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Hunter nudged the rodent. “Off you go. Playtime is over.”

The rodent whimpered as he lifted it out and set it on the ground, then it vanished into the darkness.

“Turn around and get on your knees.”

Hunter turned and strode toward the Siblet. He wasn’t getting on his knees for them. “I got myself confused. If you could point me—” He grunted as a Siblet blast stick whacked against his head, and everything went black.

***

“How many rooms arein this place?” Cleo swung the scanner from side-to-side, unable to get a complete map on the display screen.

Georgia peered at the screen and frowned. “This has to be the Siblet main base. It’s like nothing we’ve discovered before. Everything else has been small scale and temporary.”

“It could be their headquarters,” Ash said. He was in front of Cleo, Georgia bringing up the rear as they explored the seemingly endless number of corridors and rooms hidden behind the waterfall.

“What I’m most interested in, is who bust in before us,” Ash said. “Someone disabled that door panel. You think another alien is keeping an eye on the Siblet?”

“Or maybe the door just jammed so someone had to force it open,” Georgia said. “No one else would come snooping in here. You wouldn’t think to look behind a waterfall for a hidden Siblet operation.”

“What the Siblet are doing will be of interest to others,” Cleo said. “If we learned about their operation, it’s possible others have done. We might not be the only ones keeping tabs on them.”

“Because they want the poison, or because they want to stop them?” Georgia said.

“Probably for the poison and the beasts they’re creating. They’re great weapons against...” Cleo glanced at Ash. “Well, not just Apexians, but they seem to be the main target.”

“Everyone wants to take a shot at us,” Ash grumbled. “Doesn’t anyone like us?”

“It’s because you’re too cocky,” Georgia said. “It rubs people the wrong way.”

“It doesn’t rub you the wrong way,” he said quietly.

“That’s because I heart you.” Georgia flashed him a grin.

They spent a few minutes looking around, checking storage rooms and passageways.

“Where are all the Siblet?” Georgia muttered. “There’s enough food here to feed dozens of them for months.”

“Probably torturing animals in the basement,” Ash said.

“Let’s keep going. Whilst there’s no one around, we should see if we can find anything useful,” Cleo said.

They continued along the corridor, slowing now and again as sounds of pipes vibrating echoed along the walls, but no Siblet appeared.

“Is anyone else picking up that humming noise?” Ash said. “It sounds like a bank of machines.”

“Lead the way,” Georgia said.

They followed the noise and entered a room lined with computers.

“Ash, stay by the door and check we don’t have any company coming our way. Georgia, you’re with me.” Cleo stopped in front of a computer and ran her fingers over the keyboard. The screen hummed to life.

“What are we looking at?” Georgia asked.

“It’s password protected. See if you can break through.”

“My pleasure.” Georgia studied the screen for a few seconds, before pulling a data stick from her pack and plugging it in. “Let’s see what my encryption breaker does to Siblet technology.”

Ash joined them. “There’s no one around. The corridor is eerily silent.”