AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Was my abduction part of a cartel operation? From the kidnappers’ conversation, I’d learned there were other abductees besides me. Were humans assisting the cartel? It certainly appeared that way. Betraying one’s own people made them the lowest of the low. Bottom feeders.
However, I would have sworn the intruder was human if I hadn’t seen his eyes. So, these seemingly human men could be aliens, too. And if “others” had been taken, then I’d probably stumbled into another alien abduction attempt.
Urgency throbbed within me like a heartbeat. I had to locate the other abductees, break them free, and get the president to sound the alarm, bring this problem to the light of day now. Forget about not panicking people. People should be panicked! We couldn’t fight a problem we didn’t know existed, especially when our own citizens were colluding with the traffickers. The most dangerous threats always came from within. People will unite against an external enemy, but how could you unite and fight when you couldn’t tell who the enemy was?
It made sense Copans and Ceruleans would abduct and sell other sentient species into slavery. It was horrific and wrong, but they weren’t preying on their own people. The ugly truth was that the cartel couldn’t have operated on New Terra without inside help. The aliens looked too different from us. They would draw too much attention. They needed accomplices to provide an innocuous face, to build trust.
Garrison had been mocking me with the crack about people not accepting spaceship flights from strange aliens, but he’d inadvertently provided a piece of the puzzle. Humans had to be involved in the cartel operation. People wouldn’t follow an alien onto his spaceship—but they might if somebody they knew invited them.
The Star Cross space cruise drawing had seemed to originate from a New Terran organization. A human ground crew had checked us in as we’d boarded the ship. The crew had been human. Giselle, the ship’s doctor, was legit, but what did we know about the other crew members? We assumed they’d been victims like the passengers.
I can’t trust anybody. Nobody. No matter how unlikely someone seems, he could be abetting the cartel. The barista at the coffee shop. The doctor. The doorman. A neighbor.
Mrs. Abercrombie.
She seemed like a nice old lady, but was she? I’d told her I’d only be gone a couple of days, yet she’d been surprised to see me when I returned. Perhaps she’d known of the abduction and hadn’t expected me to ever come back. I’d given her the access code to my apartment. Maybe she had let the intruder in then chatted me up to delay me.
Or could someone I worked with be involved?
Like Garrison. I felt a sharp pang at the very idea. He’d been my mentor as well as my boss. A friend. Until now, we’d gotten along well, which was why his refusal to give any credence to my warning seemed so out of character. If he was involved, it would certainly explain why he’d ordered me not to go to the president.
As secretary of state, he wielded enormous power. He could arrange for ships to sneak in, steer authorities away, silence eyewitnesses, doctor records—like census reports—to ensure everything passed scrutiny.
No, it’s crazy. Not Garrison. I just can’t believe it. His disappointing reaction to my revelation notwithstanding, he was a decent guy. A career bureaucrat, sure, but still decent. Fair. Likable. He gave credit where credit was due. He’d always respected my opinion before.
Before I threatened to blow the lid off his operation?
No. It can’t be him. I would have seen signs long before this.
But would I? I’d been ignorant of trafficking until I’d gotten abducted. I didn’t know to watch for signs. Even if I had, I wouldn’t have recognized them.
And if someone had approached me claiming to have been kidnapped by aliens, I would have been doubtful, too.
However, the bell had been rung. The idea of Garrison colluding with the slavers had burrowed into my brain. Although evidence of his guilt was only circumstantial, if he was involved, it did make horrible, logical, perfect sense. Fact: Our own citizens were aiding and abetting the cartel. Fact: Census data could only be altered by someone with the authority to do so.
I’d sailed into Garrison’s office and spilled the beans. Could he have arranged to have me eliminated?
The president had believed me about the abductions, but would she believe me about Garrison? I had no proof of his involvement—just a strong hunch. How can I show up at the office now?
I gave a self-deprecating snort. Not something I need to worry about yet. I’m going to be stuck here awhile.
The thought had no sooner entered my head when my ears detected a shuffling noise. Sitting in silence and darkness, my senses had fine-tuned. I cocked my head, listening. A door opened and closed. Then another. Footsteps now. Louder. Closer.
Adrenaline surged, spiking my heart rate. I leaped off the chair, gripped the back of it. Come on, asshole.
The footsteps stopped outside my door.
Come on…
With a loud squeak, the door opened. A shadowing, hulking figure took a step forward. Mustering all my strength, I raised the heavy chair and swung it upward as hard as I could. With a thud, it connected with his chest.
“Zigqat!” he swore in Ara-Cope.
I swung again. He jumped out of range.
I felt a jab. A jolt of electricity shot through me, and I collapsed, my entire body on fire. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He’s paralyzed me with a stun stick.
There was a scraping noise, then metal clanged onto the floor. A few seconds later, he hefted me over his shoulder like a sack of laundry and carried me away.
