Alien Tango

his.”
    “Well, that explains how security was so easily disrupted. He set it up.” The thought that this had to have taken some serious long-term planning occurred to me. I didn’t know Turco or Taft at all, but neither one of them had struck me as having the ability to plan something this devious. Which meant, unsurprisingly, that they were probably following orders. I didn’t have to think long or hard about whose.
    “Let’s deal with it after dinner,” Martini said. “I want some food. I’m actually hungry enough to eat the meat loaf.”
    “It’s your mother’s specialty,” Alfred chided.
    “And I’ve never liked it. I hate meat loaf. Not just hers, anybody’s.”
    “You’d like Kitty’s if she made it for you,” Alfred suggested.
    Christopher was at the gate and Reader was still next to us. It was a toss-up between which one of them was laughing harder. “I’d pay money to see Kitty’s meat loaf,” Christopher managed to get out between snorts of laughter.
    “As long as I wouldn’t have to eat it,” Reader added. Alfred looked shocked. “Boys, that’s very rude.”
    “I don’t really cook. I can, I just don’t like to. I live at the Science Center—we have the greatest commissary on the planet. I’m good with it.”
    “But, sometimes, a man wants a home-cooked meal,” Alfred protested.
    “My man can cook. Better than me, I might add.”
    “You cook?” Alfred asked Martini, clearly shocked.
    “I can dress myself, too. And sometimes I can handle all Field operations for the entire Centaurion Division. Amazing, isn’t it?”
    “We also both like going to restaurants on those rare occasions when we can. I’ll wager we could gate it over to East Base and find a restaurant in New York open and ready to serve. If you catch my drift. I’m ready to eat people, including people I know and like. Food, now, please. Or else I’m going to go ballistic.”
    “Leaving now,” Christopher said, as he stepped through the gate.
    “Everyone else ahead of me,” Martini said, as Alfred appeared to be waiting for us to go first. Kevin and then Reader stepped through.
    “My facility,” Alfred said.
    “My responsibility,” Martini replied. They looked ready to stare each other down for dominance for, potentially, hours.
    “My stomach is growling.”
    Alfred gave in first. “Fine. Can’t keep our heroine waiting.” He gave me a fond smile, but I could see worry in his eyes. “Don’t dawdle.” Everyone always told me and Martini not to waste time when we were at a gate. We’d only made out once in this kind of situation. Well, maybe twice. Okay, maybe a lot. But it had never been an issue.
    “No worries. Food is supposedly waiting for us.”
    “Indeed.” Alfred stepped through.
    Martini did a couple of calibrations. “What’re you doing?”
    “Setting it up so I can carry you through.” He looked at me. “Unless you want to step through alone.”
    “Never do,” I said cheerfully. “Take your time.”
    He reached out with his free hand and stroked the back of my neck. “I wish.”
    “Jeff, it’ll be okay. I’ll do my best not to screw things up with your mother.”
    “Baby, there’s nothing you can do. It’s not you, it’s them and me.”
    “Your father loves you, I can tell. He’s just like you, and he likes to tease. Just like you do. You tease me all the time.”
    “But I mean it with love.”
    “So does he.”
    “Maybe.”
    “And your mother probably doesn’t think anyone’s good enough for her baby boy.”
    Martini snorted. “Right.”
    “I’ve dated a lot more guys than you have. It’s pretty common. Most mothers don’t think any girl’s good enough for their son. Just the way most fathers don’t like any guy who’s interested in their daughter. Like, you know, my dad.”
    “Your dad came around.”
    “See? Your parents probably will, too.”
    “My father likes you. I can tell.”
    “I like him, too. I’ll probably like your mother, and I’ll bet she’ll like me, too. You know, once we get to know each other.”
    “Anything’s possible. Unlikely, but possible.” He finished the calibrations and then swept me up into his arms. He shifted me to his hip and I wrapped my legs around him. Martini grabbed both our rolling bags in one hand, kissed me, and then we stepped through.
    I leaned against his shoulder and kept my eyes closed. I hated going through gates even more than hyperspeed, and the farther away my face was from the safety