The Cause Ch. 02

AN: For your enjoyment. Please don't hesitate to review -- let me know what you think good, bad and everything in between. -MS

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Summer could feel droplets of sweat trail from the nape of her neck into the high collar of her coveralls. The air was stiflingly humid and it was evident that many of the humans present were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Looking around, Summer spotted Dr. Reiss conversing with a seemingly random Zulraian. No other attempts of socialization were made toward the group. They seemed to be waiting for something. What, Summer was unsure.

Finally, the group was led to wait under the shade of a large awning. It was located at the front of a large building. Probably the compound that they were to reside. Before they entered the building, they were introduced to their Zulraian counterparts.

"As you are well aware, you all will be assisting these scientists." Dr. Reiss looked down to his tablet before continuing. "There has been a total of five teams formed. Teams have been decided upon by specialty. Your tablets have been updated with your teammates' information and working location. You will meet in your prospective laboratories on the morrow. Please use this time to familiarize yourself with your teammates." With that, he entered into the building.

After several minutes of awkward silence, stilted greetings were exchanged. Summer accessed her tablet to discover her teammates' identity. Of course the Zulraians didn't need to access anything. They probably already knew every human present names, dates of birth, socials and so on.

Summer saw that one other human was a part of her team, Dr. Ricardo Silva. She looked up from her tablet and spotted him along with four other Zulraians socializing near the entrance of the building. She assumed that he was conversing with their teammates and decided to make her way over to them.

Upon her approach, she noticed all conversation ceased and attention was focused on her arrival. Dr. Silva was still speaking, but the Zulraians did not seem to be paying him any mind. All four turned towards Summer in curiosity.

"Dr. Evans," one stated. He took several steps away from the group in order to meet her half way. "I am Shiltar, Chief Engineer at the Northern Zulraian Academy. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Shiltar reached for her hand to initiate a handshake. Summer accepted, not wanting to cause any offense. He obviously studied several aspects of her culture and wanted to put several principles into action. She thought it was cute.

Shiltar, along with the other three Zulraians, appeared to be in his mid to late 30s. They all had dark hair. Shiltar and two others had long hair and only one had short. All of the Zulraians had a similar facial structure; angular features and square jaws. But Summer found it easy to distinguish the identity between all four mainly due to the tattoo-like designs they wore on their faces.

"Likewise Shiltar," Summer answered. He held her hand a bit longer than necessary. She didn't think anything of it because he probably never shook hands with a human to know how long it was socially acceptable to hold a hand for a handshake. "I understand that we will be working together and I would like to get to know everyone. Is it possible to take a tour of the facilities as well as have a meal?"

He looked back to his colleagues briefly before turning back to Summer with a slow nod of acceptance.

"It would be my pleasure, but first let us meet my associates." They both turned and started to make their way towards the group.

"Summer Evans. I am Jerv," a Zulraian stated once they got closer. "I am quite interested in working alongside you."

"I am also," another stated. He stood next to Jerv. "I am called Farux."

Summer nodded in acknowledgment to both males, somewhat amused at their eagerness. She turned towards the last Zulraian. He stood aloof to the side, obviously not as eager as the other three. He stood out from the other Zulraians in attendance because of his short hair and circular marking surrounding his left eye.

Shiltar, Jerv and Farux introduced themselves to her. The only one left was Omid, the reserved one. His attire was different from the others, also. Instead of silky suede-like fabric worn by many Zulraians, he wore leather.

"Dr. Evans, come meet the last teammate," Ricardo directed her over. "This is Omid. He has been appointed team leader and is absolutely brilliant! His theories involving genetic markers vs. environmental influences are groundbreaking. I'm sure you have heard of him. His research projects and published works are right up your alley."

Of course, Perish'ka Omid! She knew his name sounded familiar. She started following his work in Junior High. He was one of the few Zulraians who cared to publish for Earth and he's been in circulation for about 50 years. One of the main reasons why Summer became interested in science was because of his detail accounts.

"I am familiar with Perish'ka Omid," the Zulraian in question turned his head towards her at the mention of his full name. Summer took this opportunity the study him up close. He reluctantly made eye contact with her and she was taken aback by the open animosity he displayed.

"How convenient," Omid quipped. "Yet I have absolutely no prior knowledge of you."

Summer flinched, not expecting such hostility from someone she considered an icon. She quickly hid her surprise by turning towards Shiltar.

"I believe you owe me a tour," he nodded. Apparently ready to end the tension. The doors of the compound opened as Shiltar led the group down a spacious corridor.

