She seemed normal—enough. For an alien invader.
Caitlyn fiddled with her pendant, realized what she was doing, and dropped her hands. Pretending an interest in the artwork on the wall behind the desk, she studied the Krinar woman. Gleaming, long black hair, perfect posture, large green eyes, flawless skin. The receptionist made impeccable grooming appear natural, as if she rolled out of bed that way. Caitlyn could spend hours primping and never look as good. But she’s an alien, so maybe that has something to do with it.
The receptionist smiled. “I’m sure Arak won’t be much longer. Can I get you something to drink while you wait? Juice?”
Would it be some alien concoction? She’d heard the Ks grew their own fruit and vegetables in greenhouses in Lenkarda, their colony in Costa Rica. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
“You should try it. Personal experience plays well with viewers,” Michael said through the transceiver concealed in her upper earring.
She couldn’t reply to her Viral News producer without revealing she was wired. If this shadow thing panned out, she wouldn’t be able to avoid Krinar food, but there was no need to force it down before she had to.
“Your shirt must be covering the camera lens because I’m only getting half an image,” he said.
She patted her throat. Her necklace had skewed to the side and slipped under her blouse. She centered the pendant.
“That’s better.”
A virtual reality keyboard appeared out of thin air, and the receptionist began to type.
“Wow,” Michael said.
Caitlyn had to admit K technology had impressed her, too. She tucked her now-sleek hair behind her ear. A spate of unusual humidity in Los Angeles had caused her hair to frizz the instant she stepped out of her San Fernando Valley apartment. By the time she reached Century City, her red hair had resembled an orange fluff ball—but it began to smooth out the instant she entered the K Technologies building.
Gotta be more than a dehumidifier. They’re treating the air with something.
The fifty-story building itself hadn’t been there a month ago. It had materialized one day, and the Ks moved in. How did a building pop up overnight? She intended to find out. Knowledge equated to power, and the time had come to balance the scales.
Through massive windows, the City of Los Angeles sprawled for miles and, in the distance, the Pacific Ocean rolled out to the horizon. Before the invasion seven years ago, dirty brown smog would have obliterated the view, but the Ks had cleaned up the environment.
Some changes had been positive, but that didn’t matter. They have no right to move in and take over our planet. They’re like squatters. The massive window reflected her scowl, and Caitlyn refashioned a smile.
* * * *
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Arak reeled from the news.
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Korum replied. His image, beamed galaxies away from Krina, appeared as serious as a heart attack. Well, a heart attack for Earth creatures, since the Ks didn’t have cardiac problems. “She’s waiting in your reception area, now.”
“With all due respect, I’m not the right person for this.” Arak avoided humans as much as he could. He’d resisted coming to Earth, but Korum had assured him it would be a short-term assignment, and he’d be located in Lenkarda. He’d arrived before the invasion to study human “technology.” After the invasion, he’d been asked to stay another eight years to integrate technological compatibility. He had only one year left before he could return to Krina. Now, this happened.
“You’re the perfect person. She’ll only be with you a few days. A week, tops.”
As technological integration director, Arak was tasked with determining which primitive “technologies” could interface with the far more advanced Krinar ones. He’d been working in secret in Lenkarda for fourteen years, and then the Council had relocated his work to the middle of Los Angeles. In one of Earth’s most populated cities, he was surrounded by humans. That was bad enough, but this?
Arak paced around the 3-D image of the Council member. At the edges of the shimmering transmission, he caught sight of Mia, Korum’s charl. It would be about dinnertime on Krina. No doubt she wished Korum would quit for the day. “What am I supposed to do with a shadow?”
“Conduct business and allow her to observe. Answer questions and interact with her. The Los Angeles mayor’s office has arranged for Viral News to interview her about the experience. This is a chance for some positive public relations. Since we crushed the Resistance movement, there have been no major challenges or attacks, but humans still fear us, think we’re vampires, and we need to convince their hearts and minds that is not the case.”
Korum held out his arm, and Mia slipped in by his side. A pang shot through Arak. He avoided Earth people, but he envied the close relationship Korum had with his human mate. She’d been duped by the Resistance and, for a time, had spied for them; however, Korum had forgiven her, and their bond was as tight as any Arak knew.
Although he respected Mia, Arak didn’t doubt his own future mate would be another K. Many Ks were attracted to humans and hung out at clubs to get laid and drink a little human blood, but he’d never felt the slightest stirring of lust for a human woman. They were too delicate, too fragile in body. Too emotional—prone to superstitions, fears, insecurities, and infatuation. They weren’t less intelligent—of course not, the Ks had created them, after all. But as a young species, humans hadn’t had enough time to advance, as their primitive technology proved every day.
“Consider yourself lucky you don’t have a camera crew following you around. VN asked to record the experience, but the Council rejected the request. We desire to foster amicable relations, but certain things are better kept secret. That’s why we selected you. You’ll be discreet. Besides, I believe you’d benefit from getting to know a human better.”
“Which raises a point. I do deal with sensitive technology. What I am supposed to do with this girl?” Arak said.
“The girl’s name is Caitlyn Meadows. You’ll find a way to protect what needs to be protected, I’m sure. I have confidence in you.”
The transmission evaporated, leaving Arak alone with his frustrations. Earth leaders had pledged cooperation, and then the Resistance had attacked. The Ks continued to quell smaller conspiracies on a daily basis. In a way, he supposed he couldn’t blame the humans. If Krina had been invaded, the Ks would have fought to expel the interlopers, too. But, that only proved humans couldn’t be trusted; they lied as they breathed. Now, he had one shadowing him. What was he to do with her for eight hours? He assumed it would be eight hours, the standard human shift. Ks needed little sleep; he often worked fourteen to sixteen hours a day.
Better get this over with. He exhaled in a whoosh and sent a message to his personal assistant. “Omacia?”
“Yes, Arak.”
“Is…Miss Meadows out there?”
“She arrived about half an hour ago.”
“In ten minutes, send her in, please.” Before he met her, he needed to know who he would be dealing with.