Prisoner #11120

Chapter One: Prisoner #11120 and the Little Window.

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. I think about that as I watch out the window of the endless abyss of stars and darkness. So much darkness. To know that the only things I could see were the creation of galaxies and suns that shine so bright from lightyears away baffles me.

The cell they have me in is small. Only a few of us prisoners were graced with a window. Now that I think about it, maybe rooms like this are given to those who still have hope. Those who fight. A reminder that there is nothing out here. That it’s us prisoners and them. If you listen, you can hear them speak. You can hear them move. I listen constantly. Every movement is another reason to be on guard. I hardly sleep these days. Not since that fateful day these bastards came to Earth.

I was never a fan of Sci-fi. Never did I think of aliens and spaceships soaring through the sky in some grand attempt of saving the universe. That was stuff for the kids to imagine. For the adults to watch on their televisions. If only I could go back to that black and white style of thinking. If those imaginations dreamed up by children didn’t play out before my eyes. That the evil aliens in movies didn’t come to Earth and take me.

They were silent. They didn’t even disrupt the air as they had lowered themselves to our planet. They picked me right out of my daily life. I wasn’t the only one who had been taken. They had put us all in the same cell originally. Twelve humans had been brought onto this ship, and only I survived. I tried to count the days, but they begin to blur together when everything is dark. There is no sunrise. There are no meal times.

The only consistency are the guards. They come in with pills. I was shocked to see such a human thing here. They passed me a liquid that tasted horrible and ordered me to take them. We all had to. It didn’t have any true side effects but the awful taste. It was supposed to make us stronger. To be able bodied for their grand plan.

All I have is myself. All I have is this little cell where a few belongings of the previous people left.

A teddy bear, a flannel, a small knife, my bag, and a pair of keys were all of humanity I had left. I had my clothes, but mainly I wore the outfit they gave me. It’s loose like a hospital gown with a legging-like material for my pants. I still wear my bra, but I gave up on underwear a long time ago. Every day here, I lose a bit of my humanity. My routine that kept me sane. The rules society had placed before me started to grow forigen to me. It’s uncomfortable.

Most would fight. Most would be frantically finding ways out of here. I have no such motivation. I’m tired. Life on earth wasn’t much better than this. Being married to a man who I hate. Having a family who can’t accept me. An overwhelming desire to run away had made me a perfect target for these assholes. That’s what I had been doing, running from my problems when the aliens snatched me. I guess I deserved this.

The clinking of the door made me stand from my spot by the window. I felt fear thrum through me as the door opened. On the other side, there stood one of them. They wear heavy armor that hides their true features. They have a tall humanoid shape, but I’ve never seen what they really look like. Prisoners didn’t need to know. They spoke in English, shockingly. Some of the prisoners who had been with me said it likely was because of some kind of translator. Others speculated that they don’t speak; that they ‘beam’ their intentions into our minds for us to translate naturally.

“Prisoner #11120, your presence is required.” The numbers burn on my wrist. I look at them to see they’re glowing a dark blue. They change colors for which ‘department’ needs me. So far I’ve only seen blue, but my previous cellmates had seen many other colors. They came back haunted. I take a deep breath and walk forward. I know what they want.

I don’t speak as I follow the guard. They held a large gun in their hands. I don’t know why, I’ve never fought back before. The guard looks over their shoulder at me, then back to the front of us. They speak. “Today is going to be hard, push through it. Glory awaits you if you succeed.”

“What..?” I whisper to them as they continue walking. The Guards don’t usually talk outside of barking out orders.

“Don’t speak. I can’t explain it all, we are not alone.”

I slience myself with a new kind of fear fluttering through me. The guard pulls one hand away from the gun and turns. They grab me by my neck and slam me against the wall. I cry out when I feel something being dropped subtly into my bra. I can feel it against my skin. It’s warm and solid. It’s not very big, no bigger than a quarter. It attaches to my skin between my breasts. Tears well up in my eyes as the guard lets me go and the coin sinks into my skin. I gasp. The guard puts their hand over my mouth. The searing feeling of the coin combined with the cold metal of the hand makes me cry.

“Don’t.”

I feel my heart race as the guard waits until I’ve stopped crying. It didn’t take long. As soon as the coin was fully under my skin, I felt an icy sensation cover me. It was as if I had dropped into a bath of ice after being in the summer heat all day. It was refreshing, even if these halls were cold enough as it was. The guard let their hand fall. They stood back into a stance they had been in before.

I followed with my legs feeling like jelly and heart not done thumping loudly in my ears.

“It’s for your protection, the universe has led me to this moment to protect you. I have given you a piece of me.” I wanted to ask more, but they made it clear to not speak. We were getting closer to the Blue Room. “I will lend my strength to you. However, you are the one who has to persevere.”

When we get to the Blue Room, the guard is back to silence. No one mentions they’re late. Inside the Blue room there are many people fluttering around the place. They’re still in armor, but it’s a much slimmer version of the one the prison guards wear.

