Chapter 9: Land of Giants?

"PA! PA! THERES MORE OF THEM HERE! QUICK, GET THEM PA!" A voice boomed out and then a giant hand was reaching down to grab us.

"Scatter!" I called out and began running away from the portal, however Genius and Pieter were not so lucky. The hand was joined by another which enclosed the pair of them. I lost sight of Margaret, who seemed to fade out from view, while I ran into the thick jungle-like growth.

I was puzzled. Genius had described the portal as going back to my world, not this land of giants. What had gone wrong? I heard a dog sniffing around nearby then it began to bark, and it was so loud it was almost deafening. "Al, deploy and mask all emissions." I said, feeling the suit surrounding me.

Even with my armour deployed the barking of the animal was too much. "Al, can you cut the input from outside?" I asked and immediately I was in silence, "Okay now Al, can you increase volume to a quarter of normal." I said, and then I heard the dog barking, although it was in the distance and moving away from me it sounded normal.

"Al, you can receive all transmissions. What do you receiving at the moment?" I asked.

"It's all too confusing. The strength that it's arriving to me is almost too much for my circuits. Hold on, I'm getting an information data stream ... logging in to system ... this is from a much older system, it's called The Internet." Al's reply making me blink in surprise.

"Can you display the BBC webpage, the address is www.bbc.co.uk!" I asked and was immediately shown the page I wanted. This was the right page and the news seemed correct, and judging by the date I'd only been away for two weeks. 2 weeks! It had seemed a lot longer.

So I was home, but somehow I'd been shrunk down in size. What could have done that? ... Obviously the Portal had but how? I know the report of the Future world portal had mentioned that it needed to initialize itself, but I was so worried about Brenda that, pig-headed as I am, I didn't want to wait and so we're stuck in this size.

So where was I? The kid had called out Pa, not Dad, so they spoke English and with the flora around me it was roughly the same latitude as I was used to but I couldn't tell where I was. Was this England? "Al, can you try to get a GPS fix on where we are?"

"I'm trying, but the signal almost swamps my systems. I'm trying to push as many filters as I can ... hold on ... getting there ... Latitude 39.09.46 by Longitude 91.50.33 ... we're near the town of Vandiver, Missouri in the United States of America. Searching for more information ... working ... working ... being referred to a resource called Wikipedia. Found it! As off the 2000 census there were 83 people living in the village, mainly white. It is part of what is known as Audrain County, and the nearest city is Mexico. I hope they do mean the city and not the country ... pulling up a map." Al told me, and then a map appeared on the visor display.

"I can't see where we are?" I said and then an arrow pointed to a small village in Missouri. "Are you sure that's it? It looks very small." I said

"Of course I'm sure. That's the place where the lat-long places us. Searching for anything ... Hold on, news item retrieved. It's dated yesterday. 'The residents of Vandiver have a new claim to fame when one of its citizens discovered little people living on his land. 'There's always been something strange about the place. The ring is supposed to connect to some sort of fairy place, and whenever we try to remove it the ring always shows back up again."

"Well, my daughter Clancy was playing with her dog and she discovered these two little people lying in the middle of the ring. She brings them to me and I didn't know what to do, so I put them in Clancy's hamsters' cage. Then I calls the cops, and he comes in from Mexico and just scratches his head when he sees them. 'You know what I'd do Doug? I'd put them on show.' He says and so I'm going to do just that."

"Mr. O'Donnell has started charging his visitors $25 to see the 'Little People' as he calls them, though he plans to sell them to any carnival that is willing to pay enough for them. In the meantime, his daughter Clancy is keeping her eyes open for more visitors.' End of file." Al said.

I shook my head, "O'Donnell, I wonder if he's Irish? Or if he's a believer in the Irish traditions?" I mused, half to myself.

"I don't understand how is being Irish going to help?" Al asked me.

I sighed, "He refers to Brenda and Gerald as Little People, that's normally Irish for leprechauns, or fairy folk. He's probably asking them for their crock of gold or some wishes."

"Can you speak normally so that I can understand you?" Al asked in a confused voice.

