The Trilisk Revolution (Parker Interstellar Travels) (9 page)

Wow.
That was nice. This must be the good security agency executive. Next is the bad
one?

They
walked over to a suite across from his own. Jason wondered what he’d done
wrong. They had found him. If a Trilisk escaped because of his failure…

I
waited so long to really join the PIT team. Now I failed them.

The
other suite had a command center of its own. Probably set up to monitor Jason
and the PIT team. The man indicated a chair in a way that did not invite
refusal. Jason sat down. He received a truth check request.

Truth
check. Damn. What should I do? Just say nothing.

“You
know the drill, Jason. An easy way, and a hard way,” the man in the black suit
said.

Jason
just sat there.

“Okay,”
the man said. He looked at another agent and pointed at Jason Yang. They closed
the suite door. Jason counted his enemies. Four men and three women.

“She’s
going to attach a medical monitor,” the agent said.

One
of the women came up and put a patch on his neck. Jason glanced at her. She was
a black haired beauty. He smelled her perfume. Strangely intriguing.

“Now
what are you doing here, Jason?” she asked.

“I’m
coordinating my sensor network to target Trilisks,” Jason said.

Dammit!
What the hell was that?

The
male agent smiled. “See? It’s always better to cooperate,” he said. “Why do you
think there are Trilisks out there?”

Jason
did not answer.

“How
do you know there’s Trilisks out there?” the woman asked.

“Magnus
and Telisa found out about them. Telisa talked to one,” Jason said. “Why do I
answer everything she asks?”

The
man shrugged. “Drugs? Instinctual desire to please a pretty woman? Link
programs? All of the above?”

“Dammit!”
Jason said. He tried to steel himself.

“What
are you going to do once you find those Trilisks, Jason?” the beautiful agent
asked.

“Kill
them.”

“How,
Jason?”

“Very
soon there will be alien strike satellites above Earth. Sent by another alien
we call Shiny. I’m going to help target any Trilisks that try to escape the PIT
team. Or any new ones that show up.”

“I
take it the Trilisks figured out how to look just like us,” the woman said.

“Yes.
They live in human bodies. Human, but better. Stronger, faster, even immortal.”

The
agent traded looks with the man who had started the interrogation.

“I’m
Agent Corbin. This is Agent Jones. Core World Security.”

“You
have to believe me,” Jason said. “Earth is under alien control. We’re just here
to stop them. Then we leave. Just let me do my job.” Jason knew they would
never let him continue, but he had to try.

Do
I have any evidence?

“We
believe you,” Corbin said.

“What?
Really? That’s great!”

“We’re
going to help you coordinate the strike grid,” he said. Jason’s link access
returned.

What
is he doing? Pretending to be convinced? What can he gain? More information?

“You
think I’m crazy,” Jason guessed.

“You’re
not crazy,” Corbin said. “The sensor array is real. You paid a lot of credits
to communications agents to set it up.”

They
think I’m part of setting the scene for an alien attack.

“You
know, aliens would not need the sensor array to attack Earth. It’s only because
what I say about the Trilisks is real,” Jason said.

“We
know you’re telling the truth. The truth check, remember? You passed. And we
know your hardware is real. True, you might be working for invaders and not
even know it. But we have control of the array now. We’ll see your targets and
your data identifying them.”

Jason
nodded.

“Truth
is, we’ve known about the influence of aliens on Earth for a while now,” Corbin
said. “If what you say is true, you’re our best chance of getting back
control.”

Jason
could not believe his luck. Had he really just found allies in the attack?

Or
are they totally just playing me to get more information? But why? I already
have some ridiculous drug or something that’s making me talk like a schoolboy.

“The
attack on the outer solar system is from this alien, Shiny you call him?” This
time it was Corbin speaking. Jason realized Corbin kept asking first because
they wanted to spare him the humiliation of being forced to answer. Jason
decided not to fight this time.

“Yes.
He just needs to get past the Space Force to remove the Trilisks.”

