Close Liaisons Read online

  And then she remembered a little tidbit about life on Krina. They were territorial, he’d said, and didn’t like to live right on top of each other.

  And she wanted to cry.

  It was all clear now. Of course he had been mad at Peter last night: the poor guy had inadvertently infringed on Korum’s territory. As far as Korum was concerned, she belonged to him now, for as long as he wanted to keep her.

  She was another one of his possessions. And he didn’t like to share.

  As much as she wanted to laze in bed all day, there were things to be done. Her Stat final was tomorrow, and she still didn’t feel fully ready. The last thing she needed was the distraction of her screwed-up love life.

  Getting up, Mia brushed her teeth and got breakfast. Korum wasn’t home at all, and she wondered where he went.

  Before she settled down to study, she decided to check her phone to make sure that Jessie got home safely last night. Sure enough, there were about a dozen missed calls from her roommate and an equal number of texts and emails – each getting progressively more worried. Mia groaned. She should’ve texted Jessie last night before falling asleep, but it had been the last thing on her mind at the time.

  There was no help for it. Studying would have to wait. She called Jessie instead.

  Her roommate picked up in the first ring. “Oh my God, Mia, are you all right?!? What the fuck happened last night? If that alien bastard hurt you in any way –”

  “No, Jessie, he didn’t! Look, I’m totally fine –”

  “Totally fine? Everybody was talking about it last night – how he dragged you off after nearly killing Peter! I came back from the bathroom, and you were gone, and the poor guy was still choking on the floor –”

  “Is he all right now?” interrupted Mia, suddenly overcome by guilt.

  “He was taken to the hospital, but it was mostly swelling and bruises, they said. He’s probably going to have difficulty speaking for a few days, and I’m sure he was scared out of his mind . . .”

  “Oh my God, I am so sorry about that,” Mia groaned. “I should have never put him in danger like that –”

  “Him? What about yourself? Mia, this K of yours is insane! He was about to kill a person for dancing with you –”

  “Kissing me actually . . .”

  “Whatever! It’s not like you slept with the poor guy, but even if you had . . . that’s just crazy!”

  Mia sighed. “I know. I learned too late that they’re apparently very territorial and possessive. If I’d known before, I obviously would’ve never gone to the club in the first place –”

  “Territorial and possessive? More like homicidal! Mia . . . you really need to leave him. I’m scared for you . . .”

  “Jessie,” said Mia softly, wondering how to best phrase it, “I’m not sure that I can leave him yet.”

  “What do you mean? Like he would force you to stay somehow?”

  “I don’t really know, but I don’t think it’s the best idea to break up right now –”

  “Oh my God, I knew it! You are afraid of him! Did he threaten you in any way?”

  “No, Jessie, it’s not like that . . . He said he would never hurt me. I just think it’s best to let the relationship play out naturally. I’m sure he’ll get bored soon and move on –”

  “And you’re okay with that? Just waiting around until he tires of you? Wait, what about the summer, when you go home to Florida?”

  “Um, I’m not really sure how that’s going to play out yet . . . I haven’t really talked to him about that –”

  “Well, you better, because it’s coming up! Finals are next week, and then you’re gone. What is he going to do then? Not let you go home?”

  Jessie had a valid point. Mia had no idea what would happen at the end of next week. For some reason, she had thought that Korum might get bored of her before Florida became an issue. His actions last night, however, were not those of someone who was getting bored with his new toy; in fact, he seemed very determined to hold on to the said toy. Mia was starting to worry, but Jessie didn’t need to know that.

  “No, I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Look, Jessie, I know it sounds bad, but he’s really not mistreating me or anything. If I just act more considerately, everything will be totally fine. He’ll go back to his K Center soon, and I will have lots of interesting stories to tell my grandchildren . . .”

  “I don’t know, Mia. This is starting to sound like he’s almost holding you captive –”

  “Don’t be silly! Of course he’s not!”

  “Uh-huh,” said Jessie skeptically, “sure he’s not. You can just go anywhere you want, do anything you want –”

  “Well, no,” admitted Mia, “not exactly –”

  “Not at all! He’s keeping you prisoner there –”

  “No, he’s not,” protested Mia. Taking a deep breath, she added, “But even if he was, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. You saw it last night – they can nearly kill someone in public and nobody will say boo. Whether we like it or not, they are not subject to our laws. Jessie – please, just let it go . . . I know how to handle my relationship with him. Obviously, it’s not like dating another NYU student, but it’s not all bad –”

  “Not all bad? You mean the sex is good?”

  Mia blushed, glad that Jessie couldn’t see her. “Well, definitely that – it’s actually pretty amazing . . . but also just spending time with him. He can be really fun . . . and romantic, and he’s a great cook –”

  “Oh, don’t tell me . . . are you falling in love with him?”

  “No! Of course not!” Mia sincerely hoped she wasn’t lying. “He’s not even human –”

  “That’s right! He’s not human! Mia, he’s dangerous. Please be careful, okay? If you feel like you can’t break up with him yet, then don’t . . . but just don’t fall for him, okay? I don’t want to see you get hurt . . .”

  “Of course, Jessie. Please don’t worry so much – I’m totally fine. But enough about me,” Mia said with false brightness. “What’s the deal with that hot actor you were flirting with all night?”

