His posture changed. “Then I saw them. The hybrids, as we call them now. A bunch of men and women who looked alike. They had weapons. A lot of us died trying to attack them. I didn’t bother. I knew they would mow us down like ducks at the firing range, so I hung back. Later, I followed them a ways and learned what floor they were on. The next day, I headed there, and one of them approached me from behind. I almost crapped myself.”
The stories of the vessels were hard to hear, especially since the few of us who didn’t get taken never had to witness it. We’d just seen the aftermath, and that was hard enough. I thought back to the first vessel we’d come upon on our way to the sun. The one where we’d found Mae… and killed the rest of the hybrids. Guilt rose from my gut and threatened to make me gag, and I pushed it back down. I had to do it. There was no choice.
The guy must have noticed me pale, and he raised an eyebrow to me. “Then what?” I asked, hoping to just move on.
“They brought me to a room, an off-limits area only they could get into. I thought for sure they were going to kill me. I mean, why wouldn’t they? I was spying on them. Instead, he offered me a seat and gave me a glass of water. I mean, at first, I expected it to be poisoned or something, but figured it would have just been easier to shoot me, so I drank it. Next, he plopped a bar of food in front of me. He didn’t talk, just set it down.” He looked at me guiltily. “I ate it. As soon as I took that bite and felt my stomach churn from finally having something inside it, I knew I was theirs. I felt guilty but didn’t care. The way I figured it, we were all dead anyway.”
I wondered what endgame the hybrids on that ship had. If they knew they were just crashing into the fiery depths of the sun in a few days, what use did they have for someone on the inside?
Before I could ask, he continued. “At first, they just asked me to keep an ear out for anything out of place. Revolts, that kind of thing. I did. A couple times, I overheard plans from the captives to attempt a coup d'état, and before they could, the alien hybrids always found out. No one had any inkling it was me.”
I noted how he called the people captives and didn’t seem to include himself among their ranks during this conversation. Magnus probably noticed too, judging by the frown he was wearing.
“More people died, and by the time I realized I should have been using my time thinking of ways to get one of their weapons to turn the tables, it was too late. The heroes of Earth showed up and stopped them from destroying us all. I lie awake at night telling myself that had they not come to save us, I would have found a way to at least stop our vessel. I know that I’m kidding myself, but it’s all I can do to sleep some nights.” He took another sip of his coffee and set the cup down with a shaky hand.
Heroes of Earth. The name had a silly ring to it, but it was one of the many things we were hailed as after the return. We were all quiet a moment, and the guy squinted as he looked from Magnus back to me. Recognition sank in, and he paled even more.
“It’s you.” His hands went to his face, covering it as he blew a deep breath out. “All this time, I’m spilling my guts about working for the enemy, and who am I telling it to? Two of the damn people who actually stopped them from killing us all. Listen, I know you’re going to judge me, but if I’d been on the outside, maybe I would have done like you too.”
“I believe you would have. What choice did you have?” I asked him, and I told myself I would never have done what he’d done if I were in his shoes. It was hard to convince my brain one hundred percent. I was worried he might clam up now, so I had to stay on his side. “We need to know about today. Why did you shoot that man?”
I was jumping ahead, but if I was going to lose him, I needed to hit the gas quickly.
“I’m sorry. They had me. In those few days, they made me one of theirs. I felt more at home with them, sneaking around infiltrating my own people, than I did pushing sawdust around for a living. I get it. Transference, or whatever the hell you want to call it. I was converted to some sort of new ideas, and at this moment, I finally see it for what it was. I’m ashamed,” he said quietly.
“So you were theirs, but after we got home, what happened? I’m missing something.” Magnus stood up, and I wished he would shrink back down to be less intimidating.
“Once you showed up, a couple of them were convinced of your story. They fought about it, I was told, but they all ended up going along with it. I think the hard-core Kraski fanatics had a hard time agreeing, but they saw an opportunity for something. They were the ones who kept me on their side. They played nice with everyone, and we’ve all heard the remorse from the interviews, and the hybrids over the last year, but if you think they all rolled over and forgot their roots, you’re kidding yourselves,” Clayton said.
Dalhousie had been right to keep them all isolated in their POW camp out on Long Island. The Russians had wanted them, but the world had voted on the US. Likely they would all have wound up dead by some accidental explosion, but if what I was hearing went where I feared, maybe that would have been the best alternative.
“I doubt anyone thinks they’re toothless,” Magnus said. “Can we get back to the shooting today?”
“Before we landed back on Earth, two of them told me they would be in touch. They gave me some sort of tracking device or something.” He pointed to the back of his neck. “Injected it in me. Didn’t hurt.”
Magnus stood tall again. “Is it still in there?” he barked.
The guy nodded. “Yeah, they contacted me a couple times, but not directly. Through a human, I think.”
That had to mean they had a whole damned network here. Dalhousie and the rest had every reason to be cautious around the hybrids. Mae was on our side, though, this I was sure of. Well, mostly sure of. But then again, I’d been sure Ray was with me too, until he’d tried to stop me at Machu Picchu.
“You’ve never met them or spoken directly with them since you’ve been back?” Magnus asked.
He shook his head slowly. “They’re all contained, as far as I know, so they can’t leave. All I know is I was told to meet another guy. He had a van and some guns. We were given a place and date and instructions. That was today. I was told to shoot the guy with the megaphone, then leave. Of course, you know how that went.”
“Ready to give us your name yet?” I asked.
“Clayton. Clayton Belding,” he said.
“I’m not sure what’ll happen to you, Clayton, but we do appreciate you being forthright with us. One last thing before we leave the room. What are the names of your hybrid contacts? The ones who kept at you after we arrived to bring you all home?” I reminded him about the saving part again.
He looked like he was scared or worried to tell me, but he gave in. I think he was just happy to be done being a traitor to his country, to his planet. “Terrance was the guy, and Leslie was the woman. I still don’t understand why they have our names, but I guess if you’re putting on someone’s mask, you may as well take their name too.”
Our trip to Long Island had just gotten more pressing.
FIVE
“We’ve alerted the guards at the Long Island facility, and they’re going to try to identify those two particular hybrids.” The president looked tired; black bags sat under her usually youthful eyes.
Mae sat at the table, looking worried. Everyone had been watching the video as we spoke with Clayton, and the only consensus was we needed to follow and learn about the network being run by Leslie and Terrance.