Incoming

by Mel Todd

  "What happened to us? Why couldn't I change back? I've played with that form a little, but it felt like being a passenger in a car being driven by a lunatic." Caroline asked even as she chewed on an energy bar.

  McKenna looked around. "Can we take this upstairs? Let them get clothes on, and I'll explain everything. Then go into the next weird thing I need to ask you to do."

  "Shower first?" Caroline asked. "I think all of us would like a chance to wash off the blood and grime." She glanced down at her hand almost surprised. "Huh, I grew my nail back. I remember when the claw broke off. Hurt like hell, but it didn't seem to matter."

  "Nanobots, for the win. Sometimes," McKenna said wryly. Caroline gave her a sharp questioning look. "Later." McKenna turned to address the Marine sergeant. "Can you set up a conference room for us, food, and the syringes?"

  "Yes, ma'am. This way."

  Twenty minutes later McKenna found them in a large room, obviously used for training classes from the rows of tables and chairs that weren't the standard dining size. Her team was there, the secret service agents, a few officers from the bases, the Kaylid that had been locked in their animal forms and people McKenna assumed were friends or family of them. Showers and clothes seemed to have done a lot for the Kaylid, but everyone's eyes were on her and the box of syringes on the table.

  McKenna introduced herself and the others though most of them had recognized her. "Okay, here's the gist. The reason we can change is aliens, you all have nanobots in you and their programming is set to make you those crazy animals. And the aliens are coming here to get us, want to use us as their ground troops to help with their genocide." Her voice blunt and she didn't even flinch.

  Christopher's eyes widened, and he stared at her. "Can you tell us this? Isn't this still secured information?"

  McKenna shrugged. "It's all stuff I know, and I never agreed to not tell anyone anything. Besides, at the rate the aliens are coming we have maybe fourteen days until even basic telescopes will see them. I'd be surprised if there weren't a few scientists in other countries that are trying to figure out who to tell. And I'll do anything to protect those I love."

  Questions burst out, and she spent twenty minutes answering them. Questions that were much more intelligent than the ones the politicians had.

  [Why can't we deal with these people instead of the ones we met with originally?]

  Wefor's question set off a peal of laughter in the mindspace.

  ~Our governments don't work that way.~ Cass said, her mental voice full of laughter.

  McKenna swore she felt Wefor grumbling in her mind but she directed her attention back to the room. Some men walked in and she realized it was George Davis and the SecDef Doug Burby. They, however, stayed at the back of the room and called no attention to themselves.

  "So, Largo, what's with the syringes?" Caroline asked. Dressed in spare camo, she looked at home in the military garb. A striking woman, McKenna could see how she would make a good agent for the kids. A cheetah fit her, lean, strong, and fast.

  "So this is where it gets weird." Most of the people in the room snorted, and she had to fight back a smile. "Trust me, you don't know the half of it yet. But your bot's programming needs to be updated to prevent that from happening again. The only way I can do that is get some of my nanobots with modified programming into you. Which means blood. In the most unsanitary way you can think of. Good news? Kaylid are immune to most disease, though drugs and poisons still work. And the sad note is that getting drunk is very, very difficult. The nanobots prevent it from happening."

  "Goddamnit, Grayson. I knew there was no way you could be drinking that fucking much without passing out. I just thought you were getting the bartender to swap out your drinks or something," one of the Marines groused, biffing the man on the shoulder.

  Grayson just blinked. "Huh. I just thought all those weekends of binge drinking had finally paid off."

  McKenna laughed. "Yeah. Sorry about that. But what it means is if you don't want to run the risk of getting locked into your animal forms again I need to inject you with my blood."

  "Gods, the medic in me is having a conniption fit. The human in me never wants to go through that again." The man who'd been the jackal, a Kareem Cham, looked up at her. "Frankly, if you wanted to stick me with a contaminated needle, I'd probably agree. That was the closest to hell I ever want to come." The other two nodded fervently.

