The Alien Agenda 3: Battle For Freedom

[Chapter 15: New Atlantis]

White lands, pine forests, and jagged cliffs filled my vision. The ship grunted as Axel maneuvered it into landing. The thrusters angled, and it threw white clouds of smoke into the air. As the heat melted the snow on our landing patch, we touched ground.

"Don't deactivate the invisibility, but reactivate the force field. We're going to need it," Kai said. I relayed his message to Axel standing beside me, who did just as told.

A shock wave of energy rippled in the air as the force field activated. We all felt it, and so did the other inhabitants on this snow field. This uninhabited Siberian Tundra had an entire army beneath its soil. We walked down towards the lower deck and to the door. Rys placed her hand on the control panel. With a hiss, the system granted her access and the huge panel opened. Kai poked my arm and gave me a wave.

"See you on the other side." He vanished.

Natural light filtered into the ship. My heart thrummed, burning with anticipation. They were already waiting for us. Standing just below the extended inclined platform was one very annoyed looking individual.

But boy, did I want to run up and give him a bear hug.

"Dr V-Ron!" I exclaimed part running, part sliding down the inclined plane.

"Greetings, Subject 5. I've been ordered to come and collect you from your vessel and-" He grunted as I pounced and tackled him to the ground.

I squished the Atlantean doctor with all I had. I heard him struggle to remove himself from my enormous hug. Axel was laughing behind me. Dr. V-Ron realized he had no chance of escaping and surrendered, anyway. Finally, I let go and jumped to my feet.

Dr. V-Ron got up, irritated as usual and dusted the snow off his uniform. He gave me a look, assessing my state with usual calculation, then folded his arms. "As much as the Atlanteans are brimming with joy for your return..." He poked me in the chest with one long grey finger, "The ground was very, very cold, Laila," he muttered. I burst out laughing, he shook his head then assessed the other passengers.

I heard guns revving up. "Intruder. E.T. origin," one of the guards said. Then I noticed all guns were trained on Rys who had just come out of the ship.

"Stop! She's with us," I ordered.

"Are you out of your mind? She is the enemy!" Dr. V-Ron exclaimed.

"It's a long story. But she helped me escape," I informed the doctor.

He raised a hand to silence me. "Whatever the case, she has to go through an entire security check, I am deploying elite guards to watch her. Same applies to you Axel," he shot them both a glare. Axel raised his hands in surrender and followed the guards. Rys did the same, with slight resistance.

Once they left, I turned to Dr. V-Ron. "So, you ready to show me the new Atlantis?"

"It's hardly a comparison to the real Atlantis... But a safehold nonetheless," he said and led me down a panel that opened from the snow, leading under the ground. We underwent several security clearances and entered the underground tunnels.

Anyone I passed would be either shaking my hand or high-fiving me. They were utterly thrilled I returned. I could tell how hopeless they felt once Atlantis fell to ruins, and I was gone.

"I thought you died," Dr. V-Ron put it out there.

"I'm immortal, my dear doctor," I replied, as much as I did not want to be, it was useful.

"Definitely analyzing you later," he replied.

"I'm a hero now, not an experiment," I retorted.

"You're still Subject 5, my dear," he threw back my sarcasm. I almost choked on air. Desperation and survival helped Dr. V-Ron develop humor. Oh, we are blessed!

We stopped at a bunker. Dr. V-Ron knocked twice. A beep resounded, and he took it as a sign to open the door. Pushing the metal latch, we stepped into a simple room. A large desk, a bed, and a General I missed so much.

He stood up, thick robes trailing behind him as he walked towards me. The general looked exhausted and... Sad. But his eyes lit up as they landed on me.

"General A-Roz," I beamed with a smile. He wrapped me in a hug, patting my head. "It's good to have you back, Laila," he said, his voice was hoarse and strained.

After giving us a moment, Dr. V-Ron had to butt in, "Should I give her a run-down on the situation, General?"

"Not yet, V-Ron. Let her see Elias first. Then, introduce her to our host."

"Kai?" I asked.

They both looked at me, puzzled. "How do you know...?"

"We've met. Through Akashic transmission. He actually helped me escape too. How else did you think I would know this place?" I replied.

"He is mysterious, that's for sure," Dr. V-Ron muttered in distaste. It was very like him to not trust people with strange abilities or people who lend a hand without asking for anything in return. A true lone ranger.

After saying my temporary goodbyes to the general I made my way to the makeshift library of the underground system. The Atlanteans had tried their very best to save as much records as they could. I entered the room, it was wider than General A-Roz's and held metal shelves filled with tablets. A desk held a holographic disk reader.

"Good evening, Uncle Elias. Do you have anything interesting for me today?" I said the same things I used to whenever I stepped into his research building.

Uncle Elias looked up from the projector and removed his glasses. "Laila..."

I ran up to him and gave him a dose of the Ultimate Laila Pounce. He was beyond thrilled to see me, as was I. My eyes teared, seeing him felt like I was truly home. He placed a kiss on the top of my head. "Are you okay, Laila?"

"Okay is long gone from my system. I'm alive, that's all that matters," I said.

"And Axel?" he said, his voice betraying the pain. I believed news had spread regarding Axel's betrayal and how be brought Atlantis to ruins.

"He's okay... And on our side," I said, not believing my own words. Uncle Elias nodded. We were both like children to him. I could imagine the pain he went through thinking he lost us both.

"Dr. V-Ron looks like he is waiting to bring you somewhere. I'll see you at dinner, okay?" He spoke to me as if I was a little girl, and I was completely okay with it. I needed this kind of reassurance.

We left Uncle Elias, and I made my way to the last person I needed to greet in New Atlantis. Dr V-Ron led me outside through a smaller manual latch. We had to climb up a ladder and come out into a thicket of pine trees. He led me to the edge of a hillside, a frozen river swirled from the mountain's peak. By the river, clad in Atlantean uniform, sitting on a cluster of rocks, was Kai.

"I will leave you be. Master Kai will escort you back," Dr. V-Ron said, as if he could not stand Kai's presence.

My steps crunched in the snow. I took a seat beside him on the rocks.

"How d'you find a suitable place to hide the Atlanteans?" I asked.

"I just did." Not a satisfying reply, but I learnt it was very hard to get a direct answer from him.

I glanced at the figure beside me. The apparition from before looked slightly different from the real thing. For starters this one was more flush with life. He had tanned skin, a shade lighter than mine. His eyes were brighter. An intelligent blue.

"I feel like I know you..." I whispered. He turned.

And with all seriousness he nodded. "You do. But I want to see you figure it out yourself."

I rolled my eyes, "Everything's a game for you isn't it?"

He laughed and stared back at the frozen mountain. "It's been a while since I've had a good playmate."

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