I took off my seatbelt. With my hand on the door, I declared: “I’m going to get some answers.”
Garrick sat bolt upright. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to speak with the guy. He eats bugs, there’s something up with him.”
I got out and closed the door behind me, refusing to listen to any arguments from Garrick. A moment later, his door opened and closed too. Footsteps padded after me.
“This is a crazy plan,” Garrick warned me. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.
“I can’t sit in that car any longer. We aren’t doing anything productive, it’s been two days. I have no intention of turning it into two weeks.”
He grabbed my arm, making me stop on the footpath. “We need to be smart about this, he’s an Original.”
“I know, I’m not going to walk up to him and tell him I’m an alien. I’m bored, not stupid.”
I looked down at my arm where he was gripping me tightly. He realized he still had a hold of me and let me go. We started for the house again, this time a little less enthusiastic.
I knocked on the door and waited, hoping the Originals didn’t have my photograph plastered all over their meeting place as wanted person number one. Hopefully the man wouldn’t recognize me at all. While I was wishing, I should have wished for a billion dollars. My chances of both were probably equal.
He answered the door and we were face to face with him. Up close, he looked to be in his late thirties for sure, fine wrinkles around his alert grey eyes giving it away.
“Yes?” He asked expectantly. Right, I guess considering we were the ones knocking on his door, we should have been the ones to say something.
“We’re, uh, conducting a survey?” I meant to say it with more conviction than I did. It ended up sounding more of a question than a statement of fact.
He crossed his arms and waited. “A survey about what?”
“Electricity.” More sure this time.
“Can we come in?” Garrick asked.
“Do you have any ID?” The man shot back just as quickly. He was a smart one, I’d give him that.
“We don’t need it. Let us in,” Garrick insisted. I stole a glance at him, wondering what he was doing. “And tell us everything you know about Trucon.”
CHAPTER 12
The moment we were inside the house at 135 Rio Grande, I understood why Garrick had been so bold to the owner. There was barely any furniture in the home, the main feature was a computer and radio – all state of the art. It was a setup Ryder would have drooled over.
“You’d better sit down,” the man said, gesturing to the three canvas chairs sitting in front of a television. “Who are you and how do you know about Trucon?”
“You first,” I replied sternly. I wasn’t convinced we were actually in a position to tell him what to do, but I didn’t want to show any weakness. We could have been from the Department for all he knew. Just being a member of the Originals was enough cause for him to be concerned about anyone who could come knocking.
“How old are you?” He asked, his eyes flicking between Garrick and I quickly.
“Seventeen,” Garrick replied for the both of us.
Silence filled the room as the man studied us. It lasted for so long I wanted to say something just to break it. Thankfully, I didn’t have to. “Show me your left wrist.”
I flushed hot, like being caught in the middle of headlights. I tried to go with indignant when I replied. “No, we’re not going to show you anything.” Just the fact he knew to ask about our left wrist was enough to make me want to run.
He sighed. “You’re in the project, I take it?”
“We’re the ones asking the questions,” I stated bluntly. If he knew we were in the project, his next step was probably to call up his Originals pals and tie us up. Or pull out a gun and shoot us on the spot. Perhaps my plan wasn’t well thought out. Of course not, I didn’t think about it at all.
“Perhaps I should introduce myself,” the man started, changing his tone of voice to be friendlier. “My name is Kyle and I’m a Truconian.”
Garrick and I looked at each other, both wondering the same thing – was he for real? Nobody from Trucon was older than seventeen, we were all brought to Earth when we were just infants. Nobody else was allowed to join us, that was the deal struck with the Department.
“Show me your left wrist,” I demanded. It was the only way to get some proof. Even then, it could have been faked. The Department had left me with some serious trust issues.
Kyle slowly and deliberately pulled up the sleeve of his jersey and held up his wrist. There in the flesh just before the hand was the triangle mark. “Believe me now?”
“How is that possible?” I asked. I still wasn’t entirely convinced we weren’t being set up to be captured by the Originals. He could have been lulling us into a false sense of security.
“I was sent down here shortly after the project commenced all those years ago,” Kyle started, settling into his canvas chair with a squeak. “Our leaders realized how much control we were giving over to the Department and they didn’t entirely trust them. I, along with thirty-nine more just like me, secretly came to Earth and have been keeping an eye on the project participants, along with the government.”
“You’re a spy?” Garrick gasped.
Kyle nodded proudly. “Did you really think our leaders would hand over thousands of infants to the humans and then take their word for it they would be looked after? That was a whole generation of our kind, our futures depended on them in more ways than one.”
“Then why are you a member of the Originals?” His words were starting to sink in and make sense but there was still so much I didn’t understand.
