Parallel Promises: Parallel Missions, #4

By Larry L. Sydow

Parallel Promises takes the Team to Caledronium, a distant planet, to answer an SOS, turning defeat and desperation into hope. Promises made become promises kept as Team members respond to multiple crises in alien worlds and around the globe called Earth. Their return to Earth takes them to a mining disaster in Wyoming and gives them a day to visit a famous town on Margo's bucket list. Sicily, Cameroon, Korea, and Antarctica are among the countries to which Parallel scientists send various Team members for interventions. The funeral of an elderly neighbor with promises of eternity precedes wedding promises in Germany. A communication crisis threatens to jeopardize and derail Team Missions, bringing two old friends together. A fantastic rescue deep within a glacier on a reactivating volcano becomes another promise kept.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Larry Sydow
• Release date: Mar 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781393495178

Larry L. Sydow

       Larry Sydow is a retired pastor. He received his B.A. Degree from Midland University in Fremont, NE, and his Master of Divinity Degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He previously published “Let Them Answer,” a book of children’s sermons. When he retired, he planned to write a book compiling the best of the devotions he had been writing for almost fifteen years. However, as a Master Gardener, the other writing project on the back burner was a book of the stories medicinal herbs tell.       His writing was interrupted by his first retirement failure by a request that he serve as a nursing home chaplain.  During that time, he began writing science fantasy. The first book of the PARALLEL MISSIONS series, “Parallel Mission, the Journey Begins,” was published in 2017.  He failed retirement a second time when he was asked to fill in for a couple of months for a pastor in Roswell, NM going on medical leave. It was a position that lasted three years, during which he moved to Roswell and continued to write. The results were a continuation of the Parallel Missions Series.      Larry and his wife, Susan, have two children and two grandchildren living in the Seattle, WA area. In 2018 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Susan is an accomplished quilter. In addition to writing, Larry enjoys music. He sings, plays piano, organ, and guitar. He has written numerous songs for various occasions, including more than 20 “herb songs” illustrating the stories herbs can tell. ABOUT THE ARTIST     Pat Hittle became an artist quite by accident. Studying to become a theater director, she discovered she needed an art course to design her own scenery. She found that she enjoyed it so much that she studied the masters when she lived in Italy. When she returned to the U.S., she found that people wanted to buy her art, so she started entering shows successfully. Thus, she became a professional artist.

Book preview

DEDICATION

The wonderful people of Cameroon, West Africa.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My deepest appreciation to my helpmate, Sue.  Her  

proofreading and encouragement have kept me  

writing.

"When the ways of people please the Lord,

He causes even their enemies

to be at peace with them."

Proverbs 16:7

Foreword

Derek and Margo Ackerman, an ordinary working couple with grown children, were looking forward to retirement. Derek is a human relations consultant for a high-end home furnishings manufacturer. Margo is the executive secretary for the president and owner of a publishing company.

They crossed paths with Tomas Talbert, from Qualto, a parallel universe, and saved his life. Tomas recruited them to join him and his wife, also from Qualto, in creating a Team whose purpose is saving, not only this world, but their world: As on Earth, so in Parallel.

After spending time in Parallel, Derek and Margo returned to their world rejuvenated and ready for the Missions on which a group of Parallel scientists and historians send them.

With Tomas and Judith, Derek and Margo use a cigar-shaped Ship, and Bart, an advanced computer. In addition, Parallel outfitted the Team with Suits, which can protect them by returning any objects thrown or shot at them to their sender or cause the objects to ricochet away harmlessly. 

Equipment with which Parallel supplies the Team is in existence or on scientists' drawing boards in this world. The Parallel Command Team refuses to provide them with any tools or equipment more advanced because of the Universal Non-interference Law. That Law also requires that Tomas and Judith, both born in Parallel, can only serve as advisors, observers, and consultants.

The Team is frequently on guard for those who want to prevent any change in the history of either world.  Many government and criminal organizations seek to usurp the Team’s technology.  Unfriendly parallels and several varieties of aliens from other planets and other galaxies are interested in capturing or destroying them.

With the Ship’s capabilities and Bart’s help, the Team turned a simple European vacation into a working one. Their message to their antagonists and to those they rescue has been: Violence begets violence; peace begets peace. It is the message echoed in every intervention.

