by N. W. Harris
“Enter,” the alien said, pointing at the ramp that led into the recruit processing chambers deeper in the vessel.
The slaves crowded forward. While maintaining a stupefied expression, Shane pushed through them. His people had to get on with the first recruits. All the teams needed to make it to the reactors around the same time, and his had the biggest ship. If the others destroyed theirs first, the Anunnaki might stop taking in recruits.
Shifting his eyes, he saw Steve and Tracy weaving their way forward on either side of him. He couldn’t risk looking back to make sure the rest followed. His mind, so freshly stuffed with useful information, was analyzing every aspect of the scene around him, assessing threats and preparing responses. It seemed like an automated process, running in the background of his thoughts, his neural upload and the training doing its job. Though he was afraid and worried about Kelly and his teammates, he also felt confident and lethal. After making it to the ramp that ascended into the ship, he fell into one of the many lines forming there.
Unlike the stiff alien soldiers, who held their guns across their chest and motionlessly studied the slaves through the tented glass of their V-shaped visors, the “citizens” who watched from the safety of the higher balconies made a lot of noise. It sounded like they were having a party, perhaps celebrating the apparent conquest of the human race. In the periphery of his vision, he could see some of the white-clad spectators leaning over the rail, pointing at the passing slaves. Were they picking out the ones they wanted to buy? Planning fights for their coliseum? The scene made him want to crush them even more. These smiling aliens were responsible for the horrific deaths of his aunt and father. Although the thought of violence and of killing turned his stomach, he wanted to make them pay for what they’d done and stop them from the terrible things they planned to do.
The silver-haired orator stood above on the idle escalator, and Shane sensed he scrutinized every slave passing beneath. He couldn’t wait to be out of his gaze, fearing something would give him or his team away. When he was directly below, it felt like the Anunnaki’s attention fixed onto him. He had to make an effort to keep the expression of relief off his face when he passed into the gray holding chamber and out of the alien’s view.
Shane exhaled, realizing he’d barely breathed since mounting the ramp. He had to be more relaxed. Along with thousands of other teenagers, he crowded into the large room like cattle at the processing plant. His line walked halfway across the metallic floor and stopped, standing stiff and tall, soldiers at attention. By the change in their posture and the hardening of their expressions, he guessed the aliens were already programming them and began acting accordingly.
His peripheral vision soaked up everything around him. Running through the woods and dodging the others in flag-capturing games had sharpened it. He had a sudden fantasy of what it would be like to play football with his senses all tuned up like this. Plus, he was more physically fit than he’d ever been in his life. Hopefully, once this all was over, he’d have a chance to find out.
Up near the ceiling, black spheres floated, studying the teens. The inhabitants of the ship were gathered around monitors, watching video recorded by cameras inside the spheres, and congratulating themselves for the fruitful crop. Or perhaps they were looking for the ones like Shane and his friends, those people who were not under their control. He made sure his eyes stayed straight forward, worried about the multitude of things that could give them away.
His back ached from standing so stiffly, and he found limited relief when his line moved forward every couple of minutes, making its way across the room. To his sides, he could see Steve and Tracy in lines of their own. There was nothing to do but have faith that the rest of his team was just behind them.
He pitied the controlled kids. They were oblivious to the danger that lay ahead, clueless to the fact that their free will was stripped away and soon they’d be made to fight each other, to kill each other as a way to weed out the weaker ones. Shane hoped he wouldn’t be forced to take any of their lives. It was bad enough to kill criminals out of self-defense, but these kids didn’t have a choice. And he guessed many of them were regular teens who were trying to survive and recover from losing their parents when their slave genes took over.
It took half an hour for him to cross the chamber, the constant scrutiny from the cameras floating above keeping him on edge. Although he doubted any of them could win an Oscar, his team’s ability to mimic the enslaved teens was apparently good enough. Soon, they stood at arched openings leading into the next phase of the processing plant. Shane knew this was where they would be given their armor and weapon. He also knew they’d be eyeing the recruits even closer in this chamber than at any other stage.
Kelly moaned, gritting her teeth and breathing deeply to recover from the shock of being hit. Carefully wrapping her right hand around the sticky, wooden handle of the spear, she gave it a tug and screamed at the shockwave of pain.
The tip of the dirty kitchen knife was lodged firmly in bone. She was lying on her back, with the spear handle leaning against the hood of a car. While she was in an enormous amount of pain, she’d been hurt so much during training that she was able to keep her head. Bile filled the back of her throat. She swallowed hard to keep from vomiting, terrified at the agony the convulsions would cause her. She had to get it together and remove the spear from her shoulder.
The Aussies and Jules were standing above her, fighting off skin-faces. They were trapped in the alley and far outnumbered. She feared the skin-faces would soon overrun them. They’d finish her off, and she wouldn’t have a chance for revenge against the Anunnaki, wouldn’t be able to save Nat. A barrage of gunfire echoed between the buildings, and Kelly expected her friends to drop dead.
Not a single one joined her on the ground. They held their weapons pointed toward the skin-faces who’d chased them into the alley, seeming unconcerned about those who’d entered from the other side.
