Sapien Loop 3: Chapter 9: It’s Not What It Seems

Chapter 9: It’s Not What It Seems

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Under the instruction of Duffo, the underground Linap enforcers went to the medical centre to arrest Daily. There was nothing that Eugene could do to stop them. Daily was feeling much better and willingly went with them.

‘Don’t worry, friend,’ called out Eugene to Daily. ‘I’ll sleuth up some answers for you.’

Daily briefly smiled at Eugene before he was quickly shoved into an enforcer vehicle.

Eugene rejoined Yassme, who was at the funeral reception. She was with Phillip. They were both enjoying one of Julie’s delicious cakes.

‘I got you a chocolate sprinkle cake,’ said Yassme as she handed Eugene the cake. ‘I know you like these.’

‘Thanks, just what I need to stimulate my sleuthing radar,’ replied Eugene as he licked his lips.

‘They’ve taken him, haven’t they?’ asked Yassme, shaking her head.

‘These novices have pinned the crime on the wrong character,’ mumbled Eugene as he took a huge bite out of the cake. ‘They’re not academy-trained.’

‘With Vulay’s confession it’s going to be difficult to prove his innocence,’ said Yassme as she looked at Phillip rubbing his tummy. ‘Are you still hungry?’

‘I’m not getting as much pizza since you stopped testing the mind voice,’ replied Phillip in a sad tone.

‘Of course, mind voice,’ said Yassme as she turned to Eugene. ‘We could turn it into a lie detector.’

‘I can smell a lie, and it isn’t fruity,’ replied Eugene as his eyes shifted from side to side.

‘That’s great, but that isn’t evidence,’ said Yassme. ‘The mind voice is backed by science.’

‘Will I get a slice of pizza?’ asked Phillip.

‘I’ll give you a whole pizza,’ said Yassme. ‘Doubly cheesy with triple pineapple.’

‘You’re scoring some points today, friend,’ said Eugene as he watched Phillip’s face light up.

‘Calibrating it for Daily could be tricky,’ said Yassme, scratching her chin. ‘You need to buy me some time, Eugene.’

‘I’m the Head Enforcer,’ replied Eugene proudly. ‘I can have as much interrogation time as I feel necessary.’

‘I know I can count on you,’ said Yassme as she rubbed Eugene’s back.

‘Thinking of interrogation,’ said Eugene as he jumped to his feet. ‘I see our friend, Polly.’

‘Time to work your enforcer magic,’ said Yassme.

‘It’s all skill, friend,’ sighed Eugene as he walked away. ‘Magic is for magicians.’

‘He’s right,’ chuckled Phillip.

Yassme chuckled and smiled.

‘Excuse me, friend,’ said Eugene calmly to Polly, who was standing next to the wall.

‘How may I help our dear Head Enforcer?’ asked Polly politely.

‘I’ll cut to the chase,’ said Eugene firmly as he leaned towards Polly. ‘You have Jennifer inside your noggin, don’t you?’

‘Yes, I do,’ said Polly. ‘She saved my life. Her chip is embedded in my brain.’

‘I knew it,’ gloated Eugene. ‘You crumbled faster than a dry piecrust.’

‘However, when Jennifer was destroyed six years ago, her chip became inactive,’ said Polly in a calm tone. ‘She is now just a distant memory.’

‘You’re better off that way, friend,’ said Eugene as he raised his eyebrows. ‘Vulay was her favourite. It would have only been a matter of time before she would have made you inactive.’

‘Don’t listen to him,’ said Jennifer inside Polly’s head. ‘I need you. You have great robot parts and you can shapeshift.’

‘So I’m just a tool to you!’ blurted out Polly angrily.

The guests became silent and stared at Polly.

‘Are you okay, friend?’ asked Eugene.

‘I’m sorry; I wasn’t talking to you,’ replied Polly in a soft, slightly embarrassed voice.

‘Who were you talking to, or should I say shouting at?’ asked Yassme as she approached Polly.

‘I’ll deal with this,’ said Colin as he scurried over to Polly. ‘Technology and biology can interact in strange ways. Let’s take a breather. Give her some space.’

Colin and Henders took Polly outside the temple.

‘Eugene, you’re the best,’ said Yassme as she smiled at him.

‘A key lesson in life,’ whispered Tiberius to Duffo. ‘Never underestimate anyone.’

That evening, Tiberius was enjoying a meal with Duffo, Miro, Louis and Lily in the hotel restaurant. Polly and Julie were serving a few special cakes that were left over from the funeral reception.

