Incoming

by Mel Todd

  "Other than collecting Kaylid? Not really," she trailed off, thinking about how Ash reacted.

  "I hear a ‘but' there." The SecDef prompted.

  McKenna sighed, and glanced back at the others.

  ~Am I crazy, or do you think these Kaylid don't know how to actually fight? That no one has any experience with a population actively resisting. And the density of our populations will surprise them?~

  ~Now that you mention it, I've seen our munchkins attack with more ferocity than I saw the Drakyn. They almost seemed like they didn't understand how to fight.~ Toni's voice was thoughtful, though Jessi glared at her for the munchkin comment.

  "McKenna? Are you there?" Doug's voice pulled her out of the mental conversation.

  "Sorry, yes. Discussing something. I think the civil defense and the number of people we have that will fight will be a benefit to us. Though their weapons up close are going to be hard to deal with."

  This time there was a pause on the other end, and she caught words as he talked to someone, but didn't try to listen in. Instead she thought about the people she knew, the cops, firefighters, heck, martial artists. Maybe they needed to see.

  "Okay, explain your reasoning to me." He seemed to have moved to a quieter place. So she did. Talking about the odd dreams they had and people always running.

  "You are sure they don't have any more powerful weapons?"

  "Sure? No. I did see one thing to fight something, but I couldn't tell you for sure if that was their best or if that's what worked on what they needed to fight. One thing to remember is just because Wefor doesn't know about it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To a very real extent, she is a computer program and only knows what was in her databases. If the information we're asking for or about isn't in her memory, she doesn't know. And I don't think she or I know the difference between the information not being there, and the answer being there isn't any."

  "Point. I think we may have started to regard her as all-knowing, and bottom line she's human intelligence, which means she has her own shortcomings, biases, and flaws in the data she provided." He muttered a vicious curse word and McKenna nodded in sympathy.

  "Okay. I'm going to advise we change up our meet and greet party, but you know that people will see the shuttles coming down and be there to meet them. Central Park is huge and there's no way to get everyone out of there. The minute some people see our presence there, it will draw some of them like a we're giving away free phones."

  "Understood. We're working on getting the others to understand Elentrin, but we don't know how long it will take. I had an idea I wanted to try out. Do you think the agent who shifted could come over?"

  "Caroline? I can ask. She doesn't report to me, but I'll shoot Christopher a message. Anything else?"

  "Time line yet?" McKenna really wanted it to be now, waiting was the worst, and all of them were getting more anxious. If there was a war, for some reason she'd rather be fighting it at home. Besides, the kids had proven they knew all the places to hide from adults. It would probably work just as well for Kaylid.

  "Tomorrow, moving three of you there. You decide. The rest are going to stay in the townhouse. If this all goes wrong, well, we don't want you all in one place. No matter how much stronger you are together."

  McKenna clenched her teeth together but couldn't say anything. "Will do. See you then." Hanging up the phone, she glanced at the quiet room. Everyone had coffee and food in front of them, but their focus was on her.

  You're the commander, step up and command.

  "First, Charley, Jessi, Jamie, Nam—remember how you hid when we got taken?"

  The kids minus Nam glanced at each other and nodded, a bit embarrassed. They still hadn't had time to pry out of the kids exactly what had happened, only the generalities.

  "Good. I want you to explore in animal shapes. We'll come with you. But I want you to find safe places to run to and hide. Once we get a few of them and decide they're safe, I want you to take supplies to them. If anything happens, if we get attacked, you change into animal forms and run there as fast as you can."

  Charley looked unexpectedly serious, looking first at the adults then glancing at the twins. Jessi and Jamie both nodded at him and Jamie got off his chair to sit by Nam who just looked at all of them, her ears twitching back and forth a bit.

  ~Thank you,~ the words were whispered in her mind, soft and low, but McKenna knew they came from Toni.

  "Next thing. I asked if they could send Caroline over here. JD and I have some basic fighting training, what they teach all police. JD, do you know any other techniques?"

