Alien vs. Alien

Kyle went downstairs. “Mister White, are you okay to take the senator over to our Embassy?”
    He nodded, but Armstrong looked worried. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to be seen going there.”
    “Look, they aren’t releasi
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goes for it or not. We can spend precious time hiding you, or you can make life easy and just walk across the damn street.”
    “Why don’t you want me at the Dome?”
    “Because we still can’t trust you,” White said calmly. “For all we know, this is an elaborate ruse in order to get you positioned to hide with those our enemies want to kidnap.”
    Armstrong opened his mouth—to argue, I was sure—but then he slammed it shut and nodded. “You’re right,” he said after a couple moments of what appeared to be contemplation. “I understand why you’d be distrustful. I do know where the Dome is, of course, so you’ve already taken a chance there.”
    “Had to.” Hey, Christopher was right—chances were good that I’d still be on the phone, trying to make him guess what I meant.
    “Yes. And aside from keeping me in your sights and under your control, so to speak, I also have clearances you may not, which we may need.”
    “Good man, glad you’re on board. So, I want the two of you heading across the street now, so that Adriana can lock the door behind you.”
    “You haven’t told Oliver there what you want him to do,” Armstrong pointed out.
    “It’s
Mister Joel
Oliver, please,” he said. “And the Ambassador is waiting until you’re out of range so you don’t know what my part off the operation is.”
    “And MJO shows yet again why I value his involvement.”
    Armstrong nodded and stood up. “Shall we?” he asked White.
    White stood as well and gave Olga a courtly bow. “Madame, please excuse me from escorting you.”
    Olga smiled. “Just this once.”
    “I assume I shouldn’t bother locking up our Embassy,” White said to me.
    “Oh, do it, if only to stop petty thievery and to slow down the Bad Guys du Jour for a minute or two.”
    “As you wish. I’ll see if I can arrange some sort of harness for the parrot.”
    “A muzzle for preference.”
    White chuckled and led Armstrong out as Adriana and the boys returned, with Michael Gower in tow. Michael was a slightly smaller version of his older brother—big, black, bald and beautiful. He was also the A-C Player of the Year for, as near as I could tell, his entire life.
    This was evident in the fact that Adriana was getting his standard “you so hot, babe” smile, which he gave indiscriminately to any woman between the ages of 18 and 98. The smile was expanded to include me, Amy, and Olga.
    Adriana had a large duffle bag. Clearly, she was trained to plan ahead. “Supplies,” she said with a smile, after Michael had been introduced to her grandmother. I assumed Adriana’s supplies included weapons of some kind, but that was probably good.
    The boys also had duffels, and Jamie’s stroller was up here already, bat waased on my earlier instructions. I checked—the Poofs were still in it, looking expectant. Had to figure Olga and Adriana knew we had special pets. For all I knew, they knew the Peregrines were in the room with us. And I couldn’t send Oliver alone into danger without some kind of backup.
    Reached in and took a Poof at random, handed it to Oliver. “Your Poof job is to assist Mister Joel Oliver here.”
    It mewled at me and jumped into Oliver’s hand, where it mewled at him and purred.
    “Well,” Oliver said. “Aren’t you a cute little button?” The Poof in his hands purred much louder.
    “Ah, Kitty?” Michael asked. “Is that one attached?”
    “Oops.” Unattached Poofs bonded to the person who named them. “Um . . . Button?”
    The Poof turned, looked at me, purred even louder, then jumped onto Oliver’s shoulder and snuggled into his neck.
    “Yes, Michael. It’s attached now.”
    Oliver chuckled. “I didn’t actually mean to name it Button. But it fits.”
    “Good. Okay, Button, you take care of MJO, and you report back to Harlie or Poofikins if he’s in trouble.” Button mewled at me and went into one of Oliver’s pockets.
    “So, what am I going to be doing?” Oliver asked.
    “I’ve run some ideas around in my mind, but most of them end with you being arrested and possibly killed. So I’m not going to mention them.”
    “Good. I’m all for helping with the cause, but I’d like to see tomorrow, if you know what I