THE LOST WORLD AN ALTERNATIVE VERSION

 

THE LOST WORLD: THE STORM

AN ALTERNATIVE CONCLUSION

While Lord Roxton had watched Margurite vanish, before his very eyes, it was the muskette fire, which kept the hunter in the present.

The Conquistadores were flanking him, and Roxton knew he had to get creative, to survive. This is when he began treating the Spanish like he would a Raptor, or a T-Rex.

While Roxton could not help feeling like a coward, for each time that he had ducked into a cave, to save the expedition, this was one more time when he wished he had packed more ammo.

Still, in the darkness, of a cave, Roxton knew that few predators would follow. This is why, while he KNEW the Spanish were surrounding him, he spotted a cave, and headed for it.

Once inside, the odds would change from 25, or 50, to one, to one-on-one.

This is when he remembered his ancestors writing about the Spanish being superstitious. How some groups actually thought that caves were entrances to Hades.

This is why Roxton not only headed for the cave, but decided to go DEEP within. After all, soldiers might be superstitious but they were not stupid. Once they had him inside the cave, they would just block off any remaining entrances.

It was only once deep inside the cave, that Roxton heard a sound he had heard, before. What Challenger had called a dimentional barrier.

It was once past this point where Roxton would check his ammunition, and re-load his remaining weapons. After this, he would take a rest period, of several hours, to re-build his strength, before investigating this new entrance.

What, truly, surprised Roxton was that the Spanish had disappeared, as if they had never existed.

This is why Roxton set out for the tree-house, to check in, with his compatriots.

While this was going on, Margurite would be fighting, like a wild animal, to deny the priests their sacrifice.

Since no priests sacrifice had fought, so hard, the Druids were un-prepared for Margurite’s determination to live.

The priests had just gotten Margurite onto the altar, when she shifted from hands, and arms, to clubbing the priests with her legs and boots.

This new defense was something which the priests had never expected, and it left an opening, for Margurite to escape.

What she found strange was that she had run only 100 feet when she heard a sound she had not heard, in some time.

When she looked back, at the altar, the priests were gone, as were their weapons, and torches.

Afraid of tempting fate, Margurite, struck out in the direction of the tree-house. She thought that Challenger would have a rational explanation, for what had happened.

While this was going on, in the past, Finn had, somehow, been returned to New Amazonia. She had been dropped almost in the very middle of the rapist-traders.

Using the combination, of skills,which she had learned as a child, in a post-apocalyptic nuclear nightmare, as well as what Veronica had been teaching her, Finn would begin making her escape, using moves which the land vehicles could not follow.

It was two hours into the “hunt”, when Finn found herself in a meadow, with nowhere to run, or hide, as the trappers pursued her saying “No where to hide, sweet thing.”

While one of the main skills which the radioactive life had taught humans was “Kill, or be killed”, Finn was ready to kill the occupants, of the first “car”, when the impossible happened.

Out of thin air, a portal opened, and Finn saw Challenger, and the others, as if they were waiting for her. All Finn knew was that, IF Challenger was behind this, it MUST be safe.

This is why Finn jumped through, and ended up back, 100 years before the war.

Since she KNEW that the rape-traders would not stop pursuing her, Finn was prepared to kill the first hunter, through the portal.

Oddly enough, though, once Finn was through, the portal began shrinking, in size, even as the first trader stuck his head through.

When the portal “zipped” shut, Finn watched as the traders head fell to the ground, cleanly severed from his neck. (His body would fall to the ground, a century later.)

While Challenger admitted that he had “seen” the future, or atleast the year 4666, he had no idea of HOW he had returned to the past.

By the time Roxton, and Margurite, returned to the tree-house, Veronica had stated that she had no idea of what had happened. All she knew was that, one moment, all was bright light, then everything returned to normal.

When Challenger asked Roxton “How did you know about your ancestor?” Roxton would say “Only from his journals. Most were the kinds of stories which Ed Malone would write. We had to buy back our heritage, as we found my ancestors belongings”.

When Challenger asked Margurite, she would only say “Some very fancy foot-work got me OFF of the Druid menu.”

When both admitted hearing the sound, Challenger would say “I admit it. I heard it, as well.”

When Finn would ask “What does it mean? Are we prisoners, in this place?” Challenger would say “I doubt that, very much. After all, Maple-White returned from the plateau, and died in my arms.”

The next day, Challenger would spend the entire day making the list of what another expedition, to the bizarre “village”, would need.

Food, equipment, and extra journals. Challenger wanted to make a more thorough investigation of the “ruins”.

The next day, Challenger would give each member, of the expedition, a list of what he wanted them to bring back to the tree-house.

When Margurite was the first to add “And just WHAT are you going to be doing?” Challenger would say “OH, no one is going to be idle. I have stretchers to assemble.”

