At the safari park, Benson spoke urgently to the head ranger. To his relief, some volunteers were found to round up the monkeys and lock them in the indoor enclosures where they often stayed when weather conditions were poor. Benson didn’t tell the rangers why he wanted the monkeys locked up. He merely said that he was chasing a couple of dangerous villains, who he believed had hidden loot and weapons in the monkey compound, and he wanted to conduct an uninterrupted search of the area.
To back up his story, he’d taken a photocopy of a warrant from one of the station files. He now pretended it was an original one, allowing him and his assistants to search the area. Benson flashed the warrant quickly in front of the ranger’s face, as he didn’t want him to be able to read the exact wording on it – only the bit that read ‘search warrant’. His ploy worked and the ranger immediately called up his volunteers and briefed them about their roles in assisting the police operation.
It wasn’t long before Benson, Zoe and Professor Tompkins were standing inside the copse staring at the throbbing, pulsating conglomeration of metal that now stood majestically in front of them. “Impressive, isn’t it?” the professor remarked, “Considering it was built by monkeys.”
Benson raised his eyebrows. “Not to me,” he said, “but then, I’m not a scientist.”
The construction towered over the three humans as it looped upwards towards the sky and as they looked up, they could clearly see the clock that was to be the target of their intervention. They could see something else too, something they had all hoped that they wouldn’t see. Indeed, right at the very top of the construction sat a very large monkey.
“It’s Araz,” said Benson. “He’s getting ready to recall his spaceship.”
The monkey let out a piercing primeval scream as it caught sight of the trio below.
“You can cut that out Araz or Kazzaar, or whatever your name really is,” yelled Benson. “We know it’s you.”
The primate swung halfway down the structure and as he reached a stable chunk of metal, he stopped. Immediately, the monkey took on the form of a human being. It was Zak Araz.
“You are too late, Detective Inspector,” he said. “You have no way of stopping my plan. No one can help you, so the three of you are alone in your fight. I have your police force and the park rangers in my power, along with most of the population of this town. Oh and by the way, the monkey creatures will be here shortly to put paid to any hopes you might have of destroying my force field. I have already ordered my human servants to release them from their cages.”
“You won’t get your spaceship back,” Benson shouted. “The industrial estate where it was destroyed is about a mile away… over there.” He waved his hand, loosely pointing in an easterly direction. “And you have no way of getting there in time once the clock hits the appointed hour. So, you are stuck here with us.”
“You forget, DI Benson,” said Araz, calmly, “that I can become a bird or any flying creature or any object I want to be. I can easily fly to my ship in almost no time at all.”
“I am aware of what you can do,” said Benson. “But I also know that you have to come here first so you can disconnect your generator, or whatever it is you have to do, to allow the force field to open before your spacecraft can fly you home, and the moment you do that I will shoot you.”
Zoe looked shocked.
“What do you mean?” she asked nervously, staring at Benson.
“I have a gun, Zoe,” replied Benson, looking straight into Zoe’s eyes. “And if it comes to a choice between saving the planet and human lives, and killing an alien, then I will kill him.”
He took the weapon from his coat pocket and showed it to Zoe.
“Touché, Mr Benson,” said Zak. “I’ll do a deal with you.”
“And what would that be?” asked Benson.
“Let me go to my spaceship and fly home, and I will stop the clock and turn back your time to where it should be as I leave.”
“No deal,” said Benson. “I don’t trust you. You tried to double cross us before when you promised to return the children’s souls and then attempted to destroy them, and I’m not going to let you leave this planet with those souls. Besides, even if you did keep your word, then stopping the clock could create a rift in time which might lead to the World exploding. So, it’s my way or nothing. You come down here now and give yourself up.”
“Ha ha,” laughed Araz. “You are far too clever for your own good, Mr Benson. No deal it is then, but you should know that I will get my spaceship back even if I have to bring it here to me, and I will leave your planet and go home.” He paused. “You are right in what you say though. When I am gone, the whole of your miserable planet will explode, and you and everything else in this World will be destroyed for ever – and good riddance too.
“And if you are thinking the planet won’t explode because I plan to come back here with my people, let me put you right. I have changed my mind. I will not be back as there will be no planet, and as for the children’s souls, I can still use them for their ZzP2 value.”
From his lofty position on the metal arc, Araz cackled manically with laughter as he looked down on the trio below him. “It’s almost time for me to go,” he said, holding his arms above his head in a gesture of triumph. “My spacecraft is here. I can feel it coming. I hear the children’s souls calling out. I can sense the power of my ship and the might and obedience of my humanoids. They are restored and ready to serve me once more. You should also know that I have made a telepathic adjustment in the coordinates governing my spacecraft’s location and it is now coming here, not to the place where it was destroyed. It will arrive in this clearing in less than five of your Earth minutes, then all I have to do is open up a gap in the force field and I will be gone from your World and you will perish as your planet dies.”
