Autonomy: Book 2 in the Invasion Day series (2 page)

One of the gatherings was only a few days away in the Indian city of New Delhi. She was desperate to get a team out into the field so she could see for herself what was happening during the rebel meetings. Once there, she wouldn’t need to act or put a stop to the gathering itself, but her findings there would go a long way to securing her evidence to their unconvinced sovereign. King Kronus wouldn’t be able to deny her intel if they had concrete proof of insidious rebel activity, and Kyra went back to the drawing board, putting together a plan of action she hoped might get her on the ground as soon as possible. She knew it was dangerous to go against her orders to remain in The Tower, but at the same time, she didn’t much feel like cooperating with her Thrakorian leaders, and with a profound return of passion for the task at hand, ignored the doubt niggling at her gut.

Once everything was ready, Kyra beckoned over one of her fellow younger officers, General Gage, and she showed him her findings. His eyes opened wider and wider as he read over her report and she knew he was on board before he even opened his mouth. “Fancy a trip to India?” she asked, and Gage nodded. He too was a fantastic code-breaker, and they’d already chatted a few times over her time at The Tower, during which they’d realized they had a similar approach to their work. Each of them had progressed through the ranks quickly thanks to their naturally sharp gut instincts, and even now, Kyra knew she had to trust the urge deep within her that said he’d make the perfect ally in this covert operation. It wasn’t about proving anyone else right or wrong, but about demonstrating to herself just how right she had been in deciphering the markings, and she knew Gage was the man to help her.

“I have a contact in the dock who owes me a favor. I’ll go see what’s the protocol for booking a craft without the proper authority, or am I wrong?” Gage asked quietly, and Kyra knew her sly grin said it all. His assumption was entirely correct. They had to get to that meeting, and by any means necessary, but she didn’t necessarily have the go-ahead from above. They both knew they’d need to work quickly and under the radar if they were going to sneak out of The Tower and get to India in time, so he didn’t waste any of it questioning her further.

Kyra would deal with the backlash when they returned, but hoped the evidence they collated would provide them with enough of a reason to have gone unescorted in the first place. She just hoped Thrayke would hear her out when the time came to explain herself. “I think I’ll tell her it’s a reconnaissance mission, and covert. The Besieger has previously been involved in the case, so are you against me dropping his name into the conversation if we hit a snag?” Gage checked his facts before heading off to cash in his favor with his friend at the docks.

Kyra paused to think about it for a moment and hated how their actions might potentially cause Thrayke to be angry with her, but had to say yes. She was sure he’d understand eventually.

“Do what you have to so we can get that ship,” she told him, and then watched as he headed toward the doorway. Things were going ahead and she was more than ready.

Kyra spent the time Gage was gone gathering some items she thought they might need, such as monitoring equipment, cameras, and decoders. She wanted a weapon, but knew a trip to the armory would raise too many questions, so figured they’d have to ensure they remained undercover right until the very end. A battle with potential rebels wasn’t what they were after and Kyra knew they’d have to work hard to make sure they had the perfect cover—even if it meant going in unarmed.

With her backpack stuffed to the brim with equipment, she then grabbed a pen and paper, and began conjuring up fake identities for her and Gage. She decided, thanks to their similar age, that they would pretend to be a newlywed couple looking for somewhere to stay for a few days so they could celebrate their new marriage. They had to be wealthy enough to afford travel, but thrifty enough to have chosen budget hotels along the way, so she gave them complete backstories of being middle-class humans with decent jobs in the education sector.

After a bit of fooling around with one of the computerized systems to create the identities, she then grabbed a pair of invisible stick-on bands the undercover rebel-hunters often used. They were fitted with fake chips inside to overwrite the information stored in the chips inserted in every human’s wrist, and she programmed them so that she and Gage then became Timmy and Kiki Paynter from New York City. She made sure they had plenty of credits to coincide with a story of travelling the world on their honeymoon, and added fake background histories with added details provided by the computer software to fool any hotel concierge that might like to check into their records.

By the time she was done with their bands, Gage had returned, and he had good news.

