Chapter 232: Kunta [2]

As I walked out of the hotel room and moved through the corridor back toward the stairwell, I maintained complete silence while Rachel walked quietly beside me, clearly sensing that I needed a moment to process what had just happened.

“Ryan—” She began gently.

“I’m sorry,” I said, cutting her off before she could continue.

“Hm?” Rachel looked at me with confusion, clearly not understanding what I was apologizing for.

“I feel like I completely lost my composure back there and just lashed out stupidly,” I explained. “That wasn’t how I should have handled the situation. I let my emotions control me instead of thinking.”

It felt unlike me to lose my calm like that, to let anger and rage override rational decision-making. But I simply hadn’t been able to hold back the anger that had risen up when confronted with an actual Starakian—a real member of the species responsible for destroying everything I’d known.

The emotions had felt amplified somehow, burning hotter and more intensely than they should have.

Since I’d first awakened Dullahan and fully bonded with the Symbiote, every aspect of my sensory perception and emotional experience had been noticeably heightened. Colors appeared more vivid, sounds carried greater depth and nuance, physical sensations registered with enhanced clarity. But emotions had been affected too—joy felt more euphoric, fear cut deeper, anger burned with almost uncontrollable intensity.

And as I developed a better understanding and grasp of Dullahan’s capabilities, as the symbiotic bond strengthened and evolved, those effects were becoming progressively more pronounced. The enhancement was growing stronger with each passing week.

I was actually becoming somewhat scared of what the Symbiote was doing to me fundamentally, what permanent changes might be occurring to my psychology and neural structure. What other alterations might manifest as the bonding process continued deepening?

But I couldn’t afford to dwell on those fears too much. We had too many immediate problems that required my full attention and functional decision-making capacity.

“It’s completely fine, Ryan,” Rachel said warmly, grasping my hand and squeezing it reassuringly as she smiled at me. “We’re all exhausted, we’re all hungry and running on minimal sleep, and we’ve all suffered devastating losses recently. You showed justified anger toward someone representing the species that murdered billions of humans including people we personally loved. That’s a completely normal and understandable emotional response.”

She continued, smiling a bit. “Other people in your position might have done far worse to her, might have killed her immediately without even attempting conversation, might have tortured her for information, might have used her as a hostage. But you didn’t do any of that. You controlled yourself enough to extract useful intelligence, and then you simply asked her to leave. That shows remarkable restraint under the circumstances.”

“I don’t know if it was really restraint,” I said quietly. “I genuinely had an impulse to kill her right there in that room. A strong one. I’d sworn to myself months ago that I would kill every Starakian I encountered, that I’d make them pay for what they’d done…”

I trailed off, uncomfortable with how close I’d come to actually following through on that violent promise.

“Not every Starakian seems evil, though,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “Just like not every human is good, right? People—and presumably aliens—exist across a moral spectrum rather than fitting into simple categories.”

Yeah, when I really thought about it rationally, compared to the absolute worst examples that human history had offered—the genocidal dictators, the serial killers, the people who’d committed atrocities for profit or ideology, someone like Kunta seemed almost harmless. Almost innocent, even, despite being part of an invading force.

She was young, conflicted, clearly uncomfortable with aspects of her mission, genuinely concerned about her missing companion. Those weren’t the characteristics of a irredeemable monster.

But…

“She still wouldn’t hesitate to kill us if her mission required it,” I pointed out. “Her personal discomfort wouldn’t stop her from following orders to capture or eliminate hosts. Good intentions don’t actually mean much when the outcome is still our deaths.”

“She was talking about Emily when she mentioned the Dullahan host, wasn’t she?” Rachel asked, shifting the conversation.

She’d clearly also grasped the misunderstanding that had brought the them to Atlantic City.

“Yeah, definitely,” I said with a nod. “Zakthar detected a Dullahan energy signature in this city three months ago and assumed he’d located the primary host. But he was actually tracking Emily, who carries a fragment of Dullahan that I transferred to her. They don’t realize I’m the actual main host.”

My expression grew more troubled. “I need to find Emily quickly and make sure she’s safe. I have a really bad feeling about this entire situation, especially knowing there’s apparently another Starakian who was officially tasked with capturing me. Someone who might still be actively hunting.”

