***
Alyssa and Jess stood at the back of the elevator holding hands, shoulder to shoulder. Jess shook, but hadn’t said a word since the meeting. Alyssa wasn’t sure if she was just upset, or barely containing a rage never before felt by her sweet, loving best friend.
“You don’t have to go, Jess.”
Sebastian looked over his shoulder, cutting his conversation with Ian short. “Everything okay?”
“I’m not sure,” Alyssa said.
“It’s fine,” Jess hissed through clenched teeth.
Everyone in the elevator turned to look at her, surprise on all their faces.
“Jess, honey,” Lorn murmured, “you really do not have to do this. No one will be upset with you.”
“I’m. Fine.”
Alyssa’s eyebrows shot up at Jess’ tone. She sucked in a deep breath and squeezed Jess’ hand.
“Lorn and I will be right here with you the whole time. Just say the word and we’ll get you out of there.”
“Thanks, Aly,” she whispered.
The elevator chimed and the door opened. For a moment, no one moved or even breathed. The door started to slide shut, but Jaxa stuck her arm out to stop it.
Straightening his shoulders, Sebastian stepped out of the silver box and into the bright white gaping maw of a waiting nightmare. Ian went next, followed by Cecily and Lorn. Jaxa peered down at Jess with a sympathetic smile and soft eyes. Alyssa still didn’t know what to think of this unusual alien.
Taking in a shuddering breath, Jess let go of Alyssa’s hand and exited.
Alyssa gave Jaxa a polite smile as she passed. Sidling up to Sebastian, she watched her saunter out of the elevator, stopping long enough to bow her head sideways in deference to Sebastian. He held his hand out for her to take the lead.
“Follow me into the den of terror,” she said in a spooky voice.
“Maybe hold back on the commentary, Jaxa,” Ian said with a little smirk, sobering quickly.
She gave him a little salute. “Sorry, boss. I’ll try to be professional.”
The group followed Jaxa as she walked in a stiff sarcastic manner as if seriousness were not in her nature. Alyssa glanced up at Sebastian with a look of confusion, to which he just shook his head.
“To your right, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Frankenstein’s laboratory.”
A long wall with a glass upper half separated the corridor from a cavernous room full of strange instruments and equipment. Szu’Kara males and females cowered at one end of the room while four Karans and six humans stood sentry around the perimeter of the space, all glowering at the aliens in blood-spattered lab coats.
Bodies lay splayed open on several tables, some recognizable as human or Zook, some beyond recognition. Blood pooled beneath the tables and ran in rivulets to drains in the floor. Against the far wall, six glass cylinders sat filled with a cloudy solution with red fluid dripping from one tube at the top and silver fluid dripping from another—human blood and Valene.
Floating in the cloudy fluid were fetuses at various stages of growth. Bile rose in Alyssa’s throat. Jess smothered a scream behind her hands. Lorn pulled her into his arms and held her face against his chest so she couldn’t look anymore.
“We will return to the conference room after we get some air.” He turned with Jess’ face still buried in his shirt and led her back to the elevator.
Alyssa considered following them or just running away, screaming. Instead, she wound her fingers between Sebastian’s and hugged his elbow.
“You don’t need to see this either, darlin’,” he murmured against her temple. She took what solace she could from his loving concern and reached down deep for the strength to keep going.
“I do need to see this. I need to see the fate you saved me from, a reminder that I was given a second chance to fight that monster and save as many people as possible.”
With a smile of understanding, Sebastian pulled her close and turned back to the business at hand. “Why are these Zooks still here?”
“They insist that the test tube babies need constant monitoring,” Jaxa said, “but they won’t tell us how many of them are required for this lovely chore. I think they’re worried that anyone not needed will be disposed of.”
“Did you tell them we aren’t going to kill them?” Ian asked.
“Yep, sure did. They just don’t believe anything li’l ol’ me says.” She gave them a toothy grin.
