Where the Strangers Live

by Phipps, Oliver

  With the weight of Eliot on his arm Troy now began to slowly falter. Realizing this Sophie now entered the conversation, also with a voice of agony.

  "No one would believe us even if we did tell them about this. They would think we were crazy. I swear to you we won't say anything. Please just let us go. The drug is wearing off, we're dying."

  Carzoc looked them over again as all three now became almost buckled with pain.

  "Yes, the female speaks the truth; they will think you are mentally defective." He stared at Sophie a few seconds and then smiled slightly before continuing.

  "But I don't wish to take any chances. You will remain here." He then began to walk away.

  Troy now almost exploded.

  "So, Jovacians have no honor then? You speak of rules of the arena and honor of the battle, but in the end there's no honor in this arena? We win the battle and you change the rules? Is that the Jovacian way?"

  Carzoc stopped in his tracks. He didn't turn around right away but appeared to be in thought. Slowly he turned and stared at the three.

  He watched them closely as if waiting for the pain to increase a bit more. Then he spoke again as all three were almost on the floor in agony.

  "You will hold your tongue, least it's cut from your mouth. Humans have no real concept of honor. You fight one simple battle in our arena and you propose to teach us about honor?"

  Now Carzoc moved back in front of the three. He stood silent as if observing the pain increase inside them.

  "Jovacians have more honor in one breath than the three of you have combined. You will stand here and speak of honor while the pain flows through you. But if we release you then your tongues will wag differently at the surface and far from here. Then your true honor will be revealed."

  "I swear we'll say nothing. Please release us, the pain is unbearable." Sophie coughed and moved closer to the floor after saying this.

  "I swear I'll say nothing." Troy spoke in agony and then Eliot grunted and nodded his head to confirm he also agreed.

  Carzoc stood silent as he considered their words. His face grimaced and his eyes strained at the three battered beasts in front of him.

  "You swear now. I doubt your honor to that oath though. If not for the fact that your pathetic carcasses would pollute the air I would never take such a risk."

  Now Eliot collapsed to his knees. Sophie had to let him go and Troy stumbled as he could no longer hold him up either.

  "If you betray your oaths and others come here, their blood will be on your hands. This facility has defensive capabilities far advanced to anything your race could imagine. Do you fully understand this?"

  "Yes, we understand, please..." Sophie pleaded desperately as the Jovacian drug had all but lost its pain controlling effects.

  Carzoc again watched the three suffer for several long seconds. He then sort of frowned as if in pain, but said with a tone of disgust. "Release them."

  Chapter Five:

  Final Game

  A fuzzy light and an odd feeling of being weightless overtook the three. Then relief from the pain came as a heavy feeling crept over them. Slowly, a blurred vision of the headpieces being lifted from them came into view. As Sophie's eyes cleared she could see that she was again in her own body and inside the odd containers.

  Looking out over the arena floor Troy could see no sign of the battle. No bodies were on the floor and again there was no evidence of an audience or even the stands. Darkness covered all but the arena floor.

  After the upper parts of the cylindrical containers were removed, the lower sections began to move back into the floor. The three felt themselves to make sure no damage had occurred. As they did this Carzoc and several more Caretakers walked up to them. As Carzoc studied them briefly, they realized there were no longer restraints around their feet.

  "Do not come back here. Do not tell others about this place. If your race has honor you will keep your oaths. Your craft has been altered to indicate a major malfunction and that you were trapped with minimal power for the duration that you've been here. You would be wise to keep this as your story once you reach the surface."

  Carzoc stared at them again as if he were not sure of his decision. Then he continued.

  "Go quickly before we change our minds."

  Sophie moved close to Troy and Eliot moved to the other side of her and the three began to move in what they thought to be the direction they had first entered the arena. As they moved with urgency, the area in front lit up enough to direct them towards the exit. When they reached the large open doorway, Eliot glanced back and saw the Caretakers were following behind them.

  Again the three moved through the strange environment that represented Jovax. As they moved through this time though the inhabitants moved silently along beside the trail and watched them pass by as if watching a parade. Soon there was hundreds of the Jovacians standing alongside the trail as the humans moved quietly and quickly through the middle of them. Fear gripped their insides but none said anything as they huddled together and almost ran in an effort to escape.

  Soon they found themselves at the end of the trail and after a few nervous seconds the jungle environment melted back into the odd empty room they had initially entered. They walked out the door and down the hall past the rooms with the strange devices and body parts suspended in containers. When they came to the open bay area the three slowed down.

  As they passed the Gorgon's container they noticed the red mist was floating about with the silver gray mist intermingled. They couldn't determine if the Gorgon was back in the container or not. But Sophie stopped and the two men stopped as well. She gazed at the display that had initially shown the Gorgon attacking the ancient men and villages. Now she realized the display was showing the battle between her and the Harpy. She stared in wonder as the view seemed to be from the arena stands and beside that the view from what would have been her own eyes.

  Troy and Eliot also stared at the display in obvious confusion. "They recorded the battle." Sophie said with dismay. "Why would they do that?"

