28. Chapter 28
With the cameras filming, the soldiers hesitated using their guns; nobody wanted to have the world witness a bloodbath between humans and aliens stepping on Earth for the first time.
"Drop your weapons"." Amber looked imploringly at the Vandruks.
I supposed she had earned their trust because, albeit hesitantly, they did, which in turn made the soldiers also lower theirs, although I was sure they would be ready if the Vandruks showed any sign of hostility.
The gate opened, and as I had expected, there were only a few news crews left, but they would do. Evvie Sanders was one of my least favorite reporters, but again, she would have to do. News Now had the financial backing we needed and was controversial enough to attack IC if they believed our story.
"This is all just a big misunderstanding," Doctor Kensington came out of the building with open arms. "Why don't you all come inside, and we'll talk about all this in a private setting?"
"That sounds like a great idea," Evvie, who had been dying to get into IC for years, gushed.
"No!" Amber let go of the unfortunate sergeant, who glowered at her. With a smile, she handed him his gun back. "No hard feelings, Sergeant."
Then she turned between Evvie and Doctor Kensington. "No, that is not a good idea, Evvie. Currently, IC is being laid siege to by the Vandruks. Doctor Kensington would love for us to go back inside and figure out how to kill all of us and blame it on the Vandruks. Isn't that right, Doctor Kensington?"
"I don't know where you get those ideas"." Doctor Kensington laughed nervously. "This is just nonsense."
"Well, in that case, I'm sure your network will be all too happy to set us up in a hotel until we can get on the air, right, Evvie?"
"Oh, absolutely"." Evvie's glance fell in dismay on the IC building, but she was too professional not to realize her chance of success. A chance, a week ago, I would have given my right kidney for. Parts of my liver if necessary. Now, I was happy to feel Ghan-Zahr's warm presence next to me.
From big league world news reporter, to being the first reporter on Vandruk , I mused, quite the step up in my book .
"If you give us an exclusive, we will pay you a hundred thousand dollars a person"," Max Soldwell from News First yelled.
"Half a million," Rudy Stein from LK News offered.
"Your choice," Ghan-Zahr told me.
For a moment, I thought about the money and how it would help my family, but then I thought about Gwyn and Tzar-Than somewhere in the IC building, looking for prisoners, and the Vandruk warriors in the portal lab, maybe fighting right now against IC guards to keep it safe for us, and I shook my head.
"Who can get us on the news and live first?" I demanded.
"You're already live"." Evvie nudged her microphone under my nose.
"Switching to live, now," Max announced.
"Here?" I looked at Amber, who shrugged.
"Might as well get it over with." She conceded, with a meaningful look toward the open iron gate where other onlookers also stood, phones up, recording.
"Doctor McKenzie, how is Vandruk? We feared the worst when we didn't hear you made it back. Professor Weidenhof insinuated that there was danger for the women on Vandruk?" Evvie opened, going straight for Jenna.
"I'm fine and so are most of the women who volunteered"." Jenna was all confidence. Gone was the occasional clumsiness; she portrayed the picture of a professional scientist.
"Most of the women?" Evvie raised an eyebrow, portraying shocked curiosity.
"Some returned to Earth. Didn't IC inform you or their families?" Jenna played being ignorant of the truth perfectly.
"Doctor Kensington, did any of the women return?" Evvie reached the microphone to Doctor Kensington.
The woman pushed her glasses up her nose. "Not that I'm aware of, no."
"Not that you are aware of?" I pressed. "Aren't you IC's Vice President? If you don't know, who would?"
Evvie shot a glare at me, her eyes yelling, this is my interview; stay out of it .
Then ask the right questions , my eyes shot right back.
"We know," Amber interceded, "right now Vandruk warriors are searching your facility, where the women and members of the first science team are being held prisoner by IC guards."
"That is an outrageous lie!" Kensington cried out.
"If that is the case, why don't you allow a camera crew into the facility right now to prove that you don't"?" I challenged.
"For all I know, your people have planted the hostages there now. I'll have you know that the FBI has a SWAT team on their way right now to get your insurgents under control."
She was good.
"While we are at it, being live and all"—Kensington pressed her advantage—"why don't you tell the people where Professor Weidenhof is? How about this picture?" She held up her phone with a shot of Weidenhof being held by Vandruk warriors just as we had left him.
"Is that true?" Evvie turned the microphone back to me. "Have you been brainwashed as it has been said about the other women who… married these barbarians?"
For a second, I was flustered, but one look at Ghan-Zahr brought me back. I took a deep inhale. "It's true Professor Weidenhof and I were taken against our will. But it was done in retaliation for all the Vandruks the IC killed. Why don't you tell the people right now how many years you have been aware of the Vandruks' existence, Doctor Kensington? And while you're at it, why don't you tell us how many men you've sent to their deaths, knowing the Vandruks would retaliate for your aggression?"
"The Vandruks attacked us," Kensington stated, realizing too late that she had just confirmed my accusation of IC having known about their existence.
"You knew there were hostilities between our species, and yet, you sent two hundred women to Vandruk?" I mocked, feigning surprise.
"That was done after we came to a peace agreement." Kensington bluffed.
"I'm curious, a peace agreement between whom? Do you know how many khadahrs or kings are on Vandruk? How powerful each one is? That peace with one clan doesn't necessitate peace with another?" I kept on with my questioning.
The screeching of tires interrupted us. Just like Kensington had promised, several FBI SUVs pulled in, accompanied by police SWAT. Helicopters began circling the area.
"This is the FBI. Everybody on their knees, hands over their heads. You are under arrest"," a chilling metallic voice announced.
"If you don't hear from us within the next two hours, then you know that we have been killed and that the government is in cahoots with IC"." Amber pushed me to the side and yelled into the microphone.
"Are we still live?" Jenna demanded.
"Worldwide," Rudy assured us.
"We need to comply," Amber told Dzur-Khan. "Tell the others."
The khadahrs shook their heads. "We don't kneel." Ghan-Zahr pushed his chin out.
Shit!
"It's going to be all right. We just need to comply, and they'll—"
I stopped, seeing Ghan-Zahr's expression. Damn stubborn man .
"The Vandruks don't kneel; it's against their cultural beliefs," I yelled toward the FBI's SUV, hoping someone with more common sense than bloodlust was in charge.
"Tell them to put their hands up," a voice called out as car doors cautiously opened.