Invaded (Alienated, #2)(45)

Isaac stood when he noticed Aelyx, and he nodded his brunet head in a greeting. Aelyx studied his foe while striding toward him. In his tweed jacket and khaki pants, bifocals teetering on the tip of his nose, Richards looked more like a university professor than the commander of a xenophobic civilian army. The man didn’t offer his hand to shake, but that was all right. Aelyx didn’t want to touch him anyway.

“Thank you for meeting me,” Aelyx said. He gestured at three small glass jars atop the table, each filled with clear liquid collected from opposite ends of the country. “And for bringing your water samples.”

After placing his duffel on the floor, Colonel Rutter took a seat at the next table, giving them the illusion of privacy. Isaac lowered to his chair and motioned for Aelyx to follow suit. “I did so against my better judgment,” Isaac said. “But I couldn’t resist. I admit your message had me intrigued.”

“This won’t take long.” Aelyx found it difficult to maintain eye contact with the seemingly innocuous man. While Richards began sipping his coffee, memories of Eron’s death pushed their way to the front of Aelyx’s mind—specifically how the Patriots of Earth had proudly claimed responsibility for the murder.

Isaac must have sensed it. “Before we begin,” he said, “I want to say that I regret what happened in Lanzhou. I don’t have much control over individual chapters, and I didn’t sanction violence against that boy.”

Aelyx didn’t much care for semantics. Whether or not Isaac had called for Eron’s death, he’d facilitated the group protest that brought together thousands of extremists in Eron’s town. Isaac had to have known bloodshed would ensue.

“I won’t lie,” Isaac continued. “I still want your kind off my planet.”

Aelyx laughed without humor. “Now that I believe.”

“But I don’t kill children.”

“I’m not a child.”

Isaac brought the cup of coffee to his mouth and watched Aelyx over the rim. He set the cup atop its saucer with a light clink. “No, you’re not. But I have a son your age, so I guess that’s how I see you.”

Aelyx didn’t like this. He didn’t want to hear that Isaac had a family, or any humanizing elements about his life. The man had fostered an organization that fed on fear and paranoia. They’d tried to kill Aelyx many times. That was all he needed to know.

Roughly, Aelyx unzipped the duffel bag at his feet and pulled the microscope and glass slides from inside, then set them on the table.

“What’s all this?” Isaac asked.

Aelyx unscrewed the first jar and used a sterile dropper to squeeze a few beads of water onto the slide. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me unless you saw this with your own eyes.” He flipped on the scope’s light and peered through the eyepiece to bring the sample into focus under heavy magnification. “Look in here and tell me what you see.”

Isaac slid the scope across the table and did as Aelyx asked. “I don’t know,” he said. “A bunch of green blobs joined together in strands.”

“They’re algae blooms,” Aelyx explained. “And you’ll find them reproducing at an exponential rate in every single one of these samples.”

Isaac’s answering shrug said he didn’t understand.

“I didn’t poison Earth’s water, but it’s tainted all the same.” Aelyx removed the slide and repeated the process using liquid from the second jar. “Years ago, our Voyagers introduced your scientists to L’eihr nanotechnology. Human scientists began experimenting with our particles without pondering the consequences, and they released a nano-fertilizer that leaked into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, thus—”

“Wait,” Isaac interrupted. “In English, please.”

While Aelyx tried to rephrase the occurrence in simpler terms, Colonel Rutter offered from the next table, “We screwed ourselves, right up the tailpipe. And unless L’eihrs give us the technology to fix it, we’re all dead in less than a decade.”

Isaac removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You can’t expect me to take your word for it.”

“Of course not,” Aelyx said. “Feel free to bring in someone you trust to substantiate the findings. I’ll wait.”

Isaac excused himself to make some calls and returned thirty minutes later with a scientist from the local HALO chapter. The man brought his own microscope, slides, and water samples and set them up on the opposite side of the bistro. After inspecting the droplets, he conferred privately with Isaac and left.

When Isaac rejoined their table, his skin had paled a few shades. “All right. Assuming I believe you, what are we going to do to fix the problem?”

“My leaders have the technology to neutralize the algae blooms,” Aelyx said. “But they won’t deliver it unless our people form an alliance.”

“Of course they won’t.” Isaac stared into the first jar of water. “They’ll use this to get whatever it is they want from us.” He glanced up and demanded, “And what is that, exactly?”

At one time Aelyx had thought he’d known. But not anymore. He folded both arms on the tablecloth and dodged the question. “Let’s be honest. My people have the means to defeat you, easily. If The Way wanted you dead or enslaved, you would be. If we wanted your land or your DNA or your women, we would already possess them.”