Pain. The first thing I could feel when I woke up was pain. It started in my head and went down my neck and through my spine to end at my lower back. The ache reverberated in my body with every heartbeat, causing my breathing to stutter.
“I’m breathing. At least I know I’m not dead.” I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, partially from the pain but mostly from the fear of what I would find when I opened them. Nothing bad could happen to me while my eyes were closed, so for now I kept them closed and tried to listen to my surroundings.
It was hard to focus with the pain pulsing through my body every few seconds, but eventually I gained a bit of situational awareness back. I was on my side, lying down on something cold and hard, probably a floor if I had to guess. I could feel a grainy texture on my exposed arms that felt like stone or concrete.
I could hear other people in the room, mainly through their heavy breathing, but some were talking quietly. Based on the noises I was hearing I estimated the room to be about 100 square meters in area. I decided that, while everything was calm, I should take a chance and open my eyes. Before I could though, a voice reverberated softly along the empty room.
“Is today the day it happens?” the voice asked. It was a man, probably a young adult by the timbre of his voice.
“… I think so,” another voice responded, this one clearly female. “The guards are livelier today and are more cautious than usual. Remember how they didn’t even bring the food in, but opened the door and tossed it everywhere?”
It was possible I was concussed, but I wasn’t too out of it to recognize a few dozen problems with that brief exchange.
“We’re prisoners,” I thought to myself, “Isn’t that just great!” It also seemed like these people had been here for a while, at least enough time to get a feel for the environment.
Worst of all was that there was some big event coming, and it didn’t sound good from the tone in the stranger’s voices. I decided that now was the best time to gather information, before whatever impending problems could pop up.
Cautiously, I opened my eyes and prepared for the worst. The first thing I noticed was how dark it was. There were a few lights embedded in the ceiling, but they were few and far between, and far too dull to illuminate the entire room.
There were no windows in the room, and all the walls were the same grey concrete, except for one which had a metal door in the middle of it. I scanned the room to get a feel for its occupants.
My eyes were first drawn to the two speakers I heard earlier. It wasn’t hard to find them, as they were the only people sitting up. The first, the male speaker, was a shorter man with dark colored hair. The second, the female speaker, was a woman of a similar size to me with similarly light hair.
Both of them were probably around my age, in their early twenties. It was hard to piece anything else out in the dim light, but I could tell they weren’t happy to be here.
“Big surprise, kidnapped people don’t want to stay kidnapped. Great train of thought, Olivia…” Ignoring my inner pessimism, I continued looking around stealthily. There were a few more figures, about ten in total, all of them laying down in some capacity. I couldn’t tell for most of them, but I inferred from others that everyone in the room was young, barely adults.
My train of thought was interrupted by a bright light emanating from the wall with the door in it. A shimmering light of rainbow colors panned the room, passing over all of the occupants harmlessly. I recognized it as an advanced form of LIDAR technology that created a spatial map of the room and all of its occupants. I had recognized it because I had a roommate in undergrad who was doing research on something similar.
The male voice spoke up again, “Does this mean we’re leaving or that they’re adding in someone new?”
“I don’t know,” the female voice began, “but they seem to be getting rough with them. The last lady they brought in still hasn’t woken up, and it’s been a few hours.”
I inferred that they probably meant me, which was alarming. “If I’ve been in here for hours, maybe someone noticed and issued a search for me?” I knew I was being delusional. I hardly interacted with anyone daily, and I didn’t have any living family to call or check up on me after a while with no contact.
What was really concerning was how organized this kidnapping operation seemed to be. The fact that my imprisoners had scanning technology to remotely check the room was as big red flag for the scale of this organization. My theory, as sad as it was, was that this was a large-scale human trafficking ring that had infiltrated and expanded within the greater Urona area.
I tried to think back on how I got into this situation. I met Rick and Lillia at the coffee shop and went with them to city hall. We took a shortcut and met Rick’s wife, June, who got into an argument with Rick before taking Lillia and leaving the side street.
Why I decided to follow a stranger into a suspicious area was beyond me. I think seeing the two frequent the shop so often made me feel like they weren’t strangers, but distant acquaintances? Either way, it came back to bite me in the ass, and I had no idea what to do next.
Suddenly, there were footsteps on the other side of the metal door. Judging by how fast the noises came and how unsynchronized they were there were at least four people coming this way.
“Shh, they’re coming, act asleep,” the female voice said.
“They scanned the room you idiot, they already know we’re awake,” the other said.
I agreed with the second voice. They were likely monitoring us frequently, and probably only came when they saw we weren’t planning anything. I was glad I pretended to be asleep, as the scan would’ve reflected that to my kidnappers.
The footsteps slowed down and came to an abrupt stop. One made its way close to the door, likely centimeters from the metal barricade. I heard the sound of something sliding along with a small beep as the mechanical locks on the door released.
My jailors wasted no time slamming the door open, startling everyone in the room who was asleep. I jumped a little but kept my head down as light filled the room.