  "Okay, but there is one more aspect. Once I do this, I'll be able to speak to you mind to mind. I can't read your thoughts or anything, but I can talk to you just like I am now."

  They blinked, and she saw the men at the back focus on her suddenly.

  ~I said that earlier,~ she said in the mindspace.

  ~I think they were both more worried about Wefor and then panicked when you shifted to pay much attention to anything else.~

  ~Great. More people in my head.~

  [Commanders are capable of grouping and creating squads for thousands. It is nothing you can't handle.] McKenna picked up the needles and looked at Cass.

  "I've got no idea how to do this. Wefor told me she is pooling the nanobots extra thick at my arm. I don't think I can stick a needle in myself." McKenna forced herself to swallow. She wasn't needle-phobic but sticking herself sounded like more than what she could pull off.

  Cass's eyes widened then she stopped. "Actually, yes. I think I can. If you don't mind me trying something. Remember the dreams, or whatever?"

  "Sure." McKenna said, trying to remember if she had learned that in hers.

  "Well, mine were very medical-oriented. Actually, Charley and I were talking about that a little. He said his were all medical, too. To the point that he knows more than the nurses. Apparently Jamie wasn't too impressed about how they dealt with his arm."

  Toni gave her a sharp look, and her eyes narrowed then unfocused a bit.

  The others exchanged looks, a slight smile on their faces as they knew she was talking to her kids. There may have been more about their time without the adults than what they had shared about JD's house.

  Cass moved over to the syringe and pulled McKenna's arm out. "I keep thinking I need a tourniquet, but if Wefor is pooling them right here, it shouldn't be needed. And she can force any healing if I screw up." She glanced up at McKenna. "I'll try not to hurt you, but we've never really put any of what we've learned while we sleep to practice again."

  McKenna shrugged the shoulder not attached to the arm Cass held. "Can't hurt as bad as those damn bullet ants. And this is a much safer environment to see what translates than others I can think of. Go for it."

  By this time the freed Kaylid were standing nearby and everyone watched them with varying degrees of interest. But McKenna focused on the needle sliding into her arm. With sure controlled movements, Cass slid it in without as second's hesitation.

  "Dang. I don't think I've seen many sticks that smooth." Kamal commented.

  "I didn't even feel it." McKenna admitted.

  "Wefor, how much do I extract?" Cass asked verbally, ignoring the comments.

  [Two cc's should be enough to update the programming within the next hour.]

  Cass followed instructions and extracted two cc's and extracted the needle. "Hold your finger here, I'll need to do it twice more." Cass turned and looked. "Who's first?"

  Kareem stepped forward. "I never want that to happen again. And at this point I'll be the guinea pig. If you really can talk to me mentally, I'll tell the others."

  McKenna smiled. "Trust me, I don't go bugging much. But you can always talk mind to mind with anyone you exchange blood with. Normally, we just went the whole blood brother route and that works just as well."

  Cass expertly injected the blood into his arm. Then while they waited for the nanobots to make their changes and establish the mental connection, Cass filled the other two syringes.

  Everyone watched Kareem, odd expressions on their faces.

  ~You realize nothing will ever be normal after this, right?~ Toni said
in their space. ~We're always going to be known as the ones who were the focus of the aliens and everything else. ~

  ~Aliens are coming. If we survive, I'm not sure normal will have anything to do with anything,~ McKenna pointed out wryly.

  ~True. I'll do anything to protect my kids. I'm just wondering what the price is going to be.~

  ~We'll pay it. Whatever it is. They are ours now, too.~ Perc's voice had a ring of assurance in it, and McKenna smiled.

  The light for Kareem came on, and she pinged him.

  ~Hey, you hear me?~

  The man jumped and whirled around to look at her from where he'd been talking to another Marine.

  "Holy shit. You just spoke in my head." His voice shocked, eyes wide.

