by Gini Koch
The rest of us, including the two Field teams who I wanted with us anyway, in part so they could keep Gardiner under guard, were ready to go home. Insisted on going in the helicarrier, mostly because I didn’t want to lose it again. And I was stalling. I was still angry, but Joe and Randy had made good points, and now that everyone other than Siler and Wruck were accounted for, I knew I had to actually find out why Jeff and the others had caved so fast and easily.
Of course, Siler and Wruck were missing, and that meant I had to share that with Lizzie. I was not looking forward to that conversation, which I’d be having in about ten minutes or less.
“Do you think they’re okay?” I asked Buchanan, who was definitely not deemed able to stay on-site but who had also insisted on staying with me.
“I think that it’s going to take a lot to kill either one of them, let alone both of them together. My guess, based on working with Siler off and on for several years now, is that once he knew this site was compromised, he looked for alternate ways in.”
“You think they found the secret paths?”
“Probably. Or they spotted someone coming out in the forest. I’ll figure out how to reach them.”
“That won’t reassure Lizzie.”
“Lie to her.”
Stared at him. “Excuse me?”
He sighed. “Lie to her. Tell her that they’re off doing exactly what I just said.”
“What if that’s not true?”
“They aren’t captured because if they were, they’d have been brought back into the black site, guaranteed. Your mother’s taken over the NSA and, trust me, the CIA is right behind her, she just didn’t tell you because you’re still mad at Reynolds. So if they’re there, she’ll find them. If they’re not there, then they’re both doing what they’ve done successfully for decades.”
Heaved my own sigh. “Fine. I don’t like lying to her, though.”
“Channel your parents. Tell her what she needs to know to get her through.” Buchanan grinned. “The ability does run in your family, you know.”
“Hilarious. True, though.”
We got onto the helicarrier from the roof. Made a stop at the armory and, with a great deal of regret, put our weapons and body armor back. I hadn’t wanted to, but White and Buchanan both insisted on it.
Once we were back to looking like civilians, others headed off. But White held me back and let the others head back to the command center ahead of us. “I felt it again. When we were in the lab under the black site.”
“What, the déjà vu?”
“Yes.”
“Why is it bothering you so much?”
“I don’t know, honestly. I just feel that it’s vitally important that I remember why all of these areas seem so familiar. Vital to our safety important.”
“I’ve got nothing, especially if this is an Alpha Four memory. Did your people use labs like these?”
“No, not really. You’ve seen our labs—they don’t resemble these so much.”
“Unless you like to give birth and take meetings in a fishbowl, sure they don’t.”
He cocked his head at me. “What do you mean?”
“You guys use a lot more glass than any humans. Gaultier’s Lab of Hot Zombies was nothing like this, and the Gaultier Facility Underground Clone Lab wasn’t nearly as glassy as these places or even as glassy as the Science Center. So, I can buy an Alpha Four influence if we’re talking about labs that are all see-through. Humans do windows, A-Cs do glass walls.”
He closed his eyes. “It’s there. Right there.” He opened his eyes. “But I can’t access it.”
Patted his hand. “We’ll figure it out, Richard. Let’s just get back to the others.”
We rejoined the others in the command center. Joe and Randy had taken their places back from Keith and Lizzie, and while the others shared what had happened with those who’d remained on board, White showed Christopher, Buchanan, Len, Kyle, and Colette around the ship, Daniel and the others made Gardiner comfortable in the command center then sat with her, and I talked to Lizzie and patted the Peregrines, who had felt they needed to stay onboard just in case.
“Your dad’s fine. He and Wruck are following the people who left the facility via secret passages.”
She squinted at me. “You’re lying. You don’t know where my dad or Mister Wruck are.”
Time to treat Lizzie as if she was Mom. I had difficulty passing any lie to my mother that she’d believe, but sarcasm was the best chance of it. Rolled my eyes. “Seriously, you’re telling me that the man who has been alive for decades doing just this kind of work, and the other man who not only can shape-shift but who was hiding with his and our enemies for years, aren’t following the bad guys in order to infiltrate or assassinate? Really? And you think I’d have left either one of them inside? Really again?”
She sighed. “No. You’re right.” She hugged me. “I’m just worried about him. You know how it is.”
“Honestly, I don’t. At your age I thought my dad was only a history professor and my mom was a consultant who traveled a lot because she was so good at helping businesses improve their bottom-line cash flows.”
She looked up at me. “Really?” She sounded unimpressed with my gullibility. Then her face fell. “Yeah. When I was younger I thought my parents loved me for me and all that.”
Pulled her back and hugged her more tightly. “Your adopted father loves you. He loves you so much that he’s altered his lifestyle that he’s had for decades in order to keep you safe. And your kind of second adopted family loves you, too. No matter what happens, like Jeff and I were saying, God, was it only last night? But whenever, you’re with us forever now, so you’d better get used to it. Miss Mouthy Teenager.”
She laughed. “Yeah, okay, I was totes testing you.”
“I knew it! Little Sneaky Pants.”
