The Unknown

TWENTY-TWO | vault.

Shaun and Tess followed the coordinates to a wheat field on the outskirts of the city. Cool wind whispered through the field, making the stalks sway like rippling waves.

Hidden near the border fence was a manhole cover. They pried it open, revealing a passage that led deep underground, into pure darkness.

They carefully descended the metal ladder within. The whir of machinery reached Tess's ears. This place was certainly not abandoned. Her gut churned with anxiety.

They reached the bottom, which led them to a dark hallway. At the end was a doorway, elongated streaks of light shining through its edges. Shaun tore the door open in one swift movement.

The scent of tobacco smoke and whiskey met Tess's nose. Inside the room were four figures—a woman and three men, all in lab coats. There were bodies spread out on metal tables, and they weren't moving. Beside them were medical supplies spattered with blood.

"Holy sh—" one of the men started.

"Guard!" the woman yelled.

As Tess stared in shock, someone in armor appeared and slammed the butt of a gun against her temple. Numbness spread through her head. She felt the whoosh of air as she fell, then the ground slamming into her.

"Looks like some new lab rats delivered themselves to us." Uproarious laughter met her ears. It faded into piercing ringing, then silence.

***

Tess woke up immobilized, straps cutting into her wrists and ankles. Shaun was on the table beside her, his eyes fluttering open.

Swiveling her head, she could spot a scientist preparing sharp tools on a table.

"No, no, no," she muttered, panicked. "Listen to me—you don't understand. I'm working for you people. I'm on your side. Do you know a Dave something who works for the government?"

The man snorted. "Dave who? It's a common name."

"Tess?" Shaun glanced at her sidelong. "You've betrayed us?"

She met his eyes, full of confusion, fear, and anger.

"Yes! Yes, I have, because they have Kyle." It felt cathartic to finally admit the truth. Laughter burst from her lips. "As if you'd have done differently if Jade was in his place."

The man beside her typed on a screen. "You're right, we do have a prisoner named Kyle. Under the care of Dr. David Vanian. If you're telling the truth...let me speak to my supervisor." He dashed out of the room, leaving Shaun and Tess alone, immobilized.

Tess eyed him closely. "I'm sorry, Shaun. But the person you were before could see that what the Species is doing is wrong."

He shook his head, staring at the ceiling in distress, refusing to look at her.

After minutes of tense silence, a woman came in and quickly released Tess's restraints. "I apologize, miss. We value your contributions to our directive."

Tess rubbed her wrists and sat up. "Thanks."

The woman started to leave.

"Wait," Tess said. "What will happen to him?" She gestured at Shaun.

"We're doing all we can to find a way to reverse what's been done to our citizens. Experimental surgical interventions. It's the only hope we have to restore our population."

"I don't think that will work. They're basically permanent—"

She held a hand up to stop Tess. "It's our only hope," she repeated. "That and halting progress of the invasion."

"Either way, you all need to evacuate from here," Tess told her. "Our group's leader knows this location. The Species knows where you are. And they're going to want an explanation from me about what happened to him."

"You're certain this location is compromised?"

"How do you think we found it?"

The woman nodded, taking this in. "You leave, then. Tell your alien friends that we captured him while you slipped away. And we evacuated because we knew you'd come back with reinforcements."

Tess nodded and left the way she came in.

She was walking alone through the field, feeling the wheat stalks brush against her hands, when she felt the ground beneath her rumble and shake.

She used her communicator to call a ride back to the capitol building. When she met with Jade again in the president's office, the president herself was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Jade had taken on the air of a human leader, wearing a blazer with her black hair tucked into a bun, hands clasped and eyes expectant.

"We found an underground base for medical experiments on our kind," Tess explained. "They got Shaun. I'm sorry for that. They knocked him unconscious so he couldn't fight. After I got out, they must have known I'd bring reinforcements. I heard some kind of explosion—"

"Yes, we sent our recruits there already. They caved in the base with explosives so we can't investigate. We think they escaped through a series of tunnels underneath the City." Jade leaned back, sighing. "Thank you for your work, you're excused."

Tess backed slowly out the door, stunned by Jade's praise.

Then she wandered down the ornate halls until she found a closet and locked herself inside.

"Dave?" she whispered.

Silence.

"Dave?" she said louder.

Her mind was silent for once, but now it felt lonely.

Jade hadn't seemed broken-hearted about losing Shaun. Tess wondered if she cared about anything but her biggest goal—to help the Species take over the world.