BY the time the “gatherers” had returned with their chores, they found that Challenger had been busy, indeed. He had built two, immense, two man stretchers.

When asked “How many wounded are we going to carry?” Challenger would say “Hopefully no one.”

What no one could help noticing was how much, of the kitchen that the supplies took up.

Even with Roxtons aid, Veronica, and Margurite, would wonder the reason for so much food.

During dinner, Challenger would lay out his plan. As he said “The reason for this hearty meal, and tomorrows hearty breakfast, is that we will be carrying full loaded stretchers.”

When the women looked at the professor, Challenger would say “I promised no bodies, and I MEAN that. We will be carrying all the supplies that I THINK that I will need to properly survey the area, in just one trip. This is why we will need energy.”

When Margurite would ask “Will there be rest stops, along the way?” Challenger would ask “What kind of a monster do you think I am?” Roxton would add “Just imagine. Raptors, for restroom attendants, and T-Rex’s, for live entertainment.”

When Veronica would ask “I thought this was for a trip to the ruins. Why so much food?” Challenger would suggest “My dear, with the first trip, all we needed was back packs. This time, we will be investigating.”

The next morning, Margurite put a pillow over her face, and screamed, when Challenger awakened the entire tree-house, before sun-rise.

With eggs, meat, onion and tomato, as well as plenty of coffee, Challenger said “It is my hope that we reach the half-way point before dark.”

When the other explorers saw that both stretchers were filled with supplies, and equipment, they understood the reason for the big meals.

Roxton lead the way, via torch, and with rifle, at hand.

BY sun-set, camp had been made, and Challenger would say “At this rate, we should reach the ruins before sun-down, tomorrow.”

Margurite would ask “Remind me. Who was it who agreed to this expedition?”

The group slept, soundly, until Roxton awoke them. Smiling as he said “Time for breakfast.”

While Challenger predicted that the group would reach the ruins, just before sun-down, even he was surprised when they arrived at 3 in the afternoon.

Roxton found a defensible position, and the others handled the equipment.

By sun-down, Challenger had found, and begun mapping the ruins which the group had seen, before.

Challenger took notes while Veronica, and Margurite, used his tape measure to call out distances. This while Roxton, of course, maintained security watch.

Between his notes, and the samples, which he took, from the various “antiques”, Challenger realized that most of what was present, was like “original models”, for commonly used designs.

This left the question of “WHAT were they doing in the Amazon jungle?”

For two weeks, the team was busy making notes, and studying materials, yet all came to a stop when Finn cried out “Professor! Come look at this!”

When Challenger, and the others arrived, to view Finn’s discovery, Challenger would be the first to ask “What on Earth is that?” then add “I have never seen such constructs, before.”

When Finn would say “I have”, Challenger would ask “Where the devil did you see such…”

Finn would whisper “In New Amazonia”

When Roxton, and Margurite, would say “Impossible. We were there and we saw nothing like that.”

Finn would say “That is because you arrived years after the nuclear war. You never saw the place when it was alive with life.”

Challenger would say “I dont believe it. Everything that we have been measuring, so far, has been from the past. HOW can this be here, from the future?”

This is when Challenger thought about what Maple-White had said, about bringing Finn out of the time line.

Maple-White had made it seem as thought the team had dragged the girl from the future, bound and gagged.

This when all the team had done was to suggest that the girls knowledge might help stop the coming calamity.

NO one had “forced” Finn. All the team had done was offer an alternative.

Still, when Challenger was ready to investigate, Finn said “NO! Get your guns, FIRST. This way you will be ready for anything you find.”

When Roxton would ask “From empty buildings?” Finn would say “Never assume. That is how we stayed alive. Make sure you have plenty of ammunition.”

While the team followed the young womans suggestion, they found what Challenger predicted. The structures, minus any people, had “arrived” in this place.

What baffled Challenger was how he could identify so few of the materials, which were in use.

When Finn joined, upon hearing “All Clear”, she would tell Challenger “Professor, the reason why you do not recognize these materials is that most will not be invented, until the next century.”

When Challenger would say “Extraordinary. That man can create brand new materials.”

When Veronica found a counter top device, pushed some buttons, and lights came on, and she asked Finn “What is this?” Finn would ask “You have never seen a cooktop before?” Veronica would ask “A cook top. What is that for?” Finn would say “For heating food.”

When Challenger would pass his hands over the glow and say “Extraordinary. How does it cook, without heat?” Finn would say “We are told that it cooks by convection current. Someone find me a pot, or a pan.”

When Margurite found a pan, Finn asked for a canteen, then poured some water into the pan. She then placed the pan on the glowing surface.

Even Challenger watched, saying “Remarkable”, as the water began to boil.

After the counter top was turned off, Finn gave the team a tour, of the place. The tour proved that the place had several large units, and what Finn called a mail center.