While in Europe, they added three people to the Team.  Heinrich Hoffman is a young university doctoral candidate majoring in philosophy and theology.  Telsa Lembke, an Earth-born contact who grew up in Parallel.  Marlin Sedgwick, a soldier they rescued on an earlier Mission, now serves as the liaison between the Team and the U.S. military.  Voleta, a Humanoid hybrid, has entered the picture as a fourth potential Team member.

Derek’s company sent him to Mexico, which became the epicenter of attempts to capture or destroy the Ship and the space people who were making appearances.  Drug cartels, government entities, military organizations, and alien interventions opposed the Team. 

An accidental detonation of the explosives of a terrorist organization in Egypt brought the entire Team together.  The Team provided immediate help for the overwhelmed Oasis hospital and community personnel.  Tilden, the alien who had been giving Margo’s brother Bryce heart-burn, joined the Team when they returned to their base in Omaha after the Mission. 

The Team returned to their respective locations, but Bart informed Tomas, Judith, Derek, and Margo of another Mission to another planet!

1—Warning Shots

Derek and Margo had barely unpacked after their European vacation with Tomas and Judith.  The vacation had included numerous Missions.  Then, Derek’s company sent him to Mexico.  His time there and his return were far from peaceful.  He was looking forward to getting back to a new normal when Parallel Command informed the Team of the urgent request for their help on another planet, in a parallel universe, about which they knew very little.

Parallel Command informed Derek that he and Margo would likely be away as much as a week Earth-time.  That could be a problem unless he could talk his boss into another week of time off. Henderson was a good CEO, but it would require some convincing.

Gerard Henderson listened to Derek’s redacted version of his harrowing time in Mexico with awe and a certain amount of guilt.  Derek had just returned from a month-long vacation to Europe when Henderson sent him on the buying/contract negotiation trip.  His knowledge of Spanish made him the obvious choice.

Derek was the best human relations person with whom Henderson had ever worked.  He had a way with people that kept the Gaylord & Sons’ furnishings business running smoothly.  His keen insight into human nature encouraged a spirit of cooperation and loyalty among long-term employees.  Such commitment made the company thrive while other similar companies were failing.

Without a doubt, Derek’s gentle persuasion had changed the slowly failing business into a steadily growing family.  As the attitudes of janitors, engineers, office staff, and supervisors improved, so did the quality of their products.  This attitude, in turn, had a positive effect on buyers.

The owner of one of the stores that stocked Gaylord & Sons’ furnishings admitted, I could order by phone or internet, but I come here to get a positive attitude fix.  Your people have a way of rubbing off on me—and my employees like it.

As Derek concluded his narrative, Henderson said, "If someone hadn’t sent these newspaper clippings, I would have thought you were exaggerating.  Did you know that the owner of the company, and his wife, ... he picked up the letters from his desk ... Alton and Marguerite Raimerez ... wrote me long letters of thanks, describing your heroics?"

Really!  Derek was stunned.

Have a look.  You saved their lives! And Raimerez commented that your interaction with his various employees changed their work ethic. He didn’t know how, but it did.

As Derek skimmed over the letters, Henderson continued.  Yesterday, when you asked for extra time off, I thought you were exaggerating what all you went through on your trip.  I’m sorry if I sounded like a Doubting Thomas.

I was there, Derek replied, "and I have trouble believing it myself. I get cold sweats just reading these notes and remembering.

I’m just a human relations flunky hoping to retire in a few years.  What do I know about gangs and espionage, and alien ships—much less negotiating contracts?  But I was there.  I know it was real.

"Well, after what I’ve heard and read, you deserve to take as much time as you need to rest, relax, and recover.  It wasn’t fair of me to send you on that trip so soon after getting back from vacation.  If I had known how difficult and dangerous it would be, I wouldn’t have considered sending anyone.

However, your purchases and contracts were spot-on!  Congratulations!  Jasmine tells me you did a bang-up job on the negotiations also.  She said she couldn’t have done any better herself.  That is saying a lot!

Thanks.  Margo was concerned enough to ask her boss for a week off also. She has some unused sick-leave coming, and he agreed.

"Good!  You probably have unused sick-leave coming yourself.  If you need more than a week, let me know, but I need your help with some interviews we have scheduled in two weeks.  You always seem to see through the masks people wear.

Thanks again for the tremendous work you put in on these deals.

You’re welcome.

A few hours later, he and Margo were with the rest of the Mission Team in Egypt, carrying out a Mission there, before heading home.  Home....  Home was becoming a place they longed for, but it was not to be yet.  Maybe after this Mission....

