"It depends on how you see it," said Akmenios. "I will not repeat what I said earlier."
Two humanoids took Heather by the arms toward Powell and tied them together.
"There is something you didn't tell us about, Akmenios," said Heather nervously. "What are you going to do with us after you finish your investigation with Burke?"
As if he didn't hear her, Akmenios headed to the same corridor the humanoids dragged Burke into.
"Answer me!" Heather yelled. "You can't ignore this question in particular."
"He will never answer this question, Dr." Powell bit his lower lip. "Whether those creatures find their Shomrunk or not, we are their prisoners."
"Oh God! What are we going to do now?" Alarmed, Linda asked both Heather and Powell.
"There is nothing we can do at the moment, Linda." Heather didn't have more reassuring news to cheer anybody up. "Just pray our fate is better than Burke's."
21. The Secret Chamber
The chair to which Burke was tied had a cold metallic texture.
There was no much crowd here. Only he, Akmenios, and another humanoid standing by a huge screen that hid one-fourth of the wall of this round room. The walls had the same gray color and yellow lights that were there in the underground landing area.
The other humanoid was busy with the metal table behind Akmenios. Burke was worried more than curious when the humanoid returned with a silver hairband-like device.
"This is scarier than a dentist's visit," Burke muttered.
"There is nothing to worry about, hominum," said Akmenios. "I am here to help you."
"Oh really?" Burke smiled nervously. "Am I not supposed to be an ally to that evil Shomrunk?"
"I assume you are not an ally to the Shomrunk," said Akmenios. "You seem like a victim to me, but I have to make sure myself."
The humanoid approached Burke and put the metal hairband-like device on his head. "It's not going to hurt, huh?" Burke watched Akmenios grab another device and put it on his head.
"No, it is not."
"How could you be so sure? Have you tried this thing before?"
"Yes, hominum. Once."
"Good for you." Burke swallowed. "But what about humans? You can never be sure it is not going to hurt me."
"I am quite sure it is not going to hurt you among all other homines."
Burke didn't like the sound of this. "What the hell does this mean?"
"I am not the only one in this room who tried this device." Akmenios assumed another metallic seat opposite to Burke. "Welcome back, Burke."
"Welcome back?" Burke repeated Akmenios's words. Those aliens had really worse jokes than his.
"It has been nine years since your last visit," said Akmenios. "We never expected your return."
Burke squeezed his mind, trying to recall all his memories of his first attempt to reach the island. He was sure he had never set foot on shore.
"Don't exhaust your brain," said Akmenios. "I removed all that you saw here from your memory, yet it seems you still have some remained traces in your subconscious."
That gray-faced Akmenios wasn't messing with him, right?
"You have to relax now," said Akmenios. "This will make things easier for you and me."
"How do you simply ask me to relax?" said Burke sharply. "You tie me to a chair, put a stupid device on my head, and tell me I was here before. How the hell can I be relaxed?"
"I know it is confusing, Burke, but don't worry. Your torture ends sooner than you think."
"You brought me here to clear my memory once again, right?" Burke looked him in the eye. "The Shomrunk thing was nothing but bullshit."
"The Shomrunk is real. I am quite sure he is behind sending you back to us."
"Nonsense," said Burke. "I am here on a mission with Heather's team."
"What you say seems true somehow," said Akmenios. "But your return can't be a coincidence."
"My return?" Burke thought for a while. "Tell me, if you had really captured me before, how did I escape from your island?"
"You didn't escape. We let you go because we were sure the Shomrunk would contact you again to restore all the information you had gathered in your journey."
"You were watching me or what?"
"We were tracing your mind. But it seems he figured out what we were doing somehow. We lost our connection with you soon after you arrived home." Akmenios leaned forward. "Which confirms our doubts about the Shomrunk; he is currently living in your homeland."
Burke noticed that Akmenios did not move his lipless mouth.