“Ask our people if these mad scientists have done any ‘monitoring’ since we arrived.”
“On it, boss man.” She saluted him and went inside.
Jaxa talked to the closest man to the door, who shook his head in response to whatever she’d said. She turned to face the cowering white coats and gave them a wicked smile, causing them to turn away and press harder against the wall, as if they could melt into it and escape.
“You’re something else,” Ian said, shaking his head when she came out. “What did he say?”
“That mongrel lot hasn’t moved a muscle since we stormed the place. Honestly, I think the Karans might have upset their delicate sensibilities. You should’ve seen them in action. Like a well-oiled machine, they were. It was fucking beautiful.”
Ian stared at Jaxa for a full minute then turned away, shaking his head, and chuckling softly.
“Tell our guys in there,” Sebastian said, “to take them upstairs and stick them in a room together. Give them fresh clothes and something to eat. Show them we’re not the monsters here.”
While Jaxa did that, Ian, Sebastian, and Alyssa inspected the rest of the floor. Half the rooms held more lab equipment, but the other half were filled with body bags stacked up high against the walls. Sebastian went inside one room to verify the bodies were frozen.
The last room they came upon didn’t have body bags, just bodies. There were only three, but these three ripped at Alyssa’s heart more than any of the horrors they had witnessed this day.
***
Ian moved up to the window, peering inside with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, scowling at the sight inside the room.
“What is this room?” Alyssa whispered, stepping up beside Ian.
“I don’t know,” he said. “They must’ve missed it when they cleared this floor.”
“Or,” Sebastian said, “they didn’t report it because they thought it was like all the rest.”
The room was small, smaller than the rest. Four metal tables on wheels lined the walls, three of them holding the sheet-covered bodies of Karan children. One appeared to be an infant while the other two seemed adolescent, maybe only just.
That tiny body called to Alyssa, breaking her heart into a million pieces. She sidestepped and held her hand above the palm scanner, hesitating.
“Darlin’, don’t.” Sebastian’s voice sounded pleading and concerned, but memories flooded her mind and she couldn’t help herself.
Alyssa dropped her hand on the scanner and held her breath. The scan seemed to take forever, but within seconds it beeped and the door slid away, disappearing into the wall. The air in the room whooshed out like a breathy sigh, bringing the harsh smell of chemicals with it. Her nose wrinkled in response and she took shallow breaths as she stepped inside.
Waiting inside the door, Alyssa wondered if Sebastian would haul her out. A glance at the window showed him standing beside Ian, both looking somber and angry. Turning back to the room, she realized the air was cool, but not freezing. She could only guess why the Szu’Kara scientists kept these bodies here for; a waiting room for future experiments maybe…
That one tiny body pulled at her. The closer she got to it, the more her memories superimposed the image of her son swaddled in her arms, cold to the touch, no breath ever filling his tiny lungs. Alyssa wondered if this baby Karan had breathed. Had it ever opened its eyes to see the world? Did its hearts ever beat against its chest?
Reaching out with one hand, Alyssa gently placed her fingers on the tiny bald head. Its lavender
skin appeared dull and felt cold and waxy. Unlike her own child, this one didn’t bear any wounds or marks of abuse; it was just a lifeless specimen of interspecies breeding gone wrong.
“How could they do this to you, little one?” Alyssa whispered down at the child, tears slowly dripping down her cheeks. “They never gave you a chance, did they? Did you die naturally, or did they murder you too? Will the other children survive? Have we made it in time to save them from your fate?”
Alyssa slid the sheet away just enough to look at the miniature arm and hand. She lifted the hand, the limp fingers falling closed around her finger. A shaky sigh escaped her lips as she remembered her son’s tiny hand in hers, and how his skin had been nearly translucent. This child’s skin had a milky appearance to it with the shadows of veins visible here and there.
Replacing the sheet, Alyssa went to the next body, tilting her head as she stared at the face. It had a petite structure that made her think the child was a girl. Looking down at her, Alyssa thought she seemed at peace, at least in death. Who knew what kind of life this poor creature had lived.
