Mind control

They traveled on the ocean for some distance along the coast until some indication was made to the Bermudans, which they used to bring the boats into a small cove lined with mangroves.
“We gotta go on land here!” Roderick told Jason who was now his boating companion. They brought the vessels to a halt at the edge of the mangrove forest and got up on the bow of their boats where they tied the boats to the branches of the mangroves and got out into the water.
The water was deeper that they thought and they had to climb onto the back of the dinosaur-like beast who waded through the ocean until were into the shallows. The mangrove was thick and slowed their approach to the edge of the beach. Thankfully the beast was able to trample through the thicket and made a semi clear path which unfortunately due to the muddy consistency of the banks caused huge holes where the beast had stepped. Eventually they had arrived at the break in the mangrove and managed to step on solid ground.
The area was quiet and the only sounds to be heard was the nature, birds twittering and leaves rustling.
“I can’t tell where we are!” Jason said
“So much for help huh?” Roderick quipped.
The land was covered in a dense tropical forest which blanketed the sky with the leaves of its trees. The air on the ground was cool and smelled of mold. Dead leaves piled on top of each other creating a kind of cushion on the ground as they walked.
“We got to keep an eye out for snakes and centipedes!” Jason warned, the troop traveled slowly through the forest led by the beast whose neck served as a seat for one of the sentinels. The crackling of branches and saplings echoed through the lonely forest as the group pushed forward. Jason thought for a second ‘what if we can’t find it. Do they intend to keep us going through this miserable jungle?’ then without warning inside his head came an answer.
‘We will and must find the relic have no doubts!’ Jason grew afraid for it had never occurred to him how no secret could be kept, the sentinels were mind readers! His realization coupled with his fear led him to keep his thoughts scattered by thinking of random stuff. He began taking detailed note of everything in the forest. He thought of how the leaves and their color varied from plant to plant, how some were clustered while others were not, the difference between young leaves and fully grown ones. The effort was exhausting but the fear kept Jason in that state perpetually

Out of nowhere as usual appeared the overgrown dragonfly who must have said something telepathically to the rest of the sentinels fro they all halted seemed to communicate amongst themselves before they passed information on to the others in their company.
‘We shall be arriving at a place of habitation in a short while. It is best that you take the lead.’ Came the projected instructions. The humans obliged and were now forging forward by themselves.
The jungle ended abruptly and a pretty wide clearing replaced the greenery. In the clearing were several buildings covered by some type of thatched roofing. A few pigs were tied to wooden stumps and moved about turning up the soil searching for grubs and roots. A small child sat next to an even smaller monkey who was passing a small gourd in which pebbles were placed, this caused the gourd to make rattling noises as it rolled back and forth between the two. A few chickens pecked here and there. The humans moved forward, leaving the sentinels behind under the cover of the forest. Roderick suggested that Jason go ahead of them as he was local. Jason called out ‘hello’ as they advanced. A man stepped forth from one of the buildings and picked up the child before he turned to the visitors and asked
“What do you want?”
Jason held his hands up as a sign he got no weapons and mean no harm.
“We only passing through.” Jason said “my friends are tourists taking them to see the birds of these forests” he continued.
The Bermudans all raised their hands as they emulated Jason’s posture. The village man placed the child on the steps of the house and invited the visitors to join him.
They all sat by the entrance of the man’s house when he offered the visitors a drink which they passed to each other.
Jason awoke to find himself and his three Bermudan companions all bound tightly. How had they exited the village knew he not but they were now surrounded by cold grey metallic surfaces which seemed embedded with small lighting fixtures running in parallel lines each of a different color. Jason began struggling in hopes of somehow wiggling himself loose. His actions only managed however to disturb the others who, one by one awoke and joined him in the struggle to be free.
‘These Sentinels are no friend, I tell you! Who treats friends like this?” Jason argued
“I don’t think we are with the sentinels!” the older Bermudan Kenick said.
“Well that’s a surprise! I surely thought you were devoid of an organ of speech!” Jason quipped somewhat sarcastically. Shocked to hear the old man speak.
