by Gini Koch
Yes, Kitty’s analogy is good. Kitty’s analogies are always good.
Let’s hope. And if there is an option that doesn’t involve killing the Aicirtap, we’ll try it. The Neutral Zone might be out there, right?
Potentially, everything is out there, as ACE knows Kitty now knows.
True enough.
Kitty should look for the way to save the Aicirtap.
Um, okay. Where should I look?
In the obvious places. Once again, said with finality. Clearly that was all the hint I was going to get.
Will do. When push comes to shove, will we do what we should, rather than what we want?
ACE trusts Kitty and Jeff and the others to do their best. And Kitty is still ACE’s most beloved penguin.
Not Jamie or Paul?
Jamie and Paul are both ACE’s favorite penguins, too. But none are more important to ACE than Kitty. Kitty protects those who need it, even if they are not Kitty’s friends. Kitty thinks right. Never doubt that—Kitty thinks right.
I hope I do. You’re still the best decision I ever made, ACE.
And asking Kitty for help is still the best decision ACE ever made.
Together forever, ACE. I promise you that. Together forever.
Felt the warmth in my mind that was ACE’s way of hugging me. And then it was gone.
CHAPTER 51
THE REST OF MY SO-CALLED SLEEP was filled with weird dream fragments that I thought I’d remember but were whisked out of my clear memory by each dream fragment that followed.
Saw a lot of people who’d died in the line of our duty and many of them were talking to me, but nothing they said stuck. Just hoped I’d remember whatever when it mattered.
Felt someone shaking me again. “Oh my God, Mephs, are you back for round two?”
“Huh?”
Opened my eyes to see Mahin standing there. “Huh right back atcha.”
“Good morning. I drew the short straw and won the job of getting you out of bed.”
“So much is explained. I’d say nice to see you but I’d be lying. I can’t remember, are you with Jeff or with me?”
“With you,” she said as she pulled me up into a sitting position. “I’m from Iran. You’re going to my region. I’m going with you. Duh.”
“Right, right. Makes sense. Sleep brain just couldn’t remember.”
“Antoinette says you have an hour to get ready and see the children. How long you take to get ready is inversely proportional to how long you get to see the kids. Her words, not mine.”
“Please let Pierre know that I’ll be over really soon and would love some coffee.”
Mahin grinned. “He’s already got you covered.”
Took a hyperspeed shower. I was good enough with hyperspeed now that I could dry off fast, too. Hair still took a normal amount of time, though, especially if I was going to blow-dry it. Decided the Banana Clip Look was what I was going with. Looked like I’d taken time with the ’do, required the least amount of drying time, and was the best look for action. Getting a triple first thing in the morning said winning in my book.
The Elves had my FLOTUS clothes out and lying on top the bed and my large rolling suitcase packed and sitting at the foot of the bed. Once I was dressed, Mahin took my suitcase and went off to tell Antoinette that I was prepped and ready to go, and in twenty minutes, too.
Looked for my purse but it wasn’t where I’d left it. Checked in the closet, to discover I also had a brand-new snazzy rolling purse/briefcase combo, which my purse was sitting on top of. Checked the rolling purse—in addition to interesting things like a laptop, an extended life battery charger, goggles, rope, a lot of clips for my Glock, and more, I had an Aerosmith t-shirt, jeans, socks, and a pair of Converse in there. I also had a bathing suit and swimming goggles. Clearly Algar wanted me to be able to change for action without raising too much suspicion. Hoped this was a portal like my purse, just because extra portals were never a bad thing.
Checked my regular purse. Another pair of goggles were in there, as well as my Glock, my iPod, my portable speakers, my earbuds, and the usual crap I carried at all times. Harlie, Poofikins, and several other Poofs were in there, too, snoozing. Poofs On Board was never an issue.
Looked around the room. “Peregrines please report.”
The room was filled with beautiful feathers in a moment. Not all the Peregrines were here, but a lot of them were, including Bruno. Knew without asking that Lola was with the kids, because she was the Peregrine Nanny To The Stars.
