From Whence They Came

by Thomas Zman

  “I regret to inform you that returning to your family is not an option. Neuphobes is your new home.”

  My mind exploded. “Why are you doing this to me!!!” I attempted to lunge at the creature but was still restrained. Quickly a force acting upon my mind toned down the rage. “Who gave you the right to abduct innocent people and enslave them?” I mellowed, a mental sedation washing over me. “Damn you.” I began to feel sleepy.

  “The transition has weakened you. The news of your new life to be is quite a shock to your state of mind. Your hatred and rage is understandable. But in time you will come to learn of our purpose. Think of yourself as having been chosen; the separation from your family a sacrifice. You will eventually come to enjoy a life vastly different from that of the surface, provided with one of limitless wealths, yet free of materiality . . . “ I temporarily nodded off . . .

  I awoke a short time later; groggy, hazy and the alien continued: “As I briefly touched upon before, your body is currently undergoing adaptation to a host of metabolic alterations; a metamorphosis of genetic structures that will effect your digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems. This change will make your body a more efficient living organism and break down mental barriers that in the past have kept you from using certain areas of your brain. Thus the reason for the low electric hum inside your mind; the current that expands thought.” My mind once again was clearing from the haze. “Removal of mental barriers during the transition process is beneficial to an individuals’ aptitude. Your new alertness may pose some problems for you in the future, such as: wandering thoughts, deep fathoming of concepts, and even moments of ostentatious outbursts. All inputs now rush through your mind, unfiltered; there are no longer any barriers at the subconscious level to deter incoming stimuli from entering your consciousness. It is confusing at first, but once you become accustomed, you will find it quit beneficial as to being your normal state of mind.

  “The air you now breathe is our air, part of the new atmosphere I had elaborated upon earlier. It will take some time before it compliments your respiratory system. The atmospheric compounds inside this room are steadily changing and will soon be equal to that of outside. This new, dense air you are breathing contains all the essentials your body needs to function. They are in their basic molecular state, continuously nourishing your system. Any wastes are simply exhaled, then filtered by our metropolis’ atmospheric scrubbers and reintroduced into the environment once again as useable nutrients. Your bodily functions, eating and excreting waste, are now cast aside to allow a more carefree lifestyle. However, the palatable pleasures derived from ingesting food have not been taken away, as you shall learn.

  “The future holds more than you could ever have dreamed possible. Our city alone possesses more history and science than any number of cities on the surface; and our knowledge is not limited to just this world. I tell you of these things outright for they are truly for your own good.”

  As the creature spoke all this he calmed the hostility from me. The reality of his introductory lecture weighed heavily against my thoughts of home. I began to take interest in what he was saying. However, Jean and the children were ever present in my thoughts. I would never see them again. A pang of emotion choked my throat; my eyes welled with tears. Then (surreptitiously), an abative wave caressed my sorrows, and I felt as if I’d been away from them a long time already, that they were now distant memories. A swooning sensation filled me and I once again fell into a shallow slumber – only to quickly reawaken.

  Giving myself a chance to sort things out, I momentarily shifted my attention from the emaciated form beside me to the window and beyond. The alien architecture stirred fanciful thoughts in what secrets could possibly lay there; so many questions to be answered. Amidst the impending phenomenon, little shuttle-saucers darted between structures. I could almost hear the passengers ‘weeing’ with joy from the crafts’ swift maneuverings. The blue lightning had an almost hypnotic effect as I stared blankly through the lime air and reflected on what was being told to me by the creature.

  “As I had stated earlier, many of the buildings you see were constructed from sailing ships and aircraft that we have encountered over the years,” the alien continued. “Since man first navigated the waters, and more recently the skies, we have occasionally acquired a few of his vessels, along with its occupants, whenever the need for building materials presented itself. We used these pre-fabricated acquisitions to build from. Our crews are dismantling your Valithor at this very moment. We have a rotating system of workers who disassemble vessels and another who builds from their components. We school our people to make them all competent laborers and work details are scheduled so as to not make our people bored doing the same job for any too long a period of time. Schooling and laboring are alternated for all inhabitants of Neuphobes; but it is our directive to do only that, which is best for our people. If they tend to be comfortable in a certain job, we allow them to continue with their chosen task.”

  I studied the figure beside me as it spoke: its ghastly appearance further enhanced by watery eyes, which I had just noticed, blinked with near transparent eyelids – reptilian like. A faint whistling could be heard as it breathed; a slight odor of chlorine, too, accompanied its nearness.

  Becoming a little more accustomed to this new state of mind, I asked the creature questions: “Who gave you the right to take slaves? What morals do your kind follow? Who do your people think they are? Gods?”

  The alien backed away. “No! We are not the Lord, God.” It made a slight hand gesture of submission. “We have great respect and awe for the Supreme One. Never should there be any comparison of our sciences to the majestic powers of the Almighty. We dare not even think of such parallels for we are truly repentant as is.”

  The alien turned from me and glared out the window. I must have insulted him. He stood silent and I was sure he was reading my every thought. No matter to me, I was tired of his speeches and wanted to be alone. Enough of this city and its people. It’s all so weird. Me, why me?

