Broken: The Discordant Earth Series 1.0 Read online

  Sebastian held up a large hand, interrupting her. “You must see how menial that task would be for a leader.”

  Alyssa couldn’t argue with that, so she just stared at him. When he nodded as if she’d ceded the argument, she looked away, fed up with this whole ordeal.

  “Anyway, most of the people in this room are the heads of some of the American coalition groups. They’ve been here for several weeks, waiting for us to get a chance to bring you in.”

  “Why?” Alyssa snapped, rapidly losing her patience.

  “Because you are the commander’s personal assistant.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “You have access to the commander and much of the compound that’s off-limits to most everyone else. You can help us infiltrate the Command Compound.”

  “And why would I help you? That place is my home. I care about those people. My family is—was—there.”

  “Was there... yes.” A pained expression flickered across his face. “Shar, would you please take over?”

  Shar stood, clasping her hands in front of her, appearing quite solemn as she looked Alyssa directly in the eyes. “Alyssa, dear, I am very sorry about your parents.”

  “It was you that night. You apologized to me then too. Why?”

  “Because I learned the commander was responsible for your parents’ murder.”

  “What?” Alyssa’s knees gave way.

  Sebastian jumped forward, deftly catching her before she hit the floor. Closing her eyes, Alyssa took a second to catch her breath before glancing up to find his stunning eyes boring into hers.

  Pulling away, Alyssa collapsed into the nearest chair, putting some distance between her and this man who set her pulse racing. What the hell is wrong with me? Sure, he’s drop-dead sexy, but I’m with Kayn. Right? Yes, right! Stop it. You’re a grown woman, no more drooling on the delicious hunk.

  “What are you saying, Shar? Kayn killed my parents?” No, no, no. “That can’t be right. He cared about them. I’m sorry, but you’re wrong.”

  “Alyssa, you are carrying his offspring. This child has the potential to be extremely powerful,” Shar said. “Isa overheard Commander Kayn and General Ras speaking about your desire to raise the child here. You insisted on opting out of Asen’Sha, correct?”

  “Yes, I did. I told him I wanted to wait until our child is older. We’re not sure if it will be able to go with me, and I don’t want to go without my baby.”

  “Your desire to stay on Earth with your family prompted the commander to take drastic measures. It would seem he believed losing your parents would make you want to escape to Zion rather than live here alone. As soon as you left his quarters, he ordered General Ras to kill your parents.”

  Shar gestured for the other Szu’Kara to continue.

  “Alyssa, I am Nait’Ira. You may call me Nait. I work in the laboratory.” He bowed deeply at the waist. Nait appeared to be the same height as Kayn but with much darker skin that brought to mind midnight skies with twinkling stars, his pale-gray eyes like two moons adrift in a night-colored dome.

  “You worked with my mother?”

  “Not recently. I work with the chemicals that are toxic to humans. In particular, I handle the toxin that was released into your parents’ quarters.”

  “Did you have a part in their deaths?” Alyssa clenched her fists, ready to blow her top.

  “No, absolutely not. That was the work of the general and his special team. The toxin is not usually fatal. In a controlled environment, a human would only be sickened by it. Only the very young or elderly would possibly die from exposure to the toxin. Szu’Kara are unaffected by it.”

  “Then how did it kill my family?”

  “When we arrived, we developed Plastin, which is incorporated into all new and recycled products. Unfortunately, Plastin has a chemical compound in it that is also normally harmless, but when combined with the toxin, which is referred to as the Key, it becomes a fast-acting poisonous gas. The Key has been used to clear compounds of humans when they start to push back at the Szu’Kara control. It is my understanding that your offspring has made you immune to most Szu’Kara chemicals, yes?”

  “I was told something like that...” Chills ran down Alyssa’s spine.

  “Your mother was working with a version of the Key that is a concentrate of Valene. This version would not require the Plastin component. The commander has convinced all the humans involved in the Key project it is the only way to reach Zion.”