"Use the internet, search on Irish folklore for the Seelie courts, then check on the costumes of the leprechaun." I said hiding a smirk

"What on earth is this Boss? Are you kidding me? Shoemakers, green clothing, leather aprons? What are you thinking of doing?" Al asked.

"Well, if you believed in the folklore, how would you react if one of those appeared in front of you?" I asked.

"Hey boss, it wouldn't worry me. I'm not from here." Al said and I could hear a smirk in his voice.

"Alright smart-mouth, so can you map clothing like that over your suit? I would need to have an appearance that would help convince them to release their hostages." I said.

"I don't know boss, the leprechauns seem to have a lot of gold that they protect ... at least that's what these pages tell me. And the Seelie Courts work to the benefit of the fairies? What are fairies anyway?" Al asked.

"Magical folk who look after things, they're a myth." I said

"Like Bran o'the forest? Like the Green Lady? Are you certain?" Al asked which made me think for a while.

We managed to follow the dog back to a small single story house, though I'd have to call it a bungalow. (an old joke — some people couldn't build a full sized house before the money was all gone, so they 'bunged a low' roof on it, hence bungalow! I said it was an old joke, not a good one. WL)

There was a crowd of people hanging around the doorway. Al managed to listen in to the noise of their talking. "Hey Doug, I hear you've got some more of them 'little folk' so ain'tcha going make them give up their gold?" One man said.

"Hold ya horses, I'm getting things ready for them big-city folk. Reckon they'll pay me a mess of money for them two, and now I've got two more of them critters now so's they'd pay a lot more." A man said from the doorway, it had to be O'Donnell! So this was my first look at the man holding Brenda, Genius and Brother Pieter. O'Donnell was about 50 years old and had a paunch, though I am just trying to be polite about his weight. Behind him I could a girl who was about 10 years old, so I was guessing she must be Clancy. I'm not sure if she was his daughter or granddaughter. I asked Al to focus on the girl and I could see tears in her eyes, but I didn't know what was upsetting her.

Just then a large black car pulled up and two men got out. There was a woman driver who remained in the car, so I got Al to focus on her. "Hey, that's Genius sitting there boss. She must have escaped!" Al said as the woman's face was made clear.

I shook my head, "That's not Genius, that's an android. Do you have the communications waveband that the androids work on?" I asked him.

"Well yes boss, but do you really want me to talk to her?" Al asked.

"No, I want to talk to them. Let's get closer to the car but try to make us match the ground, because I sure don't want the folk to see me." I said as we ran, using what small amount of cover we could. Yes I know it was just me running, but somehow it seemed that I was running with Al so I thought of it as we were running.

I managed to get beneath the car and gasped to Al, "Open the frequency now, maximum gain." I waited for Al to acknowledge my request and then I spoke, "Kelly, this is John. If you can hear me, don't speak too loudly." I said

The woman in the car gave a gasp and then she said, "LORD JOHN, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Quietly please, I'm still small sized and you sound like you're shouting to me, just try whispering." I said.

"Sorry, Lord John. Where are you, and are the others with you?" She asked.

"No, they've been caught by O'Donnell. What are your plans?"

"We've got papers to say that we're part of a circus in New York that wants to buy the two manikins that O'Donnell's got. We're using the emergency funds for this but can go as high as several million dollars." She told me.

"I don't think he's going to be too impressed. Look, just open the door and put your hand on the ground. I'm just beside your front tire." I said. The driver's door opened and I cursed! Being British I was by the right-hand tire, not the left, so I quickly ran to the correct (wrong) side and held onto the wrist of the hand that was there.

I was pulled up into the car and the door was closed as she settled herself back down, so I went down beneath the seat and hid there. Luckily, the car was a rental one and there was nothing beneath the seat.

"Lord John, why didn't you wait for the portal to initialise itself? It would have sent you through at the right size." Kelly (? - well that's how I knew her) asked.

"I was too concerned with Brenda to wait, and it looks like I was right to be so. Just what happened to us?" I wondered.