“The magnetic manipulator is set and the countdown begins,” Professor Tompkins said quietly to Zoe and Benson. “It revolves so rapidly that three years will pass by on that clock in a mere few minutes.”
“Give it to me,” Benson ordered, holding out his hand.
“No!” came the emphatic response from Tompkins. “I’ll do it. I know how it works.”
Benson was about to argue when Zoe shouted out a warning, “Look out. Here come the monkeys!”
Monkeys appeared from every direction, heading rapidly towards the three humans. Zoe noticed that Araz, who had climbed back to the summit of the construction, was now back in monkey form too and was barking orders to the simian marauders. She grabbed the magnetic manipulator from the professor.
“Tell me what to do with this. I’ll do it. You and DI Benson are stronger than I am, so you’ll be better at fighting off the monkeys and keeping them away from me.”
Benson was about to argue when the professor took his arm.
“She’s right,” he said, then turning to Zoe, he explained, “Zoe, stand as close as you can to that arc and keep the tip of the RSMM pointing to the clock at all times. That is vitally important. You should see the tip rotating in a clockwise direction… initially at least, and then it will speed up so all you will see is a blur. Don’t let go, and make sure it remains pointing at the clock whatever happens. Every second needs to be accounted for as we reverse the backward movement of time and try to override the magnetic force that is currently driving it.”
Zoe walked forward until she was within touching distance of the arc. She pointed the manipulator at the clock and depressed the start switch. The RSMM came to life, turning slightly in her hand as the power surged through it. She could feel the vibrations as the energy pulsed from it. The professor had been right; all she could see was a blur as the tip rotated rapidly. She could also see that the figures on the clock face of the metal arc were now indistinct as they too spun round in a flurry of red against their black background.
“Don’t get too close,” warned the professor, as he turned to face the horde of primates that were almost upon them. “As the clock gets near to the time we’re at now, the real time, a maelstrom of rays and waves will appear in the centre of the arc. The whole of the central area will look like a gigantic whirlpool, but it won’t be water. It will be pure energy and will look a bit like a black hole, but it won’t be a hole – it will be alive.
“This is the time vortex, which as far as we know is created when you get two or more time zones running in opposite or different directions at the same time. In simple terms, it is as if time has got itself knotted together like a big ball of string and is trying to unravel. You’ll need to be very careful, Zoe. The energy force will be extremely powerful, so make sure you don’t get sucked in.”
“What happens if I do get sucked in?” asked Zoe, apprehensively.
“You’ll disappear from the here and now,” said Tompkins. “And you could end up anywhere in time, either in the past or in the future. But most likely, you will end up dead!”
Zoe consciously inched herself backwards a few steps, still holding the manipulator tightly and steadily towards the clock. The numbers on the clock face continued to flash indistinctly as they sped rapidly toward the present.
“How are we doing?” asked Benson anxiously, as he tried to keep one eye on the huge monkey that was Araz and the other on the stampeding horde that was now only a few metres away.
“We’re doing okay,” answered the professor. “We’ve advanced twenty-two months already.”
Araz, briefly reverting to human form, yelled down from his high perch, “What are you doing, Mr Benson?”
“Stopping you,” was Benson’s reply.
“What are you using and what is it doing?” was Araz’s next question, which was ignored by Benson.
“Why isn’t my spacecraft here? It should have appeared by now,” bawled Araz.
Benson couldn’t resist a reply this time, “When we’ve finished with this piece of technology, your spaceship will be the pile of rubble it was before – and you, Mr Araz, will be under arrest again. Only this time, I will put you in a big sealed glass and metal cage with no way of escape. I will then invite people from every government in the World to come and see you. They can ask you as many questions as they want and I will even let them cut you up and experiment on you.”
“You won’t get that far,” said Araz. “My allies are now upon you. They will provide me with the time and space I need to complete my plan, so whatever technology you are using will not work. Zaarl technology is much greater and I know my spacecraft will be here to take me home. So, I’ll say goodbye to you and your companions, Mister Benson.”
He grinned triumphantly as monkeys appeared from everywhere, leaping on Benson and Tompkins, as Araz, now back in monkey guise, screeched and hooted encouragement.
Zoe held firmly onto the manipulator and stuck stoically to her task as monkeys clambered on her back, scratching, biting and tugging at her hair.
“Keep going, Zoe,” urged Tompkins as he pulled two monkeys off her head. “Not long to go now.”
Benson, meanwhile, reached for his gun. He was covered from head to foot by the attacking primates, but he managed to fire his weapon into the air a couple of times. The action temporarily dispersed the creatures and they ran for the cover of the nearby trees. Benson looked up and was horrified to see that the large monkey, alias Araz, had vacated his perch and was now heading for Zoe.
He yelled out a warning. Zoe turned around. She still held the manipulator steady, pointing towards the clock. The big ape reached Zoe, grabbing at her arm. Zoe fought to keep her grip on the manipulator, determined to carry out the job of getting time back to normal.
“Forty seconds, Zoe. Hold on, I’m coming to help you,” shouted the professor.
