We ate the rabbit meat and packed our things, knowing that the hunter would have the authorities coming after us soon enough. David was very adamant about leaving the planet, and deep down we knew he was right. Yahn and I would be in more trouble than ever if we were caught. Now that we knew we were leaving Earth again, we had to figure out how. It wasn’t going to be easy trying to obtain a space cruiser with our faces all over the media. Luckily, David had a plan.

“I think we need to return to Padure and I think I know how we can do it,” David shared.

“Ok, we’re listening, but let’s figure it out fast,” I said.

"Well, I used to know this man named Harold Chambers, before I left Earth the first time, who had a shape shifting device. He used to run a business that would let people take on different identities. It was amazing how many people desired that. Anyway, I'm not sure if he still has the device or is still around, but he doesn't live that far from here. If we can take on new identities, we can get around without any trouble and buy a space cruiser. After we get a space cruiser, we can return to Harold and change our appearances back again. Then, we can be on our way," David suggested.

“I don’t know,” I said, feeling that this plan was a dubious one at best.

“I think he’s onto something,” Yahn said.

Deep down I knew that this plan was as good as any other. The truth of the matter was, I didn’t really want to leave Earth again. Part of me was still clinging to the idea of staying here somehow. After all, this was my home planet and always would be no matter what sort of trouble I was in. I took a deep breath and put my bag over my shoulder.

“Alright, let’s get going,” I said and went out the door. David and Yahn followed me and soon we were heading through the woods in the direction of Harold Chambers’s farm.

We went into the woods and walked for what seemed like forever. Every now and then, we would have to go through an open field or cross a road which we did, with the utmost caution. We kept to the backcountry and managed to keep from being spotted until David saw a familiar sight through the trees.

“There’s the barn and the windmill. Yep, this is Harold’s place alright. Haven’t been here in twenty years and everything looks just as run down as it did then. You two stay here and let me go and talk to him. He will be more likely to help us that way.” David walked through the field and went to knock on the door of a shack that looked as if it might fall in at any moment.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Harold said, flinging the door of his shack open. He held a laser gun, which looked to be a very old, rusty model.

"Harold, it's me, David. I know it's been twenty years, but surely you remember your old friend," David said as he put his hands in the air.

“David? I heard you were dead,” Harold shared as he lowered his gun.

“No, not just yet. Feel practically dead some days.”

“Where have you been hiding out?” Harold inquired as he came up and put his hand on David’s shoulder.

“Padure. I had to hide out once I became an outlaw.”

“Beautiful place I hear. What can I do for you, old pal?”

"My friends and I are fugitives and we need to disguise our identities. Do you still have the shape shifting device?"

“Sure do, it has grown into quite the business I tell you. You would be surprised how many people want to change their identities these days. I just saw something about you and your friends.”

“We don’t have time to explain, but they are good people and don’t deserve the situation that they’re in. I have to warn you, though, one of them is a Karkastian.”

“You are keeping some strange company these days, old pal. I heard all about this on my virtual reality player. You guys are being portrayed as public enemy number one. You rescued the girl from being executed and shot up the cops. Pretty crazy stuff for an older timer like you,” Harold said.

“Yeah, it was an unjust execution and we had to stop it. I don’t have time to go into all of the details.” David was getting a little impatient.

“Alright, guys, you can come out now!” David shouted to us. We came out of the woods and Harold looked at us suspiciously. He was a thin, bald man with brown slits for eyes.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jessie and this is Yahn,” I said, extending my hand. He shook it and eyed Yahn with the same suspicion.

"Harold, we have no time to lose. Can you take us to the shapeshifting machine?" David asked.

“Sure, sure. Technically it’s the SS78-Kx," Harold corrected him. He led us to the back of his shack and opened the door of a metal barn. Towards the back of the barn, there was a clear tunnel connected to a control panel.

“Alright, whose first and what do you want to change into?” Harold asked as he sat down in a chair in front of the control panel.

“Eh, how about you choose for us. We need to look like a normal human family that’s on vacation,” David suggested.

"Hmm, alright. Who wants to go first?" Harold asked.

“I’ll go,” I answered, a little reluctantly.