Kelly(?) sighed, "I'm not sure I should tell you, it might be difficult for you to understand." She said and then made up her mind, "Alright, when you enter a portal it seems to you that travel between worlds is immediate but it isn't. Your body is scanned and then processed so that it appears in the other world at the correct size. This way you can be accommodated in the various worlds."

I frowned, "Let me get this straight, the worlds that I've been in have been of different sizes? But why aren't all worlds the same size? I mean that's what our telescopes have found."

"That is how it seems, but then things are not always as they appear." Kelly(?) said. I found myself humming from Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore 'Things are seldom what they seem ... Skimmed milk masquerades as cream.' "Exactly! There is a reason for this, but I can't tell you what it is. If you get Brenda back you will find this out for yourself."

"Okay then, so to put this into Star Trek terms, the portals have pattern buffers which analyse the people and things that pass through them. They shrink or expand the bodies to the correct size of the world they are going to and then sends them onto the target world?" I suggested.

"That's roughly correct; this is why most portals are one destination only. You see, the Makers couldn't work out a routine to allow one portal to several worlds. There was a possibility of entering one portal and appearing at every world at the same time, just think of the confusion that would cause. When you travelled back you'd meet yourself several times over!" Kelly explained.

"They couldn't have included a dialling system to connect only with one world? What's wrong with them? I mean inter-galactic transporting solved but connections screwed up! Didn't they think about this?" I asked.

Kelly shook her head, "It doesn't help to criticise the Makers. They had a need to do this and it was done as quickly as they could." She said.

I nodded, although she couldn't see this. "Alright, let's talk about this later. We need a plan to get Brenda, Genius, and Brother Pieter out of here." I said.

"What about the other man? Aren't you going to rescue him as well?" Kelly asked me, puzzlement in her voice.

"He doesn't deserve it, he's with Brak Distar! He's the reason that Brenda is here. I'm tempted to leave him here." I said darkly

"You can't! There must be nothing to show that he's from a different world, it is not yet time!" Kelly said urgently, "We have to get him out as well."

"Alright, we're getting them all out. What's your plan?" I asked.

"We're hoping to get O'Donnell to sell them to us. We can't see any other way of doing it."

I shook my head again, "I don't think it's going to work." I said.

"Why not? Most people here are greedy, so why wouldn't he sell?" She questioned me.

"He's become greedier because of what he thinks he has. I'm surprised that nobody else is here at the moment but more will come soon. A feeding frenzy of money will start then and he's going to hold out for the highest amount." And to match my words the car doors opened and two men got in.

"HE DIDN'T GO FOR IT. HE SAYS WE'VE GOT TO bid with the others." one said as Al quickly reduced the audio volume, "And we're missing Lord John but they've caught two more, one's an android and one human!" He added.

"Well I'm under the seat. The android is called Genius and she is Brenda's protector, the other man is Brother Pieter who travelled with us." I said feeling the reactions of the two men.

"Lord John? Ambassador? You're safe?" The second man asked.

"Yes, although I can deafen easily. Now we need a plan to get all the hostages out. Can we go to your base of operations?" I asked.

I didn't see or hear anything but then the car started to move, Al spoke to me, "Boss, I think there's more trouble than you know. From the messages passing between them it seems that Clancy, that's O'Donnell's granddaughter, doesn't want to sell the others. She feels pity for them and wants to release them. O'Donnell just wants the money to leave the place behind him. But now he's got two more he wants a whole lot more money, he was talking of them as mated pairs." He reported.

"Oh crap! So whatever we plan to do would have to be soon. Okay Al, I'll have to think about this." I said and then held onto the springs on the seat as the car went over some potholes.

We arrived at a motel in Mexico City (in Missouri not Mexico) and I was carried into room in a small rug, tucked underneath one of the men's' arm, but I was carefully unwrapped and seated on the chest of drawers in the room.

"Lord John, why didn't you wait... ?" One of the men started to ask but was stopped by the Kelly android

"Lord John has already given his explanation. We have more to sort out than recriminations now. Lord John, what do you want to do?" She asked me.

