Seek, p.27
Seek, page 27
part #2 of Unwelcome Series
All eyes were on Lyla now. “These women are slaves. They have no say in what happens to themselves or their children. And that is a future the Naku are trying to begin for the women of our planet. If you cannot wrap your head around the idea of helping the Unwelcome, think of taking the women and children from their facility as a way of defeating the Naku. Their lives depend on having the Unwelcome to protect them. We’re going to take one very large brick out of the wall they have built around themselves. Because make no mistake, our assault on the facility is only the beginning of us taking back our planet.”
She paused. “Now I ask again, who is with me?”
Hands raised.
“Who is with me?” she asked louder.
Yells greeted her.
She shook her head, yelling. “Who is with me?”
Almost every person yelled.
She nodded, her voice strong, not betraying any of her doubts or fears, and led the way toward the entrance of the camp.
Justin hustled around the group to intercept her. “You can’t do this. Those women aren’t worth risking all our protections.”
“Addie is up there.”
“I know, I know. But still—” He reached out to grab her arm. She stopped him with a look.
His hand curled back as if singed. “You’re leaving us without any protection.”
“You have walls and the guards you trained. I’m not making anyone go with us. Maybe you should have treated people differently.”
Justin’s face screwed up, his mouth pinching, his eyes becoming slits. “You never should have been allowed back in, you or any of the Cursed.”
Lyla ignored him.
“Maybe I’ll have a conversation with the Naku. Tell them where there’s a group of Cursed who—”
Lyla’s hand shot out and grabbed Justin’s throat. She kicked the inside of his right knee before shooting her heel into his left. He crashed to the ground. Keeping her hand on his throat, she angled his head up. “If I ever think you pose a threat to me or my people, I will end you.”
He scrabbled at her hand.
“Do you understand me?”
He nodded, his face reddening. She shoved him away. He crumbled back, gasping for breath. She eyed each of the people with him. “That goes for all of you.”
They all nodded back at her. With a final glare, she headed for the entrance. Lewis fell in step with her, arching an eyebrow. “So we’re not playing nice anymore?”
“I’ve never played nice with people who threaten mine.”
Lewis smiled. “Me, either.”
96
Lyla sent half the group on to the estate. Frank, along with Montell, a handful of the Phoenixes, and the younger Cursed were all going along. Montell had balked at the idea of staying out of the fight, but Lyla knew she needed fighters who could teach the younger ones if this mission went badly.
Now the rest of the group stood waiting on the edge of a clearing. Lyla stood, her arms clasped behind her back, watching the sky for Thor. Lewis and Arthur were once again at her sides. Behind her, another three dozen volunteers waited. She knew what each of them was capable of, but this mission was different from any other.
Arthur had been a great ambassador for his people, but many in her group still wondered if this was the right move. But in her gut, she knew it was. They needed to see if the Ka Sama was having the effect they thought it was. And they couldn’t risk an assault on a larger, better defended target. All told, the breeding facility only had about two dozen guards. They should be able to take it relatively easily.
And besides, with Addie there, even if the rest of them hadn’t agreed, she would have gone. She wasn’t leaving her there to be experimented on. She glanced over to where Jamal stood, fingering his knife. She was worried about him. Since Addie had been taken, he had been beside himself. She just prayed he kept it together.
Arthur nudged her shoulder. “Lyla.”
Her gaze flew to the sky. A veerfinah was approaching. As it grew near, she realized it was larger than the one Thor usually stole. It made its way steadily toward them, growing in size. Lyla swallowed, nerves crawling over her. She was about to tell her people to willingly step into an Unwelcome ship. What if this was just a huge trap to get her and the Cursed?
She didn’t think the Unwelcome or the Naku had that kind of imagination, though. But they did work with humans. She was putting a lot of faith in an Unwelcome who had been their captive not that long ago.
“Having second thoughts?” Lewis asked.
“Second, third, and fourth as well,” she murmured low enough for only him and Arthur to hear.
“What does your gut tell you? Is he on the level?” Lewis asked.
“Yes.”
“Then I guess we’re doing this. One side’s got to take the first step to trust, right?”
“Right.”
“And actually he came to us. That shows a little trust on his part, too.”
“I guess it does.”
Everyone got to their feet as the veerfinah started to land in the clearing.
Lyla took a breath and turned to Lewis. “Keep everyone here.” She caught Riley’s gaze across the clearing. He headed toward her. Arthur joined them as well. The three of them crossed the clearing as the ramp began to lower.
As soon as the ramp touched the ground, Thor walked down it.
“He never wears his helmet when he meets us anymore,” Riley observed.
“Probably so we can identify him,” Lyla said.
“No,” Arthur said softly. “Once the helmet is off and your eyes are open, it is the most difficult thing in the world to put it back on.”
Lyla glanced up at him and knew it wasn’t just Thor he was talking about.
Thor’s whole body was rigid until he caught sight of the three of them walking toward him. “You came.”
“You thought we wouldn’t?” Riley asked.
“I wasn’t sure.”
