Fractured alliances, p.1
Fractured Alliances, page 1
FRACTURED ALLIANCES
Book three of the elite and the rogues
Niranjan K
First published by Geetha Krishnan 2022
Copyright © 2022 by Niranjan K
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Niranjan K (Geetha Krishnan) asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.
Editing by Fair Editions
Cover Design by Christian Willmanns (Taurus Colosseum Front Row)
Formatted by Fair Editions
DEDICATION
To my son
Happy Birthday
We miss you every single day
Content and trigger warnings
RAPE
TORTURE
BLOOD
VIOLENCE
LOSS OF LOVED ONES
GRIEF
DEATH
TRAUMA
PTSD
MENTION OF PAEDOPHILIA
PREGNANCY
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
MURDER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prelude
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty one
Twenty two
Twenty three
Twenty four
Twenty five
Twenty six
Twenty seven
Twenty eight
Twenty nine
Thirty
Thirty one
Thirty two
Thirty three
Thirty four
Thirty five
Fractured alliances
Prelude: Year 2682
T
he sun that crept up above the trees was weak, almost watery as fitting the planet he was on. Gerald sat on the top step of the building, watching the sun rise. It was a pale yellow and the sky around remained grey and red, not the myriad of colours that it might have been in Prith or Aeras.
“Hey,” River sat down near him, handing him a cup of coffee. “You worried?”
Was he? Perhaps, but it was more for her than for him. His eyes lingered on her face, on the strands of black hair that escaped the tight bun she had held it in, her brown eyes full of affection, and it stopped his breath every time, that expression. Her warm mahagony skin had a flush to it, no doubt due to excitement. She so enjoyed these missions.
“I wish I were coming with you,” he said, even knowing it would annoy her.
She gave him an exasperated glance, but the warmth was still there.
“You do realise that I’m going on the easier mission, don’t you? It’s a place we’ve been surveilling for months, and we know everything there’s to know about it. You, on the other hand, are going to that creepy building on the cliffs that looks like it’s got more guards than a maximum-security prison.”
“Which is precisely why it needs checking out,” Gerald said. “And yes, we don’t know the layout of the place, but we do know the security details and the guard changes, and it’s just enter, get data and out.”
She placed a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to worry about me,” she said, her voice as tender as her expression. “You know I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can kick ass,” he said. “Better than I can probably, but that doesn’t mean I can’t worry.”
“I know,” she said. “I worry about you too, you know. Even though I know you’re immortal and they can’t kill you, they still can capture you.”
“It’s a simple mission,” he said. “There’s probably a Sentient there, so I’ll be in and out before they know.”
“And you know I’ll be extra careful.” Her hand splayed over her belly. “I’ve reason to be.”
“So, will you consider making an honest man out of me, now that you’re carrying my baby and all?” He smiled at her.
“If that’s the best you can do, you’re in trouble,” she grinned, amusement lighting her eyes.
“River Selwood, you’re a tease,” he said, smiling, as he leaned in to kiss her, putting his cup on the side. She kissed him back, her arms around his neck.
“Gerald Alexander Lane,” she murmured against his lips, her breath fanning his face. “I love you, and I can’t wait for our baby to get to know you.”
He held her, making no answer as his heart swelled with happiness, and gratitude.
They sat there till she said, “It’s almost time. Todd and Karina will be here any moment.”
“Max is late, as usual.” he said. “We’ll be meeting Pranay and Tian near the facility.”
“We better get ready,” she said, rising.
They went inside, dressed in their mission wear as Karina dubbed it. Blue and green camouflage uniforms with stun guns and knives attached to the belts. “Ready?” Todd bounded into the living room, followed by Karina. “Shall we go?”
“Ready,” River smiled at him before turning to kiss Gerald good bye.
“I would tell you to get a room,” Todd said. “But you’ll probably tell me that I’m in your room.”
“And they’d be right,” Max said as he ambled in. “Come on Lane, or we’re going to be late. You can kiss her all you want in the evening.”
“They’re just jealous,” Karina said. “Because they aren’t getting any,”
“Aspersions,” Max said, shaking his head. “Lane, get your immortal ass over here!”
“Yell it a bit louder, why don’t you?” Gerald said as he threw an arm around Max’s shoulders and dragged him out of the room. “I’m not sure the Defenders over in Meit heard you.”
Once they were in the woods, they fell silent, walking carefully, paying attention to their surroundings. However, it didn’t surprise Gerald when Max whispered to him, “You know that facility? I bet it’s a secret laboratory where they experiment on alien prisoners.”
