Amanda shrugged and gave her an apologetic look. “Nope. They’re in good shape as far as I can tell. Of course, I’ve never seen a Zook baby to know any better, but the nurses say the babies are fine.”
“Then no. Obviously Kayn wouldn’t neglect his own kind. I want to see how the Karans are doing. Valel made it sound like they weren’t given proper care.”
“Well, prepare yourself.” Amanda touched the display and the elevator started moving. “It’s not exactly a warm, loving environment.”
When they reached their destination, the tiny woman led them to another nursery. Unlike the first one, this nursery didn’t have any cribs. Karan children, some barely older than Lyssa, played with strange toys.
Each child had the star symbol marking their forehead, easily seen since none of them had hair. Alyssa couldn’t tell the males from the females. They all wore the same tight-fitting body suit the nurses wore. So much for individuality.
“I’m guessing they can’t see us either.”
“Nope,” Amanda said. “This whole place is set up so you’re either observing or being observed.”
“Wow.” Alyssa shook her head, sighing angrily. “Have any of our people gone into the nurseries?”
“Not yet,” Amanda said. “We didn’t want to do anything without consulting Ela first. She should be here soon, right?”
“Within the hour,” Sebastian said.
“So, none of them have seen a human?”
“Not that I kno—”
Alyssa slapped her hand against the palm scanner, not even thinking that it might not let her in. The scanner beeped and the door slid open with a whoosh. Before Sebastian or Amanda could object, Alyssa stepped into the room. All movement stopped and every head turned to look at her. A nurse standing to the side held a sniffling child.
“May I help you?”
“I wanted to see the children,” Alyssa said sharply. “Is that a problem?”
“No. You may proceed,” she said. “Children, we have a guest. You may approach her.”
Alyssa waited, gazing around the room at the wide-eyed faces. They didn’t seem scared, but they still hadn’t moved either. Their focus shifted as Sebastian stepped in behind her.
“They’re kind of cute,” he muttered, nudging her toward the nearest child.
Crouching down to sit on her heels, Alyssa smiled and examined the inquisitive face that peered at her. Sparkly emerald eyes glinted as they moved. The child’s pale green skin shimmered in the bright light. All the children were like beautiful gems scattered about the sterile white room.
A tiny hand reached up to touch Alyssa’s cheek. The child’s palm was cool against her face.
“You have eyes like me.” The child spoke in a sweet voice with awe and wonder. Its hand moved to touch her hair. “What is this?”
“That’s my hair. Do you like it?”
“It is soft. What are you?”
“I’m human.”
The child grinned with pride. “I am part-human.”
“Yes, you are.” Alyssa smiled. “Have you ever seen a human?”
“No.”
“Are you a boy or a girl?”
The child tilted its head, confused.
“Male or female?”
“I am female,” she said shyly.
“What’s your name?”
“Teyvi.”
“Well, that’s a very nice name, Teyvi. How old are you?”
Teyvi turned to the watching nurse.
“Her age is equivalent to one year and three months of Earth time.”
“Wow,” Alyssa muttered.
Another child approached slowly, going to Sebastian. He knelt and smiled, allowing the child to touch his face and hair. Amanda joined them and eventually all the children that could walk came to see and touch the humans.
Ela’s arrival pulled them away from the nursery. Alyssa reluctantly agreed to wait until after Ela analyzed the situation before visiting the other floors. In the meantime, she went to help with food preparation while Sebastian met with Ela and her team.
Chapter 32
Alyssa stood to the back of a dark, cramped room. Panels of blinking lights, switches, and screens lined the metal walls, casting an eerie glow. Sebastian, Ian, and Cecily stood around a table in the center of the room watching Jimmy and another tech as they did whatever it was they were doing to make the strange communication device work.
Jimmy looked like a younger Edward with a short, stocky build and his long, dark blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail. The other tech was tall and skinny with short brown hair and square glasses. They both squinted at the screens in front of them.
“Almost done,” Jimmy said.
