Chapter CHAPTER XI—ACCEPTING THE UNACCEPTABLE

I gaped at her curiously, worried that she had loss her mind.

“You want me to do what exactly?” I asked in disbelief.

“For now, just follow me,” she instructed with a smile. She slid her superstar sunglasses back over her cerulean eyes.

“Are we really going to see my mother?”

“Yes.”

“My dead mother?”

“Correct.”

Calmness poured over me once again, like a chilling sensation that worked its way through my scalp and over my face. The creases in my brow unfurled. The serenity draped over my shoulders and trickled down my back to the soles of my feet. Every muscle in my body fell limp.

“What is wrong with me?” I questioned as I looked down at my tingling hands.

“Nothing at all,” she answered. “I’m just helping you relax.”

“But how? I don’t think I like this,” I challenged. “It feels invasive.”

“We will explain everything in due time, but first, you must speak to your mother. I cannot heal your pain, only mask it. Seeing her again, and working out your grievances, will help you move forward with your life. We need you to be whole.”

“Why?”

“We think you can help us.”

“Help you do what?”

“We must fight the ones who have your son. I, too, believe he still lives.”

My heart felt elated and filled with hope. This emotion, I knew, came from within me, not from Iris’s manipulation.

“Check with your mother,” she continued. “She can confirm with you that he is still alive.”

“Okay,” I stated bravely. “Take me to her.”

I followed Iris through the kitchen and down the main hall in the opposite direction of the bedroom. The hall ended at a thick, wooden door that I had not seen before. I presumed it to be the house’s front door because its construction material seemed more suitable for an exit.

“How far away is this ‘spirit room’ place? I didn’t know Miami had anything like that.”

“We’re not in Miami anymore,” she replied carefully.

“Oh,” I breathed somewhat surprised. “But we’re still in South Florida, right?”

“No, not exactly.”

Her hand connected with the door knob and turned. She slowly pushed open the solid door to reveal our mysterious surroundings. What stood before us did not resemble a grassy lawn, sandy beach, serene lake, or even a front porch.

I stared blankly into a cavernous black hole. One may have mistaken it for nighttime in the wilderness, but no moon light shown to the ground below and no stars twinkled in the sky above.

I could not see a single thing beyond five feet. What I could see did not make sense. The light that poured from the room behind us only illuminated a few feet of floor before us. The surface appeared to be made of thick, matted glass.

“Iris, what this place?” I asked, fearful, but only for a second. She quickly forced me into calmness. “Where are we?”

“We are currently 1,500 meters under the body of water you call the Gulf of Mexico.”

“Fifteen hundred meters—

the Gulf?” I yelped, only temporarily hysterical.

Her persistent tranquility washed over me repeatedly like breaking waves on scorching sand.

I continued more calmly, “You joking, right? Clearly, we are in a house—” I looked behind me. Nothing had changed. “—of some sort.”

I added the last portion irresolutely, uncertain now of what to call the dwelling at my back. Excluding the dark cave in front of me, it looked to be a fairly standard home. The walls appeared to be made of dry wall and the floor had both carpet and tile portions in its various rooms.

Nothing about the structure I saw fit my conventional thoughts of submarine crafts.

Iris sighed as if preparing for an intense and lengthy explanation. “I wanted to wait until you spoke to Jules, but I can share the basics with you, else we may never make it to the Spirit Room.” She said the last sentence in an exasperated tone.

“This is a Veexen vessel,” she stated. “We call her, Qego Mouyo. She can travel at speeds, depths, heights, and under conditions that you are not used to here on Earth.”

I simply stared at her. Speechless.

“Kaya, we—Rahim, Jules, and I, are not of this world.”

“Come again?” I murmured.

“We’re aliens.”

“You mean you’re from Canada?”

“No. I mean we’re not from Earth at all.”

“Clearly, you’re just as human and Earthly as I am.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Not all extra-terrestrial and extra-dimensional beings are grotesque,” she retorted sharply.

“What proof do you have to support your claims.”

“How is that you think I’m controlling your emotions at will?”

“Okay. I’ll admit that I haven’t had time enough to figure that one out. As a neurologist, I can appreciate the power of the mind, even if I cannot comprehend everything about it.”

“Yes, that is what why we need your help. We need to understand the human mind.”

“I won’t be able to help you with this particular issue. I do not specialize in this type of human behavior.”

“So, you’re saying that there humans that have abilities similar to mine?”

“I can’t say that for sure, but there are lots of humans who’s brains can do things that science has yet to explain.”

“Like your mother?”

“Yes, I guess you could say that.”

“This is why you must speak to her. If she’s ended up on the other side of our spiritual doorway, we may be more alike than we are different. Knowing this is imperative to the survival of the human race.”

