Alien Proliferation

other are the only conspirators left. If we can lock her up, we have them both in custody and can get information. If she’s out, we’re all still in danger.
    I’ll see what I can do.
    Felt the connection break. Christopher and Amy were in the room with us now, fully dressed. “It’s the usual for Operation Confusion. Alexander and Leonidas thought Chuckie had sent the Diplomatic Corps to help them. They couldn’t stand any of these people, meaning they’ve been stressed and so perhaps not doing everything the conspirators wanted. But it explains why none of their stuff is here.”
    Jeff nodded. “Blow up the Embassy, make everyone think the Diplomatic Corps were all dead, they’re on Alpha Four, able to do their dirty work with none of us on Earth any the wiser.”
    “Al Dejahl impersonated me?” Chuckie asked. He sounded thoughtful.
    “I’d assume so. Alexander knows you too well for Amy’s dad to have been able to pull it off, or for them to send an actor, and Leonidas is too smart for them to risk someone giving an off answer. And, since LaRue and Al Dejahl were at our wedding, they got to see us all interacting with Alexander and Victoria, you in particular.” It was a creepy feeling in a boatload of creepy feelings, to know they’d been watching us, our every move, for years. Wondered if they’d made sex tapes of me and Jeff and, if so, if they’d been destroyed with the lab or not.
    He laughed. “God, I love how you focus, baby.” Jeff rubbed the back of my neck. “What’s our next step?”
    “No freaking idea. Chuckie? Christopher?”
    Before they could answer, more knocking. Christopher got the door, and Gower and Reader came in. “ACE told me we have a problem,” Gower said by way of hello.
    “Two problems.” Reader looked stressed.
    “James, are you okay?”
    He shook his head. “Al Dejahl’s gone.”
    Let that sit on the air for a moment. “Anyone hurt? Or worse?”
    “No one. It’s just like when they removed the prisoners during the invasion—Security had no idea, nothing was disturbed, looked into the room, gone.”
    I looked at Jeff. “Where’s Clarence? And the rest of his family?” Jeff dialed. I looked back to Reader. “The Lilith-PPB net did that last time. Any guess what did it this time?”
    “Wasn’t ACE,” Gower said dryly. “But I’ll let him talk to you, because I haven’t felt palsied for at least an hour and I miss it.” Wow, even Gower had a sarcasm knob. He twitched, and the ACE voice started. “Kitty, Alexander is upset.”
    “Yes, thanks, big guy, I know that. Who got Ronaldo Al Dejahl out of his prison?”
    “Alexander provided a small interstellar ship, because Alexander believed Chuckie had told Alexander to do so.”
    We all exchanged the “this so sucks” look. “So, um, just guessing here, but that ship has the ability to beam someone up, and LaRue’s in it, and we can assume Al Dejahl’s beamed?”
    “No.”
    “Oh. Good news.”
    “The ship is capable of interstellar flight. It is also protected by a small version of what ACE is and Lilith was. It is that which rescued the prisoner. However, Councillor Leonidas has deactivated it. The PPB portion. They are unable to deactivate the ship, though Councillor Leonidas tried.”
    “So, good news is, they can’t beam my baby up. Bad news is, we have two evil, enhanced megalomaniacs out there, racing around in space.”
    “Yes. Councillor Leonidas had tracking devices put onto the ship. All have been deactivated now, but Alexander says before the last one was deactivated, Alexander could tell the ship went to Earth, then left our solar system. It is not headed for Alpha Centauri, however.”
    We all looked at each other again. “Live to fight another day. So . . . these two are actually smarter than the rest. Or at least LaRue is.”
    “She’s a total fucking bitch. But, yeah, she’s smart.” Amy’s expression was as furious as her voice. She looked at Chuckie. “They killed my mom, didn’t they? LaRue and my dad.”
    “Ah . . .” He shot me a desperate look.
    Amy made the exasperation sound. “Chuck, for God’s sake. Kitty said you were always right. Just tell me, yes or no—did they kill my mother?”
    I shrugged. “Go for it, dude. What choice do we have, really?”
    Chuckie sighed and looked back to Amy. “Yes.”
    Amy turned to Christopher. “Can we take a spaceship and go after them?”
    Lots of coughing from the men. “Ah, Ames? We here on Earth