  ~Welcome to the other side of weirdness.~

  He snorted at her comment, and she looked at the others. "Your call."

  They all agreed and ten minutes later the connections were established, and she pinged them, but didn't pull them into the mindspace like the others.

  "So does this trick work with non-shifters?" Caroline asked, a thoughtful expression on her face.

  [No. While there might be nanobots, they are not programmed to spread through the body and turn that person into a Kaylid. Without that support structure the trans-harmonic communication will not work.]

  She winced as Wefor used the connection to answer her question.

  "Gah. Is that the AI? How do you stand that." She rubbed her temple wincing.

  McKenna shrugged. "You get used to it. We don't even notice anymore."

  The questions and answers continued for a bit longer, then after a few more thanks the room cleared out, leaving Christopher, Caroline, George, and the secretary of defense. The three men moved up and settled down pinning McKenna and the others with their stares.

  "You have caused a bit of a stir at the White House, you know," Doug Burby said mildly.

  McKenna shrugged. "Nothing I do or don't do is going to change it. They're coming and I don't think no is the answer they'll take."

  "We've established they don't have weapons that are meant to destroy planetary targets, but their ground forces will have better weapons."

  "There is also the intimidation factor," Perc pointed out, and the others glanced at him.

  "What do you mean by that?" the secretary asked, frowning.

  Perc glanced at McKenna and she explained. "We've been having weird dreams or visions of the ships. A few references have been made and we aren't sure how much is real and how much is tailored to match our expectations. But given that we know some skills we are learning are accurate," he waved at Cass as he talked, "I'm assuming that a lot of the rest is also correct. If so, most of the Kaylid they currently have, and the ones they would send here are not based on Earth animals. From my memories some of them are terrifying. Scales, tusks, horns, things we don't normally see. And if they make it a ground war they are very good at killing non-combatants." His voice went grim. "Trust me on that. From what we've learned they are controlled, unable to make decisions or do anything other than orders. You can kill them, but using anything other than matching ground troops means destroying your own people and their homes. Most of our weapons," Perc glanced at the SecDef as he continued, "from what I've seen, are meant to destroy things. How much of your own people's lives do we want to destroy? They aren't going to land in vast empty areas, they're going to show up in our neighborhoods, seeking to capture Kaylid and kill anyone in their way."

  The two men frowned at him. "They wouldn't kill civilians would they? People not fighting back."

  "Trust me," Toni's voice was bleak, her eyes dark as her arms wrapped around herself. "They'll kill children, step over the bodies, and not even blink. They aren't allowed."

  "Oh." Everyone fell silent, then Doug spoke again. "Do you have any ideas about how to deal with all this? I'm not the president, but I do have his ear, and at this point you are presenting me with a war I've never seen in the history books."

  McKenna just sighed, but JD spoke up. "I do, actually. But no one will like it, and I think we need to share it with other countries, especially those most likely to have craft landing, asking for Kaylid."

  Chapter 16 - UN Bombshells

  Blurry images of a wolfman-like creature have been captured, but no one is coming forward to say if they are real or not. With the existence of shifters, people are not automatically assuming that all things are fake or good photoshopping. Is this possible? Can shifters turn into the werewolves of movies and fiction? What would it mean if they could? How many more changes is Earth going to face as we adapt to what is already in our world? How much longer until we don't recognize our own society? ~Op Ed Piece

  Three hours later, McKenna really wished she'd refused to wear the dress. She'd finally dealt with the thong, but the dress made her feel self-conscious, and she'd have given up the expensive bit of clothing for a kilt and a t-shirt. Only Perc and Cass seemed comfortable in the clothes.

  ~Why aren't you two as miserable as we are in these outfits?~ she asked as they were being taken to a large meeting room at the UN. JD had refused to say anything else, though she thought she heard him and Perc talking. A low buzz in the back of her mind, but she didn't push it.

