Alien in Chief (37 page)

CHAPTER 73

W
E WENT BACK IN.
The room was still packed with people, all of whom looked freaked out or worried in some way. Who could blame them? “Why isn't everyone eating or resting or whatever?”

“Well, aside from Ariel dropping dead in front of us, we've been waiting for you.” Cliff brought me over to Jeff. “Found your wife and her entourage. I think Kitty needs to rest, Jeff. The news has upset her.”

“I'm not surprised. Where the hell were you?” Jeff snapped. “People we care about are dying left and right and you weren't around.”

“I went to the doctor's office, remember?”

“The hell with that, or you lying down. I need you here,” Jeff was practically snarling.

I was shocked and I was sure it showed on my face, especially because Chuckie looked shocked, then pissed. “Jeff, I know you're under stress, but don't talk to Kitty that way.” Chuckie took me away from Cliff. “Kitty, do you need to lie down?”

“And you think you're going to ‘help' her do that?” Jeff growled. It was as if this were four years ago.

Chuckie's eyes narrowed. “If you won't stop to take care of your wife, then, yes, I will.”

Jeff stepped closer and got into Chuckie's face. “Try it.” He was still growling.

“Um . . .” Honestly had no idea what to say or do. This wasn't something I was used to anymore.

Looked around for help. Cliff was standing back a little, and I could tell he was enjoying this, though he had the Frowny Face of Concern going. Looked over to Christopher, who was directly behind Cliff, for help. He made eye contact with me. Then he winked.

Managed not to say “Oh, duh” aloud, but it took effort. Turned back to Jeff and Chuckie. “Both of you stop it. I feel like crap, and I want to lie down. I'm just managing not to cry about Ariel and everyone else who's just died, and I don't know that I can hold it much longer. I don't care who helps me figure out where in this cavernous complex I'm sleeping, but I want to rest and I want to rest now. You two can have your constant, ridiculous jealousy fight later.”

Jeff pulled me away from Chuckie. “I'll handle my own wife, thanks. See if you can manage to get things under control here. Stay here,” he snapped at Joseph and Rob. “Try not to drop dead on me before I get back.”

With that he stalked off, holding my hand and essentially dragging me out of the room. Shot a grimace at Chuckie which I hoped the other guys in on the Escape Plan would realize was their cue. Then Jeff, I, and my entire entourage, my mother still included, left the room.

“Link up,” Jeff said briskly. “If you want to sleep when things are dire, then we'll get you settled in right away and without delay.”

Mom took my hand, everyone else linked up, then Jeff hit the hyperspeed. We ended up in his office in the West Wing.

“Nice,” Mom said after we stopped and Jeff had closed the door and disabled what I assumed were known surveillance devices.

Jeff grinned then shot me a worried look. “You okay, baby? Was I too rough with you?”

“No, but apparently our entire extended circle should be doing Little Theater in the off hours. What do you guys think is going on?”

“You, James, Tim, Oliver, and Richard are going to sneak out to try to save the day. I assume Lorraine, Claudia, Mahin, and Abigail are already out of NASA Base or about to be, possibly to join Adriana.”

“I guess I was wrong in thinking only Len, Kyle, and Malcolm would notice that she'd done a fast fade. But the girls aren't meeting up with Adriana, she's on a solo mission, as is Brian.”

“And you want to head out to do a different mission or three.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I'd like to go with you, but Chuck was very clear about why I can't.”

“Because you're the President now.”

“Yeah. I have to be visible, and clearly here, or else the panic that I can guarantee is already starting will only get worse.” He sighed. “I don't like it, mind you. Commander in Chief means being on the front lines to me, not behind a desk or hiding out in a bunker.”

“I know, Jeff. It's hard on you and probably going to be harder. But if we've ever needed a strong leader, it's right now, and you're that leader. And I'm proud to be your wife, even if my first act as First Lady is to essentially disobey your direct orders.”

He laughed. “So, you know, just like when we met and every day thereafter.”

“Glad you're rolling with the way things are. I'd check you for fever but we all probably have one by now. Speaking of which, I think Cliff may be spreading the disease through touch. He was hugging me a hell of a lot and went out of his way to hold Mom's hand.”

“Have already sent that information to Doctor Hernandez,”
Buchanan said. “And I think you're correct, though I don't know if that's how the disease first was released.”

“I'd assume he put something in the water or the air in the conference room,” Mom said. “Because Cliff going around the room glad-handing everyone would definitely have been noticed, and since Vince and some others know—knew—who he really is, would have raised all our suspicions. Jeff, check Kitty's forehead.”

He did, and looked worried. “You have a fever, baby.”

Checked his head while the rest of the room did the same. “You do, too.”