  "I don't know, but we need to keep moving." Troy then pulled her arm slightly and they moved towards the Oceana again.

  In the cafeteria area they didn't stop or even slow down, they went through the open door leading to the massive bay area.

  The Oceana sat tiny and almost insignificant in the humid, open bay area. Eliot glanced around the large area now as he realized massive Jovacian spacecraft once entered and sat in this area. The spaceship must have certainly been the size of a football field in order to occupy the area of the bay.

  As the three came closer to the Oceana, seawater began to ooze up from the grate flooring. They glanced down at this and then back to the doorway. Several Caretakers watched from the doorway. They stepped back and the doorway closed.

  "Come on we've got to get into the sub, they're flooding the bay. The pressure will begin to change soon." After saying this Troy began to move quicker towards the small submersible. Eliot and Sophie also began to jog towards the craft.

  They reached the Oceana just as the water began to splash around their feet. They quickly climbed in and sealed the hatch.

  "I hope we've got power or we're dead." Troy began moving small toggle switches and as they clicked with his touch the interior lights came on. All three breathed out in relief.

  Sophie glanced over the gauges as everything came back online for operation. "We seem to have lost almost everything. Carzoc and the Caretakers certainly did a number on the Oceana. It's going to be close in reaching the surface."

  "We need to keep everything turned down to minimal power. Eliot, keep the oxygen on minimal flow. We'll need to relax and not exert any more effort than necessary on the way back up." When Troy said this Eliot nodded. The seawater could now be seen rising past the small portal behind Eliot as he adjusted a knob to control the oxygen dispersal.

  Now the water gushed from the bottom and the top as well. After a few moments the entire bay area was flo
oded. The Oceana now floated inside the large docking bay.

  Soon the sounds of the changing pressure could be heard and then the massive doors slowly cracked open.

  Eliot maneuvered the sub closer to the doors as they opened up enough for the Oceana to exit. With the lights of the Oceana shining to be sure they would clear the doors, Eliot moved the submersible through them as soon as possible.

  "Our navigation equipment is still not working. The compass is still spinning. I'm not sure where we need to go." Eliot steered the craft and continued to nervously glance at the dysfunctional equipment.

  "Just get us away from here and out of this trench. We'll worry about navigation later." As Troy said this he also checked the equipment and did what he could to assist in their escape.

  The Oceana ascended and moved away from the trench. Behind them the doors began to close and they could hear them shut tightly.

  For what seemed a long time only silence prevailed as the tiny deep sea submersible floated slowly towards the surface. They looked at each other time and again as if trying to believe what had happened. Finally Sophie broke the silence.

  "Are we really free? Is it really over?"

  Troy looked at her and then Eliot. Nether appeared to have an answer at first. Then Troy spoke with a soft tone.

  "I think we are safe from Carzoc and the caretakers now. But I don't know if it will ever be over. How does anyone get over something like that?"

  Again silence took over the cramped area as they all considered this.

  Sophie then reached over and pulled a small calculator from a pocket shelf. She began scanning over the gauges and tapping out calculations. "We'll have just enough of everything to get to the top." She then typed a few keys below a small screen. "The system shows a major malfunction. From everything we have on record here the Oceana's system malfunctioned and we floated dead in the water all this time on minimal life support."

  Eliot and Troy glanced at Sophie. Then Troy replied weakly. "The Caretakers certainly knew what they were doing."

  "Compared to the technology they're used to dealing with the Oceana is probably more like a peddle car." Eliot said this casually and then turned back to the tiny portal and into the darkness.

  Troy seemed to remember the radio and began calling for their mother ship.

  "Pacifica, Pacifica, this is the Oceana. Do you read, Pacifica?"

  Meanwhile in the facility below them, Carzoc and the other Caretakers prepared for sleep again. The lights began to dim in the massive facility as Caretakers stepped into their static chambers.

  Carzoc and several others stood beside a panel. They listened with interest to the Oceana as Troy called for the Pacifica in vain.

  "Pacifica, do you copy?" Troy sat the small microphone down

  "The radio equipment seems to be in the same shape as the navigation equipment."

  Sophie continued to examine the gauges and instrument panels as the Oceana continued its slow ascent. Another silent period prevailed.

  Eliot spoke now in a soft voice. "What are we going to do when we reach the surface?"

  He looked back at the other two. Troy had a puzzled expression on his face and Sophie glanced back at him quickly, but continued to work on calculations as if assuring herself of something.

  Finally Troy spoke. "What can we do? We gave oaths to say nothing. And besides that, who's going to believe we accidentally stumbled onto an ancient alien testing facility, four miles below the ocean surface; then had to fight a death match in an arena to escape. Who would believe something like that?"

  After a few more seconds of silence, other than Sophie's finger activity on the calculator, she began to speak.

  "I'm beginning to think it wasn't an accident at all."

  When Sophie said this, Troy and Eliot turned to her with a confused expression on their face. Far below them now, Carzoc and several other Caretakers moved closer to the monitoring device when they heard her say this. Carzoc had a keen expression of interest on his face as he listened more intently to the conversation of the tiny submersible.

