Soros (Descendants of Doom Book 3), page 5
“Then how are we supposed to find him if you don’t even know what he looks like?” the woman said with deep lines around her mouth and between her eyebrows. “And what makes this alien so dangerous compared to the others who have been granted a permit to work here?”
We all stared at her while debating telepathically if she could really be this dumb.
“We’ll assume you said that because you have no idea what Malbreeans are capable of,” I said in a courteous tone.
“From what you have presented here tonight, I see a psychopath who was a successful politician on a different planet. He doesn’t seem to have the profile of a serial killer who is hunting his next prey. If he acts out and doesn’t follow our laws, we’ll find him and deal with him like we do with everyone else.”
Nerix looked up at the ceiling as if silently asking the higher powers for strength to not explode. Lios gave me a nod, silently gesturing to me that I should explain.
Getting up from my chair, I moved around the table at a slow pace while watching the three humans.
“Do you know why Earth is a protected planet?”
“Yes,” the man closest to me answered in a dark voice while touching his beard. His stomach was large and made it impossible for him to sit close to the table. “Because we don’t have the means to protect ourselves against alien warfare. Technologically we’re at a little disadvantage for now.”
“That’s an extreme understatement,” I said. “Right now, there’s a war going on in the Blitton Belt where the Malbreeans are colonizing and enslaving the local population to extract their resources. Malbreeans have no empathy and are focused only on profit. If Ko’roz is allowed to settle on Earth it will be like a weed in your beautiful garden. At first it won’t matter much because it’s just one plant. But how long do you think it will take before he invites his friends and they spread out their roots, suffocating what was here before their arrival? Someone like Ko’roz is superior to you humans in any way you can imagine. He’s stronger, smarter, and more ruthless. If you do nothing, he’ll go for power by infiltrating your monetary and political system. Before you know it, Earth will be another colony for the Malbreeans and you and your family and friends will be their slaves.”
The humans exchanged worried glances.
“But isn’t the Alien Federation supposed to prevent that from happening?” The last time I had been on Earth, the man who just asked the question had been a high-ranking member of the military and a close advisor to the President of this country. I remembered him from my time teaching about the different races of aliens. It made sense that as he had joined the Congress, he had been handpicked for the alien committee.
Nerix couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “What do you think this is? We’ve chased Ko’roz through galaxies and lost two colleagues that he killed. He’s currently the most wanted criminal in the Federation and bounty hunters are looking for him throughout the galaxies. None of the bounty hunters can come here though and that’s why you humans have to help find him. When you do, we’ll deal with him and bring him back to be prosecuted for the interstellar crimes he has committed.”
When Nerix stopped talking, Lios took over. “We’re trying to track Ko’roz through the funds which he’s undoubtedly planning to channel to Earth illegally. Luckily, we have a very gifted Thaddoinian on our team who is an expert at extracting that kind of information.”
“Good.” The man with the large waist held up a hand to the woman who was just about to speak. “We’ll make sure that whatever photos and information you can give us is forwarded to our police and Interpol. Fingerprints and DNA samples will be helpful too.”
“We can’t give you a DNA sample,” I said firmly. “It would reveal that Ko’roz isn’t human. But fingerprints and images of what he looks like should be possible. We don’t know what name he is going under now.”
“Whatever support you need to find him, we’ll give you. Here…” The man with the mustache pushed three mobile phones across the table. “You’ll need these for us to get in contact with you and vice versa. I’ve programmed three numbers into them. Call any of those numbers and we’ll respond. Use the word Federation so we know it’s you.”
“Don’t forget that you must charge the phones when they run flat on batteries or they won’t work,” the woman pointed out.
Nerix, who hadn’t said a single thing during the meeting, took the phones and looked at the older woman when she spoke again.
“To sum up the meeting, you’ve warned us that a dangerous alien might have arrived at our planet and that he could be hiding in our city. We appreciate your warning and will do everything we can to catch this Ko’roz and hand him over to you.”
“No human will be able to arrest him since he knows mind-clouding. You will have to let us do that,” Lios warned them as we all got up from the table.
On my way out, I turned and said, “Pay attention to any outbreaks of strange diseases. As far as we know, Ko’roz didn’t go through normal medical procedures.”
“Did you?” the woman asked and wrinkled her nose at Nerix.
He was clearly provoked and took a step closer to her, giving her a challenging stare. “Why are you on that committee when you clearly hate anyone non-human?”
She raised her chin. “I’m on the committee to make sure you stay in space and leave us alone.”
Captain Lios addressed Nerix telepathically. “Be patient. She’s operating out of fear, and you can’t blame her. They are limited in their knowledge and we’re not here to charm her into liking us.”
Moving past the woman, Nerix kept quiet but the two scowled at each other and once we were back in the car, he let out a big sigh. “I hate being judged by people I’m trying to help. That ungrateful woman made me want to throw my hands up and tell her to deal with the situation herself.”
“Which is why it’s a good thing that I’m the captain and not you,” Lios said and calmly looked out the window. “You need to work on your temper.”
