by S. E. Smith
In frustration, he turned off the tablet and stared out over the ruined Earth city. He had seen the same countless times before on other worlds. The difference with this species was they were the ones who had destroyed their own cities as panic overwhelmed the population. They had refused to believe the initial first contact when greetings of peace had been given.
So far, he wasn’t impressed with this species’ ability to contribute to the growth of the Alliance. The humans still held too tightly to their various superstitions. This was one of the things that hindered their progress. The only thing the humans had going for them was their will to survive. They adapted, some faster than others, but they adapted. They had little choice now that they knew they were no longer alone in the universe.
Chapter 6
Kali moved silently through the underground corridors of a fortified former mall that was the current headquarters of her brother, Destin. She nodded to the few people she passed, but didn’t speak with them tonight. Her mind was focused on what had happened earlier.
Even though she was only twenty-three, she moved with a quiet confidence that spoke of strength and power. She was in charge of her brother’s personal security team, in addition to helping patrol the perimeter that protected the people living in the northern section of the city. Those responsibilities left little personal time that she could call her own. She was constantly on the move, either meeting with the members of their security team, evaluating and planning defensive maneuvers or working out to make sure she was in the best condition possible if her brother needed her protection.
Over time she had come to know and care about those living out on the streets and in the inner city they had created. While the times and the world around them had changed dramatically, the people remained the same. They were still the ones that laughed and scolded her and Destin when they ran through the streets as children causing mischief and enjoying their freedom.
A small smile of remembrance curved her lips when she remembered their carefree childhood. She had never worried about what would happen. Destin, older by three years, always had her back as she had his. They were not only brother and sister, but best friends. In a crazy world, they had lived a crazy existence of freedom, roaming the streets and rooftops like the city was their personal playground. Her lips drooped before tightening when she remembered the only other person that she had trusted above all others at one time – Colbert.
He had begun to change long before the world had its first contact with aliens. They had reunited when that happened six years ago, but he had become a stranger to her and Destin. He ruled over the southern half while Destin took the northern half. It was easier to work together to protect and care for close to a million residents who refused to leave the city.
Kali had hoped they could become friends again when they banded together after the world dissolved around them. For a short period, it seemed as if they had, but everything changed two years ago when Colbert… Kali’s mind shied away from the memories as her eyes burned. She refused to think about what had almost happened. Instead, she focused on the present.
She nodded to an older woman and young child, Mary Clark and her granddaughter, Beth. They both smiled back at her before turning a corner leading into the common area. Her heart pulled when she thought of all the destruction on the other side of the city. Destin was trying so hard to rebuild the city and the people living here while Colbert was tearing it further apart.
Kali cared about the people living here. She would do whatever she could to make their lives better. Unfortunately, her compassion came with a price. Her heart ached as she remembered the men and women who had died to protect those living here.
She had earned her position as Destin’s chief of security by sacrificing a piece of her soul. Every time she sent one of her team members out and they didn’t return, a piece of her died with them. What almost suffocated her, though, was when she took a life like she had tonight. Then, then the dark fear of what she was becoming threatened to choke her.
Knock it off, she admonished herself silently. If I’m not careful, I’ll become as crazy as William.
“Kali, wait up,” William called out from behind her.
Kali hid the grimace when she heard William call her name. And that, she added to herself, is why I should never think such thoughts. William will invariably know.
“Troy said you killed two men tonight,” William stated breathlessly as he tried to keep up with her quickening pace. “Do you want to repent for it?”
Kali ground her teeth together to refrain from saying anything that would hurt William’s feelings. William had decided to become a born again preacher who believed in every faith known to mankind a few weeks ago. At seventy-two, she didn’t know why he bothered. If he hadn’t found religion before now, and from what she knew of his past he had not, she honestly didn’t understand why he even wanted to at this late date. The only thing she could think of was that he hoped it might give him an edge if Colbert broke through their defenses, not that Colbert cared about what happened to his black soul.
If that son-of-a-bitch does break through, he’ll be the one needing to repent, Kali thought savagely as hatred burned like lava in her gut.
“I have some holy water that I found in St. James Cathedral over on Huron and Wabash,” William added holding up a battered whiskey flask.
Kali bit back a derisive remark when she glanced at the hopeful look on William’s face. The water in the flask was probably rain water from the spring showers that had come through a few days ago. With a shake of her head, she stopped and looked at the withered face of the former Bookie and street corner Hot Dog vendor turned evangelist. Taking a deep breath, she gently covered the hand holding the flask up.
“William, I have nothing to repent. I think you should stay closer to the compound. We ran into some of Allen’s men tonight,” she calmly replied. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt if you should accidently run into any of them.”
“I...,” he started to argue before he clamped his lips tightly together at Kali’s look of warning. “I’ll see if Mabel would like for me to hold a prayer session.”
