Hell on Earth (Boyxboy)

Chapter 9: Explinations

9

The fleet of ships slowly made their way through the outer solar system. Their destination was a fleeting speck in the distance, a planet caught in rotation right in the Goldilocks zone of its host star. The planet was relatively small compared to the outer planets, and made of rock instead of gaseous clouds. The planet was an important target for the spacecraft; it was where one of their own, an elite if you will, was.

The pilot of the head ship slowly turned the ship to maneuver past a stray asteroid. For the longest time this planet had been locked, kept away under a cloaking veil. But now the magic was lifting, decaying in its old age.

This meant that there would soon be no barriers to magical creatures. This meant that the people of the ships would not only come to the planet, but they would stay on the planet.

The pilot smiled at this thought, adding some fuel to the engines. The current species inhabiting the planet were quite lagging in both the magical and technological fields.

The pilot's smile widened. This would be easy. Almost too easy. Soon enough the rightful owners of the planet would arrive, and with that arrival bring a new age of glory to the forgotten heathens that inhabit the rock.

With a content sigh, the pilot sat back in his seat, watching as the magnificent rings of a nearby gas giant passed in a slow, monotonous march.

* * *

Joseph woke up with a splitting headache. It felt as though a spike were being driven deep into his skull.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

Joseph tried to sit up, but failed miserably, not only due to weakness, but also the fact that he was currently strapped to the cot. First he tried moving his hands, but only managed to rub raw and bruise his wrists. Next Joseph wiggled his feet, only to be met with similarly painful results. Finally, Joseph gave up.

Gaining more conscience, Joseph looked around the room.

The room was the same as before, furnished meekly with a cot, IV and door.

It was the same shade of blaring white.

Finding no clue as to his whereabouts or the time, Joseph finally let exhaustion sweep over him in unpleasant waves of nausea. His whole body ached, and the exertion from the struggling had worn out Joseph. Got to take it easy, I guess.

As his mind cleared, Joseph suddenly felt a pang at the back of his mind, as though he were missing something important, some memory...

What the fuck?

Unable to put his finger on what had been nagging him, Joseph let the thought slide, instead now focusing on counting the tiles on the floor.

At tile 49, the doors opened.

In walked an older man, wearing a worn looking face furnished with a light grey stubble covering his chin. He looked as though he had a lot on his mind.

The man walked forward into the room, followed by a few nurses and security guards blocking the door.

"Good to see you awake. It's been over a month." Joseph looked at the man, unsure what to say... or if he could even speak.

The man nodded, as if he read Joseph's silence. He pulled up a chair, seating himself next to Joseph.

"I guess you have some questions, don't you?" Joseph hesitated, then nodded his head.

The man nodded back, looking around the room for a minute, as though he were trying to find where to start.

"Well..." The man said, "I would start by introducing myself, but my name is irrelevant. You may call me Supervisor, if you like."