by V. E. Lemp
“And I don’t think you will.” Karen gazed about the room. The other abductees were staring at her as if transfixed. “How many of you have been here before? I mean, this place, or some room just like this?”
Most of the people raised a hand. “It’s always the same,” said one young woman, whose dark skin had taken on an ashen hue. “We wake up in place like this, all of us together. I mean in a group, not always the same people. They take us, one by one…”
“And they do things to us.” The red-haired boy’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Karen gently pushed Amy toward Ariel, who took Amy by the hand. “After that, what?”
“We’re knocked out again,” a short, burly man said. He pressed his wide hands against his bald scalp. “And wake up somewhere else. Sometimes at home. Sometimes outside, in the woods or in an alley. Sometimes in our parked cars.”
Karen stared around the roomful of anxious faces. “Have you ever seen the stars? When you were here? Have they ever shown you any view outside this supposed ship?”
“No.” The stocky man lifted his head and met Karen’s inquiring gaze, his hazel eyes brightening. “I’ve never seen that.”
The room erupted into a babble of voices. No one, it seems, had ever been shown a glimpse of space. “There are no windows,” said one elderly woman. “Never any windows.”
Karen raised her voice. “You aren’t in space. They’ve tricked you. You’re still on Earth, and always have been. Well”—she glanced at Amy—“perhaps from time to time a few of you are taken elsewhere. But not here, not now.”
The elderly woman stood to face Karen. “How can you be sure?” Her cropped hair gleamed like silver against her tanned skin, and she lifted her chin, smoothing the wrinkles that creased her neck, and regarded Karen with odd, amber eyes.
Karen had met only one other person with eyes that color. She peered into the older woman’s face. The resemblance was uncanny. “Your last name—it wouldn’t happen to be Vance?”
The woman’s eyelashes fluttered. “Yes. How did you guess?”
“I think I know your son.” Karen heard a quick gasp from Ariel.
“My son?” Haughty disdain colored the elderly woman’s words. “How unfortunate for you.” The woman coughed, and Karen watched her face crumple before she spoke again. “Is he well? We haven’t spoken for many years.”
“He is well, from what I hear.” Karen held up her hand, palm out, to silence Ariel. “Have you been abducted often?”
“For years and years.” Ian Vance’s mother sat, almost falling onto the metal bench. “It’s all too much, after a while. I suspect I shall die soon, perhaps during one of these trips.”
“But not today.” Karen’s head was pounding, and she pressed her hand against the metal column to steady her trembling legs. “Listen, we need to get out of here. We have the advantage of numbers—how many of them, whatever they are, have you ever seen?”
“One or two at a time,” the bald man said. “If you mean the ones that guide us to the exam rooms.”
“Are they slender and pale, with very dark eyes?” Karen asked.
The man shook his head. “No. They’re fairly husky, dressed all in black, with masks and goggles covering their eyes.” He frowned. “I’ve seen those dark-eyed people before, but not until I’m on the exam table. They’re never in the halls.”
“So the guards aren’t avatars then,” Karen said. “Humans, I expect.”
“Avatars?” Vance’s mother stared at Karen, confusion clouding her amber eyes.
Karen told them what she knew, omitting only Ian Vance’s part in the alliance between the Oneiroi and the cabal of humans trading lives for profits. She almost mentioned Exocorp once but caught herself in time. It was enough that Vance was willing to sacrifice his own mother to his unholy bargain. She’d no desire to cause the elderly woman additional pain.
When Karen completed her account, several people in the room rose to their feet.
“What can we do?” the bald man asked. “I always felt powerless to stop them, but from what you’re saying, maybe I have a chance to fight back.” His hands curled into fists. “I want to do that, any way I can.”
“Right now the main thing is to get out of here before they take any of you away for experimentation.” Karen glanced at Ariel. “Can you tell where we are, what exactly is out there?”
“I think so.” Ariel walked the circumference of the room, trailing her hand along the sleek, metallic wall. When she reached the door she paused and pressed her forehead against the hatch.
“What’s she doing?” asked the red-haired boy.
