After the continent-wide Sentray attacks, Sapey was in complete disarray. The only region untouched was the Downs Region. The Sentray were on the verge of destroying Downs as they had all the other regions. However, the leader of the Sentray group travelling from western Sapey indicated with a particular roar for the Sentray not to attack. This prompted the Sentray to leave the area, and Downs was untouched.
Eight days after the Sentray’s advance on the Downs Region. Denise, Scott, Hamlet, and Lily, the goat Sape, went to ask Alex, the manager of the fruit company, if they could borrow one of his fruit transportation vehicles.
Alex was outside the main garage. He was washing a small green open-top vehicle.
‘Excuse me, Alex,’ said Denise as she and the others approached him. ‘We would like to borrow one of your larger vehicles. A vehicle large enough to cater for Hamlet and be able to carry some extra fuel.’
Alex looked up at Denise. He frowned for a second, and then a huge smile came over his face. ‘I have Big Blue,’ he replied confidently. ‘She can easily carry a thousand pineapples, friend.’
‘That’s great,’ chuckled Denise. ‘Our Hammy could easily eat a thousand pineapples.’
Hamlet began to joyfully onk as she gently nodded her head.
Alex raised both thumbs up, and then he went off to get Big Blue.
Ten minutes later, Alex reappeared; he was driving Big Blue. He parked her at the side of the road and jumped out to talk to Denise again.
‘Hmm,’ hummed Alex as he rubbed his chin. ‘I have safety standards that I need to maintain. Can any of you drive a large fruit-carrying vehicle?’
‘I can do it, friend,’ said Scott energetically.
‘I’ve known you a long time, friend,’ replied Alex. ‘I’ve never lent you such a vehicle.’
‘No, you haven’t,’ chuckled Scott as he started to flap his arms, ‘but I’ve taken her out on plenty of joyrides.’
Alex frowned as he looked at Big Blue. ‘That’ll explain all these mysterious scratches and dings,’ he said as he rubbed his chin again.
‘I have driven an enforcer vehicle before,’ interrupted Denise. ‘I’m sure I can drive this vehicle too.’
Co-Head Enforcer Eugene appeared from around the corner; he was holding a chocolate croissant. ‘I heard a bit of commotion,’ he said in a stern tone. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll set things straight.’
‘We’re heading into the Central Agriculture Zone to rescue Sapes from the industrial slaughterhouses,’ replied Denise as she looked at Eugene, who continued to approach them.
‘Assist them in any way possible,’ said Eugene assertively as he looked at Alex.
‘Oh yes, of course,’ said Alex nervously. ‘Big Blue is all yours. I trust you’ll take care of her.’
Scott held his hands out, pretending to be moving a steering wheel from side to side. Eugene acknowledged him with a thumbs-up gesture. Denise shook her head slightly.
The next morning, the four of them were ready to go. Denise was in the driver’s seat, Scott was sitting beside her, and Hamlet and Lily were in the back.
Orcilla, Daily, Yassmay, Yassme, Alex, and Sophie approached Big Blue to bid the team farewell.
Orcilla approached the driver’s door of Big Blue. Denise turned to face her. ‘This might be a lot tougher than you think,’ cautioned Orcilla. ‘We don’t know the state these Sapes will be in. You will also need to keep an eye out for any rogue Sentray.’
‘I’ve been mentally preparing myself for a few days,’ replied Denise. ‘Demarcus told me in great detail what he encountered during his rescue attempt. Trust me, I can handle it.’
‘What about them?’ asked Orcilla as she looked across at Scott and Hamlet’s huge nose, which was now wedged slightly between the two of them.
‘We need to do this,’ replied Denise firmly. ‘We’re going to save thousands of Sapes.’
‘You’re right, of course you will,’ said Orcilla with a slight smile on her face as she reached into Big Blue and patted Denise on the hand.
Orcilla joined the others to wave goodbye as Big Blue headed through the Downs Region entrance gate. Soon they were out of sight.
‘Okay, let’s head back to the lab,’ said Orcilla as she slapped her hands together. ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do.’
Yassme and Yassmay looked at each other and nodded.
After several hours of driving north, they came across a large, tall structure.
‘Wow, what could that be?’ exclaimed Scott in a slightly excited tone.
‘I’m pretty sure they don’t keep Sapes in there,’ replied Denise as she turned Big Blue to head towards the structure. ‘We need to check it out anyway.’
Scott turned to Denise and nodded enthusiastically.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the building.
Denise turned around to look at Hamlet and Lily, the goat Sape. ‘Scott and I are going to inspect this big building,’ she said to them in a soft tone. ‘I need you two to stay here.’
