A chair creaked and then keys clicked on the keyboard. In my peripheral vision, the screens changed. “I’ve locked them in the conference room. They’re taking turns washing up, changing clothes and eating.” Kuma’s soft baritone overrode the humming in the room. “I’m not sure about the pregnant one. From the way she clutches her stomach, I think she’s in labor.”
I sucked air through the straw before spitting it out. Pages disappeared from my screen to drift through the surrounding monitors.
“The others can tend her, if necessary. Start looking through the data for anything on Operation Exposure.” Tobias crouched down for a moment. When he straightened, he held an open two liter bottle of soda. Purple foam frothed to the top as he poured more into my glass. “Rae, can you move your free hand?”
Pins and needles pricked across my skin. Shunting aside the pain, I managed to twitch my fingers. “Guess not.”
Smiling, Tobias returned the bottle to the floor then aimed the straw at my mouth. “It’s enough. Stretch your fingers as far as you can. When you touch the mainframe, I need you to authorize Minor to search the WitSec files for those people in our custody. Can you do that?”
How was I supposed to know? He had more experience with CeeBees than I did. But what the hey. “Sure.”
“Good.” He tucked the straw between my lips.
I greedily slurped up the liquid.
Still holding the glass, Tobias moved behind me. His muscular chest flattened against my back while his free arm slipped around my waist. Cool breath washed down my neck and stirred my hair.
Oh man, oh mama. The man felt good against me.
Muscles flexed against my belly. “I’m going to move you.”
“Hmm.” I murmured, draining the rest of the soda. Ignoring the desire crackling through my head, I focused on my free hand. I could now move it at the wrist. Yay me.
He lifted me just enough so the pads of my feet still brushed the antistatic mat. In quarter inch increments, he moved me closer to the next computer tower.
With my hand seemingly fused to the other mainframe, pain exploded in my shoulder joint. A moan scratched at my throat.
“Do you need me to stop?” His fingers splayed across my ribcage while his thumb brushed the bottom of my breast.
I really needed to get a padded bra. My tongue pushed out the straw. “No.” I panted through the fire consuming me. “I need to do this.”
Everyone on Earth needed me to give Minor permission to find the aliens on Earth.
Tobias’s growl rattled around my ribcage. “Tell me to stop
before
you pass out from the pain.”
“If you get me more soda.” My fingertips brushed the black metal covering. Almost there. I eyed my shoulder. Son of a monkey’s butt! The thing felt like it was about to break off.
“Now that your mouth is working, I’ll give you those weird chips you like.” Tobias eased me another inch.
Tears sprang to my eyes right before my arm went numb. Was that a good thing or bad? I’d ask later. I hooked my fingertips to the edge of the server. “Got it.”
Above the new mainframe, the monitor blanked for a minute then an image of North America popped up. After tossing a yellow bag at Tobias, Minor strode to the screen placed his hands on the edge of the map then spread them wide. The display ballooned across three other monitors, effectively dividing the continent into quadrants. Standing back, he removed the electronic tablet tucked into his waistband and tapped the screen. “Calling up all WitSec protectees now.”
Using his teeth, Tobias ripped open the yellow Funyuns’ bag. He speared several rounds on his index finger and offered them to me.
I lipped one before pulling it into my mouth. Mmm. Salty onions.
Colored dots mushroomed on the map. Soon the smaller states on the East coast were completely obliterated. In the west, only half the states were covered. Holy Toledo! My jaw swung open. How many alien did the US have?
Tobias laid two small rounds on my tongue. “Now show the ones away from their homes.”
I crunched the chips as the dots disappeared from the map. My shoulder twitched then my toes. Praise Buddha, I was defrosting.
Tobias fished out a few more rounds then twisted to stare at Minor. “Anytime now, we’re on a deadline.”
And I’m hungry. I eyed the speared chips.
Furrows appeared in Minor’s forehead and his black brows met above his nose. “I’ve called up the information, Colonel.”
I leaned forward at the waist and closed my mouth around the rings.
Tobias whipped his attention back at me. Desire darkened his green eyes to the color of spring leaves.
Shrugging, I pulled the Funyuns off his finger and munched. The chips practically dissolved after the second chomp. I swallowed what remained and licked the salt from my lips.
