"Get my Granddaughter out of there!" Charlie yelled. He looked out of his plane's window as the giant worm's front section slowly raised upward, its flaccid, useless legs waving in the air, its mouth opening wide.

"Dear God in heaven." Widow Carlisle's voice whispered over the radio. "Charlie, what do we do now?"

On the ground Lydia yelped as she slipped and jostled around in the back seat of the Jeep. The Colonel grabbed her arm and tried to steady her as the driver gunned the engine to get away from the worm.

"Faster, man! Faster!" The Colonel yelled. "There's no telling which way that damned thing will fall."

Lydia screamed as she was tossed around in the bucking Jeep. "Watch those bumps!" Colonel Wilcox yelled.

"No bumps, Sir! That's the ground. It must be an earthquake." The Jeep Driver headed for the ridge, moving forward two feet for every four feet he slipped back.

Lydia pointed and it was then they realized that the worm – swaying back and forth – was losing the debris caught up in its folds. Every piece of building that fell, fell with the force of a mild explosion. Finally, free of the debris it stretched upward, toward the planes dousing it with the cocktail. Over the radio they could hear Charlie's now frantic voice.

"Everybody, out of here. Save your planes, get out of here."

In his plane Charlie watched as the maggot's mouth open again. He grinned to himself and checked his instruments. His reservoirs were still full.

"You give me that target one more time you… just one more time's all I want." He growled at it.

"At three o'clock." Widow Carlisle's voice crackled over the radio. Charlie didn't dare take his eyes off the maggot.

"Minerva, you get that fancy plane of yours back with the rest of the boys."

"I'm your second in command, remember."

Charlie growled in frustration. "You can't do me any good up here. You get on the ground and take care of my Grandbaby."

"No! Grandpa!" Lydia's frantic scream made the radio crackle and squeal.

"Don't worry, Lydia. He'll be down with you soon. Charlie, I didn't dump all of my load in my last pass. You're going for the mouth, aren't you? We'll do it together. Like that last run you made with Bob in 'Nam."

This time Charlie did glance out the cockpit window. Widow Carlisle gave him a smile, a wave and a thumb's up. Just like his old war buddy had on their last run together.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll be coming back from this."

"So will I." Charlie agreed.

Below them on the ground the Colonel listened to the radio and stared at the two little planes. "Damn! What I could do with men like that in my unit!" He exclaimed.