“Commander,” Hughes called, breaking up our Batman and Robin Moment. “Coming up on Andrews. Figured we’d all want to be ready in case it’s déjà vu all over again.”
“True enough, Matt. Let’s have it on speakerphone or whatever.”
“Andrews, this is Sovereign Nation One, requesting permission to land in our reserved, high security clearance parking place.”
“I love you, Matt.”
“Sovereign Nation One, this is Andrews. We have your space all reserved and ready to go. Please pass along my apologies to Queen Kitty for how people who will be scrubbing toilets for the next several months treated your request the first time.”
Recognized who this was. Franklin’s adjunct or whatever he was called, Captain Gil Morgan.
“Gil! It’s awesome to hear the melodious sounds of your voice.”
“Nice to be heard, Queen Kitty.” He chuckled. “You have four men who have asked me that you please let them explain what happened before you beat the living crap out of them.”
“Wow, they’re really worried. Good. They should be.”
“They are. In their defense, and in the defense of the toilet scrubbers, too, the situation was definitely out of control and, from what I’ve seen, confused enough that making decisions out of fear seemed logical.”
“They pay you off to support them, Gil?”
“No, I just understand how angry you are and why. But I think I understand how frightened they were and why. However, I enjoy a good show, so, once you’re here, I’ll be meeting you to escort you and your people to the White House so you can have a Meeting of State and I can watch what happens.”
“I like you. You shall have a place in the Sovereign and Flying Nation of Kitty Land should you so choose it.”
“Excellent. I’ve heard through the grapevine that the Prince Consort position may be open and I’m tossing my hat in for that as well.”
“Awesome. It’s nice to have a position that’s considered so desirable.”
<
br /> “Oh, I think your current husband is going to lock that one up, but you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see. Right now, I’m at war with my current husband. Technically.”
The rest of the landing went smoothly. The building we were landing in was gigantic and its roof opened up, just like the baseball field in Pueblo Caliente, so we were able to literally hover over our spot and lower into it without issue.
“Drax makes great ships,” Jerry said as we completed landing and he turned off the invisibility shield. “I mean really great. If you do defect, take him with you. If you don’t, ensure that he can’t sell to any other country.”
“And if he’s already sold to someone else,” Walker added, “we want to buy those ships from them or steal them away. And I’m saying that in the interests of national security. We spent the time waiting for you learning what this ship can do. It can do it all. Whoever was flying it when they captured us and raided Rail Force One either was under orders not to be impressive or was an idiot, because they could have taken over the country using this.”
“I wish there was a way to lock it, turn on Lojack, put on the Club, and take the keys, so to speak.”
“There is,” Hughes said. “And we’ve done it. I assume that Drax didn’t because the ship was at his facility and why lock your car when it’s safe in your garage? But don’t worry, My Queen, we’ve got the safety on your ship set to high, and the three of us are the only ones who can access it.”
“Three?”
He nodded. “Joe and Randy are concerned about what was done to them. In case they can be triggered by enemies somehow, they didn’t want to be able to access this ship.”
“I love all you guys so much.”
We headed down the ramp to indeed be greeted by Captain Morgan. Resisted the urge to salute and lift my leg up, which was always the urge any time I saw Morgan, just ’cause. Proving he was either insane or just the most relieved person on the planet, Tim was there, too.
“Don’t kick me,” Tim said as he grabbed me and hugged me. “Long story. Once you know it, you won’t be as mad. You’ll still be mad, I think, but not as mad.”
“Why weren’t you the voice of my brand of insanity? It’s part of your job description.”
“I tried, Kitty. The evidence, when I saw it, was extremely compelling.” He grabbed the flyboys and hugged each of them. “God, am I glad to see you guys. Not as glad as your wives will be,” he said to Joe and Randy. “And, trust me, they aren’t to blame for any of this. None of the women felt we should do what we did.”
White and I exchanged a look. “I suggest we go to the White House with all haste,” he said. “This sounds like something everyone will want to see.”
Morgan nodded. “It will be. We have a gate installed in this hangar. We can get right to the White House as long as someone can calibrate. It’s normally set to go to Area Fifty-One.”
Christopher nodded. “Not a problem. You ready, Kitty? As in ready to go over and not try to kill your husband and two best friends?”
“I dunno. Let’s take a vote among all of us who were in the ship when the warheads were armed against us. Everyone ready to play nicely for a bit, raise your hands.” The hands raised. Slowly in some cases, but they raised. “So be it, I think we’re good.”
“You didn’t raise your hand, Kitty,” Christopher pointed out.
“Can’t put anything past you, can we?”
CHAPTER 84
I WAS ACTUALLY still angry enough that I could walk through the gate without a ton of nausea. My stomach was still empty, too, which probably helped.
We exited the gate in the last place I’d been in the White House complex—the underground garage. No one we were mad at was there to greet us. No one was there at all, Secret Service included. “Where’s the welcoming committee?” Joe asked.
“I think they’re being smart.”
Christopher nodded. “I went through first for a reason, and not just because it’s part of my job, since Doreen already said that whatever you were choosing to do was what the Diplomatic Corps was going to support. I’ve already told Jeff to get everyone in one place. I know where they are, and I’ll take everyone there.”
