Incoming

by Mel Todd

  "Sure. About what?"

  Doug just shook his head. "Let me do some prep work. I have an idea, though it's a long shot." He already had his phone out. George looked at him then her and settled back into his chair to watch.

  McKenna sighed in frustration, no one had any answers. "Fine. Food, then the range. We're going to be the poster children for this no matter what. We‘d better make sure we're ready and can do what's needed." Everyone fell silent at that, and both George and Doug glanced at each other, then pulled out phones and began to type furiously.

  They stopped and got food, decent takeout, ordering enough for twenty people. The rest of the ride completed in silence, everyone busy with their own thoughts, or at least McKenna assumed that. Her mind whirled, trying to think of options, but she had no control over any of this and that might just drive her up the wall.

  They were met at the base by another nice Marine and escorted to an area where they could change, literally this time. With an odd sense of relief she flowed into the form and stretched. They'd still all been food-stuffing as much as possible, but it felt good to shift. She pulled on her kilt and a tank top. This form didn't require a bra or even underwear and the kilt didn't crimp her tail, which usually hurt.

  ~Okay, I'll give you that the kilts work in this form, but still don't know about it as regular wear,~ Perc said as they were still getting dressed.

  ~Just wait until you have to shift on the fly and get your tail kinked. That hurts.~ Toni's voice had a wry experience to it that made McKenna grin. Minutes later they were all out, and the same Marine escorted them to the range but kept looking at them sideways, a wary look on his face.

  "I'm still the same person I was ten minutes ago," McKenna pointed out, trying not to be annoyed.

  "Give me a break, ma'am. I'm walking next to a fricking were-cat. It's a bit creepy."

  McKenna barked out a laugh. "Try having an AI talk in your head."

  "Thanks, but no thanks, ma'am. Having my sergeants yell at me is more than enough voices for me." They all chuckled at that as he dropped them off with the range officer. A gruff man, his arms folded over a burly chest, glaring at them.

  "I'm supposed to teach you how shoot these M-16s? Huh. Anyone have any experience shooting anything?" McKenna and JD raised their hands, but no one else did. "Great, a bunch of newbies. Just what I fucking needed. Okay, get up here while I explain to you exactly what these are and how to take care of them."

  An hour later they knew how to clean it, deal with most jams, the history of the weapon, and what sort of ammo it used. It came to them almost too easy, and Cass pointed that out.

  ~Think this is more sleep learning? Or something else?~

  [The basic principles of point and fire weapons don't change much for how they work. While the weapons the Elentrin use are energy-based, the principle of aim and fire are similar. These weapons even seem comparable in weight.]

  McKenna didn't know if that made her feel better or worse, but when the range officer barked at her, she snapped her attention back to him.

  "Now, how the hell am I supposed to get hearing protectors and safety glasses on you?"

  With a start, she glanced and realized in this form all their skulls were too wide for hearing protectors to fit.

  ~I never thought about that. What are we going to do?~ Cass asked, sounding like she chewed on her nail. McKenna glanced over to make sure she wasn't.

  How was that possible?

  An odd silence stretched out, then Wefor spoke, though a bit slow. [Tell your nanobots to reduce your hearing by seventy-five percent? The AI had an odd tone to her comment.

  ~Umm, okay?~ McKenna sent the command through her mind and the mindspace, and felt the sound around her decrease drastically.

  ~Did you guys get that?~

  ~That is so cool. Why does McKenna get all the cool toys?~ JD teased in her head. She elbowed him in the ribs, hard. His mental voice disappeared as the others snickered.

  ~This is awesome. Next time the kids are going ballistic, I'm just lowering my hearing. This will make my life so much easier. Why didn't we know we could do this?~ Toni said, glee in her voice.

  [Why would you not know that? They respond to you when you change forms. Why would you not think they would respond to basic commands? Difficult ones like making McKenna's soles hard enough to walk without shoes might require an AI. But basic biological controls have always been yours.]

