Alien Research

CHAPTER 29

JEFF HELD MAHIN while I took Buchanan and Adriana aside and shared the plan with them. In addition to Adriana’s weapons search and seizure, they’d spent the time tying Mahin’s hands behind her back using some of the ripped-up parachute.

“We got nothing out of her other than the fact that she thinks we’re all murderous pigs, me most of all,” Buchanan shared when we were done.

“She’s not fond of me, either,” Adriana said with a smile. “I believe Grandmother would be able to get information out of her though.”

“If only we had the time to bring Mahin to Olga. Or knew that it was safe to do so.”

“Which we don’t,” Buchanan said. “However, I think she’ll talk to your father. He did the Good Cop role well and he doesn’t give off the same vibes the rest of us do.”

“Good to know. I don’t want her alone with my dad anytime soon.”

Buchanan gave me a wolfish grin. “I like being Bad Cop, so no worries.”

“I see that. Can’t argue, I prefer the Bad Cop role myself.”

Buchanan and Adriana had no argument with our plan, such as it was, so we all linked hands, Buchanan and Jeff each holding one of Mahin’s arms, and then we took a leisurely hyperspeed run to the remains of the jet.

Since said remains were pretty well covered with sand and such, we didn’t linger long. Mahin, being a hybrid, had no issues with the hyperspeed, which was good in that we didn’t have to watch her throw up. Chuckie texted in the coordinates to Colonel Franklin so the military could do cleanup, then Jeff called for a group floater gate.

We all stepped through together and exited at Home Base. Christopher and the princesses verified there was still no one there but us while I made my stomach settle down. Mahin had no negative reactions to the gate. Decided I might need to hate her.

“Do we keep the mummy look going?” Tito asked as Christopher and the princesses returned and Chuckie put handcuffs onto Mahin while Buchanan removed her parachute bonds.

“No,” Jeff said. “You all look ridiculous, and while the element of surprise is one thing, I don’t think we can reasonably count on all of our enemies falling down laughing when they see all of you. Some of them, yes. But not all.”

We stripped off the impromptu parachute fashion wear. Happily, we were all intact and reasonably unscathed. “Scoff if you like, but I say any fashion choice that allows you to get through a sandstorm without major injuries is a good fashion choice.”

“Last chance to change our minds,” Christopher said, once we were all devoid of parachutes and Mahin was officially in C.I.A. custody, or at least C.I.A. handcuffs.

“Unless you’ve had a genius moment, we’re rolling with what we have.” This earned me Patented Glare #2, but no snide comments, so took that to mean Christopher hadn’t come up with anything better. “I do have one request. Dad, I want you going back to Caliente Base.”

“Absolutely not,” Dad said calmly.

“We don’t know what we’ll be facing, but people shooting at us would be a safe bet.”

Dad shrugged. “I realize you and your mother do this sort of thing all the time, kitten. And I don’t. However, you’re my daughter and I’m here and, therefore, I’m not leaving to let you go off and get shot at without me along to do my best to protect you and the rest of our family and friends.”

“We don’t really have time for this argument,” Jeff said. “Our family, friends, and co-workers are in danger, held hostage or worse, and we have to go. Now. Sol, just stay in the back.”

Wasn’t thrilled, but didn’t argue. Because Christopher argued for me. “Jeff, think for a minute. Where we’re going, ah, echoes. And we have to be single file for a while.” He grabbed me and Jeff and pulled us aside. “I think we’re going to have a problem, more than one, if we try to take our prisoner along.”

“It was hard enough when it was just me, Christopher, and three of the flyboys.”

“I don’t know that we can control a hybrid in there, and she’ll have ample opportunity to shout her head off,” Christopher went on. “Sure, we can gag her, but we still don’t know what she can do. What if it’s a lot more than we’ve seen?”

Jeff ran his hand through his hair. “Fine, I know where you’re both going with this. I’m fine with Sol staying behind with Mahin, but he can’t possibly handle her on his own.”

“But we have someone with us who can.” I motioned for Buchanan and Chuckie to join us and we quickly explained the situation. “I want my dad somewhere safe, and I want Mahin guarded by someone who’s nasty enough to kill her if necessary but smart enough to avoid it if at all possible.”

“I’m the man for the job, and your mother would agree that with the Reinstated Commanders along you’re probably well covered,” Buchanan said. “However, Mahin’s a hybrid. The moment the rest of you are gone, she’s going to try to overpower me, and she probably can, handcuffs or no handcuffs.”

“That can also be handled,” Jeff said. “Where do we want all of you going?”

“Guantanamo,” Chuckie said without missing a beat.

“That’s fine, as long as I can get a floater to get myself and Mister Katt to all of you, or out of there, depending. It’s not someplace I think your enemies would expect and it’s heavily guarded.”

Jeff and Chuckie made the calls while I explained the situation to Dad. “Pump her for information,” I said in conclusion, in part because he was likely the only one who had a shot, and in the other part because I knew he was disappointed to be sidelined, especially right after Jeff had told him he was coming along.

“Will do, kitten. Should we send you whatever information we have as we get it? Or will that cause a problem?”

“No idea, Dad. I’d say if it’s vital, send no matter what. If not, save it for when we contact you guys.”

The floater gate appeared, hugged Dad and gave him a kiss, then he and Buchanan each took an arm and stepped through with Mahin. Got a text from Buchanan about a minute later saying they were there, all was well, and Mahin was shackled and being taken to a cell designed to hold a bull elephant.

Waited for Chuckie to get confirmation from Guantanamo that our prisoner was secured and that Dad and Buchanan were just fine, and then, confident that we had at least a little part of the problem contained, Jeff called for a new floater gate.

It appeared and the rest of us stepped through. While Jeff didn’t carry me, he did have his arm around me and held me tightly. It was a nice feeling in amidst the nausea and stress.

We exited in a patch of desert I was familiar with—the wash that the Science Center’s old drainage pipe had emptied into.

This location was great for several reasons beyond no one really thinking about it much. For starters, it was about a half a mile away from the back of the Science Center, so not easily seen in the first place. The wash was a big one, wide and deep—the bottom was a good eight feet lower than the main plane of the ground around this area. And the drainage pipe and the area around it were additionally hidden by a variety of cacti and desert scrub foliage.

On the downside, the pipe now had a nice metal grate attached to the opening.

Rahmi and Rhee started to pull at the grate with Chuckie and Tito giving them direction, I pulled Jeff and Christopher aside.

“Christopher, before you and Jeff go help the princesses wrench that grate off and then we all get onto our hands and knees, I have a question.”

“Only one?” Christopher asked, sarcasm knob definitely heading for eleven. “If it’s ‘how are we going to get that grate off without alerting the entire Science Center to our presence,’ I have no idea.”

“At the present time I only have the one question, and that’s not it. When we used this way back when, there was a fork in the pipe. We went to the right. What would we have come to if we’d gone to the left?”

“The reclamation system.”

“Awesome.”

“Why is that awesome?” Jeff asked.

“Because the only thing that anyone’s paid attention to as far as I know is this outer opening and the opening on the fifteenth floor by the Lair. And while Mom and I cared about the pipe and its security breach, I don’t think anyone else, Gladys included, really did. So I’m willing to bet that no one’s done anything with the left fork, including block it off or put security on it.”

“Assuming we can get this new grate off, how does that help us?” Jeff asked.

“Simple. It gives our second team the true element of surprise.”

Jeff and Christopher stared at me, then spoke in unison. “Second team?”