“Bruno my bird, what’s the good word?”
Got some squawking, feather flapping, floor scratching, and then a pointed head cock.
“Gotcha. I agree—I think you’re all needed here, protecting my family and friends and so forth. I’ll have Poofs with me, and I have a suspicion I’m going to be in the water again, which is not your element.”
Bruno nodded, then squawked again.
“No, I agree, I don’t think I want the ocellars or chochos along, either.” Ocellars were fox-cats and chochos were pig-dogs, both from Beta Eight. Ostensibly, all the animals lived on the first floor of the Zoo. They’d all moved into the White House with us, however, and part of the residence section was devoted to them and their A-C caretakers. Right now, however, all ocellars and chochos were on duty at the Embassy, protecting all the kids, along with other Peregrines and Poofs.
Gave all the Peregrines fast scritchy-scratches between their wings, then grabbed my purse and the Rolling Action Arsenal and used the gate in my bathroom to go to the Embassy. Didn’t have to calibrate it, because all White House Complex gates recalibrated for the Embassy, on the correct idea that this is where we’d all want to go.
Exited in the basement, which was standard operating procedure for all A-C homes and such, which I had long ago put down to the fact that aliens were weird. Left the rolling bag and my purse near the gate, took my phone, and went upstairs and into the kitchen, to find Pierre serving food to my dad and Siler along with the kids.
Trotted over and gave Dad a hug and a peck, did the same with Lizzie, then gave Jamie a huge hug. “How was your slumber party?”
“Oh, it was fun, Mommy.” She gave me a kiss. “I wish I was going with you on your trip.”
Hugged her again. “I do, too, sweetie, but Nana Angela said you needed to stay here in case Daddy needs your help.”
Jamie looked unhappy. “But you need us, Mommy.” Said firmly and as fact.
“This isn’t a trip for children,” Siler said using a Father voice.
Lizzie shot an annoyed look at him. “You know I speak the languages. I should be going with you guys.”
“No,” he said firmly. “You’re needed here.”
Lizzie grimaced and appealed to me. “You know I can help.”
“Me, too, Mommy,” Jamie said, with a hint of petulance. “Even Charlie can help.”
“I know that Lizzie is an asset, and Jamie-Kat, you’ve saved the day more than once, and I’m sure Charlie can do his part. I also know that I’m going to be racing around the globe and Daddy is going to be dealing with political things that are going to take all of his focus, and we need to know that the three of you, and all the other kids, are safe.”
“There are, like, fifty Secret Service, Field, and P.T.C.U. agents around all of us all the time,” Lizzie grumbled. “The interesting stuff is going to be where you two are going.”
ACE’s hero worship comments seemed remarkably helpful right about now. “Lizzie, I know that it’s not nearly as cool to stay home rather than be going along with the diplomatic mission to listen to all the blah, blah, blah political stuff. I get it. But Jeff and I have a lot riding on everything we’re about to do and say.”
“So?” Lizzie asked. “We know how to behave.” Jamie nodded. Charlie gurgled. I struggled for a nicer option than “because I s
aid so,” with limited success.
Dad cleared his throat. “I know that you’re quite the capable young woman, Lizzie. And Jamie and Charlie are, of course, amazing. The three of you make us all proud every day. But . . . Nana Angela and I didn’t want to bring your mother into our worlds until it was necessary. And even after your mother proved herself to be extremely capable and all that we could have hoped for and more, there still isn’t a mission she goes on or a job she does where we both don’t worry about her.”
“Why?” Lizzie asked. “Kitty’s totes on top of things.”
Dad nodded. “She is. But she’s our only child. Jeff is, therefore, our only son-in-law. And that makes the three of you our only grandchildren. But it wouldn’t matter if we had ten children and fifty grandchildren. We love all of you and worry about all of you, and all those ‘in the family,’ such as your Uncle Charles and Uncle Christopher and Aunt Amy and little Becky, as well. And your father, Benjamin, too. Benjamin and Kitty need to be able to do the jobs they’ve been assigned without having to worry about the three of you.”