Bart, the Ship’s supercomputer, warned the four Team members, Belt yourselves in, please.  This ride will be rough, I’m afraid.  A barf bag may come in handy.

The warning was an understatement!  Thankfully, after suiting up except for face masks, all four heeded Bart’s warning.

Margo, who had the least experience in interdimensional and interstellar travel through wormholes and in space-warp, emptied her stomach several times.

Derek felt sorry for his wife and would have shared his bag with her, but one more stomach-churning twirl and jerk would yield an explosion from his stomach.  All he could do was close his eyes, swallow deeply, and pray the Ship would settle down, soon!

One more flip and jerk had everyone grabbing for barf-bags, but the motion stopped abruptly with a final yank.  Everyone, except Margo, gulped and closed their bags.  Margo gave one more dry heave into hers.  The calm allowed her to wipe her mouth with a towel Derek handed her and seal her bag.

We’ve arrived at the edge of the Sirius star system in Parallel 88102, Bart informed them.  "It will take a few more minutes of warp speed to arrive near the atmosphere of an earth-like planet called Caledronium.  Parallel received an urgent request via a chain of parallels for an unusual intervention and rescue.

To arrive here, we have passed through six parallel universes beyond your Earth parallel.  This is the seventh.  Many of the other parallels are far more advanced than either the Earth Parallel or even Qualto, but none of them has a Team willing to take on this Mission.

Derek asked, Why us?

Believe it or not, your Team’s successes have made ripples in at least ten parallels.  In the relatively short time your Team has been functioning, you have become a consistently successful model.  One of Tilden’s functions in the Earth parallel is to learn from you and take what he learns back to his parallel and his planet.

Are you saying, Margo asked, that our Team created something unique in all the universes?

This Team, Bart replied, "and the Qualto Team coordinated a mission process unparalleled in all known parallels.  Qualto believes it was the ingenuity, imagination, and integrity of your Earth Team that tweaked the missions in ways their Teams thought impossible.  Your willingness to take unbelievable risks, or as you say, ‘leaps of faith,’ created new avenues of rescue not possible before.

There was one other element you doggedly adhered to:  your mission statement.

Derek’s brow scrunched in concentration.  "But, the declaration that ‘Violence begets violence; peace begets peace,’ came from our instructions in Qualto."

Many parallels sent their teams with similar mission statements, Bart replied, but in the heat of battle, they allowed that declaration to fade from their mission mandates.  As a result, they all–every team–began using their tools and protective devices as weapons, fostering violence instead of peace.

The Team sat in stunned silence as the Ship sped toward Caledronium.

The four friends had well-defined roles, but leadership shifted, depending on location. Tomas, who was the most technologically trained, was the official Team Leader. However, if the Mission was earth-based, he worked behind the scenes.  He and Judith were from Qualto, a Parallel planet.  On earth, their leadership would break the universal Non-Interference Law.  Tomas had no qualms about turning over the lead—especially on the ground—to Derek.  Here on Caledronium, they were all guilty of breaking that Law.  Derek and Tomas agreed to coordinate leadership, beginning with Tomas in the lead.

Brace yourselves for evasive actions, Bart announced. A Caledronian ship has fired a missile our way. It appears to be a smart one.  Evasive actions are not working.

Tomas said, Cloak and see if it has any effect.

The Team was glued to the monitors, watching the missile grow from a tiny speck to the size of a basketball.  In the time it took to cloak, the missile seemed to stall and fall.

Bart, keep the missile in sight.

The monitors showed that they had only been seeing the tip of the missile.  The tubular projectile seemed to tumble its way to a wooded area.  An enormous fiery explosion engulfed a vast area turning the trees to ashes in seconds when it landed.

That was aimed at us! Margo exclaimed.  Did it just run out of gas, or did our Ship’s cloak work?

Bart responded, "Parallel received some intelligence about their weapons and sent two probes to investigate.  Based on that information, they augmented and boosted our Ship’s cloaking devices.  From reports they received when our assistance request came, Parallel also made other Shields adjustments to provide added protection for all our equipment.

"However, to determine the changes the Caledronians have made to their equipment, significant risks are involved.  I’ll warn you of those risks as they confront us.

"I am monitoring all communication on the planet.  With some tweaking, I’ve given us a band unavailable to the Calaedronian ship monitors. You are free to use your computers and communication devices.

By the way, they refer to their ships as COBs—Caledronian Obedience Boats. That’s my best translation of the term.