  JD shook his head. "Usually my size means I almost never fight."

  "Same here." Perc added. "On the field I'm avoiding getting tackled, and few people are going to pick a fight with me. Basic punching, not much else."

  McKenna chewed on her lip. "Think of all the people who know martial arts, kickboxing, or are just good athletes. I bet the Kaylid are going to be surprised when we don't go down easy. But I want to see what a trained martial artist can do against a Kaylid who isn't." She forced a bright smile. "We get to be test dummies."

  "Just don't look at me. I can barely manage to make a fist…" Cass trailed off, her face pensive. "but I remember fighting, and my body knew what to do. It moved automatically. I wouldn't assume that the Kaylid don't know how to fight."

  "Oh," now McKenna tried to think. She hadn't had the same types of dreams. "You practiced fighting?"

  Most of them nodded. "Yeah, I remember going through forms, kind of martial art-like, but not anything I could tell you the name of," Toni contributed.

  McKenna wondered how much else she might be missing, or not thinking about, the coffee started to sour in her stomach.

  "What exactly do you learn? Mine were never like that, but I still seem to know some of it."

  Toni shrugged. "Some. But it never seemed all that different from what the others saw." She cast her eyes towards the kids. "Besides, we never talked about it much. Just that we had them. Mine were mostly practicing, shooting their odd guns." She watched McKenna, her face blank. "Nothing all that exciting."

  McKenna looked at her and started to say something, but now wasn't the time to push Toni for something she obviously didn't want to talk about.

  "Okay. Let's go hunt for safe places, then maybe this afternoon Caroline can see how much we suck, or if we're really good."

  Doubt nibbled at her, wondering if she would get them all killed because she'd made assumptions. Would Earth fall because of her own arrogance?

  I wonder if I can go throw up now. What if they have weapons I just haven't seen? What if all of this is a horrible game to make us think we can fight?

  She started to pull out her phone again to call the secretary of defense.

  "Kenna." McKenna glanced up to see JD walking towards her. "Listen to me. There is nothing that has been set up that depends on your being a hundred percent accurate. Quit second guessing yourself."

  "I was never trained for this. I'm a good police officer. I know my job, I can handle idiots, drunks, people who are angry, suicidal, or just violent. I don't know how to help with this, and yet I'm in the middle of all it. What if I'm wrong?"

  "Then you're wrong. You're a good officer, Kenna. And we trust you. Whatever happens, even if it's the end of the world, we aren't going anywhere." She drew strength from his voice, sure and confident.

  "What he said."

  McKenna looked up and saw Toni, Cass, and Perc watching her, even as they helped the kids get ready to go exploring and looking for safe places to hide.

  "You're the commander for a reason. I think you're probably right. Besides, even with us being Kaylid, we're human first. And humans aren't known for being pacifists at any point," Perc pointed out as he put Nam's dishes in the sink and picked up the tiger cub.

  They all found out Nam loved to be hugged and cuddled, and in animal form her cuteness level rendered all the adults defenseless. She curled up in his arms, la
ying her head on his shoulder, watching all of them with sharp eyes that missed very little.

  "True. As a rule humans tend towards the violent side, especially when threatened." McKenna closed her eyes and pushed it away. "Let me get dressed, get the kids changed. We have exploring to do."

  The next few hours involved watching four tails disappear into places, odd looks through windows and back yards, three police cars driving by and slowing down, plus two confused agents trailing them everywhere. The options weren't great, but a park had a dense brushy area the kids said would work in a pinch, and they found a school that wouldn't open for another three weeks that would work for them to hide in. The brick structure made most of the adults feel better.

  Even with all the walking, the general feeling was that of a storm bearing down on them, and no place to run.

  ~I suddenly wish we were in the Midwest with storm cellars everywhere~ Cass's thought had a wistfulness as the exhausted kids trotted into the house. ~I'd be tempted to hide in there until it's all over.~

  ~You didn't do as many door-kicking scenes as I did. I think they're pretty thorough and don't believe in non-combatants. This is going to be ugly no matter what,~ JD responded, his mental voice grim.

