Nightmare Passage: Book Summary
The group are still heading back towards shore after rescuing Ryan when Poseidon’s submarine sank. They can see that the military base at kings point suffered a lot of damage during JB and Mildreds attack, but a large portion of the base remains intact, including the building housing the entrance to the redoubt. The gateway of this particular redoubt is white yellow. They waste no time in jumping out.
When they awaken, the color of the gateway is a pale rust. After leaving the gateway they discover warnings about bio hazards. This has the group nervous about contracting a potential superbug. But it turns out that their fears have no grounds. It was a bioengineering redoubt, but for humans, not germs.
The redoubt its self is fairly small, containing a small dormitory, mess hall, recreational facility, and the main labs themselves. When they go outside, they discover that the redoubt is located in the desert, the Guadalupe desert to be precise. Returning, they find out about yet another cog in the Totalitarian concept, this one called the Overproject Excalibure. They decide to try and get some rest.
Ryan finds sleep elusive so he goes to shower. Next thing he knows, Krysty joins him again, but this time she is very sexually aggressive, and frankly is not acting like herself. After she’s finished using him, she awakens, as if she had been in a trance. Both are very disturbed by the events that transpired. She feels as if she has been used, tested to see how she would perform sexually.
While Krysty and Ryan are busy, Mildred access the records kept in the redoubt and learn that the project they were working on was to create the perfect human specimen. They succeeded, creating two forms, a male and a female. They named the Male Alpha, the female Epsilon. She learns how quickly the children grew, and the death of Epsilon. The report ends with the whitecoats heading off into the wasteland and Alpha going into suspended animation.
Mildred decides to head into the labs to confirm what she read. JB startles her and they both go in. Inside they find the corpse of a young female child, proving what she read to be true. They get together with the others and tell them what they found. It’s unanimous, they decide that they are going to jump out as soon as they can.
First thing in the morning they enter the gateway and prepare to jump out. But no matter how many times they close the doorway, the jump will not activate. They have no choice but to leave the redoubt and take their chances in the desert. Outside JB determines that they are about 150 miles northeast of old LA
The conditions are too hot for them to travel during the day so they return to the redoubt and sleep, getting as much rest as they can before they leave at sunset where the conditions will be far more tolerable.
Ryan and Krysty talk, and her greatest fear is that she will be taken over again mentally, just the way that the mutant Kaa had only a few months before.
The night is cool and fairly peaceful, but a few hours before dawn a huge dust storm approaches. They have no choice but to continue moving, because stopping would spell certain doom for them all. The storm lasts for over an hour and ends near dawn.
Later in the morning they see a small shanty town. The town is called Fubar and has only one resident. They meet him when they enter the biggest building to escape the relentless sun. The man recognizes both Ryan and JB as he had been part of Trader’s convoy until he tried to keep some goods for himself and he was then promptly kicked out.
Later in the day six men dressed in Egyptian clothing and wearing elaborate head dresses arrive. They claim that they are looking for a group of travelers. The group wipe out the sec men, but discover just what kind of weaponry that they are using. All energy based. Ryan decides that they will head directly to the city and bring the confrontation to alpha, as they seem to have no choice but to do so.
Ryan tells Dean that he is going to stay behind and wait. As usual, Dean argues but Ryan wins the conflict. Dean finally agrees to wait four days before heading to the gateway and taking his chances with the jump. They spend the rest of the day figuring out how to use the solar powered carriage that the sec men arrived in.
In the morning the leave the ville of Fubar and head to the city of Aten. They head directly into the city and are totally ignored by the inhabitants. Then when they are deep inside the city, they are ambushed and promptly captured. The group is split up, Krysty having been taken to a separate location. Jak is the only one who managed to escape.
When the others awaken, they find themselves stripped naked and in a cell. Mildred is taken away to meet the second in command of the city. She is taken to get cleaned up and meets Nefron, Alpha’s daughter. She helps Mildred clean up and dress and is then taken to meet Mimses.
The man was one of the four that Alpha originally forced into servitude when he awakened from his suspension sixteen years ago. He is very brutal with her during his interrogation, but finally sends her to the women’s quarters. She can see is intentions as clearly as if they had been written on his face. He intends to have her.
After the others are captured, Jak she’s a beautiful young woman named Kela. She helps him escape from the incarnates, Alpha’s sec men. Inside the young girls home he meets up with Nefron as well. She promises to get word to his friends that he is safe and sound.
