Tony Mogul looked at the device in front of him and then beamed a happy smile around the boardroom.

"Gentlemen, I'm pleased to report that Doctor Lothian of our research department has come up with a better method of remote prospecting. This Plasma Sampler uses a laser to vaporize a small amount of matter into plasma, which is then magnetically sucked into this container here, where it is analyzed for traces of rare elements," he told them.

"Does that do away with Graham's technique?" one of the board members asked.

"Not entirely. We still need to have the Big Picture, but this is a significant advance. Remember, Gentlemen, The more for Mogul ... "

"The more for us!" They chorused.

"Now for the information on our advertising campaign," Tony said. He unrolled a large picture. It was of a hand holding up a tektite...

---o---

Frankie played with his cereal. "I'm glad my hair's growing back," he said, rubbing his mop. "I don't really like crew cuts."

"Makes you look like the little crim you are," Merle said ungraciously.

"Eat your cereal, Frankie, don't play with it," Margaret said.

"By the way," Graham asked casually, "Have you still got that rock, Frankie?"

"Yeah. I want to take it to school today and show all the kids."

Steven said, "We're both going to look after it for ever."

"That's what I was going to ask you both about," Graham said. "As you know, we've got a lot of medical bills to pay. Now I wouldn't normally ask this, as I've given it to you, but - I'd like to sell it."

"Graham," Margaret said, "You gave it to Steven."

"Yes. I know I did. That's why I'm asking him. We've got ten thousand dollars to find, Steven. Now, Tony wants to use the tektite in a company advertising campaign. He's willing to pay handsomely for it. It should meet a considerable part of what we owe."

Frankie got upset immediately. "You can't sell Tek," he shouted across the table. "He got me well again. It was him. Not God."

"It's true!" Steven shouted. "If it wasn't for the tektite, Frankie would still be curled up like a ball."

"And I'd ... and I'd - anyway. It's a Plasmoids Survival capsule - not a tektite." Frankie stammered.

"You promised not to tell," Steven said sharply.

"What on earth are you two talking about?" Margaret said, puzzled. "Steven, you're far too old to join in these imagination games. I can understand Frankie, but you - "

Graham held up his hand for silence. He stood, walked over to the kitchen dresser, and took out a manila envelope full of bills. "What I'm talking about, boys, is these."

He took them out, calling the amounts as he did so.

"Fifteen days intensive care at $700 per day. That's $10,500 for starters. Now I know insurance will cover a lot, but we still have to meet a percentage."

He pulled more out, piling them up onto the table.

"But you don't understand," Frankie said. "Tek made me well again. The tektite is his home. He lives in it."

Graham put his head into his hands. "Not a pet rock. That's all I need. Can you explain it, Margaret. Otherwise we might have to go through the trauma of a parental compulsory acquisition."

"That means you'll take it, anyway," Steven said.

"We have to pay these accounts!" Graham said, thumping the table.

Margaret tried to cool things off. "Dear. Let me handle this."

She came round the table and held Frankie from behind, kissing him gently. "Now, Frankie, Mummy prayed, and God made you well again."

Steven made up his mind that things had gone far enough. "Put the tektite on the table and show them, Frankie," he said.

Frankie looked at Graham and Margaret. He held out his hand. It was empty. There was a sudden blue flash, and it appeared, glowing in his hand like a blue sapphire. Margaret and Graham started backwards in surprise.

"Come out and show them, Tek." Frankie said.

There was a brilliant blue beam that shot out of the tektite and sprayed around the room like drops of shooting water. Tek hung above the table - a glowing ball of fire. Merle screamed and jumped back against the wall. Margaret grabbed Frankie and dragged him round to Graham. Both parents looked shocked and astonished by what had happened. They pulled the boys back into the corner, backing away from the blue flame as far as they could.

"For heaven's sake, Tek. You're scaring them," Steven said.

The blue twinkled into a rainbow of drops that swirled, tinkling around the room, to coalesce as Tek. The strange boy stood there for a moment, looking at all of them

"Is this better?" he asked.

Steven swallowed. "Yes. Heaps better. Mum, Dad, This is Tek. He's a plasmoid."

"Hi," Tek said politely, opening both hands in a friendly gesture to show he was harmless.

Tek sat down in Frankie's chair. Graham and Margaret were still staring at him with open mouths. He took a spoonful of Frankie's cereal. Then he reached for an apple.

"If you really want to sell a rock, try this one," He said, squeezing the apple so hard it turned into a diamond. It lay sparkling brilliantly on the table.

Tek looked at them. "Much more marketable than a Tektite. Even if they are more common," he sniffed.

Merle moved forward and picked it up cautiously. She examined it at the window and handed it to Margaret. "It's beautiful," she said.

"But how are we going to explain it?" Graham asked.

Frankie and Steven moved over to Tek while the others discussed it. Steven held out his hand.

"Gimme five, Tek," he said.

Tek put his hands out for the boys to hit in their complex handshake ritual, then they grabbed him playfully and gave him a welcoming hug.

Suddenly, Frankie looked into his cereal bowl. "Tek. What did you do to my breakfast?" he asked.

Tek put a finger into the bowl, which held a scintillating blue speckled energy field. He drew it up like a long snake and twirled it in the air with one finger, which he then put into his mouth.

He sucked the energy stream in. "Delicious," he said.

The boys laughed. Steven pulled up an extra chair for Tek, and they sat down together.

"Come on, everyone," Steven said, taking charge of the confusion. "Let's have a proper family breakfast."

---o---

Steven stopped at the corner. "See you guys after school," he said. "Don't go scaring the teachers, Tek."

"You forget - I've been to school before, as Frankie," Tek chuckled in his mischievous way. "I'll be all right, now that Frankie's bringing the tektite with him," he said.

"I don't think he really trusts Dad," Steven said. He turned and grinned at Frankie, then rode off towards the High School.

"We'll enjoy school," Frankie said. "You'll see."

Tek shrugged and they rode off together.

"Will your bike be O.K?" Frankie asked. He had watched Tek make it from a piece of pipe they found in the garage.

"Should be. It's just like yours," Tek said.

---o---

The day went fairly smoothly at Frankie's school. Not many of the kids really believed his show and tell story about the tektite, especially about the part where it made him better.

Peter Bishop, however, still rankled whenever he thought about the trick Frankie had played on him a few days before. He was determined to get even.

"Front desk?" he said into the public telephone near the school. Soon, he was telling Alan Kiddington, the reporter, all he knew about Frankie Marshal and his tektite.

---o---

"Any interest in a local kid who says he got cured by a rock?" Alan Kiddington asked Irwin Queegley, his editor.

"That the one who got run over? Heard about that. Mother said that God cured him. Don't tell me the kid's found God in a rock, Alan?"

Alan looked up at his boss. "Do I go interview, or not?"

"Go. Go. See if God's home," he said. "Ask him if he likes living in a rock. Human interest. Never miss out on human interest. Money, Death, Life, Sex, Miracles. All sell papers, Alan."

---o---

"I didn't tell anyone - it was Peter Bishop who rang the paper," Frankie protested.

"After giving a morning talk about how good tektites are for brain damaged and terminally ill people," Tek said with disgust. "If every sick person on earth queued up here, I'd never get to the end of the line."

"You should have stopped me," Frankie said.