“What’s
in it for him?”

I’m
risking too much by discussing it. He’s just pumping me for information. I’m
betraying my friends.

“He
wants to steal their technology. As advanced as he is, he’s not at a godlike
level like they were.”

Before
the man asked the next question, Jason had an idea.

“You
will check out the targets we get, won’t you? You won’t feed it through.”

“What?”

“I
know you won’t fire without checking out the target. But that’s going to alert
the Trilisks. You’ll lose track of it. They outclass us in so many ways.
Striking them down without warning is our only hope. But I know you will try
and capture the ones we test positive.”

“Convince
me,” Corbin said. “Why should I strike them down… how did you choose the
locations of the sensors? You already have an idea of where they are?”

Who
they are. If I tell him its a laundry list of Earth’s most powerful…

“You
are right, we won’t fire blindly on Earth citizens,” Corbin continued. “Even
though we suspect alien influence. We’ll nab them, stun them before they even
know what’s up. Then we can check them out.”

“You’re
playing with fire,” Jason said. “There’s a reason our plan involves just
instantaneously vaporizing them.”

The
man seemed to be genuinely listening.

Too
good to be true. He’s pretending to listen so he can get more from me.

“Why
are you pretending to be nice to me?”

“Because
I want to save the Earth.”

Jason
shook his head. “You have no idea how much I hope you’re telling the truth.”

“Let’s
move out. We’ve set up a temporary command center nearby. We can coordinate the
operation from there. How much time do we have?”

I
thought this suite was their command center.

“Another
couple of hours,” Jason said. “But I should coordinate with my friend in space
before that.”

“Shiny?”
asked Jones.

“Cilreth,”
Jason said, wincing as he gave up more information. He was outclassed by these
interrogators and he knew it. If only Shiny had given him means to resist. The
PIT team needed something for this.

He
stood Jason up and released his cuffs. Jason was still suspicious.

Don’t
believe anything. Question everything.

“Okay.
Is it far? Which building?”

“Stark’s.”

“Excuse
me, I thought you said—”

“Stark’s,”
repeated Corbin. He pointed straight up for emphasis. Jason did not look up. He
knew he could not see the top of the adjacent spacescraper from here.

Stark’s
was a dark, loud dance club that docked atop spacescrapers all around the
world. The club was queen of the incarnate scene for the rich and famous. Most
of the population of the core worlds had been there virtually, only a few elite
had been there in person. For a fee a tourist would be allowed to inhabit the
club in a virtual state though they did not exist to the people really there.
At one point or another almost everyone had been a ghost in Stark’s.

“Stark’s
is ours,” Corbin said simply.

“Ridiculous!”
spat Jason.

“I
think what you told me was a bit more out there. Come with me,” Corbin said, a
hint of impatience in his voice.

“Uhm…”
Jason said uncertainly.

“Yes,
we’ll be there incarnate,” Corbin said. They walked out of the suite flanked by
men and women in suits.

“Good
thing I wasn’t ordered to keep a low profile,” Jason said.

“We
won’t have time to mingle. Saving the Earth, and all.”

“Right.
Of course.”

Jones
read Jason’s demeanor.

“I’m
sorry, Jason,” she said. “I’ve been through it. I know it’s humiliating, not
being able to resist questions.”

“Well
of course I’m in the mood to accept your apology, given I’m not in control of
myself.”

“Yes.
I’m apologizing anyway, for what it’s worth.”

“I
don’t care about the humiliation,” Jason said. “I’ve let my team down.”

She
nodded. She looked genuinely sad, he thought.

Or
is it just the drugs and the link hack?

The
group got into a lift. Some of the suits remained outside. Four of them
including Jones and Corbin were with Jason. The lift accelerated them sideways
first, taking them into the next building. Then it whisked them up, up, up.
Jason could tell they really were going to the top platform.

The
lift opened. Jason saw men in red and black outfits.