Tobias stared at my mouth for a moment then shook himself. “So everyone is at home and accounted for?”
He fished in the bag for more Funyuns. When his hand emerged this time, he held two rounds between his thumb and index finger.
I opened my mouth and he set them on my tongue. This whole feeding me bit would be much erotic without the witnesses and the rampant hunger.
“No one is outside their homes.”
“Everyone’s safe.” Tobias knelt down, filled my glass then offered it to me. “You can let go of the terminal and drink. The overseers must have gotten the day wrong.”
I shook my head. A thought niggled at the back of my conscious but wouldn’t come to the fore. “No. The day was on the cell. I pulled it up.”
“Run it again, Minor.” Sighing, Tobias set the bag of chips on top of the computer server. “It is possible the mission was delayed.”
The map blinked off then returned. No colored dots marred the surface.
I glared at the screen and my palms itched. What was I missing? When I tried to lift my hand from the second server, it wouldn’t budge. So the CeeBees thought so too. But what did they know that I didn’t?
“I’ve found something, Colonel.” Kuma spoke from the other side of the room. “I think it’s a list of targets.”
The monitor in front of me blinked free of files before projecting one sheet of paper. I stared at the alien writing for a moment.
Tobias whistled through his teeth. “You were right, Rae. The APres Guarda seems to be trying to exploit the United States’ vulnerability.”
“And her allies,” Kuma placed his hand on the screen in front of me before sweeping it toward the quartered map of North America. The continent shrunk to include Western Europe and the Pacific Rim nations. Besides those in the US, cross hairs popped up in Britain, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan and Australia. “Why would nations continue to ally themselves with the American’s unpopular agenda if she couldn’t promise to keep them safe?”
Tobias cupped his chin in his hand. “A lot of people would have gotten a surprise when they arrived at work.”
Work? That’s it. That’s what didn’t fit. “CeeBees, show me where the people in the program are right now.”
Across the United States, red, blue and green dots blossomed inside the crosshairs.
Fear wiped the moisture from my mouth. Oh snap, it was happening. Now. “What are those locations?”
Yellow balloons appeared next to the crosshairs. Florence SuperMax Prison and Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado, US Mint in California, Area 51 in Nevada, Granite Bunker in Salt Lake City, Fort Knox in Kentucky and The Federal Reserve Bank in New York. Another pink dot mushroom near Washington DC. Seconds later I read the balloon. Air Force One.
“They’re not just going to get the Big Brother’s attention.” I inhaled a shaky breath. “They’re going to make him crap his pants.”
Dropping my glass of soda, Tobias sprang forward. Starting with the east coast, he tapped each target and threw them at the monitors striping the room. “New York you have a go. Washington, you have a go.”
His fingers walked over America while Kuma shunted the targets abroad to other screen and green lighted missions.
Blue dots sprouted on the map near each of the cross hairs.
“That’s convenient.” With my one free hand, I grabbed a fistful of chips out of the bag. “Did you know this was going to happen?”
“No.” Tobias tapped on the monitors of each of the targets. The map reduced from state, to country, to city then blocks then streets while the blue dots in the area multiplied, from one to three then six. “We monitor where your government keeps its secrets. Fortunately, we’ve already been in most of these locations—recovering our tech and replacing it with yours.”
Hence the Smartphones, MP4 players and key chains that weren’t what they appear. Maybe Big Brother didn’t lie about everything. Maybe it had been duped by a smarter Big Brother. It wasn’t a warm and fuzzy thought. I tried to step forward but my glued hand kept me in place. “So what do we do now?”
“Wait. Watch. Pray to the Creator, if you’ve a mind.” Shrugging, Tobias crossed his arms and watched as the monitor focused in on Air Force One. In a blink, the image changed from graphics to satellite imagery. Military personnel streamed around the plane.
Even from space I could see their rifles. Not good, not good at all. “Where are your people? Shouldn’t I see them?”
“They’re in camouflage.” Tobias ran his finger down his cell and the blue dots appeared to float on air. Unnoticed, they strolled right by the soldiers standing guard.
