**When they arrive at the cockpit few minutes later, Cindy and Jimmy are waiting for them. Jimmy is smiling broadly and Cindy stands with her hands on her hips. She holds a tiny vial in one hand, and she smirks as Aurora’s gaze falls upon it**
CINDY: (twirling it in her fingers) Looking for this?
AURORA: Is that it? Is that the antidote?
CINDY: (with a grin) I don’t know…you tell me.
APRIL: How does it work? Can you show us how to use it?
JIMMY: Sure, April. The procedure is quite simple, actually. The antidote consists of liquid particles suspended in condensed air. Here, take a look.
**He pulls out a vial from inside his lab coat pocket**
JIMMY: This one here is a dud, but it’ll give you a glimpse of how the real antidote works. There is an enormous amount of pressure built up within this glass vial, so when the glass is broken, the contents expand into the surrounding atmosphere with quite a lot of force. Observe.
**Jimmy smashes the vial against the floor and there is a tiny explosion as the pressurized mist sprays out in all directions. Everyone coughs a little as the vapor spreads throughout the room and then dissipates. Jimmy stoops and begins to pick up the shards of glass**
JIMMY: (straightening) You see? The test vial contained suspended water particles instead of the antidote, but it’s the same principle as the real thing. It’s effective from a range of up to fifteen feet. All you have to do is get close enough to the dictator and smash the vial.
**Cindy pulls two more vials from her lab coat**
CINDY: There was only enough antidote to make three of these things, so we’ll have to use them wisely. Aurora will get one, obviously, but it’s up for discussion who should get the remaining two.
SHEEN: Oh! Oh! I should get one! Me! Me!
CINDY: Why should YOU get one?
SHEEN: Uh…because I’m Mexican!
CINDY: What does that have to do with anything?
SHEEN: How should I know? Just give me the darn thing!
AURORA: Shh! Shove a sock in it, will ya?
**She points to the portal at the front of the cockpit**
AURORA: Stop blabbing for five seconds and look out the window. We’re approaching planet Gorlock.
**The ship lurches out of hyperspace a moment later, and a green planet appears ahead of the ship, its surface shrouded in red mists. Aurora takes her place in the pilot’s seat and inches the throttle forward. The Desperado tips down and begins its descent toward the planet**
APRIL: Ah, it is good to see home again! I was beginning to miss it.
SHEEN: (tilting his head to one side) It kind of looks like a giant, smoldering pea…
**April glares at Sheen, but looks ahead a moment later when Aurora begins pushing buttons on the console**
AURORA: Here we go…
**With a slight jolt of turbulence they enter the maroon-tinted atmosphere. The shimmering void of space vanishes behind them as the ship is swallowed by thick, murky clouds. They billow up on all sides of the Desperado, curling and tumbling along the length of its streamlined body**
LIBBY: (squinting out into the swirling clouds) Wow, that’s pretty intense. I can’t seen anythin’. How the heck do you fly in this kinda stuff?
AURORA: (sarcastically) By sense of smell. What do you think? I use the ship’s sensors.
**A moment later the ship bursts out of the cloud cover. Aurora pulls up hard on the throttle and their slope of descent levels out. Below them, a dark, tangled jungle extends out as far as the eye can see**
FUTURE LIBBY: (leaning over Aurora’s shoulder) Wow… it’s amazin’!
AURORA: Ya, I know. Planet Gorlock is a rainforest planet. It’s covered from pole to pole in thick, untamed jungle. The vegetation cover is almost at 95 percent…there aren’t even any oceans to break it up, just large lakes.
JIMMY: Incredible! In a place like this the diversity of life forms must be staggering!
AURORA: You’re telling me. And the majority of those life forms want to eat you, so you’d better watch out.
**She laughs at this, but Carl shrinks back behind the pilot’s seat**
CARL: Really? Is it really that dangerous?
APRIL: Don’t be such a whiner! You will not last two minutes down there if you…Oh, Aurora! I think I see rooftops! Fly lower!
AURORA: You’re right. I see them too. Hold on everyone…
SHEEN: What rooftops? Where!?
**Aurora swings the throttle to the right, and the back end of the ship continues to sail forward even as the front end stops. The ship’s back end creaks as it pulls a 180 degree turn. Aurora hovers above the tree line and scans the terrain below. The trees whip around wildly from the force of the Desperado’s thrusters, and Sheen squints into the tangled, undulating mass of vegetation**
SHEEN: I’m still not seeing any rooftops!