  “Oh, he was a total sweetheart. I gave him my number, and he said he will call today –”

  And Jessie told her all about the cute guy and how he was in town for at least a few more months, and how they both enjoyed Chinese food and had the same taste for nineties music . . . It was all so uncomplicated, and Mia envied her roommate for being able to fret over something as ordinary as whether Edgar would call today as promised.

  They wrapped up the conversation, and Mia promised to see Jessie the next morning after the Stat exam. And then she settled in to study for the rest of the day.

  Chapter 15

  On Monday morning, Mia walked out of her Stat exam feeling like she had conquered the world. She’d known the answer to every question and finished the test in half the time. Now she only had to turn in three papers, and the school year would be officially over.

  Elated, she texted Jesse to let her know that she was done. Her roommate was probably still taking her BioChem final, so Mia decided to chill in the park for a bit and wait for Jessie to finish up.

  Parking herself on a bench, she pulled out her phone to call her parents and let them know that the test had gone well. But before she could even press a button, a man sat down right next to her, and Mia found herself looking into a familiar pair of blue eyes.

  “John! What are you doing here?” Mia asked in surprise. She had always seen him inside her apartment, and it was a bit of a shock to see him out in the open like this.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something important, and I wasn’t sure when you would be home next,” he said. “But first, let me ask you . . . are you all right?”

  “Uh, yeah.” Mia flushed a little. “Why, did Jessie talk to Jason again?”

  “No, but we heard about what happened. Your Saturday night adventure made the local papers.”

  Mia shuddered. That was embarrassing. A sca
ry thought occurred to her. “Was my name in the paper? If my parents find out –”

  “No, there was only a description. I doubt your family will make the connection.”

  Mia exhaled in relief. “Yeah, well, as you can see – I’m totally fine.”

  “Why did he attack that guy like that?

  Mia shrugged. “He’s just possessive, I guess. I was really scared, actually, because I thought he’d found out I was helping you. Turns out I was wrong, but there was a very unpleasant hour when I was certain he would kill me.”

  John regarded her with a calm, level gaze. “It’s a risk that we all run, unfortunately,” he said.

  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.

  “You see, Mia, they would be our teachers, our guides . . . bringing us into the new technological era and greatly accelerating our natural progress. They would be heroes to all of humankind, their names revered for ages. They would help us cure cancer and other diseases, and give us ways of extending our lifespan.” His face was glowing with fervor. “Mia . . . they would be like gods here on Earth, after all the other Ks leave. Why wouldn’t they want that instead of leading the regular lives they’ve already led for thousands of years?”

  Mia was reaching her own conclusion. “So they’re bored and looking to do something epic?”

  “If you want to think about it that way. I believe they’re genuine in their desire to help our species evolve to a higher level.”

  “Okay, so let’s go back for a second. If they can’t hack into the files, then what are you going to do? Sounds to me like Korum is winning the war before you even got a chance at a single battle.”

  “Not quite,” said John, his eyes burning with excitement. “We can’t hack into the files – but we can steal the information anyway.”

  Mia didn’t like where this was going. “Steal it how?” she asked slowly.

  “Well, the rumor is that Korum keeps many of his particularly sensitive designs on him at all times. For instance, have you ever seen him doing anything like looking into his palm or at his forearm?”

  “I’ve seen him looking into his palm,” said Mia reluctantly, starting to get a really bad feeling about this.

  “Then that’s where he has one of their computers embedded. I use the term computer
loosely, of course. It has as little in common with human computers as our computers do with the original abacus. Still, he has information stored there – literally in the palm of his hand. We could never hope to get to it because even if we captured and immobilized him – which is a nearly impossible task – he would probably be able to wipe the data in a matter of seconds.”

  “So what can you do then?” asked Mia in confusion.

  “We can’t do anything . . . but you can. You’re the only one who gets close enough to him to be able to gain access to that information –”

  “What? Are you insane? It’s in his palm – how would I get to it? It’s not like he’s just going to hand it over!”

  “No, of course not,” sighed John. “But we do have this . . .”

  He was holding a small silver ring.

  “What is it?” asked Mia warily.

  “It’s a device that scans data. The Keiths deliberately made it look like jewelry, so you could wear it without raising suspicions. If you could somehow hold it to Korum’s palm for about a minute, it should be able to access his files and get us the blueprints.”

  “Hold it for a full minute against his palm? What, like he wouldn’t find it suspicious?”

  “Not if he was otherwise distracted . . .” His voice trailed off suggestively.

  “Oh my God, are you serious? You want me to steal data from him during sex?” Mia’s stomach turned over at that thought.

  “Look, the when is up to you. He could be sleeping –”

  “He only sleeps for a few hours, and I’m usually passed out during that time.”

  “Okay, then, do you ever go anywhere with him when he just holds your hand?”

  Mia thought about it. When they walked somewhere together, she would usually put her arm through the crook of his elbow. Or sometimes he would put his hand on the small of her back. If he ever held her hand, it was usually for a brief period of time only. “Not really.”

  “Well then, it has to be when it wouldn’t be strange for you to be touching him . . .”

  “So you do mean during sex?”