Alien Research

CHAPTER 71

THE POOF TRAPS poured out as I clutched the one Poof to me. I was too horrified to scream. At least out loud. I was screaming in my head, though.

But there were no horrible little answering screams from my trapped pets. The Poofs poured into the dust devil. And they didn’t pour right out again.

Mahin was sweating, and she didn’t look like she could hold the dust devil too much longer. Tried to think of what to tell her.

“Relax,” Christopher said, sounding like he did when he and I worked on my control. “You’ve got it. Channel up from your feet, they’re touching the source of your power.”

Mahin nodded. “Have to move them. But . . . it’s hard . . .”

“No, you don’t have to move anything but the dirt, and you control it. You just have to move the dirt,” he said, sounding calm and unworried. “They’ll go with the dirt. Just bring the dirt back to you, where it all belongs. You control the dirt.”

“Yes, but . . .”

“Breathe. In and out. Relax and just let it all flow. You’ve done this a million times. Right now it’s just another time, that’s all.”

Mahin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The dirt looked more solid. It sailed away from the incinerator, swirled down and around, and settled in a pile in front of Mahin.

There were a lot of Poofs in traps, covered with dirt. Jeff and Christopher started digging them out and opening up the traps. I got up and hugged Mahin. Then I burst into tears. Felt stupid, but I couldn’t help it.

She hugged me back. “Did we get all of them?”

The Poof I was holding mewed. “Yes, all that were here.” Took a deep breath and got it together. “They have my Poof, Poofikins, and the Head Poof, Harlie.” To do something nefarious with them, I was sure. Probably starting with telling us these were the last Poofs around. Hadn’t thought it was possible for me to hate these people more than I already did, but found out it was.

“You can understand what it says?” she asked, as we separated and the unattached Poof jumped onto Mahin’s shoulder and rubbed against her neck. She giggled. “That tickles. They’re little fluff balls, aren’t they?”

The Poof purred and looked at me with a very satisfied expression. “Ah, Mahin? This one’s yours.”

“Oh, you don’t have to give me one,” she said a little regretfully. “I owed you this. At least this.”

“Not going to debate that at the present time. However, the way it works for the Poofs is if you name it, you’re attached to it, and it to you. Meet your Poof, Fluffball.”

The Poof purred even louder. “Really?” Mahin asked. “It thinks that’s its name? It thinks it’s mine?”

“That is now its name and it is now yours.”

“Yeah,” Jeff said, as he got the last Poof Trap opened. “Welcome to the family.”

Mahin looked like she was going to follow my lead and burst into tears. “I don’t know what to say.” Her voice broke. “I’ve been alone since my parents died.”

“I know.” Jeff put his arm around her shoulders. “I read you before. Look, the bird approved you, the Poofs approved you, and you’ve done nothing but help us since you found out you’d aligned with the wrong side. People make mistakes. You didn’t pull the trigger, the assassin did, and you helped us capture her, twice. Stop beating yourself up.”

I jerked. “You can feel her emotions?”

“Yeah. And yeah, I know that means that the emotional blocker was on Dier, not just randomly on the base. Have no idea what that means, however.”

“It means if we strip search that bitch we can find another blocker or enhancer that Serene and her team can take apart. The kid probably has one on him, too.”

“Tim just sent me a text,” Christopher said. “They haven’t found Al Dejahl, Kozlow, or Gladys anywhere in the building where the computer center is. Our computer team has what might be a lead on Chernobog, though.”

Considered our options, and our quarries’ options. “You know, I shot Kozlow. I only winged him, but, faster healing or not, he’d want medical attention. Would the base infirmary be in the same building as the computer center?”

“No,” Pierce said. “It’s nearby, though.”

“Great,” Jeff said, as he took firm hold of my hand and Christopher gathered up all the empty Poof Traps into a ratty-looking duffel bag he’d scrounged up. “We’re going back to the hangar and we can determine who’s going where after that.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”

This got a laugh out of Christopher but Jeff just looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“When did being a politician start being your go-to move? You were Head of Field, and we’re in a Field situation, and they have our Poofs. You can go to the hangar, but I’m going to see if I can find Kozlow.”

Christopher slung the sack of Poof Traps on his back. “I’m with Kitty on this one, Jeff. In part because I have no desire to stop being in a Field situation until Gladys is back and the people who murdered Michael are all in prison or dead.”

“What Christopher said. To the tenth power.”

Jeff stared at us for a long moment. “Good points. You,” he pointed to Lt. Pierce. “Take us to the infirmary.”

“Ah, could we go at a normal speed?” Pierce asked. “I don’t know that I have anything left to throw up.”

“Everyone’s so picky.”

“No,” Christopher said as he finished sending a text and grabbed Pierce. “But if you’re nice about it, I might go sort of slowly.”

“But I wouldn’t count on it,” I added. “All Poofs with me, please and thank you.” My purse felt heavier. Scooped Bruno up with my free arm. “Let’s roll.”

“You sound so street when you say that,” Jeff said.

We headed for the infirmary but before we got there Mahin jerked at us and stopped running. “Look!” We all stopped, while Pierce started gagging.

Mahin pointed down one of the main, paved roads. There were three people on it, running toward the west, meaning toward the Cuban side. One of them was quite short, and one had what looked like a bandage on his upper arm.

“That’s them, I hit Kozlow in the arm. Lieutenant, when you get your stomach back under control, get to the hangar and let our people know that we have the fugitives in sight and are pursuing.”

Put Bruno down. He still seemed wilted from the heat—wondered if whatever the Poof Traps were made of affected the Peregrines negatively too, because I wouldn’t have expected any being from Alpha Four to have issues with heat. Cold yes, but not heat. Gave him a pat. “Make sure he gets to everyone safely and wait for orders, you need to recover.”

Bruno squawked and bobbed his head. He’d get Mr. Weak Stomach to safety and remain on guard. We left Pierce happily puking under Bruno’s watchful eye, and took off on our new course.

Could still see our targets in the distance, and we were gaining on them. “Why are they running at regular speeds?”

“They’re not,” Christopher said. “Good to see all the training’s starting to pay off—you’re seeing human and hyperspeed without trying or realizing you’re switching back and forth.”

“Oh. Go me. You’re a good coach.”

“Yes, you are,” Mahin agreed.

“Helps to have good students,” Christopher said.

“The love on the base is making me as sick as that lieutenant we left,” Jeff said. “Where the hell are they going? And why? If it were me, I’d be trying to get to a gate.”

“James locked them down,” Christopher said. “No one can get through without his authorization right now.”

“They may or may not know that. But my bet is they’re heading for the Cuban side, because Chernobog’s there, somewhere.” Was about to ask Christopher if he was able to go to Flash levels when both the why and the where of what our quarries were going to was answered.

A low-flying “Little Bird” helicopter—the kind that looked like sleek, black bubbles holding some serious firepower while also being incredibly maneuverable—came over the horizon. It didn’t take genius to realize that Ronaldo and what was left of his gang were headed for it.

It also didn’t take genius to figure out where all the weapons this particular chopper had—and it had a lot—were aimed. They were aimed at us.