contained a volcano which was located at its extreme western end. Through the years our Geologists had discovered that there had been rumblings there but we never discovered any ash spuming into the sky. 

The calls for help had arrived from Eudoria some two days after the ships had set sail. We knew he was headed in an aasterly direction, but paid no heed to his travels. We, that is PE, has placed guards on both Eudoria and Treasure Island . The first call we received came from Camp Corinth. This area has quite a bit of soft sand and it was easy to land there, plus he had a flotilla that totaled twenty ships, which the guards had counted. The guards did not know who and what these people were. So the alarm was sounded telling us of the invasion. What we heard from the guard was almost what we knew of Dr. Shumanduka. We knew nothing of his dress or of the invaders. But the distress signal did say something that sounded like Shu-Shu or Blue-Blue. We could not make out which. It didn’t take long for the invaders to get to Camp Corinth. The fighting was fierce. All we could hear from the frightened guards was, ‘getting away– no time–will call–‘. Then came something we did not expect. It was a voice spoken in pure English. "To whoever is listening, we have captured your Island and have taken prisoners". 

We could only assume that the guard was either killed or else taken prisoner. We had no way of knowing. But after those words were spoken there was silence. All our Teleporters were showing signs of extreme activity. How could we guess what had taken place? Our chief commander Mr. Heizien gave the order to shut all Teleporters down. "But what of this Mr. Gothbe" I asked, "Wasn’t he the one who spotted all this activity first, and was sent to explore?’. 

‘Ah yes I am ahead of myself a bit I’m afraid’, said he. Our man Mr. Gothbe was indeed the first to spot the unusual activity. The incidents I have accounted to you thus far happened as our Mr. Gothbe was making his trip to the Island Of Eudoria. Of his whereabouts we were not sure of at the time. We did know however that he did indeed arrive at his destination. Upon his arrival we received a coded message telling us that he was beginning to explore near Ft. Fury. He was well equipped especially with a new weapon which our good friend a Mr. S......... had manufactured. This weapon was an extremely powerful rifle that could take down any animal or human with just one shot. It was called a "Rasher-XP " 

We did not want our Mr. Gothbe to carry that weapon primarily because we did not want it to fall into the wrong hands. One possessing this weapon could undoubtedly kill anything he wanted in the form of animals or anything else that was in his sight. Also, it was equipped with a special scope that when attached to the weapon would automatically adjust for distance and elevation. The maximum distance allowed with this weapon was 300 yards. There was no minimum. So off our Mr. Gothbe went with this extremely powerful weapon and his destiny.

Book Two 

Chapter 7 


The island Of Eudorea contained many waterways that eventually found their way to the ocean. It was in one of these “canals” that Gothbe, with the use of a map, headed into, eventually arriving near Fort fury. The water in the waterway was deep enough to conceal his craft.. He had kept to the center of the canal making his way in the deepest part. He avoided brushing against the sides of the canal to avoid any harm to the craft. The water was brackish and gave little light from above though it was a bright sunny day. 

The craft hovered over a large trap door in the bottom of the canal. Pressing a lever on the console, two sand covered doors opened. Aligning his craft onto two rails he lowered it into the bottom where it came to a stop. Pressing another switch made the two sliding doors at the top close. Once the doors closed it activated a pump motor that pumped the water out of the chamber. 

Gothbe unlocked his cabin door and emerged into a large underground room. Once inside he closed the doors of his craft and two inner doors that sealed off the shaft. The shaft then filled with water. The underground room contained all the necessities required for staying overnight and also kept anyone there in safety. It was also equipped with a teleport, a telecommunication, and communication radio set that he could use to keep in touch with the command post of Island twenty two. His first duty was to contact them to let them know of his arrival. 

Gothbe was informed of the problems occurring on Eudorea and was advised to proceed with caution. He was also told that additional personnel would be sent in the event he reported problems.. He confirmed the message and signed off. He had a lot of preparations to make for his sojourn through Eudorea. 

There was one more piece of equipment he would carry. It was called an “Amputron.” This device was rather small in design and was made to fit the Rasher-XP. Once the Scope was attached, he then screwed the device to the end of the Barrel. It had three functions. One indeed silenced the rifle somewhat, it also gave the projectile another burst of speed and lastly it was used almost like a guided missel. He could be off his mark when firing the rifle but the projectile would hit the target dead center. There was no escape from this rifle. It had more than anyone could ask for while in combat. There wasn’t anything he could not bring down with one shot. 
The only drawback to this rifle, if one were to measure its’ capabilities, was that it only fired one shot at a time. Its recoil was extremely fast and ejected the spent casing out to the right and away from him. He was ready to face whatever he might encounter. 

Using the special teleporter, he emerged inside a building in fort Fury that had the three computerized telesystem transponders. This building was always locked and even if anyone had broken into it, no one could use the system. He left the compound and scouted the area outside the Fort in hopes of locating anyone or anything. As he walked, he began to hear a sort of rumbling buzzing sound. It was quite low at first but as he continued on it became louder as he approached a canal. He stopped to listen and heard the sounds quite loudly now and seemed to be coming from across it. He scoped the area beyond the Canal. What he saw made him gasp. There was a herd of animals that had gathered as if penned in a sort of corral. They were not moving nor walking, just standing still and making their grunting noises that could be heard for some distance. The animal’s behavior of just standing there was disturbing to Gothbe. Anyone with a rifle or any type of weapon could kill every one of them one by one. They were all just waiting for something or someone. He wondered how they could have been herded there and by whom. He decided to teleport himself to another area. Using his special teleport he vanished from Fort Fury to emerge beside one of the new Apartment buildings on Treasure Island and his first sight of a human person. 

......................................................... 

Rick and DJ and Electron-1 decided that it was time to find a way to know where the captives were taken. DJ could provide little information since she jumped overboard. All she knew for certain were that the vessels headed west. Rick asked DJ if she was up to scouting.”Are you kidding,” she remarked? Lets get going. The quicker the better. “How about you Old One, are you up to scouting? .” Me? Why, I’m as fit as a fiddle.” “ yeah and strung like one too replied DJ. Your strings have to be replaced.” Now wait a minute you two ,chirped Electron-1, I can still be of help . No telling what we will come up against.” “Ok,”, Rick said “forget it. Lets get going then. We have to get some weapon’s Lets go down to the storage room and see if we can get anything.” DJ asked Rick if he still had the pistol. “Yes, but very little ammo”. So they headed for the storage and exchange building. As they headed down near the teleport a figure appeared some twenty feet from the TP. . Rick was still unnerved by the past events and his next move was automatic. He drew the pistol and aimed it at the figure not giving a thought as to who or what it was. “Don’t shoot Rick” pleaded DJ. Lets see who it is first. All three went to greet him. “Who are you”, exclaimed Rick, still holding the pistol in a menacing way. “ MY name is Gothbe and I am here to find out what has happened to the people”. Well I can help you there”, DJ said. “I was captured along with the rest of them , but I managed to escape”. “Captured by whom”? , asked Gothbe. DJ gave Gothbe some information that she though would help. Rick noticed that Gothbe was wearing a suit of armor and caring a rifle that he had never seen before. He inquired as to their origin but Gothbe was sworn to secrecy about his outfit and rifle. He would not divulge anything about them only that it was standard equipment from headquarters. “Who are you people”?, Gothbe asked. “We are from the Alpha group,” replied Rick. “I have never seen you before” .Gothbe wasn’t sure if he should tell them anything. But there was no one else he could talk to. So he decided to put his trust in them. He related all the details that he could concerning his findings on is computer..”Let us go into my apartment and rest awhile and discuss our next moves”,Rick said.. As they started to climb the steep grade to the apartment building, Electron-1 saw what he though was a figure on the b each. “What is that down there”, he asked. Rick took a quick look and went off on a fast run. The other three followed. Looking down, Rick surveyed what he found. It was a corpse of a man . Gothbe came closer and said,”I know who he is. He was a guard planted on this Island just as there are others on the other Islands. His name was Landoga. . I was the first to receive news of danger on the other Islands as well”. “We can’t leave him here”, Rick said.. “We’ll have to find a way to bury him and quickly. This hot sun will make his body decay in a short time”. “He must have been beaten by those Ogres or someone with a club of some kind. Look at his face. Its’ a mess”, DJ said..After the burial and a few shorts statements by Gothbe, they retired to Ricks Apartment to discuss their next move.

Book two 

Chapter 8 

Dr. Shumanduka had installed all the necessities that one could ask for. He exalted himself on the completion of this small city he had erected; how he manipulated the inhabitants that occupied the Island before his arrival; how he accomplished it, and how he cloned and made this civilization. 

His captives also wondered how he could have done what he did. However, besides wondering about it all, all would try to break away from this "captivity". The Alpha group held a meeting almost as soon as everything quieted down for the night. A leader had to be chosen and other chores handed down to others to make their escape work. To a man all chose Omeon. He in turn chose Worm for his second in command. Next came Stalker. For his true stealth, Stalker was a good man to have around. He could do things many others could not. A burly sort of man, he was the tallest of the group and probably the sneakiest. He would be chosen to make sure there was constant communication among all captives and their individual societies. It had to be a team effort for them to overcome the brutes with their clubs and brawn. Dr.Shumanduka had to be taken prisoner. They had to find a way to accomplish this. Omeon knew he had to befriend Dr. Shu...in order for them to escape. However, it would be costly in lives lost. The inevitable battle he knew had to take place and won. So Omeon prepared his attempts to make Dr. Shumanduka believe that he was interested in his work on the Island. 

It would be no easy task. There was no sign of him anywhere. All were herded in groups and taken to areas where they would do the bidding of the Ogres. Though they did not speak any language that could be understood, they made known what was expected of them. With their clubs in hand, they marched the groups off. The only verbal, which anyone understood, came over a loudspeaker system. 

The Alpha team was lead to a sort of plantation. A large field comprising some five acres was filled with what looked like cotton plants. Their job was to pick the "cotton" put them in containers, and hand them over to the Ogres. It was a job that lasted all day. There was no time left for anyone to try an escape. Omeon wondered about the "cotton and what it was used for. Certainly he didn’t see anyone dressed in fine clothing. The ogres wore a sort of brown loose-fitting overall type of clothing. Since the cotton was white how was the clothing made to turn brown. Just as Dr. Shumanduka wore the blue suit, Omeon would find out how it was accomplished. 

That evening when all was quiet again and everyone resting, Omeon asked Stalker if he would see if he could get to the other groups and find out what their jobs entailed. Like an ape, Stalker was able to go from tree to tree easily. The tree houses were fairly close together and he was able to jump from one balcony to the other. Silently he made his jumps with no Ogre detecting him, and was able to get back to the tree house and report back to Omeon. 

