Autonomy: Book 2 in the Invasion Day series (5 page)

Kronus and Thrayke both looked at each other, and couldn’t deny that neither had a leg to stand on if they were serious about putting a stop to her continuing with the mission. They would have to give a reason for saying no to what was a sound strategy, and so one or the other would have to come clean about how she’d gotten too close, and that she’d reaped the benefits along the way.

Kyra doubted Kronus would allow rumors about his private life to circulate, so Thrayke would have to take the heat. Not only would that cause outrage among the older human Gentry because of his favoritism, but also he’d likely have to step down from his post as the Besieger. After Kronus’ insistence they stop seeing one another, she hoped the King wouldn’t appreciate them being expected to remain a couple for appearances sake after the dust had settled either, but also hoped she might never find out just how far he was willing to go to keep her as his spinster minion.

Kyra gave it a few seconds of tense silence, and then poked her head around the door to call to Gage. “We’re on, I’m going to get ready.” He nodded in acceptance, and she saw Tanner grin on the screen across the way.

A second later, she was walking away from the two huge Thraks that’d tossed her around like a ragdoll for the past half-day, and she was glad to have her head held high and her confidence firmly back in place. Kyra reached the bathroom she’d showered in and was fishing her dress out of the laundry bin she’d flung it into when the door opened and in strode King Kronus.

“Don’t ever talk to me like that again,” he warned, and the fire in his eyes both excited and scared her. “You and I are going to have a little chat when all of this is over, mark my words.”

“That’s good to know. Thank you, sire.” She knew she was pushing her luck, but she’d had enough of the ups and downs of his moods, and wasn’t ready to play his games again just yet. Now, he was saying he would see her again, whereas before he’d said the polar opposite. She was getting whiplash with all the back and forth. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back into this damn dress.”

Kronus was on her in a heartbeat, and her breath left her in a rush as he pinned her to the lockers. His hand fisted her combat shirt at the waist, and the material quickly gave way beneath his powerful grip. Kyra heard the shirt rip, and felt the bottom few buttons pop, but she still didn’t cower before him. She didn’t care about the shirt, only her pride—which had been damaged enough for one day.

“You’re not just a dirty little secret, Kyra. I want you back in one piece, do you understand?” his gruff whisper sent a shiver down her spine, and she nodded while peering back up at him.

“Then please stop treating me like an inconvenience. Take care when you handle my foolish emotions, and me, or there’ll be no going back. I get that you’re not used to taking a leap of faith, especially with a human, but please learn to trust me,” she quietly pleaded, and Kronus nodded against her cheek. He took a deep breath, as though breathing her in, and then stepped away.

“I’ll try,” he said, and then left her to get ready in privacy.

***

Tarquin and the other policemen dropped Kyra and Gage off at the outskirts of the ancient city a couple of hours later, and they tossed her backpack to the ground before speeding away. They’d taken the equipment and left them with only their clothes and essentials, plus the small camera they’d taken their snaps with, but the squad had already gone over the plan at length, so Kyra and Gage both knew it was wise to get rid of their surveillance kit. They would liaise only with Tanner, who would relay the information back to the others. No recording equipment or monitoring devices would accompany the pair of covert operatives, as it was agreed by all that the rebels would undoubtedly be checking for them. Thrayke hadn’t been keen on them going in there without any backup, but they all knew that in order to properly blend in, they had to rule out anything that might put them at risk of being caught out.

They both looked bedraggled, exhausted and in need of a wash, and had done so on purpose to ensure they looked as though they’d just spent the night in the interrogation cells. Kyra knew their hotel room would’ve gone to other travellers, so they headed straight for the bar where Tanner was already in the process of setting up for the daytime shift.

“My word, what happened to you two?” he asked, feigning ignorance and concern for their wellbeing. He then ushered them inside, and gave Kyra a hug to soothe her supposed upset. She guessed she must be playing her part a little too well when he held tight, and realized after a look in the mirror that she actually did look as if she was on the verge of tears. It wouldn’t surprise her if she managed a few droplets with ease after the night she’d just had, so in one way she was glad for all the topsy-turvy emotions that were evidently still keeping her adrenaline pumping.

