When Earth Reigned Supreme (The Human Chronicles Saga Book 12) by T.R. Harris Page A

misshaped pyramids and shook his head. “I know Vosmin landed at a really large spaceport and then placed me in a truck. It was after dark, and then we entered a tunnel. I didn’t see anything outside after that. He didn’t seem to be trying to keep anything a secret, figuring I was just a talking Happy Meal. I wish I could be of more help.”
    “So the structures could be fed by a series of underground tunnels. I don’t see any roads climbing up the mountain. That has to be it. Was the tunnel you entered at the spaceport, or outside the gates?”
    “We only went a short distance before entering. There were windows in the truck, but it was more from the echoes outside that told me we were in a tunnel. I do know that we eventually stopped and the truck was lifted up, probably on a huge elevator.”
    “That makes sense. The tunnels go under mountain, and then all the traffic gets lifted up to pyramid level. Better than having a whole series of switchbacks hollowing out the mountain. That also means individual vehicles are allowed in the tunnels,” Adam pointed out. “That could help. We commandeer a truck of our own and drive in.”
    “We need to find a tunnel entrance, one leading to the main pyramid,” Riyad added.
    “Heads up, Captain,” Drake announced over the network. “A truck just pulled up outside.”
    “Ask and ye shall receive?” Adam said to Riyad.
    “More likely dumb luck.”
    “Positions!” Adam ordered. “How many in the truck?”
    “Two,” Drake reported. “They don’t seem to be in a hurry. One of them is carrying a case.”
    “Could be technicians coming to check out the portal. Open the door as they approach. Stay in the shadows.”
     
    ********
     
    Five minutes later, two Sol-Kor natives were seated next to the Salifens, similarly bound; however, unlike the more compliant Salifen hostages, one of the Sol-Kor had suffered a broken arm in the scuffle that resulted from the team sweeping in and grabbing them. Since then, he’d had been shot up with Human painkillers, which had already taken away all his suffering and replaced it with a narcotic high, demonstrating that the SK’s had a much lower threshold when it came to drug tolerance—at least when it came to Human drugs. The other Sol-Kor was perturbed by the drug-induced antics of his partner, and was doing his best to make him stay quiet.
    He was fighting a losing cause.
    “I can sense the quality of your flesh even from here,” the drugged out alien was saying. “I must have a sample.” He leaned over and bared his long, sharp fangs in the direction of Mike “Conman” Connors. The sergeant-first class slapped him away, sending the alien’s eyes wobbling, while the smile remained on his scaly face, the pain of the hit failing to register.
    Adam glanced around when the room became bathed in brilliant sunlight by the opening of the huge paneled doorway. Juan Garcia had donned his Sol-Kor mask and was pulling the truck into the building. The moment the tail cleared the doorway, the panel rolled back down.
    Adam turned back to his Sol-Kor hostages. “What are you doing here?”
    The sober alien stared at Adam with fierce defiance, remaining silent. The other one was much more talkative.”
    “There was an errant reading from within. We came to solve the problem. It is what we do.”
    “Silence, Milok!”
    “Be nice,” Adam said. “Let your friend talk. You are Milok, right?”
    The alien appeared to gush at the mention of his name. “Yes, I am Milok Dosnin. I am a second-level gauge adjuster, assigned to the one-eight-eight technical section. Power readings have been fluctuating at this facility and I—we—were sent to recalibrate.” The alien laughed. “I see now that the fluctuations are not equipment-related.”
    “And who are you?” Adam asked, addressing the more stoic alien.
    “I will not tell. What have you done here, and who—what are you?”
    “You haven’t seen our kind before?”
    “No, I have