He paused near the top. Just a few yards ahead, the ramp entered the craft through something that looked like a pane of glass, and yet he could tell it wasn’t glass. He frowned. The substance didn’t seem real. It was like opaque glass that shimmered, sparkled, and moved.
Zane extended his hand. Just as his fingers neared the strange material, he paused. Would touching it set off an alarm? There was only one way to find out, so he thrust his hand forward. To his utter shock, his hand slipped through easily. It felt like water was sliding down his fingers, then his wrist, and finally his forearm. It was a membrane, some sort of futuristic entry panel.
Sensing it was safe, Zane stepped all the way through and found himself standing in a room that seemed like a bay. It was dimly lit, the only luminescence coming from several circular lights sunken into the floor.
Zane cast his eyes around. The space was not large, but it rose high into the air, perhaps the equivalent of several stories.
Suddenly he sensed movement above. Zane looked up, wondering if he should raise his weapon. A moment later, something descended out of the darkness, sliding down the wall. It had the appearance of a futuristic elevator car. Seconds later, it reached the floor and stopped. Zane raised his pistol, but nothing emerged.
He moved toward it slowly. The capsule was constructed mostly of metal, save for a door facing him that seemed to be made of the same strange substance he had walked through only moments before.
“Let’s see where this baby goes,” Zane said softly, stepping through the pane.
As he’d expected, the interior was empty. As he looked around, a panel slowly lit on the opposite wall. He stepped closer and examined the long, vertical screen. On it were a series of strange characters that ran from top to bottom. The one at the bottom was blinking.
He touched the second button from the bottom, and the capsule moved upward. It took off so fast that Zane almost toppled over. Moments later, it stopped, and the door facing the wall slid open. A dark corridor loomed beyond. Zane leaned forward, but he couldn’t see or hear anything in either direction.
Remembering the car had originally come from one of the upper levels, Zane pulled back inside and hit the fourth character from the bottom. The capsule took off again then stopped a few seconds later. This time Zane stepped out when the door opened.
The corridor he found himself in was mostly dark. Just like the bay, it was dimly lit with small red lights sunken into the floor. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he turned right and began walking. He soon saw a corridor branching off to the left. After glancing down it briefly, he continued straight ahead.
The hallway seemed to go on forever. This thing is the size of a battleship.
About a minute later, a doorway appeared just ahead. Hearing no sounds, Zane stepped through and stopped. After his eyes adjusted, he could see he was standing at the top of a flight of stairs leading down into a cavernous chamber. At first he saw nothing in the dark interior, then his eyes picked up a faint flicker of light in the distance.
Zane descended the stairs cautiously. When he reached the bottom, he stepped out into the room. Soon more details emerged. He quickly saw that the far wall was not a wall at all; it was a V-shaped pane of dark glass.
A windshield.
Just below it were two strangely contoured seats. A long console ran between them, and just above that was the light he’d seen from above. Strangely, it seemed to hover in midair. Intrigued, he crossed the room and approached the glow. As he drew within a few feet, he realized it was a floating hologram. He also saw that the light was actually an intricate design on the globe’s surface. Zane leaned forward then stopped. His pulse quickened as he found himself staring at a 3D representation of the earth. It was so realistic that it gave the appearance of a real-time video.
Zane bent closer and marveled at the amazing technology. The oceans seemed to shimmer, and a few of the scattered clouds seemed to move ever so slightly. It must be some sort of navigation system, he thought. As he reached out to touch it, Zane heard a noise behind him. He turned, and at the same time, he backed away from the light of the hologram. He lifted his Glock and stared toward the back of the bridge, watching for movement. For the first time, he noticed that a doorway stood just behind the base of the stairs. The sound had seemed to come from there.
He slowly crossed over to the entryway. Just beyond was a corridor that looked like the one he’d come down earlier. He wanted to go back and examine the globe, but he knew he needed to investigate the sound. Someone might be in danger.
After passing through the door, Zane walked slowly down the hall. About a minute later, he saw a long window running down the right-hand wall. He stepped up to the edge then eased forward. A large room slid into view beyond the glass. Like the rest of the ship, it was mostly dark, but he could see that it was filled with rows of linen-covered gurneys. Situated next to each one was an instrument tower with a number of futuristic-looking knobs and screens. The whole scene reminded him of a hospital ward.
One of the instrument towers on the far end of the room was giving off ambient light. As Zane turned that way, chill bumps spread over both of his arms. Two figures were moving in and out of the light. They seemed oddly familiar, but the distance was too great to discern any details.
Desiring a better look, Zane squatted and crab-walked down the hall, keeping his head just under the bottom edge of the glass. Moments later, a doorway appeared ahead. Not surprisingly, it was covered by another membrane panel.
Should he enter? Zane knew he had little choice but to go in. It was obvious the creatures were working on someone, likely the same person he’d seen being carried on board. It was also obvious that person had been brought there against their will.
After taking a deep breath, Zane carefully eased through the panel. Once inside, he quickly crawled over to one of the gurneys. As he settled into place, he heard a strange series of monotone clicks, almost like radio static that had been slowed down to the point where the individual bursts of noise could be heard.
Zane bent lower and stared through the tangle of metal legs and wheels. The creatures were to the left in the far corner of the room. Somehow he needed to get closer.
Careful not to make any noise, he turned and crawled down the nearest row. When he got to the end, he situated himself behind a gurney next to the wall. He remained perfectly still, trying to make sure he hadn’t been heard. The strange clicks continued unabated, so he rose until his eyes cleared the gurney. He could scarcely believe the sight that greeted him. Two creatures hovered over their patient, their spindly arms moving around as they continued their work.
They had bulbous heads perched on pencil-thin necks, and their bodies were covered with a dull, lifeless gray skin that looked more reptilian than human. But it was their eyes that gave him chills. Looking into the lidless black ovals was like looking into hell itself.
As Zane watched, he noticed that the two occasionally turned toward each other as they worked. They seemed to communicate through the clicks, although strangely, their tiny mouths never moved.
What now? Should he attack? He had a full magazine in the Glock and another in his pocket. He also held the element of surprise. On the other hand, he didn’t know what weapons they possessed. Nor did he know anything about their physical capabilities. In fact, other than their appearance, he knew nothing about them at all.
As he weighed his options, Zane rested his arm on the gurney’s rail, causing it to creak. The clicking ceased immediately. Zane froze in place. A moment later, the creatures exchanged a few soft clicks. Zane turned his head and watched as they walked toward the other side of the room. They paused for a moment at the door then passed through the membrane.