“By the looks of this place, I’m sure were not in that local’s hut!” Jason continued
“Well I am beginning to think the sentinels must have suspected something is why they let us lead the way!” Kennick said.
“But suspected what? A child and the older man was a threat? I don’t think they were” Jason snapped
“There was no child! I think they were all an illusion. I think once the sentinels realized they couldn’t read the minds of the occupants of that village the sensed a trap. They told us once that the Wardens can block their telepathy” Roderick stated
“So wait the bad guys are here too?” Jason asked
“Well this is one of the reasons I caked if you had seen or heard of anything falling from the sky.” Roderick returned.
“Well if I didn’t see nor heard of such incident what did you want me to say?” Jason now agitated asked.
“You’re right I’m sorry!” Roderick noticing Jason’s change of mood said in an effort to clear the air.
“What the hell is holding us anyway?” Emmanuel asked
“Why it is ro…” Jason stopped mid-sentence when looking at his body and limbs he could not see any rope of chains or any method of their restraints. “How in god’s name! He said in utter bewilderment. The group now with renewed vigor struggled to break free of each other.
“Hey! Hey can anyone hear me?” they all began screaming when, from the opposite end of the space they occupied came a voice
“Yes we can hear you!” surprised the quartet turned their heads in the direction the sound had traveled from, there they saw several figures walking towards them
“Well we’re certain they aren’t the mind readers!” Kennick said
“Yes well those mind readers had made slaves of you without your knowing. I’m sorry to have bound you but I believe it was the safest way to get you away from those critters. I am Vega. The captain of this ship and leader of this expedition.” Said a tall striking figure who wore a long coat reaching almost his ankles and a sort of metallic looking headgear. He was accompanied by four others who bore striking similarities to Vega and wore like attire.
“We were never slaves! You’re the one who’s taken us captive we were free to whatever we wanted!” Roderick blasted at Vega
“Listen we know exactly who you are and we know why you’re here!” he continued
“Oh! Do you now?” Vega said sarcastically “tell me Mr. we were never slaves! Have you been away from your kind friends since you’ve come in contact with them? Hmmm?” Vega asked, but before either of them could respond Vega spoke again “the illusion of freedom is the only thing you have had. Can any of you say you’ve has a single thought which was your own? How can such grotesque beings not cause tremendous pandemonium? People shy away from animals they’ve know their entire lives. What made you accept these hideous monsters as friendly? This is mind control! You have all been gravely misled you keep looking for some enemy to come and fight to control you. All the while you have relinquished control without knowing it. It is quite pitiful if you ask me!” Vega stated as he finished speaking he turned away from the group,
“If that’s the case why are you here? If not to recover the pieces of the weapon. Just like the Sentinels said?” Roderick asked
“Weapon? What weapon?” Vega turned towards them an asked
“The weapon you’re trying to reassemble, the same that destroys whole stars. You Wardens are trying to control the universe! Blow everyone else up and leave yourselves as the only species alive!” Roderick stated all matter of factly. The Wardens overcome by perplexity looked at each other before Vega let out a chuckle..
“What in the name of Odin! Do you even listen to yourself? How does that even make any sense?” Vega asked
“It makes perfect sense if you ask me, we already helped them recover a piece of the weapon last week. If it were a lie what then did we recover?” Roderick replied.
“They did, did they? I pity you, mind control is very dangerous. Where is the ship they use?” inquired Vega
“Why should we tell you that? What reason to trust you do we have? Emmanuel asked
“Your world might depend on trusting me!” Vega stated flatly.
“Heard that before! What is it with you outer space goons and trust? Everybody’s world is dependent on trusting you! All of you!” Jason asked
“Most telling you still can’t explain why you are here!” Roderick said
“At least they got their story straight.” Kennick added
“Come let me show you something!” Vega said. As If his words were some sort of key upon his making the statement they group were immediately freed from their bind to their utter amazement. Having no option on where to go, they all followed Vega and his entourage