| abstract | - Heritron is another world, separate from Earth, but whose people are similar to Earth humans - being genetically compatible with them. Their world is described as 'beautiful but menacing', with stories stating that Heritron's rulers (known as 'The Takers') used to live in luxury in great castles with fine clothes and servants. However, their world is now in decline with decay and ruin everywhere. To support the way they live, they need a constant supply of slaves to operate their machines, they plunder other worlds to get those slaves. Among these worlds was Earth in the past. To access the other worlds, Heritron must be within a suitable range before a Heritronian device known as 'The Box of Destiny' would be used to open a doorway to that world and allow Heritronians known as 'The Catchers' to infiltrate and steal their inhabitants to be taken back to Heritron for slavery. Throughout the series, it is revealed that the Heritronians have a 'class' system:
* At the top are the Takers, who are the equivalent of high ranking/aristocratic families. They are led by a Supreme Taker (referred to as 'The Supreme One'), who acts as Emperor/Empress of Heritron.
* Below the Takers are the Catchers, who are the equivalent of a military and are sent to pillage other worlds to bring back people to be used as slaves.
* Next are the normal families, although very little is revealed about them in the series.
* Finally, there are the slaves, who have little to no rights and are forced to work Heritron's machines until they are too weak to carry on. All Heritronians are shown to possess something they call 'The Power' - an umbrella term for a number of abilities they have, with the most notable being telekinesis. Humans of Heritronian heritage have also shown themselves capable of using 'The Power' themselves. Examples of 'the power' in use include levitating objects, unlocking doors/locks, disabling technology (such as cameras and vehicles), enhancing a person's senses, slowing down time and creating storms. Everyone is shown to have varying amounts of ability when using 'the power' - some only having basic ability while others are able to use it in more advanced ways. As well as their powers, Heritronians have access to a variety of different technologies which use crystals for various purposes. Examples include the following:
* Dowsing Crystal: A device that is used for locating objects and/or people. Upon holding it, the person may get an image flash in their mind of where the object is. Depending on the device, it will either flash when close to the object the holder is searching for, or will glow increasingly brighter as the holder moves closer to their target.
* Crystal' Communicator: 'A device that acts like a holographic projector, enabling two people to talk to each other across large distances - including between worlds. It has been shown that Crystal Communicators can be altered to trace 'calls' between other communicators. However, the call must run for at least 30 seconds before a trace can be made.
* Disarming Amulet: When attached to a Heritronian or anyone of Heritro nian descent, the amulet neutralizes that person's power - preventing them from using it while the amulet is attached. It can be removed, however, by anyone else who has 'The Power', as long as they have control over it.
* The Crystal Capsule: A one-off creation used to escape to Earth from Heritron. Like with the Box of Destiny, however, the Crystal Capsule can only be used when the worlds are within suitable range of each other. The full size of the inside of the capsule is not revealed, but it is hidden in a closed down bookshop and has a large library within it - containing information from Earth and Heritron.
* Crystal Bomb: It's not known if this device is a true Heritronian device or something that has been made from a mix of Heritronian and Earth items. The bomb is shown to be made from crystals, with an hourglass for the timing mechanism. The crystals are used to stop and start the flow of sand. It's not known how powerful the bomb is, but considering that it would be strong enough to destroy the Crystal Capsule, it's assumed that it would be quite a powerful explosive. Only those with the power can arm or disarm it. Other less notable devices include a 'Crystal Wand' used by the Supreme Taker to create a soundproof crystal prison. It's also believed that - due to prisoners who are brought to Heritron quickly forgetting where they came from - the crystals or Heritronian powers are used to wipe the captives' memories in preparation for their lifetime of slavery. For the Heritronians, however, their most important piece of technology is 'The Box of Destiny'. Upon being opened using three keys, the box materializes an interdimensional doorway to one end of a tunnel/portal between Heritron and any world they plan to pillage. However, almost 2000 years ago, one of the Takers - presumably having seen visions of the future and/or having grown disillusioned with Heritron's reliance on slavery - rebelled and stole the box before fleeing to Earth with it. The rebel Taker ended up in Britain, during the time when the Romans were ruling. Determined to stop the rebel, several takers followed him through but the rebel went into hiding - closing the box and stranding the takers who had followed him from Heritron on Earth. These stranded takers became known as 'The Watchers' - their task was to find the box and the keys and open the doorway back to Heritron when the time was right. The Watchers would all have children with Earth women (as all the catchers were men) and their children would have children and so on, with all being charged with the same task of finding what had been stolen and returning home. They will use anyone or anything to accomplish their task. The rebel taker, meanwhile, became 'The First Guardian', and he too would have children with Earth women, with each descendant been charged with guarding the box and preventing the Watchers from stealing it. The First Guardian hid all three keys in separate locations before writing up a book of poems/riddles - based on the prophecy he had foreseen - so that when the time came, those who opposed the Watchers would be able to find the three keys and - with the aid of the 'Two Children of Heritron' - would be able to decide Heritron's fate. The first part of the prophecy reads as follows: In the near 2000 years since the box was stolen, the current guardian is a man called George - who still lives in the UK and maintains his protective watch over the box and the Book of the First Guardian, especially as the time approaches when Earth and Heritron will come close enough for a short period of time to reconnect if the box and keys are found by the Watchers. However, another major event has occurred in Heritron: A group of freedom fighting Heritronians - led by a woman called Countess Anna and her daughter Ariana - has risen up and began rebelling against the Takers, with the mission of stopping Heritron's age of slavery and gaining equal rights for all. Their rebellion begins to fail, however, so Anna and Ariana use the opportunity to escape to Earth in the Crystal Capsule - hiding in an abandoned bookshop, out of sight. (It's assumed they have talked to George before, as when he later goes to them they recognize each other as friends). For the Watchers, however, they have formulated a plan. Using a human archaeologist called Professor Humphrey Waters as their pawn (pretending to fund his research into the box, which they lie and claim to him that it's an ancient roman artifact) and getting the law on their side, their leader Sir Derek Janus approaches George with the intention of legally breaking into his property and retrieving the box. As the prophecies foretold, the 'final struggle' begins.
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