Sebastian leaned in closer, watching over the tech’s shoulder. Alyssa scooted forward to stand at Jimmy’s back, exchanging a look with Sebastian.
“There!” Jimmy slapped the table and bounced in his seat, startling everyone.
“Can you tell where it connects to?” Cecily asked.
“It looks like a closed link that connects directly to the Command Compound.”
“Yes, it does,” a voice said, blaring from the device, and echoing through the small space, terrifying Alyssa. “It seems as if you have accessed my private communications link.”
“Kayn?” Alyssa trembled, slapping her hand over her mouth, realizing she’d spoken when she hadn’t meant to.
“Alyssa, my dear. So good to hear your voice again. You have been making a nuisance of yourself, it seems.”
She turned to Sebastian, and he nodded his head for her to continue.
“Uh, no more than you’ve been since you arrived. The things I’ve seen here are horrific. It just proves to me that you really are the monster I thought you were.”
“What I have done has only been for the sake of my people, Alyssa. My species will adapt and thrive because of what we have learned from yours. There is no progress without sacrifice.”
“Sacrifice your own people then, Kayn.”
“Oh, I intend to. In fact, I will do so right now.”
Alyssa shuddered at his ominous tone. “What do you mean?”
“Well, my dear,” he said, sounding quite full of himself, “since you have taken something important to me, I will be taking someone important to you.”
“What? Who?” Alyssa clung to Sebastian’s arm, shivering.
“Bring her in.”
There were shuffling sounds on the other end. Oh, God!
“Commander, please!”
The sound of Shar’s muffled voice turned Alyssa’s blood to ice.
“Shar!” She clutched at Sebastian as her knees wobbled.
“Alyssa?” Shar sounded weak and strained.
“Silence,” Kayn barked.
“Stop this, Kayn. Don’t hurt her!”
“Oh, my dear,” he purred, “it is too late for you to make demands. You have pushed me too far.”
“She doesn’t have anything to do with this. Please, don’t hurt her.” Alyssa buried her face in Sebastian’s shoulder.
“Shar’Enta is a traitor. She has betrayed her own people. She has betrayed me, Alyssa. There are consequences for treason. Consequences only I, Commander of the Szu’Kara, can exact. A price must be paid.”
“No, please,” Shar cried. “Please, do not do this. I have been loyal to you all of my life.”
“You are no longer loyal, Shar. You will be an example to our people, and to the humans. They must know what to expect for the wrongs they have committed today.”
“No! No, please! Do not touch me! No!”
A terrible shrieking came over the comm-link. Everyone in the room stared at the device, as though if they looked hard enough they might see what was happening. Alyssa’s knees weakened as the shrieking persisted, and Sebastian had to hold her up.
The sound kept going for nearly three minutes. No one moved. Not a word was spoken. All they could do was listen. Alyssa had never felt so helpless.
The
sound became a low wail that faded to silence—a silence that no one wanted to break.
“Did you hear that, Alyssa?”
She jumped, her nails digging into Sebastian’s sleeve.
“I wish you could see what I see. The view is not pleasant. If you had not disabled regular communications, I would have happily streamed the video to you, as I did for my entire fleet.”
“I don’t want to see, Kayn. I’ve already witnessed enough of your perverse idea of punishment.”
“It really is unfortunate, Alyssa. Shar was a dear friend to me. If she had not met you, she might still be alive. You and your rebel friends have made a grave error.”
“What are you going to do, Kayn? Attack us? Do you want to risk destroying all your experiments here? All your half-breed offspring?” Alyssa spat the words out, so furious she almost felt reckless.
“You humans are like ants, moving in, taking over, ruining everything worth having. Without me, you would have nothing. You would have destroyed yourselves long ago. My people have restored your planet and preserved humanity.”
“Only for you own selfish needs! You want our planet. That’s the only reason you saved it. And you just want humans so you can have slaves to do all the dirty work. We’re nothing but possessions to you, Kayn, and we won’t stand for it anymore!”
