Jacob looked at the map. The path Dawn traced had to be at least twenty to thirty miles over rugged terrain. Everyone became silent as footsteps echoed loudly on the wooden floor above them. Placing his hand across his lips, Orm looked right at Jacob before moving to kneel behind some old boxes close to the bottom of the staircase. Jacob watched Orm as he took the old hunting rifle slung across his back and placed it firm against his shoulder, with the barrel resting on the boxes and pointed towards a door at the top of the stairs. Grabbing Jacob by the arm, Darren led him back towards the sofa where Tom and Maggie now stood. The fear evident in the look they gave Jacob. Turning to watch Darren move across the room towards the table, Jacob noticed Dawn taking the cover off the candle on the table and blowing it out. A darkness instantly enveloped the small room as Jacob felt his heart pounding while waiting for his eyes to adjust. The footsteps stopped near the door leading downstairs. For a moment that felt like an eternity, Jacob could only hear his own breathing before the faint sound of voices crackled over a radio. A feeling of dread overtook Jacob as he waited in fearful anticipation. The sounds of voices giving way to violent thumping that broke through the darkness from beyond the door.
VIII
The light from Issa filtered through the thick glass windows that sat on top of a wall of tarnished metal and faded concrete, extending beyond the ceiling. Steam hissed periodically from the piping along the walls of the large dimly lit room, where five men taken from Issa sat tied to their chairs. The muffled sound of rotating gears and distant steam engines filled the background of the large hanger used to stage atmospheric entry ships. Vice president Oret sat in a chair several feet in front of the men. Two men dressed in formal attire of fine wool suits, stood at either side of him holding rifles over their shoulders. The low drone of machines in the distance offered an almost calming meditation, as Oret sat deep in thought, staring across at the men taken from the surface. Believed to be the leaders of the most dominate nations on Issa, all the men had been taken at the request of the President. Watching as the men sat sedated and slumped over, Oret could not help but feel compassion for them, as he waited for Ettimis to arrive.
“President.” Said Oret, standing up from his chair, as Ettimis walked into the hanger from a nearby door.
“Sit down Oret. So, these are the leaders of Issa. Well, let us wake them up and get to business.” Said Ettimis, with a tone of pleasure in his voice.
Picking up a nearby water hose, one of the guards approached the bound men and began spraying them with high pressure water. The men coughed and gasped, unable to get air as water pushed their chairs back, nearly knocking them over before they came to a stop against the wall behind them.
“Alright, enough.” Said Ettimis, after several seconds.
Reaching into his vest pocket as the men gasped and began to catch their breath, Ettimis pulled out a small brass object, that looked much like pocket watch. Holding the small disk with its chain wrapped around his hand, Ettimis open the device, revealing a highly intricate network of fine clock work inside. Pulling a small glass vial of purple sand from the same pocket, Ettimis poured a few grains into the device then began to wind the gears until they released an audible click. The mechanism in the device began to move and spin in a complex arrangement. As the small machine folded out and expanded, leaving itself freely spinning in a fine mist of pink vapour. Letting go of the device as its chain dangled below, Ettimis pushed at the air next to the machine, causing it to move and remain self-suspended between Ettimis and the five captive men. Looks of both fear and amazement stretched across the men's faces, as they stared in wonder at the freely floating device, before the silence was broken by the sound of one of the men speaking.
“I am High Minister Atta, of the central region. I demand to know who you are and why you attacked my people without provocation,” said Atta, commanding authority as he spoke. “Further, I demand to be released at once, along with a cessation of all further hostilities.” Atta continued. The devices colours brightened as Atta spoke and dimed again when the words were repeated in the galactic common language.
“High Minister Atta was it? I am Ettimis, President of this structure, of the Inter-planetary Trading Company.” Said Ettimis, as he approached Atta. “Bold words for someone in your position, yet I do admire your tenacity... I am here for only one reason, to extract resources from your world, and that is why I have asked you all here.” Continued Ettimis. The device again grew brighter as it captured Ettimis words and dimed as it spoke them out again in a language Atta could understand.
“Where is this place? Where have you taken us?” Said Atta, remaining assertive in his tone.
“If you insist. Show him where we are and make sure the others have a view as well.” Said Ettimis
“Yes President.” Said Oret, as he walked over the wall and pull one of several levers.
Observing intently, Ettimis seemed to be enjoying himself as he watched the guards turn the five men around to face the wall behind them. The sound of gears screeched and wined as a large section of the floor began to move upward. The rumble of machinery vibrated the floor of the hanger as it began to force the structure to ascend. A large intricate collection of cogs above rotated, causing the ceiling to part at the centre