  ~Practice. Lots of news conferences, plus practice time in court, and clerking for my mentor's law office,~ Perc said as they were ushered into a huge room.

  ~Dissertations, job interviews, presentations, all require me to dress in suits. Though this is nicer than anything I've ever owned before. Wonder if I can keep it,~ Cass responded, her hands stroking the suit.

  McKenna cut off her reply as other people began to join them. None of them looking happy to see them. The only people she recognized were the president, the secretary of state and the secretary of defense. They, along with their security personnel, joined them at the front of the room.

  "I can't say I agree with this, but at the same time, you are correct. This is a global problem, not just a problem for the United States," the president said dryly as he took a seat at the far end of the table. McKenna found herself at the opposite end with JD and Perc on the side facing the room. Toni and Cass were in the stadium seating-style chairs in the first row.

  People streamed in, and George, who put himself in between her and JD, whispered, identifying each person as they came in. As he did so, her stomach twisted into knots. These were ambassadors from other countries, they were taking them seriously.

  [As they should. There's an alien fleet headed this way.]

  ~I get this doesn't strike you as scary, but I've never talked to people at this level. Heck, talking to the governor made me nervous.~ Her mental conversation cut off as a man entered and headed to the table.

  "That's the secretary general of the UN. He doesn't know anything yet, so he's not happy about the end run we've pulled. Basically, only countries with active armies have been invited, or those with active satellites and access to surface-to-air missiles."

  She shot him a look. "Why hasn't he been told?"

  "The fleet is hard to see, some sort of reflective technology and their location make it difficult to get clear images. Without your coordinates and images from multiple telescopes we might not have believed until they were much closer."

  "You are aware they'll be at the moon soon, and at that point people will be able to see them with their eyes?" McKenna asked dryly.

  "Why do you think we're here?" George responded just as dryly.

  JD snorted and shook his head. His plan had been met with resistance, but when he pointed out exactly what they were facing, and their options, no one had been able to come up with a better plan.

  A few more minutes of people shuffling around, and the man George had identified as the secretary general stood. A slender man, with a shock of black hair, above features that hinted at Oriental ancestry, but his nose looked like something off a Roman bust. His eyes grabbed her, hard, dark, and he didn't smile. He didn't look like he ever smiled.

&nb
sp; "Ladies and gentlemen. This emergency session has been called under protest by the president of the United States with agreement from their ambassador and secretary of state citing resolution 377A(V). As I am not currently aware of any tensions between countries in the UN, I disputed the need for this, but as founding members they have insisted." He turned and sneered at the men gathered at the table. "Gentlemen, you have the floor."

  McKenna had become acutely aware she was the only woman at the table. Most of the people in the room were men, though a few women were scattered in the audience. People kept glancing at her, JD, and Perc, obviously unsure as to who they were.

  The UN ambassador glanced at the president and shrugged. She didn't remember seeing him, maybe he didn't know what was going on. Could this get anymore complicated or confusing?

  With a sigh, the president rose and strode over to the small podium with a microphone the secretary general had used. "Thank you, Amand, for your gracious introduction."

  She could all but hear the gasp at the cut as people sat up a bit straighter, sensing blood in the water.

  ~Huh. You getting the feeling that it is dawning on them that we don't have time for this crap?~ McKenna asked.

  ~Yeah, while you were running to the restroom someone gave him a new briefing. Apparently the fleet has accelerated. The new timeline is less than a week.~ Toni's voice set the mood. ~Meant to tell you, but they shuffled us out immediately afterwards and then Jamie had a question for me, and I got sidetracked. But, yes. We have less time than we thought.~

  Swallowing hard, the lump in her throat refusing to move, McKenna glanced back at the president who had fallen silent, waiting for people to pay attention to him.

  "Contrary to the secretary's opinion, this is a valid reason for an emergency session. I promise you all the words I am about to speak are true to the best of my knowledge. And we can prove most of what we are saying."