by Mel Todd
~Sexy look,~ Perc said. She whirled, tugging her t-shirt down as she did. But he'd already disappeared. McKenna headed into the shower, a smile curving her lips as she remembered they weren't dead yet.
Chapter 20 - True Faces
More and more people are reporting dreams. To the point there are multiple Reddit links that describe the different types of dreams. But consistently people are in this warrior form, even if they've never taken that form before, and they are practicing skills they've never had. There have been reports of people who had tested out as functionally illiterate now reading at high school level with skills in science and mechanics. Is this a side effect of this form or is there something else going on we haven't been told about? ~ KWAK News Special Report
The car pulled up just as she got downstairs. "Here, food." Toni handed her what looked like a burrito.
"Thanks. You sure you're okay staying here?"
"Positive." Toni shook her head. "I'm scared if I go I'll strangle someone or shift and show them exactly what a pissed off Kaylid can do."
McKenna laughed. "Yeah, I know the temptation. Stay in touch. Let me know if you need anything."
They got into the car, and McKenna bit into the burrito, pleasantly surprised to find it full of eggs, potatoes, meat and cheese.
~Thank you, Toni.~
~Thank Carina. She made them when she realized how late you all were.~ McKenna became aware JD and Perc were also chowing. She focused on the food until it she had eaten every bite. Traffic was heavier as they were on the road much later than normal. With a full stomach, she closed her eyes and pinged Toni, though she kept it in the public mindspace.
~Whatever you pay her it isn't enough. And at this rate I need to double what I've been paying her for watching Charley. Especially as we're adding Nam to that.~
~Oh, speaking of which, she asked me this morning if she could "change blood with me and Carina."~ The mental sigh from Toni felt odd but McKenna understood it. ~I had to explain to her that Carina can't talk to us as she doesn't have nanobots, though I explained it a bit differently. But I did exchange with her. Makes me feel better she can call for either of us now.~
McKenna chewed on her lip. ~Have you told Carina I can change her?~ She felt everyone else, especially the kids, snap to attention.
~You can change people?~ Cass and Jessi asked at almost the same time.
~Yeah. Apparently, it's something commanders can do. I just have to bite you while in warrior form and order the nanobots to infect you, basically.~ McKenna blinked then realized something. ~Umm…. You guys do realize you won't age and are effectively immortal if you don't get killed, right? And that this won't pass onto your children as the nanobots aren't in women's eggs because they were formed before we were infected. And sperm are too small to hold enough of them to spread.~
A stunned silence filled the mindscape, even the kids'.
~No offense, McKenna, but I need to think about this.~ Cass's tone held shock and a bit of wobbliness. McKenna glanced at JD, his face drawn and his hand clenched in a tight fist.
She opened a private channel to him. ~I'm sorry. I forgot they didn't know. It seems like I've always known at this point.~
~Not your fault. I had forgotten they didn't know, either. After all that time in the jungle I forgot the fact they hadn't always been there.~
~Yeah.~ They spent the rest of the trip silent, and McKenna wanted to cry at all the things spinning out of her control.
Oh, stop it. Nothing has ever been in your control. All you can do is be responsible for yourself. You didn't ask for any of this. Quit crying over crap you can't control.
Her own mental voice provided the slap she needed, and she refocused on her plans.
The agent opening the door looked at her. "Ma'am, sirs, I've been asked to escort you immediately to one of the rooms."
McKenna shrugged and went with them. They went through the same metal detectors, but she noticed a lot more agents watching them, suit coats off and guns in easy reach.
~Nice to know they regard us as a threat. Guess someone paid attention to what you did and took it seriously.~ Her comment was back in the public domain and JD grunted but didn't say anything.
They were escorted into a room and carefully placed at the end with no exit, though McKenna noted this room had two doors, both near the front where the president, SecDef, joint chief, and a few other people sat.
The president glanced up at them and forced an expression that might have been a smile.
"Detectives, Mr. Alexander. Glad you can join us. Am I remembering correctly that you, Ms. Largo, are the only person who can understand the Elentrin if they talk in their language?" he asked, even as General Murphy crossed his arms and sneered.
"As far as I know, yes."
"Fine, we keep her here for the meeting. It doesn't change my point. We need to contain all these shifters and force them to come to us. We lock them up and keep them contained, create kill boxes for these damn aliens coming in. If a few of the shifters die that's fine, it deprives these aliens of what they want."
McKenna blinked, looking at him with confusion then glanced over at JD and Perc who both had frowns on their faces.
"Arnold, I'm telling you this won't work." Doug protested through clenched teeth. "You can't get them all."
"Who cares if a few slip through the cracks, you'll have the majority of them for their own protection and these can convince them that doing it is in their best interest." Arnold jerked at head at McKenna and the two men sitting on the other side of her.
"Excuse me. What exactly are you suggesting?"
Arnold stood, moving towards her, and she really wished she'd worn the kilt and stayed in warrior form, but all of them had slipped back into human.
