Alien in Chief (4 page)

CHAPTER 5

M
IMI WAS THE NICKNAME
he'd given to Naomi Gower, who was the half-human half-A-C he'd fallen in love with and married. And then she'd died, before they'd even been married six months.

The trouble was, I knew Chuckie was right. Naomi had taken so much Surcenthumain—what I called the Superpowers Drug—in order to protect the rest of us from the Mastermind, Chuckie and Jamie in particular, and to save ACE, that she'd become something very other than human. She'd become a superconsciousness. And she wasn't allowed back here, ever.

I'd never told Chuckie this. He didn't need to think his wife was out there somewhere where he could find her. “What do you mean?” I asked carefully, as the elevator doors opened.

“I mean I saw her, when I was strapped to that machine. She's out there, somewhere. And I know I can find her, if I just look in the right way and in the right place.”

This was the very definition of “not good” for more reasons than I could count. The biggest ones were that Naomi wasn't allowed here by older and far more powerful superconsciousnesses, and they would hurt Earth if she came back. And they'd do it by hurting ACE, the benevolent superconsciousness that was now housed in my daughter. And
they'd probably out Algar in the process, which would be bad for, potentially, our entire galaxy.

Algar was a Black Hole Universe being who had the biggest hard on in the multiverse for Free Will and was, therefore, on the run for crimes against his people's laws, which were more along the lines of not letting the lesser races destroy themselves. He'd taken a shine to the Alpha Four royal family thousands of years ago, and when Jeff's family had been exiled to Earth he'd come along for the ride. He was the entire Operations Team, which I'd nicknamed the Elves. There were only a handful of us who knew about Algar, and Chuckie wasn't one of them.

However, the very human reason why it was bad for Chuckie to think Naomi was alive and out in the universe somewhere was that he'd focus on trying to find her. Meaning he'd never move on and find someone else to love.

This wasn't idle speculation on my part. Chuckie had been in love with me for years—not that I'd been aware of it for most of the time, my romantic density being somewhat legendary by now—and it had taken him a long time to get over my choosing to marry Jeff. That he'd literally waste his life away searching for Naomi was a possibility that had real potential.

Time to be the worst and, at the same time, best best friend in the world and do the right thing: Lie.

I took his arm again and led him out of the elevator. “I think you saw what you wanted to see,” I said gently.

“You don't believe I saw her?” He sounded confused. A mood swing was looming on the horizon.

“I believe that you believe you saw her, Chuckie. But that makes sense.”

“It does?”

“Yes.” We reached his room and I opened the door and led him inside. Because I wasn't a dictator, everyone was able to listen to whatever they wanted in their own rooms. Most of the staff didn't leave music going when they weren't
in their living quarters, and Chuckie was no exception. But I wasn't certain silence was what he needed.

“How so?”

“You were being horrifically tortured, watching your friends being hurt, wondering if you were going to hold out or if your mind was going to be destroyed. No matter how brave a person you are—and, trust me, I know you're incredibly brave—that had to have been terrifying as well as horribly painful. When we're that hurt and scared, it's natural to see a person we love and hope that they're coming to save us.”

“But . . . it was so
real
. As real as everything else I saw. Like—” He stopped speaking. Wasn't sure, but I had a feeling there was something else he wasn't telling me. But now wasn't the time to push him about whatever that might be.

“Dreams almost always feel real.” I got his medicine and went to the small fridge in his room. “Water, please,” I said to the fridge, aka the Elves, aka Algar. Opened it to find a bottle of Dasani waiting. Algar was always on the job. “Thank you.” Algar appreciated that I was polite, and knowing that made me want to ensure I kept my record intact.

Chuckie closed his eyes. “Yeah.” He swallowed hard and opened his eyes. “I don't want to take the pills.”

“The medicine Tito's made for you helps you with the pain.”

He shook his head. “I hate taking drugs, you know that.”

“Yes, but it's non-addictive. Tito made sure.”

“I just . . . what if the medicine is making me worse?”

Here it came. Paranoia was the first phase of his mood swings. It was normally followed by anger, then rage, then listlessness, remorse, and utter despair. All while he felt like his head was breaking apart.

“Why would I give it to you, if that was the case?”

He stared at me, and I could see the suspicion coming. But he didn't say anything.

I put the pills and water bottle on his nightstand. “Look,
this has been going on for months now. No one in this Embassy, heck, no one currently on Earth is responsible for what happened to you.”

