 
The story begins at a Benty secret research facility. Two Benty males are racing for their lives down a corridor filled with death. One is a commander of a special foot soldier unit, and the other a master research technician. Both terrified by what is chasing them.

Light years away, a convoy of citidomes leaves Earth's solar system for the planet 581g they hope to call someday home. On citidome-3, ex-FBI Special Agent Tamara Weaver and her companion Niko have just arrived looking for her niece, Zoey. She discovers she is living on a terraformed moon. While waiting to receive permission to journey to the unknown moon, the citidomes are savagely attacked by the Benty space fleet. Her companion now destroyed; she finds herself stranded with others on planet Rubius. It is here that she meets Dax Northwind, and a team of explorers to battle against genetically created monsters bred and housed on Rubius.
Lawrence Sky

Planet Rubius

Companion Book Series

Copyright 2014

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this eBook.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Smashwords Edition License Notes.

I would like to acknowledge the Director of the Chesterfield Writers Club as an enormous inspiration to me in organizing my book. And to my cousin Ronald who has been an avid follower of my eBooks.

# CHAPTER 1

### Ghoulish of Nightmares

Planet Rubius – Photo by en.wikipedia.org

Two humanoids raced through a whitewashed corridor in an advance Benty research facility. Light bars flickered on in front of them, and then several seconds later sputtered out after they passed by. Now and then, their yellowish faces with brimless rubber beanie caps took turns looking behind them into the terrorizing darkness. The coldness made the corridor sterile and impersonal as they ran to keep ahead of the dark. Cool filtered air whispering in the background helped echo distant creatures growling and hissing. Occasionally, a creature slammed into a door or a wall and roared with ferocious anger.

"Leave me!" begged Corvus in a scratchy voice, panting to catch his breath. He was an old master research technician working at the facility as the transition leader in charge of 10 highly trained technicians chosen to shut down the facility. "I... I can't make it. I'm too...badly hurt...too tired...to go any further. I'll...only slow you down," he pleaded. Corvus's small stature hidden inside tight-fitting white paper-like overalls betrayed his fleeting fitness. His sad wrinkled face surrounded squinting charcoal black eyes floating beneath a brown tightly worn beanie cap. His slumping body conveyed not just his age, but also his pain. Stressed from his wounds and running for his life became overwhelming, taking its toll on his will to live.

"No," bellowed commander Pavo in a hoarse voice, squinting his eyes to show his dominance. "Safety is just a little further up ahead! You can make it!" he ordered. A decorated veteran foot soldier, Commander Pavo was assigned to guard the scientists, technicians, and now this transition team. As the commander of a small elite team of 20-foot soldiers, he was a perfect specimen with his long muscular arms and sharp pointed nose. Young and tall (over two meters); his tight-fitting two-piece black rubberized combat suit bulged with muscles. Fixed prominently on top of his head, he proudly wore his black rubber beanie cap, stamped with its official white commander's insignia. However, he was starting to hate this assignment; shutting down a facility was supposed to go smoothly, but instead, all hell broke loose. Now, he was the sole survivor of his team running for his life with a crumbling old civilian technician.

Both slipped and stumbled in their rubber boots. Frantically, they rushed to stay ahead of the vicious creatures not far behind. These newly created life forms called Cretoks were still unknown to many outside the research facility. For those that did, the Cretok's name personified the word 'death' to anyone unlucky enough to meet one under the wrong circumstances.

"We should've never...created them," admitted Corvus out of breath. "They're just too aggressive...and... too smart. What...were we...thinking?" He was feeling guilty for being involved in their creation. It became apparent even to him that it was a gross error in judgment. Never had they been so reckless in genetically creating such an unpredictable creature.

"I can't worry about that now. We must get to safety before it's too late," urged Pavo.

Corvus replied in his scratchy irritating voice. "Yes, commander, yes, I'll try, but...I'm just too weak...I've lost too much blood. I don't think...I can make it." He gasped, tripping over his clumsy footsteps until he finally fell flat on his face. What little yellow blood he had left in him began to trickle from his nose.

"Get up, get up you old fool! You must get up," barked Pavo. His harsh tone somehow gave Corvus hidden strength, as he picked himself up again. His back was livid with pain from an open gash revealing his vertebrae, muscles, and surrounding connective tissues. His dark yellow blood soaked through his shredded coveralls and ran down his back and legs into the soles of his boots. Each of his feeble footsteps protested with an annoying squishy sound.

"I can't leave you here for them! I need you!" yelled Pavo looking down at Corvus fading willingness to survive. As the old technician finally managed to get off the floor, his beanie cap popped off his head exposing his matted brown hair pasted to his head. His ponytail was undone and sticking to the back of his neck.

Pavo knew his irritating little friend didn't have much longer to live. He didn't have a choice; he'd have to carry him.

Corvus was shorter than Pavo by at least a half meter with a body denoting an over-indulgent lifestyle. His fitness played a role when Corvus tried to help the commander escape the claws of a Cretok. His poor fitness caused him to react too slowly resulting in a deep wound for his efforts. The gash bled profusely extending from behind his right shoulder blade down to his lower back. One razor-sharp claw intended for Pavo was all it took to fatally injure Corvus. Now he was pushing the commander away while rising weakly to his feet.

The commander's team was not as fortunate as the two of them. Pavo and his foot soldiers were dispatched to the lower levels to destroy the Thetoks with poisonous gas. They had no idea of the capabilities or voracity of the Cretoks. As a less advanced creation to the Cretoks, the Thetoks was the first bird-like monster genetically engineered by Benty scientists. They had the mental capacity of a two-year-old child. Thetok stood well over two and a half meters tall when standing up. They had dark, narrow brown stripes running vertically across a light brown body. Short, bright, iridescent greenish-yellow feathers ran from the bottom of their necks covering most of the belly. The Thetok's long neck had a head with large black pupils set inside orange eyes. A curved black beak completed its deadly facial makeup. They also carried short, winglet arms with sharp black claws and a thick, feathery tail for balancing its massive torso. Finally, they had thick, long muscular legs used for running and holding down prey with three specially designed toes on each foot, harboring long claws for tearing and slashing at a defenseless victim.

Thetok – Picture by Wikipedia.org

Only a few hours earlier one of the large male Cretok's figured out the locking mechanism on his cage door. The other Cretoks watched intently, learning how to unlock their cages. They possessed the mental capacity of a teenager and were quite cunning. In a matter of minutes, ten Cretoks were out of their cages, freely roaming the facility. Corvus's team discovered them first and ran for safety wherever they could find it. He then called Pavo for help.

The commander's solution was to free the Thetoks, about thirty strong to destroy the Cretoks. Corvus warned him against the idea, but Pavo ordered him to do it anyway. The old transition leader thought about it, concluding that disobeying a direct order from a military commander in the field was not wise, perhaps provoking an execution on the spot.

Knowing the Thetok's weaknesses, Pavo assumed they could handle the Cretoks without too much trouble as well. However, before they arrived, the Cretoks ate or severely injured all of the Thetoks in very short order while continuing to roam throughout the facility searching for more food. When the Cretoks ran into the commander's team; a robust and well-trained cadre of foot soldiers, nothing they did could compensate for the quick intelligence of these new creatures. The Cretok ripped the commander's soldiers to shreds, devouring them as if they hadn't eaten in years. It appears their appetites matched their ferocious, cunning nature, making them nightmarish eating machines. Luckily, the researchers and their families had already left for a newer facility closer to the Benty home world. Only Pavo's foot soldiers and Corvus's transition team remained on the deserted planet. With the protection of the foot soldiers now gone, the remainder of Corvus's team was hunted down one by one and slaughtered. Now it was just the two of them left fending off ten hungry Cretoks. Corvus turned to look at the commander, practically reading the commander's thoughts from the expression on his face.

"Ah...yes, of course! I should've...known. You don't want to be...trapped here...without food! I didn't think...you...cared about me. You military types...must...survive to carry on...right?" said Corvus, wincing from his excruciating back pain, taking a few more steps while continuing to fight off the commander's efforts to help him.

"How would you survive without the military? Who would feed you, old fool? We're the Empire's only hope of feeding our runaway populations. As a master technician, you should know that" Pavo yelled at him.

"That explains...why, we're...on the brink of war...with every species in the galaxy again! The closing of this facility, opening a newer...even larger facility...closer to home is proof of that," said Corvus, trying to catch his breath while stumbling along.

There was a loud roar much closer than before. The commander looked down the dark corridor behind him trusting they still had time to make it to the observatory.

"Proof of what, old fool?" sneered Pavo as he looked down at Corvus. He grabbed the old technician by the back of his neck with long yellow fingers capped with black fingernails extending back towards the first knuckle joint, that propelled Corvus ahead of him.

"I don't recall any of you complaining about a war when you were eating well."

"All I know...is that...in the end, you're going to...eat me!" grimaced Corvus. The bright ceiling lights popping on and off were beginning to stab at his eyes, making Corvus blink uncontrollably in response. "Forgive me...if I hope...you choke...on my bones!" said Corvus with a nasty smile on his pale face.

"Don't worry master technician; I won't eat your bones. And... of course, I'll respect you, remember you like a good old friend," said Pavo unable to conceal his sly smile.

"You hardly...know me. If not for this madness, you...wouldn't have even...noticed me," Corvus stated, coughing up dull yellow blood, gasping for more breath. "I... really worry about...us as a species. We only care about eating. There's...a better way for us...to survive. We already...have the technology to...produce our food. I don't understand why we persist in behaving this way by creating bloodthirsty monsters to guard our food supply when it's unnecessary."

"Careful, old fool! You're now talking treason," growled the commander pushing Corvus ahead of him, noting their destination just a few steps ahead. "This is the way it has always been, and it will always be this way. We have evolved to feed on the weaker humanoids, they, in turn, they will evolved to submit themselves to us, willingly...or unwillingly, it doesn't make a difference. We are the superior species in our galaxy. Why should we change our ways for them? The hunt is what makes the harvest so gratifying. Why am I wasting my breath on this well-known fact?

You're delirious with pain and severely bleeding. It's affecting your judgment if you ever had any."

"No, no, I disagree," said Corvus barely whispering in a rough weasel-like voice. "My judgment...is quite clear at this precise moment." He stopped to catch his fleeting breath and continued. "I... I can see things quite clearly...and beyond doubt...we...were obviously the fools. All of us were foolish for making these creatures...so...smart. Too damn smart...just to control puny humanoids." He paused again, heaving deeply. "The Thetok...were doing fine at controlling them," reflected Corvus, feeling dizzy. "I'm afraid...the Cretoks will get the better of us...in the end," he said stumbling. "Ah, the pain...the pain!" he moaned. "Just...leave me...here...commander! Let them...have me. I deserve it...for being part of this...crazy scheme," he said stumbling again. "When...when the decision came down...to close this facility, we should've...immediately destroyed the Cretoks...without hesitation," rambled Corvus as his thought began to drift to his family, light-years away. "I will never sit at the head of my table and eat with my family again," he said stumbling, wheezing, and gasping for more air. His eyesight was glassy, his legs rubbery without feelings. Corvus saw the impatience growing on Pavo's face and thought; _the military never talks about ending the harvest_. _They only see the next big one over the horizon._

"You liked...the power and status you get...hunting for food in our galaxy in your...enormous shiny spaceships," blurted Corvus. "The truth is, our scientists...found a suitable replacement for...humanoid meat through stem cell...research that is far superior and much healthier...for us. The harvest...seems to sustain the life force...that keeps you going. This force...is what I see in your cold...black eyes, commander." Corvus stumbled and got back up. "It's just like cancer...we solved a thousand years ago. We found the cure for cancer...and then realized the cancer was...needed to keep the Empire's economy running. We're doing the same thing...with the harvest. You must tell our...superiors to...stop."

"Come on, come on, keep up," ordered Pavo lifting and pushing Corvus ahead of him. "The observatory is just a step away. The Cretoks are not far behind, but we can make it. I won't let you stop here."

Just then, heavy loping sounds echoed out from behind them, made by footsteps bearing sharp claws trying to gain traction on a highly polished floor. It was still dark behind them, but a tiny beam of light kept growing as the creatures kept coming.

The observatory offered a grand view overlooking a large courtyard. It was a large aluminum room on the top floor of the research facility. It contained a small walk-in freezer and a humanoid-size rotisserie oven embedded in one of the walls. On the other side of the room was a kitchenette with running water and a few small cabinets. Placed on a red-carpeted floor, were seven heavy plastic wingback chairs surrounding an oval, black metallic table decorated with deep gashes from sharp cutting knives. Off to the left of this area was a stairway leading down to another room. Here, a smaller observation window provided a view of the facility's lobby.

Overall, the focus of the research facility was to conduct experiments using humanoid sex cells involving in vitro fertilization. Many years ago, Benty scientists managed to engineer new species of humanoids from harvested sex cells producing enhanced humanoids. Occasionally, they allowed a few genetically damaged embryos to continue developing into whatever their genes expressed. The facility's personnel routinely ate them as a delicacy or fed them to the Thetoks to supplement their diets. In return, the highly trained creatures ensured that the humanoid specimens never escape from their cages. Otherwise, the humanoids would roam around at night creating a mess that had to be clean up before they could start working again. Therefore, by night, the Thetoks freely roam the facility housing the humanoids. By day, they were recaged. Their control over the humanoids provided scientists very few working distractions helping them to maintain a high success rate of superior humanoid embryos for livestock and breeding. They routinely created embryos that incubated into 18-year-old progeny in 6 months. By overcoming the controls governing growth rate, the scientists observed and analyzed their genetically improved progeny in record-breaking time. The newly created beings were then shipped to various other facilities for further growth and ultimately, as food for the growing Benty populations scattered around the galaxy. Simply put, the facility was a place of unimaginable pain and suffering with sickening odors, grotesque life forms, followed by consumption that could only happen in the most ghoulish of nightmares.

# CHAPTER 2

### Rumbling in His Stomach

"Ugh! Let me go!" said Corvus, pushing the commander away again. "I can hold them off by myself...so you can make it to the observatory. Just tell the others...that we made these new creatures...too...smart! And...and don't forget...the automated growth chambers too!"

Pavo looked down at the old master technician, smiling to himself, "Old fool, you know we don't have any more weapons, why do you think we're running." The commander thought for a fleeting second, "What growth chambers are you talking about?" he demanded, not sure, what Corvus was babbling. Corvus hesitated for what seemed like a long moment while unconsciously rubbing his hand along sharp nose pondering whether to tell him everything.

"There are hundreds of...maturing Cretok embryos...down below in the sub-basement," whispered Corvus in a breathless voice. "Somebody...needs to go...down there...to shut it off...before it's too late!"

"Oh, come on," said Pavo with a chill running down his spine. "Going down to the growth chambers is suicide, you know that's not an option I'm going to consider," he said. "It's just a few more steps!" Grabbing Corvus, he tucked him under his muscular right arm and dragged him, dismissing the old technician's warnings. _How fitting_ thought Corvus as his cold black eyes buried behind darker eyelids slowly rolled upwards. _A technician and a foot soldier are the only two left in this dreadful facility. This foolish commander they assigned to protect my team and me is now trying desperately to protect his only food source...me! Too bad, he doesn't realize that he's waiting for help that will never come!_

"Oh, by the way," said Pavo, shaking Corvus back into consciousness, trying to sound compassionate as he dragged him closer to the observatory door. "I trust that you managed to get an emergency signal to the research ship."

Corvus weakly lifted his head trying to focus on the unconvincing sincerity of the commander. With some conviction still left, in his voice, he said, "Of course...I did," grinning inside. "The military...is not the only ones that can do something...right! I personally...sent the call out. However, I can't guarantee...when they'll get here," he said pausing, hitting his chest as if it would put more air in his failing lungs and continued. "You'll have to make me...last!" said the old master technician forcing a smirk on his sweaty, grayish yellow face, turning his head to conceal his inner joy. Blood squirted out from his spine like a small water fountain, making him an easy trail for the monstrous Cretoks to follow; intensifying their insatiable urge to eat.

"Like I said, I will respect you," offered Pavo with some reverence. "However, I must survive. Come on, get in here," he said, holding the massive metal observatory door open with one hand and callously shoving Corvus into the room with the other. He let the door go seconds before a savage creature slammed into it. The door closed with a metallic thud, then a hiss, as the air squeezed out to make an absolute seal. It shuddered under the weight of the creature repeatedly slamming against it. The Cretok roared hideously, banging harder on the door with chilling determination causing the door to shake violently, but it held. After a few long moments,

Pavo's nerves began to relax as the sounds outside the door slowly subsided, and then finally stopped altogether. Backing away from the shiny double reinforced aluminum door, he gradually looked behind him to see Corvus sprawled out on the carpet in a small pool of blood. Pavo realized that he was looking at all the blood the old technician had left before he died. Instinctively, he knew he had to preserve Corvus's body before it started decomposing. Benty proteins did not last long if not refrigerated. _The old technician would not last long either as a food supply,_ Pavo reasoned; _a week at best looking at Corvus's scrawny arms and legs._ Starvation for Benty was by far the worst kind of death to endure and a highly revolting thought, as well.

Corvus thought aloud, "He personally transmitted the message to the research ship. But he was with me the whole time." Suddenly, another sinking feeling slid down to the lower pit of his double-lined stomach. He imagined no one coming to rescue him; _starvation_ , he screamed inside his head. Immediately, Pavo conjured up a mental sketch of the room. Eventually, he turned his gaze upwards towards an air vent. He imagined a metal airshaft possibly running back down the corridor towards the communications room. Using one of the wingback chairs, he reached a vent high up near the ceiling. It traveled out of the observatory and into the corridor. He looked at the old technician's lifeless body with a strange feeling creeping over him.

Pavo quickly pried the metal grating off its hinges. He wrestled his body up into the dark, narrow vent, barely making it through the opening with his rubberized combat suit. As he had correctly guessed, the vent turned to the right and was high enough to protect him from the creatures jumping up to pull it down. Their best efforts managed to shatter the light bars placing them in darkness. The only peace of mind Pavo could muster while shimmying through the shaft was that nothing could get inside the observatory while he was gone. Slowly, on his hands and knees, he continued his way down the shaft. His combat suit squeaked loudly against the shaft's walls, frustrating the Cretoks following his audible trail.

It was useless to worry about which direction to head since there was only one way to go; back down the way, he came. He clunked along, his bulk just barely fitting between the sides of the shaft. He felt the heated friction building up on his arms and thighs as they continually rubbed against the metal sides. The Cretoks looked up at the shaft and then tapped on the floor beneath them with razor-sharp claws unable to reach him. Occasionally, they hissed at each other out of frustration. Finally, Pavo saw a bead of light jetting up from another shaft. It was the elevator shaft. He recalled that they narrowly escaped the Cretoks by getting into an elevator. Cautiously, he navigated around the open shaft and went on for another 20 meters before coming to a four-way junction.

He had been crawling for thirty minutes, then, based on his mental map of the building he assumed he was getting closer. He turned right and crawled for another twenty minutes, then left and then another left before reaching a metal grating that looked down into the communications room. The door to the small room was wide open spattered with greenish-yellow blood. Pavo peeked through the grating's slender bars looking like a thief waiting to steal something. He patiently listened and waited for the right moment to sneak out. He lay quietly for a long ten minutes, before deciding it was safe. Using a small desk that was under the grating, he lowered himself down headfirst. Quietly, he crossed the room to close the door. With that single act, he relaxed more than he thought possible under the circumstances.

Cautiously, walking over to a computer station, he sat down and carefully tapped in commands on the keyboard. A radio icon appeared on the screen. Satisfied with his progress, he put in more commands. Instantly, a green light came on prompting him to speak.

" _Come in, come in,"_ the commander anxiously spoke in a low monotone voice. _"This is commander Pavo calling from...planet Rubius. You must return immediately to rescue survivors. We are under attack by the Cretoks. The transition team leader, Corvus, has allowed the Cretoks to escape from their cages. His incompetence has destroyed my team attempting to rescue his team trapped in the facility. They require urgent medical attention. Please...respond!"_

Just then, from somewhere in the back recesses of his brain the commander recalled what Corvus had said about embryos. Pavo was mouthing out loud what he was thinking, unaware that the microphone was picking it up word for word, _"There are hundreds of embryos in the...sub-levels in the facility's automated growth chambers. There's no way anyone can go down there alone to turn the growth chambers off. Hundreds of Cretoks could mature and escape at any moment."_ he finished thinking. "Of course, now I understand what the old technician was trying to tell me! Please...someone...respond! We need immediate evacuation from planet Rubius!"

A very faint voice, just audible, crackled over the speakers when suddenly...a thunderous bang hit the door shattering it off its hinges. Pavo's eyes widened with terror. His hands froze on the keyboard as he watched a male Thetok stagger into the room.

Young Thetok – Pictures by L. Sky and Wikipedia.org

The exhausted creature gazed around the room, intoxicated with fear. He had survived hiding from the Cretok after finding and eating on the remains of a foot soldier. For a few seconds, he focused his black piercing eyes on Pavo.

He turned his gaze back towards the shattered doorway. The Thetok paused a moment longer, wobbling and trembling at the same time. Bright green blood trickled down his marred body riddled with numerous gashes and bite marks. Pavo, sitting nervously at the console stared up at the massive creature. Despite its obvious wounds, it was still quite formidable with its large beak and sharp-clawed toes. The two of them looked at each other. Unexpectedly, the animal limped towards him. Unsure of what to do, Pavo somehow managed to remain perfectly still, not moving a muscle. For a fleeting moment, he thought the Thetok looked familiar. It displayed a long scar on its beak serving as an identifying mark that he vaguely remembered. To help keep calm, Pavo kept reminding himself that Thetok's guarded their victims, not attacked them. Painfully, the creature took another feeble step towards him. Then, it fell on Pavo, as if seeking refuge in his arms, knocking the commander out of his chair. He scrambled to his feet, stepping away, brushing the animal's jelly like blood off his combat suit. Regaining some composure, he moved closer to take a better look at the dead creature.

From his vantage point, the Thetok's body had wounds from its head to tail. Dark green blood continued to spurt out and pool around its lifeless body. Looking at the animal's blood-soaked wounds, it suddenly dawned on Pavo that the Cretok was indeed far superior to the Thetok. An even closer look revealed a pattern of the injuries, they were all centered on vital areas, but not extensive enough to immediately kill the creature. The Cretoks were trying to weaken this Thetok, who, on average, was much larger. Apparently, they wanted him to die slowly keeping his body warm when they feasted on his organs. Before Pavo could finish his analysis, he heard the dreaded clicking sounds rapidly approaching. Without thinking, he dashed to the grating as terror gripped and tightened his chest and leg muscles. He wiggled halfway back inside the shaft. His legs were dangling precariously over the edge. Going in headfirst meant he couldn't turn around, so, in a cold panic, he continued crawling back towards the four-way junction. Eventually, he managed to turn around. Facing the grating's opening a few meters away, he moved closer. Nervously, he crawled closer and closer. He reached down with sweaty hands and lifted the screen back into place, and then waited. He didn't have to wait long; a Cretok suddenly popped its head into the room.

Cretok – Pictures by L. Sky and Wikipedia.org

It came in cautiously, using one of its massive clawed toes to kick savagely into the Thetok's side. In response, blood splattered everywhere, including the still squawking computer station. Its actions elicited no movement from the fallen creature sprawled out in a pool of its blood. Satisfied that its prey was dead, the Cretok methodically surveyed the room for more potential prey. Seeing none, and without further hesitation, it drove its massive beak into the belly of the dead animal, ripping out its entrails. He gorged himself with greenish meat while growling with delight. Then, without any provocation, the Cretok's head snapped up and looked straight at Pavo through the grating. It stared motionless with its head cocked to one side for a few seconds, as Pavo marveled back at the creature. It had a powerful beak on its head and massive hind legs. As if contemplating what to do next, the Cretok with nervous energy tapped its clawed toes on the floor in a rapid drum-like procession. It continued to study the unknown figure behind the grating. He was keenly aware that something was watching him, just within his range of vision. Then, as if he had an idea, he slowly stretched out and revealed its winglet arms. Initially, camouflaged by its feathers, both winglets extended outwards revealing short, muscular arms with two additional clawed fingers that curved and flexed with precision. Each claw resembled oversized steak knives with serrated edges for impaling and holding its prey in place while its massive beak ripped meat off the victim's torso. The male was trying to demonstrate to whatever was lurking behind the grating that his outstretched winglets could easily defend him. The Cretok continued to display this gesture for a few moments longer while vocalizing a low growl that served as a warning not to interfere with its feeding.

Satisfied with his superiority, the Cretok feasted for over an hour. When finished, it left a large hole in the Thetok's side exposing bones, ligaments, and macerated flesh. Without warning, he walked out of the room gorged with flesh. He left bits of lacerated tissues dangling from the bones with blood vessels mingled together in a bloody pulp, staining a spotless floor. Pavo waited until he was positive that the creature was gone before he ventured back out. The stench from the Thetok's exposed remains was overpowering as he raised his hands to cover his nostrils. The odor seemed to revolve around a staggering amount of chewed intestinal plumbing, smeared on the floor beside the dead creature's body. It oozed a green semiliquid paste, slowly spreading out over the floor. Meanwhile, splattered blood trickled across the computer station's display screen, still chattering to regain contact with its caller.

Commander Pavo cautiously made his way back through the butchered mess and sat down at the computer station. He wiped the slowly dripping blood off the computer. Periodically, he looked towards the open doorway, as he labored to provide a one-sided detailed account to the research ship's commander. He was keen to note the significance of the Cretok embryos that could mature at any moment thus underlining his demand for an immediate evacuation.

He was aware that his team was always expendable. Nevertheless, the mention of civilians in trouble always captured their attention, so he took a chance lying about his present circumstances. However, the ship's commander was more interested in the Cretoks. Scientists on board the research ship overhearing the conversation began to ask a multitude of questions. They wanted information about the creature's behavior and physiology. In Pavo's favor, because he couldn't answer any of their questions, he unwittingly managed to frustrate the scientists making them extremely anxious to know more about the Cretoks. Realizing this unique opportunity, he enthusiastically informed them that the creatures were tremendous assets. Somehow this seemed to please the scientists, thus demanding a hasty return to Rubius. After giving his update lasting several minutes, the scientists were all satisfied with his report. Not once did they ask about the death of those who were lost trying to save their lives. As a result, the ship's commander quickly agreed to come back.

They logged off with only the sound of static left behind to mourn those who had befallen a horrible death. Without hesitation, Pavo crawled back into the shaft slowly shimmying his way to the observatory, relieved that the ordeal would soon end...he hoped. Over an hour later, Pavo was enjoying his comfortable surroundings in the observatory. He now felt safe and secure. His eyes fell on

Corvus's body. He walked over to him and dragged the stiffening old technician into the walk-in freezer, leaving him propped against the freezer's wall to chill. _Your time to serve the empire will come soon enough, old fool,_ he said to himself, feeling the telltale signs of hunger making its way into his stomach. For now, he walked over to the huge observation window overlooking the courtyard. Beyond the courtyard filled with fire pits stood a white wall containing a tall door. The door overshadowed a small, carved-out entrance to a cave.

Pavo's thoughts about his day's adventure plunged him deeper into subconsciousness. _I never had a clue that this morning, I would have to run for my life, like a civilian coward,_ he thought as his eyes rolled down to the courtyard below him. _I can still see the chef tossing a bucket of thick sauce onto a roasting humanoid, over an open flame in a crude fire pit._

In his mind's eye, he saw a naked torso revolving on a rotisserie, the meat turning into a golden-brown glaze.

Rotisserie chicken cooking - Photo by en.wikipedia.org

All the feasts were memorable; he sucked the imaginary meat from between his jagged teeth. Struggling to crawl back to reality, he could still taste each succulent morsel. Finally, his mind was yanked back by a violent banging on the door; a reminder that they were still out there...waiting for him.

"Now we wait!" whispered Pavo aloud, looking towards the freezer. His hormones, which had dictated his actions throughout his ordeal, now began to subside. The massive observatory window consumed his imposing figure as he gazed down into the courtyard of death with a rumbling in his stomach.

