After the dust had settled, the hard part came, but not without a few surprises. It turns out the Gigadeus had been programmed to operate on an AI on the orders of Dr. Woodward. Later analysis would show that it was to break Dr. Woodward out from the Military Police prison, and then from there, open a portal to my clients' world to launch an attack. The New World Order had plans to escape this world and start anew in theirs, but now with their portal and base destroyed, they had no means of executing the plan anymore. Many were caught by Dastun and are awaiting trial, but many also escaped. Some will probably lie low in the underground until they can make their way to The Wilds or The Wastes and some will probably become vagabonds in the countless tunnels the crisscross underneath the city.
After we returned to the base, I found myself greeting Dorothy and my kids. Once again, the New World Order had tried to cause trouble, but we had put a stop to their plans. Only after Dorothy got the kids off of me was I able to thank my clients for their help in saving my world. They, in turn, thanked me and Beck, for saving theirs.
And so, with the case now officially closed, Beck was able to go back to work, along with Dorothy, researching methods with the portal they had created to send our clients home. It has been two months since their arrival. As they waited, they've been helping around the house, with Big O's maintenance, and the cars' maintenance surprisingly. They're very good mechanics and even helped Norman with maintenance on the Griffon. The turbo now has a stronger burst of speed, especially after Hammond fiddled with it. As a reward, I let him drive the car around the city. Much to the relief of his colleagues, he didn't crash it.
We invited Beck, Yumi, Dastun, and Angel over one night to celebrate our victory with our new found friends. And it turns out, there was some unexpected surprises that night…
"So, I have some good news for a change," Beck began.
Dinner had been a potluck that night. Everyone had contributed to the feast with a signature dish they were known for doing well. While the spread turned out to be an eclectic hodgepodge of foods from different cultures and backgrounds, it was all delicious. And the good food had prompted May to grab the last of his gin bottles and bring them to the dining hall, pouring a shot glass for everyone. Norman then served them to everyone at the table, including himself. Beck continued.
"It turns out Crow Bird and I figured out our portal and well… boys, you can go home. Or stay! But the option to go home is now officially on the table."
Clarkson, May, and Hammond looked at him and Dorothy, dumbfounded.
"We can go home?" said Hammond in a small voice. He then turned to his colleagues. "We can go home… WE CAN GO HOME!"
"About bloody time!" yelled Clarkson, standing up, shaking both Dorothy and Beck's hands, "We can't thank you enough!"
Dorothy smiled. "I'm just glad we were able to help."
May grinned as he raised his glass.
"A toast!" called out May.
May lifted his glass up high. "To our new mates and our fellow negotiators, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, for protecting us and keeping us safe in your city, for allowing us to help you in your time of need, and for fostering bonds of friendship that will outlast the spans of the universe. May good blessings always find you and keep you in good company."
"Here, here!" everyone called out, and they raised their glasses and drank. Beck, who had already been drinking, sighed loudly.
"That… is the smoothest gin, I've ever had. Good job… mate," said Beck, before hiccupping. Yumi smacked him on the back of the head.
"Jason! Don't be rude."
Beck shook his head as Roger looked at Dorothy. She had raised her glass, but had not drank it. Roger raised an eyebrow.
"Dorothy? Are you alright? Why haven't you drink your gin?"
Dorothy gave a small smile to Roger and then turned to look at May.
"Oh, James. It's nothing against you. Nothing at all. You see…"
Dorothy hands moved toward her stomach. Roger, who had been taking a bite of food, dropped his fork with a loud clatter, staring at her.
"Well, it turns out, with all the hustle and bustle, I've forgot to tell you Roger, but… I'm pregnant."
Roger eyes grew wide as well as his smile. He rose from his chair and pulled Dorothy to his feet.
"How long?" he asked, grinning.
"10 weeks…" said Dorothy, blushing.