“
He
is,” he snarled.

“Yes, in a way, Cliff is the one responsible. For so many bad things. However, he isn't the person who strapped you into that mind-expanding torture device. The people who did are dead.”

“Some of them will be visiting.” He sounded ready to go join Club 51. Normally when he was like this we tried to calm and soothe him. It rarely worked.

I was the one he responded to best, which made sense. I was also the one who'd spent the last many months insisting that we not rush his recovery in any way. Basically, I was willing to coddle him because I felt that he needed it.

Maybe it was the stress from him telling me he thought Naomi was alive. Maybe the worry about our impending visitations combined with the worry about everything else that was going on. But I just couldn't handle coddling him today. It hadn't been making any positive change in over a year, after all. So maybe it was time to try a new tactic.

“And I suppose you'd like us to kill them as soon as they step out of the spacecraft? Or maybe in the air?”

Chuckie stared at me. “What?”

“You're hurting, you're angry, and you're snarling. I'm all for killing Cliff Goodman. The problem with that is that we know he has clones of himself and LaRue the Clandestine Ancient Alien and Leventhal Reid all over the place. You're the first person to mention that he also probably has a doomsday plan in place if he's killed. So killing him right now is out.”

“I know that, but—”

“
But
the Rapacians who put you into that machine are all dead, and the ones that will be coming to visit will be on the tightest leashes around because they'll either come that way or I'll be the one putting said leashes on. So, aside from
the pain, I'm just wondering if you want us killing people, or if you're just actually enjoying wallowing in pain and sorrow somehow.”

He stared at me again. “Why would you think that?”

“Because the medicine you don't want to take relieves your pain and calms your moods. I realize that this means you're not getting to be all natural. On the other hand, you're going to be more like you actually are. So unless you're really set on no longer being Batman but instead being the Incredible Hulk twenty-four-seven, I think taking your meds, lying down, and taking a nap is what a mature, intelligent adult would do.”

“What . . . why are you mad at me?”

“I'm not. But, seriously, we need Normal Suave and On Top of Things Chuckie back, not Mister Emotions' Wild Ride Chuckie hanging around, moping, whining, threatening, and generally playing into all our enemies' hands.”

He blinked. “I'm helping our enemies?”

I shoved him gently onto the bed. “Dude, think about it. If you're out of commission, then the best mind we have is out of commission. Why do you think Cliff centered all his evil crap on you? Sure, because of the insane rivalry, but it's there
because
you're smarter than he is.”

He shook his head. “He's been three steps ahead of us for years.”

“Because we didn't know who the hell the Mastermind was. We know now. Sure, we have some catching up to do, and we have to hide that we know he's a freaking backstabbing traitorous loon, but we
are
catching up. And our allies, such as the President, are aware of who and what Cliff really is, and he doesn't know that they know. But we need you, the real you, in order to catch up all the way. And that means we need you focused on getting better and on doing what you do best, which is thinking, not going off on a wild wife chase that will only end in heartbreak all around.”

He was quiet for a few long moments. “Why are you saying this to me today?”

“Versus at any other time over the last fourteen months? Because you told me today that you think Naomi's still out there somewhere. I could be spitballing here, but I think that means you've been trying to find her all these months. And that's probably contributing to all your health issues in a big, nasty, negative way. And I'm telling you that you need to stop it. For you, for us, for Earth. And for the two people Naomi sacrificed herself to save—you and Jamie.”

Chuckie stared at me for another few moments. “What if I can't?”

CHAPTER 6

H
EAVED A SIGH AND
asked the key question. “Can't or won't?”

Chuckie managed a wry smile. “Either.” He heaved his own sigh and reached for his meds. “You're right, you know. I don't want to stop looking for her. And yes, I have been. Desperately. Which is pathetic.”

“No, it's not. It's human.” I turned on his iPod and selected the Soothing Songs playlist I'd created for him. Melissa Etheridge came on, softly singing “Sleep.” “You loved her and she was taken from you. Why wouldn't you want to find her again?”

“Yeah.” He took his pills and lay down. “But I think you're also right—I may have imagined it.” He didn't sound convinced of this.

“Look, let's say you're right. What, exactly, can you do?” Hoped his answer wasn't going to be to take a lot of Surcenthumain and become a superconsciousness. Or die.