# CHAPTER 3

Seesaw of Emotions

Citidome – Picture by L. Sky

Like everyone else on the citidomes, Tam Weaver looked out her bedroom window to view a bright summer day. She marveled at her surroundings as her lovely facial features reflected at her. Sitting sideways on a cushioned window seat, above her head, her companion Niko hovered, his red spot gazing at her reflection in the windowpane. Niko, a self-aware, autonomous robot shared his wealth of knowledge to empower Tam with limitless information spanning across galaxies. Niko used his artificially induced mental link to keep her informed of everything. He understood most of her innermost thoughts, sometimes acting on them without her permission for her benefit. Ultimately, they worked together to serve and protect each other as one. She dreaded the day when he would have to go back to Peder's committee. Niko frequently sensed her feelings about it and electronically blocked the pain when convenient.

On the streets below Tam's window, only the basic sounds bubbled up from behind closed doors and sealed windows. Settling in for many, was painful at first; some were leaving behind loved ones on Earth with expectations never to see them again. Despite the level of comfort afforded them on their historic journey across the galaxy, there was still something missing.

"Niko, I feel as if the Enac were experimenting with all kinds of creatures; like us, or the Benty. Perhaps they wanted to see which of us was better suited to form a civilization."

" _Don't forget some insectoids are just like humanoids,"_ projected Niko.

"Hmm, but I think the insects have got us beat." _"I don't understand,"_ projected Niko.

"Well, it seems like mammals and birds can't get along with anyone," she stated.

" _I see your point,"_ projected Niko and continued. _"I can't say I know of any insectoid civilizations that are aggressive towards others like the Benty."_

"Niko, I miss Zoey and all my friends back on Earth," expressed Tam changing the subject.

"How long do you think it will be before we can go to see her?"

" _I can't answer that Tam. I'm sure they will tell us when it's safe to leave,"_ projected Niko.

"It also would not hurt if we knew where we were going!"

" _I understand Tam, but in another 50 years, if nothing has changed on Earth, then wherever we go will seem like paradise in comparison. Dwelling on the fact that you have left all your friends behind won't help them...or you."_

"Being with me on this citidome really means a lot to me," offered Tam.

" _Yes, I know,"_ projected Niko in his smooth male voice, becoming visible. He then floated away from her head landing on the floor, converting into the chocolate Labrador dog. He lazily walked over to her and with a warm, dry tongue he began licking her folded hands resting in her lap. In turn, Tam, without thinking reached down to scratch his head with great affection. Even though Niko "the dog" was not real, Tam felt love for him just the same.

" _Try to relax and enjoy the citidome,"_ projected Niko.

Peder had befriended Tam while he and his companion, Ava, learned what they could about Earth's civilization. His discoveries were why humans, aliens, and hybrids were traveling in outer space towards an unknown destination. Niko came into her life at a time when she and Zoey's existence was in great danger. Tam felt deeply obligated to take good care of him, even though he was actually taking care of her. So together they sat, looking out the window at the sprawling city that grew larger by the day. Far off in the distance, a monorail train stopped at a station, allowing its passengers to get on or off for other parts of the city. Suddenly, it felt as though she had been living on the citidome for a long time even though it was just a week that she arrived looking for Zoey. She greatly missed her and Peder. Tam felt an urgent need to see them. _If only I had Peder to talk too,_ she thought. Niko, reading her thoughts, nudged closer to her. He knew she greatly missed him and sensed a future where they would get back together!

"Niko, I'm curious," said Tam in a very low voice. "I have heard talk about hybrids. Can they, I mean we, have children?"

"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask me that question. When the Enac arrived on Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago, they looked for the most suitable life forms possible to accept their genetic modifications," voiced Niko audibly and continued. "After thousands of years of space travel, the Enac became aware of some potential species with unique resemblances to them. They took advantage of these traits to increase the overall population of humanoids throughout the galaxy. Knowing the Enac as I do, they selected only the genes that led to the right designs for survivability based on their planetary limitations. Earth's Hominids had the greatest potential to accept many genetic modifications already introduced into countless other species."

"I still don't understand what you mean, Niko?"

"They searched for species around the galaxy that were genetically like them. They then wrote genetic codes allowing these species to evolve, with the potential to interbreed with other species possessing the same genetic code implants. However, compatibility was never the issue," stated Niko pausing to choose his words carefully. "Enhancing different species for the purposes of mating to produce an offspring was relatively easy for the Enac. But it seems that no matter how carefully they wrote their genetic codes, it became apparent that some species would not be compatible with another species. For example, humans and Benty cannot mate together with the modifications. You have the same chromosome numbers, but that's all. However, the Bhang species can mate with you. But, they're too many other genetic factors that make it impossible for the two of you to produce viable offspring."

"You...you mean I can't have kids with all the aliens you've modified? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, Tam, that's exactly what I'm saying. It depends on certain genetic similarities, which will make you compatible." "What if I married an Enac?" she asked.

"To answer your burning question, yes you and Peder could have children together."

"Hmm, so there is a bright spot in all of this after all," she stated looking into Niko's black, playful eyes. He nudged his head deeper into her lap while together they sat in silence as he continued to eavesdrop on her seesaw of emotions.

# CHAPTER 4

Vale of Powdery Mist

"Hello, my name is Hina. We met when you first arrived," said a frail-looking woman in a simple yellow dress. They met at Tam's apartment courtyard. The area was deserted as they sat on a small bench decorated with trees and colorful flowers.

Enclosed courtyard – Photo by en.wikipedia.org

The small lush enclosed courtyard looked nothing like the multi-purpose circular building that wrapped around it. Glass windows looking down on the courtyard electronically darkened for privacy. Some of the windows had people looking through them without the privacy screen. Now and then, someone would look out their window down at them and then disappear.

"Oh, yes, Hina, I remember you meeting me when I arrived last week. You are part of the governing committee."

"Very good, that's right. Are you settling in okay?"

"Yes, but..."

Hina held up her hand and said. "I'm sorry, we understand, but nothing has changed. But...we, the governing committee, would like to ask if you might take charge of an exploratory mission to another planet. With your background, we thought we could take advantage of your experience while you were waiting."

Tam studied Hina's plain face. Her old FBI training took over. Hina seemed innocent enough but looks could be deceiving.

Tam couldn't read her face or tell what she was thinking based on her facial appearance. On the surface, she seems to be a small, very shapely woman. Her face was almond-shaped without a single blemish of any kind. Hina had black eyes closely spaced between a small, thin nose above equally thin lips. She had a disarming manner about her that put you at ease.

"Hina, you are beautiful. I can also see you don't use makeup either," said Tam to see Hina's reaction. There was none.

"No, it is not necessary for me. So, will you do it for us?"

"Well, maybe. I don't know. I've never done anything like that before. I'm not sure I can do it."

"This will be a good experience for you and a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Tam chuckled and said, "I've already had that experience, Hina."

"Oh yes, I guess you're right," countered Hina looking shrewdly at Tam. "I guess saving your world could be an ultimate lifetime experience. Taking this assignment will help you keep a hand in, as they say."

"What if you hear something about Zoey while I am gone?" "We will call you if we hear anything."

"All right, perhaps it will help take my mind off things for a while. Where am I going?"

"You and your team are going to a planet called Z' ppe. You can use your companion to carry you and your crew to the planet."

"Sounds like a plan," responded Tam. "I guess all I need are the particulars about the planet and its people. But there's one more thing."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Are you a companion?"

"How can you tell?" said Hina curious of this beautiful woman trained as an investigator on Earth.

"Hina, you're too perfect. Besides, I have Niko, and he's told me a lot about companions. Don't worry, I won't share your secret."

"Thank you, Tam. It's imperative that you don't reveal our secret. We only want to help everyone get to his or her new home without too much confusion. That's why we don't want them to know who we are. Many already resent us, which is why Zoey left with the young Earthers. They blame us for forcing them to leave Earth. It's just that most of our guests are still denying the fact that they invaded your planet. In time, they will understand and appreciate what we are doing. But...until then, we must try to keep the peace among them the best way we can."

"Hina, I get it! It's just that being here is a little overwhelming right now."

"Thank you, Tam, we appreciate any help you can give us. And don't worry about Zoey. I'm sure she will be alright where she is."

"I hope so. Zoey's all I have as a family."

"I'll send the information about Z'ppe to Niko."

"Okay, thanks, Hina," said Tam standing up from the bench they shared. Hina got up and walked towards a hidden doorway in the building that opened when she approached. She went inside and disappeared heading towards the street.

"Niko, I guess you still can't access the information about Zoey?"

" _No Tam, it's still blocked. I have the data on Z'ppe. Do you want to review it now?"_ projected Niko.

"No, perhaps later," said Tam with a distant look. "I just need to think about all of this. I feel like they are hiding something!"

## ***

Z'ppe, was inhabited by a highly evolved space-faring insectoid civilization that looked like grasshoppers found on Earth. However, they stood at least one and a half meters tall.

Niko's briefing about the Z'ppe's culture and strange social behaviors projected as photographic imagery in Tam's mind. He showed her examples of their large, yellow melon-shaped eyes and patchy orange, black and yellow changing skin patterns. The Z'ppe's were bipedal, with large hind legs and humanoid-like arms that were basic in appearance and function. The Z'ppe's had two hands containing five-digit fingers like most of the humanoids found in the Milky Way galaxy.

"The Z'ppe," Niko voiced, "are very well known for trading useful information about inhabited planets in this part of the known galaxy in exchange for goods and services."

Niko skillfully tried to explain to Tam that the Z'ppe were not insects like those found on Earth. He stressed it would be a grave mistake to treat them as such.

"Their appearance has nothing to do with the fact that they were exploring the universe when Earthlings were still in caves. In all likelihood, the Z'ppe may have even visited Earth in the distant past, as well. Therefore, always appear happy and eager to listen," he instructed.

"If you follow these suggestions, they will be open and eager to share anything you want to know about this region of space."

With more pictures and words, Niko conveyed inside Tam's head how sociable and good-natured the Z'ppe were. He related that they would most likely offer her team food that was very slimy looking and acidic tasting.

"Their food looks revolting by most humanoid standards but is delightful, once you get use to looking at it. Also, and this is very important, as part of the Z'ppe's cultural traditions, they will ask you to stay for a few days. They are very proud to show off their magnificent city of hive-like dwellings sprawled over hundreds of kilometers of the landscape. Of course, this will be out of the question for the amount of time we have. But, as team leader, you must figure out a diplomatic solution for declining the Z'ppe's gracious offer in such a way as to not offend them."

## ***

Tam's team of two men and three women including herself had arrived at the departure pad. They sat two-by-two inside Niko's spacious bubble, which resembled an airplane's flight cabin. They sat in soft-cushioned chairs with windows giving them a view of the universe. Niko outdid himself adding small display panels in the windows to show exactly where the team was in relationship to their citidome in space.

Tam sat alone in the rear of Niko's bubble, watching the other team members trying to steal glances at one another. Tam noticed Franko first who stood out because of his tall, lanky size. He had fair greasy-looking skin covered with chestnut colored hair on top. His pageboy haircut, dark brown eyes, and no facial hair gave him a youthful appearance. However, when he spoke, it set him apart from the others with a flute-like falsetto voice.

" _He is a Kooi. A species of aliens that is uncommon in this part of the galaxy. His presence on the citidome is a mystery unto itself,"_ projected Niko. _"They are distant cousins to the Zeddi. They separated thousands of years ago leaving for another part of the galaxy to colonize. The genetic isolation caused them to become a different species from the Zeddi. I suspect he came to spy on the Zeddi. They have a rivalry between them."_

" _Is he going to be a problem for us?"_ projected Tam.

" _No, they are harmless. Kooi's probably bored and looking for something to entertain him while he's on the citidome. The first chance he gets, he'll be gone."_

" _Well then, what about Johnar?"_ projected Tam. _"How does he fit into the scheme of things?"_

Johnar managed to sit beside Sara. He was a beefy looking, grey-eyed giant in comparison to her. His matted, honey-colored dreadlocks draped untidily on his pasty cream-colored head. A beard shrouded his cracked-full lips and button size nose. When he spoke, it was in a dry monotone voice.

"Johnar is a Fliban. They are very spiritual beings. He too is harmless and should be helpful with the Z'ppe."

" _Okay, that leaves the females. They are females, right?"_ projected Tam.

" _Of course, they are females. Actually, Sara is human. I don't know much about her."_

Tam focused her attention on Sara, trying to figure her out. She had a small, thin body frame with a milky-colored skin tone. Her face held blue eyes, a beaky nose sprinkled with small brown freckles and a tight rusty-colored bun as a hairstyle that made her look older than she was.

Billie, the other female said something to Sara from across the aisle causing Sara to laugh in a piercing voice. Billie smiled back at her and said something else in a soothing low voice. She was a big-boned person with nut-brown skin tones. Her glowing complexion and dark brown hair were infectious as Sara snickered again. Billie shook her long ponytail from side to side as if imitating someone. Her light brown eyes danced about with a prominent sharp nose pointing at Johnar, who was also laughing with them.

" _Is Billie human?"_

" _No, she's a K' Gaal. They are very sensitive beings and fun to have around. Don't worry, you have a good team,"_ projected Niko.

Unexpectedly Tam projected to Niko, _"I'm a little nervous about all of this. I'm sure the rest of the team feels nervous about meeting the Z'ppe. I feel they are in the dark."_

" _Well, my knowledge of the Z'ppe is only second hand from what Hina sent me along with the records I was able to find on file._

With your permission, I'd like to share this information with the team to lessen some of the questions they may have."

" _That's a good idea. We wouldn't want the team to say or do something silly that could jeopardize our relations with the Z' ppe,"_ projected Tam to her little companion.

Each of the team members was wearing their lifesuits with helmets and gloves off, sitting and enjoying the view. Then for the next hour, they all closed their eyes and began to see and hear the information Niko provided for them about the Z'ppe. He concluded his briefing as they slowly descended into Z'ppe's cloudy atmosphere. Realizing what Niko had done, they quickly accepted the information and grew excited, until they popped out of the cloud layer, only to find the sprawling city of Z'ppe...in ruins.

## ***

From Niko's monitors, the team saw Z'ppe looking like a battlefield in a movie. Churning smoke swirled from hundreds of beehive-like buildings, reaching high into the early morning sky. Many of the buildings wore black scars on their yellow, beehive structures that marred an otherwise beautiful cityscape.

Z' ppe Beehive Complex – Picture by L. Sky

Most of the beehives were hundreds of meters high. Smaller ones were attached to their sides, forming cluster of pyramids, disappearing into the clouds. Each massive beehive complex rested on a square platform, twenty meters high, and hundreds of square meters wide. Scarred bridges clung from the mid to upper portions of the platforms in all four directions, linking them all together. Every door and window in each complex were blasted away revealing extravagant elevators and escalators inside huge, magnificent lobbies. As an extra layer of mystery, everything from top to bottom had a thick layer of reddish-brown powder. Even more mysterious, all the inhabitants of Z'ppe...were missing!

## ***

Despite the safety of Niko's protective bubble, Tam's team was terrified. They continued to stare at the complex's devastation of what looked like a once warm, vibrant yellow city. Niko slowly floated above the carnage in a zigzag pattern, hoping to find survivors. For two hours, the team searched the shattered city, until finally, they decided to land in what appeared to be a park in the center of one of the beehive complexes. It was a large park with trees densely covered with reddish-brown powder. Niko did a soft landing, but the powder still managed to swirl around in large plumes, clinging to Niko's smooth outer surface. Though the air was breathable, Niko still insisted the team pull up their helmets to avoid getting the unknown powder in their lungs.

"Niko says if something is in the powder, our lifesuits should protect us," announced Tam to reassure them they were all safe. "We definitely don't want to take something back to the citidome, if there's anything dangerous out there," she insisted. "When we get back, Niko will vent the air out of his bubble to eliminate any further possibility of contamination to us or the citidome."

After a short check of their lifesuits, Tam ventured out first, followed by the others in single file.

"Let's spread out but stay in eyesight of each other. Don't go inside any of the buildings. If you see something strange or unusual, use your communicators. We will all come to you, and then as a team investigate what you have found. We don't want any heroics today, okay?" commanded Tam. The team members shook their heads in eager agreement, quickly fanning out towards the nearest beehive building with its surrounding walkways. Each beehive building was massive in scale. Every doorway seemed both inviting and foreboding. It was evident from the opulence of their surroundings that the Z'ppe's standard of living easily surpassed that of Earth's.

Meanwhile, Niko hovered high enough to keep everyone in sight. Each member walked down what seemed like an endless walkway peering into broken windows and shattered doorways. The powder was everywhere rising like a mist with each step they took. Eventually, he could only see them from their waist up. The walkways had disappeared completely in the mist. It was an unnatural sight, as team members labored about stopping to look at this or that. They would disappear for a moment in the mist as they bent down to examines an item they inadvertently bumped or stepped on. All the time, the city was eerily silent. The only exception was a mild wind, gently searching the deserted walkways as if looking for the truth about what became of its beloved inhabitants. For the team, the mystery grew greater, as they continued their quest for signs of life in the thin vale of powdery mist.

# CHAPTER 5

### To No One in Particular

Planet Z' ppe – Picture by en.wikipedia.org

" _Niko, you have been very quiet,"_ projected Tam. _"What do you think of this powder?"_

Niko's inner thoughts were more like random sounds of computer chatter, completely unrecognizable to an organic brain, so he insulated her from them. Instead, he stayed in tune with her emotions so if she was in trouble, he could instantly swoop down in a femtosecond to save her. But his silence spoke volumes to her.

" _I have never seen anything like this,"_ he projected to her in a calm tone. _"This powder is certainly not part of their ecosystem, that's for sure,"_ then paused for a second. _"The only thing I can truly say with any degree of certainty is that over a billion Z'ppe are missing. It's tough for me to imagine there's not a single trace of evidence that reveals their whereabouts. Watch your step, something is definitely wrong here, but I don't have a clue,"_ projected Niko.

"Niko give us two hours to do a thorough search. Then call me when our time is up," projected Tam.

" _Don't worry, I won't let you go a second over the time limit,"_ Niko projected back to her.

Cautiously strolling through the powdery mist, Tam was continually amazed at all the destruction surrounding her. Every hive had cratered holes from laser blasts, with some going right through the thick walls.

Whatever happened, the Z'ppe were obviously in a death struggle. Even the park, where they landed, showed signs of fighting among the plant life. _What could have caused such fighting,_ thought Tam? _Why was there no evidence to show whom or what was the reason for all of this? Moreover, where was...the people of Z'ppe?_

## ***

Tam stooped to pick up a small artifact lying on the ground and then stuck it in her pocket for later lab analysis. She could see the others on her left, poking heads in doorways, examining the interior of lobbies with numerous blast marks on their walls. Everyone wondered what could have happened to the beautiful yellow city. A constant breeze meandered below the mist through the walkways creating a low, eerie noise.

The creepy symphony of sounds would reach a crescendo breaking the deafening silence from time to time making Tam feel very apprehensive, cautious with each step she took. She felt as though someone, or something would jump out of a doorway or surprise her unexpectedly from around a corner in an ungodly manner.

Subsequently, Niko sensed everyone's rising tensions, as footsteps began to slowdown becoming more deliberate. They were waiting for something frightening to happen. Their fears continued to increase towards a crescendo, when Sara, a history teacher, spotted something. It was just below the mist resting on the wall of a building. Wavering in the mist, she moved closer to examine it. Her blood pressure rose accordingly, her heart kicking into overdrive the closer she reached out to it. At the same time, Tam was chasing down a peculiar sound, when Sara's voice boomed over her communicator.

## ***

"I...think...I... found...something," Sara shouted excitedly. There was a long pause, "I can't make out what it is, except that it looks out of place. Hold on a minute." She placed her keypad sensor against the object. It didn't trigger any alarms or signs of life. "According to my lifesuit, it appears harmless."

"Sara don't touch it. We will all converge on your position," ordered Tam.

"It's very unusual, almost like a..." Just then, Niko broke in Tam's communicator ordering her to return to the park.

"Okay, everyone come back to the park," ordered Tam. "Our two-hour limit is up!"

Not giving the object any serious thought, Sara stooped down snatching it into her arms. The weight was uneven, but not heavy. She clutched the teardrop object tightly against her chest. It displayed random discolorations of light browns splashed on a smooth, dark brown background. Cradling the object like a precious newborn, Sara stumbled from the object's awkward weight distribution. Gripped with fear, she froze as the object nearly tipped out of her hands. Regaining her balance, Sara started again with exaggerated caution. _Whatever it was, she had to bring it back for the others to see. It might provide a clue to what happened,_ she thought, just before the sounds of her communicator broke into her thoughts.

"Sara, leave whatever you have found, and we will all come back to examine it together."

"Sorry...Tam," said Sara in an odd tone.

"What do you mean, sorry?" demanded Tam.

"I'm bringing it back to the park. It's not that big, and it's light enough for me to carry," Sara replied.

"Sara, that's not the point," interjected Niko, speaking to all of them for the first time since they walked out on Z'ppe. "It could be dangerous."

"He's right Sara. You should drop it right where you are," insisted Tam.

"Okay...done," said Sara, out of breath.

One by one, they all returned. Three of the team members placed whatever artifacts they found into Niko's specially insulated compartment to ensure the team's safety. The group made themselves comfortable inside Niko's spacious cabin, waiting for Tam, the last one to return.

"Sara, where did you leave your artifact?" asked Tam, standing outside in front of Niko's bubble.

"I did what you said. I dropped it," said Sara innocently.

"Where?" Tam said.

"In front of your companion; I was already in the park when you told me to drop it," she replied.

Tam fanned through the mist until she caught a glimpse of an odd shaped object. She turned to look at Sara and then projected a thought for help to Niko.

" _The artifact appears safe for the moment, but it does have an unusual coating. It's impossible to see inside. As a precaution, I will isolate it from the rest of the artifacts, so we can transport it safely to the lab for analysis,"_ offered Niko, using his audible male voice for everyone to hear. As the conversation was going on, Sara looked entirely innocent, as if she had done nothing wrong. As far as she was concerned, she had done her job as an explorer. _They could thank her later,_ she mused.

With everyone safely on board, Niko shot upwards through the thick clouds, into the dark expanses of outer space. Planet Z'ppe became a mere speck in the background of the cosmos. Everyone was somber and reflective while streaking back to the citidome. Each member replayed in his or her minds the haunting sights they witnessed on their first visit to a once inhabited world. _Was this an omen of things to come?_

"I don't understand what happened down there. How do you wipe out a whole population and leave the buildings still standing?" Sara whispered to no one in particular.

# CHAPTER 6

### Drawing Them Closer Together

Two hours later, Tam and her team arrived at the landing pad. They quickly disembarked without saying a word to each other. Niko used the opportunity to transform into the dog. Patiently standing alone, Sara with her artifact wrapped in her arms, waited for everyone to head towards the lab. However, the others passed their small token findings on to Tam. They were happy to say their goodbyes to put their vexing experience behind them. It was twilight over the citidome, and most of the people had already settled in for the evening. Several meters away another team was taking off to explore another inhabited planet. Their bubble silently rose up into the night sky, disappearing through an opening in the citidome's energy shield.

"Sara, we'll go to the lab and log in our findings," offered Tam, her voice falling off the backs of the departing teammates. A few of them, still within ear range, threw up the backs of their hands in acknowledgment but continued their departure unabated. Niko took up the rear as the two lone team members headed for the research lab. Sara looked back at Niko smiling to let him know she appreciated his company. Weighted down with useless artifacts, Tam was careful not to lose her footing on the staircase leading down from the landing pad.

As they headed towards the research facility, couples walked passed holding hands expressing signs of affection. They were young and obviously in love. The sight of them in love made Tam think about Zoey and then Peder. She knew, from the first moment they met, that Peder was the only one for her.

The complex towered above many surrounding buildings.

Research Facility – Photo by commons.wikimedia.org

It was isolated high on the citidome's platform. Housing scientists, technicians, and staff workers, their mission was performing the numerous tasks necessary for keeping the citidome and its Earthers safe from any harm. In addition, the complex contained public health services and government offices on the second and third levels of the building.

The white cylinder building stood high over the horizon as a symbol of importance. As one of the tallest buildings on the citidome, it was easily recognizable by all Earthers. Walking silently together, Sara's communicator rang out with a jingle. She quickly reached down to her keypad on her sleeve attempting to save the quiet mood surrounding their walk. Within a matter of seconds, she looked pale.

"I must go home. My son hurt himself playing near a construction site. Could you please log this in for me?" asked Sara, handing the artifact to Tam.

"Sure," replied Tam, clumsily juggling the strange artifact in her arms. Sara turned on her heels without any ceremony, trotting off into the darkness.

Niko, walking on his master's right, projected to her.

" _Would you like for me to transform to help you?"_

" _Sure!"_

" _Who would you like me to be?"_

" _Not Peder, I'm having a hard-enough time as it is with my emotions."_

" _How about Zoey? She should be a comforting sight for you, yes?"_

" _Perhaps, but only to help me with these artifacts."_

" _Okay,"_ projected Niko and morphed into her niece. Zoey image reached out before Tam almost dropped Sara's artifact.

"That was close," said Tam out loud. "It must be getting late.

I guess I'm tired. We'll just drop off the artifacts and this powder sample tonight. We can come back in the morning to check on them."

"Yes, that's a good idea. Also, I thought we all worked well together on this mission," said Niko avoiding the suggestion of Sara as a problem.

"If you say so," offered Tam as she stared at Sara's unusual artifact.

Tam's emotions suddenly spiked making it hard for Niko to analyze. Her brain went into a spasm that forced him to soothe her mind with mild electric shocks bringing her back to normal. Her eyes flickered as she lost track of what she was doing.

"Are you okay Tam?" voiced Zoey's image.

"Yes," she replied looking at the hologram of her lovely niece holding the strange artifact. "I guess I'm more tired than I realized."

"Sure!" voiced Niko, while sending soothing electromagnetic energy waves to her brain to interrupt her thoughts of Peder. "Are you sure you are going to be okay?" asked Niko's projection of Zoey smiling warmly at her aunt.

"I'm sure," said Tam with an even warmer smile. Her eyes locked onto Zoey's image as they walked a leisurely pace through the research facility's courtyard and then up a long staircase. Tam reached a tall glass door that opened by itself. A beam of light showered down on them pushing the darkness away drawing them closer together.

# CHAPTER 7

### The Slightest Provocation of a Breeze

The next morning, Tam stood before the main entrance of the research facility. She turned to view the warm, cloudless summer morning. The clear sky allowed her to see to the end of the city's construction zone. It marked an empty area with a metallic glass wall as its boundary. No one could go there except companions that busied themselves with the construction of the citidome. It was puzzling that Sara's small son was able to breach such a secure area. A soothing breeze blew through Tam's boyish hair, as she looked out towards the artificial horizon. It was a captivating sight for a woman still finding her way in life after all the years of playing as an adult. Tam stepped inside a quiet and sterile building's lobby. A few busy workers scurried about disappearing down a hallway or behind a closed door. Tam strolled over to a bank of elevators stepping inside the first one that opened its door. The door smoothly closed, holding in the cool silence while lifting her towards her destination on the sixth floor.

" _Tam, I think there's something wrong on the sixth floor,"_ projected Niko. Suddenly, he appeared above her head. A bell pinged from somewhere, and Tam physically braced for the next moment, straining to hear any telltale sounds of her fate behind the elevator's closed door. Only Niko could hear the tacit cries beyond the metal cage that summoned an urgent need for his attention.

"Stay calm!" voiced Niko over her head. "I can see the image of creatures, but I have no knowledge of what they are. They are capable of cloaking their life signs. I can form a barrier in the doorway, so when the doors open, you can safely observe what's happening. Right now, the creatures are freely roaming around the lab." Tam expressed signs of relief, knowing that Niko could protect her...until the elevator came within range of the loud groaning noises emanating from creatures literally raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

## ***

Hours earlier, resting dormant in its cocoon, a highly sophisticated parasite patiently waited for the right moment to reanimate back to life.

The night before, no one in the lab was able to work with any of the artifacts found by Tam's team. Consequently, the research team left the objects for analysis in the morning, thinking everything safe from foreign contamination. What no one could have predicted, an hour after Tam had left the lab, something in the atmosphere triggered a chemical reaction inside the artifact. The alien parasite called a Tuzool came back to life. Then, with innate precision, it ate its way through its shell-like casing for a burst of energy and then rolled off the lab workbench undetected. As with most stealthy creatures, it quickly ran for the cover of darkness. Using its weak, stubby arms ending with webbed feet, it crawled beneath the darkest recesses of the workbench.

