Sacred Trust (15 page)

“Look!” Ruen's voice rang out so loudly she clapped her hand over her mouth. She had ventured ahead of us and now stood pointing at whatever was on the other side of another viewing window. But there was apparently something much different about the view from this one. Her eyes were practically bugged out of her head. “Ships,” she said.

I left Eonus and joined her at the window.

“Spaceships,” I corrected, staring down at two fighter-sized crafts nestled into sparkling clean work bays where white-suited technicians—again, all albinos—were busy working on the zippy little two-seater and something that reminded me of the space shuttles from
Star Trek
. Both craft certainly looked to me like something that could leave planetary orbit, but perhaps I was imbedding too much human background into my analysis.

“Maybe they are spacecraft,” said Ruen. “They do look somewhat familiar. I need to go back to the Space Museum. Because they look like some ancient designs I have previously encountered.”

“Perhaps we're in a secret research facility,” I suggested. “This building—or whatever it is—seems to be self-contained, and self-supporting. But why are all the people we see albinos?”

“Good question,” Ruen said.

Ruen pointed again. “I think on the far wall there, that big sliding door must be how they get the spaceships in and out.”

We peered across the room. It looked to me like Ruen was right in her assumption.

“I really wonder where we are and why they have kidnapped us,” I said, “What do we know that needs to be kept a secret?”

Obviously overwhelmed, she shook my head. “I don't know.”

“And why is it here instead of your main facilities?”

“Look. Walls join,” Eonus said.

I turned around and my eyes went to where he was pointing. In the distance, the outside walls narrowed to a point—like the bow of a sailing vessel.
Or a spaceship. One enormous spaceship!
Where the walls joined at the bow was a vertical circular tube with a sliding door with what looked like an elevator control panel.

I went to Eonus and entwined my fingers with his. Moments later, Ruen's cold fingers grasped my other hand. We looked silently at one another. Ruen's color had faded. I didn't know her thoughts, but obviously our latest discoveries and what they likely meant frightened her. Still, none of us voiced our suspicions of where we really were. I didn't even want to admit to myself that we were likely on an alien spaceship traveling to who knew where.

“Where do you think that elevator leads?” I asked Eonus.

“More levels.”

Secretly, I wondered if it would take us to a bridge. I bolstered my courage and said, “Let's see where it takes us,” I said.

“We can't. Not now anyway,” said Ruen. “We are running late and need to get back before they discover we are gone from our cell.”

Reluctantly agreeing with her, we jogged as quickly as we could back to our room. And not with much time to spare, either, as our meals arrived a few moments later.

I didn't have much to say as we ate. My thoughts were fixated on our abduction. I figured tonight would be the night I disappeared. The pattern had been set.

I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could do to stop my eventual disappearance. Thankfully, Ruen took my mind off my worries.

“I have remembered other parts of my game I want to add to it,” said Ruen, “and then we can play a game or two before bed.”

What we added to Ruen's board seemed out of proportion but I let it go. The areas we'd seen were so vast perhaps my perception was off. After the additions, we played a couple of games. Ruen's rules made each game last a couple of hours but, at least, we had something to do.

After the second game, Ruen pointed to the amenities room. Tata and I followed her.

“What I think we should do tonight,” said Ruen, “is push our beds together and sleep close to each other. Then our captors will not be able to take Nara away.”

“Good idea,” said Eonus, taking my hand in his and pulling me close to his side. “Allergic serum.”

Concern radiated from him, warming my heart. I smiled up at him and squeezed his hand.

Back in the main room, we pushed our beds together with mine in the middle. I went to sleep nestled in Eonus' arms, with Ruen snuggled up to my back.

I woke up with my cheek pressed to a cold tiled floor.
Yuck
! I shook uncontrollably and was so nauseous it was all I could do to keep my dinner down.

I rolled over and there was Eonus and Ruen, lying beside me, either still asleep or unconscious...but alive. And crouched over us was Iseen, the concierge of my apartment building. I couldn't believe it! All three of us lay on the floor of the foyer. We were home!

