At Location 10, L10 Linap had woken up. He had been moved down into the tunnels to a more comfortable vehicle. Denise, Daily, and Freddy were treated well by the underground Linap. They were given frequent meals, fresh water, and sleeping bags.
Flint read Denise’s document. He was very interested in what he read. He approached Denise. She was happy to elaborate on what had happened as well as how things had progressed in the past six years.
Flint informed Denise that they now had the coordinates of Downs and that they were sending a team from the east to visit. He reassured her that they had peaceful intentions.
‘I’ve told you so much about us,’ said Denise. ‘I would really love to learn more about you.’
‘We moved underground a thousand years ago,’ said Flint. ‘It was never meant to be that long. But the day we would return to the surface never came. We were told we had friends on the outside who would one day come and help us re-enter the world. That turned out to be untrue. We had no idea when it would be safe to return, so we just remained put. After many generations, most of us did not want to return to the surface. The underground had become our real home.’
‘That’s a sad story,’ said Denise as she rubbed Flint’s arm.
‘Sad for the ones who knew we could have a better life above ground,’ said Flint, as he looked Denise in the eyes. ‘But not for the many who could not imagine a world beyond our underground cities.’
‘Things have changed,’ said Denise. ‘You are adventuring above ground.’
‘Many of our tunnels had partially collapsed or caved in,’ said Flint. ‘Most we didn’t clear. This was out of fear the surface dwellers would hear us. If they heard us, they might destroy us. Everything changed when we heard the machinery in the tunnels. Our leadership decided we needed to know more about the outside world because it was going to reach us at some point. We sent some teams to the chambers and some to the surface. Those who went to the chambers found empty pods, and those who went to the surface found only destruction. Then we found you.’
‘You can live above ground now,’ said Denise in a reassuring tone. ‘It’s safe again now.’
‘I don’t know how suited we are to living above ground,’ said Flint. ‘We have changed so much from living below the surface. The transition will be difficult. I think many will choose to return underground.’
Meanwhile in Downs, L7 Linap was at the laboratory. He decided to visit Orcilla and Yassmay, who were still trying to make a serum using X’s genetics.
‘How’s it going, ladies?’ asked L7 Linap as he approached them.
‘It’s really difficult,’ said Yassmay. ‘We’ve come close to removing all the Sape DNA several times.’
‘Then keep what’s left in,’ said L7 Linap. ‘You already have Sape DNA in you. You just need the healing properties from the Sentray DNA.’
‘I don’t want to do anything that could harm any of their other faculties,’ replied Yassmay.
‘I think they would rather stay alive and have a chance of starting a family,’ said L7 Linap as he walked over to Orcilla. ‘Doubling up on friend power is a small price to pay.’
‘I don’t feel comfortable testing a serum that has such risks,’ replied Orcilla.
‘Any testing can go wrong,’ said L7 Linap firmly. ‘Someone will have to face the risk in order for you to get an output that works.’
‘That was my father’s way,’ said Orcilla angrily as she looked at L7 Linap. ‘That is not how I do things.’
‘Your father was right,’ said L7 Linap. ‘That’s why he succeeded and you will fail.’
‘You know nothing of my father,’ shouted Orcilla. ‘I suggest you shut up.’
‘I’ll check in on your sister,’ said L7 Linap as he turned to leave. ‘She knows what she’s doing.’
‘We’ll have to test on someone at some point,’ said Yassmay as she turned to Orcilla.
‘When it’s safe, sure,’ replied Orcilla. ‘If we are running out of time, then you can test it on me. I will not put anyone else at risk.’
Yassmay sighed as she continued working.
In the laboratory room on the next floor, Yassme was working on her mind net. L7 Linap walked in to check on her.
‘How’s my genius doing?’ asked L7 Linap in a chirpy tone.
‘Oh, I’m doing great, L7,’ giggled Yassme. ‘I’m just doing a little work on my mind net. It appears that not only the mind is giving off signals but the whole body. These signals are considerably weaker but definitely present.’
‘What are the possible applications for this?’ asked L7 Linap.
‘I think our bodies call for what they need,’ said Yassme. ‘If I can interpret these messages. We can address any deficiencies that the body has.’
‘What makes you think these signals are meaningful?’ asked L7 Linap.
‘I tried it on myself,’ said Yassme. ‘When I was dehydrated, my body gave off different signals than when I was hydrated. This might not mean much. I need to test it on someone else. I was thinking of L1.’
‘I imagine she wouldn’t mind after you made those nice new wheels for her chair,’ said L7 Linap with a smile.