  ~They just beg.~ McKenna flinched as Charley's voice joined the conversation. ~I try to pretend it's a video game, but I hate it. They're so pretty I just want to talk to them.~ His voice quiet as he headed up the stairs, three cats on his tail.

  ~You realize we have very old children, right?~ Toni asked, an odd mixture of emotions flavoring her voice.

  "Yes," her voice echoed the feelings in the mindspace as they watched their kids, their pack's children, disappear up the stairs.

  A knock on the door pulled her from the thoughts of children growing up too fast, and she turned to go answer it.

  Chapter 27 - Skill Sets

  All countries have canceled leave for military personnel. Normal channels of communication have sealed down. In some more totalitarian regimes like in the ‘Stans or Eurasian countries, more than one person has been met at the door, their belongings piled on the step, kicked out because they are a shifter. The excuse being provided that conflicting loyalties cannot be tolerated at this moment. In the US, all branches of the military are on high alert, and local authorities are scrambling to try to make the concept of a civil defense a reality. The question that hangs in everyone's minds is: Will it work or will we die, or is it not needed, and they really come in peace? All we have is the word of one famous person as to why they are coming. Right now we can't afford to believe she is wrong. But what if? What if McKenna Largo has her own agenda, and this is all just part of it? Time will tell. ~ Op Ed piece in SacWasp.

  McKenna pulled the door open to reveal Caroline, Christopher, and another person she didn't recognize. A large man, Samoan if she had to guess, dark hair, a face that looked like it should be smiling and thick slabs of muscle under fat.

  "Morning, or," she glanced at the clock, "wow, afternoon, I guess. Come on in."

  They did, following her towards the kitchen. "It just dawned on me how late it is, and we should probably eat. Join us?"

  "Yes," Caroline said instantly, while the other two shook their heads.

  "Neither of us shift, so I don't need to eat." Christopher said, a half smile. "This is Aleki Mapu. He's an expert in some martial arts and is strong enough that hopefully even in Kaylid form we can see how a normal human, granted a strong one, might fare. I hope you don't mind."

  "No. That sounds great. I'm a bit scared that they might be really good. Hell, the only thing I'm sure of is they aren't used to people fighting back. I think." McKenna sighed. "Okay, I'm sure I have no idea how any of this is going to play out and I'm sure it's going to be messy."

  Aleki laughed, a deep rumble revealing white teeth. The smile made his face look right where his serious expression had looked wrong.

  "Most good leaders feel that way. Then they lead anyhow. It's a pleasure to meet you." His voice was oddly musical for his size, lighter in bass than JD or Perc.

  I bet he sings and sings well.

  "So where should we do this?" Caroline asked. "Though I do need to change into sweats and a shirt. While I can do all this in my suit, I'd really prefer to not destroy it for practice. Suits are expensive."

  "Backyard. It has an eight-foot fence, so no prying eyes. And we'll need to change too." McKenna pointed to a half bath as they headed into the kitchen, and Caroline darted in there.

  In the kitchen, Toni and JD were making sandwiches while Cass and Perc put dishes away. Nam sat on a kitchen chair watching all of them, her ears constantly moving.

  ~You okay, Nam?~ McKenna asked, checking up on the girl.

  ~Yes. Still scared, but am okay.~ She sounded okay, and McKenna scratched her ears as she went by. It felt so odd to treat the kids like pets sometimes, but she knew how good it felt when she petted and scratched them, and none of them took it as demeaning, simply the same way you would hug or kiss a human. They all craved it, and all the adults worked hard to give them what they needed. Charley being the most stand-offish, but he was also the oldest. But in wolf form, you could scratch his ears for hours.

