***
For a while Patrick was unsure if he was awake or unconscious, or even if he was alive or dead. He seemed to sense things such as muffled sounds and blurry shapes but as soon as he tried to focus and make sense of them they were swallowed by an expanding darkness and he lost them. Eventually though, he was able to concentrate more and more until he could just about make out words and objects. He thought he heard someone calling his name, but everything was still so fuzzy and muddled in his head that he couldn’t be certain. Slowly, the blackness receded and the blurry objects became clearer, as did the muffled words. Patrick squinted in displeasure as his eyes recognised the bright artificial light of his current surroundings. Turning away from the light source, he looked around the room he was in. The walls were varying shades of dirty grey and the air was cold, almost bitter. He thought he heard someone call his name again. The human tried to turn around but he felt hard metal restraints prevent him from moving at all. He gradually began to remember what had happened to him and where he was. He softly groaned at the realisation that he was still a prisoner in the cold, metal room with filthy walls and floor. He suddenly awakened properly with a jolt.
‘Patrick!’
The slightly stunned human snapped his head to the right and instantly winced; his face and neck were incredibly sore, the former throbbed and the latter ached. He could see Saleek to his right, still chained up but thankfully conscious again.
‘Are you OK?’ asked the spiky alien, looking genuinely concerned.
Patrick blinked a few times and replied, ‘Yeah, I think so. You?’
‘I’ll be fine,’ said Saleek. ‘I’m glad you’re awake again. You had me seriously worried, dude. I’ve been calling you for the past hour but you wouldn’t wake up. I was beginning to fear the worst.’
Even though his whole face ached, Patrick managed a small smile.
‘You’d be surprised what I can put up with. Humans are pretty tough cookies, you know.’
Saleek looked confused.
‘Fairly strong biscuits?’ he repeated, thoroughly misunderstanding.
Patrick chuckled a little.
‘It’s English idiom. I guess it doesn’t translate very well into Standard. Let’s just say I’m tougher than I appear.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ said Saleek, smiling at his fellow battered and bruised prisoner. ‘I take it that bastard beat you while I was out?’
‘The big blue guy with serious anger issues?’
‘That’s the one. And ugly too.’
‘Yeah, he asked me some fairly innocent questions. Then it became clear what he wanted – to be able to deactivate Zeeree and get onboard the ship. When I wouldn’t tell him how to do that he got really annoyed.’
‘I’m sorry I’ve put you through this, Patrick. Really, I am,’ apologised Saleek.
Patrick looked at the spiky alien.
‘You know what? After everything that’s happened to me lately, this is pretty much just a regular day for me now.’
And with that the human burst out laughing, as did the lyan. They laughed for about a full minute then took another minute to get their breath back and compose themselves.
Once he had recovered, Saleek said, ‘What do you say, dude? Are you ready to get outta here, get back to the ship and get as far away from this planet as possible?’
Patrick had missed the lyan’s constant optimism and energy.
Feeling somewhat renewed, he answered, ‘Definitely. Let’s do it! What’s the plan?’
Saleek opened his mouth to speak but said nothing.
After a few seconds, he admitted, ‘I’m still workin’ on it...’
Patrick looked crestfallen as he was unable to hide his disappointment. After a short silence, the human decided it was time he pulled his weight a bit more and instead of waiting for Saleek to do everything, he decided to at least help him come up with a plan.
‘Well, let’s see what we’ve got,’ said Patrick. ‘Is there any way to contact Zeeree and let her know where we are?’
‘Unfortunately, no. I always keep a com unit on me so I can contact her if I need anything but those oomlocks took it off me when they captured us and brought us here.’
Patrick considered this for a moment.
‘Any chance of you getting out of those restraints?’ he asked hopefully.
Saleek shook his head.
‘Believe me, I’ve tried. I’m quite flexible but I can’t twist my wrist enough to slide it outta the chains. I don’t suppose you can get free either?’
This time it was Patrick’s turn to shake his head.
‘There’s got to be something we can do. There’s got to be some way out of here,’ the human insisted, refusing to give up.