Iseen laid her hand on my arm. “Nara, how do you feel?” she asked.

“Awful. But wonderful.” I said, smiling up at her. I tried to sit up but I got so dizzy I had to lie back down. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs, but turned out to be a bad idea. It didn't help my nausea one little bit.

“Wait here,” Iseen said and jumped up. Running to the front desk, she started making calls, undoubtedly to our parents. I waited with one arm braced on the lobby floor, which wasn't as clean as I'd previously thought it to be.
Someone needs to have a chat with the cleaning staff
. I thought, wishing I had enough energy to pick myself up off this grimy floor.

I heard Eonus moan and then Ruen began to show signs of movement as she too awoke. The next thing I knew, Kevin, our medic, was by my side, poking and prodding at me the way doctors do.

“What have you been up to?” he asked. “Everyone's been looking for the three of you for days. Your parents are at their wits' end.”

“We were abducted and held captive, and then I think I got some truth serum or something last night. I don't feel very well. How are Eonus and Ruen?” I tried to turn so I could see them.

“They're being tended to, so just relax,” he said, continuing his examination. “You have all the symptoms of anaphylactic shock. I think you've had another allergic reaction—possibly the truth serum you mentioned. Lie still now. I'm going to give you a shot to help counteract your symptoms.”

He prepared the vac syringe and administered the medication through my skin just below my left ear. It was virtually painless. “Now just lie quietly for a moment, and let the medicine work.”

I wanted to see Eonus and Ruen, and give them both a hug, but Kevin was correct; I needed to let his ministrations have a chance to work. And I didn't have the energy to even move my legs yet. Perhaps an exaggeration, but my body protested any movement.

While I rested on the floor, letting the shot take effect, Dad came up to me and put a pillow under my head and a blanket over my body. Then he sat down on the floor and held my hand.

“How are you feeling, baby? The three of you have had us very worried,” he said.

In the distance, I heard Ilandus talking to Eonus and some unknown person talking to Ruen. Just then, Kikess burst through the entrance to our foyer.

“You're not the only ones who are upset. I didn't think we would ever get out of that prison,” I said.

“Prison?” asked Dad. My words had not reassured him.

I tried to sit up again but Kevin held me down. “I feel much better,” I protested. “I need to sit up and get my bearings. I need to see Eonus.”

I saw the
she's being stubborn
glances Dad and Kevin exchanged, and then Dad gently helped me sit up before wrapping the blanket around my shoulders.

Turning around, I saw Eonus and Ruen also sitting up and talking to their respective parents. I figured the unknown Basilian woman talking to Ruen had to be her mother. After all, she lived right here in the building.

“Eonus, Ruen—are you guys okay? How do you feel?” I asked. From my position, they appeared to be in pretty good health.

“Like I did after my interrogation,” said Ruen. “Just tired.”

Eonus smiled softly at me and said, “Feel fine. Okay now.”

I nodded and then turned back to my father. I knew Kikess would want to question us but I didn't want to answer his questions here. “I need to go up to our apartment and relax in familiar surroundings. Why don't you suggest everyone gather up there, and we can tell you about what happened to us?”

The parental devices conferred and agreed to my suggestion.

After reassuring Iseen, our motherly concierge, of our rapidly recovering fitness, we settled into our living room. Ruen, Eonus, and I sat on the long couch covered in blankets and comforters. Still a little shaky, we needed warmth—especially me, after my allergic reaction.

Dad and Ruen's mother, Raen, occupied the love seat, and Officer Kikess and Ilandus sat on a couple of chairs. Stools were not something we had in our human home.

Kevin and his wife Sylvia offered to man the kitchen to provide food and drink. Ilandus gave them access to her apartment so they could gather refreshments for the non-humans. From a common root, the Arandi and Basilians could eat the same foodstuffs.

