Resonant: Book 3 in the Invasion Day series

by LC Morgans

  “King Thrakor was on a live broadcast not long before you returned,” Lasiandra’s soft voice plucked Kyra from her contemplation, and she focused back on the task at hand.

  “How did he look?” she asked, still feeling genuinely annoyed that their leader hadn’t even waited for her to come round before he took off. She hadn’t even got a thank you.

  “Good. In fact, he looked amazing. The serum combined with your blood has to be the best course of action we have so far. It clearly took the Thrak from his deathbed to almost full recuperation within the hour, so we’re on the right track. Did he give us permission to continue with the plan?” she asked, and Kyra nodded, but quickly put a stop to Lasiandra’s celebrations.

  “Only verbally, so we have to tread carefully. Kronus and Thrayke are talking things through now and we’ll go with whatever they decide. It was one of the King’s most absolute elements of the deal. We have to follow his orders to the letter, otherwise we’re done.”

  “Whoa,” Lasiandra breathed. “It all makes sense now. He said on the broadcast that he was well and how work continues on a cure for Ehrad, but it felt as though he’d kept the details purposely vague. Something tells me we’ll be working in secret for a while yet.”

  Kyra agreed. Their community would no doubt be small, but the power they had to control the overall longevity of the Thrakorian race was incredible, and the knowledge that their alien overlords needed what only the humans could give had to have them a little scared. If any of the humans began any form of an uprising, the Thraks could hardly slaughter them all, for in doing so they would potentially kill themselves in the process. They’d have to find a way to coexist or else things could easily go from cryo-sleep to prison cell in a matter of wrong moves.

  Thrayke was the right man to make it happen, Kyra was sure. She trusted him more than she trusted anyone, even herself. He’d never swayed or been dishonest with her, even when she’d outright asked him for truths he was forbidden from revealing to her. Thrayke had told her to back off when she’d gotten too close to the truths he couldn’t tell her, but had never told her she was wrong, and she knew his voice would be one of reason for both sides.

  The memories of their earlier days together suddenly flooded her thoughts, but they also sparked new questions to come to mind, and Kyra peered across at her trusted companion. There were things she was still so unsure of, so figured she might as well ask while they had a few minutes alone.

  “Why didn’t you come here with your family, Lasiandra? I’d like to know why you chose Greegis and his awful human trials over a life in the Medical Division. It’s been bugging me wondering why you came here as part of his team rather than in one of your elite family’s slots aboard that mother ship?” Lasiandra took a deep breath, as though she knew what Kyra was getting at. Like with Mariss, Kyra simply couldn’t comprehend how someone would willingly help Greegis use and abuse others of their kind. She trusted Lasiandra and wanted to believe she’d been forced into the role, but had to know for sure and had wanted to ask for a while.

  “At first I joined the research teams within the Medical Division because it spoke to me. I was fascinated with science and the uses in which we could implement change within our own race. I wasn’t allowed to work on Thrakorian DNA, but I excelled in my medical training thanks to my passion for the intricacies involved in the field of molecular science. I was later invited to try out for a specialized branch of the Division aimed at genetic research and development. Then, I was handpicked to work at the facility on Earth where you had your serum and by the time I administered your treatment, I was in far too deep to ever get away. Greegis would’ve had me killed if I’d tried, and we all knew it was no empty threat whenever he reminded us so. We’d seen it time and again,” Lasiandra replied.

  She then sucked in a few deep, slow breaths, as though she were trying to calm an impending panic attack. Kyra knew that look on her face. It was the same look she’d seen countless times in the mirror. The look of someone remembering things they wished they couldn’t. Reliving moments they wished they hadn’t lived through. “I started seeing one of the doctors at the facility on Earth and he tried going behind Greegis’s back to get us both transferred out of there. They came for him without warning, his brutish guards, and didn’t care who watched as he was beaten and murdered for betraying Greegis. I learned a lesson that day I’ll never forget. I was spared, but only on the proviso that I did everything that was asked of me, no matter my moral obligations. After that, I was Greegis’s puppet, and he brought me here to continue being so. I never chose this path, please believe me…”

  “I do,” Kyra replied and she meant it. She knew working under Greegis couldn’t have been easy. She’d barely known the real him and yet she’d hated every second she was forced to spend with him and doubted any member of his staff truly felt any loyalty to him. He’d evidently maintained his position using fear tactics rather than gaining their trust and allegiance over time. They were all victims of Greegis and his oppressive hold over them. “Did he tell you about me? About why he bought me from Rasmos,” she had to ask, although her voiced faltered while saying the awful words.

  “He kept you hidden away for weeks at first. None of us even knew you were here. He’d disappear for days at a time with his notebooks and special serums none of us were allowed anywhere near. When he finally released you from the confines of your room, you were an entirely different person.” She shuddered, and Kyra gulped.

  “Paynton,” she whispered, absentmindedly running her hand through her hair at the reminder of her transition from brunette to blonde.