"It seems our group has one of the easiest jobs on this Island. One group is picking and harvesting leaves from certain plants. These planted leaves, when crushed, gave off a blue fluid. There is your answer for our good Dr. Shu . . . and his blue suit. I would imagine that the cotton we harvested would be used to make clothing for everyone, including us. Another group was used to cut down a certain tree. They would strip the bark off the tree and it was taken to a sort of oven. I don’t know what they did with whatever came out of that oven. The workers didn’t know either. The wood was used to make shelters, it was assumed. Now here is the part I like best. While these men were cutting trees down, which by the way were close to shore, the vessels could be seen. Also a few of the men spotted what looked like cameras hidden high up in some of the trees”. Omeon wondered about this discovery. Could it be that they are being watched by Dr. Shu . . . , since the workers were close to the vessels? It was a thought only. But why not? This guy has thought of everything else why not cameras to keep a look out for anyone trying to escape on the boats. Of course Omeon did not know that the cameras were installed by EP. Corporation on Island twenty two and that they were being recorded as to their activities. 

Another group, Omeon learned, had entered a cave and was harvesting a sort of fungus that reminded them of large mushrooms. The women were still separated from everyone, so no one knew of their activities. Omeon could only assume they were used to make clothing and cook. He had to find out where they were being held. Also Omeon wanted to know where Dr. Shumanduka was housed and what he did with his time. No one had seen him during the day. He must have a laboratory somewhere. That has to be the only reason we have not seen him. “Have to find someway to get to see him”, Omeon mused. 

Omeon could not have been happier as to what occurred the next day. As they were being lowered to the ground, the animal tied to their platform was going a bit too slow for an Ogre. So with one thump on the leg of the animal, with his club, the animal reared up and howled, then took off on a run snapping the rope of their platform and it came crashing down to the ground as the animal, with the ogre in pursuit, headed off into the forest of plants. Fortunately no one was hurt in the remaining four feet to the ground. Howling of a fierce nature could be heard off in the distance. Soon other Ogres also left and went in pursuit. The captives could only laugh with glee as the scene became hilarious. Omeon seized the chance to make a dash for the forest and went in the direction of the escaping animal and the Ogres. But when he entered the forest of plants, he turned in another direction hoping to cause pandemonium among the Ogres. But no one seemed to follow him. 

Omeon ran for a spell when he suddenly came upon a house in a small clearing. Dr. Shumanduka, upon hearing the commotion decided to see what all the fuss was about. As he came out his front door, there was Omeon staring at him. He was warned not to do anything foolish. Omeon seized the chance he was waiting for. He introduced himself as Dr. Omeon a college dean and professor of science. "If I have to be a captive of yours, I would much rather be doing work in my related field”. Dr. Shumanduka at first did not reply to his query. But then realized he could use an assistant in his laboratory. Besides here was another man with whom he could talk to in his field of science. So, Omeon had his wish come true. He was escorted into the home and into the Dr.’s laboratory and the beginning of an escape from the Island had begun.

The Alpha Incident 

Chapter 9 

Omeon entered into another world he had not expected. Dr. Shumanduka had his Laboratory set up the likes of which Omeon would never expect to see, only in a controlled environment of professional grade regarding the science of plants and animals. The wonder of the evolutionary changes in plants as compared to animals may not be too far apart since plants also contain genes. But to see this extraordinary laboratory so well equipped, was indeed a surprise. 

"Ah, I see you are surprised, by the look on your face, to see my laboratory so well equipped". Remarked Dr. Shumanduka. 

"Surprised is a mild word DR..How did you manage to bring this vast array of equipment here. And also, what is keeping the temperature in this room so adequate to conduct your experiments.? 

"All in good time my dear Dr. Omeon. You will get to know how everything works here and the air conditioning system I have employed. I am sure you have noticed the grand foliage on the Island and the tamed animals", Dr. Shumanduka said. 

Omeon was speechless and could not say anything. Not wanting to make a remark that would embarrass him, he could only say that he did wonder how he could have accomplished all that he has done. His eyes roamed to every corner of the room, taking in the array of equipment that is needed in a laboratory such as the freezer, centrifugal machine, hundreds of vials and of course the constant temperature that was maintained that was necessary to conduct all his experiments. 

"At the moment ,Dr. Omeon, I am experimenting with a specific plant. Have you any knowledge in Horticulture"?. 

"Yes, some, but I may not be as well versed in the subject as you display here", remarked Omeon. 

"At the moment I am experimenting on a certain mushroom. This mushroom, Dr. Omeon,. is grown here on this Island, and I came across it quite by accident. Mushrooms you know grow in dark places. That is the type that are edible. However , this one is grown in a cave. While exploring the Island one day I chanced to discover the cave and noticed these strange looking mushrooms growing within. I picked one and showed it to the Island people and discovered they consumed it as a staple. Looking through my notebooks I read about this mushroom, and much to my surprise, I discovered the facts about the effects this mushroom had upon its being eaten. As described in the book, its name is Amanita Muscarino". 

Pointing to one on his work table, he said," This particular mushroom can do many things. Some good and some bad.. It is in this area of experimenting I hoped you could be of some help..It can cause intoxication and can be quite variable from nausea, sweating and salivation. The more desirous effect causes and elevated mood of euphoria and increases hearing and visual senses plus hallucinations. The best part of the effect of this mushroom is that it increases strength and stamina which is emitted by muscinol contained in the fungus. Not to be undone by those side effects, it also makes one to want to sing and dance. It is this plant that I have introduced into the diet of the animals, hence my being able to control them. 

Omeon had heard of just such a mushroom but had not gone into the origin or machinations of its uses. Word had to be spread to all the people not to eat anything that resembled a mushroom and of its consequences. His hopes were that Dr. Shumanduka was not going to direct his experiments on the captured people. He learned from Dr. Shumanduka what its effects were to the Island people. He knew of the brute strength that the Ogres had surely came from this plant. "However aside from all which I have described", continued Dr. Shumanduka ,"there is an extremely bad side to this Mushroom. Within it there is a heaven and a hell. The good side of the plant you will find a form of bliss. The bad side effect of this plant will bring terror to the one ingesting it. Death is the usual result and it is terrifying to see a person in this state. However I have seen those who were deathly ill recover, only to once again repast in the eating of this plant". 

Now this whole scenario began to make sense to Omeon. This evil Dr. Was about to conduct experiments on the captured people with this plant. He now became more convinced that the escape from this island was imperative. The Dr’s plans must surely be to contain the captives with the use of this mushroom Omeon knew what it did to the Islanders. He did not want to find out what would happen to the captured people. He had to find a way to destroy this laboratory and Dr. Shumanduka with it. Getting away from the Ogres was another matter. With their brute strength and their massive clubs it would be an undertaking that would need the concerted effort of all the people that wee brought to this Island with h im. His thoughts for the moment wandered to the fate of DJ as she jumped overboard. If she made it to safety and to seek help to rescue them. 

The animals were another problem. How he was going to contain them was another obstacle that had to be overcome. He was truly alarmed for the safety of everyone. These things he needed to know before he could begin to make any attempt at an escape from this evil Shumanduka and this eerie Island 

His escape plans were beginning to take shape as he stood in Dr. Shumanduka’s laboratory. There were many chemicals here that he could use. His ideas to escape was indeed a good one, but there was something else that would change the course of his plans. An event so terrifying, it would bring utter chaos to "Flora Bunda" and the eventual destruction of this veritable "Garden of Eden"

The Alpha Incident 

Chapter 10 

They discussed all possibilities concerning the freedom of the people held captive on the Island of Flora Bunda. “ I have no idea what lies west of here”, remarked DJ, but even if I did know, how would we get there?”. 
“A good point DJ, that is a rather sticky issue”, remarked Rick. 
Gothbe and Electron-1 just sat and stared and also wondered how they would know where to look, and in what direction, and what to use as a rescue vessel. Indeed, no one here knew exactly how to resolve the problem. Gothbe of course did not know about the eavesdropping equipment that was installed on Flora Bunda. 
“I’ll speak to headquarters and ask if they had heard anything that might shed light as to their destination.” 
“Just where is this headquarters you speak of Gothbe?”, inquired Rick 
“Well, I can’t really tell you its’ exact position Rick. First though, you may like to learn of the mysterious behavior of the animals as I arrived in Fort Fury. There was a large herd of all types of animals gathered together just standing and groaning in their usual sounds. None of them attempted to move or roam about. It may be a good idea if we go there and have a look and maybe try to get them to scatter”. 
“So that’s what happened to all the missing animals on Eudorea.”, Rick replied. But that does not explain what happened to the animals on Amethera”. 
“Yes and as to why they are all standing in one place on Eudorea”, Electron-1 said. 
Gothbe rose from his sitting position and started pacing the room. Back and forth he went as all eyes followed him as he rubbed his chin and ruffled his hair. After a few turns in the room Gothbe stopped and said, “Listen people, I don’t have the answers to everything that might have occurred here but I do know what we have to do. We must get back to Ft. Fury. First, to see what we can do for the animals. Secondly, I must contact headquarters and let them know of the situation here. Also If I am to return to Island 22, I must do it from Ft. Fury, the reason for which you will soon learn”. 
All stared at Gothbe and wondered about this Island 22 and headquarters. Are they one and the same Rick wondered?. 
DJ asked Gothbe how they were going to get to Ft. Fury. The Teleport’s were not working and she knew Rick had a T.P. chip and that Gothbe possessed a device that he can use to go anywhere he chose. 
“So tell me”, DJ asked Gothbe, “How are all of us going to get to Ft. Fury or is it just you going or have you a way for all of us to get there?”. 
“That’s what I have been pondering DJ, and I have figured a way for all of us to get there”. Rick told Gothbe that his chip could take one person with him”. “Yes but not all to the same place”, he replied. So I have come up with this solution. First Rick and I will teleport to Ft. Fury. He with his chip and I with my special device. Rick will arrive beside the T.P. at Ft. Fury but I will not. When Rick arrives there he is to wait for me as I will make my way to where he is. Then I will take the chip from Rick, and teleport myself back here. Electron-1 will then use the chip and I will again use my device and both he and I will arrive at Ft. Fury. Again, once there, I will take the chip back with me to DJ and let her use it to get to Ft. Fury. Of course I will follow. So there you have it. We will all be assembled in one place. Its’ a sort of leap frog game, but will work just fine.”. 
When all were assembled at Ft. Fury Gothbe led them to the place where he had seen the animals near the waterway. Once there he raised his rifle and looked through the scope. What Gothbe saw was another surprise. There was not a single animal in sight. Did he just imagine he saw the animals? Where could they have all gone? He passed the rifle to Rick and told him to take a look. Rick scanned the area and did not spot anything except trees and grass and rocks. DJ also looked as did Electron-1. They were all in complete agreement. No one saw anything. 
“I can’t understand this “Gothbe said. There has to be a reason for this development. I believe it is time for me to make contact with my superiors and explain the situation here. When we get to Ft. Fury I will use the telecommunicating Teleport there and leave you for a while. When I return I should have news as to what our next move will be. I expect all of you to stay there until I do return which will not be long”. 
As all four headed in the direction of the Fort a loud report of a rifle shot echoed in their ears.. They all turned in the direction they thought the shot came from when a second shot rang out. Gothbe fell to the ground and the others did likewise. After a few moments of silence DJ turned to Gothbe and reached out to touch him. She felt something wet and looked at her hand covered with blood. 
“My God Rick”, Gothbe has been shot. 
“Stay down everyone”, Rick said. He crawled his way to where Gothbe lay. It didn’t take long to realize Gothbe was dead. 
While lying on the ground, Rick took the rifle from Gothbe and in a prone position, put the rifle to his shoulder and viewed through the scope in the direction he thought the shot came from. The scope he looked through was very powerful and Rick was able to pick out the sniper who killed Gothbe. “Probably one of those snipers still on the Island that wasn’t taken captive”, Rick said..”I see him clearly now. He is half hidden behind a tree”. Rick put his finger on the trigger and waited a few seconds before pressing it. He really wanted to take the shooter alive. But before he could even manage an answer from DJ or Electron-1 another shot rang out. The shot missed but kicked up some dirt just beside Electron-1. Rick sort of aimed quickly and squeezed the trigger. Little did he realize the capabilities of the rifle he had just used. 
The sniper fell. The amputron screwed onto the barrel of the rifle did it’s job. But Rick had no idea of its amazing performance. No one moved for some time in fear that the sniper was still alive and ready to take another shot. When some minutes passed, Rick decided to take a chance. 
He spoke to DJ.”Here take the rifle and aim it for the tree. I am going to make a run for him moving about as I do. If he pokes his head up, shoot. I still have the pistol just in case. 
So Rick rose and began to run as DJ aimed the rifle. He reached the canal and jumped into the water and swam to the other side. DJ kept her eyes glued to the tree where Rick had told her to concentrate.. She watched as Rick emerged from the water and crawled toward the tree. 
Rick did not see any movement and stood about fifty yards from the sniper. Slowly he approached and when he was only a few yards from it he saw legs protruding from behind . Rounding the tree he could not believe his eyes at the terrible destruction that was caused by the shot he had fired.. The shot not only pierced the mans armor but it also blew away some of the snipers chest. Rick wondered at the power of the rifle that Gothbe had brought with him. Never had he seen anything so devastating. Rick took the rifle from the dead man and slowly walked back to DJ and Electron-1 and the fallen Gothbe..