Unable to endure being out of the fight for a moment longer, Kelly huffed for air and built her courage. She wrapped her hand tightly around the spear handle, screamed, and jerked with all her strength. Dislodging from bone, the knife came free. The spear bounced on the ground near her head. Her scream faded to a tormented groan, and she rolled to a fetal position.
As the pain dulled, she perceived the alley had fallen quiet.
“Kelly?” Jules squatted beside her, putting a gentle hand on her back.
“I’m okay,” she said weakly.
“If that’s okay, then you’re the baddest of the bad asses,” Jules replied. “Let me help.”
“No, it’s not as bad as it looks.” As much as she tried to sound normal, her voice didn’t hide the discomfort she endured.
She wasn’t ready to be helped. This injury couldn’t stop her from completing the mission. Pushing off the bloody spot where she’d fallen, she slowly rose to her feet. She blinked away the spots in her eyes and reached for the memory of a conversation she’d had with her mom years ago. Her mom revealed to her that girls were much tougher than guys, warning it was a fact that guys hated being reminded of. There was nothing else overly special about the moment, but it was one of those cherished memories that had gotten her through hard times on more than one occasion. She clung to the memory, gleaning strength from it.
Her clearing vision revealed a crowd of armed kids behind the Aussies. They didn’t have on masks and looked normal except they all grinned blissfully and in an almost stupefied way. Apparently, they were with it enough to fight off the skin-faces, who were all run off or sprawled across the hoods of cars, riddled with bullet holes.
“Come with us, brothers and sisters,” a boy near the front said in Arabic. “We go to meet with angels.” He looked at Kelly, sincerity in his eyes. “You will be healed there.”
These kids were clearly under the influence of the Anunnaki, on a pilgrimage to the necropolis to surrender to the aliens. When they’d landed in Cairo, Kelly was concerned about encount
ering these possessed teenagers. After the run-in with the skin-faces, she couldn’t be happier to see them.
The boy and the rest of the dazed kids didn’t wait for an answer. They turned away and walked back down the alley, joining a river of kids flowing down the next street.
“Someone should take you back to Dr. Blain,” Jules said, her eyes filled with concern as she stared at the three-inch gash in Kelly’s shoulder.
There wasn’t much blood, the wound so jagged it clotted quickly. It was a miracle it didn’t hit her heart or lung. She took it as a sign she was meant to keep going. The spear lay on the ground at her feet, its tip disgusting. Without some medicine soon, she was going to get a nasty infection. The Aussies stood around her, all attention focused on her wound.
“No,” she said through clenched teeth. “We have to get to the pyramids and complete the mission.”
Ethan’s eyes met hers. “She’s right. And the boy is right. She’ll be treated there.”
The Anunnaki would repair any injuries and cure any diseases the slaves had during the harvesting process. Kelly just had to stay strong until they made it to the ship. Hopefully, whatever germs and nastiness she’d been infected with wouldn’t take her down before she got there.
“Let’s go,” she said firmly.
Grimacing, she picked up her gun with her good side. Resting the barrel over her shoulder, she held it by the pistol grip with her finger near the trigger. Jules’ eyes were filled with concern. She was definitely the yin to Tracy’s yang. The latter wouldn’t have given her a second glance, though she’d learned it wasn’t because she didn’t care. Tracy just seemed so afraid of appearing soft and got all tense when the situation demanded even a measure of compassion.
On first impression, Jules looked and acted even tougher than Tracy. Over time, she’d learned that this tall and lean girl with piercing green eyes was a total sweetheart. Her concern was a hindrance right now—Jules needed to focus on the mission and not on her. Not giving her a chance to object, Kelly stepped around her and headed to the other end of the alley. The parade of kids passed on the street beyond.
She didn’t look back to make sure anyone else followed, afraid someone would try and talk her out of continuing. Although each step hurt, sending jolts of pain radiating away from her injury, she was determined not to let it show. Her dad had taught her how wounded animals would hide their pain until the very end, so they wouldn’t appear vulnerable to predators. If they could do it, so could she. She wouldn’t acknowledge the wound, would make it to the ship and do what had to be done to save her sister.
“They look awfully happy,” Ben whispered ominously.
“If we’re mingling with them, we need to look the same,” Ethan warned.
At the end of the alley, Kelly paused. The street was packed from sidewalk to sidewalk with a parade of teenagers coming from the east. She took a deep breath, bracing herself to step in and be whisked away by these kids. They hadn’t planned to intermingle with the enslaved teens until they were close to the pyramid, but this seemed like the fastest and safest way to get there now.
Dismissing the fear that somehow joining with them would cause her to lose her free will, she stepped into an opening in the ranks. She sweated from the agony each step caused her and fell in behind a boy wearing a strange, brimless hat and a white dress that looked like a long-sleeved shirt stretching all the way to the ground.
Jules stepped in on her left side and Ethan on her right, the rest of the Aussies behind them. The blissful teenagers seemed glad to move aside and make room. Though they were surrounded by hundreds of kids, none of them talked. They kept their eyes forward, smiling and marching toward a horrible destiny.