“Where are we going?” We had time to kill, since I’d been forced through the gate relatively early in terms of our numbers and I’d insisted the Peregrines gate it home as well, so we had a lot of birds coming through. The Poofs were, as far as I knew, back with their owners or in my purse. “Or is it a surprise?”
“No surprise. Nowhere exciting, either. But under the circumstances, Chuck suggested I not tell you in case you wanted to run on ahead and scream at them in private.”
“Oh, no. I want an audience for it.”
He laughed. “That’s exactly what I told them.”
“Are you still speaking to me?” Tim asked as he came through. “Just checking.”
“Possibly. The flyboys seem to have forgiven you.”
Hughes shrugged. “He’s our commander. Right after you, Commander.”
“I’d make nasty comments about insubordination, but I’m not crazy.” Tim managed a grin as the flyboys laughed. “I just kind of want to suggest that you let them tell you what went on before you launch into a tirade. I think you’ll be happier in the long and short run that way. Oh, and Alicia said to tell you that she also suggests this course.”
Alicia was Tim’s wife. They rented my parents’ house in Pueblo Caliente because Alicia still liked her job with the airlines and therefore wanted to keep it, and gates meant that Tim’s commute to work was short and easy. “Was she involved in this?”
“No, but we pulled everyone’s spouses in and families were put into Centaurion bases. So, she knows what went on and told me to tell you, girl to girl, that you wanted to listen first.”
“Okay, I’ll follow her, and your, recommendation.” I’d gotten to scream while on the helicarrier, after all.
Finally, our huge group was through. Before we went anywhere, had Christopher confirm that my children were fine. They were, though they were still at the Embassy, because it was still in lockdown. Refrained from asking why—after all, my husband had released Stephanie, meaning we weren’t safe.
Resisted the urge to tell Jeff and the others to wait and instead go to the Embassy to verify that my children were safe and well. Mostly because I was still upset with the guys, and Jamie didn’t need to feel that from me. Parents and friends fought, it was natural, but there was no reason to stress my little girl out because of it. And who knew what Charlie could or couldn’t feel? Better to get things straightened out with the guys and then get the kids.
Next, had Christopher call for Secret Service to take Gardiner into a pleasant form of custody, complete with a visit to White House Medical, a nice meal, and a safe, well-guarded place to sleep. She didn’t object.
“So, where are we doing the reunion meeting?” I asked Christopher after the Secret Service had taken Gardiner off, I’d sent the Peregrines to their regular duties or the Animal Luxury Suite, and the rest of us had linked up, the better to hyperspeed to our destination in one long daisy chain.
“The Situation Room.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They’re going for someplace that seems neutral. And there’s video and it’s where we were as this unfolded, so the video’s set up there.”
“Dinner and a show.” My stomach rumbled. Did my best to ignore it.
We arrived quickly, though Christopher was nice and didn’t go at Flash level. The Situation Room had a variety of TV screens, a large oval table, and a lot of cushy chairs. Not enough cushy chairs for everyone we had, but the floor was available and looked clean, though had a feeling only Lizzie and I would consider that a viable option.
It also had a very worried looking Jeff, Chuckie, and Reader. All three of the
m looked older than when I’d seen them last, and considering I’d seen them in the morning, that was saying a lot. Decided I’d take Tim and Alicia’s advice.
They weren’t the only ones here. Gower, Serene, Claudia, Lorraine, and Raj were all in attendance as well. Everyone was sitting but stood up as we arrived. It was the most formal any of them had ever been with me, meaning they were clear on how angry I was. Though perhaps I was a test run for the upcoming peace talks. That was me, going for the bright side.
“Are you alright?” Jeff asked as my team spread out in the room, though none of us sat.
Managed to refrain from saying what I wanted to because I was trying to follow Tim and Alicia’s advice. So I said nothing, because I was having to censor myself so much.
Could tell that everyone in the room was looking at Joe and Randy and trying to figure out why they were wearing knit caps at the start of summer. Did a fast check. All five flyboys were doing their Stoic Members of the American Armed Forces bit. So was the rest of my team. Meaning they were going to follow my lead.
White cleared his throat. “If I may?” he asked me.
“Go for it.”
“We’re all uninterested in pleasantries and extremely interested in what happened, Jeffrey. I suggest you all sit down and get to the pertinent details quickly. It’s been a long day and we have people dead and injured.”
“We thought you were among them,” Chuckie said as those on Team Administration did as White suggested and put their butts in their chairs. He nodded at Raj, who pushed a button on a remote. A video came on.
It was me, only I wasn’t dressed like me. Well, I was in a bra and panties. That I’d wear, since they looked like Elf Standard Issue. There were obvious signs of torture, and I was crying. “They killed him,” I sobbed out. “Richard’s dead. And I’m next. Help me, Jeff. Do whatever they say. Help me, please, please, help me.”
I sounded terrified and helpless and more scared than I’d ever been in my life. And never in my life had I ever acted like this.