Prodigy Returns (book 3)

Chapter Forty-Four

Alex awoke in a strange room and had no idea where she was. She jumped up and instinctually reached for her weapon, but it was not there. Monk and Olivia were gone as well.

With no windows to the outside world, she felt disoriented. There was, however, soft lighting that made the room surprisingly soothing to be in. She sat up and looked around. Her feet dangled from the oversized bed that she was on. It was a long, spongy surface without any sort of bedding, and was mounted on a thin metal platform that protruded from the wall. It reminded her of when she was in prison, but this wasn't any ordinary holding cell. It was a large room filled with various highly advanced equipment spread out in different areas. The floor and ceiling had a distinct grid pattern, and the walls had cryptic symbols on them, similar to the ones she has seen in the bunker.

Sliding off the edge of the bed, she jumped to the ground and landed on her feet. She looked around at the alien room and thought the worst — surely she was being held captive. Although it was unlikely, she sort of expected Mara to come barging through the wall and rescue her. She took a few cautious steps toward the far wall  where there appeared to be a door. When she approached the door, she put her hand out and before she could touch it, the door slid open. Clearly she was not a prisoner.

Alex poked her head out of the room before cautiously stepping out into the vast hallway. She took notice of the smooth contours and polished surfaces. Hearing commotion from one end, she proceeded to walk down the hall until she found herself entering a room that looked like a high-tech laboratory.

Alex saw Monk standing with the RT. The two giants took notice of Alex, but did not do anything. To Alex's delight, Monk was noticeably better, but still seemed a bit shaken up by the ordeal. A part of her wished she had the kind of relationship with him where she could run over to him and hug him, but she restrained herself. Olivia was nowhere in sight.

"Olivia?" Alex called out.

Monk placed his finger to his lips to indicate to be quiet — clearly a gesture he had learned from Maxim. He then signaled Alex to come over to him. Alex remained cautious, but had no reason to doubt their intentions. She walked over and saw a large recliner chair. Monk invited her to sit down.

Alex looked at Monk's massive frame and then at the metallic battle droid and could not feel more unnerved by the situation, but for reasons she couldn't explain, she found herself climbing into the oversized chair and lying back. Monk then gently put his hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her. She had no idea what was about to happen, but figured she didn't have much of a choice. As a precaution, she called out to her dad using her rudimentary telepathy in hopes that he would hear her and come to her rescue in case the situation went awry.

The RT remained occupied at a computer station while Monk seemed to be there just to satisfy her emotional needs. It was like he was trying to tell her that everything would be okay. Seconds later, an unfamiliar voice entered her head. 'It's okay, Alex,' the voice said.

It wasn't the first time Alex heard strange voices in her head so she knew how to handle it. She simply replied back the way she would if she were communicating with her mother.

'Who are you?' Alex asked in a language that was not her own.

'My name is Ziya, but your family calls me Monk.'

'How are we able to speak the same language?' Alex asked, completely perplexed.

'My friend here just uploaded our language into your brain. Now we can communicate properly with each other.'

'Through telepathy?'

'Yes, but unfortunately in our current forms, we would be ineffective at speaking with each other orally since neither of us possess the proper motor functions to speak.'

'I don't understand,' Alex said, perplexed. 'How is this your native language, but you cannot speak it using your mouth?'

'There is much you need to learn about me, Alex. This version of me you see standing before you was not my original form. I was not born this way. It's a long story, but in this current state, I do not have the proper dexterity and vocal range to speak my native language.'

'What language is this?' Alex asked.

'Karja,' Ziya said. 'It's the main language here on Enkara.'

'Enkara,' Alex repeated. 'Is that the name of this planet?'

'It was... there's still much to discuss. Why don't we sit somewhere quiet and I will try my best to answer any questions you have.'