“Everything okay on your part?”
Thor nodded. “So far. But the chelvah, they’re different. Whatever you did, it seems to be working.”
“Have any said anything or done anything to indicate they’re against the Naku?”
“No, but neither have I. I can only hope that when the opportunity presents itself, they do.”
Lyla nodded. That was the best they could hope for. She had hoped maybe a small rebellion was brewing, but that was probably too much to expect in such a small time period.
“We should get everyone on board. It’s not a short trip.”
Lyla studied him and then the quiet ship. “Riley, Arthur, check the ship.”
Riley immediately headed up the ramp. Arthur hesitated for only a moment before following.
She looked at Thor. “Does this bother you?”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t trust me, either.”
Riley and Arthur were back just a few minutes later. “It’s all clear. There’s no one on board.”
Lyla took a deep breath and then looked back at the woods where her people were waiting for her signal. She raised her hand. “Then let’s get everyone on board.”
97
It was difficult to make out what exactly was happening in the clearing, which only made Vel’s frustration grow. First, he had wasted time trekking back to Attlewood. There’d been no sign of Lyla or her Cursed. He’d headed over to Meg’s encampment, but Lewis had left days earlier. He’d seen his wife with a baby and had contemplated grabbing them. But Lewis and Pierce would track them down and make them pay for such a violation.
But then luck had shined on them. Lewis returned with his son. They only stayed a few hours before leaving again. He contemplated grabbing them as they left. But he wasn’t stupid enough to take Lewis and Pierce on. Grit was good in a fight, so it would be an even match between the four of them.
But Vel didn’t do even matches. He only did matches where he was all but guaranteed a win. And just like that, they led him to New Attlewood. A few hours later, Lewis and Pierce rode back out with Lyla and a group of close to a hundred people. An hour later, the group split. He’d debated following the other group, but it had few fighters. He was pretty sure the action was going to be with Lyla.
So he followed her instead.
They’d continued north for four hours before they stopped in the middle of nowhere. At first, he’d thought they were merely taking a break. But an hour passed, and they didn’t move. Then an Unwelcome ship appeared in the sky. At first Vel had grown angry, thinking he’d lost out on the bounty. The Unwelcome had already found them.
But by the time he moved to a better spot to see what was going on, the veerfinah had landed. Dusk had hit, but there was still enough light to make out what was happening. He’d hunkered down, waiting for the fight or a chase. But neither happened.
Instead of running from the veerfinah, Lyla had walked up to it with that Unwelcome of hers and one of the Cursed. The ramp lowered, and an Unwelcome appeared. But there was something different about him.
“He’s not wearing a helmet,” Grit whispered next to him. And he realized she was right.
He frowned. Two Unwelcome who weren’t behaving the way Unwelcome were supposed to. What made these two so different? And what exactly were they up to?
Vel watched in disbelief as the humans began to step into the clearing and head for the veerfinah. They all walked up the ramp and disappeared inside.
“Shouldn’t we contact the Unwelcome? She’s right there,” Grit hissed.
Vel shook his head. “Be quiet.” He needed to think. Calling the Unwelcome was useless because if they were taking off in a veerfinah, they’d be long gone before they arrived. And he knew that trying to explain what had happened would be equally useless. They were mindless drones.
At least, they usually are.
His gaze focused on the two Unwelcome standing with the humans as the last of Lyla’s group entered the ship and disappeared inside and the two Unwelcome followed. After scanning the area, Lyla joined them. The ramp raised, and seconds later, the veerfinah rose into the sky.
“We lost her.” Grit stood up.
“We never had her.” He stood up, hurrying past her. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, keeping pace with him.
“New City. We need to talk to someone in charge.”
98
The veerfinah gave off a slight hum as they soared through the sky. The first time she had been in a veerfinah, she had been overwhelmed by all the newness of it to take everything in. But now she settled in, enjoying the feel of being high above the earth. As a child, her father had told her stories of planes. They had sounded magical. Now she was standing behind the chair Arthur sat in as he piloted the veerfinah, watching the ground below fly by. It was exhilarating, awe-inspiring, and terrifying all at once.
But the view didn’t pull her thoughts from what lay ahead of them: the breeding facility. Even the phrase made Lyla’s skin crawl. As a woman, the predilection for certain men to control women through their bodies was a real factor in most women’s struggle to survive. It was why her father had started teaching both her and Muriel how to defend themselves from the time they were very young.
But the women in the facility had no protections, no choice but to let their bodies be used to further the Naku’s goals.
She wanted to think she would be helping even if Addie and other human women weren’t inside. At the same time, she wasn’t sure that was true. The idea of Addie being in there, it lit something inside of her and the rest of her people. But the humans wouldn’t be their only focus.
While the fact that women were being used against their will angered Lyla, she couldn’t help but be amazed that she was actually leading a mission to save Unwelcome. Because, breeders or not, they weren’t from Earth. They were part of the species that had stepped off of that mothership and decimated what was left of human society.