I nodded my thanks to her and then looked at the two men, "First off, just what do I call you, I can't say Thing 1 and Thing 2, it's already been taken." I said with a smile, they just looked straight at me ... so much for Dr. Seuss.

"My name here is Mulder." One said.

"And my name is Bond." The other told me.

I looked at the woman, "Please don't tell me your name is Scully? If so, you need to find a new source of names." I said before she could answer.

"No, my name is Kelsey. What is wrong with the names they're using? Our research told us that they were popular names for our profession." Kelsey (Kelly) asked tilting her head as she did so.

"They are names taken from fiction. Fox Mulder is a character supposedly in charge of an FBI Department looking into UFO's. And James Bond is a spy written by Ian Fleming, although the real James Bond wrote about birds in the West Indies and the name was used by Fleming as he thought it was a good name for a spy. I'm not sure about Kelsey, although there is a man called Kelsey who appears in a comedy programme." I said and watched the faces alter as they realise their mistake.

"So what names should we use? We have no real experience in this world." Mulder asked.

"You should have checked up on Birth Certificates for children who died early in life, that's what most criminals do." I said.

"But we're not criminals." Kelsey pointed out.

I sighed, "No, but you're trying to make a history for yourselves so you need a name that you can prove yourself with. As long as you have a birth certificate, you can get an identity and then cards. But you should be able to fabricate enough from the other world to help you, why are you so ill-prepared?"

Bond sat down, "We were sent here to retrieve the first two who came into this world from the damaged portals. Another team was supposed to reset the portals at 'The Meeting Place'. We received an update that they were refused entry and then that you had gone into the site. Then the signal was received that the portal to here was active and in the process of resetting and connecting to storage, but three more travelled through directly to this world. Your name was passed on as requiring urgent assistance."

I looked down at my small body, "Yes, like this I think I do. Now we've got to sort out how to get everyone out, and after that what to do about Gerald. He's now working for Brak Distar and I don't want him near us ever again!" I said.

Kelsey nodded, "We understand Lord John, but we also need to ensure that the secret of the portal entrance is preserved. If we leave this Gerald here it's likely he's going to try to activate the ring, and that cannot be allowed."

"I don't want to leave him anywhere. He deserves locking up somewhere safe!" I said, allowing my feeling to show slightly.

"We can't interfere with local politics, we rescue you all and take you back to the world from which you came from ... in your case the technologically advanced one." Bond said.

"Alright, now how do you suggest we do this?" I asked looking at him.

Mulder spoke up, "We've tried to buy these hostages from him, but he's unwilling to listen to us as he wants to hear from other companies. Our people have managed to spread the word that it's all a hoax, but he doesn't know about that yet."

I shook my head, "It won't work for too long, what's going to stop him from taking one of them to a hospital and get them x-rayed? What would happen if he did that to Genius? How would she look to everyone? ... Hold on, what would Genius' x-ray show up as?" I asked.

The three of them looked at each other frowning, "It would expose us as non-human, and people would start to question about the others, even going so far as to dissect them?" Kelsey said sounding doubtful.

I nodded, "Too true, or worse if one is shown as non-human then he might just tear the others limb from limb. We have to move now!" I said.

"So what do you suggest we do? Just break in and take them?" Bond asked.

I smiled, "Good idea, but I'd much rather convince this O'Donnell to let them go of his own free will." I said.

Kelsey laughed, "You're kidding. He's sitting on a gold mine and you think he's going to just allow them to walk away from him?"

"Yes. In fact, if what I think of will work, he's going to beg them to go away from him. Now I've told my suit here to access the Internet and look up the Seelie court, now I want you to look up the Unseelie court and then make suggestions. I'm going to try to get some sleep." I said and, rolling up the rug I was brought in, using it as a sleeping bag, and asked Al to cut unnecessary noise and closed my eyes.

I was back in the clearing, full sized again, and before me was The Green Lady. She was shaking her head at me, and seated beside her was Bran. "Lord John, you have endangered the life of the Lady Brenda after I charged you to free her." The Green Lady told me.

