We spent a couple more minutes making out. Then duty called and we went back into the LSR. Jeff and his team took a floater gate over to Capitol Hill. The room seemed normally full now.
“You need to get some rest,” Antoinette said to me. “You look tired, and I’m sure you are. You’re the face of this entire operation, so do yourself and the mission a favor and catch a few winks.”
“I want to see my children before we leave. They might be up, they’re having a slumber party.”
“I’ve already contacted their nanny. They’re all in bed asleep, even your ward, but the nanny will wake them when I call her to tell her that we’re ready to leave. You’ll see them then. Right now, you need to focus on you.”
Couldn’t argue because I was exhausted all of a sudden. Considered asking for Chef to bring me a dessert per Algar’s instructions, but decided I’d rather just get to my room.
Headed off and upstairs. But I stopped midway up. “I know you’re there.”
Siler appeared next to me. “Did you hear me breathing?”
“No. I just know how you roll. I don’t need babysitting.” Started off again, this time with him visible next to me. “Per Antoinette, the kids are asleep but we can see them in the morning, right before we leave. I assume you want to go over with me.”
“I do. But I mainly wanted to mention that the empire in Star Wars started similarly to this. Since it’s a reference I know you’ll not only get but embrace.”
“Yes, I know. And I also know that it’s not going to be easy or smooth or anything else. What I also know is that no one on this planet is going to declare me and Jeff their sovereign lords, Alpha Four’s policies or no, so I don’t think we’re at the same risk as they were in the movies.”
“I think that if Muddy’s correct, five or six shiploads of aliens are going to be declaring you their rulers.”
“If Muddy is correct about that. I’m not saying that he’s lying or even wrong, but he has an agenda. He wants us to stop the Aicirtap before they destroy his system. He also wants us to stop the Z’porrah from uplifting already sentient races, based on what happened to the Aicirtap. Having met some Z’porrah personally, I can’t argue with that mindset.”
“And the Turleens want to come to Earth if their planet is destroyed. I know. But . . . can you trust him?”
Thought about it. “Yeah, I can.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Shrugged. “He reminds me of Richard. And you.”
“Ah. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should. I’ve almost never been wrong about who I could trust.” Of course, I’d been wrong in a big way when we’d first gotten to D.C. But why mention that now?
“Malcolm mentioned that you’ve been wrong before. But the person who fooled you was a pro at doing so. And you weren’t in your element.”
“Of course you know about that. Look, if the Turleens are lying about the Aicirtap we’ll know fast. However, if they’re not—and John Wruck doesn’t seem to think they are, and neither does Jeff, and he can read them by now—then we only know about what’s coming behind the refugees because of them.”
“I’m more concerned that you and your husband are about to become the rulers of this world.”
“I’ll take Jeff as a ruler over at least half of the actual rulers we have right now.”
“No argument about that. However, it’s going to create a backlash we may not be able to survive.”
“If it happens. You’re assuming that Jeff and I are going to toss on crowns and say that everyone has to listen to us. We aren’t.”
“But you are,” Siler said patiently as we reached my rooms. “You’re going on a world tour to basically tell all the leaders what you told Antoinette—what’s coming is so terrifying that we need to join together or be destroyed. But there can only be one leader in a situation like that and, once the battle is won, will that leader give the control back to the ones who used to have it?”
“I know what I want to say, which is yes, but I can see a lot of scenarios where that would be worse than just keeping hold of the reins. But, since I have you as my Jiminy Cricket, and, frankly, the Turleens looking like the real thing, I’m probably good.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Just remember that many times it’s easier to take control than to give control up.”
“And often the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Sometimes they’re a worse enemy. And sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don’t. I have to go give the world a Coke and a smile. And I need to do it at hyperspeed.”
“Basically, yeah.” He didn’t look comforted.
There were Secret Service agents in the hall. Opened my room, pulled him inside, and shut the door. Expected to hear through the Secret Service Grapevine before sunrise that I was having a torrid affair with Siler.
“Look, this is a between us only right now statement. I could not care less about getting the rest of the world on board—the aliens are coming whether they like it or not. I’m going to the Middle East because I point-blank know that’s where Cliff Goodman’s hiding out. I’m positive that the Casey Thing was actually a badly completed clone. And that means Cliff’s back in the cloning game. My plan, my real plan, is to take him down, permanently, before he can capture, sway, or compel any of the new aliens that are coming here to hide into becoming his next cloning targets, particularly the ones Muddy already identified as the Z’porrah’s next targets, the minotaur people called the Q’vox. Now, are you in or are you not?”
Siler stared at me, as a slow grin formed on his face. “I knew I’d chosen my allegiance correctly. In, one hundred percent. I’ll reassure Malcolm and Wruck that there’s more going on and that they’ll approve, but won’t tell them anything beyond that until we’re on-site. I think Butler is already aware that you’re going to be doing something more than diplomatic.”
“Yeah, he told me as much.”
“Good. At least half of your team are fighters, too. And with the Chief Usher along, you actually have someone who can be diplomatic if needed.”
“Vance is coming, too. He’ll handle all the real FLOTUS stuff. I’ll handle what really needs to be done.”
Siler laughed. “Or, as you all call it, routine.”
CHAPTER 50
FASTEST FAKE QUICKIE in the world over, Siler left and I dragged over to the bed. Broke down and got undressed since I was in FLOTUS clothes and they weren’t nearly as comfortable to sleep in as a concert t-shirt.
Dumped my clothes on the floor—O-dark-thirty was soon enough to put them into the hamper. Got into bed, my head hit the pillow, and I was out like a light. My second-to-last thought was that I hadn’t eaten anything that would help me have weird dreams where I could more easily talk to ACE. My last thought was that I was finally too tired to care.
Had no idea how long I’d been asleep but someone shook me gently awake.
“Is it time already?” I mumbled, keeping my eyes closed.
The shaking continued.