Cheers of congratulations erupted in the dining hall as the twins began jumping up and down, cheering they were going to have another sibling. The only person not cheering was Beck, who glared at Roger, but Roger wasn't paying attention. He was kissing Dorothy, happy at the news he was going to be a dad again, once more.
"Well isn't this marvelous!" said Hammond excitedly, getting up and collecting everyone's glasses. "We're having another toast. I want to pour it this time May!"
May shook his head as Hammond poured the drinks. Norman then collected them once he was done and passed them out to everyone. Hammond raised his glass.
"To the future baby of our friends! May it be healthy and strong, kind, and a blessing to everyone!" Hammond cheered.
"HERE HERE!" and everyone drank again.
"You know Crow Boy, you really need to stop populating the Earth with your spawn," said Beck, moping.
Yumi slapped Beck on the back of the head again, only catching him off guard, and he face planted in his food.
"And you need to get to work on giving me a baby!" yelled Yumi. Yumi then realized what she had said out loud, turning bright red, but everyone then roared with laughter, as Beck cleaned himself up, grumbling.
Having drank heartily and ate merrily, everyone had gone their separate ways for the night. Hammond and Clarkson were busy packing up their things. The trio had decided they had been a burden on the Smiths long enough and wanted to go home the following day.
"It's strange, really," said Hammond, packing up his clothes, "I'm going to miss this world."
Clarkson shook his head. "Why? Because you're literally a 'Driving God?'"
"No… well, maybe that. But because… well… we won't see them again."
The conversation had come up after dinner if the portal should be allowed to continue existing after the trio went home. There had been a long discussion, but it was Clarkson, Hammond, and May that suggested and insisted that the portal be destroyed once they had crossed through. Clarkson noticed Hammond becoming hyper focused on packing his socks.
"And well… we just found out Miss Dorothy is going to have a baby, and… I dunno mate… I guess I'm feeling sentimental. I kinda want to know what the baby will be… and who's going to teach it auto mechanics, how to fly a giant robot with a sword…."
Clarkson put a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I'm going to miss them too. But we agreed, it was for the best. Our world… it's not ready for their world. I wouldn't put it past anyone trying to come here and conquer it or destroy it. And honestly… I don't want that for either side."
Clarkson went back to packing his belongings, then looked over at May's bed.
"Where is that man? We're getting up bright and early and he's barely packed," said Clarkson annoyed.
"James said he had to grab something from his car."
"Speaking of the cars, what are we going to do with the Alfa and the Dodge?"
The cars were still totaled and Norman couldn't find any replacement parts or substitutes to get them operational. They had been sitting in the hangar, though now most of the fluids had leaked out or had been drained by Norman. Hammond sighed.
"It's going to be hard to explain to the insurance company why we only have the Ferrari and not the other two, mainly because of me. And I guess… I never apologize properly for your Alfa, Jezza. I'm sorry. If it hadn't been for me…" Hammond began, but Clarkson shook his head.
"Forget it. Besides, not every day I can say crashed a robot into the sea."
"But that was your favorite Alfa though…"
"Hammond, forget it. Besides, had it not been for you, well… I wouldn't had piloted Enoch."
Hammond smiled as he finished packing his bag. Clarkson, however, stopped packing.
"I'm going to go find May. He needs to finish."
Hammond nodded. "I'll tag along."
They walked out of the room, down the hall, through the living room, and to the lift. Hammond shut the gate and the lift began to descend.
"Have you thought of anything to say to your Big friend tomorrow?" asked Clarkson.
Since the portal was at the SCA HQ, they would be heading to the base tomorrow. Roger had suggested to Hammond to at least say good bye to the Bigs, so that nothing would happen.
"I'm still working on it. I've grown quite fond of him. But… I don't think I could ever accept such a responsibility. There's so much to be aware of and… well…"
Clarkson nodded. "It's the same with Enoch. I don't think I could be a full-time pilot. Though Roger holds a full-time job and pilots on the side, with a family. Don't know how the man does it."
