"There was nothing human about the scream. In near total darkness, where even the stars had forsaken their shimmering sheen, within the hot breath of the steaming, churning volcanic hot springs, Astrid could only imagine the alien features contracted in a spasm of agony. Pain is pain by any other name. It hurts as much, no matter what the species. A shriek, a short silence, then a protracted whimper."It makes your blood curl," Astrid threw over her shoulder, busy adjusting the sensors for a directional response. "Thou shalt not interfere", she thought momentarily. The Simulator. The same instant she dismissed the conditioned response as inapplicable. Continue in the book...From 5 STAR reviews on Smashwords:There is pseudo science fiction that is filled with monsters and gore. That's fine, for the young minds. But there are also the giants of the genre who seem to reach out to our potential, both, good and bad, in our not so distant future. Stan Law belongs in the later category. Fascinating what a fertile mind can produce." Review by: Bohdan Czytelnik (From 5-STAR reviews on Smashwords)