Stark’s
security. They were rumored to be among the best private security on the
planet. Jason doubted it. More likely the best security forces kept a low
profile, while Stark’s had everything to gain by buffing up the reputation of
their security with a lot of propaganda.

The
group was ushered into the club.

This
is insane. Why here of all places? Maybe I’ve completely lapsed into
unconsciousness and this is all a crazy dream.

They
walked into the main entrance of the club. It looked like an upscale spaceport.
Though the club did at times travel into space, it was mostly just the theme
Stark’s had chosen. The light dropped and the blare of music rose as they
passed the first sound curtain. The previous song was just ramping down. Jason
looked around. He saw two dozen rich, handsome men and even more sleek,
beautiful women. His group got onto the right ‘runway’, a long wide conveyor of
lighter colored floor with big red arrows that flashed down it, indicating the
direction of travel. The runway ran around the outside perimeter of the club.

Jason
heard Shiori start to scold the clientele. He searched for her in the control
nest and found her. A dark Asian beauty with spiked black hair, Shiori spoke to
the audience between songs. Her job in the club had bought her almost as much
celebrity as the famous people who came to the club incarnate. Jason knew some
Japanese, but Shiori’s pointed and witty remarks were far too complex for his
comprehension. And it did not matter; her voice was beautiful and it all
blended into the atmosphere. She was supposed to sound like she was making
announcements on the public link channel of an airport, but she was actually launching
the most vile insults imaginable.

Blazing
Flame Dance tore through the club, causing it to come alive around a hundred
dancers.

A
woman in a black dress with flickering green lightning dancing across its curvy
surface approached the group.

“Dance
me up?” she called, beckoning Jason. Corbin paused. Was that a slight smile on
his lips?

Jason
gave the woman his best smile. “Raincheck? I’ve got to save the Earth.”

“You’d
better,” the woman said, and turned away.

She
must have mistaken my captors for bodyguards.

Jason’s
group continued. They came to one of the executive room entrances on the
outside of the runway. The group moved through the entrance and activated a
privacy curtain behind. The sounds of the club became muted. The dark club
beyond became hazy, a feedback indicator that they were no longer visible from
outside.

A
wall had been put up to shield the room beyond. They walked around it and Jason
saw another workplace used by Core World Security.

Seeing
the number of technicians and view anchors all over the room, Jason had no
doubt this was the real nerve center he had mistaken the other suite to be.

Stark’s
has a CWS station? I never would have guessed in a million years. I suppose
that’s the point.

Corbin
pointed at a chair. Jason sat yet again. He felt no anger at being their pawn.
He wondered if the drugs still coursed through his system, robbing him of self
determination.

“Okay,
contact your friend. Let’s get started,” Corbin said.

Jason
wondered if they wanted to find Cilreth.

Good
luck to them if they do,
he thought.
The Clacker is more than a match for them.

He
connected to Cilreth.

“Jason!
I thought they got you.”

“The
other guys got me,” Jason said. “Core World Security. But they want to work
with us.”

“Seriously?
They believe you? I mean, that’s great. Well we’re gonna need their help. I’m
under attack here. Cilreth2 is missing.”

“Who
is that?” Corbin asked out loud.

Ah
of course. Corbin is in my link, hearing my convos.

“Her…
our teammate,” Jason said offline. “It could be her that’s doing the attack.
Trilisks have some limited mind control.”

I
can’t tell them all this crap. Concentrate.

“Give
me a location on a target. We don’t have much time before it starts, from what
I understand. I need to do the grab. We’ve got teams all over the Earth,”
Corbin said.

Chapter 12

Cilreth
watched from her dark control pod on the
Clacker
as the Vovokan attack
satellites deployed. Their sizes varied across several classes. The biggest one
packed enough punch to blow through a spacescraper all the way to the basement.
Others required the target to be out in the open.

Cilreth
mentally danced around the dilemma that could pose. Would killing the last
Trilisk on Earth and freeing all humanity be worth wasting a spacescraper full
of people? How could anyone even make a decision like that?