Robin Cook - Abduction

They were standing in a penlike enclosure. Fifteen feet above was a glass-enclosed loggia ringed by a marble balustrade and supported by fluted columns whose capitals were encrusted with gilded sea creatures. Fronting the enclosure the entire loggia was packed with people pressed against the glass and staring down in unmoving, silent, intense curiosity. As Perry had surmised from his limited earlier view, they were all dressed in the same identical, loose-fitting satin tunics and shorts.

Perry had had no specific mental image of what the people were going to look like, but what he was confronted with hadn’t even been part of his imagination which leaned toward expecting fiercer-looking captors. Before he’d caught the glimpse of the satin outfits he’d anticipated uniforms, and he’d expected stern if not openly hostile expressions. Instead he found himself staring at the most beautiful collection of people he’d ever seen, whose faces reflected an almost divine serenity. Although the ages varied from tiny children to vigorous elders, the vast majority were in their early to midtwenties. Everyone radiated good health with lithe bodies, sparkling eyes, lustrous hair, and teeth so white they made Perry think of his own as being yellow by comparison.

“I don’t believe this!” Richard gushed as he took in the spectacle.

“Who are these people?” Suzanne asked, her voice an awed whisper.

“I’ve never seen such a gorgeous group of people,” Perry managed. “Every one of them. There’s not even an average-looking one in the bunch.”

“I feel like we’re rats in a huge experiment,” Donald said under his breath. “Look at them gawk at us! And remember, appearances can be deceptive! Keep in mind these people have been toying with us for their own amusement. All this show might be some kind of trap.”

“But they’re stunningly beautiful,” Suzanne commented as she slowly turned to take in more, “particularly the children and even the aged. How could this be a trap? I can tell you one thing for sure, seeing these people certainly puts to bed for certain the idea of this being a secret Russian submarine base.”

“Well, they’re not American either,” Perry said. “There’s not one overweight person in the entire crowd.”

“This must be heaven,” Michael said in a dazed whisper.

“I think it is more like a zoo,” Donald spat. “The difference is that here we’re the animals.”

“Try to think of something positive,” Suzanne suggested. “I have to say I’m relieved.”

“Well, there is one thing,” Donald commented. “At least I don’t see any weapons.”

“You’re right!” Perry said. “That’s definitely encouraging.”

“Of course they don’t need any weapons, with us imprisoned down here and them up there,” Donald added.

“I suppose that’s true,” Perry said. “What do you think, Suzanne?”

“I can’t think,” Suzanne said. “This whole experience continues to be too surreal. Are we looking at a patch of sky up there?”

“It certainly looks like it,” Perry said.

“Do you think there is a chance we could have been transported eastward when the Oceanus fell down the shaft?” Suzanne asked. “I mean, could we be on one of the Azores Islands?”

“The only way we’re going to find out is if they decide to tell us,” Donald said.

“Who cares where we are,” Michael said. “Check out the women! What bodies! Can they be real or are we just imagining this?”

“That’s an interesting thought,” Suzanne said. “Last night-or whenever it was that we ate-the food tasted as we wished. Could that be happening now with our vision? I mean, it’s another sense. Maybe we’re seeing what we want to see.”

“That’s too far out for me to even contemplate,” Perry said. “I’ve never been a big believer in the supernatural.”

“Hey, who the hell cares,” Richard said. “Look at that chick with the long brown hair. What a figure! Hey, she’s looking at me.”

Richard smiled broadly, raised his hand, and waved enthusiastically. The woman smiled back and held up her hand, pressing her palm against the glass.

“Hey!” Richard crooned. “She likes me!” Richard blew kisses, which made the woman smile more broadly.

Encouraged by Richard’s success, Michael made eye contact with a woman with shiny, jet black hair. She acknowledged him by putting her palm against the glass just as Richard’s acquaintance had done. Michael went crazy jumping up and down and waving frantically with both hands. The woman responded by laughing heartily, although there was no sound because of the glass.

Suzanne lowered her gaze and got Donald’s attention. “I don’t see any suggestion of hostility,” she said. “They all look so peaceful.”

“It’s probably just a ruse,” Donald said. “A way of putting us off guard.”

Perry reluctantly took his eyes off the beautiful people to consult with Suzanne and Donald. Richard and Michael continued their antics for the benefit of the two women. They were both trying to improvise a sign language.

“What are we going to do?” Perry asked.

“I personally don’t like standing here making a spectacle of myself,” Donald said. “I suggest we go back to the living quarters and wait to see what happens. Obviously the ball’s in their court. Let them come to us in our office, so to speak.”

“But who are these people?” Suzanne questioned. “This is bizarre, like a science fiction movie.”

Perry was about to respond but the words stuck in his throat. He pointed over Suzanne and Donald’s shoulders. One of the enclosure’s walls was mysteriously opening. Behind it was a staircase leading up to the loggia.

“Well,” Suzanne exclaimed. “Like you said, Donald, the ball is in their court, and I think we’re being invited to a face-to-face meeting.”

“What should we do?” Perry questioned nervously.

“I think we should go up,” Donald said. “But let’s go slowly and stay together. And, Perry, you do the talking like we decided.”

Richard and Michael had not seen the silent appearance of the stairway thanks to their communication gestures which had competitively progressed to pure silliness. Above, the crowd was responding gleefully to their antics which only encouraged them to new heights. But when they caught sight of the stairs, they bolted for them. They were both eager to make more intimate contact with their newfound female friends.

“Hold it!” Donald barked. He’d stepped sideways to block the divers’ mad dash. “Fall in! We’re going as a group and Mr. Bergman is doing the talking.”

“I gotta meet this brunette,” Richard said eagerly.

“I got a date with the raven-haired honey,” Michael added out of breath.

Both divers tried to step around Donald, but he reached out and grasped their upper arms in a viselike grip. They both started to protest but changed their minds when they saw Donald’s face. The ex-naval officer’s nostrils were flared and his mouth pressed into a grim line of determination.

“I suppose it can wait a few minutes,” Richard managed.

“Yeah, sure,” Michael said. “There’ll be time.”

Donald let go of the divers’ arms, then gestured for Perry to lead the way.

Perry had a good deal more self-assurance as he started up the stairs than he’d had earlier in the corridor. Confronting a mixed group of handsome individuals in matching lingerie seemed less intimidating than what his imagination had previously conjured up. Yet the uniqueness of the circumstances undermined his confidence as he progressed. He found himself wondering if Michael could be right about the whole scene being a collective hallucination and thereby be an elaborate trap as Donald suggested. But then Perry’s normally optimistic nature had trouble thinking up a rationale for a trap, especially since whoever these people were, they didn’t have to spring any trap since they were already completely in charge of the situation.