Ok, here it is. Sorry for the wait.
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As the tornadoes tear into the cabin, Ralph and the group huddle as close as they can underneath the table. Although it seems an eternity, only a few minutes pass and the storms disappear, though more threaten in the distance. Ralph and HD lift up the table, take a look out the window opening and are surprised. Every bit of the cabin to the left of the dog trot area was flattened, but the bedroom area where they are is undamaged, as though the storms were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
Ralph and HD look at each other and realize that that many tornadoes should have flattened everything. *What the hell is going on* Ralph thought.
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“What happened? Why isn’t the cabin completely destroyed?”
“He must have the ruby,” Fokus said. “Murphy, you must go back to the other side and relay this development to our ship. I have a feeling we will have to take matters personally.”
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Babs wakes up almost on the floor almost immediately and screams again. “You need to quit doing that,” said a voice. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Then why did you send a hoard of aliens to capture me when I entered that room,” she said sarcastically. She looked at the figure’s face, and softened her tone. “You said that you were very disappointed in me, why?”
The good green leader sighed. “There are some things about us that you weren’t supposed to know about us, at least not yet. With recent developments, we didn’t want to risk someone hindering Ralph’s finding the ruby.”
“Recent developments,” Babs asked. “What’s going on? Did someone double cross you?”
“Dr. Hasburgh was unsuccessful in his attempt to tell Pam and Bill about the rubies.”
“Well, what specifically is important about the rubies that you didn’t want me to find out so early,” she said.
The leader sighed, as he knew she’d pester him otherwise. “The asters focus the rubies’ energy into the center. These rubies, which have the white asters, give off an energy that powers our ship, and, if in the possession of someone wearing the suit, enhance the protection powers of the wearer and covers anyone within a 20 foot radius of him. Though it’s temporary, that’s why the guards and my surprise appearance, we can’t have anyone steal them.”
“And the black asters. …” Babs hedged.
“The ones with black asters are capable of bringing death and destruction, that is why Murphy and the others use it to destroy planets’ times, and why Ralph must have it, to destroy Fokus. It also must be destroyed in that time in order to keep history correct. But he also must be careful, as though the suit will protect him initially, the ruby could harm him as well in the long run.”
“Well, what about Dr. Hasburgh, didn’t he tell Mrs. Hinkley and Mr. Maxwell about the asters?”
“He gave into pressure from Murphy to tell the two the opposite truth about the rubies. And now, he has been turned into stone the same as our double agent Cal.”
Babs was disappointed with the news that Dr. Hasburgh was now stone, but had to press on. “So do Pam and Bill have the ruby?”
“Yes, but as of now, they don’t want to send the ruby back. But they must do it, as history is being changed in California as we speak. You will help us, but this time, ‘they’ won’t know it.”
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Kevin Hinkley was silent as he waited in the police department. The officers kept trying to call his dad, but there was no response. It seemed no one knew him at all. *What happened to Dad,* he thought. *And why was that mean old lady in our house?*
“Kevin Hinkley,” said the gruff voice of an officer.
“Yes sir,” he responded.
“We weren’t able to find your dad, but your stepmom came by to pick you up.” Kevin saw Pam walk inside. There was something odd about her, but he didn’t want to say anything out loud.
“Well, Kevin, aren’t you coming?” she said.
“Yes, Pam,” he said.
As the two exited the station and got into Pam’s VW, Kevin looked at Pam again. She turned and said, “Before you ask, I know you have an idea I’m not who I say I am. We can discuss everything on the way.”
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Pam and Bill are still looking at the fog and trying to decide what to do. “Counselor, how do we know that this is the right one and Ralph’s destroyed the other one?”
“I don’t know Bill, but I don’t want to complicate Ralph’s chances. We could be throwing in a third ruby,” she said quietly. “I just wish he’d get back.”
As the two look at the fog, they turn to see the bug drive up. Pam and Bill do a double take when they see Kevin and another Pam climb out of the car.
“Freeze it,” Bill shouted as he drew his gun on the other Pam. “Kevin, come here, that’s not Pam.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Maxwell, everything is all right. Babs explained everything,” Kevin said.
“Babs?” Bill said as he looked at the other Counselor’s eyes. Instead of grey like Pam’s or black, they were green. Just then “Pam” morphed back into Babs.
“There isn’t much time, but we need to throw that ruby back,” Babs said.
“Come on, Babs, this has to be the good ruby,” Pam said. “It’s still here. Throwing it back will only compound Ralph’s problems.”
“You don’t understand, Dr. Hasburgh was forced to tell you a lie about the stones. The black rubies with black asters are bad, and change history. That’s what’s happening now. I just rescued Kevin from the police department for ‘trespassing’ at his own home.”