**Aurora points at several dome-shaped metal objects barely visible beneath the trees**
AURORA: There. You see them?
SHEEN: Those are buildings? They look like…metal igloos or something!
AURORA: Well, they kind of are. The Gorlocks are a nomadic people. The metal tents can be disassembled and moved from place to place. This little settlement is actually just a camp on the outskirts of our destination: the Capital city of Nuku. It’s one of only three permanent cities on the entire planet.
JIMMY: Only three permanent cities? But…I remember that you said something about a Gorlock High Council. How can a working government exist in such a mobile society?
AURORA: You’ll find out pretty soon, won’t you? We’ll be meeting with them shortly.
**Aurora turns the bow of the ship around and flies toward a large hill thrusting upward out of the tangled greenery **
APRIL: (leaning over her shoulder) Aurora, I think we have a problem. What will happen if someone realizes who these kids really are? If we were just meeting with the Gorlock High Council, I would not be worried, since most Gorlocks have a hard time distinguishing one human from another. However, one of our other allies might realize that alternate Jimmy here looks a lot like the dictator, and I would prefer not to explain to an entire room of my baffled allies why I am consorting with the dictator’s younger self.
AURORA: That’s a really good point. Should we even tell the council about the kids at all? The kids might prove to be a vital trump card if our meeting with our allies doesn’t go according to plan. I almost think it’s safer to have them lay low for now.
CINDY: (crossing her arms) Hey, you know, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t refer to us as “a trump card”. We’re not just some gamble you’re taking. Jeez.
AURORA: (with a sideways glance) Oh, stop being so self-righteous. Life’s nothing but one big gamble. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking that you’re anything but a card to be played.
CINDY: What is your problem?
AURORA: Look in the mirror.
JIMMY: Hey, can we focus?
APRIL: Yes, we are about to land, and we need to make a decision. Now listen. If we lie and the council finds us out, they might jump to conclusions and accuse us of harboring the enemy. We could lose our standing on the council and all that we have worked to gain. But if we tell the truth, it could wreck our plan from the start.
AURORA: It’s a tough call, but I think in this case the risk of being honest is far greater than the risk of being dishonest. Lying is our safest bet…but that still leaves us with a problem. How are we going to convince everyone that these kids are something they’re not?
FUTURE LIBBY: Uh…I think I have an idea.
AURORA: Oh yeah? Shoot.
FUTURE LIBBY: Well, remember back at Shangri Llama you were tryin’ to get me to fit all my stuff into three suitcases? Well, I managed to stuff my whole makeup kit into one of them. I could paint the kids faces…to aliens, they might not look human anymore. AURORA: You know, that just might work. With makeup and the time difference, we might be able to pull it off. Just how alien can you make them look?
FUTURE LIBBY: Girl, I could make Carl look like Aphrodite. Back when I got bored in Shangri Llama, I would spend hours and hours just foolin’ around with different ways to apply makeup. Even you won’t be able to recognize them when I’m done.
AURORA: (grinning) I’ll believe it when I see it. Go give the kids a make-over and meet me back here when you’re done. In the meantime, I’ll land and lock down. Hurry back…time isn’t exactly on our side.
**When Future Libby returns a short time later, Aurora is reclined in her chair, legs propped up on the dashboard. The ship has presumably come to rest on the ground, but the portal has been closed and nothing is visible outside. When Aurora hears the door to the cockpit open, she spins around. She raises an eyebrow as her long blonde hair spills over her shoulders**
AURORA: It’s about time.
FUTURE LIBBY: Well, it would’ve taken even longer if younger Libby here hadn’t given me a hand. She did Sheen an’ Carl’s makeup for me.
LIBBY: (walking in behind her) Ya, we figured they kinda looked like aliens already, so they didn’t need too much work.
SHEEN: Hey!
**The other kids walk in behind them. Aurora glances at the bizarre patterns and colors that now cover the kids’ faces. Black and red lines twist and turn around Libby’s eyes, outlining her features. Her lips are painted white, with tiny upturned corners that make her mouth into a perpetual smile. Half of Cindy’s face is painted white, and the other black. Two red lines run down from her eyes like two streams of tears, and her lips are outlined in red. Jimmy’s makeup breaks his face into a mosaic of black, white, and red, with jutting shapes distorting his features. Only his bright blue eyes give away his identity. Carl’s face is spotted like a leopard, and Sheen’s darkened face is broken only by a single jagged, lightning-like line**
AURORA: (with a snort) Well, they look weird, I’ll give ya that.