How long had they been delayed by the attack of the skin-faces? She worried too much time was lost. She made an effort to go faster, stepping around the boy in front of her, but the little burst of speed taxed her to the point that she almost had to stop, and the pain left her dizzy.
“You guys need to push ahead and leave me here,” she said, panting.
“I don’t see any reason for leaving you,” Jules countered, sounding agitated. “We’re headed in the right direction now, and we’ll be there in no time.”
“We’re already behind, Jules,” she said firmly. “You guys need to make up some lost time.” She glanced at her, trying to convey that she wasn’t asking. “I’m gonna be useless once we get there anyway. At least until they heal me.”
Jules didn’t look at her, seeming like she’d decided she wasn’t leaving her and there was nothing Kelly could say to change her mind. Anger flashed in her. All that mattered was completing the mission, and Jules was suddenly turning into a mother hen.
She looked over at Ethan. When he returned her gaze, she was relieved to see him nod.
“She’s right,” he said, just loud enough for the others to hear. “We’ve got to press forward.” Looking at her, he spoke with a quieter voice. “You think you can handle recruiting the enslaved kids after we blast the reactor?”
“Of course,” she replied as confidently as she could. She didn’t want to give him any reason not to leave her behind.
He nodded again. “Alright, good luck.” To everyone else, he said, “Let’s go, people.”
Ethan slipped between two of the possessed teens ahead of them. They parted, not appearing the least bit bothered about being passed. The other Aussies followed. Jules was the last one, hanging back.
“Go, Jules,” Kelly demanded. “I’ll be fine. They need you. Everyone needs you.”
Her lower lip protruded slightly, and her brow furrowed. She kept her head straight a moment longer, pretending to ignore her. Kelly didn’t stop staring, conveying that she wouldn’t back down. Jules finally glanced over and frowned.
“Damn you,” she growled.
“I’ll see you soon enough,” Kelly said in a softer voice. “Once this is all over.”
Jules’ eyes looked damp. She didn’t seem to think she’d see her again. Kelly smiled at her and then turned her head forward, assuming the increasingly dazed expression of those walking around them.
Her tall, crew-cut-wearing friend let out a shaky and extended sigh. Jules pressed forward, pushing between the kids to catch up with the Aussies. Within a few seconds, she was gone. Darkness seemed to close in, though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Kelly felt terribly alone, surrounded by hundreds of teens who were slowly losing themselves, their minds being erased by the Anunnaki.
The kid in front of Shane stepped through the door, and he followed, trying to keep his eyes forward. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, making it hard to stand still in the line.
His heart thumped so hard he feared one of the aliens standing next to the bright lights on either side would notice the arteries pulsing in his neck. Or they might see the drop of sweat making its way over his temple and pull him aside to find out what kept him from acting blissfully stupefied like the rest of the teens. Somehow, he was allowed to continue into the chamber past each inspection point.
He listened as he stepped forward, afraid he’d hear one of his friends get discovered. This room was darker with only the lines of kids illuminated by spotlights. Anunnaki stood in the shadows between the lines. Seeing them gave him a measure of relief. They wore white lab coats that looked straight out of one of his dad’s girlfriend’s fashion magazines, not armor. It meant the enemy believed he and his team were just as enslaved as the rest.
“Shed your clothing,” a soft, female voice ordered in Anunnaki.
The kids in front of him obediently stripped and tossed their clothes into round chutes that whisked them away. Then they promptly returned to the position of attention, displaying no modesty at being nude.
He couldn’t afford a moment for embarrassment. When it was his turn to drop his pants, he did it quickly, mimicking the boy ahead of him. Then he focused on the boy’s curly, brown hair and tried to keep his mind clear, afraid his blushing would be the thing to give him aw
ay. The lights blinded him, and he couldn’t see the faces of the Anunnaki on either side, but he could feel them looking at him. A history lesson about the South before the Civil War came to mind. This must’ve been how the African slaves who stood on the auction block felt.
Ahead of the curly-haired boy, he saw an Anunnaki soldier step up to the line and tug someone aside. For a moment, she was in Shane’s line of sight, a tall, olive-skinned girl with long, black hair that reflected the bright light. The soldier guided her off to the side and into the shadows.
They were either picking out the kids who didn’t look fully hypnotized or choosing slaves for other purposes besides soldiering. He knew this was another hurdle they’d have to cross, but it still took him by surprise when he saw her taken away.
Stay calm and breathe.
Shane took another step. Trying to get a picture of his surroundings with his peripheral vision was making his eyes burn. Giving up, he focused on the brown curls ahead. He could feel their eyes on him. They whispered to each other and made approving sounds. The curls moved forward, and he followed. After fifteen paces through the blinding lights, he passed into a darker area.
His eyes adjusted, and his courage swelled. If he could make it past such close inspection, surely he was home free. There wasn’t an opportunity for him to try to look back and see if his friends made it.
Green wedges of light came from both sides. They were scanning him. The curly-haired boy raised his arms, and Shane threw his up without hesitation. There was a loud hiss. Flashes of red sprang from the floor and shot down from the ceiling. Through his visor, he could see the back of curly’s red armor, the black stripe of the slave soldier running between his shoulder blades.