"How? Turn into an elephant in front of the class. That would make good press," Tek said.

"Well, it's a bit late now," Steven said. "That bloke from the paper wants to interview you. Try to tone it down, Frankie."

"If you've got any sense," Tek said, "You'd tell the truth. Nobody will believe it, anyway. They probably wouldn't even bother to print it."

---o---

Alan found Tek a bit disconcerting. He wished the kid would get lost so he could interview Frankie Marshal on his own.

"So, this little blue man lives in the rock, and he can hop out and cure you of whatever you happen to have?" he checked with Frankie.

"Sure," Frankie said.

"Actually, he's a plasmoid," Tek said. "Plasma is a bit unpredictable, like water; so it can encode genetic information. It is also enormously flexible and can sustain a neo-atomic form."

"Yeah, yeah, kid," Alan said, waving his hand dismissively. "Let me interview Frankie, eh?"

"Sure. I was going to tell you that Plasmoids were formed during the Big Bang and are the oldest sentient life forms in the Universe; older than the stars themselves."

"Look," Alan said with some exasperation. "How about you let me take a photograph of you with Frankie, then you go out and play while I talk to him. Eh?"

Tek shrugged. "O.K." he said.

Alan put the camera up to his eye and framed the picture. There was a bright flash.

---o---

After the reporter had left, Frankie and Tek retired to Frankie's bedroom. They sat on the bed and Frankie picked up the model of Mackguard, which he pushed into its robot form, then its fighter form.

"Are you really billions of years old?" he asked.

"Sure. When the Big Bang happened, a lot of plasmoids were formed. We kind of hang about in space and swap information with each other. At first, the universe was small, but as it got bigger, we moved about more. Because it's always changing, there's a lot more to learn now than there was."

"Do you have families? Do you have children? Do you go to school?"

"Hey - Hold on there. I can answer three questions at once, but I'm not sure you'd follow the answer."

"Do you have a family?"

"The comet head is still in the crater. She's a sort of 'Mother' thing, I guess," Tek said. "All the tektites are a part of her. If I could get back there, we could get together again and take off for another part of the universe."

"Can't you do that - get back to her? You can do anything," Frankie exclaimed.

"Oh, that. Well - that's because you guys are around. Without a sapient life form, we can't really materialize or anything. We're stuck where we are."

"You mean - without us, you're just a rock?" Frankie asked in amazement.

"Yeah. That's about it. Well - we can move about a little bit, but not too far."

"Maybe Dad could take you back to the crater," Frankie volunteered.

Tek laughed. "There's no hurry, silly. We can wait a few million years or so. The only thing that could mess things up is if humans found out too much about us. Then I guess we'd have to move."

Frankie re-arranged Mackguard back into his truck format. "That would be really awful," he said. "I'd hate losing you, Tek."

---o---

Alan stood looking at the picture he had taken of Frankie and Tek. Instead of Tek, however, there was a blank space.

"I know this other kid was there," Alan said, pointing to the picture with the back of his hand.

"Blue men, plasmoids," The Editor said. "Don't think we can run that story, Alan."

---o---

The paper did carry the story, however. Purely for human interest, of course.

"CRIPPLED BOY CURED BY TEKTITE"

"Oh, no," Graham muttered when he took a paper from the newsstand.

---o---

Later, at work, Tony called Graham into his office. "Hi, Graham? How's it all going?"

"Could be better on the financial side, but we're getting on top of that," Graham admitted, taking a seat in the comfortable lounge chair opposite his boss. Tony offered him a cigarette; Graham shook his head; Tony lit one for himself.

"Kid o.k?" Tony asked casually.

"Sure. Total recovery, it seems."

Tony smiled, then switched it off. "Um. Graham. You remember that little er - tektite we wanted to buy from you? That I gave you."

"Oh. Yes. Ha. They sometimes play with it. Frankie held it while he was sick. It helped his hand get stronger - by squeezing it," Graham said.

"We really want to use it in our company promotion campaign - you know - the space angle. I've been doing a bit of research on them. Seems emus sometimes find them and swallow them to grind up seed. Fascinating things."

"The kids wouldn't part with it, Tony," Graham said. "Before we found the diamond, we were thinking of your offer, but not now."

"I was thinking of offering you five thousand dollars for it," Tony said.

Graham was amazed. "But you can get them in rock shops for a fraction of that," he said.

Tony wriggled a bit in his chair. "Well - maybe. I've heard; Mind you, not that I take any real notice. Yours seems to be a bit different."

Graham burst out laughing. "Oh. The magic healing stone stuff. Ha ha. Oh, dear," he continued to chuckle and wiped his eyes. "Sorry, boss."

"Oh, that's all right," Tony said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"That all?" Graham said with a grin.

Tony waved him out.

As soon as he cleared the office, Graham leaned against the wall, sighed with pent up relief, and wiped his forehead.

"Wonder if they give Academy awards to geologists," he muttered.

---o---

As the lights in the house went off, Norm and Fred, a pair of professional jewel thieves, slipped forward quietly. They entered the yard, ninja fashion, and slipped up the stairs. A plastic card was inserted in the lock, and they were in.

They had been very thorough in reconnoitering. They knew which was Frankie's room. As silently as ghosts, they flattened themselves into the shadows.

Frankie wasn't aware that the two highly trained thieves were in his room, until one of them leaned over hi m, pinning him to the bed and sealing off his nose and mouth. He struggled violently, but to no avail.

"Where is it, kid," Norm asked. "Where's the tektite?"

Frankie gasped for air, and pointed to the dresser. Fred opened the top drawer and withdrew the small stone.

"Got it," he said.

A pad was pressed over Frankie's nose, and in a second, he was out cold.

"Kid's out to it," Norm said. "Let's go."

They slipped out as quietly as they entered.

Their car was on the other side of the street. They got in and drove off.

"Clean as a whistle," Norm exulted, holding the tektite in his hand and showing it to his partner.

"Yes," Fred said. "Like taking candy from a baby."

There was a deep chuckle from the seat behind them. Two great black claws reached forward and pinned them mercilessly to their seats. A terrifying black face leaned forwards and smirked at them.

"Taking things from babies is very naughty, you know," it said.

---o---

In the dimming nightlight, two men shuffled down the street staring vacant eyed in front of them as they walked.

"Stealing is very naughty," Norm chanted.

"I mustn't steal from babies," Fred muttered.

---0---

The experience of the night before had really frightened Graham and Margaret. At the breakfast table, Graham broke the bad news.

"After what's happened, Margaret and I have talked things over. Tek, you'll have to go, I'm afraid."

"No! Dad, you can't!" Frankie shouted.

"It isn't that we don't love you, Tek, or aren't grateful," Margaret said, "It's just that - "

"I understand," Tek said. "It had to happen sooner or later. It always does, when a planet develops intelligent life. They soon discover us, and we have to leave. Perhaps I can help you both understand a few things about us."

"Perhaps we could talk about it without the children," Graham said, indicating his study.

"Dad, Don't send Tek away," Steven said desperately. "He's our friend, and he cured Frankie - "

Tek turned to him. "It's all right, Steven. Really. Don't panic. Let me talk to the oldies, Right?"

They walked into the study, leaving the two boys standing outside. They pressed their ears to the door, but Merle came into the lounge room.