FUTURE LIBBY: Oh c’mon, Aurora. You gotta admit, the makeup job is pretty cool. I used bold colors and geometric patterns to mess up their features. Anyone who looks at them will be too distracted by all the zigzags an’ stuff to notice who they are…it’s the same principle as clowns at the circus. Would you recognize them without their makeup?
CARL: (diving behind Jimmy) Did she say clowns? Oh no! Not clowns! Anything but clowns! Mommy!!
CINDY: Jeez, is there anything you’re NOT afraid of?
AURORA: (rolling her eyes) Well, Carl doesn’t exactly look like Aphrodite, but then again that would have taken a miracle. I think these disguises will work for now. Come on, we’ve wasted enough time already. So, who wants a tour of Planet Gorlock?
FUTURE LIBBY: Me! Let’s get goin’!
**April appears in the doorway of the cockpit and motions for the others to follow. The kids trail behind the women as they travel through the labyrinth of passages leading to the ship’s exit. Eyes lowered, the boys walk in silence, blushing slightly beneath their strange looking face paint while Cindy and Libby chat merrily. Only Carl seems unembarrassed at the prospect of wearing makeup. He gazes at his reflection in any available shiny surface and giggles with glee, apparently under the impression that his new look is strikingly beautiful. Jimmy gives him a dirty look, but with no result**
AURORA: (muttering) Almost there…
**They approach the exit, and Aurora gives the command for it to unlock. The door opens, and the rampway falls to the ground with a resounding clang. There is a loud whoosh as the interior decompresses, and a cloud of hot, steamy air rushes in. April inhales deeply with a sigh, while the others hack on the heavy atmosphere**
APRIL: Ah, home at last! It has been a very long time!
JIMMY: (holding his nose) Your troposphere seems to have a lot of water vapor…
APRIL: Of course! It rains every day on Planet Gorlock. It is a very wet place.
CINDY: Great…
**They descend down the ramp and blink as their eyes grow accustomed to the misty, maroon-tinted atmosphere. Screeching birds and animal calls fill the air, lending the primeval jungle an uneven, heavy heartbeat. A look around reveals that they have landed on a vast, moss covered valley of some sort. Sloping hills covered in tangled jungle extend outward in all directions. Dozens of other ships in every shape and size lay scattered about the plain: some are gigantic, some are child-sized, some gleam brightly, and others are rusted to the hull. The vast majority, however, are armed to the teeth with sinister looking weapons**
CINDY: (surveying the clearing) Is this like…an airport or something?
APRIL: Yes. This is where visitors park their spaceships while they stay. It takes a lot of maintenance to keep the area free from trees and other plant growth, but it is a necessary evil if we are to maintain contact with our allies. This is one of the only areas on the planet that is always free of vegetation…that, and the capitol building of Nuku on the hilltop…
**April gestures at the hill to their right, which is really more of a small mountain. An imposing, castle-like structure sits at the top**
JIMMY: Whoa. Is that where we’re going?
APRIL: It is.
JIMMY: (looking around at all the ships uncomfortably) You know April, this might sound kind of rude, but why are we here, really? Why are all these powerful people gathering here, on Planet Gorlock? What makes you guys so special? I would think your allies would want to hold council on a neutral planet. I mean, it seems like you guys are head of the resistance movement. How is it that your people have managed to resist all the dictator’s attacks when other societies, many of which were surely more technologically advanced, have fallen?
**April smiles, her fangs glinting in the ruby light**
APRIL: We are able to oppose him because we have an advantage. It began ten years ago, when I first met you, Jimmy. We were on an alien game show called Intergalactic Showdown, and if you think back, you will remember that the show’s host, Meldar, had a pair of matrix generators, and you gave them to me…
JIMMY: (gaping) You still have Meldar’s cufflinks? You have matrix generators?
APRIL: Indeed. It is ironic, isn’t it, that your gift ended up being our salvation? While we do not fully understand how to use them, the matrix generators have brought us out of an era of technological inferiority and have given us an edge over both the dictator and our allies. It is because of them that we have risen to power. We have…
**April stops short, and her eyes narrow**
APRIL: Someone is coming…
JIMMY: I don’t hear anything…
**A moment later an ear shattering shriek pierces the air, and there is a flash of green as something charges out of the jungle in front of them. The kids catch a glimpse of sharpened tusks and flashing scales as a giant beast streaks past them and comes to a screeching halt. Dust flies out in all directions, and the kids and Future Libby cower in horror as April shades her eyes and looks up at the creature**
APRIL: Oi! Oi! Leeeee-RAA-doh, is that you up there?