“You look like Lyssa,” she murmured. “You have light skin—not as light as hers, but still beautiful. Why are you here, sweetheart? Why do they have you tucked away from everything? Were they ashamed of what they did to you? You deserved so much more.”
Sucking in a shaky breath, Alyssa turned away, unable to look at the third body. She’d had enough. Her heart couldn’t take anymore, not with her own memories of loss threatening to choke her with depression.
With one last glance over her shoulder, Alyssa stepped out the door. Sebastian palmed the scanner, shutting the door behind her, then gathered her in his arms. Her knees went weak and she collapsed against him, weeping into his shoulder.
They stayed like that until her tears dried. Ian hovered nearby, his back turned to the window, staring at the floor.
When Jaxa finally caught up with them, she explained the six lab sublevels were the same, including rooms like the one Alyssa had just been in. Sebastian told her to send all the remaining Zooks to the upper levels for detainment.
The four of them walked in silence to the elevator. Jaxa kept her witty quips to herself, for which Alyssa was eternally grateful. Jaxa stayed behind to wrangle the Zooks while Sebastian, Alyssa, and Ian rode up to the first floor. Sebastian steered a dazed Alyssa outside to clear their lungs—and minds—with the crisp, salty sea air.
Chapter 31
The hazy pinkish-orange glow of sunrise crept up over the tops of the buildings along the half-mile distance between the Nursery and the beach. Flocks of birds that look like small seagulls danced across the morning sky. Actual seagulls circled overhead, searching for scraps of food, and an occasional crane flapped by.
Sebastian pointed out the different winged creatures to Alyssa, chuckling at her child-like wonder. She leaned against his chest, snuggled inside his jacket. Even though terrible things awaited them inside the ship, she felt grateful to witness the beauty of Earth in a place she never imagined she’d be.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see the world outside of Hamlin and the Command Compound,” Alyssa said. “Now that Kayn no longer controls my life, so many things seem possible. I’ve seen more places with you in the last few months than ever before.”
“I told you there was plenty of beauty in this world, darlin’. This is just a glimpse of the wonders I want us to experience together.”
“As long as you’re with me, anything is possible.” Alyssa turned her face up, twisting around just enough to give Sebastian a deep, breathtaking kiss, wishing she could stay like this with him forever.
“Ready to go back in?”
“Not really,” she murmured, pulling Sebastian’s arm tight around her waist, “but let’s get it over with. I’m running out of steam, especially after that last room.”
“Same here. Let’s head up.” He spun her around to give her one more long, sweet kiss.
With a deep sigh of contentment, Alyssa reluctantly let Sebastian pull her back inside, glancing back at the glowing horizon one more time. She filed away the image, a memory of something good, something beautiful to think back on when the horrors of the coming hours begin to darken her soul.
“What are you going to do about the fetuses?” Alyssa bounced in place, dread filling her more with each floor they passed in the elevator.
Sebastian grabbed her hand to stop her from constantly wringing them. “Ela and Isa will be here later today with a team to take over the care of the mothers and children. It’ll be up to Ela what to do about them.”
“Oh, that’s good. I know she will do the right thing.”
“I believe she will.”
“What’s the deal with Jaxa?”
“What do you mean?”
“Uh, she’s so… normal. Not like any Szu’Kara I’ve ever known.”
“That’s because she was raised among humans.”
“How’d that happen?”
“Her mother ran away to the desert when Jaxa was born, and they lived in some community that kept them hidden.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” He smiled and winked at her.
The elevator door opened and Alyssa hesitated. Sebastian stepped out, turning back to look at her expectantly. With a sigh, she shuffled to him and took his outstretched hand.
They walked down a short hallway and turned a corner to find Lorn, Jess, Alex, and Amanda waiting by a window. Jess gave Alyssa a sad smile before turning back to the window. Lorn hugged her close, possibly holding her up.