Tuzool – Picture by L. Sky and Photo by wikipedia.org

Within moments of concealment, it began the process of absorbing moisture from its surroundings to fill out its body cavities. The thirty-centimeter creature impregnated with tough, black, and yellow polycarbon scales, solidified to become impervious to any substance short of a direct laser blast. Feeling invincible inside its coat of armor, it raised its bulbous head, containing a brown slimy, straw-like proboscis. Like an artillery cannon, it used its proboscis to spit dollops of bright greenish slime. The slime contained a potent concentration of neurotoxin.

Greenish Tuzool slime – Photo by wikispaces.com

Paralysis of the body's musculature system occurred in a matter of seconds. Any staffer who happened to come close for the slime to reach, the neurotoxin dissolved into their skin guaranteeing paralysis. Death by asphyxiation ensued if not treated in time. For over six hours, to pinpoint its host, the parasite poked around the lab with its highly evolved sonar imaging system. On the back of the Tuzool's brain was a rudimentary image outlining the host's body frame.

Once the Tuzool found an unsuspecting host within range, it fired its slimy substance. The oily greenish slime only needed a small exposed patch of skin to absorb through the cell's membrane.

Once inside the body's bloodstream, it paralyzed the host. Immediately after paralysis, the Tuzool rushes to insert its sharp proboscis-like syringe. Since the host now had no feelings, the proboscis easily penetrated the outer layers of skin to navigate directly into the body cavities. Once inside, the Tuzool savagely sucked out the body fluids like soda through a straw. Next, like a skilled surgeon, it used the proboscis as a probe to locate major organs to feast on them. In turn, the host automatically stimulated the Tuzool's reproductive sacs to release pre-hatched larvae from its tail end. The larvae instinctively rush to find its way into any of the host's exposed orifices. At this point, the tiny larvae methodically feasted on all the succulent tissues left behind by the adult to devour the victim from the inside out. Eventually, only a bag of loose skin, laden with soft bone tissues sucked clean of bone marrow remained. The residual enzymes left behind by the larvae triggered the radical decomposition of any remaining body tissues. In the end, all that endured after the nauseating process was a reddish-brown powder that dispersed with the slightest provocation of a breeze.

Powdery remains – Photo by wikipedia.org

# CHAPTER 8

Into Outer Space

Tam remained frozen inside the elevator, as the door slid open.

Elevator door - Photo by commons.wikimedia.org

In that flash of an instant, she discovered her hideous mistake from the night before. A dozen unfortunate technicians were scattered in random piles, reduced to powder. Thinking fast, she hit the fire alarm button inside the elevator, while Niko's shield blocked several dollops of greenish slime.

The Tuzool were everywhere in the lab, as they became increasingly frustrated at the lack of finding food. They could see Tam's distinct image as a warm body but somehow could not feed. In moments, the Tuzool completely covered Niko's shield, blocking out the elevator's incoming light. The slimy bodies rapidly grew in number, with more of them crawling onto the bulging shield, fighting for more space every second.

"Niko, do you think the heat from your energy shield is attracting them?" asked Tam, wrapped in darkness, as her body uncontrollably trembled from the strange experience.

" _Yes, it's possible. I will send a wave of cold air over my surface to see what happens,"_ projected Niko from everywhere at once. Immediately, cool waves of air rippled down his surface. In response, the Tuzool leaped off in shock. A little light diffused back into the elevator through the greenish slime left behind by the Tuzool's sudden exit. Relief washed over her face, before the elevator's emergency bell cried out again causing her to jump in fright. Just beyond the elevator, she heard groans from hungry

Tuzools searching relentlessly for more food. Fumes from the Tuzools' stomach acid began to leak between Niko's shield and the elevator's rubber seals. The sudden buildup of gas forced Tam to violently gag. In a flash, Niko formed his bubble around her. He created microscopic pores to vent out the deadly gas as the elevator door slid closed. Safe from harm, she watched the elevator's door buckle in, then finally dissolve away. Hordes of squealing Tuzool charge inside the elevator. In unison, they raised their proboscides expecting to find a juicy target. Instead, they pitter-pattered aimlessly on the elevator's floor. Their deep growling stomachs churned like deafening locomotive engines. Then, without warning, the elevator cables snapped. Instantly, Niko fired a laser blast to cut a hole in the elevator's ceiling. A cacophony of sounds slowly faded away as Tam turned her head to see the elevator careening down the shaft. She was still cringing at the dissipating sounds that gradually fell silent, but not before, she relieved her breakfast on Niko's wall while suspended in the elevator's shaft.

Niko showered Tam with energy waves that shocked her back into reality. She quickly recovered and shouted, "Niko, get us out of here!"

"Are you, all right?" said Niko in a calm voice. She was still trembling, conjuring up images of being smothered to death under the weight of the slimy Tuzool feasting on her body. Curiously, Niko was fully aware of her mounting fears. He attributed it to her growing loneliness.

Many of the Tuzool, not trapped in the elevator when it sank into oblivion, were dangling from the elevator cables, still searching for food. The rest of the parasites scurried away on their stubby arms, pitter-pattering in search of new food sources outside the lab. By then, the companions were aware of the situation as they struggled to halt the rampaging Tuzool inside the research facility. Efforts to save the staffers caused the companions to destroy a large portion of the facility. The little Tuzool was quite agile against evading direct laser blasts. Further observations also revealed that they were indeed unique. Now numbering in the thousands, they seemed to possess a remarkable sense of collective intelligence allowing them to act as one entity. They quickly passed information amongst themselves to continue their search for more victims. Moaning with an insatiable hunger, they soon joined forces trapping many staffers inside small rooms with only one entrance.

Staffers were walking through the hallways below wondered about the commotion they heard above their heads. Suddenly, without warning they found themselves facing hordes of noisy Tuzool. It wasn't long before they began taking over the entire facility, one floor at a time, without any serious opposition. Fortunately, the research facility was located near the outer rim of the citidome. The only drawback was it took a while for more help to arrive to rescue those trapped inside the battered building. In the meantime, hundreds of staffers barricaded themselves into tiny rooms to avoid the deadly Tuzool reeking of foul-smelling acid. The situation soon became dire, as defenseless staffers scattered throughout the facility screamed in horror for their lives.

Their screams merely gave the Tuzool the opportunity to hone in on their sound vibrations, increasing the traffic of pitter-pattering up and down the hallways. Their hissing signified the release of stomach juices to dissolve an obstacle or barrier, followed by a bloodcurdling scream from a humanoid, followed by silence.

## ***

Making their way out of the research building to safety, Tam got a better picture of the situation. The facility's circular design had elevators on its walls surrounding a spiral stairwell in the center of the building that connected the roof to the sub-basement. The Tuzool was using the central stairwell to go up and down the facility to feed. It was in the stairwell's shaft where the powder started to accumulate almost three meters thick. During an emergency, staffers use the stairwell for evacuations. In this case, the stairwell became a deathtrap for all those that ventured that way out.

Niko took Tam outside the facility by smashing through walls and windows. Below them, a crowd had formed. Some of the people standing in front of the ring of onlookers were companions, secretly controlling the crowd. There were other companions without disguises acting as nets, catching staffers brave enough to jump from window ledges to escape the Tuzools' slime. The mounting problem was that it took several direct laser blasts before enough damage could penetrate the Tuzools' tough outer skin. Doing so caused considerable damage to the building. By now, the Tuzool was asexually reproducing at an astounding rate. It became hard to keep ahead of them, without destroying the entire facility. Such a force to stop them would require a large bomb, capable of obliterating the entire facility. That was not an option; the Tuzool now jeopardized the safety of the entire citidome and its Earthers.

Tam realized that she was witnessing what happened to the Z'ppe. Her citidome was now heading down the same path of destruction unless they did something...fast. She instructed Niko to communicate with the other companions to come up with a solution to end the crisis before it was too late. As expected, none of the people below understood the full magnitude of the problem while yelling and screaming in horror. Niko passed on his knowledge of the Tuzool to help the other companions to come up with a plan to save the trapped staffers. Blasting holes in the building whenever they detected a humanoid, they formed bubbles to ferry them outside to safety. If any Tuzool managed to jump out of the building in pursuit, lasers destroyed them as they hit the ground. If any Tuzool somehow survived the fall, strong nets caught them for disposal. This plan once put into action, proved to work, as the Tuzool rampaging inside the research facility began running out of food. Then one of the companions had another ingenious idea. They floated throughout the building locating large gatherings of Tuzool trapping them inside their bubbles; the Tuzool's stomach juices had no effect on their energy field.

Like professional truck drivers, the companions transported the Tuzool to the evacuated top floor of the building. Without any strong resistance from the Tuzool, they dumped them out when they reached their destination. The Tuzool just waited patiently for their next opportunity to pounce on anything that breathed. Finally, with all the Tuzool captured, the companions sealed off all the entrances to the top level, so that, once deposited, they could not escape. After carefully examining the building's infrastructure, the companions cut through the floor beneath the Tuzool with lasers, decapitating the top floor from the rest of the building. Outside, everyone could hear the Tuzools' voracious squealing, driven by a hideous overpowering desire to feed. Halting their feeding automatically stopped their drive to release more larvae. The Tuzool began feeding on each other. They possessed the uncanny ability to devour every living creature in their path until there was nothing left to eat. This quirk was a unique trick by the cosmic laws of nature. It forced the Tuzool to cannibalize on each other until only the strongest survived to cocoon for the next awakening. This behavior preserved their species as nature's answer to ensuring their continued survival. In fact, this was already happening. The companions maneuvered the decapitated section of the building through a prearranged hole in the citidome's energy shield ferrying the deadly entombed Tuzool into outer space.

# CHAPTER 9

Companions

The same night Tam's team returned from Z' ppe, another exploration team was in route to an inhabited planet named Utha. Unlike Z'ppe, it was teeming with billions of humanoids living in one enormously overcrowded megacity. The mission went well until one of their female team members went missing. Several hours later, they found her wandering aimlessly in one of the many overcrowded subdivisions of the city. All she could remember was someone bumping into her, only to wake up hours later not knowing where she was. After examining her, she was released; the incident was logged, with no one making much out of it. Hours later, on citidome3, encrypted reports detailing the convoy's whereabouts, began leaving a trail of data crumbs through space.

## ***

The Tuzool crisis occurred not far from a pre-industrialized planet called Blubera. It was the third inhabited planet scheduled for a visit, but without physical contact. The tiny brown planet's gravitational field had no problem pulling the free-falling Tuzool tomb towards its surface.

Planet Blubera – Picture by L. Sky and Photo by NASA.gov

It made its way towards the brown planet causing its velocity to increase until it arched downwards leaving a firestorm of debris in its wake. The tomb glowed reddish-orange, bouncing hard against a chilly night's sky, alerting the planet's curious inhabitants of its arrival. Once it hit the upper atmosphere, each jolt broke off a piece of metal glass skin that buffeted across the aliens' night sky. It bled off molten layers like a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. Tuzool seeds dislodged themselves, flinging into outer space to reach new destinations, ensuring their continued survival someplace in the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Tuzool tomb created a large circular crater in a burnt-out field of grass. An intact portion of the tomb survived in the crater's center. Bluberans went to see the crater for a firsthand look at what had fallen from their night sky. As a species, they were the standard sentient insectoid-type with a short set of antennas resting on top of a triangular-shaped head. Beneath each antenna were two nostrils and below that were large, rapid flickering, black almond shaped eyes. The Bluberan's head and torso displayed small genetically controlled brown lines and patches. Their thick, extended abdomen, gracefully brushed the ground with a stubby tail, flanked by large, muscular hind legs to keep the torso upright. Their strong legs ended with four webbed digits splayed out to give them swift mobility. Attached to the sides of their bodies were two sets of arms. They resembled an insect's jointed limbs, ending with two sets of articulated four-jointed fingers. The fingers were all the same length, curled into a ball in a natural position until needed. Milling about on the grassy edges of the crater in large crowds, the meter tall Bluberans looked like innocent children, as they peer down into the deep hole after all the dust had settled.

Bluberan – Pictures by L. Sky and Wikipedia.org

From within the crater, the stench trickled up from decaying carcasses of the cannibalized Tuzool. The smell was horrendous for any organism brave enough to whiff its foul organic odor. The air breathing Bluberan naturally splayed their fingers like a fan to cover two round holes that served as nostrils above their jointed mouth. They barely saw the remains of a structure, shaking violently from movement deep inside. Insanely driven to begin its ageless feeding cycle, the Bluberans continued to watch their destiny unfold, unaware of their horrible fate. The glowing artifact, inside a thick veil of smoke, was enough to obscure something crawling out of its tomb.

## ***

In less than two hours after the impact, the lone Tuzool filled with insatiable hunger was on the move. It wasted no time starting the feeding cycle to satisfy its genetic programming. The companions watched from outer space and were horrified of their glaring miscalculations on the tomb's trajectory. They rushed to contact anyone on the planet to alert them to the inherent danger before it was too late. The Bluberans however, were too primitive to receive any transmissions the companions could produce, short of physical contact. Forced to go to the Bluberans rescue, it was only a short time before the companions arrived to find the fledgling civilization in deep trouble. The Bluberans struggled to combat their evil foe with archaic, projectile weapons made from inferior soft metals. Their technology could not penetrate the polycarbon skin of the Tuzool. The Bluberans became vulnerable to the larvae as they swiftly multiplied. In no time, they began ravaging the planet's only sentient life form.

Fortunately, the Bluberan's gray adobe brick cities were sparsely populated and widely spread apart. Their cities layout made it possible for the companions to use high-powered lasers to destroy the marauding Tuzool marching through the streets and countryside searching for food. In the aftermath of the initial attacks, the Bluberan's were reduced to empty husks, littering their cobblestone streets by the thousands. Eventually, the husks turned into the reddish-brown powdery swirls of dust, unfettered in the breeze. In less than 24-hours, the Tuzool had reduced the Bluberan's population down to seventy percent before the companions could turn things around. That day became a unique point in history for the Bluberans. Initially, like most semi-advance cultures, they held a strong belief that they were alone in the universe. The sight of hundreds of black spheres with red eyes, swooping down from the heavens shooting blades of light to save them from extinction was almost beyond their comprehension. The devastation from the Tuzool smashed their agrarian economy into shambles. They were forced to face the realization that they were helpless in their tiny universe.

Nothing in their recorded history could prepare them for the day death crashed down from the heavens in a blazing fireball, nearly destroying their way of life. It marked the day when black spheres, spitting fire from glowing red eyes, saved their world, who called themselves the...companions.

Companion – Picture by Razzle Dazzle Designs

# CHAPTER 10

Hope for the Best!

A week after the chilling ordeal with the Tuzool, the citidomes tried once again to settle down into their new lifestyle. In the midst of all that had happened, Tam looked out her window down into her small, deserted courtyard. An umbrella of colorful autumn trees and lush green grass surrounded empty park benches. A beautiful blue sky with wispy white clouds seemed to loiter, casting small moving shadows on the ground adding more realism to her Earth-like environment. Alone in her apartment, Tam felt melancholy...again. Niko disguised as her chocolate Labrador, sat silently by her side, recording her feelings.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever - en.wikipedia.org

Perplexed by Tam's emotions, Niko found them rambling back and forth like the churning of a stormy ocean. Tam looked down at Niko with soft brown eyes and a thin smile surrounding her lovely full lips. Reaching down, she gently scratched him on the head. Her dark brown hair sparkled in the artificial sunlight that filtered through the window. She realized how lucky she was to have Niko, as he snuggled a little closer to rest his head between her legs.

" _I thought you might like to know that the governing committee has cleared you of any wrongdoing in the Tuzool_ _incident,"_ projected Niko.

Tam seemed distant, preoccupied with her thoughts.

Something prompted her to ask, "Where is Zoey?"

" _They still won't say despite my repeated requests,"_ projected Niko. She noted the unfinished monorail system providing limited services. Once the six citidomes joined, the monorail system from each citidome would link to form a single ring of transportation.

"Okay, where is Peder, then?" asked Tam.

" _That I do know Tam. He is currently on a planet called Photopia."_

"What is he doing there Niko," said Tam aloud, gazing down into his large black eyes.

" _The Photopian government has requested help to deal with the Benty. Peder is there as our representative to see if we can help them,"_ projected Niko.

"I miss him," she confided. "My life without him feels meaningless. Life with him and Ava was exciting."

" _We have plenty of time to find adventures to make your life more interesting. Besides, weren't those crafty Tuzool enough excitement?"_

" _I guess Niko, but that was dangerous. I don't want that kind of excitement,"_ Tam thought back to him.

"Is there any other kind?" asked Niko out loud.

"Well, meeting the others on the citidome was exciting," admitted Tam.

" _Ah, yes, I see what you mean. Peder really means a lot to you. It was quite apparent during our ordeal with the Tuzool that his presence would have meant a lot to you,"_ projected Niko.

"Yes, I guess that's what love is," she said reflecting for a moment, seeing his face, compliments of Niko. "I don't know what I'd do if I saw him right now."

" _I'm sure you would think of something,"_ projected Niko.

"Niko..." Tam said blushing.

" _Don't deny it! Remember, I can read your emotions,"_ projected Niko, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.

"I must admit he is handsome and does something to me when I think about him," she whispered.

" _Tam, you think about Peder more than you may realize. I have stopped counting."_

Niko's eyes went glassy for a flicker of a second, and then his ears stood up with his tail pointing skywards.

Without warning, a loud boom erupted, followed by the citidome shaking like an earthquake. It knocked Tam to the floor.

She quickly struggled to get up, as Niko yelled inside her head. _"Warning, our citidome is under attack!"_

"What...! I don't understand, what's happening!" she yelled at Niko, managing to get on her hands and knees, looking eye-level at Niko.

" _Someone is trying to get into the citidome by force,"_ projected Niko.

"Who's trying to get in?" said Tam bewildered. There was another tremendous explosion; then another...and another.

The citidome continued to shake violently. Tam lost her balance again, falling back on the floor; tossed around like a rag doll. Niko quickly morphed back into a sphere, his red dot, peering deeply into her eyes.

"This is serious! I don't have time to explain, but in a few minutes, this citidome is going to come apart. Don't worry..." projected Niko, pausing for a second, "I am sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it right now except try to protect you. We must hope for the best for everyone else!"

# CHAPTER 11

### A Great Crew to Fly With

From a distance in space, safe inside Niko's bubble, Tam grew considerably depressed. She watched her citidome break apart. Many Earthers, trapped inside large sections of citidome-3, survived with parts of the energy shield still intact. Some sections, with the help of companions, managed to limp along with the rest of the convoy. On one breakaway section, there was no energy shield to protect them. Many Earthers caught without lifesuits on, froze, while drifting away. When citidome-3's wall buckled from laser blasts, it caused one entire side of the citidome to depressurize. It uncontrollably vented out anything not anchored down. The crippled citidome resembled a bloated fish with debris spewing from its mouth.

Citidome breaking up – Picture by L. Sky

Many buildings containing scores of Earthers repeatedly took laser blasts directed through a hole in the wall. For thousands caught in its path, death was instantaneous, as the cold fingers of space touched their unprotected bodies.

Sucked in like a vacuum, one by one, Earthers disappeared into waiting processing ships. Long white suction tubes that resembled tentacles from an octopus dangled out of opened hatches from Benty harvesting spaceships.

Benty Harvester – Pictures by Wikipedia.org

Spread out in all directions, the tubes sucked the frozen bodies into a huge receiving center to process them on an assembly line for packaging. Tam sat inside her bubble, imagining her team members suffering the same fate. The possibility dominated her thoughts, as Niko contemplated blocking them. For the moment, he did nothing but kept the idea close to his chips. All Tam could think was, _"It's just a dream; it's not happening."_ The nightmare in front of her eyes was real, as smaller fragments drifted past Niko's bubble in all directions. Niko magnified his eyespot to see other companions swarming like angry bees around a mass of confusion, trying to save as many Earthers as possible. Jetting forces of water and other fluids from exposed conduits hurled fragmented pieces of the citidome off into space like deadly projectiles.

Propelled by expanding gasses, Tam saw another group of companions form a giant bubble around a section of citidome, quickly drifting away from the convoy. It was as if a tiny town was captured inside a bottle, drifting out to sea.

" _Tam, the governing committee is hailing me. They need my help. I must go. That large section of citidome looks safe for you to stay on. I will come back as soon as possible."_

" _Fair sailing, my master,"_ projected Niko, as he left her on the breakaway section knowing he was powerless to do anything except hope that Tam would be safe until he returned.

***

"Dax are you sure this was the last coordinates of the citidomes?" asked Calven, his copilot.

"Pretty sure, I guess. Let me try something," offered Dax. He scanned the display screens crowding the cockpit and saw something familiar. Not sure, he flicked its switch and waited for the results. Instantly, the screen popped on with the usual rings of radar in a 4-dimensional configuration. On the last ring, six faint dots appeared clustered together.

"Is that it," Calven shouted excited.

"I think so. We have no choice but to intercept whatever it is. There's nothing else out here based on the long-range scanners."

"Aye, aye captain! Let's set sail for it."

## ***

Twelve hours later in warp drive mode, Dax's spaceship arrived in the middle of a space battle.

Companions vs. Benty attack ships – Pictures by Wikipedia.org & L. Sky

The convoy was under attack, and one of the citidomes was severely damaged and drifting away in pieces. The companions were everywhere fighting fierce attacks against their enemy. Debris centered over a large area had earthers floating lifelessly among the wreckage.

"Ahh Dax. I think we're in trouble."

"What?" Dax said working the flight controls.

"We are in a Benty spaceship, and I presume the companions are fighting the Benty. That means we are on the wrong side," offered Calven.

"Oops! I see your point. Let's ease back a safe distance," replied Dax just before the first laser blast rocked their spaceship.

They suddenly found themselves with only one failing engine. Fighting with the controls, Calven yelled out, "Hey Dax, look over there. That piece of citidome is heading for a planet.

Maybe we can follow it down. I can see people on it."

"Yeah, if we can make it, we can at least have some company. I don't think this ship can hold out much longer," stated Dax pressing buttons and flicking switches. He quickly turned on the ship's intercom system and said, "Attention crew. We have sustained heavy damage to the engines and must land this baby quickly. We think we can make it to that nearby planet along with a section of the citidome drifting towards it. I know we didn't get a chance to spend much time together, but it's been a real pleasure flying with you. Good luck to all of you. You've been a great crew to fly with."

# CHAPTER 12

### Swift and Timely Execution

The Benty Fleet

"Commander Calix, I have an important message for you," said a young junior officer named Gerrit.

"It can wait. What's happening with that citidome out there?" ordered Commander Calix.

Citidome breaking up – Picture by L. Sky

"Commander, the last laser blast disrupted the integrity of the citidome's platform. It will completely break apart in thirty seconds." Gerrit was about to give Calix a fleet message when he was interrupted by his commanding officer. The junior officer had no idea which citidome Calix was attacking.

Citidomes vs. Benty attack ships – Pictures by L. Sky & Wikipedia.org

"Should I alert the processing ships to move in closer to pick up floaters?" offered Gerrit, in a rasping tone caught in the moment of excitement.

"Yes, do it now," barked Calix in a grainy voice. "Very soon, the rest of the fleet will try to board the remaining ships. I want my ship credited with the highest number of harvests," said a confident commander Calix, looking through high-power magnifying glasses at the breaking up of citidome-3.

"They will have no protection once the vessel loses its atmosphere," said Calix with an enthusiastic grin on his face. Together, with his crew, they watched from the comfort of their ship's bridge, as dozens of attack ships weaved around the spectacular carnage. Calix stood erect in his black combat suit with matching beanie cap with a white insignia. He vainly admired his reflection in the thick safety glass window as he towered over his subordinates. His strong muscular features exuded power. He looked indifferent at the unfolding battle. Secretly, he savored every moment of citidome-3's destruction.

Made aware of a spy placed on one of the citidomes, beforehand, he offered a tracking solution to sub_supreme commander Cetus.

"Commander Calix," said Gerrit, feeling insecure in the presence of this highly decorated officer. "It appears that your plan has worked perfectly. Infecting the spy with the new organic tracking nanobots, have allowed us...I mean you, a triumphant moment in the eyes of the sub_supreme commander."

"It was my suggestion to the fleet's sub_supreme commander to change them to organic nanobot trackers," said Calix with an air of superiority. "I had the nanobots specially designed to hide in the base of the brain stem. The ingenious part is that the organic nanobots, unlike the old ones are completely undetectable by those meddlesome companion robots. They appear as a benign tissue growth. If they attempt to surgically remove one, it automatically triggers a massive explosion destroying everything in its blast radius," bragged Calix, waving his large yellow hand adorned with long black manicured fingernails.

He gestured, dismissing the event as a trivial detail and continued. "I hear back on Earth they are using my nanobots to track and capture Earthers when they travel to remote areas by themselves. The silly Earthers simply report them as missing and move on. It's all part of the invasion plans to conquer Earth," he finished saying sounding smug and superior to his subordinate. However, the implantation of the nanobots was a highly classified operation that only a few Benty were privileged to know. Confiding this information to his junior officer was a direct violation of the secret code commission that could have him and his junior officer executed. Suddenly realizing his grave error, he thought for a moment longer.

"Come with me, there's something else I want to show you," he commanded.

A few minutes later, Gerrit was floating out in space...without his spacesuit. Unfortunately, for the commander, junior officers were always in the habit of recording conversations with their immediate superiors and this junior officer was no different. He was always afraid of misunderstanding an order, so to be sure, he never missed an opportunity to record every conversation with his glorious commander no matter how trivial.

After the battle, a companion found Gerrit floating among the citidome wreckage. The companion recovered the junior officer's lifeless body to gain information. They promptly brought him aboard citidome-1 for a thorough autopsy. At the time of the attack, no one knew who was responsible. Finding Gerrit's body, dressed in a Benty combat suit answered many questions. Discovering the recorder confirmed how they tracked the convoy. It also told them how to free themselves from their pursuer's vice-like grip...so they thought!

## ***

A few hours later, "Commander Calix," said a thin, but muscular sub_1 commander named Jago standing between two heavily armed foot soldiers. "I have orders for your immediate arrest. Will you please come with us," he said in a cold raspy impersonal voice.

"May I ask why?" said Calix with a surprised look on his face.

"You're under arrest for disobeying a direct order from sub_supreme commander Cetus. You destroyed citidome-3 against his orders."

"I received no such orders," said Calix in a panicky voice.

"Sorry, but these orders were received by an officer on your staff by the name of..." He looked down at his electronic clipboard to read the name ' _Gerrit.'_ "He was to give you these orders personally. Where is he?"

"Ah, he's not here. He...he was killed in an unfortunate accident," offered Calix with a sinking feeling in the pit of his thick double lined stomach.

"Without his confirmation, the execution orders still stand without delay, by orders from the sub_supreme commander himself," said Jago.

"No, wait, hold on," he yelled desperately as his mind raced to save himself. The strong, burly guards grabbed him brutally by the arms, dragging him off the bridge to his...swift and timely execution.

# CHAPTER 13

Inside a Wormhole

What was left of citidome-3, slowly listed 20 degrees to its starboard side. Large chunks of debris continued to float away. The break up grew larger and larger by the second. Calix's attack ships had fired laser cannons targeting one of the many docking hatches.

One hatch exploded, sending ripples throughout the infrastructure. The massive shock waves destabilized the quantum energy grid, located deep beneath the citidome's platform. In turn, it induced major cracks in the wall surrounding the citidome in several key areas. Once the cracks traveled along the stress lines, the outcome was inevitable. Thousands of Earthers were outside enjoying the day or absorbed in daily life were caught by the surprise attack. No one suspected anything until the first laser blast had struck its target.

Hiding behind a small moon as planned, and with the help of their spy onboard citidome-3, sub-commander Pyxis successfully predicted the convoy's jumping point through a wormhole.

Wormhole – Pictures by L. Sky & Wikipedia.org

Catching the convoy just as it passed by the moon, they had high expectations of boarding the citidomes from their surprise attack. Despite the Benty lightening attack, all the other hatches electronically aboard citidome-3 closed at the first sign of disruption for the structural integrity of the ship. It left the Benty no alternative but to fire their heavier weapons. Solid blasts from a volley of torpedoes forced the breakup of citidome-3, catching even the companions off guard. The explosions eventually created four large sections with numerous smaller ones. Citidome-3 slowly came to a halt; stranded and defenseless in space. The companions were recovering quickly and attempted to save the larger sections first.