“EVERYONE UP!” a voice shouted into the room. No one could’ve slept through that, so I was forced to stop my charade. I hobbled to my feet, barely able to stand due to an intense feeling of vertigo. I looked up to the intruders with half-open eyes.
Three men in all-black military uniforms were standing in front of a fourth in professional attire. The uniformed men were all tall and well-built, standing far above me in height. Each one of them had a handgun strapped to their belts and a rifle slung over their shoulders. The man in a suit was unarmed, but he gave me the impression that he was the one in charge.
Another soldier started barking orders at us. “Everyone face the back wall with your fingers laced and placed on the back of your heads!” Everyone complied, intimidated by the armed guards. I did the same, feeling pain when my hands touched the back of my head.
“We will come by you one by one. Do not resist, as we have authorization to use deadly force.” Authorized? They need authorization to be rough with people they kidnapped?
The men went down the line, moving each person out of the line. I could only look out of my peripheral vision, but it seemed like they were handcuffing them and walking them somewhere to be transported.
It was now my turn, but they didn’t immediately manhandle me. Instead, I felt a gentle touch on the base of my neck, causing me to flinch. A quiet voice came from behind me.
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“I am sorry with how things developed, Ms. North. I’m sorry for your pain, but I hope you can find solace in knowing it is only temporary.” Before I had time to ponder that cryptic statement my arms were folded behind me, and my wrists were chained together.
I was walked to stand behind the last person, another young woman with dark, curly hair and ebony skin. We waited for a second while everyone was organized, then we were led to leave the room.
“Things just got a lot more terrifying. Are they planning to kill us?” I thought to myself. I wish I talked with those people earlier to get some answers before things developed to this point.
We were walked down a hallway with matte grey walls and concrete floors. The lighting was much brighter in here, as the white lights made my headache worse. We would occasionally pass a set of doors, but otherwise the hallway was empty.
We took a right turn, then a left turn, and continued straight for a while. I didn’t see escape as likely, but it would be good to know which way led to a dead end back in the holding room.
I wasn’t paying much attention in front of me and ended up bumping into the girl in front of me, causing a domino effect for everyone in front of and behind me.
A voice hissed from in front of me, “Hey, watch it, I’m not trying to get shot or fall on my ass.” The dark-skinned woman didn’t turn around to talk to me and spoke through her teeth to avoid being heard by the guards.
We were filed into another room, this one larger and in the shape of an indoor theater. The transition from concrete floor to carpeted floors and velvet seats was startling. Maybe it was a multipurpose room, where one week is a high school theatre team and the next is for auctioning off people to the rich.
What surprised me most was that there were already people in there. Over a hundred individuals of all shapes and sizes were present, all of them filling the first few rows by the stage. All of the groups were escorted by armed guards like ours, but none of them had a managerial type in it like ours did.
We shuffled single file into a row of chairs, bumping into each other along the way. We were ordered to sit and did so without question. What was the point in resisting now that we’d already been moved around and kept under such tight supervision?
I noticed that I was sitting next to the guy who was talking in the room earlier. Now was as good a time as ever to get some answers. I leaned kept looking forward and spoke softly to avoid arousing suspicion.
“Hey, how did you get here?” I was worried he didn’t hear me, but I knew he had when he jumped slightly at hearing my voice.
“Jeez, keep your voice down, you’re yelling in my ear.”
“Sorry, my head is throbbing, and I can’t hear myself think right now,” I apologized, not wanting to make him made before I got any information from him.
“I bet. You looked pretty rough when they threw you in here, and you didn’t wake up until the guards came in.” He looked a little sympathetic, but otherwise paid me little attention.
His response created many questions in my mind, so I asked a few of them.
“How were you treated? How did they get all of these people in here?”
“Well, I’m sure not all of them were like me,” he began quietly, “but most people were. They got a call this week about some faulty paperwork and their job’s being at risk. Then, when you’re waiting for your turn, they call you into a back room for questioning.”
He continued, “They were asking me some basic questions to allegedly confirm my identity, but then a few men in suits ordered me to go into the back. I wanted to ask questions, but then I saw the guns on their hips and decided to shut up.”
A yell emerged from the back of the room. Everyone, including me, turned our heads around cautiously to see what was going on.
A new group entered through the double doors, lit from the back by the sterile hallway lights. I couldn’t see much besides some vague silhouettes, but things seemed hectic as there was a lot of movement.
“You! Stop resisting! Get on the ground, NOW!” It seemed like the guards were controlling someone in their group who had gotten rowdy.
Another voice started screaming, “No! No! You can’t do this! Stop, please!” The person in question, another young man, writhed and yelled as he struggled to get free. At this point, other guards from nearby groups had convened on the fight, and there was no chance of him escaping anymore.
