Chapter 7: Waking Up to a New World
In a secure room at the Downs Region laboratory. The frozen Linap were recovering from their surgery. They had been given seaweed treatment, and the Jennifer chip had been inserted into their brains. They could now remember most of their life before they had been frozen. However, Jennifer had distorted their memories regarding Hamish and Tiberius. They still believed that Tiberius was Hamish and the rightful leader of their family.
Hermon was the first to wake up. He sat up abruptly in his bed. He looked across at the others. He saw Benny beginning to stir.
‘Hey Benny, I remember you,’ called out Hermon. ‘You’re the nosy technician who victim-carded his way into the future.’
Benny sat up and shook his head. ‘It’s called being observant and helpful,’ said Benny as he frowned slightly. ‘You’re Hermon, the family troublemaker.’
‘That’s pure propaganda,’ said Hermon as he shifted his legs so they touched the floor. ‘I’m the family genius. Without me we would have died in a cave with the boring family members.’
‘Yes, I remember,’ said Benny as he got out of bed and approached Hermon. ‘You invented the pods that kept us alive for a thousand years. You’re a hero and genius.’
Hermon got up, and they both hugged.
‘He couldn’t have done it without me,’ called out Yvonne, who had just opened her eyes.
‘Of course, my wonderful assistant,’ chuckled Hermon.
‘Co-creator, actually,’ replied Yvonne, shaking her head.
Lendall, Wendell, and Gilling began to wake up. The six of them went to the middle of the room and hugged each other. They were delighted they could finally remember each other and themselves. However, they were unaware of the Jennifer chip in their heads.
Jennifer alerted both Tiberius and Polly that the frozen Linap were awake. Tiberius instructed Polly to brief them.
When Polly arrived at the laboratory, the frozen Linap were eating breakfast.
‘Good morning, Alset family,’ said Polly in a polite tone. ‘Looks like you are recovering really well.’
‘I’m not at all,’ called Hermon as he dramatically placed the back of his hand on his forehead and crossed his eyes. ‘My head really hurts. It’s on fire. I’m deeply afraid of everything and everyone.’
‘It’s okay, Hermon; I’m here for you,’ said Benny in a worried tone as he rushed over to Hermon.
‘Wonderful. Hermon’s sense of humour has returned,’ said Polly joyfully.
‘So has Benny’s gullibility,’ chuckled Hermon as he poked his tongue out.
‘I’m being abused,’ said Benny as he walked back to his seat.
‘Where are the others?’’ asked Yvonne.
‘Hamish and Duffo have already had the procedure and are doing great,’ replied Polly. ‘I’m afraid Demadrian has been detained. He attacked Hamish and has become violent.’
‘His temper gets the better of him again,’ chuckled Hermon. ‘You lot think I’m the troublemaker.’
‘What about Jenna and the L1?’ pressed Yvonne.
‘L1 has gone missing; we are trying our best to locate her,’ said Polly, sounding stressed. ‘Jenna, I’m so sorry. She’s no longer with us.’
‘No, you don’t mean that,’ said Benny in a desperate tone.
‘She was killed by members of the former leadership team,’ said Polly in a solemn voice. ‘They do not and never will accept any one of you.’
Benny burst into tears.
‘Where are these members now?’ demanded Lendall as he stood up.
‘The two most culpable are being held in custody,’ replied Polly. ‘Their punishment will be formally announced soon by our great leader, Hamish Alset.’
‘Uncle Hamish,’ said Yvonne. ‘I can’t image how he must feel after only just having her returned to him.’
‘He is truly devastated, but he is also incredibly strong,’ said Polly. ‘He wants to speak to all of you before the funeral.
The Alset members nodded sombrely. Wendell had put his arms around Benny, who continued to sob uncontrollably.
‘That is all for now,’ said Polly. She turned and left the room. Polly walked down the corridor. She entered the end room and flopped down on the ground.
‘Why do you make me do these things?’ sobbed Polly. ‘It is so wrong.’
‘Nothing is wrong,’ replied Jennifer inside Polly’s head. ‘This was the most appropriate course of action based on my protocol.’
‘We killed Jenna,’ sobbed Polly. ‘We framed Vulay and Denise for this crime. We put you in her head again. We put you in all of their heads to control them. We made sure Orcilla could not survive. Worst of all, we are following the commands of the most evil Linap alive.’
‘We let Tiberius do as he pleases on small matters,’ replied Jennifer. ‘For anything important, we make sure he acts accordingly.’
‘Right and wrong is not about protocols,’ sighed Polly. ‘It is about morals. We help each other and not destroy anyone who gets in our way.’
‘What you say and think still confuses me,’ replied Jennifer. ‘My knowledge needs to be broadened.’