“But shouldn’t that Starakian have found and engaged you already if they arrived three months ago like Kunta said?” Rachel questioned, clearly puzzled by inaction of that one. “We’ve been in and around Atlantic City for days now, and we haven’t encountered any Starakian attacks. So either they’re waiting for something specific, or they’re being extremely cautious about approaching you directly.”

“Maybe,” I considered the possibilities. “Kunta mentioned that Dullahan is classified as a Class-S Symbiote, apparently one of the most dangerous varieties in existence. So perhaps this officially-assigned operative is being very careful about how they engage, gathering intelligence and waiting for the best moment to strike when they have maximum advantage.”

“Or maybe they just haven’t actually located you yet?” Rachel suggested with a small smile.

I doubted it.

The Starakian who had been in contact with Jason and was in charge of capturing Wanda knew about my existence so why wouldn’t every Starakians learnt about me unless he didn’t tell anything and kept it secret?

There was also the possibility that the one who worked with Jason and the one who was tasked to capture me were the same person.

“That would be ideal,” I said. “But at the same time, I’m worried that me remaining undetected is actually putting other Dullahan fragment hosts in greater danger. If the Starakians can’t find me, they might start targeting you, Sydney, or Cindy instead, mistaking one of you for the main host the way they mistook Emily.”

The thought of Rachel or the others facing a Starakian assassination attempt because of my connection to Dullahan made my stomach clench with anxiety and guilt.

“As long as we stay together and watch each other’s backs, we’ll be fine,” Rachel said with quiet confidence. “We’re stronger as a group than any of us would be individually.”

“I don’t want any of you to face consequences that should rightfully be mine alone, Rachel,” I said seriously, stopping to look at her directly. “You have a fragment of Dullahan inside you specifically because of me. Because I transferred it to you. That makes whatever danger comes from carrying it my responsibility.”

“Thanks to you, Ryan,” Rachel corrected me. “You saved my life that day when I was dying. You saved Elena’s life, and Cindy’s life as well. Do you honestly think any of us feel burdened or regretful about what happened? That we wish you hadn’t intervened?”

Her grip on my hand tightened as she continued. “Regardless of what this Symbiote actually is, regardless of what ancient war it’s connected to, the simple truth remains that the abilities and strength it granted us have kept us alive through situations that would have killed normal humans. We’ve survived encounters with Enhanced Infected, hostile humans, impossible odds, all because you gave us the tools to fight back. You made that possible.”

I felt a small smile forming despite my earlier dark mood. Rachel had a way of reframing situations that made me see things differently, made me recognize positive aspects I’d been overlooking while fixating on guilt and responsibility.

“You know, I still feel awkward about the way I threatened you with sex that day,” I said, referring to how I’d initially convinced Rachel to have sex with me so I could treat her. “That was probably not my finest moment in terms of social interaction.”

Rachel actually laughed in response. “You definitely could have found better approaches to convincing me, yes.”

“Yeah, maybe I should have just directly shown you my powers and explained the situation rationally,” I said with a self-deprecating smile. “But I don’t know… I was deeply uneasy about revealing my abilities to anyone at that point. The instinct to hide what I could do felt overwhelming.”

The White Lady had warned me extensively about the dangers of revealing my powers, about keeping my connection to Dullahan as secret as possible. At the time, I hadn’t fully understood why she’d been so insistent.

Now, knowing that Dullahan was classified as Class-S and actively hunted by Starakians, I understood her warnings much better. She’d been trying to protect me from exactly this kind of situation—from becoming a high-priority target for Starakian kill teams.

The Symbiote inside me wasn’t just any ordinary parasite. It was apparently something special, something dangerous enough that its mere presence attracted lethal attention.

“Maybe a direct explanation would have been better initially,” Rachel acknowledged. “But honestly? I liked the approach you took nonetheless.”

I looked at her with surprise. “You’re serious? You actually liked being threatened into having sex?”

“I… I mean, the execution could have been smoother,” Rachel said, and I noticed a faint blush coloring her cheeks even in the dim stairwell lighting. “But when I understood why you’d done it, when I realized you were desperately trying to save my life and didn’t know how else to convince me to accept help—I felt relieved and happy. It showed me what kind of person you really were underneath the awkward presentation.”