**The kids manages to relinquish their terror long enough to look up at the beast, and their glance reveals a jade colored, reptilian warthog with a leather saddle resting atop its bristled back. The creature’s fiery eyes flash back and forth with a fury bordering on madness, and fangs glint from behind the pieces of hanging moss that lay draped across its twisted, ivory tusks. Seated atop the living nightmare is a familiar face: Lee, the Gorlock that sent them the video transmission back on the Desperado. A closer look reveals well-defined arm muscles and a thick neck, contrasted by long-lashed eyes and somewhat feminine facial features**
LEE: Shiiiiii-ANNHHHH-dohnk! It is very good to see you!
APRIL: Lee, you sound so formal! How many times must I tell you to call me April?
AURORA: (with a smile) Once more, as usual.
**There is a moment of silence, and then all three burst out laughing, and Lee jumps down off his reptilian steed as easily as if he were dismounting from a horse. The three smile and warmly exchange hugs**
LEE: (beaming) You have been gone for quite a while!
AURORA: Well, you know how it goes, with the war and all. Business as usual I guess. But it is nice to be back, now that you mention it. I was beginning to miss you, you big lug.
**She grabs the muscular Gorlock in a strangle hold and gives him a noogie, and a moment later April joins in and punches him a few times**
LEE: Ha! Haha! I missed you two!
**The girls release him and they revel in each other’s company for a moment more before turning to their baffled visitors**
APRIL: (clearing her throat) Forgive me for being rude, Lee. These are our companions. The brown human female is a friend of Aurora and must be treated as such. She is to be fully trusted and welcomed as our honored guest. The same goes for our smaller visitors. They are alien historians from a far off planet who have…uh…who have…who have come to our home world to learn more about the history of the matrix generator. They are our allies and our friends, and they are very interested in learning about our culture, our government, and our history, as well as our involvement in the war against the Dictator.
LEE: (leaning down to look at them) Is that so? What species are they? Do they speak?
JIMMY: Of course we speak. We are…uh…alternate…lings. Ya. Alternatelings.
CINDY: (raising an eyebrow) Nice name, genius.
JIMMY: Shhh….
LEE: Hmm, interesting. They sure are small…
**He straightens again, and April turns to the kids**
APRIL: Lee has been my close friend since childhood and is one of the cultural experts for our people. I’m sure he’ll help you with whatever you need while we are gone.
JIMMY: W-wait. Gone? Where are you going?
CARL: You’re leaving us alone?
AURORA: We have a meeting to attend, remember? You guys aren’t on the council, so you’re out of the picture on this one.
JIMMY: We…we can’t participate?
AURORA: No. However, Gorlock policy allows spectators, so you can come and watch the meeting as long as you don’t interfere. Make sense?
LIBBY: I guess so…but how will we know what’s goin’ on?
AURORA: Lee will explain everything. Right, Lee? Right now April and I have to go file some weapons reports and do other boring stuff, and I’m sure you guys wouldn’t want to be subjected to that. I sure as heck would rather skip it. But I can’t, so you guys can stay with Lee and go on a little tour while we’re waiting for the council to start. Lee, will you take our visitors to the assembly chamber when the meeting is about to begin?
LEE: Of course.
AURORA: (waving her hand airily) Try to entertain them in the meantime. The nerdy one in the orange suit has some serious attention span problems, so make the tour exciting if you can.
LEE: (giving the thumbs down) OK!
AURORA: No, Lee. When you answer OK, your thumb has to point UP.
LEE: Oh. Sorry.
**Aurora shakes her head in exasperation, and she and April head off in the direction of the capitol building. April protests Aurora’s earlier comment as their voices fade into the distance**
APRIL: What do you mean, weapons reports are boring? How can anything about weapons be boring? I really must protest!
AURORA: (voice fading) Give it a rest April…
FUTURE LIBBY: (shouting after them) Wait! What ‘bout me?
AURORA: Stay put, Libs. We’ll see you again soon.
FUTURE LIBBY: Ooh…
**Future Libby looks defeated as she turns to Lee, who is baring his sizeable incisors in a smile**
LEE: Well, well! I am very excited to have visitors! Especially historians! I am what your friend Aurora there would call a history geek. I could talk about it all day, every day!
CINDY: (rolling her eyes) Oh, yay…
LEE: Now, if you’ll kindly climb aboard Tolly here, I’ll take you on a quick tour of Nuku and the surrounding areas, then escort you to the capitol for the council meeting.
