Touched by an Alien

to physically interact with.”
    “And you were angry,” Reader added. “You weren’t scared by him, you fought him. As an equal, not as a frightened animal.”
    “That’s how he and the other parasites see us, I’m sure. As animals. We’re not as evolved as they would be, we’re so much younger in terms of planetary advancement, you’ve all told me this more than once.”
    “Wait a minute.” Mom was still upset. Not that I could blame her. “Yates is around women all the time. This theory doesn’t hold water.”
    “ Yates is around them. But he’s not going to turn superbeing every five minutes. Is he?” I directed this to White.
    “No. Mephistopheles only manifests a few times a year.”
    “Oh?” More information they hadn’t shared with me. “I’d also like to get the full story, before I’m in life-threatening danger. Again.” I directed this to Martini.
    His eyes flashed. “Fine.”
    “And the female agents?”
    “Who do you want?” Martini was angry as well as upset, I could hear it in his voice, despite his best efforts to keep his tone completely bland.
    I shrugged. “Who’s willing?”
    “Me,” Claudia and Lorraine said in unison.
    “That’ll do.” I didn’t want any of the other Dazzlers anyway. These two did the job I knew we’d need done with practiced skill.
    “Anyone else?” Martini was barely moving his lips, let alone his jaw.
    “You.”

CHAPTER 28
    I SAW MARTINI RELAX , just a tiny bit, but the anger was still there. At the same time Christopher’s eyes narrowed. Good. I wanted them mad—at me, at each other, at the world. Frankly, I wanted everyone mad.
    Well, everyone but Reader. Him I wanted calm.
    However, that was later. Right now, I actually wanted the situation to diminish to something at least faking tranquillity.
    My parents were still arguing about the latest wrinkle in what I was fast coming to accept as my new life. I decided to deal with the one in charge. “Mom, stop.”
    She closed her mouth but crossed her arms. Ready for combat. Ready to protect me with her life. Only, under these new circumstances, she’d endanger that life.
    “Mom, as hard as this is to believe, I know what I’m doing.”
    “How? You’ve been living a secret life your father and I don’t know about?”
    “Hilarious. No, actually, I haven’t been pretending to be anything I’m not all this time.” Other than a virgin longer than in reality, but that wasn’t important right now. “But I’m your daughter. Everyone says I’m just like you.”
    She shook her head. “I’ve had decades of training. You’ve had some Kung Fu and track and field. There’s no comparison.”
    “Sure there is. You had to start somewhere. Well, this is where I’m starting.” I walked to her. “This is my Mossad. Understand?” I wanted her to, desperately.
    She blinked. And I saw her look at me differently than she ever had before. “My baby’s all grown up.” Her voice caught, and I could see tears in her eyes. I did not want her crying right now, because I didn’t need to start bawling again.
    I hugged her. She hugged me back in that breath-removing bear hug way of hers I’d so recently started to experience. “I’ll be okay, Mom,” I whispered in her ear. “I think I know what I’m doing. And if I don’t, I’ll have people with me who will be able to bail me out. I promise. It’s like you said—sometimes it’s not about you and your family, sometimes it really is about saving the whole world.”
    “I hope you’re right.” She sighed. “I’ll explain it to your father.”
    I pulled away and shook my head. “I bet you don’t have to explain it to him.” I turned around. “Does she, Dad?”
    He gave me a small smile. “Like mother, like daughter. I wondered when it would show up in you. I don’t like it, mind you,” he added sternly. “But I also realize you’re going to do what you think is best, no matter what I say.” He looked innocent suddenly. “What about bringing in your Uncle Mort for this?”
    “No,” I said flatly. “I know what you’re trying to do. I know Uncle Mort, remember? He’ll take over, get me safely locked away, and have his leathernecks handle things.”
    Dad shrugged. “It’s a decent plan from my viewpoint.”
    “Except that it’ll fail,” Martini said, voice still clipped. “Your military’s had several chances at Mephistopheles. They’ve blown every one.”
    More information I didn’t have. The debrief was