George rubbed his eyes, then got out of bed, continuing to stare at the spot where the Ziphon had been a moment before.

Should he call Jiu Na, or Donna Tereza? Had they had a visit from the Ziphon too?

Looking over at his dresser, George was alarmed to see the pouch with the Uth stone glowing brightly. He went over and picked it up. Staring inside, he saw the stone glowing more brilliantly than he had ever seen it. He touched it, and the heat nearly burned his finger.

George suddenly sensed something at his window. Turning, he could see a glowing object on the grass a few feet from his house. Going over to the window, he saw in amazement that it appeared to be another Uth stone, exactly like the one he was holding!

George flung open the window, and leaned out to look at it more closely. Incredibly, it was indeed another stone, glowing with a pulsing light that George could sense was matched by his own, which still lay in its pouch in his hand.

George was about to go through the window to the new Uth stone, but suddenly hesitated. Was it a trap? How had the Uth stone got there? Had it come with another fallen star? But there was no star in sight.

Had the stone been brought by someone? Yet the protector had said the Grak couldn’t touch the Uth stone. Surely they couldn’t have brought it. George’s heart was pounding in his throat.

Still unsure what to do, he slipped the ring from his finger and put it in his ear. “Calling Jiu Na,” he said firmly. There was no answer. “Calling Jiu Na!” he said again with greater urgency. Why didn’t she answer? She had always responded quickly before.

George’s mind was racing. The Ziphon had said the time was now. Another Uth stone was outside, and his own Uth stone was glowing. Something was clearly happening. Yet, George still had no clue what he was supposed to do, and no idea of what he could do to stop the Grak.

“Calling Jiu Na,” George repeated again, firmly. Why didn’t she answer? With sudden inspiration, George said, “Calling Donna Tereza.” Maybe at least she would respond. But there was still no answer at all.

Should he try to call the protector? But if he did, wouldn’t that play into the hands of the Grak? Indeed, George realized with sudden horror, wasn’t that why Jiu Na and Donna Tereza were not answering? They had all received their rings from the protector, and if he was on the Grak’s side, then he probably was controlling their communications. In fact, he had probably listened in on each of the conversations Jiu Na and he had had in which they had talked about their suspicions of him!

A sudden shadow appeared to the left of the window. Before George could pull back or do anything there was a loud crack, and a whip darted inside the open window and curled tightly around him, binding him fast.

“NO!” George cried in desperation. Before he could do or say anything else, the whip was pulled tight and he was jerked through the window, falling with a thud to the ground. Rough hands grabbed him from behind and stuffed a gag in his mouth, and tied his hands and feet. He felt a wave of cold and despair wash across him. He was turned roughly around and found himself staring into the face of another Grak, smiling at him cruelly, its foul breath nearly overpowering him.

Turning, George saw in shock that his father was standing a short distance away, his head bowed in sadness. Slowly his father walked over to the Uth stone, picked it up, and put it in a small envelope he pulled from his pocket.

George’s eyes opened wide in wonder. His father had brought an Uth stone! How did he get it, and why did he have it? His father looked up at him with glazed, sad eyes. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

The Grak roughly picked George up and flung him over its shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He saw another Grak grab his father. Then they started to move with amazing speed, racing down the streets that led out of town and toward the fallen star.

George tried to pound the Grak with his fists and kick with his legs, but was bound so tightly that he could hardly move. He tried to sing ‘Joy to the World,’ but with the gag in his mouth he could do nothing more than choke.

A waive of despair flooded over him. This was crazy. The whole thing was crazy. He was just a kid in California. He couldn’t stop a race of intergalactic monsters. He should have told the police or his mother or even Janet about what was going on. And now, tonight, he had let himself be distracted when he saw the other Uth stone, and had been easily captured. It had been no trouble at all for the Grak to get him.

In panic, George saw that they had reached the outskirts of town and were moving rapidly toward the field with the fallen star. He struggled again, trying to work his way free, but it was no use. He tried to cry out, but merely gagged on the cloth that had been rammed in his mouth by the Grak.

Suddenly, George heard a voice in his ear.

“George!” it said in a worried tone. “Are you all right?”

George’s mind reeled. Where was the voice coming from, and whose’ voice was it?

“George!” the voice repeated. “Answer me. Are you all right?”

In shock George realized it was the voice of the protector. The communication ring was still in his ear, unnoticed by the Grak.

George tried to answer, but of course could only gag and grunt.

“What’s that?” said the voice. “Did you say something? Is anything happening?”

George grunted and coughed again.

“I can hear something,” said the protector. “Can’t you answer? If something is preventing you from answering, try to make three quick noises in a row.”

George did his best, although with the Grak carrying him so roughly he nearly had the wind knocked out of him with every step.

“You’re in trouble!” yelled the voice. “I’ll be right there!”

George’s mind was reeling. Wasn’t the protector in league with the Grak? But if so, why had he sounded so desperate and worried, and said he would come right away to help? Had George been wrong about the Ziphon’s warning regarding betrayal by the person he least suspected?

The Grak carrying George abruptly stopped. Twisting around, George could see that they were at the clearing with the fallen star. At least a dozen Grak were there, smiling cruelly. The creature who had carried him dumped him unceremoniously on the ground. George tried to stand, but his bindings held him fast. He could only struggle and grunt. The Grak laughed, with a sound like ripping metal.

George spotted his father at the edge of the crowd, being shoved and kicked by the Grak. He tried in vain to call out to him. Then George’s eyes widened. There was a small spaceship there, hardly noticeable in the dark because of its black paint. The Grak were pushing his father inside it.

His father turned and looked at George. There was a piercing sadness and a yearning, pleading look in his eyes. In the split second their eyes met George recognized the Dad he had known, who used to laugh and joke and make their home so pleasant. It was as if his father were reaching out to him with his eyes, pleading for understanding, for forgiveness, for hope. George knew in that instant that his father would never betray him, but had been used and controlled by the Grak.

And then the connection was broken as the Grak shoved his father through the doorway and slammed the hatch. In a matter of seconds the spaceship hummed, then roared into the sky and out of sight.

The Grak in the clearing were running back and forth, grunting to each other urgently, preparing for some unknown event that was about to happen. Suddenly George was picked up and tossed toward the fallen star. He landed next to it with a crunch, his legs buckling beneath him in pain. He felt the communicator ring fall from his ear.

A Grak standing next to the fallen star laughed, then roughly lifted him up and without warning, swung a large, curved knife straight toward his heart.