  "What do you mean it wasn't an accident?" Eliot expressed surprise at Sophie's statement.

  She took a breath and seeming sure of her assessment began to explain. "Remember yesterday when we first heard the signal? It was just at the time we had to return to the surface. We didn't have time to investigate. I believe the Caretakers wanted us to return this morning with more time. And do you remember that we heard the signal but not the Pacifica? Also, the signal brought us right into the open bay. It's as if they wanted us to come in. Then after we were in far enough, the doors began to close, they trapped us in.

  After that, the bay drained and once the pressure and oxygen was regulated, then the Oceana's systems shut down. Carzoc knew we would have to exit the submersible after a short time. Then, we moved right through the facility and to the arena. When we slowed down the Caretakers simply came closer. The Caretakers herded us right to the arena."

  Troy and Eliot had a blank expression on their face as they appeared to be processing Sophie's theory. She watched them for a few seconds as if awaiting a counter argument from one of them. When neither one said anything she continued.

  "Everything has worked out in a precise and exact time frame that would indicate we had a major power failure and drifted with minimal life support all this time. If we attempt to say anything about the facility or the Caretakers we'll surely be suspected of having breakdowns. I also believe Carzoc and the Caretakers know that even if there were to be any investigation, the facility would most likely not be found. Beyond that I'm sure we would lose our jobs and probably not be able to find work again. I think this has all been a calculated and well thought out event. The Caretakers played everything out to the second almost. I'm not even sure now that we actually defeated the creatures in the arena or if we just spent the amount of time in the battle that the Caretakers had prearranged for us. Then, right after the battle they moved us out of the facility quickly."

  She paused again briefly and stared at a spot in the tiny sub as if re-gathering her thoughts. Then she made her final assessment.

  "This all happened too precisely to not have been carefully planned. We didn't accidentally find the facility; they lured us in and then moved us through it and straight to the arena. They made us fight, and maybe we won the fight. But Carzoc must have known we would be in enough pain to take the oath and then he let us go with just enough time to reach the surface on minimal life support."

  Troy and Eliot seemed to be in a slight state of shock. Their faces expressed deep thought as they weighed Sophie's theory with the actual events. Silence again came over the Oceana and far below Carzoc and the Caretakers also waited with anticipation for the results of her assessment. Then Troy asked the question that Eliot also had on his mind.

  "But, why would they do that?"

  Again calm took over as Sophie appeared to consider this. Then she spoke in a voice of slight bewilderment.

  "I think they may have waited all these years for the Jovacian's return. They've been prepared all this time for the Zonalex family to come back so they could work with them and have new battles in the arena. Maybe, when they noticed us yesterday, they realized they'd been forgotten by the Zonalex family. I think they may have felt this would be their last chance for another battle in the arena. I believe they may have somehow needed one more fight in the arena."

  Troy and Eliot considered this. They glanced at each other again as the pieces came together in their mind. Then Troy spoke softly.

  "Do you mean they were lonely?"

  Sophie's lips pressed together as she thought of this. She ran her thumb lightly over the small calculator in her hand.

  "Well, maybe not so much lonely. I suspect they may feel abandoned. Perhaps they knew this would be the last chance for the arena to have another real battle. I think maybe they needed this one last fight in the arena so they could rest."

  Eliot now seemed to grasp wh
at Sophie was getting at.

  "You mean, like a Swan Song?"

  "Yeah, maybe, I'm not for certain. But I think it may somehow help them finally relax and rest. It just seems that they needed that battle to release a tension from years of waiting."

  Carzoc smiled slightly when he heard this. He turned back to the other Caretakers and a few nodded in affirmation, indicating Sophie had somewhat solved the mystery of the event. He then touched a button on the monitoring device and slowly moved over to enter his static chamber, as did the remainder of the Caretakers. After entering the chamber, it sealed and filled with the gray misty liquid. The lights in the facility slowly went completely out as the mist now crept through and enveloped the entire facility. Everything in the alien complex now returned to its inactive state.

  In the Oceana, immediately after Carzoc touched the button, the navigation equipment and the radio came back on.

  "The navigation equipment is back up,” Eliot said, and Sophie glanced down at the radio.

  "The radio is back on too." She spoke casually, seeming more concerned with the discussion between the three of them.

  After another brief silence Troy spoke. "So, what's next?"

  The three submariners stared at each other as they realized they'd survived the challenge of the arena, but now a new challenge would begin when they reached the surface. Could they live silently with the life altering ordeal and the brutal arena battle that would never leave their memories? Again the silence felt almost overwhelming as this reality fell heavily onto all three of them.

  Far above the Oceana, on the surface, a distraught radio operator sat at his station. He ran his fingers through his hair in despair. The entire crew of the Pacifica had become almost hopeless in finding the lost submersible and its crew. He'd been manning the radio for hours in an effort to contact the Oceana. Now, in a forlorn fashion, and more out of habit than anything else, he clicked a button and in a flat monotone called into the microphone.

  "Oceana, do you read Oceana? This is the Pacifica, repeat, do you read Oceana?"