Chapter 44: Lights Out
In the West Tribes’ main underground city, Frank was in the theatre teaching Leticia and Homer the choreography for the marketplace scene in Act Two of his musical.
‘You do a slow turn followed by a quick spin,’ called out Frank. ‘Then you march, march, march!’
Suddenly the lights went out.
‘Oh no!’ shouted Frank. ‘Bring us back into the light. I need the power of the spotlight.’
A few seconds later, some of the lights came back on but were much dimmer.
‘This is no good at all,’ sighed Frank. ‘This masterpiece needs a full range of lighting, and it needs to be dialled up to the max.’
A senior technician rushed into the theatre. ‘Frank, we’ve been cut off from the main power source,’ he shouted. ‘We’re on backup generators. We must conserve power.’
‘Here we go,’ sighed Frank. ‘Looks like I’m needed to save the day as usual.’
‘You are our most talented electrical technician,’ replied the technician who had reached the stage.
‘A key fact, but it’s not my calling,’ said Frank while shaking his head and vigorously gesturing with his hands. ‘Still, I’ll fix this in a jiffy.’
Frank went to the power centre to address the energy situation. When he arrived, several senior technicians were already at work. Flint and Shamia were with them.
‘Oh Frank, it’s terrible,’ said Shamia as she grabbed his arm. ‘The Empire has cut us off from the main underground power grid.’
‘I saw this coming from a mile off,’ sighed Frank.
‘Why didn’t you say anything?’ asked Shamia, sounding alarmed.
‘It’s so obvious,’ replied Frank as he stared into Shamia’s eyes. ‘I assumed you knew.’
‘Well, I suppose I must have done,’ said Shamia nervously as she released Frank’s arm.
‘We need to focus on powering key infrastructure,’ said Flint. ‘I suspect the power has been cut from the source. We won’t have access until we push the Empire back.’
‘Prioritising energy,’ said Frank proudly. ‘That sounds like my area of expertise.’
‘These technicians have everything under control,’ said Flint as he patted Frank on the shoulder. ‘You’re needed back at the theatre.’
‘He’s right, Frank,’ said Shamia as she winked at Flint. ‘Your musical is our city’s top priority, and it needs all your talent and attention.’
‘Yes,’ said Frank in a cautious tone as he looked at both Flint and Shamia.
‘You’re the only one who can pull it off under extremely difficult circumstances,’ added Flint. ‘That’s why I’m so confident you’ll manage with limited power and lighting.’
‘Argh!’ gasped Frank.
‘Surely, the great musical genius doesn’t doubt himself,’ chuckled Flint.
‘You’re very clever,’ snarled Frank. ‘Throw as many obstacles as you like. I assure you Frank will find a way.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Shamia. ‘Maybe we could…’
‘Say no more,’ interrupted Flint. ‘Frank will find a way.’
Frank angrily stormed out of the power centre control room.
‘I think you might have upset him,’ said Shamia, frowning as she looked at Flint.
‘Not at all,’ said Flint. ‘Frank is a true professional.’
Frank was outside the window. He was making rude hand gestures to both of them, but they did not seem to notice.
‘We should contact Demadrian and Angelo to see if their power has been cut,’ said Flint. ‘They would be the main target of this energy attack.’
‘Oh yes, of course,’ said Shamia.
Shamia and Flint went into Shamia’s office to make a video call to Angelo.
‘I hope we can get through,’ said Shamia as she pressed the call button on her computer.
A few seconds later, Razor accepted the call on the other end.
‘Excuse me, could we speak to the High Philosopher, please?’ asked Shamia politely.
‘The High Philosopher is currently not taking calls,’ replied Razor. ‘I am Razor. I am standing in on his behalf. I will pass on any information you have to him.’
‘Has the power been cut to your region?’ asked Flint.
‘We remain as powerful as ever,’ replied Razor.
‘I mean the electricity,’ continued Flint. ‘Electricity has been cut off here, and we’re relying on our backup generators.’
Razor looked around the dimly lit room of the temple. ‘It’s as usual,’ he replied.
‘Okay, that’s great, Razor,’ said Shamia. ‘Well done.’
‘You need to prepare for electrical power outages,’ said Flint. ‘The Empire is attacking the main power grid. I suspect the main generators in the nearest chambers have been disconnected.’
‘Yikes!’ exclaimed Razor.
‘Do you have enough backup generators?’ asked Flint.
‘I know the higher power will guide us,’ replied Razor confidently.
‘You need to be on top of this,’ said Flint in an annoyed tone.
‘I will relay your message to the High Philosopher immediately,’ replied Razor in a cool tone. ‘Is there anything else?’
‘Yes,’ said Flint. ‘Tell your High Philosopher we’re ready to join him in the fight against the Empire. Our guards are at his disposal whenever he needs them.’
‘Great move,’ replied Razor. ‘You won’t regret it.’
‘I fear we have no choice,’ sighed Flint.
‘Anything else?’ asked Razor.
‘Not for now,’ said Flint. ‘We’ll keep all information channels open to you.’
‘No problem,’ replied Razor. The call ended.
Orcilla and Angelo were still in the laboratory. They had now run out of the drug Demadrian had made to calm them. Both Julio and Demadrian were lying motionless on their respective examination tables.
‘It’s going to become tricky soon,’ said Orcilla, who was standing next to a counter, to Angelo, who was sitting next to Julio. ‘There are a few other drugs we can give them; that should calm them.’
Razor entered the laboratory. He explained to Angelo and Orcilla what he had been told by Flint and Shamia.