Margo said, COBs? I guess you could say their ships look like corn cobs.

Spoken like a true ‘Cornhusker,’ Derek quipped.

Margo smiled and stuck out her tongue at her husband.  Maybe we should give our Ship a more fitting name too.  How about ... ‘PAL’—Parallel Assistance Launch?"

Parallel Assistance Launch ... I like it! Judith piped in.  PAL!  It has a certain ring to it.

Tomas agreed. It describes the Ship pretty well.

Ok! Derek conceded.  I’d pit our PAL against their COB any day.  PAL it is.

Bart added, Shall I inform Parallel of your acronym for this Ship?

Good idea, Tomas said.  It might save confusion in the future."

The Team immediately went to their computers, attempting to gather additional pertinent information. Each chose a different area of search recommended by Bart and supplemented by the master computer’s database.

Bart, Tomas asked, any indication where we can set up a base of operation on Caledronium?

I’ve scanned the entire planet three times as we orbit.  There appears to be one dead zone unaffected by the local Teams’ activities, possibly because they can’t penetrate that area.  It’s an enormous crater the locals call Merkator’s Folly," named for Mystagio Merkator, the explorer who died after multiple expensive and painful attempts to enter the crater. Interesting and amusing stories you might enjoy reading sometime....

My scan indicates ancient volcanic activity. However, there is also evidence of several extensive ancient meteorite strikes or anomalous explosions that vitrified the caldera's walls.  I’m bringing the Ship in closer to determine safety concerns.

Good, Derek said. It could be an ideal safe-zone for us.

I’m receiving some unusual readings, Bart announced.  "This crater appears to be surrounded by some strange, ancient electrical or energy disruptive barrier. Parallel augmented my sensors, based on our probes' reports, enabling me to penetrate the electronic barrier.

"Interesting....  It is tempting me to get wrapped up in the mathematical computations planted in the barrier.  Thanks to my sensor upgrade, I can filter that out....  To a lesser computer, the wall would be a death-trap.  All computations appear to project self-destruction of all life-sustaining electronics, a steep climb to the edge of space, and a rapid plummet to the center of a barren plain. The remnants of several unidentifiable objects are splattered over a wide area.

"The crater itself is twice the size of the Omaha sprawl, with caldera walls several miles tall.  There appears to be no breach in the walls.  A large deep lake has formed in the southwestern portion of the crater. The locals refer to it as ‘Lake of Death.’ Again, stories abound about people who entered but never returned. It’s not certain how they got inside in the first place or how anyone survived to tell tales if no one got out.

"The rest of the crater is heavily forested with very ancient trees and flora.  Hight-flying birds seem to be unaffected by the cloak, nor are several small animals.  I’m not sure how small animals penetrate the wall.  The lake is fresh-water and contains several species of fish.

"The crater raises several questions: How did the fish and animals get in? From where does the lake receive freshwater? What is the source of the freshwater, and where does it go?

"Interesting also is that the crater walls emit a strange type of energy that disrupts normal communication. Even with Parallel’s adjustment, it has taken considerable manipulation for me to ‘see’ beyond the walls.  I can detect the radiation trail left by the local ships—the COBs, including the remnants of one that seems to have crashed, attempting to penetrate the invisible barrier.  But the COBs appear to be avoiding the crater by several miles.

Further analyses of the energy the walls emit indicate they could disrupt or possibly destroy communication and navigation devices not shielded as we are.  It is doubtful any Caledonian craft has flown over the crater.  I detected one satellite stationed in space over the area. Its images of the area around the crater are crystal clear, but its images within a mile of the crater and the crater itself are distorted.

Can your sensors read beyond the distortions? Derek asked.

Yes, I’ll bring the caldera into view.  Because of the size of the area, I will only display the lake and the southwest portion of the wall.

Margo studied the image carefully.  There appears to be a narrow path to the crater, but it looks steep and ends several feet from the wall.

Probably only used by animals, Judith added.  Wait!  Inside the wall....  Can you see the path leading from the wall to the lake—as if there may be a passage under or through the wall?

It looks well-hidden and very steep also, Margo added.

Bart reported, My sensors indicate that some limited humanoid DNA in addition to several species of animals have used the path.

Make a safety check of the area, please, Bart, Tomas requested.  It may be a perfect staging area for us if radiation won’t fry us and the air, water, and vegetation are safe.

All readings are excellent.

Good.  Let’s go in for a closer look.

Bart brought the cloaked Ship to a position a mile above the lake.

