The Alien Agenda (#Wattys2018)

[Chapter 45: Risk]

General A-Roz rested his clasped hands on his desk. Dr. V-Ron merely folded his arms and gave the general an emotionless glance.

"We have lost plenty in order to succeed. It wouldn't hurt to lose one more," the doctor said without a hint of sympathy.

The general let out a shaky sigh,"Putting her through the jump-start has made me guilty enough. Every life lost in this battle, has weighed heavily on me," he said glancing back to the doctor.

"We have invested everything into this mission. We knew the consequences. There is no use to mourn for the lives lost," Dr. V-Ron said, beginning to get annoyed by the general's sympathetic ways.

General A-Roz eyed the doctor for a moment,"I know. But I want to try to avoid more sacrifices"

The doctor slammed his palm on the desk, but the general did not flinch,"We have witnessed the massacre of our race. I am going to do whatever it takes to stop it from happening. I am not concerned about the girl's life. If her death will help us succeed, then so be it!" The doctor said, his cool demeanour cracking.

The general stood up from his seat, and walked over to the large glass window. He glanced at the city of Atlantis. The last of his people, doing all they could to save humanity.

Humanity... Was it really what they were saving?

"We are losing humanity, the more we try to save it," he said.

The general turned back to the doctor,"Have you already lost yours, Xen?"

Dr. V-Ron clenched his fists, at the mention of his previous identity, but did not respond. Instead he turned away and walked towards the door.

"The outcome is clear. And we are going to proceed whether you like it or not," the doctor said, before leaving.
---------------------------
3 months 13 days 8 hours 54 minutes 12 seconds

The library was an amazing place. For a nerd like me, this was most definitely heaven. Stepping into the tall black glass tower, it looked almost ethereal.

The building itself was a ring of five cylindrical towers that formed a flower-like shape.

The first segment was a tall cylindrical hall, that was entirely metallic, and had millions of small slots, each containing microchips. I saw a Grey, clicking a button on a slot, and ejecting a transparent microchip. He then slid it into a tablet he was holding.

"Crystal disks," Uncle Elias said from behind me. He gestured to a slot and pressed the thin rectangular button on it.

A crystal disk slid out of the panel. It had thin white lines on it, traced in a concentric pattern.

"Crystals as we know have the potential to store information. Apparently, sometime in the future, we would develop the means to harness the crystals' abilities," he explained, allowing me to examine the disk.

After looking around the first segment of the library, we made our way to the next cylindrical tower connected through a semi-circular corridor. The next tower was pretty much an ordinary library of the present. With huge shelves of books that towered till the ceilings. There were a few pads on the floors that hovered up and down the shelves to allow us to reach the higher shelves.

There were immense collections of journals, and books, that would have made me practically live there.

But, that was not what amazed me.

I noticed one significant aspect of the library. The further we went into the library, the further back in time it felt. In a sense, the books got older and older. From tech crystal disks, to books and finally...

"You gotta be kidding me," I murmured in awe, staring at the final tower of the library.

I stood surrounded by millions of ancient scrolls and texts, from ages far beyond my time. Organised neatly in shelves that were covered by glass panes, was information the Atlanteans recorded, received and shared with the ancient humans.

"My reaction was identical. Imagine! An archaeologist like me, standing here surrounded by what others like me could only dream of!" Uncle Elias said enthusiastically.

It was definitely heaven for any archaeologist to be here.

"I have been studying them bit by bit during my free time, and it is just astounding. If this was ever spread to public, our history books would have to be rewritten!" Uncle Elias exclaimed.

I nodded in agreement. I looked around the library, my excitement bubbling.

Where do I begin?!