4-Conference Room

The light from the controls in our pod reflect off the window making it impossible to see anything in the dark area of the giant airship we're now inside of. Unstrapping myself from the seat I lean forward and command, "Monitor open door."

A few confusing seconds pass of me wondering about the response I haven't received and just before trying it again Yalding pipes up, "Monitor doesn't work inside the ship, otherwise cloaking wouldn't be necessary as Imperium could track us."

Unbuckling herself she presses a button that opens the door of our pod. The smell of the salty ocean water hit's me. It's dark and I can't make anything out too well besides the pod's light reflecting off the water we're floating on that came flooding in when we entered the ship.

All of the sudden the lights turn on in this giant empty room and through a speaker located somewhere above a voice calls out, "Ahh, Vanessa and Ian, so glad you were able to make it. Come to the conference room on the second deck."

"Who are these people and how many decks are on this ship?" I quiz her while looking around this empty, plain room.

"Three that I know of but I haven't yet been privileged with a tour. They would prefer it if I don't tell you who they are yet. They're very secretive in how they conduct things, which has kept them ahead of Imperium for this long. It's only the second time I've been allowed aboard." She responds while pressing some buttons in the pod, shutting it down.

"They went through all this just to free me from that facility and I don't even know who they are. I don't like surprises Vanessa, you know that." I tell her as I unstrap myself from the seat and stand up.

Looking deep into my eyes she asks, "Do you trust me?"

Yes and no. The part of me that doesn't, wants to tell her but just can't. Besides, she went out of her way to free me from that facility and she's my only ally. I can not compromise that by being honest I just can't, not right now. So I reply,
"Of course, you know that."

I think the hesitation between my thoughts, until when I answered her gives away the fact that I don't fully trust her. It seems she discerns that by the look of slight disappointment I see her trying to mask. Without saying anything more she turns around.

There must be a drain in here because I can see the water level decreasing and soon our pod is resting on the metal floor of this empty bay. We step out onto the wet floor and I follow Vanessa as she heads for a ladder that's bolted into one of the walls surrounding us.

While she ascends up the ladder I look back at the pod and notice its insignificance compared to the size of this big empty room.

She reaches the top and gripping the ladder's cold steps I follow behind her, climbing my way up. I reach the top standing on a small ledge that stretches around the perimeter of the bay. It's just wide enough for a person to walk across and has a metal rail all the way around in order to prevent someone from falling off.

I head towards Vanessa who's waiting by the only door of this room. "Ian, whatever happens just trust me. No matter what." she adds while reaching out her hand towards the door handle.

Before I could fully digest her words she opens the door and steps aside revealing three men in military fatigues with pistols gripped in their hands. I take a step back and as they come through the doorway I say, "Whoa, I'm not a threat, you can holster your pistols."

One of the men demands, "Not going to happen, now put this on." He pulls a black bag made of cloth out of his back pocket and throws it at me.

Catching it I quickly stare down and inspect it before looking back up at them and questioning, "How long will I be blind folded?"

"Until we reach deck 2." one of them answers as the three of them step through the doorway and approach me.

I look over to Vanessa to get her opinion. She nods at me while conveying, "Don't worry it's just a precaution. I went through the same thing the first time I was aboard."

Looking back at the mask I wearily pull it over my head. The smell of old sweat makes me nauseous and I just want this to be over with. I don't like not being able to see, I feel too vulnerable.

Hearing footsteps of one of the men approaching me I start to grow nervous. Just then someone grabs one of my hands and cuffs it.

"What's this?" I demand while stepping away from him and using my free hand to rip off the mask. He advances towards me from behind but I elbow him in the face and staggering backwards he pulls out his pistol and takes aim at me.

"Get on the ground! On your stomach now, comply or we'll shoot!" One of them commands as the other two also pull their pistols on me.

I could grab Vanessa's knife that's sitting in her pocket and maybe take out two of them, but that left her and the other guy. Every way I played it out in my head ended with me full of bullets, and knowing I'm outgunned I take the smart route and comply.

"On the ground now, I won't say it again!" he shouts as he takes a step closer to me.

"Okay, I'm getting on the ground, don't shoot." I convey while keeping my hands visible and slowly dropping to my knees then to my stomach, putting my hands behind my back.

Two of them walk over holstering their pistols as the third, whose nose is running with blood, keeps a short distance back maintaining his aim at me.

"It didn't have to be this way Ian, you just made it so much harder." Vanessa claims while stepping out of the way.

"You never said anything about them cuffing me!" I yell as they grab my hands and lock them together.

The two men yank me up onto my feet while the third man holsters his pistol and walks over to me with blood dripping off his chin. "You broke my nose." He states while wiping some blood from his face and smearing it onto his pants.

"Your lucky, I would've done a lot more than that if I had the chance." I bite back as I flinch towards him, but the two men holding each of my arms pull me back.

"Your the lucky one," he says, "if it were up to me, I'd kill you right now." He takes a step back and without warning, kicks me as hard as he can in the chest.

I bend forward trying to catch my breath while he slides the black cloth over my face, darkening everything.

They lead me through many hallways and stairs, one man on either side of me and one in front, Vanessa following behind. 'Right turn, and thirty-seven steps. Another right turn, and twenty-two steps....' I do my best to memorize our movements as we progress through the ship, but I end up losing track as they seemingly lead me in circles.

Finally we stop and as I hear a door opening, they lead me through it. It closes behind us and I assume we have reached the conference room on deck two. My blindfold is removed and I assess my surroundings.

A long wooden table sits before me and standing around it are eight men wearing military fatigues, two of them holding shotguns, the other six, short barreled rifles. At the end of the table is an older gentleman with graying hair, wearing a green suit and black slacks.

Like I was trained to do in every combat situation, I start calculating threat assessments in my head. 'Four on each side, one at the end, plus the three who brought me in, and Vanessa. That makes thirteen targets, eleven of them armed with guns and Vanessa with her knife. As for the older gentleman at the end of the table I assume he's also armed. My hands are cuffed so that leaves me with a zero percent chance of being able to do anything other than just stand here right now.

The older man at the end of the table interrupts my thoughts by addressing me. "Ian, you've made it. I hope it wasn't too difficult for you to find the conference room." he snidely remarks while walking aside the table, gliding his hand across each of the chairs surrounding it, as he advances towards me.

"It was easy, I would've gotten lost if it weren't for these two tour guides though." I sarcastically reply while nodding my head to the left, then the right, at the two men holding my arms. "Let me out of these cuffs!" I demand. "I'm out-manned and out-gunned by a long shot. There's no possible way I'm a threat." I state.

Standing just a yard or two in front of me now, he says, "Very well. Damian unlock his restraints."

The man whose nose I broke replies, "Sir." Then he presses a button on his belt and the cuffs unlock, falling to the ground.

I feel somewhat better knowing that I now have the freedom of my hands. "Now tell me who the hell you guys are!" I yell, while rubbing my hand around my wrist.

"Forgive my manners, let me start with my name. I am Cecil and I-" he pauses then begins again. "we, are the Akuvarian."