"How did I. . . ?" Burke asked.
"We are now connected, Burke." Akmenios's voice was heard again, his mouth closed though. "These devices on our heads modulate our brain waves to make us sleep. This makes your mind more vulnerable."
"Damn! I didn't feel myself sleeping. How does this device work on different brains? Do we have the same wave patterns?"
"This is not the time for a scientific discussion, Burke. Focus and tell me; what do you see now?"
Suddenly, Burke found himself in the heart of the sea, the cold water flooding his clothes. This is not the sea. This is the Atlantic Ocean, he thought as he spotted his flipping boat, a colossal wave toying with it.
And his turn was coming.
"Your first attempt to reach Domus was a nightmare," Burke heard Akmenios's voice, but he couldn't spy the gray-faced humanoid.
"Get me the hell out of here!" Burke gazed at the mountainous wave that was about to swallow him. "I'm drowning!"
"Let's skip this quickly," said the invisible Akmenios.
Burke filled his lungs with air, his eyes fixed on the wave crashing over him.
And then he was sitting, not a single drop of water dripping from him.
This is not real, he reminded himself. But it wasn't a dream, either. That scene in the ocean was a memory. A memory he could recall now for the first time.
He wasn't awake yet. Yes, he was sitting, but he wasn't in the same room he loathed. Through the locked window on his left, he watched the small buildings he was flying above. Looking around, Burke presumed he was in the same craft that escorted him and Heather's team after they had disembarked on the island.
The altitude was not too high. Burke could see the buildings so clearly, but they were anything he had ever seen before.
"It's your city." Astounded himself, Burke realized. "I can't remember I have seen this before."
"It seems I have succeeded in deleting this part from your memory," said Akmenios, who appeared standing beside Burke in the same craft.
The scene changed again, and this time, Burke was tied to a metal chair, putting a familiar device on his head.
"So, this is when you erased my memory for the first time." Burke clenched his teeth.
"Not only that," said Akmenios. "I also found some suspicious ideas implanted in your mind."
"Like what?"
"Like your relative who was lost in the ship Proteus."
His relative? An implanted idea? "What do you mean?"
"You never had a relative on that ship," said Akmenios. "That alien idea was introduced to your mind, incubated inside it, until it grew and became a belief that eventually drove you to look for your imaginary relative."
Imaginary? The news petrified Burke for a few seconds. Was it possible that his biggest obsession was based on a lie? He had paid whole years of his life as a price for this delusion.
"No, this is bullshit," Burke spat. "I see the dirty game you're playing, dumbass."
"I play no games, Burke."
"Stop messing with my mind."
"I understand your shock," said Akmenios. "But this is the truth. You have been pushed to do the task of somebody else."
"I'm not listening to this bullshit."
"There is nothing you can do but listen."
"What do you want from me, scum? Make me doubt everything about my life? Make me doubt who I am? And then what?"
"Calm yourself down, Burke. Ev
erything in your life is real. Only a small part of it is faked by the Shomrunk."
"How can you be sure of that?" Burke growled. "How can you be sure he had not manipulated your mind as well?"
"I thought you would keep your composure better than this," said Akmenios.
"Oh, please! Say that to someone who wasn't forced to spend eight years of solitude."
"Try to focus, Burke. Your thoughts are flowing too fast in so many directions."
"So what?" Burke shrugged. "You can't see through my mind clearly now?"
"For your own good," said Akmenios. "Let me find any hidden memory with the Shomrunk. It may help us locate him more precisely."
For a second, Burke sensed some honesty in the humanoid's creaky voice. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down as Akmenios requested. One minute later, the scene in front of Burke changed again. This time he was in his boat, headed back home.
"I remember this," said Burke. "At that moment I thought I had just survived the storm."
He looked right and left, but he couldn't find Akmenios on the boat. "Where are you?" he yelled. "You're driving me nuts with this memories shuffle."
