Alien Diplomacy (19 page)

“Right,” he said, as he opened his eyes and gave me a stern look. “And we still shouldn’t.”

“No, I think we should. Because while no one’s babies have…acted like Jamie did in the womb, that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented in some way.”

“So?” Jeff asked. “You’re worried about them handling their powers? We’ll take care of that.”

I looked around the room. No one here didn’t know, except possibly Serene, and she should, all things considered. “Yes, I know you and Christopher can, and should, put blocks in if the babies need them. And, if you’re able, you should teach Serene how to do it, too. But that’s not what I mean.”

Jeff looked confused. So did everyone else. I sighed. “Look, Jamie heard her daddy worrying, and she did something she thought was right that wasn’t. All the flyboys were there, and so were the girls. And we haven’t told them not to worry about dying in childbirth,”
I stressed. “And I guarantee you, the human guys are worried about it.”

I saw the light dawn in Jeff’s eyes. “Oh.” He nodded. “Tito, when can you take the infirmary out of lockdown?” He had his Commander voice on.

“It’s on a timer,” Tito said as he closed things up. “It’ll be faster to leave than take it off.”

“Then let’s go. Oh, and Tito, bring whatever medical supplies make you happy.”

He, Melanie, and Emily were all carrying med cases. “You think they aren’t in the Science Center?” Emily asked.

“I have no idea where the girls are. I just know that they need an assist from ACE, meaning they likely need the assist from all of us, too.”

We took the elevator to the first floor. The gate was actually in the basement, where the elevators didn’t go. Aliens were weird. However, taking the elevator instead of the stairs meant Tito wouldn’t be barfing his guts out.

We reached the first floor, and, as we were walking past the big kitchen area, I spotted White, rummaging in the refrigerator. “Richard, you doing anything?”

He turned around holding sandwich fixings. “I was going to prepare a snack.”

“How’d you like to come along and help us, just in case?”

White stared at me for a long moment, nodded, put the food away, and joined us. “What’s going on, Missus Martini? Is it catsuit time?”

“Not that I know of, but never rule it out, Mister White. I think the miracle of birth is on today’s docket, but I could be wrong. Whatever it is, however, I think Lorraine and Claudia need us.”

“Say no more. Jeffrey, please stop glaring at me. She
is
my partner, after all.”

“Huh. I think you want her in a catsuit a little too much.”

White chuckled as we reached the basement. Jeff calibrated the gate, which was good. Now that I was enhanced I could actually see the gate. Of course, I couldn’t calibrate it. I contemplated the necessity of learning and had to admit it was high. All airport gates recalibrated to the Dome, which was the main gate hub located on the Ancients’ original crash site. But I had no idea if the Embassy gate did the same thing. And knowing where I was tossing myself to would probably be a good addition to my assortment of skills.

Jeff ushered everyone through as White took Jamie from me.
“I’ll hold onto our Jamie Katherine, since I assume you’ll be going through in your usual manner.”

“You know it,” I replied cheerfully, while Jamie snuggled into White’s chest. The gates tended to make me nauseous at best. My preferred way to use them was to have Jeff holding me with my face buried in his neck. “Wise man keeps baby safe from mother’s potential vomit.”

“Yes, I do know how much you enjoy these trips. Don’t dawdle,” he reminded us. With that, he walked through.

Jeff grinned as he recalibrated the gate for two full-sized travelers. “I’d love to dawdle, but I think you’re too worried to enjoy it.”

“Probably. But we can make up for it later.”

“Good plan.” Jeff swept me up into his arms, I shoved my face into his neck, he walked us through. Three seconds or so of total awful and we stepped out on what I called the Bat Cave level of the Dulce Science Center.

There were A-Cs bustling about doing all sorts of serious, keeping the world safe from the nasty things trying to destroy it stuff. I still didn’t know what half the equipment did or what the majority of the many screens of all shapes and sizes showed. But I was happy to be standing here, at the heart of Centaurion Division, where the work everyone did mattered.

