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A counter ran along one wall with cabinets above and below. Three tables had been butted up against each other end to end and the chairs stacked against the wall obviously belonged to the tables. The counter was empty now, but Ansley could easily picture the surface cluttered with equipment, a microscope, centrifuge, and racks of test tubes and beakers.
The other side of the room was far more domestic. A small kitchen was arranged in the far corner with a living room beside it. Adjacent to the kitchen area was a row of doors, likely leading to sleeping quarters. And a bathroom, she hoped. She could really use a shower.
“Who built this place and what is its purpose?” she asked as her visual assessment wound down. Her focus shifted to her captors and her surroundings seemed to fade away. She’d been angry and frustrated by her own failure on the ship so she’d spent the entire trip staring out the window. Now she was struck again by the contrast between the two males. Jobek was tall, dark, and dangerous, while Tandor’s red-streaked hair and reddish eyes were as intriguing as his mercurial personality. Did she find these two attractive simply because she’d interacted with so few men? Or was there something metaphysical drawing them together?
The men looked at each other as if debating what to tell her. Jobek watched her closely while Tandor explained, “The outposts are a cooperative project sponsored by Pyron and Altor. There are six facilities scattered all over this planet and their purpose is observation and scientific research.”
His answer confirmed the conclusion she’d come to on her own, but she didn’t understand the reason for such a project. “All of the planets in your star system are much more advanced than any human civilization. Why study Earth?”
“There are surprising similarities between humans and the species found in our star system,” Jobek told her. “Our planets were colonized by the Sarlian Federation many centuries ago. The scientific teams are trying to determine if the same is true of Earth.”
“What made them suspect a connection?” She hadn’t expected an in-depth discussion when she asked the question, but she was curious about their star system.
Jobek shrugged. “We already knew that our star system is one of many that the Sarlian Federation colonized and Earth’s similarities to our planets are striking. Physical appearance, the structure of their languages, social hierarchies, they are all reminiscent of the federation.”
“Does the Sarlian Federation still exist?”
Jobek just shook his head so Tandor elaborated. “The Sarlians were vanquished by the Maalig, who fell to the Alation Republic. The Alation Republic, however, was patterned after the Sarlian Federation so it is almost as if the Sarlians are back in power.”
“Altor’s system of government is highly influenced by Sarlian concepts as well,” Jobek added. “In fact, Altor and Alation were the sons of Sarlian’s most renowned philosopher. Of the four planets in our star system, Altor most closely resembles the federation.”
The background info was interesting. She’d always enjoyed history. But it didn’t resolve the inconsistencies. “If Earth was colonized by the same people as Altor, why is their technology so much more advanced than human’s?”
“Earth was colonized much more recently,” Tandor suggested.
She thought about that for a moment. Some of Earth’s societies went back thousands of years. How long ago was Altor colonized? Not wanting to prolong the tangent, she asked, “Studying humans is like watching a live recreation of your past?”
“Basically,” Tandor agreed with a distracted smile.
Ansley had thought of herself as human for the vast majority of her life so she found the secret alien project disconcerting, to say the least. There were outposts scattered all over Earth with groups of alien scientists. Were Earth’s governments aware of the project? And were the studies completely noninvasive or had they required blood and tissue samples?
Rather than start a fight moments after their arrival, she asked, “Where are the scientists now? How long has the project been here?”
“We already told you more than we should have,” Jobek insisted. “The project is Code Four; that means strictly need to know.”
She nodded and reluctantly moved on. “Are we still in Alaska?”
“The nearest city is Whitehorse. I believe it is in the Yukon sector of Canada,” Jobek told her.
She started to ask how far away Whitehorse was, but decided against it. The aliens were too smart to build a secret outpost walking distance from a human city. Unless she could learn to fly their ship in the next few minutes, she was at their mercy. “How long will we stay here?”
“That depends on you.” Tandor moved closer, his strange reddish-brown gaze starting to smolder.
She took a step back and her stomach growled loud enough to make her cringe.
“When was the last time you ate?” Tandor wanted to know.
Food had been the farthest thing from her mind most of the day, so it took her a minute to figure out when her last meal had been. “I ate a protein bar this morning. What time is it?”
“Nearly eight,” Jobek said. “It will take me a few minutes to bring the central computer back online. Tandor will have to amuse you.” He walked across the room and disappeared through one of the doors.
“Is there any way I can take a shower? I went from grubby to disgusting about an hour ago.”
“Utilities generally operate independently from the central computer. Let me see if I can locate the controls.” He opened a different door than Jobek had exited through. The lights came on automatically, revealing a spacious bathroom.
Ansley glanced longingly toward the front door then accepted that she had nowhere to go and moved into the open doorway. “Any luck?” The entire building was indistinguishable from a human domicile. There was no advanced technology. At least none visible to the casual visitor or curious search party. Not that it was likely to be discovered this deep in the wilderness. “You two seem to know a lot about these outposts. Are you part of the ‘cooperative project’?”
“Not directly. We were part of the support team until Neloff made us a better offer.”
