Alien in the Family

“Yes. And, again, what does that have to do with anything?”

Reader started to laugh. “Oh, my God. This is going to bring a whole new meaning to the term ‘reception from hell.’”

“What are you talking about?” Martini sounded angry and confused, and I could tell the hurt was still there.

“Are you sure?” Chuckie asked me.

“Pretty darned.”

“WHAT?” Martini bellowed. It was always impressive—no one had his bellowing ability. On the top of a mountain it was massive.

“Oh, hell!” Christopher sounded freaked. “I think Jeff just started an avalanche over here!”

“Get off,” Chuckie said calmly. “You’ve seen enough. Get into the chopper; we’ll meet back at Caliente Base. Same for the boys on Chiricahua.”

“No problem, the echo is still bouncing here. Tucker out.” Jerry signed off, and the walkies went quiet.

“What is going on?” Martini asked quietly.

The light show was fading. Chuckie let go of my arm, and I turned to Martini. “Jeff, baby? I think it’s a message.”

“From whom, to whom, about what?” He pulled me to him, and I could feel he was tense and shaking, and his hearts were pounding.

“From your relatives on Alpha Centauri. I think they’re coming for our wedding.”

CHAPTER 3

CALIENTE BASE WAS THE SMALLEST of all the U.S. Centaurion strongholds. Located just outside Pueblo Caliente, Arizona, it was originally supposed to merely provide a safe access for Centaurion perso

Until about six months prior, when I’d sort of led a second generation A-C uprising, declared the younger A-Cs who were of age to be political refugees, and had the U.S. government a

This had worked out better than it sounds, since Christopher’s father, Richard White, the A-C Sovereign Pontifex and therefore reigning religious leader of their large and extended clan, had, it turned out, been looking for a smooth political way to allow interspecies marriages, based on my firmly held belief that it was going to be better for both humans and A-Cs in the short and the long run.

Most of us had lived at the Dulce Science Center prior to this, and Martini and I continued to keep quarters there, in what I called his Human Lair. But we spent at least half the time in Caliente Base as well, since the younger generation were still considered refugees by the American government.

We were in the main conference room in Caliente Base, which was on the tenth floor of the complex. A-C complexes went down, not up, so we were well underground. But A-C technology was quite advanced, and the lighting made you think you were seeing the sun. Well, in the day. In the current wee hours of the morning, all the lighting did was make you tired.

We had all of Alpha and Airborne teams with us, as well as Kevin Lewis, who was my mom’s right-hand man in the P.T.C.U. and assigned to a permanent position within Centaurion Division. He was a gorgeous black guy who looked as though he’d been a professional athlete. He had a great smile that included incredible teeth, and he was loaded with bags of charisma. He was also happily married, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t allowed to look at him. Sometimes I could do it without drooling, too.

With Kevin’s addition, it meant there were three women and just an entire roomful of hunky men with us. I loved briefings.

“Can’t you people do something about the lighting?” Chuckie asked. We were sitting in the romantic glow I loved when Martini and I were in the midst of an all-night sexathon. Trying to have a meeting like this was, at best, difficult.

“No.” Christopher’s snark was on high. “As we’ve already said, Caliente isn’t as sophisticated a base as Dulce.”

“Define sophisticated,” Chuckie muttered.

“Look, it doesn’t matter.” My necklace was off my neck and sitting in the middle of the conference table, which I knew upset Martini emotionally, even though he understood the need logically. “We can all see it. It’s pretty much an exact match for the light show from earlier tonight.”

“So, you really think this means we have visitors coming?” Kevin didn’t sound as freaked out as everyone else. Maybe it was because he was already married.

“Yeah, I really think so. The timing works out.”

“Very much so,” Chuckie agreed. “We just need to know if they’re friendly or hostile.” I got the distinct impression he didn’t believe Martini had no conscious knowledge of what was going on or how this was being accomplished.

“Well, they’re from Alpha Centauri, and they exiled us here. I’m betting on hostile.” Gower sounded upset, just like everyone else.

“But why?” This question was from Lorraine, one of our only two other female agents. She was a bit younger than me and had gotten involved during my first outing with the A-Cs, aka Operation Fugly. Like all A-C women, whom I thought of as the Dazzlers, she was beyond gorgeous. She was also beyond nice and one of my two best girlfriends in the A-C community.

“I’m with Lorraine. I don’t see why it’s a negative.” Claudia was my other A-C female operative and friend. She was about my age, winsome and brunette to Lorraine’s buxom blonde, just as nice. They were both also scientifically brilliant and excellent medical technicians. I could sprint and hurdle and do some Kung Fu. Somehow, they reported to me. And didn’t mind.

“Why so?” Kevin asked. He was taking over, subtly, which was okay with everyone in the room except Chuckie. Technically, the C.I.A. reported dotted line into the P.T.C.U., and we all liked the P.T.C.U. a lot better.

Lorraine shrugged. “So they want to come out for Jeff’s wedding. I think it’s nice. About time they acknowledged that we’re all here and alive and doing the work they should be helping us with.”

“They put up the PPB net to keep us from leaving the solar system, hell, to keep us from leaving the i

“Paul? What does ACE think? This is really a time when we need his expertise.”

Gower nodded, twitched a bit, and the ACE voice came out of his mouth. “Jeff is right. But Lorraine is right, too.”

Silence. We all looked at each other.

“Um, ACE? That’s it?”

“Yes.” Gower twitched and blinked. “One day, supposedly the palsy will go away. Anyway, I think ACE is confused, Kitty. He can’t imagine anyone not wanting to meet you.”

“Oh, the superconsciousness hero worship,” Christopher said as he rolled his eyes. “Can you get through to him that some people don’t think Kitty walks on water?”

“Not really. ACE, ah, doesn’t like that kind of discussion.” Gower looked uncomfortable.

Reader laughed. “Be happy Kitty uses ACE’s powers for good. Remember, ACE thinks Kitty thinks right.”

There was a lot of good-natured laughing and kidding about this, but I knew it to be true. When ACE had come to Earth, I was the only one who’d understood what was going on. So I tried to think as ACE would and figure out why anyone would be coming out from Alpha Centauri for this wedding. I came up with nothing other than an idea of who might know.

“Jeff, is it normal morning in Florida?”

Martini sighed. “Yes, baby, it is.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “Hi, Dad, good morning. No, not yet. Yes, glad you liked the invitations, it took us three weeks to choose them. No, no, I didn’t. Because I hate them. No, I’m not joking. I hate, no, make that despise them. You have got to be kidding. Mom has no right to invite anyone to our wedding, let alone them. Argh! Okay, fine! Look, that’s not why I’m calling.”