  “Yes. He said you were his creation. His masterpiece. We weren’t to talk to you unless absolutely necessary, as if he didn’t want you being tainted by us. He monitored your every move and programmed your cuffs differently to everyone else’s. You weren’t given chores or responsibilities like the other slaves.” She cringed at the word, but Kyra let it roll off her back. That was exactly what she’d been to him, and knew it. “You were his pretty little living doll. Someone to dress up and look at with a strange kind of fondness. I’d often catch him staring at you, but not with adoration—with obsession. He’d write furiously in his notebooks again and then take you away for a day or so. Whenever you returned, you were different somehow and we knew he was running his own personal tests on you, but that there was nothing any of us could do about it. Please know that each of us cared, which was why we defied his orders to talk to you whenever we could. Every morning after he’d utilized his nano-bots on you I’d sit close by at breakfast, hoping to see some recollection in your face.”

  “And then one day it finally happened. You made me force his control away. I remembered your face, but I also remembered your brother and the life I once had with him. You did it, Lasiandra. You helped me when I didn’t know I even needed help. Thank you,” Kyra told her with a smile.

  Lasiandra tried to remain modest. She shrugged off Kyra’s declaration of gratitude, but they both knew she’d meant every word, and wouldn’t ever take it back. Hard talk over, Kyra then decided to change the subject. “Do you know Sentinel Gron? I saw him in The Hub today. I didn’t have the chance to talk with him much, but at least now he knows where to find us if he wants to,” she asked and Lasiandra nodded.

  “Yes, of course. He was Silas’s Commander. Thanks to him, my brother has gone from strength to strength. He’s not made anything easy on him, though,” she replied with a dry laugh.

  “I asked him not to,” Kyra admitted, which only made Lasiandra laugh harder. “He came through for me when I thought all was lost back in the earlier days of my career. Your brother and I didn’t end well, but Gron stood up for me and got me on my elite training.”

  “I know. He made sure our family was all informed of Silas and his misdemeanors, and how he was in charge of making him work off his debt to you. I hadn’t met you back when you were with Silas, but couldn’t believe it when you were later brought to the facility for th
e serum at the Besieger’s request. However, I chose not to tell you who I was in case it made you upset. When I saw for myself just why you’d been bumped to the top of the list, I knew you were well and truly over Silas. Do you mind me asking what on Earth was going on between you two, and still evidently is?”

  Kyra couldn’t hide her smile. Despite the pair of them having remained relatively private with the details, there had been those few who had been privy to the truth of their relationship back then. Also, since he’d come to the facility they hadn’t refrained from showing their affection to one another under the eye of their human colleagues and friends. Kyra figured it was time she confirmed Lasiandra’s obvious suspicions.

  “We started seeing one another while I was working at The Tower. Just casually, nothing too serious. He got me the treatment because he’d been assured it would give me optimum health and longevity. In all honesty, I don’t think he knew all that much about its real purpose. It seemed more like a gift than an experiment and I accepted without ever thinking of what I was truly agreeing to. When it was over, I wanted to forget all about my doubts and fears, but they eventually crept in. So, I went off in search of answers, which was how I found myself under Kronus’s radar.”

  “I was going to ask about him as well, but didn’t want to pry. Do you know each other well? It certainly seems that way,” Lasiandra interjected, and while Kyra didn’t want to say too much when it came to Kronus, she had to admit, their friendship also had to look a little suspicious.

  “Yes, we met a long time ago and grew to know one another, but in the middle there were a few awful years during which my life was turned upside down. Thrayke and I were on and off for a while, but he was there for me the entire time I worked hard to deal with my demons. We fell for each other and he sneaked me aboard the ship here, but then I was taken right from under his nose. The rest, you know…”

  “And now you’ve been reunited. It’s no wonder you two cannot keep away from each other. I think it’s an incredible story,” she replied dreamily, deliberately skipping over the harder elements Kyra knew she’d read between the lines to discover.

  “Like a fairy tale, except one where the aliens are the heroes and the scientist looking for a cure is the baddie,” Kyra offered with a genuine laugh, and Lasiandra giggled.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “We’ve received orders from King Thrakor. Gather round, please,” Thrayke commanded when he assembled the team later that day. Kyra joined the others as they all formed a semi-circle around him. She watched Thrayke intently, hoping to find a giveaway as to whether it was good or bad news, but she couldn’t see past his poker-faced exterior. “Effective immediately, all humans are freed from slavery of any means.” Murmurs echoed through the small group, but no one spoke up or asked for more information, they all respected his request and waited eagerly for the rest of the communication. “All humans are to be invited to continue working for us, either in the job already appointed or you’re free to enquire elsewhere, but please also note that this site is now formally named as the one and only commune for human migrants. This facility is to be henceforth named The Sanctum and is to become a safe haven for any human who might need one. King Thrakor has arranged for housing to be built on the land to the south, in which you’re free to live. You’ll be housed, fed, and taken care of in return for your continued service. It is anticipated that we’ll have an influx of former slaves arriving over the coming days, all of who will be welcomed and given roles to help our new community thrive.”

  “Whoa, that’s fantastic!” Kyra heard one of the doctor’s say, and saw his fellow colleagues agree. She looked around at them and was overjoyed when she saw nothing but elation on their faces. This was the right course of action, she could feel it in her bones.

