Alien Diplomacy

them handling their powers? We’ll take care of that.”
    I looked around the room. No one here didn’t know, except possibly Serene, and she should, all things considered. “Yes, I know you and Christopher can, and should, put blocks in if the babies need them. And, if you’re able, you should teach Serene how to do it, too. But that’s not what I mean.”
    Jeff looked confused. So did everyone else. I sighed. “Look, Jamie heard her daddy worrying, and she did something she thought was right that wasn’t. All the flyboys were there, and so were the girls. And we haven’t told them not to worry about dying in childbirth,”I stressed. “And I guarantee you, the human guys are worried about it.”
    I saw the light dawn in Jeff’s eyes. “Oh.” He nodded. “Tito, when can you take the infirmary out of lockdown?” He had his Commander voice on.
    “It’s on a timer,” Tito said as he closed things up. “It’ll be faster to leave than take it off.”
    “Then let’s go. Oh, and Tito, bring whatever medical supplies make you happy.”
    He, Melanie, and Emily were all carrying med cases. “You think they aren’t in the Science Center?” Emily asked.
    “I have no idea where the girls are. I just know that they need an assist from ACE, meaning they likely need the assist from all of us, too.”
    We took the elevator to the first floor. The gate was actually in the basement, where the elevators didn’t go. Aliens were weird. However, taking the elevator instead of the stairs meant Tito wouldn’t be barfing his guts out.
    We reached the first floor, and, as we were walking past the big kitchen area, I spotted White, rummaging in the refrigerator. “Richard, you doing anything?”
    He turned around holding sandwich fixings. “I was going to prepare a snack.”
    “How’d you like to come along and help us, just in case?”
    White stared at me for a long moment, nodded, put the food away, and joined us. “What’s going on, Missus Martini? Is it catsuit time?”
    “Not that I know of, but never rule it out, Mister White. I think the miracle of birth is on today’s docket, but I could be wrong. Whatever it is, however, I think Lorraine and Claudia need us.”
    “Say no more. Jeffrey, please stop glaring at me. She is my partner, after all.”
    “Huh. I think you want her in a catsuit a little too much.”
    White chuckled as we reached the basement. Jeff calibrated the gate, which was good. Now that I was enhanced I could actually see the gate. Of course, I couldn’t calibrate it. I contemplated the necessity of learning and had to admit it was high. All airport gates recalibrated to the Dome, which was the main gate hub located on the Ancients’ original crash site. But I had no idea if the Embassy gate did the same thing. And knowing where I was tossing myself to would probably be a good addition to my assortment of skills.
    Jeff ushered everyone through as White took Jamie from me.“I’ll hold onto our Jamie Katherine, since I assume you’ll be going through in your usual manner.”
    “You know it,” I replied cheerfully, while Jamie snuggled into White’s chest. The gates tended to make me nauseous at best. My preferred way to use them was to have Jeff holding me with my face buried in his neck. “Wise man keeps baby safe from mother’s potential vomit.”
    “Yes, I do know how much you enjoy these trips. Don’t dawdle,” he reminded us. With that, he walked through.
    Jeff grinned as he recalibrated the gate for two full-sized travelers. “I’d love to dawdle, but I think you’re too worried to enjoy it.”
    “Probably. But we can make up for it later.”
    “Good plan.” Jeff swept me up into his arms, I shoved my face into his neck, he walked us through. Three seconds or so of total awful and we stepped out on what I called the Bat Cave level of the Dulce Science Center.
    There were A-Cs bustling about doing all sorts of serious, keeping the world safe from the nasty things trying to destroy it stuff. I still didn’t know what half the equipment did or what the majority of the many screens of all shapes and sizes showed. But I was happy to be standing here, at the heart of Centaurion Division, where the work everyone did mattered.
    Jeff put me down. “Feeling okay, baby?”
    I sort of grunted. Not so much, really. The gates remained the bane of my existence.
    “Where to, Missus Martini?” White asked. I could tell everyone else was thinking the same question.
    “Hang