Bill glanced at Kevin, who just nodded. “Well, Kevin, I guess you’re a part of this now, so is this the right ruby?”
Kevin glanced at the necklace, and knew something was wrong. “That isn’t it, there’s a funny color to it.”
Pam and Bill look at each other and knew they had to get it back to the other side. Pam threw it to the other side, where she hoped it would get to Ralph. Babs, her duty done, gets beamed back to the ship, and the other three wait.
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Ralph and HD turn back inside the cabin, and look at the other three survivors. “Are any of you hurt,” Ralph said.
“I’m fine, just a little winded from my near trip with a tornado,” said Tatt, the lone rider.
“Me too,” said Jack, but was worried. “But I can’t seem to wake up Mel. She fainted shortly before the tornado, but she should be awake now. I know she wasn’t hit with anything.”
Ralph was concerned and checked her pulse. “Well she’s breathing and her heart’s beating, so I think she’ll be all right. What were you doing shortly before the storm that might have frightened her?”
“Nothing wrong. I was getting you a shot of whiskey to help you recover from your faint, but Mel was a bit shaky as well. She decided to take a sip of whisky to calm her nerves. Then we came back here.”
“Do you have the bottle? I need to see it.” Ralph had a hunch, but didn't want to worry anyone else.
“Sure, brought it in here in case you wanted another one,” Jack said, pointing.
Ralph picked up the bottle and he received a holograph. In it, he saw a green guy, but not Fokus, placing something in the bottle then turning invisible again. *They must have tried drugging me again, but why? It didn’t work the last time, though I only had a small sip of the coffee. Shouldn’t last long on Mel if she just took a sip.* “Jack, you keep an eye on Mel. HD and I need to look outside for damage to this part of the cabin.”
“Tatt, you keep an eye on both of them as well,” said HD as he and Ralph walked outside.
Once outside, HD turned to Ralph. “All right, Ralph, you may as well confess. Something’s amiss here and you’re a part of it.”
”What do you mean?” asked Ralph innocently as they walked around the front of the porch toward the maple.
“Well, at first I thought it was nothing. Shortly after bringing you into the cabin after your accident, you began to talk in your sleep about the world being in danger and having to find an item. At first, I thought you were delirious, but then after your story about being thrown from a horse, realized that where I found you there were no hoof prints, just you lying there, knocked cold.”
“HD. …”
“I started having more suspicions when you fainted today in the cave. Given it’s been three days since your accident and you were fine coming back after a hard ride, that shouldn’t have happened.” He turned to Ralph, his hazel eyes seeing through Ralph. “But when I knew was a few moments before the tornadoes. You had Mel’s necklace in your hands. The last time anyone saw it, it was in her hands in the cave, so the only way you could have had it was if you palmed it when she dropped it after you ‘fainted.’ Now Ralph, I won’t tell anyone about your stunt to get the necklace, but you need to tell me everything. Is it really that bad?”
Ralph knew he wasn’t going to be able to lie to HD, it seemed as though he knew. “Well, HD, you’re right. I can’t go into details, but the world is being changed, and the ruby is a part of this. I tried crushing it in order to save your lives, but for some reason I can’t destroy it. I think I must have both and make a decision, but I don’t know.”
HD nodded. “So, you’re going to crush a ruby with your bare hands and save the world,” he joked.
“Well, the funny long johns and duster are a part of my stregnth, though I can’t explain why. But yes, one has to be destroyed to save your lives.”
HD glanced into Ralph’s eyes and knew he wasn’t kidding. “So now what do you do?”
“I don’t know, I just have to find the other ruby. It could be anywhere, even right in front of our. …” Ralph looked up at the maple. The second ruby necklace was dangling from the tree branch. “There it is, HD. Help give me a boost up.”
Shortly after, Ralph had the second ruby in his hands. He glanced at both and frowned. The colors seem odd, but couldn’t tell any difference between the two because the sky was cloudy and dark. Just then, HD looks up into the sky. “Ralph, do those clothes allow you to fly?”
“Well, yes, why?”
“Because I think we have company,” he said as a figure approached. Ralph knew who it was.
“HD, get back to the cabin and take cover. Don’t let anyone out, and don’t argue.”
HD ran to the cabin and locked the door. He told the others to get under the tables and not move. Just then, he heard the winds pick up. “Take cover,” he shouted again, and they all stayed under the table, hoping their luck would continue and the other half of the cabin wouldn’t be destroyed. HD also prayed that Ralph would be able to defeat whoever was causing this to happen.
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