A faint noise echoed in the distance. Casey held her breath and cocked her head to listen. “Someone’s coming,” she whispered. The shuffling moved closer, reminding her of heavy footsteps and marching. She gaped at the rebel soldiers, a whole squad of them, moving in their direction. The bright yellow insignia stood out against the black material of their uniforms. She took a deep breath, cringing at how loudly it echoed in her ears. She suddenly wished Thorn had taught them how to breathe like aliens. She was sure they could hear her from a mile away. If anyone threw her so much as a stray look, she’d just pretend she had asthma, or else she’d blame it on Mike and let him deal with it. He sure owed her after he claimed she was the one who shot the ceiling back in Agartha.
“Remember their salute?” asked Thorn. “Touch both wrists together, palms facing you, and touch your chest.”
She nodded and kept her hand close to her holster. Her breath came in short, tense gasps inside her helmet. She certainly hoped they wouldn’t be noticed. The hair on the back of her neck began to rise, and she felt her body tense. The alien soldiers walked by, but to Casey’s relief, all they did was salute her as if she was one of them. She gave a salute back and smiled under her visor. Not one rebel gave them so much as a second glance; they simply passed by and were gone.
Still, it was a close call. She felt her knees shaking at the realization, and her shoulders slumped. From a corner of her eye, she noticed Thorn motioning toward an empty corridor and started after him, only then noticing the door with the triangle symbol.
Thorn took off his glove and touched the metallic door, then jerked his palm away. “No, this room won’t work. I sense activity.”
She blinked. “How?”
“I can feel the vibrations with my hands, detecting any kind of movement.”
“That’s a pretty nifty trick,” said Mike.
Thorn motioned. “Come. We must keep looking.”
More rebels scurried past them, paying them no heed. They walked down one more hall until they spotted another door with a triangle etched on it and halted.
Casey craned her neck and peered both ways. “Coast’s clear.”
Thorn stretched out his palm and placed it on the door.
“Are you feeling good vibes?” asked Mike.
Casey smiled weakly. “I hope he’s getting no vibes at all so we can get on with all of this. It’s been a blast and all, but I’d rather be among my own kind. I don’t wanna end up on one of Dr. Frankenstein’s operating tables.”
“Nobody’s in there. Let’s go.” Thorn adjusted the setting on his gun and aimed at a rectangular control panel to the left of the door. A soft thud rippled through the silence. Casey peered left and right, but nothing stirred.
The door slid open to reveal a gigantic white room with rounded corners; what looked like medical equipment hung from the walls and ceiling. Casey only hoped that they hadn’t stumbled into the place where they did hideous experiments on people. “If someone’s comes at us with a chainsaw, you’re totally going first ‘cause you owe me after I saved your butt from that monster snake.”
Mike snorted. “I’m a gentleman and always stick to the ladies-first rule.”
“Yeah, particularly if your life’s at stake.”
They entered, and the door slid shut behind them. Her heart pounded in her chest. The stress of being discovered by aliens was more than she could take.
Mike whipped off his helmet and gazed around. “No light bulbs again.”
“Agartha uses the same advanced power systems as the Greys.” Thorn rushed to a flat silver screen on the other side of the room. Underneath, a silver keyboard with strange symbols was nestled in the wall. “Now let’s find the weapon and Jack.” His six fingers moved at high speed, as if he had twenty of them.
Casey leaned against a shelf and crossed her legs. “Hey, Thorn, how do you know what to do?”
“I’m what you humans would call a secret agent,” he said, tapping his fingers at the keys.
Mike crouched on one knee, gripping his helmet. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be undercover with a secret agent, on a secret mission with an alien.”
“I’ve been trying to take Commander Tio down for over a year.” Thorn clicked furiously on the keyboard. “Okay. I’m tapping into the main computer.”
A sudden banging on the metal door made Casey jump. She knew one thing for sure: It wasn’t room service.
Chapter 2
Casey’s heart leapt as another knock sounded at the door.
“Dude!” Mike scrambled to his feet and threw his helmet on. “Quick! Try to blend in.”
