Human Zoo

I was 4 when the Abrax Aliens found the last human colony that was hiding in the Rocky Mountains. I don't remember much from before they found us. After they captured us they moved us into one of their cities and put us on display. My father referred to it as a zoo.

I have one memory of the time before the capture, and its also the only one that is clear of my mother. She was holding me on her lap reading me a children's story as I leaned into her chest slowly falling asleep. I don't remember the story, but I remember her scent of pine needles, sunshine and wood smoke. I remember gently playing with the gold heart-shaped locket the rested on her chest. It now bounces against my chest as I jog around the track where my group does our mandated exercise every morning.

My best friends Jenna and Jax huff and puff along next to me. They are the only set of human twins left alive on earth that we know of. They get a lot of special treatment from the Abrax but also sit through a lot of science experiments. Luckily one of the leaders fell in love with one of those green peace, animal rights women and that changed the treatment of humans. Laws were put into place to protect us from hunting. The alien beings were vegetarian so they didn't eat us, but after the invasion they squashed human resistance in only 1 year. Then they hunted us for sport. They see us similarly the way we saw intelligent animals before the invasion. They soon learned that they could breed with us and so tried to bolster our numbers that way. But purebred humans? Those were few and far between now.

Less then a century on our planet and they already almost had us extinct. We were weak and fragile beings with modest intelligence to them. But at least they were humane now. I suppose.

The squawk over the hidden loudspeakers in the compound alerted us to an announcement. The harsh language of Abraxese filtered through the translator implants in our cerebellums to let us know it was time for breakfast. My group consisted of 6 teenagers ranging in ages from 14 to 19. Sarah was the youngest of us and the only one born after captivity. Teddy and Sophie were 16, only 3 weeks apart. Jenna and Jax were 18 only 6 months younger then me at 19. In another year I would transition to the young adult group. Even though we still spent our nights with our parents we spent our days together in a group, we did everything together. We ate, exercised, went to school and did all our rec time together. We were close as siblings even though only Jenna and Jax were actually siblings.

As we filed into the cafeteria I saw my father wave at me from behind the serving counter. I smiled at him and hurried into line. I knew from long experience that the good food was always gone before the second third of the line was gone. After I slid into my seat at the teen table I glanced up and saw the morning crowd started to filter in behind the wall of glass to watch us. I was so used to it that it didn't bother me but when they heckled us, threw things at us or banged on the glass trying to get us to do things for their entertainment then it bothered me. The adults told us to try and ignore it and just go about our day as if they weren't there.

Jenna leaned over and whispered to me "Adds, that guy is back". I glanced up at the glass again and looked and sure enough the tall human/abrax hybrid who had come every day to watch me for the last 2months was standing at the glass. His violet eyes bored into me with what seemed like disdain. He was around 7 feet tall. Some what short for an Abrax, huge for a human. His skin was more human then most hybrids, having only a slight tint of purplish grey to it. His hair was so dark purple it looked black in the dark of the viewing tunnels. It was long enough to reach his short tail and he kept it pulled back from his face. He never looked away not even when I stared back at him. The longer I stared the more his lip curled until it was clear he hated me. I had no idea who he was or what his problem with me was. I rolled my eyes at him as I went back to my bacon and eggs.

"Addison Samson!" A dark purple Abrax woman was standing in the enclosure entrance. Keeper Singh was looking at me and waving over to her. I sighed and headed in her direction, leaving my friends. I had forgotten that I had a wellness visit today. I hated the wellness visits. I always felt bare and cold while sitting on the hard table, while Keeper Singh poked and prodded at me with her bizarre tools and clicked and clucked like she was unsatisfied with my performance.

I dropped my tray in the receptacle on my way to the door and trudged along behind the keeper. I followed her through the steel locked door at the enclosure edge and into a stairwell. We went down and through another door to a hallway. I followed her down the hall until we reached the bright yellow door near the end. The symbol on the door looked like a strange squiggly A. I had always assumed it meant something medical. We didn't learn Abraxese so they implanted us with translation chips in our brain stem and although they didn't speak it they seemed to understand English just fine. I was never sure if we weren't allowed to learn or if it was too bothersome to try and teach us.

Keeper Singh opened the door and ushered me inside. There was another Abrax standing in the cold sterile room waiting for us. I checked on the threshold, startled at the appearance of the stranger. I looked to make sure Keeper Singh was still coming in the room before I walked forward.

"Hello, Addison, I am Healer Wick, I am going to be evaluating you today. Please undress and put on the gown." He said matter of factly in his scratchy, yet musical language. He didn't even look at me as I stripped to my underwear and bra and pulled on the thin paper gown. I had never known modesty, when you are gawked at all day everyday it wasn't really something you worried about.