"Well, I guess having a wife as your business partner and a butler who knows how to fix cars and giant robots does help."
Clarkson chuckled. "Yeah, that probably does."
The lift sounded and they walked out into the hangar. They found May, with his arms folded, in a deep state of thought, staring at the car.
"May! May!" Clarkson called out and May turned toward them as they walked over, "What are you doing?"
"I'm thinking," replied May.
All three turned to look at the cars.
"Well, wot about?" asked Hammond.
"It's going to be hard to explain to the insurance why there's only one car, instead of three, especially for you, Hammond," said May.
"Jeremy and I were just talking about that. So… do you have any ideas?"
"I do."
"Well?"
"I'm leaving my car."
Clarkson and Hammond looked at each other, then back at May.
"That's a Ferrari," said Clarkson slowly, "A Ferrari 458. Have you lost your mind?"
"We've been asking ourselves that since we first arrived, Jezza. No, I am quite sane. It'll be more believable if we say all cars crashed in the loch," replied May.
"You're mental. No one will believe that."
"They will if we say Hammond caused the chain reaction."
"HEY!"
"It's true, Hammond. That's the only way I see our way out of difficult questions. We're already going to have to come up with a story as to how we survived the wilds of Scotland or where ever we were for two months, and that's hopefully if they don't chuck us into the mad house," said May.
Hammond shook his head. "Why is it always me?"
Clarkson and May chuckled. Then May walked over to a work table, with Clarkson and Hammond following him.
"What are you doing now?" asked Hammond.
"This," and May pointed at what he was working on the table.
Three small toy cars were on the table, well at least that's what they would be. So far, May had only created three chassis on the table. Hammond took one, inspecting it closely.
"Wait a minute, this is the chassis for the Dodge. My Dodge. Blimey… is all this from eye sight?"
May nodded. "I have a feeling their baby will be a boy. Well, that's what Miss Dorothy told me anyway."
"Really?" asked Clarkson, inspecting the chassis for his Alfa.
"On top of leaving the cars, which I thought they could try to reverse engineer the technology and help them move forward, since they lost so much over that Event of theirs, I thought about leaving something for their kids and marking the news that they're expecting. They won't remember us probably, and well, their future child will have an interesting story behind these.
Hammond and Clarkson looked on the table and found three more sets of chassis on the table.
"Norman got me some materials, so I'm going to be up tonight, finishing… Clarkson, what are you doing?"
Clarkson had went to go grab a chair and came back with it. Hammond followed suit.
"First of all, I don't trust you getting the Alfa's details right, so I'm helping."
May scowled at Clarkson. "The only thing you're good with is a hammer."
Hammond returned with his chair and sat down. "Enough gents. Let's get to work. I frankly want to get some sleep before returning home."
And all three sat down, working on the toy model cars of their cars they had brought to Paradigm.
"So, you see… it's really been a pleasure, being your pilot, and I hope you can understand why I have to go. My family is probably missing me terribly. I can't thank you enough for helping me protect them, protecting my world, and I hope I was able to protect yours to the best of my abilities. I'm sure you'll find a pilot soon enough."
Hammond was alone on the catwalk with all three Bigs, while Roger, Beck, Clarkson, and May stood off to the side, watching. While he was addressing mainly Big Duo, Hammond was standing in the center, talking to all of them at the same time.
"I know, you all three thought I was like Roger. But, to be honest, I'm just a bloke with a car show who has a tendency to crash… A LOT. But at least now I can say, I'm a bloke with a car show who has a tendency to crash a lot, but has piloted a God, surely more magnificent than any piece of machinery I've ever encountered, and now, hopefully worthy of the moniker Mr. Beck gave me, Driving God."
The Bigs eyes flashed and each of them offered their right arms, with one finger extended. Hammond understood. Hammond walked through, shaking Big Fau's first, then Big O's, stopping for a moment.
