Alien in the House

reactions. They’re both so upset their emotions are as clear as yours normally are, baby.”
    “As soon as we can, I’ll have Security search everyone ‘as a precaution,’” Raj said as we reached the basement. “But those don’t sound like emotions you’d automatically have programmed in.”
    “Who knows what the latest crazed evil geniuses consider normal emotions?” We zipped upstairs. Decided to verify all was really well over here before we went back to the Zoo. “Com on.”
    “Yes, Chief Katt-Martini?”
    “Walt, how’s everything over here? Are we secure and do we have personnel in the Embassy again?”
    “I have the shielding up on the Embassy, but have had to open shields on the Zoo, or else no one could get in or out. However, per my discussion with Consul White, I’ve closely monitored the walkway doors between buildings and have only opened for authorized personnel.”
    “Walter, who, besides Christopher, myself, Kitty, Raj, and Richard, have you let through?” Jeff asked.
    “Only Camilla, Chief. She said she needed to check something out on Mister Reynolds’ order.”
    We looked at each other. “Um, Walter, where did she go when she was in here?”
    “She stayed in the lower levels, Chief Katt-Martini. Second and first floors.”
    “So, she didn’t try to go into the basement?” Jeff asked.
    “No, Chief. Wouldn’t you have seen her in there?”
    My brain kicked. “Walter, you monitor the basement, right?”
    “Of course, Chief Katt-Martini. The basement is set up to be monitored. The tunnel levels less so, but that’s because most of the tunnels are now monitored from the computer lab, per Mister Reynolds’ order.”
    They were monitored using human-created sensors and roving cameras, but I’d forgotten that I could have asked Hacker International if they’d spotted Buchanan and Hamlin in some way. Well, I’d do that when Raj and I went up there in a bit.
    “So, what happened to Malcolm and the, um, visitor we had down there?”
    “Oh, Mister Buchanan told me he was taking your guest somewhere safer. They left via the tunnel system before you’d sat down to dinner. He didn’t say you didn’t know,” Walter added, the worry clear in his voice.
    “We’ve just been a little worried about where Malcolm went is all. Missed the communiqué from him, but all’s well if he told you he was taking our guest somewhere.” I sincerely hoped.
    “Thanks, Walter,” Jeff said. “Go back to monitoring.”
    “Yes, Chief.” The com went dead.
    “So, what do you think Camilla was doing over here?” Jeff asked as he pulled out his phone and sent a text, presumably to Christopher to let him know that Buchanan was in control of the situation when they’d left the Embassy.
    “You want to search or you want to ask her?”
    “I want to do both. Wait here.” Jeff zipped off at the fast hyperspeed. He was back momentarily. “Nothing seems missing or out of place, at least not in my office, or anywhere else. Raj, you might want to check yours.”
    “Yes, sir.” Raj zipped off and was back even faster than Jeff. When you got right down to it, hyperspeed was really great. “No, Ambassador, nothing seems to be disturbed.”
    “Jeff. You called Kitty by her first name. Do it with me, too. That’s an order, if it helps.”
    Raj grinned. “It helps . . . Jeff.”
    “We both tend to prefer informality, Raj,” I added.
    “No one prefers it more than you, baby, but that’s part of your charm.”
    “So you claim. Now that that’s settled, let’s find out what Camilla was doing. We’re only jumpy because of what Ha—, ah, our guest told me.”
    “Nice save, baby. If we’re assuming our absent guest is right, however, we need to remain jumpy.”
    “What if, despite our beliefs to the contrary, Mister Reynolds is actually involved?” Raj asked carefully.
    “Then we deal with it. Because I don’t believe Chuckie’s involved in anything that’s working against us, at least not consciously or willingly.”
    “We need to determine if Camilla was really in here on his orders,” Jeff said. “And we need to find out what she was looking for and why, whether she came in here on his orders or not.”
    “Asking directly may not be wise,” White pointed out.
    “Then we’ll be sneaky about it.” Took Jeff’s hand. “Let’s get over to the other side.”
    Zipped through the Embassy and over the walkway. Stopped before we hit Grandmother’s House, but only because