Chapter - 4 - Liberation - Act II
Enki
Annunaki Mother Ship
Moments Later
“Lastly Enki.” Eyeing one another, two Annunaki officials posture for respect. They are encompassed by a dim pool of light that barely illuminates Enki’s office. Sitting high on their faces, eyelids slide across their yellow eyes. Between the adult reptilian males is a heavily lacquered and highly polished wormwood office desk. Light bounces off the furniture’s very reflective surface. It illuminates the front of the Annunaki’s necks. Their throats are of a slightly yellower hue than the rest of their tall, greenish bodies. Adjusting his white toga across his lap, Dagrim folds one of his scaley legs over the other. A high-ranking hunter-gatherer administrative bureaucrat, he meticulously reviews his paper tablet of notes. Leaning back in one of the room’s aluminum meeting chairs, Dagrim reports, “It appears to be a very recent phenomenon. For the last couple of days, every piece of human-supplied inventory has failed to meet quota.”
Lurking in the shadow of their policy briefing, Amah is Enki’s second in command. He stands against the shiny metal wall behind his superior. Using five long fingers, the room’s third occupant adjusts the light blue toga draped over his left shoulder.
Hosting bureaucrats is something Enki, regent for the Saharan Jungle, has become accustomed to. Repositioning himself in his tall leather chair, he points a confused, scaley face at his guest. The regent queries, “What could be causing humans everywhere to fail at meeting their quotas?”
"Any number of things." After turning a page in his tablet, Dagrim reads, "Plague or famine have caused several human collection inventories to be low in the past."
Amah steps forward off Enki’s office wall. He gives his boss a sturdy display pad to read. The Saharan regent examines it and hands it back to his subordinate, who retreats into the shadows. Enki proclaims, "Humans are experiencing neither plague nor famine."
"That has-s-s yet to be determined," Dagrim hisses. "We have also had low collection numbers caused by poor management."
Enki runs a hand over his smooth desk. As his forked tongue flails, he hisses, “S-s-s-say what you mean adminis-s-strator.”
Dagrim, matter-of-factly, insists, “I believe I have, senior regent.” Dismissing Enki’s aggressive reptilian posturing, he continues, “When you took this position, it was understood that the coordination of collection gathering for northern West Africa was to fall on this office. Or have you forgotten your oath to the council?”
Banging his hand, Enki barks, “I have forgotten nothing!” Regaining his reason, he leans back in his seat and reminds the representative, “You never wanted me at this post.”
“Regardless of my feelings. Your office’s lack of public support for hunting and gathering has become a reasonably large concern in light of recent events.”
“Hunting and gathering are totally inefficient.” Enki suggests, “A sustained invasion would be much more effective for both humans and Annunaki.”
Considering the regent’s point of view, Dagrim admits, “That is one school of thought. However, an invasion would prove very difficult. Given the fact we still cannot breathe the Earth’s atmosphere.” The bureaucrat feathers through a few pages. After reviewing his notes, he proceeds: “Something has crippled humans’ production. Whatever it is, it has also brought two villages within your jurisdiction to a standstill. No resources have come in from them for seventy-two hours. No boar meat and no, uh, alcohol. At this point, two villages have halted sacrifice within your sector. That fact is alarming to my department. Wouldn’t you agree that it should be?”
“It seems as though we should declare some sort of emergency, should we not?”
“No.” Closing his small notepad with a flick of his wrist, Dagrim tells Enki, “We at the Hunter and Gatherer Administration would like you, personally, to investigate these discrepancies. If nothing changes, my office will be forced to take action.”
“Take action?” Enki gulps, treading carefully. “Is that a threat?”
“It is not a threat regent.” Dagrim rises from his seat and tucks his memo pad into a hidden pocket within his toga. "Jus-s-st a reminder to do your job,” he grins. The hunter-gatherer pencil pusher turns one hundred eighty degrees to Enki’s office wall. It quietly slides out of his way as the bright metal-lined corridor casts Dagrim’s silhouette into the room. Over his shoulder, he bids “Good day.”
The office door closes to conceal Enki and his assistant inside. Amah rounds the desk to ask, “What can I do, sir?”
After clicking his vocal box in thought, Enki orders, “I need you to get me satellite images. I need to see the villages that are adjacent to the two that have disappeared.”
“Yes sir.” Saluting sharply before turning to leave, Amah obliges, “At once, sir.”