The Alpha Incident 

Chapter 11 

Every night when Omeon returned to the tree house, the Alpha group would hold a meeting to discuss the day’s events. Since Omeon was considered the leader, especially now that he was working in the laboratory with Dr. Shumanduka, he would chair the meeting. There was no one to take any notes of the talks that transpired among them. They all listened to him as he recalled the days’ events and his work and his revelations of the work he was doing. As D Shumanduka was making him an assistant, to help him with all his experiments. 

"Fundamentally", Omeon said, "all his work revolves around two basic elements. One is his application of the mushrooms that is included in the Island people’s daily diet. The other is the taming of the animals. It’s all so grim that I am overwhelmed by his animalistic attitude. You and I know that we like animals to be cuddly and nice, well at least benign. But his attitude towards these beasts is alarming. He is pouring every ounce of his energy into making wild life a part of society. But what if something goes wrong? Suppose these animals suddenly snap out of this state they are in and run amuck? I don’t think I want to be around to see that happen. Neither do I want to see the destruction that could happen when they do. We all saw what happened when we were being lowered to the ground and the animal’s behavior as it broke loose and ran into the forest". 

Omeon needed more information about the Island and turned to Stalker. 

"I have a job for you and it may be a bit dangerous. You can decline if you want and I will ask for a volunteer. But I believe you are the best person here suited for this". 

"Just tell me what you want me to do Omeon". 

"Then you will do what I ask without knowing what it is?” 

"I’m not called Stalker for no reason Omeon". 

“I need to know what is on this Island. Also there is a mountain that is on the west side of the Island. Dr. Shumanduka mentioned it. And If I am correct I believe it is a volcano. I need to know if it is active. Also I want to know where he is keeping the Island people. I don’t know how large the Island is. That may help us in planning an escape... There are animals out there that may or may not be tamed, so be careful". 

Stalker said he was ready to leave now. Darkness would soon set in and would give him all the cover he needed. 

"When you leave Stalker, let some of the other people know what you are doing." Omeon said. 

As darkness set in Stalker left and made his trip to the other tree houses to let the people know what he was going to do. He went to the back of the tree house he was on and standing on a railing took a leaping jump to a branch and hung there for a few seconds to make sure no one saw or heard him. Slowly he let himself to the ground and vanished into the dark planted forest. He ran as silently as he could, listening as he ran, to make sure he was not being followed by man or beast. Hearing nothing he slowed to a trot and then to a walk. He headed in a direction he believed was west. Stalker wished at that moment he had some of DJ’s knowledge about the stars. 

Stalker returned two days later to the same spot he let himself down. Climbing the tree he had to jump across and grab hold of the railing hoping it would hold his weight and not break apart. He made a leap and took hold of the railing but he couldn’t hold on and let go. Stalker fell to the ground. As he hit the turf, he crouched and waited for something to happen. Curiously nothing did, he turned and climbed the tree again and this time his leap was more than ample. He landed on top of the rail and dropped to the balcony and made his way to the Alphas tree house. 

The information he gathered would help Omeon he knew. Silently he entered the house and went over to where Omeon was sleeping. He gently shook his shoulder to awaken him. Omeon was surprised to see his friend and overjoyed that he had made it back safely. 

"It’s been two days Stalker; we were worried something had happened to you". Omeon said. 

"I have both good and bad news for you Omeon. Which do you want to hear first"? 

"I’ll take the good news first Stalker. The bad news can wait". 

"The good news is that there is not one single animal on this Island that is wild. I was tired one night and fell asleep. When I awoke I felt something heavy on my chest. It was a bear cub, sound asleep. I didn’t move for a while. Then it awoke, yawned and went off into the woods. I gather our good friend Dr. Shumanduka has found a way to seduce all the animals. By the way, this Island can’t be more than a mile wide and is probably about 10 miles in length. I located where the Island people stay and helped myself to some of their things. I have them at the base of the tree where I climbed up. So here is the bad news. There is indeed a volcano in the western most part of the island. The terrain slopes in this direction. As I was groping my way around the mountain side I believe I felt some sort of tremor. I have a feeling that volcano is becoming active. I wonder if your Dr. Shumanduka has any knowledge of its rumbles". 

"If that volcano is starting to make itself known, we had better either inform Dr. Shumanduka about it or else make a break for freedom", remarked Omeon. 

"I have some other news also Omeon. I have some things I took from the Island people... While there, not a soul stirred. They must have all been intoxicated and were sleeping it off. There were no animals around them. Nothing was visible. I need help to bring the cache up here. I believe just you and I can handle it”. When they returned they had six spears that the Island people must use either for fishing or hunting. "I wouldn’t touch the tips anyone. Who knows what they are tipped with", remarked Omeon. But more than anything the Volcano worried him.

The Alpha Incident 

Chapter 12 

The reality of a volcanic eruption unnerved Omeon, The Island was not that large in area and to make matters worse the ground sloped in their direction from the volcano. Omeon decided that it was time to make a break for freedom. He wasn’t sure how it was going to be done, only that it had to be so. He turned to Worm and said, “between you and Stalker you both have to warn all the others that the time has come for us to leave no matter what the consequences. I want you to leave now to let them know and be ready as soon as we make our move. The cameras that were planted in the trees near the beach was of some concern but this was no time for trivialities .he doubted Dr. Shumanduka could watch his receivers every hour of everyday. Of course Omeon had no idea that the cameras were planted there by the people on Island 22..\ 

Worm and Stalker jumped from balcony to balcony to warn all the captives of their intentions to escape to freedom. As they were urging the people to be ready the ground began to rumble as if an earthquake had occurred. But a bright light from the western side of the Island. Showed them that the volcano was erupting. They wasted no time in getting back to their tree house. 

Upon their arrival Omeon was not sure of his next move when the loudspeaker began to blare. It was Dr. Shumanduka giving orders to the Ogres in a sort of grunting and moaning language. No one understood his rambles but the Ogres did. They all assembled in the center square and had torches with them to light their way. All headed toward the beach with Dr. Shumanduka leading the way. 

Omeon shouted as loud as he could with his hands cupped to his mouth telling everyone to pass the word to get down from their tree houses. Stalker did not waste anytime. Taking a flying leap he took hold of the standing rope tied to the platform on the ground and slid down . Worm did not wait for him to ask him. He jumped and did the same thing. The two of them untied the rope from the tree where it was anchored for the night. Then he and worm pulled on the rope to lift the platform to the balcony of the tree house. The stalker took the rope and wound it four times around the tree. The tree would act as a sheave and the rope wound around it would act more or less like a block and tackle. It would enable Stalker and Worm to play out the rope as the platform was lowered to the ground. In this fashion he had his entire group on the ground in seconds. He urged the others to follow his example. It didn’t take long to have them all out of the tree houses. 

Omeon gave the six spears to the strongest men and told them to use them on the Ogres . The volcano was erupting with fury and showering sparks over the Island .”Quickly everyone”, Omeon shouted , “lets’ run to the beach”. The lights from the flares could be seen. The Ogres could not run too fast and it didn’t take long for them to overtake dr. Shumanduka and his hoard of Ogres. Those who had the spears threw them and all six found their mark. Six Ogres went down and a fierce battle ensued. They swung their clubs blindly as the captives approached. They were no match for the brute strength they possessed. But the captives overpowered them with their sheer numbers. Many were killed on both sides. 

The scene of the fighting was pure bedlam as the volcano now was spewing its hot lava as it flowed down the mountain slope and toward the beach. Omeon could see Dr. Shmanduka heading for one of the vessels tied to a pier. He was not going to allow this evil man to escape. Running toward the vessel Omeon caught up to him and wrapped an arm around his neck subduing him into submission. Dr. Sumanduka begged Omeon to let him go. They had to get away before the Lava reached the shore. “Give the order for your Ogres to stop fighting and I will make you live”, shouted Omeon. But that wasn’t necessary. For at that particular moment the ground shook with a terrible tremor. There was no question that an earthquake had occurred. 

