Hours passed, without so much as a peep from outside forces.
“Have they given up?” Christine wearily asked, still not completely back in the real world.
“It appears-s-s s-s-so,” Julia noted.
“My patrol was-s-s the only one as-s-signed to check here,” Jordan casually confirmed.
“S-s-so, what now?” Aspa asked aloud, still cradling Christine within her strong scaly arms.
Silence passed for a few moments, until Vanessa’s announcement. “I s-s-see s-s-something!” A taloned finger indicated a partially concealed passage.
The others quickly slithered to the spot and began using their great strength to excavate the passage. The group made a silent agreement to investigate, and they did so. Aspa had trouble moving, as she needed to brace Christine and guide her down the slick rock, while Vanessa brought up the rear with her distended belly.
The passageway wound deep into the frigid Martian ground, emptying out into the strangest sight any of them had ever seen. The complex was massive, hybridized out of crystallized rock and salvaged metal. It resembled no less than a gigantic cave, with enclaves carved from the glittering stone and shaped from antiquated but serviceable chunks of metal. Machines worked overtime to keep the facility at a workable warmth for all involved.
“Wow,” Christine whispered in awe. She wasn’t commenting on the architecture, but rather, on those who constructed it. There were at least ten snakewomen and several snakemen, coupled by about half a dozen humans. They worked side-by-side, slaving over experiments and old-fashioned electronics and armaments.
Several of the workers picked up on the changed scent in the air. “Welcome, s-s-sis-s-sters-s-s,” four of the serpent people hissed in unison.
A black human woman with her head shaved bald greeted them. “Please, make yourselves at home. I’m Patricia Ward, but just call me Mother. Welcome to The Cave.”
As the group mixed and mingled with the others within and refreshed themselves with water and a few live rodents, Mother queried them a bit. “Where have you come from?”
“The Institute,” Christine responded immediately.
The entire Cave fell into hushed silence, followed by excited whispers and murmurs. “You’ve been in the Institute? Please, tell us everything you know!”
“I was-s-s a s-s-scientis-s-st there,” Julia interjected. “Chris-s-stine needs-s-s res-s-st, and I can tell you more about...” Her words trailed off when she realized that Mother wasn’t paying any attention to her. Instead, her gaze focused on Christine, eager to find out...
Thu Jul 24 12:24:43 2003