Chapter 33: Making Plans
The followers, who had flown to the Great Lake to retrieve the frozen Sentray egg, had returned to the cult’s underground city. They had handed over the egg to Julio, Demadrian, and Orcilla. The three of them went to work in Julio’s laboratory to develop serums from it. Orcilla explained to them what she knew about serum 19CE, which had been developed by her father.
‘Pardi Carvaress went through a thorough, methodical process to develop a serum that isolated the healing properties of the Sentray DNA,’ said Orcilla as she presented her DNA results to both Demadrian and Julio. ‘I’m basically half Sapien and half Linap. I just heal like a Sentray and have a tad more physical strength.’
‘Maskameera’s DNA is completely different,’ remarked Julio as he pointed at the printout of DNA results. ‘A significant portion of her DNA is no longer Linap. We can assume this other DNA is Sentray. Since she did not grow much after her procedure, the Sentray DNA has maintained the almost indestructible trait of the unborn. I feel the success of her procedure had more to do with chance than genius.’
‘So we should use Pardi’s method,’ said Orcilla.
‘From what you described and the DNA test results, I am confident we can replicate serum 19CE,’ said Julio. ‘This is what we should use for the High Philosopher.’
‘I know we can do better,’ said Demadrian. ‘I want the best of the Sentray DNA and the Linap DNA. I’m not in this for great health. I’m in it for a war with Tiberius.’
‘You’ll destroy yourself in the process,’ said Orcilla as she looked at Demadrian.
‘If I don’t, Tiberius will destroy all of us,’ replied Demadrian firmly. ‘Amazing regenerative power will not stop you from being blown to pieces. Using all the physical capabilities of a Sentray, the stealth of a Linap, the wings of our underground friends, and possibly the ability to command other Sentray means we will win.’
‘We can use our alliance with Octavius to get support from the Sentray,’ said Orcilla firmly in response. ‘We can use Walter and the food collectors to cut the food supply from the Emperor’s armies. The resistance is doing a great job. Yassmay informed me that they’re on the verge of disabling Jennifer, and the technicians are beginning to rebel.’
‘Technicians rebelling!’ said Julio, sounding surprised. ‘That is a huge development. The technicians are the backbone to Miro’s tribes.’
‘I’ve spent my whole unfrozen life working with technicians,’ chuckled Demadrian. ‘Just let them do their thing. No problems. No hassle. Absolutely no rebellions.’
‘Shall we say you have a hands-off approach to them?’ said Julio calmly.
‘It’s the best thing,’ replied Demadrian as he pressed down on the laboratory table. ‘They get jobs done with minimal guidance. However, if you interfere with them and their way of thinking, they can become difficult. It won’t be just a few of them. It will be all of them. They’re incredibly loyal to themselves.’
‘So you agree with me now?’ asked Orcilla as she looked at Demadrian.
‘My position is to take the path of highest probability for success,’ replied Demadrian.
‘Even if it’s extremely reckless and most likely unnecessary,’ said Orcilla in an angry tone.
‘That’s the way I roll,’ chuckled Demadrian.
‘I’m afraid I agree with Orcilla,’ said Julio as his eyes turned blue. ‘I do not believe you need to turn yourself into a lower power type being for us to fight off the Empire.’
‘You have the same gift and curse as my grandfather,’ said Demadrian as he stared into Julio’s blue eyes.
‘I will not stop you from developing the serum you desire,’ said Julio. ‘I just want you to fully consider the broader consequences of this endeavour.’
‘Tiberius has destroyed everything I love most,’ said Demadrian gritting his teeth. ‘My final goal is to end him once and for all. The cost does not matter.’
‘So be it,’ replied Julio. ‘The High Philosopher requests our immediate presence at a meeting in the High Temple.’
Julio, Demadrian, and Orcilla entered the main room of the High Temple. Angelo had just started a video call with Octavius and Walter. Flint, Shamia, Frank, and two followers were sitting around the table on the opposite side of the glass wall to Angelo.
