“We’ll have Jeff here,” Mom went on, “looking amazingly Presidential, standing guard against the invading hordes, and have Kitty go around the world to share why cohesion is in everyone’s best interests. Anyone not excited by those plans need not worry. By my guess, within a few hours things will have changed again and we’ll have to adapt again. And, the mere fact that we’re all sitting here—alive and well, despite what seems like constant invasion and world domination attempts made by aliens and our own homegrown lunatics—is proof enough for me that the people who need to handle this are the exact ones who are doing so.”
“In other words, I’m here to look good while Kitty does the actual work,” Jeff said, easily at nine on the sarcasm meter.
Mom shrugged. “Your words. We each play to our strengths, Jeff.” Mom looked at Antoinette. “You have a choice. You can work with the First Lady to get her very complex and fast-moving tour arranged, and accept that most of your plans will be shattered immediately if not sooner, or you can stay with the President, assisting him with the various protocol intricacies that are going to hit him from all sides.”
“Ah . . .” Antoinette seemed at a loss.
“I won’t be offended if you choose to help the President,” I told her. “At all. Nor will I be pissed off if you decide you’re helping me. If you want my vote, though, I say you stay here with Jeff, because what will be coming at me I’m used to, but what’s heading for him is new territory for all.”
Jeff and Chuckie both shot me suspicious looks. Might have sounded far too confident about what was supposed to be a diplomatic mission.
Antoinette saved me, though. “Honestly, I think I should be going with you.”
Saw a couple of jaws drop in the room. “Why so?”
“What’s coming for the President is indeed something none of us have experience with. However, I have a great deal of experience with what you’re going to be doing. I believe I’ll be more of an asset with you than with the President. In this instance.”
“Huh. Well, welcome to Team Diplomacy, Antoinette. We’re probably leaving at dawn, based on how things are looking.”
“My first suggestion would be that some of the Planetary Council members who don’t look like humans should go with us. As well as one of the Turleens. And, if they land before we leave, one of the Themnir, as well.” The entire room stared at her. Had to give it to Antoinette—she had the moxie when it mattered.
“Again, why so?”
She smiled at me. “I believe that the representative from Beta Thirteen is correct—humans are afraid of many things that don’t look like us or versions of animals we find cuddly. So, let’s allow these leaders to meet the aliens we already know are our friends, cuddly or not.” She shrugged. “It’s what we would have done if President Armstrong hadn’t been murdered. The turmoil caused by the attack that killed him and so many others hasn’t allowed us time to do this before now.”
I was all for this, and not just because I hadn’t gotten to spend any real time with Jareen or the others, half of whom had been in my wedding. Basically, Antoinette was asking for us to bring some major butt-kickers along. Butt-kickers I knew would be all for helping me enact Mission: Stop The Mastermind Permanently.
“Awesome spin, you’re definitely hired.” Looked at Mom. “You okay with that?”
She nodded. “I am, and I agree with the Chief Usher’s assessments as well.”
“Then let’s get the world party started. We’re burning moonlight and have no time to waste.”
“You just want to be gone before the Themnir get here,” Jeff said to me as the rest of the room leaped into action.
“You don’t know me.”
“Hah. I know you too well.” He took my hand. “Just promise me that, when things get bad, you’ll call me or send me an emotional signal. I don’t like you going into action without me, baby, you know that.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Jeff laughed. “And you say that I’m the one who can’t lie.”
CHAPTER 49
JEFF WAS GOING TO BE addressing Congress in their emergency session. His entire Cabinet were going as well, along with Mom, Raj, Chuckie, and Serene. He also had the lobbyists, Muddy and anyone from the Planetary Council who weren’t on my team, plus the majority of the military, including the flyboys. So, basically half of the room.
The other half was with me. Thankfully we were the Loud and Proud Contingent, because stealth was out of the question.
We’d coordinated as much as we could with Gower, then he’d gotten off the phone to do his own kind of wrangling. My gigantic entourage was busy prepping—making copies of the Turleen’s star chart, doing translations, and doing whatever Antoinette and Vance felt was necessary in terms of where we were going. Chose to leave most of this to them—I’d do what they told me when it mattered, but otherwise, I was focused on my real job, which was finding and stopping Cliff.
I’d been given one member of the military—Butler. “I’m the most expendable,” he explained. “And I’ve been able to download information as well. I have comprehensive military knowledge, and can speak and read every language in the world now.”
“Wow. John, that’s kind of awesome.”
He gave me a sad smile. “Not as awesome as being fully human, but there are perks. This is my first important mission since . . . my transition. I hope to reward your faith in me.”
Didn’t think about it, just gave him a hug. “You did that yourself. I helped and Chuckie and the others helped, too, but the manual override was all you.”
He looked surprised, but hugged me back, very gently. “Thank you. I’ll do whatever you need. By the way, Mister Reynolds told me to be aware that you probably have an agenda that isn’t being shared with the general group and asked me to tell you to please include me in whatever, and I quote, insane commando idea you’re planning.”
“Gosh, duly noted.” Would have said that I hated that both Jeff and Chuckie knew me this well, but reality said that if they already kind of knew, then I wasn’t lying to them. Moral quandary solved.
Jeff grabbed me and we stepped out of the LSR for a few moments. We spent the time making out, which was fine with me. “Come back to me safely,” Jeff said, as he stroked my face. “That’s all I’m asking. I don’t care about the rest of the world if you’re not in it.”
Leaned my head on his chest and let his double heartbeats soothe me. “I’ll do my best, Jeff. I promise.”
“Then everything will turn out just fine.” He kissed the top of my head. “Your mother feels that, under the circumstances, the kids need to stay here. And by here I mean in the Embassy, under lockdown, with their full security details with them twenty-four-seven.”
“I’ll take the Worst Mother of the Year hit on that, because I think they’ll be safer here than with me.”
Jeff heaved a sigh. “I’m not sure if anyplace will be safe. If the Aicirtap are what Muddy’s said they are, we’re in for a world of hurt.”
“We’ll handle it. We always do.” Looked up at him. “So, technically, you really are the king of the world. Did you know your dad abdicated?”
“No one tells me anything, my parents least of all, so no.” Jeff managed a small grin. “You chose well, baby, when you put Alexander on the throne. I do know that.”
“Chose even better when I picked you.”
“I feel exactly the same way.”