Camp Alien (48 page)

“You didn't raise your hand, Kitty,” Christopher pointed out.

“Can't put anything past you, can we?”

I
WAS ACTUALLY
still angry enough that I could walk through the gate without a ton of nausea. My stomach was still empty, too, which probably helped.

We exited the gate in the last place I'd been in the White House complex—the underground garage. No one we were mad at was there to greet us. No one was there at all, Secret Service included. “Where's the welcoming committee?” Joe asked.

“I think they're being smart.”

Christopher nodded. “I went through first for a reason, and not just because it's part of my job, since Doreen already said that whatever you were choosing to do was what the Diplomatic Corps was going to support. I've already told Jeff to get everyone in one place. I know where they are, and I'll take everyone there.”

“Where are we going?” We had time to kill, since I'd been forced through the gate relatively early in terms of our numbers and I'd insisted the Peregrines gate it home as well, so we had a lot of birds coming through. The Poofs were, as far as I knew, back with their owners or in my purse. “Or is it a surprise?”

“No surprise. Nowhere exciting, either. But under the circumstances, Chuck suggested I not tell you in case you wanted to run on ahead and scream at them in private.”

“Oh, no. I want an audience for it.”

He laughed. “That's exactly what I told them.”

“Are you still speaking to me?” Tim asked as he came through. “Just checking.”

“Possibly. The flyboys seem to have forgiven you.”

Hughes shrugged. “He's our commander. Right after you, Commander.”

“I'd make nasty comments about insubordination, but I'm not crazy.” Tim managed a grin as the flyboys laughed. “I just kind of want to suggest that you let them tell you what went on before you launch into a tirade. I think you'll be happier in the long and short run that way. Oh, and Alicia said to tell you that she also suggests this course.”

Alicia was Tim's wife. They rented my parents' house in Pueblo Caliente because Alicia still liked her job with the airlines and therefore wanted to keep it, and gates meant that Tim's commute to work was short and easy. “Was she involved in this?”

“No, but we pulled everyone's spouses in and families were put into Centaurion bases. So, she knows what went on and told me to tell you, girl to girl, that you wanted to listen first.”

“Okay, I'll follow her, and your, recommendation.” I'd gotten to scream while on the helicarrier, after all.

Finally, our huge group was through. Before we went anywhere, had Christopher confirm that my children were fine. They were, though they were still at the Embassy, because it was still in lockdown. Refrained from asking why—after all, my husband had released Stephanie, meaning we weren't safe.

Resisted the urge to tell Jeff and the others to wait and instead go to the Embassy to verify that my children were safe and well. Mostly because I was still upset with the guys, and Jamie didn't need to feel that from me. Parents and friends fought, it was natural, but there was no reason to stress my little girl out because of it. And who knew what Charlie could or couldn't feel? Better to get things straightened out with the guys and then get the kids.

Next, had Christopher call for Secret Service to take Gardiner into a pleasant form of custody, complete with a visit to White House Medical, a nice meal, and a safe, well-guarded place to sleep. She didn't object.

“So, where are we doing the reunion meeting?” I asked Christopher after the Secret Service had taken Gardiner off, I'd sent the Peregrines to their regular duties or the Animal Luxury Suite, and the rest of us had linked up, the better to hyperspeed to our destination in one long daisy chain.

“The Situation Room.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They're going for someplace that seems neutral. And there's video and it's where we were as this unfolded, so the video's set up there.”

“Dinner and a show.” My stomach rumbled. Did my best to ignore it.

We arrived quickly, though Christopher was nice and didn't go at Flash level. The Situation Room had a variety of TV screens, a large oval table, and a lot of cushy chairs. Not enough cushy chairs for everyone we had, but the floor was available and looked clean, though had a feeling only Lizzie and I would consider that a viable option.

It also had a very worried looking Jeff, Chuckie, and Reader. All three of them looked older than when I'd seen them last, and considering I'd seen them in the morning, that was saying a lot. Decided I'd take Tim and Alicia's advice.

They weren't the only ones here. Gower, Serene, Claudia, Lorraine, and Raj were all in attendance as well. Everyone was sitting but stood up as we arrived. It was the most formal any of them had ever been with me, meaning they were clear on how angry I was. Though perhaps I was a test run for the upcoming peace talks. That was me, going for the bright side.

“Are you alright?” Jeff asked as my team spread out in the room, though none of us sat.

Managed to refrain from saying what I wanted to because I was trying to follow Tim and Alicia's advice. So I said nothing, because I was having to censor myself so much.

Could tell that everyone in the room was looking at Joe and Randy and trying to figure out why they were wearing knit caps at the start of summer. Did a fast check. All five flyboys were doing their Stoic Members of the American Armed Forces bit. So was the rest of my team. Meaning they were going to follow my lead.

White cleared his throat. “If I may?” he asked me.

“Go for it.”

“We're all uninterested in pleasantries and extremely interested in what happened, Jeffrey. I suggest you all sit down and get to the pertinent details quickly. It's been a long day and we have people dead and injured.”

“We thought you were among them,” Chuckie said as those on Team Administration did as White suggested and put their butts in their chairs. He nodded at Raj, who pushed a button on a remote. A video came on.

It was me, only I wasn't dressed like me. Well, I was in a bra and panties. That I'd wear, since they looked like Elf Standard Issue. There were obvious signs of torture, and I was crying. “They killed him,” I sobbed out. “Richard's dead. And I'm next. Help me, Jeff. Do whatever they say. Help me, please, please, help me.”

I sounded terrified and helpless and more scared than I'd ever been in my life. And never in my life had I ever acted like this.

“That's not me.”

“Well, we know that
now
,” Jeff said. “But we didn't know it then.”

“So, someone sent this and you immediately did what they asked? What did they ask? And why didn't anyone read the image? Christopher was around.”

“The message was that they had killed Richard in order to impress upon the rest of you that they were serious,” Chuckie said. “We were told that you were out of the country via gate technology, and that the video had been blocked so that no empath or imageer could read it.”

“Christopher and I couldn't read it,” Jeff said. “Therefore, that seemed truthful.”

Refrained from comment. Just barely. “When did you get this?”

“You were kidnapped, and almost immediately the press was contacting us to ask where you were and saying that they'd been tipped that the First Lady had been kidnapped,” Reader said. “We activated Francine and had her and Jeff do a photo op outside.”

“Then we got this,” Chuckie said, nodding toward the screen. “We were told that because we'd lied about your whereabouts you were going to pay for it.”

Interesting, though not surprising. “What else did they want?”

“The immediate release of Stephanie Valentino,” Reader said.

“Who asked for the phones to be shut down?”

This question caused the three of them to look really
uncomfortable. “Your captors suggested it,” Jeff said finally. “But it made sense, since we thought it would protect us and you.”

I was back to wondering if these guys, the three men I thought knew me and understood me best, actually knew me at all.

“We couldn't risk anyone who wasn't cleared sharing that you were actually nowhere around,” Jeff added, sounding kind of desperate. “And we had to leave the line free for your kidnappers.”

“Wow. Just . . . wow. I literally don't know where to start. I mean, I see it, it looks like me. But since we
just
had a Kitty-Bot attack not two days ago, I'd have thought one of you would have suggested that this was faked.”

“There's more intel and data than we've shown you,” Chuckie said, also sounding and looking pretty stoic, though I knew that he was upset because I knew him so well. Hoped this wasn't going to trigger a mood swing and migraine session and wondered if that was a side benefit that Stephanie and her team were hoping for.

Of course, they could be hoping for Jeff to have an empathic collapse, too. Should have probably had all of my team get emotional blockers from Kendrick before we'd taken this particular meeting, but too late now.

“We're unbelievably sorry,” Reader said, not even trying to hide the fact that he was upset. “Does that help at all?”

“Sort of.” Not really.

Jeff closed his eyes. “No, it doesn't.” He opened his eyes. “I've felt you truly terrified, and it was when Leventhal Reid had you in the desert and you were convinced you were going to die in a horrific manner. And, before you say it, you didn't cry and beg. You fought, but you refused to let him make you helpless.”

Chuckie jerked. “Oh. Oh, God, Kitty. I'm sorry. None of us were trying to make you into a victim, in our minds or in reality. We just . . .”

“Panicked,” Reader finished.

“That is why I'm upset,” I said quietly, for which I was quite proud of myself. “I didn't cry and beg when the most terrifying man I've ever met had me. And I'm beyond hugely offended that the three of you, and Tim, all felt that I was crying and begging now. I'm not sure what male
fantasy of me that video fulfilled for all of you, but if I'm honest, I'm more disappointed than angry.” Well, now, at least. “I thought you guys knew me. And the others. None of us have ever rolled over and begged.”

Got up close to the screen and examined the image. “Play it again.” Raj hit the rewind and we watched me play helpless. Really and truly looked like me. “Huh. I didn't think Stephanie had an android of me ready.”

White joined me. “I believe that's a Kitty-Bot. There are some slight differences around the eyes and hairline from the androids we've seen.”

“Which begs so many questions, doesn't it?” Stephanie had certainly had the android creation room for me ready, but that hadn't indicated there was a Kitty-Droid ready to go. “I want to see everything, not just this impressive fake of me acting like I never have. All of it. Show us. Oh, and then, in case you're interested, I'll be happy to share all that we did while being kidnapped. You know, like rescue ourselves, rescue our missing teams, then go and rescue the other missing teams. That sort of thing. Things that the chick in this video would never even think of doing, let alone manage.”

Raj hit another button and a different screen came to life. This one had a man's voice sharing pretty much exactly what the guys had said—Richard was already dead, I and the others would be if his demands weren't met, he wanted Stephanie released immediately, no contact with anyone regarding this, we couldn't escape because there were tons of people pointing guns at us off-screen, and anyone searching meant immediate dismemberment that they'd get to watch.

“So, where's the scene of them taking a digit or a limb?”

“How did you know?” Jeff asked, sounding strained. Worked to keep my hurt, anger, and disappointment in him and the others to a minimum. Doubted that having to give him adrenaline right now was going to be good for anyone. And the last place I wanted him was in isolation.

“You ordered Len and Malcolm both not to search for me, which is hugely out of character for you, at least for the you I'm used to. So, let's see it.”

“It's graphic,” Raj said.

“It's a freaking movie, gang. It's not me. It's not even a
real person. Corn syrup with red dye number two is what the blood is, trust me.”

Another screen leaped to life. Sure enough, there I was, losing all five fingers, then my hand, then the arm to the elbow. Slowly, done for the supreme effect of torture and gore, finished off with a hot poker to cauterize the wound. By the end of that, I was a shrieking, blubbering, incoherent mess. Interesting. Whoever had made this video had paid attention to Hollywood for sure, because I recognized some techniques.

Turned away from the screen. “You know why Reid could hurt me?”

The room was quiet. Serene broke the silence. “You weren't enhanced.”

“Bingo. I
am
enhanced now, but amazingly enough we've managed to keep that kind of hidden from most of our enemies. I'd like you all to note one very important thing—the Kitty-Bot there is not actually being contained. Because they didn't have to do that, since she's programmed for an Impressive Hollywood Death Scene. If that had really been me, I'd have kicked up the hyperspeed and handled things, guns or no guns.”