“But—” Jamie started.
Dad shook his head sternly and she stopped. “There are no buts, Jamie-Kat. I don’t care how amazing and competent your child is. That child is still your child, and you love them more than life itself, and you would do anything to protect them. And your parents are going to places where they need to be one hundred percent focused on the jobs they’re there to do. Not on protecting the most precious things in the world to them. That’s why you’re staying here, with me and Pierre and the others. Not because you’re not the best in the world, but because you are.”
“And Lizzie, before you argue again, keep in mind that Jeff is about to handle the most intricate and important political moments in the history of our world, and know that he, also, has to know that the three of you are safe and secure, that you’re somewhere he knows is protected, somewhere he knows he can run and find you immediately in case of danger.”
“But I’m only your ward,” she argued, but with a lot less passion.
Snorted. “Right. You’re also like the eldest daughter we share with your dad. Both of us will feel a lot better about leaving our younger children here without us if you’re with them, too. Because you’ll be the most competent protector in this building once your dad and I are gone.”
Lizzie heaved a dramatic sigh but I could tell she was flattered. “Fine. As babysitting goes, I’m always up for hanging with Jamie and Charlie. Besides, that way you know where we are if you need to call us in for backup.”
Jamie beamed at her, petulance gone, presumably because Lizzie had chosen to stop arguing. Also possibly because of the backup comment, which Siler and I both had the brains not to react to. “I’m glad you’re staying with us, Lizzie. It’s always more fun if you’re with us.”
Charlie gurgled at Lizzie and floated the salt shaker to her.
“Charlie agrees,” Jamie said.
“Good to know, and thanks for the salt, Charlie.” She sprinkled it on her eggs.
Pointedly didn’t make any comments. Maybe Charlie guessed that Lizzie wanted salt, or maybe she put it on to make him feel good. Jamie could just be doing the big sister thing and “translating” her little brother’s sounds. Or she could be reading his mind or emotions. Or both.
“Kitty, darling,” Pierre said, possibly to fill the silence, “I’ll have your plate ready in a jiff.”
Gave Pierre a quick hug. “You’re the best.”
He whipped my plate down as I picked Charlie up and gave him his hug and kisses. “Mommy’s missed you, too, little man.”
Charlie gurgled at me. He was eight months now and I knew the toddler phase was just around the corner. At least, I hoped it was.
Jamie’s teeth had come in at four months, she’d become verbal almost immediately after, and started toddling around then, too. By the time she’d hit Charlie’s age she’d seemed like a child several years older than she was.
But Charlie was behind her, with no signs of catching up. Despite my prep, he hadn’t given the least indication that his teeth were coming, he wasn’t talking or even giving it much of a try, and he didn’t seem interested in walking. He was all about crawling, so there was that.
He was also all about lifting things with his mind. The best reason no one had given for why all the kids should stay home while I went around the world was that Charlie wasn’t really controllable in terms of what he lifted and when he chose to do it.
“Don’t worry, Mommy,” Jamie said, as I put Charlie back into his highchair and sat down between them. “Charlie will be just fine.”
Dad raised his eyebrow. “Are you worried about him?”
“Just normal mother worries.”
“Everyone goes at their own pace,” Dad said reassuringly.
“Charlie lifted everyone at the slumber party,” Lizzie shared. “So, he’s way ahead of everyone else on that skill.”
“Oh. Um, great.” Tried not to worry about that, or the idea that his teeth were going to come in while I was out of the country and Jeff was in the middle of negotiating the most important event in world history. Shoved the image of Jeff buckling in agony from feeling Charlie’s pain out of my mind—maybe teething would be easier this time. Whenever it happened.