"Thank you for the ear plugs, mate. I couldn't had survived these past months without those," Hammond whispered, "And thanks for helping me that day."
Big O's eyes flashed and Hammond moved down to Big Duo.
"I am going to miss you the most. I learned a lot about myself, thanks to you. And it seems, you learned about yourself as well. I have full confidence you'll find your pilot soon, like I said. Just be patient until then, and try not to crash in any sand dunes."
Big Duo's eyes flashed as Hammond grabbed his finger, then Hammond released it and all the Bigs returned back to standing. Roger and Beck breathed a sigh of relief.
"That went better than I expected," said Roger.
"Speak for yourself," said Beck, lighting a cigarette, "I'm gonna smoke this and be downstairs in a moment to settle my nerves."
Roger shook his head as Hammond walked back towards them.
"Well, did you say all that you needed to say?" asked Clarkson.
Hammond nodded. "They'll be alright. And I hope there won't be any problems after we leave."
Roger chuckled. "There won't be. But this gives them closure. I think at times, even I forget, they have the same needs as us."
Clarkson and May looked confused as Hammond smiled.
"They are more human than I give them credit for," said Hammond, pausing to stare at the Bigs one last time. Then they all turned and walked away, heading downstairs.
Roger, Dorothy, Norman, and the children were on the beach front, along with Beck, Yumi, Angel, and Dastun. The portal was on as Beck and Dorothy were looking over some last-minute details.
"I think we're all set," said Dorothy, cheerfully, "All three of you should be walking through and should be on the ground. We've run the tests, and everything is checking out."
"Excellent!" said Hammond.
Angel and Dastun stepped forward, along with Dastun, holding black velvet cases in her hand, and approached the trio.
"I want to say thank you, on behalf of myself and those who I represent in the Paradigm Electric Federation. I know at times our relationship was touch and go, but I honestly can't thank you enough for helping the SCA save the city. And because of your actions, many people were spared from harm. So, my Vice President and I thought it would be best to present you an award for special services to the city."
She opened one of the cases, and inside, was a gold medal, with the territory's emblem, a sun with a lightning bolt running through it. Dastun opened the case he had and presented it to Clarkson, while Angel presented the cases in her hand to Hammond and May.
"This is the first time we're awarding this to anyone. And because of what you did, we're also making you honorary citizens of the territory. Should you ever find yourself back in our world again, the card underneath the case is proof you are a citizen, as long as we're still around."
She offered her hand to May, who took it, shook it, and bowed his head.
"Where we're from, it's customary to bow to our leader. Thank you for this," said May, raising his head, smiling.
Angel nodded. She then shook Hammond's hand, who did the same action as May, followed by Clarkson. Once Angel stepped away, Dastun cleared his throat.
"Sorry about chasing you through the city and giving you a scare. Hopefully next time, if there is a next time, we can share a drink," said Dastun, shaking their hands.
"We would like that very much," said Clarkson, grinning.
Dorothy then stepped forward and they gave her a group hug.
"Oh lass, you be careful now. With your condition, you can't be doing so much," said Hammond, "Thank you for your words of comfort and for helping us."
Dorothy pulled away from the trio. "If his behavior is any indication from the previous times, Roger is not as much of louse while I'm expecting so… thank you Rich, James, and Jeremy. We've learned a lot from you and I am going to miss your company."
"Well, hopefully our gifts will be of some comfort then," said May.
He motioned for the kids to come forward and presented them their gifts. Inside the gift bags were 3 small model cars of the Alfa, the Dodge, and the Ferrari. Tim and Rose grinned.
"Those are for you to play with, but be careful with them and don't crash 'em like my mate here," he said, winking at them.
May then presented two bags to Dorothy.
"There's two more sets, one for Robert when he's older, and one for your little one. I doubt they'll remember us, but if you ever find yourself missing us, well, hopefully looking at these will provide some comfort."
Dorothy wiped her eyes, and nodded. "Thank you, James."