“You cannot stop me, Alyssa. Your foolish rebellion will be eliminated, and the rest of humanity will bow to Szu’Kara. Do you know why? Do you, Alyssa? Because humans are weak. Humans are nothing but—”
“Cut it,” Sebastian said, slicing his hand through the air.
Jimmy flipped a switch and Kayn’s voice cut off instantly.
With that switch, it felt like everything holding Alyssa together just disappeared along with the comm-link. Her knees buckled and she let out a strangled cry. Sebastian caught her before she could hit the floor.
“He killed her,” she whispered. Tears poured down her face.
“What the fuck did he do to her?” Cecily asked.
“No idea,” Ian said.
“Lorn will know.” Sebastian lifted Alyssa in his arms and carried her away from that dismal room.
***
“Yken’Vot,” Lorn said quietly.
“What’s that?” Jess asked.
They’d left the secret communications room and reconvened in the fish bowl. The other team leaders had joined them. Sebastian sat in a chair with Alyssa curled up on his lap. Her tears had dried as shock set in.
“Yken’Vot is the opposite of Yken’Sa. ‘Yken’ means essence. Yken’Sa is like sharing essence to heal, where Yken’Vot is draining or stealing essence.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Alex asked.
Lorn sighed heavily. “Yken’Vot is a commander ability. It sucks away the lifeforce, leaving behind only a husk. You would not want to witness it.”
“Hearing it was bad enough,” Cecily said.
“He must pay,” Alyssa croaked, her voice raspy. “He can’t get away with this.”
“No, darlin’,” Sebastian murmured. “He won’t. We’ll take care of him.”
Amanda cleared her throat. “How are we going to do that?”
“The commander doesn’t have as much power as he thinks he does,” Ian said. “I think he’s underestimated us all this time, and he doesn’t realize how much we know about Szu’Kara technology.”
“Plus, we got plenty of Szu’Kara on our side,” Jaxa said. “I only brought half of my team on this mission.”
“How many do you have?” Sebastian asked.
“Oh, we got nearly three hundred Zooks at my camp.”
“Find out how many can fly these jets,” he said, “and start training… everyone.”
“You got it, boss man.”
“Until we can figure out what to do with everyone here, we’ve got to keep this place up and running. Ela and Isa are handling the women and children and all the healthcare. I need a volunteer to stay behind and run this place. We’re going to need to leave nearly everyone we brought on this mission to keep this ship secure. And we’ll have to send more reinforcements, in case that jackass decides to try and retake his precious Nursery.”
Alex raised his hand. “I’ll stay behind. My settlement’s in good hands, and Amanda can step in when necessary.”
“Fine by me,” Amanda said.
“Thank you, Alex.”
“My camp can relocate here,” Jaxa said. “Won’t take much for us to lock down our bunker. It’ll be easier to train here, and that’ll bring at least six hundred bodies to defend this place.”
“Sounds good.” Sebastian nodded, bumping his chin against Alyssa’s head. “Sorry,” he whispered.
“It’s okay,” she whispered back.
“This town seems like a nice place to settle down for a while,” Jaxa said. “The rest of my people can rebuild it.”
“Great,” Sebastian said. “We’ll prove to them that we don’t destroy everything we touch.”
Chapter 33
Alyssa gently rubbed her temple. The chatter on the ear comms needled into her head as much as the anxiety needled into her heart. I’m not ready for this…
“Baby girl, how’re you doing?” Granny sat on the bed next to her and squeezed her sweating hand.
Alyssa looked around her bedroom, feeling a pang of loss. The lamp on her dresser let off just enough light so she could see all her things—books, jewelry, knick-knacks, stuff that made her feel homesick.
“I’m nervous. What if someone gets hurt? This is so dangerous. You shouldn’t even be here.” She begged Granny with her eyes, hoping she would see reason in the argument they’d been having for two hours.