Under our blankets, Eonus slid his hand onto my lap and took my hand in his—I don't think anyone noticed. His touch comforted me. I glanced at him and saw reassurance and much, much more reflected in his eyes. I wanted to lay my head on his shoulder, but I wasn't quite ready yet to let our parents know what was happening between us...at least not before I knew exactly what was happening myself.

“Nara, I know you have your own doctor to keep an eye on you, but I want Eonus and Ruen to be checked over at the hospital when we're finished here,” said Kikess glancing around the room.

“Fine,” said Eonus.

Everyone understood Eonus' proclamation of feeling fine.

“Yes, you and Ruen do seem unharmed,” said Kikess, “but we need to take this precaution.”

Ruen looked like she wanted to argue with her father but after Raen, her mother, reached over and took hold of her arm, Ruen subsided. She wasn't going to win this argument with both her parents in the same corner.

A natural at interrogation, Kikess continued the discussion. “My, I mean, our first question is how did you all disappear? And where did you go?”

“Have you found any albinos?” I asked.

Kikess shook his head. I knew I'd confused him by not directly answering his question.

“Well, we were abducted by albinos, one at a time. Ruen was the first, then Eonus, then me, as you know. We all ended up in the same place, so it must have been the same albinos.” Although not completely logical, I was convinced of my statement's accuracy.

Studying their faces, my irritation grew; they weren't believers yet.
Lighten up; you may be surprised. These are intelligent people,
I told myself.

“How did you get to this place where you were held?” asked Kikess. Skepticism infused his voice.

“We have no idea how we got to our cell, and we have no idea how we got back here. My best guess is...”
Okay, here goes
. “...by molecular transporter.” I cringed, knowing what their responses were going to be.

“Transporter?” asked Ilandus.

The only people not confused by the word transporters were the humans, and Kevin tried hard to contain his laughter.

They aren't taking me seriously!
I couldn't quite decipher the look on Dad's face, but he was a seasoned diplomat and knew how to hide his reactions. However, I needed to continue with this narrative.

“Transporters are devices that operate by taking your body apart all the way down to molecules—or any object for that matter—and reassembling the molecules in a different location without any harm to the transported individual or object.”

Okay, I had to agree that sounded a little spacey
. It was no wonder no one said anything for the next few moments, while they digested my bizarre but nonetheless true explanation. I supposed transporters were a little too fanciful for immediate acceptance.

Kikess was the first to speak. “Do humans have this device?” he asked, looking at my father and then at me.

“Not yet,” I said. “So far, it's only a theory.”

“Perhaps you are mistaken in how you arrived at your destination,” Kikess said.

“Not likely. Some device that acted like a transporter deposited us in our holding cell after we were abducted by the albinos. And when we were individually taken away for interrogation, the method to remove us was again the same,” I said. “Each one of us materialized as if out of thin air. We saw it happen and Ruen remembers experiencing it.” I folded my arms across my chest and gave each parental unit a steady look that invited, yet brooked, no argument.

“Okay then, tell me about the location where you were all held,” said Kikess, trying to defuse the brewing argument.

I looked at Ruen, thinking she should probably jump in here as no one seemed to believe me. She got my message.

Kevin gave me a warm cup of tea and also distributed beverages to Ruen and Eonus before taking a seat to listen to what Ruen had to say.

“We were held in a room with an adjacent amenities room. There were three beds, a table and three stools. That was all we had. Our days quickly became boring so we asked out loud for paper and writing instruments. And our captors supplied a stack of useful items. We wrote notes and letters to everyone, and made some games to play. Otherwise, we would have been sitting around all day doing nothing while we waited for our three meals and evening snack to arrive,” said Ruen.

Ruen looked at Eonus and me, and we smiled at each other. We had not been that bored.

“Okay,” my father said skeptically, “what did you three get up to? Your not-so-secret smiles are telling me you're not telling us everything.” The glances between the parents clearly revealed that none of them thought the three of us would have been happy sitting idly by, waiting for something to happen.