When she first saw them back at their old camp at the mill, her mind had almost frozen, trying to categorize who or what they were. And then she had been so busy fighting that what they were gave way to thoughts about what their weaknesses were. Then for the next five years, she was on guard looking out for them, teaching her people, and most importantly the children, how to protect themselves against them. They were the boogeyman come to life.
And now she considered one of them her closest friend. And Thor? She wasn’t sure what she considered him. But the term enemy no longer applied.
And that made her worried. She now knew they were a slave race. More than that, they were drugged into submission. They weren’t choosing to harm humans. They were being ordered to, and they were helpless to resist. She could feel compassion for them because of it.
But that didn’t change the fact that if given the order, they would kill everyone on this ship without a thought. Which meant she couldn’t hesitate. Her people couldn’t hesitate.
Arthur sat at the controls of the veerfinah. One more test of trust for Thor, allowing Arthur to pilot his ship. Thor, meanwhile, was slumped against the side of the cockpit with dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept much in the last week. Or month. Riley kept his gaze on Thor, a romag snuggled in his arms. Lyla had no doubt how quickly Riley would respond if needed.
“Have you had any problems taking the ship?” she asked, breaking the silence.
He shook his head. “No. I wait until maintenance has been through and then slip out. No one goes into that bay after maintenance until the next shift begins. As long as I am back on time, no one is aware.”
“And what about the other Unwelcome?” Riley asked. “Any more changes?”
Thor nodded, running a hand through his hair, an action that just looked so human. “Yes. Almost everyone I’ve seen is a little different.”
“How?” Riley asked.
“They fidget more, a few have had trouble waking in the morning. Many have trouble falling asleep. A few have dropped things and tripped.”
“That’s it? A little restlessness, a lack of coordination, and poor sleeping habits?” Riley said.
“That’s actually quite a lot,” Arthur said. “Everything in a chelvah’s life is controlled by the Naku, all movements. They do not stumble. They do not fidget without a direct order. This is a good sign.”
While Arthur might sound heartened by Thor’s report, Lyla’s thinking was more in line with Riley’s. A few stumbles and shifts of someone’s shoulders did not sound very encouraging.
But in her interactions with the Unwelcome, she had to admit she’d never seen such behavior. Of course, they were usually trying to kill her, so she couldn’t really be sure.
“And I …” continued Thor, “I spoke with one.”
“You did?” Lyla asked.
Thor nodded. “She helped me this morning when I did not hear the alarm. And she was in the loading bay when I returned the other night.”
“She didn’t give you away?” Riley asked.
“No.”
“Did you tell her about our plans for the facility?” Lyla asked.
He shook his head. “No. And I did not tell her where I had been. She wanted to talk more about what was happening to all of us.”
“Do you think she’s a threat?” Riley asked.
Thor frowned. “Actually, I think she might be an ally. She is assigned to the breeding facility as well.”
Lyla nodded. It was exactly what they had been hoping for.
“We’re coming up on the coordinates,” Arthur said.
Thor leaned forward. “It’s a clearing. The facility is just on the other side of the large southern hill. It should offer us good cover to land without anyone at the facility noticing.”
“They aren’t monitoring here?” Lyla asked.
“No,” Thor said.
“Why not?” Riley asked, his frustration evident. “I mean, if they’ve got, what, twenty Unwelcome stationed at the facility, they must be concerned about security.”
“They are. But not in the way you are thinking,” Thor said.
Lyla frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“They are not worried about an outside force, human or otherwise, breaking into the breeding facility,” Thor said.
“Then what’s with all the guards?” Riley demanded.
Thor looked at Arthur, who answered for him. “The guards are there to make sure no one gets out.”
99
Xantar awoke, his eyelids slowly rising. He floated softly, the substance surrounding him, holding him aloft. He tapped his wrist. The substance shifted beneath him, raising his back and head while lowering his legs. By the time the sleeping capsule opened, he was sitting upright. He stepped from the capsule, holding the railing next to him tightly. He walked toward the cleaning room, contemplating calling for his glider. He felt particularly weak this morning. He would need to increase his nutritional supplements.
He stepped into the cleaning tube, closing his eyes as the foam fell over him before the water washed it away. Keeping his eyes closed as the dry air blew on him, the capsule door slid open as it stopped. Sliding into his tunic and pants, he sat down, tapping on his wrist unit. The door to the room opened, and his glider appeared. He stepped onto it, leaning back, his legs already feeling the relief.
His tablet glowed to life next to him. He frowned as he reviewed it. The human bounty hunter wanted to speak with him. He did not understand these humans. They always needed to talk things over. Things should be done efficiently. Any consideration beyond efficiency was unnecessary.
He could admit, though, that the need to talk things over did highlight one of the Naku’s weaknesses: understanding emotions. It required that they rely on the very creatures they were trying to understand to explain their motivations and thereby determine the most efficient means of getting what you needed from them. Generally, reward was enough to get most humans to capitulate. Of course, there were always a few that would not bend. But that was what they had the Unwelcome for.