"What are you two doing?" she demanded. "Eavesdropping?"

Steven and Frankie backed away from the door.

"Just poking our nose into something that concerns us," he said.

"Well don't," Merle said, leaning her ear to the door.

---o---

Tek looked at Margaret and Graham. He sat in Graham's armchair and indicated that they should sit.

"Is this O.K.?" he asked them gently.

Margaret nodded her head. She was still unused to Tek'.

"The universe," Tek began, "Can be thought of as a great evolving mind. A being, if you like, with a physical side - matter, and a mental side - a great evolving consciousness in which you and I are merely microorganisms.

The atmosphere changed. In the room was a great spiral galaxy, spinning in space. Graham and Margaret gasped - at first with fear, then wonder and delight, as the galaxy shrunk to show the local group, and then shrunk again, to show myriads of groups arranged as if on the skin of great soap bubbles pulsing together.

"You might remember, Margaret. I asked the doctor all those awkward questions about God. I was trying to find if he had any real understanding of what you both expressed."

Margaret nodded.

The universe as it is," Tek said. "As a few of your earth minds have conceived it."

"That's wonderful," Margaret said.

"It is indeed, and we are a part of it. A very tiny part, but an important one. See here," he said, pointing with a silver wand that materialized in his hand. "That is an intergalactic war. Notice how the area is angry and glowing. Those two races have been at each other's throats for myriads of Aeons. Now watch!"

A blue haze enveloped the glowing angry mass. It cooled, and there was nothing but a black gap in the fabric of space and time. They watched as it healed itself.

"Where are the two races?" Graham asked.

"What happens to germs when you apply an antiseptic?" Tek answered. "Gone. An infection that had to be destroyed for the health of the whole organism."

"But that's - "

"Terrible? Not really. A law of nature. The fittest survive. In the realm of the Universal mind, the ones who are fit, are those who serve the mind."

"Are you talking about God?" Margaret asked.

"Perhaps. Your idea, which you call 'God' may well be this sentient universe."

"But anything on a scale that vast couldn't be interested in us humans, surely?"

"Doctors study the virus, don't they?" Tek said. "As a micro-organism, you pose a fascinating study. What sort of creature will you be? Destructive, or creative? Really, it is up to you. When I speak to the children, I must speak and act as a young child. Now, I am speaking to you - as I would to any other of my galactic children. I, myself, am but a child, although my age and experience encompass the universe."

"Why tell us all this? What can we do?" Margaret asked. "We're just ordinary people."

"Most of the people on your planet are just ordinary people. You do not realise how strong you are when you all want the same things. Do you think that a thought or prayer goes unheard? It is a part of the universe. Do you think you will pass away? You are and always will be a part of the universe - forever in the fabric of space and time. You can change -"

Tek underwent a series of rapid transformations - to a blue orchid, a gorilla, a shining white crystal, Frankie, Steve, Merle, Graham, Margaret, Tony, and back to the older Tek form.

"What is change? A simple re-arrangement of atoms. What is life? An experience; a fact of history. Somewhen in the fabric of space and time is your birth and your death, your hopes, and your prayers - all locked in the great mind, unchangeable, for eternity. The only thing you can change is that which has not yet happened."

"Surely time exists both ways. The future must be there, too."

"As a thread of wool waiting to be knitted into a great scarf. Only at the interface of the needles click when the wool becomes part of the fabric, is the pattern set."

The patterns and diagrams he used to display the knowledge flickered out. The normal room lights grew bright again.

"The children will be very upset to see you go," Graham said.

"Of course. It will be better if they send me off themselves. Then it will be their decision. I shall care for them," he said, enigmatically. He moved to the door. "We shall have a last adventure together."

He pulled at the door and it opened. The three Marshal children tumbled into the room as the door gave way in front of them.

Steve looked up from the floor and waved. "Hi, Dad. Just testing the door," he said.

"Only we couldn't hear anything," Frankie confessed.

"I was just going to pull them off when it all gave way," Merle said.

---o---

"I must return to the great impact site," Tek announced when alone with Frankie and Steven once more. "It is the great crater which you call Wolfe. A long way, and difficult. I'm afraid that I must ask you to assist me to get there."

"Can't you travel on your own?" Frankie asked.

"The Tektite must be rejoined to the Primary body. The Mother, if you prefer to think of it like that. Unfortunately, the stone has no way of travelling on its own. It has neither wings, nor legs. I can carry it for a short while only. I may seem very powerful to you, Frankie, but there are limits to what I can do on the Earth."

"Tek - you've got limits?" Steven asked.

"Most of what I have done is to form illusions. I have no real form. What you see of me is a re-arrangement of my plasma body. A strong magnetic field could totally destroy me. Without the presence of the Tektite for shelter and renewal, I could fade away and dissipate altogether."

"No, Tek. Steven, you mustn't let that happen," Frankie said in alarm.

"I won't. We'll help you Tek. All of us." Steven affirmed.

---o---

Alan Kiddington was determined to crack the mystery of the missing figure in the photograph.

"The kid must have moved," his Editor said.

"No way," Alan said flatly. "He was there, all right."

He presented himself at the doorstep of the Marshals' house that evening, requesting a follow-up interview.

"After all you wrote the other day, I'm not sure," Margaret said rather shortly. "I've done nothing all day but answer the telephone to cranks of all shapes and sizes from the 'Flat Earth' society to 'Psychics Anonymous'. Got so I finally unplugged it."

The part she had really hated was telling several sick people, who appeared desperately on her doorstep, that Frankie had taken the Tektite out with him, and that she didn't know if they could be healed or not.

"I'd just like to get a photograph of Frankie holding the stone," Alan asked. "There's no harm in that, and we can make some sort of adjustment in the paper so you won't be bothered."

"Meaning?"

"Well - some sort of retraction of the 'miracle stone ' angle."

So once again, Frankie met with the reporter. This time on his own, as Tek had decided to remain in the Tektite for the duration.

Frankie held the stone up in front of his face, and Alan snapped several shots of it.

"Maybe I did exaggerate a bit," Frankie said. "About the magic, I mean. But it does come from space. My father told me, and he's a geologist."

Alan smiled disarmingly. "Your little friend seemed to know a lot about them," he said.

"Tek. Oh, yes. He knows everything," Frankie said.

Alan showed Frankie the picture. "I was sure that there was another kid, Frankie. Only trouble is, he's not in this picture."

Frankie looked at the picture. "Yeah," he said sighing in exasperation. "That's the trouble. Sometimes Tek isn't there when you want him."

Alan smiled. "Can you explain that?" he asked.

"No," Frankie said, "But I've just fixed your picture for you."

He handed it back, and Alan saw that the picture now contained the image of Frankie and Tek as if nothing had ever been wrong with it.

---o---

"I've never seen such an expression on anyone's face before," Frankie said with a laugh at the dinner table. "He just couldn't believe it."

"It was really rather naughty of you, Frankie," Margaret said. "What is he going to think now?"

"Your mother's right," Graham said. "If anything, that sort of trick will only make matters worse."

At that moment, Merle came into the dining room. She looked somewhat haggard.

"Have you looked outside?" she asked.

"No," Graham said, mystified. "What on earth is wrong, Merle?"

"We've become attraction of the week. There are people everywhere."

The boys ran to the front room and looked out of the window. "She's right, Biggest mobs," Steven said.

