Alien vs. Alien

“In many ways, Antony was a cliché. In others he wasn’t.”
    Chose to not list Marling’s fab personal traits at this precise time, so I looked at White. “Tell me you figured out how to keep her beak closed while we’re racing off to try to figure out what’s going on. And have a tonnage of bird treats on hand.”
    “We’ll handle it, Missus Martini. Where is Christopher?”
    “I kept him at the Dome. I think we’re going to need him there.” I looked at Bellie. “Let’s leave her here and take this conversation to another room.”
    “I’ll move her,” White said. He took Bellie and her perch to the nearest room and shut her in it. “Now, what didn’t you want the parrot to hear?”
    Since Tito and Walter had missed it all and Buchanan had missed a lot, I filled them in on the high-level stuff, including what we’d figured out over at Olga’s, what I’d asked Jeff to do, what Oliver was doing, my conversation with ACE, and what Claudia and Lorraine had told me as well. I was becoming the Queen of the Recap. Lucky me. “So, something’s going on, and we for sure haven’t figured it all out yet.”
    Walter looked worried. “I think I should be staying here, Chief.” He sounded worried, too.
    “Walt, I don’t want you in danger, and we need your skills.”
    “But Security is supposed to leave only as a last resort.”
    “Fine, you can walk out last and lock the front door. We don’t have a clear idea of what’s going on, but I know we’re going to need your help.” And I didn’t want Walter to be a sitting duck, all alone in the Embassy our enemies now knew how to get in and out of without issue. And who knew when Club 51 would come back with more bombs?
    “None of our standard team with medical know-how are coming, right?” Tito asked, before Walter could countermand my orders out loud again.
    “Right, they’re at the Dome.”
    He nodded. “Fine. Be right back, I’m going to get my more advanced med kit.”
    “Probably wise.”
    Tito trotted off, which Walter took as his cue. “Chief, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I need to stay in the Embassy.” Walter sounded upset, worried, and more authoritative than I’d even heard before.
    I studied his expression. He looked determined. “Why, Walt? Using words that aren’t protocol, standard, or procedure.”
    “Because if we leave our Embassy unmanned and unprotected, then our enemies can come in and take it over, destroy it, put anything they want into it, and we’ll have allowed that. My
job
is to ensure that this Embassy and all its personnel remain safe and protected. I’m not supposed to leave unless I have no choice.”
    “Gladys leaves Dulce all the time.”
    Walter shook his head. “She goes to another Base, where she can still monitor, and despite what you think, there are always Security personnel in every Base, even if you’ve been told that base is fully devoid of personnel.”
    “Mister White, is this true?”
    “Yes. Security is the highest risk job after fieldwork. It’s where our best and bravest tend to go if they don’t have empathic or imageering talent.”
    Yet another thing no one had told me. I decided not to say this aloud, because it was probably in the Briefing Books of Boredom I’d never cracked.
    “It’s in your briefing materials, I’m sure,” Buchanan said. “You know, the materials you’ve never looked at.”
    “I say again, you don’t know me.”
    Armstrong cleared his throat. “I realize this technically falls under ‘none of my business,’ but I have to side with your Security Chief here. Leaving this base of operations with no protection at all seems rather foolhardy.”
    “Leaving someone to be used as cannon fodder, a hostage, or be killed sounds worse.”
    Armstrong nodded. “I agree. However, we determined earlier that whoever’s in charge seems able to anticipate your reactions fairly well. Meaning they’d expect you to force Walter here to leave, ensuring easy access into your building.”
    I considered our dilemma and Armstrong’s points. Sadly, he had some good ones. “Okay, Walt, if you’re staying, you can’t stay here alone. And I need Richard and Tito. I’m going to bring Malcolm along so I can trip him somewhere along the way and laugh as he falls flat on his face.”
    “In your dreams, Missus Chief.”
    I snorted, White chuckled, but Walter looked relieved. “I’ll ask Gladys to send over Security support from Dulce, Chief. Thank