“Alien prisoners?” Gerald rolled his eyes. “There are no aliens in Cynfor. Thaxter kicked them all out and shut the door back in 2418, or have you been sleeping through all your history lessons?”
“He kicked them out, but Cynfor is a galaxy with millions of solar systems. How does he shut the door on that? I bet aliens sneak in, and he captures them and– experiments on them.”
“And why would he do that?” Gerald asked, suppressing a smile. Max was the youngest among them and given to wild flights of fancy. “I mean he has plenty of human prisoners available, if he wanted to experiment.”
“Maybe he eats the aliens,” Max said in a hopeful tone.
“What?” Gerald’s voice rose and he clamped his lips shut, furious with himself. Max gave him a smug smile.
“He’s a vegetarian, you know.” Gerald said.
“All a front,” Max said. “I read in a book that eating alien junk is good for you. Increases virility, improves appearance, and promotes stamina.”
“Alien junk,” Gerald said, sniggering.
“I’m serious,” Max said. “I mean, haven’t you seen Thaxter? Yea, he’s an evil bastard, but he looks like an angel. I mean he’s very handsome,” Max’s tone became matter of fact at the last sentence.
“He has looked like that forever, even before he became immortal,” Gerald said, thinking he’d never be able to look at Thaxter the same way again.
“Exactly,” Max said. “There were aliens in Cynfor at that time, weren’t there? What if he was eating them?”
“He’s not eating aliens,” Gerald said decisively. “But I wouldn’t discount the possibility of experimentation,” he added grudgingly.
Pranay and Tian were waiting for them a mile away from the facility.
“What took you so long?” Tian demanded, sounding impatient. “Do you know how dangerous it is, waiting here?”
“Don’t look at me,” Max said. “The immortal kid was making out with his girlfriend.”
“Of course,” Pranay said. “Like we’re going to believe Gerald was why you were late. Anyway, you’re here now, so let’s not lose any more time.”
They walked in silence for a few minutes before the facility came into view. They hid behind some trees, watching the place.
“So, we know that there is a side gate that’s locked but not guarded, and that the surveillance cameras don’t seem to cover that corner. Ma
“Okay,” Gerald said. “You better be on your way.”
“One diversion coming up,” Max said.
“Be careful,” Pranay said. “We can’t get caught. Remember that they have the means to make us talk.”
“Drugs, and torture, we know,” Tian said. “We’ll be careful. You too.”
They waited there for around fifteen minutes till there was an explosion to the east and the guards rushed off.
“That’s our cue,” Gerald said as they ran to the gate, keeping low.
He picked the lock and they entered, rushing inside and hiding behind a building. Gerald took a quick look around.
“That building,” he said, pointing to a small building standing in the middle.
“How do you know?” Pranay asked.
“Because it has more power generators on the wall than the others. Let’s go.”
They ran towards it.
“Okay, I’ll keep watch, see that no one’s coming, and you get your shit done.” Pranay whispered.
“Okay,” Gerald patted Pranay on the shoulder and entered.
“What the-” the Defender fell where he stood, caught by the beam of Gerald’s stun gun. Gerald shot the other two Defenders quickly and ran to the console with the computer.
“Okay, girl,” he murmured as he started typing. “Let’s see what these bad boys are doing with you, shall we?”
He attached the data transfer device to the panel, keyed in a few commands and tapped his watch.
“Hi, I’m Gerald Lane,” he said.
“Hi, Gerald Lane,” a female voice spoke. “I’m April. How can I help you?”
“Lane!” Pranay shouted, and there was the sound of a scuffle. Gerald jumped up from the chair, grabbing the data transfer device.
“April, hide this, and don’t leave,” he whispered, as he took his stun gun out.
“Drop it, or your friend dies,” the woman who spoke had a malicious look on her beautiful face. She held Pranay in a headlock and her spike gun was pointed at his head.
Gerald dropped the stun gun. A Defender lifted his gun and fired at him.
Year 2937: One
T
he silence was what struck him first as he opened his eyes. The second was the awareness that he was not alone. He opened his eyes with some difficulty. Alexander was sitting near his bed, his device on his lap and his eyes riveted on the screen. George made no sound, but Alexander lifted his eyes and looked at him.
“You’re awake. Finally,”
The upper part of the bed rose so George could sit up. “Finally?”
He was surprised at how scratchy his throat felt. Alexander brought him a glass of water, and he took a few sips.
“How long have I been out?”
“Would you believe me if I said you’ve been asleep a hundred years?” Alexander asked, a smile lurking in his eyes.
George inhaled the water up the wrong pipe and started spluttering and coughing.