“Prisoner #11120, please strip and sit on the table.” I am not usually told to do this myself. I glance at the others who now watch me through the cold lense of their helmets. I take a deep breath. Slowly, I begin to take off my clothes. It’s hard. My hands shake with every new article and I hesitate at my bra. Fearing the coin would be visible to them. The Guard hums quietly. I take that as an affirmation that they’re not gonna see it. I take it off, then I step closer to the table. I want to curl up into a ball. I never want to look at these people again. I want to go home.

“Lay down, today we are going to be testing your energy levels.” Energy levels? I don’t understand. I don’t understand most of the things happening in this place. I have never been a tech nerd or even know what the tools they are using might be called. They set up wires and attach them to parts of my body. Then they place a helmet that covers the top of my head. I force myself to take deep breaths.

The Guard is still present. Watching from their position at the door. They show no sign of helping. I look to the ceiling where there is a giant window. The stars look back at me. I wonder if they will save me? If they will see me and give me mercy.

“Begin.”

At first I barely felt anything. Maybe a small sting but nothing more.

“Higher.”

My muscles twitch at the new electric thrum coursing through my body.I try to not show that it’s painful but the way they move tells me it’s not working. They nod their head and the electricity is turned up. I scream this time. My back arches to get away. Trembling hands unable to rip off the pieces stuck to my skin. I shout for help uselessly. I wither in pain, but nothing stops it.

I guess, the stars didn’t see me fit enough for mercy.

They shout with urgency. “More! More!”

“No!” I try to scream. Words jumbled and teeth desperately stayed clenched together. The onslaught of pain is unimaginable. It’s nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was hard to describe. As if I had been struck by lightning. That instant flash here, then gone the next second. A burst of energy coursed through my veins. I heard the people scream in agony. My body felt hot and cold. My brain is a jumble of pain and confusion. When it stopped, I thought I surely must be dead.

I sat up with a wince. When I blinked away the tears the guard was still there. Stoic and still in their suit. The coin they gave me buzzed. I no longer felt any pain.

“What happened…?” I said, my voice barely leaving my mouth. My throat hurts. My equilibrium was off like I had just gotten off a horrible roller coaster. The Guard stepped forward and looked around the Blue Room.

“The Alateez are horrible people, but they are pretty intelligent. On most occasions.” The Guard moves to lift their helmet. Underneath the helmet is a being I’ve never seen before. They look human but they’re definitely not. Their ears are pointed. Their smile is too wide. Their eyes were like that of a cat’s with another set alongside them. They look ethereal. There was more to this person, this man, but I didn’t have the energy to look.

“I am part of the Grigori, we have been searching for this energy source. It rivals that of everything on every planet in the galaxy and far beyond it. Most are fearful of it, but I see it’s potential. So do many others.”

I look around and the Alateez are dead. Burned to a crisp right before my eyes. I can feel my heart pick up it’s pace again as the guard hands me the clothes I had originally discarded. I hold them to my chest like a lifeline. I look at the damage around us. It’s as if everything had burned. However, there was no fire.

“These Alateez were looking for the Nephilim children. You, my young lady, are one of these children. You are a god.” The Grigori man looked around. “You killed them all. This entire fleet is dead. I gave you my coin to survive you.”

I swayed and he put his hands on my shoulders. “There is no time to waste, we need to leave. I’ll ready the ship-,”

“I want to go home.” I plead. He looks at me with a deep frown. My throat throbs with unshed tears. ”Please, I want to go home.”

“Young lady, you can’t. You must help us salvage the universe.”

I wait for him to laugh. To tell me that he’s just joking with me. That of course we would be leaving for Earth. I am no God. I am no one. I am Jane Kinders from Texas. I was born in 2016 in a normal hospital and I was a normal child. I am no savior of anything.

“What..?”

“Your power is unbelievable Jane. You have been prophesied for over a billion years. Every species of alien, man, and planet has felt you enter this world. You were protected on Earth, but if you go back now, you will be followed.”

“So, pick myself or my planet. Great.”

“When you are safe, you can go back.”

I put my shirt back on while he left to start the ship again. It’s not settled in what he has told me. I don’t even know if I can trust him. He hasn’t exactly been helpful before it was convenient for him. He didn’t help save my prison mates. He didn’t even tell me his name. It’s just us on this ship, so I have no one else to save me even if I wanted to.

I get off the table with a wince. I move to put my pants on when one of the Alateez speaks. He’s not too far from the table. The gray, bald skull of the man who had wheezed loud enough to rattle the air around him. His face melted halfway to the floor and eyes were unfocused. One isn’t even fully intact inside his head anymore. He looks at me with horror.

“You will destroy the universe… You are evil…” I stare as life leaves him and he’s finally dead. It must have been a miserable death. His words haunt me. How could I destroy an entire universe? I am not evil. I am not exactly the kindest, but I’ve never intentionally harmed anyone.

I am for once wishing for my little window. My time before I knew anything. When I was simply another prisoner and not graced with this foreboding knowledge.

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. However, tonight they did. Every person in the universe has heard my scream. They knew my agony and feared it. If this man had anything to say about it, then there is no going back now.