Nerix blocked the mental connection, and I took his example and closed it down as well. I welcomed a bit of quiet time while driving through the streets of New York. My gut told me that the tension between Nerix and that congresswoman was nothing but a mild breeze compared to the tornado of a fight that was brewing between Tania and me. Now that we were off the spaceship, it was time to face her head on.
CHAPTER 7
Relaxing Spa
Tania
I was grateful that Captain Lios didn’t force Star and me to go to the meeting but instead allowed us to check into the hotel. The place was gorgeous and luxurious and after so long on a spaceship it felt amazing to walk on solid ground.
“I can see that you are guests of our chairman and that he requested our executive suite for you.” The man checking us in was middle-aged with kind brown eyes. His hair was covered in the style of a traditional Sikh. “Unfortunately, we’re fully booked and only have three premium rooms available for you tonight. However, the chairman included access to our spa while you’re staying with us, and any food and beverage you order will be covered as well.”
“Lovely.” Turning to Star, I asked, “Do you want to try their spa?”
“I’m not sure what he means,” she whispered.
“Here’s a brochure.” The kind receptionist handed her a pamphlet with pictures of three beautiful middle-aged women relaxing in a jacuzzi.
“Oh, that looks nice.” Star said and turned the brochure around.
Giving the kind man a smile, I said, “It sounds amazing, but I’m afraid that we didn’t bring our bikinis.”
“Don’t let that stop you.” Pointing across the foyer, he informed us, “You’ll find everything you need in our shop over there. Should you need a larger selection to choose from there are several brand-name shops within walking distance from the hotel.”
After all the horrible things we had gone through, mentally and physically, the thought of some relaxing time in a spa sounded promising and so I accepted, “In that case, yes, please. We would love to visit your spa.”
“How many are in your company?”
“Five.”
The receptionist placed five keycards in front of me. “These are for the spa area, which you’ll find on level zero, and then there are three room cards for you. All three are standard double rooms located on the same floor.”
“Perfect.”
Star didn’t look much younger than me, but she followed me like I was her guardian, asking me questions in a whispery voice.
“How will the men find us?”
“Hmm… good question. They know the name of the hotel, so I’m sure they’ll figure it out. If not, you know a bit of telepathy, don’t you?” I asked.
Dry washing her hands in a nervous movement, Star wrinkled her forehead. “What if I miss them reaching out to me? My abilities aren’t very strong.”
“Relax.” I elbowed her with a smile. “They’ll ask the reception which rooms we checked into. It’ll be fine.”
The first room we walked into had a lovely scent of lavender, crispy white bed sheets, and a beautiful view of Manhattan.
I set my bag down and threw myself on the bed. “Mmm… I needed this.”
Star lowered herself in a controlled motion to the edge of the bed. “It’s nice here.”
“Hey, Star.”
“Yes?” She turned her head and looked at me.
“Can you give me that menu over there? I want to order some room service.”
Propped up on our elbows, we lay on our bellies, going over menu options. “Let’s order a selection that you can try. And after that we’ll go to the spa and relax.”
“But what about the men?”
“Honestly…” I sighed. “I think a break from them will be good for us.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know.”
I showed Star how the TV worked and how to flush the toilet for when she needed to use it. Star kept staring at things as if she could make them work using her mind, but that part was normal for aliens who first arrived on Earth.
When the food came, I took pleasure in seeing her excitement.
“Do you think my mother ate something like this?” she asked.
“A burger? Yes, I’m sure. They are very normal on Earth. At least in this part of the world.”
She pulled out a pickle and turned it and sniffed it. “This has a peculiar taste.”
“You don’t like it?”
She put it down on the plate and took another bite of the burger that I had split in two.
“Try these. They’re called French fries.”
I watched her face when she tried her first bite. “I know, right?” I said because I could tell she liked the taste. “They’re good. Try dipping them in this. There’s aioli and chili mayo. Both taste amazing with French fries.”
We ended our feast with a delicious blueberry muffin and a triple chocolate brownie.
“So, what do you think?” I asked Star, who leaned back with a hand to her stomach.
“I think I ate way too much. Earth food is really good.”
As always when aliens praised something on Earth, I felt proud.
“Come on. Let’s go pick out some bikinis and try out that spa area that the receptionist talked about.”
Star followed me without question, and she looked stunning in the bikini that she picked out. I chose a navy-blue bikini, which complimented my skin tone. We were just leaving the shop when Lios, Nerix, and Soros walked into the lobby.
“Oh, hey.” I avoided looking at Soros and directed my question at Nerix and Lios. “How did the meeting go?”
Lios gave me a short reply. “We’ll tell you in private.” Looking down at the small bag in my hand, he asked, “What’s going on? We thought you might be sleeping by now.”
“It’s only eight p.m. local time. Star and I ate dinner and now we’re going to relax in the spa.”
“What’s a spa?” Nerix wanted to know.
