by Mel Todd
McKenna focused on the speaker and tried to analyze what she saw. Taller than she was in warrior form, and the being was in warrior form. But she couldn't figure out what animal he would have been. Dark fur, powerful body, and as he strode back and forth a snow-white tail lashed behind him. Short muzzle but long ears. His eyes caught her though, vertical pupils in this form, whereas hers were always human round, and an odd color of blue-yellow.
"Commander," his voice an odd rumble. She still couldn't speak that clearly in this form, though she'd gotten better.
"Yes?" Her eyes locked with his, and she refused to look away. His face hid emotions, so she had no idea what he thought.
"Please prepare your people. Sirets Aliarn, Scilita, and Thelia will be the primary for this. Our goal is at least a million Kaylid to be harvested." Where he'd had contempt for entertainment, his voice now held less personality than Wefor, voice flat. "However, as information continues to be collected, this might be a bounty for Elentrin. Preliminary information indicates upwards of a hundred million Kaylid present. If that is the case, regular ships may be arranged, and all battlefronts will be engaged. No other planet has ever had this level of surviving Kaylid. You will be in charge of the selection process and given the bounty presented the criteria has been narrowed to prime specimens. If they have diseases that might not be cured in time or are too young or too old for optimal performance, you will ignore them."
"Understood." Her voice just as flat though McKenna had no real control.
Is this real right now? Whose body am I in? Why do I see my friends? Argh, Wefor can you hear me?
"Shuttles are being prepared and will depart once we achieve orbit, though we are still unsure which cities to land. The three main ones are being determined, and the shuttles will land there. Your group will go with the one we determine as primary, the auxiliary group with the secondary. A third group is being decanted now to support Thelia and her tastes." This time something slipped out on that last word, something she didn't think she wanted to understand.
"You are to pack what you need for a week stay. Note that this culture tends to find nudity discomforting, take that into consideration with your packing. Update all languages. You have twenty teran until we reach their moon. It is expected that you take this time to prepare yourself as you will need to excel at your responsibilities. Dismissed." The male turned and stalked out of the room, the tail mesmerizing against his dark fur as the doors closed behind him.
McKenna tried to turn to talk to any of the others, but a hand touching her shoulder yanked her out of the experience.
"Ms. Largo? Are you okay?"
McKenna blinked at him, trying to focus. It took her a minute to realize it was Torres, she still didn't know his first name, who had touched her shoulder.
She took a deep breath then let it out.
"Yeah. Is there something wrong?"
"We're getting ready to land. From there we'll be taking you to where we're housing you, then prepping you for your meetings." George said from where he stood next to her.
"Okay." She watched everyone else wake up. Nam grabbed her hand tight from the seat next to her, and McKenna squeezed back.
~You going to be okay staying with Charley, Jamie, and Jessi to play? Their friend Carina will watch you guys.~
Nam nodded slowly. ~I like them. They think my tiger form is neat.~ Even in a mental whisper her tone held wariness and a touch of fear.
~That would be because it is neat. When you get bigger, you will be a fearsome creature.~
She looked over to McKenna her eyes widening. ~Me? Fearsome?~
McKenna smiled. ~Tigers are very fearsome. So yes, I am sure you will be a fearsome creature that everyone will be impressed with.~
Nam's smile grew a bit even as she ducked her head.
~You're pretty awesome, Nam. Don't worry. We'll take care of you.~
McKenna shot a look at Jamie and realized while her channel had been private, Nam must have shared it with them.
The little girl relaxed a bit, looking out the window as they started to bank.
McKenna looked over and saw JD and Cass holding hands and hid a smile. They were good together. It looked like JD had found his princess to protect.
Good for him.
Her stomach dropped a bit as the plane hit an air pocket and then the wheels hit pavement pushing her back into the seat. For a minute she couldn't breathe, the pilot hitting the breaks harder than she'd experienced before.
Worried, she checked on the kids but all she could feel from them was a sense of excitement. Aliens might be real for them, but they still regarded this all as a huge adventure.
She envied them a bit for that.
Dread pooled at the base of her stomach as she rose, corralled the kids, and all of them headed down the stops of the plane towards the waiting dark SUVs.
Here we come, ready or not.
Chapter 13 - Self Important People
The cabinet is in closed-door meetings and the president has cleared his schedule. No one is sure what is going on, but rumors of a UN emergency meeting are already floating around. There are strange rumors of China and Russia adjusting their satellites and telescopes, but no one is sure why. What is going on, and why doesn't anyone know anything? Shouldn't there be press conferences? Are we going to war? ~ TNN Talking Head
The whirlwind of the next two hours left McKenna glad someone else ran this show. Between getting them to the house in the early morning hours, figuring out the rooms, and then the sergeant waiting for them with a literal rack of clothing for them to try on, McKenna fought to not feel overwhelmed. Everyone treated them well, if distantly. Food waited for them, and only Wefor reminding her she may need to shift allowed her to force food down her throat.