“All sorted. We’re on a cargo craft leaving in twenty minutes, and Deena’s logged us both as on exercise for the next week in case anyone looks us up.”

“Did you have to get Thrayke involved?” she had to ask and felt a weight lift from her shoulders when he shook his head no. “Good, it’ll be easier to explain this way. Put this on,
darling
,” Kyra said with a smile as she handed him the wristband and they each secured them into place over their existing microchips.

They were then on their way with no time to spare and she soon started to feel the excitement flaring in her belly. She’d never done something so reckless before, but knew it was the right thing to do. If King Kronus had only listened, he would’ve agreed, but instead he’d been so intent on telling her off that he’d forgotten the reason she was there in the first place—to take down the rebels threatening his reign.

He’d told her to stop her foolish servitude, but Kyra couldn’t. It’d been engrained in her since Invasion Day and whether he wanted her to or not, she knew she’d fight for him until her dying breath.

Chapter Two

After hopping from one ship to another, Kyra and Gage stepped off the cargo hovercraft the next day and into the glaring Indian sunshine. It was far hotter than she’d anticipated, but luckily they’d changed into light summer clothes while on the first craft, so were each much cooler than if they’d still been in their army combats. The pair fit into the civilian scene in no time at all, and Kyra was glad they’d gone over the roles each was playing in minute detail. She reminded herself that they were playing the part of middle-class humans with credits to spare, otherwise such frivolous travel wouldn’t be possible. Gage was quick to exude an air of wealth that’d give the impression he came from an affluent family. In many ways, the character he’d appointed himself reminded her of Silas and his disregard for being careful with his credits, and she encouraged that element of his fake personality to shine because she knew that was exactly how the McDermott’s acted. She hoped the hard work would pay off and couldn’t deny that the last thing they needed was to be questioned about how a young couple could afford to travel the world.

They both knew it would be obvious they were tourists, but they played the roles of the happy newlyweds with ease. Gage slid his hand around Kyra’s waist and pulled her close, whispering into her ear while she grinned and played the dutiful, blushing bride. They’d already discussed en-route how they would play up to their roles in whatever way necessary, and although part of her felt uncomfortable accepting kisses and affection from him, Gage never made her feel like it was anything more than an act. It was actually rather nice being doted on and Kyra let herself enjoy the closeness, but she also realized how much she’d missed Thrayke the past few days. She longed for him in ways she hadn’t counted on, and hoped they might return to their comfortable closeness again when they both got back to The Tower.

She and Gage took a quick look around city and then checked into a strategically chosen hotel. While he secured the room, Kyra looked out the window onto the street below. She could already see some of the rebel markings on the walls below her perch and watched for a while as most civilians passed by them without even stopping for a look. When a man then stopped to check the time on his watch, but was also clearly checking out the symbol on the wall, she knew it was time to move.

“We’ve got one,” she told Gage, and they quickly made their way out onto the street so they could follow their unsuspecting mole’s lead. Before long, he ducked into a nearby bar, and they tailed him inside, but once they were there, they stayed far away from him and the men he went to meet with toward the back of the dim tavern.

Gage ordered two beers, while Kyra grabbed them a booth. He slid in beside her and gave his fake bride a kiss along with her drink, and Kyra grinned across at him while she twirled the wedding band on her finger.

“I was just telling the barman about our wedding,” he told her, being careful to remain in character at all times in case of any eavesdroppers. “He told me I’m a lucky man, and I informed him of how I already knew,” he added with a wink. Despite their act, she felt her cheeks burn.

“Of course you’re lucky, not everyone gets to have such a hot wife on his arm,” she replied playfully, and Gage laughed. Growing up, Kyra hadn’t had all that much male attention, and any she had gotten wasn’t always the sort she’d wanted or understood how to handle. Now though, she guessed she’d blossomed at last, because for some reason she’d often received flattering comments from the men she encountered, and still couldn’t quite believe she was having a semi-relationship with one of the top Thrakorian military men, the Besieger.

