Sorcha The Alien Book One

Chapter Eighteen

I hate to admit, I hate to even think these thoughts, but what Emerlit said to me in the elevator made an impact. My parents taught me never to settle. My mum used to say, if you aim for the stars but only reach the moon, keep going. Love is rare but happiness is rarer still. Will being on a ship full of entra, with Fendan pursuing, strip me of any joy I might possess through staying with Cantral? Will Cantral simply return to Fendan and hand me over?

We walk through dark tunnels. Earth pops into my head, I would have finished my first term of college by now. Are my peers sat in lessons, staring out the window as the teacher drones? My fists clench, are they eating tea with their families? Do I miss my people? Were they ever my people?

I've changed. I've changed so much from the girl Sask first met; in just a few months I've evolved into Sorcha. I'm stronger than I ever believed possible. I'm going to rescue Sask, and we're going to be happy. I grab Cantral's hand, the warmth of her skin rejuvenates me. We're all going to be happy. Together.

Our footsteps fade to silence as we stand before a person-sized metal plate upon the wall. The torch casts a thin veil of light, but even so the signs of tampering are clear. The plate no longer sits flush against the wall, and there are scrapes across the length of its body. I pause in the tunnel, it feels safer here, shrouded in darkness.

Cantral pushes the hatch open carefully and aims her gun. Light spills in from the corridor and I shield my sensitive eyes. She beckons us and I step out into a main corridor after Anabale, Emerlit and Daeanal. It feels different down here than it did on the upper levels of the base. Colder, harsher, like a different type of entra lurk in the shadows. Or maybe that's just my interpretation; it looks identical to the levels above.

We jog carefully, our ears pricked for the slightest of sounds. But strangely all that greets us is silence. No footsteps echo in the distance, no chatter slithers from around corners. We stop at a double doorway. Cantral taps in a code and the door slides open. We step into darkness, not complete dark, not pitch black. Colourful buttons flash red, blue and green and large glass cylinders distort my view.

Tall cylinders, that almost reach the ceiling, stand sentinel. They fill the room in long lines, like soldiers stood in formation and dark shapes within block what little light there is. Movement from inside the tubes catches my attention and I edge closer.

The dark shapes squirm and wither and I glance to Cantral momentarily. "What ... what are they?" But even as I ask the question, I know. Protect them, Sask said.

Cantral's hand rests on my shoulder. "It's the only option."

"No!" I recoil from her touch. "You want to destroy the base ... because you want to kill these creatures?"

No one else speaks. Do the others even care? I stare at the creatures in the tanks, miniature Sasks in every way. Smooth black skin, feline like bodies and long dragon necks. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I know one thing: I'm not going to allow these creatures to die.

"Firstly, these creatures hate people." Cantral edges closer. "Secondly, the explosion won't kill them—"

"They'll survive?" Hope infects me.

Daeanal approaches and points up. I follow his hand with my eyes. Wires protrude from the creatures and feed through the top of every cylinder. They travel down the room, thousands of tubes coursing with black liquid. And in the pit of my stomach, I already know what it is.

I run through the room. My panicked feet set a booming beat, synchronised with my racing heart. The sound of footsteps follow as I chase the wires above my head. And I stop before the biggest tank. Tears drip from my eyes and my hand rests upon the glass.