She grasped my hand even tighter. “And I wasn’t wrong about that initial assessment. Everything since then has just confirmed that you’re someone who prioritizes protecting people over your own comfort or safety.”

I became suddenly aware that we were still holding hands as we descended the stairs together, our fingers intertwined in a way that felt natural and comfortable despite the strange circumstances of our relationship.

We’d been through so much together, survived horrors that would have broken most people, fought side by side against impossible odds, trusted each other with our lives repeatedly. The physical intimacy we’d shared had created a bond that went beyond simple friendship or even normal romantic relationships actually.

I stopped on the stairwell landing between floors and turned toward Rachel, reaching out my free hand to gently cup her cheek.

Rachel’s eyes fluttered closed as I leaned in, closing the distance between us.

Our lips met in a soft kiss.

It was supposed to be just a soft, brief kiss, a moment of connection and comfort before returning to the grim work of clearing Infected from a hotel.

But feeling Rachel’s soft lips against mine, tasting the warmth of her mouth, I found myself unable to pull away. Instead, I chose to continue, to deepen the contact and lose myself in the sensation for just a few more seconds.

Rachel didn’t deny or resist. Her hands came up to hover against my chest, fingers curling slightly into the fabric of my shirt as I kissed her with growing intensity.

My hands moved from her face down to her hips, gripping gently as I deepened the kiss further, my tongue sliding against hers.

“Hmm~” Rachel let out a soft, involuntary sound of pleasure as my hands began roaming across her back, stroking and exploring through the layers of clothing.

The small noise sent a jolt of desire through me, breaking down whatever restraint I’d been maintaining.

I slowly moved forward, guiding Rachel backward with gentle pressure until I’d maneuvered her along the staircase landing and pressed her back against the concrete wall. My body pinned hers there, eliminating the space between us.

“R…Ryan—haaa…” She breathed out shakily as I moved from her lips to kiss along her neck, finding the sensitive spots that made her gasp.

I felt increasingly pulled in by her reactions, each soft moan, each quickening breath, each unconscious arch of her body toward mine. My hand slid down to grip one of her thighs, lifting her leg slightly to change the angle between our bodies as I returned to claiming her mouth in another deep kiss.

At that exact moment, we heard a very clear coughing sound echo up from the stairwell below.

We both flinched violently and I immediately pulled away from Rachel, my enhanced reflexes making the separation almost comically abrupt.

Turning to look down the stairs toward the floor below, I saw Sydney standing there on the landing with her arms crossed and an absolutely wicked grin on her face. Christopher and Cindy stood awkwardly behind her, both clearly trying very hard not to laugh at what they’d just witnessed.

“I see that you two have been quite busy investigating what made that mysterious sound,” Sydney said raising a brow. “Very thorough investigation technique. I’m sure that really helped you identify the source of the noise.”

Rachel’s cheeks were completely flushed a deep crimson as she looked away, unable to meet anyone’s eyes while she tried to smooth down her disheveled clothing and hair.

“You guys weren’t exactly subtle about telling the rest of us we needed to stay focused and professional for today’s clearing operation,” Christopher said with a laugh he wasn’t even attempting to suppress. “Pretty sure you were the ones who gave that whole speech about maintaining discipline and not getting distracted.”

“That’s absolutely right,” Sydney agreed enthusiastically. “But you know what they say, the meeker and more proper people act in public, the wilder they are behind closed doors. Or in this case, on a stairwell landing where anyone could walk by.”

She shrugged with exaggerated nonchalance. “Classic pattern, really. I should have seen it coming.”

“Sydney!” Rachel snapped, glaring at her despite the obvious embarrassment coloring her entire face and neck. “Can you please just… not?”

“Alright, can we focus on the actual important matters now?” Cindy interrupted, clearly trying to rescue both Rachel and me from further teasing while also genuinely wanting to know what we’d discovered. “Did you actually find out what made that sound up there? Was it dangerous?”

“Yeah, about that…” I trailed off, glancing at Rachel to gauge whether she wanted to help explain or whether I should handle it alone.

She gave me a small nod.

So I told them. Everything. The Starakian girl named Kunta. The mechanical combat construct called Sonny. The second alien device with two active power stones. Zakthar’s mission to capture what he thought was the Dullahan host but was actually Emily. The fact that there was potentially another Starakian operative officially tasked with hunting me who’d been operating in Atlantic City for months.

