The ladder seemed to go on forever and all Nick could see far below was a dull glow that grew in luminescence as he descended. Nick finally hit solid ground and stepped off the ladder, his arms and legs burning in pain, and looked around. There were see through tanks of all sizes neatly arranged in makeshift rows by the color of glowing liquid contained inside them. Several colors were represented, red, blue, green and amber being chief among them. Approaching the nearest amber colored tank he could see indiscernible bits and pieces, not floating, but rather suspended in the odd liquid. A quick scan around and Nick could see that most of the other tanks he could see were the same. An ominous feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. What the bits and pieces were he didn’t want to know. Remembering the scene up above Nick decided that it would be prudent if he kept moving. A brief reconnaissance of the room revealed it was quite large and Nick tried not to look too closely at the tanks as he passed them after he had seen what looked like body part inside one. Along one wall he found a door standing ajar, undoubtedly left open by whomever it was that had used the ladder. Nick leaned up against the wall right beside the door and peeked out into the room beyond, leaning out far enough to expose just one eye. Giant vats containing the same liquids as in the room behind him met his gaze. They were massive, easily ten feet across and another twenty five feet or so high. On the outside of each one was a panel that amazingly was still in operation. There had to be a redundant power source for them Nick thought. Not seeing or hearing any movement, Nick felt safe to approach the closest of the vats, only to find the display panel in some unknown language. Nick looked up to investigate its contents and was horrified to see a human male body, grotesquely disfigured, suspended in the fluid inside. Backing away from the vat, Nick fought the urge to scream out but he couldn’t draw his eyes away from the gruesome visage in front of him. Only when he bumped into another vat did he look away, spinning around to look into this vat. Another human form, if you could call it that, was revolving lazily inside. No sex that he could discern and extra arms protruding out of its torso. Nick had never seen anything so disturbing. His mind was reeling and he was sure the forms would haunt his nightmares for years to come, if he survived. He walked briskly down the middle of the aisle trying hard to keep his wits about him and, most importantly, avoid looking into any more vats. It was next to impossible not to look though and Nick caught himself sneaking peeks as he went, like those people that drove him crazy when they slowed down to look at car accidents. He saw another form with three legs; some with long tails and scrabbly long fingers on shortened arms; others with skulls that were half human/half reptilian. It wasn’t until he reached vats that had child sized forms floating in them that he abandoned all pretense and started to run. He couldn’t bear to see anymore and the ones he had seen kept popping up in his mind every time he blinked in weird ghostly afterimages that were just as horrific as the real thing.
The vats ceased to be in his peripheral vision and he stopped running and doubled over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Looking about he could see that now he was in the area that housed the labs and machines that filled those vats. Strange, menacing machines, some of which rose high out of view, were everywhere. The lab areas were wide, open, arrayed with macabre instruments and metal beds that had thick metal arm, leg and torso restraints. Nick wished he could wake up and be safely in his bed in his apartment, and that this whole mess was just some nightmare that had been induced by eating too much spicy food and watching horror movies. I won’t get such relief he thought. I just have to find my way out of here. Reflecting for a moment he realized that if everything had gone according to plan, Annunaki forces were now in the base in large numbers and battling for control. That thought cheered him up, and he resolved to find his way to them and help in whatever capacity that he could.
Buoyed with thoughts of finding and helping the Annunaki Nick proceeded through the lab area on the lookout for some way to get out. The labs suddenly roared to life; rows of monitors, computers and machines surging into a powered on state creating a clatter of noise. Light’s came on as well flooding the area with natural, sunshine type light. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted and threw aside the emergency light he had been carrying. Straining his ears Nick didn’t hear any sounds above that of the machines. Now it was light out he could see that the lab was way bigger than he thought. He spied an elevator some distance away and started to make for it. On an adjacent wall he could see large double doors. Walking toward the elevator, he could not take his eyes from the other set of doors, from which a low noise was coming. Like a murmur or a whisper the noise reached his ears and he slowed his approach to the elevator. He couldn’t put his finger on it but he could feel an irresistible urge to go over to the double doors and see what lay beyond. Nick’s feet turned toward the doors even before he was cognizant of the fact that his path had changed. Reaching the doors, he put his hands gently on them and listened closely. The murmur was louder now. Closer to, it sounded more like whimpers and moans. With a gulp he pushed open the doors and stepped over the threshold.
The smell of human waste hit him first. Urine and excrement stench so powerful, Nick actually gagged and quickly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. Able to breathe easier Nick took in his surroundings. There were rows and rows of cages of humanoid creatures. If Nick thought what was in the tanks was bad, this was beyond anything imaginable. Human beings in every state of bio engineering you could think of. Extra eyes or eyes that glowed in different colors. Some with no eyes, or mouths and long lanky arms and legs that ended in rapier like claws; more still with extra arms and legs and all clad in grimy gray toga like cloths. It was like walking through some house of horrors at the amusement park, where you wanted to scream and run or wake up, but it just kept going on and on as Nick walked the aisles. There was still something that was luring him here and he was getting closer. The cells inhabitants were starting to notice him and were reaching through the cages to grab him, crying out for help or just screaming insanely in short sharp bursts. Nick hurried on and down the third aisle, his feeling intensified until he was standing in front of a cage, its inhabitant curled up in the corner, hugging their knees to their chest, face hidden by dark, wavy hair.
