Defenders by Will McIntosh Read Free Book Online Page A

away. He wanted to be free of the terrible guilt that he was betraying his people, although he would probably always feel guilty for consorting with the enemy. What would people think, if they found out?
    Kai heard shouted orders. A moment later a squad of soldiers trotted around the corner—men and women, young and old, some in brick-red camo fatigues, others in torn jeans and soiled T-shirts. Head down, he pressed close to the buildings to let them pass. They were young, but not kids. Soldiers in their prime. There weren’t many of them left.
    What if a soldier asked him directly if he’d seen or heard anything? Would he lie to protect Five? Five probably knew the answer to that better than Kai did.
    Maybe that was why Five told Kai to leave: not out of concern for him, but because Five was afraid Kai would betray it.
    That’s not true. I’m trying to protect you.
    Down the hill, Kai could see the church, had a partial view beyond the fence, into the garden. Two soldiers were in there, but they didn’t seem to know where to look. Five’s baffle must still be working.
    I’m using the last of my power reserve to operate it. It won’t last much longer, but maybe long enough.
    One of the soldiers was a woman. Asian. It could be that woman’s daughter. What was her name? Valerie. If those two soldiers went into the basement, would Five kill them?
    I’m not a soldier. I’m not a fighter.
    Kai would, if they were Luyten, coming to kill him. In an instant.
    He took a step toward the church, then hesitated. What should he do? Both choices seemed wrong.
    He closed his eyes, pictured his mom. What would she want him to do? What she would want was what he should do.
You don’t throw away friends
, she’d told him once. But wasn’t it wrong to be friends with a Luyten in the first place? They’d killed her, and Dad, too.
    Opening his eyes, he headed down the hill, toward the church.
    Kai, please. Don’t. I just want to go home. I just want to see my mother. Now that I know you, I could never help them.
    As Kai pushed through the gate, the soldiers turned, their weapons pointed at the ground.
    “Go back to your home—” the Asian soldier started to say.
    “It’s in there,” Kai said, pointing at the church. “In the cellar.”
    Both soldiers were suddenly wide-eyed alert.
    They’ll kill me. Please. They’ll burn me.
    “You
saw
it?” the other soldier, a black man, said.
    “I—” Kai struggled to describe how he knew. “I heard it.”
    We’re friends.
    The Asian soldier was babbling into her comm, repeating what Kai had just said, then giving their location.
    “Promise you won’t hurt it. It’s just a scout—not a soldier.”
    The two soldiers gawked at Kai like he was nuts, as a dozen others stormed through the gate.
    “The cellar?” a gray-haired soldier called as they ran by.
    “That’s what the kid says.”
    They surrounded the hatch, one of them holding a flamethrower.
    They’re coming. I’m scared, Kai. I’m so scared.
    Kai bolted toward the church. “
Don’t hurt it.
”
    “Hang on,” the Asian soldier shouted at the others. They waited as she turned to Kai, one hand on her wrist comm. “Kid, I need the truth from you—this is very serious. Are you saying the starfish actually
spoke
to you? Or do you mean you heard it moving around down there?”
    Kai looked her right in the eye. “It spoke to me.”
    After a short interchange on her comm, she ran over to the others, huddled around the hatch. “We’re taking it alive.”
    “Holy shit,” a tall, brown-skinned soldier said.
    “CIA is sending people to help.”
    The Asian soldier sidled over to Kai, wrapped a hand over his shoulder. “Stick around. They want to talk to you.” She must have seen that this scared Kai, because she added, “Don’t worry, they’ll take good care of you. There’s lots of food there.”

6
Oliver Bowen
July 2, 2029. Washington, D.C.
    His shoes echoing in the big, dank corridor, Oliver picked up his