by Nina Silver
“Not much older than you… 32.” Not that I really cared how old he was, but I did feel better at least knowing something more personal about him.
We looked at each other in silence - surprisingly comfortable with it.
“Iolee.” My name from his lips excited me, and I blinked up at him feeling as if I fell under his spell. “I - I really like you…”
“Me too…” I said breathless, and seriously not being able to control myself wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He immediately responded, his mouth opening for me, and then taking charge of the kiss I started. I leaned against him, my breasts smashing against his hard chest, nearly losing my mind from need. One of his hands held my jaw angling my head this way and that, while his other hand settled on my lower back, pulling me against him.
We kept kissing, lost to the world until the door from his office opened, and we both jumped apart startled.
“Well, that didn’t take long.” His brother Siel smirked, and my cheeks flushed. I hastily got off his desk and avoided looking at his brother.
“I’ll see you later.” I chirped as fast as I could, and feeling mortified fled the office without sparring either of them any glance. That was embarrassing. Feeling my stomach squirming, I noticed that night had started falling already. I headed back to the housing unit, wanting to continue some work. Pretty soon Dr. Morton would be here, and I wasn’t sure how much of my work or waitressing I’d have to do.
Nineteen
Iolee
I entered my unit and saw that the armchair and small couch were still laying awkwardly in the lounge. I didn’t hear anything from Jo, and even briefly contemplated knocking on her door to check on her. Just because she didn’t like me, didn’t mean that I wanted her hurting. After all, how could I fault her for liking Cove when I was openly drooling every time I was around him.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and entered my room. I grabbed my informator and opened as many documents as I could, projecting them onto the yellow walls. I went to work and focused on some of the unknown symbols. As much as I hated Dr. Morton’s objections to some of my work, he was right about the fact that I would not be able to translate - at least for now - the curving symbols.
I looked at the pictures of the sphere, and then with a narrowed gaze stared at the picture of the console I had taken at the base. Ah - there the same symbols in the exact order were in both. I wrote down notes and then tinkered with my algorithm before sketching the symbols and inserting them into it.
For the next few hours, I got lost in my work, going through every possible combination, until... Until it clicked. I placed my hand over my heart in excitement. Oh my goodness, I had just decoded another symbol. Hastily I inputted the meaning in my algorithm and programmed it to translate the whole series of symbols. I anxiously paced around my room waiting for it to finish. What would it possibly say? This was big, and it would give us information about the underground base and the sphere. Now we could translate and see what other information we could gather.
My informator pinged, indicating it was done. My heart in my throat, and my stomach at my knees, I took a deep breath.
I made to move, and a screech sounded from outside the lounge. Jumping in fear, and wondering what Jo was doing that required screeching I rushed to the lounge.
My eyes widened, and I screamed instantly regretting coming out of my room - my sense of time pausing feeling frozen at this moment. This couldn’t be real! This was in my head - it couldn’t be real.
Three gigantic Ourupta dressed in form-fitting black armor suits stared at me, their dark eyes fathomless, one of them holding an unconscious Jo in its arms. They looked at each other, their horrifying mouths making guttural noises - Holy Mars, they were speaking to each other!
Shaken out of my shock, I yelled again and looked around. I saw another book and grabbed it throwing it at one of the Ourupta. It hit it on the head, and they growled at me. I ran back to the room, the doors sliding open and then closed. I pressed my hand on the lock just as the two Ourupta reached it.
Oh god, oh god. What was I to do? I ran to the window and pushed it up, the heat of the late evening rushing in, I looked down. Too high up, I couldn’t jump. Feeling panicked I tapped my com thinking of Cove - except I didn’t have his information! My hands shook as I heard the Ourupta yelling in their strange tongue and I quickly thought of Xan. My com beeped attempting contact, but there was no answer, instead going to an audio message mode.
The door burst inside my room, and screaming I moved out of the way to avoid it. The two Ourupta jumped on me, and I screeched even more. This couldn’t be happening! “Please! Help!” Terror flooded my voice, as one of them raised what seemed like a small gun in his hand, the other one holding me down.
“No, stop, please!” I yelled again as the gun came closer and closer to me. The Ourupta grabbed my head and jerked it to the side. It’s rough skin feeling clammy and sickeningly smooth. It said something to me in its tongue and then emitted a high-pitched sound oddly similar to laughter. It pushed the gun against my throat, and then an incredible burning filled my senses. My eyes watered and darkened, my limbs growing heavy, my breathing labored, and then darkness.
Twenty
Cove
Reinforcements arrived, surprisingly fewer than I had expected. It was just a team of eight soldiers accompanied by the two men - Iolee’s boss and coworker.
Now, we were seated inside the Mess Hall in the Commons. I was surprised Iolee had not shown up, as Haze, Arlo, Locke, and Cain had all come to greet the newcomers and to also debrief about the situation.
The soldiers were mostly ranked Majors, with two of them Captains and one Sergeant which meant that they were all experienced and bio-enhanced. I took them in, assessing them. Five men and three women. They held themselves back, firmly and proudly just how Neptune teaches us. Arlo, or as they had been calling him General Cruz was talking to them, speaking about the layout of New Hope, and where they would be staying. I had some of the residents volunteer to offer their units up, and we had made enough room for just this small group.
