He paused. “I hope that is not a prevalent attitude in the Accord.”
“Prevalent? No,” Jis answered. “Most people are unaware of any of the non-Accord worlds. Most who do think about them understand that it is our technology that is better. Some may think that makes us better. I would say very few hold that attitude.”
Charlie nodded. “After some action and a firefight, we left the drug guys’ compound in flames. I was mildly censured for not ensuring the survival and capture of the ship’s crew, all of whom died in the compound. On the other hand, we did capture the fallen starship and smuggle it back to the United States. We bought ourselves flashy clothes, strapped it on a flatbed truck, and called it a movie prop.” He laughed. “We got comments about how realistic it looked wherever we stopped. Although in Angus, Texas, for some reason, they were pretty vocal that it looked fake. I doubt the details about that are of interest to anyone but Lexi. I also doubt it’s pertinent anyway. It was a torpedo-shaped, unarmed ship with a crew of five, only three of whom walked away from the crash. I don’t think it belonged to your pirates, Lexi, just a bunch of louts. There were five of them, all male.”
He smiled. “As it turned out the CIA had a division called Alien Investigations, to which I was promptly assigned. In 1998, I was sent to a global warming conference in Switzerland for a covert meet with two Australian researchers. If I determined they had any useful information on alien technology I was authorized to trade. Honestly, there are a damn lot of alien ships littering the landscape.”
He shook his head ruefully. “In that respect, it was a wasted trip. They had nothing we could use. We didn’t have anything for them, either. We were making some promising progress, as were they, but had nothing yet. So we went out for drinks and promised to keep in touch. I’m afraid more than one of the missions I was sent on ended that way.”
Chapter 52
Violet Stevens
Charlie again focused on Lexi as he continued, “Anyway, that conference is where I met Violet. We noticed each other in one of the lectures the first day. For me, at least, it was one of those instances where you meet eyes with someone across a room and feel an instant connection. A day later, we both attended another of the presentations. She sat next to me through it. Afterward, as we stood, she asked my opinion. I replied that I didn’t totally agree with the presenter on some points but believed overall the man’s presentation was disturbingly valid. Violet asked me to dinner. She beat me to the punch. I was moments away from making the same invitation.”
His gaze turned introspective for a couple of seconds, before he looked directly at Geena, now. “Sometimes, if I over-think it, it seems almost like she sought me out. I don’t know why she would have, though.”
Geena said, “You’re an intelligent, good-looking man, Charlie. That may be reason enough.”
Charlie shrugged. “Maybe. At any rate, we had a very nice dinner. Afterward, we spent hours strolling around Stockholm, just talking. While we were sitting on a park bench, she leaned in toward me and said, “I like you, Charlie Stevens.” Before I could formulate a reply, she leaned in closer and began a long kiss. Within the year, I proposed and we were soon man and wife. Two years later, late in 2001, our only child was born.”
He smiled fondly at Lexi. “I haven’t thought about this in years. For the next four years, we were storybook happy. Violet mostly worked from home doing consulting and building computer models of ecological disasters. Her focus was on bioengineered diseases. I traveled frequently, mostly short trips, meeting with scientists in other countries. I never told her about my job, we never discussed it, but she knew. I don’t know how she knew, but she did. Those times when Violet’s work required her to travel, I stayed home with Lexi. At least twice a year, the entire family went on those trips with her. Mine were always of a clandestine nature, inappropriate for bringing spouses and children.”
“I remember those trips,” Lexi said. “I liked Orlando best because we got to go to the theme parks. I wanted to ride the roller coasters that went upside down, but I was too little.”
Charlie smiled. “I remember that too. You enjoyed the lazy river though. And I did take you back when you were older. Then you risked your life saving someone else on that defective ride.” He sighed. “Violet was born and raised in Hawaii. She was a few years older than me. She got her doctorate in genetics from Carnegie Mellon. She did her undergrad work at Berkeley and her masters at NYU. Her parents both died while she was at Berkeley, leaving her a small fortune. She never talked about them or her childhood. She always lived for the moment. She loved surfing, fast cars, and fast boats. She had a passion for astronomy. She was a wonderful cook and an almost perfect wife and mother.” He laughed. “She once told me, after I almost caused a fight, that she learned she had to be patient with us mere mortals. That was shortly after we were married.”
Geena, eyebrows raised, asked, “Mere mortals? Those were her exact words?”
Charlie nodded, “Her exact words were something like, ‘I learned long ago I have to be patient with mere mortals.’ Then she laughed.”
Charlie was now looking very thoughtful. Ron stood to get more coffee. He refilled Lexi’s mug while he was up. When he was seated again, Lexi said, more to Geena than anyone else, “I told him last night how long we might live.”
Now Geena was looking thoughtful too. “If I live long enough, I could picture myself referring to those around me as mere mortals.”