The Ogres felt the tremor and broke off the fighting For an instant they were immobile and did not know what to do. As the tremor increased they all became frantic and began to run along the beach to the north side of the Island. Omeon looked back at the horrible beating his people had taken. There were many dead. He shouted to no o ne in particular, “ Does anyone know where the women are?’. Someone shouted that they were all here. “Ok then everyone into the boats and lets get away from this Island. There were twenty boats but only three were needed. So many had died from the fighting. It was all so horrible to Omeon. 

There were oars in the boats and every man who could took hold of one and started rowing as fast as they could away from the Island. Omen still had Dr. Shumanduka with him but he wasn’t going anywhere. As they rowed they felt the shudder underneath the boat from the earthquake. Slowly they made headway. Twenty yards then thirty then fifty away from the shore line and then they saw it. The earthquake had occurred on the western side of the Island some distance out in the ocean. The wave came at them and there was nothing anyone could do. Omen knew that it was a Tsunami. When it hit their boat it lifted them almost straight up in the air. For a split second he was sure they were going to capsize. But the boat came down with a terrible shudder and hit the water with a thunderous crash spewing some of the people out of the boat. Dr. Shumanduka was not one of the lucky ones. When the boat righted itself all heads were counted. Fate had save the entire Alpha group along with some of the women. There were others who were not so lucky including Dr. Shumanduka. He was among the missing. All watched in horror as they began to see bodies floating in the water. Among them were some of the Ogres.. Omen wondered how many of them were spared including the Island people. He doubted any survived. The Island Of Flora Bunda was innumdated with water and became a waste land.. The beautiful garden of Eden had succumbed to the ravages of mother nature. But so had so many of the captives. When Omen looked around for the other boats there were none. His boat and what was left of some of the captives and the Alpha group was all that was left. Tears came to is eyes as he slowly turned to his group and said in a choked voice, “Let’s see if we can make it back to Eudorea, wherever that may be. If only we had the knowledge that DJ has of the stars. We need help and I don’t know where to look for it.

Chapter 13 

When the earthquake occurred it was picked up by the seismograph on Island 22. The volcano eruption also showed movement on the machine. Precautionary measures were taken in the event a tsunami developed and head toward them. There was no way to know what happened to the Island of Flora Bunda and the people held there. 

By the time the Tsunami had washed over Florida Bunda and headed their way, it had become a small ripple in the water. But there was still concern for the safety of all the inhabitants there. Headquarters had a contingency plan for just such an event. A ship had been designed by them that held only two people, a pilot and co-pilot. Although they had other ships for rescue missions this one was primarily for exploration. It was a unique craft that had the configurations of an aircraft. It was twenty feet long and eight feet wide. It consisted of two bubble canopies, two short stubby wings protruding from either side at the fore end and two small ones in the stern end. It was propelled by two engines mounted on either side of the "fuselage” that pushed water at a speed controlled by the pilot. There were no propellers. Just two tubes protruding out from the engines, which were attached to the exhaust manifold, creating a silent running for the ship. This ship was also designed to submerge and run underwater also. 

Since Island 22 was situated north of Flora Bunda it headed for the Northwestern side and circled the island until they rounded the southern coast, and thence up the eastern coast line. They had not spotted anything but downed trees and loose wood floating on the water. The crew was looking for anyone who may have survived the volcanic eruption and the ensuing Tsunami caused by the earthquake. Most of the destruction they saw was on the eastern side of the Island. Since nothing and no one could be seen they assumed no one survived. A radio message was sent to headquarters describing what they saw. They were told to continue on their eastward trek until they no longer saw any debris. 

They ran slowly on the surface as the co-pilot using a pair of binoculars, spotted a vessel. As they came along side shouts of joy erupted. Omeon for one, had his prayers answered. He wondered where help would come from, but he did not expect to see the strange craft and its two occupants. They opened their canopies and asked if there were other vessels. Omeon spoke for everyone and informed them they were the only survivors. One of the crew told Omeon he would throw them a rope and they would tow them to safety. But safety was not Eudorea. It would be Island 22 and something they would not expect to see, for headquarters was a modern building on an Island that controlled both Eudorea and Amathera and who knows what else. 


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When Rick made his way back across the canal to DJ and Electron-1 and Gothbe he asked if Gothbe showed any signs of life. DJ said that he showed no movements and she was afraid that he was gone. "Well, we will have to bury him here. Let’s take off all his armor and equipment. We may be able to make use of them. As they were removing his armor, Gothbe let out a groan. "He’s still alive", DJ said. "Where was he hit" asked Electron-1". 

"In the back I think” Rick said. "Turn him over and lets take a look". The bullet had hit him in the left side in his back almost surely puncturing his lung. Using his undershirt they wrapped it tight around his body to stop the bleeding. "He needs medical attention. We can’t do anything for him here", DJ said. Gothbe groaned once more and opened his eyes. He managed to speak in a low tone of voice. "Have to get me to Island twenty two Rick". "Well, I’m glad you’re still among the living", DJ said. “I won’t be if I am not able to get help quickly. I can’t walk but if you carry me to the telecommunication room we may be able to get help or go there", Gothbe managed to say. 

Trying not to make his bleeding any worse, Rick and DJ and Electron-1 lifted him gingerly and carried him into Ft. Fury and to the teleport room. He told Rick to take his teleport device so that it would transport him to the underground room. Once there Gothbe told him to look for the safe with the Hieroglyphics codes. ‘There are other devices in that safe. Take what you need and return here". Rick left and returned in a short time with three more devices that would transport all four to the underground room. 

"But what good are these. You need help and quickly", Rick said. 

Moaning, Gothbe told Rick to do as he said. 

When all four were in the underground room, Gothbe had to describe how to operate the undersea craft. But there is a problem. It will not hold all four. It will only hold three". 

"Look, that’s no problem. You people do not need me there. I’ll wait here for you until you return", electron-1 said. Rick asked him if he would be alright. 

"Don’t worry about me. He’s the one who needs help", he said, pointing to Gothbe. 

With Gothbe in a bad way, he showed Rick how to go about opening the doors and entering the cable craft. Once inside the craft the doors to the underground room close leaving Electron-1 alone. With nothing else to do, and feeling tired, he lay down on a cot and decided to take a nap until they came back. 

Using the map Gothbe provided Rick, he guided the craft to the rails and thence onto the cable system and on to Island 22. Before they had left the underground room, Headquarters was notified of Goethe’s condition, they replied they would be expecting them. 

Upon their arrival, Gothbe was quickly lifted out of the car and onto a stretcher and taken to the Hospital ward. Rick and DJ introduced themselves to Heizien, who was the operations chief for Island twenty two. He explained the situation to them concerning Flora Bunda. 

"Flora Bunda, what’s that"? Exclaimed Rick. 

"It’s the Island where all the people were taken to", replied Heizien, "and I suppose you know nothing as to what happened to the captives", he said. 

"Of course not", Rick said, "but DJ can give you some information since she was a captive but managed to escape". 

DJ related to Heizien of her escape and her eventual rescue by Rick. 

“Remarkable” Heizien said. "I have sent a crew to investigate the Island since there was a volcanic eruption and a Tsunami that engulfed the Island caused by an earthquake. I expect to be hearing word from them soon". Rick and DJ were astounded to hear this sad news. "Let’s go inside to our recreation room. You can rest there until we hear news from the crew we sent to Flora Bunda”. As they were climbing the stairway to enter the room, a loudspeaker blared and asked Heizien to call operations center immediately. "Ah, I see we may have some news. I’ll be back shortly to give you any news I have learned". 

Rick and DJ made themselves comfortable in the recreation room until Heizien’s return. When he arrived a short time later he had a rather sad look on his face. 

Heizien informed them that they had received word from the exploration crew sent to Flora Bunda... 

"I’m afraid the news is not good. There is only one vessel that survived. There are some forty people on board and they are at this moment being towed to this Island. It will be some time before they arrive here. Also I am sorry to say that Mr. Gothbe did not survive. He died on the operating table". 

"I’m truly sorry to hear that", Rick said. "He had become a close friend". 

Heizien wanted all the information he could get as to the conditions on Eudorea and Amathera. Rick told him about the dead guard, the scarcity of animals and the eventual spotting of a heard by Gothbe. Then the disappearance of them and the shooting of Gothbe by a sniper, and Ricks return fire killing the sniper. 

"We are going to send a party to Eudorea and find out what happened there. Rick and DJ wanted to get back quickly also. He told Heizien they had left a friend in the underground storage room. They were given permission to return to the Island using the underwater cable craft. "Since you were shown by Gothbe how to operate it, you should have no trouble getting back". 

They were taken to the underground room and sent Rick and DJ on their way back to Eudorea where Electron -1 was waiting. 

Entering the storage room on Eudorea, Rick and DJ went to Electron-1 where he lay on a cot looking like he was in a deep sleep. DJ shook him to awaken him but her touch to his body gave her another sad shock. His body had stiffened and they knew instantly that Electron-1 had died in his sleep. 

"Old age comes to everyone with death as his bedfellow", murmured Rick. Both were in tears as they stared at his lifeless body.

The Alpha Incident 

Book Three 

Beliefs and Disbeliefs 

Chapter 14 

They were moving slowly, the small craft pulling the vessel with what remained of the captives taken by Dr. Shumanduka and his Ogres. The weather was clear with little wind to impede their progress toward Island 22 

Like a ripple in water, the sound vibrated slowly at first and as the seconds went by it became louder in intensity. It wasn’t a loud booming sound. It was a sort of shrill whistle sound. Then, just as quickly as it was heard, the sound was gone. It was compared to the sound of a bullet whizzing by one’s head. They all stared at each other in wonderment. What could it have been? There was no doubt it had come from the sky. All looked up but saw nothing. Trouble was, they were not looking in the right direction. Sounds are somewhat distorted in the sky. A fast moving object leaves its sound behind. The crew of the towing craft reported to their control room, on Island 22, of what they had heard. They were excited somewhat not knowing what had caused it. They were told to report to them upon their return and discuss it further. 

Heizien listened with interest as the control room reported to him what had been said by the two men in the towing craft. "I have an idea what that sound was", Heizien said. "Concentrate on Eudorea for any unusual sounds. There has been so much going on there that I believe we may have been visited by another space machine of some kind. I’ll talk to the two crew members when they arrive”. 

The buildings on Island 22 astounded the rescued people. The massive buildings reminded Omeon of Hadesheim. There were no walls surrounding the area. A few waterways could be seen just as on Eudorea. As they set foot on land, Omeon wanted to bend and kiss the earth. The freedom he and his people now enjoyed was something he did not expect if at all. Certainly not from where it had come from. His thoughts were on all the rescued people, including himself and the Alpha group plus their eventual return to Treasure Island. 