Benson aimed his gun at the large monkey, but was unable to fire off a shot as he couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t hit Zoe too. The monkeys now watched from the safety of the trees, fearful of Benson’s firearm.
Araz reverted to human shape now as he tried to wrestle the manipulator from Zoe’s grasp. The two of them struggled, pulling and pushing at each other. As they grappled, the RSMM flew from Zoe’s hand and arced through the air. She made a brave effort to retrieve it, despite being in the grip of Zak Araz. Her momentum threw them both off balance and Zoe’s feet slipped on the moist and well-trodden grass. Araz still had a firm hold on Zoe’s arm as she tumbled forwards towards the arc.
Professor Tompkins expertly caught the looping RSMM in a manner that any cricketer would have been proud of, and he quickly took over Zoe’s duties for the final few seconds of the operation. Meanwhile, Benson, seeing the danger that Zoe was in, made a desperate lunge in an attempt to grab her, but Araz still held onto Zoe’s arm with sufficient force to keep her just out of Benson’s reach.
Suddenly, there was a flash accompanied by a loud crashing noise and Benson and Tompkins watched helplessly as the still struggling pair, initially silhouetted in the flashlight, now appeared to be enveloped in a huge black blanket. Zoe and Zak had been drawn into the time vortex and within seconds, the maelstrom sucked them deeper and deeper inside its whirling black pool of energy until they disappeared from sight.
“Zoe!” yelled Benson despairingly, but it was too late. Zoe had gone, and so had Araz.
Professor Tompkins glanced at the clock at the top of the arc and saw that it had stopped moving forwards. The digital numbers on the face shone out the time in a clear message. He looked at his watch.
“Twelve seconds slow,” he said. “It must have been when the manipulator was briefly in the air after Zoe dropped it. It’s not a problem though as I can set it for another twelve seconds and then the time will be spot on.”
Tompkins quickly reset the RSMM and ran down the last few seconds on the clock. While he did this, Benson managed to locate Araz’s generator and disconnect the energy supply to the arc, effectively ending the force field’s power. As peace and tranquillity descended on the scene in the copse, Tompkins spoke to Benson.
“I’m sorry about the young girl,” he said, quietly. “She was very brave, and she managed to complete her task and get time in Cristelee back to where it should be. In fact, I think we can say she saved the planet, and wherever she is, she’s taken that alien with her too. The World is safe now he’s gone, and his spaceship has been destroyed as well.”
“That’s the second time Zoe has saved the World,” said Benson mournfully, wiping a tear from his eye, “but this time it’s final for her. She’s gone… and now I have to somehow explain to her parents exactly what happened, and tell them that she’s never coming back. I can’t say I’m looking forward to that.”
Professor Tompkins slowly shook his head. “She was very courageous,” he said, softly. “She didn’t deserve to end her life on Earth in that way.”
He looked directly at Benson and added, “I don’t envy you in your job of telling her parents about today’s events. I just hope that in time they will be able to understand the bravery and self-sacrifice shown by their daughter, and how, through her heroic actions, she has ensured the future of mankind.”
Benson sighed as he pulled up his coat collar against the gathering chill that was partly a result of the deteriorating weather, and partly due to his body reacting to what he’d just witnessed, along with the thought that he was about to destroy the lives of the remaining members of Zoe’s family with his dreadful news.
“The force field has gone,” said Tompkins, changing the subject. “And I guess that now Araz is inside the time vortex, his hold on the people he hypnotised will be broken.”
“What do you think will happen to Zoe?” asked Benson, desperate to cling on to some hope. “Will she be able to come back or is she gone for good?”
“To be honest, I don’t know,” answered the professor. “It’s doubtful if she will be able to return, but who knows? Truth is, she could be anywhere. She may even be dead!”
Benson felt a surge of pain and guilt flow through him at these words, but he knew that somehow he must put today’s events behind him and soldier on.
“I’ll make sure all of the copies of ‘Being There’ are collected and destroyed,” he said. “We don’t want them hanging around. For all we know, they could still have the power to hypnotise people. All in all, I guess I’ve got a bit of a mess to clear up.”
In the compound, the monkeys rushed around in confusion. They had lost their leader and now seemed to have no plan or purpose. In time, another bold monkey would step forward and take over, but for now they were completely disorientated.
Benson and Professor Tompkins made their way back to the car and then headed for the police station, where Benson would begin the task of clearing up the mess and informing Zoe’s parents of the sad departure of their daughter.
Meanwhile, deep inside the time vortex, Zoe Marshall and Zak Araz clung to each other in desperation as they were battered by the dynamic forces within. The massive surge of energy swirled all about them, tossing and spinning their frail and exhausted bodies like debris in a tornado. They were no longer fighting each other. They needed to concentrate on survival. Both Zoe and Zak were terrified of what might happen to them and neither one knew where they were heading. Each was unsure whether they would survive and resurface somewhere in the past or in the future, or if this really was the end for both of them.