“Hello” Nick called gently, to no response.
“Hello” he said again louder. And again, there was no response. Nick was certain that this person was what was luring him here. Switching to a different tack, Nick tried to reach out to the person telepathically, to no avail. Stumped, he stared at the person and out of desperation yelled at the form. The figure started and slowly raised its head.
“Zalath?” Nick whispered to himself in disbelief. It couldn’t be. The fervor was gone from her eyes and her face was pale and gaunt, but it was her he was sure of it.
“Is that you Zalath?” Nick called to her. Slowly she rose, staring in obvious confusion over Nick’s appearance. Like a zombie she approached the cage and put her slender arm through and touched Nick’s cheek, like she was in the desert dying of thirst and was afraid that this oasis was a figment of her imagination. She started to cry. Hot tears streaming down her dirty face leaving clean streaks behinds as they fell from her chin, splashing noiselessly on the floor at her feet. Nick wrenched at the bars of the cell, fury rising in his blood. He noticed a pad on the door of the cell and without thinking pulled off his badge and swiped it on the pad. The door slid aside and he rushed in, Zalath collapsing into his arms, her chest heaving as she continued to cry uncontrollably. Cradling her gently, Nick just let her cry for a time. When the sobs slowed and stopped altogether, he tried to contact her telepathically but couldn’t connect to her. He could sense her in his mind, but could not make the connection. Lifting her head gently up so he could see her face he asked “What happened Thralesh, why are you here?”
“When you escaped” she started her voice rough and barely audible “Security came into the elevator room and demanded to know what I was doing
. I told them that I was searching for a storage room and became lost. I didn’t think they believed me but they radioed in for assistance and the next thing I knew they took me out of the room and put me in a temporary security holding area. I was there for maybe a day when Leskal came for me and brought me down here”
“How come I can sense you but can’t seem to connect with you”
With that Zalath started sobbing again.
“They did to me what we fear most” she forced through the tears.
“What did they do?” Nick asked, trying not to sound frantic.
“They took away my abilities” she said, each word punctuated with a great wracking sob.
“Took away your abilities? They can do that?”
“As surely as they can awaken them in humans, they can take it away from Annunaki. It is worse than death for us. To be isolated and alone and not feel another’s presence, to not be able to share thoughts and experiences; it is terrifying to us. I understand you now Nick. I don’t know how the human race has gotten along so well when everybody feels so alone and isolated.” She stopped here and took some deep steadying breaths and then continued. “So they took my ability and have left me here to endure the endless screams of pain and suffering from those around me” and then she fell silent once more, sobbing lightly. Nick wished he could hold her like that forever.
“Can it be fixed?” Nick asked
“No, it cannot” she replied sadly.
Zalath suddenly lifted her head and stared at him, her eyes wide.
“What happened to you Nick? How do you come to be here?”
Nick quickly recounted his recapture and return to the program. How he had been sent to the moon base and on to Nibiru; the exposure of the double-cross on the planet and how he had been returned to Earth as a Trojan horse of sorts, enabling the Annunaki to conquer the moon base and create a plan to oust the reptilians and Annunaki sympathizers on Earth.
She listened intently and her face softened as he spoke of Nibiru and his experiences there.
“You have been to my planet?” she asked, in rapt joy
“Yes I have, and if everything has gone as planned then there are forces inside the base fighting for control. Her expression was over the moon and she pulled herself away from him and led him out of the cell. They made their way back through all the cells and into the lab area. Zalath stopped once they were in the labs and fumbled through a closet and emerged with an orange jumpsuit and a pair of black running type shoes. Putting it aside she pulled off the filthy clothes she was wearing and climbed into the jumpsuit. Nick couldn’t help but see how emaciated her entire body was. She put on the shoes and smiled at him brightly through the grime, the fire returning to her eyes.
“I will go and find my people and help them fight” she pronounced, and marched off toward the elevator with Nick in close pursuit. The car arrived and they climbed in and waited in silence as it ascended. The doors opened onto a short hallway that had a number of other elevator doors. The sound of fighting was close. Yells and grunts and the sound of Annunaki weapons combined with Earthen gunfire. They peeled out of the elevator toward the fighting, not knowing if they would run into friend or foe. They twisted and turned through corridors and hallways with the sound of war getting closer with each step. They rounded a corner and stopped. Looking out into a vast hangar they could see the fighting now. Men and reptilians fighting side by side with the taller and more composed Annunaki. They had arrived on the side of the Nibirians and there were groups of them huddled around tables issuing orders to those in battle. Zalath took off at once toward them. Nick made to do the same but after only one step he saw stars and everything went black.
Chapter 23