A hiss made Rayne whip around, raise the pistol and open her mouth to yell for Rawn. Her shout turned to a gasp as she stared at the man who stood in the doorway. He was almost as tall as Rawn, and well built, but quite alien. His fine brows arched above dark eyes, and his cropped black hair gleamed with blue tints. An aquiline nose jutted over his thin-lipped mouth, but the resemblance to humans ended there. His skin had a metallic golden shimmer, his black hair ended in a line just above his ears, where it turned pure white, and his earlobes joined the edge of his jaw. His form-hugging dark blue suit had a line of gold around the collar and down the middle of his chest, separating into two at his waist to continue down the front of his trousers. Gold also trimmed his cuffs and ran up the outside of his sleeves to form swirling patterns on his shoulders.
He smiled. “Hello. I am Tallyn.” He had less of an accent than the disembodied voice. “I am the commander of this ship.”
She nodded, stepping back. “Hi.” It sounded pathetic, even to her, and she searched her vacant mind for some sign of intelligence.
“Do not be afraid. I wish you no harm.”
Rayne took another step back. “I-I’ll call my brother.”
“No.” He held up a hand. “Please, I wish to speak to you, alone.”
“Why?”
“The weapon.” He indicated her gun. “Please give it to me.”
Rayne looked at it. He seemed unafraid of it, and she did not think she could shoot him, anyway. Rawn might, but what good would that do? They were at this man’s mercy. Shooting him, or trying to, would not improve their situation. The gun was useless, and she let it sink to her side.
She asked, “Will you give me your word that you mean us no harm?” Again, it sounded silly, but he placed a hand on his chest and smiled.
“I do,” he said. “We never had any intention of harming you, but if your brother uses that weapon we’ll have to restrain him. As you pointed out to him earlier, there is very little you can do to us.”
She nodded and stepped towards him, intending to hand over the weapon.
He raised his hand again. “Do not approach the screen.”
Rayne stopped, sensing a faint tingle on her skin. So there was a screen between them. He had not trusted her. He signalled to someone off to the side, out of sight. The tingle vanished, and he entered the cell, holding out his hand. With a shiver of trepidation, she gave him the .45. Another man, dressed in a white uniform, appeared behind him and took the weapon when he held it out.
He smiled at her again. “Good. I know you are confused, alarmed, and perhaps a little angry. The tranquilliser will wear off soon. Do you require a further dose?”
“No, I’m fine.” She found his alien features fascinating.
His smile broadened. “I see that I intrigue you. That’s understandable. I don’t mind.”
Her cheeks warmed. “You’re not human.”
“No. I am Atlantean. I come from a planet very far from here. However, as aliens go, I’m not that different from you.”
She realised that she should be asking more intelligent questions. “Why did you kidnap us?”
“Ah. Perhaps we should wait for your brother. It’s a long explanation.”
She nodded. “You killed the mutants, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And the store guards?”
His smile, which had become something of a fixture, faded. “No. Your account of the black-clad man interests me. I would like to hear more about it.”
“Like what?”
“Was he wearing a mask?”
She shrugged. “He was too far away to see. How do you speak English so well?”
His smile returned. “I have studied your language for this event. Unfortunately, very few Atlanteans speak it, so you’ll have to learn our tongue.”
A frisson of alarm went through her. “But surely we won’t be here long enough to need to, will we?”
“I’m afraid you will. You cannot be returned to Earth.”
“Why not?”
“Your planet is dying, as I’m sure you know. Within the next five years your entire race will be wiped out. Surely you don’t want to share their fate?”
Rayne wished Rawn would hurry up. “Can’t you do something about it?”
His brows rose a fraction. “We’re not that powerful, I’m afraid. It’s far too late to undo the damage your people have done to the ozone layer and oceans. We can save you and your brother, though.”
“What about the rest of the people?”
“No. We didn’t come here to rescue humanity.”
“So why us?”
He glanced past her as the sound of water stopped. “You’re special. Talk to your brother, and let me know when he’s ready to meet me. You’ll get a full explanation then.”
Tallyn retreated, and the door hissed shut. Rawn emerged, rubbing his hair, and frowned at her, his gaze dropping to her empty hands.
“Where’s my gun?”
“I gave it to them.”
“Are you nuts? Why?”
“It’s no good to us,” she said. “He was very nice about it, and polite. He said they won’t hurt us, and I believe him.”
“Oh, great! So you just handed it over like a good little girl. Damn it, Rayne, sometimes I think you’re an idiot! Now we have absolutely no defence at all, and that was my gun.”
Rawn had always been attached to his gun, and, as their means of survival, it had been important.
She met his glare. “It was useless. They probably have a dozen weapons hidden in this room, any of which could kill you anytime they choose. And he said they’re here to rescue us.”
“From what?”
“Earth, what do you think? The planet’s dying, we know that. For some reason, he wants to save us.”
“Why?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. He said he’d explain it all, as soon as you’re calm enough to meet him.”
Rawn flung the damp towel across the room. “Who is this guy, anyway?”
“He’s the commander of this ship. His name’s Tallyn, and he’s Atlantean.”
“As in from Atlantis?”
“I didn’t think of that.”
“What is he, green with yellow spots?” he demanded.
“No. Just weird.”
“Great. So what makes him think I’m not calm enough?”
“Well, you were making threats about shooting holes in things, and he was listening.”