“You do that,” Kali encouraged him before turning back to the lower section of the building. “Just make sure you stay at least a foot away when you do. Mabel is likely to hit you again if you start tossing water on her,” she called out over her shoulder as she walked away.
“I’ll stay at least three feet from her,” William called out behind her. “She’s using a cane now.”
Kali shook her head and chuckled as she thought of William’s current love interest. Mabel was as chipper and optimistic as they came. At almost eighty, Kali suspected she just started carrying the cane to keep William from tossing water on her again.
Turning the last corner, she pushed open the double doors, noting with satisfaction that Jason and Tim were standing alertly by the thick metal door leading to her brother’s office. She nodded to them, murmuring her thanks when Jason opened the door for her. She brushed past him, ignoring the way his eyes lingered on her. She knew he was interested. Unfortunately, she wasn’t.
She had no desire to complicate her life by getting involved with anyone. She had made a promise to herself after the Earth was invaded that she would not think of her own desires until it was free again. What she hadn’t expected was that it would be the humans who would cause all the chaos and destruction. She realized now that she had been young and naïve.
It had taken two years for her to finally learn that the aliens had come in peace, not to conquer them. Even so, she still didn’t trust them any more than she trusted – anyone, except for Destin. Her brother was the only one that she trusted to never betray her.
“Destin,” she greeted softly as she entered the room. “We need to talk. Colbert’s men are becoming more aggressive and… and I believe the Trivators are about to make a move into the city.”
Her brother’s frown pulled at the scar along his left chee
k. He glanced at the door to make sure it was closed before he nodded toward the seat across from the battered metal desk he was sitting behind. Kali crossed the worn floor and sank down into the equally worn leather chair.
She knew better than to say anything until he finished with the report he was reading. She hid the grimace when the frown on his face darkened and he shot a fierce glance at her. Troy or Richard must have already submitted their report before she got back. While they had all been together on the perimeter check and when they encountered Colbert’s men, she had stayed out a bit longer afterwards.
Kali shifted slightly in the chair as she thought of the reason for her delay in returning. She had known ‘he’ was watching again. Every night for almost the past two weeks he had been waiting… searching… watching.
She glanced down so Destin couldn’t see her troubled eyes. He had enough to worry about without her adding her nagging feelings to the load he carried on his broad shoulders. It may have been a mistake to save the alien, but she couldn’t leave him once she knew he was alive and injured. She just hoped it wasn’t a mistake she lived to regret one day.
“Tell me,” he demanded, his deep voice echoing in the quiet room.
Kali shuttered her feelings behind the calm mask that she had learned to hide behind after Colbert’s betrayal. She lifted her head and stared back at her brother, noting the lines of fatigue around his eyes and mouth. She also saw the concern.
She released a sigh and tucked her short brown hair behind her ear. “You know about the three men tonight?” She said more than asked.
“Yes,” he replied, tapping the report in front of him. “Colbert’s growing brasher. You were lucky you weren’t killed tonight, Kali. Troy said that you were caught out in the open.”
“I knew they were there,” she replied in a soft voice. “I caught a glimpse when we were topside, but lost them. They were almost five blocks inside the barrier. That is the farthest they’ve made it so far. I wanted to know how they were getting through. We followed them, but lost sight again as we got closer to the line. I couldn’t let them get back across.”
“So you used yourself as bait?” Destin bit out. “I need you alive, Kali. Foolish decisions like that won’t keep you that way.”
Kali’s mouth tightened at her brother’s quiet reprimand. Her fingers curled until her hands were fisted in her lap. She fought and won the battle with her temper. She didn’t lose it often, but when she did, shit usually hit the fan.
Instead, she counted to ten and drew in a deep, calming breath before replying. “We needed to find the weak area. I did, in the form of a traitor. Jeffrey was with them.”
Destin’s head snapped back in shock before his eyes narrowed in rage. Jeffrey was a relatively new member of the city who claimed to have found his way here after coming down from Canada. He had recently been assigned as a perimeter guard.
“Damn it. I should have known,” Destin cursed out as he stood up. He ran his hand through his own short hair in frustration. “What did you discover?”
“There is an underground utility tunnel that we missed,” she replied. “I’ve given the information to Mason. He and his crew are sealing it even as we speak. That’s why I was late. There may be others. I’ve instructed Mason to go back through the archives to see if there are any more building plans available. From the look of the tunnel, I would have to say it was built at the beginning of the last century.”
“Damn it! You went down there? Alone?” Destin asked, glaring angrily at her. “What if there had been more of Colbert’s men down there? Kali, if Colbert gets his hands on you…”
Kali’s eyes softened at the slight fear that crept into her brother’s eyes as he remembered what had almost happened before. She stood up and walked over to him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rested her head on his chest. Her eyes closed as she listened to the steady beat of his heart. They only had each other and it terrified both of them when they thought how close they had come to losing each other.