“Ariel’s a psychic,” Karen said. “She can sense things hidden from the rest of us.”
“These sides of the room are underground.” Ariel pointed to three of the walls. “But this one is not.” She laid her hand against the wall nearest the door. “And there are only two men out there, in the hall.”
“But they have guns?” the bald man prompted.
Ariel closed her eyes for a moment. “Yes. They have guns.”
“They could kill us all if we try to escape,” Vance’s mother said.
“Not all of us.” The young woman walked toward the door. “If we rush them, they can’t stop everyone. We can at least get the children out.”
The bald man strode over and joined her at the door. “Yeah, and the older folks. Are you sure we’re still on Earth?” He focused his gaze on Ariel.
The girl tossed back her hair, her gray eyes clear and calm in her angular face. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Then I vote we get the hell out of here.” The bald man slammed his fists against the door. The young woman joined in his rhythmic attack on the metal portal. Another man leapt up and added his fists. The sound of their pounding resonated through the room like the beat of steel drums.
Karen gathered the children and older people into a tight cluster. “When the door opens, whatever happens, you run. Don’t stop until you are outside. The stronger ones, help the weaker ones. Follow Ariel.” She pointed out the girl. “She’ll sense the way to the outer doors. Amy, keep hold of Ariel’s hand and don’t let go.” Karen gave her niece a swift hug before reaching out to squeeze Ariel’s hand.
“The door,” Vance’s mother said. “Stand back. I saw it move.” She strode over to meet the others at the portal, her white head held high.
“You should join the other group,” the bald man said.
“No.” The elderly woman stood straight as an iron rod. “I would rather the children escape unharmed. I have lived and have no fear of death. It isn’t the worst thing”—she glanced at Karen in a way that said she knew all about her son—“that can happen in this world.”
The door opened on silent hinges. Two tall figures in black stepped into the room, cradling rifles. “What’s this?” asked one, his voice obviously altered by some mechanism in his mask. “Settle down, you creatures, if you want to live.”
“Creatures?” Vance’s mother stepped up to the guards. Her frail figure appeared to glow against the black bulk of their uniforms. “You’re the only creatures I see in this room.” She lifted one bony hand and snatched the hooded mask from the head of one of the guards, disclosing an ordinary human visage. The other guard raised his rifle, but the bald man threw himself forward, head-butting the second guard. The gun flew out of the guard’s hands and hit the floor as other abductees swarmed over both guards and wrestled them to the ground.
“Now run!” Karen shouted, pushing the group of children and older abductees forward. They paused for only a second before dashing for the door, following Ariel’s pale hair as it flowed out behind her like a pennant. Karen hung back, picking her way unsteadily to the tangle of bodies clustered around the two guards. “We should hold the guns on them,” she said. “Anyone know how?”
Two people—a young man sporting a long ponytail and a middle-aged woman wearing fatigues—stepped forward and picked up the rifles. They leveled them expertly at the two guards.
“The rest of you should clear out,” the woman in fatigues said. “All this noise is bound to raise alarms. Our other captors might be showin’ up soon.”
“What about you?” Karen asked the two people manning the rifles.
“Just head on out,” the young man said. “We’ll march these losers out in front of us. That should keep the real aliens from attacking.”
“But they may not care much about these two.” The bald man gave a jerk of his head. “Doubt they matter much to the big guys.”
“Look,” the unmasked guard pleaded. “I’m just doing a job here.”
“Oh, right.” Karen stepped closer, until she was toe to toe with him. “Just a job. Rounding up children and old people so they can undergo heaven knows what experiments. Yeah, that’s quite a job you’ve chosen for yourself.” She eyed the man for a moment before slapping him hard across the face. “That’s for Amy.” She slapped him again. “And that’s for everyone else.” She glanced about the small group of people left in the room. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
The two abductees holding rifles prodded the guards through the open hatch. The rest of the group followed, with Karen bringing up the rear. The same bright metal plated the tube-like corridor, but off to one side Karen glimpsed another doorway.