‘He didn’t know we knew he was hiding in a haystack crying to his mummy on the phone,’ said Walter in a joyous tone. ‘The big guy called him out to have some of Rico’s leftover mash.’
‘Mash with extra drool,’ chuckled Angelo as he gestured for Demadrian and Orcilla to sit at the table with the others.
‘That’s what he thought,’ laughed Octavius. ‘It was actually just a bit of mango puree.’
‘We kept the joke up for two days,’ laughed Walter. ‘He even gagged a little.’
‘I told him in the end,’ said Octavius. ‘Just because he’s been cruel. It doesn’t mean we must be cruel in return.’
‘Your moral compass points in the right direction,’ replied Angelo. ‘I’m impressed.’
‘Meet my best friend, Alex,’ said Walter as he pulled Alex into the view of the camera. ‘He doesn’t even know how to use a compass.’
‘Hello, friends,’ said Alex, smiling into the camera. ‘I don’t need a compass. Big Blue has built-in navigation.’
‘Using the available technology is truly a wise move,’ said Angelo.
‘Yet he always finds a way to get us lost, don’t you?’ said Walter aggressively as he raised his eyebrows up and down.
‘I call it going on an adventure,’ said Alex enthusiastically. Walter shoved Alex hard so he was out of the view of the camera.
‘How’s life in the camp and construction site?’ asked Orcilla in a serious tone.
‘As you probably know, it was horrendous when we arrived,’ said Octavius, shaking his head. ‘We didn’t waste any time fixing things up. The Downs residents are currently staying in tents, but they will be moving into fixed structures tomorrow night. The technicians have been incredibly supportive. They’re working two extra hours a day. Some of them are getting a little sunburnt. I think they need something stronger than factor five.’
‘Wait!’ interrupted Frank. ‘Are they still doing the evening performance?’
‘They’ve pushed it back to 7:30, but they still put in a lot of positive energy,’ replied Octavius.
‘The passion of the technician,’ said Frank as he placed the back of his hand on his forehead. ‘Nothing compares.’
‘I found out some interesting information,’ said Octavius. ‘Cecil, in his desperate panic to flee, left behind a file. The file contains the locations of where the Empire’s army will be based and conducting manoeuvres.’
‘What do you think, guys – real, fake, or setup?’ asked Angelo as he looked at those on the other side of the glass wall.
‘It’s a setup,’ replied Orcilla. ‘It’s too conveniently left to be real. A fake serves no purpose if Tiberius is pushing for a conflict. A setup enables him to finish the job.’
‘I disagree,’ said Demadrian, shrugging his shoulders.
‘Of course you do,’ said Orcilla in a frustrated tone.
‘It’s also too obvious to be a setup,’ continued Demadrian as he frowned at Orcilla. ‘They honestly don’t expect us to fall for this.’
‘So what is it then?’ asked Orcilla.
‘My first guess is that it’s just noise,’ replied Demadrian. ‘They want us wasting our time deciding what to do with this information. My second guess is they want to draw our attention. If we don’t attack them, they’ll use their combined forces to attack the West Camp.’
‘My Sentray will keep us safe,’ said Octavius, sounding confident.
‘If there’s a full-scale attack, they’ll be too many of them,’ replied Demadrian.
‘Miro would not put his future settlement and the lives of technicians at risk,’ replied Flint, sounding alarmed.
‘Miro might be a big boy in the underground world, but he’s not Emperor,’ said Demadrian firmly. ‘Tiberius doesn’t care about comfortable accommodation or the lives of the technicians.’
Frank yelped in fear. Shamia put her arm around him to calm him down.
‘Tiberius does care about building his Empire,’ replied Orcilla angrily. ‘Attacking his own settlement slows that down.’
‘If he wipes out his enemies, he can expand at will!’ shouted Demadrian as he stood up.
‘You’ll say anything because you’re obsessed with vengeance,’ shouted Orcilla as she stood up.
‘Stop it! You’re both upsetting Frank,’ said Shamia in an angry tone as she rubbed Frank’s back. Frank had his face pressed against the table, and he was covering his ears with his hands.