“Nothing. Because if she's still here, it isn't
here
, you know? I don't think she's anywhere on Earth. Or really on any planet. I just feel like she's out there, somewhere.”

“That's how a lot of people feel when they lose someone—that the person's spirit is still out there, watching over them. And if that's true, then I know Naomi's watching over you. And I also know that she doesn't want you
wasting your life away, allowing her family and friends, her goddaughter, and the husband she loved so much to be destroyed.”

This I did know to be true, so I wasn't lying so much as protecting all of us, Naomi included, from the Superconsciousness Supreme Court.

Chuckie nodded and his eyes got droopy. Had to hand it to Tito, the medicines he created worked fast. And if Melissa Etheridge wanted you to go to sleep, you went to sleep. “You're right, Kitty.” He reached for me and I took his hand in mine. “Thanks for always being there for me.”

I kissed his forehead. “Always, and right back atcha. Now, get some rest and feel better—I'm going to go back to Stress Central and figure out our next moves.”

He heaved one more sigh and then his hand went lax. He was asleep. I covered him up with a throw blanket, turned the music down a little more, then, as his Poof, Fluffy, and Naomi's Poof, Cutie-Pie, crawled out of his pockets and snuggled on either side of his neck, I quietly left.

Decided to take a quick look in at the kids, mostly because any time Chuckie was like this I had a strong suspicion Jamie knew somehow and was upset by it. So I used hyperspeed, which I had thanks to giving birth to Jamie, and headed upstairs one floor to the daycare center.

To find Seraphim's version of “Baby Face” on the airwaves and Amy Gaultier-White in da house, playing with the kids. A year ago this would have been odd—Amy loved all the kids, but she wasn't someone who was going to drop everything because a baby was nearby. Then.

But Amy and Christopher were finally pregnant and, since her second trimester, Amy had been spending more and more time with the kids, particularly in the daycare center. This was fine with Denise and all the rest of the parents, but since Amy was also still fighting off the rest of the Gaultier Enterprises board members—well, the evil ones, which I kind of assumed were all of them until we
discovered differently—her attachment to the kids was kind of freaky.

It was definitely freaking Christopher out. But Jeff wasn't overly concerned about it, and since we were reasonably sure that we'd gotten rid of all the emotional blockers and overlays our enemies had planted everywhere, if he didn't feel Amy was off the deep end, then the rest of us didn't need to worry.

“Hey Ames, how goes it?”

She was holding Jamie in her lap. Unlike me—both times—Amy hadn't turned into Henrietta Hippo during pregnancy. She looked great, though there was definitely a baby on board. Also unlike me, her long red hair really looked more luxurious, her skin was clear and glowing, and she had a Madonna and Child look going with Jamie. She was one of my oldest and closest friends, so I chose not to hate her.

“Okay. Kitty, is Chuck okay?”

Well, that explained why Jamie was in her lap. “Migraine.” Which was our code for Chuckie's Delicate Condition.

“We figured.” Amy hugged Jamie. “I'll bet your mommy got your Uncle Charles all taken care of.”

Trotted over and gave Jamie a kiss. “I did. He'll be fine.”

“I miss Auntie Mimi, too,” Jamie said.

Not good. I had no idea if she was reading Chuckie's mind, if they had some sort of mind-link due to what had happened during Operation Civil War, or if she just knew why Chuckie was always sad these days. But still, of all of us, the one most likely to be able to contact Naomi was Jamie—because she housed ACE inside of her.

ACE was a superconsciousness that had been created by those on Alpha Four who'd wanted to keep all their exiled people firmly on Earth. During Operation Drug Addict, when we'd discovered ACE and what he was supposed to be doing, I'd originally filtered ACE into Paul Gower,
Naomi's older brother and the current Supreme Pontifex of the Earth A-Cs.

ACE had always been our protector, and after Operation Destruction, Alexander had ensured that any imposed restraints ACE might still have were removed, essentially freeing ACE to protect Earth as he saw fit. But due to events that happened during Operation Defection Election and some other, extremely interfering superconsciousnesses, ACE had had to move into Jamie, for both his protection and hers.

I knew that ACE, like Algar, knew Naomi was still around, so to speak. Whether this meant Jamie knew for sure or not I didn't know. And I was afraid to ask.

“We all miss her, Jamie-Kat.” I stroked her hair as “Mysterious Ways” by U2 came on. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Auntie Amy's here.” She patted Amy's stomach. “And Becky's here, too.”

