Alien in the House

who opened the doors. I was almost shocked to see Eugene inside and alive.
    “Kitty, I’m sorry.”
    “Sure you are. Guys, a little help?” Joe Billings and Randy Muir, aka Lorraine and Claudia’s husbands, each took a side and lifted me into the van, while Prince gave a great example of an effortless, majestic leap. Matt Hughes and Chip Walker climbed in with us. “Um, I kind of want to talk to Eugene alone.”
    “No,” Hughes said calmly.
    “Sorry, Kitty,” Tim concurred. “My orders. If you’re in here, you have guards. Period.”
    “Oh, fine, fine. Can the doors be closed?”
    “Absolutely not,” Tim said flatly.
    “Chip and Matt will with be with me, and I’m not going to do anything to Eugene anyway.” I glanced at our prisoner. “And you have him well-shackled, so unless he’s taken a course in how to become an escape artist, I think we’re all good. Besides, I have Prince.”
    Tim sighed. “It’s you, Kitty. The bizarre finds you naturally. That’s an expensive dog you’re trying to carry around in your purse, but he’s not enough. The doors stay open, Matt and Chip go inside, and we’ll all wait for the explosions.”
    “Thanks for that and you’re hilarious.” Tim and the others backed away from the doors. But all of them were watching, the SWAT guys with guns at the ready. Didn’t know whether to feel safe or totally in the line of fire. Settled for both. “Guys, can you stay back here while Eugene and I have a quiet talk?”
    “Sure,” Walker said. “But we’ll be watching.”
    “Never had a doubt.” Went to Eugene, who managed to combine a glower along with pathetic hopefulness. It was an interesting combo. “You said you’d been told what to do,” I said softly. “What did you mean by that?”
    Eugene nodded. “Come closer,” he said quietly. “And I’ll tell you what I mean.”
    Prince growled, low in his throat. “Ah, no. I think I’ll stay right here and you can tell me what you mean.”
    “Fine. You’re right, I was jealous of Ed. But I wouldn’t have killed him, except it was the only way.”
    “You didn’t kill Edmund Brewer, you killed Santiago Reyes. And only way for what?”
    “The only way to save the world. You’ll see, Kitty. I’m a hero.”



CHAPTER 29
    H AVING HELPED TO SAVE the world more than a couple times myself, this didn’t exactly impress me overmuch. I was also well aware that saving the world and being considered a hero did not necessarily go hand-in-hand.
    “You need to come across with more factoids and less bluster. Because I don’t buy how killing your sorta romantic rival would save the world.”
    “He’s not who you think he is, Kitty.” Eugene dropped his voice. “He’s a robot.”
    My responses to this statement were limited, mostly because there was a fifty percent likelihood this was correct. After all, I’d seen more than my share of really excellent androids over the past year. Or more, depending on who might be still passing as human or A-C instead of identifying as an evil sleeper android.
    Went with the safest reply. “Right.”
    “He is,” Eugene said desperately. “Look, Kitty, I didn’t know what was in that packet. I was told that it was something deadly to a robotic but that wouldn’t hurt a human. Or an alien,” he added quickly.
    “So, who gave you the packet and your marching orders?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “So, it was voices in your head?”
    This earned me a dirty look. “No. I was contacted by mail. The situation was explained, and I was asked to help.”
    “Who approached you?” Chose not to ask why Eugene thought anyone would approach him for hero work. Most people tended to think of themselves as willing to answer when the call came, after all.
    “The C.I.A. The information came to me from Pia Ryan.”
    “The late Jack Ryan’s wife?” Or, as I thought of him, one of the first casualties of Operation Assassination. Eugene nodded. “So, Pia’s who gave you all the stuff?”
    “No, she gave me an envelope that had been delivered to her. But it was addressed to me. Pia said she figured someone had sent it to her because they knew she knew me.”
    “And you believed her?”
    “She seemed to be telling the truth. She gave it to me at a party, in front of everyone else.”
    “You mean a party with all the people you used to despise?”
    He glared at me. “Yes. Sorry, but I like having some friends.”
    “You used me and lied to me. That ends friendships in my