Chapter 31
Trilby had remained still as the swarm of red eyed machines seemed to study him with their unblinking gaze. In a surprisingly long time a guard came in to take him. The swarm of drones clicked and clanged as the weapons disengaged and they dispersed about the room, in the guards wake. Oddly enough Trilby recognised him as the big alien he had taken out as Stitch a while ago. He walked hunched, with one arm in a very futuristic sling: It had a screen with numbers running across it. He acted very nonchalant as he dumped Trilby into a glass capsule. Trilby sensed discontent, he had been forced to do this. He pondered for a moment. No foolproof escape plan presented itself, but to keep the mind active and attentive was imperative. The full body white alloy suit, had been stripped away in places, and his arm and head stuck out of it like a target. He muttered exotic curses in his own alien language. He ran the language through his mental database. Eccelion, tough race, quite sparse and very big. Their language was similar a series of grunts and groans of differing pitch and duration. Comically it sounded a bit like the way people imitate cavemen. He seemed vexed and that was a conversation trust point if he ever saw one.
"Hard day?" He grunted in the alien language. The alien looked in legitimate surprise at Trilby.
"I'm used to you lot snarling and scratching," He also spoke in the grunting syntax.
"Can you blame us? You work for the Hamster right?"
"Yes the little bully." The big alien cringed with apprehension. Trilby sighed, his face became downcast.
"Ahhhhh… I know how you feel. Me and my friends worked for Hamsterviel too."
"Really!? He said you were his genetic experiments or something." He began walking away through a large circular door and down some familiar white walled corridors.
"So that's what he told you,"
"What are you really?"
"Stupid… We should have seen he couldn't be trusted from the start but we didn't and look, we are all locked up ready for his next torture. When he hired us he was all like, 'You vill vork for me, and I shall pay you to get rid of zi earthlings,'"
"Sounds like him,"
"But after we had destroyed the island and the people- we were exhausted- then out of the shadows people in white alloy suits jump out and grab us. We were too tired to fight back."
"Yeah, you know that does add up," I know it does.
"So now me and my friends have been caught, we haven't got paid, he's gonna force us to do what he wants and I won't have a choice."
"Yeah, sorry bud, I still gotta do my job." They turned into the experiment room. The cells that lined the walls had corresponding numbers plastered in black on the white walls next to the cell. Trilby felt a twinge as he saw a large number of experiments pressing their faces against the indestructible green transparent barriers that barred the experiments from freedom. Almost all the cells were filled with an experiment and the mood was abysmal. Each experiment seemed to slump against the walls of their cells, faces depressed and downcast. Some were even sobbing. A depressing display to be sure. Trilby saw the face of the big alien imbue with pity for the trapped experiments
"I know, I know, you're just doing your job… But… I noticed you and your colleagues are looking tired… Are you sure… You aren't making our mistake?" This alien wasn't bright. Trilby could see that. But he had planted the seed in his mind. A clever trick. Trilby deliberately didn't tell him outright. This meant the alien would put the pieces together and when he did the idea would seem much more outrageous. That Hamsterviel would turn on his hired men. The big alien's furrowed brow meant he was putting the pieces together. He said nothing as he placed Trilby inside the cell. He said nothing as he sampled his DNA. He slotted the sample into a panel beside the cell. This was a system used in most intergalactic prisons. When the sample DNA matches the person in the cell, it means they are present in the cell. If it does not, then the person is missing- alarms ensue. Foolproof. But Trilby thought he could outsmart the system. But he had to wait for the right time. the big alien locked his cell had walked off toward the door, head furrowed in thought. Trilby you are evil, he thought to himself. The cell was Spartan to say the least. A bed attached to the wall. Three chutes were imbedded in the wall. One for food, one for water, one for waste. He sat down against the wall looking out over the room, watching and waiting. He was in cell 319. Four rows from the bottom. His gaze was drawn to the faces of his friends. Slushy seemed to be happily snoring in his cell. Yin and Yang, in adjoining cells, were actually looking at him. He smiled and waved. They tilted their heads in confusion, Yang pointed to his ears- where the headset had once been. Trilby pieced the signs, he had knocked them out. Didn't help his resume, but it was for their own safety. They didn't look angry so much as confused. He'd make it up to them. Right on the top row was a cell that was slightly different from the rest. Instead of a single layer of security, several cameras, a drone, and what looked like three doors. Trilby rolled his eyes against the paranoia. 626 was plastered next to it. Apparently Hamsterviel was not taking any risks with Stitch. Trilby knew Stitch didn't trust him, and after he had left Stitch it didn't show any sign of improvement, nevertheless if his escape plan worked he would save Stitch. Where was Lilo? He thought. His eyes were drawn to Sparky's cell, and where he expected to see the face of his blood brother he saw empty space. There was no way out of that laboratory, Trilby knew it. How did he escape them… Unless… Trilby hit his head against the wall. Sparky hadn't been caught, which meant the ship was still on high alert. 'High alert', means any anomaly that is flagged immediately puts the ship's section into lockdown. A drone acting weirdly- normally not a big deal- but for all is egotistic mannerisms Hamsterviel was not entirely stupid. But if Sparky wasn't here then where was he?