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The middle of May was usually a “hit-or-miss” weather in New York. This year, it seemed like summer had started early, and the temperature that day was a balmy seventy-five degrees. Mia gladly put on one of her new spring dresses, a simple blue cotton sheath, and a pair of cream-colored sandals that managed to be both comfortable and stylish. And then she headed out to join the hordes of New Yorkers and tourists that came out to enjoy Central Park.
It was hard to believe that only a month ago Mia had been walking here by herself, with no real knowledge of the Ks, thinking about nothing more than her Sociology paper. She hadn’t met Korum yet, and had no idea what a drastic turn her life would take in the next few minutes. What would have happened if she hadn’t sat down on that bench that day? Would she even now be packing to go home on Saturday?
As though her feet had a mind of their own, Mia found herself heading toward Bow Bridge, the place of her first close encounter. Unlike the last time, the little bridge was teeming with people today, all seeking to take photos of the picturesque view. Mia found herself a spot on a bench next to a young couple and settled in
to read the latest bestselling thriller – something she only had time to do when school wasn’t in session.
After a half hour, the couple left, and Mia got the entire bench to herself. Before she could enjoy it for long, however, she heard her name being called. Startled, she looked up and saw a young woman, dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a white sleeveless shirt, approaching the bench. Her short sandy hair was tousled, like a boy’s, and her arms were sleekly muscled. It was Leslie, the girl she’d met that one time with John – one of the Resistance fighters.
“Hey Mia,” she said, “do you mind if I join you for a minute?” Without waiting for a response, she sat down on Mia’s bench.
“Sure, be my guest,” said Mia, somewhat rudely. Leslie was not her favorite person, and she really didn’t feel like being tasked with something else right now. As far as Mia was concerned, she had carried out her mission, and all she wanted was to be left alone.
“Look,” said Leslie, her tone far friendlier than before, “I know we got off on the wrong foot. I just wanted to say thanks for what you did, and to give you something from John.” She held out a small oval object that looked vaguely like a garage opener or an automatic car key.
“What is it?” asked Mia warily, not taking it from her.
“It’s a weapon,” said Leslie, “a weapon that you can use to protect yourself in case Korum figures out what happened before we have a chance to neutralize him.”
“Neutralize him?”
Leslie sighed. “As per your request, we’ll try to capture him alive, so he can be deported back to Krina. It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll do our best.”
Mia swallowed. “What . . . um, when are you going to do it?”
“We can’t do it before the shields are down, and the attack on the K Centers is underway. He might be able to warn them, or get reinforcements, if we try to take him now, so we can’t risk it. It’ll have to be almost simultaneous. He’s not the only one. There are other Ks who are outside their Centers right now. As soon as they learn of the attack on their colonies – and they’ll learn it almost immediately – they will join in the fight. But they’re not in some remote areas – they are in our cities, near our government centers. If they realize that we’ve broken the treaty, they will attack us – and many civilian lives will be lost before we would be able to stop them. So we need to plan everything very carefully, or else it’s going to turn into a bloodbath.”
This was bad, thought Mia. Really bad. She hadn’t thought of that aspect – other Ks who, like Korum, were living among humans for whatever reason. Strong, fast, and armed with K technology, even one individual could inflict a tremendous amount of damage on the human population. She tried to imagine Korum fighting to protect his kind, and shuddered at the thought. Just that one brief glimpse of his rage in the club had been frightening. She had no doubt that he could be truly brutal if the occasion called for it.
Turning her attention back to the little object, Mia asked, “So what is this weapon supposed to do?”
“It dissolves molecular bonds, breaking down everything in its path,” said Leslie. “Essentially, it’ll turn whatever you want into dust. It’s a simple miniature version of the big weapon we intend to use to make the Ks surrender.”
Aghast, Mia stared at the small, harmless-looking device in Leslie’s palm. “So it could turn a person to dust?”
Leslie nodded. “It’ll work on whatever is in its path. The nanomachines it releases work for a period of only about thirty seconds before they become inactive, but that time is usually enough to completely dissolve a person. You don’t even need to worry about shooting him in the chest or whatever – if the nanos get on any part of his body, he’s toast.”
Mia nearly gagged at the thought. “What? No! I could never do something like this!” she exclaimed in horror. “I can’t use it on him –”
“You can, and you will,” said Leslie, “if your life is at stake. I have no idea if he’ll make the connection between what’s happening in the K Centers and you – but he’s supposed to be some kind of a genius, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.” Running her hand through her short hair in a frustrated motion, Leslie added, “And it’s best if you do it quickly, before he has a chance to react. Just point and shoot, no thinking . . . do you understand me? They’re fast, Mia, really fast.”
Mia shook her head. “I won’t do it. I can’t –”
Leslie shrugged. “That’s your call. If you’d rather die, then so be it – it’s none of my business. John asked me to give it to you, and here it is. You can take it and not use it, if that’s what you want. But at least you won’t be completely helpless when all this shit goes down.” She put the device on Mia’s lap. “If you want to use it, just feel for the little indentation on the side – if you press firmly there, it’s going to go off. Just be sure to point the rounded end toward him –”
Mia shook her head again. “I won’t use it,” she said with firm conviction.
Leslie looked at her with something resembling pity. “You idiot,” she said softly, “you’ve fallen for the monster, haven’t you?”
Mia looked away. “That’s none of your business,” she said quietly, examining her fingernails. “I did what needed to be done. He’ll leave, and that’s all there is to it.”
“You stupid girl,” said Leslie in a contemptuous tone, “you’re nothing to him – less than nothing. He’ll crush you like a bug if you’re anywhere in the vicinity when we attack. Just because he likes to fuck you doesn’t mean he’ll have mercy on you if he learns what you’ve done. He’s slept with hundreds of women just like you – thousands, probably – and you’re nothing special –”
“You don’t know anything!” interrupted Mia, feeling each word like a stab in the heart. “You’ve never even met him –”
Leslie’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t need to meet him to know exactly what he’s like – what all of them are like, Mia. They have no regard for us, for human life. We’re just an experiment to them, something they’ve created. As far as they’re concerned, we’re their creatures – theirs to do with as they please. And if it pleases them, they will get rid of us and take over our planet for their own use. And you’re a fool if you think he’s somehow different. He’s as bad as they come – he’s the one who led them here . . .”
Leslie was right. Mia knew all of that with the rational part of her mind, but her stupid heart refused to get with the program. The knowledge that he would be gone from her life in a few short days was strangely painful, and the thought that he might be harmed in the process made her stomach twist with fear. And yet Leslie was right – he probably would not hesitate to kill her if he learned that her actions had threatened the Ks’ agenda here on Earth.
