Incoming

by Mel Todd

  Her fragrance drifted across the breeze and McKenna's eyes closed. She found herself unable to resist the desire to inhale and savor that scent. Need flooded through her and only years of social conditioning kept her from moaning out loud. She wanted to fall to her knees in front of this goddess, to give her anything she wanted. To make her happy, and serve.

  ~McKenna?~ Perc's voice cut through the haze a bit. ~What's going on over there? We can see people falling to their knees, and you and Cass feel odd.~

  With a force of will, McKenna wrenched open her eyes. Around them, most of the delegation was on their knees looking at the Elentrin with worship. A few were even prostrate and all but crawling to the woman. Cass had fallen to her knees, and a soft keen came from her.

  ~Scilita is wonderful. We should serve her. It would be an honor to serve her,~ she said into the mindspace, oddly at peace.

  ~What the hell? McKenna, what's going on? What are you saying?~ Toni's voice cut through, and for a second the haze lifted, and McKenna tried to clear her mind, but the fog of desire to please settled back down over her.

  ~Wefor, what's going on?~ JD asking now, but McKenna felt herself sinking to her knees. Her eyes caught Harold standing, looking around, a handkerchief to his nose as he sneezed.

  [She is not acting correctly. This reaction is-] Wefor broke off, and a hiss of static rippled through her mind, so strong she moaned. [Pheromones. The Elentrin is using pheromones. That is why all the humans are reacting like this. That must also be how and why the Kaylid never rebel. Bots are currently being reprogrammed to block the reactions. Commands have been sent to Cass and Perc; though they will take longer to adapt. Perc should stay away.]

  ~Is there anything we can do?~ McKenna mused that Toni seemed worried, but all the conversation was so far away. So was Scilita. She should really go over there and help Scilita with whatever she needed.

  McKenna tried to rise to her feet to walk over there, but standing seemed too difficult. Instead she started to crawl.

  [McKenna, this cannot be allowed. You cannot come into that creature's power.]

  Her body quit working, she couldn't move forward. Distant annoyance filtered through. She wanted to move, to go to the goddess and offer her services. Focusing, she noticed a few people kneeling before her, and the Harold guy talking frantically on his phone.

  [It should kick in shortly. Perc, stay back.]

  I need to go to my, to my, to my…

  Her mind clicked over and over as the sweet fog of worship cleared.

  ~Why am I on my knees?~ McKenna looked around and saw Cass kneeling on the ground, her eyes rapt on the Elentrin. McKenna followed her gaze to the pretty female. ~What is going on?~ Worry and fear bubbled through her as she rose to her feet.

  [You were affected by pheromones. That is apparently how the Elentrin get such cooperation with other races. Your nanobots have been updated, and Cass and Perc are being sent programming now to help prevent this.]

  ~Perc, let them know it's pheromones. Why isn't Harold affected? He looks like he's about to freak out. How long have we all been going crazy?~ Worry wrapped her as she viewed the delegates and politicians on their knees before the Elentrin.

  ~Apparently he has severe allergies to some plants out here and is totally stuffed up.~

  [You have been affected for approximately five minutes.] Wefor's calm voice helped her focus.

  ~Good, he just became the primary ambassador. Tell them they need someone either super allergic to stuff or … I guess me. I can get this to other Kaylid but I don't know how else to defeat pheromones.~

  ~I'll pass it on. Be careful.~ His voice sounded worried as she strode towards Harold, barely glancing at the aliens, who seemed bemused by the humans abasing themselves at their feet.

  "Harold, you're in charge. Go talk to them." McKenna dropped her voice to a fierce whisper, but at the flick of the lead Kaylid's ears she knew their conversation was being overheard.

  "Me?" His voice squeaked, then he sneezed. "I'm the contracts guy, I go over everything and make sure there are no loopholes. I don't talk to people."

  "Well, now you do. Until we can get everyone else immune, we don't have a choice. Now move." McKenna grabbed him, turned him and forced him over to the group of aliens.