Thorn rushed to the door and entered a code. “I jammed the lock, at least until they override it. It’ll give us a minute. Quick! Climb on the exam table. Try to look like you’re my patients.”
“Your patients?” retorted Casey.
Mike nudged her. “What kind of wacky quack is he?”
“Humans are brought here for Bingtingular-quam experiments,” said Thorn.
Her voice cracked with tension. “But we’re disguised as soldiers. Can’t we say we were just checking out a noise?”
Thorn shook his head. “This room’s restricted. No military personnel is allowed to enter without proper clearance, so it will arouse suspicion, which we can’t afford.”
“We could always say we got lost.” Mike motioned to the corridor. “Who wouldn’t with all those doors?”
His voice lowered. “They’d arrest us, and if they do that, I can assure you that bad things will happen.”
Casey fought the urge to ask what those bad things were. There was no point in feeding her overeager imagination. Pressing her mouth shut, she dashed for one of the two, long, matching stainless steel exam tables to the far right side of the room and hopped on, then yanked off her helmet and backpack. “Won’t they recognize our uniforms?”
Thorn hesitated before he replied, “I’ll cover you up.”
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Mike on the opposite table, a deep frown perched between his brows. She wondered what kind of plan Thorn was cooking up. She wished she had a few minutes to discuss it with Mike, but the aliens could be barging in any second. “You better hide our helmets and backpacks.” She strained to keep her voice from wavering. Real-life aliens—the enemy—were going to storm the room any minute. If they discover our identity…She didn’t want to even go there.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.” Thorn rushed over to Casey and threw a sheet over her, then buckled heavy leather straps across her neck, wrists, and ankles.
She flexed her arms and strained against the iron hold, but they didn’t budge. Her heart spiked. She wasn’t aware that being tied up was part of the plan. Thorn tightened the straps, and she gasped. She thought for a second that maybe Thorn wasn’t on her side after all. She shot him a furious look. “You gonna squeeze me to death like a boa constrictor?” He pulled even harder, and she swallowed hard, having her answer.
She waited for him to smile and loosen the straps a bit, but he just walked over to Mike and repeated the procedure.
Mike twisted and turned, letting out a loud moan. “Oww! Not so tight, Thorn.”
“Sorry, but this has to look convincing.” He stuffed all of their helmets and backpacks inside a drawer on the side of the exam table. Racing over, he grabbed a long white medical lab coat from the back of the door. His jaw tightened as he slipped into it, his shoulders slumping down as though he carried the world’s weight on his shoulders.
Casey opened her mouth to tell him that she’d changed her mind and would rather hide, but her tongue felt dry like parchment, sticking to the back of her throat.
“You’re kidding, right?” mumbled Mike.
Thorn wheeled a cart toward them. “Keep silent.”
She craned her neck to catch a closer glimpse of what Mike was seeing, then wished she hadn’t. Spread out on the cart was a tray with loads of scary-looking medical instruments. Thorn picked up a devic
e with a drill just as the aliens burst through the door. The drill spun, emitting an ear-splitting, grinding whir that made it impossible for Casey or Mike to hear what was being said.
A startled gasp escaped her lips, and her heart hammered against her ribcage. Thorn was crazy, unstable. She was sure of it. He’d betrayed them, or else he wouldn’t have led them to that room and tied them up. She was convinced it was all a setup. Wait…why would the general send us up into space with a lunatic? Unless he was part of the plot, or else he just trusts Thorn way too much. Boy, will he be in for a surprise when their only hope for survival turns out to be nothing but a farce. Talk about being stabbed in the back.
She knew she should be struggling, crying for help, doing anything other than just lying there and waiting for those things to kill her, but her body wouldn’t react to her brain’s commands, and her eyes remained squeezed shut. Her skin turned into goosebumps where it touched the cold metal exam table. A shadow hovered over her. Her arms flexed against the restraints; a scream remained trapped in her throat.
A voice carried over from the doorway. “I’m Sergeant Zacko. What’s going on here?”