The interior of the building was a light slate gray color. Markings appeared at the beginning of every intersecting corridor, sort of like street signs. Summer was sure that this was for the humans benefit.

"We are currently in Ktu Hall. This building is where you all will reside during your stay on Zulraius. Please note that each hall has a symbol. It is understood that this will assist in your orientation.

"There are three levels to this building. We are currently on the first floor. There is a basement which houses the gym. The Mess is located on this level as well as security and several recreational rooms. As we approach the back of the building, you will note that there is a demarcation, which notates the beginning of the residential quarters. The second floor is where the rest of the quarters are located. Your tablets have your specific lodging locations."

Summer was in awe of her surroundings. Like the shuttle that brought them to the planet, there were no discernible doors or windows. There were symbols placed discreetly on areas that could be doors. "How would one have access to their room? There are no apparent openings and I don't see any handles."

"Good question, Dr. Evans. The symbol located on each door has been matched to its occupant's fingerprints. One must only place their hand on the symbol and the door will open."

"Be prepared to repeat yourself several times, Shiltar. The memory of our human counterparts is not as developed as our newborn babes." Omid whispered, loud enough for the entire group to hear. Ricardo face was aflame and he moved to reply, but Summer placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not worth it," she said into his ear. "He may be miserable and resent working with us, but that doesn't mean we have to let his petty remarks get under our skin."

"You are right doctor," Ricardo replied, stepping into line with her. They stayed together for the rest of the tour. Ricardo barely holding in his replies to Omid's condescending comments and Summer trying to temper any arguments that may arise.

"Now we are at the end of the tour,"Shiltar concluded. "The Mess has opened and food is being prepared. Although our selection may not be the fare that you are used to, I am certain that the assortment will meet all of your nutritional needs."

"It's probably better than the rehydrated crap we were subjected to on our journey here," Ricardo joked.

"Yeah, anything's better than freeze dried peas and meat. Are you all going to join us?" Summer looked to the four Zulraians and saw that they were all in agreement except one. He locked eyes with Summer and wore a slight sneer on his face.

"We are required to 'get to know' one another. Although I find their company completely tedious, I will follow direction and attempt to 'get to know' the humans."

There was a long moment of silence. Summer could not believe that he was so rude. It was almost comical how much disdain he had for both of them. If he was so adverse to humans, then why did he go out of his way to make his research available to Earth? From her knowledge, Zulraians were extremely private. About everything. No one pulled his arm about sharing his theories and journals. He didn't owe her or the human race anything, but his apparent contempt for all things human was so obvious and uncomfortable that for a couple of seconds Summer felt it would be best to take her meal to her room.

"Great! Now that we're in agreement let's grab something to eat." They headed into the Mess and were greeted by several over teams who had the same idea. Summer spotted Mindy and was tempted to join her friend, but decided against it. She needed to be with her team.

The conversation started slow. Tension from Omid's presence dominated the atmosphere. The times Summer chanced a glance in his direction, he was caught staring at her. The earlier expression of disdain gone, replacing it was an expression that she wasn't sure how to read. She didn't linger too long on his mood changes, only focusing on the conversations circling around her and hoping not to get into any disagreements with Omid.

When their meal was over, the team disbanded to retire for the rest of the day.

"Girl, did you know that we will be sharing a suite?" Mindy said, plopping down next to Summer. "Here share with me. I know this stuff comes nowhere near ice cream, but it's really close." Mindy grabbed a spoon and started digging into Summer's dessert.

"So we're sharing a room?"

"No not a room, chica. A suite. Our entire quarters take up about a fourth of the second floor. Since we're such a hot commodity, we have our own little world up there. We have a mini gym, mini pool, mini kitchen and our own washrooms."

"Wow, they really don't want us wondering around, huh?"

"Yep, so when we are done here. We have to call for security to escort us to our rooms." They both looked around the Mess and saw that many had left to retire.

"These Zulraians seem completely harmless. You know, like over eager puppies. Do you really think that we need to call for security escorts?" Summer didn't feel like her life and well-being was in danger. Her first impression of them being nerds rang true to her when she shook hands with Shiltar. "Tell me Mindy, have you seen any with claws and fangs?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny. And no by the way. I haven't seen any with claws and fangs." Mindy looked around again before pulling out her tablet. "I'm going to alert security that we'll need an escort soon."

"Hey why are you so anxious about getting the escorts? Did you have a run in with one of your teammates or something? Was the other human on your team a jerk?"

"What other human? I was the only human in a team of four Zulraians." Mindy started looking around again. "Look I'll talk to you about it when we get to our rooms."

Summer put down her spoon. The nervous energy rolling off her friend seemed to be contagious and she couldn't help to feel a bit anxious herself.