Dad thankfully turned the conversation to the list of who was going with me, and by the time we were done doing roll call for my gigantic entourage, breakfast was done and Antoinette was texting me to advise that we were leaving in five minutes.
Hugged all the kids, Dad, and Pierre again. Then Siler and I headed back down to the basement.
“It’ll be fine,” he said when we were downstairs.
“What will be?”
“The kids. They’re talented above the norm, but you’ll handle it.”
“I want to worry about Charlie, but I can’t do that and do the job that needs to be done right now.”
“Then don’t worry about Charlie. Or Jamie or Lizzie. The best thing you can do for them right now is what you’re planning.”
Heaved a sigh as I grabbed my purse and the Rolling Action Arsenal. Put my purse on top of the rolling purse and wrapped the straps around the handle. Why make it harder on myself? “I’ll try.”
“Ready for action?” Siler asked, as he calibrated the gate.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good.” And with that, he grabbed my rolling bag and pushed me through the gate.
CHAPTER 52
I STUMBLED OUT into the White House Residence Entrance Hall. Buchanan was waiting there and he steadied me. “Why so shocked, Missus Executive Chief?”
Siler and my purse and rolling bag came through now, and he grinned at me. “Oh, the expression on your face.” He handed the bag’s handle back to me.
Took it. “What the literal hell, dudes?”
Siler shrugged. “You hate going through those. We’re on a schedule. It was faster to do it this way than be as nice about it as Malcolm tends to be.”
“Wow. Remind me to hurt you later.” Looked around. There were a tonnage of people here, including Mona and her entourage. “We’re gating it from here?”
“Yes, because we’ll need a large floater gate to take everyone as fast as possible,” Buchanan said.
Len, Kyle, and Adriana joined us. “Grandmother is going to stay here. She and Grandfather will be sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom.”
“I’m all for it. Why so, though?”
“To ensure that those who need to know are quite clear that we are on America’s side in all of this.”
“Works for me. Adriana, boys, I want the three of you sticking really close to me.”
Len and Kyle exchanged a look. “What about the Secret Service?”
“We’ll deal with them as we have to.”
Buchanan nudged me. “Someone sa
w reason.” He nodded toward the crowd. Francine was here, dressed pretty much like me, along with Colette.
“I look at it as whoever insisted on Francine coming along knows me very well.”
“That would be Mister Reynolds,” Len said.
“As I said. And it’s a smart plan even if I was the best-behaved girl in the world. By the way, where are the K-Nine guys and the sorta prisoners?”
“They’re here, in the underground section,” Kyle said. “Due to everything that’s happened, we didn’t want to release them or put them somewhere they could be hurt or taken. They were there for first contact with the Turleens, there are people who would want to get their hands on them.”
“They’re fine,” Buchanan added. “Being treated well, all of them. The dogs are getting spoiled by every White House staffer who’s in their general vicinity.”
“Good to know.” Wouldn’t have minded Prince coming along for this part of the mission, but reality said that he was safer where we had him. Besides, who knew how the various dignitaries we were going to see would react to a huge German Shepherd arriving along with the rest of us. We were literally an invading horde as it was.
“Attention please!” Antoinette shouted. The room quieted. “Thank you. We’re about to travel to Manama, Bahrain. We will be arriving inside the Al-Qudaibiya Palace. It will be early afternoon there. There is a possibility that food and drink will be offered to you. Please accept it graciously and do nothing to insult our hosts. This first stop is vitally important because it will set the tone for the First Lady’s entire tour.”
Some Field agents arrived, carrying cloths.
“All female members of the party, including the First Lady, need to don and wear traditional headgear. We have hijabs for everyone. We also have kufiyahs for any men who would feel comfortable wearing them.”
Took a gander while everyone started taking the headscarves and putting them on. All the women took hijabs, of course, but only Khalid, Oren, Jakob, and, interestingly enough, Siler, took a kufiyah.
Mona put her hijab on then brought mine over. It was iced blue. Even when going to an Arab country I couldn’t escape “my” color.