‘Stay calm, Patrick. I promise you we’ll both get outta here. The way I see it, our only option is to try and talk our way out of this.’
Patrick did not look particularly convinced.
‘They really don’t seem like the type to negotiate. I don’t think that will work.’
‘I’m not gonna negotiate with ‘em,’ said Saleek with a sly grin. ‘I’ve got something else planned.’
Before Patrick could reply, the rusty door was flung open and once more, Korrol stepped into the room, slamming the door shut again once he was inside.
‘What are you going to do?’ whispered Patrick, concern etched onto his bruised face.
‘You’ll see,’ replied Saleek with a wink before turning his head to lock eyes with Korrol.
‘So I see you two are awake again,’ observed Korrol as he began to pace around the room.
Does this guy never stand still? Thought Patrick absently as his captor circled him.
‘I must warn you, I am becoming tired of these games,’ said the oomlock as he paced. ‘I want to know how to deactivate that damn AI of yours and I want to know now. If you keep refusing to tell me what I want to know, then I will be forced to kill you both.’
A shiver crawled up Patrick’s spine automatically as Korrol said that, but Saleek looked remarkably composed and completely unfazed by the threat.
‘So, who wants to answer me first?’ said the large blue alien, eyeing both his prisoners with a stern expression on his face.
The room was silent for a moment, before Saleek piped up.
‘OK, I’ll tell you the truth.’
Patrick looked shocked and confused, while Korrol’s mouth widened into an unpleasant smile.
‘Go on,’ said the Oomlock expectantly.
‘The truth is...,’ began Saleek, pausing to look at Patrick and Korrol before continuing,’...you’re never gonna find out how to deactivate Zeeree, ‘cause Patrick and I ain’t gonna tell you anything.’
This earned the spiky lyan a punch in the face. Patrick couldn’t help but cringe as he watched Saleek being attacked.
‘I strongly advise you to reconsider,’ said Korrol as he secured a strap which had come loose on one of his black gloves.
‘Must be hard...’ said Saleek after spitting out some blood from his mouth onto the grimy floor.
‘What must be hard?’ demanded Korrol, eyes narrowed.
He was focussing solely on Saleek and completely ignoring the shackled human.
‘Must be hard...to face your boys at the moment, huh?’ responded Saleek.
Korrol looked confused.
Saleek continued, ‘I mean, you ordered them to find us at the spaceport and take us prisoner. But you can’t deliver on your promise to ‘em can you? No valuable artefact to sell means no credits for you or for them. Can’t help but wonder if they might be losing some confidence in you as their leader...’
‘What a load of crap,’ dismissed Korrol with a shake of his head. ‘I’m the best leader our gang has ever had. There’s no way they would lose confidence in me over this.’
Saleek tilted his head, eyes still locked with the big blue alien.
‘You sure about that?’
Even though it didn’t seem possible, Korrol?
??s eyes became even narrower as he stared intently at his prisoner. Without warning, Korrol suddenly lashed out a kick which struck Saleek in his abdomen. Patrick could do nothing but look on in silence as Saleek coughed and spluttered. After a few seconds, Saleek recovered from the attack and met his captor’s gaze with a cocky smile. This only served to annoy the already maddened oomlock even further.
‘You know something?’ said Saleek.
‘What?’ replied Korrol abruptly.
‘You can only beat me ‘cause I’m tied up. You know in a real fight you can’t take me!’
Korrol lashed out with a backhand which struck the spiky lyan hard on his right cheek.
‘Is that so?’ he replied, seething. The oomlock began clenching and unclenching his fists again, obviously a sign that his patience was wearing very thin indeed.
‘You remember what happened between us at the spaceport don’t you? If I remember right, you were on the floor being pounded by my fists and it took several guys to rescue you. Oh, and I’m pretty sure you were also crying like a little girl and begging me to stop...’
That did it. Korrol dashed forwards until he was mere inches from Saleek’s face and grabbed the lyan by the throat with a gloved hand. Teeth clenched and staring hard at Saleek, Korrol began to punch his prisoner in the gut with his free hand whilst choking him with the other. Patrick couldn’t take it anymore.