Meanwhile, in the town square, Eugene and Duffo were organising a welcome party for the underground Linap. Hamlet and Rico had arrived. They were pulling large carts carrying fruit.
‘This is going to be good,’ said Eugene as he raised his eyebrows up and down.
‘None of them would have eaten these sorts of fruits or even any fruit before,’ said Duffo. ‘They’ll be delighted.’
‘I’m counting on it, friend,’ said Eugene. ‘You know what will really pull everything together?’
‘Balloons, confetti canons, and some of Julie’s delicious cakes,’ said Duffo energetically.
‘Absolutely!’ said Eugene. ‘But what will really reach out to them is a welcome banner. Trust me; it saved us from the Sentray.’
‘These guys will be much nicer,’ said Duffo.
‘Great hospitality can turn anyone into a friend,’ said Eugene as he smiled contently.
Meanwhile, in the laboratory room, Orcilla was suffering from another headache.
‘You need to rest,’ said Yassmay as she looked over to Orcilla. ‘I can work late tonight.’
‘The sooner we develop a serum, the sooner I can rest,’ said Orcilla as she smiled.
‘There must be something we can do about your medication,’ said Yassmay. ‘I hate to see you like this.’
‘I’m taking a little less than before,’ said Orcilla. ‘It’s to make up for when I increased the dosage.’
‘Seriously!’ said Yassmay, sounding angry. ‘It’s almost like you’re punishing yourself.’
‘It’s about giving them the best chance,’ said Orcilla as she turned to continue working.
‘Why did the Sentray attack the Capital Region?’ asked Yassmay as she placed her hands on her hips.
‘Pardi Carvaress had to be stopped,’ said Orcilla in a gruff tone as she turned to face Yassmay. ‘They did that. End of story. May we continue? We need to work.’
Yassmay nodded as they continued to work.
The next day Lily was on her balcony eating breakfast when Orcilla stormed into her penthouse cell and then onto the balcony.
‘What have you been telling the twins?’ demanded Orcilla.
‘Good morning. I haven’t seen you in a while,’ said Lily in a chirpy tone. ‘I must admit you look terrible.’
‘Did you tell Yassme I was responsible for the Sentray’s attack on the Capital Region?’ demanded Orcilla.
‘More than that,’ replied Lily. ‘I told her you were responsible for her daddy’s death. I told her of your immense jealousy of her and her sister’s relationship. I told her you wanted to destroy it.’
In a rage, Orcilla flipped the table Lily had her breakfast on. Lily quickly scrambled back into the penthouse.
‘You are despicable,’ shouted Orcilla. ‘I should have you locked in the basement.’
‘Of course, punish me for telling the truth,’ said Lily as she moved to the far side of the lounge area. ‘I can see how much Linap you still have in you. You’re truly your father’s daughter.’
Orcilla climbed over the sofa to try to get to Lily. Lily continued to move around the lounge, keeping her distance from Orcilla. The pursuit continued until Orcilla had Lily trapped in a corner.
‘You can kill me now, but you’ll never kill the truth,’ shouted Lily as she cowered in the corner.
Orcilla grabbed Lily by the neck and began dragging her to the door. At that moment, Yassme entered the penthouse cell. Yassme rushed over and knocked Orcilla to the ground. Lily desperately scrambled into a corner. She had a look of terror on her face. Orcilla tried to get back up, but Yassme punched her hard on the top of the head, knocking her back down again.
Two enforcers rushed into the penthouse cell. ‘Never fear, the enforcers are here,’ they both shouted together.
Yassme rushed over to Lily, who was curled up in a ball crying. ‘She… she tried to kill me,’ blubbered Lily.
‘It’s okay, you’re safe now,’ said Yassme as she put her arms around Lily.
The two enforcers went over to Orcilla to help her up.
‘Get her out of here!’ shouted Yassme as she turned to the two enforcers.
The two enforcers pulled Orcilla to her feet. They began escorting her to the door.
Orcilla turned around and looked at Yassme.
‘You’ve completely lost it,’ said Yassme as she walked towards Orcilla. ‘You’re not fit to be a leader here.’
Orcilla bent forward and began coughing.
‘Take her to her apartment,’ said Yassme to the enforcers. ‘She needs to rest and time to think about her behaviour.’
‘You’re going to be alright, friend,’ said one of the enforcers as they walked Orcilla out of the penthouse cell.
‘Thank goodness you arrived when you did,’ said Lily as she walked over and hugged Yassme.
‘Your instincts were right when you called me,’ said Yassme as she hugged Lily back. ‘Orcilla is dangerous. I’ll make sure she never comes up here again.’
‘I feel deeply reassured,’ said Lily. ‘You always show leadership when you need to.’
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 
