their bed, and then continue their work to completion, to ensure they hit a deadline, and keep Eklan pleased.
He could never make her happy, as that was unknown by all who told of her tales. So, he knew he didn’t need to try to work to a level where mistakes would be made. For mistakes under Eklan meant one thing, instant death, something that crossed his mind every time the door to his Laboratory opened.
The Laboratory was split into 4 main rooms. A short corridor at one side took his team to the side kitchen, toilets and showers. The overall room had a curtain along one end which hid the sleeping bunk area away from the test areas. There was only one main door in and out of the facility, which was used by security staff to bring them food, or by Fink to manoeuvre test subjects back and forth. It was never by Harrap or any of his fellow scientists, unless they’d failed, and then that was only as a one-way exit. They all lived, slept and ate in the confines of this one small laboratory. He almost wondered if it was they themselves that were being watched in some sort of twisted experiment, and he glanced up at the surveillance cameras around the room, wondering who was on the other end of the signal they sent.
The speaker crackled once more, the green light blinking on.
Eklan.
Harrap’s blood froze. “Yes Commander?”
“How many?”
Harrap had to think. “17 test subjects from 4 different systems so far, Sire.”
Silence.
“I had another 7 planned for today, who cover a further 3 different Galaxies.” He wanted to spread the tests across as many as possible, to ensure it worked.
Silence.
Harrap continued on, nervously. “I believe there will be no problems, in which case when will we tell Him?”
Silence.
Harrap was worried, as he had questioned his Commander, something a mere Scientist should never do.
“Soon enough. You’ve done…..well.” The very controlled female voice crackled through the speaker again, struggling to give the recognition to a Scientist. “I want you to complete the testing on all of the stock we have on the ship, and then we will do one more test on a very familiar and very alive subject in four days’ time.” She said, knowing how her plan would unfold.
“But isn’t that a little risky?” Harrap’s usually quiet voice had a nervous tingle to it at the thought of defying his Commander once more.
“I will say if it’s a little risky.” The female voice snapped back at him. “And I also believe that it will be fun.”
Harrap heard a gurgling noise coming from the speaker, and presumed she was laughing. He started to quake again, as he’d only heard that noise on 3 other occasions. Even though each time it had resulted in a promotion for him, it had been at the expense of one of his colleague’s life.
“So don’t you worry your relatively intelligent little head.” She continued. “Let me deal with the strategic notions, as I am the one and only Commander Eklan.”
The gurgling / laughing noise started again before he heard a loud crack, making Harrap jump. He held his breath for a few seconds, worrying what had happened before he realised that the crack had been the sound of the communicator being switched off, and he let out a small snort of laughter at his relief. His mind ran over the conversation he’d just had. Harrap closed his eyes as he worried if he’d spoken out of turn, and if he would soon feel the wrath of the infamous Eklan.
Trapped.
Eric crashed into the far side of the room. The large steel door clanged shut behind him and he was engulfed in total darkness. “Damn.” He exclaimed out loud. He threw his arms out and flailed them back and forth around himself. “Who’s there?” He called out as he twisted back and forth, anticipating an attack at any moment. He tried his best to peer into the dark, but his eyes couldn’t adjust to the low levels of light in the room. He listened intently, the only noise being his own heavy breaths. “Who’s there?” He called out again, but there was no reply. He realised that he was now facing the door he’d been pushed through, and headed back towards it, wafting his arms around ahead of him, and slowly dragging each foot forward, so as to not trip over anything. Still there were no other sounds to be heard in there. Tiny hairs started to tingle on the back of his neck as he realised that this was a little too spooky for his liking. If asked, he’d admit that he was a little scared, not because of the dark, but of his imagination, conjuring up imaginary foes waiting in the darkness around him. Although, at that moment, the adrenalin was coursing through his veins because of the anger he felt towards whoever was behind this stunt.