Heizien greeted his new guests, and invited them to follow a few employees who would see that they received the best care possible, including medical care where needed. They were given clean clothes and were fed. Omeon asked an employee if it were possible to talk to whoever was in charge. He was told that Heizien would be the man to see. Arrangements were made and Omeon was led to his appointment with Heizien 

Foremost on Omeon's mind was the displacement of the rescued people, and secondly the eerie strange noise heard by everyone as they were being towed. Yes he said he had heard about the strange noise but it wasn’t the first time he had heard it. “We believe it came from a space ship. As you know their have been landings on Eudorea which I am sure you have seen. But as to where this particular ship was headed was not known, if it was a space ship at all. As to the discernment of the people we will take them all to Port Atlantis on Eudorea. 

When we first started building on Eudorea we started at Hadesheim. I’m sure you have noticed the similarity of design between our Island here and Hadesheim. As we scouted Eudorea before undertaking this huge project we noticed the crashed spaceships and also some skeletons. Then of course we ran into all those strange looking animals that look like they came from another world. So getting back to the noise you heard, my thinking is that it was another space ship”. 

"I’m familiar with the space ship travel that is set up on Eudorea. Could that have been the noise we heard"? Omeon asked. "I doubt it", replied Heizien. "The generated noise seemed to be coming from an object traveling at a great rate of speed that cannot be seen. We here on Island 22 have an RSI–A Radio Signal Interrupter–which our people use to send signals into outer space in hopes of having another planet receive our signal and send a reply. We think we have received a signal in response to ours from a distant planet some 20 light years away”. 

"Correct me if I am wrong", Omeon interrupted, "but does that mean that your radio signals that takes 20 years to reach a certain planet ,assuming they intercepted your signal, will then in turn take another 20 years to return here"?. "Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying, a total of 40 years, we think the space ships that landed on Eudorea came from a distant planet for reason we can only guess. Maybe their planet was in distress of some kind. Maybe it was about to burn up and they had to leave in a hurry". 

"But to come to Earth? Why not another Planet"? Omeon asked. 

"We don’t have the answer to that Omeon. Our people are constantly monitoring the RSI. Maybe someday we will learn more. The skeletons our people have found there seem to be in structure the same as we here on earth". 

"It is an interesting theory concerning the spaceships and the skeleton. We have a woman in our society who has studied astrology and is well versed in the subject. We call her DJ". 

"Yes, of course. I met her and a fellow by the name of Rick and at this moment are back on Eudorea" 

"There was another person who escaped capture from Dr. Shumanduka. Have you heard anything about him? He is known as Electron-1". 

"Yes I have. Rick and DJ returned to Eudorea to be with him". 

Omeon was overjoyed to hear of this good news. Rick alive? With DJ and Electron-1"! This meant that the entire Alpha group had survived the attack. He couldn’t wait to tell the news to his society people. 

The Island of Flora Bunda was now a waste land. He wondered what would become of it. He asked Heizien if there was any chance to go back there and look for survivors. 

"Our exploration team at this moment is preparing plans to visit the Island. If at all possible we will add it to the chain of Islands, perhaps completing the formation of all the Islands adding it to our corporation. Of course we will not retain the name given it by Dr. Shumanduka. A name as already been chosen in the event we can develop it. We will call it Islomonda. Monda means earth and Islo meaning Isle. Earth Isle is a proper name, don’t you think"? Rick thought it was as good as any. 

Reizien held an impromptu meeting with all the rescued people. He wanted to know of their future plans. The entire Alpha group wanted to stay together and return to Amathera and their apartments. The others all wanted to get back to Eudorea. 

"We have an Air Boat that is designed to ride on top of the water on a cushion of air. It is large enough to take you all as a group to Port Atlantis. From there you may go as you please. But in the event there may be a problem we will send an escort team with you just in case of any problems that you may encounter. My concern is for your safety. Especially since you heard the eerie noise and of course the problems with snipers. The space ship may have landed on Eudorea just as the others did." The eerie noise that was heard was indeed a space ship but it did not land where Reizien thought it would.

Chapter 15 

Rick contacted headquarters on Island 22 to inform them of the death of Electron-1. He was told that a few people would be sent to assist him. They arrived with a container that had a glass lid. Electron-1 was put into the container and leaving Rick and DJ they headed back to Island 22. Before leaving they were told about the noise heard by the rescued people that may or may not be a space craft and to be on the alert for any activity. Also all the others that were rescued would be arriving soon and they would be joining them back on Eudorea.. Rick and DJ were anxious to reunite with their fellow society members. 

Electron-1's body was carried in the container and taken to a Cryogenic room. The temperature in this room hovered at near zero degrees Farenheight.. It kept a person who had expired in a frozen state giving time to Forensic Pathologists to determine the cause of death without doing a complete autopsy. Once it had been discovered Electron-1 had suffered a heart attack, his body was turned over to a team of doctors who dealt in Cryogenic Resuscitation. A team of four professionals quickly attached wires to Electron-1 at various points of his body. The wires led to a conditioning machine that would read the degree of rigor mortis that had set in. In another room next to the cryogenic room was a computer that was reading all the data from the machine. After some time in reviewing the print out a consultation was held as to whether the new process would work in Electron-1's case. 

Dressed in a sort of astronaut outfit, keeping the person warm and also to prevent contamination, these doctors took Electron-1 and placed him on a table. Using mechanical devices operated by a computer, they extracted his heart which was placed in a freezer case and sent to another team of experts whose job it was to work on a heart and try to get it to beat again. 

A heart machine was attached to the heart and warm blood was pumped into its ventricles and into its chambers.The ultimate goal was to examine the reaction of the heart to see if Electron-1's heart could be repaired. Once that was done they used a paddle and sent an electrical charge into the heart. . It started to beat with an arrhythmiat and noticed where the problem lay. It was in the left ventricle. One doctor inserted a needle into the left chamber of the heart and injected a fluid that was more like Adrenalin. After making a repair to the left ventricle they sutured the incision and waited until his heart had stabilized.. If it didn’t then there was no more they could do. This was only a trial and it was the first of its kind. To everyone’s amazement the heart stabilized and gave a hearty beat of 92 beats per minute while still attached to the heart machine.. 

The heart was kept on the machine while another team of doctors were waiting for word from the heart surgeons. This team had another job that would be a first of its kind. They would work on the brain cells to make sure the brain could take the strain of being without oxygen for more than five minutes. Once the brain has gone beyond that extended time frame there was no chance for a person to resuscitate and not be in a vegetative state. 

They had a machine that was called “CBILO-Cerebral Brain Infused Liquid Oxifier.- its purpose was to inject this special oxygenated liquid that contained not only a supply of oxygen but a liquid that would resemble the gray liquid that a brain contains. It also would generate new cells to replace the cells that have died. There are over a billion cells in the brain and they hoped that at least they could regenerate enough cells to make the brain just as active as it was before death occurred. 

Cryogenics was not a new phenomenon. Many people who had the financial resources would at death have their bodies suspended in animation in a cryogenics room. Of course they believed that someday some person would be smart enough to figure how to repair whatever caused their death and revive them be it 100 or 1,000 years from their expiration date. 

Electron-1 had entered into just such a state and these teams of doctors were doing something that no one has ever tried before. Time would tell if they had succeeded They would also learn from the deceased what it felt like to die and then to be revived again. That is assuming their experiment worked. There was no question that history would be made if they brought Electron-1 back to life. Certainly there was no harm in trying. There was only one factor that remained that may or may not impede their progress and that was his age. 

Once the machine was attached to his brain, the heart surgeons replaced the heart into Electron-1. They waited until the brain machine told them that it was through its process. Then the clamps were taken off the ventricles and a paddle with an electrical charge was touched to the heart. It started beating and kept up a steady rate just as before at 92 beats per minute. 

The brain machine was disconnected and they closed the chest and all now wondered if all the work they did was in vain. Time would tell. Electron_1 was taken to an emergency room and placed on a bed. Then they attached wires to his brain to see if there was any activity.The electroencephalograph showed some waves and Electron-1's heart beat steadily. But he lay there motionless as they watched over him around the clock.

Chapter 16 


They landed on Eudorea at Port Atlantis, happy once again to return to their home land. Headquarters had everything working once again, the TP’s, the exchanges, the crafting rooms the auctions. A group of explorers accompanied them to make a search for the animals and any snipers that may still be in the area. As they proceeded North along the shoreline they came across a large herd of animals lying on the sand. Upon close inspection they learned that all the animals had drowned and eventually their carcasses had washed ashore. What caused them to want to run into the water was something they had to learn. Besides, all the animals could swim. They had to remain in the water for a great length of time and drown from exhaustion. That was one possibility. There may have been other reasons unknown to them. They would continue to explore the Island to gather more information. 

The explorers carried all the latest equipment developed by the arms manufacture the Corporation had contracted to make new designs and amend the old ones. They wore the best armor for protection from the snipers and the new helmet that was recently designed. The helmet was designated the HVPP-High Velocity Penetration Protector. It had a new face plate that protected the entire frontal part of the head .It was designed to shade the face and eyes and change color as the suns rays hit the face plate. It would soon be distributed and sold at auction. But its high price would make it hard to own at first. However as the helmet became plentiful the price would drop. However the new armor they wore known as ‘Scrapper” would not be available for some time. 

As the exploration team worked their way inland, shots were heard coming from Port Atlantis. They hurried back towards the Port and were soon in a fire fight with a large group of snipers, who were preying on the new arrivals there. The battle lasted for some time. Though the snipers had long range weapons they were no match for the rifles the team carried. Eventually all the snipers were killed. No injuries were reported in port Atlantis. None of the explorers were harmed or wounded. 

No identification of the snipers could be made. They were not recognized by anyone. How this group managed to stay away from Dr. Shumanduka and his Ogres was a mystery as was the death of the animals. There may have been a correlation between the two events but they were not sure. A report was sent to headquarters telling them what had happened. The exploration team was told to stay at Port Atlantis and protect the people there . If there were other groups of snipers still on Eudorea they would send a much larger contingent of personnel to back them up. 



Rick and DJ, after having said good by to Electron-1 and the people who came to get his body, decided to return to Treasure Island. There was nothing else that could be done. They had no idea what to expect as they arrived there. But they had no choice. First they went to Ft. Fury using the devices that were owned by the Corporation. As they emerged from the transmission room they saw the light from the Teleporter. “Well, I see things are working again, Rick said”. So they headed for the TP and stepped inside and off they went what would be an eventual reunion with their society people. 