I wondered why Neptune did not send more soldiers, and the only answers I came up with were not good. For them to only send eight soldiers when there were dozens of Ourupta so close meant that something else was going on, something else that also needed many soldiers. And if it was something that needed many soldiers it was definitely not good.
“Excuse me, where will Dr. Morton and I be staying? As you know, Dr. Morton is highly esteemed, and we must have the best available unit for him, only then will he be able to focus on his work.” The tall, lanky man, with the combover, stated in a high uppity tone that honestly made me want to rip his tongue out. This kind of attitude was the one I had expected from Iolee, and the irony of the situation was not lost on me.
“We have only but the best readied for you two.” I greeted my teeth as I tried to speak civilly. It wasn’t worth focusing so much of my energy on them.
“And where is my assistant, Miss Panou?” The older man spoke with a disapproving frown.
I raised my eyebrow at him, and his lack of the appropriate title for Iolee. “You mean Dr. Iolee Panou?”
“Ehm, yes... Where is she?” He coughed in his fist awkwardly, probably surprised by my challenging tone.
“I am not sure. I believe she was working on translating some of the unknown symbols.” In between kissing and hanging out with me.
He shook his head disapprovingly again, his thick white brows scrunched together. He looked good for being 126 years old, no doubt thanks to all the medical operations in the Colonies. “I guess I shall have to contact her once we are in our unit. Now, if you Neptunians don’t mind, I’ll be wanting to retire. The journey was long and strenuous.”
I nodded, and nodding to the others, I led them outside. We exited the Commons, and I briskly walked to the Housing Unit Building, the same I lived in. The two men gasped, probably from the heat and as soon as we
entered the building, I saw them sigh in relief. I couldn’t help but notice that they both were wearing temp clothes - unlike Iolee whom they send here unprepared.
‘“That heat is unbearable, I don’t know how you do it down here son.” The old man exclaimed wiping sweat off his forehead. “Those bastards destroyed old Earth, should have seen it before - it was beautiful. Now it’s just a grizzly dry bone in comparison. Thank God for the Colonies.”
I gritted my teeth, his words irritating and insulting. “First meal’s at 6-8, second 12-6, and the last 6-8, you get nothing between and don’t skip, or you get no food. Water time 8 minutes a day per person.” I stated as I led them to their room on the first floor and then left not being able to stand in their company anymore. They more than anyone reminded me why I hated the Colonies, and the way New Earth was left to suffer. Their careless and selfish attitude just grated my nerves. At least Neptunians trained for 18 months on New Earth before finishing up. The rest of the Colonies simply never considered how people made it through the rough conditions.
But Iolee was different, she had been caring, and sweet, and her empathy showed. She had even shown worry over Jo, and I knew that wasn’t easy since Jo kept everyone at a distance.
I wanted to see Iolee, but I also didn’t want to intrude into Jo’s apartment. I had not seen Iolee during dinner, and then I left early to welcome the reinforcements. I wondered what she was doing and how I could get in touch with her. I had not gotten her contact info for her com, and I had no way of sending her a message.
Perhaps I'd head to my office, and then I'd wait for her there. After all, she had sought me out there earlier, and she knew I wanted to see her. It made sense to me that she would come there.
⋗ᛟ⋖
Hours later and with minutes left before the scheduled curfew I decided to head to my unit. For some reason, Iolee didn't come, and that made me feel oddly dismayed. I wasn't sure if I had scared her or if I had done something else to chase her away.
I barely slept that night my thoughts on Iolee and how much I wanted her. Someway, somehow, I had made up my mind, we would be together. I had just met her, but I knew I was hers. I belonged to her - felt drawn to her - and I wanted a full-fledged relationship.
I took a hasty shower and got dressed ready to tackle another day in the hot surface of the New Earth.
I wasn't sure when we would go to the underground base, but I assumed it would be today. As New Hope’s Chief, I had fought hard to convince Arlo to allow me to go as well. The only reason I managed to convince him was probably because of my military training and knowing that I also had bio-enhancements. I assumed we would head there as soon as everyone had gathered together at the Commons, I wasn’t so sure if we were taking Iolee and the other two men however. The two men did not know about the Ourupta, Arlo said they were only debriefed about the base but nothing about what was at the base.
I made my way to the Mess Hall, quickly grabbing a nutrient pack. I did not have time to sit and eat normal food. I had to go out and make sure the two transports we’d use to go out to the desert were in good condition and fully equipped.
When we came out of the underground tunnel, we had found ourselves in one of the rocky hills at the beginning of the Red Desert. The location made it easy for us to identify the entrance to the underground base today.
I made my way to the hangar next to the Commons as I gulped down the nutrient pack. Even though still super early in the morning, the sun shone bright, the heat already stifling.
I entered the hangar, and approached our best transport, it was still an older model but much newer than the other two. I started checking on it when Haze rushed in, a disconcerting frown on his face.
“Morning.” I tipped my chin, as I tightened the screws that held the thrusters in place to make them more stable.
“I think we have a problem.” He stated his face tense - eyes unreadable.