Star was quick to repeat the description that I had given her earlier. “It’s a place that makes your soul go ahhh…”
All three men looked from Star to me, and it made me sigh and elaborate. “It’s a wellness place with water and steam baths. Look, I know we’re on a mission to find a monster, but we’ve all been under a ton of pressure and stress. Star could use some decompression to her system and frankly, so could I.”
Lios shifted his weight. “Yes, I think we all could use some decompression. Let’s all go to this magical place that makes our souls go ahhh…” The crooked smile on Lios’ face when he said the last part made him look boyish for a change. Usually, the Ugon captain was serious and focused.
I bought three pair of swim trunks for the men and showed them to our rooms. “Star and I are sleeping in this room,” I said and pointed to the first door. Let me just get you the key cards and then you can figure out who sleeps in which room.”
“I’m staying in my own room. Captain’s privilege,” Lios said.
“I’m not a soldier under your command,” Soros reminded him.
Nerix groaned. “Can’t we just get one more room if it’s such a pain to share a room with me?”
“We asked, but they’re sold out,” I explained to Nerix in an apologetic tone.
Star surprised me with her resolute declaration, “Then I’m sharing a room with Nerix. No one should feel unwanted.”
Nerix’s gaze softened as he looked at Star. “That’s sweet, but you don’t have to do that.”
Ever since I met Star, I had told her to be more assertive and to speak her mind. Now that she finally did, it was the worst time.
“Sweetie, you can’t share a room with Nerix. Then I would have to share with Captain Lios,” I said.
Soros narrowed his eyes. “Or me.”
My heart felt as if it had a cramp, and it was hard to meet his gaze. If I had to share a room with Soros, things would undoubtedly explode between us, and I wasn’t sure I could handle that right now.
Star twirled a lock of her hair in a nervous movement while Lios took control the way he did many times a day. “We don’t have to figure this out right now. I’m hungry and I want to try this spy thing.”
“It’s called a spa. Not a spy,” I corrected him.
Walking down to the spa area, I heard Lios and Nerix talking to Star, who was telling them about her first experience with Earth food. Soros and I walked behind them. We didn’t exchange words, but there were several side glances between us. Neither of us smiled and I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking or why he had pointed to the possibility of him and I sharing a room.
Back when Soros and I were together, he saw me naked plenty of times and yet I felt incredibly self-conscious when I had to leave the women’s shower facilities and walk into the spa area.
Star kept adjusting her bikini top, which gave me a hint that she was out of her comfort zone as well.
“You look beautiful,” I told her with a smile and took her hand. “Come on.”
The soft music, ambient light, and scent of essential oils made for a calm and serene setting. We found the three men in a lounge area where towels lay rolled up. Each towel was bound with thin rope and a lavender flower on top.
Next to the elegant furniture was a small bar with jugs filled with ice cold water and different juices in beautiful colors. The men were snacking on fruit and biscuits and trying all the drinks.
I had been feeling insecure, but I suddenly felt a bit disappointed that Soros didn’t seem to notice me at all. I was standing half naked next to him, wearing only my black bikini, and all he could focus on was the snacks and drinks on the table. Adjusting my top didn’t get any of the men to look, but the moment I turned, I saw in my peripheral view that all three of them sneaked a quick peek.
A group of five women in their late forties and early fifties sat in the lounge area sipping on mimosas. They were sending long glances toward the men and when Nerix noticed, he asked me discretely. “Do you think those humans are on to us?”
“On to you how?” I looked over to see the women whispering among themselves.
“On to us being aliens,” he clarified.
I took a strawberry and handed it to Star. “Try this. It’s sweet.” Turning back to Nerix, I calmed him down. “Those women have no clue that you’re alien. All they see are tall, handsome men and they’re probably wondering how you got all those battle scars.” Touching one of the tattoos on his right arm, I pointed out, “The design of your body art is also very different. They might be wondering what it’s about.”
Nerix looked over at the women again. “Two of them just smiled at me.”
“If their attention makes you uncomfortable you can pretend that we’re a couple,” I offered with a shrug. “I don’t mind.”
Soros heard me and frowned. “What do you mean pretend? Are you saying that you and Nerix aren’t together? Is that why you didn’t offer to share a room with him?”
I instantly flushed red and realized my mistake. “Ehm… well…”
Star unintentionally rescued me when she spit out the strawberry and made a grimace. Reaching for a napkin I offered it to her.
“I’m sorry, but the taste was strange.”
“Don’t worry about it. Maybe that one was bad. It’s okay.” Helping her get rid of the napkin with the chewed-up strawberry, I led her away and called back over my shoulder to the men. “I’m taking Star to the hot tub. We’ll see you later.”
I should have known that my attempt at escaping the men and Soros’ uncomfortable question wouldn’t be that easy. From my seat in the hot tub, I could see Soros, Nerix, and Lios trying out different areas of the spa. They went into the pool and Soros stood under a fountain letting water fall on his shoulders and scalp. Nerix was playing around with infrared lights and Lios disappeared into a Finnish steam sauna only to come out a few minutes later red-faced and sweaty.
