The gun went off, but the shot hit the ceiling. The guard was on his back, and I straddled his chest while Mossy turned back into turtle form and wrested the gun away. And then I did a ground and pound that would have made Tito very proud.
“Listen, you religious jackhat, reality is here and it’s not going away!” Slammed my fists into his face with each word. “Who you worship doesn’t matter anymore because there is no more human against human action that’s going to be able to be allowed, you moron!”
He managed to flip me off of him. Just barely, but still. Not a problem, though, because he staggered to his feet with his legs apart. I was on my feet a lot faster, hyperspeed again being the best thing in the galaxy.
I sent a massive kick right to his very personal region and he buckled. “We have to join together or we’ll be destroyed. Sorry that intel is coming from a Jewess,” slammed a double fist into his face that slammed him into the wall, “but you’ll just have to live with it, you sexist, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, traitorous idiot.” Slammed a kick into his body for every word as said body slumped to the ground. “Or not.” Picked him up and rammed him against the nearby wall. Realized why Jeff liked this move—you got to hold onto your enemy and just bash the crap out of them without actually hurting yourself.
Someone cleared their throat and I stopped, dropped the now extremely unconscious guard, and turned to see who was so clearing, while Len and Kyle ran down and slapped cuffs on the guard just in case.
The throat clearer was Raheem. “I am beyond impressed. I would firstly like to thank both you and the Brigadier General for your timely protection of my person. And then I would like to hope that someone taped that performance, because all I will need to do to convince any who have doubts is to replay that and I’m certain that, after they finish wetting themselves, they will see reason.”
“We didn’t and they won’t,” Reader said. “However, the First Lady is right. We don’t have the luxury of infighting anymore.” He looked back at the screen, where the cutter was moving away from the Roving Planet and Oliver was interviewing Jeff, Alexander, and the Themnir representatives.
We all listened for a bit. No one was saying anything of actual interest to anyone in this room—it was all the usual political and diplomatic type of chat I’d been sick of since my first week in Washington. The Themnir representatives had either studied up on our ways, or bureaucracy and political-speak were galaxy-wide traits. Bet on the latter, honestly.
“The Themnir sound sloshy,” I said finally. “And Mossy, before you start, cool your protective jets. They do. We need to accept that they’re different and how they’re different before we can accept them as different and then accept them for themselves. It’s how we work.”
“It is,” White said, finally deigning to join the party. “And, frankly, if your guard’s reaction is any indication, Your Majesty, we should head to wherever the religious leaders are with much haste.”
“Yeah, even with Paul, my Secret Service detail, and my Centaurion detail, I’d imagine the side of nonviolence is in the minority.” The Israeli Prime Minister might have Mossad agents with him, but the three I knew we could rely on were in this room with us.
Raheem nodded. “I would suggest we have guards remain to ensure that my former employee does not wake up and try to cause more problems.”
“We’ll do that,” Lorraine said, indicating herself and Claudia.
“With pleasure,” Claudia said. Almost pitied the guard if he woke up. The girls sounded as pissed as I felt.
Raheem looked a little concerned. “Trust me,” I said as I took his arm and sort of tugged him up and toward the door. “One of them is more than enough.”
Len poked his head out of the door, then looked at us over his shoulder. “No one’s outside. I realize only one shot was fired, but the king was in this room. Where are the other guards?”
“The room is fairly soundproofed,” Raheem said.
“If Jeff was here I’d test that theory, but since he’s not, let’s assume that things are going down and be pleasantly surprised otherwise.” Ignored Tim and Reader’s coughs and White’s chuckles. “We need to go in protective formation, gang, with King Raheem in the center.”
“Why?” Rahmi asked. “We can go far faster than they can see.”
“I don’t think the king wants to toss his cookies.” Had a thought. “Hang on, though.” Went to my rolling purse and checked inside. Nothing appeared to have been moved but something sure had been added. There was a bottle of the Hyperspeed Dramamine that Tito had created. And a small bottle of water. And some zip ties and a gag. “Thank you,” I said under my breath.
Gave a pill and the water to Raheem. “Take this. It will mean that we can take you with us using hyperspeed and it won’t make you sick.” He looked a little uncertain but did as requested.
Gave the zip ties and gag to the girls. “Let’s just truss him up and leave him. I think we’re going to want you two with us. Len, take back your handcuffs, in case we need them later.” Went back and grabbed my purse and rolling bag. No way I was leaving them anywhere.
“Yeah.” Reader looked around the theater again. “Your Majesty, who runs this room? As in, why aren’t the lights on?”
“Or, to put it another way,” I said as I made sure all the humans were with an A-C or one of the Amazons, “we need to assume that we’re going to exit into a fight of some kind.”
CHAPTER 60
“THE LIGHT CONTROLS are internal to the room,” Raheem said, as he indicated where we could turn them on. Reader did so. Yep, there was light.
“What about the video feed?” Tim asked. “I didn’t see you using a remote control in here.”
“No, but in this case, I requested that the feed be set up and that the operators leave their posts, so that all of you could speak without restriction.”
“You rock, but I have to agree with the others on this one—a shot was fired and no one’s come running or even sauntering over to see if all’s well. Either they’re all watching on a different TV somewhere—which is always a possibility given the magnitude of what’s going on—or they’re taking the world’s religious leaders hostage. Or worse.”
“Assume worse,” Reader said. “It’s always a safe bet.”
Put Antoinette with the king. “You two are to keep your heads low and stay in the middle. Lorraine and Claudia will be with you. You do what I say when I say it, and if we’re separated, you do what Lorraine and Claudia say when they say it. Clear?” They both nodded.
“I’ve contacted Manfred,” Tim said, looking at his phone. “Things are heated, but no one is attacking anyone else. Yet. He feels that’s only because the Secret Service and Centaurion agents are there, by the way.”
“I’m in contact with head of the Centaurion detail I assigned to the Burj Khalifa,” Reader shared. “Things are tense, but we have enough Field agents there that everyone’s behaving themselves.”
“So maybe nothing’s going on and we’re all just jumpy after the guard’s attack,” Mahin suggested.