“Five days,” Alexander said when he finally stopped coughing and wiped his streaming eyes. “It was touch and go when you were brought here, but Dr. Varma was able to heal you in time.”
“Who’s Doctor Varma?” George asked. “I thought your company doctor was Dr. Rodd or something.”
“I could hardly have called her for this now, could I?” Alexander asked. “You had a knife in your guts. How was I going to explain it to her?” He paused. “Fortunately, Tripp was able to find a doctor who would ask no questions.”
“Thank God for Tripp,” George said. “So, anything interesting happen while I was out of it?”
Alexander shook his head. “The plan went more or less as expected. Daniele and his sister as also the other children you rescued are now in Selenia, as are the Patrick twins and all the others who were involved in the missions. Isabel is sulking in her room. Niek and Paige are in Selenia too at the moment.”
“Why are they there?” George asked.
“It’s the Spring break at Niek’s school, so I thought he might like to spend some time with his father. As for Paige, well, since we rescued the scientists who were heading the lab before Ms. Goldman took charge, I thought they might be able to help Paige.”
“And you stayed here?” George asked.
“Couldn’t leave you,” Alexander said. “Besides, I’ve a feeling the State will be watching me more closely than ever. I need to make it seem as if everything is normal.”
“I wonder what they will try next,” George said thoughtfully.
“I don’t,” Alexander said. “If the worst comes to the worst, I can disappear, lie low for a while and hope that Zain finds a way to bring Thaxter down in the meantime.”
“We can take down the Elite,” George said slowly. “We could have taken down all three of them while they were here.”
“And where would we have put them? I can’t keep stealing cryo units from the company and make it look like an accounting error always,” Alexander said drily. “Not that Selwood Corp would have any to spare. The one used to imprison Stein came from the State’s own stock, but we had a tough time deactivating and removing all the trackers on it.”
“Cryo units have trackers on them?”
“Not built-in,” Alexander said. “But there’s provision to add them, considering what they’re used for.”
George nodded, and a thought struck him.
“Jay will kill me!” he said. “God! I just went AWOL, didn’t I?”
“Don’t worry,” Alexander said. “It’s all taken care of. I informed your editor that you had an accident and that you’re recuperating here.”
“And Jay accepted that? He didn’t ask why I was here and not in a hospital?” George asked, surprised.
Alexander shrugged. “I may have implied that you and I are more than friends. Don’t worry, I didn’t say it out loud, so you can always deny it later if you wish, but under the circumstances, he was very understanding of why I wanted you here.”
“You mean Jay thinks we’re in a relationship,” George said, frowning.
“It was the best I could come up with,” Alexander said. “As I said, you can always deny it, tell him he must have misunderstood. I did leave the door open.”
George chuckled. “Thanks anyway. I’m surprised he didn’t insist on coming here to see for himself that I was indeed bedridden.”
“He did, he and that photographer of yours, Stan? They did visit. Of course, I had Quinn disable all the cameras and other recording equipment they brought, but they were convinced that you were getting good care.”
George was touched somehow. He knew just how much Alexander avoided photographers and yet he had allowed Stan to visit. He made a mental note to call Jay as soon as he could.
“I suppose I’ll have to deal with their curiosity now,” George said, though he didn’t mind.
“Don’t worry about all that now,” Alexander smiled. “You can think about that when you’re well enough to go back to work. You still need rest.”
George nodded. “You don’t have to stay here for me,” he said, speaking aloud the thought that troubled him the most right now. “You should be with Niek and Paige.”
He didn’t think that the other reason meant anything. If Alexander wanted to leave, no surveillance was going to stop him. He would find a fool-proof way to disappear without anyone finding out, and to reappear before anyone would even notice he was gone. So, if he was here instead of in Selenia, it was because he didn’t want to leave him. While George was flattered, he was also feeling guilty. He knew how much Niek and Paige meant to Alexander and yet, here he was, keeping George company.
Alexander smiled at him. “Niek is with his dad, and Paige has Kaylee to take care of her, and there are Nolan and Dylan too to dote on her. They’ll be fine. I’m planning to go, of course, but not till you’re well enough to leave the bed. I also need to make some arrangements for Isabel. She can’t be alone here. Dr, Varma has agreed to stay with her till I’m back from Selenia. Perhaps you can come with me? If you can convince your boss, that is.”
George smiled. “I want to come, but as you said, I’ll need to ask Jay. All my vacation days are used up. Perhaps, I can tell him the doctors said I need more time to recuperate.” He paused. “I still don’t get how a knife could have done so much damage.”