Granny shook her head, giving Alyssa a stern look. “I’m not going anywhere. You know that. This is my home. I’m staying right here.” A crumpled napkin stuck out of Granny’s sleeve, and she tucked it back in, tugging the sweater cuff back into place. “Besides, I got my ol’ shotgun. I’ll be just fine.”
“What about Marly and Shari?” Alyssa couldn’t stand to think about her favorite candy-peddlers and longtime friends being harmed. “I haven’t had a milkshake since our last visit. If something happens to them, we’ll never have a decent milkshake or ladyfinger again.”
A frown formed on Granny’s face before slipping into a grin. “I’ll be sure to tell them you only keep them around for their goodies.”
Alyssa slapped at Granny playfully and giggled, grateful for the light-hearted moment. Sebastian’s voice blared in her ear and she grew quiet again. “It’s almost time, Granny. Get Marly and Shari, and hide in your room. Stay safe, please.”
“Don’t you worry about us, Aly girl. You just be careful.”
With a quick hug, Alyssa rushed downstairs to the kitchen. Sebastian and Cecily stood in the dark, waiting. Alyssa slunk past the dining table and wrapped her arms around Sebastian’s waist.
“Alpha teams are a go,” Valel said over the comms.
“Bravo teams are a go,” Ian said.
“Are you ready, darlin’?”
Goosebumps rose on Alyssa’s skin as Sebastian murmured in her ear, squeezing her close. She let out a shaky sigh and nodded slowly. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Charlie team is a go. Make the call,” Sebastian said.
Cecily reached out to squeeze Alyssa’s arm. “I’ll be in the pantry, ready to kick ass.”
“Thanks.” Alyssa gave her a sad smile, even though it was too dark for Cecily to see.
They’d chosen this night because of the new moon, and all the street lights had been conveniently shot out earlier in the day. Alyssa took in a deep, steadying breath and smelled the lingering scents of baked cookies.
“Come on,” Sebastian said, leading her to the living room and sitting her on the sofa.
From her position, Alyssa could see out the front picture window. She wondered if he would be careless enough to come from the street. He’s too arrogant to do it any other way.
Sebastian dropp
ed a kiss on the top of her head. She looked up at him as he handed her some night vision goggles.
“I love you, Sebastian.”
“I love you too, Alyssa.” He knelt before her with his arms holding her legs. “I’ll be right behind you. You know what to do. We won’t let anything happen to you, I swear.”
“I know, babe. Please, don’t let anything happen to you, okay?” She held his face in her palms, wishing she could see his beautiful cobalt eyes.
“Don’t worry about me, darlin’. Just watch yourself, and be prepared for anything.”
The house fell silent as Sebastian settled in behind the sofa.
Alyssa clenched her jaw, afraid to move. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her denim-covered knees over and over, wishing this night would end already. She began counting in her head to take her mind off the waiting.
A vehicle pulled up in front of the house and Alyssa cringed. Not that fucking van again! “They’re here,” she whispered.
To the side of the house, through the kitchen, whirring and swooshing sounds filtered in. “A shuttle just landed in the field, Sebastian.” She could barely contain her panic.
“It’s okay, darlin’,” he whispered. “Just sit tight.”
Dark figures jogged up Granny’s walkway. Footsteps clunked on the wooden porch, pounding in Alyssa’s head. Muffled voices spoke on the other side of the front door, and she waited, her heart racing and her hands aching from pressing them hard against her knees.
The doorknob jiggled. Alyssa squeaked, slapping her hand over her mouth. The loud crack of the door bursting open forcefully sent her scurrying to the far end of the sofa.
“Search the house,” General Ras bellowed. Three guards slipped past him, moving slow and careful in different directions.
Ras turned his head toward her and she knew he could see her. Szu’Kara eyes were more sensitive to light, so their pupils were always closed slits, but when open they functioned much like cat’s eyes. He may not see her clearly, but he did see her nonetheless. “Here, Commander.”
Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. Yep, arrogance. Pure, evil arrogance. Even in the dark, she recognized his domineering form.
Unchained: The Discordant Earth Series Book Two Page 24
