Alien Proliferation

as a fail-safe.”
    “Why? Secret labs and underground elevators are hard to come by.”
    “I know you think they were planning to go to Alpha Four. Gaultier sure seemed to think so, too.”
    I sat up. “Does the ‘com on’ thing work here?”
    “Yeah, I had Gladys make adjustments.”
    “I need Christopher on the com!”
    “WHAT?” Amazing. He sounded as pissy as the last time.
    “Stop having sex, or at least pause. I need you to tell me if Leonidas, Victoria, and Alexander, over on Alpha Four, are all right or not.”
    “Come again?”
    “Just do it!”
    “Geez, fine.” He was quiet. “They’re healthy.”
    “When I was in isolation with you, you said Alexander and Leonidas were having some troubles but not with each other. What kind of troubles?”
    “They don’t like the people Reynolds sent over to help with interworld politics.” There was a pause. “I don’t think Leonidas trusts them, either.”
    I looked at Jeff. “Chuckie didn’t send anyone.”
    Jeff pulled out his phone and dialed.
    “Christopher, you remember what Amy’s stepmom looked like?”
    “Vaguely.” I heard some talking in the background. “Okay, Amy has a picture of her and her father.”
    “Can you look at the picture and find her?”
    “I’ll try. Why?”
    “Because she’s the White Queen, and Chuckie’s people can’t find her. And I think they maybe can’t find her because she’s not on Earth.”

 
    CHAPTER 85
     
    J EFF WAS STILL ON THE PHONE, but he nudged me. “You’re right, Reynolds didn’t send anyone over to Alpha Four.”
    “Get him back here, Naomi and Abigail, too. Alexander and possibly Leonidas will need to hear that from Chuckie himself.”
    “Ten to one they think they already did. Al Dejahl probably imaged himself to look like Reynolds.”
    “That would make sense. Alexander trusts Chuckie, and Leonidas respects him.” Councillor Leonidas probably didn’t trust Chuckie because I doubted Leonidas trusted anyone completely. He was too smart a man and too good a politician to give anyone full benefit of the doubt.
    There was a pounding at the door. Jeff got up, and Chuckie and the Gower girls came in. I was happy to see that White was with them as well. “Heard you tell Martini you wanted us back here.”
    Brought them quickly up to speed. “Christopher, what have you got?”
    “Nothing, but I think we need to contact Alexander.”
    “How?”
    Jeff answered. “ACE. That’s how I asked Alexander to be in our wedding.”
    “ACE isn’t the phone company.”
    Jeff gave me a long look. “No. However, he’s capable and normally willing.” His eyes narrowed. “Why . . . oh. Baby, ACE handles things like last night better than humans, at least from what Paul’s told me.”
    “It was really horrible.”
    “Baby, we’re trying to stop the ones who did it, right?”
    I sighed. “Right.” Shut my eyes and concentrated. ACE?
    Yes, Kitty, ACE is here.
    I’m sorry to ask this, but can you connect me to Alexander, over on Alpha Four?
    Yes, Kitty. Alexander will be relieved. Alexander has wanted to come here for several days.
    Decided not to question why ACE hadn’t shared earlier. Because it fell under the rule of us having to do most things ourselves. I felt another mind, at the edge of my consciousness. Alexander? It’s Kitty.
    Kitty, I’m so glad. Councillor Leonidas and I are quite concerned. There’s something wrong with the people Charles sent over.
    Starting with the fact that he didn’t. Don’t know what they showed you or told you, or even if someone who looked and sounded just like him was there, it wasn’t the real him. The usual take-over-our-world-and-the-galaxy plans are in place, and we’re foiling them, but you’re involved.
    I’m not working against you!
    No, dude, seriously, no kidding. And I don’t think Leonidas is, either. I mean the bad guys are trying to take over Alpha Four, too. Who’s there now?
    Only one of them. We were told you were moving in an entire diplomatic crew in order to help us maintain good relations with Earth, because the heads of the governments were ready to come attack us.
    Untrue. Is it a woman with you?
    Yes. I can’t stand her, there’s something about her that makes me uneasy. And I know Councillor Leonidas feels the same way—he won’t let her near my mother, and he hasn’t allowed her to tour the other planets. She’s been demanding it for some time.
    I can only imagine. Okay, here’s the thing—she and one