"Told you it was going to get worse."

"Oh, that's not all," Randy said, as he, too, took off his knit cap. He also took off the stretchy arm braces Lizzie had found for them. "It's like this on our legs, too."

"What . . . what did they do to you?" Claudia whispered. She looked ready to faint.

"White House Medical will get to make the full determination, but as near as we can tell, Stephanie's using a very intricate process that inserts the android wires into the body. While the person is alive but in a sort of coma. I woke the guys up from that by slamming adrenaline into their hearts. Nothing else worked."

"I took pictures," Lizzie said. "So we'd have something to look at in case the site was destroyed or cleaned out."

"Just so we're all clear, Joe and Randy seem to be more like the new Six Million Dollar Men than androids. While Butler and Maurer had to work to regain themselves, Joe and Randy are still Joe and Randy. And they're under their own mental control."

"Barring someone flipping a switch we don't know about," Randy pointed out.

"But our legs and arms are definitely stronger," Joe said. "We think we can run as fast an A-C, or close to it. We don't know what's going on with our heads, and we also don't know if our lungs could keep up with us running like A-Cs."

"We've been a little too focused on being rescued, getting other people rescued, and not being blown up by friendly fire to test ourselves out. Otherwise, we both feel okay," Randy added.

"They still have all their boy parts, too," I reassured the girls. They didn't look reassured.

"You checked?" Jeff no longer sounded upset or freaked out or anything. He sounded jealous. Which was, all things considered, kind of nice. We might have just had what was probably the second worst fight of our relationship-because nothing was likely to top the end of Operation Drug Addict-but he was still jealous that I might be looking at other guys. Then again I'd kind of mentioned that I was planning to divorce him and look at all my available options. Maybe I'd apologize for that. Later. And in private.

"Oh, I had lots of things to check out, trust me. We were spoilt for choice."

"They were all like Ken Dolls," Lizzie said, making a face. "That's why Kitty made sure Joe and Randy were still intact." Adults coughed and looked embarrassed. "What? Geez, I'm almost fifteen. I've seen the internet."

"I had them look themselves, just in case everyone thinks I took the time to gawk at guys on my team when we were in life-threatening danger."

"Precedent has been set for that," Chuckie said dryly. Reader grinned. Strangely enough, this seemed to be making them both feel more normal, too. My men were weird.

"I mentioned that too," White said with a chuckle. "She wasn't amused."

"Oh, blah, blah, blah. Look, we have a ton to catch everyone up on and I want us fed and Tito and his team to take a serious look at everyone who was a prisoner who's here with us, starting with Joe and Randy. So, let's get back to my key point about Stephanie that I want you all to really listen to and internalize."

"Why is this one thing so important?" Reader asked.

"Because I think it's important to the Tinkerer."

"I'll ask, especially if it keeps you getting less angry with me," Jeff said. "So, what's the key point?"

"Simply that Yates cared about having an heir. A real one. So I think that Trevor the Tinkerer would care about that, too. Richard wasn't his heir, not as Yates wanted. You certainly aren't and neither is Christopher, and not just because you're good guys and follow Richard's lead, but because, as far as Yates was concerned, your bloodline was impure. Ronaldo Al Dejahl was close, but, let's face it, he wasn't enough like Yates to be the true heir."

Waited. Nothing. Not even from Chuckie. Clearly today had affected them badly.

"So?" Jeff asked finally. Sounded like he was trying to make me happy and not share that he had no idea what I was talking about. Expressions in the room said he wasn't alone.

Heaved a sigh. "Stephanie may have impure blood due to your mother, Jeff, but I'll wager that the Tinkerer is willing to overlook that, since her father was a traitor to Richard and therefore loyal to Yates. Ergo, Stephanie is the true Yates Heir based on bloodline and desire to take over the world both. Meaning that if there's anyone the Tinkerer is going to support, when push really comes to shove, it's her."

CHAPTER 86.

MY PRONOUNCEMENT was met with a lot of non-reaction. Had a strong feeling that everyone was just too exhausted to think anymore. I certainly felt that way. The adrenaline high that fury had given me and I'd ridden for hours had already faded. I couldn't stay angry with them because I did love all three of them still, even if they'd almost ended up getting me and the others killed.

"I get it," Jeff said finally. "And I agree. It makes sense."

"You don't have to agree with me in order to appease me, you know."

"I don't think that's ever worked, let alone would work right now, baby."

Had a feeling that Jeff was picking up that my anger was ebbing, because that was the first time he'd called me baby since we'd gotten in here. Knew why Alicia had wanted me not to come in with guns blazing-she'd seen the video and therefore understood the fear reaction. She might have found their reactions flattering; some women would, after all. I just wasn't one of them.

