Interlude Two

Two had been abducted by aliens. That was the only logical conclusion. He could see Jupiter through the skylight of what he knew was an extraterrestrial base.

But at least he was alive. And not just him, but the other kids too. He could call them family or friends, but that wasn't quite right. Even those he was closest to - Three, Four, and Five - were rivals for Papa's attention.

That didn't matter now.

The void of space separated them from Papa. It was terrifying. But also freeing.

He stole a covert glance at one of the aliens. One with hair the colour of midnight. Two wasn't one for fancy words, but there was no other way to describe it. Black was simply not adequate. He had to look at it. It was captivating.

The tall being, who towered over Papa or any other adult in the labs, was tending to Ten. Two had little sympathy for Ten. It was the boy's own fault. They had been warned not to look.

Two was still trying to piece together what had happened. One moment he was being murdered by an orderly who had somehow gained powers and gone on a rampage. That weirdo that hung around the freak. And the next, he found himself in the ruins of the lab, with the other experiments, save the freak, looking just as confused and afraid as he was. It was the other alien that kept them—one with flame-red hair. The first one was unconscious, blood pouring from his nose.

It was kinda good to know that aliens had to pay a price for power, just like humans.

As soon as he woke, the black-haired alien summoned the Police Box and the red-headed alien went in. They had all been warned not to try to look inside, and they all obeyed. But it was sometime later when the door of the police box opened again and a red-headed alien returned carrying a ray gun and a bucket of white paint that Ten dared to look at what lay inside.

Punishment was swift and, from Ten's cries, severe.

While the black-haired alien went to tend to Ten, or at least pretend to, the redhead painted the wall with white paint and used a ray gun to create a floating portal.

The black-haired alien carried Ten through and simply said, "Follow me."

Seeing no other choice, for the lab was in ruins, Two and everybody else followed.

He looked for too long, lost in his thoughts. The alien had caught his gaze. His face was too good-looking. Everything about it was just right, even his eyes were something you could get lost in. It was clear that it was artificial.

"He will be fine. I removed the damaging memories," the black-haired alien spoke. His voice was pleasant and melodic. And for some reason, Two knew that what he was saying was the truth. "Please obey our instructions. There are some things here that are not safe for you."

Two nodded quickly. So there were rules here too, and punishment for breaking them. He was used to that. Ten was just an example.

Three more aliens joined. Three more aliens showed up. It was obvious they weren't human, even though they tried to act like it. But there was something subtly off with their faces' angles, even if they were attractive otherwise. And those three were too similar. Two guessed that these new aliens were somehow lesser. It was in the way they stood. And what they wore, simple shorts and shirts.

"These are Jay, Az, and Tam. If you require anything, feel free to ask them. They may not comply with each request, but they won't be angry for asking. You are free until dinner. Feel free to explore. Choose your rooms."

Two waited until the two leader aliens left, and then went and grabbed Ten. "What did you see? Use your freaking words!"

"Nothing," the weakling muttered. "I don't remember."

"Using violence or threats against other children will be reported. This is your only warning," one of the lesser said in a calm, unemotional voice.

Two dropped the younger boy at once. He didn't want to be punished. He took another look at the giant planet in the sky and took a deep breath... If he wanted to stay in charge, he had to act like he knew what he was doing...

"Come," he said to his followers, "Let's explore."