Hamlet responded by onking and Lily headbutted Hamlet. Hamlet turned and shoved her hard.
Scott jumped out of Big Blue and began to run awkwardly towards the entrance of the building. Denise followed him as quickly as she could.
‘I think these are giant grain silos,’ said Denise as she looked at Scott, who was now panting slightly.
‘Should we leave then?’ asked Scott, shrugging his shoulders.
‘Oh definitely not,’ said Denise. ‘We need to check how much is stored in here. We need grain to make flour and flour to make cakes.’
Scott became visibly excited.
Denise approached a side door and began to pick the lock. A few seconds later, they were inside. They walked down a narrow corridor and eventually reached a control room. Once inside, Denise immediately noticed several panels were lit up.
‘This building has power,’ said Denise, sounding a little surprised as she turned to face Scott. ‘They must have an emergency generator. Maybe the slaughterhouses are still powered.’
Scott sadly shook his head.
‘That’s not so bad,’ replied Denise in a reassuring tone. ‘That means the Sapes food and water supply wouldn’t be cut off.’
Denise began to read the dials on the control panels. ‘Wow, so many of these silos are almost full,’ she said, sounding enthusiastic. ‘There should be enough grain in this complex of silos to support Downs for years.’
Scott pointed at a sign that read, ‘100% solar powered’.
‘That makes sense,’ said Denise. ‘This place receives plenty of sunshine.’
Scott nodded; he started to look a little more upbeat.
‘Today, we have found a great food source and possibly another energy source,’ said Denise as she rubbed Scott’s shoulder. ‘We need to head back to Big Blue and record our location.’
Denise and Scott walked back to Big Blue. Both Hamlet and Lily, the goat Sape, were sunbathing. Hamlet had managed to collect a dozen pineapples from somewhere. Denise shook her head as she picked up the pineapples and put them in Big Blue.
Denise turned to Scott. ‘How would you like to drive for a bit?’ she asked him. ‘I feel inspired to begin writing.’
Scott raised his eyebrows up and down and then rushed over to the driver’s side of Big Blue.
‘We have been through so much,’ said Denise as she climbed into the passenger seat. ‘We need to share our story with future generations. History can be so easily lost and distorted. Don’t you agree?’
Scott was not paying attention; he was too excited about driving Big Blue.
After several more hours of driving, they decided to stop and rest for the night. Denise and Scott sat on the ground and looked up at the sky together.
‘Have you always lived in Downs?’ Denise asked Scott.
‘No, friend,’ replied Scott. ‘I moved to Downs when I was a teenager. I was told I needed to live with Sapiens like myself.’
‘What does that mean?’ asked Denise as she turned to face Scott.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Scott. ‘It worked out well for me. I love Downs Region. Everyone is a friend.’
‘Downs is so different,’ said Denise. ‘No surveillance cameras. The enforcers are actually friendly. You can even go outside the walls. To top it off, when Sapey collapsed, Downs was spared.’
Scott sighed and nodded.
‘I want to live in a future where everywhere can be like Downs,’ said Denise as she stared back up at the sky.
Scott smiled and then closed his eyes.
Early the next day, they began their journey again. Denise had mapped out their progress on a map. She had also calculated their rate of fuel consumption and how far they could go before they needed to head back to refuel. Scott delightfully took the wheel again as they now headed west.
The morning drive was uneventful; Denise managed to progress her account of recent events. Just after midday, they stopped for lunch. Hamlet and Lily gathered some food for the team. As they were about to leave, Denise spotted a group of Sapiods. She pulled out her binoculars to see if her father was among them. Unfortunately, none of them resembled him. She put her binoculars away and the four of them continued on their journey.
Around three hours later, they saw another huge building. This one was considerably shorter and far longer than the first one they encountered.
‘Okay, this looks like it might be one of the slaughterhouses Demarcus described to me,’ said Denise as she turned to face Scott.
‘I’ll bring us in real close,’ said Scott as he sharply turned Big Blue in the direction of the slaughterhouse.
Denise turned around to look at Hamlet and Lily, the goat Sape. Lily seemed calm, but Hamlet was starting to tense up. Hamlet snorted loudly at Denise. ‘We’re going to need you,’ said Denise firmly to Hamlet. ‘Your own kind is going to need you.’
Hamlet snorted loudly again.
They began to circle the slaughterhouse to look for an entrance. They soon came across some vehicle tracks. The vehicle tracks led them to a giant mechanical door. Scott stopped Big Blue, and all four of them got out.