“Yeah, watching too, no doubt,” he said. “He must have got an eyeful of you in the shower.” Her cheeks grew warm again, and he added, “Don’t worry; I’m sure you’re not his type. But I don’t have a damned gun anymore, so what’s the problem?”
“Can you talk to him calmly and rationally?”
“Sure, why not? We’re in deep shit now. We might as well make the best of it.”
A few minutes later, the panel that had dispensed the medicated water opened again, this time filled with a welcome meal. Although some items defied description, Rayne assumed their hosts knew what was good for them and ate it all. It proved to be tasty, and afterwards she relaxed again, the unusual fullness of her stomach improving her mood. Despite Rawn’s encouraging words, another hour passed before the door slid open to reveal the commander once more.
Rawn jumped up, and Rayne rose more slowly. Rawn made the most of his extra height, which did not seem to impress Tallyn, who addressed her brother in a flat, no-nonsense tone.
“Please remain calm. You’re welcome aboard my ship. I will now conduct you to my office, where I’ll explain your abduction.”
“That would be nice,” Rawn remarked.
Tallyn walk away across a sparsely furnished room that looked like an ultra-modern hospital, a lot of strange paraphernalia parked against the walls. They followed him into a passage, and Rayne slipped her hand into Rawn’s, drawing courage from his familiar presence. The corridor’s seamless material was smoothly rounded, as if in a giant mould. Mellow lig
ht gave it a warm glow, and a carpet of soft grey moss muffled their footsteps. No other people passed them before a door slid open at Tallyn’s approach, and they entered another room.
“Please sit.” He indicated two chairs.
Rayne sat on one, which moulded to her shape, startling her. Rawn also seemed surprised by the odd sensation. Tallyn went over to a desk where a huge book, bound in gold-ornamented black leather, lay. He sat down and opened the tome at a marked page.
“This is the holy book of my people. In it, all the prophecies of the ancient mystics have been set down, so we may follow their teachings and fulfil the destinies. There is a prophecy that must now come to pass, and I believe you, Rayne, are the one spoken of. It says we must go to a dying world and save a golden girl child, who will save Atlan.”
Rayne stared at him in stunned amazement.
Rawn snorted. “You think Rayne is this... this golden girl child?”
Tallyn nodded. “This is a dying planet, one of only a few we’ve found, and your sister is a young girl with golden hair.”
“But that doesn’t mean she’s the one you’re looking for.”
“No, but isn’t it remarkable that you and she have suffered no ill effects from your planet’s radiation and pollution, while all the other people have?”
Rawn shrugged. “We’ve been lucky, I guess.”
“Nobody’s that lucky. She’s different. You both are, and I can only assume that you’re her guardian, which is why you too have been spared. Our task is to rescue the Golden Child, and I think we’ve done that.” He closed the book.
Rayne asked, “Is that why you saved me from the mutants?”
“Yes.”
“And those other aliens in the red ship who attacked me?”
“That happened before we found you. They’re members of a race called Draycons, whose ships are red. We chased four of their ships away two days ago. But they were not trying to kill you. They’re slavers.”
She shook her head. “They were trying to kill me. They reduced that house to a pile of rubble.”
Tallyn smiled a little thinly. “They were probably trying to flush you out into the open, where they could capture you. Why would they want to kill you?”
“I don’t know, but I was lucky to survive. If it hadn’t been for that cellar, I’d be dead. Maybe it had something to do with your prophecy. Perhaps they think I’m this Golden Child too. And if I am, what is it I’m supposed to do?”
Tallyn’s smile faded. “Unfortunately, we don’t know that yet. As for the Draycons, they don’t even know about the prophecy, as far as we know. It doesn’t concern them.”
“So you didn’t chase them away?”
“No. I’m sure they left of their own accord.”
Rawn asked, “Why do you look so much like us if you’re alien?”
“Your race is the result of genetic engineering carried out on you millennia ago. All human races are descendants of the first people, who were engineered from proto humans native to Earth. Many advanced races are similar because of a far-reaching expansion that carried out a policy of advancement on many of the more primitive species they found. Almost all carbon-based life in the universe has a similar blueprint, but you didn’t evolve to your present state on your own.”
“Well, that explains the missing link. But if we’re descended from people like you, where do you come from?”
Tallyn shrugged. “We have legends. I’ll tell you about them some time. But now, I have things to do, and I expect you’re tired. Would you like to go to your quarters and rest?”
Rayne asked, “What are you going to do with us?”
Tallyn looked a little pained. “We’ll take you to Atlan, where you’ll be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy, given everything you could wish for; a home, a job if you want it, knowledge, entertainment, anything. When the time comes, your purpose will be revealed to you.”
“How?”
“We don’t know. We only have those few words in the book, but I’m sure you’ll know what to do when it happens.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
Rayne had many more questions, but the ebbing of the tension and anxiety, plus the meal, made her eyelids droop. Rawn was running on adrenalin, but, although she knew he could sustain his alertness for several days, she saw no point in subjecting herself to any more rigours. The prospect of a real bed was as seductive as the hot shower had been.
Tallyn guided them along a corridor to a lift, which whisked them down several floors. He stopped in front of a numbered door that slid open when he pressed a button beside it. They entered a comfortable, sleek room with two sleeping alcoves, tasteful, but sparsely furnished and functional. Tallyn showed them how to switch off the lights and summon an attendant when they woke, then left.