Companion rescue of Citidome – Picture by L. Sky

They formed energy fields, acting like glue, bonding them back to their main breaking points. Unfortunately, only three sections came back together, held in place with additional lifelines to restore power. The fourth section continued to drift further into outer space.

From a distance, the true scale of the devastation became apparent. A communications blackout by their attackers made it unclear if any survivors were in the fourth section dislocated from Citidome-3. As such, the companions focused their attention on keeping the three remaining sections together, guiding them into position for a wormhole jump. During this time, Tam, trapped on Citidome-3, fearing for her safety, continued to watch the savage space attack. Confusion and destruction were everywhere she looked. Explosions repeatedly lit up her face as she watched the deaths of thousands of Earthers floating in its wake.

Meanwhile, Niko was ferrying helpless Earthers to Citidome-1, which hadn't suffered any damage. As he flew passed Citidome-2, it spewed huge globular droplets of fluids, mixed with solid materials from damaged buildings. The debris leaked from holes in the metal glass wall large enough to fit a large house. The horror finally ended for Citidome-2, when an enormous fireball explosion, precipitated by oxygen trapped underneath the dome, ignited by sparks from exposed wiring.

Destruction of Citidome-2 – Photo by Wikipedia.org

Tam watched large lumbering vessels, with white, outstretched tentacles suck up the remains of Earthers floating within Citidome-2's debris. The tentacles spared no one, no matter how tiny their remains.

Other smaller ships continued to press their attack on the remaining convoy as if hammering a piñata to spill out its goodies.

In response, the companions fought valiantly, destroying many of the smaller, less fortified ships from the main attacking fleet. Firing lasers, the companions inflicted marginal damage to the larger ships. They tried to keep the bigger ships off balance by taking positions from all directions like angry bees. Meanwhile, the rest of the convoy prepared to jump through the wormhole. Fifty companions joined to form a giant black sphere, firing their combined lasers as one concentrated energy blast. Their efforts took out one of the big attack ships. They continued to fight over the course of an hour, losing hundreds of precious companions that exploded into balls of flames like tiny erupting stars. One of the exploding stars was Niko! Finally, the companions after ferocious fighting received a signal to return to the tattered convoy. However, before retreating, many of them check nearby smaller fragments, hoping for possible survivors. However, unable to check all the multitude of pieces in time, many of the sections drifted with the convoy from the momentum created by explosions. The most disheartening thing of all, thousands of Earthers floated lifelessly without lifesuits as gigantic harvesting ships slowly turned towards the gruesome carnage after retreating to the rear for safety.

Then without warning, citidome-5 violently exploded on its way to the wormhole. Its blast was so powerful it pushed the remaining convoy closer to the wormhole.

The big harvester ships nudged closer to the carnage, sucking bodies through their white tentacles; their fate determined by the retreating companions. The long tentacles spit the bodies out like cord wood, towards a gigantic Harvester's door that swung open. In the distance, the remaining citidomes, and parts of citidome-3 were consumed in a flash of blinding light, disappearing inside the wormhole.

# CHAPTER 14

### Rescue Her

Shaped like a slice of pizza with jagged edges on two sides, the fourth breakaway section from Citidome-3 continued to drift away. Sixty companions hastily spaced themselves to form an energy patch preserving its breathable atmosphere. A second group of twenty companions quickly ferried the breakaway section with hundreds of survivors towards the nearest planet. It took many tense minutes to maneuver the section towards this mysterious planets' gravitational field to establish a crude orbit. The world beneath them harbored reddish patches of landscape scarred with rugged mountains that fanned across its surface, like snakes slithering across a hot desert.

Rubius – Photo by NASA.gov

The companions were determined to save what they now officially called a _lifeboat_. As the moments ticked away, they were unsure of their chances to stay in one piece. The planet's gravity violently tugged on their fragile lifeboat. It beckoned them to come down to greet its surface in an undignified end. Under so many powerful stresses, a few companions feared it was only a matter of time before the lifeboat completely disintegrated in space. As they continued their rapid drift towards the planet, several other companions watched the main convoy jump into the wormhole. One of the companions navigating the lifeboat calculated their survival chances based on their present rate of speed. It was not promising. Many factors were affecting their downward plunge towards disaster. Nudging the lifeboat into a low orbit around the unknown planet, they sacrificed a few more companions to the scorching heat that accompanied the maneuver. They broke free of the orbit, banging into the alien atmosphere that mercilessly shook the lifeboat. Within seconds, the companions lost contact with each other, plunging deeper into an uncertainty that only their computer chips could understand. Submerged in an atmosphere of fire, it seemed like an eternity for the little spheres straining to hold on. All around them, the faint cries for help poked through the flames, free falling into the depths of an unknown world.

## ***

One side of the lifeboat contained a monorail train attached to its track, clinging for its life. The other, less fortunate monorail trains drifted into outer space during the attack with cars echoing bloodcurdling screams from passengers. As the only train left intact, it precariously sat at an angle with the front portion of the car pointing downward on a small stretch of track. For now, the monorail was held firmly in place by the front end of the track. The leading rail was curved upwards to impale the monorail near its windshield.

Monorail and companion – Picture by L. Sky and cjg.wikispaces.com

The menacing rail traveled several meters into the cab, locking the monorail into place. There was little room on either side of the curved track's monstrous intrusion to allow anything to pass by it untouched. The deformed rail had acquired razor-sharp serrated edges that flared out in all directions like branches on a tree.

Inside, many of the passengers were holding anything anchored down towards the rear of the car. At the same time, the monorail continually tilted more in response to the lifeboat dipping deeper into the mysterious planet's atmosphere. Some of the passengers slid into the exposed railing while traveling down the car's slippery floor. The leading portion of the protruding track was comparatively flush with the floor. The passengers' momentum lifted them onto the leading edge, slamming them hard against the track's serrated teeth further back. Consequently, the jagged edges cut deep into the passenger's body in multiple places like a jigsaw pattern. Massive hemorrhaging ensued until they completely bled out onto the car's front windshield. At this point, bodies began to pile up, causing a pool of blood to rise high enough to cover all the forward windows. Occasionally, the silence would break with a passenger sliding down the floor from above. They smashed into the splintered track rolling across it and landing like a limp piece of meat onto a pile. Those at the bottom of the death pile drowned in their blood, their lifesuits turning yellow to orange then red signifying their passing. One of the survivors trying to hang on for dear life was Tam. As the lifeboat shifted, it put her at a dangerous downward angle. Dangling with one hand, she did not have time to imagine what was going on outside, straining to hold onto the leg of a seat bolted to the floorboards. The nanobots in her gloved hand helped relieve some of the pain building up in her right arm. If not for her lifesuit, she would have let go to add to the pile of butchered humanoids. Tam saw her way to safety if she could get on the back of a seat. She laughed to herself, feeling the futility of it all. Convinced, Tam believed they could not possibly survive the crash on the planet. She now imagined herself plunging into the daggers stabbing away at her life. At the same time, Tam glanced out the window seeing the red planet's horizon rapidly coming to greet her. For once, Tam truly felt helpless, as she watched the events unfold, powerless to stop it. All the while, she thought about how she got into her predicament. _If only Niko hadn't left me stranded on this citidome section,_ she contemplated. Niko left her near the rim of Citidome-3 that looked stable with only half of the citidome dislodged. It was after he sped away, the remaining sections split in half. Tam found herself running towards the monorail station for safety. She reasoned the monorail cars had air inside like sealed containers. At the time, Tam thought her reasoning was sound. Looking down at the curved end of a serrated track, she wasn't so sure of her decision. Now she had to hope her FBI training would kick in to help her survive long enough for Niko to rescue her.

# CHAPTER 15

### Old Woman

Tam swallowed hard at the thought of missing the seat. She envisioned her plight if she missed and landed on the grotesque rail instead. Below her, she gazed into the disappearing window that supported the mangled corpses. The lifeless bodies languished in their pool of blood while moans of pain bubbled up followed by silence. Tam looked to her left, as another passenger slid to their death as the lifeboat got closer to the end of its roller coaster ride. She had to do it now or else it would mean the end for her. It was certain that the lifeboat would have a hard landing causing her to fly uncontrollably to her death. A companion whizzed past the window to her left disappearing over the wall.

Tam felt confident that the companions were doing all they could to save everyone. Suddenly, the lifeboat hit a bump. She almost lost her grip. _Focus_... _focus_ she thought. From her window, the lifeboat loomed ever closer to the planet. Her muscles tensed and knotted in her stomach. If she slipped, she would die today, never seeing Zoey again. She was planning a risky maneuver, forcing her body upwards without any support. She stretched her left arm, hoping that it might connect to something above, as she swung her body towards her right. An old man's voice cried out. "Stop her! Please, somebody, stop my wife! She's sliding! Grab her!"

Without thinking, and precisely at the right moment, Tam grabbed the old woman by the back of her dress with her left hand.

She ripped some of the seams out but held her firmly. Seconds later, her right hand lost its grip from the added weight. They both slid towards their deaths. Struggling desperately, Tam managed to wrap her right leg around one of the seat legs abruptly stopping their slide. Now she was upside down on her back, with the old woman dangling beneath her. She swung her frail body with both hands into the seat just below them. The old woman banged into the seat like an old sack of bones. To Tam, it felt more like throwing a small bag of potatoes that settled in a pile on the seat. Her muscles roared with pain watching the old man's spouse quickly come to life as she grabbed onto the chair for support. After a while, she began weeping, thanking Tam profusely for saving her life. Now it was her turn, with the planet's surface still racing closer. The wind howled, penetrating the interior, stirring the smell of blood and exposed body cavities. The odor was horrific without a helmet to filter the fetid air. The lifeboat jerked without warning to its left as if it were going to flip upside down. At the same time, Tam had made her bid for another seat above the old woman. She swung her curvaceous body upwards, hoping to land on the seat. Tam's first, then second attempts were all failures that almost resulted in her right leg losing its grip. Tam tried to gain some momentum in her swings, but the lifeboat kept jerking from side to side, forcing her to keep changing her position. She thought about what she needed to do remembering her training from the FBI. Concentrating, she mentally visualized the movements required to make it. The lifeboat was getting uncomfortably closer to the surface. She had to get it right bending her head to view the distance from the knives only meters away from her. Subconsciously, she knew death beckoned her if she didn't make it. It was enough encouragement to keep her trying. Just then, something broke her concentration. It was the old woman. She babbled something, getting louder as she kept repeating it.

"This would never have happened if she was here!" she ranted. Tam tried to refocus her concentration with thoughts of saving herself. The noise outside got louder with the lifeboat suddenly swaying to her left, then right. Meanwhile, she made another bid for the seat. However, the sudden shift of the lifeboat gave Tam the boost she needed to flip over into the seat above, banging her head in the process. Wincing from the jarring impact, she still managed a smile. Bumping her pretty head was the least of her worries. Safe for the moment, she wedged her body into the seat. Reaching to her side, she held tightly to the seat's railing. Her grip secure, she freed her mind from thoughts of dying. She came back into focus just in time to hear the old woman again. She was still ranting about who she guessed was her daughter. Tam finally yelled out to the old woman, "Who is...your daughter?"

"She's not my daughter! The aliens want her," cried the old woman.

"Who do the aliens want?"

"They want her, she's the reason they attacked our citidome," yelled the feeble voice of an old woman.

"Who, who is it that they want? What's her name?"

"Her name, why it's Zoey...Zoey Weaver, that's who they want! She had contact with those other aliens that put us on this damn citidome. Now these aliens want her, and I hope they get her too. It is all her freaking fault."

Tam was speechless, unable to reply. If they survived the crash, she had to get more information from the old woman.

# CHAPTER 16

Rubius!

As the lifeboat sank deeper into an alien biosphere, thick clouds peeled away, revealing a red sunset.

Rubius Red Sunset – Photo by Wikipedia.org

For the first time, the survivors peered out of windows and doorways down at the planet's cold landscape. The winds howled, sliding objects around, forcing survivors to scramble out of its way. The companions had removed the top of the energy dome to reduce weight once inside the planet's atmosphere. With no propulsion systems to control its fall, the lifeboat had to rely on the resourcefulness of the companions who needed all their energy. Wrapped with fear, every survivor anxiously watched the platform gradually level off.

The planet seemed to raise up to grab them. Strange looking plants rooted in rich brown soil stretched as far as their eyes could see. Mountaintops packed with rich red soil thrusted towards a pinkish sky.

Red mountains - Photo by owl-at-red-mountain.wikispaces.com

Without any visible signs of animal life, it felt lonely. That's when an old Chinese man named Joe sitting among the survivors stood up. He had long, thin, silvery hair and a white beard running down his chest. Bracing himself against a wall, he spoke into a ship wide intercom system. Joe's leathery face lined with age was consumed by a warm, generous smile. He'd migrated from China ten years ago following in the footsteps of his hybrid children, who started their lives in the city streets of Chicago. Made a widower from an alien spouse, Joe knew nothing of the ways and customs of Americans. All he had was his hard-earned wisdom. Filled with determination, Joe struggled to keep his balance, leaning heavily on the wall. He began speaking to everyone. For the moment, no one on the lifeboat questioned his motives. They wanted someone to tell them what to do to save their lives. To help establish him as their leader, Joe's first goal was to prepare them for the first few hours. Much of their supplies were limited to concentrated food packets, and water, which was also severely inadequate for their number of survivors. Many, including children, had escaped with only their lifesuits to show for it. It became clear that over half of the adults were either injured or worse. Everywhere he looked, he saw a rainbow of colors among those who had lifesuits. It wasn't a stretch to envision that only a small number could help the wounded. It also meant the companions would need to divide their tasks leaving only a few available to explore the planet for potential resources. Overwhelmed by the severity of the situation, two companions broke off from the lifeboat. They raced ahead to scan the surface for a suitable landing site, assuming the lifeboat would survive the landing. Within moments, the companions reported their findings to Joe. He quickly used the information to prepare the others for what to expect, confirming his right to leadership.

Joe had the intercom patched into his lifesuit's communicator, so he could move around freely. "Everyone who can hear me, listen carefully," he said in a commanding voice that managed to fill the lifeboat. "Please, listen," he continued, his accent giving away his heritage. "Once we land, our immediate concern is to get clean water. Fortunately, the atmosphere is breathable with a gravity about the same as Earth's." As he spoke, several survivors crawled closer.

An exhausted man yelled out, "Where are we going to find water?"

"Our companions' have accepted me as your leader for the moment. They are telepathically informing me every five minutes on our situation," said Joe, and continued, "they told me that they've found safe drinking water. They will attempt to land as close to the water as possible." A few feeble cheers rang out over the loudspeaker, muffled by others crying for help.

"Will this contraption hold together long enough to land?" asked another survivor named Adolfo, stepping out of the shadows to confront Joe, followed by a few others. He appeared as a man from an Eastern European country. In his mid-forties, he sported a receding hairline with a long handlebar mustache to draw attention away from his head. Adolfo's body language conveyed he wasn't thrilled with Joe as the leader. Realizing a vote for leadership now would be pointless, he opted to question the old man's decisions whenever possible. Secretly, he decided to go about building a consensus for him to become the new leader once they landed.

"I know we can't do much right now, but we are perhaps minutes away from landing," said Joe calmly.

"You mean crashing," bellowed Adolfo in his deeply accented voice, followed by a hideous laugh patched into the intercom system.

"The companions want us to know that when we touch down, the lifeboat will continue to slide for a good distance until it runs out of energy. Since we have no wheels, we'll feel every bump. Fortunately, the area they have chosen is not too rocky," said Joe, ignoring Adolfo.

"What about water?" a male survivor yelled wearing a lifesuit ripped to shreds. His face smeared with black grease, accenting his wild hair sticking out from his head as if receiving an electric shock.

"As I have said, water will not be far from where we land," replied Joe in a patient voice. "We will form teams for those who can bring water back for the rest of us. Naturally, the companions have already sampled the water and said it is drinkable."

"What if the air is not breathable for all of us?" shouted a female over the intercom. The lifeboat hit an air pocket bouncing everyone up into the air. Ear splitting screams echoed throughout the lifeboat.

Joe put his hands up for quiet and said, "The companions said not to worry. The air is fine for everyone, but they won't guarantee the water will taste good. For now, those of us who can, should break up into teams and search the ship once we land. We need food, clothing and medical supplies. If you are not wearing a lifesuit, the companions want you to find one and put it on when we finish this meeting. It will help you deal with the planet's cool temperature. If you don't have a lifesuit, you'll need to wear layers of clothes that can easily come off as you adjust to the temperatures.

There was a supermarket under construction across from the park. You can go there first. Food is limited, but maybe we can find enough to sustain us until rescued," said Joe optimistically.

"How long will it take the convoy to rescue us?" asked a one hundred-year-old alien disguised as a young, voluptuous earthly female. Her form was extremely pleasing to look at, even though the skin around her fingernails was peeling off revealing green scales.

Before answering, Joe seemed to reflect about something and then said, "From what I know, we lost radio contact when we broke off from the main platform. We don't know if the convoy was able to re-establish communications after we drifted away. So much was happening at the time of the attack. Our companions were too busy trying to figure out a way to save us."

"Can't the companions now radio for help?" asked a weak voice coming from a small boy no more than eight years old.

"I think you're keeping something from us," sneered Adolfo, jumping into the conversation, attempting to keep the old man off balance.

"No, my son," said Joe with great compassion, ignoring Adolfo's remark. "They think someone is blocking our communications. It's very powerful because it followed us down to the planet." He kneeled to face the little boy noticing telltale alien changes in his appearance. "If the convoy has jumped through a wormhole, it may take some time before they can send help for us." Joe then thought for another moment, before continuing. "Let's think positive. It's better for us to believe a rescue is not far away. Someone will find us..." he said, holding the boy's small hand. Joe's voice was unconvincing trailing off into the depths of uncertainty. It marked a gloomy moment; nothing seemed guaranteed except death. It became quiet as the sounds of the wind whistled around the sides of the lifeboat. Adolfo quickly took advantage of the moment.

"That's very touching. Nevertheless, can you guarantee there are no beasts on this planet?"

"It depends on what you call a beast," replied Joe with a sly look on his face.

Adolfo looked at him sternly and said. "How will the companions protect us against anything out there?" Looking around for support, he only found frightened faces staring back at him. He felt uncomfortable, so he shrank back into the shadows.

"The planet is uninhabited. We are alone. All we need to do is wait," replied Joe. The sound of the wind took over again. Finding cracks in the walls, the wind played with anything not tied down.

A young, small female alien perhaps in her early twenties with disdain on her lovely face asked, "What about the dead?" Wearing a lifesuit very tight for her size and continued. "They're starting to get ripe," she replied with a long-wrinkled nose.

Joe looked at the young female smiling before saying. "The companions will bury them for us. If you know any of them, please have a short funeral as quickly as you can."

"All right then," yelled Adolfo, hiding in the dark. "What do the companions call this dumb planet?" he said, sounding impatient.

"The companions call it...Rubius!"

# CHAPTER 17

### A Great Help to Me!

Rubius, officially designated as planet HD 85512b in the Milky Way galaxy, was in a triple star system tightly bunched together in their orbits. They showered Rubius with radiant energy powering the planet's unique plant population. Everywhere, plants grew out of control up and down rolling landscapes dominating its horizon.

## ***

A few companions positioned themselves around the lower rim of the platform to absorb the impact. The plan was to stream energy going opposite to the direction of their descent in hopes of breaking the lifeboat's speed enough to help it stop. As a result, gravity and the weight of the lifeboat caused the platform to wobble from side to side. The front part of the lifeboat tilted upwards then abruptly leveled off. When it finally touched the surface, it was a bone-jarring thud smashing a few companions into oblivion underneath its mass. Shattering, one of them created a spark from grinding against a jagged rock. Leaking vapors escaped from newly formed cracks underneath the lifeboat igniting an explosion. The flammable vapors blew a hole upwards into the lifeboat producing more casualties. Everything within its blast radius swarmed into the air like angry bees. The heavier debris rained fragments over the lifeboat with the lighter pieces leaving a trail of litter. In the wake of it all, shaking violently, screams repeatedly rang out. The lifeboat bounced several meters into the air until it seemed almost out of control. Survivors smashed into objects and objects crashed into survivors. Finally, the energy of momentum began to bleed away, taking more lives and companions in the process. In the end, it seemed like forever when it was less than four minutes. It stopped after the lifeboat spun around three times like a merry-go-round smashing into a large boulder sticking out of the ground. Rocking from side to side, it settled into place. A silence followed that was louder than the rolling winds blowing across the deserted landscape of Rubius.

Deserted landscape of Rubius - Photos by wikispaces.com and commons Wikimedia

***

After a harrowing landing, there came cheers from survivors inside the monorail with relief etched on all their faces. They were the few remaining ones fortunate enough to survive the knife. The monorail was now level again, no longer posing a threat. Those able to walk left the horror chamber through an exit sloshing through a layer of a colorful mixture of blood and body fluids that covered the entire floor. Tam had just climbed down from the monorail when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Young lady...thank you. Earlier, I didn't get a chance to say it properly," said a smiling Mrs. Dennings, laying on a clump of brownish-red plants with her husband kneeling over her.

"Yes, we both thank you for saving her. We can't repay you enough," added Mr. Dennings, looking haggard, but with a passionate smile on his face.

"Oh, trust me, you've already repaid me many times over," said Tam.

"I don't understand," said Mrs. Dennings, with a puzzled frown on her face.

"You may not know me, but I know Zoey."

Finally, Mrs. Dennings asked, "What is your name young lady?"

"Tamara! My name is Tamara..."

"Tam Weaver!" she said interrupting her.

"Yes, yes, Tam Weaver," cried Mr. Dennings with enthusiasm.

"We know who you are! Zoey talked about you a lot. You are her aunt. Eddie told me she was in love with Dax. She was afraid to tell him. I suppose he knows it by now," Mrs. Dennings blurted out. "Oh, dear," she said, putting her hands up to her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone!"

"No problem Mrs. Dennings. Was...was...she on a monorail?" asked Tam, losing her smile.

"We don't know. We travel in different circles. We were Zoey's neighbors and talked in the hallway now and again, that's all. We were on the monorail to visit some friends. Oh dear, our friends," replied Mrs. Dennings. She suddenly grew sad at the thought of never seeing them again and mentally withdraw herself from them.

"I'm sure your friends are okay," offered Tam.

"Do you think they know we're here on this planet?" asked Mr. Dennings.

"I'm sure the companions have communicated our position by now," replied Tam, unsure herself. "We just need to sit tight and wait for them to get here. I'm going to look around to see if I can help some of the other survivors. You two stay here. I'll send someone over to make sure you are all right, as well."

"Thank you, Tam," warmly said Mrs. Dennings. I needed someone to tell me those comforting words.

"Zoey was always a good person. Too bad about the Benty wanting her. We didn't mean to sound harsh about her," said Mr. Weaver, smiling deeply into Mrs. Dennings' eyes, thankful they were both alive.

"Oh, by the way. Who was Dax again?"

"Why Dax was her handsome boyfriend," offered Mrs. Dennings.

"Do you know where he is now?"

"Sure, we do! He left the citidome with Zoey and her friend Eddie."

"Thanks, Mrs. Dennings. Thank you so much. You and Mr. Dennings have been a great help to me!"

# CHAPTER 18

Rugged Smile

"I can't control our descent. The planet's gravity is too strong. We're going to crash!" admitted Dax to his friend and copilot.

Calven looked at Dax with great admiration and said, "I'm ready for whatever comes. I'm not afraid, are you?

"A little, I guess. I'm more scared of losing Zoey."

"I never got the chance to find someone. No one will miss me."

"What about the rest of the crew?" asked Dax.

"They're more or less in the same circumstances as I am."

"Do they have their lifesuits on?"

"No. We don't believe in lifesuits. In a way, they make us feel inhuman. We'd rather take our chances with you landing the ship."

"Don't you mean crash landing the ship, Calven?" "Maybe, but let's hope you at least can make it.

"That's nice of you to say, but I think I'm in the same boat with you guys. Our velocity is increasing, and there is nothing I can do about it. So, let's hope we can all walk away from this one.

"Don't worry Dax, it's going to be okay," offered Calven.

"Oh my god, the angle is too steep. We're going to...hey, what are you doing?"

"Like I said, it's going to be okay." Click!

"Noooo..."

Pilot ejection seat – Photo by Wikipedia.org

KABOOOOM!

Dax's spaceship crashes on Rubius – Photo by commons.wikimedia.org

***

For a day and a half, Dax walked to the coordinates where the lifeboat came down. The silence around him was eerie. Hungry and tired, he soon spotted the telltale signs of smoke columns of a crash near the sky's pink horizon. With mixed feelings, he quickened his pace. He was afraid of what he might find. The planet was cool and desolate with only plants to keep him company. He wasn't even sure the plants were edible making him hungrier and desperate to find out. But first, he needed water. His throat was dry making it difficult to swallow. From his Naval Academy training, he knew this was not a good sign, and he needed water fast before he became dehydrated.

Dax walked for another hour when indications of a crash began to litter the ground. He followed its widening trail. Dax was becoming more apprehensive the further he followed the scattered wreckage. Large pieces of debris forced him to walk around the deepening skid path until he heard people talking.

***

"Hello," shouted a gleeful Dax, his grin was from ear to ear. "Take me to your leader," he said jokingly. He was relieved to see an enormous, towering piece of the citidome still intact after what looked like a near fatal crash.

Someone shouted back, "Who are you? Did you fall off the lifeboat when we landed?"

"No, I crashed on this planet in a Benty spaceship the same time you did. I'm glad to see you made it. For a while, I thought I was going to be alone on this planet." It was hurting Dax to talk, but his excitement spurred him on. "Do you have water and some food you can spare?"

"Sure, we do! Come around to the other side. We have a ramp leading up to the ship. I'll get Joe. I'm sure he'll want to talk to you."

***

On their second day, survivors on the lifeboat were slowly coming back to life helping the wounded and moving things around. Many of them were inside toppled buildings while the uninjured not wearing lifesuits mulled about with rescue constantly on their minds. Those wearing lifesuits constructed shelters in the shattered park from pieces of wreckage, hoping their rescuers would fall out of Rubius' cold pink sky every time they looked upwards. Joe spoke again, standing in the center of the debris-laden park.

"While we're waiting for rescuers, I think it would be wise to send out a small team, as I had mentioned earlier, to explore the surrounding area...for the record." There was some grumbling, many expressing discomforts for such an idea. Now with a few comforts restored, the majority of the survivors were beginning to feel safe while waiting for rescue. There was no need to leave the safety of the lifeboat when all they needed to do was to look around the ruins of the citidome for more supplies. The thought of exploring the planet for the sake of knowledge seemed futile, even terrifying, when all they had to do was wait.

"Why can't we just wait?" shouted a feeble voice from a woman. The woman's appearance was that of a disheveled survivor with a dirt-stained face, unkempt hair, but once a multimillionaire on Earth. "Besides, do we know who even attacked us for Christ sake? Suppose they come back here to finish what they started?"

"I do know who attacked us, thanks to our latest survivor. It was the Benty. But we don't know if they're coming back to find us.

This is more reason we must explore the planet to see if there is anything useful to help defend ourselves, if necessary," pleaded Joe.

"Many of us think it's safer just to remain here so the companions can protect us," stated an African female from Kenya sitting in her green lifesuit amongst yellow and orange ones.

"I agree, it is easier to just sit back and wait," replied Joe. "However, we must know more about this place. What can it offer us in case we need to find protection from the Benty or better shelter from the weather?"

More survivors started to take an interest in the conversation gathering closer to hear what they had to say.

"Yeah," shouted Adolfo in a violent manner, taking advantage of the situation. "I think she's right. We're all safe right here. Yesterday, I personally climbed the highest building and saw nothing on the horizon for kilometers around us. It appears we're alone on this godforsaken planet. We have plenty of water, thanks to the companions. The healthy are helping the injured as well as they can no thanks to you. Who cares what's out there?" A few heads began nodding in agreement. Adolfo's confidence swelled reaching new heights, spurring him to continue. "I think it's time we discuss who should really be in charge. No one voted you as our leader," he yelled out for all to hear. "I say we put it to a vote," he shouted while pointing at Joe, "I think everyone agrees with me. You are a very weak leader. We need a change of leadership. We need someone who is younger, stronger...like me...for example. They need someone they can trust. I understand what's needed and it ain't exploring this useless planet," shouted Adolfo in defiance.

