Chariot 3: Conception
Chapter 55 – After hope

V-Nus patiently waited, seated on a wooden chair featured with a metallic structure.

Inside the white room he was at, a cold and obfuscating white light shined above his head. The empty metallic table in front of him just seemed to add more emptiness to the vague and at the same time creepy scenario.

The door across the room opened with an even brighter light that penetrated through it.

“It is your turn.” The manly voice firmly communicated. The white tall man dressed on a immaculate black suit and tie over his white shirt held the door.

V-Nus felt he did not have any option.

He stood up and walked pass the table noticing its scratched surface with dried red stains on it. “Interesting” he thought, looking at what was probably blood.

As he crossed the door that slammed behind him, the Martian felt the sharp needle stick that perforated the side of his neck.

V-Nus followed his instinct and tried to fight but his legs were dormant. His body stopped responding. His eyes glanced around and his vision became blurry. He could barely distinguish the individuals dressed in white with surgical masks covering their faces from the white walls that encompassed the room. They grabbed his arms and brought him facing down towards the metallic table. His face approached the metal and everything went blank.

V-Nus suddenly woke up from the worst of his nightmares with the sensation of hearing a shout far on the background. He opened his eyes and lifted his upper body. With no time to react to the metallic surface that awaited his forehead, he bumped his head against the hard structure above.

“Ought!”

He could only think about his beloved one, who he would never see again should he not replace a way home. “Not again.” He hoped. “Not again.”

“Perhaps it`s time for us to start moving. It`s been almost three days.” V-Nus suggested with a perceptible concern in his tone.

He lied back down and touched his head with one hand while the other rubbed his eyes.

About twenty miles southwest from where their enemy had been captured, Shoffer, V-Nus, Cai Yiu, and Flumen rested, patiently waiting in the middle of the deserted land for a rescue that had never been called.

There on the lower bed underneath Flumen`s bunk bed, located in the smallest crew quarters that he had ever been to, V-Nus stared at the metallic surface, barely visible above him as he continued to ponder whether he was still dreaming or not.

“You may recommend that to the Captain. Although I am not sure if leaving the ship or otherwise, separating from each other would be our best option.” Cai Yiu replied with his rare, but ever wise, words.

“I just did.” V-Nus looked to the side, trying to see Shoffer lying on the adjacent bed across the dark room.

“He is outside. I think he is been there for a while.” Flumen replied. “Something is going on.” Flumen had not only sensed something, but heard much more than he would dare to share.

“Maybe.” V-Nus gave his short reply, took off his bed and exited the small room, sliding down the pipe just outside.

Cai Yiu jumped off his bed and slid behind V-Nus.

Flumen`s hand touched the unusual looking dark grey mattress featured with no blankets or sheets, and gave it a nostalgic look with a feeling that he would not touch it again anytime soon. He then took a deep breath and once psychologically prepared for whatever would come on his way, he stepped off the top bed, missing a step of the ladder, landing with his chest right on the deck.

“Ought!”

He rapidly stood back up, satisfied with the fact his companions were not around to witness his clumsiness, and rapidly exited the room towards the descending pipe.

“Perhaps it`s time for us to start moving. It`s been almost three days” V-Nus suggested with a perceptible disappointment in his tone. “Look around.” His body turned three hundred sixty degrees, emphasizing the magnitude of the deserted space that surrounded them. “There is nothing here and even if there was, we have not been looking for it.”

“Perhaps…” Shoffer tried to speak.

“Perhaps we should walk to the location we need to reach.” V-Nus interrupted with a terrible timing as always. “It`s only about nine hundred miles away from here.” V-Nus referred to the coordinates on their objective, eager to complete his mission.

“Nine, did you say nine hundred?” For a second Flumen hoped he did not hear that.

“Perhaps, V-Nus, we should be looking up and not ‘around’.” Shoffer had a semi-smile on his face as he protected his teared eyes with his right hand and looked up to the sky.

“Look at that!” Flumen said while raising his arm towards the military looking plane that approached them from South. “This is the most outdated aircraft I hope to ever see!” He had to shout as the sound of the noisy engine passed above their heads.

“Do you think they saw us?” Flumen enquired, surprised.

“They are primitive Flumen. Not blind.” Cai Yiu Hun replied wondering how such an intellect would have asked that question, but he preferred to remain quiet as usual.

The plane then made a circular turn and returned towards them, this time at a much lower altitude.

“Yes, they found us.” Shoffer said with an extremely calm demeanor.

“Who found us?” No matter how intelligent Flumen was and how many studies he had accomplished, his intellect would not always connect the dots.

“Whoever supposed to replace us.” Cai Yiu Hun replied, watching the plane disappear on the horizon of the deserted landscape.

The crew seemed satisfied with the fact their mission was about to be completed but as always, Shoffer had much more going on in his mind.

He had much more to go after.

He was after hope.