Alien in Chief

by Gini Koch

  “This appears to be domestic terrorism. Does that mean you need to give authority of the case to Vander?” Evander Horn was the head of the F.B.I. division that cared about aliens and therefore our go-to in that agency.

  “We’re going to work together, particularly under the circumstances. But Vander isn’t infected, and we need to keep it that way.”

  “He wasn’t in the Aliens Are Coming! meeting?”

  “No, he was actually sick and sent someone else in his office to cover. Food poisoning. He’s fine now.”

  “God, I hope so.”

  “So do we. I told him our concerns, and he’s working leads while avoiding as many people as possible, just in case. He’s also trying to determine how many people are sick in the D.C. area. And before you suggest it, yes, he’s utilizing Centaurion resources to speed things up.”

  Mahin hurried over to us. “Kitty, I just heard Cliff saying that animals need to be quarantined. I don’t know where Bruno and Ginger are, do you?”

  Realized I had no freaking idea where they were. Was about to hit my personal panic button when my phone buzzed against the goggles in my purse again. Pulled it out to find a text from Lizzie.

  Call me, right now.

  Didn’t hesitate, I called. “Lizzie, what’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure. We have, like, every Poof imaginable here. And somehow your Peregrine and ocellar are back, too. I think some Poofs brought them home. Were they lost?”

  “No.” Just able to determine that they were about to be used as pawns by our enemies. “But I’m glad they’re there. Lizzie, I think we’re about to have people try to get into the Zoo and the Embassy to lock up the animals.”

  Chuckie pulled out his phone. Could tell he was calling Kevin.

  “Get to Walter, will you?”

  “Sure. Hang on.” Could tell she was running, but since she didn’t have hyperspeed it took her a couple of minutes. During that time listened to Chuckie advise Kevin that he was to not allow anyone in or out of the Embassy complex regardless of who they said they were.

  “I’m with Walter. Want it on speaker?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m here, Ambassador,” Walter said.

  “First Lady now, Walter, and that’s part of why I’m calling. You need to ensure that no one goes in or out of the Zoo or Embassy. I’m sure people who sound very official will be demanding that you let them come in. You are to refuse and to keep shields up on the highest setting they have. The Embassy complex is American Centaurion soil and we will not allow anyone to leave it or come onto it.”

  “Roger, Missus First Lady Ambassador.”

  Decided not to complain about Walter’s slavish devotion to titles right now. “Great. Kevin will back you on this, but you guys need to make sure that all the others understand that no one is to come in. And . . . that includes those of us who are part of the Embassy detail and such who aren’t there right now.”

  “Ah, what about those who aren’t part of our Embassy detail who are here right now?”

  “Well, don’t toss my dad out into the street. Obviously.”

  “He means Olga and all the Romanians,” Lizzie said. “They came over the moment you guys left. Said that their plumbing was backed up and asked to sleep here. They’re all in the Zoo.”

  “God, I love Olga so much. Yes, keep them in with you guys absolutely. Walter, you need to contact the Israeli and Bahraini embassies and advise them that I’m telling them to go into the severest form of lockdown that they can. No interaction with anyone else, make sure anyone who appears to have a cold is put into quarantine. Radio silence if at all possible, and that goes for us, too. Only communications within our own Bases or with the Israelis and Bahrainis if they need us or vice versa.”

  They were quiet for a few moments. “It’s bad, isn’t it, Chief?” Walter asked, reverting to the simpler form of address, presumably because he was intelligent and therefore scared. “We heard the news . . . I was hoping it wasn’t true.”

  “It’s true. And it’s worse than when we brought you onto the team.”

  “I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t, Walter. Lizzie, spend time with Olga, see what you can get out of her that may help us.”

  “Okay. Um, there’s something else.”

  “What?”

  “Do you need Walter anymore?”

  “Nope. Walt, do what you do best.”

  “I will, Ambassador. Security out.”

  “Okay, I’m in the hall,” Lizzie said a couple seconds later.

  “So, what’s the something else?”

  “There are two. One is that I can’t reach my dad or the uncles. I mean, my texts get through, I’m pretty sure. But they haven’t answered me back. And the other is . . . Jamie’s acting weird.”

  My stomach clenched. “Weird how?”

  “She’s stopped playing with the other kids, your dad, or me. She’s in Charlie’s room, surrounded by the Poofs. Charlie is going to have to sleep with me or your dad, she won’t let him in the room. She doesn’t want anyone else in there with her.”

  “Is she eating and drinking?”

  “Well, this just started since the last time I talked to you, so yeah, before she was.”

  “Keep me posted.” Had a sinking feeling that Jamie knew exactly what was going on somehow. What she was doing about it was worrisome, especially since she was by the camouflaged but still very functional Z’porrah power cube.

  “I will.”

  “Be sure someone checks on her regularly. Like every fifteen minutes regularly.”

  “I will.”

  Remembered that Lizzie was still just a kid. “We’ll find your father, and the uncles, I promise.”

  “They’ve released the virus my dad created, haven’t they? I don’t mean Mister Dash and the uncles, I mean the bad guys.”

