Invaded (18 page)

Or at least that’s what Aelyx hoped.

“Time to suit up,” David said, holding forward a Kevlar vest. He seemed ready to go
in his camouflage jacket and matching hat, semiautomatic weapon slung across his shoulder.
Maybe
it was nothing, but David seemed more tired than usual, with dark circles shadowing
his eyes. “Colonel Rutter’s not taking any chances with your precious alien hide.”

“What about you?” Syrine demanded from her spot on the sofa. “Are you wearing one?”

David pounded one fist against his chest, giving a hollow
thunk
. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” she snapped, as if irate with herself for caring. Which was probably the case.
“It won’t protect against a head wound, though.” And with that, she snatched
a magazine from the coffee table and pretended to read it. Aelyx decided not to tell
her it was upside down in her grasp. More fun to let her discover that on her own.

While Aelyx shrugged out of his sweater and donned the bulletproof vest, David took
a seat on the sofa’s armrest. “I don’t know,” David said, leaning down to read over
Syrine’s shoulder. “My mom used to say my head was hard enough to stop a bullet.”

A disdainful sniff was her only reply.

“But I think stubbornness is kind of hot.” When David plucked the magazine from Syrine’s
hands and turned it right side up for her, Aelyx’s chest shook with silent
laughter. “Don’t you?” the boy murmured near Syrine’s ear.

In a flash, she threw down the copy of
People
and retreated to her bedroom. The slamming of her door soon followed.

Aelyx chuckled while fastening the Velcro straps at his sides. “What was it you said
the other day?” He tipped his head aside, pretending to think. “
Soon she’ll be
wrapped around my pinkie finger
? You sure about that? Because it looks like she’d rather wrap her hands around your
throat.”

David frowned at Syrine’s door. “She’s going to be a tough nut to crack.”

Not really. David didn’t know it, but Syrine was already cracking. Aelyx had felt
her conflict deepening through Silent Speech, even when she’d tried to block it. Her
attraction to
their bodyguard had grown each day, along with disdain for her weakness. She’d spent
more and more time sequestered in her bedroom practicing
K’imsha
, but all the meditation in
the world wouldn’t harden her heart against the human.

Aelyx pulled on his sweater and grabbed his wool overcoat. “Just unleash that irresistible
charm you’re always bragging about.”

“I did. Turns out she’s immune to it.”

They walked into the hall, where half the guard unit waited to escort Aelyx to his
meeting. Together, the entire group made their way down two flights of stairs and
then filed into the armored
vehicle idling at the curb. Once he and David settled into their customary seats in
the back row, it occurred to Aelyx that for the first time, he could offer his mentor
some romantic advice.

“It’s not you she hates,” Aelyx whispered. “It’s mankind in general. I think your
strongest chance of winning her over is to show that you’re
different.”

“Stop acting human?”

“Basically, yes.” At his friend’s sigh of exasperation, Aelyx explained one of the
reasons behind Syrine’s prejudice. “Her host student relentlessly pursued her
during the exchange. He cornered her in the hall, groped her legs under the dinner
table—even hid a camera in her bedroom. So when you compliment her beauty or engage
in typical human mating
rituals, you’re—”

“Coming on too strong,” David finished. “And reminding her of that doucher.”

“Exactly.”

“Huh.” A hopeful grin pushed up the corners of David’s mouth. “I just need to tone
it down a little.”

“And show that you’re different,” Aelyx repeated. Syrine’s feelings had first sparked
alive when David put his life at risk to save her from the letter bomb. She’d
never before considered humans capable of self-sacrifice, and he had proven her wrong.
“That’s the most important part.”

David nodded thoughtfully. “I can do different.”

After that, David chewed the inside of his cheek and fell into an introspective trance,
so Aelyx turned his gaze out the window to watch the miles pass in a dark blur of
frosted brick and salted
asphalt.

They left the city and traveled into the suburbs, eventually stopping at the entrance
to a defunct strip mall with only one functioning business—an Italian bistro at the
far end. The
National Guard had secured the parking lot in the form of barricades and armed patrols
at the periphery. When the driver of their Hum-V rolled down his window and presented
his identification, two
soldiers dragged aside the plastic barrels blocking the way, allowing them to pass.