“Excuse me?” This was a new one.

New to Amy, too. She looked confused. Well, not about the sex of the baby—since Jamie, the “no finding out the sex prior to birth” rule the A-Cs had had was struck from the rulebook. But to my knowledge, Amy and Christopher hadn't settled on a name.

“Ah, we haven't picked the name yet, sweetie,” Amy said, right on cue.

“She likes Becky,” Jamie said as if she was stating that water was wet.

Amy and I exchanged the “oh really?” look. “Ah, well,” Amy said slowly, “that's one of the names we've been talking about—Rebecca Ann. But it's not the only one.”

“It's the one she likes,” Jamie said. “And she wants to be called Becky by her friends.”

“Well, as I remember,” I said carefully, “this generation all likes to be named early.” Jamie had certainly responded to her name while in utero, and we'd had to assign names to some of the other hybrids during labor for their safety and
the safety of their mothers. “Apparently you're having a talented girl.”

Amy nodded. “But we knew that.” True enough. All of our crop of hybrids had shown their talents early. Though none as much as my children, at least so far.

Speaking of which, Charlie crawled over, looking indignant for being ignored this long. I picked him up and hugged him while he cuddled into my neck. “I guess you need to tell Christopher that the name is set.”

Amy managed a laugh. “I guess so.” She hugged Jamie. “Thanks for letting me know.”

Jamie hugged her back, beaming. “You're welcome, Auntie Amy.” If I ignored Jamie's continuing ability to communicate with other children while they were still in the womb, some of which was probably due to ACE, everyone seemed fine, and I had a meeting I needed to get back to. Hugged Amy, kissed Jamie, kissed Charlie and handed him off to Amy, and headed off again.

Used hyperspeed to get back downstairs quickly. Christopher still worked with me regularly on my skills and control, and I almost never slammed myself into walls anymore. At least, not very often.

“. . . so, I think we're going to have to say yes,” I heard Jeff say as I rejoined him and the others to Flo Rida's “Club Can't Handle Me.”

“To visitors or to activating The Clarence Clone?” I asked as I seated myself to the beat.

“Both, honestly, baby.” Jeff sighed. “By the way, I didn't want to say this while Chuck was in the room, but Cliff knows about the message from the Planetary Council.”

“How so?”

“We were having a meeting with the Cabinet and their top people. Cliff's the head of FEMA now, he was there.”

“Fantastic. What's his stance on the NASA Base situation?”

“Out loud? Total support for keeping the Base open.”

“Is that the general viewpoint?”

“Most. Shocking no one, the Secretary of Transportation is against it. A few others. Some not for anti-alien reasons, at least out loud.”

Cleary nodded. “I understand the issue, in that sense. The issue is that with you all out in the open, why have a special base at NASA just for A-Cs?”

“Because the majority of our tech comes from there?” I asked with only a hint of sarcasm.

Cleary shrugged. “Just as much comes from Dulce. However, I don't want to say yes to closing NASA Base.”

“Then that's going to be on you, Gideon. Because you're the dude who started the whole ‘shut it down' movement in the first place.”

“Yes, I know, Ambassador.”

“Why so formal? All of a sudden, I mean.” Looked around. Nope, no one of importance had just arrived via Stealth Mode.

“He's trying to focus you on the fact that you're going to have to take an active role in preserving NASA Base,” Jeff said. “And he's not wrong.”

“What about the Stephanie the Huntress situation?”

“That we're leaving to me, Missus Chief,” Buchanan said. “And the boys are going to make sure that happens,” he added, nodding at Len and Kyle, who nodded right back with super-serious expressions. Apparently what had been discussed in my absence was me and my expected roles. And how to prevent me from doing anything too active.

“Fine, fine. Well, I guess that means some of us are heading to Florida.” Meaning Jamie, Charlie, Len, Kyle, and I were definitely heading to Jeff's parent's house. That would make Alfred and Lucinda happy, so that was one for the win column. “Jeff, are you coming with us or do you have to stay up here?”

“It'll depend on what we determine we're doing about the Planetary Council.”

“We're in a damned if we do and damned if we don't situation,” Cleary said. He and Jeff started discussing the various options, with Buchanan and even the boys adding in. No one was thrilled.

Considered the option they hadn't. “You know, why don't we just kill two birds with one spaceship?”