Alien Diplomacy

and they could conserve their energy.
    “I’m feeling very Alamo-ish again.”
    “Again?”
    “Had that feeling during Operation Fugly. Having it again now.”
    On cue, White winced at the name. “I shudder to discover what you’re going to name this initiative, Missus Martini.”
    I was about to say that my main goal was to have us survive to be able to name it anything other than Operation Rest In Peace when I saw goon bodies fly. I blinked, and then the last person I’d expected was in front of us.



CHAPTER 39
    “I HOPE YOU TWO ARE DONE playing around,” Christopher snapped. I was treated to Patented Glare #2. His father got Glare #5. Christopher was a glaring artist .
    Of course, as I thought about it—while Christopher flung his father’s good arm over his shoulder, wrapped his arm around White’s waist, and grabbed my hand—it made total sense. He’d been ready to do something similar during Operation Confusion, after all, and had been restrained by my mother, Chuckie, Jeff, and Gower. And Jeff had Jamie to consider and protect. Plus Christopher was as tired of not kicking butt as the rest of us.
    “Hang on,” he said. Then he took off, at the fastest hyperspeed I’d ever experienced.
    We barreled through the bad guys as if they weren’t even there. Everything seemed to be standing still, other than my stomach, which shared that I might be enhanced, but this speed was beyond my new limits.
    I didn’t pass out or barf, but only because it was over fast. We stopped. Sadly, we weren’t at the Embassy. We were, however, no longer surrounded by bad guys, so this was a great location as far as I was concerned.
    “How’d you find us?” I managed to gasp out, in between retching.
    I got Glare #3. Wow, he was really pulling out all the stops to impress. I was sort of sorry Amy was missing this show. I was sure she’d find it hot.
    “I’m enhanced, remember? I can see you if I want to. Jeff shouted that my father was hurt, I looked, saw what was wrong and where you were, and left.”
    “Against a direct order?”
    Christopher shrugged. “I was moving too fast to pay attention.”
    “You mean you were far enough away from Mom or Chuckie that they couldn’t grab you.”
    He grinned. “Something like that, yeah.”
    “When did my mom get there?”
    “Right after Reynolds called her and told her what was going on and what you and my father were doing.” He shook his head. “Dad, you shouldn’t have gone with James.”
    White rolled his eyes. “Yes, son, that’s exactly what I need right now. A lecture.”
    “No, you need your shoulder put back in and a couple of stitches.”
    “Why aren’t we at the Embassy? Or anywhere else I’d consider safe?” I looked around. “Where are we?” We were in a doorway near a street corner as near as I could tell. There were cars and stoplights, so street corner somewhere seemed likely. Trees were blocking the street signs, so I had no clue, not that my seeing the street names would have likely told me anything anyway.
    “We’re on the way home. I could tell you both needed a break from the speed,” Christopher said. “We’re stopped here just so you two can normalize. Then we’re moving again. So try to stop gagging.”
    “Sorry I’m the delay.”
    White shook his head. “Son, we’re both feeling chagrined and apologetic. Stop snarling.”
    “That wasn’t snarling, Richard. I’ve seen him snarl. Trust me, it’s nastier.”
    “I feel so guilty,” Christopher said, in a tone that indicated quite the opposite. “Dad, clench your teeth.”
    White did as ordered, and Christopher did some move that, clearly, put White’s dislocated shoulder back in. White shouted, then nodded. “Thank you, son.” He put his good arm around Christopher and hugged him tightly. “We both appreciate being alive.”
    Christopher pulled me in for a group hug in a few moments. This was an A-C thing, and I never minded it. I leaned my head against Christopher’s shoulder. Not nearly as comfy as Reader’s but it’d do in a pinch.
    “What now?” I asked finally.
    “Now we get home. I don’t know if you two are bugged or what, but according to James, the guys after you at the airport are all run off or detained.”
    “Meaning the large number of men who almost got us this time are new additions to the fold. Wonderful. I don’t know who could have bugged us, since we were declared clean before we left the Embassy.”
    “Reynolds could have,”