“So their collective power gets diluted,” Oliver agreed. “Then, all it takes is some well placed media commentary, and you can get a firestorm of support going. Which is what my part of this operation will entail.”
“Exactly. They either attend Michael’s funeral, or all these corporate heads and politicians are flat out saying to the world that they support Club Fifty-One and the Religious Asshats. Most of them won’t be willing to risk that.”
Chuckie nodded. “In this case, I think you’re correct. While there’s still plenty of anti-alien activity going on, even someone like Langston Whitmore wouldn’t be able to avoid the fallout he’d get from non-attendance.”
“Yeah, let’s make sure someone’s keeping an eye on our beloved Secretary of Transportation, because he’s also high on my list of potential Apprentices.”
“The P.T.C.U. will be out in force, as will other protective government agencies,” Buchanan said. “They’ll be watching everyone. This funeral will have the potential to be the site of another attack.”
“In which case, our men will hustle the women to safety and then kick some butt. At least, that would be my plan. Jeff?”
“I’m sure we can handle it,” Christopher answered for him, sarcasm knob already at eleven and heading for twelve, “should Michael’s funeral devolve into chaos like everything else we do.”
“I have to ask this,” Kyle said, looking and sounding embarrassed. “I don’t understand how all of you are so calm about this plan.”
“Funerals don’t mean the same things to us that they do to humans,” Jeff said, clearly happy with the subject change. “Michael’s soul has left his body. There’s no great glory in honoring his corpse.”
“Funerals do more than that,” Kyle said. “They honor the person’s life.”
“They do,” White agreed. “But we’ll have made our peace with Michael’s death well before the official funeral. So, for us, using the funeral as a way to get our team inside Gaultier and able to hopefully retrieve our stolen data is a more palatable reason to have the funeral than the ones we have to give lip service to.”
“But that lip service must be given to Gladys. I’m not sure how her talents work, but we have to do everything we can to keep her believing that we’re all actually there, at the funeral, not doing a guerrilla raid.”
“How?” Amy asked. “I’m surprised she didn’t realize we were all up to something earlier.”
White shook his head. “Her talents don’t work like Jeffrey’s, even though she’s an empath. Her dream reading talent is dominant, meaning she reads most emotions when she’s asleep. Because of that, she learned young to go in and out of sleep without issue. I believe the term is ‘cat naps,’ but basically she sleeps in short bursts throughout the day and night.”
Well, that explained a lot about why the A-C Security team worked in the way they did. “That must be how they’re getting her, via her dreams.”
“Perhaps,” White acknowledged. “But we don’t know for sure.”
“If Sis and I were back to normal, we could combat, counter, or protect her,” Abigail said regretfully. Naomi nodded.
“But you’re not, meaning Paul’s likely the only one who can.”
“Not without ACE’s help,” Naomi said. “Paul’s a dream reader, not a manipulator. ACE could help him, but I don’t think he could do it on his own.”
Had an overwhelming urge to look at my iPod. Went with it and dug it out while the others discussed ways to circumvent Gladys’ powers. Didn’t bother to put my earbuds in, just turned it on and looked at the song. “I’m Not Sleepin’” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. And, just in case I wasn’t clear, the next song was “I’m Not Sleeping” by the Counting Crows. Clearly Algar thought I was a little slow.
Or else, he was suggesting that more than Gladys not sleep. Sleep deprivation wasn’t a good plan for most people, be they human, A-C, or hybrid. So had to contemplate what he was going for here.
Thought about the songs’ lyrics. The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy one was about not sleeping to avoid dealing with problems and memories of the past. But the Counting Crows song was about being haunted by someone.
Algar might be referring to Michael having visited me in my sleep, but I still wasn’t sure if that had been real or my subconscious, though it had felt more real. Had a feeling I was going to need to really listen to both songs, potentially more than a few times.
Of course, Algar could simply be telling me he wasn’t sleeping on the job, but per what he’d told me he also wasn’t “on” the job, either. Unless I wanted a Coke or a snack. Huh.
“I’m getting something to drink,” I said quietly to Jeff. “You want anything?”
“Not that the Operations Team can deliver.”
Had my doubts about that, but trotted off into the kitchen area. There were several huge refrigerators housed here. Chose the one farthest from the group and looked at it. “A Cherry Coke and a little help, please and thank you.”
Then I opened the door.
CHAPTER 59
ALGAR WAS SITTING CROSS-LEGGED in the fridge, holding a frosty Cherry Coke, a straw, and an ironic expression.
“Wow, that’s some service.” Took the soda and the straw.
He rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. Resisted the urge to be overly sarcastic, hard as it was. “I don’t think anyone can hear us. I realize you want to tell me something. I have no clue as to what that is, though.”
He gave me a look that could only be described as derisive and snapped his fingers.
Took a quick look around. Everyone seemed frozen. “Oh. So, I guess that was a summoning hint, wasn’t it?”
“You think?”
“Wow, trying to remember why it’s an honor that, out of all the naked apes out there, you’ve picked me as your new favorite.”
“Trying to remember why myself.”
“Okay, as fun as this bantering is, why did you summon me, oh Master of the Cupboard?”
“I like your plan.”
Waited. That appeared to be it.
“Um, thanks. I think. I’m finding it hard to believe you wanted to see me to give me an ‘atta girl’ in person, especially since you don’t really strike me as the ‘atta girl’ type.”
“Your enemies are planning, too, of course.”
“Ah, now there’s the Algar I’ve recently come to know and pretend to love. So, the bad guys aren’t sleeping, either. I figured, and I promise you, everyone else over there on the floor has figured as well. It’s just that we, unlike you, aren’t privy to what’s going on elsewhere.”
“Really?” He stared at me.
“Really. I get that you’re trying to give me a clue here. The happy news is that I’ve got no ego attached to saying these three little words: I don’t know. I don’t know what you’re trying to make me realize, other than that Gladys needs to be kept from sleeping, God alone knows how we’re going to do that.”
“I’m sure Gladys would agree with you.”
“Awesome. No-Doze for Gladys, please and thank you.”
This earned me a dirty look. “Just because someone agrees with you doesn’t mean they’re right.”
“Good to know. I’ll ponder that.”
Algar heaved a sigh. “The First King of Alpha Four wasn’t this willfully dim.”
“And yet you like me better. We can both contemplate all that says about both of us later. But, you know, before you go, I do have a question that’s been bugging me since I moved into the Embassy.”