  As I sat, disturbed, I still felt physically uncomfortable. I cast a glance around the now all too familiar confines in search of something worth consideration; inexorably, my eyes once again set themselves upon the alien. I noticed his jagged spine protruding his garments and the convolutions of his bulging skull . . .

  The alien turned to me and continued to speak, through my mind. “I gave you some time to reflect on the wrong you have spoken; may the Great Lord in Heaven have mercy on you. Words of ignorance are often spoken from anger, spur of the moment fleeting rage. Many times humans say the wrong things simply because they do not allow enough time for an idea to be truly processed by their psyche. The truly ignorant person is not one who does not know any better, but one who has the faculties of intelligence but fails to use them. In time you will learn dissective thinking: thinking an idea totally through; solving questions by using your own cognitive processes. All aspects of an idea will be challenged; all tangents explored; then, the most logical conclusion will be derived therefrom. Enlightenment, at times, may seem within reach; but true knowledge is attributable to many experiences. For once enlightened, your brilliance will shine on others as guidance, and steer them from suffering in the shadows of wrong.

  “In the future our people, your people, may seem harsh and overly corrective; but it is for your benefit if salvation is to be granted you. I speak these words for it is important that you understand I mean not to ridicule. At first you may fail to see all the good we intend for you, but I can assure you that it is for both your preservation of body and soul. Now to answer your questions in a more rational sense.

  “The reason for your abduction is that the Sanctification needs you – as does mankind. It is a mutual payoff that in the end will benefit both races. (This will become evident in later chapters of life) The Phoebian people are by far physically inferior to your race, as you can plainly see for yourself. Human strength is needed here to do the jobs that w
e are unable to perform because of our depreciated vitality. Throughout the millenniums of my people’s existence, physical labor was replaced by highly advanced machinery. Our size and strength diminished while our craniums continued to broaden with knowledge. For our progressive technologies we paid the price of physical incompetence. Much the same as is the case with the people of the surface and the hand-held computers that addict them.

  “When we began to build our cities no longer were there entire work forces of robots as there once was on our home planet. We had left them all behind to allow more of our people aboard the transport ships. When man finally became industrialized, all the materials we received were used for construction of facilities and not labor – a direction we purposely changed seeing how it impeded our development in the past. Our cities had much to grow in the last century as human technological advancements rose and its societal morals declined. Now our cities are nearly complete and soon recruitment will no longer be necessary. Then, only the passing of time shall continue until the hour of deliverance.”

  I didn’t give any further thought to the alien’s explanation. Instead, I questioned it as to the technology involved in taking the Valithor.

  “Your ship was taken in the same manor as are all the vessels we encounter. One of our saucers flew over your aircraft, controlling its functions by means of electro modulation. You were then guided to an area of the Atlantic above our city, above our Transmutation Complex, where a process called antihydroxigenation produced an immense gateway. This process then allowed passage to a large opening in the roof of our Complex where your aircraft was then gently guided down into an immense hangar, our Mega-Dome facility, where it currently resides.

  “On occasion we recruit humans from the surface if their need is specifically sought – often times returning them and even sometimes securing their assistance as liaisons between our subterranean cities and the surface. These individuals are of great necessity to the Sanctification and our continued existence without them would be quite impossible. However, most of our encounters, ‘The Chosen’, remain in our cities and aspire from our benevolence and quickly adapt to their new lives. Any conflicts our new citizens may have as to their newfound awareness (and home) are quickly remedied by counseling and social activities. A person must first find themselves among friends before any good will ever come of them.”

  “If your people are so highly advanced,” I questioned fervently, “why don’t you surface and spread your wisdom? Stop hiding. Solve the problems man has created and work with us towards a better world.”

  “It would be impossible to correct all the wrong mankind has done to itself over the centuries. If one problem were suddenly alleviated several others would soon be spawned to replace it. Especially people of power, who would never stand for any changes that would threaten their status in the world. Time and time again well meaning, righteous individuals would rise to positions of importance where they could make a difference; only to be exposed to the depravity of the bureaucracy and the economically underhanded value system. Eventually their good intentions wane and they themselves become corrupted, the problems they set out to fix becoming ever the more complicated. All too powerful is the greed that has come to plague mankind.”

  The creature’s words left me wondering . . . but then my thoughts drifted back to Jean and the children and I smiled a sad smile. I mused solemnly, feeling very sleepy. I stared blankly at the door. I couldn’t ease the feeling of being a slave: Incarcerated in a world of aliens whose moral reasonings weren’t exactly demonic, but tended to strip a man of his most cherished possessions.

  Neuphobes

  It was difficult keeping pace with the alien as we walked down the hallway. His stunted legs strode along at an even rate; but as for me, I trudged short erratic steps to try and keep even with it. When I first beheld this second alien, Aylipsa, I thought it was Nayrb, but was instantly corrected. I asked if all aliens were identical, if perhaps they were all clones. I was told they all differ slightly (I did note that this one didn’t have as quite a deep fissure dividing the two hemispheres of his skull) and that in time I would come to learn ways in which to distinguish one from another.

