Alien Diplomacy

general, not at anyone specifically. He was a glaring impresario, after all, and had great range.
    Jeff looked around. “Why is the reporter in the car with us?”
    “Chuckie and I thought it was wise to protect him.”
    Jeff grunted, then nodded to Pierre. “Glad you’re here. Sorry about the welcome.”
    Pierre waved his hand nonchalantly. “Darling, really. Bullets and a rather slow car chase? That’s nothing. You’re speaking to a man who spends his time in the midst of crises of epic proportions. Now, if the cars were manned with half-crazed and completely stressed-out mothers of the brides? I might feel a quiver or two of fear. Otherwise, this makes a lovely change.”
    Oliver shrugged. “I’ve covered wars. So far, he’s right, this isn’t too bad.”
    “I mention that it was really bad for the car of ours that didn’t get its laser shield up in time, and we’ll let it go at that. Good speed on that one, Kyle, by the way.”
    He turned around. There was a funny expression on his face. “Kitty, I didn’t hit the shield button. It activated before I could reach it.”
    We all stared at each other. A suspicion niggled. Operation Confusion would have been a lot more confusing, and we’d have lost at least every guy on Alpha and Airborne, if not for the fact that Jamie had talents even Jeff hadn’t been able to figure out yet. Hybrid girls were nothing if not exceptionally gifted. And, as had been pointed out to me frequently, while Jamie’s blocks kept her from feeling everyone’s emotions, her hearing was topnotch. After all, I knew why the bus had acted strangely earlier.
    I looked right into her eyes. Jamie looked back and grabbed my nose. I laughed and kissed her head. “You’re such a good baby.”



CHAPTER 16
    T O EVERYONE’S CREDIT, while they looked shocked, no one asked me if I was crazy. I didn’t figure this kind of luck would hold, but I enjoyed the moment.
    Then again, they might not have said it aloud, but their expressions showed a variety of “you so crazy” looks. I could understand why the others were surprised, but, really, Operation Confusion had only been three months ago. You’d think Jeff and Christopher both would have remembered that Jamie had had a tiny hand in helping to save the day.
    Then again, they’d been tied up and tortured while most of that was going, so perhaps it wasn’t foremost in their minds.
    Or maybe it was because Len was skidding us around yet another corner. He avoided hitting the cars coming for us, I had no idea how, though driving onto the sidewalk had something to do with it.
    “How are we getting out of this alive?” I asked.
    Jeff grunted. “I plan to take care of that shortly.” He turned around. “Kid, take the next three rights, then two lefts. You’ll see a parking garage under renovation, head into it, barriers be damned.”
    “Yes, sir, Ambassador,” Len said, teeth gritted.
    “I’m glad Len has athletic reflexes.” I was. He was doing things with the car I’d expect from Reader or Tim, or myself. But I hadn’t seen this level of competence since we’d been relegated to the Diplomatic Corps.
    “We had to take a course,” Kyle shared. “Len got one of the highest scores ever, per Mister Reynolds.”
    “We’ll cheer later,” Christopher snapped as we skidded aroundyet another corner, narrowly missing a gaggle of students. “If, you know, we don’t die or kill someone on the way.”
    I checked behind us. “We still have our pod of gray killer whales behind us. They don’t give up easily, do they?” No police cars were anywhere in the near or far distance. So much for the idea that regular people would be adequately protected. Anyone around us right now was in danger.
    “Killer whales?” Oliver asked.
    “Don’t ask,” Christopher said. “You get used to the Kittyisms or you go insane.”
    “Thanks ever, Mister Happy.”
    “Limos are like the car version of whales,” Len said, teeth still gritted, as he spun us toward Jeff’s requested parking garage. “These are trying to kill us.”
    I sighed happily. “See? Someone understands me without a translator.”
    Jeff grunted. “I’m thrilled. Kid, head for a middle level, not the bottom, not the roof, spin our whale around, and have it ready to go either up or down.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “His name is Len,” I mentioned.
    Jeff gave me a look that indicated he was close to having to have the jealousy chat with Len. I decided I liked who my driver