  “My mother just told me about the Key. Well, what she knew about the Key that is. She even showed me some vials of it in her office.”

  There were several gasps around the table.

  Sebastian grabbed her by the shoulders, searching her eyes. “Your mother has the Key in her office?”

  Alyssa scowled and shook him off. “Had. It was in a cabinet in her office just the other day. I don’t know if it’s still there.”

  “That stuff is usually kept in the secure labs.” He lowered his head in thought. “Can you get it and bring it to us?”

  “Maybe... I don’t know. Why should I believe what you’re telling me? I’ve lived on the compound most of my life. The Szu’Kara have always been good to me and my family. The commander has been good to me.”

  “Please think about it.” Sebastian’s stunning eyes silently begged her to agree. “This could save all of humanity.”

  “From what, slavery? How can the Key help with that?” Frustration wore on Alyssa’s mind, making her short-tempered. “It’s meant for us to go to Zion!”

  Sebastian slammed his fist onto the table, startling everyone. “No—it’s meant to kill us, all of us. There is no Zion!”

  “You’re lying!”

  “He is not,” Shar said, shaking her head. “Please listen, Alyssa. You only see Nait and myself here, but there are many Szu’Kara in the coalition. We do not agree with the commander. We have watched him and his ancestors destroy too many. Our people search for planets on the verge of total destruction by those that inhabit it. We watch from a distance, waiting for the population to be near depleted, then place ourselves strategically to offer much needed assistance, just as we have here. We provide the means of repair, allow your people to do all the work necessary to fix the planet, then we devise a means to destroy the remaining population. In this way, we acquire another planet for our own species.”

  “Why would you do such a thing? That’s genocide!”

  “Yes, it is,” Shar said, crossing her arms and leaning forward on her elbows. “The commander, and all those of his mind, believe they are rebuilding our own population. We reproduce slowly, but eventually our fleet becomes over-populated and must be relocated. The commander finds our people a new home, settles them on that new planet, then leaves in search of another.”

  “But I’ve been to Zion...” Alyssa gaped at Shar, her brain refusing to process all this unwanted information.

  “Illusions,” Sebastian said. “Deceptive illusions. It’s not real, Alyssa. They make you hallucinate this wonderful place that feels like heaven, but it’s not.”

  “How can that be? All the paintings my father made, all the depictions of Zion look the same! How can everyone hallucinate the same thing?”

  “We can control what you see,” Nait said, and Shar nodded agreement.

  “This is insane.” Alyssa cradled her head in her hands.

  Rattled to the core, she began shaking from exhaustion, confusion, and anger as she peered around the room at the faces she knew and the faces she didn’t. When the walls started to close in on her, Alyssa jumped up to pace by the door.

  “But, what about those people who’ve already experienced Final Asen’Sha? They’re in Zion. The churches...”

  “More illusions,” Sebastian said. “Those people are gone, Alyssa.”

  “What about my parents? How will I meet them in Zion? They’re supposed to be waiting for me! This can’t be real! I can’t believe…” Alyssa felt h
erself spiraling out of control, her brain rejecting everything they told her.

  Jordan and Sebastian each took an arm, supporting her as she started to collapse again. She closed her eyes, unable to decide if she should run or stay as exhaustion flooded her body.

  “I think this might be a good time for a break,” Sebastian said

  “How about we take you to lie down somewhere?” Jordan asked.

  Alyssa nodded weakly. “Yes…”

  ***

  Jordan led her to one of the many closed doors they’d passed when they came in from the garage and turned the light on a dim setting, illuminating a space similar to the rooms in the med pod. Alyssa found a chair to sit in, her anxiety level dropping now she didn’t have a room full of eyes watching her.

  “I’m sorry if you felt ambushed.” Jordan squatted down in front of her.

  She gave him a small, conciliatory smile, biting her tongue and reining in her desire to unleash her simmering anger. Glancing at the bed, Alyssa wondered if she’d be able to sleep in this strange place.

