I closed my mouth, coughed in embarrassment, and sat up to regain my composure. “Interesting scenario except for one problem. Don’t underestimate the humans. What’s to keep them from copying the formulas and cutting you out of the picture?”
Clayborn nodded, pleased by my question. “The molecular structure is designed to break down after a few weeks. That means that Rizè-Blu must continually update the formula and renew our franchise agreements.”
Clever. “I’m confused about something. Since you come from space, what good would money do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you wire the money to an account on Jupiter? What’s the exchange rate between dollars and your outer-space pesos?”
Clayborn studied the smoldering tip of his cigar. “We don’t take cash. Instead, Earth has commodities that demand a high price among members of my social circles.”
“Social circles? You mean your fellow crooks?”
Clayborn didn’t challenge the slur. “No, they’re similar to the humans who run the show here on Earth. The politicians and corporate leaders.”
Of course. Crooks. The universe was full of them. “You said commodities? The quarantine means no contact or trade so it must be contraband. You guys violating the quarantine means that whatever you’ve come for must be worth the risk.”
“They are.” Clayborn blew on the cigar tip and the ember glowed. “These cigars for example. One box pays for a trip here.”
“Give me another example. I’m not convinced you’ve traveled all this way for stogies. You mentioned trading your technology for contraband. There’s got to be more to your visit than shilling hair products and filling larger bras. What about intergalactic communicators? Stellar-drive engines? Blasters?”
“Don’t be stupid. We give humans blaster and space-drive technology and within a century they’ll do to the Galactic Union what the Europeans did to the Indians.”
Smart thinking. The alien’s regard for human treachery rivaled mine. “What is this commodity?”
“This planet has two great treasures. Water and women.” Clayborn relaxed, his aura smoothing with confidence. “They can keep the water.”
I stayed quiet, to absorb this revelation. Odin had said the reason for his murder had to do with saving the Earth women. I never dreamed it would be from alien gangsters. But what did the aliens want with the women? Why and where were they taking them? And what about Carmen? I forced myself to remain calm. “How so? Earth women have a completely different anatomy from yours. Try as you might, good intentions will only get you so far.”
“So what? Despite our physical differences, your females are remarkably alluring.”
“Meaning everyone likes Earth pussy. It’s quite a compliment.”
“We don’t have to mate with them to enjoy their company.”
“Then you’re missing out on the best part. What kind of outer-space geniuses are you guys anyway?”
Clayborn’s laugh came out more as an annoyed chuckle. “Quit thinking with your gonads. Earth women possess an intuitive sense much more developed than the males. They have an awareness for the psychic world that we didn’t expect from such primitive thinkers as the human race. Because of that, Earth women make great companions.”
Companions? “I don’t understand.”
“Think nice collars. Lots of pampering.”
Collars? Pampering? “You mean like pets? You’re trading your advanced technology for Earth women and turning them into pets?”
“You say that like it’s a problem.”
“Of course, it’s a problem. A huge problem. A crime.”
Clayborn gave a gloating laugh. “Crime? According to whom?”
“Me.”
“Why do you care?” Clayborn asked. “The women will be well taken care of.”
“But pets? You said ‘collars’? What about leashes? Are you going to make them do tricks?”
“That’s up to the owners.”
“Owners?”
Clayborn gave a confused look, as if I didn’t understand the meaning. “This is a business.”
The revulsion made me sick and dizzy. What other plans lurked in the fine print of their pact? How long before the aliens figured out what I was, and then what? The extermination of us, the undead?
I asked, “Do the women know of this arrangement?”
“Their government does and that’s all that matters. They’ve weighed the moral concerns versus the material gain to society and decided it’s worth the cost.”
Those bastards. Selling out their fellow humans to the aliens. “Guess it’s easier to count the profits when someone else’s sister is sold into slavery.”
“How is this slavery? The women will do no work. They’ll live in undreamed-of luxury. Only the wealthiest among us can afford them.”
“You can’t buy human beings. It’s wrong.”
“Too late for that. We already have. The U.S. government, acting as an agent to its corporate sponsors, sold them to us. I can show you the bill of lading.”
“But the government doesn’t own the women to sell.”
Clayborn raised his hands in a sly, innocent gesture. “That is a domestic matter. Out of my control completely.”
“You’re forgetting murder. Not just Gilbert Odin’s. What about Marissa Albert and Karen Beck? What about all the passengers on the commuter plane killed to hide the disappearance of Vanessa Tico and Janice Wyndersook? And there are other missing women. Did you abduct them all?”
“The logistics of this operation are,” Clayborn rubbed the ends of his fingers together, “sticky.”
Sticky as blood. “How do you choose which women to kidnap?”
“I have a profiling list and I give the names to Colonel Goodman. He and his team have been resourceful and thorough. If their government doesn’t have a problem with this, why should I?”
His logic made me dizzy. “How many women do you plan on taking?”
“Whatever the market will bear.”
I wanted to puke. I couldn’t hide my disgust with him and his human partners in this gruesome conspiracy.
“Don’t look so upset.” Clayborn uncrossed his legs. “I’m an expert in homo sapiens behavior. They can rationalize anything. Take war. They’ll bankrupt their economies, sacrifice the best of their young, unleash a bloodbath that impresses even me, at the expense of providing shelter, food, and medicine for their own people. Compared to that, the sale of a few women is trivial.”
“Unless you’re one of those being sold. I don’t trust you, Clayborn. There’s more to this than taking Earth women and cigars.” I grew quiet and thought about what he really wanted.
“When I said we wanted to control humans, perhaps that was the wrong word.” Clayborn’s mouth curved slowly into a reptilian smile. “I should’ve said ‘domesticate.’”
I immediately saw rows of humans tagged and warehoused in pens. “Like animals? You’re crazy. Impossible.”
“Not at all. We give the humans what they want and they line up so we can milk them like contented cows. They hand over their women and in return they make more money.” Clayborn leaned forward from his chair. “We’ve already got Cress Tech and their Ivy League patrons in the National Security Agency mooing for more.”
The very people who were supposed to protect us have sold us out. There hasn’t been a betrayal this deep since Judas. “Clayborn, you’ve been doing a lot of talking. What for?”
The alien set his hands on his knees and leaned even closer. “Good point. That brings us to your friend Carmen.”
My anger snapped back into focus.
“She’s a special prize. I don’t blame you for wanting her back. At auction, she brought an astronomical sum.”