has a good sense of humor, Santiago,” Armstrong said. “But you can’t blame her for being a little touchy.”
McMillan nodded. “We really need to get the latest alien issues settled, preferably once and for all.”
The men all looked somber now. Took the leap. “What’s just happened that all of you know about but I don’t? And I’d better not hear that it’s above my security clearance.”
“Never again on my watch,” Armstrong said seriously. Considering what had gone down during Operation Destruction, it wasn’t a total surprise that Armstrong was backing me on the clearance issue.
“We have some legislation being proposed in the House,” Reyes said. “The wording’s such that it could lead to restricted freedoms for ‘illegal aliens.’”
“Let me guess. The wording is also such that it puts into question whether or not the A-Cs on Earth are here legally, doesn’t it?”
“I married the smartest girl in the galaxy. However, that bill’s a long way away from passing, at least from what I’ve been told.” Jeff looked at Reyes intently. “So, what haven’t I been told?”
CHAPTER 14
I PREPPED MYSELF for words of doom and destruction.
“Not much.” Reyes shrugged. “But anything can be sped through when the right incentives are given or applied.”
Managed not to say that Reyes really had a way with the anticlimax, but decided I was happier with his answer than the one I’d been expecting.
“Well, that’s all mysterious. Want to share what incentives are being tossed around, or are we just shooting the general blah, blah, blah right now so that Jeff and I get to spend the rest of the month not sleeping due to worry?”
“It’s the usual political maneuvering,” McMillan answered. “Some see the current state of affairs to be beneficial, some want to take advantage for their own reasons, both good and bad.”
As “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” from Tears for Fears came on, someone touched my elbow. Jeff shot an annoyed look at the toucher.
Turned to see a tall, slender, incredibly handsome guy with black wavy hair who looked Indian but I knew to be a pure-blooded A-C. I knew him in part because he was in the Armani fatigues just like all the rest of the A-C males, but mostly because we’d spent a lot of time with Rajnish Singh since Operation Destruction. He wasn’t full-time at the Embassy yet, but it was likely only a matter of time, because Jeff’s charm needed more of an assist than the rest of the Diplomatic Corps were providing on a regular basis.
The A-Cs had the same number of skin tones and body types as humans did. When they’d arrived on Earth they’d all been housed in the U.S. Once world governments were advised and the right approvals given, the A-Cs expanded out and created bases all over the world. The A-Cs with the most appropriate looks and body types went to the countries they’d blend in with the best, took appropriate names and surnames, and increased each host country’s overall hotness level. Raj was from New Delhi Base.
This base wasn’t the biggest or even most active of the worldwide bases; superbeings weren’t as common in that part of the world as they were in America, go U.S.A. for the ick-factor win. And while there were plenty of smaller bases all over the world, Euro Base, which was located in Paris, and Moscow Base handled or took the lead on the majority of the international incidents.
So the agents from New Delhi Base tended toward two types—the laidback and low-key and the extremely driven to prove they could run with the big dogs. I still hadn’t figured out which one Raj was.
“Hi, Raj, what’s up?”
Raj shot me a smile that gave Reader’s cover boy smile a run for its money. “Excuse me, Ambassador,” he said quietly. “But there’s a gentleman at the door requesting you.”
Normal sentences, made to sound incredibly thrilling. Yep, Raj was a troubadour. It wasn’t the most popular of talents within the Field and Imageering sides of Centaurion Division, but it was a godsend in terms of the political side. We needed more troubadours, but right now, Raj was splitting his time between us and New Delhi Base, with us getting about ninety percent of him.
“New boyfriend?” Jeff asked, only half-joking.
Shot him the “really?” look while Reader rolled his eyes and Tim snorted. “I doubt it.”
“Why does someone want to see Kitty and not me?” Jeff was pushing the worry.
“Are you picking up anything negative?” Everyone we were with was aware of