“To your right,” she said, and the group swung about to head for the open portal. When they stepped across its metal threshold it was clear they weren’t on any spacecraft. This hall had basic, wood-framed walls and a dark tiled floor. At the far end of the hall a door stood open, disclosing a patch of dark grass and the shadowy outlines of trees.
“So it was always a lie. A damned lie. Those sons of bitches.” The bald man strode forward, ripped the rifle from the hands of the pony-tailed man, and slammed the gun into the temple of the hooded guard, knocking him to the ground.
“What’re you doing?” The young woman glared at him. “Do you want to get us all killed?” She ran toward the outer door, motioning for the others to follow.
The guard lay motionless on the floor. Karen knelt and felt for a pulse, unsure if she could determine he was alive.
The bald man crouched beside her. “Can’t be dead. I didn’t hit him that hard.” He surveyed the prone guard. “Still breathing. Let’s get out of here before he wakes up.” He rose to his feet and swiftly followed the other abductees out the door.
Karen trailed them, her illness slowing her down. The stress had taken a toll on her already weakened body. She leaned heavily against the doorframe, surveying the area. She spied the dark forms of the other abductees as they crested a hill and scattered into the night. There was no sign of the other guard or the woman holding the rifle.
Karen took a deep breath and stepped onto the damp grass. She stood in a small clearing, encircled on three sides by dense woods. The other side of the clearing rose up sharply—the hill the others had used as an escape route. Although her joints were screaming with pain, Karen knew her best chance for escape was to climb that hill. She staggered over to one of the smaller trees lining the clearing and leaned against it for a moment, trying to recover some strength.
Bright lights rose over the top of the hill. Karen shaded her eyes as the lights grew closer, bobbing against the darkness. She discerned the outlines of human forms. As they approached, flashlights turned their faces into garish masks.
“Oh hell,” Karen said under her breath. She recognized a few of the faces. One was the woman who had manned the rifle. She was now struggling in the grip of the guard she’d held at bay, while he once again cradled his gun. Another was Ian Vance’s mother, and yet another was the older woman who had comforted the red-haired boy. Karen’s eyes focused on the people standing behind this front line and gasped. The tall figure in the center, with its distinctive haughty posture, that could be only one man. Ian Vance.
“Karen, my dear, we meet again.” Vance stepped forward, gripping the hand of a young girl. Amy. Karen swore and stumbled.
“Your niece, I believe?” He turned his flashlight onto Amy’s face, causing the girl to blink and drop her head. “And another young friend of yours.” He motioned with the flashlight, and a figure stepped forward, holding Ariel in a vise-like grip.
“Isabelle,” Karen said, acknowledging the slender, dark-haired avatar. “So you’re on patrol duty now?”
“I am wherever I need to be, Karen Foster,” Isabelle replied. She pulled Ariel in front of her. “I doubt you would wish to see this girl come to harm. Or your niece. So perhaps you should listen to what Dr. Vance has to say.”
“I must, I suppose.” Karen caught the eye of Ian Vance’s mother. The elderly woman’s face was a stoic mask, but tears rolled down her cheeks. “I am sorry,” Karen told her, knowing this must be another blow to her image of her son.
“Sadly, my mother has difficulty moving too quickly these days,” Vance said. “Perhaps you should have considered that in your little escape plan.”
“And the rest?” Karen demanded.
Vance shrugged. “Oh, we let them go. We didn’t need them all. These few will suffice.”
“To make me come with you willingly, you mean.” Karen walked toward Vance, feeling sharp rocks and broken branches press against the thin soles of her sneakers.
“Just so,” Isabelle said.
“I will, if you release everyone else.” Karen shook her head at Ariel, who was writhing in Isabelle’s implacable grip.
“We will release some,” Vance said, “not all. But some is better than none, don’t you agree?”
Karen drew level with the group. “Who do you plan to keep prisoner?”
“Why, you and the young miss Tarrow, of course.” Vance looked down at Karen, his amber eyes bright with malice. “Our best bargaining chips.”
“And my niece?”
“Will be transported safely back to her home. To deliver a message.”
Karen stared into Ian Vance’s sharp-featured face. “A message?”
