Incoming

by Mel Todd

  Scilita stopped. "Only one? And one fought it off? What about their presence? Those meeting us were old, weak. What else did you learn about them?" This time she spun staring directly at McKenna.

  Oh shit, she's going to know I'm not whoever. What do I do?

  "Siret. One was dying. The other a female no longer of breeding age. The third, the one who seemed immune had respiratory issues."

  "Respiratory? That might account for it." Anger seemed to leak out of her, and McKenna felt the body fight to not kneel. "Very well. Tomorrow we shall obtain what we need. As Aliarn failed unto death, he is no longer an issue. Thelia, though." Scilita's distaste coated the other's name. "She, I will not let beat me. We will take all that city has to offer. Have troops ready to start collecting. I will have my ship filled with new Kaylid. Have the wipes ready, I will not deal with the level of dissent Thelia enjoys beating out of hers. Mine will do exactly as they are bid."

  She turned spearing all of them with a glance, the red long eyelashes no longer seeming beautiful, but like the spots on a poisonous frog. Warnings of their ability to kill you.

  "Is that clear?"

  "Yes, Siret." All of them responded in unison.

  One more glance, lingering on McKenna's host for an uncomfortable second, then she strode out of the room, her presence having nothing cute about it.

  All the Kaylid in the room seemed to sag as the tension faded.

  "We were not disposed of," her host said, even as the body turned to look at Ash.

  Ash flicked a glance at her host, then paused, a whisker twitching. "You should go now. It isn't safe. If you are found here, it would be catastrophic."

  "Ash, what are you talking about?" Her host asked, and Ash paused, tail going still.

  "Nothing, old mind seeing things. Prepare your people, tomorrow will be eventful," Ash said as he walked out of the door, leaving McKenna and the host behind with a viscous swipe of his tail like a lash.

  She sat bolt upright in bed, feeling like she had been kicked in the chest.

  More like thrown back into my body. That was odd. I've never had that happen before.

  McKenna sat there, heart pounding as she tried to figure out what she had seen and what it meant.

  ~Wefor, did you get any of that?~ Hoping again hope maybe this time something would have filtered down. She didn't trust herself to remember everything.

  [No. More and more it is like your consciousness is not here in this body. Your vitals are constant, but there is no sense of you. Just your corporeal body.]

  ~Huh. Okay.~

  Glancing at the clock, McKenna saw it was only a bit after eleven. With a sigh she laid back down, searching for sleep. It came, but fitfully. By the time morning woke her up again, she felt almost more exhausted than she had been.

  They headed back downstairs early, and were greeted by coffee and food to her relief. The three of them set to eating even as her stomach churned with worry and stress.

  McKenna managed to finish a cup of coffee before the SecDef walked in, followed by Christopher. He nodded at her, grabbing coffee and making a bagel sandwich before he headed over, dropping down next to her.

  "The president has been taken to a safe place. After what we witnessed we can't take any risks. Harold should be here shortly, but we're depending on you." Doug's eyes were hard. "You may need to kill them, and right now you're the only people who might be able to. Can you do that?"

  All the food in her stomach congealed into a hard, cold lump, and she wanted to be sick. McKenna closed her eyes, mind racing.

  You killed the people in the jungle calm and cold. You are not choosing this lightly. They are the bad guys. This is how you rationalized it to yourself before. Drug lords, no big loss. Enslaving aliens, no big loss.

  With a concerted effort, she inhaled deeply then back out, sending all her stress and guilt with the exhale. She opened her eyes and looked at Doug.

  "Yes."

  Even as he closed his eyes, McKenna felt Perc and Cass agree with her. This price would be paid to save a world, a world with their loved ones in it.

  Before Doug could say anything, Harold strode in, a handkerchief in his hand. "I don't think I've ever appreciated how much I hate the outdoors until I couldn't take allergy pills."

  McKenna tilted her head, a thought sparking across her. "Why didn't you know you would be allergic to the trees?"