  Silence filled the mindspace, and they all looked at each other. McKenna thought if she didn't have fur covering her body she might have blushed.

  She cleared her throat, turning to look at the range officer. "Not a problem, took care of the hearing stuff. We're at seventy-five percent hearing-wise." She reached over and put on the glasses, which felt odd, but fit okay. "Let's go." Maybe she showed too many teeth from how he flinched back.

  They followed him out and learned to shoot. Figuring out how to get fingers that were a bit too wide for the trigger guards to work. They had to remove the bottom of the guards and their clawed fingers fit. But once she realized her claws were more than strong enough to pull the trigger it got much easier. They all seemed to be decent shots.

  [Practicing long distance would be good. Most blaster fire really only works under one hundred yards. Projectile weapons are more effective at the longer distances than what the Elentrin will come prepared with.]

  "Sir?" McKenna said on one of the breaks for reloading and checking targets. "Can we do some long shots? Over two hundred yards."

  He glared at them then nodded. "These are eighteen-inch barrels which are good up to about six hundred yards. But you'll need to learn to do the math to adjust for the drop," he warned, his eyes narrowing.

  "Try us."

  Sure enough, Wefor could whisper in all their minds, helping them adjust and hit the center of the target consistently. By the time they were done, the officer grunted.

  "You might not suck. Anything else?"

  "No. Thank you for your time." This time McKenna didn't smile at him. The same young Marine escorted them back out.

  "Did you need to change back?"

  "Huh?" His voice came across faint and muffled.

  ~Oh shit, hearing is still cranked down.~ She sent a mental order to restore hearing to normal. ~Wefor, can we make our hearing better too?~

  [Of course. Along with vision in this form. As this is a manufactured form, all variables can be changed. While in your human and animal form only minimal controlled changes can be made. Size of genitalia, skin imperfections, damage repair. Things like that. Though it is advised to do the changes slowly otherwise the energy expenditure might be too great. Males have been known to be a bit over-zealous in their changes.]

  Perc and JD stumbled to a stop as the women choked on laughter. The young Marine looked at them, confused, as he stepped back a pace from them. "I'm sorry? Did you want me to take you back to the changing rooms or to your vehicles?"

  As one the women cracked up laughing even as JD and Perc's hands twitched then they clasped them behind them, staring up at sky.

  "Yes, to the car. I think we want to stay in this form for a while."

  The Marine looked at them funny but shrugged and led them to the waiting vehicle, even as the women tried very hard to control their giggles.

  Chapter 19 - Plans in Motion

  Ambassadors have been seen leaving a special meeting, and rumors are flying, but they make no sense. Something about a space fleet and a special announcement in the next day from the president. Other countries are currently having closed-door meetings, and the queen has closed all royal property, stopping all tours and access. China has locked down their borders and has ordered all airlines to cancel flights as they will not be allowed to land. All guard units in the US are being sent out to various locations across the states with no information as to why or what is going on. Who are we going to war with? Why isn't anyone talking to us? ~ TNN Special Alert

  McKenna had no desire to go back to hum
an, so she stayed in warrior form as they were taken back to the house. It seemed an eternity since they left that morning. Now she just wanted to be home, but that wouldn't happen again for a while.

  If ever.

  She pushed back the traitorous thought and focused instead on what they would need to do. But she didn't know. Giving up, she just thought about what she could do, and a plan slowly formed. As they got out, she noticed none of the others had gone back to human either. While they looked odd, it seemed like the right option, and she didn't think about it much as they headed into the house.

  "Kenna," she heard the yell and turned to see the kids all stopped and looking at the adults as they walked in. Their eyes were wide as they looked at her.

  "What's up-" Carina came up behind the kids carrying a half-asleep Nam, and her chocolate skin paled to a milky brown color as she looked at them.