Finn said that “When this place had power, people would come here, once daily, to check for messages.” When Challenger would ask “How?” Finn would say “You touched one part, and a screen came to life. After that, enter your name, and your mail presented itself to you.”

Veronica would ask “If this is from the future, and NOT the past, then WHAT is any of this doing here?”

This is the question which Challenger would spend the next week pondering.

He was CERTAIN that Maple-White had been wrong. After all, no one ordered Finn to come along.

Add in the fact that Finn told of distancing the traders, and the portal opening up. NO one had ordered her to jump back into the past.

How could Finn, or the team, be accused of “stealing” what had appeared, on its own.

Since no one could understand HOW the structures came to be present, all agreed to camp just beyond its parameters.

That is, until morning, when Finn heard some long-forgotten sounds.

When asked “What is that?” Finn would say “Sounds like the solar panels are heating water.” When Challenger would ask “WHAT water?” Finn would say “The buildings are designed to find, and purify water, for bathing, and cooking.”

Entering, carefully, the team would look at the kitchen, while Finn programmed the machines, for coffee.

When Finn ordered up food, and Challenger said “Be careful, no telling what time travel did to the food.”

Finn would say “After what I used to eat, this will be a pleasure.”

While Finn ate the first plate of food, Challenger would ask “HOW is this place powered?” Finn would say “BY the sun. We call it Solar Power”. Challenger would say “Magnificent”.

For the next week, Challenger would search the remains for evidence that the structures had arrived by violent means. i.e.: The cabin in “The Wizard of Oz”.

The closest that Challenger could come was Jules Vernes story: “The Time Machine”.

Problem was that Jules Verne had a control panel, with which to control the device. No such panel seemed to exist on this structure.

Challenger hated to use the word “Magic”, however, at the time, no other term seemed to fit.

This is why, leaving most of his science supplies behind, Challenger would join the group, in returning to the safety of the tree-house.

Here, in his laboratory, Challenger would spend days working out HOW the future buildings could have arrived, with no visible upset to the land.

Finn would spend her days, constantly on-guard, for ANYONE who might appear, from her own time. Her concern was:

What if the rapists-traders had found a way, to the past, and were making attack plans.

Veronica had the local tribes spread the word, that UN-welcome visitors MIGHT be on the plane.

Challenger and Roxton would go up, in the balloon, and search in all directions, for any signs of movement.

They saw plenty of wild-life, as well as Troglodites, and other tribes.

When Finn told Veronica “They wont be coming on the surface.” Veronica would ask “How would they be coming?” Finn would say “The same way they always do. Via the sewers.”

When Veronica would ask “What are sewers?” Margurite would say “They are underground tunnels for hauling sewage away from the city.”

When Veronica would suggest “The only underground that we have is volcanic tunnels. No one goes there, for fear of eruption.” Finn would say “Lets check them out.”

BY the time the men were satisfied that there was no danger, on the surface, they would return to the tree-house, to find a note saying that the women were off, checking caves.

Three days, and dozens of caves, which lead nowhere, and Veronica would say “I have had enough.” When Finn would lead “We must find them before they find us.” Veronica would say “Look, the people you are looking for are a century away.” Finn would ask “Are they? That building did not “just appear”. We must keep checking.”

This is Margurite would say “In that case, we will have Challenger just amp UP the fence, to give any “callers” a shocking experience.”

Back in the tree-house, Challenger wondered if the traders had found, and used, his accidental time displacer.

Since the ray had to be pointed at the rock surface, for the machine to work, HOW did they move an entire building through time. This is when Challenger had a horrible thought. What if the traders got hold of his machine?

Gun-powder. If he could blow up the machine. But what about Finn? Without the trip, from the future, would she be hurtled back into that nightmare?

Finn said “Its a risk worth taking.”

This is why, when Challenger went back to the cave, and lit the fuse, Finn sat, with the team, in the tree-house, holding hands.

Challenger deliberately used enough explosive, to bury ten caves. The device would be lost, forever.

The explosion even brought down the hillside, just as Challenger had hoped.

From what they THOUGHT was a safe distance, the traders would no-sooner ask “What now? We can not get back.”

This is when both future men heard a sound, and turned around, just in time to hear a T-Rex and see it looking right at them.

When one man said “Lets run in opposite directions. It can only follow one of us.”

Soon after splitting up, the man heard his fellow trader cry out, while being crunched by the dinosaur. He THOUGHT he was safe until he felt the hot breath, of a raptor, on his neck.

Before he could even scream, the Raptor ripped his throat out.

This while Finn remained, in the tree-house.

Now, the question would be “Did the structure, that Finn had called a “condo” still survive?”

