Chapter 68: Into The Heart Of The Anunnaki

The truck was now almost at the Anunnaki's base. Zane and the others had subdued the three Anunnaki and forced them to take them to their base. The base was fortunately located not too far outside of Miami. This made their journey much shorter.

Two of the Anunnaki were still unconscious in the back of the truck, but the third drove silently as Layla held an Anunnaki gun to its head.

"What do you plan to do when you see the royal family?" suddenly asked the Anunnaki.

Zane stole a few glances at the approaching base before he answered, "I already told you. I just want to negotiate."

"Negotiate? Do you really think that the prideful Anunnaki leaders would allow themselves to negotiate with mere humans? Take my advice and abort your ridiculous plan now. You're only marching to your deaths."

"I already told you that you needn't worry about us. I'm sure the royal family will want to speak with me once they see what I'm offering."

The Anunnaki sighed depressingly. To it, Zane and the others were committing suicide. There was nothing it could think of that a human could offer the royal family. However, Zane had a big reveal up his sleeve that would tilt the direction of the war.

"Look, I'm not a heartless Anunnaki. I'm only warning you for your own sake. I know you humans are only trying to survive, but you're biting more than you can chew here. I'm willing to even let you go if you decide to just walk away."

Zane slowly shook his head in disapproval. He had no intention of turning back. His plan had been set in motion one week ago and he wasn't about to let it all go to waste.

"I've come much too far to turn back now. This is my decision and I plan to see it through till the end."

Suddenly, a weird beeping sound came into tune interrupting them. It almost sounded as if something was ringing.

Everyone turned their heads to see Zane take a small purple-looking device from his pocket before answering it like a phone. No one could hear the words of the figure who called. The only thing they heard were the replies Zane gave:

"Something the matter?"

"..."

"Yeah, I'm heading there right now."

"..."

"Meet you where?"

"..."

"Tsk, I'd appreciate you not making sudden changes to my plan."

"..."

"Fine, I'm not sure when I'll be finished with this, but give me a day and I'll meet you there."

The call then ended and Zane placed the device back into his pocket. Everyone watched him in bewilderment. Who did Zane just talk to? It sounded as if he had some kind of partner, but who could it be?

Layla had been with Zane the entire time since she had met him. Yet, she had never seen him interact with anyone she didn't get to know. Was it possible he met someone in his one week of absence?

"Zane," started Layla.

"Don't ask. Everything will be revealed with time. This is not the time or place to discuss it."

By this time, Anastasia was watching Zane intently. She had taken notice of something no one had realized before. The purple marking that Apollo had given to Zane was no longer there.

However, Anastasia decided not to voice it. If Zane was being secretive, then there was no way he would tell her the truth. She had to figure it out for herself as she went along. This was a test for her brain to decipher.

"Well, we're finally here." started the Anunnaki, "Be warned though... Just because you made it to the base does not mean you'll make it to the royal family."

Everyone looked around to see that they were at the entrance to a gigantic base. Anunnaki soldiers were patrolling everywhere alongside robots, animals, and even Chimeras that seemed to belong to them. Many alienated weapons were also present— some pointing in the sky and others scanning the ground.

From a human perspective, the base looked impenetrable. The abundance of high-tech machines and devices made for an intimidating scene.

On the interior of the base, were many strange-looking buildings. It was almost as if the Anunnaki had created an entire society in a single week.

Slowly, Anunnaki guards began approaching them. They had to inspect the vehicle before allowing them to gain access.

"We won't even pass the front entrance. They'll kill you all before they let that happen." declared the Anunnaki.

Zane placed his hand to his chin as he thought. There was a chance he could fool the Anunnaki into thinking they were slaves. However, Zane had no intention of carrying everyone with him. There were only a select few that he needed for his plan to work.

"Okay then... Anastasia, Layla, and the Anunnaki will come with me. The rest of you should get out now and make your way to safety."

"Wait, what? You can't be serious! We didn't come all this way only to be sidelined!" complained Deandre.

"Not to mention it will be dangerous for all of you! You could be killed!" added Serenity.

Zane wished they wouldn't waste time complaining. If they took too long, then they could end up being killed. He needed them to trust him.

"I don't have time for this. Get out and move out of sight now!"

Serenity was ready to continue with her childish argument until Nick grabbed her and began moving away.

"We go now. Let's leave everything to Zane."

Lamar also grabbed onto Deandre and quickly followed Nick, "Good luck, yo!"

Zane then turned his eyes forward. He hoped he would be able to avoid an unnecessary battle with the Anunnaki. All he needed to do was get to the royal family and his plan would be put into effect.

"Zane, what do we do now?" Inquired Anastasia.

Zane drifted his eyes over to the Anunnaki. Though it was risky, he needed to somehow manipulate the Anunnaki into helping them.

"Hey, what's your name?" Zane quickly asked.