  Harold snorted. "'Cause I grew up in Arizona. College in Phoenix. Dry desert, and then the last ten years I've been in DC which really has grass and a few other trees. Heck, I've never been to Central Park before. I checked and something called a sweet pepperbush is blooming like crazy right now. Guess what I'm allergic to?"

  There was a dry chuckle around the area. It died quickly, but the act of laughter helped.

  Christopher strode back in, and McKenna wondered how long he'd been up or when he'd last slept. He had circles under his eyes and a focus that spoke of too many hours without sleep.

  "Everything is ready to go. SWAT is here and set up in the trees. Everyone has their nose filters. The police are clearing out Central Park and have extra filters, if needed. At this point, we probably have all of them in a ten-mile radius, and orders out with Amazon to get more to this hotel ASAP."

  Doug stood. "I'm being evacuated as well as most senior personnel. Christopher has volunteered to stay. Most government officials have been advised to leave, and the chief of police, as well as the head of UN security, know what's about to go down. They've seen Shanghai. Everyone is scared, so expect people to be short and trigger happy. Do what you can."

  He paused, and McKenna thought he might say something more, but he shook his head and headed out the door, security personnel converging on him as he got outside.

  "We need to get going to make sure we're there well before they come down. Their shuttles are extremely fast and maneuverable." Christopher's voice had flattened out as he scanned the room. "Make up coffee and food to go, we don't know if they'll surprise us or make us wait."

  Ten minutes later, a large coffee with a lid and food in her hand, McKenna found herself, Perc, and Cass in a SUV barreling through the strangely empty streets. The world seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the next act in this strange play.

  ~Everything okay?~ She needed to hear Charley's voice. Talk to Toni and JD. Part of her wished they had all come with her, it would make her feel better, even as it would put them more at risk.

  ~Kenna,~ Charley's voice filled her mind, his joy and worry a flavor like cherries and sour lemons mixed. ~Yeah. We're good. Toni won't let us watch TV anymore, so we've been practicing escape routes.~

  ~Oh?~ McKenna put a wealth of meaning behind that word, even as she made sure the conversation was public.

  ~The news is too scary for me to watch, I'm not letting them watch it.~ Toni's voice had a darkness to it, and McKenna wondered what else she'd missed. ~They're even interrupting the kid channels, so no more. This is it then?~ The question hurt. McKenna closed her eyes as she absorbed all the meaning behind those words.

  ~If we don't come back, know that I love you. All of you.~

  ~We know.~ The chorus of voices, kids and adults filled the space. ~JD?~

  ~Give me a minute.~ JD's voice was distracted, short. McKenna opened her eyes to see Cass with her eyes closed, a single tear running down her face, and it dawned on her who he spoke with.

  There wasn't anything else to say, with a last burst of love into the links of her family she stepped out and focused on the now. Perc reached out and took her hand, and for a minute she wanted to lean into it. But for right now they needed the commander, and she couldn't lean on anyone, not if she wanted them to survive. McKenna squeezed back, but then disengaged. Perc's eyes narrowed then he nodded. They both went back to watching the city go by.

  ~Wefor?~ McKenna made sure that was private, outside their shared mindspace.

  [Yes.]

  ~Is there anything else I can do? Anything that I should know, be aw
are of?~

  [There is nothing in the databases that seems appropriate. If anything should appear you will be told immediately.] The AI's voice had a metallic feel to it, coppery.

  That was it then. ~Thank you.~ McKenna let everything go. There was nothing else to do, no planning, no worry, she just needed to do her duty. A half-smile crossed her lips. At the end of the day everything always fell back to that. Doing her duty. Well then, there really wasn't a choice for the commander.

  Chapter 35 - Once Again

  After what happened yesterday, Central Park has been cleared of all people within a half-mile radius. The few reporters allowed there are all wearing filters to prevent what the government is calling ‘pheromone-based psychosis.' We are watching to see if maybe the US will succeed where other countries have not. If you look carefully, you will see McKenna Largo is part of the group. Does this mean something? Is she on our side or theirs? ~ TNN Reporter

  The four of them stood out there and waited, watching the silver ship come down. This time Perc stood with them, all of them creating a guard around Harold. Giving up on subtlety, they had all worn kilts and tank tops. Even though the morning breeze held a nip to the air, being able to shift and not be restrained now mattered more than anything. Standing next to Harold in his suit, with a handkerchief to his nose, they probably formed an odd picture. But maybe it made sense to the Elentrin as it echoed their own presentation.