“To Myron Tarrow, for one. To inform him he must cease and desist in his efforts to release his video if he wishes to see his daughter again. And your husband, of course. As motivation to back off his continued investigations. And then there’s your lover, Alex Wythe.”
“Alex…” The tremor in her voice almost silenced Karen, but she cleared her throat and continued more firmly. “Alex is not my lover.”
“Well, well, our golden boy’s skills are slipping. Never mind, I shall try to assist him, if I can. As long as he agrees to repay me for breaking our bargain.”
“Release the others and promise Amy’s safety,” Karen said, “and I will go with you. But only me. You don’t need Ariel Tarrow.”
“We do,” Isabelle said. “I do not believe you are the best bait for Myron Tarrow, despite your friendship. We must ensure his information is never seen by your world.”
“You can take me.” Ariel lifted her chin and stood quietly in Isabelle’s arms. “I want to stay with Karen. But you should send Mrs. Vance with Amy. She must be the one to confirm your message to my dad.”
Vance laughed. “You intend to use my mother as a hostage? This presumes I care, which is a bit of a stretch. She refuses to speak to me, you see, having discovered something of my business dealings. Apparently they left a bad taste in her mouth long before I embarked upon the Morpheus Project.” Ian Vance glanced at Ariel. “But you are indeed a fascinating young woman, Miss Tarrow. So unique, so brave. No wonder you and our very talented Ms. Foster have grown close.”
“It’s Hallam,” Karen snapped. “Karen Foster Hallam. The least you can do is get my name right.”
“Ah, yes, Mrs. Hallam.” Vance surveyed Karen for a moment. “I don’t understand it, to tell you the truth.”
“Understand what?” Karen inched closer to Amy until she was able to brush the girl’s free hand with her fingers. Amy’s eyes, focused on Ian Vance, held pure, vibrant hatred.
“Oh, nothing, my dear.” Vance’s smile vanished when Amy dug her heel into his ins
tep. He flung her to the ground. “You little bitch!”
Karen swore at him and knelt beside her niece. She covered Amy with her curved body as Vance motioned for the guard Karen had slapped earlier. “You’ll have to go through me to touch her again.”
“Get this brat out of here,” Vance ordered the guard. “Drag her back to her uncle and let her spew her venom at him and Myron Tarrow. Perhaps that will convince them of my serious intent.”
The guard leaned over to grab Amy, but Karen refused to move. “This is for before,” the man said, slapping Karen with such force she tumbled backward. Ariel cried out and pulled free of Isabelle’s arms. She ran to Karen’s side and knelt in the dirt beside her.
“My uncle will kill you all!” Amy shrieked as the guard yanked her to her feet.
“Your uncle,” Ian Vance said coldly, “is nothing more than a jumped-up bureaucrat. I doubt he knows one end of a gun from the other.”
Karen pressed her hand to her burning cheek and gave a little shake of her head as Ariel opened her mouth to speak. Not now. Say nothing. It’s better if he underestimates. Ariel snapped her mouth shut and helped Karen to her feet, meeting Karen’s intent gaze with a nod of her head.
“Now, get them out of here,” Vance commanded. “Yes, my mother as well. Take her along with the Tarrow girl. Dump the rest in a field somewhere.”
“Unharmed,” Karen said.
“Yes, yes, unharmed.” Ian Vance fixed his amber eyes on Karen’s face. “And you, my dear, will come quietly. You and your young friend.”
“We will.” Karen placed her arm around Ariel’s shoulders. She watched as the guard and other members of Vance’s party herded Amy and the others over the hill.
“Those you released,” she said, as she heard the sound of car engines, “have an interesting story to tell. Aren’t you afraid they will reveal your secrets, Dr. Vance?”
Vance shrugged. “They may talk, but will their stories be believed? Somehow I doubt it, especially when this facility is bulldozed into the ground and all evidence of their foolish tales destroyed. Now, come. We must walk a short distance through the woods to reach our destination. Don’t imagine you can escape. Isabelle will be with us, and you know she can control your movements if she so desires.” He turned and strode off down a narrow path that led into the trees.