LIBBY: (looking up at the warthog) W-wait. Lemme get this straight. You want us to RIDE that thing?
SHEEN: Tolly? It has a name? Jeez, what is it with you Gorlocks and your big, scary pets?
**Lee gives him a puzzled look**
LEE: I’m not sure what you mean. Tolly here is neither scary nor big.
**The kids give him an incredulous stare, and then one by one they clamber up into the saddle. Carl whimpers in fear the entire time, then promptly begins sneezing as soon as he’s on top**
CARL: Aaachhooo! Aaachooo! Oh, I think I’m allergic to this thing…
**Lee helps Future Libby into her seat before swinging up and taking his place at the front of the saddle. He grabs a pair of spike-studded reins that have been fastened to the warthog’s tusks and gives them a sharp tug. The creature lets out another unearthly squeal and rears up on its hind legs, then streaks off toward the jungle**
FUTURE LIBBY: (holding on for dear life) Ooooh…my…God!!!
**The entire saddle jostles around violently, knocking the kids from side to side and occasionally launching them into collisions with one another. Carl loses his balance and falls backward, feet shooting up over his head**
CARL: Whoooaaaahhheeek!
LEE: (smiling brightly) See? Isn’t this fun?
CINDY: If by ‘fun’, you mean ‘suicidal’, then ya…
**The giant beast veers to the right, and Cindy ducks to avoid bashing her head against a hanging branch**
CINDY: Um, do we have some sort of destination or are we just gonna keep crashing through the jungle until someone gets decapitated?
**The warthog lurches again, and Sheen and Cindy smack heads**
LEE: Well, I was planning to take you on a tour of the encampment outside Nuku. That’s where you’ll be staying after the council meeting.
SHEEN: (rubbing his head) Aww, man! No battlefields? No blood and gore? What kind of tour is this anyway?
LEE: (grinning) Sorry, there is no blood and gore here at the moment. If you would have come here ten years ago, things might be different...
JIMMY: Ten years ago?
LEE: Yes. Until we were united against a common foe…that is, the Dictator…Planet Gorlock was not exactly what you would call a functional state. Prior to ten years ago, the various tribes scattered across the planet were embroiled in a Civil War stretching back 700 years.
CINDY: 700 years?
LEE: Right. But since becoming involved in this galactic war, we have forgotten our own petty differences, and the senseless bloodshed has finally come to an end. In fact, we have made great strides in culture, technology, and politics during the past ten years and have risen up as one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy. Our warlike society made us the ideal candidate to oppose an equally brutal foe. Heh, it turns out that the best way to fight evil is not with good, but with another kind of evil.
CINDY: Well, I could have told you that much. But still, the rest makes sense now. I think I finally understand how Planet Gorlock fits into all of this.
LEE: Well, I am glad I could clear that up for you! Now, before we arrive at the encampment, are there any other questions?
SHEEN: Ya, dude, here’s what I wanna know: why are you green?
LIBBY: (raising an eyebrow) Now what kinda question is that?
LEE: Actually, it is a very good question! And one to which I know the answer!
**Lee recites the information as easily as if he were reading from a textbook**
LEE: Gorlocks are an evolutionary cross between mammals, reptiles, and amphibians ideally suited to living in a warm, water rich environment! Our mammalian genes give us the ability to bear live young, while our amphibian aspect allows us to rear those young in a habitat that is occasionally flooded. Our reptilian heritage means that we can lower our metabolism to that of a cold blooded organism, which is advantageous to creatures living on a planet that maintains a constant temperature. Unlike mammals, we do not need to waste energy keeping up our own body heat when there is no need to!
CINDY: But what does that have to do with being green? That was the most pointless explanation ever!
JIMMY: Be quiet Cindy! This is fascinating! It’s like a window into evolution! So, do the other organisms on the planet…like this warthog thing we’re riding on…share a similar evolutionary past?
**Sheen’s eye begins to twitch as Lee launches into another explanation**
LEE: …So you see, many of the animals living on our planet have the combined features of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Gorlocks are, of course, the only ones to have developed intelligence, but this is largely due to environmental factors that…
**Cindy grits her teeth in irritation as Sheen starts to go cross-eyed**
LIBBY: Sheen, you feelin’ OK?
SHEEN: Of course I’m not feeling OK! I come all the way to another universe, and what do I get? More school!
**The warthog begins to slow as the vegetation grows less dense. Up ahead, a small speck of light twinkles alluringly**
LEE: Hold on everyone! The forest comes
to an end just ahead!