  “I just wish you’d given me a choice. My parents are dead. I almost died. This is—too much.”

  “I know. I wish I could make it better, but this is all I can do. Your parents were killed by Kayn; someone you’ve always trusted. We, the coalition, are trying to change things. We want to free all humans and we need your help if we’re going to succeed.”

  “It’s a lot to take in, Jordan. They’re my friends.” Alyssa dragged in a shaky breath. “Until recently, I’d never heard of any kind of cruelty from the Szu’Kara.”

  Jordan’s eyebrows shot up. “You heard something recently?”

  “Well, nothing certain...” Alyssa turned away, rubbing her hands up and down her cold arms. “My friend, Kora, was given to a Szu’Kara, like property. She says it’s the way things are done where she comes from. She just looks like... I don’t know... like maybe she is abused, you know?”

  “I do know.” Jordan sat in a chair across from her. “That’s actually standard practice in many settlements. Humans are traded like cattle. Men are used for labor and women for breeding.”

  “I thought it was rare for human women to bear alien children?”

  “Sure, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. Most babies don’t make it to birth, and those that do, are most likely to be born dead. The babies that live are taken away from the mothers and sent to the Nursery.”

  “The mothers don’t go with them? That’s awful.” Alyssa groaned, suddenly worried about the women in her prenatal class.

  “Yes, awful.” Jordan lifted his ball cap to run a hand through his hair. “We were planning to get you out just before you came to term, but when your parents died, we thought it best to get you sooner.”

  “I don’t know, Jordan. This goes against everything I was taught about the Szu’Kara—against every experience I’ve had with them. My best friend, Jess, is dating the sweetest alien. I can’t imagine him ever doing anything bad to a human.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Lorn’Sefa.”

  “He’s part of the coalition.”

  Alyssa gasped. “What?”

  “Yep. He’s fiercely protective of your friend. We’ve been trying to help him figure out how to get his girl to safety, but like you, she has family and a misguided loyalty.”

  “We’re not intentionally naïve.” Alyssa snapped at him, feeling her last nerve stretch to near-breaking point.

  “Of course not,” Jordan said, hands up defensively. “I didn’t mean it that way. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” Not really.

  “Anyway, he’s hoping you’ll be able to help convince her and her family to leave.”

  Alyssa closed her eyes and leaned her head back, tired.

  “Maybe you should lie down?”

  “Yeah, I should. Not sure I’ll be able to sleep though. I need to call my granny, and Jess. She’s supposed to visit me tonight. Are you planning to keep me here late?”

  “I can take you home whenever you’re ready. We can finish this meeting tomorrow. Bas just wants to get you caught up as quickly as possible. Everyone is anxious to get things moving.”

  “What things?”

  “Your parents aren’t the first to be ‘accidentally’ killed. Also, the other pregnant women need to be rescued. We need to do something soon, but Bas wants to tell you the plans himself.”

  “He’s kind of intense…” Alyssa tried to hide her sudden interest, embarrassed and ashamed to be thinking about a total stranger this way.

  “Yeah. He’s been fighting them for a long time, and before the Szu’Kara arrived, he was in the military, fighting the terrorists. Although he was still a kid back then, my brother’s seen a lot of death.”

  “So, he never trusted the Szu’Kara?”

  “Nope. He barely survived their arrival. That scar on his head is from when they blew up Seattle. He lost a lot of friends, and a girlfriend that day.”

  “Damn. I don’t know anyone who was in the old military, and I’ve only heard the standard stories they tell in school, which don’t include a lot of details about the fighting before Arrival Day. My parents told me some stuff but they spent all their time hiding with me. We were very lucky to find Granny.”

  “Yeah, she’s a neat old broad.”

  “When did you meet her?”

  “She waved me down one day and made me sit with her on her porch. Gave me cookies and lemonade and interrogated me until I admitted I’m part of the coalition. She didn’t seem all that surprised either.”

  “She is persistent that’s for sure.”