Colonel Rutter met Aelyx as soon as he stepped onto the sidewalk. “We paid the owner
to close down the place,” the colonel explained while directing Aelyx toward the bistro.
“We’ve swept the inside, and it’s cleaner than a preacher’s pickle.”

David snickered from nearby but went instantly stoic when the colonel’s gaze landed
on him.

“Due to the…uh…” Rutter began, still watching David, “
sensitive
nature of your discussion with Richards tonight, I’ll be inside with you, and Private
Sharpe
will help patrol the perimeter.” He dismissed David, who saluted his superior and
jogged away to join the guards stationed at the parking lot entrance.

“Did you bring the equipment I requested?” Aelyx asked.

Rutter lifted a small duffel bag. “Got it right here.”

“Is Richards already inside?”

“Yep,” the colonel said. “He’s clean. Searched him myself.” With a devilish smirk,
he added, “Extra thoroughly.”

Aelyx didn’t really want to know what that entailed, but he hoped it involved a painful
body cavity examination. Nobody deserved it more than Isaac Richards.

A comforting burst of dry, warm air greeted them in the restaurant, followed closely
by the tangy scent of marinara sauce. Aelyx removed his coat, glancing around the
dining room to survey his
surroundings. A polished oak bar claimed the side wall, and behind it stood twenty
or so round, linen-draped tables, each adorned with a repurposed wine bottle holding
a tapered candle. But only
one candle flickered with light, casting shadows over the folded hands of the man
seated behind it.

Isaac stood when he noticed Aelyx, and he nodded his brunet head in a greeting. Aelyx
studied his foe while striding toward him. In his tweed jacket and khaki pants, bifocals
teetering on the
tip of his nose, Richards looked more like a university professor than the commander
of a xenophobic civilian army. The man didn’t offer his hand to shake, but that was
all right. Aelyx
didn’t want to touch him anyway.

“Thank you for meeting me,” Aelyx said. He gestured at three small glass jars atop
the table, each filled with clear liquid collected from opposite ends of the country.
“And
for bringing your water samples.”

After placing his duffel on the floor, Colonel Rutter took a seat at the next table,
giving them the illusion of privacy. Isaac lowered to his chair and motioned for Aelyx
to follow suit.
“I did so against my better judgment,” Isaac said. “But I couldn’t resist. I admit
your message had me intrigued.”

“This won’t take long.” Aelyx found it difficult to maintain eye contact with the
seemingly innocuous man. While Richards began sipping his coffee, memories of Eron’s
death pushed their way to the front of Aelyx’s mind—specifically how the Patriots
of Earth had proudly claimed responsibility for the murder.

Isaac must have sensed it. “Before we begin,” he said, “I want to say that I regret
what happened in Lanzhou. I don’t have much control over individual chapters, and
I
didn’t sanction violence against that boy.”

Aelyx didn’t much care for semantics. Whether or not Isaac had called for Eron’s death,
he’d facilitated the group protest that brought together thousands of extremists in
Eron’s town. Isaac had to have known bloodshed would ensue.

“I won’t lie,” Isaac continued. “I still want your kind off my planet.”

Aelyx laughed without humor. “Now
that
I believe.”

“But I don’t kill children.”

“I’m not a child.”

Isaac brought the cup of coffee to his mouth and watched Aelyx over the rim. He set
the cup atop its saucer with a light
clink
. “No, you’re not. But I have a son your age,
so I guess that’s how I see you.”

Aelyx didn’t like this. He didn’t want to hear that Isaac had a family, or any humanizing
elements about his life. The man had fostered an organization that fed on fear and
paranoia.
They’d tried to kill Aelyx many times. That was all he needed to know.

Roughly, Aelyx unzipped the duffel bag at his feet and pulled the microscope and glass
slides from inside, then set them on the table.

“What’s all this?” Isaac asked.

Aelyx unscrewed the first jar and used a sterile dropper to squeeze a few beads of
water onto the slide. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me unless you saw this with your
own
eyes.” He flipped on the scope’s light and peered through the eyepiece to bring the
sample into focus under heavy magnification. “Look in here and tell me what you see.”

Isaac slid the scope across the table and did as Aelyx asked. “I don’t know,” he said.
“A bunch of green blobs joined together in strands.”