Hold us here, Derek said.  Zoom in on that path. I see movement there, but I also see a COB approaching a small town about four or five miles from the crater.  Check them both out for us, Bart.

There is a lone male on the inner rim of the crater.  He appears to be young, possibly a teenager.  The path he’s following looks very steep and leads over a large incline.  The path descends to the base of the caldera wall and what looks like a hidden tunnel entrance.

The COB is fully armed and slowly approaching the small town four miles from the crater. I’ve intercepted their communication and translated it. Here is a replay.

...you have been warned! Tribute has not been received.  Prepare to reap your reward.  You will serve as another example for others of what happens to those who oppose us.

The Team watched as the COB landed a mile south of the town.  A small squad of people in protective suits rushed out of the ship and set up an apparatus they aimed at the city. Once satisfied with their installation, they ran back into the COB. It rose straight up about 50 feet and moved another two miles south.  Seconds later, a flash was seen from the apparatus, and an even larger blinding flash decimated the entire town. The COB cloaked and was gone.

The Team sat in disbelieving silence.

Finally, Judith asked, Are there any survivors, Bart?

"There are no visible survivors in the town. Some may have escaped the devastation underground.  The lone survivor appears to be the young man you saw on the trail inside the caldera.

I lost sight of him for a minute.  He was on a very steep ridge about 200 yards from the base of the wall.  The explosion came as he climbed down and must have caused him to turn too quickly and fall.  I see him at the base of the steep incline.

Derek said, We can’t do anything for the town, but let’s see if we can help the boy. What’s our best access to his location?

I am still calibrating the interference frequencies from the crater walls and from inside the caldera.  Until I’ve finished, it would be wise to attempt to enter through the hidden entrance. I can get you close and plot that route for you.

Thanks, Bart.

As the Ship landed near the base of the strange volcano, Bart informed the Team, I recommend wearing your face masks. The interference from the crater makes air analysis difficult.

Donning their masks, Margo and Judith grabbed their medical bags and headed for the hatch.  Bring a litter, Judith instructed the men.  She and Margo headed for the steep path.  When they turned to look back, they realized that the volcano’s caldera made their huge Ship look small.

Looking ahead, they could see a small portion of the trail from a distance, but the entrance was hidden.  They searched the hard, dry sandy soil for clues.  After a few fruitless minutes, Margo said, Bart, we need help finding the beginning of the path.

I’ll project the hidden path on your face masks.

Thanks! That helps. No wonder few people ever found it.  It’s hard to believe it’s right here in front of me, even with your projection.  That oblong rock hides the animal trail under and through those prickly bushes. The only way in is on hands and knees.

It looks like a dead-end just ahead. ...No... wait... Yes! Around that boulder....  Yes!  It is so well hidden, but I see it now.  No way I’d have found it without you, Bart.  Thanks.

You’re welcome, Margo.  Proceed with caution. I can only project portions of the interior trail.  I still have too much interference.

Derek and Tomas caught up with the women. The Team quickly followed Margo over the oblong boulder, under a bush, around another large boulder, and into a narrow tunnel that appeared to be a dead-end cave. Bart’s directions sent them to a small niche behind a large basalt rock and into another tunnel about four feet tall and three feet wide.

They appreciated the lights their masks produced as they continued.  The tunnel was pitch-black, with smooth, glass-like walls. It wound around almost 180o before turning back.  Had it not been for the lights on her mask, Margo would have fallen into a deep pit.

Can you pass the stretcher forward?  I need it to crawl over this pit.  Once over the pit, she continued around another sharp curve.  Light from outside began to filter in several feet around another bend.  They crawled toward the opening to a cave, which allowed them to stand for a short time before the low ceiling forced them to crawl on hands and knees.  They crawled through another winding path of soft, damp sand. The women exited the trail under a scraggly bush.  Managing the litter was a challenge, but the men made it.

Derek said, If we have to carry him out on this stretcher, we’ll have to think of something else.  We barely got it through that last sharp turn empty. It was a real hairpin curve.

Once we reach him, Tomas said, if he’s still alive, we can hope Bart has finished the calibrations so the Ship can come in close enough to hoist him aboard.

The further they crawled, the more natural light replaced that provided by their masks.  Around the next bend, the source of the light revealed itself—a two-inch crack between two huge boulders.  In the lead now, Judith had been afraid they’d come to a dead-end, but Bart’s map on her mask revealed another hidden opening.

