***
The ride on the mag-train was relatively short and completely uneventful. Mag-trains used magnetic levitation technology to suspend the metal train carriages in mid-air. This allowed them to zip around the “tracks” at a phenomenal speed, ensuring efficient transportation of people and goods all around the planet. Patrick passed some of the time by chatting to Saleek, but mostly he spent it gazing out of the window of the mag-train. He was still getting used to the sights and sounds of such a busy planet and he never ceased to be amazed by what he saw. They whizzed past shops, bars and restaurants packed with people. They sped past residential areas with tower blocks so high that they almost seemed to stretch into the stratosphere. They zoomed by industrial areas with large, heavy-duty pipes carrying multi-coloured fluids from one factory to another. They even raced by a big building which, at a glance, appeared to be constructed entirely of glass and housed many different types of animals and plants. Patrick wasn’t sure if it was some kind of zoo, botanical greenhouse, pet shop, or something else all together. He loved the wonder; he really enjoyed seeing everything for the first time with such naivety and such innocent eyes. He tried to guess what some of the buildings were for – it didn’t matter if he was wrong, he just enjoyed letting his imagination run wild inside his head. He felt like a kid again, like he was seeing things for the very first time. And, while it was a little scary, it also felt good.
The mag-train eventually came to a stop at a small station where Patrick and Saleek disembarked. They made their way past various tall buildings, until they came to a rather large area that seemed to be the dig site. While Patrick could quite happily converse in Standard for hours, he still struggled to read some of the characters in the written form of the language. He just about made out the word “site” on the large sign that was gleaming overhead but the other words could have been anything. It could have passed for an archaeological site at a glance, but there were a multitude of strange-looking machines around and very few actual people. Still, Patrick just stood there, marvelling at the sand that covered the majority of the site. So far, every single area on Nexus One that he had stepped foot on had been made of metallic alloys, rubber, types of cement or strengthened glass. It was very unusual to see something which appeared natural on such an unnatural, synthetic planet. The sand was a pale orange colour and seemed to cover the whole region, and in the middle of the dig site was a large hole that had been bored into the ground by machines. The sides of the chasm were a vibrant red colour, and the human briefly wondered what type of rock it was made of. Patrick craned his neck to try and get a better look but he couldn’t see much beyond the outer edge of the hole.
Saleek tapped him on the shoulder (apparently this was the universal way to get someone’s attention, regardless of species or culture) and said ‘C’mon dude, this way. It’s over here.’
As they made their way towards two surly looking individuals who seemed to be guarding the entrance to the site, Saleek pulled Patrick aside for a moment and whispered ‘Listen, I have a way to get us both into the back building, where all the really rare stuff is being kept. I know some of the guys that work here. Play along and we’ll get to see some artefacts that are literally thousands of years old. I’m gonna tell ‘em you’re my off-world contact who is interested in acquiring some of these priceless specimens, ok? Just nod and smile.’
Patrick stopped and gave the lyan a look of incredulity for a moment.
‘Really? Are you sure this is a good idea?’
‘Sure, sure. It’s easy. I do this stuff all the time. Just play along and you’ll be fine,’ insisted Saleek, who began walking towards the entrance to the site.
Patrick, who remained unconvinced, sighed and followed the spiky alien. He began to feel uneasy as they approached the two men guarding the main barrier. Something about this didn’t feel quite right. Sure, Saleek had initially seemed harmless and he had also helped Patrick in that fight back at the spaceport, but he had been awfully insistent that Patrick accompany him to this place, and he was also very reluctant to do it another day. Now he was telling him that he had to act and pretend to be someone else in order to gain access to the site.
What have I gotten myself into now? Wondered Patrick as Saleek handed over the two amber-coloured tickets to the men at the barrier.
One of the two spoke into a concealed radio somewhere on his body, in a language that Patrick was unfamiliar with – it definitely wasn’t Standard. A raspy, angry-sounding voice replied in the same language.
‘OK, you can go through to the back,’ announced the first man at the barrier. ‘Go straight down towards that white dome, then turn left and keep going till you reach the big grey building with no windows.’
‘Thanks, buddy,’ said Saleek, grinning. ‘Come on, Patrick, let’s go.’
