Alien Diplomacy

several times to rest. The sun set fully. The lighting in this part of the parking lot wasn’t impressive. It figured we’d have to stop for a rest in the Creepshow Parking Lot.
    “I think we’re by a mall.” Though there weren’t a lot of cars. Then again, for all I knew, whatever had kept the taxis away from National had kept customers away from the mall, too. I looked around but couldn’t spot so much as a security golf cart, let alone a police car.
    “Good. I hope.”
    I dropped my iPod back into my purse and dug my phone out. Jeff answered on the first ring. “Where are you?”
    “We aren’t sure. At a mall near the airport. Richard got hurt.”
    “WHAT?” Jeff’s bellow was always impressive.
    White took the phone from me. “Hello, Jeffrey.” I could hear Jeff shouting. He sounded beyond freaked. White sighed. “Jeffrey, I’m not the Pontifex anymore. Yes, actually, that does mean that I’m able to risk life and limb. No, she’s not hurt, or if she is, she hasn’t mentioned it.”
    “Fine here. You blocked the impact.” Apparently Jeff heard me, because I could hear him asking what impact I was talking about. He was merely yelling, not bellowing. “Tell him to stop scaring the baby.”
    “Your wife would like me to pass along the gentle suggestion that you’re likely distressing your child. Ah, well, then, feel free to keep on shouting at me.” I couldn’t hear Jeff anymore. White was trying not to laugh. “Yes, apology accepted. I understand. It’s been a trying couple of days. I believe Kathy was calling for us to get a lift.” White gave up and laughed. “Yes, we’re undercover again. Not really, if you catch my meaning, however. Yes, thank you. Good.”
    He handed the phone back to me. “Jeffrey would like to speak to you while they send a team to fetch us.”
    I dutifully took my phone back. “It wasn’t my fault.”
    “It’s never your fault. How badly is he hurt?”
    “I don’t know. He thinks his shoulder’s dislocated, and I see blood, but not a lot. We had to jump off the train tracks.”
    I could hear Jeff take a deep breath. “Fine. I’m going to get all of this from you once we have you both back and secured.”
    “Who’s coming to get us?”
    “People we can trust.”
    “You’re staying at the Embassy, right?”
    “Yes. Not that I’m happy about it, let me add, but Reynolds and your mother have both thrown high-level security temper tantrums and are now both insisting that once one of the team returns, he or she isn’t allowed out again.”
    “I guess there were a lot of us running around these past couple of days.”
    “You in particular. Anyway, sit tight, baby. Your ride will be there shortly.”
    I was going to ask again who was coming to get us when I heard what sounded like a muted sprinkler system. “Who’s coming for us in a chopper? C.I.A. that we like, C.I.A. that we don’t like, someone from our team, or an assassin?”
    Jeff cursed impressively. “Figure it’s an assassin. None of us sent a chopper.”
    “Okay, hanging up, love you, gotta run. For real. Someone find us and fast.” I flung my phone back into my purse, grabbed White’s hand, and took off.
    “I thought you said you were run out,” he said as we headed for one of the buildings.
    “It’s amazing how people coming to shoot us from the air gives me that ability to go on.”
    We rounded a corner and were greeted by the sight of a lot of goons. I couldn’t be sure if they were the same squad from the airport, but they had the same look, and they certainly had the same earpieces.
    “We’re officially in a Matrix movie, Mister White. And I’d like to go for popcorn and a Coke.”
    “Well, we could take in a movie, Missus Martini, but I’m not sure we can do that without endangering everyone inside.”
    White leaned up against the building. This wasn’t a good sign. “Richard, how badly are you hurt? I want the truth, not a reassuring statement.”
    “I’ve been better.”
    I looked around. We were essentially surrounded. I could possiblypush myself and get us…somewhere. But I was lost around here still, and White seemed to be in need of, at minimum, a lie-down and some pain meds. Stitches and God knew what else were probably going to be a necessity as well.
    The goons were moving casually. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe they didn’t think we’d seen them since we weren’t running away. Either that, or, as was more likely, we were completely surrounded,