Chapter 2: Underground Guests
At five minutes before five, the guards opened the door to Orcilla and Yassmay’s bedroom. Both Orcilla and Yassmay had freshened up and were wearing the clean clothes that had been placed in the bedroom.
‘What do you think? Do I look good in these threads?’ Yassmay asked one of the guards, but he only responded by gesturing for her to leave the room.
Yassmay poked her tongue out at him as she exited the room. Orcilla followed behind, gesturing in apology for Yassmay’s actions.
Orcilla and Yassmay were taken back to the room where they first met Angelo. The room had been arranged differently. There was a large table with two chairs at one end facing towards the dividing glass wall. On the other side was Angelo, who was sitting behind another smaller table. On the larger table were two large bowls of different types of fruit. These included bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and lychees. There were also two large glasses of fruit juice. Julio was standing in the same place he was in earlier.
‘Sit down and enjoy this marvellous fruit,’ said Angelo excitedly. ‘I couldn’t help myself. I’ve already indulged in a little of everything my followers could collect.’
‘Thank you so much,’ said Orcilla, smiling. ‘These are some of our finest fruit.’
Angelo turned his head towards Julio and smiled. Then he turned to face Orcilla and Yassmay. ‘I hope you like the accommodation and these clothes.’
‘It’s decent enough,’ replied Yassmay as she began unpeeling a banana. ‘The pressure and the temperature of the water from the shower were just perfect.’
‘I feel it would be ideal for us to exchange knowledge,’ said Angelo. ‘I request from you the locations where we are most likely to find Sentray eggs. In exchange, I will tell you the history and meaning of the twelve loops.
‘We are happy to help you,’ replied Orcilla as Julio placed a large map on the table in front of her. ‘I must warn you, collecting Sentray eggs will be quite a difficult task. They nest far from the mainland. You will need access to boats.’
Angelo began laughing. ‘We have no boats,’ he chuckled. ‘We live underground. We travel by tunnels.’
‘Right, that does limit our options,’ replied Orcilla, shrugging her shoulders. ‘Another possibility is the Great Lake. They may have seen that as an appropriate alternative to the vast ocean.’
‘Oh dear,’ sighed Angelo. ‘Shifting from saltwater to freshwater nesting feels like an unlikely choice.’
‘Then it’s the vast ocean,’ replied Orcilla.
‘You didn’t tell us how you gained this special power of healing,’ remarked Angelo. ‘From the reports that I have read about the wreckage, it appears your healing powers are a new development.’
‘I saved her with my blood,’ blurted out Yassmay as she grabbed another banana. ‘Full transfusion.’
Orcilla scrunched her face in frustration.
‘Oh no, we wouldn’t try such a thing,’ said Angelo in response to Orcilla’s expression. ‘We will do it the right way. The honourable way.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Orcilla, nodding her head.
‘Now that we can safely access the surface, we can get around very quickly,’ said Angelo, sounding confident. ‘Venturing off into the vast ocean could be possible.’
‘How are you going to do that?’ blurted out Yassmay. ‘Fly!’
‘Precisely!’ replied Angelo with equal energy. ‘I’ve known my whole life that we would return to the surface. The best way to do that is through the air.’
‘So you have some flying vehicles hidden down here,’ remarked Yassmay just before she pushed a chunk of mango into her mouth.
‘Nope, we have something far better than that,’ replied Angelo as his face lit up. ‘We have wings that we can wear like clothes.’
‘Holy hell!’ yelled Yassmay. ‘Are you for real?’
‘We spotted you behind those rocks because one of my guards was flying above you,’ replied Angelo, sounding smug.
‘That is pure genius!’ remarked Orcilla, nodding her head as she peeled a banana.
‘All the credit goes to my great mentor Julio,’ said Angelo proudly as he nodded in Julio’s direction.
‘Strap a pair on me and we’ll be making Sentray omelettes in a week,’ declared Yassmay as she waved her right arm enthusiastically.
‘I love the energy, but I’m not sure how that helps,’ replied Angelo, sounding perplexed. ‘We need fertilised eggs.’
‘She’s only joking,’ replied Orcilla as she grabbed Yassmay’s knee under the table.
‘Of course, humour,’ chuckled Angelo. ‘Something sorely lacking in this world. I must admit, I do crave a good prank now and again.’
‘Just one of the many million things lacking in this world,’ chuckled Yassmay as she raised her eyebrows up and down.
Angelo burst out laughing. Julio stared angrily at Yassmay. Orcilla sighed in frustration.
‘You are a delight to entertain,’ remarked Angelo in excitement. ‘I feel tempted to let you put on a pair, but we must prioritise knowledge sharing over frivolous play.’
‘I agree,’ replied Orcilla rapidly to prevent Yassmay speaking. ‘I can help you with your map. It is out of date. I can add in the destroyed regions and the locations of the docks where the Carvaress Company set off to find the eggs.’
‘I can add in the areas where Miro’s team are moving,’ added Yassmay, sounding a little more serious.
‘Fantastic!’ said Angelo as he energetically clapped his hands.
‘We are both willing to guide your teams,’ added Orcilla. ‘That is if you are willing to instruct us on how to use these wings.’
‘If it speeds up the process, why not?’ answered Angelo as he glanced across at Julio, who was unresponsive to the suggestion.
‘With our familiarity with the surface world, I’m sure it will,’ replied Orcilla confidently.
‘Then your training will begin tomorrow,’ said Angelo. ‘Safety is of paramount concern.’
‘Awesome!’ blurted out Yassmay. ‘I’ll race you and beat you, big sister.’
‘I’m sure you’ll try,’ said Orcilla as she turned to face Yassmay.
They both began to chuckle. Angelo looked across at Julio and smiled. Julio responded by nodding.
‘Today has been a long day for you,’ said Angelo. ‘I feel it is best if you rest now. Learning to fly requires the sharpest of minds.’
‘Well, the first day out of a coma is always the most difficult,’ said Orcilla with a slight smile.
‘By the time tomorrow rolls around, you’re going to be feeling the best you’ve ever felt,’ chuckled Yassmay as she patted Orcilla on the shoulder.
Two of Angelo’s guards opened the door. Julio gestured for Orcilla and Yassmay to follow them out.
‘Thank you for this marvellous meal,’ said Orcilla as she and Yassmay walked towards the door.
‘Thank you for the great company,’ said Angelo as he bowed his head slightly.
Orcilla and Yassmay left the room.
Angelo took a deep breath and looked over to Julio. ‘What do you think?’ asked Angelo. ‘How do you feel?’
‘I don’t trust them, and they don’t trust us,’ said Julio as he walked towards Angelo.
‘They are our guests, but I understand that they must feel like captives,’ replied Angelo. ‘How do we sufficiently demonstrate our goodwill to earn their trust?’
‘Show them we’re on their side,’ said Julio calmly. ‘Send a team to negotiate with Miro and his commanders.’
‘That’ll show them we value their priorities,’ said Angelo, sounding upbeat.
Meanwhile, Orcilla and Yassmay had returned to their bedroom. They were sitting next to each other on Yassmay’s bed.
‘I can’t believe I’m going to be flying like a super Sape,’ said Yassmay in a joyous tone.
‘I’m sure you’ll take to it very quickly,’ said Orcilla. ‘Just try to behave yourself.’
‘You’re too serious,’ replied Yassmay. ‘I’ve been stressed for years trying to cure the Downs residents. I just need to be me again.’
‘I put so much pressure on you and Yassme,’ said Orcilla. ‘I’m not sorry. I needed you. I still need you and her.’
‘Blunt, but honest,’ replied Yassmay. ‘I respect that.’
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my 