I jumped up on the exam table and sat chewing my nails while they conversed together. They always spoke about us as if we weren't even there and it never dawned on them that we could understand them, or if it did they didn't seem to care.

"This one has been selected for the matching program," Said Keeper Singh. "She's already been matched and will be released tomorrow."

"wait what?!" I whipped around at her. "what do you mean matched? Released?"

"Oh yes, due to growing concern about captive breeding, all the humans under 21 that have been deemed safe for release into society and will go through an integration process." The healer said matter of factly.

"Wait do I have a say in this? What about my Dad? What am I supposed to do?" I felt a little panicky about the prospect. I had no memory of the outside world. Not really. "And what about the other teens" I asked.

"Well, your father will remain here and you'll be allowed to visit weekly provided your partner agrees. You will be taught a simple skill if you and your partner choose to. The other teens will stay until they are 18 and then will likely be released as well. and no you have no choice." Keeper Singh said all of this without even looking up from her tablet.

"The twins are 18." I said absently trying to push down a feeling of panic and not freak out.

"The abnormal ones are not fit for release." The Healer said as he checked my reflexes.

I took several deep breaths and calmed myself as best I could. "When does this happen? and Who is this partner you keep mentioning?" My voice cracked on the last syllable.

"Your partner was chosen based on your DNA markers and compatibility, You've been paired with a Male hybrid, His name is Dragas, and since you have so many questions you will be meeting him in about 20 minutes."

"wait what?" I exclaimed. The healer continued checking my ears and listened to my heart beat. Which must have been thundering in his stethoscope.

"Yes, you are perfectly healthy, you may get dressed and I'll leave Keeper Singh to take you to meet Dragas." Healer Wick said exasperatedly as if this crazy turn of events in my life were nothing to get upset about.

I dressed quickly back into my standard grey uniform of leggings and tank top with a light sweater over it. Keeper Singh left the room with the healer. The panic continued to climb through my and claw at my throat.

I have to leave the only home I've ever known and go live with some stranger? I have to leave my friends and my father? I feel tears prickle up behind my eyes and have to take very deep breaths in order to not break down and lose my composure.

The click of the door handle startles me and I whip around towards it. The door swings open and Keeper Singh enters and behind her, is the strange staring man. The young man who has come to stare at me every day for 2 weeks and glower at me as though I had killed his mother and eaten her body is Dragas?! I cannot believe this. I must be dreaming. Surely they aren't going to release me to this man!

His eyes burn with an angry energy but his face is much kinder then when I saw him before. "Hello." He said in accented English. Clearly the hybrids were better with both languages.

"Um... h-h-hi" I stammered out.

Dragas studied me from head to toe with an unscrutable look on his face. I have spent most of my life literally on display for others and I had never felt more exposed then this moment.

Keeper Singh told us that Dragas was allowed to take me home then if he wished, causing me to snap my head around in her direction. "Now!?" I exclaimed, "I don't even get to say goodbye to my dad?"

"Your father is being made of the situation right now and will be brought in to say goodbye." Keeper Singh said briskly. "I'll go and fetch him." She walked out of the room and left us alone.

Dragas glanced at me and said quickly "Do not make a scene, you will know everything soon." I stared at him in complete confusion. I cannot seem to wrap my mind around what is happening.

"Addison, my love." My father came in the room as if nothing was happening. He hurried over to me and swept me into his arms. "don't cry love, you are gonna be fine." he leaned out and looked into my eyes, as if he was trying to say something without saying anything.

Keeper Singh's radio crackled and she looked down at it and frowned, "I'll be right back." she sighed and stormed out locking the door behind her.

"Ok Dagesh, we have very little time, the twins can only give us a few moments. Addison, you must promise me you will listen to everything Dagesh tells you and do not, under any circumstances, go out in public without him." My father rattles this off very quickly. I look at him in total shock. I have no idea what is happening. I feel as if my life has turned upside down.

"Sam, are you sure about this?" Dagesh asks him. His voice sounds like a river flowing over smoothed out rocks. "Do you think this will work?"

My father assess me for a minute, then nods his head. "Yes, yes she can handle this."

"Ok can we stop talking like I am unconsious?" I snap. "What the actual hell is going on? Dad?"

"I will explain everything as soon as we are away from prying ears" Dagesh says softly.

The door swings open and Keeper Singh storms back in angrily. "Ok thats enough, you can visit in one week. Time to go. I have too much on my plate to coddle any more humans." She shoes my father back toward the end of the hall as Dagesh ushers me to the elevator further down the hallway.

I follow Dagesh out of the elevator, down several more hallways and through a heavy metal door out onto the street. I stop in my tracks and stare around. I have read many books about the city and the history of the Abrax but I have no memory of the world outside the enclosure. The noise assualts my ears with a cacophony of noise, tires, horns, people talking and yelling. Then I took a breath and the smell hit me. I wasn't sure exactly what the smells were but they were crisp and smooth and humid all at once.

