“Okay.”
“Promise me, Kitty,” he said sternly. “No one is emotionally okay right now. You’re all willing to do whatever sounds right, and that’s dangerous for everyone.”
“She killed Michael’s Poof like it was a toy target.”
“I know.”
“Now Caroline won’t even have Fuzzball to remember Michael by.” The tears were starting. I didn’t have time to cry.
Adriana put her arm around my shoulders. “Let me speak with him, please.” Handed her the phone. She hugged me. “Cry. Let me handle this side for right now.”
While Adriana had a conversation with Buchanan I couldn’t even focus on, I watched the screen with tears streaming down my face. For some reason, the camera was still going, now being handled by a Marine. Probably to keep our people from killing Dier and the Swarthy Slapper.
Marines were escorting our people out, two to an A-C, presumably because the A-Cs didn’t want to leave Michael’s body or Dier alive and the Marines were having to use a gentle form of force.
Brian knelt down next to Michael, picked up the cage that Fuzzball was in, and tried to open it. It required a lot of strength, because I could see his muscles straining. But he got it open finally.
He took the Poof out and gently placed it on Michael’s chest. “Make sure this travels with him,” he said to the Marines around him. “It was his pet, and it died trying to protect him.” He held onto the cage.
“We will do, son,” Uncle Mort said. He helped Brian up and gave him a hug—Uncle Mort had known Brian since I was in high school, after all. “Let’s get you home to your family, Brian.”
“Yes, sir.” Brian let Uncle Mort lead him out.
Once all the hostages were out of the room, the Marines brought in a stretcher. Walter looked into the camera, blocking what was happening from us. I knew it was intentional. He looked older than he ever had before. “Chief, I know you’re watching. We’re going to stay with Michael and ensure he’s returned to the American Centaurion Embassy.” He looked down, then back up. “I’m sorry we were too late to prevent this.”
“It wasn’t Walter’s fault, or the Marines’ fault,” I said to no one in particular. “It was my fault. If I hadn’t asked the Poofs to get involved, Fuzzball wouldn’t have gone, wouldn’t have been captured, wouldn’t have been killed, and then Michael might not have had enough rage to break free when he did.”
Someone took me away from Adriana, who was still quietly discussing strategy and tactics with Buchanan. But the someone wasn’t Jeff.
“It’s not your fault, Kitty,” Christopher said as he hugged me tightly. “You were the only one with ideas. And your ideas worked.”
“In the wrong way.”
“In the right way. There’s no way you could have known our enemies had found a way to trap the Poofs. But the Marines are there, and based on who you were talking to, that’s because they were sent by Buchanan or your father.”
“Dad. He always calls Uncle Mort when things are dangerous.”
“Right, and they could only do that because you had the idea to send the feed to them, so they could get Mahin to break.”
“But Michael’s dead. And so is Fuzzball. What am I going to tell Caroline?” I started to sob. Christopher put my face into his chest and rocked me.
“You’ll tell her the truth. That she was the only woman who made him stop playing the field, that he was a hero, and that he died a hero. He died trying to protect his family and friend and to avenge the senseless murder of his pet. There’s no shame in any of that.”
“None of it brings him back.”
“No. It doesn’t.” He kissed my head. “And we’ll make them pay. But right now, we all need to get home.” He sighed. “We’re back to where we were when you joined us.”
“How do you mean?”
“We’re fighting an enemy who knows us, has us at a complete disadvantage, and who we know little to nothing about. And either our enemy or circumstances have set us up so that the things we used to have that gave us the extra edge are gone.”
I pulled back a bit and looked at him. “That sounds far more like the Mastermind than Ronaldo Al Dejahl.”
“The Mastermind’s had plenty of time to regroup. And we need to regroup, too.”
“We do,” Tim said, as he came over to us. “Christopher, you need to help Jeff. I don’t think Paul can really walk right now, he’s too upset.”
Christopher nodded and handed me off to Tim. Who hugged me. “Christopher’s right, it’s not your fault.”
“Feels like my fault.”
“I know. Kitty, we all feel that way. I know this isn’t a great time, but I don’t want us to forget this.”
“Michael’s murder? I think I’ll remember.”
“No, I don’t want you or me to forget what I’m going to say right now. The Poofs are guardians, right? When we were in Paris and this same sort of thing was going on, the Poofs were with you. In fact, you told me they knew where we were and were why you and Richard arrived in time.”
“Right.”
“Okay, so this time, the only Poof that left the Embassy was Michael’s, and only because of your direct order. You asked for Poofs, but only one Poof came, the one you’d specifically asked for by name.”
“Not making me feel any better or less guilty, Tim.”
He shook his head. “That’s not my intention or my point. My point is this—why didn’t the Poofs leave the Embassy? Or, put another way, what or who were the Poofs keeping out? Or keeping in? And why did it take literally all of them to do so?”
CHAPTER 45
OUR PEOPLE WERE IN CONTROL of Home Base and the Science Center again. The P.T.C.U. was overseeing a complete, inch-by-inch scan and search of both facilities and all equipment. Meaning Kevin had stayed in Dulce. Alpha and Airborne, though, had come back with us to the Embassy.
Everyone else was back in their usual places, though all the hostages, Gladys included, were at the Embassy, too. Michael’s body was in one of the rooms in the infirmary, Fuzzball’s little body still with him, and all the Gowers, Reader, White, Chuckie, and Caroline were there. The less said about their emotional states the better, but Jeff had had to hug them all and then leave the room under Tito and Nurse Carter’s watchful eyes.
Dad and Buchanan were still in Guantanamo and Mom was with Kevin, but she’d called to tell me she was coming by soon and, as with Buchanan, not to roll any plan until she’d heard and approved it. Figured Buchanan had already told her he was worried. He was right to be.
We checked on the kids—they and the pets all seemed anxious, but relieved when we all got home. Tim gave me the “something’s up and off” look. Had to agree. But I was too heartsick to figure out what right now. I just hugged Jamie tightly and told her what a good girl she’d been. That she didn’t ask why we were all crying was proof to me that she, and the other kids, already knew why, and it wasn’t because Denise had told them.
We left the kids with Denise, Len and Kyle still on guard. The rest of us, spouses and the rest of the Embassy staff and any guests like Mr. Joel Oliver included, went upstairs to our apartment. Jeff felt we all needed to be in an environment that didn’t seem work-like or threatening. I figured we needed to be near our in-room isolation chamber so that when he collapsed from all the extreme emotions going on around him, it’d be that much quicker for Tito and Nurse Carter to get him safely taken care of.
The sheer number of people in it actually made our living room look like it was an ordinary size. Would have preferred a happier reason for the impromptu gathering, but what I wanted hadn’t been happening, so why change things now?
Serene and Brian had their reunion. Once she was feeling semi-normal he handed her the cage that had trapped Fuzzball. “Here’s a souvenir I picked up for you from the most horrible trip I’ve ever taken. The Marines didn’t try to take this away from me; not sure if they didn’t realize it was alien in nature, wanted us to research it, or were just too distracted with everything else to notice.”