"I'm here, Burke," Akmenios's voice came from nowhere. "I am nearing the truth, and soon we will know where and how you have met the Shomrunk. Just be patient."
"At least you can warn me before you shift places from one to another," Burke mumbled.
"Nothing is going to harm you when you live your memories."
"You must be kidding me. I was about to drown in the Atlantic."
"Your brain won't let you die in your sleep. It will wake you up just before the moment of death. I beg you to relax now; we are so close to the crucial moment."
Burke was sure he had never had a vivid dream like this before. Akmenios's voice was loud and clear, but neither louder nor clearer than the engine of the boat. And there was that smell of brine; strong and slightly sulfury. Was he back to reality at last? He wouldn't be happier if that encounter with Heather and the humanoids was just a stupid nightmare.
He realized he was still in his induced 'dream' when everything around him became dark, so dark he was not able to see where he was stepping on.
"Where am I now?" Burke asked.
Akmenios was still invisible. "It seems we have found a secret chamber in your mind at last. Everything is well hidden, which confirms my doubts."
What Burke had just heard sounded insane. Anyway, the whole experience was unbelievable so far.
"Do you mean this is the part where I meet the Shomrunk?" asked Burke.
"Most probably," replied Akmenios. "I don't find any other reason to hide a memory in your mind."
"So, will you do something about this darkness?" said Burke. "I am scared of it."
"Just stay quiet for a moment. I'm trying to focus."
Darkness was gradually fading out, and Burke found himself standing in a garden, lit only by moonlight. He turned his head to find Akmenios on his right.
"You must be kidding me." Burke was astonished. "My house?"
"We must hurry." Akmenios grabbed Burke by the hand. "My power is going to be depleted soon."
"I will never understand this," Burke muttered as he followed Akmenios to the closed door of the house.
"Now what?" Burke wondered.
"Open the door," said Akmenios. "Find the keys in your pocket."
"What the. . . ?" Burke was at a loss for words when he found the keys in his pocket indeed.
"Just open it now," Akmenios insisted, a bit of tension in his creaky voice.
"I don't get it," said Burke. "Am I supposed to be watching a previous memory that has already occurred? I mean if I didn't open the—"
"There is no much time for your gibberish," Akmenios put in. "Just do as I say."
Burke had a thousand questions to ask, but the humanoid wasn't in the mood of answering right now. Burke had better listen and obey, and later he might get an explanation. Hopefully.
The keys did unlock the door. Home sweet home, Burke thought as he stepped inside after years of exile. Feeling impatient to see his messy place like he had left it, he clicked the nearest light switch. The lights didn't work though.
"Come on." Burke hit the switch more than once.
"Stop and listen." Akmenios gripped Burke's hand.
"What's this?" Burke was a bit scared when he heard a low voice uttering strange words. "The voice is coming from everywhere."
"It's him," Akmenios stated after the voice stopped. "This is when he invaded your mind."
Burke looked around, but the place was too dark to see anything.
"It seems he took more defensive measures than I thought," Akmenios said. "This chamber is well protected."
"What protection?" said Burke. "We are inside my house."
"It's not what you think," said Akmenios slowly. "This is how the chamber is labeled in your mind."
Labeled? Burke wondered how his mind looked like to Akmenios.
"Where did he go?" asked Burke. "Did we fail?"
"I am still trying." Akmenios sounded weaker than before, making Burke wonder what kind of effort would be needed to unveil a secret chamber in someone's mind. The humanoid seemed a bit tired and thought he might try later after replenishing his power and. . .
Wait a second. Had Burke just knew what Akmenios thought of?
"No way." Burke's eyebrows rose. He stared at the gray-faced humanoid who murmured in his Latin language and stepped outside the house.
"You are not going anywhere." Burke hurried after Akmenios, caught him by the arm, and shoved him against the wall. "It's your turn to answer my questions." Burke fixed Akmenios's arms to the wall with his hands. He had no idea how this happened, but for some reason, he could sense Akmenios's thoughts.