"I go," shouted a female voice belonging to Kiva, the offspring of an Irish mother and an alien father, who disguised himself as a wealthy Brazilian winemaker. Her life as his personal assistant at their large family owned winery would never be the same again. Kiva, having no children of her own, became a childcare worker on the citidome.

"I think Joe he right. He leadership is good. Besides, if companions no happy with him, they choose you," she voiced in broken English covered with a thick Brazilian accent. Adolfo looked hard at her and then decided to back down...for the moment. He was confident that another chance to grab Joe's leadership would present itself very soon.

"Good, that's one volunteer. Can I get another?" shouted Joe with a contagious smile. Before long, he had seven explorers willing to go out beyond the boundaries of the lifeboat.

"Will a companion go with us in case we run into any trouble?" asked Erick Lee. He was an alien, educated at Oxford, England, posing as a young Chinese Professor of English at Peking University.

"No, they can't spare any companions. You'll have to make it on your own, which is a good learning experience for later," said Joe. "Just don't take any unnecessary chances. Quickly learn as much as you can then get back here safely." Erick looked at Joe with some hesitation but gave in. Erick was a short, thin-haired man married to a beautiful human physician working at a hospital in Beijing. They met at his university while she was giving a seminar on the benefits of children's medicine. Their love for each other was explosive, producing two kids in less than five years after they had married. Once the Enac starship orbited Earth, his secret was revealed, forcing him to explain it all to his family. Without hesitation, they all agreed to stay together no matter what. He was teaching at the new Citidome University he'd helped create when the attack on citidome-3 occurred. Erick witnessed his home torn apart by a direct laser blast. The small apartment building drifted off into outer space through a hole in the citidome's wall. In those few minutes, he lost everything. He continued to talk to his family on his lifesuit's communicator until they drifted too far into the darkness of space. Their communication was cut off and replaced with cold silence.

"How long should we stay out?" asked a female volunteer named Bryanna. She was a laid-off American autoworker before the great exodus from Earth. Bryanna married an alien for two wonderful, but short years. They were at home during the attack. Her husband had run out of the apartment building to see what was happening just before the platform split apart, leaving her on the wrong side as her part drifted away from his. She could still hear him yelling her name, realizing that he couldn't get back to her. Bryanna needed to take her mind off of him. She was only comforted in knowing he was safe on the main section of the citidome, waiting for her to return.

"You'll have to make that decision for how long you'll need to stay out there. If help arrives before you get back, naturally we'll send a companion out to fetch you. Does that sound reasonable enough?" offered Joe.

"Yeah, I guess it will have to do. If we find anything, what should we do about it?" asked Erick, eyeing the self-appointed leader with some suspicions. He thought he knew just about everyone on citidome-3.

"If you can't bring it back, just remember where you found it. The companions can retrieve it later," said Joe.

Erick in his British accent asked, "Right, when do we leave."

"Now is a good time, if you're up to it," replied Joe with a smile. "However, there is one more person who's going with you. He volunteered when he heard I was thinking of sending a team to explore the planet. It's our newcomer, and he's more than qualified."

"Who is it?" asked Bryanna.

"Me," said Dax with his mild southern accent, approaching the team with his handsome, rugged smile.

# CHAPTER 19

Nowhere

Chilly hours passed without any signs of life other than the plants scattering across most of Rubius' landscape. The most common, a succulent plant growing above the soil in large clusters, shaped likes two halves of a dinner roll. It had red branching veins running up the sides with a red tongue thrusting out between the two halves as a flower (reproductive organs). Alongside it, blood-red succulents shaped like a flying saucer, had thin, white stripes, evenly radiating out from its center. Not as numerous, a stunted tree-like plant wrapped in light orange bark with red veins and red thorns for leaves dotted the landscape. Everything else was tiny, like the orange mushrooms that carpeted unoccupied spaces.

By now, the explorers had ventured far beyond the safety of the lifeboat trekking through the dwarf population of plants. Earlier, they remembered looking back to say goodbye to waving survivors from rooftops of buildings. They marveled at how large the shambled section of citidome-3 stood. Telltale laser scars on its outer walls told the ordeal they had gone through. Not much was intact around the missing sections of the platform. The guts of the citidome were plainly visible revealing a meshwork of conduits and wires. Darkness controlled the bottom half of the platform, occasionally illuminated by flying sparks from exposed wires forced together by the wind. Topside, a few assorted buildings, some reduced to a pile of rubble stood as a legacy of its once functionality to life.

The monorail was near the edge, beyond the wall that made up the back of the lifeboat. It took the team over three hours of steady walking before the lifeboat finally disappeared over the horizon. With a constant temperature of about 10 degrees Celsius, their lifesuits made the ordeal comfortable. Once it started to get dark, they decided to make camp by stringing up a large canvas tent. They had just enough room for everyone to spread their sleeping blankets in two rows. A small battery lantern was their only source of light. It is hard to tell when it had last rained, sitting uncomfortably on hard, dry soil amongst a multitude of alien plants. However, the eeriest thing was the silence that enveloped them. Only the occasional breeze brushed across the floral landscape. On their blankets, they sat under a naked light bulb reducing them to stare quietly at one another. Erick finally took charge breaking the uncomfortable silence by clearing his throat.

"I heard the Benty were after Zoey Weaver?" said Erick in a gossiping tone of voice.

"It's the latest rumor going on all over the citidomes. Someone found out Zoey was working with the aliens who put us on these ships. They also said she knows too much, and the Benty want her to find out just how much she actually knows."

Dax looked stunned by what he had just heard saying. "Zoey never mentioned she had contact with the Enac on Earth," whispering to himself. "My God," he muttered quietly. "Who is Zoey Weaver? Why didn't she tell me?" struggling with his thoughts.

"Excuse me, did you say something?" offered Jin.

"No, I'm just surprised," replied Dax.

"About what? That she caused all of this mess," voiced Erick.

"Say, aren't you the sister. You two look alike," volunteered Jin pointing at Tam. "And don't you have your own companion?"

Tam looked at the group and hesitated before saying anything. "I arrived a couple of weeks after my _niece_ and some rowdy youngsters were kicked off the citidomes. It's still a mystery to me where they went. All I know is what I've heard from others about the Benty wanting her, and that's why they destroyed the spaceship...I mean the citidome. And, yes, I do have a companion, but he's missing."

"You said Zoey is your niece?" said Bryanna.

"Yes, she is my only niece. Do you know where she is?"

"Sorry, but only the companions know where they are now," replied Bryanna. "She's probably dead anyway!"

"No, please don't say that!" pleaded Tam, tears starting to pool around her brown eyes. She held her head down to hide her tears.

At that moment, Dax realized that he had been blind. Zoey did indeed look like Tam, her aunt. Now he had to decide what to do about it. If he told her now, she could compromise their mission. She would want to go back to the lifeboat and ask him a ton of questions. Perplexed, he decided to wait for the right moment to tell her about him and Zoey.

"Okay," said Dax interrupting the moment to take the pressure off Tam. "As you already know, my name is Dax Northwind. I was at the Naval Academy for three years, before the Enac came to Earth," he announced from the back of the tent with his Southern accent. "That's when I found out that I was only half human. I was on my way to the citidomes when the companions attacked my ship," he stated with his boyish charm and athletic physique while playing down his incredible intelligence. At the academy, Dax was on the fast track, with his blazing abilities guaranteeing him a squadron position on any aircraft carrier.

"Why did the companions shoot you down?" questioned Erick.

"It's a long and complicated story, best talked about at another time," he offered, nodding towards Tam.

"Oh, you poor man," said Jin in her high-pitched voice in perfect English across from Dax. It quickly became obvious that she was interested in him. "My name is Jin with an 'I.' I'm from South Korea; Seoul to be more precise. I am single," she said peering directly at Dax, "...and shared an apartment with my mother and Mickey, my Persian house cat," she offered, with a squeaky, irritating voice. Her frail Asian body made her smaller than she really was, as she naturally hunched over to emphasize the fact. One could tell she might have been shy, probably a loner, not at all the adventurous type. Short brown hair matched Jin's eyes making her age appear in the mid-thirties at best. She looked around for their attention then continued. "Before I left Earth, I was a librarian for Eastern Cultures in Washington, D.C. My mother was alien. We were very close, so naturally, I chose to leave with her. My two brothers stayed on Earth with our father. I don't know what happened to my mother or my cat after the attack. I guess, I'm all alone now," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. Everyone looked at Jin as she looked away through the tent's slit-like door. Her small face captured the moment, running across her feelings. The loneliness stabbing like a dagger in her heart.

"Why you come with us, Jin?" asked Kiva with her thick Brazilian accent.

"I guess because I needed some excitement in my life," said Jin, looking straight at Dax. Everyone understood her without asking further questions.

"Wait a minute," said Erick, looking at Tam while snapping his fingers as he obviously remembered something. "You..." he said popping his finger, "you were the FBI agent mixed up in that parasite thing, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was," said Tam calmly looking at Erick.

"That was a real mess," said Erick sarcastically with his know-it-all attitude. He glared menacingly back at Tam with his artificial blue eyes. Erick looked like he was in his late thirties but was really three times that age. Quite intelligent in the ways of an Earther, made him over confident.

"That's not fair," Jin squeakily interjected. "From what I heard, she helped stop those gross looking parasites. We're all lucky to have her along with us."

"Thanks," said Tam, becoming a little guarded. She made a mental note to stay clear of her during the expedition and to watch Erick, as well, something about him wasn't right.

"I guess I should formally introduce myself. My name is Erick. I am a Flaven, not some hybrid. I received my Ph.D. from Oxford University. I have two kids and a lovely wife," he announced looking at Jin with obvious delight, sitting beside him. "I was a professor of English before we were forced to leave Earth." Erick then looked at the next person to his right, expecting her to say something. Bryanna, a very attractive, very tall, female 132 years old; she didn't look a day over 25. She glanced down at Erick beside her with disbelief in her dark gray eyes. He looked human in appearance; it was hard to imagine he was alien. She broke off her stare slowly closing her mouth.

"Well, I'm Bryanna from Detroit, Michigan," she said, tilting her head so that her long, brown hair gathered around her face. "I am also married, but no kids. We were thinking about it. Both of us were working in the auto industry for over five years. They had just laid me off when the Enac showed up. They turned our lives completely upside down. My husband is out there somewhere," she said, looking upwards with her piercing dark brown eyes. "I just want to be strong for him so that we can start that family."

"Bryanna why were you on the citidome?" asked Ryan, an alien with a French-Canadian accent sitting across from her. Disguised as a man of average height, he looked cheap and self-serving.

"I... I am not an Earther if that's what you mean," said Bryanna quickly, turning her head away to hide her emotions, giving Ryan the opportunity to speak.

"Well, my name is Ryan. I was living in Toronto, Canada...by way of the planet Ethos," he announced with a head full of greasy, reddish-brown hair with thin gray streaks. He had a thin mousey body build looking about forty. Thin red lips on a long narrow face covered with round, frameless glasses completed his disguise. "I'm single too," he said gesturing towards Jin, who drew her face with disgust as he continued, "with no kids, as well. I was a very successful sales representative. I really didn't have time for a family. That was before all this crap happened," he said distastefully. Ryan neglected to mention that his business was dealing in stolen ancient artifacts and precious gems from around the world, making him quite wealthy. His nervous demeanor betrayed him, as his empty brown eyes darted around suspiciously at each team member. To Ryan, everyone was a potential threat, waiting to take whatever he had. It naturally made him very secretive, but also very quick to take advantage of anyone or a situation like this one. His self-motivated, greedy nature was the reason for him readily agreeing to come along on the expedition. When he heard the planet's name, he naturally equated it to mean that rubies or precious gems were in abundant supply on the planet.

Precious gemstones all over the galaxy served as a form of wealth. This little adventure could make him even richer making it worth the risk to recoup some of the losses he incurred when he left Earth.

"I sold shoes for a living and enjoyed every minute of it," he said casually, turning to the next person beside him.

"My name Kiva," said a flaming red-headed woman of about 28 years of age with a shapely figure. My English not very good," she announced with a warm sun baked Brazilian smile and dazzling green eyes trapped in a sea of freckles. "My father was an alien, but I no wish to talk at this time," she said. "I very sad, only come to keep mind off family," she admitted, looking at Fred, the last unknown in the group.

Fred looked around the tent in the harsh light sizing up the faces of the would-be explorers, trying, to sum up, their contributions to the team. Not having much to go on, he spoke for the first time. "My name is Fred," he said in a dry Midwestern voice. "I'm from Nebraska, or at least was from there. Any of ya'll ever been there?" he asked, getting no reply. "Anyway, I'm single, with no kids that I'm aware of," he chuckled at Jin and then continued. "My father was the alien side of the family, but I never knew him," he said with a facial expression conveying he didn't want to talk about it. "Considering what I've heard so far, I think Dax should lead the expedition. He's the only one among us with any military experience. I was a trail guide in the Rockies when I was a younger man, but those days have long since passed. At my office where I used to work, they once voted me as the most introverted person in the company. I was an office clerk for a large architectural firm before my life changed," he said holding his head down as if ashamed to say it. "I came on this little excursion because I thought I could help out in some small way."

"Thanks, Freddy. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we greatly appreciate any big help you can give us if we need any office advice. So, for now, Freddy, be quiet so the rest of us can figure out which direction to go in tomorrow," said Erick condescendingly, driving Bryanna to look away shaking her head in disapproval at his remarks.

"Well, that's easy," said Dax, trying to minimize any tension building between Erick and Fred. "So far, we've been walking towards the mountains with the sun to our backs. It's a natural path for us to keep following if we want to stay in line with the lifeboat. Does everyone agree?"

"Yeah, that sounds reasonable," said Erick, not having a plan of his own to offer the group. "So, you want to be the leader of this field trip?" chided Erick.

"I guess so if there are no objections," said Dax while everyone's silence gave their consent. Erick pursed his lips but also remained silent.

"Good! That mountain peak that's been in front of us all day is our goal," suggested Dax. "We should climb it to see what's out here." They all shook his or her head in silent agreement. Erick reached up dimming the lantern, afraid to turn it completely off, as they started to lay down where they sat.

Tent at night – Photo by Flickr.com

Everyone slept quietly except for a few snoring, surrounded by an eerie stillness outside the tent lingering like a bad piano note in the air. Later that night, a strange shrieking sound exploded in their sea of silence. Everyone woke up, caught by surprise. Staring in the semi-darkness at one another, wondering where the sound originated from, except that it was nearby. No one was missing giving them all great relief. They concluded that it couldn't have been a living creature. So, they blamed it on the wind, convinced that they were alone. To go outside to look was totally out of the question, given the darkness that was smothering them. So, one by one, they again blamed the disruption on the wind settling back to sleep, praying that nothing else would happen...in the darkness...that swallowed their little tent in the middle of nowhere.

Tent in middle of nowhere - Photo by Flickr.com

# CHAPTER 20

Afraid

The next morning, Dax was the first to rise. He poked his head outside the tent finding a dull sun in a cloudless pink sky. It was easy to figure out which direction to travel. Dax rolled up his blanket placing it in his pack. He stretched, yawning loudly to wake up a few more explorers still clinging to sleep. Finally, everyone was getting ready for the day's journey. Jin opened a spare pack handing out candy bars along with small plastic bottles of water. Only Fred refused to eat or drink, saying he never ate breakfast in the morning. Dax thought it was odd, considering Fred's large size.

"What about that weird sound last night? I've never heard anything like it in my life," said Ryan.

"Look around you jerk! There's nothing out there," responded Erick; he was not a morning person. Everyone took turns looking out the tent's opening to view the surroundings. They saw nothing that could remotely make the sounds from the night before. As far as they could tell, they were alone in a world full of alien plants. Dax looked at Fred. Fred in response hunched his shoulders as if to say, _I don't know either_.

Just before starting their trek, Dax offered to take the lead. He began walking at a slow pace, with everyone following in single file behind him. They soon forgot about the incident, as the line stretched further apart struggling to keep up with Dax's pace. The mountain range loomed ahead of them with the dim sunlight of Rubius at their backs. Zigzagging through clusters of ground hugging plants, it suddenly turned into sand.

Rubius mountains – Photo by wikispaces.com

After walking a kilometer, Fred made a startling discovery from the back of the line. It was subtle but definite, as he stopped to take in his surroundings. He discovered they were walking in shallow furrows only a few centimeters deep.

Desert furrows - Photos by wikispaces.com & wikipedia.org

By itself, it seemed like nothing. Looking from side to side with a bit of imagination, it became apparent they were walking parallel with a gently rolling sea of sand that converged somewhere near the foot of the mountains. Fred tried to determine if the rows were natural when... _BOOM_! Two voices suddenly screamed out in terror. Kiva and Jin were gone in a flash before anyone could figure out what had happened. The women had walked off to the side while talking when suddenly they dropped out of sight. All they heard was scraping sounds, as they slid down a shaft. The sounds gradually trailed off, followed by what sounded like two muffled thuds, until there was silence again.

"Kiva, Jin, can you hear me?" shouted Dax down a large hole. They waited quietly for several minutes before Dax said what everyone else was thinking. "I don't believe they're coming back. We don't have any rope to lower down to them," he said, causing most of them to see the reality of the situation. "If they were alive, we should've heard something by now," offered Dax, and continued by adding. "We must go on!" he insisted in a soft but commanding voice. Stunned, everyone looked at him.

"How can you say that mate? It could've been you down there," angrily barked Erick.

"I'd want you to do the same for me," countered Dax in a calm tone.

"Let's not fight about this," said Bryanna. "Dax is right. If they were alive, we would've heard something by now," she offered, standing up after listening on her knees for any sounds of life from the dark hole below. The smooth hole seemed to curve away towards the mountains. Reluctantly, one by one, they stood up slowly walking away. In front of them loomed the mountain range. It had become their goal to reach before nightfall.

***

Kiva and Jin were knocked unconscious after a harrowing slide down the long dark hole. They landed in an even darker, very quiet room. The odor was horrible. It seemed to heat up the room. Jin was the first to stir then immediately gasped for air, finding the smell unbelievably repulsive. Instinctively, she pulled up her helmet waiting a moment to catch her breath. Looking up, about three meters above her head Jin saw no lights, surmising that they must have fallen through a trap door. Trying to rationalize the situation, she thought, _it appeared something wanted them to fall through the hole into this room._ She also assumed the room was soundproof because she should've heard the others yelling their heads off for them by now. Finally, Kiva sat up gagging, terrified, by the lack of breathable air. Jin helped her pull her helmet up over her head and waited for her to recover.

"Oh, mi Dios! What the hell that odor?" cried Kiva. Her nose was dripping uncontrollably in response. She held her breath, lifted her faceplate to wipe her nose with her hand and then slammed it back down.

"Something or someone must have died down here!" suggested Jin.

"I agree, but why it so dark? Do you think they see us down here?" Kiva asked, still disoriented.

"No, I think something is blocking the hole we slid down. With this odor, we're going to run out of air in no time," said Jin, panicking as her voice cracked. "The air feels like it has been replaced by something heavy. I can feel it sitting on my chest," she said, trying to see in the dark to figure out what it was. There was nothing tangible for her sanity to embrace, so her chest heaved even more with fear.

"Wait, have I an idea," said Kiva. She fumbled on her wrist's keypad searching for the right combination of keystrokes, but not before noticing something gooey on her hands. She wiped them on her thighs cringing at the thought of what she might have touched.

Still panicking Jin said, "What are you doing?"

"One moment!" said Kiva excitedly. Jin could hear her breathing hard over the communicator. "Oh, my God!" she said aloud.

Jin froze in place, afraid to move, and cried, "What is it?"

# CHAPTER 21

Absolute Darkness

It was almost nightfall by the time the explorers reached the foot of the mountains. Dax, sensing their reluctance to go further, suggested they make camp for the night. The next morning came quickly without an incident. A soft radiant sun peeked through a misty, pinkish-gray sky shining down on Dax. He was making good headway up the mountain's rocky slope. He waved down to the others to come up to join him on a small cliff. It took a while, but they finally gathered around him marveling at the vista stretching out over Rubius. It was breathtaking to see a rippling sea of succulent plants carpeting the landscape beyond the sand. Bumps appeared from a species of fern that grew like miniature trees. At the horizon, where the flora kissed the sky, the lifeboat was easily noticeable to the naked eye. It looked imposing against Rubius' landscape, like a pimple on the skin of an alien's face. Behind the lifeboat, the sun gradually rose higher to shine like a dim beacon on the wreckage of citidome-3. It shimmered like a tiny mirage, allowing an unforgettable image to imprint into their minds forever, while silently, they traced their footsteps to where they were now standing. Almost immediately, at the same time, they noticed the narrow furrows in the ground spanning the entire breadth of their view.

"Hey, I can see the hole where Jin and Kiva fell, over there!" shouted Erick, pointing and said. "Wait, there's another one...and...one over there, too!"

"They're all centered on this area but are the furrows running to or from the mountain. I can't tell," offered Fred.

"I see what you mean. The holes and the furrows do seem connected now that you mention it," replied Dax in a suspicious tone. Together, they traced the converging lines back towards the mountain. Pointing at something not far below them and to the right.

Fred asked, "What is that?" A bed of rocks was purposefully blocking an entrance to what looked like a cave.

Cave entrance – Picture by L. Sky and Photo by Wikipedia.org

From ground level, you could not see it. The others rushed to look over the ledge. They wanted to see what Fred was looking at. A smooth semicircular opening formed a tunnel entrance nestled behind a barrier of rocks. From their vantage point, it appeared to go down into the mountain at a steep angle. It looked dark, foreboding, but more than big enough to allow an average-size person to walk in upright.

Ryan asked, "Why didn't we notice it earlier?"

"The way they angled the cave on the slope of this mountain makes it difficult to see from the ground," offered Dax. "I think what's even more important is who made it."

"Say, you're right," said Ryan. "It does look man-made, but I thought this planet was deserted."

"My thoughts exactly," replied Dax. "Shall we investigate to see who is at home? Maybe they can give us some information about this lovely vacation resort?"

Single file, they started back down the mountainside in hopes of solving a mystery for the first time since they arrived on Rubius' doorstep.

***

The first to arrive at the tunnel's entrance, Bryanna discovered its walls scoured out by something super-hot. It poked a hole clean through the mountain's rock to form the tunnel. The scorched black walls were cold and damp to the touch with condensation trickling down its sides. A thin stream of water guided their footsteps in a direction towards the center of the mountain.

They followed its snaking path, sloping downwards at a 10-degree angle. For about thirty minutes, they trekked down the cold, musty, tunnel using faceplate lights to guide them through the thick darkness. The path made a sharp right turn gradually going upwards. A pinpoint of light shined ahead. It grew bigger until the explorers popped out of the tunnel. The light was coming from paint sprayed on the walls that illuminated the cavern without the need for artificial light. A few meters from the tunnel's entrance stood a large, imposing wall made of white granite. It curved out of sight in both directions. The wall was a barrier separating the tunnel from what was behind it. In the center of the wall was a large, arching double door made of metal that rose halfway up the wall's side. Excited about their discovery, they swiftly walked up to the door and pushed, which easily gave way. Beyond the door lay an expansive courtyard, a good distance beyond it stood an enormous magnificent pyramid made of slabs of marble stones. They all stood breathless at the sight of this large superstructure built inside a mountain.

Pyramid inside cavern – Picture by en.wikipedia.org & L. Sky

Near the top of the pyramid was massive, rectangular windows presiding over the courtyard. The long, wide courtyard itself ended at the foot of the building's only entrance. Located in the center of the building it contained one large double door. The complex appeared deserted, except for the telltale signs of recent use, including a large fire pit.

Crude Benty fire pit – Photo by Flickr.com

As they approached the heavy doors, the building glimmered with a consistency of the finest marble. Constructed of four massive slabs of granite, the seam between them was barely perceptible to the unaided eye. Clearly, a work of art only a superior intelligence could have constructed. As the explorers approached, the black double door looking impenetrable, as if to keep something inside...or out. The pervasive, eerie stillness didn't help either, making the complex just as creepy as the landscape on the surface of Rubius. Only the echoing sounds of their footsteps on a hard clay surface betrayed their presence. Each step brought them closer to the building towering over them. The only question any of them could entertain was who built such a magnificent structure. To answer that question, Dax slowly reached out for one of the doors. Before he could touch the door, mechanical gears spring to life as the audible tumbling of the locks caused the door to swing open with a slight hiss. Cold, stale air dressed in darkness rushed out to greet them, as they looked stunned at each other.

"Hey, I didn't touch it! It just opened on its own," explained Dax.

"Say, Freddy," said Erick jokingly. "Why don't you stick your head in there to see if there's any office furniture?" No one laughed. Cautiously, Dax stuck his head past the doors into a world of absolute darkness.

# CHAPTER 22

I Guess...

"Oh, my eyes!" shouted Jin, stunned by the explosion of light. Tiny spots danced before her eyes, as she struggled to adjust. Kiva's focus slowly came back into view as she spontaneously let out an ear-piercing scream. A ghostly figure appeared beneath them.

Scooting closer to Kiva, Jin yelled, "What is it?"

Kiva moved her head around to highlight whatever it was underneath them. Jin quickly turned her faceplate light on after a few moments of fiddling with her keypad. She never paid any attention when instructed on the gadgetry of the lifesuits. Helping to illuminate the strange object, they deduced they were sitting on the side of an animal's belly whose digestive juices encased in a thick hide had finally turned to mush. Fortunately for them, it broke their fall, sparing them grave injury. Kiva slid off, hearing its juices sloshing inside the creature's belly. Jin quickly followed Kiva's lead. It felt something like a waterbed, but tougher. She had landed on the highest point of the beast's bloated stomach and had a longer slide to the ground.

"Ouch!" she cried, reaching the floor. "Something is sticking out of this thing." Kiva turned her light downwards slowly moving towards Jin's position. Jin jumped away from the creature shouting, "Oh my God! What is that?"

"It no human, that's for sure, with those large claws. I think maybe it's some kind of dinosaur. There's something wrong about it, though. I no sure what it is. Why we no see this on surface?" said Kiva.

"How long do you think it's been dead down here?"

"From looks...and smell, I say no more ten days at most," suggested Kiva.

"What if they live down here?" interjected Jin nervously.

"We have to get out of here! Oh my, God, I can't take this!"

"I no think they living down here. This one probably fall through hole like we did," offered Kiva, turning her head to shine her light on one of the walls as she walked towards it.

"Hey! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Jin.

"Yeah! That sound we heard last night was one of these things falling down a hole. I think they come out at night. Could explain why we no see them during day. We lucky last night!" said Kiva.

"Oh my God," squealed Jin. "You don't think one's down here with us now, do you?"

"For sure, it not this one. I think many holes like this one," replied Kiva, her curiosity drawn to a reflection on the far wall. "How come we didn't see anything yesterday like footprints or something?" insisted Jin.

"Like I say, maybe only they come out at night then the wind blow away footprints before sun comes up," suggested Kiva, stepping carefully towards the wall.

"It was really dark and spooky out there last night. I couldn't see my hands in front of my face when I went out to pee," said Jin.

"Jin, you no go out there by yourself?" asked Kiva.

"Hell no, Fred went with me. He's such a gentleman."

"I'd watch him, something not right. I no can put finger on it just yet," said Kiva.

"Is that what I think it is?" said Jin excitedly in her squeaky voice.

"Yes, it sure looks like it!" said Kiva with a wide grin on her lovely, soiled face. Painted on the wall in front of them was a large, white arrow pointing to a square door leading into another chamber.

Kiva shined her light inside the chamber to see if it was empty, then stepped in with Jin close behind her. When the door snapped shut behind them, it activated a magnetic seal that clicked into place. Kiva tried to reopen the small door but couldn't. Another arrow pointed towards another door suggesting a pattern; maybe a way out!