Dagesh grabbed my elbow and steered me towards the curb, we stepped off and climbed into an auto car. He tapped the screen on the dash and punched in an address. He said nothing as we drove along. My heart pounded and I didn't know what to say. I had so many questions but everytime I opened my mouth Dagesh shook his head.

We drove for about half an hour and then pulled up to a large white house. It was surrounded by trees around the circle driveway. It had thousands of flowers flowing out along the front of the house on either side of the door. I had never seen so many flowers.

The smells hit me anew as I got out of the car. Sweet and heady and even slightly spicy. We had flowers in the enclosure of course but their smell was stunted. This was like living inside a flower rather then just looking at it.

Dagesh led me into the house. Inside was just as beautiful as the outside. The entrance was all hardwoods and mirrors. The massive wooden staircase curved up out of sight. To the right were double doors with glass looking in on a library. We had a library back in the zoo but nothing as extensive as this. I could see a large desk with a large comfortable looking chair behind it.

To the left was a living room with several large arm chairs and a TV that seemed to take up a whole wall. The large chairs were covered in what looked like soft leather. One of those chairs I imagined was likely more comfortable than my bed back home.

The thought of home made me want to start crying again. I sighed and turned to Dagesh. "Is this your house?" I asked him.

"For now, yes." He said.

"For now?" I asked. I was getting pretty tired of his short answers.

"Yes" Was all he said as he walked into the library, clearly expecting me to follow.

I sighed and went into the library behind him. Fine if he didn't want to tell me anything I could be patient but I really felt more like being a pain in the ass. I could pepper him with questions until he either gave in and answered them or took me back to Dad.

I opened my mouth to start the peppering, He smiled as if he knew what I was thinking, and gestured for me to take a seat. His smile caught me off guard. He was brooding and handsome before but when he smiled he was breathtaking.

"hmph" I sat down in the chair and crossed my arms. I was still trying to wrap my mind around what the hell was happening and here he was grinning like a moron.

"Addison" He began. "I understand that this is difficult for you, but I think there is someone here who can explain it better then I can." He moved to a solid wood door across from the double doors, and knocked on it twice.

The door opened and there stood a woman who looked familiar. I stared at her. Memories of her voice came flooding in, her smell of sunshine and wood smoke. My hand grasped my locket as I felt like I was going to either throw up or pass out. Maybe both.

"Mom?" I asked unbelievingly.

She rushed over to me and gathered me into her arms. She smelled different but also the same. "Addison, oh my sweet Addy."

"H-h-how how is this possible?" I stammered. "Your dead."

"No my sweet girl, I was at the stream when they came for us and had no choice but to run." She looked into my eyes with tears streaming in hers. The pain on her face was palpable.

"I don't understand." I felt the room spin and had to keep hold of the arm of my chair in order to not black out. It worked for a moment and then everything went dark.

I heard snippets of conversation around me.

"you think she is ready?"

"she must be. we are out of time."

"Only tell her what is necessary."

I felt like I was floating for several minutes and then fell into a deeper sleep.

When I woke up I was in a bright sunny room on a large bed with a light blanket covering me. My mother was sitting in a chair nearby and Dagesh was standing at the door.

So this was still happening and not a dream. This morning I had been running along side my friends, talking and joking and ready for a day of normality. Now I was sitting in front of my mother and an alien hybrid, in a strange place and the conversations sounded like we were going to start a crime ring.

"Oh honey your awake!" my mother exclaimed. "I know this is alot to take in love but I can explain everything"

"ok. explain" was all I said as I propped myself up on the pillows of the large bed. I noted absently that everything was varying shades of pink and red.

"Addison, the humans at the enclosure are not the only ones left. The rest of us have been hiding and finding each other all around the world. We are finally together and ready to fight and remove the Abrax from their thrones. We need your help honey."

"My help?" I asked. "What on earth for? I can't help with that! I mean really I agree with the plan but I have no idea what you would want from me!" I felt a little panicky again.

"Addy, your help is critical. The facility where you were kept is not just a zoo for humans, Its their headquarters. Which means you are in a unique position to help us infiltrate them. Your father assures us that you are ready."

"Ready for what?!" I exclaim.

"For this." She reaches over to me and touches my locket. She flips it open and pushes a button. It speaks a phrase and suddenly my mind is a sea of color and sound.

Memories that were deliberately blocked come rushing in. Training and learning with my father. My father implanting something in my neck. I reach up and feel behind my ear and sure enough there is a small bump there.

My mother and Dagesh are both looking at me as if I am a drink of water in a never ending desert. A lifeboat in an enormous ocean. "You, Addison are going to be the face of the Rebellion." Dagesh says.

"Honey," Says my mother earnestly. "Your our last hope. If we fail, humans will cease to exist."