Good to know.
“Just think of it this way, Gemma,” Chris said. “Jenco promised you a chance to save your people, and while his plan would do the opposite, you're now going to do just that.”
Leaning back in my seat, I tried to have faith that everything would work out fine. I didn't want to end up in an Acrovian prison – mostly because I'd never heard anything good about the prison system out there in that system.
I also had a bad feeling that Chris and his gang of Kysos supporters weren't too worried about what happened to me as long as they won in the end. So yes, I was still a scapegoat. Except for the fact that I'd been made a scapegoat for the other side now.
Great.
ooo000ooo
Not that I'd spent a lot of time imagining what he looked like, but I had to say that Hugo Kysos didn't look anything at all like I pictured him. Even after seeing more ads and promotional posters bearing his image than I cared to count, along with everything else I'd seen, it was still something of a surprise to see him in person.
The first thing that really stood out to me was that he was a lot smaller than I thought he was. All of his political imagery made him look like a giant among men. Somebody who was strong, tall, and carried a foreboding presence.
But the truth was, while he wasn't as short as Blyn, he was still easily only about five feet tall – maybe even a little shorter. He was plain looking. Ordinary. He was the type of man who'd easily be overlooked in a crowd. There really was nothing that special about him. In a way, he was, like Mazzy – just another pale skinned alien. He was obviously an Acrovian native, the normal attributes of the race deeply written into his features.
Kysos' eyes were a crystal blue – almost white, really – and he only had a little hair on his otherwise balding head. And the hair he did still have, was stringy and a pale silver color that reminded me of Christmas tinsel back on home.
Seeing him sitting at his desk, his small frame almost lost amongst his huge, hulking security guards, I found it hard to believe he was such a powerful candidate. Seeing him there, not looking like a giant among men, but actually, a child among men, almost made me laugh out loud. As it was, I had to bite my tongue hard to keep from bursting out in a fit of laughter.
He looked up at me and smiled. And even as he stood and made his way over to me, I still couldn't see what others saw in him. Didn't understand the draw, the appeal, or the magnetism that had so many others enraptured by him.
But when he extended his hand toward mine and smiled – a warm, pleasant grin that made me smile back – I finally saw what others were talking about.
In his eyes, I saw a kindness and sincerity in him that I rarely witnessed on Acrov – or even on Cromia. I caught a glimpse of it while everybody was dancing in the streets, celebrating the man who stood before me. The man who looked kind and compassionate – traits that seemed to rub off on his followers. His kindness and compassion had everybody dancing about wildly, encouraging me – a complete stranger of another race, no less – to join in with them in what was a celebration of compassion and love.
I saw it in the faces of those others – but meeting him in person was an entirely different story because I got to see it in the man himself.
“Ms. Sage,” he said, motioning for me to have a seat. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances,” I said, looking away from the man's face and trying to get my own bearings.
I didn't want to get swept up in the hype. Didn't want some false sense of euphoria to overtake me and give me a false – or at least a rosier – impression of the man than he deserved. I needed to be sharp. To have my wits about me. And to be very critical. I needed to see if I could poke holes in this man and find the monster lurking below the surface – if it actually existed.
“I understand, child,” Kysos said, sitting down across from me, his hands folded in his lap. “You've been manipulated and used by others. And all for the benefit of those who seek to spread evil throughout the galaxies. They're good at what they do. But, I know what I'm up against and have prepared for it meticulously and thoroughly. And I'm glad they didn't end up winning this battle. You deserve better than what you've been exposed to.”
“Me too,” I said. “I'm glad that we could meet and talk about this. And perhaps, even work out our differences. At the very least, I'm glad to have a chance to sit down with you so, if nothing else, I can hopefully see the truth, or at least, gather enough information to form my own opinion. I do not like being told what to think or being denied the opportunity to think for myself.”
“Of course not,” he said calmly. “None of us do. And frankly, I find it reprehensible that others would seek to threaten or manipulate you to get to me. Because everything I've read about you tells me that you're a good person with an exceptional heart – not a killer.”
“No, I'm not a killer,” I said. “But Boygan left me little choice in the matter. I do have to ask though, what's the purpose of all this? Why would they go through all the trouble to hire me to do this?”
“You're a scapegoat, Gemma,” Kysos said with a deep sigh. “They wanted to make an example out of you. Previously, when they took out my competitors, they were hoping to make me look bad. They were hoping to cast a light of suspicion on me so that they could discredit me and hopefully, derail my campaign entirely. I don't serve their agenda, therefore, in their minds, I'm a problem that needs to be dealt with.”
“You certainly seem to have made some waves,” I said. “And some enemies, along the way.”
“Doing good works will often lead to having enemies along they way,” he said. “But my people – they saw through it all. Saw through the mud being slung, the threats of violence. They knew my campaign would never seek to win that way. So, after discrediting me, the next step in their master plan was to show my supporters how truly awful humankind – and others not from our little slice of the universe – were. They wanted to build up this enmity between Acrovians and people of other races. You see, Jenco Boygan and sadly, even my own Mazzy, were blinded by hated and fear. They fear expanding our territories. They see you as the enemy and use Earth's troubled history to prove their point. And in their twisted minds, if a human could assassinate a political figure that was fighting for them, well, it was further proof of just how evil you could be. And in their minds, seeing you – a human – take out the best candidate Acrov has had in a very long time, they calculated that it would bring more people over to their side.”