Graham parted the curtains. "Mobs is right, I'm afraid. Tek, you're going to have to split. We can't handle this. I'm going to call the police."

Steven and Frankie looked at each other.

"Guess we'd better be going," Steven said. "But how?"

Tek had an answer. He appeared suddenly and took control of the situation. "Get Mackguard, Frankie, and meet us in the lane." he said.

---o---

They crept through the yard at the rear of their house, like three conspirators. At Tek's instructions, Frankie knelt down on the roadway and placed Mackguard about twelve feet from the curb, then stood up.

"Get back, everyone," he said.

"All yours, Tek," Steven said.

Tek looked at them and held his hands out as if for effect.

"Change!" he commanded.

There was the crackling of blue fire and a clap as of thunder. Where the model had stood, was now a magnificent Mack with a single gleaming box trailer.

"Wow! For real this time," Steven said in awe.

Tek changed form into a veteran truck driver. "Those bound for Meteorite Crater, hop aboard," he said.

Frankie and Steven climbed into the cab. Tek took his place behind the wheel and started the engine. With indicators flashing, the rig pulled out from the curb and began the long journey to take Tek home.

---o---

From where he sat quietly watching the back street, Alan Kiddington had a first class view of the transformation from model to reality. It shocked him, but didn't really surprise him. There was something most unusual about the two Marshal boys and their sometimes-invisible little friend that sent his newshound nose twitching. Quietly, he turned the motor of his panel van over, and drove after their rig.

The truck and newshound tail had to stop to allow a police vehicle right of way through the crossing. It pulled up in front of the house. People had invaded the yard, and were souveniring the plants, fence palings, anything they could get their hands on. The situation was not ugly, exactly, but was certainly well out of hand. Policemen were trying to clear the yard.

"We want the rock! We want the rock!" the crowd chanted.

"I hope they'll be all right," Steven said, as he and Frankie hunched low in the cab.

"I'm sure they will be," Tek assured them.

As they went through the crossing, more police vehicles came onto the scene, which was now lit by brightly flashing red and blue lights.

The truck turned onto the main highway, and began the long haul out of town.

---o---

"The boys aren't here," Graham said to the police officer who was trying to make sense out of the situation. "They've taken the rock, and gone with a friend."

"Hell, Sir. They could be in real danger if a crowd recognizes them. At least tell us where they are so we can give them some protection. This mob is starting to get a bit ugly."

"Blame the press. They started it. Magic rocks."

"We're going to announce to this crowd that the boys and the rock aren't here, so hopefully they'll disperse. I'm going to suggest that all your family goes somewhere for a while, Sir; until all this blows over. We'll keep an eye on the house for you overnight."

Graham, Margaret, and Merle were escorted to the police vehicle, and it sped off while other police stopped all traffic so there was no chance of pursuit. As a tactic, it worked fairly well, but two media cars had held back, used to thwarting this diversion.

"Here's where we scrape them off," the police officer said, reaching for his microphone. Soon, the tailing press cars were hauled to the side of the road by police cars that were diverted to stop followers.

"Where are you taking us?" Graham asked.

"Well, Sir. We've got a few routine questions we'd like to ask you, if you don't mind. Just to clear things up a little. We're going to a suburban police station, and then you can book into a motel for the night. Now you're not under arrest or anything, but as we've helped you out, perhaps you can help us out?" the police officer suggested tactfully.

Graham and Margaret looked at each other. They hadn't expected this development. Merle grabbed her mother's hand.

---0---

The editor groaned and put the phone down. "Allan Kiddington," he said, looking at the men he had called together for his crisis meeting.

"You told him he's fired?" Brian Longshaw asked.

"Didn't give me time. Yelled he's onto the flying saucer story of the century - something about a Mack Truck - and hung up on me." Queegly said.

"What's he on?" Gordon Jenkins the solicitor asked, scratching nervously at his scalp.

"I know we're onto one hell of a legal mess," the editor snarled. "The Marshals will have our guts for garters over this. Damnation. Why couldn't I see it coming? Why?"

"We weren't to know he'd flipped his lid," Longshaw said.

"We're responsible. Only thing we can do now is control the fire. Longshaw, get out there and get the dirt on the Marshals. Tax fraud, Where'd that diamond come from? What happened to that kid of theirs; Anything. Dirtier the better. We'll hold it all in reserve in case we need it."

"Is that really necessary?" Jenkins asked.

"You bet your backside on it. We're fighting for the survival of this paper now, damn it," the editor said heatedly, belting the table with his fist.

---o---

The police station was small; set in the suburbs. Everyone was being very nice to the Marshals, in a deadly sort of way.

"Did Frankie - was he a twin, by any chance?" Detective Logan asked.

"No," Graham said, puzzled by the question.

"See, Graham, You don't mind if I call you Graham, do you"

"No - of course not."

"Good," Logan said, drawing it out in a pally fashion. "See, our police surgeon has been onto the hospital - with a warrant - to have a look at Frankie's X-rays and CAT scans."

"So?" Graham asked cautiously.

"There's no way that boy of yours could be up and about the day after he got home. Half his brain was dead, Mister Marshal. I mean, Graham."

"I told you. It was a miracle," Graham said.

"From a little blue man, who lives in a tektite," Logan said with a sigh, leaning back and rubbing his hands together. He looked up at the ceiling, as if at prayer.

"I can't help it if he's blue," Graham said, "Cause he is."

---o---

Policewoman Angela McGuire was having as much success with Merle.

"Yours is a pretty close family, Merle?"

"Well. You know us kids do a bit of squabbling. I guess all kids do, Right?"

Angela gave a little laugh. "Have two brothers and a sister myself," she said.

"Yeah. I guess we get on O.K."

"And the other boy"

"Oh. You mean Tek?"

Angela shrugged, but said nothing, allowing Merle to continue.

"Well. Tek is different. He can be a boy, but he can be a beam of light, or anything he wants to be. I don't really like him like that. It's scary."

"Scary? You mean he - scares you - stand over type?"

"Uh. It's hard to explain," Merle said.

--o---

"Mrs. Marshal, you told the broker that the diamond was left to you by your Great Aunt Jemima," Detective Drake asserted firmly.

"Of course," Margaret said. "You can hardly expect me to say that Tek made it out of an apple, now. Can you?"

"You don't have an aunt of that name."

Margaret smiled. "No," she said.

"I see your point," Drake conceded.

"And we're going to pay the tax on it - the form's been filled out and everything. Gift tax, from Tek."

"That's thirty percent of its value."

"We only wanted to pay out Frankie's medical bills. If we clear ten thousand dollars, it will do that quite nicely."

"According to the broker, you may do much better than that, Mrs. Marshall. The stone is - perfect. Not just flawless. Perfect. Every facet, every face, and the interior is without detectable blemish. A stone like that cannot exist."

"Is it a fake?" Margaret asked.

"Oh, no. It's a genuine diamond, all right."

"So, now you'll just have to believe me. Won't you?" Margaret asked sweetly.

"Well. There is the question of it being - synthetic. We'll have to look at that angle, you know."

"You mean - it could be illegal?"

"Just don't leave town without telling us," the detective said.

---o---

The truck was having its own troubles with the law.

There was a flashing light ahead waving yellowish amber at them.

"What is it?" Frankie asked.