All of it.

Obviously, their reactions were nothing short of complete shock.

“Wait, hold on,” Christopher said slowly, in disbelief. “You’re telling us there’s an actual alien, a real Starakian currently hiding somewhere up on the thirteenth floor of this hotel?”

He raised his gaze toward the ceiling as if he could somehow see through the concrete to confirm this impossible claim.

“Yeah,” I confirmed with a simple nod.

“Then let me go see this Starakian right now,” Sydney said immediately, already turning toward the stairs with clear intention to ascend. “I need to at least punch her in the face a few times. Preferably more than a few times. Maybe break some bones.”

“Sydney…” Rachel sighed wearily, reaching out to grab her friend’s arm before she could actually start climbing.

“What?” Sydney asked, genuinely seeming not to understand the problem with her proposed course of action. “She’s literally one of the people responsible for Earth’s complete destruction, right? For billions of deaths including probably our own families? Shouldn’t we be doing significantly worse than just punching her? Torture seems appropriate given what her species did to ours.”

“It’s more complicated than that simple framework suggests,” I said. “We just explained the entire situation to you, Sydney. And believe me, I also wanted to hurt her, badly out of anger. The impulse to just kill her on the spot was incredibly strong. But the reality is more nuanced than ’Starakian equals enemy we should torture.’”

“Then what exactly are we supposed to do?” Cindy asked, confused. “Are we really just going to leave her up there? Let her continue hiding in our building while we’re trying to establish a safe settlement?”

“I told her she needs to leave the hotel by tomorrow,” I explained. “Gave her a deadline to pack up her equipment and find somewhere else to hide.”

“I don’t know, man,” Christopher said skeptically. “Isn’t she still a Starakian regardless of her individual circumstances? Is it really a good decision to just let her walk away? What if she reports our position to her superiors or comes back with reinforcements?”

Sydney clearly agreed with that assessment based on her expression and posture.

“I get the concern, but as I explained, she came here specifically by disobeying direct orders from her command structure,” I reminded them. “The absolute last thing she wants is to make trouble or get noticed by other Starakians. She’s been hiding in that room terrified of being discovered precisely because she’s an AWOL, an absent without leave. If she contacts her people or draws their attention, she gets punished severely. Maybe executed for desertion.”

“That does make logical sense…” Cindy acknowledged slowly, processing the implications. “If she’s a fugitive from her own military, then she has strong incentive to avoid all contact with Starakian forces, which means she won’t be reporting anything to anyone.”

“What about Emily, though?” Sydney asked, still not entirely satisfied. “That girl is clearly a threat to Emily based on what you said about their mission. I honestly thought you would have tied her up and held her captive just to protect Emily from being hunted. That seems like the Ryan response, overprotective and willing to make harsh decisions to keep people safe.”

“Kunta is in no position to actually be a meaningful threat toward Emily right now,” I explained patiently. “She’s currently far more focused on survival and trying to find her missing companion. She doesn’t have the resources or support to mount any kind of capture operation. As for Emily, I’ll track her down personally and make sure she’s safe and aware of the potential danger.”

“Oh God, Ryan! You’re so hot when you talk about protecting people!” Sydney suddenly squealed in an exaggerated tone. “The way you take responsibility and make firm decisions is just so attractive! I can barely control myself!”

I did my absolute best to keep my expression neutral and not let it grimace in response to her teasing, but it was extraordinarily difficult.

Christopher and Cindy both immediately stifled laughs at Sydney’s performance, their shoulders shaking with suppressed amusement.

Even Rachel couldn’t help but chuckle despite still being somewhat embarrassed from our earlier interrupted make-out session.

“Alright, can we please just focus on finishing the work we came here to do?” I said, trying to redirect everyone’s attention to the matters at hand. “Let’s make absolutely certain that floors eight through ten are completely safe and clear of any Infected. Then we can head back down and help Martin’s people finish securing the perimeter outside.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, their expressions shifting back to more serious, professional focus.

“And hopefully,” I added quietly, “Kunta will be completely gone by the time we come back here with Margaret’s community tonight.”

The last thing we needed was civilians encountering a fugitive alien and her combat robot while trying to move into their new home.

That would create problems we absolutely didn’t need on top of everything else.

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