  ~Wefor, will filters work against this?~

  [Unknown. Depends on the level of the filters and if they will block molecules of that size. The technology of your filters is unknown] Wefor's answer was immediate, but McKenna found the fog had completely lifted from her.

  ~Wefor, how many microns are the pheromones?~ Perc's voice lashed out, and McKenna realized he must be talking to other people. Because she had no idea what the question meant.

  [3-6 Microns on average.]

  ~Give us ten minutes,~ his voice snapped out, and McKenna refocused on Harold who had his phone to his ear, babbling. She reached up, grabbed it, and tossed it. Her hands grabbed his chin and yanked his face towards hers.

  "Listen to me. You are unaffected. We will resolve this, but for now you need to talk to them."

  "But, but, why can't you?"

  The ears of the lead Kaylid tilted towards her, and she glared at Harold.

  "You know why. Now get your ass over there and get them to discuss this." She didn't give him an out, staring at him so hard she thought he should start to smoke.

  His head jerked up and down. Harold straightened, grabbed his briefcase, and walked towards the gathered aliens. McKenna followed him, noting Albert and Beatrice on the ground, looking up at the Elentrin with adoring eyes.

  Harold cleared his throat, and the Elentrin looked up at him. McKenna felt herself quail at the sheer adorableness of the face that looked at them.

  "Yes?" Her voice held music, amusement, and something that made the back of her mind freeze in terror.

  Harold sneezed. The look of sheer revulsion that flashed across the Elentrin's face finished breaking the odd hold she had McKenna.

  ~I'm good, you're blocking the pheromones, right?~ Panic laced the question, even as Harold sneezed again.

  [Yes. Your primal reactions cannot be blocked, but the pheromones will no longer affect you.] McKenna relaxed a bit and trusted the AI. If she didn't, they were all as good as captured.

  Another sneeze had the Elentrin stepping back a bit. The Kaylid didn't seem to know if to take it as an attack or something else.

  "Welcome to Earth, Ambassador Scilita." McKenna had to give him a small about of respect. Even sneezing, he managed to say the name with the same intonations as the alien Kaylid had. "As you can see, our people are currently unwell. We would love to discuss your purpose for being here, but if you could give us a day to recover from our shock at your presence, we would be grateful."

  The Elentrin tilted her head, smiling at him. She looked so much like an anime character that McKenna almost couldn't handle the cute.

  "But why would I come back? I just need to help with your animals. We don't want you to suffer. We can help you with this terrible plague that has affected your world. We will find places for them and help them live full lives." Her voice melodic, creating a music and rhythms that were almost hypnotic.

  Then Harold sneezed, disrupting the rhythm. "I do understand, but I must ask if you can return tomorrow."

  A frown creased her face, and McKenna heard Albert and Beatrice whimper, she saw them reach up to touch the fabric that draped her. McKenna noticed it only now, it was a pale green that complimented the red hair and pale skin. She all but glowed with beauty, and McKenna growled, clenching her jaw. The Kaylid darted a look at her, his eyes narrowing at the sound. McKenna ducked her head and tried to look infatuated, but all she wanted to do was run.

  "Of course, we don't want to cause any distress." Scilita reached out and drew her hand down his face. To her surprise, Harold forced a smile and didn't look like his knees were about to melt. If anything, he looked vaguely disgusted. Scilita frowned and turned to the Kaylid.

  "Why do they not worsh
ip my magnificence? I am beautiful, perfect in all ways. They should be honored to serve me, to give me that which I need to destroy the abominations." The words sang like music in her ears, and only Harold's confusion let McKenna realize they were not said in English.

  "Unknown, my Siret. We should return and see how the others have done. Your beauty can not be resisted. Perhaps return in the morrow when more of their weak-willed ones will be here?" The lead Kaylid spoke to her in the same language, though he kept his eyes on the ground, not looking at her.

  "Hmmmm," it sounded like music. She turned back to Harold, not even deigning to look at McKenna.

  "Very well. We will return to talk, but know that I must have my Kaylid to help in the preservation of our species. Surely you would not want to deprive me of that?"

  Harold sneezed, and Scilita flinched back.