"Transport Inspectors," Steven said knowingly. "They inspect all the trucks and the drivers log books."

"Oh, dear," Tek said.

"What's wrong?" asked Frankie.

"I don't have any. I'd make one up if I saw one, but I don't even know what one looks like."

They pulled over as the two inspectors walked up.

"Hey, feller, you've got no plates," one called out.

"New rig. Taking it empty for delivery," Tek said. "Plates must have dropped off - only held by a strap, you know."

"Where you going?" one of the men asked officiously.

Tek looked at Steven. "Guess we'll just have to confuse these blokes," he said. He looked out the window at the inspector. "Uranus," he said.

"Listen, mate. I don't have to take any lip from you," the inspector started to say, but then closed his mouth and opened it again.

Tek sat in the driver's seat in all his blue-glow splendor, as Alien as it was possible to be. He floated from the cabin and circled once around the men before resuming his seat behind the wheel. "See you blokes," he said, waving cheerfully as he pulled back onto the road, leaving them standing wordlessly by the road.

When he finally got his voice back, the inspector turned to his silent companion. "I've been out too many late nights," he said. "I'm going home for a rest."

"Don't mind if I do likewise," the other inspector agreed, after swallowing nervously to clear his dry throat.

---o---

Logan, McGuire, and Drake sat in the wardroom comparing notes.

"Had to let them go," Drake said. "Nothing to hold them on."

"At least they're consistent," McGuire said, folding her notebook shut with a snap. "All due to a little blue man - or boy."

"Who lives in a tektite," Logan muttered.

---o---

Tony Mogul sat in his armchair, surrounded by various flunkies. The phone rang, and he picked it up.

"Shamrock Motel. Right. Don't worry, constable, you'll be paid," he said. "Get that, gentlemen. Let's pick them up. I want that rock."

---o---

At the Shamrock, the Marshal family was trying to relax.

"I'm glad we decided to tell them the truth," Graham said. "See, I told you that if we tried to lie to them, they'd pick it straight away."

"I felt really silly, though," Merle complained "I mean - It's obvious that they didn't believe us."

"I'm worried about the boys, now. They won't know how to contact us, or anything," Margaret said.

"Tek will look after them," Merle said confidently.

"That doesn't really put me at ease, dear," Margaret said.

Graham put the motel jug on, so they could all have a cup of coffee.

"I suggest we all get some sleep," he said. "We could have a very busy day tomorrow."

---o---

There were bright lights to one side of the lonely highway.

"Roadhouse and Cafe ahead. Truckies' stop," Steven said knowingly.

"We might be able to get some information on how to cut across to the crater," Frankie added.

Tek made a wry face. "Won't hurt to stop a while, I guess. Give you boys a chance to stretch your legs."

"What about you, Tek? Do you want to stretch yours?" Steven asked.

Tek stretched his legs several times round the cabin for their amusement, then resumed his truckie shape while they laughed at his antics.

"We don't want to draw attention to ourselves," Frankie said.

"I'll be careful," Tek said.

They entered the roadhouse. Several rough looking customers were drinking at the bar. Tek and the boys wandered to the cafe section.

"Did we bring any money?" Frankie asked.

"I've got two dollars," Steven said.

"Let me have a look at that," Tek said. He glanced at it for a moment, and a wad of identical notes appeared in his hand. "Enough?" he asked.

"Wow," Frankie said in admiration.

The waitress looked up at them. "Hi, boys. What'll it be?" she asked.

Could I have a hamburger, please," Frankie asked. "With the lot."

"Some appetite," she said, smiling. "And you, young man?"

"The same, please," Steven said.

She looked at Tek, smiling, and he smiled back. It seemed to get under her skin for a moment, and she looked puzzled. "And you?"

Tek looked at the boys and shrugged. He didn't want to eat meat. "Ah. Would you have a bowl of cereal?" he asked.

She gave him a funny look. "With milk and sugar?"

"Yes, please," he said.

One of the men at the bar looked over and gave a loud aggressive laugh. "Early morning breakfast?" he asked. He was obviously a bit tipsy.

"Uh, oh," Frankie muttered.

"Ignore him," Steven said.

The man did not intend to be ignored. He ordered a beer and brought it over to Tek. "Have one on me," he said.

Tek looked at it, then took a straw from the counter and sucked the liquid up through it. It took on a bluish glow as it went up the straw, but the drunk did not appear to notice that, so much as the straw.

"You drink beer through a straw?" he said in disgust.

"It was very nice," Tek said. "Thank you."

"Now it's your turn," the man said.

"My?"

"You've got to buy him one," Steve prompted.

The waitress reappeared from the kitchen with two steaming hamburgers which the boys took to a nearby seat.

Tek handed over some of the notes to the barman, who pulled two more foaming glasses of beer.

"Here's seeing you," the drunk said, swallowing his in a gulp.

Tek copied him, and gulped. He was surprised at the euphoric effect of the fluid and put his glass down on the table.

"Hey, look at Tek. He likes it," Steven said, amazed.

Tek and the drunk sank beer after beer, with the plasmoid becoming more and more tipsy with each glass. Suddenly, he took stock of himself, deciding he'd had enough. "No more," he said, lifting his hand.

"Aw. That's no way to treat a friend," the drunk said. He grabbed Tek's glass and pushed it to the barman.

The plasmoid was feeling quite strange. The liquid, a complex hydrocarbon, seemed to be interacting with his pseudobody in a strange way, producing disorientation.

Tek grabbed the retreating glass and inverted it on the bar top. "No more," he said.

Steve and Frankie looked at what Tek had done, stunned.

"Oh, no!" Steve said.

"Why? What's up?" Frankie asked.

"That means he can lick anyone in the bar," Steve said.

"So that's it," the drunk said, squaring up. "You want to fight."

"No trouble," the barman said, vaulting over to stop the fight. The drunk slammed a fist forward into Tek's face. The Plasmoid felt the impact and staggered under the combined effects of the alcohol and punch.

A group of bikies in the corner moved over to watch the fun. One of them grabbed the barman and pinned his arms behind his back so he couldn't intervene.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" they chanted, pushing Tek and the drunk towards one another again.

"Martha! Call the police!" the barman yelled.

Steven and Frankie ducked between the legs of the crowd and elbowed their way to the centre of the scene.

"Get out of here, Tek," Steve shouted. They pulled him backwards as he warded off the blows of the drunk.

The bikies intervened and grabbed the boys, pulling them away from Tek. He stood there confused as blow after blow rained down on him.

--o--

From where he had pulled up outside, Alan Kiddington heard the brawl. He decided not to enter the bar, but looked instead at the great truck. In every respect, it looked quite normal - a Mack, pulling a box trailer. He nosed around, then on impulse, swung up into the cabin.

--o--

Tek knew he had to do something. He wanted to transmute, but found it too hard to do. Perhaps a small transformation.

He rolled over the bar and dropped behind it. Once there, he changed into the boy version of Tek. The alcohol, which had been making a fully-grown man drunk, now struck him with a vengeance.

The bikies and the drunk swarmed over the bar.

"Where'd he go?" they asked each other. One of them reached down and grabbed Tek.

"Get out of the way, Kid," he said, pushing him over the bar towards Steven and Frankie. "Where'd that slimy truck-driver get to?"