“I don’t have time for these interruptions,” hissed Thorn.
Casey pried one eye slightly open and looked up at him bent over her as he prodded the skin on her arm. She could only hope he knew what he was doing because that drill didn’t exactly look like something one would get from Toys R’ Us.
Thorn shook his head and let out a sigh, continuing, “You’re not supposed to be in here. Why are you breaking protocol?”
Whoa! That was an Academy Award performance. She almost believed him.
The sergeant’s gaze lingered on Thorn, darkening. “You look a lot like that Thorn character.”
Casey sucked in a silent breath, not happy to hear that Thorn had a reputation, of sorts.
Thorn cocked an eyebrow, annoyed. “Thorn is dead. If you compare me with a traitor, you’ll find yourself on this table next.”
“I heard he was killed,” said a soldier.
Thorn nodded. “Yesterday.”
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without him.” Sergeant Zacko stiffened. “What a shame he betrayed us. I guess he deserved to die.”
Casey pursed her lips slightly as her thoughts started to race. So Thorn helped this rebel cause get to where they are today? Does the general know about this? Whose side is our copilot on anyway? She was glad the rebels couldn’t read her mind right now. Thorn had said it took years of practice and skill for a Grey to read human thoughts, and none of them had that experience, except for Commander Tio.
The sergeant took a step forward. Thorn straightened his back to stop him from peering over his shoulder, which made the sergeant frown. “A gunshot was reported. We’re here to investigate every room. What are you doing here?”
“I’m Dr. Pather, and I specialize in genetic experiments. Commander Tio asked me to help him with some of his research. I brought these teenagers out of deep sleep from the Deep Sleep Lab. They got out of control before I tied them down.”
Mike wailed from the other exam table. “I don’t want to be probed by aliens.”
Casey forced herself to keep her mouth shut, but inside she boiled, wondering what in the world he was thinking. She wished she could remind him that the world wasn’t a stage. If he continued his performance, she was sure he’d have the aliens asking too many questions.
Pulling out his gun, Sergeant Zacko pointed to Mike and rolled his eyes. “I’ll shut that one up for you.”
With mounting horror, Casey yelled, “No!”
Thorn grabbed the sergeant’s arm quickly. “You’ll do no such thing. I need his body organs intact. You know there are more efficient ways.” He rummaged through the tray of medical equipment and picked up a large syringe the size of a turkey baster. “Ah, this will work.” He squeezed it so some of the green liquid squirted high up into the air.
He really did look like the alien version of a mad scientist. She winced as a drop or two landed on her face, almost expecting her skin to start bubbling and bursting where it hit her. She still couldn’t tell if Thorn was bluffing or not, which was a good thing if he was. He might’ve just saved Mike from being shot, but she still thought he could have an ulterior motive. Something told her he wasn’t one to trust, but Mike seemed to play along, so she decided to keep quiet and see what happened, at least for the time being.
“An platlism injection should do the trick.” Thorn’s lips curled into an evil smile.
“Great,” said Sergeant Zacko. “That stuff works fast.”
Casey’s jaw dropped as she stared at the long needle. The menacing tip glistened green like poison. Hopefully, Thorn wasn’t going to bring that thing anywhere near her, because there was no way she’d play along. Taking a deep breath, she screamed at Thorn in her mind. What’s wrong with you? Get that thing away from me!
Thorn focused his gaze on her as his words reached her mind. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I promise.
She had to wonder if he was telling the truth. She hoped so, because anything else was just morbid and wrong, particularly after he’d claimed to be their friend. Nodding slightly, she tried to regulate her breathing and relax her twitching body.
“Sorry for the interruption,” said Sergeant Zacko. “Continue your work, Dr. Pather.”
“Thank you.”
The sergeant saluted. “All clear in here. Everyone out.”
The soldiers hesitated for a brief second and then filed out, one after another.
Relief flooded Casey’s body as she whispered, “You did it. You actually got rid of them. I was so scared.” Her voice shook and broke, and her heart raced faster.
Smiling, Thorn put away the scary needle and unhooked the tight leather straps. “You thought I was going to kill you?”