All of them felt tense in the mindspace and they didn't talk much, trying to remember to speak out loud for the non-linked around them. Before she could really get freaked out, she found all of them in a long limo headed towards the capital. They left the kids eating breakfast and planning on playing in the huge back yard. It had an eight-foot fence and a nice playset, a suspiciously new playset, for them to wear themselves out on. They all dressed in the outfits that were provided. They had fit to a level that surprised her. There had even been new undergarments for the women that fit better than anything she'd ever worn. At least she felt presentable in a sheath dress and a simple jacket. The same efficient sergeant had suggested subtle make-up, something only Carina had remembered to pack for Toni. The women looked professional, and the men in their suits came across as respectable. And all she wanted to do was go home and crawl under the bed.
George sat with them looking at them. "You all clean up nice. You ready for this?"
"What this? Who are we going to talk to? What are we supposed to tell them?" McKenna managed to keep her voice from shaking, which she treated as an accomplishment. Though from the smile he fought back, she suspected her panic had leaked through.
Dammit, talking to people mentally when upset or frustrated is so much easier.
The morose thought didn't help much. But she paid attention when he started to talk.
"You're going to talk to the president, the VP, secretary of state, secretary of defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the speaker for the House, and Senate majority leader."
McKenna knew who most of those people were in general, if not specifics about the chairman. George began to talk, explaining who each person was and just what area they would have concerns about and what they had already sent him questions regarding.
She listened, trying to take it all in even as something tingled against the back of her mind. The dream she'd been roused out of, they had talked about multiple cities.
"When are we going to talk to the -," she broke off as the driver started to talk.
"Pulling in now. Please make sure all our passengers understand the security concerns."
That set off pat downs, scans, being ushered through one strange hal
lway then another.
~They provided the clothes we are wearing. Watched us pack. What weapons can we have on us?~ she groused as they went through one more scan.
~I just wish they thought kilts were appropriate wear. Even with measurements these pants are tight. I think the bots have been working overtime to get us bulked back up.~
~Ditto,~ Perc muttered, even as he moved with assurance McKenna didn't feel.
~I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my uniform. That felt like me, this simply feels silly.~
~Speak for yourself,~ Toni's voice held smugness. ~I look awesome.~ And she did. The green dress somehow matched her eyes and made her look elegant and composed.
~Did you guys dream, well not dream, have one of those vision things on the flight up here?~ Cass seemed almost tentative as she asked.
McKenna started to turn to look at her when their escort came to a sharp stop outside a pair of double doors, opened them and then stepped back, waving them in. A bunch of men in sharp suits turned to look at them and McKenna's mouth went dry as she recognized the president and the secretary of state.
George led the way and introduced everyone, but only President Carl Simon, Secretary of Defense Doug Burby, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Arnold Murphy registered as important enough to remember. There were four or more secret service agents in the room, at least two secretaries, one male and one female, and then George.
The President Carl Simon she recognized, though she had voted for someone else, his snow-white hair and strong craggy nose below pale gray eyes were memorable.
The SecDef had a shining bald pate, sharp hazel eyes, with a hard look in them that made her think he had served.
The general, in his uniform with more medals than seemed real, had a crew cut revealing steel gray hair, a body with the beginning of a potbelly, and a sneer.
The sneer pissed her off. She didn't want to be here. While she might enjoy the cougar aspect of her, and had grown rather fond of Wefor, she didn't cause this, and she sure as hell wasn't lying.
~They can all bite me. I'm here to solve a problem and I'll be damned if their contempt and disbelief will put my kids at risk.~ Already Nam was hers as much as Charley was.
~There's my Kenna. Kick their asses. We have a planet to save.~ JD's words made her grin and her smile grew as the men looked at all of them.
Before George could start to introduce them, McKenna stepped forward and let her smile widen.
Treat this as a drug bust from hell with all spoiled rich kids. Stay polite but firm. Remember what's riding on this.
"Gentlemen. My name is McKenna Largo, this is my team. I believe we need to talk about the incoming Elentrin." Her voice rang through the room, cutting across the chatter in the background. "My AI says we have almost twenty-two days before they land. Their intent is to harvest shifters from this planet. What are we going to do about it?"
The shocked looks on the men's faces made her want to shrink back, but she stiffened her spine looking the president dead in the eyes.
I'll be damned if I show fear here. I have no idea what the answer is, but my kids depend on me.
The men blinked, first glancing at each other, then at George.
Finally, the president spoke, his northern accent heavier than she'd ever heard on TV. "Brigadier General Davis. Does this mean it's true? That aliens are approaching? And what does this woman mean by her AI?"
George glanced at her and McKenna felt a bit sorry for him, but the timer in her head kept counting down and from the dreams or memories, she had no illusions about the outcome.
"Sir. From our questioning, yes there is an AI, and all information provided has been verified to the best of our ability. So yes, it does look like there is an alien fleet coming to Earth. And nothing she has said indicates good intentions." George didn't look intimidated, but neither did he look happy at her opening volley.
"What about the AI?" the SecDef added. He didn't sound antagonistic, but more wary. Wary, she could handle.
"Hadn't you better ask me that? She lives in my head." McKenna interrupted, and he turned his cool eyes on her.