“You’ve been saying that a lot since you got here Haze.” I sighed and cleaned my hands on my temp pants. “Will you ever have anything good to report?”
He scratched his scalp, his fingers easily running through his closely cropped hair. Haze pursed his lips. “Man, I know, but this is serious as hell.” I waved him to continue. “I stopped by Jo’s unit, and after knocking for a while, I kinda let myself in.”
“Why did you stop by Jo’s unit?” I asked with a narrowed gaze.
He dismissed me with a gesture. “Needed something from her.” He shrugged avoiding my eyes. “But the unit looks a mess man, and there’s no sign of the Doc there either. I asked around, and it seems like no one has seen them since yesterday afternoon.”
“What do you mean?” I asked feeling morose, my mind working too fast for me to have any clear thoughts.
“I don’t know.” He frowned, his brows scrunching together. “Either those two had a cat fight and decided to take it out of the res, or they were taken by someone.”
“What?” My heart thumped against my ribs. “Why would either of that happen?”
“Well, I thought maybe they fought over you.” He snapped impatiently. “It’s clear you had a thing for the Doc, and Jo has had a thing for you ever since I’ve known her. Maybe they decided to duke it out over who got to have you.”
I gritted my teeth in frustration. “Jo and I already talked about it, why would she go asking for a fight - we left things clear between us - she wouldn’t do that.”
“Jo’s stubborn, but if you set things straight with her I don’t think she’d go against the Doc...” His jaw clenched, a muscle visibly ticking. “That leaves choice number two.”
“Who would take them?” I asked urgency overcoming me, my senses overworking, ready for action.
“That I don’t know.” He gravely stated his eyes boring into mine.
Twenty-One
Iolee
“Wake up…” An urgent whisper invaded my mind, as I struggled to lift my lids. Stars, why were they so heavy? Had I been drinking last night? Had I spent the whole night looking at my informator and now was simply too exhausted to wake up. “Ioleeee wake up… Please?”
“Alright, alright I’m getting up…” The words left my mouth sounding slurred, and I licked my lips, a bitterness coating my tongue. I again tried to open my eyes. Who was talking to me? I finally managed to crack a lid open only to see a hazy green light. Disoriented, and dizzy I looked around. I looked to my left focusing on a muddy figure until it became clearer. Jo looked anxiously back at me, she was tied on a matte black wall, her hands tightly bound by her side, her legs held in front of her.
At once memories from last night jumped in my mind, and with fluttering panic, I looked around me. We were taken by the Ourupta!
“Jo! Where are we?” I asked trying to move only to notice that I was similarly trapped to another smooth wall.
“I don’t know… I don’t know.” She whispered maniacally. “How can this be happening? The Ourupta left - they left a hundred years ago! I thought you said they were hibernating!”
Think Iolee, think. What was going on? Why would the Ourupta take Jo and me? “How long have you been awake?”
Jo shrugged, struggling to free her hands and legs. “Not long… I woke up a few minutes ago and have been trying to wake you up. I just… I just remember exiting my room - I was going to the Mess Hall to get food and Ourupta - like real life Ourupta were standing there in my unit!” Her expression horrified, she shivered as she took a deep breath.
“Then?” I asked logically, a sense of utter calmness dominating my mind. There must be an explanation to all these!
“I screamed, one jumped on me… A burning sensation on my shoulder and then nothing. How about you?” She squinted at me, we were both faintly illuminated by green lighting, and even though I could make her out, I couldn’t see much further into the darkness. It reminded me of the underground base outside New Hope.
“I heard you scream and came to check on you. They had you, I panicked and ran to m
y room, but they broke the door. They sedated me with something - I remember the burning sensation as well.”
Jo’s shallow breathing echoed in the darkened room. “You think - they have everyone from the res?”
My eyes widened in horror. Oh Lord, if they had everyone, there would be no way to escape and seek help - to warn the Colonies. “I don’t know.” We gazed into each other’s eyes our misery and fear evident. “How long do you think we’ve been here?” I asked as I turned around trying to gauge our surroundings. We must be underground, perhaps even at the base we had found.
“I have no idea. I can’t tell time, and they took our coms. We could try screaming, but to be perfectly honest I’m about ready to shit myself and I’d rather keep those monsters away as long as possible.” Jo’s voice carried so much honesty that I couldn’t help the hysterical laughter that escaped my lips.
“Oh, my lucky stars.” I said as more laughter escaped me. “We are fucked Jo.”
She looked at me with her mouth open, and then a chortle of laughter escaped her mouth. We looked at each other and we just burst into laughter. Our panic making it impossible for us to think clearly. Oh well, I guess laughing was better than crying. After a while, we both stopped breathlessly.
"What are we going to do?" Jo whispered leaning against the wall.
"I'm not sure - why do you think they took us?"
Jo shrugged. "My parents used to say that the Ourupta used to steal humans long before their attack and that they would experiment with them."
"You parents were alive during the attack?" Not unheard of what with medicine and all but still surprising.
"No, it was stories their parents passed on to them..."
"What kind of experiments?" The green vats came to mind but I decided to keep that info to myself and not scare Jo even more.