‘This food is superb,’ remarked Lily as she smiled at Julie. ‘Everything you cook or bake is always absolutely superb.’

‘It is great, but we’re missing something meaty,’ commented Duffo. ‘I’d love to bite into a great big Sape steak.’

‘I’m afraid that’s not possible in the Downs Region,’ said Lily as she turned to Duffo. ‘Sapes are protected by law.’

‘Friends, not food,’ chuckled Louis. ‘That’s another Eugene thing.’

‘There are arguments that this law is consistent with ancient House of Divine Knowledge scripture,’ replied Lily.

‘Not even in my day was that a thing,’ remarked Duffo.

‘Many of their laws are quite peculiar,’ commented Miro.

‘Since we are the new leadership team, we should review all of the laws of the Downs Region,’ commented Tiberius. ‘The laws should then be applied consistently and fairly across all of our new Sapey.’

‘That makes perfect sense,’ said Miro.

Commander Cecil walked into the restaurant.

‘Come and join us,’ called out Tiberius. ‘Julie has baked up something special.’

‘Thank you; that’s kind of you,’ said Cecil. ‘I love these sweet treats.’

‘I assume you’re here because you have news,’ said Duffo firmly as Cecil sat down.

‘I returned to the crash site,’ said Cecil, sounding nervous as Julie placed a slice of cake in front of him. ‘They weren’t there.’

‘Taken away by wild Sapes,’ gasped Miro. ‘How awful.’

‘Sapes don’t do that,’ sighed Lily as she shook her head.

‘Then it has to be the Sentray,’ interjected Louis. ‘They’re back to finish us all off.’

‘Sentray aren’t scavengers,’ said Lily, shaking her head. ‘Anyway, why are you still here?’

‘I live here now,’ replied Louis. ‘This place has the best food. Being arrested was a true blessing.’

‘He’s very special,’ said Duffo, nodding.

‘He’s clearly not the only one,’ replied Lily, rolling her eyes.

Cecil placed the photograph he found at the crash site on the table.

‘I’m afraid this is the reality we’re dealing with now,’ said Cecil, sounding serious.

‘They’re alive and well!’ said Julie as she clapped her hands excitedly. ‘That’s wonderful news.’

Lily burst out laughing.

‘This is pretty serious,’ said Miro firmly as he pointed at Angelo. ‘This guy is Angelo. He’s the leader of the terrorist cult group. They’ve violently roamed our tunnels under his vile reign for decades.’

‘He doesn’t look like a typical underground Linap,’ remarked Tiberius. ‘He has blonde hair and green skin.’

‘A temple collapsed into a tunnel,’ replied Miro. ‘They found a body amongst the excrement. They thought he was special, so they cloned him.’

‘That’s hilarious,’ chuckled Tiberius. ‘What a bunch of fools.’

‘Oh yes, they are,’ replied Miro. ‘They are very dangerous fools. We must take them seriously. They are sure to threaten us.’

‘Send your brother to deal with them,’ suggested Tiberius. ‘He lives in that neighbourhood.’ While talking, Tiberius noticed that Julie was looking a little concerned. He turned to Lily. ‘Do you think Orcilla and Yassmay have been taken hostage by this smelly terrorist?’ chuckled Tiberius. ‘Or are they willing participants?’

‘I think they were initially taken,’ replied Lily confidently. ‘Then Orcilla would have worked her magic. I’m sure they’re in some sort of alliance now, and Orcilla has tilted the power in her favour.’

‘Then she is truly a dangerous adversary,’ remarked Miro.

‘You know Angelo well,’ said Tiberius. ‘I’ll let you take the lead on this.’

Cecil sighed in relief.

‘You’re not off the hook yet,’ said Miro angrily as he quickly turned to Cecil. ‘You’re going to play a very important role in resolving this problem.’

Cecil became visibly nervous again.

‘Don’t worry, you won’t be required to do any negotiating,’ added Miro. ‘You’ll play a role more suited to your skillset.’

‘I’m honoured you have given me a second chance,’ replied Cecil as he was about to get up and leave.

‘How about we call it your final chance,’ remarked Duffo.

‘I welcome the challenge even more,’ replied Cecil as he leaned towards Duffo. He then turned and left the restaurant. Tiberius shook his head and chuckled.

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:

• Sapien Loop: End of an Era
• Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time
• Sapien Short Stories: Missing Links

All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.

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