The next morning, Orcilla called a meeting at the laboratory to discuss the Linap they had defrosted. She invited Yassmay, Yassme, Daily, Denise, Vulay, Eugene, Colin, Freddy, and Louis. Prior to the meeting, she spoke with Yassmay in her laboratory office.
‘How did the intelligence test go?’ asked Orcilla as she leaned on her desk while looking towards Yassmay, who was standing in the doorway. ‘Were the results as expected?’
‘Not exactly,’ replied Yassmay. ‘All of them answered all the questions correctly.’
‘They’re all smart,’ said Orcilla. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. They were the genius family of their time.’
‘L5 and L7 finished the test fastest,’ said Yassmay. ‘We might conclude they are the smartest.’
‘Well, L7 is a new Linap, and L5’s bloodwork shows signs of self-enhancement,’ said Orcilla. ‘How about L1?’
‘She was one of the slowest to finish,’ replied Yassmay. ‘I don’t think this is an indication of lesser intelligence. I think she might be the smartest.’
‘What’s your reasoning?’ asked Orcilla.
‘I think she chose not to stand out from the others,’ replied Yassmay. ‘It’s the safest course of action in an uncertain environment. L5 and L7 put their ego ahead of their own security.’
‘It’s also an indication that she has more to be afraid of,’ said Orcilla as she walked towards Yassmay. ‘She can’t walk because of an injury. I believe this injury was inflicted on her.’
‘Yes, I think you are right,’ said Yassmay as both she and Orcilla walked out of the office. ‘When I took her out, I mentioned her blue eyes. She instinctively changed them to brown.’
‘That is some advanced shapeshifting,’ replied Orcilla as she turned to Yassmay. ‘I think she was being hunted for her genes.’
‘Could she still be in danger?’ asked Yassmay as they both continued walking towards the laboratory meeting room.
‘Maybe,’ replied Orcilla as she opened the meeting room door.
The others had arrived and were seated. Yassmay sat in the chair next to Yassme, and Orcilla took her place at the head of the table.
‘It has been a strange few weeks,’ said Orcilla as she looked down the table. ‘I’m very proud of how all of you have managed these unusual circumstances.’
Eugene pumped his fist energetically, and Vulay shook her head and sighed.
‘There is still a lot we do not know about these Linap,’ said Orcilla. ‘None of them are able to recall anything about their previous lives or even their own names. Still, we are making progress. Lily has helped translate the document we found at each site. It appears these Linap were forced to go underground as their lives were in danger.’
‘It is our duty to protect all citizens,’ said Eugene as he thumped his chest.
‘Our task is not done yet,’ said Orcilla. ‘There are still three more locations in the west we need to reach. We have a duty to bring them back. As you all know, there are others out there. We need to reach them before they do.’
‘So we’re going to team up again,’ said Denise.
‘Not quite,’ replied Orcilla. ‘I’ve reduced my medication again. I don’t feel I’m the best for the job.’
‘We need your expertise to defrost them,’ said Denise.
‘You, Louis, and Daily can do this now,’ said Orcilla to Denise. ‘I fully trust you guys.’
‘You’re going to be feeling sick again,’ said Yassmay.
‘I’ll be well enough to continue working on treatments and even cures,’ replied Orcilla.
‘Okay, we’ll do it,’ said Denise.
‘Yassme, could you add a second medical capsule to one of the flying vehicles, please?’ said Orcilla.
‘No problem,’ replied Yassme. ‘I’ll also provide extra fuel; you’ll need it to get home.’
‘Making yourself useful. Good for you!’ said Yassmay as she nudged her sister.
‘Of course I always do,’ replied Yassme as she glanced at Yassmay, who had a broad smile on her face.
We work together as a team and a big family,’ said Vulay as she looked across at the twins.
‘Great,’ said Orcilla. ‘You can set off whenever you’re ready.’
Later that day, the flying vehicles headed off to the west of the continent. Daily was flying one of them, and Freddy accompanied him. Denise was flying the other one, and Louis accompanied her. Vulay, Orcilla, Yassmay, and Yassme watched as they flew off.
‘I’m heading over to see X,’ said Yassmay. ‘We might be able to harness his regenerative powers to develop cures.’
‘Yes, that sounds like a good use of your time,’ remarked Orcilla.
‘I’m also heading over to see X,’ said Yassme. ‘I want to get him fitted with a mind voice device.’
‘You should use this as an opportunity to work together,’ said Vulay. ‘It’ll give both of you a chance to appreciate each other’s contributions.’