‘Looks like our time is running out,’ sighed Orcilla.
‘We have other problems,’ added Razor. ‘A team collecting food has messaged me. Their transport has been seized. They managed to escape back underground, but the Empire has dozens of scout teams monitoring the entrances to the underground. On a positive note, they do not appear to have the equipment to detect us when we’re invisible.’
‘Unfortunately, we can’t make our vehicles invisible,’ replied Orcilla. ‘Looks like our plans might have to change a little.’
‘On the way down here, I noticed that the glow rocks appear to be dimming,’ said Razor.
‘Razor, prepare both our ground and flying teams,’ instructed Angelo. ‘Waiting is no longer to our advantage. Tell me when they are ready and I’ll speak with Flint and Shamia directly.’
Razor nodded.
‘Any news from Octavius or Volo?’ asked Orcilla.
‘Volo informed me that Octavius is down at the south coast,’ replied Razor.
‘Inform Volo to tell Octavius that we need his help now,’ instructed Orcilla.
Razor nodded and left the laboratory.
‘Years ago we acquired some of their weapons,’ said Angelo. ‘Julio studied them. He knows the basic principles behind them. He has developed far superior weapons we can surprise them with.’
‘Are all the guards trained with them?’ asked Orcilla.
‘Yes,’ replied Angelo. ‘The flying teams have weapons that will be cloaked with their wings. We will give them a far tougher fight than they could ever imagine.’
Orcilla nodded.
Razor returned to the temple where he sent a message to Volo informing him to contact Octavius. He informed his ground teams to be ready at dawn the next day. Then he informed his flyer teams to prepare to support them.
As the day passed, Orcilla and Angelo still had to deal with Demadrian’s violent but short outbreaks. These were becoming less frequent than they were on previous days. Julio was still unresponsive.
Razor re-entered the laboratory. ‘We’re prepared to leave at dawn,’ said Razor confidently as he approached Orcilla and Angelo.
‘What are we doing?’ asked Demadrian as he sat up abruptly. ‘Morning stroll followed by a picnic in a grassy meadow.’
‘You made it,’ said Orcilla, smiling as she looked at Demadrian.
‘I told you I’d be fine,’ sighed Demadrian.
‘You need to help Julio,’ said Angelo in a concerned tone. ‘He has not moved since the procedure.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ said Demadrian. ‘His body is not used to genetic modification like mine. The change can be expected to take longer. Don’t worry about it.’
Angelo nodded. ‘I need to speak with Shamia and Flint,’ he said. ‘We have much to do tonight.’
‘I really want to stretch my legs,’ said Demadrian as he quickly sprung to his feet.
Angelo and Razor entered the temple. Angelo flipped open his computer and sent Shamia a message for an urgent meeting. Shamia responded a few seconds later. Angelo hit the call button. Shamia and Flint’s faces appeared on the screen.
‘We’ll be ready to move out at dawn,’ said Angelo. ‘We’ll rendezvous at destination X2XXP.’
‘Oh wow, where’s that?’ asked Shamia.
‘It’s okay, I know where that is,’ replied Flint.
‘I’ll reveal more when we meet up,’ said Angelo. ‘That’s it for now.’ The call ended.
‘Do we need to leave at dawn as well?’ asked Shamia.
‘No,’ said Flint. ‘We need to leave two hours earlier.’
‘We’ll miss the morning performance,’ said Shamia. ‘Frank will be so disappointed.’
‘There are far more important things to consider than Frank’s feelings,’ replied Flint angrily. ‘One tiny mistake and we could lose everything.’
‘I’ve never been in such a tense environment before,’ said Shamia. ‘I love our fun and games.’
‘I suggest you stay behind to hold Frank’s hand,’ said Flint angrily. ‘Things are going to get much worse. We don’t need a panicker.’
‘Well, I never,’ sighed Shamia, shaking her head slightly.
Meanwhile in the laboratory, Demadrian was bouncing around energetically. He was also shapeshifting different parts of his body seamlessly.
‘Feel this,’ said Demadrian as he shapeshifted his hand into that of Sentray’s hand.
Orcilla touched it. ‘It feels real; it’s not an illusion,’ she said, sounding surprised.
‘This is a different level of shapeshifting,’ said Demadrian. ‘I can have the properties of both a Linap and a Sentray. I can change my own mass to fit either species. This is the greatest advancement in genetics history. I have achieved the impossible.’
Angelo and Razor entered the laboratory. ‘Everything is set; tomorrow it begins,’ said Angelo.
‘Julio still needs to be monitored,’ said Orcilla.
‘It has to be one of you two,’ said Demadrian. ‘I’m going to rip Tiberius to pieces.’
‘I know the surface very well,’ said Orcilla. ‘My presence will greatly increase our chances of victory.’
‘You both make good points,’ sighed Angelo. ‘I’ll stay here with my mentor. Demadrian, you should join the ground teams. Orcilla and Razor should lead the flyer teams.’
Suddenly, the lights went out in the laboratory. A few seconds later, a few emergency lights switched on.
‘The followers have set up the generators,’ said Razor. ‘Our energy plan should give us a few days of limited but reliable electricity.’
‘Is that it?’ asked Orcilla in an annoyed tone.
‘When we crush the Empire’s forces, we’ll have all the energy we need,’ said Demadrian confidently. ‘Orcilla, you look awful. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is the big day.’
‘No need for thanks,’ replied Orcilla in a sarcastic tone. ‘Keeping you alive was my pleasure.’
‘I'll show “my thanks” by keeping you alive tomorrow,’ said Demadrian in a curt tone.
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 