Reluctantly, Kiva pushed open the next door. The chamber was the same, except now their nerves had quieted down, so they dimmed their lights. Just as they did, a faint, but distinct growl behind the wall to their right reached out and grabbed their attention. Something big was on the other side and following them. When they stopped, it stopped and scratched vigorously at the wall between them. They looked puzzled at each other and came to the same conclusion.

"You don't suppose the creature cannot get out like us. Somehow it figured how to get to the next chamber?" offered Jin, feeling panic building up inside her frail body, but this time in her legs as well as her chest.

"That thought had occurred to me. Door easy to open; yet, how they smart enough to push them open on their own. We better get to the end of this place first, then block its door somehow," insisted Kiva.

"What if there's one of those things up ahead on our side?" asked Jin, her chest heaving up and down with fear.

"I afraid to think Jin, but we have to take chance. We must get to end...before that thing do," offered Kiva, shining her light towards the other door when something caught her eyes. It was near the center of the chamber, just below the trap door. It sat very still trying to blend into the darkness. Kiva's hand trembled violently bringing her head light up to illuminate whatever it was on the floor. Only its red glowing eyes gave its presence away. Kiva's light fell on its unearthly form. Jin's hands went up to her faceplate in sheer terror.

"Help...me," said a shadowy figure with a cold raspy voice in the dark. "Please, help...me. My legs broke from the fall. I can't move," he said while looking up at the trap door above his grotesque head. Kiva moved closer to get a better look at the awkwardly sitting figure on the floor. Without warning, the strange figure lunged at Kiva, missing her by millimeters with the help of Jin grabbing Kiva's arm yanking her back.

"Wait, don't get any closer," said Jin in her squeaky voice.

"I think I know what it is!"

"It...talks," said Kiva.

"Oh yeah, it can talk all right," Jin squeaked. Kiva began sweating profusely inside her lifesuit, looking at Jin with horror on her face. They both imagined what would've happened if he had caught her. They stepped back leaning against the wall as far away from the stranger as possible. Feeling secure out of its reach, Jin began to tell Kiva a story.

"When you work for a Library for as long as I have, you literally meet all kinds of interesting or creepy people. I became friends with a woman who knew a man from the Pentagon. She told me a bizarre story one day that I will never forget as long as I live. Which, at this point may not be very long?" she giggled in her high pitch voice, and then continued. "It all happened, I guess over a year ago in Boston, of all places. I was able to confirm most of her story, but the rest is covered up in bureaucratic secrecy," said Jin stopping to reflect for a moment.

"Well, you telling me, yes?" demanded Kiva.

"I'm just trying to think of the best way to tell the story." Hesitating to get her thoughts together, the foot soldier, Salborg, stirred in pain...and extreme hunger. He was the only (so he thought) survivor to escape the jaws of the Cretok by running into a secret underground tunnel that led to the outside surface. He ran across the open plain at night until he unceremoniously fell through one of the holes used to trap runaway humanoids from the research facility. His bulky body slammed hard on the bare floor breaking both his legs in the process. Now, he was desperately consumed with hunger not having eaten for days. Salborg was virtually near-death agonizing in pain when he heard commotions in the next chamber. At first, he thought his teammates were coming to rescue him. Then, just as abruptly, he remembered that they were all dead along with commander Pavo. He held his breath listening, fear gripping his bird-like heart.

Bird's 4-chambered heart – Photo by Wikipedia.org

Hearing muffled sounds coming his way, it stopped for a moment, and then the small door to his chamber gradually opened. A blast of light shot into the room, it blinded him. After a few seconds, he watched two dark figures squat to pass through the low doorway. To his amazement, it was two puny humanoids just out of his reach.

"Wow look at it. It's a Benty," said Jin shining her light on Salborg, as if looking at an animal in a zoo. His combat suit had a long-jagged slash across his chest. His beanie cap was missing, exposing his small conical head.

"A what?"

"A Benty...an alien, Kiva. My friend told me all about them."

"Well, you telling me story or not?" said Kiva anxiously.

"Well, where do I begin? I guess..."

# CHAPTER 23

Finally, A Break

One year before the Enac came to Earth

Boston's Logan International is one of the busiest airports in the world. However, one cool night in October, the U.S. Military invaded Logan airport because of a bizarre incident.

" _We're hit! They hit us," yelled Bojan in a grating voice, commander of the Benty Scout Ship Taus. "Prepare for a hard landing. If we survive, the first one who's able will get the waterboat if we hit near water." Two nervous voices above his head acknowledged his command. Everything was happening so fast as their spaceship tumbled out of the sky in a trail of flames and thick black smoke. An F-22 Raptor cruising about 3 kilometers away fired four heat-seeking missiles at the Taus._

F-22 Raptor – Photos by Wikipedia.org

The scout ship managed to dodge the first two missiles with very little effort. The third missile caused them to drop down to avoid a direct hit but doing so set them up for the fourth missile that was dead on target. The Taus hit the water's surface skipping across the river four times like a stone. The ship came down the fifth time, skidding wildly onto the muddy banks of the Logan International Airport's most southern runway. Badly smoking and in flames, the Taus left behind a long deep groove on the hard-concrete runway filled with mud as it came to rest. The Taus exploded with a brilliant flash of light that lite up the night's sky for a brief moment. A fire truck raced out with sirens blasting, not sure what was on fire. By the time they arrived on the scene, it was obvious that it wasn't a commercial airliner smoldering on their runway. As the smoke began to clear, they witnessed two distinct sets of mud-laden footprints along with something else dragged between them as they made their way back to the muddy banks of the river. Fire Chief Gordon looked out over the bay, but it was too dark to see anything. He took his helmet off scratching his disappearing hair in bewilderment. Like their fire chief, the firefighters gathered around the unusual looking damaged egg-shaped spaceship lying on its side, wondering about its origin. Within minutes of the firefighters reaching the crash site, a black military limousine pulled up. A colonel name Foyer from the Royal Air Force assigned as a Liaison to the United States Air Force jumped out. He wasted no time firing orders with a typical British accent for the firefighters to move away. Another minute zipped by then a half-ton truck rolled up with its brakes squealing on the runway that forced them onto the soft muddy banks of the river. Soldiers poured out from the back of the truck roping off the area with automatic rifles slung on their backs. Meanwhile, Foyer began talking with the first responders about national security and the Secrets Act. A large flatbed truck rolled up. It quickly turned around with a special crane to hoist the Taus onto its flatbed.

Flatbed truck – Picture by wikipedia.org

" _This never happened," said Colonel Foyer. "If someone claims they saw something, you will tell them it was a small aircraft that missed the runway and burst into flames with everyone onboard killed. There are no such things as UFOs, is that bloody clear?"_

"Ah, yes sir, but what about the footprints?" said Gordon pointing a finger at the trail of large footprints.

"Something is definitely out there on the bay, and it's giving me the creeps," said a tall, skinny control tower supervisor named Adcock standing beside the Fire Chief. He had driven down to see what was going on. Adcock turned to the colonel with red glassy eyes asking in a high-pitched Bostonian voice, "What are you going to do about this?"

" _Nothing," replied Foyer smugly as he watched a team of men throw a big tarp over the spaceship. They secured the Taus with heavy chains on the flatbed truck and sped off in a cloud of exhaust. "Nothing's out there...and as they say in America, I... was never here old chap," he retorted in his British accent._

" _What kind of crap is that?" said Gordon irritated by the colonel's British accent. "Hell, you're not even an American for crying out loud!"_

" _Ah, so you can tell old man. If you value your job, you'll forget everything that just happened here tonight," said Foyer with a grin and then added with a serious tone._

" _Look, old man, just erase all your logs about this unfortunate airplane's crash. If anyone makes any further inquiries, refer them to me," said Foyer turning on his heels and swiftly walking back to his limousine._

Adcock was stunned as he watched the arrogant colonel stoop down to get into his car and shouted, "Hey, and just how do we get in touch with you?"

" _Good question. Cheerio blokes!" yelled Foyer closing his window signifying their conversation was over as the limo sped away in a rage of loose gravel and tire smoke._

***

A few days after the crash

_Just_ _north of Head Island east of Summers Street, near two old fuel storage tanks was an abandon section of the Boston Harbor. It contained a run-down, crumbling parking lot containing an assortment of plants growing out of its cracked pavement. A once thriving business area, it was now home to long forgotten rusted out cars, derelict tractor-trailers, surrounded by small office buildings in deplorable condition. Interspersed between the buildings were run down mobile trailers that once substituted as bustling business offices. However, looking across the river from this eyesore nestled in a cove contained an ultra-modern cruise liner with state-of-the-art facilities. Back across the river, diagonally from the cruise ship was a rusty tractor-trailer near the river's edge. Large bushes with a few small trees blocked it from view. Inside the tractor-trailer were two Benty taking up residence by making a crude butcher shop._

***

"My God, Jin. If what say you true, we leave this thing here to rot," offered Kiva.

"No, please!" said Salborg in a weakening voice. "I will tell you anything you want to know, just don't leave me here alone," he pleaded.

Jin looked around the room then asked, "What is this place?"

"It's part of an old military outpost."

"What these chambers for?" asked Kiva.

"It's for...what I think you call trash or waste disposal," replied Salborg, sizing them up, trying to decide which one of the females he would eat first. He was at a point where he made up his mind to eat them raw. The hunger pains were so severe that he no longer felt the pain in his broken legs anymore.

"Waste disposal? No fooling. Ah, where is the waste then?" said Jin sarcastically.

"They must have cleaned it up. The odor gets bad down here," answered Salborg in a soft, raspy tone to disarm them.

"Someone no do their job," said Kiva with a wrinkled nose.

Jin, getting very suspicious asked Salborg, "What is that thing that keeps scratching on the walls next door?"

Kiva turned down her light as they questioned the Benty. This understandable decision worked against them because they were unable to see the expressions on Salborg's face. "That is my pet," he said laughing like a growl. "It only wants to unite with his master," he offered with a smirk on his face.

"What think you, Jin?" asked Kiva. "His pet could be mighty big if he one like we fell on!"

"Let me finish my story then you can decide on whether we should help him. You must understand that only top airport and government officials knew about this incident. Naturally, they were all given a blanket gag order to cover up what I'm about to tell you," said Jin picking up where she had left off.

***

Three weeks after the Benty spaceship crashed:

The FBI and the military secretly searched for the two Benty around the Boston Harbor area. As time marched on, the Boston police kept receiving strange reports of homeless people disappearing in the harbor area. They all vanished without a trace; no one saw anything to attest to their whereabouts. However, it was becoming apparent to the FBI that the homeless somehow were connected. They continued frantically searching without any success. Finally, a break occurred.

# CHAPTER 24

His Last Breath

Hanson Air Force Base

" _Sir, this just came in over the radio," said Airman Finkley handing a strip of paper to Colonel Foyer. Foyer quickly read the note, and then turned to his cadre of staff beaming a smile._

" _Finally, gents, a bloody break! It seems our good neighbors in the Boston police department just had a shootout. They describe a strange mutated man with yellowish mottled skin coming out of the electronics section of a docked cruise liner. Sounds like one of the dead aliens chaps we found in the spaceship. Apparently, this one killed several police officers with a laser gun before they were able to kill him. It says he was loaded down with radio parts. Perhaps our chaps like ET were trying to phone home. The FBI has the body in its custody and taking it to a secure location. They want us to search around the area of the cruise liner. They believe the other chap may not be too far away."_

***

"Wow, Jin. How get you this information?" asked Kiva impressed with Jin's wealth of knowledge.

"I told you, I'm a Librarian!" said Jin. "Now let me finish. I have just a little more to tell you." A year ago, she would have scoffed at the notion of aliens. However, using her photographic memory to recall the incident, they scrutinized Salborg with his alien stomach loudly rumbling. Finally, he resorted to rocking from side to side mentally trying to control his hunger pains. He was also trying to judge the distance between him and Kiva sitting against the wall directly across from him. He figured they would have to pass him to get to the next chamber. He settled on making his move by leaping for Kiva, as she walked passed him first. His impulse was to snap her neck, but it wouldn't give him enough time to grab the other mouthy humanoid with her irritating voice. He resolved himself to playing out other scenarios in his mind, not bothering to hear the rest of Jin's story. Every Benty in the fleet knew all about what happened after the Taus crashed on Earth.

***

Boston Harbor Area:

The airmen searched for hours until a sergeant noticed something unusual in the river. The sun was slowly sinking, squeezing out the daylight forcing him to use his binoculars to see it better. A long, white plastic pipe barely submerged under the water ran from a makeshift hole in the front of a dilapidated tractor-trailer.

Dilapidated tractor-trailer – Pictures by L. Sky and Photos by Wikipedia.org

Bubbles marked the spot where hot air vented out of the pipe. Surrounding the trailer, they quietly closed in. A horrific odor penetrated through the walls of the vehicle the closer they got to the trailer. When they were to close, the fetid smells forced them to step back, gagging for fresh air. Inside, a female's faint screams for life carried over the stinky airwaves. There was a heavy thud, and then a bone cracking sound. Just as quickly, the female's feeble cries for help stopped. Silence covered the makeshift slaughterhouse like a blanket. A ship's foghorn bellowed out in the distance capturing the moment. The men raised their rifles ready to fire at anything coming out of the trailer. It seemed like an eternity as they nervously waited for Colonel Foyer's signal to attack. The bubbling in the river began to pick up, forcing its way to the surface with a roar. Meanwhile, the crackling of flames inside the trailer increased. The stench grew heavier while the men held their ground. Then, Foyer silently gave the order to fire tear gas through a small hole in the trailer's roof. Inside, a ghastly roar erupted from a crazed beast. Furious banging on the walls revealed that the alien was in extreme pain. In agony from burning eyes and lungs, the lone foot soldier charged out of his hiding place slamming the double doors open, thinking he could overpower the puny Earthers. His damaged body armor built into the rubberized combat suit kept them at bay. Holding up perfectly, it gave him the courage needed to overcome the Earthers. Not understanding the full scope of his situation, a barrage of gunfire from all directions hit him the moment his feet touched the ground. He didn't hesitate to fire his laser gun into a crowd of airmen, disintegrating anything in his path. The acrid smell of burning flesh and gunpowder rapidly grew thick in the air. In that instant, he wished his fallen commander were alive to witness his bravery. His body covered in armor, the bullets bounce off him like BB pellets. Everything seemed to be going in the Benty's favor until a stun gun was fired that penetrated the back of his small skull; he forgot to put on his helmet when the confusion broke out. Cheap by comparison, the stun gun did what everyone else's lethal weapons couldn't do. The probe sunk into the soft, fleshy tissue of the Benty's head below his beanie cap. The mottled skin, surrounding the wound rapidly turned green. It revealed the lack of vitamins needed for a proper diet; eating undercooked flesh was not healthy for them either. The Taser quickly brought the Benty to his knees knocking him unconscious. The airmen rushed in to secure him with no less than four handcuffs each on his arms and legs. Together, they struggled to drag his extremely heavy body to a waiting military truck. However, what he left behind in the trailer went way beyond any reasonable description. Photographs could only tell the real story. It was nothing short of a gruesome kitchen filled with improvised meat hooks dangling from the ceiling adorned with human body parts and splattered blood stains on its worn-out wooden floorboards. The butchery laced with its stench was so vile that the airmen rushed to seal the doors as if to shut out the memories locked inside their heads forever.

***

"Where take the last Benty?" asked Kiva, completely fascinated with Jin's story.

"Nobody knows. Some say the Benty went to Area 51; others say he was dissected somewhere in a secret lab facility under the Pentagon. We'll never know for sure. But..."

Kiva begged, "What Jin? But what?"

"Well, rumor has it that after they had tortured him, he talked," said Jin with a wide grin on her face.

"Well, what did say he?" said Kiva reaching out to push Jin into continue talking.

"He stated that they would soon invade Earth. That we would all become food to feed their growing empire of 30 billion Benty," replied Jin with sorrow in her voice.

"Oh, mi Dios! You mean these aliens eat people! That no good," said Kiva.

"Hell yeah, tell me about it!" said Jin in her squeaky voice.

"Well, I vote we leave him here," said Kiva. "Rot he to death!"

"My feeling exactly. However, we have a slight bit of a problem," offered Jin.

"Oh, what that?" said Kiva. Jin leaned over whispering something into her ear. She then looked at Kiva's lovely Brazilian face. They made eye contact with both shaking their heads in agreement.

"Hey you big slug! You can go to hell!" shouted Jin in her irritating voice, getting Salborg's attention. He growled at her high pitch voice piercing his eardrums. In a natural reflex, Salborg threw up his hands to cover his ears. As he did so, Kiva and Jin simultaneously turned on their faceplate lights to its highest setting.

The chamber exploded with light. Salborg roared in ghoulish pain, realizing what had just happened. In the flash, he knew, he was going to die right where he sat...alone...consumed by hunger pains that would follow him down to his last breath.

# CHAPTER 25

### French-Canadian Voice

The doors seemed endless, as Kiva and Jin recklessly ran away. Meanwhile, the pleading grew fainter and fainter from the doomed alien they left behind. At the same time, the growling in the chamber beside them grew louder. The scratches became deeper and more determined. Both women grew weary needing rest from exerting so much energy to stay ahead of the beast. Miraculously, when they stopped, it stopped too, suggesting to Kiva that the creature was listening for their footsteps as they raced from chamber to chamber. Jin pictured it standing on the other side of the wall. Its head probably cocked to one side, carefully listening. The thought made Jin nervous. Meanwhile, Kiva sat on the hard, cement-like floor imagining what the beast looked like.

"Let's keep moving, but quietly," Kiva whispered in the dark. "Have I idea. Maybe it stay here if no can hear us," she suggested, carefully getting to her feet. She didn't need her head light to illuminate the chambers anymore. After moving through the twentieth chamber with the same dimensions, she knew by heart the number of steps it would take to reach the next door. Jin, followed suit, quietly tiptoeing to the door behind her. Even though the doors had a seamless design on the walls, a slight nudge got them to move. As a precaution, Kiva poked her head in to shine her light into the chamber before entering. She did it for Jin's benefit, because once the door was activated, it didn't stop opening until it touched the adjacent wall. It stayed open for about five seconds and then swung back, closing with a solid _click_. It was more than enough time for something to get in and attack them. There was no chance of escape.

Everything was going perfectly...until the door...clicked shut. The beast roared slamming into its door. The growling tapered off, as the beast rammed into door after door racing ahead to catch its meal.

"Come on," shouted Kiva. "We must catch it. We no can let it beat us to end," she insisted, grabbing Jin by her slender arm while reaching out for the next door.

***

"Can you see anything?" asked Bryanna, unwilling to poke her head inside.

"No," said Dax, then without warning stepped inside. "Spread out, just in case there are booby traps," he commanded, not sure what to expect.

Then Ryan had an idea, "Why don't we just turn on the lights to our helmets?"

"No, stupid, that's not a good idea," sneered Erick. "If anything's in there, it'll know where we are before we are aware where it is. Then we'll all be screwed." The others shook their heads in agreement. Ryan became seething mad, as Bryanna quickly came over to console him.

"Ryan, I'm afraid Erick is right," she said soothingly. Our eyes will not adjust quick enough for us to see anything." Ryan shook his head in weak agreement. "We need to wait until our eyes can naturally adapt to the darkness," she explained. Meanwhile, Fred stood to the side, quiet, but alert, as he silently took up the rear. After a few minutes of intense listening, they concluded that there was probably no danger. Slowly, their eyes adjusted to the darkness to begin a feverish searched for a light switch. Bryanna suggested rubbing the walls where a light switch might reside. Instantly, the lights flickered a few times then came on from Dax's touch.

"That was a simple, but brilliant idea Bryanna," said Fred. For her contribution, she simply smiled in acknowledgment. Within a few moments, everyone adjusted to the strong overhead lamps that quickly revealed a large room similar to a lobby. Three heavy black doors adorned with unfamiliar writing, stood at the opposite end of the lobby. Above the three doors was one long, horizontal window with dark tinted glass that looked down into the lobby. Bryanna looked up at the window for a long moment and then said, "Well, shall we," waving her hand, walking towards the mysterious door on the far right.

"Oh well! Why not?" shrugged Erick pushing the door open with very little effort. When he stepped in, he rubbed the wall near the entrance on his right, but the lights didn't come on. They quickly switched on their faceplate lights to illuminate a corridor with rows of doors on both sides. They followed Erick reaching a door that was partially open. Erick bravely peered in just barely making out a room with rows of empty metal cages on both sides of its walls. The cages were two meters tall and stacked three cages high, warehouse style. In turn, the row of cages flanked a long center cage standing three meters high, with two more cages on top, flush against the wall. This center cage was also flanked by two steel-barred doors, with the one on the left slightly opened. The center cage also had no bars on its backside against the wall. Instead, it had a small, almost seamless door, barely perceptible to the unaided eye.

The cage showed signs of recent use. Cautiously, they walked over to the open cage trying to identify what their lights were shining on, lying on the cage's floor. The shape resembled a lump of meat; dark brown with no pattern to suggest anything about its origin.

Unknown red meat – Photo by en.wikipedia.org

"Do you smell something?" asked Bryanna, wrinkling her nose.

"No, Freddie has already been to the can," said Erick, giggling.

In a serious tone, Ryan asked, "What does it smell like?"

"It smells like animals at the zoo," offered Dax, reminiscing about his past life.

"Hey, now that you mention it, it does. I smell it too!" said Ryan, wrinkling his nose moving back ready to pull on his lifesuit's helmet while Bryanna moved closer to the cage.

"I definitely smell it now. Quiet...did you hear that?" Bryanna offered, cocking her head towards the source of the sound.

"No... wait, yes, I do hear something," said Ryan, with a touch of concern in his French-Canadian voice.

# CHAPTER 26

### Dark Little Room

After a long chase, Jin and Kiva finally caught up with the beast, or the beast heard them behind it, and stopped. Either way, it became a stalemate for the moment, with the grumbling sounds and persistent digging in the wall. The beast waited for them to make the next move. Jin then came up with the idea how to keep the door from clicking shut. She suggested wedging strips from her Tee shirt she carried in her pack. With a strip of cloth jammed into the door, they slowly left the chamber, hearing no more sounds from their neighbor. It was slow going at first, quietly jamming cloth strips into each door. They tired quickly, stopping several times to rest before they finally came to a different type of room. It was clearly smaller than the other chambers. Turning on her light, Kiva studied the strange room more carefully. It had the same overall design as the other rooms but sloped downwards towards a smaller door. Both of them had to stoop down to get to the door. There was a faint sound on the other side. Kiva yanked Jin's hand back, just as she started to push open the door. They froze, as their imaginations ran wild with notions of gruesome beasts on the other side waiting for them to come out. Jin became visibly nervous and not quite sure what to do next. She began shaking nervously, whispering a prayer that was just audible enough for Kiva to hear. Kiva smiled, moving closer to the door, careful not to bump it open prematurely. Ever so gently, Kiva placed her right ear close to the door. Its smooth surface radiated with fresh air on her cheek. She listened intently, almost immediately her eyes widened, hugging Jin tightly around her neck.

Jin whispered in a high pitch, with her body prepared for the worst, "What is it? What do you hear?" Kiva could only stare into Jin's deep brown eyes. With surprise written over her face, she tried to mouth the words, but her voice failed her.

***

Dax's team caught the beast's attention with their lights and sounds while walking through the facility. The Cretok contemplated on what to do next. It was a young male and new to the idea of free feeding. During its short existence, the masters were training him to guard humanoids. Overall, the training program proved disastrous, as humanoids would disappear from time to time. Now with the masters gone, he gradually began to override his training. He waited, gathering his breath after racing through the chambers. Periodically, his training kicked in confusing his natural instinct to feed. He knew he was trained to leave them alone, but now it had no master to stop him from feeding...on anything he wanted. He listened, took a few stealthy steps towards the open door to sniff the air, and then stepped back waiting for the right moment to pounce. He knew he could easily grab at least one humanoid with the darkness concealing his movements. His animal reasoning envisioned him consuming one of them without too much difficulty. So, he crouched lower in the far corner of the darkness to wait, easing the tension on his hind legs. Anxious, he crawled towards the door again to get a better view of his prey. In doing so, he produced heavy loping sounds, followed by a set of clicks. Making his way closer to the door, he saw six figures also listening. He sniffed the air confirming how many targets were there, not trusting its keen eyesight. The gruesome, smelly beast stopped at the edge of the doorway, waiting for the right moment, his hunger driving him to stalk, attack, and then to eat. He smelt the fear permeating from them. His large eyes reflected the light from the adjoining room.

Nervously pointing a long narrow finger with a shaky voice, Bryanna said, "Oh no, what's that?" She was the first to notice two glowing red orbs peering out from the dark little room.

Red eyes in the dark – Picture by L. Sky

# CHAPTER 27

### Hola, Amigos!

"Move, get into the cage!" commanded Dax to his team. "I don't think we can make it out the room!" Pushing everyone into the center cage, the lump of decaying meat spewed its vile odor. Dax swiftly closed the cage door, realizing he couldn't lock it without a key. A deep visceral growl erupted in the darkness followed by a series of clicking sounds on the tiled floor. Dax pointed to the opened barred door so that everyone could see the eerie glare from two eyes burning through the darkness like red-hot coals.

"Everyone turn off your lights," ordered Dax.

"Who has a weapon?" shouted Ryan, unable to control his fear. No one answered. Ryan sensed everyone's fear except Fred's. His feeling of dread amplified, Ryan couldn't contain his emotions. Instantly, he shook uncontrollably babbling about not wanting to die.

"Be quiet you silly fool! Maybe it will leave us alone," urged Erick, edging towards the back of the cage, trying to avoid stepping on the disgusting hand-size lump of meat.

"Yes, please shut up and hope that whatever this creature is, goes away," whispered Bryanna from the back of the cage, where everyone now huddled together. There was only one way the beast could get in... the same way they did. The Cretok's odor grew heavier, outweighing the rotten meat on the cage floor. The clicking noise stopped, replaced with more growling. Everyone's attention focused on the door holding two reflective red eyes. With great stealth, the beast's head attached to a very thick, muscular neck poked out the entrance, scraping the top of the door seal as it did so. It was a juvenile male with a head shaped like a primitive bird, tapering down to a considerably large, curved yellow beak. Cold eyes with an unforgiving stare, sized up the situation. Scanning its prey like a true predator, it made birdlike jerking motions with its head. To get a better look at them, he entered the room. His sharp black-clawed toes clicked on the floor, as he walked towards the cage door. He stood under two meters tall when standing up. When he walked into Dax's beam of light, the young Cretok's eyes were now orange with large black pupils, wobbling its head from side to side. Saliva overflowed from his sharp thick yellow beak, drooling heavily onto its neck feathers then plopping hard on the tiled floor.

Despite its threatening demeanor, it was beautiful.

Cretok – Photos by Wikipedia.org

He had dark, narrow brown stripes running vertically across a light brown body canvas. Short, bright, iridescent greenish-yellow feathers ran from the bottom of its neck covering most of its belly. He displayed a feathery tail for balancing his powerful hind legs bulging with power controlling his three clawed toes on broad muscular feet. His stomach was rising and falling as he studied the puzzle confronting him. But his most dangerous weapon was each winglet ending with two razor sharp claws. One swipe from these daggers could slice a humanoid in half. Meanwhile, it continued to tap on the floor in a rapid drumming procession as if in deep thought.

The hungry male Cretok was keenly aware that its first task was to get inside the box. Then, as if he had an idea, he revealed his winglet arms for the first time, which were retracted back under his winglets and camouflaged by feathers. The large male flexed his deadly curved daggers demonstrating his dominance. They were nothing short of oversized, razor-sharp knives with serrated edges for impaling and holding prey down. His massive beak would then rip the flesh off the body. Suddenly, without warning, he raised his head, uttering a low growl that rose to an ear-shattering crescendo. Flapping his winglets, he charged, stopping just short of the cage, as if having second thoughts. He raised his head all the way to the second row of cages. In a flash, a clawed foot sprang up, smashing into the cage's metal door bending it inwards. The young male then forced his beak between the bars thrusting out his long purple tongue dripping with thick saliva. Finally, he thrusted a winglet with its sharp, pointed dagger through the bars, narrowly missing Ryan's face, before retracting it to try several more times again.

"Maybe it will give up. Go away, if it can't get in," offered Erick, leaning hard against the back wall, but no one paid him any attention. He looked around to see all his teammates in a state of panic, except Dax and Fred. The two of them quietly observed the beast's movements, as if admiring its ability to kill them.

