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Mia shivered slightly. She didn’t want to think about the nearly paralyzing terror that had gripped her that night. Instead, she asked him brightly, “So how did things work out for you guys this weekend? You moved your meeting, right?”
“We did. That’s why I’m here to talk to you today. There’s been a change of plans.”
“What kind of change? But, wait, first – did you figure out how he was videotaping you?”
“Do you remember the Keiths that we mentioned the last time?
Mia nodded.
“They were able to find the devices. They were embedded in the curtains and the couch fabric – even the tree branches outside. It was a new and different technology – something that they must’ve developed recently. We are lucky that one of the Keiths has a design background and was able to figure out what the things were based on their new nano-signature.”
Mia listened in fascination. “So what now?”
“We got very lucky that you came across that information. The Keiths thought so too –”
“They know about me now?” Mia wasn’t sure if she should worry about that.
“Yes. We had to explain how we learned about being recorded in the first place.”
The expression on her face must’ve seemed concerned because he added, “Look, I promise you they’re not all the same. The Keiths really believe in our cause – they won’t do anything to put you in danger.”
“I don’t understand something,” said Mia. “Are these Keiths openly walking around their communities talking about their views and the fact that they’re helping you guys?”
“No, of course not! If Korum knew who they were, he would quickly neutralize them. They have a lot to lose if their identities are discovered before we put our plan into action.”
“Okay,” said Mia, “so what’s the plan? And should I really know about it, given my proximity to you-know-who?”
“Unfortunately, you do have to know . . . because you’re a big part of this plan now.”
Mia felt her heart skip a beat. “Okay,” she said slowly, “I’m all ears.”
“Do you remember when I told you that Korum is one of the key reasons they came here? That his company essentially runs the K Centers?”
Mia nodded.
“Well, the reason why he has all this power is because his company developed a lot of proprietary, classified technology that’s not available to the general Krinar population. We don’t know much about their science, but we think they probably have mature nanotechnology –”
“What does that mean, mature nanotechnology?” asked Mia.
“Basically, we believe they can manipulate matter on an atomic level. As the Keiths have explained to us, they can create almost anything using technology that’s right in their homes – as long as they have simple input materials and the design for it. Their designers – which are a bit like our software engineers – create the nano blueprints for all the things they use in daily life, as well as for their weapons, ships, houses, et cetera . . . Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Mia didn’t fully understand, but she nodded anyway.
“Korum is one of their most brilliant designers. A lot of the blueprints that he and his company have created are not available to the general public. That includes the design of their ships – that’s highly classified information – and many of their security details, including shields and weapons for the K Centers. If you’re a regular run-of-the-mill K, you can easily go on the Krinar version of the Internet and get yourself a design for their standard weapons and technologies. That’s how the Keiths have been helping us until now – by providing us with the basic tools we need to evade capture and some simple weapons. Ultimately, the goal was to use their own weapons to attack their Centers and kick them off our planet.
“But, like I said, the K Centers are protected by technology that only Korum and his trusted lieutenants have access to. One of the Keiths has spent months trying to hack into their files . . . but with no success. We thought we were close to being able to penetrate their defenses, but we learned this weekend that we’re as far away as we’ve ever been. Korum continues to develop newer and more complicated designs – the devices he used to spy on us are particularly ingenious –”
“Can’t the Keiths reverse-engineer these designs?” interrupted Mia. Not that she knew anything about technology, but that seemed logical.
“Most of Korum’s designs contain a self-destruct feature that gets triggered when you try to take apart the device on the molecular level – which is what you’d have to do to figure out the structure of it. That’s how he has a monopoly on this stuff – the patent or copyright protection is built into the design itself.”
“Okay, so let me see if I understand this . . . The Keiths are willing to help you attack their own Centers, but they can’t break the code on the technology that protects the settlements? Am I getting that right?”
“Exactly. There are fifty thousand Ks and billions of us. They may be stronger and faster, but we could easily overtake them if they didn’t have their technology. If we could somehow disable their shields and get our hands on some of their weapons, we could take our planet back.”
Mia rubbed her temples. “But why would the Keiths help you so much against their own kind? I mean, I understand that they think it’s wrong the way humans have been treated . . . But to endanger the lives of fifty thousand other Ks for the sake of helping us? That doesn’t fully make sense to me –”
“We promised to minimize the Krinar casualties as much as possible and to grant them safe passage back to Krina. We also promised that the Keiths – and whoever else they think can be trusted – can stay here on Earth and live among humans, as long as they obey our laws.
