There was some kind of space station facility straight ahead of us, though I could hardly see out the window from where I laid stuck on the floor. Sofia wasn't far behind the captain's chair, since she'd slumped against a wall on her way up here. Mikri's destroyed body was strewn on the floor, making me tear up every time I looked at it. What if he was…gone forever, all because I hadn't unfrozen fast enough?

No. I had to focus. Wherever we'd been warped to and whoever might be on the other side, there was nothing I could do to alter the outcome now. I had to gather information and stay conscious just a little longer, in case I needed to reason with them. Sofia seemed to have succumbed to the drug cocktail, which was as calming as a lullaby sucked straight into the eardrums; my entire body felt so heavy, and the grogginess was tempting to obey. So tempting.

Eyes open. You can't be helpless again, not like you were to Larimak or to Bighead back there! It's your fault if we just jumped somewhere…worse. Someone has to talk if rescuers show up, even if they are nice.

There was a strange ship flying up from the mysterious installation, which was shaped like an obelisk that was turned on its side; it was a sleek, gentle white color. The vessel avoided the roof-side docking hatch, likely because our Elusian captor's spacecraft had latched on…oh shit. Mr. Apologetic Asshole was still attached to our boat, and would be coming back at any moment! I had to hope whoever was closing in could stand up to that godlike tech, but no one else had such diabolical contraptions.

I was going to be…an experiment, then a prisoner kept from the dimension that truly felt like home. We were screwed! Tears welled in my eyes as the mysterious ship, which had flown up from the space installation, fastened itself to the lower docking port instead. I fought to keep myself awake long enough to warn them to save themselves. No other innocent people needed to get hurt because of me; Lord knows I already failed Mikri.

How was I going to communicate with a new alien party who didn't know our language? Unless they did, since they'd grasped enough to meddle and leave a getaway portal nearby. They must be kind of powerful too to have a hold of that technology, so maybe they could put up a fight. I turned my eyes toward the unsealing hatch and waited to see who came through.

"You should see what became of your friend's ship," a feminine voice said in perfect English, which already set off alarm bells. "I don't think he ever realized you were about to go through 4D space. Without nanobots in place to fend off gravity, he got flattened. You're lucky your negative energy emitters were still on from The Tunnel."

"Huh?" I raised my head with tentative hope, despite realizing that this newcomer knew far too much about us. Bighead got taken out during transit? That's fantastic! Maybe we can get away, but I have to make sure they won't throw out Mikri. "Over here. Help…"

The words faltered in my throat, as the figure that emerged from the access hatch was unmistakably Elusian.

My body fell limp with despair, realizing that I hadn't escaped at all; I'd jumped right to a stronghold. All that had changed was that now, they'd been livid about the death of their colleague because I had a wonderful hunch. We might never leave this place—being a prisoner of Sol sounded great, compared to being a guinea pig.

I began sobbing hopeless tears, filled with a deep self-loathing that I'd been so foolish. Chasing after technology and trying to be like them was my idea. I was right where I was supposed to be. The new Elusian approached, kneeling on the floor beside me and picking me up. She cradled me with such gentleness, and I thought I saw tears welling in her own black eyes.

"It's okay," the alien whispered. "You're safe. You can rest now."

I didn't trust a word this creator said, but I couldn't fight the cocktail swirling in my veins much longer. My eyes sealed shut, as I gave in to the fact that the Elusian would be taking me God-knows-where. There was no escaping the control of these godlike entities who wanted to lock us back in Sol and throw away the key.

---

The first thing I noticed when I woke up—other than the dull ache in my temples—was that I was cocooned in a soft blanket on an amazingly comfy mattress. Everything came rushing back to me in an instant: the Elusians drugging us and planning to close the door on Sol, Mikri getting obliterated, and another gray alien sweeping us away after my so-called escape. I narrowed my eyes with suspicion, but noticed that I was left alone in this bedroom: unguarded and to my own devices.

That's strange, if the Elusians really think we're that dangerous. Is this like a Swedish prison? If so, that's not that bad. It'll be fine. I…gotta find my friends.