"No, you are not leaving." Burke growled when the humanoid uttered Latin words. "You think your friend on the gadgets will wake you up? This won't happen before you tell me what you want from us. Tell me now."
The much taller humanoid seemed too weak to struggle with Burke. Closing his narrow eyes, Akmenios repeated his Latin words.
"Oh my God!" Burke's head jerked backward. "This can't be your real intention."
Akmenios didn't show any reaction. Without saying a word, the humanoid stared at Burke. . . and vanished. All of a sudden, Burke found himself standing alone by the wall.
"Son of a bitch! You can't escape now!" Burke punched the wall, frustrated. He could have extracted more information from Akmenios's mind. Having that said, what Burke had got so far was scary enough. He must find a way to get out of here and warn the others before the aliens might. . .
And then it was all black again.
* * *
Akmenios removed the head device and tossed it to the ground. He rose from his chair, staring at Burke who was still asleep.
"How did this hominum breach your mind?" his deputy, Cudelios, asked him in Latin, their native tongue.
"I have no idea." Akmenios felt so weary after this attempt to open the secret chamber of Burke's mind. "It seems we have activated something, a dormant defense system maybe."
"The Shomrunk's defenses are much stronger than we thought. Your mind was so vulnerable when you slept."
"I didn't expect something like that." Akmenios slowly walked to the thrown head device. "We need more power to this useless device in the next time."
"Next time? With what he has seen, we can't keep this hominum for a next time."
"He hasn't seen that much."
"He has seen enough."
Akmenios gazed at Burke for the second time. Whatever this human had seen, he was Akmenios's only hope to find the Shomrunk.
"Erase that session from his memory," said Akmenios. "Make sure he doesn't recall anything from it."
22. An Offer You Must Refuse
Those gray-faced idiots! How did they expect from Heather to sleep on their cold floor. . . while her hands still tied to Powell's?
The whole crew was tied in p
airs in the bare quiet round chamber, the walls of which having the same gray color they saw outside. Without windows, the yellow spotlights were the only source of light here.
Except for Santino who groaned a couple of times and Susan who wished those humanoids would burn in hell, nobody said a word for five hours. They must be exhausted after this insane ride, but Heather doubted that anybody was able to sleep right now. They could try though, and no one would pretend he was not worried about his fate.
What is Akmenios doing now with you, Burke? The humanoid was going to connect his mind to Burke's, he had told her. Was that process accompanied by so much pain? You had better worry about yourself, Heath. Well, maybe she was rather curious than sympathetic.
"This is ridiculous." She pulled her tied hand hysterically. There must be a way to tear those wires apart to get rid of that awkward proximity to Powell.
"Whoa! Relax, doc." Powell held his hands still. "You really need to have some rest. Nobody knows how long we will stay here."
"I can't stay like this. I want to get up," Heather snapped as she rose to her feet, Powell rising with her. The wire that tied them was so short that each tied couple had to move together.
Standing in the chamber with Powell, Heather gazed at her crew. Though Kenji, Jay, and Walter lay with eyes closed, she doubted they were able to fall asleep amid this tension. The rest looked gloomy, especially Linda who fidgeted. "All these hours, and still, they didn't bring him back."
She wasn't worried about Burke, Heather guessed. She was worried about herself when her turn might come.
"Their suspicions are only about Burke." Though Heather shared Linda's fears, she did her best to reassure the fretting girl. She was not sure if her tone was convincing when she added, "They have no doubts about us."
"So what?" Linda asked. "Will they release us then?"
Heather sighed. "I really don't know."
The chamber door slid open, and the other stuttering humanoid entered accompanied by six more gray-faced fellows. All the crew rose, staring at him in anticipation.
"Akmenios-want-you-all," said the humanoid. "Follow-me."
"Where is Burke?" Heather asked.
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