Jeff put me down. “Feeling okay, baby?”

I sort of grunted. Not so much, really. The gates remained the bane of my existence.

“Where to, Missus Martini?” White asked. I could tell everyone else was thinking the same question.

“Hang on, still trying not to barf.” Thankfully, breakfast had been hours ago. I was cool with the fact it looked like we were going to miss lunch.

I got my stomach under control and realized I had no idea where, in the vastness that was the Science Center, Lorraine and Claudia actually were. Or if they were even in the Science Center.

Jeff got his phone out. “Huh. No missed calls.” Everyone else checked their phones, too. The lack of someone trying to reach them was shared.

“Look, call it my feminine intuition. Call one of the flyboys or check with Gladys. Meanwhile, we can head either to medical or to their living quarters.”

“They could be in a meeting,” Serene said. “I left everyone in one when I came over for Tito’s exam.”

“Kitty, is this just an exercise in your needing to make us all race
around for nothing?” Christopher snapped. “Because right now all I see is business as usual going on. No emergencies.”

“Let’s discuss this on the way to the elevator banks.” I strode off, wondering if I’d misinterpreted ACE’s comments. Right now, Christopher seemed right, and if that was the case, I was going to have a whole bunch of really annoyed people on my hands.

Jeff caught up to me. “Baby, are you sure you’re just not being jumpy for no reason?” he asked me quietly.

The elevators opened before I could reply, to show Jerry standing there, phone in hand, looking worried. He gaped at us. As he did so, everyone’s phones started ringing. “You’re here,” Jerry managed, as he hung up his phone.

“We are indeed. What’s going on?”

“I’ve been trying to call you. Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“It’s in my purse. I think.”

Jerry gaped at me. “And you don’t have your purse with you?”

“Um, no. Actually, no, I don’t.”

Jerry stared at me. “Who are you, and what have you done with Kitty?”

“Just put it down to my still adapting with little grace and absolutely no skill to my fabulous new position. Are Lorraine and Claudia okay?”

Jerry blinked. “Yes, I mean, they should be.” He looked around. “How did you all know to come over now?”

“A big penguin told me. Look, what’s going on?”

Jerry grinned. “The miracle of birth. Times two.”

“I
KNEW IT!” IT WAS NICE TO BE RIGHT,
especially because Christopher had the grace to look chagrined.

“Well, I don’t know how,” Jerry said. “It just started. We were leaving a meeting, and both Lorraine and Claudia started to feel labor pains.” He backed into the elevator, and we followed him. “We do want to hurry.”

“Yes,” Melanie said, “our babies come fast.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Jerry said under his breath. No one else but me seemed to hear him, possibly because they were all on their respective phones. I felt really out of the loop. However, from what I gathered by shamelessly eavesdropping, everyone was having the same conversation, which was essentially “hurry it up.”

The elevator doors opened on the medical floor, and Melanie and Emily disappeared, using the serious Mama Bear Hyperspeed. Tito hung up his phone and ran after them. The rest of us looked at Jerry. “When they say fast, they
mean
fast,” he said with feeling.

Christopher grabbed Jerry, Jeff grabbed me, and we all took off after the others. We were there in seconds, which was good, because even by the time we got there, things were hopping.

The girls were in one large room that had two beds and a couple of typical hospital curtains to provide the privacy the girls clearly weren’t experiencing—there were a lot of men in there with them. I certainly knew what that felt like—awkward.

“Out!” Tito thundered, right on cue. “Only the fathers.”

I took Jamie out of White’s arms, grabbed Serene, and walked in. “And us, Tito. Trust me.”

He gave me a long look, then nodded. “Fine. Shut the doors will you?”

Serene did as he asked while I stood between the two beds. “You two are really carrying the ‘best friends do everything together’ thing a little far.”

Both girls managed the labor equivalent of a chuckle, which was a gasping semi-yelp. Joe and Randy looked ready to pass out, particularly when they looked at me. Lorraine and Claudia’s fathers were there, too. They were functioning as gophers for Tito, Melanie, and Emily. So it was cozy, until their dads looked at me, worried. I was fairly sure why ACE had given me the huge hint earlier.