Charlie checked that the side conversation was over and continued, his voice and expression somber. “One bleak March day in 2006, I came home from work and found Violet collapsed in the living room. We were supposed to go out for dinner and a show that night. She wasn’t breathing. She had no pulse. Her body felt cold to the touch. Of course, I’m not a medical examiner, but I’ve had some experience with bodies from my prior career. She had been dead for hours. Because of her age, there was an autopsy. A cause of death was never determined. Her incredibly healthy body simply stopped working.”
His haunted gaze again shifted to his daughter. “Fortunately, Lexi was on a sleep-over with a neighbor child. You look like her, Lexi. She was blazingly smart. I don’t think she let on how smart she really was. She was strong, too. It was amazing living with her. I used to have a raging temper. She could always calm me down and eventually helped me learn the control that I was lacking. She spoke oddly at times. She was fluent in something like a dozen languages. Sometimes she said things that didn’t fit. Once she said something about Einstein that made it sound like she knew the man personally. I’m sure it was just the way she phrased it. More than once, she said something about wanting to visit Waince on one of our vacations. She said she had some business to take care of there and that the architecture was worth seeing. I only mention that because it was weird. I could never find a place having that name so I left it up to her to book it. She was always a little bit of a mystery and an enigma. She left us far too soon.”
“Why did you never remarry?” Ron asked. “I know that’s a personal question, but in Earth terms, you’re practically my father-in-law.”
Charlie grinned at him. “Well, Son, I threw myself into work, trying to keep Earth safe from you pesky aliens. I was put in charge of the agency less than a year after she died. I didn’t have much time for a social life, other than with my daughter. It didn’t help that I couldn’t tell my dates, and I did go on a few over the years, what I did for a living. Honestly, I never met anyone else who interested me,” he paused and smiled at Geena, “until yesterday.”
Lexi said. “And here I thought my life couldn’t get any weirder. Don’t take me wrong, I approve. I just didn’t realize we might be bringing you a girlfriend by coming home. Tell me about weird Waince.”
“Nothing to tell, honey. She never booked us a trip. It doesn’t exist.”
Geena smiled back, breaking the silence that followed Charlie’s last statement. “Charlie, I hate being the one to break it to you, but Violet sounds
suspiciously like she could have been one of us pesky aliens. Your knowledge of her early life is practically non-existent. You alluded to her possessing abilities such as those enhanced by the Rose and the Channel. Your daughter is an empath, a telepath and certainly one of the smartest people in existence. Physically, well, never mind. We wanted to discuss Violet with you to learn more about why Lexi seems to be so special. You may have just answered that question. Violet sounds a lot like an underpowered version of the woman Lexi has become.”
Charlie nodded slowly, eyeing his daughter from a new perspective.
Although she didn’t show it, Geena’s comment disturbed Lexi, who simply said, “I never thought of her that way. I was too young when she died.” Both Ron and Jis heard the rest of her thought, What if she was pretending all the time?
Jis hesitated before speaking. “I’m not sensing anything about this, just talking it through. Geena may be hitting closer to the truth than she thinks. Charlie feels as though Violet purposely sought him out. Her words to Charlie imply she didn’t think of herself as a ‘mere mortal.’ They had a child. Violet was a geneticist. What if having a child was her goal all along? What if she didn’t exactly die? We now know a mind can reside in an avatar distinct from its body. How long will it be before Lexi figures out how to switch a mind to another body? Maybe with whatever Violet was up to here done, she switched to another body. Not an ideal choice for a mother to make, or a wife, perhaps. It’s possible she wasn’t being cold. Maybe she had a good reason and had to leave. I’m not sure how she would have managed that, leaving a dead body behind. Like I say, I’m sure it can be done someday. Circumstantial evidence suggests Violet could have been an alien. One more powerful than any we’ve encountered. One at least in Lexi’s league.” She smiled. “Just speculating. It’s certainly a far-fetched summary of Charlie’s story. It would explain Lexi, though, wouldn’t it?”
Her smile vanished as she looked at Lexi, concern in her eyes. Lexi was emoting horror and pride and wonder and bewilderment all at once. “Lexi?”
Lexi’s face was pale. “Waince is a planet, not a vacation destination on Earth. It was burned to a cinder centuries ago. The entire world. You could have never vacationed there, Dad. Crane discovers it.”
It was Ron’s turn to stare at her. “My father?” His father was, after all, an insurance investigator, not an explorer.
She shook her head, her eyes wide, shifting to meet his. “No, Ron, our son.”
Geena smiled tenderly at her. “A precognition, darling?”
Lexi nodded slowly, forcing herself to take slow, measured breaths. “I hope not. Maybe. Yeah, I think so.” She looked at Jis as she added, “One of those things Jis does, saying something without thinking about it.”
Geena looked at Charlie. “In that case, we’ve definitely determined you married an alien. It shouldn’t matter. Apparently, she loved you. However, the next thing we want to know is if Lexi’s affinity for the educator is unique. We want you to find a female on your staff who is willing to volunteer to use one of our rubrics, her choice of subject matter.” She paused, “Eventually, we want to test it on you too. I don’t think now is a good time to start rumors of alien mind-control devices.”