The joint chief stalked forward as he talked. "That you are going to help me protect this country. All the shifters are going to be rounded up, placed in prisons, and I'll deploy the military there. That way the only people at risk are my men and these creatures. So the aliens can get killed trying to kill them. We can possibly eliminate two problems at once. The incoming invasion and this contamination that they saddled us with. Sometimes all you can do is kill the disease carriers to protect the rest of the population." By the time he finished he loomed over McKenna glaring down at her.
JD and Perc were all but vibrating with rage. McKenna couldn't even get mad, she just stared at him, then glanced to the side at the exhausted-looking President Carl Simon and Secretary Doug Burby.
"Is he insane? Or just really that stupid?" she asked, curious.
"Don't give me any lip, girlie. You're going to help us round up all these people and do what you can to make sure these aliens don't kill any good citizens." He all but snarled at her.
McKenna blinked at him and started to laugh. A full laugh that shook her entire body and had tears coming to her eyes and gasping for breath. The general sputtered and looked at her as JD and Perc fed her info about the reaction of the agents around the room.
~They're a bit anxious, hands on weapons. I don't think shifting in here would be a good idea, especially as none of us have the bulletproof upgrade,~ Perc pointed out even as she felt him tensing and altering his position.
When she could breathe again, she stood and walked slowly towards the secretary, making sure to keep the table between her and the president, just for the agents' peace of mind. No reason to make them more stressed. She was aware of the general following her and glaring at her as she sat down in a chair a bit away from the other two men.
"I'm serious. Is he insane or have a stroke or something?"
"I've been wondering that for the last hour," the SecDef muttered.
"It's the only answer. We consolidate, create targets, and pull the enemy to us. We give them what they think they want so we can prevent them from getting anything. Shifters are only two percent of the population of Earth. We can't sacrifice everyone else for a small subsection of abnormalities." The general all but spat the words as he reclaimed his
seat.
"You must be an idiot." She looked right at him as she said this. Wefor provided her with info as she asked for it, trying to convince these people to get rid of this moron. "Two percent roughly, yes. That means in the US alone there are over six million shifters. You can't imprison that many people. Not to mention the military has been actively recruiting them. You going to start another Japanese concentration camp thing? With people who can shift into a form that will go through most of your men without trying? Did you miss what we can do in warrior form? JD suspects he can dead lift over a thousand pounds in that form. We played with weapons yesterday, and those forms adjust to weapons fast. Do you think people like that will allow themselves to be caged or treated as the enemy?"
"Then we kill them now, and give these aliens no reason to come here. We eliminate two problems and these aliens will go bother other countries. Bottom line is a win/win for us."
McKenna felt her jaw fall open in shock. It didn't make her feel better to see the surprise on the other men's faces, though the Secret Service agents were carefully neutral.
[The odds of that working are low. They would just seed the planet again, and this time the nanobots would not be damaged. So humans would turn into the ravening beasts as the rule.]
~Okay. But I'm not telling them that. Right now I need to see how they react. JD, Perc this may have become a lot more dangerous than we thought. We might need to be ready to run. Toni, Cass? You get that?~
~Yes. Preparing to-go bags now. The kids are way too pragmatic about this option.~ Toni's comment had wryness to it, it tasted like pepper to McKenna, an odd sensation.
"Arnold. I knew you were an old stick-in-the-mud, but you had experience and have been a good ally when it came to race and gender in the military. But this is not acceptable. I expect your resignation on my desk by the end of the day. Your vice chairman will fill your position until a new person can be appointed." The general began to splutter and stood, but the president turned and looked at the agents. "Please escort this man out of here and ensure he removes his personal items from his office. Let the vice chair know his presence is required immediately. Get my chief of staff to update him." He moved his attention back to the general. "I don't have time for racism in my administration. And I sure as hell will never sacrifice Americans because it's efficient. Get out."
His voice hard and cold, and McKenna raised her eyebrows, a bit more respect creeping in. The agents leapt into action, and before she had time to reorient herself, the man was gone and the stress level in the room had dropped sharply.
"That was not our original plan, and I'm not sure why he thought that would ever be acceptable. It is very difficult to protect a spread-out population, especially when we can't stop them from attacking, but that is not a valid option," the secretary said, his bald head shining in the lights.
"Why can't we stop them? I mean they would have to come down in ships or shuttles. They do have to travel to get here."
His smile had no humor, only bitterness in it. "While the idea of shooting incoming ships is great, in reality it doesn't exist. Most of our defenses are for objects coming in on a more flat trajectory rather than straight down. Even nuclear missiles come in at angles and we have quite a bit of time to get a firing solution. Hundreds of thousands of troops dropping in?" He shrugged. "That's why HALO insertions are so effective. We can protect a few areas, but the country from an invasion like this? We don't have a chance."
The words sank in, and McKenna took a minute to mull it over. "So we have to fight." She rubbed her face, her fingers massaging her temples as her heart triple-beat.
"Yes." His voice hard and cold. "The weapons difference is what worries me."
"I might be able to help with that. They're really only good at a few hundred yards. I don't think they would expect some stuff, like snipers. You know, long-distance shots." McKenna was good with a pistol, but long shots really weren't anything she'd ever played with, so she didn't know what was possible.
"Now that's interesting. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. There are lots of hunters across this country." He frowned. "But how will they know if they're from the aliens or not?"