  The shuttle landed, and the ramp formed, letting its occupants out. Even knowing what to expect, McKenna felt her breath catch as Scilita walked towards them, her hair flowing like a cloak of rubies around her.

  ~Wefor, we are safe, right?~

  [Yes, all your bodies have been adjusted to not respond to her pheromones. And if new ones are detected there will be an instance response to prevent them from reaching your brain.]

  ~As long as I don't think too much about HOW you will do that, it sounds great,~ Cass said, and McKenna shivered. She avoided thinking about this stuff as much as possible. That way led to insanity, and she already had enough problems.

  "Good luck." Christopher's voice spoke in her ear, and she almost jumped. The sound surprising her. But she didn't reply, instead she shifted all her focus to the Kaylid in front of them, and the Elentrin they protected.

  The lead Kaylid, she still didn't have a name to refer to him with, glanced at them, then the clearing. A half nod and he stepped back allowing Scilita to come to the forefront.

  "Are you ready to allow us to help rescue you from the animals harassing your people? We can save you and all we ask is that some that we save come with us, to help us." Her voice was sweet, almost hypnotic, and Harold sneezed, a hard, violent sneeze making her flinch. It made her seem less ethereal.

  The vision from last night popped into her head, and McKenna braced herself. ~This isn't going to go well. Be ready to shift.~

  "Scilita, isn't it?" Harold asked, his tone staying respectful, but he didn't bow or look awed at all. Honestly, he looked miserable.

  "Yes? Are you ready to help me in our time of need?"

  "I fear you are mistaken. We have no animals that we need to be rescued from. Our people are fine. How else could we help?"

  If McKenna hadn't been in meetings with him, she might have believed his concern. As it was, she watched the Elentrin, trying to be ready for everything and anything.

  Scilita spun to look at the lead Kaylid, her eyes narrowed to red slits of long lashes.

  "Why do they not bow to my wishes? They should be crawling to my feet to serve me." The same musical language as in the visions, but she understood all of it, sharing it quickly with Cass and Perc, though Harold looked confused.

  "I do not know, my Siret. All should fall before your beauty and revere you," the Kaylid replied back in the same language, but to McKenna it sounded less heartfelt and more practiced.

  "Could they either be immune or have developed a tolerance?" Scilita asked, her foot tapping.

  "Unknown, my Siret. The information available for deciphering reactions is limited. Without others to run tests on or tools to take readings, there is not enough information to make a hypothesis. All we know is what we see."

  McKenna bit back a sigh as all this flitted through her mind and she shared.

  "Fine, then kill them and start the collection. We should be able to gather over a million from this continent alone. Use standard collection techniques. I wish to be off this planet. Their deaths should prove to them we are to be worshiped, appeased." The musical language and translating the numbers into concepts McKenna could understand distracted her, until it dawned on her what they were saying.

  ~Change, they've been ordered to kill us.~

  McKenna reached for her warrior form and felt it move into her, filling her body with strength, even as she felt a strange alertness from Wefor and the others.

  "As you will, my Siret." The few seconds it took for the leader to reply and turn to them even as Scilita stepped backwards were all she needed.

  "Harold down!" The words were snarled out of her mouth as she finished shifting. The Kaylid lifted his weapon, but she saw the shock on his face as he looked at them. She didn't need to turn to see that Perc and Cass had also shifted, they felt different in her head in this form.

  McKenna lunged. By the time the gun came up, she'd cleared the space between her and the lead Kaylid in a fluid leap. He blocked her attack by raising the weapon across his chest. McKenna grabbed, using her momentum to rip it out of his grasp and throw it away from them. Three sharp cracks sounded and the Kaylid flinched. She smelled more than saw the blood explode from the Kaylid surrounding Scilita.

