“Depends on who you’re talking about. I’m fascinated, personally, that you’re taking anything I say as being sexual in nature. I wonder if the YatesCorp Board is aware of your deviant nature.”
“Now you listen here—” Tobin started.
Prince, Riley, and Duke all started growling, stood up, and moved in between us. “I believe my precious puppies want you to check your attitude. Fast.”
Tobin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fine. Excuse me.” The growling didn’t stop. “I’m not going to try to hurt her,” he said stiffly to the dogs.
Had to give him a modicum of credit—he was treating the dogs with more respect than I’d expected. “If only you treated me, my husband, and the rest of those trying to protect this country and world with the same respect you just gave three police dogs, we might be able to reach some kind of understanding.”
Tobin opened his mouth, then his eyes bugged. “Gah!” His eyes rolled back and he went down.
Moved fast and caught his head before it hit the ground. Then looked around. To see Siler standing there. “Wow, Nightcrawler, I think you gave Tobin a heart attack.” Put Tobin on the ground and checked, but his heart appeared to still be beating.
Siler chuckled. “He just fainted.”
“Did you know he would?”
“No. I told you, I can’t hold a blend forever. I’d been behind you so I could see his expressions and didn’t have time to get behind him when I lost the blend. At any rate, it’s convenient that he passed out. I want us moving him to a secured location now, and by that I mean to where Janelle Gardiner is. Your mother can decide what we do with him.”
As he said this Christopher, Chuckie, and Buchanan arrived. “Jeff’s fine,” Chuckie said reassuringly as Christopher barked some orders and two Field teams came in with a stretcher. “But I think, based on what just happened, we probably got him into isolation just in time.”
“I feel bad. Okay, not that bad, but still, kind of bad. It’s not every day we watch someone faint on us.”
“He was just emotionally battered,” Christopher said. “And Siler here appearing out of nowhere was the last straw. Per the empathic Field agents we had outside the room.”
“Works for me. What’s the plan for the rest of us?”
Chuckie sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Your mother wants a full accounting. Immediately.”
“Um, are we in trouble?”
Chuckie managed a grin. “I doubt it, but she’s concerned and wants everyone back in D.C. Can’t blame her. But that means we either leave the Turleens here or bring them back with us. Neither option is what I’d like.”
“Leave the majority here, but I want Muddy coming back with us. And I gave that order as the FLOTUS, by the way.”
“Not as Mata Hari? Good to know.” Chuckie went to the Secret Service agents who were nearby and gave them some instructions.
Buchanan, meanwhile, was talking quietly with Siler. Joined them. “Okay, I want to know why Nightcrawler chose that exact moment to show up. Because I don’t buy your whole ‘I lost my blend’ line.”
Siler grinned. “You’re not the only one with an earpiece. I lost the blend because I lost focus, due to the news Malcolm’s going to share with you.”
“We’ve heard from Wruck, Missus Chief,” Buchanan said.
“And?”
“And he and the two Turleens he’s with feel that they’ve got something you need to focus on far more than whatever Amos Tobin has going on.”
“And that is, Malcolm?”
Buchanan grimaced. “They’ve found a race of aliens who are not only on Earth, but have been here possibly longer than the A-Cs.”
CHAPTER 36
LET THAT SIT on the air a bit. “Um, come again?”
“Aliens are among us,” Siler said. “It’s not really that much of a surprise. If Muddy’s people can travel here without most Earthlings knowing, and the Ancients and Z’porrah can travel here, again without most Earthlings knowing, and A-Cs can land here and be hidden for decades without most Earthlings knowing, why not a race that wants to hide here and just never bothered to check in with the authorities?”
“Is that what they found? A hidden race?” Wondered if Jeff was going to be able to take this news once he got out of isolation, or if it would just put him right back in. I wasn’t an empath and the isolation chambers terrified me, but right about now, they were looking pretty good.
“Somewhat hidden,” Buchanan said. “Hiding in plain sight, so to speak.”
“Either you’re trying to be coy—which isn’t a good look for you—or you don’t want to tell me. Which is it, Malcolm?”
“Neither. I only want to tell you, your mother, Mister Executive Chief, Mister White the Elder, and Mister Reynolds.”
“God, I hate it when you get all official. It only means bad things.”
“Exactly.” Buchanan took my arm. “Let’s get your husband and Mister White, grab Reynolds, and get to your mother, pronto.”
Put Alpha Team in charge of getting Tobin to wherever we were getting him. Put Christopher in charge of finding out what Serene and her team were now up to. Had a brief argument with Buchanan about bringing Muddy along with us. Siler backed me, though—if we had two Turleens with Wruck, then one Turleen with us was probably the way to go.
Muddy put Lily in charge of the rest of the Turleens, and I put Viola, Carmine, and Romeo in charge of ensuring that the Turleens stayed inside Caliente Base. Thusly set up, Muddy, Siler, Buchanan, Chuckie, and I headed off to get Jeff out of isolation, my Secret Service detail and the K-9 squad coming along as a matter of course.
Isolation chambers were a combination of an iron maiden and the Mummy’s Tomb, with a lot of scientific-like extras tossed in to make them really hit eleven on the creepy scale. And every Centaurion Base had a full section devoted to them, because Jeff wasn’t the only empath who needed the regenerative fluids and the total emotional calm the isolation chambers provided.
So far, Jamie hadn’t needed to use one. Neither had Charlie. Continued to hope that my children would be spared the need. However, the isolation chamber in our rooms in the White House was rather cozy, with comfy beds that made it look more like you were staying at an austere Sheraton than going to bed with a zillion needles stuck in you.
Jeff’s Secret Service detail were guarding the door, Joseph on one side, Rob on the other, with the rest spread out a bit to watch all potential avenues of entry. Since the isolation area was basically rows of chambers, this made sense. Resisted the urge to shudder—this place and all those like it kept Jeff alive. My being creeped out by them, therefore, wasn’t important.
The beds in standard isolation chambers weren’t cushy nor comfy. They were more like large metal trays that were movable into whatever position the patient needed. Normally it was at an angle, with the head higher than the feet, and that’s what I expected to see.
Instead, we found Jeff sitting in a chair, looking reasonably relaxed. This was a new one. White was in there with him, also in a chair.
Knocked on the window. White got up and opened the door. “Are we ready to go?”