Universal Alien

by Gini Koch

  There was a knock at the door. “Enter,” Martini said. The door whooshed open.

  “Wow, how very Star Trek.”

  “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Richard asked as he came in. “I’m right next door and since it took me all of two minutes to unpack, I was hoping I could steal Jamie and show her around the Base. I don’t believe she’s been here before.”

  “Yay! Can I go with Uncle Richard, Mommy? Can I?”

  Looked at Martini who grinned. “Sure, why not?”

  “It’s okay with Daddy, so it’s okay with me. Be good, have fun, and remember that we’re going to have lunch with important people so don’t eat anything to spoil your appetite.” Jamie hugged and kissed us, then Richard took her hand and led her out, Mous-Mous on her shoulder.

  “Uh, is everyone around us?” I asked as I unpacked Jamie’s bag.

  Martini shrugged. “Should be. But, don’t worry—Chuck’s in a single room. And he’s not in love or even romantically interested in Amadhia, by the way.”

  “Huh?”

  “I felt your jealousy. He just thinks the same as I do—if we leave her alone right now we leave her vulnerable to attack. Probably the same with Aaron, especially since he’s now firmly on our side. Amadhia and Aaron have single rooms. They’re not romantically interested in each other, either. Both of them are just too excited about the fantastic day and grand adventure they’re having to focus on romance with anyone.”

  “Oh. Uh, good. I guess.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I know you’d rather be with him than me, especially when we sleep. Chuck, I mean, not Aaron.”

  “Yeah, I figured.” Thought about it. “But no. Neither one of you are really my husband. Yes, there’s a part of me that wants to take care of him, but honestly, this isn’t my world.”

  Martini looked surprised. “You’ve been struggling with this whenever he’s nearby and whenever it’s seemed like he was focused on another woman. What’s changed your outlook?”

  “Stryker Dane and what you said about Amadhia.”

  “Come again?”

  “Seeing Stryker just brought home to me how different it is here. I like it here, and I like all of you, but this isn’t the world I’m from. If I’m forced to stay here, then we’ll figure out what the heck to do. But right now, I’m working on the assumption that once we solve the problems with Australia, I’m going to be zapped home.”

  “Okay, what did you mean about what I said about Amadhia?”

  “Her great adventure. This is my great adventure. And, honestly, it’s been scary and exciting and even romantic, and I think my being here will help all of you. But, even with Mom here, this world is missing something I’m not willing to live without.”

  He smiled gently at me. “Your children.”

  I nodded. “I’m sure my CA is doing a great job with them, but they aren’t hers, they’re mine, and they need me. And it’s been wonderful to see what Jamie could be like, but my Jamie needs my help, not for me to skip off with the perfect version of her. I need to help her become the best she can be, however much or little that might be. And her brothers need to know that I’ve missed them and they can’t know that until I go home and tell them so.”

  He hugged me. “I promise, we’ll get you home.”

  “I’ll hold you to that. Now, let’s get unpacked and then figure out how to ensure that we compliment instead of insult our hosts.”

  Martini grinned. “First time for everything.”

  CHAPTER 73

  THE LESS SAID about the several hours of stress that we went through to prep for meeting the PM couple and not blowing it this time the better. Getting to see video replays of what had happened was a special extra. The call from Strauss bawling us out on speakerphone for going without her was the most fun, and only a few people reprimanded me when I hung up on her mid-rant.

  Our luncheon was confirmed, however, and Martini, Jamie, and I went back to our room to freshen up. I’d kept the sweater dress on, just in case, but happily I hadn’t spilled anything on myself and the sheath dress didn’t even look wrinkled. Jamie looked adorable in a pink and black ensemble, and Martini looked great like he always did.

  Martini had me take the dress off so he could apply sunscreen to my arms and such. I was wearing a bra and panties that showed less than a swimsuit, and I sunburned in three point two minutes, so decided to let this lack of modesty be overruled by common sense. Chose not to wear makeup—I wasn’t a makeup wearer on a regular basis, and the idea of getting lipstick on this outfit was terrifying.