"Only you? None of the others?"
"Only me. While my team here has abilities that are not the norm among Kaylid, the AI is only in me, though there may be others that have AIs also, although what their programming would tell them to do is unknown."
Half the room sharpened at that. "Programming?"
"McKenna? If I may?" George interrupted, and a screen dropped at the far side of the room. He tapped on his phone and a PowerPoint presentation popped up. "Here is a high-level summary of what we know. As she said, time is of the essence and this is the information that has been gathered."
Somehow during the flight, George or his staff had taken his notes and everything they had talked about and made an executive level summary in three slides. They covered the nanobots, the ships, the basic purpose, and tests run to verify the existence of the AI.
"I'm still not sure I believe all this. I can think of many ways that could have been faked. How are we to know this isn't just all a big scam?"
"Besides the alien fleet coming in?" JD asked dryly from where he'd been leaning against the wall. He, Cass, and Toni were all back against the wall, watching people watching them. While Perc had taken up a flanking position behind her, guarding her back. It had the added advantage of making her not feel so alone.
"It's a relatively small fleet, they may be here to establish trade. We don't have any space-based weapons. Any earth-based missiles lose most of their effectiveness once they leave the atmosphere. If we can establish peaceful negotiations with them, it would be best." General Arnold Murphy said, a bitter tone to his words.
"You can't. Well, maybe you can, but I'm not sure Earth will like the terms." McKenna replied even as she tried to figure out how much to tell them. She turned and looked at her team, falling silent as she talked to them.
~Do we tell them about the dreams? About the warrior form? Did you have the dream where they talked about the multiple cities and landing?~
~Yes, I was going to ask you about that. It was odd. Who was that being talking to us?~ Cass asked.
~He's been in a lot of my experiences. Though I'm not sure he is wholly for what the Elentrin are doing.~ Perc commented, an aura of thoughtfulness in his voice. ~Some of his word choices and tones have been odd.~
"Ms. Largo?" The voice registered, and McKenna turned back to see the men staring at her.
"Sorry, processing an option. Your biggest issue is the AI claim? As the approaching ships are validated?" She kept her voice cool even as she asked in the mindspace.
~Anyone have issues with me doing the phone trick? I can't think of anything else we can do.~
~Go for it.~
~What phone trick?~ came from Perc, Cass, and Toni.
~Oh. Yeah. You'll find this… interesting?~
"Yes. We accept that there is a fleet of ships coming here. We just don't know how to handle your claims of an AI. And I cannot believe I just admitted to the fact that aliens are approaching Earth." SecDef Doug Burby shook his head and sat down. "When this gets out there's going to be worldwide panic."
"Why do you think I didn't go online?" she said, a bit exasperated. "Enough people would have believed me that there would have been a panic. But they are coming. I'm done hiding stuff. We can't convince them to leave us alone, my family, my kids are going to suffer, and I'm not willing to do that."
"Hiding what exactly?" The general growled, looking at her with distaste.
McKenna snorted. "You'll never believe. Anyone have a smartphone I can use?"
They hadn't been allowed to bring theirs, and since they could all ping the kids mentally it really didn't matter.
Everyone glanced at each other until one of the male secretaries spoke up. "I do. I'll get it back right?"
"Yes, and I promise it won't even be damaged."
He arched an eyebrow but handed over a nice smartphone ab
out a year old. McKenna took it, and with her annoyance and fear driving her, she let one of the claws from her warrior form slide out of her left index finger. Collectively people in the room took in a sharp breath and she could hear their heartbeats rise and the Secret Service agents all stiffened. She pricked the pad of her thumb, letting blood seep up and dropped three large drops in front of the data port of the phone. A half moan reached her ears, probably from the guy who'd let her use his phone.
The room went still, not even remembering to breathe as the blood moved into the port and disappeared. Less than three seconds later the phone lit up and Wefor's distinctive cadence came through.
"Connection established. Interface should be stable for two to three hours. Battery life not yet determined."
"Everyone, may I introduce the AI, Wefor. Feel free to ask her your questions."
The uproar that followed and the questions and answers that flew over the next two hours had the five Kaylid very glad Wefor dealt with them.
~Welcome to politics, Wefor. I'll let you deal with them until the battery dies. That work?"
[Yes, though I suspect they want to find a reason to disbelieve the information you have provided. They do realize they will not get that from me. Right?]
~Hope springs eternal. Enjoy.~
They got coffee from the carafes against the back wall and watched the feeding frenzy.
Chapter 14 - Options
WARNO: Flash to all commands. All leaves and passes are rescinded effective immediately. All commands to report one hundred percent accountability and combat posture status within forty-eight hours. All reserve forces are now recalled to active duty status. The National Guard is directed to be activated within forty-eight hours. State National Guard Commands are to direct full mobilization status. Mobilization orders and annexes pending in next twelve hours. All units will equip with full personnel and unit systems basic loads from local armories. All commands prepare WARNOs for anticipated extended urban assaults. ~ WARNO 201609-01. ~ Alert through official channels.