“Is it bad?” Alyssa took in a deep breath as she approached, unable to look inside.
Jess’ face scrunched up a bit as she shook her head. “Not yet.”
Steeling herself, Alyssa turned to look before her mind could protest. A cavernous room lay beyond with rows and rows of white cribs stretching from wall to wall. They looked like egg shells cut lengthwise, cradling tiny bundled bodies in their curvature.
“There must be at least a hundred cribs in there,” she murmured. “Are they all full?”
Movement at the far end caught her eye. A Szu’Kara female in a white, form-fitting body suit leaned over a crib with her hands inside. Alyssa couldn’t see what she was doing.
“This one is full,” Amanda said.
“And the nurse?” Sebastian tapped the glass lightly.
“We pulled her from another floor. She seems loyal to the children. Didn’t fight us or anything.”
“We’ll let Ela vet her and the others. She’s going to need a good team with experience.”
“True enough,” Amanda said, turning to head down the hall.
They followed her past the nursery to a corridor lined with doors and windows on one side.
Jess gasped as they stepped in front of the first window. “They’re like prison cells.”
Inside, a pregnant woman lay on a cushioned platform staring at the window. The light inside was low and she didn’t seem to notice them watching her.
“Can she see us?” Alyssa moved close to the glass.
“No,” Amanda said. “They can’t see out. The Zooks keep them blind and isolated. Their only interaction with anyone outside these rooms is when they visit the clinic.”
The woman appeared quite thin for being pregnant, with sunken cheeks and ashy skin. Her eyes were dull and lifeless and had dark circles around them. Alyssa’s heart ached for this poor woman. It took all she had to prevent herself from ripping the door open.
“Why are they still in these rooms?”
Sebastian sighed. “It’s safer for them to stay in their rooms for now. When Ela arrives, they’ll be examined and given the proper care. If we let them all out, they might panic and hurt themselves or others.”
“Can we at least get them some food?” Jess cried. “They look like they’re starving!”
“Stay calm, my love,” Lorn said. “It is being done now. If you would like, we can go help with the food preparations.”
Alyssa turned to her friend and grasped her hands. “I’ll check on them, Jess. You go stay busy. I’m sure they need all the hands they can get to prepare meals.”
With a nod, Jess hugged Alyssa, then left with Lorn. A part of Alyssa wanted to go with them, and not expose herself to the suffering of these women, but she knew it must be done.
“Unless there’s something more you want me to see here, I’d like to see the older children.”
“Fine with me,” Amanda said. “All the human women are pretty much the same. They kept them barely healthy enough to carry the babies to term. After that… Well, I think you saw the evidence in the sublevels.”
“Yeah,” Sebastian said. “What’s the deal? Why do they kill the women instead of reusing them?” He glanced at Alyssa with a pained look. “Sorry to sound so crass, darlin’.”
“It’s fine. We need to know this stuff.”
“According to the handful of helpful Zook nurses we found, many of the women don’t survive giving birth to the half-breeds. The ones who do are usually taken to the labs to find out why they survived when the others didn’t. And, of course, there are some who die from having the babies cut from their bodies to go into those tanks. Honestly, I think they just don’t want to care for the women afterward and they won’t release them back into the world.”
“So none of them are kept alive after childbirth?” Alyssa gaped, astonished by the sheer cruelty.
“There’s a room with maybe thirty women who are kept for artificial insemination. Apparently the process doesn’t work yet, and the male Zooks refuse to perform stud service, so the women are eliminated anyway.”
“Fucking hell,” Sebastian said. “We’re just disposable to them, aren’t we?”
“Seems that way,” Amanda said, motioning for them to head back to the elevator.
Inside the compartment, Amanda reached for the touch control panel, but hesitated. “Did you want to see the Zook babies first?”
“Are they in bad condition?” Alyssa asked, scowling.
Unchained: The Discordant Earth Series Book Two Page 23