  "Tomorrow we will talk. Thank you for your understanding."

  A frown creasing her brow, Scilita turned, the Kaylid forming up around her as they headed back to the ship. McKenna didn't even try to watch them this time, figuring someone, or lots of someones, were recording the whole thing.

  Beatrice and Albert cried out in pain, weeping as the Elentrin moved away. McKenna looked around but didn't move until after the ramp had sealed. Her legs almost gave out at that point.

  Perc came running up to her and pulled her into a hug, she leaned into it even as she looked at the weeping people on the ground.

  "What do we do now?"

  Chapter 31 - DTs

  Images of the Elentrin have already hit the web, gained by a few people using drones and cameras. The beauty of this woman is insane. Our most beautiful actresses could only hope to be a shadow of her radiance. Ruby red hair and lashes will be the fashion for the rest of the year. Do the other Elentrin look as beautiful as this? Dare we hope to have new fashion icons to lead our way? ~ TNN Fashion filler

  The second the ship lifted off, chaos exploded around them. People rushed over to pick up the weeping people, crying out for the Elentrin to return. McKenna stood in the middle of it, Perc had released her, but she still felt shaky and a bit like crying herself.

  ~This is ridiculous. Why do I still ache for her?~

  [The chemicals the pheromones trigger are still present in your brain. It will take a bit for them to wear off. There is no way to eliminate the chemicals as they have already started the reactions. But the pheromones will not affect you anymore.]

  ~Good, 'cause this wanting to slit my wrist for wanting her is scary,~ Cass said quietly into the mindspace as she moved over to them. Perc pulled her into another hug, and Cass leaned into it. They all needed the touching, the affection, the grounding to help fight their reactions.

  ~How long until Perc is immune? How do we make others immune? Can we?~ McKenna looked around and saw Christopher striding towards her, his face a calm mask she rather envied right now.

  "Are you okay? Alexander here passed the message to us about the pheromones." He nodded to Perc as he talked. "We have filters coming out that should work, but why were our people so badly affected? And why wasn't Weinmarst?"

  "Allergies." McKenna's voice was dry. "He's allergic to something out here, and he couldn't stop sneezing. That meant the pheromones couldn't get through his clogged nose." She shrugged. "It's a bit amusing, I guess. The country was saved because a flunky was allergic?"

  "I'm not a flunky," Harold said as he walked up. "But even I'll admit I didn't plan on actually talking. My skills are the contracts and hammering that out. Albert and Beatrice were supposed to be our charmers." He had an odd look on his face, and glanced back at the people being taken away in ambulances. "Are they going to be okay?"

  The general desire to keep the number of people the Elentrin met low had probably saved their lives. If there had been more people they might have lost everyone as more and more people were pulled in.

  [Those affected should be watched. They may be suicidal as they don't have any way to cancel out the effects of the pheromones. These seemed to be tailored to create devotion and desire to serve.]

  McKenna passed on the information and Christopher talked into his earpiece though he kept looking around.

  "So now what?" McKenna asked. "They'll be back tomorrow. And I don't think they know how to hear No as an answer."

  Christopher nodded. "Agreed. Is it only the Elentrin that have the pheromones?"

  McKenna shrugged. "No idea. But I've never managed to produce them. I don't think."

  [Correct. The Kaylid body does not have the ability to produce those. There is not enough information about how the Elentrin produce the pheromones to know how they are targeting those pheromones.]

  She shared the information, and Christopher nodded. "Then maybe we have a chance. We have nose filters coming in right now, so hopefully people will be able to talk tomorrow. But until then we don't know how well they will work. Right now everyone is freaking out. We need to get you out of here before this spreads." He waved his hand, and people started to pack everything up while more and more of the public drifted in, a mixture of reactions clear on their faces.

  "This is what I'm worried about. We can't get filters to everyone who is going to show up here, and if they fall into the Elentrin's spell, we'll have a very big problem." Christopher's face showed stress, and McKenna couldn't help but agree. This could go sideways very easily.