It was sickening, but made so much sense. I looked into Kysos' eyes and saw his sincerity. Saw that he was telling me the truth. Either that, or he was the greatest actor in the history of the universe – any universe. He would have to be sociopathic to be so convincing. No, I believed that he was genuine and that he was sincere – and that Boygan had lied to me about the man. He'd manipulated me into killing a man who, at the root of him, I believed was good.
The worst part of the whole thing was that I almost fell for it. All because I kept my head down, stayed out of the political and social climate out there. I was ignorant to the political underpinnings and dynamics of the planet. I was so desperately yearning to get back home that I ignored everything else going on around me.
Which was exactly why I would have made the perfect scapegoat for Boygan and his people.
“So what do we do now?” I asked. “How can I fix things?”
“How can we fix things, you mean,” he said. “Because you're not in this alone, Gemma. I'm on your side and I trust you – even though some of my security detail doesn't.”
He shot me a subtle glance at one of the men to his left. It was brief and barely noticeable, but I saw the distinct look of distrust and loathing between the two of them. But it had done the trick. That one look made me focus my attention on the guard. Something wasn't right about him.
Kysos continued talking. “We don't know their plans, but I am positive that they still intend t
o kill me and make you out to be the villain. Which is why we must proceed with caution. There is a lot at stake, Gemma – but nothing more important than your life.”
The guard to Kysos' left stared at me too. His face – I knew that face from somewhere. I just wasn't exactly sure where I knew him from. As he stared at me, I watched his lips pull back as a maniacal grin spread across his face – and that's when it hit me.
He was at the bar when I'd met Mazzy.
As I stared at him, something told me to reach for my weapon. They'd taken my gun away, but I still had a knife hidden at my ankle. Reaching down, I pulled it from the sheath in time to see the guard pulling out a weapon of his own.
I lunged forward at the guard just as he moved toward Kysos. I got to him first, holding my knife to his throat. His eyes were wide and he stammered as a dark look of rage crossed his features.
“Move and I will be forced to kill you,” I muttered so only he could hear me.
“You're screwed either way, little girl,” the man growled.
He dropped his weapon and kicked it away, but before I could feel any sense of relief whatsoever, an explosion blew open the door to our room. Mr. Boygan, otherwise known as Jenco, was leading the pack of soldiers who pouring into the room, weapons at the ready.
My ears were ringing and the smell of smoke filled my nose and lungs. I looked around and through the haze of smoke, I could see men pouring into the room. I knew I needed to act or I was going to end up dead along with Hugo Kysos – no doubt, Boygan “heroically” killing me after I assassinated the man who would be Acrov's savior.
I would be a villain and a justification for Boygan and his people pushing their xenophobic agenda.
“Come on,” I said, grabbing Kysos' hand.
I wasn't going to stand there and be executed – or let Kysos die either. I was going to use the confusion in the room to my best advantage. I would use it to try and save our lives.
With the wall of smoke from the explosion of the door blowing inward, I pulled Kysos away from the front door. I didn't know the layout of his house, so I was flying blind – not an ideal situation. But with the action unfolding quick, it was all I could do. I had to act on the fly and hope it all worked out.
I pulled him down a long hallway, trying to put as much distance between us and Boygan's men as humanly possible.
“Do you have a panic room?” I asked Kysos.
His face was grim and he was looking behind us. It was as if he wanted to pick a fight and put somebody down on his own. He looked a little frustrated by having me dragging him around. But I was going to do what I had to do – for the both of us.
“Hugo,” I said, snapping my fingers before his face.
His eyes seemed to come swimming back into focus and he shook his head, running his hand over his face, as he stood there. He came back to himself in a flash, his color returning to normal, and his eyes seeming to focus in on me again.
“I'm sorry, what?” he asked.
“Panic room,” I almost shouted. “Do you have one?”
He nodded. “Yes. I do.”
“Good,” I snapped. “Take me to it.”
Reluctantly, he turned and led me even deeper into his house, passing through corridors and old living quarters. Eventually, we came to a room – it looked like it served as his library. Tall shelves lined three of the walls and the fourth was dominated by ceiling to floor windows that offered a stunning view of the vast expanse of the forest beyond.
It was beautiful and seemed to most definitely be a relaxing place to sit and read a book. Unfortunately, it also looked like a total dead end to me – the only way in and out seemed to be the door we came through.
“As big as your house is, it's not going to take them all that long to find us,” I snapped. “Where is your panic room?”
Without a word, Kysos walked over and pushed a button on the underside of one of the statues on his bookshelf. A door in the book case swung inward, revealing his panic room beyond.
“A secret man-cave,” I teased.
“I'm not sure what that is,” Kysos said.
I looked back to the doorway, half-expecting to see Boygan's soldiers pouring through it. They would be, any minute now, but for the moment, we were safe.