“Everyone here feels too hot,” Mom said. “So, whether you were infected before or not, we have to work under the assumption that we're all sick.”

“Doctor Hernandez wants us to get a blood sample from Goodman,” Buchanan said.

“That'll be easy,” Mom said, sarcasm knob easily at twelve on the one-to-ten scale.

“Christopher can use hyperspeed,” I suggested.

Mom sighed. “It's not that simple, kitten. He could grab a tissue sample with ease, which takes no time and skill. But a blood draw requires an ability to hit the vein and know what you're doing. And it takes time.”

Buchanan grunted as he texted away. “Hernandez says it has to be blood. Tissue isn't going to give him enough to work with, if anything.”

“Well, to Mom's point, since Lorraine and Claudia are on a mission and Tito's at NASA Base, the only trained medical people with us at the White House are Doctor Morin and his staff.”

“They didn't look well enough to administer an aspirin,” Phoebe said. “Let alone to draw someone's blood.”

“And we'd have to get Cliff to agree to it, too,” Jeff said. “Short of a Presidential order, I don't see that happening easily.”

“And that gives away whatever element of surprise we may still have,” Evalyne added.

“Means what I want to do is that much more vital. How'd you know what we were planning anyway, Jeff?”

“Chuck was watching you. He realized that you'd pulled Cliff away and had him positioned so he couldn't see what the girls were doing. And all they did was talk to those four men. He knows you, I know you—it didn't take a lot of brainpower to make the guess. It's what we both would be doing if we could.”

“Malcolm, I hope you're offended.”

Jeff nodded to Buchanan. “You figured it out, too?”

“Yes, and I was going to prevent it. But your wife is a lot like her mother, and I was overruled.”

“So bitter. We all just want to live past this week, call us crazy sentimentalists. Besides, you're still involved.”

Jeff looked relieved. “You'll be going with her?” Buchanan nodded. “What about the jocks?”

“Len and Kyle are humans and so therefore able to lie. They've also still got the football moves in case they have to put them into action. In other words, we need them here, covering for and protecting all of you as needed.”

“And we
are
bitter about that,” Kyle said.

“Very much so,” Len added.

“Also, while Malcolm will be going out with me, Jeff, you have to accept that, right now, you trying to make sure that I've got bodyguards isn't what's important.”

“I know what's important. And I'm not arguing about you going, because I had an interesting talk with Cliff when you were off doing whatever you were doing in NASA Base.”

“Giving Brian, who was there but not in quarantine, the go order, and telling Tito and Caroline what the plan was so that they can cover for the girls. What did Cliff say to you? He reassured me that he'd take care of our children if we all die.”

“Same thing for me.” Jeff's eyes flashed. “And I'll let him touch our kids, any of the kids, over my dead body.”

“Which is exactly what he wants. How did you and Chuckie have this talk and Cliff missed it?”

Jeff grinned. “We had the talk, which included Christopher and Paul, while you were distracting Cliff and the girls were giving their go messages to the other guys.”

“What about your Secret Service detail? Do they think you're a world class jerk now?”

“Joseph and Rob are advised. We
can
function as a well-oiled team, you know. Even without you sometimes.”

“Let's hope that Cliff doesn't think so.”

CHAPTER 74

“H
E DOESN'T,”
Buchanan said. “There are reasons they always try to separate you from the rest of the team, Missus Executive Chief.”

“Operation Destruction being the shining example.” My throat felt tight. “When Vince moved from enemy to ally.”

Jeff hugged me. “I know. We have to stop this so that we can avenge his murder, and so many others, as well as keep everyone else alive.”

“That's the plan.”

Jeff's phone buzzed, he pulled it out of his pocket, took a look, and chuckled. “Per Christopher, Cliff is comforting Chuck. He doesn't think he can be overheard, they've stepped away from the others, but Christopher's close enough to catch the conversation.”

“Yay for A-C hearing. He's probably ensuring that he's touching Chuckie's skin, by the way. What's the scoop?”

“Cliff's telling Chuck that he doesn't think that you're actually happy with me and are probably looking for any excuse to get a divorce.” Jeff shook his head. “What a bastard.”

“Yeah. He thinks he's going to get Chuckie thinking that he and I will get to be a couple, even if it's just for a few days. Probably just so he can see me reject Chuckie and you beat the hell out of him. In the dream world Cliff's living in, I mean.”

“The jealousy display was very believable,” Buchanan said. “Helped by you already glaring at me when we came through the gate.”

“That wasn't faked,” Jeff said.

“Shocker.” Buchanan's sarcasm knob was definitely at eleven.

“Cliff's also saying that it's clear that I'm not ready to handle the stress of the Presidency,” Jeff went on as if Buchanan hadn't spoken. Nice to see that it happened to men as well as women.

