Unplugged: The Hidden World (#2, Unplugged Trilogy)

Chapter Twenty Five

Matthew

When the elevator starts to drag upwards, I feel like I'm going to pass out. How could I let this happen? I keep remembering Enna's small, bloody form, how her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped against the cage... I don't know how much longer I can keep up this act if it means abandoning the people I'm trying to save.

"I've got a surprise coming for you, Elliot," Willis says, sending chills up my spine. "You'll see it after I get you acquainted with your new position."

Great.

"As you wish," I mutter. The elevator comes to an abrupt stop in front of an enormous room lit by piercing fluorescent lights. Long metal tables divide the room into rows, and men and women in lab coats scramble around carrying test tubes and other things I'd rather not identify.

"These are the labs," Willis booms, waving an introductory arm in front of him. He starts to lead me towards the back of the large room, towards a tall pair of metal doors. My eyes stray to the silver lab tables, focusing on a pink mass of tissue. Is that a brain? Horror, now familiar, courses through me. Before we reach the double doors, I spot at least five more substances that could pass as organs or other appendages.

"What happens here?" I ask, my mouth bone dry. Willis presses a palm against a small access pad. A blue laser scans his fingerprints and the doors slide open.

"This is where our scientists study the test subjects' genetic makeup."

"What are they looking for?" I can feel my heartbeat in my throat. Willis shrugs, leading me onward into a new hallway. Unlike the majority of hallways I've traveled here, this one is clean and well lit, almost like the hotel we've left up on the surface.

"Who knows? It's up to the Master and his scientists." Willis shakes his head, annoyed. "Enough with the questions, kid. You're giving me a headache." It turns out that the nice hallways lead to luxurious apartments that the visiting elite--"Rightful Ones"--occupy. When Willis lets me view one of them, I can't help but let my mouth fall open in awe. This thing makes my old apartment look like a room out of a child's dollhouse.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" He mutters as we head back towards the lab. I can only nod. He smirks. "This is just the beginning, boy."

* * *

When the elevator stops, I vaguely recognize the dark hallway that opens up in front of us: this is where the Reptilians and Grays reside. Fear starts to build within me until I remember the Master's taunts, how he called humans weak-willed. I can't prove him right. Besides, the creatures won't hurt me since I'm an ally to them... Right?

"So," I start, struggling to remain nonchalant. "What are we doing here?"

"I'm gonna show you the Cavern."

"The Cavern?"

"Yes, the Cavern."

"What's in the Cavern?"

Willis reaches over and socks the side of my head. It doesn't hurt much, but just enough to tick me off. I bite my lip. "Golly, kid! You're gonna travel to the moon and back if you keep up all that yapping!" I shrug and walk quietly, my eyes frantically scanning the dark, sticky walls. I wonder what I'm about to see; I hope I don't freeze up again. Minutes tick by as we navigate the dark hallways. The lighting is so bad that I have to squint through the darkness to make out anything. As we make another right, I can vaguely see someone--or something's--humanoid outline against the monotonous canvas of black. Heart thumping, I slow my footsteps and keep a tentative hand on my flashgun. Cold sweat soaks through my t-shirt.