“I’m coming with you,” Dad said. “And before you argue or order me to stay here, I need to remind you that there were only a few people who could hold out against his mind control, and I’m one of them.”
Dad had a point, much as I didn’t like it. Al Dejahl had expanded talents—he was an imageer and could create the illusion of being someone completely different, just like a shapeshifter. He also had troubadour talent and, as Dad had mentioned, he was really good with the mind control.
“Your father makes a strong argument,” White said quietly. “Most of our team, you and me included, are untried against my ‘brother’s’ mind control.”
“We will guard him,” Rahmi said. Rhee nodded enthusiastically.
I could argue and tell Dad to stay here, only he’d just convince someone to send him right behind us, my orders to the contrary or no. Or he’d wait and convince Jeff and Chuckie to bring him along. Better he was with me. If I chose to look at the term “better” to mean “lesser of a whole lot of evils.”
Gave it one last gasp. “I don’t think Mom would like it.”
Dad chuckled and showed me his phone. He had a text from Mom. “Be careful and remember that Kitty’s in charge. So be extra careful.”
“Oh, Mom is just hilarious. Fine, fine, Rahmi and Rhee, protect my father, please and thank you. I guess that’ll be eight more to head over to Home Base now,” I said to the A-C doing gate duty.
He nodded. “We’re ready, Commander. Do you want anyone else accompanying you?”
I’d been thinking about this. “No. But I do need to give instructions to whoever’s in charge over here.”
The A-Cs nearby looked at each other in an uncomfortable way. “Ah, the Base Leaders are all at the security training, Commander,” the gate agent admitted finally.
A niggling worry crawled up. I looked at White. Was pretty sure he was having the same worry experience. “Okay,” I said slowly. “So, when they’re gone, who covers the leadership role? You’re set up like every other military group on the planet, ergo, there’s always someone in charge.”
“Not really,” Buchanan said quietly. “If you consider our military, once you have the officers out of commission, the enlisted men fracture into their groups under their sergeants.”
“Sort of like Under Siege, got it.”
“Under what?” Christopher asked in my ear.
“An old Steven Segal movie.”
“Great. You’re going to use that as your blueprint, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” Totally. “Okay, I want whoever is in charge of the gates, whoever is in charge of military actions, and whoever’s in charge of science and medicine within Caliente Base here in less than five seconds. I realize you’re all thinking that said individuals are over at Dulce right now, so I want you to all either choose your representative or whoever’s been doing the job the longest to show up.”
“What about weapons?” Christopher asked.
“Request whatever you and Malcolm think we need. I’ve got my Glock in my purse, so I’m good.”
While Christopher and Buchanan discussed armaments, three A-Cs appeared: two men, one woman, all extremely young. Not that A-Cs would, since alcohol was deadly to them, but I wasn’t sure that these three could legitimately buy a drink, let alone enter a bar without being carded. To a one, they looked uncertain and like they didn’t feel they should be hanging with me.
The Dazzler, who was typically gorgeous with long, curly, light brown hair and a perfect hourglass figure, cleared her throat. “You wanted us, Commander?”
“Names, ranks, serial numbers, please and thank you.”
“Viola Sciacca,” the Dazzler replied. “I’m in charge of the sciences right now.” She didn’t add, “I think”, at least not out loud, but her expression said it plainly.
“Carmine Giordano,” the taller male A-C said. As with all the clan, he was incredibly handsome, with a darker Mediterranean look going. “I’ve got Security, which includes the gates, Commander.” He didn’t look or sound nearly as uncertain as Viola, had, but he didn’t sound ready to take charge, either.
“Romeo Ruggero,” our last A-C shared. He was about Christopher’s size and build, but unlike Carmine, he was on the fairer side. “I’ve got military actions right now, Commander. So to speak.”
“What were you all told, when everyone else went off to the Security training?”
The three of them looked at each other. “Nothing,” Viola said finally. “Just that everyone would be back later today and to carry on with our regular duties.”
“None of us are actually in charge,” Romeo added. “But our teams felt we were the most appropriate for who you were asking for, Commander.”
“Gotcha. Okay, well, as of right now, you three are in charge here. Adapt your thinking and actions accordingly. You’re the nearest base to where we’re going, and therefore to where I expect a lot of bad things to be happening. Romeo, what’s our military status here? As in, do we have jets, tanks, or weapons?”
He nodded. “Yes, but only a handful.” He cleared his throat. “We don’t have most of our human personnel, Commander. They were all sent to Home Base for the training.”
A-Cs had reflexes that were so fast they couldn’t safely operate human machinery. Meaning that a base without human personnel was a base that couldn’t actually use any of its military vehicles.
Worry coalesced into certainty. I looked at White. “They chose their first target very well, didn’t they?”
White nodded. “I think so, Missus Martini. But I don’t know how they got to her.”
“I don’t either. But she gave in to Ronaldo’s mind control last time, so it’s not a leap to assume it’s happened again.” Looked at my three new Heads of Whatever. “Someone get me accessed to all our bases worldwide.”
Carmine made a fast call. “You’re on, Commander. Just speak normally, all personnel can hear you.”
“This is Commander Katt-Martini, with an All Bases Alert. As of right now, you are to consider that Gladys Gower, the Head of A-C Security Worldwide, has been turned or captured. Repeat, as of right now, please consider Gladys Gower to be Centaurion Division Enemy Number One.”
CHAPTER 20
THE COLLECTIVE GASP from the majority of the people around me was impressive. Figured the same was happening worldwide. Having Gladys compromised wasn’t quite as bad as having all of Alpha and Airborne compromised, but it was close, and since they were all in trouble, we were officially at the definition of DEFCON Worse.
I carried on. “Do not respond to any of Gladys’ directives. If you are responding to one right now, cease immediately and advise me and the Embassy of what said action was. If she, or anyone saying they have her authorization or orders, contacts you, you are to not respond or reply and to advise both me and the American Centaurion Embassy immediately.”
William’s voice came into my headset. “Ambassador, Mister Buchanan asked that I be hooked into your call with acting-Commander White.”
“Good call.” Chose not to comment about Christopher’s new old title. For all I knew, I was going to have to reactivate Jeff, regardless of his current position within the U.S. government.
“Kitty, I could hear your announcement over here at Home Base,” Christopher said, sounding worried. “Which means there’s a good chance it was piped through to Dulce.”
“No,” William said. “I was on prior and coordinated, Commander White. I sent the directive to you at Home Base, but prevented it from going to Dulce.”