Alien vs. Alien

is that Andrews has some Club Fifty-One Faithful workinghere. They’re really good at covering all the pawn moves, and this kind of destruction is their go-to move. I’d bet the order was to start blowing things up once Mister White and I arrived.”
    “You’re sure this is about you?” Franklin asked.
    “I’m certain,” Oliver answered for me. “Whoever’s behind this has been anticipating what Missus Martini would do. That she would come here was a given, if you recall our earlier discussion.”
    I heard another sound. This one was closer. I felt a small tremor. Bruno woke up, looked around, and came over to me, squawking quietly.
    “We need to get out of here, pronto. Eddy, do you have everything backed up?”
    “Yes, but we need this equipment, not to mention the network, to do whatever you want us to do.”
    “Will, tell Walter we’re going to be coming, hopefully through Chuckie’s secret gate, and we need to get everything in this room into the Ballroom at the Embassy, and we need to do it fast.” William pulled out his phone and started talking. “And tell him we’re going to need the top folks who handle the Imageering set up onsite, too.”
    Harlie, Poofikins, and a number of other Poofs appeared out of nowhere. They were large, in charge, and growling. I was clear on what they were trying to tell us, even without Bruno screaming at the top of his bird lungs. We were out of time.
    Abigail grabbed Naomi’s hand. “Incoming!”

    Yi

CHAPTER 79

    A PROTECTIVE BUBBLE WENT AROUND ALL OF US, around the entire contents of the room, really. It was similar to the ones I’d seen ACE create when we were in the middle of Operation Drug Addict in Florida. Similar also to the one I’d created with ACE’s help during Operation Confusion to dissipate the gaseous form of Surcenthumain. Only much bigger.
    The room shook, and the electrical went haywire. The room started to shake as if we were in California during a major quake. Most of us started to lose our balance. Like so many events of my life, it had the potential to be a funny memory in about fifty years.
    “Everyone out!” Franklin shouted.
    We turned, but the wall with the door sort of collapsed and in a way that indicated it was going to take more than a couple of shoves to get through. We were a long way underground, and I had a feeling someone was going for the idea of burying all of us alive. And there was no time to calibrate—let alone get everyone through —the gate.
    Naomi grabbed me, and I felt an electric surge. “Kitty, get us out of here!”
    Me? I wasn’t a Wonder Twin. Then again, getting out of here sounded fabulous. I considered all of our options. Went with the sane idea for once. “American Centaurion Embassy, second floor, ballroom.”
    I’d done this time warp before, during Operation Invasion, when ACE had sent us to Alpha Four and back. But no one else with me had.
    The bubble surrounding us shifted, taking all its contents along. It felt like I always imagined a time warp would. First the airbase, then the parts of D.C. between Andrews and our Embassy flashed by as we went past or through them, depending.
    I saw a lot of freaked out looking expressions. Even Omega Red looked freaked, and I knew he couldn’t see us all fly through everything like the fastest form of hyperspeed available. Even White looked freaked, and that had to be some kind of red-letter moment.
    Thankfully, since we weren’t changing solar systems, the trip was brief. There we were, safe and sound in the ballroom. “Everyone okay?” I asked as I checked Bruno and the Poofs, who were back to small.
    Everyone proclaimed themselves to be in once piece, even Ravi, who was a little freaked seeing as he hadn’t been sure if his head was going to explode or not. Senator Armstrong had his arm around Mona, who clearly was wondering why she’d gotten out of bed this morning, but otherwise, our folks looked a damned sight better than we would have if the Gower girls weren’t amazing. And if Chuckie hadn’t spent a lot of time training them.
    The Poofs bounced up and down, mewled at me, and disappeared. Their work here was, apparently, done for the time being, and they were back on the hunt for other evil to thwart. At least, that was my take on it.
    “Girls, that was, I must say, amazing. And timely. Did we get the entire room?”
    “I think so,” Stryker said, sounding shaky. “But we need to get everything hooked back up.”
    “Really?