*KNOCK, KNOCK*
Prism flinched in his chair at the sudden interruption. He placed the Æban history book that he’d been reading down on the table before slowly getting up to answer the door. Despite all the sleep that he’d gotten over the past few days, his body felt heavy and lethargic. Prism felt especially vulnerable at that moment. Despite the precarious situations he’d been in since arriving on Æba, he still hadn’t gotten used to feeling so helpless.
He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Leanna standing between his two daytime security officers, Dill and Dy, after he opened the door. Her lush, back-length hair was as striking as ever, especially with its emerald-green color. Her glasses weren’t the futuristic, wraparound-framed ones that she’d worn days earlier, but were instead simple frameless glasses with large, circular lenses.
She wore a uniform that consisted of loose-fitting red leatherine pants and a tight black shirt, similar to what Prism wore, except that she also wore a red leatherine jacket that featured sleek black trim on its collar, back, and sleeves. The jacket was emblazoned with the Red Wolves insignia on its right shoulder. She was a few centimeters taller than Prism, which only heightened her protective feelings towards him.
“Prism, how have you been? Not much better than me, I bet.” Leanna said before adjusting her glasses.
Prism smiled goofily and shyly nodded.
“I’m glad they didn’t get rid of you.” Prism said sweetly.
Leanna let out a girlish laugh and waved her right hand in the air between them.
“My “insubordination” didn’t get anyone killed, so all I got was three days in the cage. No big deal.” Leanna said flippantly.
Prism doubted that she’d gotten off so easily, but he couldn’t be sure. He didn’t know how strict their organization was, after all. None of the books that had been left in his room contained information about the Red Wolves. After getting around to reading the last book available to him, Prism realized that he was being shown only what the mercenary company wanted him to know.
“In any case, I have been given the honor of escorting you to your meeting with Pack Command. They’ve finally made a decision about you, or so it seems.” Leanna’s voice quavered slightly, which only made Prism more nervous.
“Did my conversations with your people not go well?” Prism asked.
For the past four days that he’d been within the base, he’d been taken into a small nearby room to be questioned for several hours each day about his life and imprisonment within A-Lab. He’d been forthcoming about his experiences with the Queen’s scientists, but he hadn’t shared much about what he’d done before he came to Æba. The conservations, as Prism called them, were more like interrogations, and Leanna knew it.
“I’m not privy to that information. It’s going to take time before I’m back within Command’s good graces.” Leanna said with a shake of her head.
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault that-“ Prism said with teary eyes while looking at the floor.
“Oh no, don’t you dare. You’re the victim in all of this. I don’t regret anything I’ve done to help you.”
Leanna grabbed Prism’s shoulders and lifted his chin so that the two could make eye contact while she spoke. Prism nodded slowly and averted his eyes from her once again. The beefy security officers beside Leanna looked confused by their closeness, but kept quiet.
“Have you not been sleeping well? You actually look really tired.” Leanna frowned and asked after their brief exchange. The more Prism spoke, the more Leanna noticed his lack of energy.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing a walk outside won’t cure.” Prism said cryptically.
Leanna looked up at Dill and Dy, trying to decipher what they knew about Command’s decision regarding Prism’s fate. The two remained stone-faced, and avoided making eye contact with her. Leanna stroked her pointy chin as she thought on Prism’s words. For all she knew, he needed sunlight to live in addition to food.
She hoped that he would’ve been more forthcoming about his living essentials. She wasn’t sure if her superiors would let him waste away if they knew that he needed time outside. She shrugged and committed herself to pressing him on his comment only if his condition seemed to get worse.
“We should go. I don’t want Command to give me another earful.” Leanna said cheekily.
The four of them made their way down the hallways of the auxiliary base to an elevator that led down to the main base. Prism walked slowly and seemed out of breath after only a few minutes. But when Leanna saw Dill and Dy essentially hurry him along, she figured that they’d expected his lethargy. Leanna did her best to keep calm, not wanting to rush to being insubordinate by helping Prism again. She knew that she couldn’t help him if she was behind bars again.
“Within the heart of Kyero Mountain lies Pack Command HQ, the impenetrable central base of the Red Wolves Company.” Leanna said in a dramatic and theatrical manner while they rode the elevator down.
“Is that so?” Prism said to Leanna with a smile.
“It’s from a recruitment video that used to air when I was a kid, back in Etrysia.” Leanna said with a hint of nostalgia.
Dill, the taller and paler-skinned of their two security escorts, glanced over at his dark-skinned partner Dy and raised his eyebrows. Dy shrugged and patted the PAW he was carrying. Since the two security officers stood behind Prism and Leanna, neither of them could see what Dill and Dy were doing.
“Please avoid divulging any specific information about Pack Command to Prism, Analyst Leanna.” Dill said in a deep, stern voice.
Leanna turned around and shot a look of sheer ridicule at him. Dill nervously averted his eyes from her once again, while Dy looked askance at her. Prism picked up on the tension, but didn’t know how to diffuse the situation.
