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“I don’t understand,” Mia said in confusion. “If he’s all that, then why is he here? And what does he want with me?”
“He’s here because, for the first time since K-Day, we actually stand a chance against them.” John’s eyes glittered with excitement. “Because he knows that we’re very close to being able to give them a fair fight. Because he wants to stamp out the Resistance before we go any further.”
He took a deep breath. “As to what he wants with you, it’s pretty obvious. Do you know what a charl is?”
Mia shook her head, feeling overwhelmed.
“The literal translation of charl is one who pleases. It’s the term they use for the human slaves they keep in their settlements. The purpose of the charl is to provide Ks with pleasure. As you may or may not know yet, they enjoy drinking blood during sex. So they keep us as captives, locked up in their high-tech cages, and use us whichever way they want.”
Mia felt hot bile rising in her throat. “You’re lying. Why would they do this? We’re intelligent beings.”
“They don’t necessarily think of us that way. Most of them regard us as pets that they bred explicitly for this purpose – little better than the primates they’d hunted into extinction on their planet.”
“So what are you saying? That Korum wants to keep me as a slave?” Mia asked incredulously. “That’s bullshit. If he wanted to keep me locked up, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?”
He sighed. “Mia, I don’t know exactly what game he’s playing with you. Maybe he finds it fun to give you the illusion of freedom for now. It’s not real – you understand that, right? If you tried to leave New York instead of staying here and going to him whenever he wants, I don’t know what he would do, whether your family would ever see you again. You’re a smart girl. You sensed that, right? That’s why you haven’t been exactly avoiding him. That’s why your roommate was so scared for you, why she came running to Jason even though they haven’t spoken in three years – because she said you were in way over your head.”
Mia wanted to throw up. If John was telling the truth, then her situation was far worse than she’d imagined. He was right; her subconscious must have realized the danger of running from Korum because she had never seriously contemplated leaving town. Her brain buzzed with a million questions, even as a hopeless pit of despair grew in her stomach.
“So what do you want from me?” she asked bitterly. “Did you come all the way here to tell me that I’m screwed? That I’m going to end up as an alien’s pet, locked up somewhere and used for sex? Is that what you’re here to say?”
“Yes, Mia,” John answered calmly, his expression oddly flat. “There are no good options for you. If he gets tired of you, then you might be able to resume your life – particularly if you’re still in New York at that time. Of course, you might also catch the attention of some other K and never be seen again. That’s what happened to my sister – that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing, so that other innocent young women can have a normal life.”
Mia looked at him in horror. “Your sister? What happened to her?”
His mouth twisted bitterly. “What happened is I gave her a trip to Mexico as a college graduation present. She went with her girlfriends and met a handsome stranger on the beach. Turns out, he wasn’t exactly human . . . The night before they were supposed to return home, Dana disappeared from her room. For the longest time, we had no idea what happened – just suspicions that the K was somehow involved. That’s why I started fighting the Ks, to avenge my sister. It wasn’t until a year ago that I learned she’s still alive and is being held as a charl in the Costa Rican K Center.”
Mia’s eyes welled up with tears as she pictured his family’s suffering. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she said. “Is there any way you can get her back?”
“No.” He shook his head with angry regret. “Even if we succeeded in rescuing her from there – an impossibility in and of itself – she’s been shined, like all charl. They will always know her exact whereabouts – there’s no way we can reverse that procedure.”
“Shined,” Mia said. “Like all charl – like me.”
“Like you,” John agreed.
She wanted to scream and cry and throw things. She settled for asking, “So why did you come here today?”
“Because, Mia, although we can’t really help you, you are actually in a position to help us. If we succeed, not only will you get your life back, but you will also have saved countless other young women – and men – from my sister’s fate.”
“I don’t understand . . . What are you asking me?” Mia said slowly, her pulse picking up.
“We want you to work with us. To notify us of Korum’s whereabouts, what he likes to eat, how he sleeps, any weaknesses that he might have. And if you happen to come across any information that might be even remotely useful – any passwords, security measures, anything at all – to convey that information to us.”
“You’re asking me to spy for you?” Mia’s voice rose incredulously.
“I’m asking you to make the best of your admittedly unfortunate situation. To help yourself and all of humanity. All you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open when you’re with him and occasionally report your findings to us.”
“And you think I will be able to pull this off? With no training of any kind and no acting skills? Somehow fool one of the most powerful Ks on this planet? What makes you think he’s not already aware that you’re here, particularly if his goal is to crush your movement?”
“This apartment is not bugged – we checked. He would have no reason to spy on you here if you don’t do anything suspicious and continue to play along. He doesn’t know that we’re here – if he did, we’d already be dead. Look, we’re not asking you to be James Bond or some kind of femme fatale. You don’t need to try to get close to him or seduce him or anything like that – just continue your relationship with him, such as it is, and occasionally give us information.”
“How? And what would that accomplish anyway? What makes you think you have a chance in hell when all the governments in the world with their nuclear weapons were completely helpless in the invasion?” The whole thing was insane, and Mia had no intention of becoming a martyr in the name of some hopeless cause.
“The how – leave that up to us. If he still gives you a similar degree of freedom, it will definitely be much easier. If not, then it gets more complicated, but we have our ways.” He paused for a second, apparently debating the wisdom of his next words. “As to why we think we can win, let’s just say that not all Ks are the same. They don’t all share the same beliefs about human inferiority. I can’t tell you more without putting you in danger, but rest assured – we have some powerful allies.”
Human allies among the Ks? The implications of that were mind-boggling.
“I don’t know,” Mia said, trying to think it through. “What if he catches on? What will happen to me then?”