  "What's wrong?" McKenna asked, worry spiking through her as she started to move forward, feeling the others behind her.

  "We haven't seen that form since that day." Charley whispered in a low voice, and McKenna remembered.

  "Oh. Want us to change back?" She started to reach for the human, but the kids shook their heads. Jamie and Jessi pushing back Charley and reaching their mom.

  "No. I think this feels right. We need to see this even if we aren't supposed to shift yet," he said slowly. Nam lifted her head and looked at them. Her eyes widened then she blinked and started to wiggle.

  Carina set her down and took a deep breath. "I know you had talked about it but seeing it in person is impressive." She blew out a shaky breath. "I had food delivered. Ready to eat?" Her hands trembled a bit, but her color had started to return to normal.

  "Yes. And I'd like us all to talk. Kids, too."

  They decided to stay in warrior and see how hard eating like humans was, most of the time they were in the jungle they'd never paid attention to manners. It might prove useful to know if they could be polite while dining with others.

  It took a bit to figure out how to handle flatware, Cass having to give up and partially shift her hands back. The claws just too long to be able to manipulate effectively. When they had fallen into a comfortable pattern, McKenna updated Carina and the kids on the status of everything.

  The news sank in, and even the sounds of eating slowed.

  "What does this mean? Will there be a war? Can we, well, you and the military stop them?" Carina asked as she glanced at the kids, chewing on her lip a bit.

  "I don't know. All we have are the dreams to go on, and what Wefor can tell us about their weapons. We may or may not." McKenna sighed. "And I don't know what they're going to do or plan. Maybe tomorrow."

  There didn't seem much else to say. McKenna grabbed Nam and Charley for some much needed cuddling on both their parts. She ended up reading them a story, more because they all craved the interaction than any other reason. Tucking them into bed, McKenna wished everyone good night in the mindspace, not wanting to go bug the others right now.

  Slipping into bed, she reached for sleep, wanting an escape from all the bad choices that lay in front of her.

  "Commander. Come in. The others are here to meet you. The arrival locations have been selected." The same male stood there, his white tail flicking side to side. McKenna walked through the door and saw two others standing at attention in the small conference room. She inspected them, glad the body she borrowed had the same inclination.

  One male, one unknown, or at least she assumed it was male as he wore a wrap at hip level. Armored and hitting about knee length. Covered with fur that was beige with dark purple stripes in it, but no tail like her or the one who always seemed to be giving orders. The feel was cat-like, but he had aspects of a bear, the bulk and wide stance brought that to mind.

  The other one stunned her. Which seemed stupid given everything else. But it had light grey leathery skin covering its body, all the way to a smooth juncture between its legs. A long tail lay perfectly still behind it, the leathery skin fading into a darker grey, almost black. Its head much more reptilian than anything, but even from where she stood she could feel the heat of its breath. But it didn't look at all like the graceful Drakyn. More chunky, almost like a Komodo dragon, no grace, all power.

  "This is Commander," his voice fritzed out, and she couldn't hear the word he said. "And Commander." Again him saying the name didn't register. McKenna tried to ask him to repeat it, but the body nodded at the other two.

  "Sit, all of you." They sank onto stools that flowed and adapted to their bodies even as a map of Earth appeared on the wall to the speaker's right. "Scanning from this distance isn't possible. Even in orbit, the concentration of beings is too dense to determine Kaylid populations. Given standard programming the Ayl Mites should have been more successful in the denser populations. While they have not achieved this space flight, it is believed they have some technology. Standard operations. We will land at the public areas in these three spaces." He pointed to three places on the map of the continents. One she recognized as New York's Manhattan Island. That, at least, would be obvious. Another spot lit up in China on the coast with a kind of triangley part that looked like it pointed towards Japan, but she didn't know enough to tell where other than China. The third was in what she thought was Turkey.

  Is that Istanbul? Only major city I know of. If that's correct only we might have any sort of realistic presence. Oh, this is going to suck.