Charlie, still staring at his daughter, said somewhat absent-mindedly, “I’ll talk to Lisa.”
Lexi, looking distressed, said, “We need to exhume her body. I need to analyze her DNA.”
They imposed on the President to reach out to the governor of Hawaii who arranged for the state medical examiner to handle it. Violet’s coffin was empty.
Chapter 53
Dog and Pony Show
The summit took sixteen days to set up. It wouldn’t have happened at all without Charlie throwing the entire resources of WASP into the effort. There was nowhere on Earth truly suitable to hold Lexi’s kick-off meeting, especially on such short notice. Convincing the US, Russia, China, France, Japan, Great Britain, and over eight dozen other countries to send both their top echelon military and political people to a meeting to discuss Earth’s future vis-à-vis the interstellar community known as the Accord was not an easy task. Lexi sat in on the first of those conversations. She left with the wry thought that by growing up in her father’s house, she had done a really great job training him to have practically infinite patience. At that point, she sent Geena in to support him.
The meeting was held on Glaurang. There were concerns about security if they met on Earth when so many prominent people would be convened. While the delegations were allowed to bring their security people, no weapons would be permitted. Jis and Andy met each of the guests as they transported up. Of the several hundred people that passed through the hurriedly constructed reception area, the Ackalonians only flagged two as problems. With explanations to their bosses, those two were locked up. Of course, far more than that were forced to give up the weapons they brought with them despite being forewarned that none would be permitted. Other than the two in the brig, the attendees were broken up into groups of twenty for a brief tour of Glaurang. None were assigned quarters; they wouldn’t be staying overnight.
Charlie opened the meeting, looking out over the several hundred people present. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Charlie Stevens. For the last twenty years, I have served as Director of the Worldwide Alien Studies Program. In English, my organization is referred to as WASP. Our mission is to collect and study alien artifacts. We are based in the United States, but we are not a US agency. Our scope is global and we share our information freely across borders.”
He nodded to his stage manager and the WASP seal projected on the screen behind him was replaced with an image of Glaurang. “As was explained during your tour, this ship we’re now on was built by an alien race that found the environmental conditions we’re all suffering through comfortable. We can do nothing about that at this time. We do apologize. It looks like only about half of you took our advice to dress lightly. For those who didn’t, feel free to remove as much clothing as you’re comfortable with. My best recommendation is to drink plenty of water. There are bottles in the arms of your chairs.”
He paused, taking a sip from the bottle he held. “Some of you were previously unaware of the existence of the Accord. All of you should have received information packets with your invitations. If you didn’t read them, you may as well leave now because I’m not going to repeat any more of that information than I already have.”
He waited a few moments and then continued. “Good. We’re here today to determine the future of our planet. You all brought security personnel with you. We locked up two who were here to murder a few of our attendees. We did not look into whether or not they were here with their delegation’s consent or foreknowledge. It doesn’t matter. Their bodies won’t be returned to you.”
He paused. “There are some things we’re prepared to be ruthless about. This is our kick-off meeting. We have several more scheduled over the next two weeks to discuss your countries’ roles in the face of an unavoidable war with a race known as the Kreesh. You won’t need to suffer the conditions up here, we’ll video conference you in for those. We did, however, believe it important for you to tour this ship. We also felt it pertinent that you experience the technology offered by our off-world guests that allowed you to be transported from your offices directly to our reception area. I don’t want to hear any further nonsense about this ship being a Hollywood prop.”
He paused. “Simply put, we want to enlist your cooperation and allegiance in an effort to save all life on Earth. The interstellar community known as the Accord has officially revealed its existence to us. We currently have leaders from four Accord worlds on board. You will have the opportunity to meet them after this meeting. The twelve Accord worlds, for the first time in their eight thousand year histories, are in the process of consolidating their militaries under a single command. You will also be meeting the newly appointed Marshal of the Accord shortly.”
He
stopped speaking momentarily, deciding to be blunt. “Simply put, Earth is facing an extinction-level event in our very near future. We believe we have at least four years to prepare. We will all be dead in fewer than eight years if we fail.”
There was no more than a minor furor over that. They had read the information packets. Charlie nodded, “I want to introduce you to a member of the Marshal’s team, Geena Samue, who will continue the presentation.” He stepped to the side of the podium as Geena walked up.
As Charlie stepped off the improvised stage, Geena said, “Hello, everybody. Did Director Stevens grab your interest?” Her voice was upbeat and cheerful. She was Aeolus Investigations’s negotiator. Finesse was her stock-in-trade. It was her job to sell people on the point of view of her team, either singly or in groups. She paused, noticing nods come from around the room. At least no one had fallen asleep yet. With the excessive gravity, oppressive heat, and cloying humidity she expected to lose some of them unless she could keep their interest.
Aeolus Investigations Set 2: Too Cool To Lose: The Continuing Evolution of Lexi Stevens Page 43
