Chapter 11
Kayog
For the billionth time, I questioned the wisdom of attending the conference.
I desperately wanted to be in that man’s presence and hear his words to get a better sense of the threat he posed to the Syllens.
I also needed to assess who his silent partners and allies were.
Over the past three years, I had gotten increasingly involved in the protection of primitive worlds.
In so doing, I discovered the identities of the secret puppet masters pulling the strings in the shadows by merely showing up at these types of events.
People could lie in the most convincing fashion and cover their trails perfectly.
But their emotions didn’t lie. More than once, my abilities allowed me to anonymously expose those wealthy manipulators.
The public backlash sufficed to either force them to pull out or to cancel the more harmful aspects of the policies they were pushing or financing.
I hoped to accomplish something similar in this instance.
And yet, my sense of unease about the whole thing steadily grew all day.
Even now as Linsea and I were flying towards the Convention Center, my stomach knotted with apprehension.
I could have stayed home instead with my female, basking in her affection, and maybe even playing naughty with her again.
It shamed me that I should still be so hungry for her considering how voracious I had been throughout the night, and once more less than half an hour ago.
My mate truly owned me in every way. I still couldn’t believe she was mine voluntarily despite how broken I was.
The pressure already building at the back of my head while we were still ten minutes away from the event made me seriously reconsider.
The news warned of many protests happening all day in the capital city.
A large, angry crowd marched through the streets and reached their rally point set at the entrance of the Convention Center thirty minutes before the meeting would begin.
I retrieved a dipramine from the secret compartment of my bracer and tossed it into my mouth.
Although I still blocked Linsea from perceiving my emotions, she caught the gesture and immediately worried.
I gave her a reassuring smile and plowed forward.
Since we were almost there, it didn’t make sense to me for us to back out now.
Anyway, I only needed a couple of minutes inside to get most of the answers I sought.
As we glided over the insane number of loud and angry people, I inwardly congratulated us for deciding to fly rather than ride a shuttle.
The parking would have been a non-negligible distance away and required us to try to weave our way through the throngs.
Instead, we shamelessly flew right to the entrance before landing near the guards.
Two of them instantly converged towards us with belligerent expressions, their hands hovering a little too close to their blasters for comfort.
Granted, their weapons were set to stun, but getting shot didn’t feature in my plans for the evening.
Before they could speak a word, my mate and I showed our attendees tickets. The guards immediately relaxed, further tension bleeding out of their shoulders after they scanned our tickets and confirmed their validity. With a stiff nod, they gestured for us to enter.
They didn’t have to tell us twice.
My head was already pounding something fierce as we climbed the medium flight of stairs into the immense building.
It mixed the modern and industrial style that dominated the human cities on Mazeria.
Ironically, just like the campus, it also included some elements of Syllen architecture with giant faces carved into some of the walls and large columns that had an organic shape vaguely reminiscent of a tree.
To my dismay, as soon as we passed the door, half a dozen guards further slowed our progress into the venue with heavy security checks, including scans, patting down people, and even peering into their purses or bags.
By the time we crossed the long corridor into the main hall, I acknowledged that coming here had been a huge mistake.
Vicious needles pricked the back of my eyes, while my brain seemed determined to push its way out of my skull.
Multiple holocards sat on a large table near the entrance of the diamond-shaped room.
They served as information packets for the attendees.
I grabbed one and shoved it into the pouch hanging diagonally across my chest to carry personal items then turned to look at my mate.
She didn’t need me to speak to know the deal.
From the moment we began our descent, her concerned emotions for me had increased exponentially.
“Okay, this had been a bad idea,” I said, the pain I felt seeping into my voice despite my best effort.
“Go home, Kayog. I can stay and record the conference and bring it to you,” Linsea offered.
“Recording is not allowed,” I argued.
She gave me a look that screamed ‘Do I look like I care?’ before caressing my cheek.
“First, they need to catch me. And second, if they do and give me a hard time, I’ll just pretend I didn’t know better. By then, I will still have streamed most of it for you,” she said with a mulish expression.
Under different circumstances, I would have laughed and probably even kissed her. But my stomach was starting to churn with pain-induced nausea. I didn’t know what expression my mate saw on my face, but this time, she almost looked scared for me.
“Maybe it’s best I just escort you back,” Linsea said, slipping her arm around mine as if for support.
I smiled and patted her hand holding my upper arm. “No, my love. You can stay. Anyway, I’m just going to race back home and either pass out in bed or meditate. I’ll be super grateful for whatever information you can gather here.”
“Are you sure?” she insisted, her eyes flicking between mine.
“Yes, my mate. I’m sure.”
I leaned forward and kissed her. She reciprocated and watched me take a step back with much reluctance.
As she headed towards the conference room, I turned around and backtracked towards the entrance.
People arriving from the opposite direction slowed me down a little, which only had me feeling almost as if I was suffocating.
To my dismay, barely a few meters from my salvation, a couple of guards blocked my path.
“Wrong way, sir!” the guard said in a stern voice. “Please don’t disrupt the circulation flow and head into the hall.”
“I’m trying to leave,” I explained.
The man shook his head and pointed towards the main hall with an inflexible expression.
“The exit is that way, at the other end. The entrance is already crowded enough, and we have our hands too full with ensuring everyone’s security not to deal with incoming people from behind us. Please move forward.”
My fist burned with the urge to punch him in the throat.
I needed to get out of this wretched place, and he was denying me the fastest way out.
Of course, I understood his logic. Any other time, I would have thanked him and maybe even apologized for bothering him to begin with before following his instructions.
Today, although I complied, I did so while muttering a series of highly inappropriate expletives.
I could have forced my way through, and in fact seriously considered it. But despite the chaos tearing my head to shreds, I clearly perceived that he wouldn’t back down and that any attempts on my part would be met with extreme prejudice.
As if in a malicious attempt to prevent me from making a swift escape, the crowd appeared to close in on me. Random clusters of people would stop directly in my path to greet each other or launch into random conversations. Others would try to cut in front of me, further slowing my progress.
While the people present caused a significant part of my discomfort, it was the anger outside from both the protestors and the guards growing increasingly overwhelmed that were truly wrecking my brain. The sustained, shrill sound of their anger felt like a serrated blade drilling into my head.
I’d been so fucking stupid. I knew better, but my almost blissful week with my mate had made me reckless, convincing me that I could have somewhat of a normal life. How could I have been such a fool?
I peered outside through one of the large windows with protective metal bars cleverly designed to make them look like French windows.
The unrest in front of the building was reaching critical levels.
Some of the protestors had begun pushing and shoving the security guards, likely to force their way in.
While I had faith that the guards would be able to control the situation, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should have insisted Linsea leave with me.
Judging by the emotions emanating from the people outside, things would likely continue to escalate until they got downright ugly.
But I cast that thought aside. The building possessed a few safe rooms that would be impossible to breach should things truly get out of hand. Anyway, I didn’t doubt that the guards would keep the guests safe inside, not to mention the backup help they had on standby.
My stomach roiled again from pain-induced nausea. Pushing my way through the guest in my path, I finally reached the guard post towards the exit on the eastern side of the building. To my shock, as soon as one of the guards saw me approach, he stepped in front of me.
“I’m sorry, sir. You can’t go there,” the man said in an apologetic tone.
“I’m trying to leave,” I growled, fighting the urge to throw him across the room and out of my way.
Visibly displeased by my tone, his face hardened, and he lifted his chin defiantly. “For your own protection, you may not leave now. Protestors are trying to break in. We cannot be held responsible if you get attacked. Therefore, you need to wait.”