There was also another reason Kyra had to guess was to thank for her recently discovered allure. As much as she hated Greegis, the scientist responsible for her new and improved state, she had to admit his serum had done wonders to her body. Her skin tone was now naturally even and the treatment had strengthened her nails and hair, creating silky softness the likes she’d never known before. The treatment had even given her a healthy glow no matter the late nights or stress she was under. Kyra two-point-oh was certainly an improvement, and she sometimes forgot about the added health benefits and longer life that were also afforded to her because of Thrayke’s affection and his ability to pull strings where necessary.

Gage and Kyra then chatted quietly for a while and she enjoyed getting to know him a little better. He was a kind, sweet man, but underneath the gentlemanly demeanor she could tell he was also passionate and fun. When a song came on the jukebox that he liked, Gage quickly grabbed his ‘bride’ and swiftly began twirling her around in his arms. Kyra went with it, and used the time to cement their story as lovers in the eyes of the man they were both still watching from the periphery, as well as all the other patrons and staff inside the bar. For all they knew, everyone there could be rebel recruiters or activists, so they were acutely aware that things might turn nasty incredibly quickly if they were discovered in their deceit. “Timmy!” Kyra hollered when Gage dipped her and kissed her neck, making sure to use his alias rather than his real name. He didn’t stop; in fact he simply spun her again and grabbed a handful of ass. Some of the men nearby cheered him on, and Kyra suddenly realized what he was playing at. By the time the song was over, they had the attention of everyone in the room, and before long, were chatting to lots of the men and women sat cradling their drinks by the bar.

“Kiki and I are after seeing the best sights New Delhi has to offer, what do you recommend?” Gage asked, and a few of the locals began offering him some names of hidden gems around the old city.

“Are you visiting New Delhi long?” the barman asked, and Kyra was purposely sheepish. She shook her head, but offered a half-shrug at the same time.

“A few days. We aren’t staying in each stop long,” she replied, and he smiled.

“Have you heard about the old temple on the outskirts of town? It has the best view of the city at sunset, you should check it out,” he told her with a wink. Kyra knew full well that was where the rebel meeting was due to be held two evenings later, and she grinned back at him.

“Yeah, we had heard about that place. We were thinking of checking it out in a couple of days,” she answered, and was careful to keep a cool head while she gave him an obvious signal that they were there to attend the gathering. He smiled, and it was clear that her assumptions had been right. The barman was one of the rebels, or was at least working with them, and he handed her a fresh drink, but said no more as he continued serving the other customers.

Kyra took a long swig of the refreshing beer and was reminded of her time spent with Blue and the others in the hotel bar of The Crowned King in Los Angeles. She’d drank to try and hide from the pain of failing in both her private and professional lives, and the drunken haze had been a welcome release from her stress. She hadn’t had much alcohol since then, apart from when Thrayke would open a bottle of wine he’d procured while they’d eat dinner together, but having a beer again was different. Wine was nothing more than a fancy accompaniment to dinner, whereas the lager brought with it a sense of fun and relaxation, but also memories of the hard time she’d had getting over everything with Silas. He’d tried to sabotage her career in order to keep her at Fort Angel with him, and would’ve succeeded if her Thrakorian trainer, Gron hadn’t stepped in and saved the day.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Gage asked from beside her, and Kyra quickly snapped out of her reverie. She hated that even years later the history with Silas could still get to her, but was glad it was all over with and he was long gone from her life.

She smiled across at her pretend husband and enjoyed the warm smile he gave her in return. It was easy to bask in Gage’s affection, even if it was fake, and the past quickly melted away while she focused again on the mission at hand.

“Where are you going to take me tomorrow then, darling?” she asked as she snuggled into him, pressing against his tall body with her hips and breasts. She caught the sound of his breath hitching in his throat, and wondered if he was enjoying their role-play a little too much, but didn’t step away.

“We’re going for a walk around the old city, followed by lunch on the river and a tour of the old ruins,” he told her, and she was pleased he’d chosen lots of open places in the city where they could check for symbols and markings that might prove useful in their final report.

“Sounds wonderful,” she replied, and finished her beer before dragging him back to the makeshift dance floor for another twirl.

