Chapter 18
Tabun undergoes treatment for his wound while the Red Zetans delve deep into the alien ruin. They soon learn they aren't the only ones with a penchant for experimentation.
Previously: The Red Zetans prepare two teams, one to deal with the alien sphere and the other to investigate the structures below. Uncertain of what to expect, they soon learn that there are some things that are best left alone.
They navigated the long, narrow corridors, being careful not to make too much noise by stepping on loose concrete or shards of glass. This wasn’t too bad for him or Denny, as the simulation seemed to recognise that they both wore a combination of high socks and sandals made out of animal hide. However, Tabun in his loincloth looked a lot more exposed. It still made Wise wonder why the simulation had been made this way. What are they testing here? Our endurance, our adaptability. Is this structure what lies in wait for us on the war world? That name—is that all they are? Creatures of war who use their old battlefields for their entertainment. Will they do the same to our home?
Their priority was to obtain a map of the facility so that they could then provide Tabun with the proper treatment he needed. After navigating their way through the facility, they soon stopped before a flashing screen panel attached to one of the walls. Despite the clear damage to it, Denny managed to use the touchscreen long enough to display the facility's information. It showed them where they were and how far away the medical sector was. Wise was thankful that the Zetans had uploaded her mind to be preserved since it meant they weren’t completely blind, but a part of him wondered. When will they do this to me? Or have they already, and I just can’t remember for some reason?
“You say you were uploaded to this preservation network?’
“Yes.”
“As far as I know, I haven’t. Have you Tabun?”
Tabun leaned against the wall, looking increasingly pale but he managed to shake his head. “Well, if I die here and come back, we’ll get that answer.”
“This is a sim. I don’t think they would kill us,” said Denny. “But we can’t take any chances.”
“She’s got a point,” managed Tabun. “They’ve already thrown myself and Wise to the wolves in a similar holographic environment.”
“How far away is it?” asked Wise.
“Not far. We need to go through a couple more sections, and then we’ll be there.”
“It’s also only a matter of time before we encounter another. No telling what other aliens are in here with us,” said Tabun.
Soon enough they reached what was called the medical sector, and after managing to force open a nearby door, they found something even more surprising.
“Why would a simulation need this?” asked Denny looking at the various storage pods.
Wise walked the length of the room and came back. “There must be dozens of them, all occupied.”
“But they can’t be real, right?”
Tabun walked a short way down the nearest row, and the other two followed. He rapped against the mostly fogged glass screen. In this pod was an alien with two eyestalks and a thin-framed body.
“I think this is all just a recreation. The Zetans either made this place or discovered it. And then they decided to use it to test other species that they’ve captured. They want to figure out what makes us tick.”
“That’s an awful lot of trouble, don’t you think?”
“Considering the lengths they went to contain me, I’m not surprised,” said Tabun. “There probably aren’t many aliens as different as we are. Even though we look relatively similar.”
“We should probably leave these be,” said Wise, the first to leave the cryostasis room.
Denny took the lead from him, and they soon reached an operating room. It looked sterile, and clean with a single metal table in the centre. He pointed to it. “Get on Tabun.”
Tabun rolled his shoulders in a shrug and took a seat. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“We’re going to have to improvise. These Zetans are advanced; they must have something here we can use to heal you.”
Wise stood to one side while she rummaged around. He had his arms folded and noticed that above where Tabun sat there was a series of arms with various attachments. “Maybe the solution isn’t in a bottle?”
Tabun followed his stare, and his eyes widened. “I don’t know, Wise. That might kill me quicker.”
“Or it might save your life.”
Tabun looked from Wise to Denny as she stood up surrounded by various bottles of fluid. She looked angry. “Nothing here that repairs skin! What are you two?” She paused and looked up. “Oh, that might actually work, Tabun. I need you to lie down.”
Begrudgingly he did so. “Just don’t do anything stupid. I don’t like the look of this mechanical spider.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Wise. “Besides, if we encounter one of these on the War World. We’ll at least know how it works.”
“Right, like that will happen.”
Denny stood in front of the console while Wise faced the door they had come through. “Good luck. I’ll keep an eye out, make sure nobody interrupts us.”
#
The decline proved steeper than expected, and the corridor narrowed to the point that its overhead had a more triangular shape. Still, even with their extra lighting, the darkness remained thick and gave very little away of what lay ahead of them. After some time walking, the decline evened out, and they were in a large chamber. Above them was a walkway, and on their right was an anti-gravity lift that led up to it. Being cautious, Qax led them forward and noticed two openings on either side that also descended.
“Just how deep did they go?” asked Vendral.
“Only one way to find out. We’ll each take a doorway. Hradringer, you’re with me.”
Qax watched the other Zetans disappear through their archway. He soon did the same through the opposite archway. The only light they had was from the recessed ones built into the floor and ceiling. The winding decline soon ended with their emerging into another long corridor. Except on either side were pods. And somewhere halfway were doorways that led into clear, sterile areas filled with equipment that Qax knew would be used to experiment on those in the pods. Qax approached one pod and noticed the occupant had been cryogenically frozen. Also close by on the wall was an interactive blue screen in an alien language. It likely handled the freezing and thawing process.
“We’d have to find some way to translate this before even thinking of waking these aliens up.”
“I don’t recognise it,” said Hradringer.
Qax stepped back to see the creature in full, their body was scaly with a protruding jaw, and what looked like tusks emerging from its mouth. Its nostrils were large, and the inner ears were marked by ridges close to the top of its head. The body itself looked physically indomitable, so much so that Qax had to wonder how difficult had it been to capture such a powerful-looking specimen.
“Is the only one?” he asked.
Hradringer began checking each pod and just began shaking his head. “No, there are other species here too. Again, ones we’ve yet to encounter.”
Qax folded his arms. "If we can figure out how all this works, then we have our tri-"
A loud, piercing Zetan scream stopped him from finishing his sentence.
“You don’t think they tried to thaw out one of these creatures, do you?”
Qax looked back the way they had come.
“Only way to find out. Surely they wouldn’t be so reckless, right?”
As he broke into a run, he remembered the bulbous biomass at the entrance. And if it’s not something from the pod, just what are we up against here? The same thing that destroyed the sphere?