‘We should do that,’ said Yassme as she looked at her sister.
Yassmay looked at Orcilla. Orcilla responded by nodding.
‘I’d love to work with my sister again,’ said Yassmay as she opened her arms to hug Yassme.
They both hugged. Then they locked arms and walked off together.
‘They’re big, but they’re still only children,’ said Vulay as she turned to Orcilla.
‘I hate putting so much pressure on them, but Sapey’s future relies on them,’ replied Orcilla.
‘I’m concerned about Lily,’ said Vulay. ‘I feel we have been a little too soft towards her. She is a prisoner, not a guest.’
‘She likes her luxuries,’ replied Orcilla. ‘I feel this is the best way to keep her cooperative.’
‘I don’t think this is an approach you would have always used,’ said Vulay as she shrugged her shoulders.
Lily was standing on the roof of the Hotel Prison. She watched Yassme and Yassmay walk off towards the Agriculture Zone together.
Meanwhile in Lake, L6 Linap had recovered from the surgery. Jennifer was still trying to access his memories but had no success.
‘Hey big guy, do you cook anything other than pizzas?’ asked L6 Linap. ‘It’s getting a little boring.’
‘It’s my speciality,’ replied Octavius in a gruff tone. ‘If you don’t like them, you can starve.’
‘Just asking!’ said L6 Linap. ‘I didn’t mean to offend.’
‘You might like the next pizza,’ said Octavius. ‘I’m using a different sauce. This one is a tad sweeter.’
‘Arrgghhh,’ screamed L6 Linap as he clutched his head.
‘So you don’t have a sweet tooth,’ chuckled Octavius.
L6 Linap fell to the ground in apparent agony.
‘I’m uploading information to his brain,’ said Polly. ‘It should put his brain into overdrive and hopefully help him unlock his memories. There is a possibility he might experience some discomfort.’
‘So Ice Boy is a bit of a wuss,’ chuckled Octavius as he looked down at L6 Linap.
L6 Linap stopped wincing in pain and sat up suddenly. He looked at Octavius and then Polly.
‘I never felt so alive,’ said L6 Linap. ‘Everything flashed before me.’
‘Do you remember your name?’ asked Octavius.
L6 Linap’s eyes rolled up into his head, and he fell unconscious.
‘Did that achieve anything?’ asked Octavius as he looked at Polly.
‘We are about to find out,’ replied Polly.
‘I better get my pizza before it burns,’ said Octavius as he walked off.
In the Downs Agriculture Zone, Hamlet was playing with X. They were pushing each other in a test of strength.
‘Looks like they are equally matched,’ said Yassmay to Yassme.
‘Hey guys, do you wanna have fun?’ shouted Yassme.
X turned to look at the two girls approaching them. Hamlet took advantage of the distraction and pushed him over.
‘Hamlet remains unmatched,’ chuckled Yassme as she turned to look at Yassmay.
‘Cheap tricks,’ remarked Yassmay. ‘I don’t think X is at full strength yet. In a month, the outcome will be very different.’
‘Hamlet defeated an actual Sentray,’ remarked Yassme. ‘X is only half Sentray and has almost no aggression.’
‘Hey X, would you be willing to donate a blood sample?’ asked Yassmay.
X waved his hands around and grunted.
‘I’ll take that as consent,’ said Yassmay.
‘Once he’s wearing a mind voice device, you’ll have a definitive answer,’ said Yassme as she watched Yassmay pull a blood tube needle from her bag.
‘This isn’t going to hurt,’ said Yassmay in her reassuring voice. ‘Just hold out your arm.’
X held out his arm, but he was frowning. Yassme was carefully observing his facial expression.
Yassmay tried to push the needle into his arm, but she was unable to penetrate his hard, scaly skin. She pushed as hard as she could but had no luck.
‘Well, that didn’t work,’ said Yassmay, sounding exhausted. ‘I need something stronger and sharper.’
Scott and fluffy Lily showed up. He was pushing a wheelbarrow full of sliced fruit. Hamlet and X rushed towards them. Rico, who was rooting on the other side of some bushes, joined them.
Yassme pulled out her tape measure. She walked behind X, who was now sitting down and eating the fruit he had selected. She quickly measured the dimensions of his head.
‘If he can talk, he’ll be able to tell us about his life,’ said Yassme, looking over at her sister. ‘I think we can learn a lot from him. I feel he’s been around a very long time.’
Yassmay was not paying attention. She was too busy looking to see if she had a bigger needle.
Yassme sighed and shook her head.
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my 