“We’re fine, but I could do with a splash of hot water and something to eat if you can spare it?” she asked, and Tanner immediately showed them through to the back where his small living quarters were. They didn’t say a word about the mission in case of eavesdroppers or bugs, so she and Gage maintained their cover even while showering and then sitting down to eat together. Kyra was well aware that they had to go right back into character, but this time it took her a while to shake off Kronus’ cryptic speech about how he wanted to see her again after the mission was over. She wondered if he’d said it in a way that meant she was overdue a serious telling off, or if instead he was planning to lure her away so they could spend some time getting to know one another like she and Thrayke had once done. That basis of friendship had been a much needed connection for the pair of them. It was the foundation of their relationship rather than attraction and she hoped she might be able to have that with Kronus as well once the dust had settled.

“Kiki? Did you hear me?” Gage asked, and Kyra forced herself back into the room with an apologetic shake of her head. “We need to head off now if we want to make it in good time. Are you ready for this?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Thanks for the hospitality, Tanner. We’re heading out for a walk, so will see you later,” she called as they left the bar a few minutes afterwards, and he waved them goodbye with a smile. He’d decided against going to the meeting himself, seeing as they’d been handpicked to go by the rebel recruiters, but he had insisted they come back straight afterward to fill him in and make their final report, and they’d agreed, but knew it’d all depend on how the evening went. It went unsaid between the three of them that Kyra and Gage were willing to go with the flow where necessary to gather more intel, but their superiors back at the holding facility didn’t necessarily need to know that, and she was glad to have discovered such a tremendous ally in Tanner amidst the covert chaos.

Gage led the way, and before long they’d reached the old temple on the outskirts of the city. Half of it had been ruined on Invasion Day, but parts of the epic temple remained intact, and what was left had been preserved by the local humans to create a stunning piece of architecture that many enthusiasts had made sure would last for many years to come. A guide was waiting by the entrance, and thanks to Marko’s direct request that they attend, Gage knew exactly what the man was going to ask before he even opened his mouth.

“Good evening, would you like to join one of our tours?” he said warmly, and Gage nodded. “Excellent. North or southbound?”

“I hear the northbound views are lovely this time of evening,” he answered, and the man smiled. He handed Gage a map of the ruins, and directed them to a small structure far off in the distance. Any legitimate travellers would know that it was the opposite that time of night, and opt for the southbound route to watch the sunset, so it was the perfect code for getting everyone who was there for the same reason in one place securely.

With a gentle smile, Kyra took her fake husband’s arm and together they walked the length of the ruins to the northern edge. They then took their place among the small crowd already gathered there and greeted the others politely. Many of them they already recognized from the bar.

“I’m glad to see you evaded imprisonment, Timmy,” a deep voice spoke from the crowd, and Marko, the man Gage had been speaking with a couple nights’ before, stepped out to greet them. “What happened to you last night, my friend?”

“Marko, I’m glad to see you again, too,” Gage answered, and shook his hand with a polite nod. Beside him was another man Kyra recognized from the bar, and he too seemed impressed to discover that they’d gotten away from police custody relatively unscathed. “They tracked us down after our contact in Thailand gave up our names, and it appears he was working as an informant,” he then told them, having known full well that the story added up thanks to their insider knowledge.

“Were you interrogated?” the other man asked, whom Kyra realized had to be the infamous Tuka, and Gage nodded. From what Tanner had told them, he was not only one of the highest ranking rebel recruiters in the area, but also commander of the local faction, and so a worthwhile adversary within the treacherous group. Gage looked down at his unusually quiet pretend wife with a sad smile, and gave her a squeeze. Kyra had remained silent on purpose, and knew she was playing the role of the timid human scared stiff by her recent run-in with the law perfectly when they all turned to look at her with gentle, sorry gazes.