McKenna chewed on her lip. She hadn't noticed uniforms, the body types were too varied in the few glimpses of anything she'd focused on in the dreams.
~Guys, you've had more dreams than I have. Can you think of anything?~
~Beside that they're trying to kill us?~ Cass asked with a touch of her normal humor. ~No. Kilt-like things are popular with the ones with tails, and there were jumpsuits on the ship but I didn't see a uniform.~
~Neither did I. Everyone was always in warrior form and seemed to be wearing what worked for them. Granted it was always gray, no color or any accessories. But nothing that would scream not of Earth besides the weapons. And honestly, they kind of looked like Nerf guns, if they weren't killing people,~ Perc responded.
An idea flickered in her mind.
~Wefor, if we have body piercings, would shifting forms cause it to fall out? Or would it stay?~
A huh feeling spread across the mindscape.
[Unknown. But that might work.]
"Sirs, is there a way to get someone here to pierce our ears? A big silver or gold hoop? Something visible. We think maybe having earrings in our ears in warrior form would provide an easy way to tell humans. The Kaylid are treated as disposable and kept in tubes until needed, so there isn't much life, personality, to their beings."
"One thing I have learned since being in office, almost nothing is impossible." The president glanced at one of the non-agents in the room, people seemed to come and go every time she looked up. He nodded and stepped out, pulling out his phone as he did so. "Anything else?"
"I think I know where they'll be coming to talk to us. Remember we still aren't sure why we're tapping into events on the ships, much less if they're accurate, but so far the training and information has seemed to correlate." She shrugged and explained where they thought the ships would land. "None of this means they can't change their minds, but so far I haven't felt much flexibility from them. They seem very ordered and planned."
The president nodded and glanced at Doug who closed his eyes shaking his head. "We can let them know. Get the secretary of state on board. He's got decent relations with them. Maybe they'll listen. We have about eight days before they're above Earth, assuming the time line doesn't change. But in reality, we have about three days before anyone with a telescope can see them, and no amount of explanations is going to convince anyone it is anything other than what it is, aliens." He took a deep breath.
"So here's my plan. I'm hoping you'll help because unless some new information appears I don't see any options. Have your friends come over. This is going to take all of us."
Perc and JD joined them and the President waved off the stressed agents with a snapped comment of, "We have aliens about to attack. Do you really think three people are the bigger threat right now?"
There was a growl from Christopher about them being the immediate threat, but he stepped back and let them talk. The plan made McKenna both uneasy and feel better at the same time. They'd gotten most of the details worked out when a woman with multiple piercings and tattoos was escorted in by one of the nameless assistants.
"This is Tamara. She's one of the best in the area. She agreed to come."
The woman's eyes were a bit wide, but she forced a smile. "Hey. Umm, you needed something pierced?"
"Yeah. Let me go first with this. I'll shift to warrior then let her pierce me. McKenna, you want to let her pierce you now then see if you can shift to warrior and keep it in the correct place?" Perc asked.
McKenna nodded, but kept a wary eye on the jumpy agents as he shifted to warrior. While all of them could handle and heal from a bullet wound, probably, a headshot would still kill them.
The agents tensed, but no guns were drawn as Perc shifted. The woman squeaked and drew back a bit, her eyes wide.
"Oh holy mother
of god." The word a soft whisper as she looked at him.
"I give," his voice a bit thick. "I'm going to kilts too. This is too blasted uncomfortable with a tail."
JD laughed and gave a little fist pump. "Eventually everyone will come around to my way of thinking."
Tamara had gotten control and opened up her case. "If I understand you want an earring? I have a shifter friend and as far as we can tell anything we do will heal almost instantly. So normally I'd shave the area and tell you to let it heal before swapping out to another ring. But in this case I think we can avoid some of that. May I?" she asked, stepping close and looking at his ear. "I'd do it up here about midway between. Though I still should shave it to prevent issues."
"Let me try something first." Perc's eyes closed and his thick brows wrinkled pulling up the whiskers on either side of his face. The hair on his right ear faded away leaving bare skin there.
[See? Why didn't you realize you could do that?]
~Shush. It's been a bit crazy.~ McKenna said, rolling her eyes.
"Ookay," the woman said slowly. "I'll pierce, then tell me when it's healed and I'll swap it out to what you want. Given what little I heard, I inferred you wanted something visible and sturdy." She pulled open another drawer and exposed a bunch of rings. McKenna recognized them as titanium, all quarter size hoops or larger.
"Ah, I like that one." Perc pointed at a thick band of twisted grey with a bead in the middle about the size of a half dollar.
"Sure. Ready?" Perc nodded. She put the gun to his ear and checking the positioning, pulled the trigger. Perc winced then closed his eyes again.
~You telling them to heal that there?~
~Yes. This is kind of obvious once you think about it,~ he replied as he opened his eyes. "Okay, you can remove it now."
Tamara's eyes rose but she did it, revealing a neat hole in the ear. She slipped in the ring and sealed it with the bead.
"Now me. Same thing, but can I get that rainbow blue and purple one please?" McKenna pointed to a twist of colors, similar styles but in blues and purples instead of the boring steel color.