  I was wearing the clothes they had provided me: a form fitting white jumpsuit with flat-heeled boots; the material stretchy and comfortably airy. The long curving corridor in which I found myself was illuminated in much the same manor as was my cell. No windows or decorations were found on its smooth metallic walls, which stood some ten feet in height. Doorways appeared evenly space every twenty feet on both sides. Aylipsa, my appointed guide, was silent; unlike that of Nayrb, he lacked any interest in conversation. This second alien came to meet me in the transition room when I awakened from my sleep. How long I slept I could not say, but I was hoping to find that it had all been just a dream.

  I was still rather light headed from this alien atmosphere, but not as bad as when I first attempted to raise myself from the table that held me captive for God knew how long. Upon standing I nearly slumped to the floor; my body considerably weakened from the transformation I supposedly underwent. After several paces about the room however, I felt ready to go -- and so we did.

  It seemed as though this corridor would never end. It obviously encircled the entire building. However, after walking quite a ways, we came to a stop in front of a non-descript door. Aylipsa passed his hand over a disc located on the wall and with a whoosh the huge steel door slid aside.

  Captain Frank Tober stood in front of me. He gave off a cold stare, as officers often do. He too, dressed in the same garments as myself.

  “Frank! Are you all right?” I was concerned; his face expressionless.

  A grin slowly came to his lips, followed by an outburst of laughter. “Thought they turned me into a zombie, I bet. How you feeling, Lieutenant?” He shook my hand, his grip assuring me he was fine. “Steve, meet Piabin,” Frank gestured to the alien standing behind him; he too looked like Nayrb and Aylipsa.

  “Your friend is quite a humorist. He shall bring levity to the people of Neuphobes.” Piabin relayed his words into my mind.

  I introduced Aylipsa and soon we were all on our way. The four of us strode a short distance along the corridor to yet another steel door, only this time it was on the interior side of the hallway. We entered an elevator that whisked down several levels, then stopped. The doors slid open and we were led out atop a walkway overlooking immense hangar complex, the dimensions comparable to that of a huge stadium. We were immediately awestruck. The complex’s walls towered straight up then curved towards the center where they converged into a tunnel, illuminated with small blue lights that trailed off into darkness; the tunnel set above an expansive lighted circular arena with consoles all around. The ceiling of this huge facility was supported by an intricacy of steel framework from which mobile cranes hung. Beneath these mechanical units trailed cable and pulley systems that hoisted sections of aircraft. One such section caught my eye for it was a double-finned aft. There was no doubt it was from that of the Valithor.

  “This is our Mega-Dome.” Piabin informed us. “It is situated in the middle of our city’s largest building, The Transmutation Complex. In this facility we disassemble all vessels we encounter, bringing them down directly from the ocean floor via that tunnel you see above you.”

  We made our way down a stair case and as we neared the compound’s busy floor a cacophony of sounds increased: the hiss of welding torches, the pounding of rivet guns, and the whining of forklifts, which scurried about hauling payloads of aerospace whatnot.

  “Come, let us go,” Aylipsa directed us to an awaiting vehicle, low slung with 12 wheels. A young man, stout in build, with short black hair, operated it.

  “Hey,” he said with a smile. “Climb aboard. My name is Brad. Bradley Kendal. I’ll show you around.”

  The two Phoebians gestured Frank and myself seats, then awkwardly clambered into the vehicle themselves. We all introduced ourselves as the vehicle – cart, as the
y called them --hummed and started off. It was electrically powered, as were all the carts we passed, those containing only one or two passengers, all nodding or waving a friendly ‘hello’. Brad guided the cart along an orange stripe painted on the highly polished floor, passing workers at various stations, all performing intricate tasks while neatly clad in white uniforms.

  The gigantic dome had multitudes of machinery in various stages of disassembly placed about it. These included several small planes, a helicopter, and autos of recent years; the latter being in full tact, for what reasons I could only guess. I noted, suspended from the above girders, still other objects -- indistinguishable in design -- seeming to be fabricated in the most unusual of fashions.

  Ahead lay the Solar Port: a huge circular platform, which rose up from the rest of the complex, resembling an arena of sorts. Encircled by control consoles littered with computer screens, meters, and dials, the Port lay beneath the wide tunnel, which we now saw from a much closer perspective. Railings cordoned off the area with lighting fixtures mounted atop stanchions spaced every twelve feet around the structure. Figures, both human and alien, operated within this these technological confines.

  “So this is the entrance to the ocean floor,” I said.

  “Yes,” Piabin elaborated. “Here lies the anti-hydrox unit you both were informed of. Located in the center of this arena it pulses with energy derived from the center of the earth. This technology is our only means for getting into or out of our city. Its operation is a very complicated procedure. Any malfunction and the entire city would be instantly crushed by the in-rushing ocean.”

  “Good to know, huh?” Frank commented.

  Up ahead, and looming heavily upon my heart, I now saw clearly the center fuselage of the Valithor perched atop its main struts of landing gear. The fore section of the aircraft was currently being detached and hauled away by a ceiling crane. Workers wearing dark goggles still clung to this section of the hull – by no visible means – dismembering sections of tirilliium, which constituted its outer skin, exposing the intricate airframe and components.