It would be the following day when Challenger would return to the tree-house, to ask “Where is Finn?” When Margurite would suggest “Why, Challenger, I never knew you cared.” Roxton would say “Relax, old man. Finn is just resting.”

This is when Finn would appear, saying “Who can rest with all of this noise?” When Challenger embraced the girl saying “I am so grateful.” Finn would ask “For what?” Challenger would tell the group “MY machine maybe destroyed, but the buildings, from Finn’s time remain.”

When Finn asked “What is the use in reading? There really is not much worth reading.”

Challenger would suggest “I want you to write as much as you can remember, about the coming holocaust.”

When Finn said “Most of it happened before I was aware.” Challenger would say “IN that case, you wont mind if I hypnotize you.”

When the others said “Not again. Remember the last few times you tried hypnotize someone?”

Challenger would promise “This time, I will protect Finn. I will instruct her to, temporarily, access the old memories…”

When Veronica would ask “How will she remember to eat?” Challenger would say “Relax. I will make the experiment one she can come out of, for meals, and other reasons.” When Challenger looked at Finn, asking “What do you say?”

Finn would say “I would rather not. However, if it will save the future”

Challenger would promise “All we intend to do is re-awaken your memories, for putting down on paper. For you, it will be no more than a dream.”

Finn would say “I guess it cant hurt, just to write it down.”

Once Challenger placed the young woman in the “trance”, the others tended the tree-house, and the property, while Finn spent her time recalling what had happened, so far into the future.

When Challenger reviewed her work, he could not believe that his sub-surface detonations could wreak so much havoc.

Thanks to Challenger, Finn was off, in her own, “little word”, and walked about like a zombie.

It was not until she came to the page, where she had gone back to the future, then returned through the “portal” that Finn told those, around her “Finished. I wish I could have written a better ending, but I was told to write the truth.”

Challenger would take the pages, and place them into a water-tight container. Then, he added a royal seal.

After that, he placed the volume into a cleaning closet, inside the future building, then return to his other work.

That night, Finn would bed down, under her covers, for a nights rest, in the tree-house.

Come morning, Finn would find herself waking in a most unusual location. It actually appeared to be the place where she had spent her pre-nuclear childhood.

Finn thought she must still be dreaming, until she heard familiar voices and thought “It can not be. They were killed in the attack.”

Yet, when she joined those she had not seen, in years…

A century earlier, the expedition awakened, only to find Finn gone. They wondered “What could have happened to her, over-night?”

It was after checking, with every, friendly, village, on the plateau, then checking the “old” ruins, that the explorers found a possible reason.

In the very location, where the future building HAD been located, there was a small meadow.

A century later, Finn’s friends and family, told her of finding the volume, which had warned of the coming events.

When the government learned of events, and found out that what Finn wrote was coming true, to the letter, Zoloth had been arrested, and deported to a penal colony.

He was serving life, without chance of parole, because of both the volume, and the fact that he, and his followers had been found with atomic bomb making supplies.

New Amazonia was safe, and would survive, due to the incredible writings of a young girl.

Margurette would NOT be sacrificed, as the Druid leader, from the past, came forth, to challenge his more radical replacement.

As the expedition listened, the two priests argued over the meaning of text.

When Margurettes friend grew tired of the radicals explanation, he ordered the “blasphemer” to be sacrificed.

Once the blasphemer had been sacrificed, the Druids gathered around their previous leader, who promised “NO innocent blood will be sacrificed.”

As the Druids vanished, Margurette felt un-stable, like she was falling ill.

It was as Challenger was checking her vitals that Margurette just dissolved.

When she awakened, she found herself in a real, British hospital.

The doctor told her “You collapsed, while shopping. Your companions did not know what to do, so they brought you here.”

When Roxton asked Challenger “I wonder who will be next?” Challenger would ask “Better question might be “WHAT happened to them, and what will happen to us?”

The last thing Roxton remembered was falling asleep in a tree-house chair.

He was more-than-spooked when a friendly voice kicked his foot then said “Remember, this is no time for sleep. We must press on, for our quarry.”

It took him a few minutes to realize that he was back on his family estate. Question was: HOW did he get here?

As Challenger went to his lab, to make notes, in his journal, an odd feeling overcame him, and his vision distorted, as he watched as the path, to his lab, turned into a passage, beyond which lay the royal academy.

While Challenger proceeded, instead of taking the path to the stage, he took a path, leading to the rear rooms. The rooms where cleaning staff worked, and performers prepared to make propositions before the royal academy.

Veronica was not certain of what was going on, as her friends had just vanished. That is, until her parents appearred, telling her “Child, they have gone where they belong. It is time, again, for you to live YOUR life.”

When Veronica asked “What life is that?” Her mother would say “Look around you.” When Veronica asked “For what?” Her parents would say “Your future”.

The three would sit, and have a long talk.

(FADE OUT)