  Zipped back up into my dress and assembled like a picture-perfect VP family, albeit one covered in sunscreen, we went to the level where the main gates were. Apparently A-C Bases went down more than they went up. Refrained from asking if they had groundhog in their DNA and instead just chalked it up to another “aliens are weird” moment.

  The plan was to take a gate to the Canberra airport and then take a limo from there. Martini wasn’t happy about this, but he was overruled by everyone else.

  Well, really, it wasn’t a limo—it was limos, plural. Because there were a lot more than just the three of us. As per usual for the A-Cs, we were rolling with an entourage.

  In addition to the three of us, Alpha Team was coming along as were Charles, Malcolm, Len, Kyle, and, thankfully, Richard and, of course, Singh. No one said it out loud, but it was clear that everyone was hoping that Richard and Singh would do most of the talking, Charles in particular. Pointedly didn’t allow this to hurt my feelings. Much.

  Amadhia and Aaron were also along for the ride, because my “let them sing a song or something” idea was taken as a great Plan B. Both of them were basically acting like kids at Disneyland for the first time, but hopefully their excitement and enthusiasm would wow the PM couple. Thankfully, they hadn’t objected at all to being dressed like every other male or female A-C. Jamie and I were essentially the only spots of color in our entire group. Which meant Jamie and I were exceptionally good targets should someone want to shoot at us. Chose not to point this out, since I had to figure this had occurred to someone else aside from myself.

  We also had a plethora of random guys in suits, which I was told were Field agents who were functioning as A-C Secret Service. And, of course, our massive actual Secret Service contingent. Basically, we looked like the best-dressed and best-looking invading army of penguins ever.

  Because of how nicely everyone was decked out and the brevity of the gate trip from Sydney to Canberra, Martini was encouraged to carry only Jamie through the gate. Chose to show I was a big girl, in part because Aaron and Amadhia couldn’t wait to try the gates and I wasn’t going to let them show me up.

  Field agents and some of the Secret Service went through first. I was sandwiched between Crawford and Martini, which was okay, because if I threw up, I figured Crawford might forgive me for it.

  Crawford did the horrible slow fade thing and then it was my turn. “You can do it, baby,” Martini said softly from behind me.

  Nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped through.

  It had been bad enough being held. Walking through on my own meant I felt the entire transfer. I made the mistake of keeping my eyes open, meaning not only did I see nothingness in front of me, but I could see the world literally rushing by me in my peripheral vision. No wonder my CA never went through this alone or without her face buried in Martini’s neck.

  But in less than two seconds my lead foot hit terra firma and the horrible feeling of the world racing past me at faster than hyperspeed ended a moment later. I gagged, but didn’t throw up, and Crawford was waiting for me, to help me stay up and move me out of the way.

  “Hang in there, Kitty,” he said nicely. “Hopefully that’s the worst today has to offer.”

  “Gaack. Sorry. Yeah, a girl can dream, right?”

  Making me green, well, greener with e
nvy, Amadhia and Aaron both had no issues with the gate. They both thought it was the coolest thing ever and chattered about how they had to write a song about the experience. Apparently they were musical soul mates and literally loved each other’s ideas all the time. Hoped the honeymoon phase would last a long time.

  To their credit, when they saw how sick I looked, Amadhia hugged me and Aaron offered me a peppermint. Accepted both, both of which made me feel somewhat better.

  We’d landed in the middle of a Qantas Airlines executive lounge that had been cleared for us, which was nice and, per my entire lifetime’s experience, typically Australian. It was going to be unsettling, meeting Aussies who were angry with me and mine. I was used to my family being greeted like the Prodigal Reynolds Clan whenever we came back to Sydney and Canberra. To have people I loved not know me and not like me was going to be harder to handle than the gate transfer.

