Genesis Code, (Book 1, Genesis Series)

Chapter 49

Two armed officers joined the others in the room where Anton was being held prisoner. Anton remained in his protective crouch as they probed deeper into the reasons he'd made the long and dangerous journey to Earth.

Gilchrist moved closer to the containment unit, while both officers shadowed her. 'Don't be afraid,' she said to him. 'We don't want to hurt you. We are your friends. I would like to know your name. I'd like to call you something other than Indigene. I'll begin. My name is Daphne.'

While Anton could not read the female's mind, the tension in her body revealed her lies. Charles muttered in an excited way. How did this female know he was an Indigene?

'Not interested in talking?' Her tone became less inviting.

'Perhaps it can't communicate in the same way we can,' said Billings.

'Ah, but it can. They have the same ability to learn languages, as we do.' A puzzled look crossed her face. 'In fact, I'm surprised they haven't created their own by now.'

'What if they have?' said Billings. 'What if they can communicate without words?'

The female raised an eyebrow.

Anton continued his analysis of her. Her desire to dominate the room was palpable. She thrived on being in charge. But in her arrogance, she'd missed the point Billings had been astute enough to make.

She snapped her attention back to Anton. 'You can drop the charade now because I'm not buying it. I can keep calling you Species 31 or Indigene, but I would rather call you by your real name.'

His silence got him no closer to the truth. 'My name is Anton.'

'Anton!' Charles shouted from the back of the room. 'What a human name. Not surprising, I suppose, considering what stock you came from.'

'What are you talking about?' Anton straightened up.

The aged man squealed. 'Did you see how fast he just moved there? Just marvellous.'

Anton wondered if they held Stephen in a similar containment unit. But if they didn't and he mentioned him by his real or false name, he would blow his cover.

'By the way, using the chips was very clever, Bob Harris. I assume you had an accomplice?' said Gilchrist.

Anton released a quiet breath. She was fishing for information. Stephen must be safe. 'Just some useful human who was careless with his identity chip, that's all.'

'So, why were you in such a hurry to get out of Dock 10 then? Our records show Colin Stipple illegally commandeered the flight out with one of our best pilots on board. Who is he to you?'

'Just someone who needed my help. A family member was committing termination and he needed to get to them before it was too late.' Anton told the story as agreed. 'He made a compelling argument.' How the lies flowed in the face of danger.

'How very noble of you to help out our kind, considering what we tried to do to yours.' Gilchrist watched him, her stare cold and hard.

She was trying to read him: his facial expressions, the way he held his hands, how he stood. Anything that might reveal a hidden clue. Unlike Stephen, he had no history with these humans, but now he understood why certain Indigenes targeted ones such as these.

Gilchrist smiled and applauded his performance. 'What a wonderful story. You are quite the little actor. Fortunately for you, when we spoke to the pilot, she backed up your version of events. Still can't figure out why the bitch lied.'

'I'm afraid it's no story. It's the truth.'

Charles stepped forward. 'You still haven't answered an important question. Why are you here on Earth?'

'What do you want from me?' His nervous energy doubled when the female inched closer to him.

The old man chuckled, also coming closer. The uniformed officers shadowed him. Charles was someone important.

'What don't we want from you?' he said.

Answer our questions first and we'll answer yours,' said Gilchrist. 'We caught you trespassing on our planet. You are a risk to our national security. How long did it take to replicate the chips and leave Exilon 5?'

Anton had no plans to divulge his abilities. 'You attempted once to destroy our race. Now you tail us, trap us. I should be more concerned about you. Do you hold no responsibility for your actions?'

'You can only discard what you already own,' said Charles. 'To destroy is to assume it belongs to someone else.'

Anton shook his head at the old man's riddles. 'Are you going to kill me?' He'd gone into this mission knowing he might not return.

Both Gilchrist and Charles laughed.

'No, my dear boy,' said Charles. 'What a waste that would be. I have much better plans for you.'

'Care to share them?' said Anton.

'Of course not. Where would be the fun in that?'