‘I apologise,’ said Orcilla as she sat back down. ‘I shouldn’t stoop to someone else’s level.’
‘Shouting is funny,’ said Walter in an angry tone. ‘Mocking someone’s height – that’s just mean.’
‘I’m of average height,’ replied Demadrian as he sat back down. ‘She’s the one with her head stuck in the clouds.’
‘You both have some intriguing theories,’ chuckled Angelo. ‘I’ll send out a few of my flying team to join Volo to do a little reconnaissance. This will help give us the answers. It’ll also give you more time to work on the serums.’
‘Wise words,’ said Orcilla as she stared at Demadrian. ‘It is better to respond once the facts are known rather than relying on unsound assumptions.’
‘I’m just glad you finally admitted you make unsound assumptions,’ chuckled Demadrian.
Orcilla sighed and shook her head.
‘Let’s end this meeting on a positive note,’ said Angelo. ‘Two of my followers have joined us today. They have been selected by Frank to perform in his musical.’
Frank suddenly lifted his head up. His look of fear immediately turned to delight.
‘Frank, please tell us a little about your proposal,’ said Angelo, nodding his head.
‘I’ve spent the past few days auditioning the more artistically inclined followers,’ said Frank as he looked at the room excitedly. ‘Leticia and Homer stood out to me with their off-the-charts talent. They have truly redefined what it means to be triple threat. I have to have them in my musical.’
‘Oh yeah!’ shouted Walter. ‘Masters of Wrestling returns.’
‘Oh, he doesn’t mean that,’ said RJ, who had been standing behind Walter for a few minutes. He was holding a huge blueberry muffin. ‘He means that they have exceptional talent in singing, dancing, and acting.’
‘That’s enough out of you, idiot,’ said Walter angrily as he pushed RJ away from the camera.
‘If you let me promote my blog to this new audience, I’ll share this muffin with you,’ said RJ in a polite tone.
‘I’ll take the whole muffin, and you can get lost,’ shouted Walter.
‘I can see you’re both very busy managing the place,’ said Angelo in a chirpy tone. ‘I’ll let you get on with it, and we’ll be in contact soon.’
‘It’s been a pleasure,’ said Octavius, nodding. Walter could be seen in the background chasing Hamlet while holding RJ’s muffin, which now appeared to be half eaten. Angelo ended the call.
‘Isn’t it wonderful to see the Downs residents doing so well,’ sighed Orcilla.
‘Nothing lasts long in this world,’ chuckled Demadrian.
After dinner, Angelo’s guards escorted Flint, Shamia, Frank, Leticia, and Homer to the tunnel outside their city. The five of them climbed into a vehicle, and then they headed off towards their underground city.
‘That went surprisingly really well,’ said Flint. ‘He even gave us a painting each.’
‘Oh, the High Philosopher is definitely not a crazy terrorist,’ remarked Shamia. ‘He’s dignified and quite charming. He’s a true role model and a good leader.’
Leticia and Homer began to giggle.
‘So you can giggle but not speak,’ chuckled Shamia.
‘We can speak, but not in the presence of the High Philosopher or his guests,’ replied Homer.
‘That’s very strange,’ remarked Shamia.
‘They sang at the auditions,’ said Frank as he slapped his forehead. ‘Of course they can speak.’
‘Well, I never,’ said Shamia, shrugging her shoulders.
‘The whole place is a theatrical production,’ said Frank as he smiled at Leticia. ‘Angelo is the star and Julio is the director.’
‘Hold on a second,’ interrupted Flint. ‘What are you implying?’
‘Julio runs the show, and Angelo is playing the lead role,’ replied Frank. ‘It’s so obvious. The delay before the meeting so they can prepare. Julio stands behind us but in view of Angelo so he can subtly pass on instructions. Angelo’s frequent glances at Julio for help when needed. Angelo also has a keen interest in the arts, has a flair for the dramatic, and enjoys a good joke. What more evidence do you need?’