  Entourage assembled, we headed for ground transportation. Apparently the A-Cs had their own worldwide fleet of limos, and, as we went to the area where dignitaries and celebrities got to go—in other words, where the average person and the paparazzi couldn’t—saw at least a dozen gray limos waiting. The entourage heading for them without hesitation indicated these were our sweet rides.

  Martini, Jamie, Charles, Richard, Singh, and I were ushered into the back of one limo together. Len booted the driver and Kyle took shotgun. We weren’t the lead car, but one a few back. Was surprised that neither Malcolm nor the Secret Service were with us. Looked around—Malcolm and the Secret Service were getting into impressive-looking black SUVs. “We’re going to look like a parade. Or a funeral.”

  “Let’s stick with parade,” Charles said.

  “Do you live here? I mean part time.”

  He nodded. “I do. I used to have a place in Sydney but once the A-Cs were outed, so was I, so I gave up my cover home in Sydney and now I have a nice flat in the Forrest suburb of Canberra.”

  “Oh, we looked there. Decided to stay in Sydney and just fly into Canberra when we needed to. Our house is in Darling Point.”

  Charles whistled. “Nice location.”

  “You felt we deserved the best. Besides, it’s not like you’re suffering in Forrest.”

  He grinned. “No argument.”

  Singh sighed. “You two need to stop that and stop it now.”

  Shot a guilty look up at Martini. “Sorry.”

  He shrugged. “All they’re doing is talking about real estate, Raj. However, Kitty, remember that we don’t have a home here.”

  “Right, we live at the Embassy. Why there and not the Naval Observatory?”

  “Due to the anti-alien groups we have all over, we felt it was safer for the Vice President to remain in the Embassy,” Singh said. “And as you’re still the Ambassador, it made sense that way as well.”

  “Is that normal? To have the wife of the VP remain as an ambassador?”

  “When the king of a solar system that has faster-than-light travel and many different kinds of impressive battle cruisers says he’s watching to be sure his relatives aren’t being abused, certain allowances are made,” Richard said with a twinkle.

  “Especially when those battle cruisers saved the planet from other aliens who weren’t so nice,” Charles added.

  Decided I’d better change the subject before they all went into Information Overload Mode. Especially because I’d just remembered something. “Uh, did we actually bring the gift along?”

  “Yes,” Singh said with a smile. He knocked on the glass partition and it lowered. “Kitty needs reassurance. And keep the glass down.” Kyle passed a nicely wrapped box back, which Singh handed to me. “It’s wrapped very well, so even if you drop it, the contents shouldn’t break.”

  “Thanks for that vote of confidence.” Put the package into my purse. “So, we’re heading to the Lodge?”

  “Yes,” Singh confirmed.

  “We’re really obvious. Is no one even the teensiest bit worried about someone, ah, choosing to make a statement?”

  Richard shook his head. “You and Jeffrey are still incredibly popular with the general populace.”

  “Yeah, Kitty,” Len said. “Take a look out the window.”

  Did so, and saw there were some people with signs along the side of the road. “Martini for PM!” “Aliens not Costello,” and “Aliens Speaking For Us All” seemed to be the main slogans.

  Martini groaned. “This isn’t going to help us with the actual Prime Minister, is it?”

  “Probably not, but if we can find a way to turn it into a joke, Tony might get over it.”

  “And that, baby, is why we’re looking to you to save the day.”

  “But no pressure.”

  Richard chuckled. “Don’t worry, Katherine—around here, you saving the day is just routine.”

  CHAPTER 74

  IN MY WORLD, the Lodge was a sore point with everyone—it needed renovations and they were, of course, taking far longer and costing much more than planned.

  Apparently having aliens on the planet made many things go much more smoothly, and one of the favors that the A-Cs had done for Australia was help renovate the Lodge. However, that had been a couple years prior, right after the world got to find out lots of aliens existed all over, so the gratitude was long gone.