It was Wednesday, and so far he’d had no further confrontations with John or his pack-dogs. The remainder of Monday and all of Tuesday had been reasonably uneventful, passing without a hitch from leaving home to go to school, to his arrival back at Steelgate Drive. He had started to think that John had found a new target to be amused with, someone new to terrorise, and had started to relax.
That had been his downfall.
He’d been on his way back to class after having lunch with Tom. They’d split at the main doorway into the school so as to carry on to their respective classes. Tom headed right to Mrs. Bryan’s Geography class, and Eric went left to Mr. Pearce’s Physics class. When he reached the bottom of the main tower, Eric nipped into the toilets, and as such was one of the last to be still out of class. He continued on his way, but as he walked past the assembly hall, he’d heard a muffled “help.” The door into the hall was open; the room still set out with neat rows of chairs from that morning’s Assembly. He presumed that nothing else was planned and they’d left them out till tomorrow. At the far end of the room was the stage, standing about 1.2m above the floor with steps either side. The school crest of a lamb carrying a cross in the centre of an oval frame, the Lancashire rose above and below the lamb, and the ends of two crossed keys peeping out from behind the oval was captured in a copper motif affixed high up on the wall to the left. At the right hand side of the stage was a lectern, used by the Head or Deputy Head at Assembly, or more recently, by the Narrator during a school play. The stage curtains were drawn as usual, and he looked at them as if they’d magically open and reveal their secrets.
A slightly louder, but still much muffled “Help!” came from behind the curtains.
“Hello!” Eric called out as he stepped into the room and slowly walked towards the huge black velvet sheets. “Is anyone there?”
“Yes, can you help me please?” The voice asked, a little clearer. “I’ve tripped and hurt my leg.”
Eric quickened his pace, as it had sounded like a first year student’s young voice, and he realised that they may be seriously hurt. “It’s OK, I’m coming.”
He dashed past the chairs and leaping up onto the stage in one go. He whipped the heavy stage curtains back, and as he dove through the gap the daylight crept in along with him, bringing life to the normally gloomy back-stage area. Eric stopped, confused, as he saw no one there. “Hello?” He called out once more, as he thought he’d see the young pupil just behind there. “Where are you?”
The curtains closed behind him, shutting the light out, save the tiny amount that managed to sneak in under the stage curtains as they continued to swing back and forth. Eric’s eyes struggled to adjust for a second, as he was plunged into semi-twilight.
“Over here. I’ve fallen over near the storeroom.” The young student’s voice was quaking and breaking up, and Eric wondered if it was because he was crying.
“Wait there.” Eric said which he then realised was a little stupid thing to say if the boy had fallen and hurt himself. If he could move, he wouldn’t now be calling out to him.
By now his eyes had re-adjusted enough to make out the odd shapes of items that waited patiently on the stage for their next bow. The school play had taken place recently, and some of the props depicting a bar scene were still around. He was grateful that at least he could see them clearly enough to not trip ove
r anything.
“What’s your name?” Eric asked, wanting to keep the student talking so he could find him quicker, and keep the young man’s mind off his problems.
“Dave…..erm….Dave Smith.” The slightly squeaky voice replied from the right hand corner.
“OK.” Eric said. “Let me get round these things, and I’ll be right with you.”
“Thank you.” The voice said.
“No worries mate.” Eric rounded what he thought was an upright piano that had been used in the bar scene in the musical. He could now see the corner of the storeroom, and noticed the door was open. “Are you in the store?” He asked, carefully approaching the entrance to the pitch black room.
There was no answer.
Eric stepped into the room, the darkness stealing any vision he had. He took another step and was shoved hard in the back, sending him sprawling across to the rear of the store. Eric realised he was about to fall, or could trip over anything in there, but he somehow managed to pick his feet up and stumble to a halt. Before he’d stopped, the large and very solid metal door slammed shut behind him.
Fight or Flight.
Eric had to think, and do so quickly.
“Use all of your senses.” Memories of self-defence training that his Dad had given him floated to the front of his mind.
Eric held his breath and