Alien vs. Alien (14 page)
Authors: Gini Koch
CHAPTER 23
A
FTER SEVERAL MORE HOURS
of truly amazing, orgasm-filled, sexual athletics—including the Alpha Centaurion Love Knot and an array of versions of the said Position Supreme—I was finally satiated enough that sleep was knocking on the door and I was willing to let it in.
Jeff knew, of course. He wrapped himself around me, I snuggled closer, took a deep breath, relaxed, and was out like a light.
I woke up a few hours later. Jeff was asleep, and we were still wrapped around each other. Jeff had turned the music off before we went to sleep, so it wasn’t hearing a song or hearing silence after music had stopped that had disturbed me.
I listened to the baby monitor. I could hear Jamie, the Poofs, and the cats all snoozing peacefully. I checked the dogs and the Poofs in our room. All were fast asleep, making either soft baby purrs or having happy but rather quiet doggy dreams.
So, why was I awake when no one else was? Wondered if I was still asleep, but it didn’t seem like a dream. I listened harder. Nothing.
Looked around the room. My night vision had improved due to the mutation. I was adjusting every day, but all in all, I liked my new abilities. Getting back to pre-pregnancy shape within two days and without any effort still seemed worth almost any price, let alone one that had made me more able to kick butt. And I felt like I needed to kick butt right now.
Jeff was still asleep, and I really wondered if I was dreaming. He normally woke up if I was moving around too much. And we’d been apart for a month—I would have thought my moving would have woken him up faster right now. A part of me wanted to let him sleep, but all the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. I nudged him and put my hand over his mouth.
I could feel him wake up and nod against my hand. Felt him move to look around the room, then he sat us up slowly. “What is it?” he whispered in my ear.
“No idea,” I answered in the same way. “But I feel like we’re about to be attacked.”
He nodded, slipped out of the bed, and hypersped into the nursery. He was back with Jamie in his arms. I took her, she seemed fine. Several of the Poofs came along for the ride. Still nothing.
The other Poofs were awake now, and to a one they were growling. We had a lot of Poofs, and that meant the growls were loud. The dogs, sensing that the game was afoot, all stood up. They were growling low, too, but not barking, which, for our dogs, was extremely unusual.
Jamie’s Poof hadn’t gone large, but it was quivering and I got the feeling it was waiting for some signal from Harlie, who was the head Poof. The rest of the Poofs were also still small, but I got the impression they were also waiting for Harlie to give them some kind of Poof Enlargement Go-Ahead.
The intercom crackled to life. “Chiefs, are you awake?”
“Yes, Walt. All the Poofs are on major alert.”
“Mine, too.” I’d insisted on Walter getting a Poof. He’d been so thrilled it had almost been embarrassing. Walter was determined to be the best Embassy Head of Security ever. I really liked Walter. Walter didn’t have a problem with his Poof being on his shoulder, either.
“Can you spot anything?” Jeff asked, his Commander voice on. He’d been the Head of Field Operations for all A-Cs worldwide for over a dozen years, and a man didn’t lose his authority just because he’d changed jobs. At least, mine didn’t. Commander, Chief, really same thing, right?
“Sensors show nothing, sir. All cameras are on, and they show no activity in the general areas or outside the building. I’ve checked with the other residents. All Poofs are awake and growling. All personnel are awake and prepared for attack.”
I considered. It was late enough that it was safe to assume that everyone had been in bed. It was a safer assumption that anyone who’d been naked wasn’t any more. So that meant we were all in our nightclothes. I didn’t call that prepared. “Jeff, do you think it’s someone coming in through the secret tunnel?”
“Reynolds insists he’s got that secured. So unless he’s completely incompetent—and before you snarl at me, I know he isn’t—I don’t think we’re being infiltrated from that source.”
“Mister Reynolds is in the Embassy, as are Abigail and Naomi Gower,” Walter shared. “They were here late, and Doctor Hernandez and Former Pontifex White insisted they all sleep here.”
“Same issues with their Poofs?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am, Chief.”
“This is bizarre.”
“Chief, Doctor Hernandez is asking if you think this is Jamie’s doing.”
Tito had good cause to ask. Jamie had certainly made things interesting the night before she’d been born, or what I liked to call the start of Operation Confusion.
Jeff put his hand onto her head. “I don’t get anything from her that’s wrongtha
“Could she have had a nightmare that triggered all this?”
“She was fast asleep and looked happy when I got her, baby. Walter, tell Tito I really don’t think it’s Jamie.” He closed his eyes. “It’s not Ezra, either.” We weren’t sure yet if Doreen and Irving’s son had special A-C talents, or extraspecial ones for that matter.
“Chiefs, I’ve alerted Gladys to our situation.” Gladys was the overall Head of Security. She housed out of the Dulce Science Center and was technically Walter’s boss. “Building is being scanned. I also checked the sensors and scanners Mister Reynolds installed in the tunnels. No sign of any infiltration there. No alarms have been triggered.” Walter sounded tense. “Chief Martini, what would you like me to do?” This was Walter’s way of saying he had no clue. Which was fine. I’d accepted long ago that most men didn’t like to admit when they were scared and clueless.
Jeff sighed. “No idea, Walter. Sit tight for the moment.”
The Poofs hadn’t stopped growling. I sniffed. Nothing. “Walter, flood, fire, electrical issues?”
“No, ma’am, Chief. Again, I’ve checked. Have Dulce Security on com with us now.”
“Gladys, how goes it?”
“Fine, Chief Katt-Martini. Dulce Security lives to serve, at any hour of the day or night. Chief Martini, have scanned the building, nothing shows as wrong.”