However, right now, I was definitely the leader for anyone who'd been in the helicarrier, and I also had two children I wanted to see who didn't need to get involved with their parents' fight. And we had Lizzie, too, who was already involved but who, perhaps, should see that even though you can be mad enough to want to literally strangle your husband, there comes a point where you have to break down and accept that he was fallible just like anybody else. And just like anybody else, if your husband and best friends made a mistake that you lived through, perhaps forgiving them was the right course.

"Okay, I'd like to confer with my people from Kitty Land. Give us a mo." Jerked my head toward the door and we all stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind us. "So, have they groveled enough?"

Abigail snorted. "Not for me. But then, I'm mad at my brother."

"I can tell they were terrified," Mahin said. "And we did not get blown up."

"No thanks to them," Buchanan said. "However, in the interests of national security and familial harmony, not to mention avoiding a hostile working environment, let me make this easier for everyone. They love you. You love them. Kiss and make up."

"Really, Malcolm? You were in the running for Prince Consort."

He grinned. "Yeah, like Gil here said before, I can guarantee that Mister Executive Chief's going to get that job."

Morgan nodded. "I think you handled it with a lot less screaming than anticipated."

"Go team."

"I'd still like to understand why they did all that they did," Camilla said. "But whatever you want is fine with me."

The flyboys nodded. "I think your wives really want you to hold them," Jerry said to Randy and Joe. "I've never seen them look that . . . stricken."

"Do you want to make up with the girls?" If they didn't, wasn't sure if I should be worried, try to fix it, or just go live in the helicarrier.

Joe nodded. "Tim said none of the women made the decisions."

Tim had come with us, wisely choosing to stick with the people who had control of the helicarrier. "They didn't. They all sided with Christopher."

Christopher had also stepped out with us. "I want to take a moment and revel in being so very right and having everyone point it out. I'm really enjoying it."

"Anything to make you happy."

He hugged me. "Make me happier. Forgive them. They screwed up. It happens."

"Not saying I don't want to do the group hug, but three men are dead because of that screwup, and two women might be."

"And, not to sound callous, that makes today like every other day for us. You know that. We lose people every day. We lose people you don't know about every day. This was one of those days."

"It sure was."

White nodded. "Mistakes get made. We should, perhaps, not compound those mistakes out of righteous anger."

"To err is human," Adriana said. "To forgive, divine."

"I'm going to let all the comments I could make right now slide, but I get the point and, as I said, I'm not against it. But we were all almost killed, so everyone's vote counts. Show of hands, who wants to go back and forgive them?"

The others backed Team Forgiveness with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but all the hands did raise, so we went back into the Situation Room.

Jeff looked worried and hopeful and like a big cat who'd just ruined an expensive item by breaking it, clawing it, and peeing on it, but still hoped for petting, cream, and cat treats. Yeah, Anger was definitely heading for a nap and Libido was coming to the main stage.

"The Sovereign and Flying Nation of Kitty Land is willing to end the civil war as long as food, medical care, and families are produced pronto."

Lorraine and Claudia got up and hypersped to their husbands. The girls were crying. "We'll get them to Tito," Hughes told me, as he, Walker, Tim, and Jerry moved the two couples out of the room.

Serene winked at me. "Thank you, Queen Kitty. We appreciate it. While you were conferring with your subjects we called for food. It should be ready for you shortly." She, White, and Gower ushered everyone else out, heading for a dining room somewhere.

I tugged Camilla back and indicated to Jeff, Chuckie, and Reader that I wanted them to stay. Raj noted this and he stayed, too. Christopher wisely decided not to push it and left with the others. "I'll make sure my dad and I do the recaps," he said quietly to me as Camilla shut the door after him.

"What's wrong?" Jeff asked, trying hard to look confused.

"There's more you didn't tell us. I assume you didn't want to say what else went on in front of the others. However, you're telling me and Camilla because we're the two who expected to get through to Andrews or the White House and didn't. She's the person one or all of you are going to send right back into deep cover danger, and I'm the one who could flip right back to amazingly pissed, despite all three of you doing the best puppy eyes known to mankind, if you try withholding. So we're the two who need to know what the protocols are now, and why you changed them."

"And before any of you try to lie, remember that she knows you and I know how you work," Camilla added. "Panicked by that video and inundated by the press or not, that all three of you, and Crawford, reacted in the ways you did indicates a lot more going on."

"Camilla's my favorite. So details. Full details. Now."

Jeff looked at Chuckie, who nodded. Jeff looked back to us. "Fine, but please sit down. You two looming over us in a threatening manner isn't good for any of our stress levels."

She and I exchanged the "Men" look, but we sat, me on Jeff's right and her next to me. "What Queen Kitty said. No more stalling."