  “I’d love to tell you no, but I don’t believe in lying to you. So, yes, as far as we can tell. But it appears to be hitting humans harder than A-Cs, at least so far.”

  “It was made to kill everyone.” She took a breath that sounded shuddery. “Mister Dash had my father’s notebook. I think he destroyed it. I saw something I thought was it burning when . . . well, when he saved me.”

  “Praying that he didn’t actually destroy the information and that it’s in a very safe place somewhere. We’re going to need it.”

  Siler was a trained assassin but he was also more than that—he didn’t age like normal people, so he’d been around a long time and was very aware of how the world worked. No scientist worth his doctorate only had one copy of anything, especially not a mad genius working for the bad guys. They always had plenty of backups. Maybe not complete backups, but backups, nonetheless. So other baddies could carry on their evil work when the good guys put a bullet through their brains.

  While he might have burned what Lizzie thought was the notebook with her father’s formula in it, my bet was that Siler had burned a decoy so that she’d be reassured that the data was destroyed and trust him.

  Because I trusted him, I really didn’t want to discover that the reason Lizzie couldn’t reach Siler was because he’d sold the formula to the Mastermind or one of his lieutenants and he was on a very safe desert island somewhere.

  Of course, based on his track record, Siler was, despite his profession, far more on the side of right than he’d ever want to admit. So chances were good that he, the Dingo, and Surly Vic were either deep in something or captured, hurt, infected or dead. Go me, always looking on the bright side.

  “You really think he’d have done that?” Lizzie sounded hopeful and worried both.

  “Yes. I think he would have realized that it might be needed to create an antidote.” Hoped this was reassuring in the right ways. And that I was right.

  “You know, my dad told m
e that he had most of the data in other places, and I know Mister Dash heard him. So, I think you’re maybe right, Kitty. That would be good, right?”

  “It might mean the difference between us all living or dying, so yeah. We really need to hear from him or the uncles.”

  “I told him that. In the message I don’t think he got.”

  “You know, text me his number, would you?”

  “You don’t have it?”

  “If I had it, why would I ask you to send it to me?”

  “Gotcha. You know I’m not supposed to give his number to anyone.”

  “And yet, I’m going to demand it.”

  “Oh, I know this is a special circumstance. I just wanted you to know that I’m breaking rules. For the greater good and all that sort of stuff.”

  “Exactly.” Cliff and Green were heading toward us. “Gotta go. It’ll all work out. I promise. Text me the number, text with updates, but keep them very vague.”

  “Got it. Kitty?”

  “Yeah, Lizzie?”

  “I’m kinda scared.”

  “Me too, Lizzie. Me too.”

  CHAPTER 68

  “IT’LL ALL WORK OUT, THOUGH,” I told Lizzie reassuringly.

  “You sure?” She didn’t sound like she was convinced.

  “Things like this always happen to us. And we’re still here.” This was a lie, though. Algar was right—this wasn’t an attack we were prepared for or had any real experience with. “So don’t worry. We’ll win, I promise.”

  “Okay. I can’t check on Olga and Jamie at the same time.”

  Managed not to laugh. “That’s okay. If my dad is checking on Jamie, you can go to the Zoo.”

  “Cool, I’ll tell him what you want us to do. Thanks, Kitty.”

  Hung up just as Cliff and Green reached us, Green looking worried as hell, Cliff wearing the Frowny Face of Concern. “Kitty, we may need to take your animals into quarantine,” Cliff said. “Just in case whatever this is turns out to be like the Avian Flu.”

  “Or Ebola,” Green said, sounding as worried as he looked. “Or Mad Cow Disease.”

  “They’re all in our Embassy complex, Cliff.”

  “I heard you had animals with you on this trip. And you all always have Poofs.”

  “You heard wrong. No animals with us. Including Poofs.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to prove that.”

  Opened my purse. Sure enough, no Poofs On Board. “Poofs come to Kitty.” Sure, I didn’t say that with a lot of enthusiasm, but I said it.

  No Poofs appeared.

  “See?” I said to Cliff as I shut my purse. “They aren’t here.”

  “Until we know what’s causing the illnesses, it seems premature to quarantine animals,” Chuckie said mildly.

  “I’m more concerned with where we are to go,” Mahin interjected, before Cliff could reply. I was all kinds of proud. “We have far too many people who are vital to the running of the government here.”

  “I agree, Cliff. While I’m sure we’re going to have to lock down this facility, Jeff is now the President and can’t be kept here like a prisoner. And Elaine needs to be able to cry her eyes out somewhere without a million photographers taking her picture.”

  He looked like he wanted to argue, but Cliff was, sadly, nothing if not smart. He nodded. “You’re right, Kitty. I’m sorry. I’m just kind of freaked out. The Ebola scare we had last year was bad enough. This is a lot to deal with. My big test, in that sense.”

  Hadn’t considered that all the Ebola crap that had ended up being nothing and quickly terminated when the A-Cs came up with the vaccine and got it to affected people around the world had been engineered by Cliff. It had seemed like the Avian Flu and Mad Cow Disease—stuff that happened.

  Of course, I was an idiot to not consider that the guys who had Gaultier, Titan, and YatesCorp under their control hadn’t created Avian Flu, Mad Cow Disease, and Ebola. It was, frankly, just like them.