"I doubt this thing will go away," said Bryanna. "Why should it? Its food is right in front of it," she finished saying, keeping her distance from the cage door by trying to melt into the wall.

"I agree," calmly said Dax, measuring every move the beast made. He looked at the bars on the cage door, showing visible signs of bending at the top and bottom ends. If the beast continued to ram the door, eventually it would come crashing down. It meant it would have an easy time dining on one or all of them while conveniently blocking the entrance.

The big male rammed the cage with the full weight of his body. The entire cage shuddered violently, causing the top cages to wobble. At the same time, they heard a strange sound coming from behind the wall. Immediately, they rushed to the sides of the cage filled with gut-wrenching fear. They faced the thought of another beast hiding behind the wall and now trying to get inside with them. The seamless door slowly crept open, trapping them, with no room to escape. Everyone stared at the opening. Ryan nervously looked behind him to see what the beast was doing. He noticed the cage's door was alarmingly bent inward, and slightly open, waiting for the next ramming to knock it off its hinges. Ryan turned his light on to focus everyone's attention on the door's hinges. Ryan, Erick, and Bryanna swiftly sandwiched closer together in one corner of the cage, tightly holding hands, bracing for the worst. Dax and Fred huddled together on the other side. The Cretok could now smell their heightened fear but couldn't comprehend the developing events. Despite his confusion, he stepped back to charge for a final attack on the door. In the meantime, the trap door continued opening, casting a long shadow from a light behind it. If the Cretok studied the situation a little longer, it would have figured out to rush either side of the cage to impale one of his prey, ripping them out through the spaces between the bars.

Looking behind her, Bryanna saw the beast's hind leg muscles bunching up, preparing for its next assault. His eyes focused on them in case they tried some way to escape him. He could sense he was getting closer to his meal. Somewhere in his biologically engineered brain, he realized this might be the last chance to satisfy his hunger before the Masters returned. He charged with all his might smashing headlong into the cage. The cage door buckled, collapsing with a loud thunderous bang. As the cage door hit the floor, the door in the wall opened completely with Kiva's head poking out from its darkness. With a big smile on her face, she said, "Hola, amigos!"

# CHAPTER 28

### The Dark Corridor That Awaited Them

"Well, it looks like we just in time!" announced Kiva right after the cage door slammed to the floor in her face. The door behind her and Jin also clicked shut as well. Fortunately, the cage above also felt the power generated by Cretok's hunger, tumbling down to bang him squarely on the head. He fell to the floor motionless. Relieved, everyone thought the creature was dead! Consumed with joy, they rushed to embrace their two lost friends. However, the happy reunion didn't last long. The Cretok lifted his head and staggered to his feet. Groggily, he looked around the room to see if anything had changed. He noticed another cage was blocking his food. Swiftly, using one of his winglet arms, he snatched the cage out of the way. There was nothing to stop him now from seizing a meal. Putting his head down in a menacing gesture, he moved towards the open cage.

"I have a weapon!" shouted Fred, above his screaming teammates.

Fred's handgun – Photo by ze.wikispot.org

The growling Cretok was seconds away from attacking.

"Shoot...shoot!" they all yelled in unison. The Cretok slowly advanced lit up by everyone's faceplate lights. Its hips crashed into the cage's rattling doorframe. Everyone kneeled down, yelling, and screaming, as they scuffled to move further away from the beast. His massive body was too large to fit through the narrow doorway.

"Shoot...shoot!" they all cried again. Fred, still on the floor remained calm, without a bead of perspiration anywhere on his body. Dax examined Fred closely thinking he seemed inhumanly calm for an ordinary man. Slowly, Fred raised his small caliber handgun towards the beast. The Cretok's massive beak yanked away the last remaining remnants of the cage's doorframe. This simple act made the hole large enough for him to squeeze through the opening. The front of the cage buckled inwards from the weight of its massive body pressing down on it. Finally, the rest of his torso squeezed into the cage. He studied all of them, turning his head from one to the other, trying to determine his first catch of the day. The young male moved within a meter of Bryanna, who was still lying on the floor from the last jolt, her body unable to move any further without slipping. The Cretok's head began to spiral down towards her in a slow, birdlike manner. Somewhere deep inside Bryanna, a bloodcurdling scream pierced its way out of her mouth. She raised her hands to block the advancing beak. All she could do was wait for the savage bone crushing pain to begin. Somewhere in her mind's confusion, Bryanna heard a loud boom. She instantly slipped into unconsciousness with pain jetting up her legs and then slamming into her brain.

***

"Is it dead?" whispered Ryan. The roar from the Cretok stopped instantaneously after a blast from Fred's handgun. It screamed so loud from the initial searing pain in its chest that no one heard the weapon discharge. Moments later, the only thing they remembered was a flash of light that knocked the beast off its feet, presumably from the bullet that pierced clean through its heart. The Cretok hit the floor with a tremendous thud, sending shockwaves that rattled the surrounding cages. Gradually, everyone came back to his or her senses, rushing over to Bryanna. The Cretok's slimy tongue draped across her outstretched body. With disgust, they hesitated before rolling the slimy tongue off her.

In shock, Kiva and Jin watched as Dax tried to revive Bryanna back into consciousness. Kiva told the others they thought the beast was probably the same one racing with them in a side chamber. They concluded that it still heard them, despite Jin's neat trick to silence the doors. It was even clever enough to beat them to the end, in time to come close to almost eating their friends...and them!

"Thank goodness you had that gun," said Erick to Fred, wiping a large amount of perspiration off his brow. "How did you manage to get it onto the citidome with all the security they had?"

"That's part of my secret office clerk training that I was sworn never to reveal! Why don't you look to see if it's dead? Go on, check it out," insisted Fred, already knowing the answer.

"It's dead," quickly offered Erick, unwilling to leave the safety of the group. Fred continued to smile on the outside but cringed on the inside at Erick's predictability.

"Fred, that was one unbelievably lucky shot," said Dax, looking at him suspiciously.

"I guess it was," he said as if surprised. "It must've hit a vital organ. Let's go before something else comes along!" insisted Fred, helping Bryanna, who was now conscious enough to get off the floor. The nasty piece of meat was only centimeters away from her head. No one argued the point with him. They headed out of the demolished cage in a single file. Bryanna, physically recovered, stopped to pulled out a Swiss army knife from her pocket. Tenderly, she cut a slice of the meat covered with the Cretok's green blood. Wiping the blood off with her hand, it was still gooey, smelling awful despite its small size. With care, she gently put the meat in her pocket then slipped in behind the others. Ryan was the first to pass the dead creature with its long, purple, sausage-like tongue hanging limply from its opened beak. Drool mixed with blood ran together out the beast's gaping mouth like a broken water faucet racing across the floor. It finally pooled around the edges of the cage. Its eyes were the size of grapefruits, cold with savagery, staring lifelessly back at Ryan. He took a moment to look at the Cretok up close. Ryan saw himself fixed in the creature's dead gaze, then gasped at his reflection. His lifesuit, covered in dark green blood, the stench only now reached his brain. His lifesuit was the only thing keeping him from feeling its sticky wetness. Ryan's sudden reactions to the blood caused the others to examine themselves drawing looks of disgust on their faces as well. No one wasted time filing past the dead Cretok, climbing over its massive legs to get out to the corridor. Dax however, did stop a moment to examine more carefully the large entry wound burned into the Cretok's chest. Satisfied with what he saw, Dax smiled to himself, but said nothing, heading towards the dark corridor that awaited them.

# CHAPTER 29

### Fred...Is Gone!

Ryan was the first to reach the corridor deliberately turning right, leading them away from the main lobby. After a few minutes of walking down the long cold hallway, Erick realized the mistake Ryan had made. To cover his deception, Ryan quickly began running his hand along the wall trying to turn on the lights. A row of embedded light strips running the length of the ceiling came on highlighting white walls and a black substance, covering the floor. Despite his obvious deception, they continued. Doors on both sides of the corridor had no door handles. To explore their secrets was out of the question, the urgency to leave became more pressing, when low growls penetrated through each of the doors. Some lights popped on further down the hallway ahead of them. Beyond it was another wall of darkness, waiting for them to venture down if they dared.

"Okay Ryan, we're aware you're leading us in the wrong direction. The question is, why are you doing it? This place is dangerous," said Erick.

"We still need to know what's here, don't we?" countered Ryan. "Besides, who knows what kind of wealth is behind some of these doors," he offered.

"Ah, so that's it!" said Erick. "You came along to treasure hunt."

"Well, we should at least make this adventure worth our time. I'm sure we could all agree with that, right?" replied Ryan, looking at the rest of them for signs of encouragement. "Come on, even you want to be a wealthy man when you get to our new home," said Ryan. He tried to urge Erick to continue with him by appealing to his over inflated ego.

"First, I'm not a greedy Earther. Second, I want to be a live alien when I get off this planet," replied Erick.

"Ryan, I think I can speak for Erick and the rest of us when I say we're more interested in getting the hell out of this place alive," offered Dax in his southern accent. He then put his hand on Erick's shoulder, pulling him around to head in the opposite direction. Relieved, Erick was struggling to conceal his fear of going any further down the corridor.

"Yeah, we must think of the women's safety anyway," voiced Erick. He continued by saying, "You can come back with the companions to explore this place if that's what you want."

Ryan found himself standing alone as everyone followed Erick's lead. Hurriedly, Ryan caught up with them carrying a disgusted look on his face. About half way back to the main lobby, the lights flicked off and on again. In that split second, Fred detected a dark shadow flash across the corridor into the lobby. It happened so quickly that only he noticed it. Not quite sure what to make of it, he ordered Erick to slow down. Erick looked back at him with a questioning look on his face, wanting to say something, but thought it more prudent to follow Fred's orders. Meanwhile, Fred felt powerless. He knew something was up ahead waiting for the right moment to strike but telling everyone might cause unwanted panic. Thinking carefully about it, he decided to play it down favoring the idea of appearing unnecessarily cautious to the others.

"When we get to the doorway of the lobby, let me go in first to see if I can find a light switch," offered Fred, then continued by saying. "Wait for my signal before you come in."

Ryan was immediately alarmed at his offer, "Why? What's wrong now?" He could feel everyone's mounting tensions, almost overshadowing his desire to explore for treasure. His feelings of greed were strong, but he too could sense something wasn't right. He figured Fred knew what it was and was keeping it a secret. He couldn't understand why.

"What's wrong, Fred? Think you see something is out there?" demanded Kiva, as Fred cautiously approached the opened door. Dax came up beside him. Jin gently placed her hand on Dax's shoulder squeezing it. Thinking nothing of it, he reached over patting her hand to assure her it was all right. His touch shot fireworks inside Jin's head, as she swooned in the face of danger.

"Why are we asking him what's wrong? He's just an office clerk," spat Ryan, jumping in front of Fred. "We've only just arrived here. Now is our chance to find tons of valuables or rare things in this weird place. I demand we continue to explore this place.

Bryanna, I know you'll agree with me!"

"Sorry bud," she said looking apprehensive. "I'm with the others. We need to get out of here while we still can."

"I thought you Earthers were more adventurous than this! Besides, Fred still has a gun, and we know it can kill these creatures. Listen, I can make it, so all of you are rich beyond your wildest dreams!" boasted Ryan.

"Love I be rich," Kiva said jokingly. "I want to spend what I find. I not feel sure about this right now."

"I don't know what's in the lobby," said Fred. "I don't want to frighten any of you unnecessarily," he offered while trying to penetrate the lobby's cold darkness; their lights could only reach so far. A cool draft blew across his lifesuit carrying a faint sound too low for the others to hear. Their collective fears started to mount uncontrollably, intrinsically sensing something sinister lurking in the darkness. They all drew closer to Fred and Dax, huddling together for some sense of protection. The first time they were in the lobby, it took a long time for them to find the light switch and then for their eyes to adjust to the light's brightness. Their fears were well justified not wanting to repeat the process again. The probability that more Cretoks were roaming around was very high. Then, as if on cue, they heard the characteristic clicking sounds on the hard lobby floor.

"Okay, that settles it. It's probably the mate to the one you killed," whispered Bryanna, quickly passing the blame to Fred.

"Yeah," said Ryan. "Where is it? It's so damn dark in there. Our lights don't penetrate far enough to be useful. I'm sure we're safer going down one of the other corridors." Everyone turned to look at Ryan with disbelief. No one bothered to say anything, shaking his or her head in repugnance. He was determined to explore the facility no matter how dangerous.

"Can you smell it? It's real close; the odor is quite strong just like before," whispered Erick, having flashbacks from the last Cretok's hideous body odor. The smell was everywhere making it hard to pinpoint its position in the lobby. They were bunched together at the entrance, but like a wall, the darkness remained unyielding. Whatever was out there could probably see them, even with the lights off!

"Use lights blind the beast. Would help?" suggested Kiva.

"It will blind us to for at least ten seconds or more from the sudden burst," said a frightened Jin and continued. "I'm not sure I want to be blind for even one second in this crazy place. Besides, it already knows we're here. I bet it's using the darkness for cover," she said in her high pitch voice.

"I'm with Jin," sided Erick. "Let's leave the lights off in the lobby, while Dax...or Fred, try to figure another way out of here," he offered, pointing a thumb at Dax to get him going. He didn't really trust Fred to handle such an important task.

"Hey," said Bryanna, "I have an idea."

"Well, don't keep it a secret," whispered Erick.

"Let's set our faceplates to sun block to shade our eyes. This way it won't seem as bright when the lights come on," offered Bryanna.

"Not bad," said Dax smiling at her approvingly. "Continue..." he said.

"If we all line up against the wall inside the lobby, we could quickly run to the door the second the lights came on," suggested Bryanna. "That'll give us a few seconds head start. The door should open when we get close enough to it like before. The last person will be responsible for making sure the door closes behind us," she said while standing behind Dax's shoulder, peering into the dark void.

"Beast sounds come from right," suggested Kiva.

"If there's something out there, maybe we can distract it long enough to make it move further away from us," whispered Erick. He was looking around in the darkness for something to throw. They all followed his example but couldn't find anything in their pockets or lying around close enough for them to see.

Hopelessness seeped in when Bryanna spoke out excitedly, "Wait...wait! I have something we can use." she dug around in her lifesuit's pocket. "What?" blurted Jin, as they all eagerly watched Bryanna. Soon afterward, she found what she was looking for then gave a broad smile. In her right hand, she produced a Swiss army knife, the one she used to slice off a sample from the thick lump of meat inside the cage.

Unknown lump of meat – Photo by en.wikipedia.org

They all winced back from the odor clinging tightly to the knife's blade.

"Okay, I have a plan," said Fred, shocking everyone. They all turned to look at him with skepticism. "First, Dax will find the light switch. Next, he'll throw the knife way out to his right. Hopefully, it will hit the far wall. When the beast goes after it, he'll turn on the lights. Everyone will then run like hell towards the door."

"What if knife not enough to distract?' offered Kiva frowning while thinking hard about the possibilities.

"I didn't say the plan was perfect!" insisted Fred and continued. "Remember, it will be blind for a few seconds too. When its vision returns, it will look for whatever hit the wall. That should buy us more time...hypothetically speaking of course," admitted Fred.

"Wow, Fred. Where did you hear that word hypothetical? Office research!" said Fred with a laugh.

"What if Kiva's right?" insisted Ryan.

"Don't worry you two. You're giving this creature far too much credit. I believe it will go after what it can hear," offered Dax. "But what if Kiva is right. Suppose it doesn't go far enough away from us?" insisted Ryan, feeling a little panicky. "It might be too smart to fall for the knife trick."

"Okay! I'll throw the knife as hard as I can after I find the light switch. Once we hear the beast running for the knife, I'll turn on the lights," said Dax.

"You know, you're both probably right about this," said Erick seriously. "More than likely, the switch is on the right side of the wall, no more than perhaps a meter away. It sounds like a good plan on the surface, but I also agree that this beast is probably too smart to fall for the knife trick." Bryanna and Jin anxiously shook their heads in agreement, unconvinced about anything any of them had to say so far.

Bryanna reluctantly handed the knife to Dax saying, "I was rather fond of this knife."

Dax weighed the small Swiss army knife in his hand for a moment, as if weighing the fate of their lives, and then looked at each of them in turn, as if weighing them in his other hand.

"I could throw it hard up against the wall. That might get its attention. Fred, you take up the rear, in case we need that gun you keep hiding from us," said Dax.

"Yeah," said Erick. "If your gun doesn't work, you can throw some office furniture at it too!" Everyone looked at Erick again amazed at his poor timing, seeing no humor in his jokes. Fred merely grinned then gave Dax the thumbs up sign.

"Okay, remember, everyone sticks close together. Get ready," said Dax. Then, without any hesitation, he slid out to his right, sticking close to the lobby's wall. Running his hand in a circular pattern on the surface of the wall, less than a meter away, Dax detected a slight bump. Instinctively, he knew what it was without seeing it. _Things are going well,_ he thought.

"Okay, get ready!" he whispered. "I'll count to three."

"We're ready," Bryanna whispered back, standing behind Ryan and Erick. Ryan then turned to put Bryanna and the other three females between him and Erick. Bryanna looked at him, surprised. She didn't think he was interested in anyone else's safety but his own. She smiled to herself holding his hand tightly. Kiva and Jin were right beside her also holding hands. Fred, as ordered, silently took up the rear. He thought for a moment about how interested Dax was in the shot that killed the beast. Fred's intuition told him that Dax knew his secret! He smiled.

"What you smile about," inquired Kiva, turning just in time to catch him.

Fred looked into Kiva's green eyes saying, "It's interesting how the threat of death brings people together despite their differences, don't you agree?"

"I think you get gun ready, is what I think," countered Kiva. "One..." said Dax softly into the darkness.

Ryan was thinking about the knife when Bryanna said softly to him, "He'll throw the knife first, then turn on the lights. Just run like hell without stopping...unless I trip, then you better stop to get me!" She felt Ryan's muscles tense up, squeezing her hand as an acknowledgment.

"Two..." said Dax, holding the knife up in his right hand with his left hand now on top of the light switch. Suddenly, the odor grew stronger. The clicks came a little closer. He felt something pushing through the air...but in several directions at once. Before he could react, he instinctively said, "Three...," throwing the knife as hard as he could. It hit the far wall as intended, and then he smacked the light switch. The lights came on like flares, illuminating everything; blinding everyone. Fred heard footsteps shuffling in two directions, some moving away from him towards the lobby, the other behind him. Blind, the team managed to run holding hands while heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, the lifesuit's sun block on the faceplate was not strong enough for organically created eyes to recover fast enough. Fred was first to view the scene hesitating for a split second in shock. Nine Cretoks ranging in various sizes were standing up against the right wall, wobbling quietly from side to side. Their genetically engineered eyes needed a little more time to adjust before making a move to capture a long overdue meal.

Everything was happening quickly, as Erick was the first to put on the brakes, causing the other team members to collide into each other as he began to back up. The Cretoks fully recovered, reacted quickly to his movements. They advanced rapidly towards the team. Ryan glanced out the corner of his right eye to see Bryanna running away, back to the corridor with a Cretok racing behind her.

Then he looked to where he thought Fred was standing.

"Oh hell," said Ryan under his breath, "Fred...is gone!"

# CHAPTER 30

### A Small Opening

Ryan had a sudden panic attack and sprinted towards the main door on his own. His sudden movements triggered a big male to intercept him. With one powerful motion, a clawed winglet jabbed Ryan through his back and out his abdomen. His helmet off, his innards spilled out on the floor like a squished jelly donut. Ryan staggered long enough for the pack to completely encircle him. In seconds, they were all over his body savagely ripping his lifesuit apart and devouring his naked body in chunks.

Finishing their meal in short order, the Cretoks drew their attention back to the others who were watching and rapidly surrounded them. They hissed at each other, trying to establish the pecking order for who would attack next. One of the bigger females stepped out of the circle to claim Jin as her choice. She ferociously spread out her clawed winglets, stepping closer to block any chance of Jin's escaping. Its voracious eyes locked on her, trying to anticipate any moves her selection might make. Dax, now standing beside the group, shoved Jin behind him. It didn't seem to matter to the big Cretok. She approached him with raised winglets ready to slash at him. Before its claws came down, the Cretok stood centimeters away from Dax's chest. He could smell its vile breath banging like a hammer on his face while waiting for the final moment to arrive. Accepting his fate, he immediately thought of Zoey's warm smile and the way she looked at him when she laughed. He knew now that he would never get another chance to kiss her sweet lips or hold her tightly in his arms. The thought pained him more than the blow he was about to receive from the hunger crazed Cretok towering over him. He wished he had another opportunity to tell Zoey how much he loved her. Accepting his fate as a soldier in battle, he hoped the others somehow would escape, no matter how slim their chances.

The female slowly raised her winglets higher, exposing all of her serrated claws. It was time to strike, so Dax closed his eyes for the last time. The Cretok's putrid body odor covered him like a wet blanket of death. Moments away from being eaten alive, he thought he heard a swooshing sound from his executioner's blade coming down to end his short life. But nothing happened. He opened one eye finding himself inside a pearly white energy barrier with the others beside him. The Cretoks were frantically running around looking for them.

" _Don't be afraid, you're safe. They can't harm you now_ ," said a calm voice inside their heads _. "I'm truly sorry for Ryan and Bryanna, but they panicked too quickly before I could put my force field around all of you at the same time_."

Jin looking around at the group of startled faces and squeaked, "Where is Fred? Oh my, God, you left him out there with those things."

" _I am... Fred,_ " said the voice inside their heads. " _I couldn't detect the creatures because we're in what's called a dampening field that's blocking most of my sensors. Otherwise, I would have never brought you here. I guess it was meant to be because we got Kiva and Jin back,_ " said Fred, unaware of a dark figure watching the entire events unfold from a one-way window above the lobby. Commander Pavo witnessed everything as Fred's bubble floated out of the building into the courtyard. The main door slowly started to close behind them, leaving the hungry Cretoks inside. But, just before the door shut a long-clawed finger jammed between the doors, providing a small opening.

Cretok claw – Picture by L. Sky & Wikipedia.org

# CHAPTER 31

### A Companion in Disguise!

When the lights came on, Bryanna deliberately let Ryan's hand go, running back to the corridor they just left. A small female Cretok dashed behind her in hot pursuit of what she thought was an easy meal. In seconds, Bryanna found what she was looking for, a small door, barely noticeable to anyone unfamiliar with the building. She tapped the wall with her right hand in three key positions causing a secret door to pop open. With only moments to spare, she stepped in closing the door behind her. A loud thud hit the door followed by deep scratching sounds. Surrounded by cold, stale air wrapped in darkness, she followed a narrow winding staircase ending at a metal door. Cautiously, she cracked the door open, poking her head inside. Warm air reached out to caress her face as she quickly noticed a tall, dark figure looking out a window. Pavo instinctively felt someone watching him and whirled around in a combat stance.

"Wait, wait," she pleaded. "I'm agent 513-blue-7. I'm on a top-secret mission. You must help me," cried Bryanna. Pavo looked at her, mentally relaxing, but his body language said he was still unsure. The coded credentials sounded authentic enough given by the humanoid standing before him.

"My name is Commander Pavo. I never knew there was a secret passageway to this room," he said turning to look back out the window. "You obviously know your way around the facility," he growled in a matter-of-fact tone and continued. "I've heard of genetic impostors, but I've never met one in person. I hear it's very painful maintaining your shape."

"Yes, it is true, but it's a small sacrifice for the Empire," said Bryanna as she cautiously walked closer to join him. "Why are you looking so disappointed? I would have thought you'd be happy to see someone else in this dreadful place," she said surprised.

The commander looked at her trying to contain his urge to grab her. She was the loveliest humanoid creature he'd ever seen. He could visualize her roasting in the rotisserie without too much imagination before saying, "My food supply was only for one!"

"Good then, we won't starve," she offered in a low voice. Pavo smiled back at her showing his jagged teeth, but for a different, more selfish reason.

In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Why are you here?"

"Let's see where to begin. Sub-supreme commander Cetus ordered my commander to get me on board one of the citidomes. I had to spy on a female Earther, then eventually kill her if they managed to survive our harvesting attack. But I was too late and she was gone. She left with some crazy kids to wait it out on another planet. Then, some foolish commander in the fleet decided to destroy our citidome. The next thing I knew; I was on a drifting piece of the wreckage making my way here; of all places. I once had an assignment here, so naturally, I was shocked after vowing never to come back here again. I was doing so well on the citidome. Many of them trusted me, even the companions. This new process makes it impossible for companions to detect us. All I do is take pills to keep the genetic process from reverting to its original state. I admit, it's really is painful, but after a while, you get used to it," said Bryanna dropping her fake voice, speaking in her normal raspy tone.

"I will need your help to get back to the wreck they call the lifeboat."

Filled with curiosity Pavo asked, "Why do you want to go back?"

"First, I need to get the rest of my pills, or I'll change back to my normal form," she replied. "Second, two of the fools down there are a relative and a boyfriend of my target. I believe they have what it takes to get back to her. I might do well sticking with them if I want to complete my mission." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the slice of spoiled meat and began biting off a small piece; chewing it with relished delight.

Looking at the meat in her hand, Pavo said, "What's that?"

"A piece of humanoid meat," she said offering him a bite.

He practically snatched it out of her hand.

"What can you tell me about your friends down there?"

"Them!" she said with a laugh. "They're harmless fools."

"What about the companion?"

Bryanna looked at him stunned and said, "What...what companion?"

"The one down there that saved them from the Cretoks and took them out of the facility," he replied innocently.

Racing to look out the window she shouted, "What companion?" She was too late; they had left the building with the Cretoks peering out the open door. She quickly replaced her smile with grave concern. "I thought a companion might have been on the team. It was very clever. I hope it wasn't Dax. I need him to lead me back to Zoey Weaver!"

"Who is Weaver?"

"Zoey Weaver is the one I must kill. I need to get back to the lifeboat. That's where they're going," she said confidently.

"No, stay here," insisted Pavo. "The research ship will be here soon," He wanted company while waiting for it to arrive. "When they arrive," he continued, "they'll catch them and bring them all back here. They'll take care of the Cretoks, and then we can place you back with your team again. I'm sure they can arrange for you and the Earthers... to escape to find your target."

"The Cretoks. That's what you call those monsters. What happened to the Thetoks?"

"Those monsters as you called them wiped the Thetoks out in the first few hours of their escaping out of their cages. You were all extremely lucky to still be alive."

"Maybe," she said distractedly. _Who was the companion,_ she thought then asked Pavo, "How long before the research ship gets here?"

"Not long now. The scientist wants the Cretoks unharmed to study them," he replied.

"Good, I'll wait for them. In the meantime, where are the rest of your foot soldiers?"

"Ah...that's a long story!"

"We have time commander," said Bryanna crossing her arms expecting a thorough report from him.

***

It had been 48 hours since the team left the lifeboat. Many of the survivors, feeling better from their wounds, began moving around. Joe was ever watchful, giving out friendly advice whenever possible. Most of the buildings had makeshift canvas roofs to block out the sun's rays. They then helped other to pass the time away. It was about midday when Joe made a startling announcement over the intercom system.

"Please, may I have everyone's attention," said Joe in a very calm tone. "The companions have picked up a signal from someone orbiting the planet. There is too much ionization in the upper atmosphere to tell who it is." Immediately, there came cheers with hands clapping to express relief. "I'll keep you informed when I get more information," he said cautiously.

Like an electric current feeding a light bulb, everyone lighted up with joy. They thought they were finally being rescued. Some survivors even began singing, encouraging others to dance wildly. Spirits soared exponentially for every minute that passed until about an hour later when Joe came back on the intercom.