  "Our ride is here." He nodded towards a black SUV coming towards them. The shuffle of people, cars, and vehicles passed in a blur. McKenna found herself back at the hotel with a grim-faced SecDef, president, and other people, all looking like the world had ended.

  "McKenna, can you explain exactly what happened?" The president asked this, his voice sounding slightly odd. She realized everyone had nose filters on. Maybe it would help. Maybe not.

  "No, but I'll try." She laid out what happened, and the information Wefor had provided. The people in the room all listened intently, not interrupting until she finished.

  "Well, I guess that explains Shanghai, but not Istanbul." Doug leaned back and sighed. McKenna shot him a look.

  "I don't understand. Did the other shuttles come down?" McKenna asked. She felt the same confusion from Cass and Perc.

  "Oh, you haven't listened to the news, have you? Sorry, we've been drowning in reports from what happened." He sighed and rubbed his head. "Let's just say you probably saved our lives. Or at least you and Harold." He looked up at Harold who still had a handkerchief to his nose.

  "I never thought I'd be glad for my allergies," his voice wry. "Or refuse allergy medicine."

  People half laughed at that, but it faded fast. Everyone looked at everyone else waiting for something, though McKenna had no idea what.

  "Well? Now what? We have to meet them tomorrow. Wefor says we'll be immune, but anyone else is at risk. And we don't know how to immunize people as a whole or if it's even possible. What do we do to be able to keep us safe, and is someone going to tell me what happened at the other locations?"

  McKenna hated the panicked tone that slipped into her voice at the end, and she took a deep breath trying to calm down.

  ~You don't want to know,~ Toni said softly. ~Shanghai is bad. But Istanbul, I'm not sure yet if that's bad or not.~

  ~That doesn't tell me anything,~ she shot back while JD laughed softly.

  President Carl spoke up, pulling her from the conversation. "It doesn't matter. We can worry about other countries later, first we need to make sure ours is safe. We have news that Albert and Beatrice are fine and should be here shortly. Though they're still a bit woozy. We know this Scilita can make people want to worship her, and the only reason you were not affected -"

  McKenna interrupted the president. "I was affected. Trust me, I wanted to worship her, too," Cass nodded fervently in agreement. "Wefor just managed to counteract it. Without her, we would have all been at her feet except for Harold."

  Harold sneezed in response. "Which means we'd all be dead. I might be smart, but what could I have
done besides either get myself killed, or watch helplessly as everyone fell to worship them? You kicked my ass and got me to at least talk to her. Mostly I wanted to run away screaming. It seemed like a really viable option."

  Carl Simons shook his head, the corner of his mouth quirking softly. "Very well. We know she can affect all of us, and the only thing giving me hope is everyone assures me there is a limited number of them. That hasn't changed?"

  McKenna shrugged. "I know there are lots of Kaylid. But that was the first Elentrin I've ever seen. So I'm still assuming they're rare. I'm actually more worried if they can create the pheromones as something the Kaylid could use. But about that I don't know what to tell you."

  Half the room went pale at that, and she looked around. "What, that hadn't occurred to you? I know my body can't produce it, but if you can spray it like a perfume wouldn't it work the same?"

  They all looked at her, and the president sighed. "I always wanted to be remembered in this history books. I wonder if I'll be alive to see what they say about me, and if it's good or bad." He shook his head. "I don't see that we have any other option than to convince them the price of coming for our people is too high. No matter what, I will not engage in the slave trade." His voice had taken on an icy tone. "And after seeing what's going on in Shanghai, it will not be allowed."

  He turned and looked at Christopher. "Clear the damn park. I don't want to see anyone there but our people. Get more drones up, and see if you can get some sort of sniffers. I'd like to know if this can be detected. If so it might give us a start. Don't forget to get snipers in the trees."

  "Yes, sir." Christopher's face looked like a mask to McKenna. He nodded and strode away, already his phone to his ear.

  "You three are vital. Go rest and eat. You'll be there tomorrow. You're the only warning we're going to get." As the President finished speaking, Albert and Beatrice were ushered into the room. Both looking wan and somehow like they were grieving, though McKenna could not have said why she had that impression.