He motioned for the human to follow him. Patrick did so, but he carefully eyed up the guards as he walked past. Upon closer inspection, he could see that they were both armed with pistols of some type, which were nestled in holsters on their hips. They were wearing thick, rugged clothes and possibly body armour on their torsos too. After they had passed the barrier, Saleek picked up the pace and began to walk very quickly towards the white dome that was about one hundred metres away. Patrick had to virtually jog in order to catch up to him.
When he did, he said, ‘Saleek, what is going on here?’
The spiky lyan turned his head to face Patrick as he replied, ‘What do you mean?’
‘I thought you said this was a busy tourist attraction, but I can’t see any other tourists around here at all. And those guys weren’t a very friendly welcoming committee. In fact, they were dressed a bit like mercenaries...and did you see those pistols they were carrying?’
‘I don’t know what you mean. Must be a quiet time for them today, perhaps the crowds will arrive later on...’ offered the spiky alien casually.
They were almost upon the white dome now, it had to be no more than twenty metres away.
‘Come on, Saleek. What kind of tourist attraction has armed guards manning the entrance? If you’re setting me up for something-’
‘I promise I’m not!’ said the lyan, walking briskly onwards.
‘Then what is really going on here? I want the truth!’ exclaimed Patrick.
‘Hey, you two! Over here!’ yelled a raspy voice.
Three mercenaries, all carrying rifles, stepped out from behind the white dome structure. Saleek and Patrick both stopped in their tracks and the latter gulped in apprehension. The mercenaries were all clad in similar attire to the two guarding the main entrance. They all wore body armour on their torsos and churlish expressions on their faces.
One of them, apparently the owner of the raspy voice they had heard over the radio, stepped forwards and said curtly, ‘It’s this way. Follow us,’ and he began marching down a long path cut into the sand, at the end of which was a large, grey building with no apparent windows.
The two remaining mercenaries brandished their rifles threateningly and before he knew what he was doing, Patrick was accompanying Saleek and following the third mercenary, who seemed to be in charge.
‘Oh no...’ whispered Patrick to himself as they neared the grey building.
There were no windows of any sort and he could only spot one entrance. That meant only one way in and, more importantly, only one way out. The human glanced around frantically but he could see no obvious escape route. Truth be told, he wasn’t confident of making an escape without getting shot anyway, there was very little cover between the buildings – it was just flat land and lots of orange sand everywhere. Patrick glanced at Saleek, whose normal confidence appeared to have deserted him. The spiky alien managed a small smile in return, but he definitely looked a little uncomfortable with the current situation. All Patrick could do was swallow hard, try and ignore the lump in his throat and stay alert if he wanted to stay safe.
The human and lyan were led into the grey building, through a small foy
er section and through some extremely heavy-looking double doors. Patrick could see a thick border of some hard material all around the edges of the doors and he reasoned that they must be similar to blast doors – heavy-duty, designed to withstand all manner of explosives and could be sealed air-tight for extra security.
Whatever these guys have got back here, it must be worth protecting, the human mused.
However, with those heavy doors as the only way out, escape was looking increasingly unlikely as a viable option. He was going to have to rely on his wits if he was going to get through this, and possibly rely on Saleek as well. Patrick bit his lip instinctively as he felt anger rise in his chest.
What was Saleek thinking? I thought I could trust him! If he tries to sell me out, and if I survive, I’m gonna hunt him down and kick his ass for putting me through this! All I wanted was a fresh start on Nexus One...
Patrick once more glanced at Saleek, but the spiky alien did not meet his gaze. He seemed lost in thought, or focussing on something.
I hope he’s focussing on an escape plan. And a good one at that, thought Patrick.
Beyond the heavy double doors was a long corridor. The floor and ceiling were a light beige in colour, but the walls were made entirely of some transparent material. Through the walls, Patrick could see various rooms, some large, some small, all containing people in white protective suits working at tables. There were various machines in the background and the lighting seemed extremely bright and artificial as it illuminated every inch of the rooms. Upon the tables lay many different kinds of objects. Patrick did not have time to study them in detail as he was lead through the main corridor, but they mostly seemed to be just chunks of rock, possibly from the hole that had been excavated outside. Eventually they came to another set of double doors at the end of the long corridor, but these doors appeared light in construction and were definitely not blast doors. The lead mercenary pressed a wall contact, then pulled a card from his pocket and placed it in a slot in the door. A light on the door flashed green, accompanied by a loud beep. The mercenary withdrew his card, pocketed it and stowed his weapon, before opening the double doors. Patrick and Saleek were herded into the room beyond.
Chapter 4