“Holy Toledo! That’s some camouflage.” Something knocked against the back of my knees. My legs buckled from the impact. Inhaling, I waited for the hard landing. Instead, my bottom stopped on a soft cushion and one hand became free of the server.
“Sorry,” Minor whispered handing me another glass of ice. “Guess I should have warned you.”
I wedged the cup between my thighs and stared up at the man. Tobias had one traitor on his team, maybe there were two. “How come the dots didn’t come up for you?”
Minor twirled the long moustache hair by the corner of his lips. “You asked for people, I just locked onto their signal.” He pulled the electronic tablet from his waistband and squatted next to me. “Can you tell me how you managed to do that? To zero in on the individuals, I mean?”
“The CeeBees must have done it.” Because I didn’t have a clue. I lifted the two liter bottle of soda off the floor and filled my glass.
“Remarkable.” Minor flashed me his screen. It was a copy of the one with all the protectees safely at home. “Even now all I can call up are their signals. I’ve never heard of the CeeBees doing anything like it before.”
I went from hero to freak in less than a minute. That must be some kind of record. “Maybe none of the other stewards had cause to ask their CeeBees to do it.”
“Maybe.” Minor scratched the peach fuzz on his chin. “You know, every race across the galaxy has legends about blue beings that appeared to certain individuals at nexus points in their civilization’s development. With the help of these celestials, the cultures achieved accomplishments undreamt of in only a short time. Many believe this is the true purpose of the CeeBees.”
Like him. Using my toes, I pushed my chair away from him. I had a feeling if he had his way, I’d be pinned down to some lab bench with electrodes running out parts of my body. “You don’t say?”
“I do.” Minor crept closer. Fanaticism gleamed in his brown eyes. “At the heart of all these appearances, are males and females with extraordinary recuperative powers and abilities, never seen in their societies before or since.”
I scooted back into the server. Great, no more retreating. Setting my hand on his shoulder, I pushed him away. “If I get the urge to don a cape and tights, I promise you’ll be the first person I call.”
Furrows appeared in Minor’s forehead. “I—”
“Minor,” Tobias snapped. “Get to your station. I need that list of traitors.”
The technician set his jaw but rose to his feet and stalked toward the desk across the room.
I sagged in my chair before sipping my soda. Praise Buddha! Another minute and God only knew what Minor would have done.
After watching the subordinate take his seat, Tobias joined me. All the East Coast protectees have been recovered. The rest will be in our custody within five minutes.”
Setting my glass on the server, I grabbed another handful of chips. “So no one was discovered.”
Tobias cleared his throat. “The witness in the US Mint in California will be the last rescued. The UED is running that operation, not Spec Forces.”
Hmm. I swallowed my mouthful of food. “You didn’t answer my question.”
He tugged on his ear. “The one in the Federal Reserve Bank was discovered. Our men entered as Federal agents and retrieved him. They managed to slip out the back while the real government agents stood at the front door.”
Son of monkey’s butt. Chips crumbled in my fist. “So they know.”
“Your government has known for quite a while now.” A slight smile teased his lips. “Fortunately we know what they know.”
He made that sound like a good thing. I dropped the crumbs back into the bag and plucked out an intact round. “So what do we do now?”
“Minor and Kuma will start sifting through the data, building a case against the traitors within, while I take you home.” He held out his hand.
I stared at it. Did I really want to go home? For once, I’d really made a difference. For once I’d been part of something, an important part. Could I give that up and return to my normal life? My boring life? Knowing what I did now? “I’m not done here.”
He jerked his chin toward the server. “You’re free.”
To do what? To be what? Another temporary bean counter who no one wanted to befriend because I’d soon be gone? Loss tightened my chest. I leaned closer to Tobias, so solid, so steady. At least, he had cared about me and made me feel part of a team. “What if I don’t want to be free?”
Tobias cupped my cheek and ran his thumb along my lips. “I mean you’ve finished uploading the data.”
“Oh.” Heat licked my cheeks. Could I get any more stupid? “I thought you meant about being a steward.”
“That you need to think about.” He released my cheek and removed the glass from between my thighs. “We had a lucky ending today, but that won’t always be the case. Can you accept that? Remember that to get here, you were not only tortured, but you died.”