Dorothy took her step back as Roger stepped forward and offered his hand. Clarkson took it.
"If we ever find ourselves back in Paradigm, we'll know who to call next time before causing a ruckus," said Clarkson, smiling.
Roger nodded. "And if I ever find myself in your world, I'll definitely need to pick up some of your gin," he said, chuckling.
The trio chuckled. Roger cleared his throat.
"Are you sure about leaving your cars here?" he asked, "Your world won't ask too many questions?"
May nodded. "It honestly is for the best. We're going to get a bunch of questions as it is. We'll just say Hammond crashed them into the loch."
"One of these days, I'm not going to be the scapegoat," grumbled Hammond. Everyone chuckled.
"Besides," said Clarkson, "I'm sure what's left of the vehicles will be of some use to you all in developing better technology. And I'm sure Mr. Beck will love tinkering with it."
"I am Machinist by heart," smirked Beck.
Roger smiled. "It will. Thank you for your help."
Roger then shook Hammond's and May's hand. Then stepped back.
"Whenever you three are ready…" called out Beck.
Clarkson nodded, then turned to his colleagues.
"Well, shall we then?"
May and Hammond nodded. Clarkson turned to Beck.
"Mr. Beck, send us home!"
Beck hit a few things on the console and the energy inside began to spin rapidly.
"You're set and good to go! See you later, Hammer, Cocker Spaniel, and Driving God!"
They all nodded and began walking through the portal, turning one last time to wave at the group. Hammond walked through first, then May. Clarkson paused for a moment.
"Should you ever find your way across the pond and in our country, check out Hammersmith in West London, Herefordshire, and Oxfordshire. I'm not sure if there are blokes that are like us that live there, but if there are, bring us together. We'll make a bloody good TV show about cars and your megadeuses, if you'll let us."
He waved once more and walked through the portal as Roger laughed. Dorothy turned to Roger.
"What's so funny, Roger?"
"Oh, nothing," said Roger, grinning at her and kissed her on the head. Dorothy shook her head as Beck shut the portal down.
"Well, that's a wrap," said Beck, "They should be on the other side by now. Pops, you got the charges?"
Dastun nodded. Both he and Beck went to work, setting charges around the portal. Once completed, everyone gave Dastun and Beck space. Once they had met the minimum safe distance, Beck primed the charges.
"3, 2, 1… and GO!"
He hit the detonator and there was a flash of light and a loud boom. A few moments later after the smoke had cleared, the portal was now mangled and charred remains. Roger nodded.
"Take care you three," he said softly.
"We've been walking for a bit now," said May.
It was foggy and they had no idea where they were.
"Well, if someone hadn't wrecked his car…" muttered Clarkson.
"It wasn't my fault!" grumbled Hammond.
Slowly, the fog began to clear and then a sight met their eyes that was better than any food, alcohol, or even a warm bed. The trio were on the shorelines of Scotland's famous loch. The sun was coming out and making the water shimmer on the surface. The mountains were in the background, rising high toward the sky. A cool breeze came off the loch, welcoming them home at last.
"We're home!" cheered Hammond, "We're home! We're home! We're… WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR, CLARKSON?"
Clarkson had taken a scoop of mud from the waters of the loch and threw it at Hammond. May was roaring with laughter.
"Stage two of our plan. We have to look like we've been roughing it in the woods… and because you crashed the Dodge and we have to walk to town…"
"Oh! I hate both of you!" yelled Hammond.
A little while later, three men caked in mud walked into a pub. The sight of them caused everyone to stop talking and turn to look at them. They approached the bar and sat down, where the bar tender studied them closely.
"Well… aren't you the Grand Tour lot?" he asked in disbelief.
Hammond nodded. "Before you alert the authorities that we're back, could you pour us three Gin and Tonics?"
The bar tender nodded, still in shock, and made three Gin and Tonics. He presented them to Clarkson, May, and Hammond and they each took a sip and sighed.