‘Is there any truth to what my friend speaks of?’ asked Flint as he looked at Leticia and Homer.
‘We get all our instructions from Julio,’ replied Leticia. ‘Our contact with the High Philosopher is very limited.’
‘He sometimes broadcasts his singing,’ said Homer. ‘He also encourages us to take time off to prank each other.’
‘He even selected this book of scripture to preach to your city,’ added Leticia as she held up a book.
‘Oh, I didn’t agree to that,’ replied Shamia, sounding surprised.
‘I did,’ replied Frank. ‘Talent like this doesn’t just fall into your lap. A little funky preaching is a small price to pay.’
‘You’re absolutely right, Frank,’ replied Shamia as she affectionately rubbed his arm.
‘See what I mean?’ chuckled Frank as he looked from left to right. ‘Half a word from me and her position completely flips.’
‘Oh Frank!’ sighed Shamia. ‘I know you don’t mean it, but sometimes you cause me some embarrassment.’
‘Is it me or is it you?’ sniggered Frank as he leaned towards Shamia. Then he turned to Leticia and Homer. ‘Let’s belt out the “Song of Truth” from Act Two,’ said Frank energetically as he swung his arm.
The three of them locked arms and began singing loudly and boisterously as they swayed from side-to-side. Shamia raised her shoulders, lifted her hands to her chest, placed the lower part of her palms together and clapped with her fingers. Flint stared at them in shock.
That evening in the West Camp. Octavius, Alex, Walter, Scott, Freddy, RJ, Sapiod X, Hamlet, and Fluffy Lily were relaxing in the main tent after a long day.
‘I want all of you to know that I’m very proud of the hard work that you’ve put in since we arrived,’ said Octavius proudly as he raised a bucket that he was using as a cup to hold pineapple juice. ‘I know we can live in peace with our underground friends.’
‘Some characters are eating too much for my liking,’ said Walter as he looked at Hamlet.
‘Those muffins were baked for me,’ replied Hamlet through the mind voice on her head.
‘Hamlet carried carts full of materials into the camp for the technicians to build our cabins,’ said Scott as he stroked Hamlet’s head.
‘This excuse gets bounced around a lot these days,’ replied Walter, shaking his head.
Suddenly shouting followed by loud roars broke out at the main gate to the camp.
‘I better sort this out,’ said Octavius as he got up.
Octavius exited the tent and headed over to the main gate. Walter, Alex, RJ, and Freddy followed him.
The pizza and pancake truck was at the main gate. Phillip was on the roof of the truck. Cynthia had passed several pizzas to him. Two Sentray were standing next to the truck; they were roaring loudly at Phillip.
‘I’ve got you dinner, friend,’ shouted Phillip at one of the Sentray.
The Sentray continued to roar loudly at Phillip.
The main gate opened. Octavius, Walter, Alex, RJ, and Freddy walked through it.
‘Take a pizza and shut up!’ shouted Octavius at the Sentray.
The Sentray roared at Octavius. Octavius responded by grabbing a pizza that was placed on the roof of the truck. He flung the pizza into the Sentray’s mouth as if it were a flying disc.
‘See, it’s food,’ said Octavius firmly as he tossed another pizza to the other Sentray. ‘Now get back on guard duty.’
‘Thank you, friend,’ said Phillip in a jovial tone. ‘I think they were confused.’
‘You need to be careful; the Sentray could eat you,’ said Octavius as he looked at Phillip.
‘This idiot is a traitor!’ shouted Walter. ‘He’s friends with Julie.’
'Hey, friend, if you want to see an idiot, try looking in the mirror,’ shouted Cynthia, who was leaning out the front, right-side window.
‘Even she’s onto you,’ said Walter as he turned to look at RJ.
‘Come on in, friends,’ said Freddy in delight. ‘Pizzas and pancakes are always welcome in this camp.’
Cynthia excitedly drove the truck through the main gate. This caused Phillip and the pizzas to fall off the roof. Octavius caught Phillip, and Walter rushed over to grab as many pizzas as he could carry.
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 