“Hang on, guys!” Richard exclaimed. He pointed at the door on the wall opposite the mirrors. “Looks like we’re being let out of the cage.”
All eyes turned to see the door silently open. Beyond was another long white corridor with framed holographs. The light coming from the other end of it was bright and natural.
“That looks like daylight,” Suzanne said.
“It can’t be daylight,” Donald said. “Unless we got moved somehow.”
Perry felt a chill go down his spine. Intuitively he knew that everything that had happened so far was a preamble of what was going to happen in the next few minutes. The problem was he had no idea what it was going to be.
Richard walked to the doorway to get a better look. He shielded his eyes against the brightness reflecting off the glossy white walls.
“Can you see anything?” Suzanne asked.
“Not much,” Richard admitted. “It opens up at the end and there’s a wall opposite. It must be open to the sky. Let’s go!”
“Hold up a minute,” Suzanne said. Then she looked at Donald. “What do you say? Should we go? Obviously our hosts expect us to.”
“I think we should go but as a group,” Donald said. “We should stick together as much as we can, but maybe we should pick one person to speak for us if we encounter our captors.”
“Fine,” Suzanne said. “I nominate Perry.”
“Me?” Perry squeaked. He cleared his throat. “Why me? Donald’s still the captain.”
“True,” Suzanne said. “But you are the president of Benthic Marine. Whoever is holding us might appreciate the fact that you speak with some authority, especially about the drilling operation.”
“You think the reason we’re down here is because of the drilling?”
“It has crossed my mind,” Suzanne said.
“Still, Donald’s been in the military,” Perry whined. “I haven’t. What if this is a Russian military base?”
“I think it is safe to say it is not a Russian base,” Suzanne replied.
“It’s not completely out of the question,” Donald said. “But I think Perry is a good choice regardless. It will give me a better chance to assess the situation, especially if things get hostile.”
“Richard and Michael!” Suzanne called. “Do either of you have an opinion about who speaks for us?”
“I think the prez should be the one,” Michael said.
Richard merely nodded. He was impatient to go.
“Then it’s decided,” Suzanne said. She gestured for Perry to lead them down the corridor.
“Okay!” Perry said with more alacrity than he felt. He tightened the golden braid around his tunic, squared his shoulders, and headed toward the corridor. Richard gave him a supercilious glance as he passed and then fell in behind him. The others followed in single file.
Perry slowed as he approached the end of the hallway. He was even more certain the light streaming in was sunlight since he could feel its radiant warmth. He gauged the space ahead to be an open sky enclosure approximately twenty-feet square.
About six feet away Perry stopped and Richard bumped up against him.
“What’s the matter?” Suzanne asked. She pushed past Richard.
Perry didn’t answer since he didn’t know exactly why he’d stopped. Slowly he leaned forward so that he could see progressively more of the opposite wall. He was looking for the top, but he couldn’t yet see it. After a step forward he tried again. This time he could see the top of the wall which he estimated to be about fifteen feet high. Above that he could see feet, ankles, bare calves, and the hems of outfits like the one he had on.
Perry straightened up and turned to the others. “There are people on top of the opposite wall,” he whispered. “They’re dressed the way we are.”
“Really?” Suzanne questioned. She leaned forward to try to see for herself, but she was too far back.
“I can’t be positive,” Perry said. “But I think they’re wearing these same flimsy satin clothes we are.” He and everyone else had assumed the flimsy, weird, lingerie-like outfits were prisoners’ garb.
“Come on!” Richard said, even more impatient now. “This I gotta see. Let’s go!”
“Why would they be dressed like ancient Greeks?” Suzanne asked Donald.
Donald shrugged. “You’ve got me. Let’s just move out and see for ourselves.”
Perry led the way. With his hand over his eyes to shield against the glare of a square of bright sky, he looked up. What he saw astounded him to the point that he stopped dead in his tracks and his mouth gaped in wonderment. Suzanne bumped into him and the rest of the group nudged against her all equally dumbfounded.
They were standing in a penlike enclosure. Fifteen feet above was a glass-enclosed loggia ringed by a marble balustrade and supported by fluted columns whose capitals were encrusted with gilded sea creatures. Fronting the enclosure the entire loggia was packed with people pressed against the glass and staring down in unmoving, silent, intense curiosity. As Perry had surmised from his limited earlier view, they were all dressed in the same identical, loose-fitting satin tunics and shorts.
Perry had had no specific mental image of what the people were going to look like, but what he was confronted with hadn’t even been part of his imagination which leaned toward expecting fiercer-looking captors. Before he’d caught the glimpse of the satin outfits he’d anticipated uniforms, and he’d expected stern if not openly hostile expressions. Instead he found himself staring at the most beautiful collection of people he’d ever seen, whose faces reflected an almost divine serenity. Although the ages varied from tiny children to vigorous elders, the vast majority were in their early to midtwenties. Everyone radiated good health with lithe bodies, sparkling eyes, lustrous hair, and teeth so white they made Perry think of his own as being yellow by comparison.
“I don’t believe this!” Richard gushed as he took in the spectacle.
“Who are these people?” Suzanne asked, her voice an awed whisper.
“I’ve never seen such a gorgeous group of people,” Perry managed. “Every one of them. There’s not even an average-looking one in the bunch.”
“I feel like we’re rats in a huge experiment,” Donald said under his breath. “Look at them gawk at us! And remember, appearances can be deceptive! Keep in mind these people have been toying with us for their own amusement. All this show might be some kind of trap.”
“But they’re stunningly beautiful,” Suzanne commented as she slowly turned to take in more, “particularly the children and even the aged. How could this be a trap? I can tell you one thing for sure, seeing these people certainly puts to bed for certain the idea of this being a secret Russian submarine base.”
“Well, they’re not American either,” Perry said. “There’s not one overweight person in the entire crowd.”
“This must be heaven,” Michael said in a dazed whisper.
“I think it is more like a zoo,” Donald spat. “The difference is that here we’re the animals.”
“Try to think of something positive,” Suzanne suggested. “I have to say I’m relieved.”
“Well, there is one thing,” Donald commented. “At least I don’t see any weapons.”
“You’re right!” Perry said. “That’s definitely encouraging.”
“Of course they don’t need any weapons, with us imprisoned down here and them up there,” Donald added.
“I suppose that’s true,” Perry said. “What do you think, Suzanne?”
“I can’t think,” Suzanne said. “This whole experience continues to be too surreal. Are we looking at a patch of sky up there?”
“It certainly looks like it,” Perry said.
“Do you think there is a chance we could have been transported eastward when the Oceanus fell down the shaft?” Suzanne asked. “I mean, could we be on one of the Azores Islands?”