"No, you're right." Jeff ran his hand through his hair. "We had what Chuck called a perfect storm today. When you went to lunch, your mother was briefing us on intel she'd gotten from Mossad."

"Yeah, Mom had said something about that."

"It's more than something," Chuckie said. "Mossad feels that there's something wrong with both their Prime Minister and the President of Iraq. They can't say what, but neither man is acting in character. What were supposed to be peace talks a week ago look more like they're going to blow up in our faces, literally and figuratively."

"They don't want to talk peace but war?" Camilla asked.

"As near as we can tell." Jeff shook his head. "They're gung ho to have their time at Camp David, though. Peace talks have been moved up by a day. We have tomorrow to prep, then we're heading to Camp David the day after. And yes, I know you're both coming. I realize our entire teams are coming, not just Alpha. Doreen's insisting that, if you're still speaking to me, the Diplomatic Corps is on-site too."

"Do we have any intel we can look at on the two Head Dudes Behaving Badly?"

"They aren't behaving badly so much as not behaving like themselves," Reader said. "But yeah, we do have some. Not a lot."

"Roll it here."

"I thought you wanted to eat," Jeff said.

"Bring the food here, too. I know this isn't the Embassy, but the White House appears to have its own kind of Elves, and right now, not arguing with what I want remains in your best interests."

"I'll handle it," Raj said. "Back in a bit." He took off, but not before he passed a sign to Camilla.

"So, what else?" she asked as soon as Raj was gone. "That's not enough to change protocols like you did."

Jeff looked uncomfortable. Chuckie sighed. "We were told by a variety of sources that there would be people attempting to access us during a time of crisis in part to attack us, in part to stop the peace talks. The suggestion was that all protocols be immediately changed and allow all active duty agents to fend for themselves for a brief period of time."

"Wow, for the first time I really know what it's like to be left out in the cold and, trust me, it truly sucks. It's like we were in Burn Notice but without Bruce Campbell. So, who were these sources? As in, did Mister Joel Oliver tell you this?"

"No, he did not. These sources came via intelligence from all agencies, not just mine."

Camilla heaved a long-suffering sigh. "All agencies are infiltrated. You know that," she said as Raj returned.

Chuckie and Jeff both looked ready to have migraines. In Chuckie's case, that he wasn't having one at this moment was probably a miracle. Reader just looked like he wanted to go back to modeling and pretend the last many years of his life had never happened.

"Stop," Raj said calmly. "Camilla, you and Kitty are both right. We screwed up. You almost died because of that screwup. We lost people because of it, too. However, we were inundated with all of this at once, and no, we didn't tell most of the others what was going on. Tim, Serene, and your mother knew, and that was about it."

"It's a steeper learning curve than any of us were prepared for," Chuckie said. "In part because of how we moved into these positions."

"And it's a learning curve for Alpha Team, too," Raj said. "Kitty, I want you to pay attention to this next statement. The men who love you enough to die for you fell for the charade and, therefore, were not exactly in their best minds to make decisions. Yes, many of us counseled against their actions. We can all congratulate ourselves for knowing you so well and having our confidence in you confirmed. Jeff, Chuck, and James also have confidence in you. They just were hit with so much, so fast, and the evidence was so damning, that they acted like people, not leaders. It happens. To everyone at some point."

Pondered all of this. "They threatened the kids, too, didn't they?"

All four men sort of stared at me. "Ah, what?" Jeff said finally.

"Our children and the other children. That's why the Embassy locked down so fast and why you pulled everyone in also so fast. They threatened the kids and you had to make the choice between leaving people out in the cold or keeping the children safe. And this is me, Raj, being forgiving instead of extremely pissed that you guys withheld this information."

Reader nodded. "We got a video that showed Denise and all the kids in daycare. Pretty much the statement was that they could get our children regardless of how safe we thought they were. We have Field agents literally in every room of the Embassy right now. Peregrines and ocellars are there, too, on patrol. We have no idea how someone got into the Embassy. And we told no one else, to stop panic in the A-C community. If they can get into the Embassy, they can get into Dulce, and we all remember the last time that happened."

"Roll what they showed you, right now."

Raj hit his remote and one of the screens showed the kids and Denise doing colors and numbers utilizing the animals. It was short, but I took notice of all the kids, Jamie and Charlie in particular, including the naptime area. Paid attention to what my kids were wearing, too.

Waited until it was done. "Note who is not in that picture."

"Everyone is in that picture," Jeff said. "Every single kid in daycare. Other than Lizzie who was with you."

"Right, and you know why Lizzie was with me? Because our A-C nanny was with our children."

Jeff looked pale. "You're saying Nadine took this?"

Really controlled myself from rolling my eyes or making an exasperated statement-clearly the guys were not on their top game right now, and just as clearly it was due to emotional distress, so my causing more wasn't going to improve the situation.