Lochie continued, satisfied with my response. “We have to promise that we’ll talk about this stuff. We can’t let it build up until it explodes in a hotel room when we are supposed to be doing something else much more fun. Deal?”
“Deal.” It was probably easier said than done, but it was worth trying. Obviously avoiding talking about our issues didn’t work, as recent history proved. “But, Lochie?”
“Hmm?”
“We can’t let other people get to us either. We have to accept that not everyone will like us being together.”
“I’ll try,” he agreed. “I just get so angry, they don’t even know you. They don’t know how amazing you are.”
As I looked up at him, all I could see was the love shining from his eyes. “You know and you tell me all the time. That’s all I need. Everyone else can go jump off a bridge.” He laughed and kissed me again.
“Ahem,” the cough came from the door of the kitchen. I instinctively moved out of Lochie’s grip as he released me. Kyle was standing there, looking just as embarrassed as we probably did. “Sorry if I’m interrupting something.”
I suddenly felt very naked in my white pajamas and little else. “No, I was just going to get dressed.” I probably looked a mess, I hadn’t even run a brush through my hair since I got up. Good thing Lochie loved me for more than my looks.
“We’ve got a meeting to get to, that’s probably a good idea,” Kyle said as I left.
I hurried upstairs and took one of the heavenly showers before changing into clothes that I found in the closet. By that time, Lola was awake so I could turn the light on again. Seeing the city now felt a whole lot better after making up with Lochie.
CHAPTER 15
The city was bigger than I thought it was going to be. Everything was laid out in perfect lines, like the streets had been planned well in advance. It was all so… orderly. I had visions of the Truconians marching around in straight lines too, even though I’m sure they didn’t.
“And this is the main square,” Kari, our guide for the morning, stopped and gestured around the open area. We had followed her bouncing red curly hair for hours. She had shown us around the entire city, pointing out everything from the sports fields where they played a weird sport with a ball and a stick, to the arena where they had concerts.
Everything was almost like what we had on Earth, just different. It was like a slightly altered dimension where everything was just a bit odd. I understood how all the Truconians had settled in so quickly on Earth.
When I had asked Kari about the similarities, she had explained the Leaders went to great lengths to try and get the Truconians used to the way Earth would be. Over the last seventeen years, they purposefully tried to “Earth-ify” the place so the change wouldn’t be such a big shock when the moving day came. The Leaders didn’t want the change to be too jolting for them, which was kind of sweet. They had put a lot more thought into the integration than I could have ever imagined.
Lola stepped forward. “What did they do in this square?” She had been wide eyed all morning as she absorbed all the information.
Kari smiled warmly. “This is where our leaders would make announcements. We also had gatherings here where we would celebrate our special days.”
“Like what?” She continued.
“Like Founding Day, Leaving Day, our Leaders’ birthdays.” Kari had answered every one of our million questions with a smile. She was either really nice, really patient, or a really good actress. It was probably a combination of all three.
“Leaving Day?” I had to ask, it was the only day that didn’t make much sense.
Kari nodded. “Each year on the anniversary of our project members leaving for Earth, we would have a celebration to commemorate the good work they were doing and the hope for our future.”
Garrick snorted by my side. I knew what he was thinking, that he thought everyone had forgotten about us. I would still have thought the same thing too if I hadn’t spent so much time with my birth parents once they arrived.
Lola put her arm around my neck. “See Ame, you’re famous! They had a holiday for you each year.”
I hugged her back. “I’m sure they were more worried about the asteroid than us.”
“Oh, not true,” Kari interjected. “In the Leaving Day celebrations our leaders would give us an update on how the members were fairing on Earth. We couldn’t wait to hear of the progress. My sister was one of those members. Trust me, we cared.” Her eyes glazed over with the memory.
I hadn’t met any siblings of project members before. So many of the families had chosen not to have any more children after giving up their baby to the project. Some feared another would suffer the same fate. Others thought there might not be a future in which to bring them up in.
“So all this is just going to be left when you all leave?” Lochie asked.
Kari took a deep breath and continued on like the perfect host. “Absolutely. We are in caretaking mode at the moment and doing the basics to make sure everything continues to work. When the last ship leaves, we’ll just walk away.”
“That must be hard,” Garrick commented. It was one of the few words he had uttered all morning.
Kari chuckled. “Not as hard as being struck by Flaming Britna.” She pointed to the sky where the large asteroid loomed as a constant reminder. It contrasted starkly with the grey sky. I still didn’t understand how they managed to live their lives with a question mark over their future.
“We should keep going now.” Kari started walking again. “Have I got a treat for you… the leaders’ building!”
We all traipsed along behind her. Lochie joined my side as he slid his fingers between mine. He bumped me with his shoulder. “This is cool, huh? Seeing your planet for the first time.”
“It is. It’s not what I expected it to be like,” I admitted.
“Good or bad?”
I smiled. “Good. It kind of makes me understand a lot more about my birth parents and all the settlers I visit. I can kind of see what they’re going through now. Before, I was just guessing.”
