Base Alexandria

Chapter 19 Where to Begin

“This place is f*****g huge.”

We walked through the halls of this ship and it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. It was weird but amazing. There were a few men standing here and there I guess keeping an eye out for things and scientist looking at the markings on the walls trying to understand them. 

“Obviously the ship might be a little too big to explore all of it tonight but i really wanted to show you this maybe help you shed some light on what happened to you and your friends twelve years ago and then what happened earlier today.”

We went into another door and at first it was nothing but darkness and an empty container that was glowing with a blue substance in it. I got closer to it and walked around it.

“There’s nothing in here.”

But then some more lights flashed on and suddenly it was like another area full of containers but only with creatures in them. Creatures that looked like animals from earth but just more horrifying and gruesome. Then i finally looked above me and i saw the biggest longest earthworm id ever seen and it looked exactly like what attacked us today. 

“Amazing isn't it? Who would have thought beings not even of this galaxy would come and end experiment with animals of earth?”

I looked at the entrance of the door and it was a woman with a lab coat standing there. She looked familiar 

“Hi Samantha, it's been a long time, what? Seven years I think.”

“Dr. Kelly? This is where you disappeared to? I thought you died or something.”

“Gotten older but not dead...yet. It’s great to see you again. I see our fierce and mighty leader giving you a quick peek at the situation at hand.”

“Yea this is all pretty mind blowing.”

I leaned into the empty looking container.

“I wouldn’t get too close to that one. That one is….deadly?”

“But there’s nothing-”

I heard a loud thud against the container and the water inside seemed restless. I jumped back at the sound of the thud.

“These things are still alive?!? What the hell is even in this one?”

She handed me a pair of goggles that seemed to be heat vision goggles and when I looked at the container something was in it, it was just invincible. She touched my metal arm.

“I remember when you tried to describe what attacked you and I remember you saying whatever it was you couldn’t see it but something had taken your leg clean off before it came back for your arm. This thing is a Mantis, as little as they normally are; this one however is an experimented on Mantis. Although this one is still younger than the one that attacked you I believe that one  was way bigger and faster. I don’t know how they did it but then again i can only think that an obviously more advanced race of beings can do just about anything.”

I looked around me and I had so many questions but I knew I couldn’t ask them all but mostly i just didn’t know where to begin.

“Alright Doctor i think that’s enough for one day, maybe we should head back up and get some dinner. I still have a son to attend to.”

We all started walking out but as the lights were going off I looked back at the seemingly empty container and instantly thought about what happened all those years ago. We made our way back up to the ground level and I was escorted to a room where I'd be staying. It was a different building from where we originally were. Which i suppose was some sort of operations place and where i was staying was part of the barracks. 

This base gave me a warm fuzzy feeling for some reason. It was very different from Alexandria. It seemed like a base but there were different structures instead of apartment complexes. There were houses made of brick and wood lights lit up every single part of this place. I wasn’t sure exactly how many people resided here but it didn’t seem like very many. There was a sudden knock on my door and Mark was entering with a plate of hot steaming food in one hand and clothes in the other.

“Hey, I tried to get you extra portions since you probably haven't eaten anything since last night and you know since you’re pregnant.”

I noticed he was walking with crutches.

“Mark you didn’t have to bring me anything you should be resting.”

“It’s fine I’ve been resting all day, plus might as well get some exercise. So dad showed you the ship huh?”

“Yea it was pretty amazing. I got to see a bigger picture of what attacked us today, and what killed my friends, which now seeing it and thinking about it makes me wish they were still here?”

“Samantha what exactly happened that night?”

I sighed and stayed silent for a moment, I guess actually telling someone what happened might help me let go.