When Krysty awakens, and also meets Nefron. The mutant’s daughter helps her bathe and she is then taken to meet Alpha, or as he now calls himself. Akhnaton. He explains that they have been destined to be together, as they were king and queen together, thousands of years before. He swears to her that her friends will not be harmed, but they will be instead absorbed into the society. She is allowed to return to her quarters.
In the morning the men are finally given clothing and are allowed to leave their cells. They are first taken to the education center and they meet the man who will teach them everything they need to know about the society. His name is Iwat. The first thing he does is make them bath in a dye which colors their skin a deep brown. They are then given their work assignments. Doc is sent to work on the wags, Mildred is sent to prep food, while Ryan and JB are sent to work on the Pyramid.
Before heading to the pyramid Ryan and JB go to their quarters. Here they meet the watcher, a man named Shukeli who lets them know that he is interested in both for something other than work. Ryan shows him the error of his ways without killing him.
They are then taken to the pyramid which is nearly completed. In fact in two days time the capstone will be placed on the Pyramid, making Alpha truly a god. On the way back from the shift, Ryan is taken to see Alpha. He comes out and asks Ryan to simply tell Krysty to accept him for what he is, and do his bidding. Ryan refuses and quite literally beats the hell out of Alpha. He might be strong, inhuman and heal fast, but he isn’t a fighter. Due to his superior strength, Alpha beats him but allows him to go, knowing that Ryan will suffer from the wounds he received at Alpha’s hands, were as Alpha will be fully healed by the morning.
After sunrise Mildred is taken to see Mimses. This time he out right tells her that he plans to fuck her. While he is close to her, she steals his Ankh, which will protect her from Alpha’s influence.
Krysty is taken to see Alpha once again. This time he takes her to his most private chamber in the pyramid, and shows her the capstone, explaining how that when it’s placed on the pyramid it will imbue him with god like powers. Her as well. She falls under his complete control at this point, and agrees with everything he says.
Nefron meets with Mimses. They discuss her plans to overthrow her father, and how that they plan to use Ryan and his people as scapegoats in their plan to kill Alpha. She then discovers that his Ankh is missing and they both realize that Mildred stole it. They are afraid that Alpha will be able to read their intentions.
Dean is very bored. His host, Danielson, talks almost non stop. He learns a great deal about Danielson and his life in the city of Aten. He also learns that only one of his children still lives, a girl named Kela. Dean has decided that he has waited long enough and is going to head to the city the next day.
Jak meanwhile has been kept drugged and well sexed by Kela. But the influence the girl has over him is starting to wear off, so in order to reinforce it, Nefron makes love to him, and he would agree to walk through the gates of hell for her. She sends him to the Pyramid.
Another day dawns and Krysty is still under the full influence of Alpha. She is looking forward to the ceremony in which she will become Alpha’s mate. She keeps dreaming about Ryan but forces the thoughts away, or rather, Alpha forces the thoughts of the man she loves out of her mind.
Mildred comes to see Krysty and knows that she is under his influence. She hands her an apple and orders her to eat it. Krysty bites into the amulet she hid away and breaks Alpha’s influence.
Her job finished, Mildred is taken by a Incarnate to see Mimses. He chains her to a wall and strips her naked, planning to torture her for stealing his amulet. Before he starts, Nefron appears and they let Mildred in on their plan. When she leaves, she orders the man to make her talk, or kill her in the attempt.
Jak is inside the Pyramid and suddenly snaps out of the influence that he was under. He tries to figure out what he’s been doing.
As Mildred is being whipped, she feels the fat man pressing his naked body next to her. She uses her sweat soaked skin to slip out of her chains and attacks the man, using his own whip to kill the man. She then dresses and leaves the room to find the others.
Dean arrives in the city as Ryan climbs to the top of the pyramid so he can confront Alpha. Krysty is also present and they start to fight. Alpha nearly kills Ryan, so Krysty uses her mutant strength to fight the genetically engineered man. The fight arouses the man, so Krysty quite literally rips his balls off, then jabs out his eyes, killing him. The people of the ville are prepared to attack them for it when Dean uses Ryan’s rifle. At the same time Nefron appears and claims the title of queen, ordering the people to accept her. She then allows the others to leave unharmed.
Before they go, Kela asks them to stop at Fubar and ask Danielson to return to the city where he will live out the rest of his days in luxury and honor. They do as she asks and head out to the redoubt.
The next day they enter the redoubt and jump out.
End of Nightmare Passage.