“Fine. But don’t act like that isn’t widely-known public information.” Leanna said defiantly before turning back around.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
She simply put her hands on her hips and silently watched the elevator descend down the rocky tunnel. It didn’t take much longer for it to stop and open at the Command Level. Leanna was the first to step off of the elevator. Each of her loud, heavy steps was an angry condemnation of her tight-lipped superiors. Prism mustered enough moxie to follow closely behind her, not wanting to further alert the others to his poor state. Dill and Dy silently marched at their rear, both of them keeping a close eye on Leanna and Prism.
The style of the hallways within the base proper were drastically different than they’d been in the auxiliary base. Prism’s eyes looked over the silvery-metal texture of the circular hallways, well-lit by rectangular lights that ran for meters along the ceilings and between the ridges of the ringed-walls. The marble-like floor had painted color lines on them that indicated the various paths throughout the base, while the various rectangular doors along the corridors varied from large to small heavyweight sliding entryways. There was a smell of pine and lavender that wafted through the area they were in, which served to put Prism’s weary heart at ease.
“This way.” Leanna looked back and said to Prism while she navigated the wide corridors.
Prism saw a few base personnel walking hurriedly to and fro. Some wore the same outfit as Leanna, while others dressed like Dill and Dy. There were also a few who wore lab coats with pink trim, and even more that wore orange jumpsuits. Prism expected to see someone not wearing some sort of uniform, but none appeared.
Only a few people looked at him while he walked by, all with a playful curiosity. Most of them happened to be scientists of some sort or another.
“The scientists must be where the information is truly concentrated here.” Prism thought to himself while he looked back at the gawking people in white lab coats. “Same as most worlds.”
When Leanna turned a certain corner, their group came into a large open rectangular area with a higher ceiling and a large sealed entrance several meters in front of them. A smaller door stood beside the large entryway, which featured numerous complicated locking mechanisms from its top to its bottom. The room was filled with seemingly-relaxed security personnel, each of whom held PAWs in both hands. Prism half-sighed when he saw that the security group wasn’t pointing their weapons at him. He knew that they easily could at any time, however.
“D & D reporting. We’ve brought the Alien along with Analyst Leanna, as ordered.” Dy nearly shouted at the larger group of security officers while saluting their leader.
“Good work. Command is expecting them.” The leader of the security group yelled back.
With a wave of his hand, the security leader ordered one of his men to open the smaller door behind them. Leanna, who’d scoffed at Prism’s official designation as “the Alien”, began to impatiently tap her foot as they all watched the door’s complex mechanisms begin to move before the door finally slid open. Prism immediately began to hear various beeping and whirring sounds from the room, as well as numerous people talking.
“Go on in.” The security leader said to Dill, Dy, Leanna, and Prism. The four of them proceeded onwards into the room. It quickly became clear to Prism that it was the base’s Command Center once he stepped inside. He was stunned by the room’s vastness and technical complexity. He was even more stunned that he’d been allowed there.
The Command Center featured a series of tiered balconies that had dozens of analysts working on computers on the lowest tiers. The tier higher, which Prism stood upon, had several tactical officers standing around computerized tables discussing the data fed to them by the analysts. When Prism looked up at the tiered balcony above them, he could see Ursun sitting in a throne-like seat accompanied by three other individuals who also sat in similar big chairs. They all wore what could only be commander uniforms, each being a different color and slightly different design to indicate their specific area of command.
The most impressive part of the room to Prism was the panoramic display that wrapped around the entire room. The light that radiated from the massive display made the room seem like it was being sunlit. The area surrounding the mountain was displayed in beautiful clarity; showing the ocean behind them, the other mountains at their flank, and a near-aerial view of the verdant forest ahead of them. It was a complete 360-degree view of the peninsular region that the Red Wolves called home.
“You can lift your jaw off the floor now.” Leanna said to Prism.
He hadn’t even been aware that his mouth was open while he marveled at the design of the large command center.
“This is very impressive…” Prism nearly whispered. Leanna smirked and patted his shoulder before leading him around to the front of the Commander Deck.
“Analyst Leanna. It’s good to see that you are a free woman once again.” A sarcastic voice familiar to Prism said from behind one of the tall seat-backs.
Dr. Liam soon came into view after he walked forward. He stood indignantly beside his chair, placing his left hand on its armrest. Prism was stunned to discover that he was one of the commanders of the Red Wolves.
“Dr. Liam Constanzer, Commander of the Science Division.” He said as if sensing Prism’s thoughts.
Liam gave a quick bow, and then pushed his tottering glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
“Okay, enough with the silliness. Let’s get to business.” Said a bulky, strikingly-handsome man sitting in the leftmost chair. The man had short wavy red hair and a clean-shaven face. His jaw seemed impossibly square, with a prominent dimple on his chin. He looked no older than forty.