“I’ve been monitoring their organization for a long time and have been concerned the Department haven’t been taking them seriously.” He paused to pick something out of his teeth, I really hoped it wasn’t part of the beetle. “I joined a few years ago when it was first starting to take off so I could stay one step ahead of them. I’ve been a member of several anti-alien organizations and, I have to say, the Originals is a far greater threat than anyone realizes.”
“What have they got planned?”
“Things that will significantly damage the Department and the project.” He didn’t exactly answer my question, I made a mental note to come back to it. If what he was saying was true, then he shouldn’t have a reason for holding anything back from us.
“Do you realize what the Department has done to all of us?” I asked. If he really was a spy, he should know all the details. Or at least be wondering where we all were.
“I have been trying to work it out, actually. Why don’t you tell me what’s happened?”
I glanced at Garrick, trying to get a feel for what he was thinking. He gave me a small nod, he obviously trusted Kyle. I still wasn’t entirely sure but I guessed it wouldn’t hurt anything if he knew about the complex.
I took a deep breath and recalled the story, commencing from the way we were plucked from our lives and sequestered away to the jail to our escape. I left out anything too specific, just in case Kyle wasn’t who he was claiming to be. If I was telling the story to Rob or my parents, I would have been much more detailed.
Kyle’s face grew more horrified the longer I spoke. He was clearly affected by the tale. He was taking it personally, it helped to relax me a little. But only a little.
When I was finished and concluded with how we had found him, he leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. “What is the Department thinking? That won’t do anything for the project, they’re abandoning our agreement.”
“That’s not the worst part,” I continued. “We think they might be planning on killing the members instead of housing them for the rest of their lives.”
“Our leaders know nothing about this.”
“You can contact them?”
“We have an encrypted radio channel. I report back to them on a monthly
basis. We all do.”
Garrick interrupted. “You’ve seriously been watching us for seventeen years and the Department has never noticed? How do you get away with it?”
Kyle shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “I don’t work so I don’t need a social security number, I’m self sufficient in food and the essentials, and I always pay cash for everything. Our leaders have many interests on Earth that generate money to fund us. According to the government, I don’t exist.”
“What about if you get sick?”
“Have you ever been sick, Garrick? Really sick?”
He shook his head and sighed. We didn’t get sick, not with anything more serious than a cold anyway. The times when I had visited the Department’s doctors was because of self inflicted injuries due to my clumsiness, never because of an illness. His words were all adding up to really being one of us. If he continued, I was going to have no option except to start believing everything he said.
Getting to know each other was nice, but we were also there for a purpose. Besides the disgusting fact that people from our planet ate beetles, I hadn’t learned anything new. I settled in for the big question. “What are you going to do now you know about what’s happening to us?”
Kyle leaned back again to think it over. His brow creased as he concentrated. We waited patiently, hoping he actually had some answers.
“Can I grab some water?” Garrick asked in the silence. Kyle nodded and he stood. “Amery? Are you thirsty?” The intense look on his face told me I needed to be thirsty, even if I wasn’t.
“Yeah, I’ll get some water too. I’m parched.” I followed him into the kitchen. We found some glasses and clinked them together, making sure Kyle could hear that we were doing as we said we would.
As the faucet ran, Garrick leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Do you think he’s legit?”
“He seems to be, but it’s hard to believe anyone after what the Department has done to us,” I replied, equally as quiet. “What do you think?”
“Everything he said makes sense, but I just don’t know.”
I was right there with him. You get burned enough, you learn not to trust anyone or anything.
“You can trust me,” Kyle called out from the living room. Garrick and I stared at each other, feeling like kids that got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
We picked up our glasses of water and hurried back to him, a little embarrassed. Still, surely he didn’t expect us to believe every word he said just because he said them? It would be difficult to find anyone in the world that would do that.
“How did you hear us?” I asked, resuming my seat.
Kyle tugged on his ear. “Super hearing, a feature of our people.”
“Why don’t we have that?” I shot back.
“Because you have grown up on Earth, your powers have been suppressed. If you grew up on Trucon, you would have a whole range of powers.”
I wondered what kind of powers he was talking about. “Like what?”
“Our senses are basically heightened. Whatever humans can do, we can do it better. Hearing, sight, smell, it’s all at an extraordinary level.”
“Why did they suppress us then?”
“Because you had to fit in with the humans, we couldn’t risk you being different and unable to control your differences. Remember, you were just babies when you came here, you wouldn’t have realized you were doing anything wrong.”
It was probably fair enough they did what they had to so the project had the best chance of being successful. Still, it would have been cool to have super powers – even if it wasn’t flying or being invisible.
“Now,” Kyle started again. “I’ve been thinking about what we need to do. For months now, I have been trying to study the Department and work out what their future plans are. When they started increasing the security for the members a few months ago, I feared they might be keeping details from our leaders.”