"C'mon, Tek!" Frankie urged, as both he and Steven put Tek's arms over their shoulders and staggered outside towards the truck.

"Tek! What's up with you?" Steven asked.

Tek gave a great Burp! And muttered "Dinosaur eggs!" before dropping once more into a drunken stupor.

They dragged Tek across to the Mack and managed to get the door open. Alan Kiddington was still inside.

"What are you doing?" Steven demanded.

At that moment, the bikies appeared from the inside of the roadhouse. "Stop them!" they yelled.

"Let's get out of here!" Steven yelled. "Grab him, Mister."

Alan grabbed Tek and hauled him into the cab as Frankie and Steven scuttled in afterwards.

"Can you drive this?" Steven asked.

"I - I think so," Alan said.

"Then Go!" Steven shouted as the bikies surrounded the truck and started trying to enter it.

"My car. I must get my car," Alan shouted.

"Go out there, and those monkeys will kick your butt off," Steven said. "Drive, man. Drive!"

There was the roar of the great engine, and the truck moved off towards the highway. The bikies dropped off and ran to get their machines.

At that moment, sirens could be heard in the distance. The police were closing in on the roadhouse. Alan put his foot down, changing up through the gears as fast as he could.

"I was just looking for a story," he said.

"Yeah? You caused all this in the first place," Frankie said.

The police cars streamed past the truck into the parking lot of the Roadhouse just as the bikies were about to leave. There was a scuffle as the police jumped from their vehicles to detain them.

The truck headed down the road away from the scene. In the East, the dawn was breaking.

--o--

There was an insistent knocking on the door of Graham's motel room. He struggled sleepily to his feet. It was already light outside, but still very early.

"Not the police again at this hour," he muttered sleepily.

Tony stood on the doorstep. Behind him were two large men in dark suits. Tony smiled and shrugged casually. "Graham, old Son. How are you? Not getting you up too early, am I?"

"What is this?" Graham said. He looked across to Tony's Mercedes limousine. Margaret and Merle were being pushed inside. "What the hell!"

Tony smiled again. "Lighten up, Graham. Lighten up. Like I always say, 'Things are always negotiable' - like that little rock you've got."

"Tony, I haven't got the rock! My kids are taking it back to where it came from originally. It's had enough of Earth, and is leaving."

The two men grabbed Graham by the arms. Tony entered the room and grabbed Graham's bag. He pointed to the car.

"We can't let it go without saying 'Goodbye', can we?" he said. "In fact, I'm thinking of offering it a sort of contract to get it to stay a while. Business, Graham. Just business. You can help me with the negotiations."

The limousine sped away from the motel towards the airport.

---0---

"Just had word from the police. The diamond is synthetic. They say an Alien made it," one of the reporters said.

"How about, 'SCAM FAM ON LAM'," One of the junior copywriters said.

Irwin Queegly, The editor, winced. "Ouch. Too much, young man. 'DIAMOND SCAM - FAMILY WANTED FOR QUESTIONING'."

"Very dignified, I like it," The assistant editor said. "We do know where they are?"

"No, but thanks to Alan Kiddington, we have a lead," the editor said. "The two boys were definitely in that Roadhouse brawl last night. Police arrested several people, and are anxious to question the driver of a white Mack semi-trailer seen at the Scene. Got that?"

"Yes, Sir," one of his attendant yuppies said deferentially.

"Any more from Kiddington?" another asked.

The Editor beamed. "Last time he rang from a roadside phone-booth. I told him we are proud of him, and to keep us informed. Gentlemen, we want to be there at the time of the arrest."

---o---

Kiddington was tiring rapidly. They had been driving solidly for hours. The long bitumen ribbon, which passed for a road, had little traffic.

"Bordertown next stop," Frankie said, consulting the road map for the umpteenth time. "How's Tek?"

"OOOOOaaaah," the unhappy plasmoid muttered. "I've got the grandfather of all hangovers."

"Isn't there any way of getting rid of that?" Steven asked. "After all, if you can fix brain damage, surely a little hangover is no problem."

"Dinosaur eggs," Tek muttered unhappily, and buried his head beneath his hands.

Alan looked at the boys speculatively. "What the hell is he on about? Dinosaur eggs?"

"Oh. That's a story he told us once," Steven said. "Apparently, one of his friends transformed while studying a dinosaur's egg laying habits. He had a sore behind for weeks. Tek did the same thing by transforming into a smaller human while having an adult sized hangover. Now his hangover is ten times bigger than what it should be."

Kiddington nodded. "So if he could change into something bigger, he could get rid of that hangover fairly quickly?"

"I guess," Steven said. "If he could concentrate long enough to change into anything."

"Anything is better than this," Tek moaned. "Let's try it."

The truck was driven into an off-road clearing. Steven and Frankie helped Tek from the cabin, and staggered across the road with him.

"Now, wait until we're back behind the truck," Steven said.

The two boys ran for cover. They huddled beside the reporter who watched wide-eyed as the plasmoid gave a mighty growl and changed into a gigantic Brontosaurus. The monster bellowed and thumped his tail across several trees, which disintegrated beneath the savage swipe. It looked towards the truck and gave a tremendous burp. For a moment, it gazed at them somewhat bemusedly, and transformed back into the boy Tek.

He stood for a moment, as if checking himself out then gave a broad grin. "Wow. What a liver!" he said, walking steadily back towards them.

---O---

In a private room at the airport, Graham and Tony were arguing fiercely.

"You didn't level with me, Graham," Tony said.

"Where's Margaret? and Merle?" Graham asked.

"They're O.K."

"Tony, What the hell are you trying to do?" Graham demanded. "It isn't like you to pull a gangster stunt like this."

Tony sat down opposite Graham and stared across the desk at him.

"Let's get down to business, shall we? This - thing..."

"Plasmoid."

"Whatever. It made a diamond. Right?"

"Yes. From an apple. It also cured Frankie. I don't know how it did that."

Tony leaned back and regarded Graham with disdain. "Graham, you had this thing in your house, and you just let it go. Told your kids to take it with them and dump it in some meteorite crater? You're one hell of a fool, you know that?"

"With a howling mob screaming at the door wanting cures? What would you do?"

"I certainly wouldn't get rid of it. Hide it, maybe, but certainly hang onto it."

Graham shrugged. "Well, it's on the way back home, wherever that is."

"Maybe not," Tony said. He leaned into his intercom. "Come in, Dr. Lothian."

A man carrying a box entered. "I've finished it for you, Tony."

Graham looked at the device. "What on earth is that?" he asked.

The box was set with dials. A nozzle on a flexible tube was fixed to one side. The centre panel of the box contained a large green flask.

"Plasmoid, eh? Made of Plasma?" Tony asked. "This, Graham, is a magnetic bottle. We use it for analyzing traces of rare elements. Stuff is vaporized, heated up to form plasma, and injected into here where we hold it for analysis by spectroscope. Doc's just made it portable."

Graham stood up in alarm. "Tony, you don't know what you're messing about with. That thing - plasmoid. He's been about since the beginning of time. You don't just get something like that and lock it up in a box."

Tony smiled. "You just watch me, Graham, old son. Just watch me," he said.

---o---

The Bordertown highway patrolmen stood by their vehicles looking down the road.

"Here he comes," one of them said, spotting the huge truck as it rounded the curve.