“Gladys, everyone, and by that I mean every man, woman, Poof and other animal, is up and freaked out. We’d all like to get back to bed. Any chance of that?”
“No idea, Chief Katt-Martini. Scans show nothing.”
“I woke up with a feeling we were going to be attacked. Then the Poofs woke up. And the dogs. And so forth. Something’s going on.”
“I agree with Kitty.” Christopher was on the group com now. “I woke up, too, before Amy, Toby, or Mignon.” Toby was Christopher’s Poof and Mignon was Amy’s. Amy had given her Poof a French name—mignon meant cute in French. I had no argument with the name, but Jeff felt it was only slightly less silly than Poofikins. “But they woke up soon after, and both Poofs went large and are at full alert.”
Chiefs, have inquired,” Walter said. “Only Consul White and Chief Katt-Martini were awakened before the Poofs or other personnel.”
“What would wake up me and Christopher but not anyone else?”
“Good question, baby. I have no answer.”
No sooner were these words out of Jeff’s mouth than a bright glow showed under our door. Bellie started shrieking her head off—loudly enough that we could hear her through the soundproofing. And every Poof, including the one with Jamie, went large and toothy.
CHAPTER 24
T
HERE WAS A THUD OUTSIDE
the door and the glowing stopped. “Everyone else just get a package shipped via Creep Out Express?”
“Yes. Confirmed, Chief. Unidentified objects outside all inhabited bedroom doorways. Including guest rooms.” Walter sounded tenser than I felt.
“Only the inhabited ones?”
“Yes, confirmed.” Gladys also sounded tense. “Impenetrable to our scanning equipment.”
“They’re from outer space.”
“Why?” Jeff wasn’t arguing, just asking.
“We can scan everything else.”
“What if it’s from my stepmother or Al Dejahl?” Amy sounded freaked out but also very angry. Couldn’t blame her. LaRue Demorte Gaultier and Ronaldo Al Dejahl were not our favorite people.
“Why would whatever it is wake me and Christopher up, first?” I really wanted this answered. Unfortunately, I had a feeling one of us was going to have to do something besides cower behind a door.
“Have put all personnel onto the com, Chiefs.”
“Thanks, Walter.” Jeff took a firm hold of my hand. “I don’t want anyone trying to be heroic right now. That’s an order, and it applies to everyone, including anyone who thinks they report into the C.I.A. before Centaurion Division.” Clearly he was worried about Chuckie, Len, or Kyle being overly brave in this situation.
“Fine, but I’d like to know how you expect us to get out of our rooms,” Tito said. He didn’t sound as scared as everybody else. Then again, one of his many hobbies was being a professional cage fighter. Tito didn’t scare easily, ever.
I started to get angry. There was something in here, threatening everyone, threatening my baby. Jeff’s hand tightened on mine. “Baby, keep it together. You feel as angry as the Poofs.”
Something kicked in my brain. If the Poofs were angry, not afraid, why would that be? “Mister White, do Poofs have natural enemies?”
“Not that I know of, Missus Martini. However . . .”
“However, what, Richard?” Jeff was just this side of snapping, and that meant he was as scared as everyone else, because he rarely snapped at the man who was both his closest uncle and his former religious leader unless he was at the end of his rope.
“Have you advised the Royal Family of Jamie’s birth?”
“Of course. Months ago. Once Operation Confusion was over, we did the whole official announcement thing.” They were our friends and family, after all. I’d essentially put Alexander on the throne. After the Poofs and I had gotten rid of the old king. “You think they’ve finally decided to get upset about good ol’ Adolphus and sent out Poof Extermination or something?”
White coughed. “No. I think it’s possible that these are, ah, gifts.”
“Gifts that scare the crap out of an entire EmbassyentEmbassy? Wow, Jeff, your relatives just rock the giving.”
“There are traditional gifts for a child of royal birth,” Gladys chimed in. She sounded underwhelmed. “Those same gifts also apply to the formation of a new principality.”
“We’re a principality?”
“King Alexander might consider it that way,” Chuckie said. “Councilor Leonidas might, also.”
“Why send us gifts right now?” Jeff asked. “Jamie was born almost five months ago. Ezra was born over six weeks ago.”
“I have a better question. Are these safe gifts?”
“Relatively speaking,” Gladys said. “In the same way the Poofs are safe.” She still didn’t sound enthused.
“Gladys, the Poofs protect us.”
“Yes, and God help the person they don’t like, right? These, if Richard is right, are similar.”
“They aren’t snakes, are they?” Royal gift or not, no snakes were coming into my house. Okay, they would already be in my house, but they were going to be Poof Chow if they were hoping to stay.
“No. Just a moment.” White didn’t sound worried.
“Richard, stay in your room!” Jeff wasn’t bellowing, but he was close.
No answer. I could feel everyone holding their breath, waiting for screams or explosions or something.
Instead, White came back on the com. “It’s what I thought. Safe to open your doors and open the boxes.”
“Can’t wait,” Jeff muttered. “You stay here,” he said to me, in the growly-man voice. Jeff was really attached to the idea that it worked outside of bed.
In this case, because I had Jamie in my arms, I chose to let him think I was obeying. He went to the door, and I readied myself to grab or tackle him out of the way of danger. But nothing much happened
. Door opened, big box was there. Jeff turned on the lights. Still looked like a big box. Poofs were still growling. Dogs looked ready to lunge. Cats had come out and were on the bed, also looking ready. Bellie was quiet.
He looked at me. “Ready, baby?”
“I guess. Let’s open it and see what kind of scary jack-in-the-box pops out.”
Jeff flipped the lid and jumped to the side.
I had to admit, it wasn’t anything I’d have guessed in about a thousand years.