While everyone’s attention was to the back of the room, a large electrical clicking sound resounded throughout the room as the front stage lights filled the space with bright light. Some of us kept looking back but I moved my eyes forward. Up on the stage was that same well-dressed man from before, except I could fully see him this time.
His face was fully lit by the large lights, making his olive skin seem like it was glowing. His short raven hair was slicked backwards, and he had the showings of a beard under his chin. His eyes were like the night sky, pitch black with a scattering of lights staining the glossy surface.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the man began, “I am sure you have many questions about what has been happening over the last five days. I understand you are all likely very worried and scared for your futures, but I assure you that you need not be. I will explain everything as a service to you, the people who have been scorned by fate.”
“What is this guy on about,” I wondered to myself. He definitely seemed to enjoy hearing himself speak.
He continued, “Gentleman, please escort our guest in the back to join me up on the stage.” He waved toward the back, gesturing for them to come forward. I hadn’t noticed before, but the sounds of struggle had stopped while the suited man was speaking. It took half a minute for the soldiers to force the man up the stage steps, where they were all bathed in light.
The soldiers had the same blackout attire as before, but these didn’t have any firearms on them. They were dragging a run-down man across the stage, his legs limp and dragging behind him. The man’s face was hidden in shadow, but I could see his dark skin and bald head reflect the bright lights from above. It seemed that the man had taken quite a beating, as the occasional spattering of blood would fall from his shaded face.
The man in the suit resumed speaking, “You all were cooperative, and were thus treated with respect. I’m glad to know that very few of you forced us to commit to such drastic detainment measures.” The pain in my head intensified and the throbbing pulsed throughout my head and neck, reminding me of how “gentle” they had been with me.
“Your patience will now be rewarded.” A shimmer appeared in the air and light was projected onto the white stage backdrop. An image of earth appeared, floating in space.
The man spoke again, his voice low and dramatic. “Humanity once believed that we were alone, the sole witnesses to the universe and all of its splendor. We carried an unbearable burden upon our shoulder as the only sentient life in the universe.” The image of earth became cloudy as the planet’s surface became darker and swathed in gray.
“Unfortunately, humanity was unfit to bear that responsibility. We collapsed under the weight of our own sins, sacrificing the few for the many. We fought for resources, sending our people to fight and die over patches of land they would never see.”
I thought to myself, “I didn’t realize being kidnapped would come with a fifth-grade history lesson.” I tried to keep a sense of humor about the situation so that my mental state wouldn’t devolve into mindless fear and anticipation. I was powerless and had no other choice but to sit and listen.
The man’s voice reached a crescendo as he yelled, “It was only after our fall that we met them, our saviors who would bring us back on the path to salvation!” Another planet appeared beside Earth, dwarfing our world in size.
“The Altum, benevolent and wise as they were, took pity on our planet. Perhaps they were saddened to see the only other sentient life in the universe kill themselves. Nonetheless, they stabilized our economies with an influx of natural treasures and resources and ended our wars by brokering peace.” His eyes reflected madness as they began to resemble the starry backdrop of space behind him.
He continued, practically foaming at the mouth with fanaticism, “The Altum! Our saviors! They reestablished our moral foundations and we began our history book anew, marking the advent of a new age and giving humanity a fresh start.”
His volume tapered off as his maddened expression softened with a renewed lucidity.
“We all know that things were never perfect. Years zero through fifty were always wrought with tension, but with our newfound allies we were able to make it to where we are today, seventy-five years later.” He took his hand and styled his hair into place, some strands moving during his monologue.
He then looked to the crowd and then to the man beside him. “You are all children of this new world. You have been blessed with the opportunity to begin your lives with none of the transgressions of your forefathers.”
The suited man then scanned the crowd, stopping his gaze in the center of the mass of prisoners. It felt like his eyes locked with mine for a second, but I knew he couldn’t really see any one person through the stage lights. Nonetheless, I could feel his uncanny gaze pierce my mental defenses as he gathered breath to continue speaking.
“You. All of you here today are special in that you have been given even more opportunity than the rest of humanity. You all are special in that your human blood has been redeemed with that of the saving race.”
“Twenty-two years ago, an Altum envoy descended to our great city of Urona to help our city rebuild after its destruction.” I remembered hearing about a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hitting the city before I was born, but I didn’t know the Altum came to repair it.
He continued, “The twenty Altum who came were captivated by human culture and were particularly entranced by the local population. A few of them graced the local people with their presence and they began to intermingle with a few select Urona residents.”
His face turned downwards slightly in an expression of exaggerated sadness. “The Altum were not meant to have been noticed, so those Urona locals who met them needed to be handled by the government to avoid word spreading about the Altum.”
His eyes opened a little wider, a slight smile appearing on his face. “Through this chance meeting, however, you all were born! You have been baptized through your heritage and are destined for greatness. It is in your blood to renounce your human past and embrace the brighter future you see before you. You are no longer humans, no, you are much greater.”
He paused and then gave a beaming smile. “Today, you will inherit your legacy and become truly Altum.”