Tuka stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder to draw her eyes up to meet his. Kyra did, and she was chilled to the bone by what she found there. Tuka had a hardened stare and a vast degree of iciness to him that shone out from behind his piercing blue eyes regardless of his sorrowful front, and his shaved head only added to the intimidating look he seemed to effortlessly suit. He smiled, but it was clearly forced. “It’s okay, Kiki. I bet you were scared, but you know now just how strong you need to be to stand up to them. They’re ruling our planet through totalitarian methods, but masquerading behind the pretense that they came here to save our species. You’ll learn the truth very soon, and you’ll be better off for it,” he told her, and leaned in so close she wondered if he might kiss her cheek, but then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he lowered his voice and whispered in her ear. “Will you stay after the meeting’s finished? I’d like to introduce you to some more of my colleagues.”

“It’d be our pleasure,” Kyra answered him, and his satisfied smile made her want to vomit. There was something incredibly off about Tuka, and she was quite sure she didn’t want to end up alone with him any time in the near future. He reeked of affluence and power, but there was something else there, and she wondered if he might have his fingers in some very dark and dangerous pies as well as a high standing among the rebels.

When it was clear everyone who’d wanted to attend had arrived, Tuka and another man she hadn’t seen before stood before the crowd of what Kyra estimated to be around forty humans. The pair welcomed them all, and then Tuka began quietly outlining why they’d been requested to attend.

“Many of you were personally invited here tonight, but others were clever enough to follow the trail of crumbs we laid out, so well done. Regardless of how you came to be here—we’re incredibly glad you did. I have an important question I like to ask the people I meet nowadays, and it’s simply…how’s life? Any who answer with a, ‘good, thank you,’ or similar response are not worth my time, but any who check over their shoulders before answering me honestly, they’re who I’m looking for. All of you were the latter. You appreciate the truth and have expressed your agreement in our beliefs that we’ve been conditioned to follow these aliens blindly. So many of us believed the propaganda they’ve fed us about why they’re here and what they want from us, but it’s all crap. We’re here to both enlighten you, and to ask for your help,” Tuka told the gathering. He was unmistakably a force of nature, silencing the crowd while alluring them with his rousing speech, and Kyra had to admit, he was impressive.

She leaned into Gage’s hold even more, and he held onto her tighter. She hated hearing the blasphemous words that were pouring out of the man’s mouth, but also despised how they also made fundamental sense. She’d raised concerns of the same nature to Thrayke once upon a time ago, and knew for sure now that the rebels really were targeting a more shrewd selection of the human population with talk of how they knew better. The new breed of rebels evidently counted on their ability to question the things that seemed out of place, and they were keen on utilizing that rare quality.

Murmurs of agreement echoed all around them, and for appearances sake, Kyra looked up into Gage’s face and nodded to him. When she looked back to the front of the crowd, she saw Tuka watching them, and was certain by the self-assured look on his face that they had him fooled.

“We mean to seek out the truths hidden from our race and then bring them to light. We need you in order to do it. You are not rebels, but you will help your race survive by providing information and support when called upon by your handlers. This initiative is looking for those strong enough to play both sides effectively, and those who we can trust to handle the burden effectively,” the other man continued. “Are you ready to properly save the human race from its oppressive ruler and his army? Do you consider yourselves worthy of a place in this regime? Would you give us your loyalty in return for a chance to change history alongside the men and women who’ve dared stand up to King Kronus and his race of brutes?”

Cries of affirmation came from the crowd around them, and Gage was quick to offer his service to the rebel forces with a throaty cry. Deep down, Kyra wanted to storm forward and snap Tuka and the other man’s necks, but outwardly she maintained her cover. She grinned broadly and gave her fake husband a deep kiss rather than call out, and by the time she pulled away, many members of their small crowd were starting to fire questions at the two speakers one-to-one. They wanted to know more, and quite rightly so, and she listened in on as many conversations as possible to gather her intel for the debriefing she and Gage knew was coming the following morning.