If I didn’t have your help Bart, I’d have turned around and given up.  No wonder few people enter the crater.

As if on cue, the tunnel opened into a larger cave where they could stand up.  The Team could see the light coming from the top of a jagged path leading to the open air.  Large bushes hid the entrance.

The climb up to the entrance was challenging because of the sharp basalt rocks littering and lining the uneven path.

How in the world did that boy find his way through that entrance? Margo wondered.  I hope he’s still alive.

Derek and Tomas followed the women out of the entrance carrying the litter.  With Bart’s directions, they found the teen not far from the exit.  He had fallen ten feet from the narrow path he was taking to return to the tunnel.  The sandy loam and a bed of decaying leaves had cushioned his fall somewhat.  His fishing gear and a strange-looking fish had also fallen not far from where he landed.

At first sight, the Team could see that he was breathing but was unconscious.  He had a bleeding head wound Judith and Margo dealt with immediately.  They stopped the bleeding with a sterile pad and began to check his vital signs. Once they determined those were reasonably safe, they methodically checked to see if he had any broken bones or other apparent injuries.  Using a hand-held computer, Judith scanned his body from head to toe before they moved him.

Bart, any serious injuries or broken bones?

He has a slight concussion and a sprained ankle, but all other systems appear to be within the normal range.

Bart, Derek asked, it sounds like you worked out the electrical interference problem. Can you bring the Ship in close enough for us to bring him on board?

The terrain will make it close, but I believe I can reduce the Shield and use it to avoid problems.  The Ship is still cloaked, so prepare to see the hatch open a few feet to the south.

Tomas asked, Is the cloaking necessary here?

It may not be, but I’ll monitor the COB communication to make certain they can’t follow our trail after the Ship enters the caldera. It doesn’t hurt to be safe.

Understood.

Tomas helped Judith and Margo place the boy on the litter.  Derek joined them in lifting the teen up and over a large pile of pumice and jagged volcanic rocks.  Seconds later, the hatch opened out of thin air.  Tomas and Judith lifted their end of the litter onto the Ship’s floor, four feet above where they were standing.  Then they pulled themselves into the Ship and helped Derek and Margo slide the young man the rest of the way.  In a short time, all were aboard, and the hatch closed.

2—The Expedition

Issius Targum was an early riser.  Unlike most of his classmates, Izzy, as his friends called him, was out the door an hour before the pink moonset of Oridor and the golden sun, Pilorum, cast their glow.  Each night, before reading himself to sleep, he packed his backpack with kobby fruit, hepper nuts, green water, an adventure book, and a journal.  Once or twice each week, he also attached his fishing tackle. 

He grabbed the reeler-rod his parents gave him for his fourteenth birthday, less than a moon-set ago.  Izzy had rigged a holder for the rod on his backpack, allowing him to jog the steep, twisting four-mile mountain trail to the secret tunnel entrance and cave.  The deep mysterious lake on the other side of the caldera, its Pectin fish, and the strange and unusual forest beyond the lake were like magnets drawing him back most mornings when he didn’t have school.

Both of his parents were athletic, often jogging to the crater and back most mornings.  From the time he was old enough to do so, Izzy joined them on their early morning jogs. It was an excellent time for them to catch up on what was happening in their lives.  When they slept in, Izzy jogged by himself.

As he grew older, the five-foot-two-inch, slender teen was more reluctant to run with his parents.  Their lives as professors and research physicists seemed rather dull.  They had given up studying the mysterious crater since none of their instruments functioned within a hundred yards of it.

However, Izzy, on the other hand, considered it a challenge.  While the girls in his class at school practically drooled at the sight of his handsome, darkly tanned bronze skin and his neatly trimmed, curly red hair, Izzy was oblivious to their advances.  It wasn’t that he didn’t like girls. He did. But they seemed to be so giddy and immature. The one girl he kind of liked, ..., liked a lot, was Felicia Farenthrop, who appeared to be someone Dustin Zimmer wanted to date.  Since Dustin was a senior and the cratchetball hero, Izzy didn’t think she would be interested in a nerd like him. 

Izzy was an excellent student, receiving the highest marks possible in most of his subjects.  His track and field scores were also among the best, coming close to beating some school records. His coach was sure he could if he put more dedication into practice. But at this stage of his life, Izzy was obsessed with the crater and the lake rumored to be there.

Legends abounded concerning people who had scaled the caldera's steep vertical walls—the remnants of an ancient volcanic eruption.  Those who made it to the top