“Good, that means he fell for the act,” I said.

“Yeah, well, Ariel dying in front of me and literally falling into Raj's arms was an easy way to lose emotional control. I just kept it going.” Jeff grunted. “Chuck's pretending to have a mood swing because of this news. At least I really hope he's acting. Cliff's helping him into the dining room where we're trying to get people fed. Huh, James and Tim are going with them.”

“Possibly to ensure Cliff doesn't murder Chuckie along the way. Are they and MJO starting to say they don't feel well?”

“Richard is, and I think Chuck was doing that as a cover for him. Christopher has to ‘help' Richard find a place to rest, so they'll be here shortly.”

“Did you coordinate with him, James, Tim, and Mister Joel Oliver?”

“No,” Jeff admitted.

Dug out my phone and sent Oliver a text. “Okay, I've told MJO that you and Chuckie are in on the plan. He's going to ‘feel faint' shortly. But he says he, James, and Tim did feel that I'd given them the go signal. So, no idea what the other two are planning but they're triggered.”

“Good,” Mom said. “I assume James will be able to get you floater gates to wherever you need to go?”

“I hope so.” Especially because I was fairly sure that most of my team was in the wrong spots for the assignments
I was going to give them and probably all experiencing some level of fever. “I don't think there will be an issue with William and if there is, Serene is at Dulce.”

Jeff snorted. “Then everyone will do whatever you want as long as she tells them to in that power-mad way of hers that reminds me so much of you, baby.”

“I'm choosing to ignore that. So, where are we going to say everyone is? I mean, you cannot tell Cliff that you put me into your office.”

“President's living room,” Mom said briskly while she tapped away on her phone. “I've cleared it with Elaine. Everyone who's ‘too sick' or supposed to be guarding the sick people will go there.”

“Great. Is her Secret Service detail trustworthy?”

Evalyne shook her head. “I have no idea. I want to say yes, but we were infiltrated by someone working directly for the Mastermind, so who's to say they aren't?”

“We have to risk it,” Buchanan said. “If we're going, we're going. Besides, the Former First Lady isn't going to leave her quarters, so if any of them leave, you'll know that's the traitor or traitors.”

“I agree,” Christopher said, as he and White came in. “Kitty, I don't know where or how James, Tim, and Oliver are going to get out. For my dad we could use the ‘tired old man' excuse. But those three honestly don't look sick.”

“I think I resent that, son.”

“You look amazing as always to me, Mister White.” Did the forehead check. Sadly, both father and son were too hot, and not in the good way this time. “MJO has a plan, but someone has to bring him to the right location. No idea on James and Tim.”

“I'll count on them to ensure it's dramatic,” Jeff said.

“Maybe not,” Phoebe said. “Too dramatic would draw attention, wouldn't you think? Kitty doing it was one thing. But if others are, too . . .”

Looked at Jeff. “Sounds like you get to go be a jerk again.”

Jeff nodded. “Let's use the old ‘pressure's getting to me and I'm lashing out at my friends' plan.”

“You sound like Kitty far too often.” Christopher gave Jeff an Atta Boy shot of Patented Glare #3. Presumably so he'd know the world was still normal.

“I consider that a good thing,” Jeff said with a grin.

“Can you do it?” Mom asked.

“Yeah, I'll just tell myself they all want to sleep with my wife.”

“Whatever gets you through, Jeff. Okay, so we all need to actually go to the President's Living Room, in part so that Richard and I know where it is, in case we're able to get back before anyone can notice that we're gone.”

“And that way we'll be there to take James, Tim, and Mister Joel Oliver with us,” White added. “I believe hyperspeed will be, as it so often is, our friend.”

“Is there anything else we need to discuss before we do that?” Mom asked. “I'd personally like to know what you're going to be trying to do, kitten.”

“Honestly, Mom, I'd prefer not to tell any of you what I'm planning. In no small part because Jeff and Christopher are the worst liars in the world. I know you pulled up how you used to feel about Chuckie for that ‘fight,' Jeff. I don't think you can do that for the ‘where is your wife going' question.”

“I hate to admit it, baby, but you're right on both. I'd like to know, but it's probably better that I don't.” He sighed. “And you know how bad it is when I'm letting you do this, without me and without argument.”

“Don't worry, Jeff,” Christopher said. “Kitty's plan will be something insane and foolhardy that will put her and everyone else on her team in mortal peril. Several times, most likely.”

“You don't know me.”

“Just be really clear about your location when you call for help.”

“You remain not my favorite, Christopher.”

He grinned. “Nice to see that Jeff's still number one in your heart.”

“And in the bedroom.”

“Too much information!” That was said in unison by most of the room.

Jeff just grinned. “Even when we face the potential end of the world, it still sucks to be me.”