Omeon gathered the Alpha group and held a meeting to decide their intentions. All agreed to return to Treasure Island though they had no idea if protection was needed there. So they all headed for the Teleporter and one by one entered the TP and entered the air space of Amathera. They did not materialize on the platform as they expected. Instead, all found themselves in a black void, floating in a sort of vacuum until suddenly they were deposited in a dark room at the feet of Rick and DJ. No one could have imagined that their meeting together once again would occur in this fashion. Though it was dark , there was enough light to see and greet one another. The light that emanated from a board mounted on a wall with a series of lights flashing across lines from top to bottom was enough to see everyone. Small portal windows surrounded the room and upon close examination they could view stars. As they gathered around the windows the room suddenly became bright with a brilliant light that at first made them shade their eyes with their hands. As they became accustomed to the light they looked around the room and saw nothing but the lighted board whose lights had now stopped blinking. Across one line of the board was a written message that made no sense to any one. That is if it was a message at all. There were letters and numbers that read: 

X-POU-101-TUL

Chapter 17 
They all stared in awe at the letters and numbers on the light board. Rick turned to DJ and asked her if she had any idea if it could be a message. 
"From what I have learned about Astronomers and people associated with them who send radio signals into outer space, this maybe something associated with their efforts of making contact with another planet. But why here and why us? I haven’t any clue as to its meaning. But I do know that most of the messages that have been received from outer space are just numbers containing just one’s and zeros. But this message, or whatever it is, contains letters also. Here we are in what I assume is a space ship, traveling to who knows where, and now getting a "message", I just can’t make any sense of it all", DJ said. 
"What puzzles me DJ is this so called space ship", Rick said. “Shouldn’t there be seats to sit on and be strapped in? If we are traveling to another planet, we must be moving at a great rate of speed. Yet I don’t feel anything except maybe a slight vibration. And another thing, where is the control room to maneuver this ship. I don’t see anything. Just a room and a lighted board, giving us something of a mysterious message?” 
As if the message wasn’t bad enough to excite the Alpha group, now came another surprise. All the lights went out on the board and after a few seconds the lights came back on but in a different manner. Starting on the top row a series of nothing but one’s and zeros’ appeared. They filled the entire board. But the sequences of the numbers that is the one’s and zeros were in a pattern that would dictate a message. There were spaces in between the numbers. A pattern existed that looked like it created words. 
"Now what", DJ said, “Who ever is sending this message thinks we are magicians?". 
No sooner had she spoken when, at the bottom of the lights appeared once again the first message that they had seen: 
X-POU-101-TUL 
"Well, there are your one’s and zero’s DJ", Rick said. "A true astronomer would be delighted to see this message. But we have no way to contact anyone to give us a clue as to its meaning". 
"Don’t look at me, Rick. I just know how to read the stars somewhat. That does not make me an Astronomer or a person who delves in radio signals from outer space". 
Maybe I can be of some help", chimed in Lomo. "I have read some material on radio signals from outer space". 
“And what was that Lomo?” DJ asked. 
"Well I read a story where some sort of message was sent to earth but the numbers were all prime numbers, integers that can’t be divided into any other number except themselves and one. So we are looking at a bunch of one’s and zeros". 
"OK so tell me how we are going to transfer all those one’s and zeros into integers. And even if we could, I doubt we would live long enough to decipher the message. It would take years", DJ said. 
"Look people; let’s look at the initial message or whatever it was."X-POU-101-TUL". Can anyone give an idea what it could mean?” Rick asked. 
Turning to Omeon Rick asked,” How about you Prof. Any ideas?” 
Omeon began to pace up and down the floor and went to the light message board and without thinking he pointed to the X barely touching it and was about to speak when the X changed to a hyphenated word: X-Pek-ted. 
"All stared in amazement at what had occurred. “Now I know what the message is", Omeon said... "It was there for us to figure out what to do with those letters. Now I will decipher the message as I think it means. EXPECTED YOU-GREETINGS-TO YOU ALL" 
"Well I’ll be darned", DJ said. "It makes sense, but how about the rest of those ones and zeros, Omeon"? 
"I doubt that by touching them will spell out a message DJ. But just to make sure, I’ll touch the first number which is a one". As Omeon touched the first number it revealed the following number, 887. 
"That’s a prime number I believe", Omeon said. "And if I went and touched all the ones and zeros we would get a bunch of primes. And just as DJ said, it would take us years to figure out what the message would say". 
"Besides, it would take a numerologist to make sense of primes and integers. And I am not that good at math", Rick said. 
"OK, so now we have what we think is the decoded message. But was it intended for us as a group or someone else?" DJ asked. 
"Good question, DJ. We may have just stumbled into this mess", Rick said. 
Omeon then told Rick and DJ about the noise they heard as they were being towed to Island 22... "I wonder if this is the space ship that we heard", Omeon said. "It all ties in. But this one did not crash like all the others did. This one landed and right at the wrong spot as far as we are concerned. When we were to TP to Amathera we did emerge there but this space ship was right on top of it and we got pulled inside. Now the question is where are we headed , if anywhere. I still don’t feel any motion?” 
As if on cue to the question, there came a heavy vibration and the ship or room was thrown into darkness once again. Then suddenly a door opened revealing daylight. All stepped toward the door and emerged outside to an experience that they would never forget. 
..

Chapter 18 
His vital signs showed normal. Strong pulse, normal body temperature, blood pressure normal. His brain waves showed signs of activity but he was not responding to any calls to awaken. There was no guarantee that the experiment would be a success. The chances of his surviving would be a miracle. But they were not giving up. Not yet anyway. 
Orders were given to watch over him day and night. At night time a night nurse was stationed in his room who monitored his life signs constantly also to see if there was any eye movement. If any motion was detected they wanted to know. It could mean the he is dreaming. 
REM-rapid eye movement-occurs in a normal person when sleeping, once every ninety minutes. If Electron-1 had REM then it could be a definite sign of an active brain. If that should occur, the doctors wanted to know right away. 
A normal person’s circadian rhythm runs through a twenty five hour cycle. Once that period has been reached, any person having been without sleep for that length of time will begin to feel the need for sleep. So it occurred to the night nurse. His body said it needed sleep and so as uncomfortable as he was in a small chair his head drooped and his eyes closed. What he did not see while in that state was the REM of Electron-1 
Ordinarily when one dreams he or she is not aware they are dreaming. Lucid dreams involve disassociation- that is a split in consciousness between a dreaming part and as an observer. Whether any of this was present no one would know except the dreamer, who may or may not recall what he had dreamed. 
The night passed on and the night nurse eventually awoke only because of being uncomfortable in the chair. He opened his eyes and looked over to where Electron-1 lay, but he was not there. Running out of the room, he looked left and right for signs of his patient but saw no one. He ran to the service desk and asked the night nurse on duty if she saw or heard anything. No she replied she had not seen a thing. 
The attendant dialed the head doctor’s room and informed him what had happened. A silent alarm was issued and a search began both inside the hospital and on the out side grounds. But no sign of Electron-1 was seen 


The Alpha group assembled outside the "spaceship" and looked at what they had emerged from. "Well I’ll be darned", Rick said. "It sure looks like a space ship but you wouldn’t know it by being inside of it. And it does not appear that we have gone anywhere. How about it DJ, what do you think?” 
DJ was stunned as was everyone else. They had emerged onto a sandy beach just like on Treasure Island but there were no buildings in sight. Nothing was visible except sand sea and sky. Were they on a planet? No one was sure. As they milled around the space ship, trying to regain their thoughts, Lomo saw what he thought was something moving on the beach some distance away. He yelled for everyone to see what was coning. 
They all stood in amazement trying to figure out what they were seeing. Just as one sees the shimmering waves of heat coming from a heated surface, so did the figure begin to take shape. Almost as though it materialize off the surface of the sand. The figure came closer and then it stopped. DJ looked and said to Rick, "What is it Rick. Can you make it out?" 
Rick really wasn’t sure. 
"Everyone stay here" Rick said. "I’m going to go and greet whoever it is". 
As he approached the figure, it raised its arm and said "Stop, do not come any closer". 
Rick was surprised to hear it speak in a tongue he understood. Rick froze in his tracks. The voice sounded familiar. He motioned to the others to come to where he was. They all advanced and gathered near Rick wondering who and what the figure was. 
"Who are you?” DJ Asked. 
‘Don’t you recognize me!” the figure said. DJ replied, "No I don’t know who you are". 
The figure then spoke again saying it would come closer but no-one was to come near him. 
"You will know who I am". 
So it went closer and DJ now saw and recognized who it was. She quickly spread out her arms and started to run toward him. But he stopped her with his arms raised. 
"Stop where you are. Do not touch me". 
DJ stood transfixed in amazement staring at Electron-1. She stuttered unable to speak then finally said. 
‘How did you get here? Where are we?" 
"In time you will know everything. I have cared for you as though we were a family. It is time for me to say goodbye. But I will be gone for just a short time. You will then see me again" 
Electron-1 raised his hands in farewell and in the same shimmering heat he vanished into the heated air of the sand. 
They all stared in disbelief, mesmerized by the transfiguration. He had appeared and now he was gone. Did they really see Electron-1

Chapter 19 


They assembled outside the room where Electron-1 had been before his disappearance. No one could walk away in his condition. There was no possible way he could have left the bed with all those wires attached to him. Since the attendant had reported him missing no one had bother to check the room to see if he had returned. On an impulse, a doctor opened the door and looked inside and much to his surprise there was Electron-1 in bed lying as if in sleep. All the wires from the brain scan were off his head. The rest of the doctors were called in to see Electron-1 back in bed. His skin looked pink and his eyes were open. He was awake and began to speak. 

“Where am I. What has happened to me” He was asked if he remembered anything. 

“Well I remember I had lain on a cot in a storage room while waiting for some friends. But that is all I can tell you.”. 

The miracle the doctors had hoped for had become a reality. Here lies a man who should be dead and is now alive. Foremost in the minds of all the doctors was the amount of memory loss sustained by Electron-1. But they decided that now was not the time to question him. They would let him rest for a day then they would evaluate his condition. They did ask him if he remembered leaving his bed. Electron-1 said that he had a strange dream about being in another place that may have resembled anther planet and had met friends there. But he said it was very vague and yet it was almost as if it were real. 

“Dreams sometimes seem real”, the head doctor said. “You have to remember you had a heart attack and actually died. We worked on you not knowing if we could revive you at all. Did you dream more than that one time”? 

“No I don’t think so. All I remember is that dream I told you about”. 

“For now we will let you rest. We will discuss it further on another day. Just so you know, you are on Island 22, which is headquarters for the corporation that controls Eudorea and 
Amathera. Electron-1 was confused which was only natural considering what had occurred to him. He had no idea that his body had left his bed and materialized in another world, another place in time That mystery would keep the doctors guessing about the supernatural and the re-emergence of a body from the dead to the living. Electron-1 wondered about the dream. It just was not possible. This could not really have happened to him. Was it all really just a dream? 

The only person who could answer that was DJ. But she had no idea that she held the answer to the entire episode and the mysterious riddle. 