  However, those weren’t our problem right now. “I’m sure you’ll do great, Cliff,” I said. “You always do.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, Kitty. Just worried—if the disease is widespread, then FEMA will need to be involved and take over.”

  What Cliff was doing clicked firmly into place. This was a doomsday plan, only he planned to live through it. Create a disease, release it, make the world sick, kill off everyone you don’t like, kill some you do because why not, and then take over the world.

  Armstrong and Strauss were dead in just over a week. If the disease worked that fast on everyone, then Cliff would be in charge of the country in less than a month. Without an election, just due to death of political leaders.

  Then the institution of martial law to keep the peace would give him complete control, which control he wouldn’t give back, for whatever reasons. He was a Sith Lord, after all. And this plan was right out of the Sith Lord Handbook.

  Thought about Bizarro World Jamie’s messages. She’d told me to be careful on the train. If only I’d realized how careful we were going to need to be. She’d also said she was the key, but that was easy to figure now—either Cliff was after Jamie again, or Jamie was doing something to try to help, and that was why she’d sequestered herself with the Poofs.

  But Bizarro World Jamie had also said “he knows.” There were so many he’s, but, as I thought about what was going on, the obvious one was the Mastermind. So, what did he know?

  Considered all of what had happened—the timing of the first bio-attack in particular. Really wanted to talk out loud. Not an option at the moment.

  “What about the White House?” Chuckie asked, derailing my train of thought.

  “For what?” Cliff seemed confused.

  “For where we take everyone who makes sense. It needs to go into quarantine as well, so we might as well take the President, First Lady, Former First Lady, and all the others on their staffs there. That way, we’re back in D.C., where we need the President to be, if only to reassure the country that things are somewhat normal.”

  Chuckie’s voice had been extremely pleasant. Not giving an order, merely giving a suggestion. Clearly he’d missed his calling and I should have encouraged him to join the Theater Club in high school.

  Cliff seemed to be considering this, but Green responded first. “That sounds like a great plan.” Wasn’t sure if he liked the plan or just wanted to visit the White House.

  Cliff nodded. “Chuck’s plans are always good ones, and if you feel that this is the right place for us to quarantine most of these folks, Wes, then let’s make it happen.”

  “What about the press?” Green asked. “Do we keep them here or bring them to the White House, too?” Was glad he’d asked that, because I’d been about to.

  “Chuck? Thoughts?” Loved how Cliff was setting it up to be able to say that everything we were doing was Chuckie’s idea.

  Chuckie shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter. I’d say here, honestly. There’s a medical facility in case any of them show symptoms and that way we can all have privacy in the White House. You’re exposed now, too, Cliff. You’re stuck in quarantine with the rest of us.”

  Cliff looked shocked, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t faked. “What?”

  “You’re exposed,” Chuckie said. “Just like the rest of us are. That means you and Wes have to be quarantined just like the rest of us.”

  Cliff clearly hadn’t thought this far ahead. No idea why, other than that he felt success was so assured that he’d gotten careless or was so excited about killing a ton of people that he’d jumped the gun. “But, we have to be out, handling things.”

  Chuckie snorted a laugh. “That’s the answer everyone’s going to give, starting with the President and ending with the greenest cub reporter in the room. But you know how this works—you’re in the room, you’re exposed. At le
ast, if we feel that the theory that this is a biological attack of some kind is the one we’re going with.”

  “You think it could be something else?” Green asked rather hopefully.

  “There are a lot of ways to kill people,” Chuckie said. “What if this was just an elaborate ruse to kill the President and make it look like a terrorist attack? The autopsies aren’t done. We don’t know if someone slipped something into the water, pricked them with a poisoned pin, and so on. We’ve jumped to a conclusion because people have been sneezing. But we could be wrong. We’ve been wrong before. I’ve been wrong before.”

  “Rarely, but you’re right.” Cliff looked at the Planetary Council. “There are other options for what’s going on, you know.”

  “You’re saying that you think that the Planetary Council came to kill the Secretary of State and the President? And somehow also killed the Speaker of the House even though they were nowhere near him?” Managed not to snarl, but it took effort.

  “They all have hyperspeed, don’t they?” Cliff turned back to me. “And what if they brought others we don’t know about?”

  “You’re suggesting that the Planetary Council—the same people who saved us from an alien invasion—came here to kill our political leaders? Why would they do that?”

  Cliff looked at Jeff, who was talking to the press, Gower, Christopher, and White with him. “To put someone they prefer into office.”

  CHAPTER 69

  WHAT WAS GOING ON dawned on me—Chuckie and Cliff were playing a live action game of chess right here. And though Cliff had opened himself up and Chuckie had taken advantage of his weakness, Cliff had recovered and just made an excellent move. It was a move we’d expected, sure, but it was still a good one.

  He turned back to us. “From what we know, half of the Cabinet and Joint Chiefs of Staff are sick. If it’s just that the President had a bad cold that he shared with everyone other than the few of us with really strong immune systems, then we still have a dead President and Secretary of State, as well as Speaker of the House, with no clear answers for what killed them.”