"It's real! It's really real!" cheered Clarkson, "We're home!"
The people in the pub had no idea what the trio were talking about.
A year had passed since that incident. Clarkson, May, and Hammond were the talk of the world in that time frame. Having disappeared for two months and reappearing in Scotland, it was still the greatest unsolved mystery. The authorities had combed the countryside, looking for them, and were still baffled as to how they had missed them. But their families didn't care. They were happy to see them alive and safe, for the most part.
The story the trio told was that Hammond caused a chain reaction crash that caused a mudslide along side of the mountain, which totatled their cars. Many people were of the opinion that there was more to the story than the trio were letting on, but they remained tight lipped. When it came to surviving the wilds of Scotland, they said they became avid fishers and Hammond's camping skills finally came in good use.
But now, the trio were back at work, although this time there was a handful of special forces keeping an eye on the trio and their crew. They were filming a Grand Tour special in the Atacama Desert. Hammond was watching the sun set on the Pacific, lost in thought.
"It's been a year," he muttered to himself, "I hope they're alright."
"Of course they are!"
Clarkson had called up to him, having heard Hammond. Clarkson and May hiked up the dune to see what Hammond was doing.
"Why are you being so mopey?" asked May.
"Between everything that's happened, I just realized, Miss Dorothy's probably had the baby by now. I do hope they're alright."
"Of course they are. They have giant robots, we don't," said Clarkson.
"What does having a giant robot have to do with having a baby?" asked Hammond, perplexed.
"I think they've faced bigger challenges than having a baby, Hammond. You worry too much. Come on. We need to get to bed. We have an early start tomorrow," said May.
Hammond stared at the wristwatch on his hand. It was the communicator Roger had given them while in Paradigm. All three still had their watches and had decided to bring them to stay in contact while on the road. Everyone just assumed they had strange Apple watches. Hammond nodded and followed his friends down back to camp, to get some sleep.
Hammond woke up early with a cup of coffee and had hiked the sand dune once more. He had a particular fondness for them, considering they reminded him of his time training with Big Duo in The Wastes. Hammond slowly sipped his cup of coffee, enjoying hearing the wind and sounds of the ocean.
"Jeremy's right, they're just fine. I'm just being ridiculous. Guess I miss them more than I thought, especially the Big Chap."
He stared at his watch for a moment, trying to remember something Roger had told him.
"Wot was it Roger had said? I think he said if I called Big Duo, he would respond. Worth a shot."
Hammond cleared his throat.
"BIG DUO, SHOW TIME!"
The watched blinked blue for a moment, then stopped. But not before the yells of Clarkson and May could be heard from the camp down below.
"HAAAMMMMONNNNDDD!" yelled Clarkson and May, "YOU MORON!"
Hammond gave an innocent snicker before calling down to them. "GOOD MORNING!"
Hammond walked down the dune as Clarkson and May came out of their tents. Their comm links had activated the moment Hammond yelled and they had heard it. Hammond was laughing while Clarkson and May scolded him for waking them up in a most unpleasant manner.
Dorothy was standing on the back veranda. It was a beautiful sunny day as the twins played. Roger was standing next to her holding Daniel, the newest addition to their family. Dorothy was holding Robert.
"How is he?" she asked.
"He's fine. He's been doing a lot better now. I know we had a scare with him, with you going into labor early, but Dr. Plebanski said he's stronger now," said Roger.
Dorothy leaned into Roger, enjoying the breeze on the warm day.
"It's been a year since our friends arrived," she said.
Roger nodded.
"I think my comm link activated briefly and I heard Rich on it. But it was very garbled."
"Really?"
"He called Big Duo."
"Interesting. You think he misses him?"
"Probably. But I know he doesn't miss our gin."
Dorothy laughed as she and Roger looked out at the peaceful view of Paradigm City, the sun now setting behind the dome, giving the sky a deep pink and orange color among violet-colored clouds.