Chapter Five:
It appeared to Celestia that the woman dressed as a Commander was actually the one in charge. The door opened and another person who looked liked the aliens from her game entered the room. He too was strangely beautiful with shoulder length silver blonde hair and striking features. He moved with the power and grace of a trained warrior, though how Celestia knew that she wasn’t certain. He walked over to the Commander and handed her a small hand held device. After exchanging a few words he turned and left the room. The Commander looked briefly at the hand held device and then set it down on the table.
“Celestia,” she said, “You will explain how it is that you knew about us.”
Celestia was so surprised by the question that she didn’t know what to say. The Commander waited for a moment.
“Answer the question!” she commanded.
Celestia replied, “I don’t understand what you mean.”
The Commander typed in a command on the console. The vibration running though the chair she was bound to increased. Celestia cried out in pain as a powerful electrical current ran through the chair’s frame and into her body. It only lasted for about ten seconds but seemed to be much longer.
Once again the Commander spoke, “Explain how it is that you know about us!”
Celestia replied, “I really don’t understand what you mean.”
Once again the Commander typed a command into the console and again Celestia cried out in pain from the electrical current.
“Please!” Celestia cried out when the current stopped, “I really don’t understand what you mean about my knowing about you!”
She cringed expecting to be electrocuted again but when nothing happened she opened her eyes to find the Commander watching her with her head tilted sideways as if she was speculating.
“Do you know where you are?” she asked.
Puzzled Celestia said, “No, I don’t recognize this place.”
She looked at Celestia for a long moment and finally said, “You had better not be lying, or you will regret it.” Celestia waited for an explanation of that statement but none was given.
“Very well, I’ll explain further,” the woman said. “How is it that you knew we were planning to invade Earth? I also wish to know how you knew to identify us by the silver color of our eyes. It’s obvious you are working for one of the governments of this planet to provide a combat training program to counter our invasion.”
Celestia was speechless! If her game was malfunctioning, it was certainly doing so in a way that followed what a possible plot would be! She had included notes along that line in her database of Silver One’s story line, but she hadn’t written it into the game code yet! Apparently she took to long to answer for once again the painful current ran through her body. The Commander again demanded an answer.
Celestia realized that even if it was a malfunction in the programming she was in serious trouble. If she couldn’t manage to convince her that it was only a game or if she lied and tried to claim, which government was behind her program and she found out she was lying, either way could result in her being killed or tortured to death. Celestia decided to stick with the truth. It would be too easy to get confused if she lied and later didn’t keep the story straight.
She explained that she wasn’t testing a military program but a new game. She explained further that the reason she had the only game was that it was based on a new holographic technology and she was testing it before releasing it to the public. Celestia held her breath and waited for the woman’s response. The Commander did not seem to believe her as once again the electricity shocked Celestia. When it finally stopped and her screams of agony ended the woman once again demanded the truth.
“Did you honestly think we would believe such obvious lies? We have been monitoring you and your assistant for months! We have overheard you turning down offers to work for several of the governments of this world!” she said.
Celestia was confused; the situation was making no sense to her. How could a malfunction monitor previous conversations in the real world? Her next words shocked Celestia even more.
“No one will be able to assist you,” she said. Celestia was still confused and the woman seemed to see it in her expression as she explained further, “You are on board my ship, no one knows where you are.” The woman entered another command and the wall to the left changed to a screen showing the Earth as if Celestia really was in a ship orbiting the planet, the picture even moved as if she was in a ship!
“When you and your assistant Jason started the combat simulation it was child’s play to jam it so you couldn’t shut it down. I knew it would be easier to catch you if you thought we were part of the simulation.” She said. The woman punched a command into the console again and the alien who had given her the hand held device before entered the room again. She whispered something to him that Celestia couldn’t hear.
“At once Commander,” he replied. He turned and left the room.
She turned back to Celestia. She picked up the hand held device and then got up and came over and started walking around the chair Celestia was bound to. After walking around it a few times she stopped where she was facing Celestia.
“Perhaps we have underestimated you, it seems that no prototype of the weapon could be found at your laboratory.“
“It’s just a game! There never was any prototype weapon!”
The Commander slapped Celestia and then turned and went back to her chair and sat down. She continued to read what was in the hand held device, and then she stopped, set it down and looked at Celestia for a long moment.
“It seems that we didn’t consider the possibility you might be a soldier as well, I thought you were just a weak scientist.”
Celestia couldn’t help herself, she immediately cried out, “What!? I am not a member of the military or a scientist! I’m a civilian!”
The woman snapped at Celestia telling her to be quiet! She entered a command and once again Celestia was hit with the painful electricity. She knew that she had angered her as it continued far longer than the previous times. Celestia found she couldn’t even cry out in pain but could only mange to gasp for air as she fought blacking out. When it finally stopped the only thing keeping her from falling to the floor was the restraints, Celestia hung limply in the chair taking deep breaths to keep from blacking out; she didn’t dare look up at the woman, as she didn’t want to risk angering her again.
The door opened again and Celestia looked up just enough to see another alien enter. She was horrified to see that he was carrying a syringe! Celestia felt absolute panic as he came towards her with the syringe. She struggled with the restraints trying to pull free! When he injected her in her right arm with the drug she whimpered in fear. The Commander waited until he was finished before speaking.
“Now we will get the truth out of you. I had intended to avoid using drugs, since they have never been tested on humans before, but you have left me with no choice. In only a few minutes you will be unable to tell anything but the truth.”
As Celestia looked into her eyes, she could feel something happening to her, as the drug started to take effect she realized that she had to be in space and that she was real! Celestia realized that no matter what malfunction the computer may have had it couldn’t possibly produce a drug for them to actually inject her with! She began to feel even stranger as the drug continued to go through her system. Suddenly she felt strangely detached and unafraid. The woman watching Celestia seemed to realize the change and smiled.
“Good it looks like the drug is working,” she said. She proceeded to ask Celestia the questions again.