“He won’t,” she promised as he held her close. “He isn’t smart enough, and he knows if I ever get near him again, it will be to shove a knife through his heart.”
Destin’s soft chuckle pulled a smile to her lips. “You’ve turned into a blood-thirsty little demon,” he remarked before he sobered and released her to step back. “You have to be more careful.”
“I will,” she teased as she returned to her seat. She was glad she had when he answered her next question with one of his own. “So, what are you going to do about Jeffrey?”
“I should kill his ass, but I’ll probably just have him escorted out of the city,” he replied tiredly as he returned to his own seat and sat down. “Now, when are you going to tell me about your encounter with the Trivator warrior and why you think they are going to be making a move on the city? I’ve been waiting two weeks and you still haven’t submitted your report on that incident.”
“Shit!” Kali exclaimed in irritation. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.”
Chapter 7
Razor walked through the corridor of the facility he had been given. He nodded to several warriors and human personnel as he strode through the long corridor toward his office. Irritation burned in him as Cutter explained that Councilor Badrick from the Usoleum Star System was waiting for him.
“Three humans from the northern section of the city have requested a meeting with the leaders of the Alliance, specifically the Trivator commanders,” Cutter muttered. “I don’t like this. Badrick is here and has demanded your presence when he heard they were here. He said they wanted to negotiate with us to secure the city.”
“There is no negotiation. Is Parks one of the men?” Razor asked impatiently as he walked into his office. Since he arrived on the planet he could see what part of the problem the Alliance continued to have with the humans were - each faction wanted to make their own rules and demands instead of learning to live together as one species.
He stared intently into the nervous brown eyes that turned to glance at him in shock as he stepped into the room. “You will cease fighting immediately or those who continue to fight will be eliminated. The Alliance will select who will oversee the rebuilding of the city.”
Razor watched nonchalantly as the human male swallowed several times. The male to the left of him nervously shifted while the male to the right glared back at him with hatred. Razor knew immediately which male would fight and which ones would back down. The male doing the talking was not the leader of this group of supposed representatives and none of them were Parks.
He and Cutter both smelled the faint odor of explosives when they walked further into the room. He ignored Cutter as his friend and second-in-command moved to the side so he could circle around the third male.
Badrick, the stupid, arrogant fool that he was, had walked into a deadly trap. Now, he and the human military officers in the room were in danger. This is why the Trivator were in charge of the military for the Alliance and not the Usoleums. His arm swept up as he pointed the laser pistol in his hand at the head of the third male staring back at him with loathing.
“Concede,” he growled in a low, dangerous voice.
The male’s hand moved slightly toward his belt. Razor didn’t wait. He pulled the trigger. The two males standing in front and to the side of the human jumped in panic as the male collapsed. Coarse expletives filled the room as the human military grabbed the remaining males. One of the human officers reached for Razor but backed off when Razor turned the pistol in his hand toward him.
A loud sigh filled the air. “Was that really necessary, Razor? The negotiations were going well,” Councilmen Badrick remarked sardonically, looking with distaste at the dark blood staining the finely woven carpet on the floor.
Razor turned his eyes to the slender male with long white hair and faint blue-tinted skin. There was no love lost between the two of them. He knew Badrick didn’t always approve of his methods. In fact, he had been the lone diss
ent on the Alliance Council asking for Razor to step in.
The council really had no other choice. Razor had already informed them that no more Trivator warriors would be sacrificed on this world. Either they allowed him to end the last areas of rebellion, or he would pull the warriors and let the Alliance security teams deal with them alone. Six years was longer than it had taken to bring any of the other worlds the Alliance had inducted under control.
“Yes, it was necessary. Your species does not have the sense of smell a Trivator does. If you did, you would have smelled the explosives on the male. Did you not have your security team check the humans before you agreed to meet with them?” Razor asked in a cool voice.
Badrick looked down at the dead male with disdain. He shrugged his slender shoulders as he looked back at Razor. He was very careful to keep his true feelings hidden. He was well aware of the Trivator warrior’s opinion of him.
“I will talk to the security team. I had assumed they would have checked the humans before allowing them inside the building. Are you sure he had explosives on him?” Badrick asked in a calm voice.
“Press the detonator button he has at his waist and let me know if I’m wrong,” Razor replied before he looked at the two remaining rebels. “Who sent you?”
The male who had originally been doing the talking swallowed several times as he looked at the laser pistol now pointed at his head. He paled and began to tremble violently as he opened his mouth to speak. He stumbled several times before he finally choked out one name.
“Parks,” he whispered.
Razor pulled the trigger before he turned it to the last man. “One last time,” he snarled in a low voice. “I want the truth this time. Who sent you?”
The other man’s eyes widened for a moment before he shoved the MP holding his arm. He reached for his waist at the same time as Razor pulled the trigger. A bright stain of red spread over the front of the male’s chest as he collapsed.