I wanted to be afraid, but the emotion could not surface. Some suspicion seeped through as I considered the meaning of her words. I had really been abducted by aliens.

“Don’t start doubting us now, Kaya!” She practically sang, interrupting my thought process. She laid a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. “I promise I will take you to Jules and he will explain everything—once you’ve spoken to your mother.

“Now let’s take care of business so I can stop managing your emotions. You’re actually wearing me out, somewhat.”

Curiosity started to outweigh fear. “How is that?”

“Your emotions are in a total disarray and that’s completely understandable. You saw your mother’s empty form,” she paused. “And that’s never a good thing.”

“Why not?” It happened at funerals all the time.

“It taints your recollections of her. If a fleshy shell is the last thing you see of a loved one, it will be with you forever as your most recent memory of them.”

“Well, the time we spent before that was hardly any better. We had an argument,” I said, recalling the spat I had had with my mother before that treacherous woman murdered her.

“Don’t worry. You’re about to fix that.” She pulled her hand out of her pocket. “Here,” she said, handing me a contact case.

“What are these for? I can see just fine.”

“Are you able to see in the dark?”

“Of course not.”

“Then, put them on so you can.”

I looked at Iris suspiciously. She met my strong and silent opposition with an even more potent glare. Though she did not threaten me, I could feel her mystic influence easily winning me over. I wondered if anyone could counter her influence.

“Do you want to see your mother or not?” she asked tartly, though her face did not convey the same amount of frustration.

, I thought.

“I have one question,” I posed.

“And what is that?”

“Is this method of visitation safe?”

“Of course it is.”

“So, after I speak to my mother, I will return alive and well?”

“That’s two questions, and the answer is yes.”

After careful consideration, I decided that arguing further would lead me nowhere. I reluctantly, and with much difficulty, placed the strange contacts into my eyes. As soon as they both sat atop the surface of my eyeballs, I felt them sink into my retina, a particularly awkward sensation but painless.

“What just happened? Where did they go?” I questioned, rubbing my eye lids. I could not feel them moving on the surface of my eyes.

“They are designed to settle in the back of your eyes to act as a layer of tissue that reflects light. When light is passed through your retina by the contacts, your eyes are able to capture light where it is scarcely available, allowing you to see in the dark.”

As she carefully explained the workings of the eye, I notice that everything around me began to change. The dimly lit hallway behind me became so bright I could barely stand to look in that direction.

“Why is the hallway so bright all of the sudden?” I pondered aloud, shrinking away from the light like a vampire, ducking under my forearm.

“I see they are taking affect. I’ll explain their workings with an analogy. If you were a cat, your pupils would be mere slits in a room that bright. As it were, you are not a cat. Though the contacts are great for seeing in scarcely lit rooms, they are not your friends in brightly lit environments. Your eyes are still structurally human eyes, and your pupils can only get so small.”

“That makes sense,” I mumbled, still a little perplexed and noticing once again the sun glasses on her face.

“If you find yourself in a bright room or outside during daylight hours, you must will your contacts to deactivate. That will return your eyes to their normal state of being. As for your quarters, we can have the lights further dimmed. That would be easier on us all.”

“I agree.”

“Good, take off you socks and let’s be on our way then.”

I followed her instructions, noticing for the first time that she wore no socks or shoes.

When I turned my attention back to the cave in front of me, it no longer appeared pitch black. In fact, it did not resemble a cave at all. How I imagined a high security government facility would look like, except in the future, describes the appearance of the vast, foreign space. I had never seen the likes of it before, not even on television or in movies.

The floors material served as translucent monitors, each one displaying something different. Some of the screens lay out of my line of sight but, the ones closest to me, several feet beyond the light of the open door, filled themselves with lines, numbers, shapes and symbols, all gibberish to me.

With her sunglasses in her hand, she said, “Follow me.”

She turned sharply on her heels and walked directly into the previously pitch black room. I did not see her insert any special contacts into her eyes. I followed her bravely, though I had nothing to be confident about.

I knew she controlled my emotions every step of the way. Now that I knew what she could do, I felt violated. I liked my free will. I had the right to be scared or panicked or ungrateful.

I heard Iris giggle in front of me.

She washed away my feelings of annoyance and pride. I consequently tried to appreciate her emotional manipulation. Truly, without it, I would be overwhelmed by everything that had happened to and around me. On my own, I would surely be in a corner rocking back and forth while sucking on my thumb.

With her help, I would be able to concentrate on rescuing my son.

“Are you wearing night vision contacts?” I asked her.

“No,” she answered simply.

“Why not?” I countered.

“Because I don’t have to wear them,” she replied.