From where he stood on the embankment, Longshaw and the TV crew were ready to catch the action.

"Ladies and gentlemen, below us is the roadblock that the police have raised to stop the vehicle carrying some members of the Marshal family, believed to be with a man wanted for questioning about a diamond sale irregularity," he said to the camera.

They then filmed the police in action preparing the roadblock. The Captain from Bordertown spoke into his radio. He waved to the operator of the large front end loader, who drove it forward to block the highway. Other police carried out signs and flares to announce the roadblock.

"Nowhere they can go," another patrolman said. "We've really got them.

---o---

"Roadblock!" Frankie announced, staring ahead at the signs, lights, and the loader.

"They're trying to stop us," Steven said.

"Alan, Don't stop," Tek commanded.

"You joking, Kid. Think I'm going to drive right through that thing?"

"Believe me, Alan. Don't stop," Tek said.

Alan shook his head. "No way, kid. We've got no choice," he said."

Tek shrugged. "Go through it, Mackguard," he said.

Alan wrestled with unresponsive controls that suddenly did nothing. He watched in horror as the truck speeded up, rushing towards the loader in a full head on charge.

"Oh, no!" he shouted, moments before impact.

---o---

The policemen and loader operator dived for cover as the huge truck bore down onto them.

"Shit! They're not stopping!" one policeman had time to yell before there was a tremendous crash and the Mack struck the loader. There was a shattering as if of glass, and the loader disintegrated. Pieces flew in all directions, and the huge truck thundered past unscathed.

"Christ!" one of the policemen swore. He jumped for his patrol car. "After them!" he yelled.

---o---

"We really did it!" Frankie shouted as they sped through the roadblock.

"Oh no. Now we're really in for it," Alan groaned. He twisted the wheel, finding the truck once more under his control.

"They're after us," Frankie said, looking back at the flashing red and blue lights.

"Wow," Steven said. "A whole road full of angry bears. He turned to Tek and laughed.

The truck with police in hot pursuit, sped down the road.

"They'll overtake us for sure," Alan muttered. "Then I'm for it. Why didn't I stay home?"

"They're closing in, Tek," Steve said.

Ahead the road straightened for a couple of miles.

"I think we should give these guys the slip," Tek said as the truck reached the open country. "Standby, Mackguard."

"What are you going to do?" Alan asked in alarm.

Tek looked at him and gave a big grin. "Spin them out of their minds," he chuckled.

---o---

"Hell. They're doing over a hundred and fifty in that thing," the policeman said, winding his pursuit car out to full effort.

"We've got to stop them before they kill somebody," his partner said.

---o---

"O.K. Mackguard. TRANSFORM!" Tek shouted.

---o---

The back of the truck seemed to crumple. From the sides, wings grew outwards. The cabin slid back into the trailer. Two mighty engines sparked to life from beneath the tail.

---o---

"What the..." Alan said, as he felt the truck lurch.

The truck had transformed into a Jet fighter. Full power pushed them back into their seats as the jet hurtled down the road towards the billboard at the end.

"Rotate," Tek said.

They felt themselves angle upwards as they climbed above the billboard towards the sky.

---o---

The policemen in the first car weren't quite so lucky. They were so engrossed watching the transformation of the Mack truck into a jet fighter, that they were still gazing skywards with open mouths when their car sped off the curve at the end of the road and sailed through the billboard. Fortunately, there was a small lagoon on the other side, and they landed in it with a gigantic splash that startled several birds and cows that happened to be using it at the time. One of the startled cows leered into the face of the surprised policeman and gave an angry bellow.

As the other cars screeched to a stop, and confused police jumped out to crane their heads skywards or look at their companions in the water, their captain shook his head in disbelief.

"Don't ask me how I'm going to write up a report on this," he muttered.

---o---

"Alan. Can you fly?" Tek asked.

The reporter - face blank - merely shook his head.

"Swap places then," Tek suggested.

Alan merely nodded dumbly and slid out from under the wheel so Tek could pilot Mackguard.

"Sure you don't want to interview us now?" Steve asked.

Alan merely shook his head from side to side.

The three boys roared with laughter as they sped across the country.

---o---

It was twilight when the company helicopter landed the small party on the edge of Meteorite Crater. Tony stepped out first, with the doctor. They carried the box containing the magnetic bottle and a suction tube. Tony's bodyguards stepped out next, with the Marshal family - Graham, Margaret, and Merle.

"Quite a reception committee," Tony said flippantly.

The huge crater spread out below them. It was the scar of a colossal impact, millions of years old. Around them, in all directions, stretched the empty desert. In the redness of the setting sun, it seemed to take on a special light of its own.

"Wonder how they'll try to get here?" Graham thought aloud.

There was a sudden roar overhead, and a jet fighter buzzed the crater. The fighter returned and roared low over the top of the group. There was a sudden crash as if of thunder. Tony and the rest of the group ducked for cover as dust flew about them.

"Crazy idiot," Tony exclaimed. "What's he trying to do?"

There was the sound of voices behind them. They looked to see three boys and a man standing together in a group.

"Hi, Mum, Dad. We made it," Steven said.

"We came in Mackguard," Frankie said, holding the toy truck up in one hand so everyone could see it.

Steve was trying to work out what was going on. His mother and father looked rather uncomfortable. Who were the men? Why were they there?

"We brought your Mum and Dad and sister out to see the little Tektite man off," Tony explained. "Matter of fact, there were one or two suggestions I was going to make to him. If he was interested."

Alan was interested in this development. To some extent, he had recovered from his shock of the transformation and jet ride. His reporter instincts were now honed and to the forefront.

Tony mistook Alan for Tek. "I just want to offer you some sort of mutual arrangement," he said.

"Why should Tony Mogul of Mogul Mining want to do that?" Alan asked.

"If you could hang about on Earth for a while, I'm sure we could arrange things to our mutual advantage. I mean - well - you wouldn't want any money, or anything like that, I guess, but I'm sure you'd think of some way in which we could repay you."

"Ah. I think this is some kind of mistake," Steven said. "Mister Mogul, this is Alan Kiddington of the Clarion News."

"N.N.News?" Tony asked.

"Sure," Alan assured him. "I guess you thought it was someone else, Mr. Mogul?"

"I was looking for a person called 'Tek'," Tony said.

"I guess that's me," Tek said.

Tony looked at him. "A boy."

"Well, I'm not really sure about the gender. It's easier being a boy for Frankie and Steven."

"You heard my offer," Tony said. "What do you say?"

Tek shrugged. He reached down for some gravel. He let it pour from his hands and it turned into bright shining diamonds.

"Would you like me to do this for you?" he asked. "Perhaps I could turn some trees into Gold," he said, touching one with his hand and transmuting it instantly into the shining yellow metal.

Tony's eyes glowed with greed, but Tek went on.

"What about turning the whole surface of the Earth into gold and making the seas solid diamonds? Would that please you?"

"No!" Tony snapped. "That would be an oversupply. I'd want just enough for me. I'd want an exclusive contract."

"All for you alone?" Tek teased. "Really, Tony. Don't you think you're being just a little bit greedy?"

Tony was sweating with emotion. "I know what I want," he said. "You must agree to it."

"And if I don't"

Tony raised his hands, and the bodyguards produced wicked looking automatics that they pointed at the Marshals.