She didn’t know whether to deny it or not. “Maybe a little.” She grinned. “That little performance of yours would’ve scared even your mother.” She frowned, realizing her possible blunder. “If you have one, or…uh—”
“We don’t hatch from eggs.” Thorn laughed and moved on to loosen Mike’s wide restraints. “You could’ve blown our cover.”
Mike huffed. “I was trying to keep it real.”
“Well, then I suppose you succeeded in that.” Thorn handed both of them their helmets and backpacks. He retrieved his equipment, too, then turned his back on them and focused on the computer.
With a thud, Mike jumped off the exam table. He walked over to Casey and whispered in her ear, “That sergeant recognized Thorn.”
“I know.” Thorn had done a brilliant cover-up job on pretending he was a doctor, but she couldn’t get Sergeant Zacko’s words out of her mind. Aliens on the enemy ship knew who Thorn was, and they specifically said he couldn’t have made it so far without him. She wondered who Thorn really was and exactly what had he done? She cast a suspicious glance at him. “Have you worked for the rebel Greys in the past?”
Thorn’s jaw dropped as he turned slowly. “Sorry?”
“You heard me.” She jumped up from the table and marched toward him, finger raised. “How come the enemy knows you?”
Mike joined in her campaign, his lips pressed in a thin line. “Are you part of the rebel movement?”
Abruptly, Thorn stopped typing. “If I was, why would I want to disable their weapon and save your race?” He heaved a sigh. “I don’t need to prove to you where my loyalties lie.”
Whatever Thorn had done, it seemed to be a touchy subject for him. Casey thought maybe he was just ashamed and was trying to make things right. She wasn’t sure if General Ashtar knew, but if he did, she felt she had every right to know too. Truth was, though, that Thorn could’ve easily handed them over to the sergeant, but he didn’t. Maybe Earth matters to him after all. And then it dawned on her: Thorn’s ship didn’t just crash. Someone wanted him dead. The sergeant had called him a traitor and said he deserved to die. She shook her head slightly. Thorn might n
ot have wanted to talk about it, but she had to know more. “Why did Commander Tio want you dead?”
“What?” asked Mike.
“His ship was shot down—not exactly an accident,” Casey continued.
“It wasn’t.” A frown crossed Thorn’s features.
Casey tried to interpret the frown. Maybe the information infuriated him and he was there to avenge his dead friends. What better way would there be to foil the enemy’s plan than by disabling their weapon? If that was the case, she had to wonder if he really cared about what happened to her and Mike, once the job was done. Crap. I better quit thinking before Thorn reads every thought in my head.
Silence filled the air, except for the tapping of fingers on the keyboard. Finally, Thorn had something to say. “I hacked into their database and shut down their security cameras. It’ll take them at least eight hours to fix the glitch.”
“Cool,” said Casey. “That’s going to be loads of help.”
Mike pulled her aside and whispered, “Can we really trust Thorn?”
“Do we have a choice?” she whispered back, looking over her shoulder. “And do you really think he can’t hear us or read our thoughts?”
“I found something.” Thorn pointed at the screen as he scrolled through the pages.
Mike spun toward him. “Lay it on us.”
Casey hurried over, and her eyes locked on the screen in front of her. She stared at a black and white diagram. “What’re we looking at?”
“Schematics.” Thorn traced a gloved finger along the line on the monitor. “These floor plans show the dimensions of every room in every corridor. See?” Casey nodded, and Thorn continued, “Jack’s just two halls away.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. “Jack’s here? You’ve found him.”
Mike appeared around her and wrapped his arm around her middle, pulling her against him. “What’re we waiting for? Let’s go get him.” She stiffened against his warm skin. The guy had obviously forgotten they had decided to remain just friends, but it wasn’t the time to argue—not when Jack was so close.
Thorn cocked his head and pointed to the left side of the screen. “See that small rectangle? He’s right there. It says here he’s scheduled to be put into deep sleep in two hours.”
Persevere: Book 6 in The Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series Page 2