  “And now to business directly involving us,” Thrayke continued. “We’re to wake up all test-subjects and give them responsibilities and roles to carry out too. Be it assisting the facility or the community, every human will have a job. You are to be relatively self-sustaining but will be governed by the Chief of Human Affairs. The Chief will oversee the day-to-day running of this entire project and his decision is to be final in all things. Any uprising or rebellion will be treated as an act of treason, and will be dealt with via punishment in the harshest form. If this community project doesn’t work, all human migrants will be put into cryo-stasis until new measures are planned, but together I know we can make sure that doesn’t ever have to happen.” The group was silent at hearing his harsh, yet understandable orders, and then Lasiandra spoke up, flushing red as she took the lead for the first time.

  “Who is this Chief of Human Affairs, sir? Can they be trusted to govern us fairly?” she asked, and Kyra could see her take strength from the murmurs of agreement from the others.

  “It’s me. I’ve been appointed to lead you, Lasiandra. I’ll make sure you’re all taken care of, trust me,” Thrayke answered, and he breathed a sigh of relief when they all cheered and offered him their blessing and heartfelt acceptance.

  They each seemed relieved he’d been the one chosen and Kyra thought it was lovely to see Thrayke being welcomed and accepted by the others she’d grown to care so much for during her time on Thrakor. “I’m glad you’re pleased, because you know I have allegiances to both sides and will work night and day to make sure this works. And, that actually brings me to the last order of business…” he paused, fiddling with the device in his hands from which he’d read the communication. “By royal decree, Thrakorian’s and humans are now also free to date and marry. Their union will be recognized by both sides, and they’re to be accepted as equals under the eyes of our people. You all know to whom my heart belongs, and I hope you can accept us…”

  Everyone looked at Kyra and she felt her cheeks flush. They had hardly hidden their affection for one another since having been reunited, but it felt odd him finally declaring the status of their relationship in front of the others. When Thrayke then walked toward her, she grinned, readying herself for a poignant kiss or hug to demonstrate the public admittance, but instead he dropped to his knees before her, taking her hand in his. “Kyra Millan, will you marry me?” he asked with a shy smile and he then pulled a ring from his pinkie finger and offered it to her.

  Kyra knew it wasn’t Thrakorian custom for him to offer her a ring along with his hand, only a solemn vow to devote themselves to their betrothed, which he’d already given her no end of times. She looked down at the ring in shock and saw that it held his family’s crest emblazoned on what looked like some kind of dark metal. Kyra could tell without asking that it was an important heirloom, which made it mean so much more to her than a trinket to signify their promise to one another.

  “Yes,” she answered and meant it. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she added, squealing when he slid the ring onto her finger and then plucked her from the ground, sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. The others she’d almost forgotten were there applauded and celebrated their engagement, which made Kyra smile even wider. It was wonderful being amongst friends who accepted them both and she knew without a doubt that their plans to become a fully functioning community would work. Like with her and Thrayke finally becoming a real couple, their dreams could all become reality so long as no one ruined it. But, she knew without any doubt that if that ever happened, her incredible fiancé would be quick to sort it out before things turned dangerous for any of them.

  “Excellent,” Thrayke groaned, watching her with a satisfied smile for a moment before he then threw Kyra over his shoulder, carrying her away so they could have some time alone. “Back to work the lot of you, I need to see General Millan in private,” he then bellowed over his shoulder, making her blush harder, but the rest of the team simply accepted the order with knowing smiles and gladly let them leave.

  ***

  When Kyra woke the next morning, she was surprised to discover the usually so early rising Thrayke still laid in bed beside
her. He was deep asleep, smiling to himself as he dreamed about something evidently pleasant and Kyra envied him the peaceful sleep. No matter the changes in her life for the better, the nightmares still plagued her. There were nights when Kyra barely slept soundly at all thanks to the memories still haunting her, but she was used to it by now. Or that was what she told herself anyway.

  She rested her head on Thrayke’s chest, peering down at the hand that was now adorned with the ring he’d given her the evening before. She still couldn’t quite believe he’d proposed, but didn’t regret saying yes. As she stared at the crest embossed on the dark silver ring, she began wondering about his family, and why he rarely spoke of them. Part of her wondered if he didn’t talk much about his parents or upbringing because he knew she’d grown up an orphan in the slums of Los Angeles and so didn’t want to talk about his family much in case it upset her. She hoped that wasn’t so. Because of that life, she didn’t talk about family simply because she didn’t have one, not because she didn’t want one. Kyra also began to wonder if Thrayke’s family would accept her and just hoped they didn’t have yet another fight ahead of them. She simply couldn’t bear it if they didn’t approve of her.

  “Morning, future Mrs. Thrayke,” his sleepy voice chimed and Kyra giggled.

  “Won’t I take your surname?” she asked, finding it strange that she’d be referred to as his wife in the literal sense, rather than how she was used to them doing it on Earth.

  “We don’t necessarily have surnames,” he told her, stroking her hair and pulling Kyra into him, holding her closer. “Our tribes can be traced back generations so our bloodlines are referred to as our formal name, otherwise we’re all just known by our given name.”