‘Stop it! Stop it right now! Let him go, you bastard!’
Korrol instantly let go of Saleek and marched over to Patrick.
‘Shut up, hoo-man!’ he growled in his gruff voice, his face practically touching Patrick’s as he spoke. ‘Or you’ll be next!’
At that point, Patrick no longer had any concerns for his own safety, he was consumed by anger over the beating Saleek was currently receiving. The human gritted his teeth and said nothing but silently considered attacking his captor with a kick, as his legs were not bound together like his arms. Ultimately he decided against it but to say he was riled was most definitely an understatement. Deciding that he still had the upper hand in the situation, Korrol casually sauntered back over to Saleek (if one could saunter menacingly, the oomlock somehow managed to do so) and regarded him with a look as cold as ice. Saleek tentatively raised his head and met his captor’s gaze.
‘You know, the more you hit me like this, the more you’re proving my point, soon-to-be-former-leader,’ said the lyan with an impossibly cheeky grin on his bruised face.
Korrol’s eyes narrowed as his patience ran so thin it was barely hanging on by a single loose thread. His face twisted into an unpleasant expression as frustration and rage melted into a volatile cocktail and began to bubble just underneath the surface of the oomlock’s eyes. Patrick was not sure what Saleek’s plan was so he just remained quietly nonplussed and stayed out of the whole thing. Saleek held the oomlock’s gaze and stayed strong.
Korrol remained silent and stationary for a few moments, then he took a step towards Saleek and said in a low voice, ‘You really want to fight me?’
‘I will. You’re just scared you’re gonna lose, that’s all,’ said Saleek.
One more step towards the chained lyan.
‘You sure you want to fight me, you spiky piece of shit?’ Korrol’s voice began to get louder and filled with venom.
‘I said I’d fight you, didn’t I?’ came the calm reply. ‘Any time. Anywhere.’
‘Well, that’s it. Don’t say I didn’t fuckin’ warn you!’ screamed Korrol as he drove his fist into Saleek’s gut.
While the spiky lyan was reeling from the blow, Korrol quickly untied the chains and released Saleek from his bonds.
Patrick couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. Saleek’s body fell into a heap on the floor before he just about managed to get back to his feet.
‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now I really am gonna kill you, motherfucker!’ bellowed Korrol in anger.
He had completely lost it and given in to the rage that was coursing through his veins. The oomlock stood in a loose fighting stance with his hands up and was motioning for Saleek to come at him. In contrast, Saleek looked as if he could barely stand on his own. He was shaky, his legs looked like they were made of jelly and his hands were down at his sides, unable to protect his face from attack. Patrick gulped involuntarily and feared the worst for his companion. All of a sudden, several loud bangs pierced the air like a thousand guns going off at once. This was followed by a series of yells and screams amid more piercing bangs and thumps. The noise was coming from outside the room but it was hard to tell exactly where it was coming from. Korrol stood still, frozen to the spot, his brow creased in confusion.
‘What the hell is that?’ he muttered to himself in a low voice.
Just at that moment, the rusty door to the room came crashing open and impacted against the adjacent wall with a loud SMACK. A thin, blue-skinned oomlock half-stumbled into the room, a panicked looked on his face. His eyes darted nervously from Saleek to Patrick and then finally to Korrol.
‘What the hell is going on out there?’ demanded Korrol brusquely.
He was in no mood for any interruptions right now.
‘B-Boss, i-it’s the semloids!’ stammered the panicked oomlock.
The words did not register with the gang leader at first.
‘What?’
‘It’s the semloids! We’re being attacked! They have weapons!’ the thin oomlock hurriedly explained.
Realisation slowly dawned on Korrol, who half-sighed and half-growled at the news.
‘W-What should we do, boss?’
Korrol marched over to the open doorway.
‘What do you think we should do? Fight back, idiot!’ he exclaimed as he pushed aside the panicked alien.
