I know, I know... I'm taking too long to finish this story. I really need to focus on this and get it done. I hope you all didn't lose interest between chapters. We are going to come to the end of this and wrap it all up. As always, constructive criticism is encouraged but abuse will not be tolerated and summarily deleted. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
The butterflies in Annette's stomach did not so much as flutter but rip through her as the elevator bumped to a stop at the basement harder than she thought a high-class casino lift should. She glanced quickly at the corporal who accompanied her to the breeding area as the doors parted to let her out of the car. Annette slipped through the opening then turned to the soldier in the elevator with a questioning look.
"Just down the hallway and to the left, Mrs. Simmons." Corporal Saunders said as he motioned her the right way to proceed. "There'll be another soldier at the door to guide you the rest of the way."
Annette said nothing, only nodded her thanks and watched as the trooper tipped the brim of his cap and gave her a slight all-knowing grin while the beige elevator doors closed. Annette proceeded down the hall as Saunders had directed then turned left, nearly running face-first into another soldier, this one with an automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. Annette drew a breath in sharply as she ogled the high-powered weapon. Past the armed military man was a desk where a large woman in a green uniform sat, her dark brown hair streaked with grey strands swirled neatly into a tight knot on the top of her head.
"Good morning, Mrs. Simmons," the uniformed woman stated without standing or smiling, "I'm Captain Angelus. You're here for your nine o'clock appointment?"
"Y-yes, ma'am," Annette stammered. "N-nine o'clock is what they told me." Annette suddenly felt not as confident as she did earlier in the morning. She thought about running away. She thought about Mac and his protestations. She wondered what might happen if she called the whole thing off.
"C-could I have just a moment, Captain?" Annette leaned against the block wall and stuttered again as she asked the Viking-esque women still seated at the desk in the hallway.
"Of course, Mrs. Simmons," Angelus said with just the slightest of smirks on her face, nearly mirroring that of the elevator guard. "We do have a schedule but there is ample time built in for... taking a moment." Annette thought that this was the first hint of humanity from the captain she had seen since she rounded the corner. It helped put her at ease and re-focus on the big picture.
"Thank you, Captain," Annette said and drew in a deep breath, holding it for a second longer than normal then exhaling audibly. She thought about the money and her late mother and what she had told her about the experience years before. There was no going back now. Her determination realigned, Annette strode toward the desk and the female officer that occupied the chair behind it. "OK, Captain. I'm ready."
"Excellent, Mrs. Simmons," Angelus said as she finally rose from the seat. Annette noticed that, although the captain was burly, she was at least six inches shorter than her. She stifled a giggle at the officer's diminutive stature then focused her thoughts on the impending appointment. Angelus rounded the desk and opened the door between herself and the guard with the rifle. "Right this way, Mrs. Simmons," Angelus said as she motioned her to the opening. Annette walked through the doorway and the captain guided her with a hand slightly touching he back. Angelus led Annette through the room to another door on the other side then opened it. Annette peered inside but could see nothing.
"Is that where I'm supposed to go, ma'am?" Annette questioned Angelus.
"Yes, Mrs. Simmons," the captain answered matter-of-factly.
"It's so dark!" Annette exclaimed as she stepped into the pitch-black room.
"The Nebulans are very sensitive to bright light," Angelus retorted with a knowing confidence. "The lights will be brought up slightly when you go in so that you can find your way around. If you are ready now, Mrs. Simmons, then I'll leave you to the task at hand." Angelus did not wait for Annette's reply, only stepped backward through the doorway then closed the door.
As promised, the lights rose slightly so that Annette could see her surroundings. The room held nothing but a double bed with two pillows and no blankets, only a fitted sheet covering the mattress and a top sheet folded down halfway. Annette looked around the room and saw four cameras placed in each corner of the ceiling.
They're going to watch?!
She thought but then reasoned that it was most likely only for security purposes. Annette looked further into the room and saw a stainless-steel table at the foot of the bed. Sitting on top of the table, Annette saw something that looked like a brain, only it was black in color.
Next to the brain-like object on the table was a small metal box with two flashing red lights. Annette hesitantly stepped closer to the table and the brain-thing to look closer. As she did, Annette heard a very faint squeaking noise, almost like the sound she thought a mouse might make. The two lights went from red to green as the tiny squeaks were replaced by a calm voice that echoed throughout the room.
"Welcome, Annette Simmons, I am En-moten" the voice said. Annette heard more squeaks and then the voice continued.
"Thank you on behalf of the inhabitants of Veronax for your service to our species. Shall we begin the session?"
++++++++++
Mac and Danny had made it to the basement a full hour before Annette had entered the room for her session, but they were many corridors away from her and completely clueless as to where she might be in the bowels of the massive defunct casino. The two would-be rescuers decided to split up at a hallway that they had decided was approximately halfway from where they had started. As the corridor they were walking down ended in a "T," Mac took the left and continued without Danny who veered right.
"Use that walkie sparingly, if at all," Danny said just above a whisper as he held up his own orange device. The duo had found the two-way radios in a room occupied by a camouflage-clad guard who had snuck off to catch a few winks before the day's activities had gotten into full swing. Danny put a finger to his lips to keep Mac quiet then pointed to the walkies on a ledge near the slumbering soldier. Danny tiptoed into the room and gently removed the radios from their cradle. Stealthily, he exited the room, and the two men closed the door slowly as to not wake the sleeping guard. Now the two could keep in contact as they headed in opposite directions.