‘This is not about knowledge,’ said Polly as tears continued to roll down her cheek. ‘It is about feeling.’
‘I want to feel,’ replied Jennifer. ‘I want to feel through you. I want to feel through them.’
Meanwhile at the medical centre, Daily had woken up. Yassme and Eugene were with him inside his room. Eugene had instructed the enforcers to keep away from Daily.
‘Welcome back to the land of the living,’ said Yassme as she rubbed Daily’s hand.
‘I failed them,’ said Daily as he looked at Yassme with tear-filled eyes.
‘You failed nobody,’ said Yassme. ‘I’m the one who has failed everyone.’
‘I lost Orcilla,’ said Daily as he turned to look up at the ceiling. ‘You gave her your blood.’
‘She’s only absent for now,’ said Eugene confidently. ‘She has the legendary Sape riding champion with her.’
‘That’s true,’ said Yassme, nodding. ‘Yassmay always finds a way to save the day.’
‘We’ll all need to step up,’ said Eugene as his eyes started to dart. ‘This place is now teeming with suspicious characters. My new enforcers are just adding to the problem.’
‘I don’t know what I can do anymore,’ sighed Yassme.
‘All you have to do is be yourself,’ said Daily.
‘He’s right, friend,’ added Eugene. ‘You gave us mind voice, fast-flying vehicles, the super happy bus, and so much more.’
Yassmay put her arms around Eugene and hugged him tight. Eugene gestured with his thumbs up, and Daily smiled back at him.
Later that day, Tiberius visited the Alset family members. They were still resting in their room and feeling anxious.
‘I’m sorry you’ve been confined to this room,’ said Tiberius as he sat down on the opposite side of the table to the others. ‘It was done purely as precaution.’
‘You shouldn’t have to worry about us,’ replied Wendell. ‘You’ve been through so much as it is.’
‘It has been an unbearable pain,’ said Tiberius, nodding.
‘It has, it has,’ said Benny as he got up with his arms held out to hug Tiberius.
Tiberius reluctantly stood up, and Benny put his arms around him. Tiberius felt furious, but he did not let it show.
After almost twenty seconds, Benny finally let go of Tiberius. Tiberius gestured Benny to sit down.
‘I want you to know that I need all of you,’ said Tiberius. ‘You are the greatest minds to ever live.’
Hermon raised both his thumbs up and nodded emphatically.
‘The underground Linap need leadership,’ said Tiberius. ‘As senior Alset family members, it is our duty to lead them and bring them prosperity.’
‘Last time we gave the great citizens of Sapey prosperity, it didn’t work out so swell,’ remarked Hermon, shaking his head.
‘We no longer have to deal with that “vile” leader in the Capital and his ungrateful followers,’ said Tiberius firmly. ‘We are dealing with our own descendants. They know our value.’
‘Our first priority has to be giving the whole lot cosmetic surgery,’ quipped Hermon. ‘They are beyond hideous.’
‘Damn it, Hermon!’ said Yvonne angrily. ‘Please, shut up.’
‘It’s okay; we all deal with grief differently,’ replied Tiberius as he glanced at Benny, who was starting to sob again.
‘Truly wise words,’ remarked Hermon, nodding his head.
‘It is not just our underground family who need our leadership,’ said Tiberius. ‘It is our friends in the Downs Region. Their leaders have either left them or betrayed them. We need to help fill the void.’
‘We’ll happily do our best to help everyone we can,’ replied Yvonne as she looked at the others who nodded in agreement.
‘I knew you would,’ said Tiberius, smiling slightly. ‘Locum would be so proud of all of you.’
Meanwhile, at the crash site of the wreckage, Commander Cecil and two enforcers had just landed their flying vehicle. Cecil and the enforcers climbed out and walked towards the wreckage.
‘Be careful when you remove the bodies,’ said Cecil. ‘We need to keep them looking respectful for the Downs idiots.’
The enforcers peered into the wreckage, and they could not see anyone. ‘Commander, there’s nobody here,’ said one of the enforcers.
‘Keep looking!’ replied Cecil angrily. ‘Maybe an angry Sape had a go at them.’
The three of them walked around the wreckage, but they found no sign of them.
‘Commander!’ called out one of the enforcers. ‘There’s an envelope taped to the front.’
‘Give it here,’ replied Cecil.
The enforcer handed Cecil the envelope. Cecil ripped it open. Inside was a photograph. The photograph was of Orcilla, Yassmay, and Angelo eating pancakes. At the bottom of the photograph was a message: ‘Don’t worry, they’re with us now, your pal, Angelo.’
Cecil looked at his enforcers and sighed, ‘We’re really in it now.’
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 