  "The shuttles will drop at each of these locations after a full day of orbit. They have not achieved space flight, so the presence of the ships should cow them. Play on their superstitions if needed. Given the estimated populous, the expected Kaylid has been revised upwards to at least thirty million. Another ship has been called in for collection. Given that they can home on these ships once orbit has been achieved, they should arrive about three liad after orbit. With that population base, expected harvesting is fifteen million. That should create a buffer for the next few years as only two new Drakyn planets have been found. Currently waiting for resource stockpiles to increase before raiding them." The male turned and looked at them, his tail peeking out on each side as it twitched.

  "You will be deployed with full guards, in ceremonial arm, and live weapons. You are to escort the ambassadors while they meet with whoever. If they do not agree to our terms, eliminate those who will make the biggest impression. Usually females or children work the best for that sort of example." His voice had no emotion as he spoke. "Your scanners will pick up the Ayl Mites mites and you can start collecting Kaylid for transport. All weapons will have both the disable settings for the Ayl and normal damage settings for any who resist."

  As his eyes scanned over them, McKenna realized he didn't have a pupil and iris like she expected, and she had to resist shivering.

  "Are there any questions or concerns?"

  The one that reminded her of a Komodo turned into a person raised its hand. The male nodded at it.

  "Given the population density mentioned, is resistance expected?"

  The other two blinked at him even as McKenna mentally laughed wildly.

  Oh yea, there's going to be resistance. I'll kill all of you with my bare hands before you touch my kids.

  "Unlikely. Experience has taught us that most non-warriors are ineffective at fighting back. This may change, but given the lack of space flight, it is doubtful they will have any truly effective weapons."

  For the first time McKenna was glad she had no control over this form. Otherwise she might have fallen out of her chair laughing.

  "Follow me to get fitted for your outfits."

  ~McKenna? Kenna?~ The voice matched with the sound outside her body, someone saying her name. Her eyes flew open to see Perc shaking her. "Hey. You okay?"

  She held up her finger. ~Wefor, did you get that?~ McKenna kept hoping maybe with the changes Wefor could see or hear something.

  [No. I am not able to tap into these. The ones that are pure training yes. But this, this is different and no
t one the programming recognizes.] There seemed to be a hint of confusion from the AI but McKenna didn't have time to follow up on that right now.

  ~I need a map of the world. ASAP.~ No one even asked questions, they just moved even as she scrambled out of bed, uncaring that all she had on was a t-shirt and underwear.

  ~Have one up on the laptop down here,~ Cass responded as she tore down the stairs. As she reached the table, Cass turned it towards her. McKenna scanned the map and zoomed in.

  "Okay, I think these are the two locations. Think, mind you." She pointed at the big city that almost pointed towards Japan. "Shanghai. Then the other one was in Turkey, which has to be right here." She pointed at Istanbul.

  "Why there?" JD asked, leaning in and looking. "Weren't there going to be three?"

  "Third is New York City. They just said clearing in the city. I'd guess Central Park? Not sure of any other clear areas in NYC."

  They all sat and looked at her, and she shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

  "Why did you get pulled in? Did anyone else?" Perc asked. ~Toni, did you?~

  Toni hadn't come downstairs and McKenna realized it was morning. She glanced at the laptop and saw that it was after seven.

  "Shit, when are they coming to get us?"

  "Not us, just you, JD, and Perc," Toni said from behind her. "I bowed out. I want to spend time with the kids, and Cass said her work contacted her, begging her to ignore the idiot that said she was fired. Apparently there is some clause about her patents if she is fired without just cause. So, she's going to stay home to work out some stuff with them. Besides, I want us to go explore DC. While we can. But no, I didn't go anywhere, I just slept."

  ~Wefor, we need to talk about this at some point and figure out why we are getting these overlaps and this information. But not now.~ She turned and headed up the stairs, almost tripping as a private message pinged her.