Captain Lena Wood

Prologue

"Where are they taking us?" Cindy Wood asks.

"I'm not sure. Just stay quiet." says Captain Hubert Wood.

The couple is followed through a run down, abandoned building. They're led to a medium sized room that has a sheet of pipes covering the walls. They're forced to their knees. Their hands chained together.  A man, the Sorter says, "I don't care about either one of you. All I care about are answers and I expect you to give me them. If you don't, you will."

The Sorter turns and says to someone, "Igon, take her and chain her hands over that pipe."

He stands and does nothing. "NOW!" says the Sorter.

The tall boy, with short blonde hair and a long tail, walks over to Cindy and pulls her up off the floor. He leads her to the pipe, wraps the chain around it and locks it. He walks back over to the Sorter. The Sorter says, "Leave everyone, all but you Igon. We're going to ask some questions."

The Sorter asks the questions to both Cindy and Hubert. Questions like,"What are your names? Where did you come from? Why are you here? Who sent you? Are you on a mission?" They refused to answer the questions. Since they refused, they were beaten, whipped, and tortured. They went on for days, weeks even.

A month later, a miracle happened. Cindy Wood's having her baby. She's still chained to the pipe. "Relax honey. It'll be okay. Just breathe." Hubert says.

She takes deep breaths and yells at the pain. They're so skinny. You can see every bone in their bodies.

Then a boy looks around the corner, into the room. Hubert begs, "Help please. My wife is having a baby. Please help her."

Igon stands and watches her scream in pain. "Please." Hubert says again.

He walks over to her and unlocks the chain and helps her to the ground. Then he unlocks Hubert from the pipe. He crawls down on the ground, next to Cindy. Igon watches them. "Help...please." Cindy says gasping for breath.

Igon gets down on the ground and tells her to relax. Hubert holds her hand while holding her head off the ground. "When I tell you to push, you push okay." Igon says.

She nods. "Push."

She yells at the pain. The pain is unbearable. She doesn't have enough strength left, but she's not going to give up. She will use her last breath to deliver this baby.

Igon holds the crying baby in his arms. "It's a girl." he says.

He carries the baby over to Cindy, who is now against the wall. He hands the baby over to Cindy. "She looks just like you Cindy." Hubert says.

"But your eyes." She says back.

Hubert holds Cindy and their daughter. "Lena." Hubert says.

"Lena Bree Wood." Cindy adds.

They stay quiet for a moment, then Cindy says, "Igon, can you promise me something?"

"Yes, whatever you wish."

"Take care of her for us. Keep an eye on her, but don't let her see you. Don't let her get caught by the Council"

"Yes ma'am and sir."

She gives Igon, Lena. He looks at her. She is the most beautiful baby he's ever seen. She has brown hair, a small button nose, rosy cheeks, and beautiful blue-green eyes.

Igon says to himself, "I will protect you, even if I die in the process. I'll never let anything happen to you."

Igon then looks up and sees Cindy lying against the wall, lifeless. "I believe it's time for you to know the truth." Hubert says. "Are you ready?"

"Yes sir."

"I'll tell you as long as you promise not to repeat a word of this to anyone and to protect our daughter."

"I swear on my life to protect your daughter. When my species makes a promise and breaks it, they have life long consequences or possibly death."

"Thank you."

Hubert begins to explain everything from why they were there, where they came from, and more.

~

Days later Hubert dies of starvation and body failure. The Council had no interest left in the building. They left the two bodies to rot in the empty, uncirculated building.

Two days after the Council leaves, a woman wanders into the building. She smells the fowl stench of the rotting corpses. She follows the sound of a crying baby.

She stops and hears the baby below her. She opens the floor board and sees the little baby, Lena. She picks her up and says, "Shh. It's okay. You're safe now. Artha will take care of you."