  Sadly, the nearer we got to the Lodge, the more people with signs there were. But these weren’t nice signs. The anti-alien protestors had chosen to camp out closer to the Lodge, for obvious political reasons.

  However, our massive fleet of limos and burly SUVs kept them back, and no one threw anything, so all things considered, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.

  Jamie had been quiet for most of the trip and I hugged her. “Are you okay, sweetie-pie?”

  She looked up at me and she looked worried. “Mommy, if you had to stay here, would that make you sad?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I love being with you, and Nona Angela. But I miss my family.”

  “But Daddy and I could be your family.” Jamie sounded worried.

  I hugged her again. “And if that’s what has to happened, then we’ll make it work. But this isn’t something you should be worried about right now, okay?”

  “Okay.” But she sounded doubtful.

  Martini looked worried, too. “What is it?” I asked him quietly.

  He shook his head. “Not sure. But you’re right, it’s something to worry about later.”

  We reached the entry gate and went through. So far, so good. There was plenty of parking, and we pulled in. But no one got out of the car. Everyone seemed on edge until the last vehicle was through and the gates were closed. Then, I felt all the men in the car relax.

  Secret Service and our Field agents got out of the SUVs and fanned out. Only when Evalyne and Phoebe came to our car were we allowed out, and Len and Kyle got out first, then opened the doors to help us out. This was being done for every limo that I could see.

  Once out, I carried Jamie and Martini kept his arm around me, while Evalyne took the lead, with Len and Kyle on either side of us and Phoebe behind. Charles, Richard, and Singh had similar coverage—Secret Service in front and back, Field agents on the side.

  I should have felt safe like this. But I didn’t feel safe at all. I felt like the most exposed target in the world. Not because I saw any danger, but because everyone was acting as if we were one second away from someone tossing a bomb at us.

  However, we made it into the Lodge without issue.

  We were greeted by staff, taken through part of the Lodge, and then taken outside again and led to a lovely patio area, complete with set tables. Apparently we were going to eat outside.

  This boded for a variety of reasons, sunburn being only one of them. While there were umbrellas over tables, every seat left for us was in direct sunlight somehow. That screamed planning, not ac
cident. Was thankful Akiko had given me that lovely sunhat, which I put on. Sadly, there was no hat for Jamie, meaning I was going to have to try to shield her as best I could or have her sit under the table within ten minutes.

  What boded even more was that the press was here, complete with a lot of cameras. Sure, this was a big deal, but it seemed set up to make us look bad—or keep us on our best behavior. But press around meant that there was no way to actually relax and be real people. Everyone would be forced to be a politician all the time. The only positive was that I saw no video cameras, meaning they’d get stills only. So one small favor.

  But we did the paws shake, brief though it was, cameras flashing. “It’s nice to see you under better conditions,” I said to Margie, who flashed the briefest smile ever and didn’t reply. Okay, they were really pissed.

  Having seen the footage, I understood some of it. But the rest had to be because their people currently thought Martini and I were the greatest. Or else they were really happy to buckle to the anti-alien contingent. This wasn’t like the Tony and Margie I knew, but things were different here.

  We made some idle chitchat for a while that didn’t address any of the issues. Any time Martini or I tried to apologize, we were ignored or the conversation shifted away to the lovely weather or how cold it was or wasn’t in D.C. at this time of year.

  The food was set up as a buffet, which was casual but awkward considering how everyone was dressed. Well, awkward for me and Jamie, anyway. Everyone else was apparently used to dressing formally every day of their lives.

  After fifteen minutes of awkward and uncomfortable chatting, during which neither Tony nor Margie smiled even once, they suggested we all eat. They sent us through the buffet line first, supposedly to be polite. But of course that meant we were going to look like pigs in the many photos being snapped. Fine, whatever. Got a small plate of food for me and for Jamie. Martini was still in the food line, chatting with the waitstaff, all of whom seemed to enjoy speaking with him, marking them as non-politicians.