‘Watch those prisoners!’ commanded Korrol. ‘I’ll sort out these semloids myself!’ and with that he stormed out of the room, not even stopping to shut the door on his way out.
The panicked oomlock watched his leader stomp off down the corridor, then slowly turned around, just in time to see Saleek’s fist hurtling towards him. The oomlock tried to duck and avoid the punch but he was far too slow. Saleek connected with his attack and the strike sent the oomlock backpedalling rapidly. He backpedalled into the nearest wall, hit the back of his head hard on the metal surface and slid down until he was sitting on the floor with his legs outstretched, head down, unconscious.
Saleek gingerly made his way over to Patrick, moving as if each step caused him great pain. Patrick was a little beaten up too but he distinctly got the impression that Saleek had taken the brunt of their captor’s rage-fuelled outbursts and for that he couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty. Saleek could barely manage a smile as he reached upwards to untie the human. After fumbling a bit, the lyan eventually managed to free his fellow prisoner. Patrick’s arms suddenly fell to his sides and he too dropped to the floor unceremoniously before picking himself up again. Saleek, however, was struggling to stand, as evidenced by the way he fell over onto the ground moments later.
‘Saleek, are you OK?’ asked a worried Patrick as he knelt beside the lyan and half-cradled him in his arms, which were tingling after being held aloft in chains for so long.
‘I’ll be all right,’ replied Saleek weakly. ‘Takin’ those hits took a lot outta me.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ said Patrick. ‘What do you think is happening?’
‘If what that guy said is true, then the semloids’ timing couldn’t have been any better. If the oomlocks are under attack, they’ll be disorganised and scattered. This is our best chance to escape.’
‘So,’ said Patrick as he helped Saleek to gradually stand up, ‘was this your plan? Did you contact the semloids somehow?’
‘It wasn’t me,’ came the reply. ‘My plan was just to get free of those chains somehow then work out the rest from there. Listen, we can talk ‘bout this later. Right now, we gotta get outta here.’
‘Good idea. Let’s go,’ agreed Patrick.
He le
t go of Saleek and started to walk towards the open doorway when the spiky lyan stumbled and dropped to a knee.
‘Damn it,’ cursed Saleek in equal parts exhaustion and frustration.
Patrick rushed back to his companion and helped him to stand once more.
‘Don’t worry, I won’t leave you here. We’re getting out of this place together,’ reassured Patrick. ‘Here, put your arm over my shoulder, that’s it. Now, walk with me.’
Supported by Patrick, Saleek slowly walked past the unconscious oomlock that was propped up against the wall and out of the filthy, grime-streaked walls of their prison.
Together the human and lyan made their way down the corridors of the old building they found themselves in. Apparently no one had taken care of this place for years, possibly even decades. The poor conditions of the grimy room they had been imprisoned inside were not limited to that room alone. The corridors too were made of old metal that was streaked with dirt and being slowly consumed by rust and decay. The closed doors that they passed were similarly rusty and filled with tiny holes. He couldn’t be sure, but Patrick thought he caught sight of some kind of alien rodent scurrying away down one of the corridors as he and Saleek continued to walk.
Lovely place for a secret hideout, thought Patrick sarcastically as they rounded another corner.
As they continued to walk, they could hear the cacophony of banging, thumping and shouting getting fainter.
‘Saleek, where are we going?’ asked the human.
‘I dunno. All these corridors look the same. I don’t even know what this place is or where we are.’
The pair kept walking for another few minutes before they reached a dead end and stopped. Patrick helped Saleek sit down and then he joined him. They both sat in silence for a few minutes, Saleek rubbing his aching body to try and dull the pain and Patrick breathing heavily to get his breath back. Finally Patrick spoke.
‘I think we’re lost.’
Saleek looked up at him.
‘Yeah, it sure looks that way.’
‘Do you have any idea what this place is?’ queried the tired human.
‘Not really. It’s obviously been abandoned for ages. Maybe it used to be some kind of administration building, or maybe a hospital or something. Hard to tell. All we’ve seen so far are these damn corridors that all look the same.’
