Chapter 49

The tension was palpable as Jhonny, Rian, Denada and Fredy stalked towards the entrance of the alien base visible in the distance. The dim light from Gronion's purplish-blue sky reflected off the metal surface of the building. It was large, towering with solid walls. It looked like a strange building from a 90s sci-fi movie.

"We don't know what's in there," whispered Rian, who was walking carefully behind Jhonny. "We have to be careful."

Jhonny, who couldn't shake his worries about Alice, could only nod. In his mind, the only thing that revolved around was saving Alice. He didn't care how much danger he had to face. Alice had to return safely.

Arriving in front of a large door that looked like a giant metal portal, they stopped. Fredy, who was leading in front, took out a sophisticated device from his small bag. It was a security chip scanner that was very rarely used. In fact, the device had not been operated since the era of the Mutiiner group ended.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Denada skeptically, her gaze fixed on the device in Fredy's hand.

Fredy shrugged and smiled slightly. "I'm not sure, but we don't have any other choice, do we?" he replied as he fiddled with the device.

Jhonny furrowed his brow. "If this doesn't work, we'll have to find another way. Our time is limited."

Fredy began to operate the scanner carefully. The blue light emanating from the device highlighted the surface of the door, trying to find an opening to scan for chips or other security patterns that might be hidden. Fredy struggled to access the system, but without success. His face began to show doubt, but suddenly he remembered something.

"Ah, wait a minute!" he exclaimed as he crouched down. He started checking around, looking for something on the ground.

Denada looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"

Fredy smiled slightly as he showed her his finger that was now covered in a thick, grayish liquid. "This is the trail of the tentacle that dragged Alice. I think that creature is the key."

Rian came closer, watching the slime closely. "What do you mean?"

Fredy explained as he swiped the slime onto the chip scanner. "If we can use the genetic remains of that creature, we might be able to fool this base's security system into thinking we're one of them."

Jhonny nodded in understanding. "That's a smart idea. Let's try it."

Fredy carefully attached the scanner to the door, while activating the genetic-based scan. Instantly, the blue light from the device interacted with the tentacle slime that had been injected into the system. An instant later, the large metal door began to move, making a heavy mechanical growling sound as it opened slowly.

Fredy turned to them with a satisfied smile. "It worked."

Jhonny nodded firmly. "Let's go inside. We need to move fast."

The four of them quickly entered through the open doorway. The air inside the base was cold and damp, in contrast to the dry and hot atmosphere outside. Faint lights flickered along the dark hallway, giving it an eerie feel.

Their steps halted for a moment as they began to make their way deeper into the base. Jhonny, who was always at the front, sensed that something was wrong. Suddenly, his eyes fell on something along the hallway wall.

"Why is there... women here?" whispered Rian in a voice full of confusion.

Along the hallway, they saw female figures bound with large metal chains. However, what surprised them wasn't just that they were bound. The women's bellys looked distended, as if they were carrying something. They looked weak, with pale skin and matted hair.

Jhonny looked at them in confusion. "They're not earthlings," he muttered. "But, who are they?"

Denada leaned closer, her face tense. "Is this the work of the aliens who live on this planet?"

Fredy, who was standing next to one of the women, looked pensive. "We don't know what their purpose is. But one thing is for sure, this is not a good thing."

Jhonny walked closer, trying to find out more. However, the women looked helpless and gave no reaction. Their faces were blank, as if the life had disappeared from their eyes. They were not human, obvious from their slightly different body shapes and physical features. But who they were, and what these aliens were doing to them, remained an unsolved mystery.

"We need to move fast," Jhonny whispered as he stepped back. "Our focus is on saving Alice. We can try to make sense of all this afterward."

Fredy nodded, taking his eyes off the bound woman. "We don't know what's in here, but it's definitely not a safe place."

They continued down the hallway, passing more bound women along the way. Fear and confusion filled their minds, but they had no time to stop and find out more. They had to find Alice before it was too late.

Rian, who was at the back, watched every corner of the hallway carefully. "I don't like this place. It's too quiet. They must be planning something."

Jhonny nodded in agreement. "I feel it too. We have to stay alert."

Denada, who walked beside Jhonny, suggested, "There might be more of those tentacle-like creatures in here. We should be ready for battle if they attack."

Jhonny clenched his fists, his face filled with determination. "I don't care who or what is here. Alice is the priority. We have to find her and bring her back."

The atmosphere grew tense as they approached the deeper areas of the base. The cold, damp metal walls seemed to reflect faint shadows as dim lights flashed along the hallways. The sound of their steps echoed in the silence, emphasizing how silent the place was.

Finally, they arrived at a large intersection within the base. In front of it was another large door that looked stronger and sturdier than the previous one. Jhonny eyed the door suspiciously.

"This must be an important place," he said in a low voice. "Maybe Alice is inside."

Fredy took out his scanning device again, hoping that the same trick would work. But this time, the door showed no sign of opening.

"Looks like we can't use the same method again," Fredy said disappointedly.

Jhonny clenched his fist. "We'll find another way. We can't give up now."

Denada, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Wait, listen."

Everyone was silent, watching the faint sound coming from behind the door. It was the sound of... sobbing. A weak crying sound coming from a woman.

"Alice," Jhonny whispered, his eyes filled with new hope.

He looked at his comrades with burning determination. "We have to get in there. No matter what."

They all nodded in agreement. With preparations well in hand and determination growing stronger, they prepared to face whatever awaited them behind that door.