Speak now and speak into the hallowed dome. 
What do you hear? What does the sky reply? 
The heavens are taken, this is not your home. 
Karl Jay Shapiro 
Travelogue for Exiles 

They remained frozen in place staring at nothing yet wanting to believe that it was real. Was what they saw a ghost of himself?. Was this heaven they were in? But heaven created by the supernatural being known as, God, would be filled with the righteous people he had invited. Was Electron-1 there.–or here? As if in solitude prayer no one spoke and no one moved. 

What really happened here in this time and place. After Electron-1 had gone, what was there to see. They all remembered the space ship as they exited outside to stand on the sandy beach, the closing of the door and the space ship slowly at first and then with a burst of unbelievable speed it rose into the air and was gone 

Loneliness can be described as when one loses a partner especially in death. This was quite different. At least the Alpha society as a group could not feel that extreme sense of being alone. They had each other to console and be comforted by. 

“What happens now”, shouted Lomo at the top of his voice. 
“No need to shout, Lomo”, Rick said. “We are all together in this. There has to be some explanation for all that has happened. Especially with the space ship. Is it coming back? If it isn’t then what. How about you Omeon, any ideas at all popping into your head?” 

As usual Omeon began rubbing his chin and running his hand through his hair. 
“It doesn’t take a genius to see what kind of predicament we are in. But I honestly believe there is something on this-ah-planet or where ever we are, that will get us back to reality. Maybe the space ship will return and just maybe we will be taken back to where we belong, on Treasure Island. If it doesn’t”,Omeon stretched out his hands with his palms up, “Its’ any ones’ guess as to what is going to happen and how this will all resolve itself” 

The entire solution to the problem of how things would be resolved was within their grasp. Of course no one realized it because no one could. The only person who knew all about the eventual outcome and how it would all end was standing in the middle of the group.

Chapter 20 


They gathered around Electron-1 like a family looking at a newborn child. Each one with different thoughts about what happened to him and the effects of a person who had died and been revived. Especially in the manner they had performed. They all had many questions to ask him. Doctors never stopped learning. Maybe that’s why they call it a “Practice”. In any case here he was as lucid as ever and waiting for the doctors to begin asking what and how he felt.. 

The question and answer time lasted most of the day. When it was over they did not learn anything except that here he was alive. Electron-1 could not present anything to help them in their experiment . Did you dream many dreams? No, with the exception of the one dream where he was in some other place or planet-Did you feel pain?–Nope-Did yo have an out of body experience?-Nope-Do you remember seeing any lights?-Nope-And you don’t remember getting out of bed-NO and no and no to everything they asked. How were they to evaluate this human being they had brought back to life without knowing anything about his experience of death. 


To Electron-1 this was all so mysterious. The only thing he remembered was the one dream or experience where he saw the Alpha group which bothered him more than anything or any question thrown at him by the doctors. They said he had left his bed and returned. That wasn’t possible, or was it. He was beginning to feel himself once again and wanted to get back to Eudorea. He asked them when that might be. The doctors would not give any specific date but said he would be able to move about in a few days. That didn’t make any sense either to him. He was ready to go now if they would let him leave, He had no way to return and had to depend on them to take him back there. 





Trying to make sense of what had transpired the Alpha group held a chat session in which everyone gave an opinion as to what they thought should be done. 
Stalker spoke next, “Why don’t we split up into three groups and set out into different directions. Maybe we might see something. Certainly better than standing here doing nothing” Rick agreed and asked for a showing of hands and it was unanimous. So they split into three groups and were to head into whatever was out there if anything. 

Rick told them he still had a revolver. If he found anything with his group he would fire a shot.If that should happen all would return to the place they started from. All agreed and off they went into the unknown. Rick, Dj, and Omeon were in the same group. Stalker Lomo and Worm were in another. Mike and runt and crunch and Laden in another. 

After sometime of walking and seeing nothing but sea and sand, DJ turned to rick and asked him if he still had the teleport device that belonged to Headquarters. “Why yes I do. I’ve forgotten all about it. And you still have yours too, right?”.DJ said yes she did. But what good were they. Rick wasn’t sure either but he was willing to give them it a try and see what happens. He wasn’t sure where it would send him. “The only way to find out is to try it and see what happens. Ladies before gentlemen DJ. Want to try?” “Gee, Thanks Rick, you’re a real sport. OK. I’ll try it first” Before Rick had a chance to object DJ placed the device in her hand, pressed the button and off she went in a flash of light. 
“Well, that solves that problem”, Rick said. “Should I follow her or wait until she comes back. Well nothing ventured”, Rick said and held the device and pressed the button. Off he went in a flash of light. 

Rick and DJ both arrived at the same place. They found themselves in another space ship but not the same o ne they had been o n. This one was full of controls and teleports and supplies. They ran toward a large open door with a ramp leading to the ground. 
“What now Rick”, DJ exclaimed. Beats me he said. “Lets see if we can teleport back to Treasure Island I doubt we will run into the same problem as before”. Looking around they saw a teleport nearby but could not determine where they were. It looked like an outpost of some kind but weren’t sure. They entered the T.P. and off they went to Treasure Island. They emerged on the Platform at Genesis and all seemed normal. There were the apartments but there was no one in sight. “Lets head for my apartment”, Rick said. Off they went and entered his apartment building.They entered his apartment and were completely surprised at the sight that greeted them.

Chapter 21 

Reizien decided it was time to make an excursion to "Flora Bunda" perhaps if only to see if there were any survivors on the Island. The sea craft they used would suffice in the event they did find anyone still alive. The initial craft that was sent had no time to make a landing since the Island was still covered with water from the Tsunami. Also for the fact that they had spotted the vessel with people aboard who had been fortunate enough to escape the deluge and volcanic eruption. 

The sight was deplorable and it was a wonder anyone had escaped at all. But there were mountains on the island. The height of the mountains could very well have been a haven for anyone to escape the flooding and the lava flow from the volcano. The water had receded from the flooding and the lava had turned the beaches’ black. Black sand was not an uncommon sight after an eruption when the lava flow eventually flowed toward the sea covering the beaches with its residue. 

Beaching their craft, they set out on foot to explore the island. They were not sure what they would run into and were prepared for any eventuality. They brought Rifles and machetes and mostly food. As they hacked their way through the heavy foliage on the mountain range, they smelled smoke. That meant that there may be people still alive. They carefully made their way toward the top of the mountain and saw in disbelief a group of people who had survived. It was like a small camp. There were small hut like buildings erected out of foliage and sticks. As they approached them, a shout went out from some of the people praising that they had been rescued. 

All the people who had been found were some of the captives. Many questions were asked, but the scouts told them to wait until they talked to the chief at headquarters. They would be taken there and eventually be reunited with their societies on Eudorea. 

Just as the last group who had been towed to Island 22, so too did this group wonder at the buildings and accommodations that were made for them. Foremost in the minds of these people was of course, were there any other survivors? Yes they were told. There were others and they had been taken back to Eudorea. However, we do have one other person by the name of Electron-1. Have any of you heard of him? A few said that they indeed knew of him from The Old Alpha society. "Well, he is in a recuperating room in the hospital. We will keep him here until he has fully recovered and will send him back to Eudorea." 




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Electron-1 had received word about the people who had been found alive on "Flora Bunda” The very fact that any others had survived was a miracle. He wanted to meet them but the doctors felt that just seeing them may be a traumatic shock to his heart and did not want to take the chance for him to leave his bed. He was told that when they thought he was fit to travel, they would take him back to Treasure Island. Electron-1 thought he was fit now to travel, but they would not let him leave. When he was alone in his room, Electron-1 got out of bed just to see if he could just stand and much to his surprise he found he could and also walk. In fact he felt so good he went to the door and looked up and down the hallway; there were a few nurses at the far end. He wanted to get out of this hospital and go back to Treasure Island. A plan to get out began to take shape. 

He returned to his bed and rang for a nurse. When she arrived, he asked her if it were at all possible to see just one person who had just been rescued. "I’ll have to ask the head doctor in charge if that is allowed." She left the room and went to the service station and called the head doctor and explained what electron-1 had wanted. At first the doctor was reluctant to allow a visitor but then relented. One person surely could not hurt. So he told the nurse to contact Reizien and tell him to pick out someone who knew him, and take him to see Electron-1. 

His visitor arrived and they greeted one another and exchanged stories of their capture. Electron-1 told him that he never was captured. He had fallen asleep under a tree and no one noticed him. "But listen I wonder if you could do me a favor." Electron-1 explained to him what he had in mind and would his visitor cooperate with him in this venture. He wasn’t sure at first but after talking to Electron-1 and what had happened he decided to go along with him in this escapade. 




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Rick and DJ stared in disbelief at Electron-1. To say that it was a shock to see him was indeed a mild word. Nothing could have prepared them to see him standing there. It turned into a wild celebration. Who could have though that the three of them would one day be back together? Rick and DJ were full of questions. This really couldn’t be true. How could you possibly be here? We last saw you on an Island somewhere that we are not sure where we were and here you are again,” DJ said. 

Electron -1 explained everything to them about the doctors bringing him back to life. “During all that experimentation, I had a dream that I saw you people somewhere. Not just you and Rick, but all the society people. That was a strange dream that the doctors still don’t understand”. 

"But how did you get here?” Rick asked. 

"What both of you do not know is that there were more people rescued from "Flora Bunda. An exploration team found them on top of a mountain and brought them to Island 22. When I heard about it, I asked to see them but the Doctors though it was a risk for a traumatic shock. I then asked a nurse later on if I could at least see one person. They relented and in came my rescuer. Well not really my rescuer but my savior. I asked him to exchange places with me. Would he mind if I dressed in his clothes and he took my place in bed? Eventually he accepted saying, what the heck, I need the rest anyway." So he took off his clothes and I dressed in them. I ruffled my hair some that is whatever I have left, and sort of hiding my face as I went along, I went to the newly rescued people and hid among them. Eventually that day we were all taken to Eudorea and here I am. I would like to see the faces of the doctors and nurses when they uncover that guy who is lying in the bed I was in and discover that it’s not I” They all enjoyed a good laugh but Electron-1 was sure that a search would be set out for him. The doctors were not going to allow an experiment to go to waste.

Chapter 22 



Since the three groups had gone in separate directions none had seen anything. Not an animal, nor bird nor human. It was as barren as a far off planet. No vegetation or life of any kind. The group that Rick and DJ were with decided to return to the original starting point. Since Rick was gone, there was no way the other groups would know anything since none of them had a pistol to send an alarm. They wanted to discuss the situation with the other groups but had no idea if and when they would return. The predicament they faced was perilous. Without any food and water how were they to survive? Omeon once again was thrust into the position of making decisions for everyone. 

The other two groups had been gone for some time and there was no way to get their attention. Besides, Omeon was not sure if a gun shot could be heard. If they were on another planet in space, no sound would be heard. A flash could be seen but in space there was no sound. He wondered if the other groups knew that. Besides, Omeon noted that the sun was not setting. It just remained in the same position. It simply meant that they would never see darkness. 

