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Episode 5: Reversing

After sounding the thing Valerie rushed to hide under the leaves of a bush. Just as she turned around the view the path a large form thundered along it.

It wasn't Deckett.

One of the forest rangers was whipping his flashlight back and forth along the ground. "Hey, little one," he was calling. "Someone need help?"

For her own sake Valerie would have just keep moving around until she found the giant she wanted. But beggars can't be choosers and she owed Deckett as much as she owed Gessy. She swallowed hard and stepped into view.

"Help!" she shouted. He pinned her with the beam like a searchlight. Then he stepped slowly forward and reached for her. She'd worn the smock Deckett had dressed her in, mostly to make Gessy feel more comfortable among the Earthlings. Now it made her appear as the ranger expected to see a local. She hoped.

"Don't see too many domestics around here," he said. She lifted her arms and he grabbed her around the waist. She was familiar with the vertigo as he lifted her and stood. "Did you get lost, little one?"

"Yes," she said with a sob in her voice. "My name is Gessy, I belong to Naturalist Scholar Deckett, and we live at..."

"Deckett? I just checked his papers." Her hair flew as the man spun around and headed quickly down the path. "He was going out of his mind trying to find you. He'll be very relieved to see you."

"I hope so," Valerie said softly. The cloth pinched between the man's grip and her hip was chafing as he walked along. She realized that Deckett had almost never actually touched her, even to carry her around. There was always a cup or plate or cushion between them.

At least this guy meant well. His grip was a lot softer than any of the policemen that had plucked her up over the years.

"Scholar!" the man shouted. Valerie twisted around to look over her shoulder. Deckett looked up from the weeds he was searching through, his face breaking into a smile.

That faded when Valerie was handed over.

"This is your domestic, sir?" the ranger was asking. "She said she was."

"Yes," Deckett finally said. "This is my Gessy. I was worried sick...about Gessy." He cupped his hands and allowed the other man to drop her into them. She looked up at him, trying to appear reassuring.

"Well, she had a bit of a scare," the man was saying. "But she's alright now. You'll probably want to take her home, teach her not to walk away like that."

"Uh, yeah," he agreed. "As long as...Gessy is okay?" He hesitated before the name, indicating who he was really asking about.

"Fine," she told him, hoping he understood that she understood. "A little uncomfortable, maybe. But safe, now."

He nodded. From his expression Valerie thought he was looking for a way to ask his questions without alerting the ranger. She understood, but the other man completely misread him.

He patted Deckett on the shoulder. "You've both had a scare. You should go home now. Be thankful that you're safe. 'Kay?"

"Um, yeah," Deckett replied. He couldn't think of a good reason to stay in the forest so he retreated.

He set Valerie carefully into his pocket and walked to his car. Once inside, he moved the Earthling to the dashboard and glared at her.

"Okay, Gessy is fine," Valerie assured him.

"She just can't come back to me," he muttered.

"Well, my friends are... They were a little..." She sighed and sat down. "Well, here's what happened," she explained. "My friends tricked me. They thought Gessy was a possible threat and they're trying to turn her into one of us." She explained about cults and deprogrammers.

"So now what?" he asked when she was done. "What do we do? Hopefully before your friends brainwash her against me."

"I don't really know," she admitted. "I want to help her, but I also don't want to put my friends at risk."

"Right now," Deckett said, leaning down close to her, "I couldn't care much less about your friends. I need to find Gessy. She has two friends on the planet and both of them are in this car." He stared out the window at the forest beyond the picnic area he was parked at.

"I can't go back in there tonight. The rangers'll get suspicious."

"What about the Western Station?" she asked. He looked confused. "The guys you talked to? They're from the Eastern Station. They never really talk to the guys from the Western one. There's a bit of rivalry. We're..."

She hesitated, then decided it was all or nothing. "Our camp is between the two areas of responsibility. It helps us hide. The cops don't care but the rangers don't penetrate each others' areas."

"So how do we get to the camp from the west?"

"You know the gazebo in the park?" she asked. He nodded...

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Valerie heard the camp long before she could see it. Well, she heard Gessy.

"No. No, he doesn't. He loves me!" she shouted. Valerie hurried along with a small smile.

"Atta girl," she muttered. "Keep the faith." She rounded the last tree bole and saw her friends. Everyone was in view.

Mark leaned over Gessy and argued with her. Dan and Steve were a few feet away. They watched the 'deprogramming' but didn't join it.

Barry and Fitzhugh sat by the fire. Their backs were turned away from the teen and her tormentor. Chipper crouched between Barry's feet.

Betty was sitting by the table, also looking away from the confrontation. She was the first to see Valerie.

"Val!" she shouted happily.

"Valerie!" Gessy cried. Everyone turned to see her.

The redhead stood with Gessy's whistle held next to her lips, ready to sound it.

Mark held both hands out and spoke soothingly. "Now, Valerie, let's not do anything hasty."

Steve took in her pose, her expression, and shook his head. "Let the kid go, Mark."

"Steve? Are you crazy? In just a little while I can..."

"You don't have a little while," Dan pointed out. "Valerie went and found her giant."

She nodded. "I'll call him if I have to. Just let Gessy go. He won't bother us. She won't bother us. You won't, will you, Gessy?"

The teenager glowered at the back of Mark's head.

"Gessy? If they let you go, you'll just go find Deckett, right?" Val asked urgently.

Gessy finally nodded. Betty and Barry untied her while Mark looked on angrily. "We only meant the best for you," he told her. She flipped him off.

Fitzhugh laughed. "I did tell you that that gesture would come in handy, did I not?"

"Yes, thank you," Gessy replied. She ran over to Valerie's side. "I knew you wouldn't leave me."

"No, never, of course not," Valerie assured her while keeping an eye on the other humans.

"I knew you'd be back. I hoped you'd find Deckett." She started to hug her rescuer but Val took a step back.

"You go ahead. Just go straight behind me, look for Deckett's flashlight." She nodded towards her shipmates. "If any of them try to chase you, I'll sound the whistle. Then watch out because the giant'll come running."

"Okay," Gessy said. "Good bye. I... I really liked meeting you. And seeing how you live. I wish we could..." Her voice trailed off and she ran into the dark.

The next half hour was as intense as the travelers had ever experienced. Everyone one was waiting for a fight to break out or for the giant to step into view.

But finally Valerie relaxed and let the whistle slip to the ground. "They should be gone by now," she said and staggered towards a seat.

Betty rushed to hold her up. Mark shook his head and walked off into the darkness. Steve almost called him back then left him alone.

He turned towards Valerie with a stern expression. "This worked out this time, but don't you ever, ever do that again," he ordered her.

"Do what?" she asked. "The right thing?" Steve raised his hands in surrender, then helped Betty walk Val into the spaceship.


-----The end-----



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