I nodded, "Her life was threatened when Gerald took her, I'm sorry that I allowed that but I am working on freeing them all. I've got three people from the Android world helping me, but I need more." I said.

Bran nodded, "Indeed, we have been watching you and this man who has them. I think I know what you are thinking of, and we do have a connection with the forces you're interested in, but they haven't been around for some time. We'll arrange for them to meet you." He said

"Be careful with them, for they do not know what they are. For them, they are the guardians of the land which has been spoiled by humankind and they have little love of humans." The Green Lady said and then the dream faded.

I was now in a dark cavern before me, towering over me was a man? With horns on his head like antlers, his eyes were red and seemed to flash as he looked at me. "WELL MORTAL MAN, YOU WOULDST TALK TO ME?" He bellowed and then laughed, "WHAT WOULDST YOU KNOW THAT WOULD MAKE ME GRANT YOU A GIFT?" He continued

I looked up at him, and became aware of others in the darkness watching me closely. "I won't appeal to your good nature, because my kind does not deserve such a thing. We have dug up the ground and forests to create our cities, we have build cold iron rails to run our trains on without care of who or what we disturb ... but we are trying to change. No my Lord, an appeal to you would not work." I said and he laughed again.

"TOO TRUE, MORTAL MAN. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BARGAIN WITH SO WHY SHOULD I HELP YOU?" He asked again looking around at his people who were laughing with him.

I concentrated. This was a dream, right? So I could influence it. I muttered under my breath, 'maginificate!' and I began growing and growing until I was the same size as the man before me. "I am John Atkins of Earth, Lord John of Brenham, charged by the Green Lady to protect Lady Brenda without whom the worlds will die. I beg you in the name of the Green Lady to aid me in this." I said, knowing that demanding help would only make them laugh, but hopefully this would help.

The man looked around, "You do not ask this in your name, Lord John of Brenham? It has been some time since one such as you has entered my realm, although not physically." He seemed to think for a few seconds and then we were in a normal room. "Sit down and let us talk about this." He said and his horns were gone, he was now a normal looking person.

He smiled at me, "It was correct of you to ask in the name of the Green Lady, I owe her several boons and this would work some of them off. I was impressed that you gave me your real name, I could tell this you know, and that you know the knowledge of a name is the power over the person. So many people just blithely say it and are unaware of what power they give over them. I have been studying you, Man of Earth and metal; you have a depth of which you are unaware. In fact you are almost one of us ... almost, but you are still a mortal. What is it you want from us?"

"My Lord, I have to rescue three, no four, of my people who are held by a Douglas O'Donnell. He believes them to be fair-folk because of their size, there was a problem with the way we arrived in this world and we had been shrunken down in size." The man looked to one side and there was a shimmer beside him, this then vanished.

"Do go on, John Atkins of Earth." The man said.

"I need to put the fear of the Seelie court into this O'Donnell, but I don't want him physically hurt. He isn't really a bad person ... I think ... but the arrival of Brenda and Gerald has blinded him to the folly in what he is doing. Some large organizations wouldn't waste their money on buying them. Instead they would just step in and take them, hurting who knows whom in the process." I said.

The shimmer returned to the man and a folder was suddenly in his lap, he opened it and began reading "Douglas Patrick O'Donnell, born in the United States by Irish parents Patrick and Mary O'Donnell. Family lost its fortune by a series of confidence tricks which drove them out of their home and they moved to Vandiver. He had two children, both of which moved away. His son and daughter-in-law were involved in an accident which orphaned Douglas' granddaughter, Clancy Charlotte O'Donnell. Hmm, there is a note here that the accident was investigated and found to be corporate negligence but was hushed up. We have all the information here which would help the girl, should we decide to help them..." He looked at me watching me. "With this they could move away from the town and live a better, more productive life."

"Then why don't you let them have this information? Or at least give it to me?" I asked, holding out my hand.

