Altered Earth (Soldiers of the Earth Book 2)

Chapter 21

Once the doors closed behind Alfie, no one reemerged. Regardless of me standing there in shock and confusion, the hallway stayed empty. Fear, sadness, anger, and guilt all started bubbling up in my core once again. My instinct told me to bang on those doors and demand to see Alfie, demand what they were doing and how they were going to fix him. The rising jumble of emotions almost convinced me to do it.

But I didn't. A different door opened, startling me to turn around. Another purple-eyed white lab coat man emerged, eying me slowly. Behind him, I see a large figure on the operating table. Pale, blue-ish white skin. A Native Kofali.

"Do you need something?" The Kofali personnel asks sharply, snapping my attention to him as the door shuts.

"No, I...um..." I stammer. "I was waiting for my friend. Elliot..." I realize only now that I have no idea what his last name is and I feel my cheeks flush. I pull out my tablet and search my contacts quickly. "Elliot Quinn." Looking back up at the man, I can see he doesn't know who that is nor is he interested in figuring out. "I'll just message him."

"That would be wise." The annoyance in his voice is pungent as he walks past me. Despite that, I think of the Native Kofali in that room and find myself speaking up.

"Hey! Um, what's that thing in there? I was in the simulation for Level One testing and the simulation said it was a Native Kofali. Wh-"

"You can look things up in your tablet. There is a lot of free information available." The man doesn't stop walking, scanning his hand on a screen by another door and walking in when it opens.

I nearly run back to my room, only slowing down long enough to message Elliot to ask if Alfie will be alright. Once inside, I scour anything I can find on the Native Kofali. As expected by the name, they were believed to have inhabited Kofali thousands of years ago when the planet was a dry wasteland due to three suns in its solar system. They adapted by living in villages built underground.

At some point, a meteor took out one of the smaller suns, and over time new life began to form. The planet eventually became the Kofal I saw in the simulation, full of plants and animals and bodies of water. But the Natives are believed to have never ventured out. Their large black eyes had adapted to the darkness and it was believed that they couldn't see well above ground.

The Natives and the current Kofali didn't meet until the Kofali started exploring underground. Apparently, conflict was immediate. The Natives were seen as barbaric and violent, and the Kofali wanted the glowing algae. The algae provided immense pain relief and would even increase happiness and pleasure when consumed. It was useful as much as it was addictive. The Kofali felt the Natives weren't compromising, but I get the sense the Natives were protecting their homes and didn't understand why someone was coming in with weapons and taking one of their food sources.

One particular passage catches my eye. It mentions that despite many attempts, the Natives were immune to memory extraction and brainwashing techniques. The Kofali couldn't control them and use them as their own soldiers. So they settled for us on Earth as their planet died. For now. From what I saw, they are still trying to experiment on the Natives. They are afraid. Not just of the strength and power of these beings, but the fact that there was something that couldn't be controlled. This means there is a possibility of others being immune too.

A message from Elliot interrupts my reading. It's short and simple: Alfie is alive but his brain is damaged. The Kofali don't want to waste time trying to repair the damage they caused so Elliot is trying to see if they will let him do it. Another message notification pops up on my tablet, but to my disappointment, it's just a general message.

PLEASE REPORT TO TRAINING ROOM 22 TO RECIEVE YOUR LEVEL RESULTS.

My thoughts have been so scattered I'm not even sure if I've made it to Level One. When I walk into room 22, I see Leah and Olivia and stand next to them. Tyler enters the room, meeting my gaze and giving a small smile before looking away. He chooses to stay off to the side, and I can't help but feel a pang of sadness.

"Hey," A familiar voice says, and I turn to see Jason Vasher standing beside me.

The Kofali instructor who taught our classes walks in, dressed in full armor except for a helmet. He announces the screens behind him will display the results, and to look for our names amoung the rankings. As soon as the screens come to life, the people around us stir in excitment, murmuring and pushing to get a better look. But I can see the names from where I stand.

Number one is Jason Vasher. Number 13 is Tyler. Number 15 is Leah. 21 is Olivia. I am number 47, just three rankings away from not making Level One. I breathe a sigh of relief. I can hear people celebrating. Jason is being congratulated by people I have never seen. My eyes shift to where Tyler was standing and I see him walk out the door, his mouth a thin, hard line.

I find myself chasing after him without even thinking. The hallways are nearly empty. He seems to not even notice me catching up behind him, his eyes fixed ahead as he walks.

"Tyler, are you alright? Where are you going?" I ask, trying to keep up as he refuses to slow down.

"I'm getting my memories back," He whispers. I nearly stumble over my own feet. "I don't think we have much time until we are shipped out on a misson. If I'm going to get them back, it has to be now."

"I'll go with you." I tell him. Instinctively, I reach for his hand and only then does he begin to slow down. He rips his hand away from mine, pressing it to his head as his eyes squeeze shut. He's in pain again. From a memory I triggered. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry." Tyler says back to me. "This isn't your fault. But I think I should do this alone. I will see you when it's done. I promise." He tries to give me a reassuring smile, but I can feel the panic rising up in me. Cole said this procudure could be done, but was it 100% effective? Was it going to hurt him? Would it damage him like Alfie? As I watch him walk away, I cannot help but be afraid that this could be the last time I see him.

"Tyler," I call out, my voice faltering as I feel tears sting my eyes. He turns back to me. "Could I...if it's not too much...could I hug you?" An emotion I can't read crosses over his face. I can't tell if it's sadness, confusion, or something else completely.

"Of course," he says, walking back toward me. I throw my arms around him like I have wanted to do for so long. The tears flow freely now and I don't bother to stop them. When he embraces me back, all of the memories I have of us come flooding back. Suddenly, things feel like they did before he got captured. Things feel normal. Happy. And everything feels like it will be alright again.

"I know you don't remember everything," I start, clearing my throat. "But you mean the world to me. I just want you to know that. In case something happens."

"I know." He says as he pulls away. I can see the pain in his eyes, nearly making him grimace as he forces another smile. He takes my hand anyway. "From what I read in my journal and what I do remember, you meant the world to me too."

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! Please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter :)