"Then why did they let the One World Festival go on?"

Franklin shrugged. "To avoid mass panic, among other reasons. If we can avert the invasion, we don't have to let any civilians know about the danger."

"Ah, the Men in Black theory. It's sound, I'll give you that." But it lacked a certain something, which was any plan for what to actually do to avert the armada. Possibly because there was no way to avert it. Negative thinking. Had to stop that. "Can we somehow get visuals on Paris and Paraguay, where our teams are?"

There was a lot of muttering from Hacker International, but two of the smaller screens in the room came to life. On the left we had lush French countryside and on the right we had the wilds of the Chaco. On the left we had a lot of huge, scary, metal-encased monsters going wild. On the right we had a lot of huge, scary, non-metal-encased monsters trying to outdo the ones on the left.

We watched a number of jets flying around all of them. I was pretty sure I could spot the jet Reader was flying based on the fact that it was the one doing the most awesome job avoiding getting hit, which was, from the amount of firepower the supersoldiers were sending out, impressive. But the team in France wasn't slowing the supersoldiers down.

Same situation over in Paraguay. I could spot Tim and the flyboys based on skill and flying signatures. And while the superbeings weren't as weaponized as the supersoldiers, they had their own nave charms in terms of horrifying appendages and bodily fluids and such, all aimed at our team.

However, it was only going to be a matter of time before someone on our side managed to break through. Or until we'd blown up both countries to tiny bits. Or worse.

A jet was batted out of the sky by a supersoldier, and we all gasped. It crashed into the earth, but its pilot made it out. Only to be slammed into the ground under a different supersoldier's feet. More gasps, and I heard a couple of sobs, too. Another casualty. We needed to stop this. Part of me wished I hadn't asked to see what was happening, but we needed to know. I needed to know. I worked better seriously pissed off.

"What is the crazy you're going for, Missus Martini?" White asked quietly. "I believe we need to get whatever it is into action."

He was right. And I needed to get back into the frame of mind to give orders and keep people going. Took a deep breath, let it out, and turned away from the screens to face the others.

"We're going to show a united front, Mister White, and do the one thing I think the bad guys aren't expecting."

"What's that?" Oliver asked.

"We're going to use their weapons against them."

CHAPTER 75.

"HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT?" Naomi asked.

"Great question! You and Abigail are going to be doing a lot of it, so glad you're eager and all that."

Reader had once said that Naomi and Abigail could probably move solar systems if they took Surcenthumain. It was a joke that was likely more true than funny. Chuckie hadn't liked this, and the incident was what had allowed Christopher to get fooled into becoming a Surcenthumain junkie.

I wasn't sure that I wanted to toss drugs at anyone, but I was sure that the Gower girls had a tonnage of untapped power and potential. Chuckie wouldn't have spent as much time working with them if that weren't the case.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Abigail said.

"Good, because I need you to call Tim while I call James. We need them corralling, not destroying, all the supersoldiers and superbeings and whatever else they may be fighting. And then, once the evil monsters are corralled, we need to find where they call home. Pronto."

"Gotcha." Abigail pulled out her phone while I pulled out mine. We both stepped away from the others, the better to have fun conversations without interruption.

The phone went to voicemail three times before Reader picked up. "Girlfriend, this had better be life or death important."

"It is. Beyond that, really. Are you okay?" I was watching the screens, and no one on our side looked okay, but I figured it was better I didn't let Reader know that.

"I'd be better if I wasn't talking to you while trying to get what appears to be an in-control superbeing down. Not that I don't have a lot of options, because we're not dealing with just one. Of course."

They were dealing with twenty, easily, and that was if I was counting correctly, which was hard to do, what with all the explosions.

"Of course. But you can't kill them. We don't want them destroyed or even damaged."

"What?"

"Pay close attention. We're about to be invaded by a huge alien armada that's driving an unreal number of parasites in front of it. Chuckie figured out the controls on the supersoldiers we confiscated at the end of Operation Assassination. We need to do the same with these."

"Wow, is that all?"

"No. We also need to figure out where they came from."

"First a daddy and a mommy parasite fall in love and then-"

"Nice to see you're keeping firm hold of your sense of humor. I'm serious."

"Seriously crazy."

"Which is right in line with Chuckie's orders."

"You've found Reynolds and Jeff?" He sounded relieved.

"No. We've found Chuckie's failsafe. And, apparently, that failsafe is me."

Reader was quiet for a long moment. "Okay. Jeff always listened to you when he was the Head of Field. I'm willing to do the same. If we can."

"Pull every agent away from the International One World Festival. What the bad guys wanted to have happen already has. Split them-send half to Paraguay, half to you in France. I don't care what you have to do, but we need to keep these things alive and get them under our control somehow. And we don't have a lot of time to do it in. So use every international favor we have to make it happen."

"Why did they attack now if we're supposed to capture them?"

This should have been a hard question for me to answer. It wasn't. Clarity crackled through my brain like lighting. Marling had essentially told us what was coming, after all. Compared to what else is out there, these are your friends. I'd thought he'd meant the androids were a worse threat than the supersoldiers. Clearly, he'd meant what was on our solar horizon.

"They want us to destroy the only things that have a fighting chance against the invaders."

Reader sighed. "Let's say you're right. Let's say we can capture, contain, and control all the superbeings and supersoldiers. They're not enough to fight an armada."

"We'll find the androids, too."

"How, Kitty? I mean, seriously, how? Your mother and Reynolds have been searching for these things for months or more. They have nothing."

"They have nothing they've told us about. Because they have to be really careful. If they accuse the wrong person without a ton of proof, their careers are destroyed."

He was quiet again. "You have a career you're willing to destroy."

"Got it in one."

"If this goes wrong, Kitty, all the A-Cs will have to go back to Alpha Four."

"James, if this goes wrong, we're all dead or worse. I'll risk that the worst thing that can happen will be an extended visit with the distant relatives."

"Speaking of whom, why aren't they helping us?"

"It's the start of World War Two. We're England. They're the United States."

"It worries me that I understand exactly what's going on based on that explanation."

"I like to think it's because we're so in tune with each other."

"Whatever spin works, girlfriend." He cleared his throat. "This is the real test, isn't it? If Tim and I can handle things. If any of us can, without Jeff or Reynolds."

Reader rarely indulged in self-doubt. And even though I'd had that exact same thought, this wasn't the time for him to take that particular plunge. "Every time is a test, James. Every time one of these freaking fugly monsters, insane politicians, or demented evil geniuses decides to go for their version of the gold is a test. And we pass those tests. Every time."

"We're going to take casualties on this one. I can guarantee it."

I knew he could because I'd just seen that jet go down. And that might be where his self-doubt was coming from. But I didn't want Reader to know we were watching any more than I wanted him to doubt himself. Knowing might affect him negatively in some way. Frankly, having to talk about someone in his command who'd just died might affect him. So I pretended.

"You mean if we haven't already? Yeah, I'm sure we are. I just want to do everything in our power to ensure the casualties happen to their side, not ours."

"We've been lucky. Luck doesn't last."

"Per our enemies and the C.I.A., I exhibit extreme random tendencies."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I'm your Lady Luck."

"You always have been, girlfriend. And you always will be. You still my girl?"

"Always have been and always will be."

"Then everything's still right with my world. We'll make it happen, Kitty. Or die trying."

CHAPTER 76.

WE HUNG UP AND I REJOINED THE OTHERS. Jamie's Poof jumped onto my shoulder, rubbed and purred, then disappeared. Hoped it was heading back to Jamie.

Bruno, job done for the moment, went back to his nest in Omega Red's crap and went right back to sleep. Bruno was clearly an A-C animal and fully on board with the A-C idea of napping anywhere and anytime the opportunity presented itself.

Bellie, being an Earth animal, wasn't cooperating in that way. However, she and Oliver had obviously bonded, because she was happily snuggling with him and staying mercifully quiet. I'd been given to understand parrots were one-person birds. Clearly Bellie didn't go in for that sort of nonsense and was of the opinion that she wanted a sugar daddy to nuzzle at all times, regardless of where her cage resided. Worked for me.

The people weren't napping, which was nice. Abigail gave me the thumbs up, so I assumed this meant Tim was clear on his part of our current Plan O' Fun. The hackers were hacking, everyone else was looking stressed and concerned, and Tito was holding a box. I looked in it. It was filled with printouts.

"Are you trying to take over the job of doing the light reading?"

"No. We need to get these in for analysis. And it has to be fast analysis. Due to what's going on, the person who takes these to the Dome needs to be someone Paul, Christopher, and Serene will listen to. Came down to me or Richard. I'm less necessary."

"Hardly. You're our medic and chief butt-kicker."

Tito grinned. "Thanks. But we're not fighting here, Kitty. And I can get back fast if you need me. We need the information, and you need the A-Cs here focused on something other than analysis."

He was right, and I knew better than to argue. "Tell Christopher he's the acting Chief Ambassador right now, because I'm abdicating."

"Not a good time for jokes," Abigail said.

"I'm not joking. Jeff's disappeared, so he's abdicating, too, or whatever the proper term is for an ambassador who's been kidnapped and so can't make any decisions. I'm about to make a call, and when I do, I'm going to get some high-level information. When I get that, I'm going to commit political suicide. Ergo, I'm not the Ambassador any more and am not speaking for American Centaurion in any way."

White nodded. "That makes sense. I'm not convinced anyone will believe it, however. At least, not anyone who matters."

Oliver coughed. "I can make one call and get this story onto the front page of the World Weekly News. I realize that's not the same thing as the Washington Post, but it's still a legitimate news outlet, in that sense, and if it's followed up by an official announcement from other sources, it will indeed be believed."

"And if you're right, then you don't have to resign in reality," Armstrong added.

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Your mother and Mister Reynolds have been trying to find out how far and deep various connections run. Gaultier, Marling, Yates, Al Dejahl . . . to name only four. These people were connected at the highest levels. Therefore, the P.T.C.U. and the ETD have to be politically careful. You're distancing yourself so you don't have to be careful at all. However, if you can prove their suspicions correct, then you're a hero."

"Or she's dead," Mona said. "Political intrigue is fraught with danger."

"Everything is fraught with danger right now. I'm not doing the math-how long do we have until the alien armada shows up close enough for people to know or them to hit us?"

"We have no idea how long-range their weapons are," Franklin said. "But the estimate is that they'll hit the outskirts of our solar system by late tomorrow."

"Wow, that's going to bring new meaning to the term Blue Monday, isn't it? Okay, do we need to call for a floater gate? It's a long walk back to Colonel Franklin's office."

Hacker International all looked a little shifty suddenly. Franklin noted it, too. "Gentlemen, what are you trying to hide?"

They didn't seem to want to share. "Guys, seriously, now isn't the time to hide anything. Now's the time to come through like heroes. Or, you know, I can just kick you until you talk, which is always nice for working out my stress issues."

Stryker sighed. "Fine, fine. Keep your feet away from my groin and shins. Chuck had a gate installed here. So he could come and go without anyone at Andrews or the C.I.A. knowing about it."

"Classic Chuckie. But how did he do that?"

White cleared his throat. "Under the circumstances, once you moved to the Diplomatic Corps, Charles requested a variety of additional security measures, which Paul approved. I'd assume this gate was one of them."

"Why weren't we told about this, though?"

White shrugged. "Need to know, and we didn't."

"Right," Stryker said. "So, if you can see it and make it work, go for it."