Touched by an Alien

Martini hit the button.
    “… please do something to get that song changed!” This was an unfamiliar voice, and it was crackling.
    “I think it’s a good song.” That was Lorraine.
    “Me too,” Claudia chimed in.
    “The girls are scared, let ’em listen to music they like.” Another voice I didn’t recognize. All four of them were crackling.
    “Girls, are you in the jets?”
    “Kitty! Yes, we are. With pilots .” The way Lorraine said the word I got the impression these were smart pilots.
    “They saved us,” Claudia added. I waited to hear that they were dreamy, but perhaps she was playing hard to get.
    “Fab. Can you and your new friends help us herd? We really need that snake trampled.”
    “Will do, little lady.”
    I looked over at Martini. “Did he just call me little lady? I mean, for real?”
    “Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. They all talk the same.”
    “You missed Coast Guard.”
    “They talk differently.” He leaned toward the intercom. “Gentlemen, this is Commander Martini. Could we get a little more action and a lot less chatter?”
    “Commander Martini?”
    He shot me a dirty look. “Surprise.”
    “Commander White in the other SUV?”
    “Yeah, I am. You want to cut the chatter? We have a high-priority situation.”
    “Pardon me. I missed the delusions of grandeur session back at Home Base.” I looked over at Martini. “You’re all freaking unreal.”
    “This from the girl playing Tears for Fears as a way of snake charming.”
    “It’s working!”
    “It’s killing morale.” This was from Tim.
    “Oh, don’t you start too.”
    The jets were buzzing the Pachyderm again, and they were doing a much better job of herding than we were in the cars. “Tim, break off, let’s get out of the way.”
    “First suggestion of yours that’s made any sense.”
    The jets were doing well with the Pachyderm, but they’d roused the Serpent. Oh, well, snake charming had at least stalled things a bit. “I think we can turn off the music.”
    “Thank God!” This was chorused by every male voice, including the one next to me.
    Tim and I drove off, cars ready, just watching. Reader was doing some real damage to the Killer, and the jets that had been around Mephistopheles were helping him somewhat. The jets with the girls were herding and dodging the Serpent at the same time. “They’re great fliers.”
    “Hopefully they won’t get killed.” He said it quietly. I turned the intercom off.
    “You could call them off.”
    “I could. But they’re providing the best distractions we have right now.”
    “How long before the planes carrying the water will get here?”
    “No idea.” He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. It was just a shock, okay? I’ll stop being upset; you two can relax.”
    “Why do you think I want to hook up with Christopher?”
    Martini snorted. “It’s really obvious.”
    It was? To whom? Not to me, and I would have thought I’d know. “Jeff, are you high?”
    “We don’t do drugs, remember?”
    “Well, then, what the hell is wrong with you? Did I hit a tender part of your brain?”
    “Not of my brain, no,” he said under his breath. “Look, Kitty, I’m good with it, all right? I’m sure I’ll manage just fine.”
    “Thanks a lot.” My throat felt tight, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry again.
    “Why can’t you just be grateful that I’m stepping aside?” His voice was raising.
    “Why can’t you just understand that it was a mistake?”
    “I know we were a mistake, okay? I got it. I’m clear.”
    I was having a little trouble seeing what was going on because my eyes were swimming with tears. “Fine.” I managed to get the word out. Why did I care, right? Only known him for two days, not as if I’d really thought I’d marry him or something.
    This might have gone on for hours or ended right then, but before either one of us could say anything else hurtful, Mephistopheles landed on the front of the car.

CHAPTER 44
    THE FRONT OF THE SUV WAS CRUSHED . The car wasn’t going anywhere but to the junkyard now. “Jeff? Get out.”
    “Good idea. Head for the back.”
    “No, just you. Get out and get away from here.”
    “What are you talking about?” He eased himself out of the seat and moved into the back. Mephistopheles’ hooves were right in front of me. They were enormous. He’d been twelve feet tall at JFK, but he looked even bigger now.
    I heard clanking, and then Martini shoved some aerosols at me