Patrick took a deep breath and looked all around him, hoping to locate some kind of clue, anything that would indicate where they were or how to get out of the place. After finding none, he sighed despondently and looked at Saleek, who was flicking bits of rust off his clothes with a look of displeasure on his face.
‘Well, we can’t just sit here. We’ve got to keep going,’ decided Patrick as he got to his feet.
‘Dude, I’m gonna be honest with you. I’m way beyond tired and I’m in a lotta pain right now,’ confessed Saleek, a grimace crossing his lips as he spoke. ‘I dunno how much longer I can keep going. I need to rest, or at least eat something.’
‘How can you think about eating at a time like this?’ asked Patrick incredulously, kneeling down so he was at the same level as the lyan.
Saleek smiled.
‘I’ve told you before, haven’t I? My species has a really fast metabolism. I can keep going for days on end without any sleep at all, as long as I have plenty of food to eat. Eating also helps me heal faster.’
‘Remarkable,’ said Patrick in genuine astonishment.
‘No need to look so impressed,’ said Saleek. ‘Other species in this galaxy have similar attributes to mine. I ain’t special or anything.’
This time Patrick smiled.
‘I don’t know about that. You seem pretty special to me.’
‘You’re not gonna get all gushy on me, are ya?’ teased Saleek. ‘’Cause I gotta warn you, I ain’t in the mood right now.’
Patrick simply laughed.
‘OK sure, no ‘gushiness’. I promise. Come on, let’s get out of here.’
‘How are we gonna do that? It feels like we’ve been everywhere in this hellhole. Still no way out.’
‘There’s one way we haven’t tried yet.’
‘What’s that?’
‘The semloids came into this place and attacked the oomlocks, right?’
‘Yeah, so?’
‘Well, where they came in, there must be a way out.’
‘You’re not suggestin’ what I think you’re suggestin’, are you?’ asked Saleek, wide-eyed.
‘It might be our only way to get out of here and get you back to the ship before you pass out or something,’ insisted Patrick gently but firmly.
‘So, lemme get this straight. Your plan is to go towards all the screaming, banging and fighting instead of away from it?’
‘Yep.’
Saleek paused for a second, before grinning and saying, ‘Sounds like one of my plans! What have we got to lose? OK, help me up.’
Patrick did so.
Saleek slipped his arm over Patrick’s shoulder again and said, ‘All right, let’s go!’
The pair slowly made their way back through the seemingly endless series of corridors in the old, dilapidated building. The corridors turned into halls and back to corridors again, each hall having multiple pathways leading off from it.
‘Whoever designed this place should be shot,’ muttered Saleek humourlessly as he walked with Patrick’s help.
The human smiled and strengthened his resolve to find an escape route although he too was beginning to feel tired and was unsure as to how much longer he could keep going. Realising that he had little choice if he wanted to avoid being recaptured or worse, Patrick gritted his teeth and kept on walking through the cold, dimly lit corridors. After another ten minutes, Saleek and Patrick could just about make out the faint echoes of banging sounds floating down the corridors.
‘We must be gettin’ closer,’ reasoned Saleek.
‘Yeah. Let’s keep going,’ agreed Patrick.
The two turned left at the next junction and kept walking. About two minutes later, the banging sounds had intensified and now screaming could be heard as well.
‘Can I be honest with you, Patrick?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘I’m liking this plan less and less,’ confessed Saleek, before a particularly loud bang, possibly an explosion of some sort, reverberated along the walls of the corridor through which they walked.
Patrick paused for a moment, before shaking his head and saying firmly, ‘If there was another option, I’d be open to it. We’re both tired and we’re still in danger here so we have to get to safety as soon as possible. This is the quickest way out of here as far as I can tell.’
‘If only we had a weapon or something...’ said Saleek, tailing off.
‘We don’t want to get in a fire-fight, we just want to get out of here. Come on, it’s not much farther,’ replied Patrick as he set off again.
About a minute later, they reached the source of the commotion. They knew they had found what they were looking for because as they walked down the corridor, an oomlock came flying through a large pair of double doors just ahead of them.
Chapter 14