“Ok, young lady. Hold onto the rail as the conveyor takes you through the tunnel. It won’t hurt a bit; just feels like you’re being tickled all over for a few seconds,” Harold shared as he made some selections. He kept his choice for my identity private. I walked up the stairs and entered the tunnel. Harold pushed a few buttons and the tunnel began to light up with pulses of electromagnetic energy. The narrow floor beneath my feet began to move and I began to feel a tingling sensation that started at the top of my head and moved down my body. Once I came out the other side of the tunnel, a large mirror awaited me. I looked in the mirror and was shocked to find that I was now a middle-aged man with dark hair and a mustache. I couldn’t help but laugh at my new appearance.

“How do you like it?” he asked.

“Very interesting choice,” I said.

“Well, you don’t want to be caught, do you?”

Soon, David and Yahn went through the machine, and their appearance was even funnier than mine. David was now a five-year-old boy with red hair and Yahn was a tall, busty brunette female.

“Wow, you look pretty hot,” I teased as Yahn came and stood beside me. His expression showed that he wasn’t the least bit happy about being changed into a girl.

“Alright, Harold, what do we owe you?” five-year-old David said.

“Little boy, you don’t owe me nothing. It’s the least I can do for an old friend,” Harold said, kneeling down to David’s level. David glared in response.

“We need to get going,” Yahn stated.

“You’ll be needing a hover car to cover ground faster. I’ve got just the thing.” Harold waved to us to follow him to the very back of the barn. He took a sheet off of the vehicle and showed us an older model, silver hover car.

"She's old, but in excellent shape,” Harold said with pride.

“Buddy, I will do my best to repay you some day, if I can,” little David said. “We will back once we’ve purchased a space cruiser to transform back into our former selves.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay that size? You two better do the talking. If David opens his mouth, you will look suspicious for sure,” Harold laughed.

“We will,” I said, surprising myself with my new, booming male voice.

“No one will be able to recognize you now. If you wanted, you could probably stay on Earth with these disguises so long as David gets himself into school,” Harold continued to joke.

“I think you’re having a little too much fun at my expense,” David stated in his five-year-old voice.

“Ok, we had better get going,” Yahn stated in his female voice, making me laugh.

“Why don’t you let me drive, honey?” I had to laugh at the sound of my voice again.

"Best stay away from the main hover ways. There are bound to be a few checkpoints set up and you don't have valid ids on you," Harold said. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that."

"I can't thank you enough, buddy. We'll be back soon with a space cruiser in tow," David squeaked.

We thanked Harold and got in the hover car. The controls in the car were primitive by modern standards, but it was in good condition. I put the car in gear and we headed for the country. It felt good not to have to worry about being spotted by anyone, although being a man took some getting used to. Finally, after an hour or so, we came to the outskirts of the city. The forests and fields gave way to hover dwellings and tall, glass towers. The noise of hover cars replaced the relative quiet of the country. We stopped at the first space cruiser dealership we could find. We had very little money, so we were going to have to steal the cruiser.

A salesman in a shiny spacesuit came over to us as we looked over various models. All of the salesmen at that shop wore that same outfit, which made them look a little silly.

"I see you're checking out the S-150, but I have to say that it is not going to give you the fuel economy and space that your family will need. Where you headed?"

“Mars,” I said, not wanting to reveal our true destination.

“Ah, well that won’t take you all that long in this beauty,” he said as he walked over to a larger, sleeker model. It was much more spacious with two rows of seats in the front and a large cargo deck in the back. It was equipped with four thrusters instead of the usual two.

"This is the KLD-459, a little more expensive but well worth it for the speed, power, and spaciousness," he said.

“Can we test drive it?” I asked.

“Sure, just need a driver’s license for the person driving it and I need you to fill out this document,” he said as he pulled out a compact digital screen and handed it to me. We all looked at each other when he asked for a driver’s license.

“Eh, we left our licenses at home. Can we still test drive it?”

“Hmm, yeah, well, I don’t know if the boss will go for that. Wait here and I’ll go and check with him.” The salesmen went inside the dealership, which was designed to look like a space station. David went over to the cruiser and looked through the window.

“He left the keys in it. Come on, let’s take it and go before he gets back!”

Yahn got in the hover car to follow us and David and I got in the space cruiser. We started it up and took off just as the salesman came running out of the building, shaking his fist at us. We made for Harold’s farm as quickly as we could.