"Psst!"
"Mmmmph.... wha-?" Danny mumbled into his pillow.
"Wake up!" a quiet hiss responded.
"Whazzgoingon?" Danny grumbled, opening his eyes blearily. D'yani was crouched by the side of his bed, eyes glowing faintly.
"You have to get up."
"What time is it?" he yawned, sitting up in bed and stretching hugely.
"Earlier than it usually is when this happens," D'yani said, her mouth tight with anxiety. "Come on! We need to hurry."
Danny swung out of bed, grabbing a jacket that was sitting on his chair.
He followed D'yani as she slipped silently out of his room and down the darkened hallways. As he began to wake up more fully, he began to notice how tense D'yani seemed.
"What's going on? Where are we going?" he whispered.
She shook her head.
"I'll explain in a minute."
Her nervousness began to infect Danny. He found himself looking behind him every few seconds, worried about being followed.
D'yani lead him to the memory room and through the silent door. They entered the room, lit only by the faint glow of the plants. Danny's heart bounded painfully as he heard the sound of breathing in the darkness.
But then multiple pairs of glowing eyes turned to look at him, reassuring him that it was only his fellow Halphas.
D'yani gave a sigh of relief and settled onto the floor.
Still confused, Danny sat down next to her. A quiet hum of sleepy conversation resumed as everyone went back to their naps or discussions.
"Okay, is there a reason why we're all in here during the middle of the night?" Danny asked, turning to look at his sister.
She nodded, looking much more relaxed now.
"Yeah. Every once in a while Vlad hosts guests. We usually have more warning than this, and it's never happened this late at night before. But we all known the drill by now. Vlad has his visitors over, they talk about business or whatever, maybe have a meal, and then they usually leave after a couple hours."
"Okay, but why do we have to stay in here?"
"It's just a precaution really," D'yani shrugged. "In case someone in the group wanders off, or for some reason has an ecto scanner with them. This room can be locked down like a bunker if it needs to be."
"Well I guess that makes sense," Danny replied, settling back against the wall next to D'yani.
She yawned, and was soon asleep, curled up against him. The room grew quieter and quieter as it's inhabitants fell silent or asleep.Danny sat in the semi darkness for a long time though, sleep evading him.
Something about this didn't feel right. Nothing seemed dangerous, nothing truly wrong with this life. They were cared for, protected, fed, and trained. But why was everybody so afraid? It was like they had been taught something different, something so small and subtle that even they couldn't explain it. He felt that he almost understood it at times, but then the next second the idea was gone.
The missing piece of the puzzle nagged in the back of Danny's mind for the rest of the sleepless night.
YOU ARE READING
Split Between Stars
Science Fiction(Sequel to Half Life) Danny has lived his whole life thinking he was the sole survivor of Halpha's destruction. Space Corps has hunted him and his kind for years, making it almost impossible to survive. But after being saved from their clutches at...