The other two groups had arrived at the same decision to return to the original starting point. They had seen nothing nor heard anything. It was useless to continue. Both groups returned and once again united with the third group. Omeon explained to them about the missing duo of Rick and DJ. Well then maybe they will return and help us get back to Treasure Island. 

‘Lost in Space’ was a statement that fit the situation. Would they ever hear from them? After all they did leave using their devises to teleport themselves somewhere. They just didn’t know where they had gone. Their only hope was to have Rick and or DJ return and help them leave this barren wasteland. 

Because they could not hear anything, the conclusion was they had to be in space. Omeon was deep in thought as the rest of the group gathered around him hoping he would come through with a solution to getting them out of there As a result they did not hear the space ship approaching some 200 meters away. What drew their attention was the sand that was thrown up by the ship as it landed. As a group they all raced to see if Rick or DJ would emerge from it. But upon close inspection, Omeon noted that this ship was not the same one that had dropped them off. This one was quite different. He had no chance to say anything when a door opened and a ramp was lowered to the ground. 

He wasn’t sure he wanted to enter this ship but what choice did he have? Cautiously, he slowly climbed the ramp with the rest of the group behind him, they entered the ship. Once inside, the ramp was lifted and the door closed. This ship had seats with restraining belts and helmets and space suits. It contained a control center and beside the console was a message screen that had blinking lights that beeped in different tones just as a telephone makes when dialing. There were no windows of any kind. As they looked about them to study the ship, the lights on the board became a steady mass of lights. Suddenly all the lights went out and then a steady line of lights began to cross the board just like a tracker light sign. It began to reveal a stream of symbols-words and numbers just as the other space ship had done. When the line was finished with the odd letters and numbers, it began to change each individual symbol with a letter. When it was finished the message read “CYGNA VEGA" Before and after the two words were delta signs that were actually inverted V’s with a connecting base line from left to right. 

Any one who is versed in Astronomy would have figured this message out easily. But the person who could was not with them. Omeon had some idea but was not about to venture a guess and be embarrassed with the wrong answer. But Omeon didn’t have to worry about making that mistake. The board went blank again and just as suddenly a map of the heavens appeared with stars of every galaxy in a constellation. Omeon thought it was the constellation of the Northern Hemisphere. He saw some stars that he knew and pointed them out. He knew the astrological signs and saw the stars that represented them. There was Capricorn and Aquarius, and Sagittarius and Pisces But also there was one bright star. Brighter than all the rest but he didn’t know what it was. If DJ had been beside him at that moment she would have told him what it was, because before the invasion she had been on the balcony looking at the stars and she wanted to see this particular star but fell asleep. The stars name was VEGA. Had Omeon known that he would have had part of the answer to the two words that had been displayed before the change to the astrological map. 

As they continued to stare at the stars, a word appeared at the bottom of the map. It read, "CLVH” Now Omeon was really confused. He would not be able to decipher those letters or what they represented. Yet all he had to do was look at the stars and he would have known what the letters referred to. If that wasn’t confusing enough the ship began to vibrate and motion was felt. Then to everyone’s amazement a voice in plain English said, "Please be seated and fasten your seat belts. We will be underway in a moment."

Chapter 23?

The trio of Rick, DJ, and Electron-1 were happy to be together again. But the search for Electron-1 was probably now underway. Should they, as a group, stay and face the Doctors and make them understand he was in capable hands?. Or should they just disappear and hide from them. That option had merit as far as Rick and DJ were concerned. So Rick came up with an idea that would solve this dilemma but it had to be done quickly. Rick explained to DJ and Electron-1 what he had in mind. “Let’s teleport back to Eudorea right now. Then I will go to that underground storage room and using the combination given to me by Gothbe, I will get another teleport device that Electron-1 can use. Then we can return to Genesis and from there we can all teleport to where DJ and I left the group. I’m sure they are still there. Since we left them using these teleport devices we should be able to return. 

Once they arrived at genesis they used the devises to go to the island where they had left the Alpha group. These special devises that had been introduced by headquarters had a special chip in them that in the event they were to teleport to an unknown area they would be drawn into anything that contained metal. So it happened that when they arrived at the deserted Island they did not land on sand but inside the space ship that was just about to depart with the Alpha group 

When Rick and DJ and Electron-1 arrived and materialized in the space ship, the Alpha group had a mild celebration that didn’t last long. Omeon explained what was about to take place and pointed to the Astrology map to DJ and asked her to make sense of it. There were many questions Rick had for Omeon but the ship began to vibrate. An indication it was about to leave the Island and head to who knew where. They all seated and buckled themselves in the seats. As the ship seemingly went airborne all vibration ceased and all sense of motion was lost. They were able to leave their seats and mill around the inside the space ship. 

Omeon directed DJ to the Map of the stars and asked her what the letters at the bottom could mean. After some studying, DJ knew what they referred to. “That bright star is Vega. It happens to be the one star that I wanted to see the night before our anniversary party. But I never had the chance. The other letters all represent the stars in that constellation. I have to assume that we are headed there. But what really is bothering me is that the star is twenty six light years away from earth. It would take us twenty six years to reach that star at the speed of light which is somewhere around 17,000 miles per second. And you said that the unseen person spoke in our language to tell you to buckle up? Something is not right. However we will know in due time. We will just have to wait and see”. 

As the ship traveled to wherever it was headed the alpha group had some time to get re-acquainted once more.. Most questions were thrown at Electron-1. But he just shrugged them off. He was just happy to be alive and together with all his friends again. He just wished that they were back in the apartment having a party instead of having to face the unknown. 

The ship began to vibrate once more and that indicated it was about to land. The flight didn’t last long if it had gone anywhere. They had no way of knowing since there were no windows to view outside. There were no sounds that would tell them they had landed. A door opened and as they looked toward it a ramp was lowered to the ground. The ship seemed to be suspended in mid air. They all headed for the door and down onto the ground. Once there they looked back toward the ship and saw four Robots walking down the ramp in a parade like fashion. Once on the ground the robots beckoned them to follow. No one took the time to survey the surroundings that engulfed them. 

Only then did Rick, DJ, Electron-1, Omeon Lomo Stalker and the rest realize where they had landed. They could not believe their eyes. How could this be? The wonder of where they were just would not register into their minds. Could the realization of what they saw be just a visionary illusion?. Could it be just a dream? Where ever they may be, all stood in wonderment . This could not be real. 





The doctors who had given life back to Electron-1 approached Reizien and informed him of their patients disappearance. Could he put together a group to scout Eudorea and Amathera to locate him? He wasn’t located on Island 22 so he must have somehow gone back with the other rescued people. A group was sent and the search was on. They looked everywhere. They asked everyone who had recently been returned to Amathera if they had seen nim but no one had. They used the teleport to go to Amathera and made a thorough search there but to no avail. The apartment buildings were not overlooked. But no sign of Electron-1. They communicated with headquarters and told them of their futile search. They were ordered to return to Island 22 . Some day he will return from where ever he is and we will ask him in a kindly way if he would subject himself to a battery of tests. That is if he is still alive. They had no way of knowing that he was with the entire Alpha group and were not too far away. Someday they would know what happened and that day was not far off.

Chapter 24 


My heart trembles as a spent leaf of time 
The planets are suspended in my dreams 
The stars press against the windows of my mind 
I toss and turn in my sleep 
And my bed becomes a warm planet (I) 


They looked and wondered why they-The Alpha Society-had been chosen to see this vision of light. Who could have painted such a scene as beheld these startled eyes. A wonderment such as this can only be drawn by the one who made the entire universe and created the heavens and the earth. Awe struck and fixed in place as if each were a statue with eyes and mouth agape, gasping as if to breath their last breath. 


The Robots turned from them and paraded back to the space ship. This was their domain their eternal ship to the ever expanding heavens. They climbed the ramp and disappeared as the ramp and door were closed behind them. The ship then rose without a sound and with a swift motion made its journey among the stars to a planet known only to them. They did not belong here among the living on this place that had no night. The space they left behind was as brilliant as a Rainbow with it’s myriad of colors too beautiful to describe; too numerous to mention. A paint brush could not hold these artful colors displayed here. It was a window of their mind, grasping the finality of what they knew had to be neither a place on earth nor a place in the heavens. 

What did all this mean? Why could they not speak if spoken to, though no words were uttered and no words said. The heavenly sunset was befitting a dream, one that comes maybe just once in a lifetime. Was this a final reality of a world gone by which they would not ever see again? 


The night grew in darkness as the heavens beckoned her with the stars she so wanted to see. But sleep overcame her and she knew not the time of night or when the sun peaked its bright head above the far horizon. As she opened her eyes , she looked and realized she had slept for a long time, even past the beginning of sunrise, and had dreamed unbelievable dreams that seemed so true and vivid as if in reality she was engulfed in them and upon awakening she did not want to believe. 

Still dressed in the clothes from the evening past she arose and looked out to sea. What was there to see but an ever expansive body of water. Suddenly she realized the day had come to get things in readiness for the anniversary party for The Alpha society. She had been chosen to make sure all was in readiness. She dashed off to Rick’s apartment and could hear loud music coming from within. There was Lomo dancing around the floor , alone, with the jukebox blaring with a loudness that he could not here her entrance or shout for him to turn the noise down. It was a sense of Deja Vue that this had happened before. She rushed to the music box and pulled the plug. Still confused, she asked Lomo where the Juke Box had come from. “Did you steal it”. Lomo said that he had just borrowed it and would return it after the party was over. 

She ran back to her apartment and refreshed herself and changed into fresh clothing. Then she went back to Rick’s apartment and found the entire society had arrived with the exception of Rick and Electron-1. She asked Lomo if he had seem them. No not yet he said. DJ went back to the balcony and using her telescope she viewed the entire area looking for Rick and Electron-1. Turning the scope toward the teleport she saw them emerge from it and headed for his apartment. She left the balcony and headed for his apartment and threw herself into their arms. She said she was so glad to see everyone safe and unharmed. 

They all stared at DJ wondering what she was talking about. “ I had the strangest dream and I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that it was all just a dream. 

Sometimes dreams can seem so real that the dreamer cannot dissociate them from reality. DJ still had vivid memories of everything that had occurred. She could write a book about the entire experience she had in her dreams. 

Once things settled down and everyone was enjoying themselves, DJ steeled away from the group and went back to the balcony and her telescope. Why does she keep having these odd feelings of harm about to happen to her and the Alpha group. Just to reassure herself she viewed the surroundings around Genesis and saw nothing unusual. Then she swung the telescope toward the sea. 

What she saw made her shiver with fright. If this had been all a dream, then why is she seeing those white sails and the vessels that carried the people who would invade the party and take them all captive. 

FINIS