I tested the door to the bedroom, and was a little surprised to find it unlocked. I'd thought I'd have to bust it down with that Caelum super strength. There was no sign of anyone around, but it seemed I was free to wander into a seating area. I eyed the levitating table with an entire feast's worth of food and beverage with suspicion, settling for a cookie and a glass of water after some hesitation. If they wanted to drug or poison me, it'd be way easier just to do that nanobots bullshit. I knew they could.

I heard the adjacent door to my bedroom pop open, and spun around with fists raised, in a defensive posture. My hands dropped back to my side after I saw Sofia, who looked beyond confused. Of course, she wasn't awake for the part where I accidentally drove into a portal and killed an Elusian, then got carried off bridal style by another gray. Humiliating. It was a good thing she was awake and that we were allowed to mingle, because my scientist friend could definitely make a better plan.

"Did you forget to set your alarm again?" I asked, shoveling another cookie into my mouth. "Shit. These are good!"

Sofia looked uncharacteristically worried, walking up to me with a frantic stare. "Preston, where the fuck are we? I…need to check on Mikri. I had a horrible dream…"

"It wasn't a dream. The Elusians captured us after we drove through our portal. I got some weird inclination that sent us through a hidden warp field, so I thought we escaped those fuckers, but then…another one of them came to pick us up. Now we're here. Bummer. Welcome to Purgatory."

The scientist seemed to freeze for several seconds, her mouth hanging open. "We went through another portal, where another Elusian was waiting to capture us?!"

"Yep, and I don't know if they'll be as quick and painless as Bighead. Had a whole space station facility thingy, that I think we're on, and it looked kinda like a research complex. But hey, at least she let us raid her fridge. She knows the way to a man's heart."

"Can you stop stuffing your face for two seconds?! What did 'she' say or do when she picked us up? You sound like you were awake."

Stolen novel; please report.

"I dunno. Something to the effect of, 'You're safe now. It's okay, puppy. Nighty-night.'"

"And that's actually the gist of what she said?"

"Yep. Mars Scout's honor."

Sofia raised a finger, waving it like she had a plan. "Okay. We need to find her. Maybe she'll talk to us with more than cryptic self-justifications."

"You want to seek them out, after everything that just happened? Not get out of here, not try to snoop around their little fortress?"

"We know these aliens could stop us with hardly an afterthought. We must've been left free for a reason; we have to hope she helped, and that maybe we can reason with this one. It's worth trying. She hasn't spared any comfort so far, so she seems to beat the Elusian alternatives, don't you think?"

I sulked, folding my arms. "I want nothing to do with any Elusian."

"Mikri could've said the same about Capal. I think we owe it to him to at least find out what was done to his…broken chassis. I'm not leaving without that answer—without trying to see if there's any way to fix him."

That remark brought me around, since I wished more than anything that I could've helped Mikri, instead of spectating his demise. "Fine. Let's track down this b—nice lady and have a chitchat."

Apprehension tickled every corner of my mind, as we waded deeper into the facility and found no sign of any Elusians afoot. There were strange machines scattered about that I didn't recognize, including what seemed like dead bodies suspended in some kind of fluid. Was Sofia sure that approaching this researcher was such a good idea? I found a chair in a kitchen area and ripped off a leg, brandishing it as a weapon. The scientist shot me a look, but I was not relinquishing my blunt instrument.

I can see nanobots scurrying around the complex like ants, when they're gathered in enough densities. They're everywhere. Ick! Gives me the creeps more than Redge.

I moved furtively through a laboratory area, picking up the sound of scraping metal, like someone was working. My heart was beating a million miles an hour, as we walked toward a side room that seemed like an operating suite through the foggy window. My senses were dialed up even further when I peeked through the doorway, and realized what was being worked on atop that table. A powered-off Mikri was being tinkered with by that damn Elusian, who had her back to us. I raised the chair leg like a bat, gritting my teeth.

Sofia raised a hand to stop me. "I said talk. Hello?"

The Elusian didn't seem surprised that we were present, not even turning around. "I'm glad you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Violated, after the drugs you people put in my system," I spat. "I won't watch you scrap my friend for parts."

The alien glanced over her shoulder. It was tough to tell without visible pupils, but the eye movement seemed a lot like an eye roll. Unimpressed, she stepped out of the way and gestured with a hand toward Mikri. I could see that new limbs had been affixed to each of his sockets, which looked shinier and relatively similar to his original build. A robotic helper had been screwing in the final leg, which would make him as good as new. I narrowed my eyes, mistrustful of why she'd fix Mikri.