  "Don't kill her," she snarled, the earpiece sill in her ear. "We might need her, and this one."

  With the weapon gone, the Kaylid attacked in a whirl of speed and claws that McKenna was sure would kill her. But her body responded, blocking and preventing his lethal claws from opening her up.

  ~Wefor, how do I subdue him? We need to talk to them.~

  [There is no information in the databases as to anything specific. The same drugs that worked on you are probable to work on him, but the biology is different.]

  "Get me manacles, chains, something." She yelled even as she ducked a blow that if it had connected would have ripped off half her face.

  This close his bright blue eyes gleamed in the sandy coat, but while there was a thrill of action, she swore she saw something else in there. It almost looked like relief.

  "McKenna, drop!" Christopher's voice rang in her ear and she launched herself away from the Kaylid. She saw two prongs embedded in his chest and the scent of ozone filled the air. His body jerked backwards, arching up for a time-defying moment, then slumped back down on the ground.

  She glanced at him, trying to see if he had really been knocked out or was just faking it. But the blood where his teeth had bitten his lip and side muzzle indicated it probably wasn't fake. The other three Kaylid were dead.

  ~Where is Scilita?~ She spun, looking for her. Halfway to the shuttle she found her. Laying on the ground, her bright red hair looking like a cloak of blood around her.

  "She isn't dead, is she?" McKenna asked as she ran towards the female. Three soldiers in full tactical outfits stood near her. Guns pointed at her as one of them talked into his headset.

  "Elentrin captured. Three aliens dead. No causalities on our side." His voice sounded in her earpiece and in her ears as she got closer.

  "Tazed?" she asked, looking at the limp figure, still so impossibly beautiful.

  "Yes. Seemed the safest way to not deal with drug interactions."

  She looked at the dead bodies and the ship, and firmly pulled her mind away.

  Those are not your problems. You know autopsies and studies need to be done. Let someone else worry about them. You need to go with the two live ones and help with information gathering.

  Her mind in a whirl wanting to ask about the ship, the crowd control, but McKenna kept her mouth shut. She turned at the s
ound of a vehicle approaching over the grass.

  Christopher slipped out as it came to a halt. "Let's get them loaded up. An ambulance is coming for the dead. These two are being taken to a secure location. We contacted JD and had him verify what he could and couldn't break out of, so we're pretty sure it will hold."

  McKenna nodded absently, turning around in a circle. ~Cass, Perc, where are you? Are you okay?~ She figured she'd have felt something via her connections if they'd been hurt. Right?

  ~We are fine, we got Harold out of there, and distracted the other Kaylid long enough for the snipers to take them out.~ Cass had an odd tone to her voice. ~But I need a shower.~

  ~But you aren't hurt?~

  ~No,~ Perc replied. You moved so fast giving us time, and the others didn't respond as fast as yours did. So when we rushed them, they panicked and fell back. That gave people time to take them out.~ Perc sounded steadier, and McKenna relaxed.

  ~Where are you?~

  ~Other side of field. We'll go back with them. They know to have food waiting for us, and some clean clothes and a shower for me. I have brains on me.~ Cass's mental voice went up just a bit, and McKenna couldn't help but shudder in agreement.

  Looking around, she saw the bodies were gone, a big flatbed truck with a crane was being driven towards the shuttle, and people were carefully not looking at her in her warrior form. Suddenly self-conscious, McKenna lifted a hand to play with the large earring there.

  "McKenna. We need to go. I doubt we have much time."

  With a shake of her head, she entered the vehicle Christopher stood by and buckled in. No one spoke on the drive and McKenna replayed what had happened. It had been so fast.

  ~Wefor, was that learned memory or you? Because I can't fight like that.~ She left the question public in the mindspace in case it helped others.

  [Both. The reaction time was sped up, but the memories of the fighting are laid into your cells, literally. Then the visions. Evidence is supporting that even when you didn't remember the dream training you have been training consistently for months to raise your training levels. This information didn't appear the databases.]