‘Looks like I won’t be able to lockpick my way in here,’ said Denise, shrugging her shoulders.
Hamlet suddenly charged straight at the door. She hit the door at full speed, causing the door to completely crumple and fall off its track.
Scott looked shocked; he had no idea how powerful Hamlet was.
‘Now you know how she scared off a Sentray,’ said Denise, who also looked slightly amazed.
Scott pointed at Lily. Denise smiled and shook her head.
‘Let’s go in!’ said Denise. ‘We have some Sapes to save.’
Denise, Scott, and Lily, the goat Sape, followed Hamlet into the slaughterhouse loading bay. Hamlet was inside smashing everything she could see, which may not have been much. None of the lights was on.
Hamlet smashed through an internal wall. On the other side was the giant conveyor belt that Demarcus had described to Denise. The Sapes were on the conveyor belt. They were alive but not in good condition.
Hamlet began to angrily and frantically honk.
‘It’s okay, Hammy,’ said Denise in a reassuring voice. ‘I know how we can release them. The restraints loosen when we apply weight.’
Denise climbed on the conveyor belt expecting the restraints to loosen, but nothing happened. She jumped up and down. Scott joined her and did the same, but nothing happened.
‘Looks like it won’t work unless we have power,’ sighed Denise.
Hamlet grew angrier as she began frantically banging into things.
‘I saw solar panels on the roof,’ said Scott. ‘We should be able to restore power, friend.’
‘Then, that’s what we’ll do,’ said Denise with determination in her voice. ‘I’ll head to the control room. You keep Hamlet and Lily calm.’
Scott began gently rubbing Hamlet’s chin with one hand and the top of Lily’s head with his other hand.
Denise could see a room that overlooked the floor. She went back into the loading bay. She saw a door. Luckily, the door was unlocked. Behind the door was a narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor were some winding stairs. At the top of the stairs was the control room. This room was still powered. A warning message was flashing on a computer screen. It read, ‘Emergency system shutdown! Destination fail!’
Denise hit the ‘enter’ button on the keyboard. Below the flashing message, a password request appeared on the screen. Denise sighed in dismay. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a sticky note on the control panel. It had ‘ueban123’ written on it. Denise sighed again. She typed ‘ueban123’ into the computer. In an instant, the power appeared to be fully restored. All the lights went back on. However, so did the slaughtering machine. Denise heard the conveyor begin to move. The Sape nearest the machine was going to be moved in to be killed.
Hamlet sprinted towards the machine. Despite her short legs, Hamlet leapt onto the conveyor belt next to the Sape that was about to enter the machine. The restraints loosened, and the Sape rolled off the conveyor belt onto the floor. Denise jumped for joy in the control room as she watched Hamlet walk along the conveyor belt, freeing each Sape one by one. Scott and Lily climbed on the conveyor belt to help Hamlet out. Denise ran down the stairs and then down the corridor. She was soon back on the main floor. She helped the Sapes up and directed them to the exit.
Hamlet, Scott, and Lily continued marching along the conveyor belt. Sape after Sape were freed. This continued for a few hours. Eventually, they reached the birthing area. To Hamlet’s dismay, most of the mother Sapes and their saplets had died. Scott climbed on Hamlet’s back to free the few remaining mothers.
Outside the slaughterhouse, Denise had managed to access a water and a food supply for the Sapes. The water filled up large, long, gutter-like tanks, and the food sprayed everywhere. The surviving Sapes helped themselves.
Scott came out of the slaughterhouse; he walked slowly towards Denise, tears rolling down his face.
‘Look, we did it!’ said Denise as she gestured her arms towards the Sapes. ‘We’ve rescued thousands, maybe tens of thousands of them.’
‘Hamlet! Hamlet! Hamlet!’ stammered Scott.
‘She’s truly a hero,’ said Denise, nodding.
Scott flopped down on the ground.
Denise heard loud banging sounds from inside the slaughterhouse. She rushed inside. She could see Hamlet going crazy smashing the slaughtering machine to pieces.
‘Hammy, it’s okay!’ said Denise as she ran over to her.
Hamlet turned to face Denise. Then she flopped on her side and began to whimper. Denise rested her head on Hamlet’s neck as she gently rubbed her hair. Ten minutes later, Scott and Lily joined them. The four of them huddled together. They did not move until the next morning.
End of Part One
Images were created with the help of Bing Image Creator
Sapien Loop Short Stories
Sapien Loop short stories explore the adventures of some of the characters from the Sapien Loop series. These stories are intended to reveal more about individual characters and the events that have helped shape them.
Currently, two books from the series have been published on Amazon; see links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.
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