Security arrived a few moments later. Three guards dressed in a uniform that didn't leave much to the imagination. They all were strongly built and carried long spear like weapons and had several weapons attached to the waistband of their pants.

"Looks like they are very serious about keeping us safe," Summer remarked. She was impressed by the sheer size of their arms. "What do they do, like 5,000 push-ups a day? That one's arm is as big as my head!"

Summer turned towards her friend to comment further, but stopped at the expression on her face. Mindy looked terrified. "Okay let's go now. I'm dying to know what has you so spooked."

The trek to their room was quiet, with one guard leading the way and the other two following behind them. Summer kept stealing glances towards her friend and couldn't shake the feeling that whatever news Mindy had to share would evidentially leave them both spooked.

"I want to do the honors," Mindy said, reaching for the symbol on their door. Summer didn't stop her. She just watched while Mindy accessed their room. Quite quickly, an opening appeared, leading the way into their great room. "Whoa this is awesome!"

Summer nodded to the guards before closing the opening to their rooms. When she turned around she saw Mindy flitting about with a huge smile on her face. It was a nice change from her previous somber mood.

"Wait, before you get too happy and start exploring. I need you to tell me why you were acting weird earlier."

"Ugh! My mood is now ruined," Mindy grumbled falling into a plush couch opposite of Summer. "Do you really want to know?"

Summer gave her a look.

"Okay, of course you want to know. Well, I'll just preface this by saying that we both should have never came here."

"What do you mean? I thought this was your dream. You've always wanted to work with their advance technology."

"But not at the price that... Well, I'm not going to get ahead of myself," she placed a hand over her face before continuing. "I was taken on a tour of the research facility that I will be working in. It was grand. Technology like we've never seen before, but it was near the city."

Mindy paused looking down at her hands.

"So what's so wrong with that? It was by the city? So what?"

Mindy stood up and started to pace. "You don't understand. My teammates intentionally took me close to the Zulraians that didn't have their sensed dampened. Those Zulraians were so different from the scientists that we have encountered. They are considered lower caste. Many were half dressed and had those weird markings all over their bodies."

"What made them so different besides their attire?"

"The fact that they acted like animals," Mindy made a disgusted face. "They were fighting and fucking each another! Right in front of us!"

"What!?" Summer couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure she's heard stories about Zulraians being more homosexual than heterosexual, but this went beyond that. Public sex seemed so out of character for them.

"But get this, when they noticed that I was there, they stopped. Two of them started shouting in their language, but didn't make their way towards us. I tried to make myself small and take cover behind one of my teammates, but I saw all of them pat their noses at those savages. They were telling them to smell me!"

"Why would they do that? Girl, your teammates are crazy. You should report them."

"I said as much. My teammates laughed at me and almost left me behind to get into the research facility. I had to run to catch up with them." Mindy stopped pacing and dropped down next to Summer. "I'm afraid of my teammates. I don't think they took the dampening inoculation. They told me that you and I weren't chosen for our expertize. We were chosen as a commodity. These people are well aware of what they did to their race. The previous human that they took birth about 23 offspring! All female. They took her, made her extremely healthy and fertile and kept her pregnant until she went through menopause."

"How do you know all of this?"

"They told me. They told me that they received 11 female applicants. Two of which were too old for their use. The other seven didn't meet their genetic standards or weren't attractive enough."

"We were chosen by our looks and fertility?"

"Basically, General Gniem is related to two of my teammates. He was instrumental in getting this project off the ground. He perpetuated the lie that his people were an endangered species, but in reality many of the high caste Zulraians own a female able to reproduce."

"So how do the lower caste Zulraians reproduce?"

"They didn't tell me and I don't think I'm gonna stay and find out. I'm going back to earth and you should come with me.

"I hope you believe me. I'm pretty sure you'll see some evidence of it in due time." Mindy stopped pacing and sat next to Summer. "Please tell me you won't go out without security."

"This is a lot to take in, Mindy." Summer said, shaking her head. "And of course I believe you."

They both got off the couch and made their way to the kitchenette. After several moments of rummaging through the cabinets, Mindy found what she was looking for.

"You can sniff out alcohol like a bloodhound."

"I need this after the day I've had. Here let me pour you some."

Summer looked at the bottle and shook her head. "I can't read what it says. There is no way in hell that I'm going to drink that."

"You're right like always." Mindy said putting the bottle down briefly before picking it up again. "How about this? How about I drink it and you watch over me. I need to lose myself. Today has been a trying day. Just don't let me do anything crazy like run naked through the corridors."