Free The Trilisk Revolution (Parker Interstellar Travels) by Michael McCloskey Page B

there.
    “Okay,”
the man said. He looked at another agent and pointed at Jason Yang. They closed
the suite door. Jason counted his enemies. Four men and three women.
    “She’s
going to attach a medical monitor,” the agent said.
    One
of the women came up and put a patch on his neck. Jason glanced at her. She was
a black haired beauty. He smelled her perfume. Strangely intriguing.
    “Now
what are you doing here, Jason?” she asked.
    “I’m
coordinating my sensor network to target Trilisks,” Jason said.
    Dammit!
What the hell was that?
    The
male agent smiled. “See? It’s always better to cooperate,” he said. “Why do you
think there are Trilisks out there?”
    Jason
did not answer.
    “How
do you know there’s Trilisks out there?” the woman asked.
    “Magnus
and Telisa found out about them. Telisa talked to one,” Jason said. “Why do I
answer everything she asks?”
    The
man shrugged. “Drugs? Instinctual desire to please a pretty woman? Link
programs? All of the above?”
    “Dammit!”
Jason said. He tried to steel himself.
    “What
are you going to do once you find those Trilisks, Jason?” the beautiful agent
asked.
    “Kill
them.”
    “How,
Jason?”
    “Very
soon there will be alien strike satellites above Earth. Sent by another alien
we call Shiny. I’m going to help target any Trilisks that try to escape the PIT
team. Or any new ones that show up.”
    “I
take it the Trilisks figured out how to look just like us,” the woman said.
    “Yes.
They live in human bodies. Human, but better. Stronger, faster, even immortal.”
    The
agent traded looks with the man who had started the interrogation.
    “I’m
Agent Corbin. This is Agent Jones. Core World Security.”
    “You
have to believe me,” Jason said. “Earth is under alien control. We’re just here
to stop them. Then we leave. Just let me do my job.” Jason knew they would
never let him continue, but he had to try.
    Do
I have any evidence?
    “We
believe you,” Corbin said.
    “What?
Really? That’s great!”
    “We’re
going to help you coordinate the strike grid,” he said. Jason’s link access
returned.
    What
is he doing? Pretending to be convinced? What can he gain? More information?
    “You
think I’m crazy,” Jason guessed.
    “You’re
not crazy,” Corbin said. “The sensor array is real. You paid a lot of credits
to communications agents to set it up.”
    They
think I’m part of setting the scene for an alien attack.
    “You
know, aliens would not need the sensor array to attack Earth. It’s only because
what I say about the Trilisks is real,” Jason said.
    “We
know you’re telling the truth. The truth check, remember? You passed. And we
know your hardware is real. True, you might be working for invaders and not
even know it. But we have control of the array now. We’ll see your targets and
your data identifying them.”
    Jason
nodded.
    “Truth
is, we’ve known about the influence of aliens on Earth for a while now,” Corbin
said. “If what you say is true, you’re our best chance of getting back
control.”
    Jason
could not believe his luck. Had he really just found allies in the attack?
    Or
are they totally just playing me to get more information? But why? I already
have some ridiculous drug or something that’s making me talk like a schoolboy.
    “The
attack on the outer solar system is from this alien, Shiny you call him?” This
time it was Corbin speaking. Jason realized Corbin kept asking first because
they wanted to spare him the humiliation of being forced to answer. Jason
decided not to fight this time.
    “Yes.
He just needs to get past the Space Force to remove the Trilisks.”
    “What’s
in it for him?”
    I’m
risking too much by discussing it. He’s just pumping me for information. I’m
betraying my friends.
    “He
wants to steal their technology. As advanced as he is, he’s not at a godlike
level like they were.”
    Before
the man asked the next question, Jason had an idea.
    “You
will