“Then how are you able to see in the dark?”

“Easily,” she said. “I’m a naturally nocturnal being.”

, I thought, and it only raised more questions in my mind.

“If you’re nocturnal and we’re so far under the ocean, how do you explain the sunlight pouring into the apartment behind us?”

“That is a question you should be asking yourself.”

“How do you figure?”

“Tepon technology is organism specific.”

“What or where is ‘Tepon’?” I asked.

“Ask Jules that question.”

“Oh, I will have lots of questions for him, I’m sure.”

“Great.” She changed the subject. “Take the floor beneath you for example.”

I immediately looked down. Each monitor that I stepped on became gently illuminated. This light emitted a blue glow, dull and dim.

A dark shadow pass swiftly from one corner of the screen to another. It had seemed to be some sort of shadow creature. I felt fearful once again.

“What was that?” I gasped, slightly startled. It had seemed so real.

Iris subdued my anxiety and stress levels.

“You really should try and relax. Dealing with your bursts of erratic emotions is tiresome,” she sighed.

“Sorry. It’s just—I thought I saw something down there.”

“I’m sure you did, though I scarcely know what it was—a squid, possibly.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, so did she, turning to face me.

“Are you telling me that I’m looking at the Gulf of Mexico from a depth of 1,500 meters below sea level?” I asked flabbergasted, looking down again, my eyes narrowing as I peered at the screen.

“Yes, our location seems to be a lingering thought in your mind. The vessel’s computer is simply accommodating your curiosity.”

“So, let me get this straight—this thing will show me anything I want to see if I concentrate hard enough.”

“Not exactly,” she said smirking. “It’s not a crystal ball or a magic mirror.”

I felt myself blush.

She turned and began to walk once more. Still slightly embarrassed, I followed in silence.

“The vessel has the capability of several satellites, only with unrestricted vision,” she continued. “Qego Mouyos’ location is always known, so showing you what lies beneath her is quite simple. She has drones stationed around the globe with several surrounding the vessel at all times. This is our main method of security.

If you wanted to see in and around your house, for example, or the hospital you formerly worked at, that again would be a straightforward request.”

I picked out the word “formerly” from her statement, but decided to save that battle for another time. Something more pressing required an answer.

“What about people?” I paused, deep in contemplation, daring to hope. “Could this locate someone if I thought about them hard enough?”

I knew I possessed very little to bargain with, but them who knew what JJ had endured. I would not rest until my son’s safety could be secured.

“No, I’m afraid not,” she sighed. “The vessel cannot find people or places that are unknown.”

“Oh,” I breathed, feeling completely winded, my hopes dashed.

“I can feel your pain, you know, not just control it. I know how badly this is hurting you.” As she spoke, her eyes connected with mine. With the night vision, I could hardly tell they were blue, but I did notice that they were moist.

This made me wonder where my emotions went when she hampered them. I wondered if emotions existed like energy. Neither created nor destroyed, they could only be transferred. I wondered if she carried my burden for me.

We stopped walking.

“The answers to your questions lie behind those doors,” she said, pointing to a set of large, wooden doors behind her left shoulder. They looked like they had been taken off of a 16th century Spanish cathedral. Despite their massive size, I had not even noticed their existence as we approached. I had been too preoccupied with the floor.

“What’s in there?” I asked, somewhat memorized.

“Truth, love, and peace.”

I did not understand Iris’s meaning, but I could feel her conviction. It pushed me towards the ancient, wooden doors. The soft luminance of the ocean being transmitted by the monitors glowed beneath my feet.

As I approached the doors, the light met the doors at their base, then slowly crept up their façade, climbing higher and higher as I walked closer and closer. Soon, they were tinted dark blue.

Inscribed on and around the doors, many symbols had been etched into their wooden frames. The symbols bore a great resemblance to the ones I had glimpsed earlier on the floor. As I stared at them, engulfed in the oceanic luminosity, I wondered what they meant. Their edges looked smooth, as if they had been engraved with a laser.

The handles of the doors, round and rusty, reminded me of the kind of nose rings that bulls and hipster girls wore. I could not tell what color they were because of the blue glow, but I imagined they were copper. Unlike the symbols, the handles matched the motif of the doors.

By my will or not, my hands reached out towards the the old door handles unconsciously. With my fingers mere inches from making contact, the doors abruptly began to open. I had never touched the handles.

There seemed to be nothing inside but shadows and mist. The sight did not entice me, and yet I took a step forward. One step became two, then three. I walked over the threshold.

“Once the doors close,” Iris yelled, “I will no longer be able to help you.”

“No, don’t leave me!” I uttered too late.

The doors slammed behind me and I felt alone once again.