“Hmm. Does it explain why your birth parents hate me?” He asked in a joking voice, but I knew he wasn’t joking. I felt the same kind of hatred from his mother and it was not pleasant.
I squeezed his hand. “I’m their only daughter, I think that’s why. Pretty sure it has nothing to do with the interplanetary thing.”
“Oh well, it was worth a shot.” Indeed, it was.
We continued walking, keeping up with Kari’s fast pace. She may have only been small but she was quick. We hurried after her like a bunch of ducklings following their mother.
Eventually we stopped outside the tallest box in the city. Like all the other buildings, it didn’t have any windows either. It did, however, have verandas that jutted out at regular intervals. Counting those, I guessed the building was about eight floors high. The Truconians didn’t seem to believe in skyscrapers.
“And this is the leaders’ building,” Kari started. “Normally it would be off limits to everyone. But as the only people remaining all have the security clearance required to enter the building, it is no longer under guard. Come on and I’ll show you around.”
We did as told and entered the building. Just like in our temporary house, the lights went on while we walked through and turned off again once we’d moved on. Earth seriously needed to start doing that in every building, the electricity saved would have been enormous.
There was nothing fancy about the inside, nothing to really distinguish it from any of the others. Krom didn’t work in fine surroundings like the politicians did on Earth. They seemed to live just as simply as the rest of the nation. It was a nice change to know they didn’t waste any money on expensive artwork or plush furnishings.
Kari led us through to a long room with a table down the center. There were no chairs but there was a screen at one end that took up the entire wall. She pressed a button on the table and the screen flickered to life.
“Leader Krom should be dialing in any minute now,” she said as she gestured. “I would offer you a chair, but we find meetings are shorter when nobody can sit down. It’s a policy in this place.” I couldn’t argue with that logic. Perhaps all boardrooms should be devoid of comforts. Politicians would no doubt get down to business pretty quickly.
We waited almost ten minutes before Krom’s familiar face filled the screen. In the room, his voice was actually at a regular volume. “Hello, Worker Kari.”
“Hello, Leader Krom,” she replied respectfully, bowing at the screen. “I have Members Garrick and Amery here with me, along with Satellite Kyle and two humans.”
“So I can see. How do your preparations go?”
Kari stood straight like a rod, all business like a soldier might act in the army. “Satisfactory. We are on schedule for the deadline.”
Krom nodded, looking pleased. “Good. Now, this other matter. Member Garrick, we have tried locating the woman you had intercourse with.” All eyes turned to Garrick, nobody knew about that little fact except me. He flinched at the words. “We were unsuccessful. Without a full name, our prospects look dismal.”
“What about the rest of the case? Is there anything new?” Garrick was keen to move past the whole one night stand thing. I didn’t know what he was doing having a fling with someone he didn’t know anyway. I didn’t thing he was the kind of guy to sleep around like that. Apparently I was wrong. That girl could have been one of many for all I knew.
Krom didn’t seem to notice his discomfort at all, but he did move on anyway. “Nothing new to report on our end. The police have issued an international search for you and have demanded we inform them of your location. Predictably, they are blaming us for your disappearance.”
I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “Are my parents getting into trouble? Are the police charging them for his escape?”
“I have made it clear to the police that if any recourse is imposed on your family, they will have to deal with me directly.” I sighed with relief at hearing that. At least my parents would stay out of trouble. “They have assured me the blame is to be placed squarely on my shoulders only.”
“Thank you,” I replied. Lochie placed a gentle hand in the small of my back to remind me he was there for me. It was sweet and reminded me how much better things were when he was close – and when we weren’t fighting.
Krom continued. “The Originals are giving us much grief at the moment because of Member Garrick’s disappearance. They have increased their political presence and are trying to use the situation to garner more support.”
“Are they succeeding?” The question came from Kyle.
“Unfortunately, yes. People believe an alien killed an innocent teenager, that does not sit well with them. The Originals are campaigning for all our incarceration, they are telling everyone we are dangerous.”
“But the project proved we are not,” Kyle said indignantly. He obviously thought about as much as I did about the Originals’ newest attempt to bring us down.
“Do I need to remind you that Member Garrick was in the project?” Krom asked. I still couldn’t get over how much quieter he sounded in the room. Maybe they had some special noise minimizing walls or something?
“But he is just one alien. Surely they cannot say our entire race is the same?”
“Hey, I’m not a murderer, remember?” Garrick interjected. His anger was on the brink of rising to the surface.
Kyle turned to him. “That’s not what I meant, you know that.” His attention went back to Krom. “What is the Department doing about it all?”
“They are doing their best to stay out of it. Surprisingly.” I didn’t realize Krom had mastered the art of sarcasm. Apparently I was wrong. “They say this is a matter between the Truconians and the police, that it isn’t a federal issue.”
If I wasn’t already so jaded about the Department, I would have been angry. But knowing what I did about their lack of wanting to help, it was just par for the course. The Department didn’t do anything unless they really had to. And even then a matter of life or death wasn’t really enough to get them motivated to interfere.