“They’re algae blooms,” Aelyx explained. “And you’ll find them reproducing at an exponential
rate in every single one of these samples.”

Isaac’s answering shrug said he didn’t understand.

“I didn’t poison Earth’s water, but it’s tainted all the same.” Aelyx removed the
slide and repeated the process using liquid from the second jar. “Years ago,
our Voyagers introduced your scientists to L’eihr nanotechnology. Human scientists
began experimenting with our particles without pondering the consequences, and they
released a
nano-fertilizer that leaked into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, thus—”

“Wait,” Isaac interrupted. “In English, please.”

While Aelyx tried to rephrase the occurrence in simpler terms, Colonel Rutter offered
from the next table, “We screwed ourselves, right up the tailpipe. And unless L’eihrs
give us
the technology to fix it, we’re all dead in less than a decade.”

Isaac removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You can’t expect me to take your word
for it.”

“Of course not,” Aelyx said. “Feel free to bring in someone you trust to substantiate
the findings. I’ll wait.”

Isaac excused himself to make some calls and returned thirty minutes later with a
scientist from the local HALO chapter. The man brought his own microscope, slides,
and water samples and set
them up on the opposite side of the bistro. After inspecting the droplets, he conferred
privately with Isaac and left.

When Isaac rejoined their table, his skin had paled a few shades. “All right. Assuming
I believe you, what are we going to do to fix the problem?”

“My leaders have the technology to neutralize the algae blooms,” Aelyx said. “But
they won’t deliver it unless our people form an alliance.”

“Of course they won’t.” Isaac stared into the first jar of water. “They’ll use this
to get whatever it is they want from us.” He glanced up and demanded,
“And what is that, exactly?”

At one time Aelyx had thought he’d known. But not anymore. He folded both arms on
the tablecloth and dodged the question. “Let’s be honest. My people have the means
to defeat
you, easily. If The Way wanted you dead or enslaved, you would be. If we wanted your
land or your DNA or your women, we would already possess them.”

The tightening of Isaac’s jaw showed he agreed.

“After the Patriots murdered Eron,” Aelyx continued, “I fought for your kind. I begged
The Way to give you another chance. Now you have it, and you won’t stop trying to
assassinate me.”

“Whoa, there.” Isaac flashed a palm. “I already told you I had nothing to do with
that.”

“Maybe not you specifically, but when you preach hatred, how do you expect your followers
to respond?” Aelyx delivered a stern warning. “If one of them succeeds in killing
me,
there’ll be no one left to plead your case. There will be no alliance and no solution
to the water contamination.”

“What is it you expect me to do?”

“Support the alliance,” Aelyx said. “Publicly.”

Colonel Rutter added, “Without mentioning the water crisis. If you do, there’s a military
prison cell with your name on it. We don’t need riots and hoarding on top of
everything else.”

“How am I supposed to justify a sudden change of heart?” Isaac asked. “I’ve been battling
this alliance for two years. I’m still against it. My members will think
you brainwashed me.”

Aelyx pushed the microscope across the table as a grim reminder. “I’m confident you’ll
think of something.”

Isaac gazed into his coffee as if the answer might drop from the heavens into his
cup. Seconds ticked by, turning to minutes.

“Think of your son,” Aelyx pressed. “Without this alliance, he won’t live to see thirty.
And it won’t be an easy death. Have you ever seen what dehydration does to
a man? His lips will crack. His muscles will cramp and his head will throb. If he’s
lucky, his heart will fail before his skin begins to—”

“Enough!” Isaac pushed away from the table, his chair loudly scraping against the
floor. “I’ll do it. But if your leaders don’t hold up their end of the deal, there
will be war. I swear it.”

Colonel Rutter bristled at the threat, but Aelyx waved him off. “I’ll get the technology
myself if I have to,” Aelyx said. “But I can’t help you if I’m
dead.”

Isaac snatched his coat off a nearby chair. “None of my people will touch you. I’ll
make sure of it.”

Before he charged toward the door, Aelyx called, “Wait,” and handed him the first
jar of water. “If you ever doubt what I’ve told you, look at this sample beneath a
scope
and see how quickly the blooms multiply.”