Touched by an Alien

stopped him.” I could hear the pride in her voice.
    “Guess it’s in the genes.”
    “It’s always nice to know your child will do the right thing, the brave thing, when it matters. No one knows what they’ll do until they’re tested. Not everybody is a protector.” She looked straight at me, and I realized she had tears in her eyes.
    I leaned across and hugged her, this time just as tightly as she hugged me. “I love you, Mom.” She kissed my head, and I felt that maybe this whole day had been worth it after all.
    We finally pulled apart, and Martini stuck his head back in the car. I knew without asking he’d waited for our mother-daughter moment to be over. “Time to go, ladies.”

CHAPTER 15
    MARTINI TOOK MY HAND , and Christopher took Mom’s. I wasn’t wild about it, but it wasn’t as though I wanted to hold his hand instead, so I didn’t say anything.
    Gower and Reader were in the lead, then Mom and Christopher, with me and Martini bringing up the rear. The other agents with us were flanking in formation, one in front of the other, with three on either side of us. Two of these had Mom’s luggage split between them. We looked very official. I was the only person not in a suit, and I felt underdressed.
    Not that it mattered. Because there were no people in the airport. At all. “Where is everyone?” I asked Martini.
    “Evacuated.”
    “I didn’t see anyone run out in a panic.”
    “Because we know how to evacuate.”
    I thought about it. “You used some mass hallucination thing, didn’t you?”
    He smiled. “You think? Yeah, we moved everyone to the baggage claim area.”
    “Will they be safe there if something happens?”
    “Hope so. Hope nothing’s going to happen, though.” He was looking around. It wasn’t obvious, but looking at him, I could see his eyes darting everywhere.
    “But you’re still worried.”
    “We don’t know if the in-control superbeings can or do communicate with each other. Mephistopheles is well known to us, but the others, not so much.”
    “Whether they’re well known to Mephistopheles is what you’re worried about.”
    Martini nodded. “I just want to get everyone back safely to one of our strongholds. We can sort everything else out then.”
    “Think you’ll manage to explain more then, too?”
    “Maybe.” He grinned. “I’m always willing to explain things to you in private.”
    “I’ll bet.” I tried not to admit that the idea of being alone with Martini was starting to sound appealing.
    We reached a men’s restroom, and Gower and Reader went in first—cautiously. This wasn’t reassuring. “I thought you cleared everyone out.”
    “Everyone we know about or can affect.” Martini was still on the alert, and so was Christopher when I glanced his way. He caught me looking at him, gave me an angry glare, then looked away. Charming as always.
    Gower came back out. “Calibrated for single entry only. I know you’re worried about them,” he added as Martini opened his mouth, to protest, I assumed. “They’re going to have to go through alone. This is an older gate, we’ve taken too long already, and they’re both capable women, not little girls.”
    “Fine,” Martini said, sounding exasperated. “Let’s get moving.”
    We went in, and I noted the men’s room at LaGuardia was no nicer than the ones at JFK or Saguaro International. “Why didn’t we use the ladies’ this time? If no one was around?”
    “Because Mephistopheles is after two women,” Christopher snapped.
    “Who are with ten men,” I snapped right back.
    “Children,” Mom said tiredly, “stop it. Please.”
    The two agents who had Mom’s luggage went first, one at a time. Martini wanted Mom flanked, just in case, so Reader went next, then Gower, then Mom. She didn’t seem flustered at all. In fact, she seemed interested and excited. She did exactly what Martini said, and I watched her step into the stall and disappear. It was unsettling.
    Christopher was going next. “Don’t let the princess hold things up,” he said to Martini.
    “Oh, I think I can manage her. Better than you, at least,” Martini said casually, keeping a very firm hold on my hand.
    “Yeah, enjoy that,” Christopher muttered as he gave me one last glare, stepped into the stall and, happily, disappeared from view.
    Martini looked at the four agents left. “You all get back to the cars and get them back to East Base.”
    The four of them looked uncomfortable. “Christopher told