The man smiled, "Lord John, how would this help you? You're not really here." He said

I nearly swore this dream world was almost as real as the real world. "Well, could you have it delivered to me? It would be of help." I said

"But this O'Donnell has imprisoned your friends and is showing them off as a sideshow. Why would you help him?" I was asked.

"Because his granddaughter deserves better, isn't that reason enough?" I countered.

He shook his head, "With enough money he'd be able to move, and if he sells your friends wouldst he not have money enough?"

"No, he would then be always looking for more travellers to sell. I want him to learn something before he gets a windfall, so will you please help me?" I asked.

The man smiled, "Tell me what you need..."

I awoke to find that I was in a bed? I was back to normal size and I felt puzzled.

"While you were sleeping you said something and began to grow. Mulder and Bond had to quickly move you to the bed." Kelsey said I looked at the small rug that had held me, barely able now to fill my hand.

"Drat, that's blown that idea into the air." I said and then heard a knock on the door.

Kelsey was walking to the door, "What idea?" She asked as she opened it, "Oh!" she exclaimed in the door was a shimmer of light.

"Let him come in, I think he has something." I said. Kelsey stood to one side and the shimmer approached me before slowing down to reveal a small shape.

"The Lord Oberon sent me, Lord John. You have a need for this." The elf said while handing me an envelope.

I took it and then bowed to the elf, "Thank you, and please thank Lord Oberon for me." I said,

"Sure and he knows it your honour, I also have a message for you. When you call we will come." The elf said and then he changed back into a shimmer which then vanished leaving a very bemused Kelsey.

"Wh ... who was that?" She asked.

I smiled, "I think that was The Puck. Now let see what the King of the fairies has to offer." I said removing the papers from the envelope, which included the report of the accident that had been buried due to the actions of the C.E.O. of a major company. I showed it to Kelsey, "I want this used and action taken against the company, the people responsible for the accident and the C.E.O.'s balls!" I said, but when she raised her eyes to me I revised what I had requested — if The Puck had heard me I might just have got them! "Okay, I want him and his company sued for everything they own! You can leave his body intact!"

"That's better. We need to pass this on to another team, one dealing with corporate law. While they handle the legal side, we'll take care of freeing the hostages." She said reading the notes and I knew that she would be recording them for transmission.

"Have them start immediately, and I want this rushed through the system. And I don't want them to make a settlement, but rather I want them to pay everything they owe." I added.

A voice seemed to speak to me, "As you request, Lord John." It was the shimmering Pucks' who must have decided to hide somewhere, Kelsey shook her head.

"I saw him leave, I'm sure I did! How did he... ?" She asked.

I had to smile, "That is how The Puck works, so don't try to sort it out as you won't be able to." I looked around trying to see him, "Puck, let them receive the paperwork before you start on them.

"But there's no fun in that, can't we give them some bad dreams first?" The voice asked.

I thought for a moment, "Alright, but nothing too much. I don't want anyone killing themselves before the trial ... or after it either!" I told the air.

"Ahhh, you be no fun at all. We'll be careful." And then there was a breeze as the door opened and slammed shut.

Kelsey sat down, "I'm not sure just what happened here... " She asked me

"The local indigenous android population has agreed to help us with the O'Donnell problem, they are the ones responsible for the myths of this world with regards to the little people, but I'm not sure about leaving milk outside for them ... that seems to have fallen by the wayside." I told her.

She shook her head and then looked up, "I'm receiving data. The primary team has started on the proceedings. They've contacted a judge and he's started issuing writs and warrants based on the information that you've provided." She said.

"That's quick, how did they manage that?" I asked.

Kelsey gave a smile, "It's simple when the judge is one of us. We have personnel in so many key positions you'd be surprised." She said

I frowned, "So why are you three so new here? Why couldn't they have sent someone with a better feel for this situation?" I asked.

She shrugged, "We were sent here for training and found ourselves nearest." She looked around as if someone else was near, "We've only been here a few days and were supposed to get orientation tomorrow. But then you came through and we had data downloaded and told to meet with you."

I snorted, "And what if I had been captured? Then where would you have been?" I asked her

She shook her head, "We were to call for help at that stage." She admitted.