The Elusian sighed. "May I continue?"

"He wouldn't want anyone messing with his code, or changing him—certainly not an Elusian. You powered him off," I hissed.

"He was conscious but unable to move or communicate. It's akin to torture. His program crashed and needed to be rebooted. I did nothing to harm him. I'm restoring his limbs, and then I'll bring him back online. I already hooked up a voice program and speaker; I apologize that it might sound a little different to his previous setup. I'm doing my best."

"Hmph. Your best doesn't mean a whole lot to me. I don't see why I should trust an Elusian."

"If I told you I'm with a splinter sect of scientists, who don't agree with our official position on you, would that help? Because I want to help humanity, and I couldn't disagree more vehemently with what they just did. I tried to give you a way out. I plan to explain everything to you, as soon as I finish this."

I could feel my anger lessen a bit, as I scrutinized her sincerity. She's what, some kind of rogue faction? "Everything? Like why the Elusians treated us so shitty?"

"Yes. I understand why you feel angry, and I'm sorry; I'm angry for you as well. I wish I could do more. Let's just start with some basic introductions. My name is Corai, and I've been a Watcher of your species for millions of years."

"I'm Dr. Sofia Aguado, and that's Captain Preston Carter," my partner answered without skipping a beat. "We'll take all the help we can get."

I squinted, my head reeling. "Hold on. Millions of years? You're that old, Corai?!"

"We can live indefinitely. I'd be happy to explain some of our technology along the way," the gray alien responded. "Alright, your friend is as good as new. I took the liberty of upgrading his limbs with metal from a more durable universe, so that he'll be a bit less breakable around you. Would you mind telling him not to embed my intestines into my bone marrow when he wakes up?"

I chuckled, before I could stop myself. "Fine. I'm only telling Mikri to hear you out, because you helped him. That's the sole reason I am too."

"I have faith in humans. I believe you can handle the truth. And I trust you to recognize that I'm on your side once I prove my sincerity."

"No species is a monolith," Sofia said, speaking to me more than Corai. "We shouldn't judge an individual by the actions of the group. If you disagree with them, you're not to blame. It'd be nice to have a friend among the Elusians at long last."

Corai frowned. "Indeed. I've waited so long to have this conversation with you, since before they decided to turn their backs on you. I'm here for you if you want my aid, and if not, you're free to leave."

"Turn Mikri on," I commanded, growing impatient.

"Very well. I politely request that you restrain him. I'm not your enemy, and I don't wish to fight you."

I watched with continuing suspicion as Mikri's LEDs lit back up, checking to see whether the tin can had been stripped of any of his personality's finer attributes. The Vascar's head lifted and locked onto Corai at once. Within half-a-second, he dove toward the Elusian with outstretched claws. Yep, that's still my roboburrito. Genocidal little firecracker.

"No!" Deciding that it was worth hearing the Elusian out, if only to have a chance to understand why our creators had rejected us, I intercepted Mikri. It would mean a lot to me to hear that…any of them thought humanity was worthy of their time. "Corai fixed you. You can't use her as a piñata."

Mikri whirred with violent anger. "They hurt you! They're taking you away!"

"Corai disagrees with the mainstream Elusians and their actions. She's on our side. She helped us get away; we'd be jailed in Sol right now without her," Sofia interjected. "The probability where she's genuine in her desire to help is the only one we have any hope to stop them. It's the only way we aren't taken away from you. So I think we should believe her and give her a chance."

"The only way I keep you." The android stopped challenging me, and threw his arms around my torso. I patted his mane, beyond relieved that he was up and about. "I will do anything. I require more data on the Elusians to analyze, since all past experiences have been negative. They have been worse than building showers."

I smirked at Corai. "Ouch. You hear those fighting words?"

"An insult of that caliber was uncalled for," the Elusian chuckled. Points to her for not being an uptight prick. Maybe she will treat us as an equal, though I need to see some transparency before I fully trust her. "Let's go to the sitting room and make ourselves comfortable. I suspect I have a lot of explaining to do."

Not having any choice but to strive for an open conversation with this Elusian scientist, I followed her out of the laboratory to get the long-awaited answers on why they created humanity.

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