What Lies Beneath

Posted on Sun Mar 8th, 2020 @ 8:07pm by Lieutenant Lei Shan & Commander Hans Munich & Lieutenant JG Ronnie Wolfe

1,066 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Food for the Gods
Location: Underground
Timeline: After "The Sacrifice"

ON

The slide spiraled down a long ways, finally flattening out so the two could slow to a stop. They were in a large room where people dressed in what looked like jumpsuits were taking baskets of goods and putting them onto a conveyor belt.

Ronnie's clothes were jumbled around her and she had to get up to straighten them out. A male hurried over to help her.

"Oh, good," he said, looking her over. "You will suit nicely."

"Suit what?" she asked, stepping away once she had her balance.

"They didn't tell you?" he asked, looking concerned.

"No. Just that we were to be sacrifices for the protectors," Ronnie said.

The man went over to someone else and began a whispered conversation.

Shan's struggles had managed to tumble her around head over heels on the way down and it took a second for her to stagger to her feet, shaking her head viciously to try to clear it and backing away from the unfamiliar voices. Her hands came up to a guarded position. The connection with Savar, the brief moment her mind had touched his, was gone. He was again being blocked from her. Perhaps the touch she'd managed should have made her feel better- at least she knew he was alright, and he knew she was- but it didn't. Not feeling him, not touching his mind, was grating on her. It wasn't right. She had been able to feel her Mate ever since they had Bonded. She didn't like whatever was powerful enough to keep him from her. It might even be powerful enough to stop him from finding her.

The two men that came to collect had a utility jumpsuit type uniform with black tool belts; on the bets were holsters. Being a short but safe distance away they summed up the two.

"Pretty one looks okay." The smaller man said

"Other looks like a difficult one." The Larger of the two said while drawing his stunner and firing.

"Wait a minute," Ronnie said. "You think she looks difficult and you shoot her?" She noticed that the weapon was not a slug-thrower but a stunner. Did that mean they had communications that could be used to reach the Calypso? "And you haven't told us why we were kidnapped and dumped down here, or even where here is." She held her hands away from her body. "Not trying to cause trouble, just want some answers."

"She took a fighting stance." The man holstered his weapon. "Aggressive instead of like you just waiting to see." He kept his hand on the weapon. "Snap the shackles." He urged his partner.

"You got it." From his back he took out shackles with a limited length of chain to allow walking. "Just a moment." He placed them on the fallen woman before stepping back.

"Smart girl." The Larger man said without taking his eyes off the other woman. "Light buzz charge, enough to cuff and she should be coming around."

Shan opened her eyes, having a terrible feeling of deja vu. She kept waking up after having been stunned lately. As she sat up, her feet dragged and she looked down so see that she had been bound in something like leg-irons. She would be able to move a little bit, but both her hands and feet were connected by a length of strong, but very light, chain.

"What the HELL is going on here?" she shouted as she struggled to her feet. "Who are you?" she asked, adding a Chinese expletive to the end of the question.

"You were aggressive, we hate violence among those down here." The man who shot her replied. "As for what are you doing here, you will be working a task to earn your place."

"So you're nothing but slavers," Shan growled low in her throat.

"What do you mean, earn our place?" Ronnie asked. "What sort of place is it?" She glanced around to see if she could get a clue from her surroundings.

"The lower habitat needs things done; everyone has a job." The guard stated firmly. "You work well and not troublesome..." Glaring at Shan. "You get more delicate duties and some perks." He shrugged. "Problem work harder until they conform or we take care of the problem. You work to maintain the Habitat and good is rewarded." He ended. "Light chamber or kitchen duties allow better food and such while Labor intensive things like cleaning the waste system is less desirable."

"Over my dead body!" Shan snapped. "I am slave to no one."

"Seriously? We were sent down here to be slaves?" Ronnie asked. "You don't have enough people needing work?"

"No, that's not why you're here," another voice said. "But it's where you start until you adapt."

"Once you get more trusted tasks you will find benefits and less labor." Then The guard continued. "There is a rewards system in place, but it must be earned."

"Benefits? You take us from our homes, our families, and tell us there are benefits?" Ronnie asked.

"If you had families that were known you would not have been chosen. You are strangers to those above and thus given to us." The guard answered almost casually.

"What makes you say that?" Ronnie asked. "Why would it matter if we had family or not?" There was something odd about this. She had the distinct feeling that the people of the city were relieved she and Shan showed up. That didn't seem to agree with what this man said.

"Our disappearance will not be unnoticed," Shan warned. "If you think you got away with something, think again. We had friends up there in the city with us, and we both have men who expect us home."

"Not any more. You will spend the rest of your lives down here. It was agreed upon from the beginning," the second man said.

"Not by us or by our people," Ronnie said. "And I assure you, they will come after us."

The second man just laughed. "They can try." He smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "Now, come, we will take you to your temporary facilities and let you get settled in. Then you will meet the elders."

More guards appeared to escort the women.

____
OFF

Lieutenant Lei Shan
Operations

&

Lieutenant JG Ronnie Lancaster
Assistant Chief Science Officer

 

RSS Feed