  Aleki and JD chatted while McKenna and Perc inhaled a sandwich. Caroline joined them a few minutes later and ate one also. Then Perc went to change. He'd had the most dreams of training, and while skilled in sports, had not done much martial arts. Toni would change after she finished eating. The kids were all still in animal form and happily eating their own sandwiches.

  After a minute, Aleki asked, his voice only curious, not accusing, "Do they stay as animals a lot? Granted, I'm making the assumption you don't have wild animals wandering around your house."

  Cass laughed as Toni had just headed upstairs. "No. But shifting burns calories, and right now there isn't a need to be human. Especially when they just want to run around the backyard while we practice. Easier to let them stay as animals and not waste the calories."

  McKenna nodded. "I suspect food prices are going to start rising." She paused and sighed. "Maybe. I just it'll depend on how all this Elentrin stuff works out." Her comment put a damper on everything, and she shook her head, finishing her sandwich.

  Caroline returned, and they all headed into the backyard. The playset sat to one side, and a neat grassy area lay to the other.

  JD and Toni came out, dressed in kilts and tank tops, it really had become their uniform, feet bare.

  Christopher and Aleki both looked at them, Aleki with narrowed eyes and a thoughtful expression.

  "I am seeing the advantage to these kilts. Pockets and flexible."

  JD shot a smile at McKenna. "I'm changing the world, one person at a time." The familiar joke made her smile and give him a cheeky grin.

  "Have at it, I'll watch and try to think up a miracle?"

  JD shifted slowly, they had learned the faster they changed the more calories they burned, so doing slow shifts made it easier on everyone. Though they still needed to replace them.

  Christopher and Aleki watched intently, their gaze not moving from JD.

  "You've never seen anyone shift before?" McKenna asked.

  Cass and Perc sat in two of the chairs on the back patio as the kids were scampering up and down the slide. Their movements were slower than usual, the exploration that afternoon had tired them out.

  "Caroline once," Christopher responded, still distracted. "But it was the first time and chaotic doesn't begin to describe it."

  "A few YouTube vids, that's about it. You, of course." His cheeks heated a bit as he glanced at her. "Sorry, never occurred to me I'd actually meet you."

  "At this point I'm just assuming everyone on the planet has seen me naked. It is what it is, and I don't have the time or energy to get upset or embarrassed about it anymore. And we're finding that spending as much time changing as we have been, being naked isn't as big a deal as it was six months ago." She waved it away, grabbing a chip out of the bag she'd snagged.

 
JD finished changing, and Caroline looked at him carefully. "You can talk in that form?"

  "Yes, a bit distorted, but yes." His words were thicker and slower than usual, but understandable. It struck McKenna how spoiled they were with the mental communication. She glanced at Caroline, thinking. Did she remember reaching their public mindspace? Deciding now wasn't the time to bring it up, she stayed quiet and found a chair next to Cass, sharing her potato chips.

  Caroline looked at the solid form of JD, her eyes lingering on teeth and claws. "I don't think I realized how intimidating those are. Up close you could shred me pretty easy, even with body armor."

  "For this I think I can remove the claws." JD turned his furred head towards the claws, staring at them a minute. They pulled backward into his body until only a short fingernail length was visible. The government agents just stared.

  "Can we do that?" Caroline's voice was a whisper, but McKenna didn't know if it was shock, fear, or excitement that caused that reaction.

  [Possibly with practice. The commander's team has nanobots specially programmed to enable that as well as partial shifting. But in theory, all Kaylid should be able to do this.]

  Caroline grabbed her head and whirled around, glaring at them. McKenna sighed. "Remember? That was the AI, Wefor. Answering your question."

  At the confused looks from Aleki and Christopher, she went over the AI and mental communication thing.

  ~At this rate I should just get cards that explain it all.~ The mock complaint made the others snicker.

  "Part of me really wants to run away screaming, but aliens are coming, so having a mental breakdown now would be counterproductive. Besides, people who have issues adapting to change don't last long in this environment." Christopher's tone had wry acceptance to it.