Before long, the entire bar was bustling with patrons, each of them eager for an end of day drink, and the pair of undercover officer’s were soon chatting away with many of the other drinkers. They kept their subjects light and lied through their teeth about the places they’d supposedly visited on their trip so far. Having prepared their backstory, Kyra had been careful to only include places they’d each actually visited over the years, but she let Gage take the lead as he was the most travelled of the pair of them. He talked at length about some of the ruins in various European cities, and the vast Thrakorian skyscrapers he’d watched light up the nights’ sky in Thailand. He was careful to include Kyra in his stories, and she did the same when regaling the group about her experiences in both Hawaii and Japan.

When last orders were called, she refused a final drink. She was already buzzing and didn’t want to end up stumbling back to the hotel in a drunken state. Gage was chatting to two men by the bar, one of which happened to be the man they’d followed inside, and she was impressed at his ability to blend in. She left him to it, and opted to nod along absentmindedly while two women she stood with were talking away about how much they hated their jobs as cleaners at one of the town’s agencies. Kyra listened for a while, and indulged in a little bit of the girly chatter when the conversation moved on, but wasn’t really interested in hearing about how they’d found ways to whiten their teeth and had found a doctor willing to give them cosmetic surgery on the black market.

“You have amazing skin and teeth, Kiki. What’s your secret?” one asked, and Kyra smiled. She would never tell them that she’d undergone a risky and still trialing treatment at the behest of her Thrakorian lover, or that it’d left her body in optimum condition with a lifespan of potentially hundreds of years.

“Lots of sleep,” she lied, and used it as an opportunity to leave the conversation. “Speaking of, it’s time me and my husband went to bed,” she added with a wink, and the two young women giggled. Kyra joined the three men at the bar and greeted each of them warmly. She caught just the end of the conversation, but knew Gage would fill her in when they got back to the hotel, so didn’t pry.

“We might see you both on Friday then?” one asked, and Gage nodded. He then shook hands with the man and turned to his fake bride. After kissing her deeply, they said their goodbyes and left the bar. Kyra giggled as he twirled her around the empty street and they danced their way back to the hotel and began wondering if Gage had indulged in one too many beers too.

“I actually had fun tonight,
Timmy
,” she told him when they were alone in the room and had checked for bugs. “Did I miss anything good?”

“Just a direct invitation to the gathering from two of the recruiters,” he answered, and was clearly very pleased with himself. Kyra grinned and told him about the barman’s comment, and they both knew their plan was coming together at last. She then took a shower while Gage set up a camera to record any movement in the street below, and they both double-checked the vicinity for any recording devices or monitoring equipment. Thankfully, they were still clear, and so the pair went through the plan again and made their notes about what’d gone on in the bar that evening.

By the time they crawled into bed together, making sure to keep at opposite sides of the thankfully large mattress, Kyra was exhausted. The long trip and busy day were taking its toll and the beers weren’t helping keep her eyes open either. Soon she was fast asleep and was dreaming of blissful nothingness before she knew it.

***

“Morning gorgeous,” Gage said with a wide smile when she stretched and lifted her head from the pillow the following morning. He was dressed and ready to go and Kyra was shocked that she’d managed to sleep in.

“Hey, why didn’t you wake me?” she asked, accepting a coffee from him.

“I did, but you cursed at me so I guessed you needed longer,” he answered with a dry laugh, and Kyra joined in. “Such a lady,” he teased, and she slapped him on the arm. Gage checked over the equipment again while she got dressed and tidied up her unruly hair with the help of a straightening iron. The shorter style was much easier to look after than her previously long locks, and before long Kyra was ready to go on their tour of the ancient city.

The pair of them wandered the streets at a leisurely pace, taking photographs constantly in an attempt to capture as much of the city as possible. They posed for passionate selfies, and took it in turns to capture shots of the streets, architecture, and of course, any rebel markers they found along the way. She hoped they were playing their roles in such plain sight that any onlookers wouldn’t give them so much as a second glance, or question their choice of photography backdrops. Years of training had taught Kyra how not to stick out like a sore thumb, and she used every tool she had in her code-breaking box to turn it around and blend in effectively.