"My name's Atticus. Why?"

"I need your help in letting us see the royal family."

Atticus widened his eyes at Zane's request. He had no obligation to help him and they were at an Anunnaki base. The odds were now in his favor to control the situation.

"I have no reason to help you. It will not benefit me nor the royal family."

Zane looked up. The guards were almost upon them. He needed to convince Atticus to help him quickly.

"Atticus, do you hate the Apocrypha?"

Zane's question immediately caught his attention. A rage began burning within Atticus' soul upon hearing the question. "Of course, I hate the Apocrypha! They murdered our previous queen and initiated a civil war! I would do anything to see all Apocrypha die!"

"Then, what if I tell you that my plan is seeking the destruction of the Apocrypha?"

"What? How would you go about doing something that even the Anunnaki themselves are having difficulty with?"

Zane smiled at Atticus's question. The conversation was now drifting exactly the way he desired it.

"This is what I want to negotiate with your queen. As for the details, I, unfortunately, can't disclose to you."

"Your statement intrigues me, but I still need more evidence. Why can't you tell me the details?"

"Because of what my plan entails. This information can only be disclosed to the royal family. I can't have every Anunnaki knowing this." Zane paused as he drifted his eyes forward. The guards were now close enough to touch the truck. "Look, Atticus... I know you're a good soul. I mean what I say about destroying the Apocrypha. You lose nothing by helping me get an audience with the royal family. We're simple humans who are outnumbered here. Just think about it!"

Atticus gnawed his tongue. Zane did have a point. Against an entire army of Anunnaki, three humans could do nothing. However, Atticus's answer came too late. The guards were now inspecting the truck.

"Humans? Did you bring them as slaves?" asked one of the guards.

Zane looked thoroughly at the guards. Their features were only slightly different from a Rank 1 Anunnaki. Unlike Rank 1s, the guards had long, lizard-like tails. Zane quickly deduced that these Anunnaki were Rank 2.

However, Zane had bigger concerns. If Atticus still decided not to help them, then Zane would be forced to become violent. Something that would have a very negative impact on his plan.

"No, they're special humans. They need an audience with the royal family," answered Atticus.

Zane took a breath of relief. Layla and Anastasia doing the same. Atticus had decided to help them which was a great start to Zane's plan.

"Special humans? And they need an audience with the royal family? Don't be ridiculous!"

"They may be able to help us defeat the Anunnaki. I've heard their argument and I think it's convincing." Atticus paused as he pointed behind them, "They even helped us escape an ambush from the Apocrypha. See the other two Anunnaki behind them? They rescued us when we were on the verge of death."

The guards inspected the two unconscious Anunnaki behind them. Slowly, they began to believe Atticus's story.

"Even if this is true, the royal family kills any humans who dare to look upon them. They'll be no exception."

"With all due respect," interrupted Layla, "I honestly believe there is no issue in letting us see the royal family. If we have a potential plan to destroy the Apocrypha, then wouldn't it be wise to hear it? Not to mention, we're the ones who will die anyway. We wouldn't come here if we didn't have confidence in our plan." stated Layla as if she even knew Zane's complete plan.

The Anunnaki guards stared Layla in the eyes. To them, she was just another weak human being. No harm would come from letting them in. One way or another, they would die once they got to the royal family.

"Fine. We'll let you in and contact the higher ranks of your arrival. They will see you through to the royal family. I'll make sure to grab a bite of each of you later when the royal family consumes you."

Slowly, the guards backed away from the truck and moved towards the gate. Zane's ridiculous plan had somehow managed to get them an audience with the royal family. It was almost absurd to believe.

"Thanks for the help Atticus. I appreciate it." Thanked Zane.

"Don't thank me. I didn't do this because I cared about sparing your lives. I did this because I don't see us losing anything from allowing you to march to your deaths. Not to mention, that if you really have a plan, then it would benefit the Anunnaki in destroying the Apocrypha."

Zane felt proud of himself. His plan had worked exactly how he had wanted it to. He, unfortunately, had no time to gloat. It was time to get the next stage of his plan underway.

"Anastasia," softly called Zane.

"Yeah..?"

Before answering, Zane reached into his pocket a pulled out a bottle of cologne, "High-ranking Anunnaki can decipher Apocrypha by their smell. I need you to mask your scent with this."

Anastasia began to develop mild anxiety as Zane sprayed her with cologne. She was walking into a beehive without proper gear. If she was found to be an Apocrypha, there was no question that she would be killed.

After masking her scent, the guards came back over to them. Hastily, they prompted everyone to exit the vehicle.

The guards thoroughly inspected each of them, using a scanner to detect items. Fortunately, the communication device Zane had was a high-tech instrument. It was able to mask its presence and pass through undetected.

Carefully, they were all lead inside the base. A big reveal was about to take place alongside an unexpected twist.