  “Made me promise to get you and your parents out as soon as possible. When you were hurt, she called me and started hollering about how I had to come get you right away. I told her I couldn’t get you until they released you from medical so she made me promise to get you the minute you got out. When you called I almost fainted with relief. I don’t want to be on that woman’s bad side.”

  “No. No, you don’t.” Alyssa snorted. “Well, I think I’d rather not go back to that meeting. Sorry. Would you mind taking me home?”

  “It’s all good, no problem. We can go now, if you want.”

  Chapter 9

  Alyssa fell asleep as soon as the pickup started moving, and before she knew it, Jordan was shaking her awake again. She jumped out of the truck, and without a goodbye, ran up the front steps, and into the house.

  “Granny, where are you? I got a few choice words for you, ma’am.”

  Granny’s head popped out of the kitchen doorway, giving a look of pure innocence.

  “Don’t you give me that angel face, Granny!”

  “Come in here and have a sandwich, baby girl.”

  “Fine, but you’re going to spill the beans. I mean it.”

  Granny fixed sandwiches while Alyssa watched with a scowl, her legs bouncing under the table, and as soon as the sandwich plate clunked down on the tabletop, she gave the old woman an impatient, wide-eyed stare.

  “Okay, baby girl, what do you want to know?”

  “Since when do you decide to have me kidnapped?”

  “Now, Alyssa, you were perfectly safe with that boy. I know several people in the coalition.”

  Alyssa coughed, choking on a bite of sandwich. Clearing her throat, she paused to search her brain for less accusatory questions.

  “Who do you know?”

  “Nurse Kelly, of course. Some of my neighbors, and my book club, which isn’t really a book club by the way.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Mm hmm,” Granny said. “Those people come here for meetings, and I get to know what’s going on. I’ve been helping them with information. Your mama was very helpful with that stuff.”

  Alyssa gasped, giving Granny a double-take. “Mom knew about the coalition.”

  “No, no, she didn’t know about me helping the rebels. She did, however, come for ‘book club meetings’ where we picked her brain about compound details
and whatever laboratory info we could get her to spill. She just thought we were a curious bunch of readers. She was much more liberal with telling me stuff when she brought me groceries and such.”

  “I see.” Alyssa growled, openly glaring. “So, you thought it was okay to use my mother to spy on the aliens?”

  “Honey, I love you. I loved your parents dearly. You’re all the family I have left. It’s my job to look out for you.” Granny sniffled, her voice thick with emotion. “I couldn’t protect them, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let those leeches take you too!”

  Taken aback by all these new revelations, Alyssa focused on eating her sandwich while thinking about what the coalition told her about her parents’ murder, the alleged evil plot against humanity, and Granny’s secret involvement. She’d have to dig deep, set aside her feelings for Kayn and the Szu’Kara, and decide if she wanted to delve into this dangerous world of rebellion.

  “Granny, how do you know the rebels are telling the truth? We’ve been here a long time. You haven’t left town since we moved here. How can you know they aren’t lying about how the Szu’Kara really are?”

  “I know you love the aliens, Aly girl. I know you love that commander of yours, but you know I talk to everyone in this town. I get everyone’s story. I see how some people are when they get here. Not everyone comes to serve the commander. Some of them come here to escape the other compounds and settlements. Since the Command Compound is in the spotlight, so is the town, and they don’t want the world to see anything untoward on those broadcasts, so in a way that makes this the safest place for humans who desire a certain amount of protection from the aliens. The coalition helps all the others who don’t want to live with or near them.”

  “Wow, Granny, just... wow.”

  “We’re in a unique position here, living next to the Command Compound. You are in a unique position.”

  “I know. Sebastian asked me to get something from Mom’s office, but I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t even know if I can get into her office anymore.”

  “Well, Alyssa, you need to try. If they think it’s important, then you should do what you can. If I could do these things for you, baby girl, I would, but I’m just an old woman. I do what I can by offering my home to them.”