“Doesn't matter,” I said. “Get into your panic room. And do not make a single sound. Do you hear me? Nobody can know you're in there.”
“What about you?” he asked.
“I can take care of myself,” I said. “I'm going to end this here and now.”
“You're going to get yourself killed, Gemma.”
I shrugged. “At least I'm not going to be killed with everybody in this universe and beyond thinking that I killed you,” I said. “I'm not going to die a terrorist because you are going to stay alive in there. And you are not to come out unless it's for me or somebody else you called to here to save your ass. You got that?”
Kysos nodded. He looked at me and opened his mouth to speak before closing it again. He shook his head and looked me in the eye again.
“Don't do this, Gemma,” he said. “There is no reason you can't hide out in there with me until this threat passes. There is no need for you to throw your life away.”
I nodded. “There is a reason,” I said. “I don't like being manipulated and I am not going to let them kill you, Kysos. I believe you when you tell me you want the best for your world – and beyond. I'm going to make sure you're around to see it through. Now, get in there and seal the door.”
He gave me another look, seeming like he wanted to argue with me – I shut him down with a shake of my head. He gave me a slight nod before turning and walking into his panic room, the door closing and sealing shut behind him.
I turned quickly and headed out of the library. The first thing I needed was to find a weapon – I wasn't allowed to bring my sidearm with me to my meeting with Kysos. It was a reasonable precaution at the time, but I was really wishing I'd protested it now.
Kneeling down, I slipped a dagger out of the sheath hidden on my wrist under the sleeve of my shirt – thankfully, they hadn't been thorough enough to check me for blades. Amateurs. I heard the scuffle of boots on the wooden floor of Kysos' home. They were heading my way, so I ducked into an open doorway and waited. The footsteps drew closer and closer, and when they were parallel with the doorway I was hiding in, I stepped out and quickly buried my dagger into the neck of the first man I saw.
I moved so quickly, they didn't have time to react. I withdrew the blade and stuck it into the throat of the second man. They both fell to the ground with a wet, meaty thud, their blood pooling out on the flooring around them. Bending down, I picked up their weapons, slinging one over my shoulder and holding the second at the ready.
Wiping my blade off on the man's uniform, I tucked it back into my wrist sheath – I might still have need of it. I didn't like killing and there was a small piece of me that felt bad for taking two lives – and the fact that I was going to have to take more. But it was a desperate situation. It was me or them. And it sure as hell wasn't going to be me.
Moving as quickly and quietly as I could, I slipped down the hallway, toward the sound of voices. I stood outside one of the large office spaces Kysos had in his house and listened.
“I don't know where they went, sir,” reported one of the men.
There was a static noise – they were speaking into a comm device – followed by the tinny sound of a voice I recognized.
“Then I suggest you find them, Captain,” Boygan's voice commanded. “And I suggest you find them – and kill them – quickly. We are on a schedule.”
“Sir, I – ”
“No excuses, Captain,” Boygan's voice was low and cold. “You and your men do as instructed or I will kill you all myself.”
I heard a click as the soldier clicked off the comm device. The sound of somebody slamming his fist down on a desk or a table made me jump.
“Son of a bitch,” the soldier said. “If he wants
them dead so bad, he should drag his ass in here and do it himself.”
“You know how it is with pussies like Boygan,” someone else said. “Pay other people to do the dirty work they're too scared to do themselves.”
“Let's go,” said a third man. “This house is big but there are only so many places they can hide. Let's get this done and get the hell out of here.”
There were at least three of them in there. But given the fact that I had the element of surprise on my side, it might help to reduce their advantage. I checked the weapon in my hand – an automatic proton rifle. A very nice weapon. Effective. It would definitely get the job done.
When I heard the footsteps crossing the room, heading for the door, I stepped out and started pulling the trigger. My first two shots caught the first two men in the chest, dropping them instantly. They fell backwards, dead before they ever hit the floor, smoking holes in their chests.
The third man though, had reflexes like a cat. The moment he saw me step into the doorway, he was on the move. I fired at him, but he was already behind a big desk, obscuring my view of him. I fired anyway, the proton rifle taking large chunks out of the desk he was sheltering behind.
Something flew out from behind the desk and landed at my feet. I looked down and felt my eyes grow wide as I recognized what it was.
“Shit,” I screeched and dove out of the way as quickly as I could.
The grenade, a small charge meant for close quarters fighting, exploded. Shrapnel from the walls and floor tore through the air, splinters burying themselves into my flesh in what felt like a thousand different places. I groaned and looked down, seeing blood seeping out of my wounds. I took a quick stock of myself and didn't think any of them were mortal wounds. But my ears were ringing, my head hurt like hell, and my body ached in ways I never thought it could before.
And on top of that, the soldier who'd thrown the grenade was now standing over me, his weapon pointed right at my face.
“Bitch,” he hissed. “You just killed two of my friends.”
“Four,” I laughed before I broke down into a fit of choked coughs. “Four of them, actually. You didn't check the hallway in the back of the house.”
Cromian Conspiracy (Celestial Empires Book 1) Page 8