"Here, here!" A thin man with shiny black skin, sunken cheeks, and a strange tonsure hairstyle said in agreement. His graying hair looked like a ring sitting atop his otherwise bald head. He tinkered with a small golden mechanism, holding it in his right hand while he applied a brass tool to it with his left hand. Despite his statement, he barely seemed to pay attention to what was going on around him.
"Welcome to Pack Command, Prism." Ursun said proudly after raising his arms high while leaning back in his seat. "The redhead is my brother, Commander Finisome of the Security Division. The skinny one is Commander Gnapp of the Engineering Division." Ursun added while pointing to the two men that he spoke of.
Ursun was dressed in a stately uniform with a scarlet-red coat and black dress pants that had a scarlet-colored line running down its outer-facing portions. The stylish outfit made Ursun look even more authoritative, something that Prism didn't think was possible.
"And you're the commander of the Mercenary Division?" Prism guessed as much as he asked.
"Indeed he is!" Gnapp shouted joyfully, nearly dropping his handheld machine. The engineering commander's uniform coat was orange.
"We've brought you here today to personally express our thanks for your help during Commander Ursun's last mission, as well as to propose a mutually-beneficial deal between you and our company." Finisome said with a smooth baritone voice while his large hands held onto the ends of his chair's armrests. He wore a dark-red uniform coat that bordered on being black.
Leanna quickly turned her head to face Prism. He saw her out of the corner of his eye, and looked to his side to meet her gaze. Leanna communicated her surprise and apprehension through the look she gave Prism. Prism simply nodded his understanding to her before returning his attention to the commanders before them.
"Thank you. I'd still be unconscious in that pod if the Red Wolves hadn't rescued me. I was just returning the favor." Prism said sincerely, trying not to show his budding excitement at the prospect of some sort of official partnership.
"After reviewing that mission, Dr. Liam's findings, and the information you've shared with us over the last few days, we've concluded that you are what you say that you are, and that you deserve a modicum of our trust." Finisome continued. Each of the other commanders nodded in agreement. "But that trust needs to be tested further, so that we can be sure that it can be a foundation upon which a fruitful relationship can be built." The security commander added.
"What sort of test?" Prism quickly asked.
He felt his knees begin to weaken, but he fought back the feelings of exhaustion.
"Oh, you know, just a simple mission that'll show us more of your combat capabilities." Liam said while tauntingly waving his left hand in the air towards Prism. The science commander wore a pink uniform coat.
Leanna began to notice the physical strain that Prism was experiencing. She moved closer to try and steady him, but he shook his head disapprovingly at her.
"I can do that." Prism said.
Despite his efforts, Prism’s voice suddenly sounded shaky and raspy.
"What's wrong, Prism?" Ursun rose from his seat and walked towards the deck's railing. He'd been observing Prism's diminishing condition since he'd entered the room.
"I just need to-"
Prism tried to finish speaking, but his knees gave out and he fell to the ground before Leanna could catch him. He remained conscious, but began to take labored breaths. He felt mortified in front of the Red Wolves' command officials.
"Prism!" Leanna yelled as she stooped down to help him, though she didn't know how.
"Just as I suspected. He has needs beyond what he has told us." Liam said to the other commanders. His brow furrowed and his lips curled into a look of disappointment while he patted his swept-back light-brown hair.
Ursun glanced back at the capricious doctor with hateful eyes. Ursun then leapt down from the Commander Deck and ran over to the still-downed Prism, who was being held up by Leanna. Finisome, eager to get a better look at the unfolding event, got up from his seat to watch what his older brother would do. Gnapp looked up from his small machine for just a moment before returning to his tinkering.
"What do you need!?" Ursun worriedly yelled at Prism, frustrated by his dire omission.
"I need...to commune with nature..." Prism barely managed to say.
"What!?" Leanna also yelled. Neither she nor Ursun knew what Prism meant.
"Take me outside..." Prism softly replied. He was barely able to keep his eyes open.
"He needs to be taken outside, probably to the forest!" Ursun yelled up to the other three commanders.
Finisome rubbed his forehead for a moment, and then looked back at Gnapp and Liam. Both of them looked at each other before nodding curtly at Finisome. Finisome groaned before making his decision. He hoped that the risk they were taking was worth it.
"Priority 1, I repeat, Priority 1. We need an emergency escort to accompany Commander Ursun and the Alien to Green Trail 4." Finisome ordered after pressing his ear-clasp radio.
Finisome repeated the order several times until an elite group of four of his best security officers entered the room armed and ready to move. Ursun took Prism's limp, barely-conscious body from Leanna's arms and lifted him off the ground until Ursun was standing. Leanna gave her commander a curt nod, and Ursun returned her nod with a look of sheer determination.
Ursun turned to the emergency security escort and pointed his head towards the door. In no time at all, Ursun followed the group out of the room towards the quickest route to the mountain's exterior. Ursun gripped Prism tightly, fearing that the alien man might die before they made it to the “nature” that he so desperately needed.