I could hear his footsteps

  tramping up the spiral staircase.  But only every other or maybe every few.  "It's a HOWLER," he called back down, loud but not yelling.  Never yelling.  The wood and metal door was unlocked.  Eyes on the set of keys on an embroidery hoop size gold ring on the inside.  "YOU'VE GOT TO UNLOCK THE TOP LOCK." 

    "I CAN'T LET GO OF THE LINE.  IT'S THE SLIVER!!!!"  Outside the now carwash blurry window a lightning bolt had struck the power lines on a platform in the lake.  The wind was whipping the transponder on the top of the lookout and pulling the last of the line through the hole.  Closer and closer to gone.  

  "What sliver?  What are you talking about?  Open the door." 

  "I can't let go.  They're taping the show in the U.K. or somewhere over there."  

  "What show?" He started pounding on the door.  He yelled, "BRING ME THE EXTRA KEYS!!!" 

     Hours before one of the blondes had come galloping on a horse up the mountain to tell:  It's the bad Ukrainians behind me!!!!!!  

     The middle agers were nonplussed.  One asked, "How do know they're not Russians?"  Others looked at him.  One shrugged and plopped a sugar cube into his tea, "Or aliens?" 

     "ALIENS, yes." The blonde's mouth dropped open at no action.  Then she crossed her arms and tapped a cowboy boot on the slate floor.  "Oh.  We better get busy." 

  One of the women touched a man's forearm and he bent his head towards the table.  She whispered to him.  She left her hand on his arm and patted it.  "Okay.  Just in case." 

  The team tiredly went back to work.  "Uh, we're working on a show about ah kah-nights that get stuck in a timewarp." One of the lead guys let a woman explain.  "Cha.  They're stuck as time travelers." 

  "Come on we'll give you a tour." 

  Knight swords and armor was propped and standing in an airy main room.  Various paints were gathered onto a table.  "Too strong for cardboard mostly, but works on some of this junk."  A cross-armed man indicated props scattered about the room. 

  "Press the stone at the bottom of the staircase.  That's fun.  I'm going back to bed."