"Everyone, please...listen," he said, with a little stress in his accented voice. "The companions now believe that the ship orbiting the planet is not one of ours. They think it's a Benty ship. It's approximately ten minutes away. Don't panic. The companions will protect us," offered Joe, a hint of dread in his voice. It wasn't an ordinary Benty ship. It bristled with all kinds and sizes of sensing devices suggesting it was more than likely a research ship. Knowing the Benty's history, the nature of their research didn't give Joe or the companions much hope for a reasonable outcome. Only suffering and pain followed Benty experimentations. A few silent minutes passed with looks of terror replacing about an hours' worth of joy. Someone pointed up at a faint star in the pinkish-gray sky that grew larger over time until the research ship took on a definite form. Slowly it continued its descent, looming larger over their heads; dwarfing the lifeboat in its shadow. It was an enormous silvery-gray skinned spaceship with a fuselage shaped like a hairy caterpillar with antennae. Fitted with delta-shape wings, it flew like an airplane through Rubius' gaseous atmosphere. It made a vertical landing, with the release of foot soldiers streaming out from numerous humanoid size portholes like insects surrounding the tiny lifeboat.

Joe yelled out to the survivors, "Everybody, don't worry, the companions will..." Thump! Suddenly, all the companions simultaneously fell to the ground like dead weight. Everyone drew back in disbelief. Joe, the seemingly wise old Chinese guy, rolled on the ground. He too, a companion in disguise!

# CHAPTER 32

### These Past Couple of Days

The Benty evolved from a highly intelligent predatory bird lineage with help from ancient Enac. Their beak-like nose was a constant reminder to them as of their cannibalistic nature. With heads reared back forcing nasal sounds to vibrate out of their nostrils, they laughed with exuberance over defeating the companions. Their yellow lips drew back revealing sharp jagged teeth, proving their true nature as enthusiastic carnivores.

Benty jagged teeth – Photo by en.wikipedia.org and Picture by L. Sky

Donned in tight, black rubber combat suits, their heads bobbed about with excitement wearing their black beanie caps and ponytails. They were all mature males highly trained to kill, watching their newly acquired captives through black, lifeless eyes. However, their behavior was not one of hatred or malice for a different species. Instead, it was from evolutionary instinct to eat humanoid flesh. With their belief in galactic dominance, they boarded the lifeboat, weeding the wounded from the healthy without empathy, like a farmer separating his livestock for slaughter.

***

Four tired figures emerged out of the tunnel and sat amongst the surrounding rocks to rest in the fading sunlight. Fred, now taking on the role of a true companion, floated a few meters above their heads. Eventually, he floated above Dax's head. Gently, Fred tapped Dax on the head before forming his characteristic bubble around him. He then moved over to Tam and together, they disappeared from the group.

With a surprised look on her face, Jin squeaked, "What was that all about?"

"I guess they're having a secret meeting," said Erick, while the rest of the group looked on with indifference, too exhausted to protest. In the mists of it all, they had a spectacular view from their ledge. A pink sky entertained scattered patches of gray clouds like a master painter's brush strokes creating a vista like none ever seen on Earth. Its magnificence quickly captured everyone's attention until they all slowly drifted off to sleep.

***

"Fred, what are you doing?" asked Dax, puzzled over the companion's behavior. Not waiting for an answer, he continued,

"Why are you isolating us from the others?"

"I wanted to talk to you two alone," replied Fred.

"Okay, what is it?"

"As you may not know, companions are always assigned to a master. Under the circumstances, I was ordered to help manage the citidome-3," said Fred pausing for a moment before continuing.

"Dax, I want you to be my new master!"

Fred sensed strong emotions swelling up inside Dax. It meant only one thing. Dax didn't know, and he would eventually have to tell him the truth.

"Ah, I'm speechless. I don't know what to say other than what happened to your previous master?" said Dax, quite befuddled and elated at the same time.

"You can say yes, first! We can talk about my last master in a few minutes if you like."

"Okay, I'm just honored you chose me. Is it legal? I mean...can you do this," asked Dax.

"Of course, I can. It's my choice. Together, we will make a great team," voiced Fred. Tam looked on feeling awkward and not knowing why she had to be present for this event.

"You're a guy. I thought..." said Dax, before he was cut off by Fred.

"What is your gender preference?"

"Well, let's see," said Dax in his mild southern voice. "I guess a female would be best for me. But I may have to change it later."

"My name? What do you wish to call me?"

"Hmm, how about...Nia after my father's cat?" said Dax to his new companion.

"Okay, I am now...Nia," she stated in a silky female voice. "Now that I am your companion, I will never leave your side. I also can't take human form unless it's an emergency, or you command me to do so."

"Nia," he said in a serious tone. "Why are they doing this to us? Why do Benty hate us so much?"

"Dax, this might be hard for you to understand right now, but it's not personal," offered Nia in a soothing voice and continued. "The Benty evolved to live on flesh, just like Earthers with their cattle, pigs and chickens. I guess the Enac never imagined their cannibalistic behavior would one day disrupt the entire galaxy. So, to answer your question. Unfortunately, you're just food for them. They believe they must eat you to continue their existence. Maybe in time, this will change. But for now, you must learn to accept it." "No, I will never accept it. Maybe we can help the Benty find an alternative food source," insisted Dax.

"Who's to say, they may have already found something else to replace humanoid meat. Perhaps the Benty simply like doing things this way. After all, they've been hunting humanoids for thousands of years. It has become a part of their culture. I can imagine it has genetically imprinted to pass on to future generations. It's very unlikely they would stop without some good reason...or powerful incentive."

"Perhaps you're right, Nia. But it still doesn't help us or make it right."

"True, but it doesn't mean it will always stay this way either. Let's join the others. I'll tell them about our decision to become one," offered Nia.

"Wait," urged Dax. "I want to thank you. Ever since I heard about companions, I've always wanted one."

"I know, and I'm sure we'll work well together. Don't worry. I will do my best to protect you. And in time, you'll get used to me reading your thoughts and feel your emotions. I also know that you genuinely love Zoey and think about her constantly. The two of you are perfect for each other. However, I have something else I must tell you. There's another, deeper reason for why I chose you."

Not surprised, Dax said, "What is it Nia?"

"You may have heard rumors among the companions that an unusual alien was traveling on our citidome. You must understand, they...the companions were forbidden to approach him."

"Yes," interrupted Tam. "I heard rumors to that effect. Was he your master?"

Dax interjected, "What happened to him, Nia?"

"He was incredibly powerful as a humanoid. Naturally, they assumed he was undercover seeking more information about Earthers. Regardless of his reasons, they never attempted to approach him until the attack."

Dax looked into his companion's red eye saying, "Why do I feel like you're not telling me everything?"

"You're just like your father. Very intuitive about things."

"Nia, you know my father?"

"Yes, of course, I do! Your father...was...an...Enac!" said Nia pausing for a moment before continuing. "He was a scientist that left Enac hundreds of years ago. He wanted to find as many genetically altered humanoid species as possible to see how they were developing with their new genetic traits. Eventually, he found Earth and decided to stay longer than he had intended after meeting your mother. He never reported his findings of Earth to anyone because he wanted your planet to have more time to develop on its own. When the Enac starship arrived, he naturally assumed they had come for him to return to home. Earth infested with other aliens is common, but not to the extent discovered by your cousin Peder."

"You said _we_ , Nia," cited Dax with a suspicious look on his brow." Tell me everything. You can't lie to me remember. I'm your master now."

"Do you remember your father's cat that mysteriously vanished with him?"

"Yes, that was a strange old cat. I could never understand the relationship it had with my father. They were inseparable...I," Dax paused raising his hands up to his mouth with astonishment. "Oh, my God. All those years...you were always there...protecting father. You said you'd never leave my side. Does this mean my father...is...?"

"Yes, I'm afraid he's dead. He ordered me to leave him to help protect citidome-3. I...felt his life slip away from him while I was fighting. You weren't in too much danger at the time. And your father taught me to help humanoids when they were in great need.

To do that, I had to join the companions to help save the lifeboat."

"I was almost roasted alive in that Benty spaceship."

"I could see you the whole time."

"You saved me from that as well?"

"You were never in any real danger. I helped your copilot when he pushed the injection seat button. It was actually burned out. I also carried your seat further away from the burning wreckage too. When the lifeboat finally landed, I hovered over you and mentally steered you in the right direction. Later on, I became Fred when it was necessary to help protect you. So, you see, I've been by your side the whole time."

"What about Zoey? Can you help me rescue her?" offered Dax feeling the heavy weight he had been carrying in his heart. He suddenly had an image of his father. Dax didn't know his father very well, but he felt that he loved his family just the same. _I will miss him,_ he thought to himself.

Tam cleared her throat to interrupt them and said, "How do I fit into all of this?"

"Well, Special Agent Tamara Weaver, that's easy. You are well known to be Peder's girl as the saying goes. I also know his companion, Ava. I felt like I was obligated to protect you for him as well. Peder really loves you, Tam."

"You said this guy Peder is my cousin," stated Dax.

Yes, he is your first cousin to be precise, which is why you two look so much alike. You'll both see your loved ones soon, I hope. But first, let's get the team back to the lifeboat. I'm sure you'll agree that we've all had a trying time these past couple of days," offered Nia.

# CHAPTER 33

### The Long Walk...To Hell!

"Welcome back, you two," said Erick looking jealously at Dax, and then said. "Is there something we should know?"

"Yes," said a lovely female voice coming from the companion floating over Dax's head. "I am now Dax's companion. I have considered all of you, but Dax was the most compatible choice for me," she announced trying to be politically delicate about the situation. "Don't worry, I will still protect all of you, but my first duty is to Dax. That said, I suggest we all get some rest for the long journey back."

"Congrats Dax," squeaked Jin. _I can't blame Dax_ , she thought. _The others look rather envious. We were all lucky to have him on the expedition. If only I could get closer to him. If we can all get back to the lifeboat in one piece, maybe I'll have a chance at him. But, if one of those beasts have escaped before, they now have even more reason to get out_ , she thought to herself as she continued to ogle at her hero.

Each team member continued resting amongst the rocks near the mouth of the tunnel. One sweet hour of blissful sleep went by before Nia forcefully woke them up.

" _Quickly, everyone, stand together,"_ Nia projected, surrounding them with her bubble again. " _I have just received a coded message that...the Benty have landed near the lifeboat, and then the message stopped abruptly. I can't reach anyone, which is highly unusual. I want everyone inside my bubble, so I can float up to the plateau to see the lifeboat. Don't worry, no one will see us_."

Five haggard figures disappeared, as Nia lifted them up to the plateau. She reappeared with them looking out at the horizon in the direction of the lifeboat. The research ship was enormous. It towered over the lifeboat like the space shuttle over a Piper Cub airplane. Rubius' dim sun casted a dark shadow over the lifeboat from the imposing Benty ship beside it. With unaided eyes, they couldn't see what was going on, but Nia could. She formed a large, thin screen in front of them magnifying the view of the horizon with the help of her telescopic eye. They saw the Benty rounding up all the survivors that could walk to begin marching...towards the direction of their mountain. They formed a tattered line of young and old, with Benty on either side; their weapons trained on them ready to fire at the slightest provocation. For those who could barely walk needed only to stumble once and murdered where they fell. The guards scooped up bodies placing them in large containers that levitated behind the dusty trail of survivors. The long line of scuffling Earthers treaded through loose soil creating dust trails that rose ever higher into Rubius' sky.

Dust Trail - Photos by commons.wikimedia.org_en.wikipedia.org_flickr.com

It was a walk towards misery and death. For some survivors who gave up walking, foot soldiers snatched them up and disappeared into the research ship. It didn't take much imagination to figure out their fate.

## ***

Jin was the first to notice the companions lying on the ground, pointing it out to the others. Several foot soldiers were stooping to pick them up placing them gently into several shiny levitating boxes. Soon afterward, everyone joined the march towards the mountains. Future generations would know it as...the long walk...to hell!

# CHAPTER 34

### Where Do I Begin...

After long moments, Nia finally projected, _"I have another plan_. _I will take all of you back to the lifeboat to hide once they are all gone. Dax, Tam and I will leave Rubius to find the convoy. We'll bring back as many companions as we can to rescue everyone."_

"But what happen other companions?" voiced a frighten Kiva.

" _I don't know. But maybe I can find out once I find the convoy,"_ projected Nia.

"Have you idea where they go, the convoy?" asked Kiva feeling the hand of fear gripping her chest. "Just thought of go we back to that place is enough to..." she said pausing, choking with panic. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks catching them with the back of her hand. Looking towards Jin to gain support, she only saw fear in her friend's eyes as well.

" _I have the general coordinates for the convoy. I think I can follow them through the wormhole they created,"_ offered Nia.

"Please no, you can't leave us here," squeaked Jin, looking very stressful.

"Hey, look...Fred, I mean Nia. I really didn't mean all those things I said to you earlier," offered Erick with a sheepish look on his face.

" _Don't worry, you'll be safe if you stay hidden. I'll find a suitable place on the lifeboat, so they can't detect you. Naturally, it's contingent on you staying out of sight for this plan to work," projected Nia. She then added, "A device now exists that can put the companions out of action, any future encounters with the Benty is now dangerous. They have developed a weapon we haven't seen before. It literally shifts the balance of power in their favor. Until we can figure out how to defeat this threat, we must leave immediately to report this new finding. This single act that they have committed threatens the survival of all humanoids in the galaxy. Our future will forever be uncertain if they are allowed to continue using the device successfully against the companions."_

***

After watching the survivors march across the plains of Rubius, Nia placed the team inside her bubble zooming them back to the now deserted lifeboat. By that time, the research ship had now floated away, its destination the research facility. It made it easy to hide the team underneath the platform of the lifeboat. Stocked with plenty of food and water, it looked like enough to last them until help arrived. Saying their goodbyes was a somber moment for all of them. Jin is especially sad because she was too busy looking for shelter and food. She never got the chance to get close enough to express her feelings for him.

Dax walked out to the center of the deserted park with Nia stationed above his head. He turned to look back at his friends poking their heads out from a hole in the platform. Dax turned around to take one last look at the lifeboat, and Tam the monorail. In a flash, they disappeared off into outer space to find help...and... hopefully soon their true love, Zoey Weaver!

"Well, now that we are on our way, perhaps you can tell me how you got to know my niece?" said Tam with a warm smile on her lips.

"Let's see, where do I begin..."

# CHAPTER 35

### Before It Got Too Dark

Bryanna went back to the secret passageway with the expectation that the Cretok moved on for something else. When she reached the door leading to the corridor, she listened intently for any lurking Cretoks. Not entirely convinced, she finally resorted to scraping loudly on the door to draw attention if a creature was nearby. Nothing happened, so she gently nudged the small door open far enough to poke her head out to see. She saw nothing but quiet darkness. Using her faceplate light, Bryanna crept out of the secret passageway making as little noise as possible. The room she headed for was the same room where the team encountered their first Cretok. Just then, it occurred to her that Fred...was the companion. _How clever he was,_ she thought. _Fred never gave himself away until the very end. Obviously, he was unable to use his detectors on her. The complex took care of that with its powerful dampening field generators._ _He had no reason to use it on us anyway since he figured we were all Earthers or known aliens,_ she surmised _._ She felt guilty about what she had to do next. However, at the end of the day, the Benty Empire always came first. She wasted no time getting back to the room. Bryanna wasn't surprised when her beam of light fell on a wide trail of blood. Looking inside the room confirmed her suspicions. Something had dragged the dead Cretok's carcass out of the room and down the long hallway. It was good she thought; it meant that a creature was not in the room...dead or alive. Stealthily, she walked over to another secret panel tapping on it four times in the right spot. A narrow door popped opened without hesitation. Quickly she stepped inside into a long dim passageway running parallel with the other chambers.

Dim passageway – flickr.com

Ladders placed at measured intervals went up to the surface corresponding with each chamber's trap door. Bryanna hurried with the light barely illuminating the passageway. It was cold and damp as she filtered stale smelly air while carefully making her trek. Periodically, she'd stop to catch her breath. The genetic alterations had an effect on her stamina. It was eerily quiet. Nothing seemed to penetrate its darkness. Walking for a long time, Bryanna decided to go up to the surface to see how far she had actually traveled. Climbing to the top rung of a ladder, a metal structure containing a small circular door required all her strength to open it. It gave way with a loud squeaky report. She opened the lid just enough, allowing her eyes to scan a limited view. A strip of waning sunlight brushed across her eyes. She saw the mountains a good distance behind her. In front of the mountains, a thick trail of dust hid something in its plumes. Looking in the opposite direction towards the horizon, a faint outline of the lifeboat was barely visible. Caught up in her feelings, Bryanna reflected on all she'd experienced since arriving on Rubius. Dragging her mind back to the present, she crawled out of the shaft with a bit of a struggle. Looking around, she was alone on the open plain with only exotic plants to keep her company. She stood frozen in the soil listening for any sounds of a Cretok. A tingly sensation gripped her under the armpits signaling fear; she had no sweat glands. She made a mental note to give her newest version of the lifesuit to the research division if they didn't have a functioning one already. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her plug of meat taking a bite. She pulled out some pills and quickly swallowed one, counting the rest. She made another mental note to retrieve the bulk of her pills from a secret hiding place on the lifeboat. Feeling unprotected out in the open, Bryanna picked up her pace. She hoped to arrive at the lifeboat before it got too dark.

## CHAPTER 36

### Into the Darkness

"Shhh! Someone's coming," whispered Erick.

"It's those darn Benty creeps coming back again," whispered Jin in her high pitch voice.

"Everybody stay quiet and out of sight. It's probably just another patrol checking on things," offered Erick. The only male, he quickly assumed leadership over the two females. No one complained about his arrangement. He was doing everything for them, which suited them just fine. Jin quickly hid under a pile of debris for cover. Their hiding place that led down to the lower platform of the lifeboat was now too far away to reach in time. They had been searching for more food and water when this guard unexpectedly interrupted them. Kiva and Erick peeked from behind a fallen metal beam when they saw a shadowy figure coming towards the lifeboat. It disappeared for a moment at the bottom of the platform. Continuing to watch, it reappeared, struggling for a moment. A few seconds later, someone was walking up the ramp. It was just dark enough to make it hard to see who or what was coming towards them. The figure suddenly took on a grotesque appearance groping about in the darkness as if trying to find something. It stopped a few meters away from them peering into the dark. Its arms appeared distorted, looking unnatural in appearance. It raised one arm and instantly a powerful burst of light flooded the area. It caught all three explorers off guard as they instinctively raised their hands to block the penetrating beam of light.

Torchlight – fa.wikipedia.org

It shined in all directions like a lighthouse swooping down to pinpoint wayward ships in the night. The light exposed Erick first, and then another sweep revealed Kiva, and then Jin fighting off blindness. The problem was that none of them could see who or what was behind the light. Suddenly, Erick rushed the light ramming into the thing behind it. Knocked off her feet with a loud thud, Bryanna groaned with pain. Her torch wavered wildly in the night sky like a distress beacon marking their position. Erick had to struggle hard to keep the dark figure pinned to the ground until they heard her familiar voice shouting out in the darkness.

"Get off me dummy!" Erick jumped off Bryanna as the torchlight fell on him.

He was stunned, speechless. Bryanna then shined the light on her face hissing, "It's me! What's wrong with you?"

"I...we...I thought you were one of those Benty creeps on patrol," he stuttered. "We assumed you were dead!"

"Well, obviously I'm not," she said sarcastically. By then, Jin and Kiva came out to quickly embrace her with warm hugs. Bryanna could see they were visibly relieved seeing her and not a foot soldier. However, looking passed them, she asked, "Where are the others?"

***

"Them three gone to find help," said Kiva. "Fred, he now Nia, a female. He a companion the whole time." It was too dark for them to see Bryanna's disappointment. She quickly recovered while continuing to size them up in the dark.

"I figured he was the one. He was so calm the whole time. Did any of you notice that or was it just me?" said Bryanna.

"Yeah, he thought he was cool. Always quick with smart answers," said Erick. Everyone looked at him in dismay shaking their heads as usual about his dumb remarks.

"You said the companion is now a female?" questioned Bryanna shaking her head accepting Fred as the mystery man or woman in disguise.

"Yeah, it looks that way," said Erick still licking his mental wounds. He wanted to be the hero in front of the two females, but Bryanna proved too much for him when they were struggling on the ground.

"Bryanna, how did you know Fred was the companion?" asked Jin in her naturally squeaky voice.

"Well, if you really must know. I panicked and ran back to the corridor with a Cretok on my tail. I wanted to come back to help you guys, but the Cretok was just too close behind me, so I just kept running. I saw old Fred disappear and then the rest of you disappeared soon after," replied Bryanna.

"Just how did you manage to get away from that bloody, what did you call it...a Cretok?" asked Erick in his brash British accent.

"I ran to the room where Fred killed the first Cretok. I was crazy with fear, but I managed to get into the smaller room with the metal bars as a door. When I shut the door, it couldn't get in, so it sat there with us looking at each other for a couple of hours. I guess I fell asleep after a while. By the time I woke up, it had left. I was going back to the lobby until I remembered how poor Ryan screamed for his life. So, I looked around the room remembering how you two came out from behind the hidden door. Well, I continued to poke around until I found another one. I managed to get the door open with my knife. Boy was it creepy inside that damn tunnel. Anyway, I opened countless doors to I don't know how many rooms until I finally decided to stop for a break," said Bryanna trying carefully to recall her ordeal. Kiva and Jin looked at each other in amazement. They said nothing, resigned to listen. Fortunately, Bryanna couldn't see their faces with her torchlight turned off. "Anyway," she continued, "I noticed the shafts over my head, so I jumped up to grab hold of one. I managed to somehow pull myself up to crawl out to the surface. You can't believe how relieved I was," she finished with a phony smile. Kiva and Jin weren't smiling, both realized at the same time something was very wrong. Bryanna was not that much taller than Kiva. The shafts were at least 3 meters above their heads and just too impossible for Bryanna to reach them. Also, how did she get her knife back if she never returned to the lobby?

Jin pointed to the torchlight asking, "Where did you get that fancy flashlight from?"

"I found it in one of the rooms," casually replied Bryanna.

"Was that same room Fred killed Cretok?" offered Kiva raising an eyebrow. Both females started to back away from Bryanna.

Erick was baffled at their behavior asking Bryanna, "What the bloody hell is going on?"

"I guess they figured me out. That didn't take long," snapped Bryanna, with a smug look on her face, pulling out a small handgun. She pointed it towards Kiva, and then Jin, gesturing for them to come back. Then she stepped away from Erick to keep him in her view. Carefully, she sat the torchlight down, turning it face up to illuminate the entire area around them while reaching into another pocket for a slender radio. "Pavo, come in," she said loud enough for the others to hear. They stood like thieves ready to go to jail as they watched the person, they thought was one of them call someone for help. Within moments, a strange, rough voice pierced the darkness.

"Did you get him?" asked Pavo.

"No," she said with disappointment. "Get a patrol craft out here to pick us up. Make sure they know who I am when they get here," she ordered.

In about ten minutes, a small vessel floated over their heads landing several meters away from the lifeboat.

"Please, please don't do this," whined Erick. "I don't want to go back to that horrible place. Pleaseeee...!" he begged to no avail.

They watched three heavily armed foot soldiers come up the ramp to surround them. The leader pointed his weapon at all of them, and then towards the waiting craft, its yellow lights flashing in the darkness. They all put their hands up, including Bryanna, filing quietly down the lifeboat's ramp into the waiting patrol craft. Silently, the craft leaped into Rubius' sky to slowly fade away into the darkness.

THE END...for now

Also read:

Book #1: Alien Sinkhole

Book #2: No Turning Back

Book #3: Cefon-5: The Plantimals

Book #4: Planet Rubius

Book #5: Photopia

Book #6: Battle for Giliesa

Book #7: Return to Planet Rubius

Easy reading for:

Train Stations – Trains

Airports - Airplanes

Auto Road Trips

Acknowledgements:

Wikispaces.com

Wikimedia.org

Wikipedia.org

Wikispot.org

Flickr.com

NASA.gov

Razzle Dazzle Design for the Book Cover and Companion.

# ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My Shadow

Lawrence Sky became interested in UFOs as a young man. His desire to know more about them officially started when he read the controversial UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. During his career, he has witnessed UFO sightings in 2005 and 2014 in North Carolina, U.S.A. Since then, he has been committed to understanding the truth about UFOs.

Lawrence holds an undergraduate degree and two advanced degrees in the biological sciences. As a result, his writings reflect many years of research on the UFO phenomena.

Currently, Lawrence Sky is calling his work _Science-Fiction Infotainment eBooks_. He wants to educate and entertain his readers about the UFO phenomena using the rich canvas of eBooks.

# BACKGROUND

# INFORMATION

Hancock, Graham. _Finger Prints of the Gods._ NY. Three Rivers Press. 1995. Digital File.

*

Doran, Mark D. _Alien Invasion: and the origins of Mankind._

Smashwords Edition. 2012. Digital File.

*

Good, Timothy. _UNEARTHLY DISCLOSURE: Conflicting Interests in the Control of Extraterrestrial Intelligence._ London. Arrow Books. 2001. Digital File.

*

Dolan, Richard M. _UFOs and the National Security State: Chronology of a Coverup, 1941-1973._ VA. Hampton Roads Publishing Co., Inc. 2002. Digital File.

*

Colonel Corso, Philip J. _The Day After Roswell_ **.** NY. Pocket Books. 1997. Digital File.

*

Bibliotecapleyades.net. _A-Z of Alien Species active in Earths Evolution._ Date Unknown. Digital File.

*

YouTube video: **UFOs and the National Security State - Richard Dolan LIVE**. 2010. Video File.

*

YouTube video: **The Secret Space Program and Breakaway Civilization - Richard Dolan Lecture**. 2014. Video File.

*

YouTube video: **Richard Dolan, UFO speech, Best speech ever, Citizen Hearing on Disclosure, Rich Dolan, IMU.** 2013. Video File. Video File.

*

YouTube Video. **Extraterrestrial UFOs are real: Ben Rich**

**Lockheed Skunk Works CEO admits on his deathbed.** Oct 12, 2010. Video File.

# ADDITIONAL

# INFORMATION

## Companion Technology

Companions produce a bubble with zero-point energy taken from their surroundings (the Universe). They can manipulate their interior to any desired configuration. The bubble is impermeable to any outside forces. Invisibility is a result in shifting the electromagnetic spectrum outside the visible light spectrum necessary for humans to see it.

_Factually speaking_ : It is also known as the quantum vacuum zero-point energy, which is the lowest possible energy that a physical system may have. In other words, it is motion that exists even at absolute zero. Another term is vacuum energy.

## Benty

A race of beings enhanced by the Enac. The Benty, as an advanced civilization practices cannibalism. Their insatiable hunger for humanoid flesh has driven them to overpopulation. They now hunt humanoids around the galaxy to keep pace with their ever-growing demands for more food.

## Citidome

I have given my personal rendition of a Citidome. Obviously, it's like a cruise ship, but much bigger with more creature comforts. Oh yeah, its travels between stars. Ahhh, but what a ride!

Would you be willing to leave Earth to travel to some distant planet to restart your life? I think I'd say...yeah!

## Companion

A companion is an autonomous super robot. A companion is a mixture of liquid metals and semi-liquid high-impact plastics controlled by a powerful zero-point energy supply. It is the size of child's bowling ball. The device hovers above its master's head. My only wish is that I could see one built in my lifetime!

## Enac

The ancient Enac were the first within the Milky Way galaxy to compile the book of life or the complete interpretation of DNA. They compared DNA of potential species with theirs and made the necessary changes to their genes to get the desired results they wanted. Their decision for which genes to change came from the planet's natural conditions, such as gravity, climate, and the overall diversity of life.

The DNA virus is artificially created by the Enac to produce a second and a third evolution of pre-humans. Keep in mind that the original DNA sparked the first natural human evolution.

## Lifesuit

The lifesuit is not real. This suit is totally imaginary, right? The closest thing to it right now is a military exoskeleton suit.

## NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the U. S. government agency responsible for civilian space programs, aeronautics, and aerospace research. However, I suggest you search a little deeper to understand why it was originally formed.

## UFO Organizations

Below is a list of my favorite UFO organizations for studying the phenomenon:

Mutual UFO Network (MUFON)

An American-based non-profit organization that investigates cases of alleged UFO sightings. It is one of the oldest and largest civilian UFO-investigative organizations in the United States.

National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC)

This organization is in the United States that investigates UFO sightings and/or alien contacts.

British UFO Research Association (BUFORA)

A United Kingdom organization dedicated to investigating UFO phenomena in the British Isles.

## Zeddi

Zeddi is an imaginary alien race from the planet Zeddi. Zeddi is an imaginary alien race from the planet Zeddi. They are similar in appearance to humans with the exception of a long forehead.