Krom continued. “We must prove your innocence, Member Garrick. If not, I’m afraid our integration is at risk. The Originals were just waiting for an opportunity like this and it is playing out exactly how they would like it to.”
“That’s probably because they orchestrated the whole thing,” I said. Garrick had to be framed by them, surely. They were the ones gaining everything from the poor girl’s murder.
“I agree, but we need proof. I have several satellites working on it around the clock. If we don’t do something soon, people will take action into their own hands.” Krom didn’t have to add what we were all thinking – aliens would die once the humans took vigilantism action. All the settlers lived in the community, there was nothing to protect them if that suddenly happened.
I wondered if the settlers’ host families would defend them. They had lived with them for three months. Surely they would want to vouch for their peaceful natures? I would like to think so, but I wasn’t going to bank on it.
“Do you have a long term plan?” I asked. I knew it wasn’t really my place, but I had overstepped the line months ago and still hadn’t gone back again.
Krom eyed me. Even across the galaxy he knew how to make me feel like a small child. “Of course I have a plan. I always have a plan. That does not concern you.”
“Our people need protection,” I continued.
“And I don’t need your help to undertake my duties, Member Amery.” He was using his warning voice, I knew it was time I needed to shut up. “Worker Kari, continue on with your good work. I will be in touch.”
The screen went black and Kari pressed the button to turn it off completely. She turned to us with her easy smile back on again. “So, who wants to see the volcano we have out the back?”
As everyone else followed Kari, I lingered back, grabbing Garrick’s arm to stop him. I waited until we were alone before speaking. “Are you okay?”
“I’m the reason the whole integration is going to fail. What do you think?” He replied gruffly.
“It’s not your fault, it’s the Originals’. You can’t blame yourself for what’s going on.”
“No? How come they chose me then? There had to be something unlikable about me to be their target. You don’t see them framing you for murder, do you?”
“There’s nothing unlikable about you, Garrick,” I insisted. Although, I doubted I would be able to convince him. When he was in that kind of mood I could have told him the sky was blue and he wouldn’t have believed me. “You were just unlucky, that’s all. It could have happened to any of us.”
“But it didn’t. It happened to me.”
“And we’re going to prove it wasn’t you.” We stared at each other, his sad eyes to my determined ones. I wasn’t going to win that argument. “None of us are going to give up. You heard Krom, our entire race is at stake now. That means every single Truconian is working on clearing your name.”
We stood there for the longest time in silence before Garrick finally spoke. “You should all go home. It could take ages before anything happens and you all have lives back on Earth. I can stay here alone. I think I would prefer it that way.”
“No,” I replied adamantly. I wasn’t going to listen to him and I certainly wasn’t going to abandon him. “I’m not going anywhere. Lochie and Lola might choose to go back, but I am here for the long haul.”
“You’re crazy.”
“And I’m your friend so get over it.” I may have earned the slightest hint of a smile from him. I considered it a win. We joined the others and saw the famous volcano in the backyard of the building. It was grey too, there wasn’t even any larva.
We continued our tour after lunch until we were finally taken back to our temporary home. Kari bid us farewell and promised to return again soon. It had been a long day and I was glad to have s
ome downtime.
Garrick and Kyle went to sit out the back of the house to talk strategy. I hoped Kyle managed to talk some sense into Garrick and cheer him up a bit. I didn’t expect him to be happy or bubbly, but I did want him to actually have hope. I didn’t want him doing anything stupid and spiraling downwards until he was so depressed he couldn’t get out of it again.
My anger had been growing all afternoon. Every time I saw Garrick looking like a sad, lost little boy it stoked my fire even more. The Truconians had done nothing to the humans, not one thing. We didn’t deserve the kind of treatment we were getting.
I understood fear caused irrational behavior, but surely logic and reason had to step in there somewhere. The people had seen how much we wanted to integrate, they saw us in their community. How could they jump on the bandwagon and want us locked up or dead so quickly?
“Ame, just chill,” Lola warned as she saw me lose it because I couldn’t get the snack container open. I may have hit it on the counter repeatedly. Although, I swear, that sometime helped open things.
“Give it to me,” Lochie said as he prized it out of my hands. He twisted it simply and it popped open. He held it out for me with a smug look on his face. I had an overwhelming desire to hit him with it.
“Thank you,” I muttered. I didn’t really even want the snack, I just needed something to do. I popped one of the small brown things into my mouth and instantly regretted it. I put the lid of the container back on again.
“I know it’s frustrating,” Lochie started evenly. “But you have to trust that everyone is doing all they can to help Garrick.”
“It’s so unfair that it’s happening.”
“Life isn’t fair.” When I gave him the seriously? look, he continued on. “There’s nothing more we can do right now. Being here and supporting him, that’s the best we can do. And he needs that just like he needs all that other help.”
Project Integrate Series Boxed Set Page 82