"You can kiss your friends goodbye," Tony said.

"You'd kill for what you wanted?"

"Anything I have to," Tony said.

Tek transmuted into the great black Nemesis figure and stretched out a claw towards Tony. "You must not be greedy," he said.

Tony resisted with all his strength. He had almost expected something like this. He sweated with fear, but his greed won out.

"You don't scare me, you sucker!" he cursed.

He reached forward with the nozzle and turned on the switch.

Tek felt the tremendous magnetic pull. Quickly he turned back into a glowing ball of plasma and tried to hurtle away, but the field had grasped him. He stretched out, battling Tony for all his worth.

"Steve, Frankie, Help me!" He screamed.

The boys lunged towards Tony, but the bodyguards grabbed them and held them struggling as Tony turned up the power.

"Stop! You don't know what you're doing! You'll kill him!" Steven shouted.

Tek gave a last frantic scream, and was sucked down the tube into the magnetic bottle.

"Got you at last, my little plasmoid partner," Tony exulted. He turned to the Marshals as they stood helplessly looking at the power mad man confronting them.

Inside the bottle, they could see the boy figure of Tek struggling and shouting to be let out. He transformed into a miniature dinosaur and lunged at the glass - all to no avail. Then as the boy Tek again, he stood pounding his hands against the magnetic glass.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! My own genie in a b ottle!" Tony shouted with glee.

"The Earth is mine! All Mine!" he shouted, then burst into hysterical laughter.

---0---

"Oh, No!" Frankie and Steven shouted together. They watched horrified, as the Mining Company Manager seemed to flip his lid in a display of megalomania that would have done Attila the Hun proud. They tried to get away from Tony's henchmen, but they were too strong for them.

"Hold it boys," Graham said. "There's nothing you can do for Tek now. Tony's got him, I'm afraid."

They stood silently for a moment, then despaired.

"Please, Tony. Mister Mogul. Tek's our friend. Please let him go," Steven asked. "I'm sure he'll help you. Just release him, please."

Tony smiled. "Oh, He'll do what I want now," he said. "I'll make sure of that."

There was the sound as of rushing wind. A voice came, that could only be heard by Frankie and Steven.

"Throw the Tektite into the crater," it said.

Frankie took it from his pocket.

Tony saw it. "Give me that," he said.

"No."

Tony made a sign to one of the men who grabbed Frankie's wrist. In his panic, the boy dropped it. There was a scuffle, and suddenly Graham reached down and grabbed the small stone. One of the men was about to take it, but Graham had had enough of being pushed about by Tony's henchmen. The geologist drove a fist forward and clipped him on the chin.

"Throw it into the crater!" Frankie screamed.

"Do it!" Steven shouted. "Throw it."

Graham hesitated, but he had learned to trust the boys' commands. In best pitching fashion, he hauled his arm back and threw the tektite with all his might towards the centre of the huge crater.

---o---

The stone did not fall, as a normal rock would have done. Instead, it seemed to burst into blue fire and take on a life of its own. On and on it sped towards the centre of the crater. There was a sudden impact as it struck. For a few moments, all was still. Then the Earth heaved.

Great cracks radiated from the centre of the crater towards the rim. As the petals of a giant Lotus, the segments of the floor began to move. On the rim, the ground heaved and quaked like a trembling jelly, throwing the small band of spectators about as it heaved and rolled.

"Look!" Steven shouted.

There was no need for his exclamation. Every eye was riveted on the great glowing blue dome of plasma that rose from the crater centre. Up, up it came, larger than any mountain, until it stood towering above them, crackling with internal fires and strokes of lightning that rolled and deafened them.

Steven looked at the mining magnate as he stood transfixed, mouth open, watching the huge fireball that radiated across the desert. Suddenly, great lightning bolts shot out towards him, striking the ground around his feet as he and his henchmen dived for cover. One bolt struck the helicopter, which exploded in a ball of fire.

"Guess what, Tony?" Steven shouted in triumph. "That thing is Tek's mother. You've got her kid in that device of yours, and she's pissed."

As he spoke, a great bolt of lightning flipped casually out of the side of the gigantic dome and flicked over the mining magnate and his men. Another zapped the side of the box holding the magnetic bottle. It exploded in a brilliant flash of fire and smoke with a loud crash.

An angry little ball of blue fire darted out and frizzled around. For a moment, it encircled Tony and his men, who stood like statues, mouths open in shock. Then it settled down in front of the Marshal family.

"Tek!" Frankie and Steve shouted, overjoyed at their friend's release. They danced with delight as he transformed once more into their young friend.

"Hi, fellers," he said. "Guess you can't keep a good plasmoid down."

---o---

In the weird blue light cast by the huge dome, they stood looking at each other and the men who had come so close to destroying them.

Tek looked at the frozen figures. "I don't often feel annoyed at lower life forms," he confessed, "But Tony needs a lesson if anyone ever did."

He touched each of Tony's hands. They changed into bright yellow gold, with diamonds for fingernails.

"Worth a fortune," he said.

"For ever?" Graham asked in amazement.

"Well. No. Give it a month like that, and they'll turn back to normal," Tek said, relenting a little. "Maybe then he'll understand you can really have too much of a good thing."

They chuckled at the thought of it.

"When will they wake up?" Margaret asked.

"Never, I hope," Merle said ungraciously.

"When we've gone," Tek said. It's a long walk out of here.

He grabbed them all in a fierce hug, and waved at the dome, which seemed to shimmer in a multi-colored display. For a while, Tek and his Mother Thing communicated by changing colors. Then he turned to them as for a last time.

"This time, I must really go," he said.

"Tek! Don't go," Steven pleaded. "Stay here with us, please."

"I must go," Tek said. "I am the link. The plasmoids need me. They're waiting for me."

He turned to Steven and Frankie. They nodded, understanding at last. He reached forward and shook their hands. "I'll always remember you," he said.

He lifted his arms, and from all over the Earth, tektites of all sizes and shapes turned blue, pulsed, and began flowing towards the great dome. Like a sparkling fire on the horizon, they came closer and closer, whirling in a great spiral mass towards their mother craft for the next stage of that eternal voyage on which they had embarked so many millions of centuries before. Tek stood before them, sparkling in myriad colors, growing incandescent and brilliant in rainbow hues that shone through him as he became larger and larger, a great pillar of unearthly fire.

"But how shall we get home," Merle asked.

"Use your imagination," a voice came from the pillar. "Any way you choose."

The huge pillar expanded, joining with the dome as it shone a great beam of blue light into which it joined as a giant searchlight into the sky. There was a sudden burst of energy, and it had gone. The crater floor looked as it had always done.

"It's gone," Steven said. "Tek has really gone."

For a moment, the boys looked at each other with a sadness that only one who has lost a real friend could know.

"But he chose to go," Frankie said. "I'm glad he went with all the others."

Graham and Margaret held the boys close. the family, and Alan, stood on the edge of the crater for a few moments.

"Come on," Frankie said with a chuckle. "Race you lot home!"

He flapped his arms and transmuted into a great wedgetailed eagle, then soared across the crater in a swooping dive, followed by Steven, Graham, Margaret, Merle, and Alan.

Higher and higher they flew towards the reddening tops of the evening clouds, circling upwards and outwards before setting a course for home.