four

Sana came down with Romero at lunch time. She hoped she wasn't walking funny as she wondered who decided to make Romero that well hung.

"Look what the cat dragged out," Anthony said to the others.

"Chica, what have you been up to," Gina asked Sana with a wink.

"Not getting enough sleep," was Sana's answer.

"I bet," commented Ellen with an amused smile.

"Dad, there's Dr. Goldmen," Donald giving his father's arm a tug.

They all looked in Adena's direction. Adena looked busy as she talked into a digital recorder. She was headed for Sana and Romero, but Jeremy intercepted her.

"Where's my wife," Jeremy demanded. "I want my wife, Donna, and I know you have her. Give my wife back."

Adena folded her arms as she asked Jeremy, "What, no please?"

"Adena," Sana said softly, "stop torturing this family. Let Donna rejoin her family. Haven't they been separated long enough?"

Adena narrowed her eyes at Sana standing there holding hands with Romero.

"Let Donna go," demanded Kevin.

"Kevin Masters," said Adena with a sneer, "the alpha male here. They all look up to you. But your alpha male status among them means nothing to me."

"You know, Doc," Anthony said to Adena, "accidents happen. It could get mighty unsafe for you around here."

"Are you threatening me," Adena asked Anthony outraged.

"Sure," answered Anthony, "What are you going to do? Call a cop? We don't even have a security guard in this place."

"Please, lady, please," Jeria pleaded with tears in her eyes, "...Please, I miss my mom so much. Please, let her go, please... please..."

"Why are you being so evil and cruel to these children," Romero asked Adena. "Why do you deprive them of their mother?"

Adena's face contorts in disbelief. It bothered her to be questioned by Romero. She walked away from them.

Jeremy was right on Adena's heels demanding she return his wife as his children followed closely too begging for their mother. The others followed at a distance.

Adena came to the entrance of her quarters. She slapped her hand over the scanner. The door slid open and Adena yelled in, "Donna! Get your ass out here!"

Donna ran. Her eyes got big at the sight of Jeremy and their two children as she ran out the door. Then they were all holding each other and crying.

"Why," Sana asked Adena, "Why did you keep them separated for so long?"

"I will conduct my experiments the way I feel they need to be conducted," Adena spat angrily at Sana.

"Experiments," stated Kevin angry.

"Adena," Sana told her, "we're people, not lab rats."

"For my research, you all get the honor of being my personal lab rats," Adena told Sana. "But it doesn't have to be that way for you, Sana. You could live with me. I care deeply for you, Sana."

Adena took a step toward Sana. Sana took a step back and slid under Romero's arm. Romero glared at Adena.

"What," Adena asked Sana, "now I'm not good enough for you?"

Sana sighed. She looked up at Romero, then back at Adena, "I'm sorry, Adena. I'm sorry if I've hurt you... That would be a first for me, but I had thought I'd found something special with you; except, you deceived me. I could never stay with someone who's dishonest and thinks so little of her fellow human beings."

Adena huffed angrily, "My work benefits all of mankind."

"At the expense of how many individuals," asked Kevin.

"What kind of work keeps citizens of its own world prisoner in a fake mall," asked Ellen.

"That's classified," answered Adena as she stepped inside her quarters and shut the door behind herself. She was angry and hurt. She would just observe from her office/surveillance room for a while.

"So we all accidentally volunteered for some government funded program of some kind," Kevin stated to the others. "It obviously has something to do with Romero and the others like him... This mall, our prison, is probably part of some military installation. The huge dunes that surround it are probably man-made and probably hide the military from view when people drive in. The food we eat has to come from somewhere."

"We need to explore every millimeter of this mall," added Sana. "They won't let us out the way we came in, but there has to be another way out."

"Maybe we should just be grateful," suggested Ellen, "I mean, we're well cared for. We don't have any bills to worry about, no hectic work schedules, free room and board. Some people would consider this a perfect life."

"Maybe if they don't have a life," countered Sana, "or their life really sucks... My life may not be perfect, but I love my family and my job."

Romero hugged Sana, "It will be alright. You are right. There has to be a way out, and I will help you search."

"I still think the big Skylight's our best bet," said Tony.

"We'll continue to work on that," Kevin assured Tony. Then he told Sana, "You and Romero start nosing around in places mall patrons usually don't see and don't think about."

Sana gave Kevin a firm nod. Then she and Romero started nosing about. During the day, shop by shop they searched the back rooms. At night, Romero kept Sana from sleeping with love making. So, Sana often slept till noon.