“That would be when the Originals started attacking,” Garrick interjected. “You should know that, being a member of the organization.”
I watched Kyle’s face for a reaction but he remained staid. “Yes, that was at the same time. And I knew our people hadn’t been informed of the Originals when I checked in with our leaders. Their last report from the Department said everything was as usual.”
“So why haven’t you done anything?” Garrick asked with an irritated tone in his voice. If Kyle wasn’t so calm about everything, the situation could have got ugly very quickly.
“Because I can’t act and risk exposing my position. I’ve been trying to analyze the Department covertly so they don’t realize I’m doing it.” It was a fair reply to the question. There was a lot at stake and you couldn’t act rashly in a twenty-five year project. After seventeen years, we had all come too far just to throw everything away.
I stepped in, not wanting Garrick to put him offside too much. “So what is the Department’s future plans? Have you managed to work out anything yet?”
Kyle shook his head sadly. “I’ve tapped out my sources and none of my colleagues have done any better. We need to get inside the Department and I’ve been hesitant to do anything dangerous in case it put the project in jeopardy.”
“The project is already in jeopardy,” I pointed out.
“I would say the project doesn’t exist anymore,” Garrick added.
“From what you’ve told me, I have to agree,” Kyle continued. “I think it’s time we got serious with the Department.”
“What did you have in mind?” I asked but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the answer. His grave tone was enough to make me quiver in fear. I guess tough times really did call for tough measures.
“We need to break into the Department.” The words were stated like it was a simple thing to do. As if it wasn’t one of the most protected buildings in the country or anything. Or the guards didn’t have permission to shoot to kill if they thought they needed to. No, it was easy, simple. I wished.
“And how do you think we can do that?” Garrick asked skeptically. I was right there with him, just too shocked to say anything yet.
“Everything is computerized these days,” Kyle continued. “All we need to do is work out how to get into their computer system and we can access the files they keep on Project Integrate.”
“We need a hacker,” I stated. And I happened to know where we could find one. “We know a guy who will be able to find a hacker for us. They’re discreet and hate the government. It just might work.”
“Can we trust them?”
“They kept Garrick and I hidden for a few days after we escaped from the complex. They helped us with no questions asked and they didn’t tell anyone. They can be trusted more than the Department, that’s for sure.”
“Are they easily contacted?”
“Can I borrow your phone?”
Kyle nodded towards the phone attached to the wall. “It’s a secure line, it’s safe to use.”
I rifled around in the plastic bag I was using as a temporary handbag until I found the slip of paper Hayden had given me with his number on it.
I gave him a call, crossing my fingers as I listened to the phone ringing. I knew he would want to help but I didn’t know if he would have the desired skill set we needed. Or know someone who would be willing to risk federal prison for a bunch of aliens.
CHAPTER 13
I perched on the edge of the bench seat, watching Lochie as he surveyed the trailer. His tall frame seemed to make the space feel even smaller than it was.
I was glad Garrick agreed to stay with Kyle for a few hours so I could meet with Lochie in private. I didn’t like the way we had left it the previous day, he deserved to have some real answers after so long.
“You’re staying here with that guy? Garrick?” He finally asked as he took a seat across the bench from me.
“Yeah, just for a while until we can work out what we need to do next,” I replied, trying to sound happy and bright. I didn’t want
my problems interfering with our time together. Every minute was precious because the next wasn’t guaranteed. “It’s not exactly the Hilton, but it’s better than where we were kept before.”
“There’s only one bed.”
That was his takeaway from the whole thing? That Garrick and I had to share a bed? Considering we were being hunted, I would think that should be far down the list of priorities. “Yes, there was only one in all the trailers they had available.”
“So you share a bed?”
“We sleep, just sleep.”
“Together.” It was a statement and not a question.
I wasn’t going to feel guilty about something I wasn’t doing. “Yes, and if you remember, we shared a bed together too and just slept. There’s nothing else going on.”
“How would you like it if I shared a bed with another girl?” Lochie asked, staring me right in the eyes. I had to look away because I knew he was right. Damn him.
“I wouldn’t like it,” I finally confessed. “But I can’t change anything at the moment. This is our only option. Garrick and I have to work together and unfortunately that means having to cohabitate for a while.”
He took my hands across the table, rubbing his thumb over my skin absentmindedly. “It’s not your only option, you can stay at my place.”
I took my hands back, snatching them away. “We’ve been over this. I can’t, for your safety and for mine. The Originals can’t find me here. Don’t you trust me? Nothing is going to happen with Garrick.”
“I trust you, it’s him I don’t trust.”
“You don’t even know him.”
Lochie rolled his eyes. It was both adorable and annoying at the same time. That pretty much summed up the guy. “He’s a teenage boy, like me. Trust me, I know him.”
I grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Are you saying your thoughts were less than honorable when we were staying together?”
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