“The babies are coming a little faster than normal,” Tito shared, sounding very calm. “So I need everyone doing what we ask immediately.”

“I’ve called for extra help,” Emily shared, not managing to sound as calm as Tito.

“Both babies are breach right now,” Melanie added. This remark caused every man in the room other than Tito to go pale.

A number of younger Dazzlers prepped for nursing duty arrived. To a one, they looked grim. Not good. We didn’t need every hybrid birth to be a stress test for all involved.

I motioned to Serene and she came over. “Why do you want me in here, Kitty? To see how it’s done?” she asked with total innocence. So far as I could tell, Serene didn’t do or even recognize sarcasm or irony.

“No. I think we’re going to need to, ah, assist.” I looked at Jamie. “You know, the best thing for babies when they’re being born is to be head down.”

“Yow!” Lorraine shouted.

“Good,” Tito said. “Head’s down.”

“Ow!” Claudia yelped.

Tito trotted over to her. “Right, that’s what we want.” He looked at me. “Keep on doing whatever it is you’re doing, Kitty. Seriously.”

Serene looked at me and Jamie. “Oh.” She nodded and took Jamie’s hand in hers. “What are you going to name them?” she asked.

“We don’t know if they’re boys or girls,” Randy shared. “So, per A-C traditions, we’ll name them when they come out.”

“And you’re telling me that in nine months you haven’t discussed this, say, once?”

Joe shot a look at Melanie. “No, ma’am.” Randy nodded his
agreement. The girls were too busy shouting in pain and doing whatever their mothers, Tito, and the rest of the medical personnel were telling them to do to join in.

“Dudes, seriously, I can tell when you’re lying.”

Serene looked at me. “I think we need to name them
now
,” she said with some urgency. “Or know what their mothers call them.”

“We’ve talked about boy and girl names,” Randy allowed.

“Dudes, cough them up.”

Before they could, two more people entered the room at hyperspeed. “Are we too late?” Naomi gasped out.

“No,” Abigail said in reply. “
Just
in time.”

Naomi grabbed Claudia’s hand, Abigail grabbed Lorraine’s, and they both grabbed Serene. “Keep in contact,” Serene said to me, quite calmly.

“Oh, good. Wonder Quintuplets to the rescue again.” I wasn’t too fazed by this, since the Gower girls and I had done something similar during Operation Confusion, but the expressions on Lorraine and Claudia’s fathers’ faces were rather priceless.

I could feel the adults sending messages, but they weren’t going to me—they were going to Jamie. Who, as near as I could tell, was filtering them to the babies still in the womb in a way they’d comprehend. However, I could also tell Serene was right. The “Hey, you!” approach wasn’t working.

“Dudes, names. Like now. Um, they’re both boys.” At least, so far as I could tell. I was seeing them inside their mothers’ stomachs, thanks to the Weird-O-Vision we were sharing in this mental hookup.

“Ross Edward,” Joe said quickly. “For both of our dads.”

“Sean Zachary,” Randy supplied. “Same reasons.”

I wouldn’t have had to ask which names were from the human side, even if I hadn’t known. The A-Cs rarely went for single-syllable names.

Both fathers in the room looked pleased, and they didn’t seem upset that they’d landed the middle name slots. Then they looked at their daughters and went right back to looking extremely worried.

Serene nodded and looked at Jamie. “Let’s help Ross and Sean get here safely, okay? And make sure their mommies are safe, too.”

“Faster is not better,” Naomi added gently. “Too slow isn’t good either.”

“We want just right,” Abigail shared.

I curbed a Goldilocks and the Three Bears comment, figuring it wouldn’t be met with any form of appreciation from anyone in the room.

“What is ‘just right’?” I asked, since I didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure that Jamie knew, either.

“They know now,” Serene said. “Don’t worry.”

“Push, Claudia,” Tito said strongly. “Yours is coming first.”