“Is that draining energy we’re going to need?”
“No, Mommy,” Jamie said patiently. “It’s not hard because things are floating.”
“Super. Does that mean that we can put something inside that puzzle?”
“Sure. It’ll be fun.”
“Great. Then I have our plan. Jeff, you’re in charge of calming down the other parents. Vance, you help him with that. Alicia, can you stay with the kids? I’d like to have as many adults who can help without interfering improperly with them.”
“You got it. Amy’s already on board, I think, and I’m sure Denise will be. Doreen and Irving might be an issue.”
“Irving’s in,” Doreen said from behind us. “I gave him no choice. And Kitty, by now it should go without saying, but I get why I have to say it. Bottom line—whatever the situation is, I’m helping you.”
“That’s awesome.” Looked at her expression. “You know something you’re not telling.”
She grinned. “I was listening outside the doorway earlier and heard that you were trying to figure out why certain people were brought along on this trip. And I know why I’m here.” She patted her stomach. “I’m carrying a conduit.”
CHAPTER 108
“AS ALWAYS,” JEFF SAID, once we had everyone advised and had handled any arguments or whining, “I hate this plan.”
Shocking no one, Christopher was the last to approve the plan and he only did because Amy and Doreen both snarled at him. Becky had apparently already been working on her mother telepathically, and all the adults who’d been with Vance had witnessed the kids doing their Space Puzzle, so most of them took less convincing than those who’d been on the planets.
“Good. Then it’s likely to work. And I don’t know why you’re whining—you’re actually not going to be in life-threatening danger for this one.”
“Yes, that’s such a comfort.” Jeff’s sarcasm knob was definitely turned to eleven.
My plan was multifaceted, but a good part of it relied on Mahin and Abigail being able to bind the planet puzzle together so that it could actually hit the sun. So it wasn’t just the kids I was risking. Go me. Of course, I was risking, too, as were others. It was the highest-stakes game imaginable, really.
“How sure are you?” Jeff asked. Did not need him doubting me right now.
“A Matter of Trust” by Billy Joel came on my airwaves. “Do you trust me?”
Jeff sighed and hugged me. “Yes, I do. And no one has any better ideas. And we all know we’re just about out of time.”
We’d left several of our people on the planets—Tim, Reader, Wheatles, and Grentix were still on Helix Noblora and Adam, Kevin, Hamlin, MJO, Naveed, Len, Kyle, and Gadhavi were still on Helix Rime. We needed all the A-Cs, so we had to leave the humans, but they were all armed and felt that the situation was more than under control. We’d been advised that Len and Kyle were bonding with Telzor, which was nice, MJO was making Roanach and Clorence feel happily important, and Kevin, Adam, and the others had everything else well in hand. Besides, they still had the Peregrines, our Super Rabbits, the Most Weasels, Bellie, and Ginger hanging out—no one on Helix Rime was going to give them any trouble.
Those who I needed for the Plan were back on the Distant Voyager in the Observation Lounge, so we had a clear view of the system.
Jamie had Doreen sit on the floor so the kids could sit in a circle around her. “Dianne says that she wants you to be sure that you spell her name with two Ns, Auntie Doreen,” Jamie said as she led Doreen to her spot. My music changed to “Roxanne” by the Police.
“Huh. Dianne, not Roxanne?”
Jamie smiled at me and went to Alicia. “Auntie Alicia needs to sit back-to-back with Auntie Doreen.”
So that was how the kids had known Alicia was in danger. Laughed softly. “Alicia, does Tim know?”
Alicia grinned as she sat down. “Not yet. I haven’t had time to tell him. I was going to do it after Jeff’s speech and then, well, it didn’t seem right to share it on Cradus—because we both know Tim would have freaked out and not let me do anything—and we haven’t had any time otherwise.”
“Yeah, there were a lot of ‘do it after Jeff’s speech’ plans going around. I guess you don’t have to struggle with the name.”
“Nope. I like it. Besides, it’s Tim’s grandmother’s name.”
Decided that Jamie had earned being in charge of this part of the Plan. “Jamie-Kat, you get everyone situated. I need to talk to Uncle Chuckie for a second.” She beamed at me and proudly started moving people into position. Went to Chuckie and pulled him aside. “Do it now,” I said quietly.
“Do what now?” He looked legitimately confused.
“Propose. Take Nathalie somewhere on this ship and ask her to marry you. Now. Before we know if we’re going to live or die or succeed or fail.”
“Kitty, it’s not the right time.”
Rolled my eyes. “Ten extra seconds of boldness and we’d have been married since that Vegas trip. You were bold enough to ask Naomi to marry you before the world ended. Be bold now. Trust me. This is the right girl. Just . . . don’t make her wait to know she’s the right girl any longer.”
“I thought you wanted me here, doing important things.”
“I do. Don’t take the time to have sex or anything. Just propose and then get back here. Or would you rather go into the center of a sun?”
He laughed. “You’re right. This, especially compared to that, is not a scary thing at all.”
He sauntered over to where Nathalie was, spoke to her quietly, took her elbow, and led her out of the room.
Trotted back to what I was seriously now thinking of as the Summoning Circle. Jamie had placed everyone where she wanted them so that everyone would have equal access to the two pregnant women. As had happened during Operation Assassination, when Doreen was pregnant with Ezra, figured the kids were accessing those in utero to create some kind of Hybrid Super Kids Powers Activation. Also figured that if I asked Jamie how this was being achieved the answer would make every adult more than uncomfortable, so kept my yap shut.
Each kid was in an adult’s lap, so Sean was with Claudia, Ross with Lorraine, Ezra with Irving, Patrick with Serene, and Becky with Amy. Because I needed his father and he was the youngest, JR was in Doreen’s lap. Jamie was in Lizzie’s lap.
Lizzie wasn’t the only nonhybrid involved, either. Raymond was in Denise’s lap and Rachel was, interestingly enough, in Alicia’s. Wondered, not for the first time, if Kevin and Denise had A-C blood in them, or if they were just so damned charismatic that it was its own superpower. Still had no bet either way.