“I’m assuming if we send the message to the Syndicate pretending to be the Madovian, saying we have the orb and demanding a meeting, that this will send Smith scurrying?” Saxon taps a finger on the table as he studies the updated Area 51 schematics with the extra wing that we didn’t have on ours.
“Yes, it should do. Liliana said that Vivax complained about him, constantly saying he was a thorn in her side. She couldn’twait to get rid of him the moment she had the orb in her hands, so I’m pretty sure he will be summoned so she can kill him,” Zeydan says, reminding us of what my grandmother said.
Brannock growls. “Not before I can get my hands on him.”
“So how are we going to get in?” Caspian frowns.
“Did you know that lightning cats don’t show up on infrared sensors?” Maxsim muses, and Silac nods his head.
“Neither do snake shifters. We can cool our body temperatures enough that it doesn’t register.”
“So maybe Maxsim, Silac, and Lila can breach the compound from the outside, neutralizing all the security out there, and then we can mount a frontal assault,” Link suggests.
“All it would take is someone hitting the alarm, and the prisoners would be dead. No, we need to think about this sensibly. Also, the galaxy level is not something that is unilaterally known about. You need special clearance to work in that level. We would be alerting the whole facility to its existence,” Brannock explains. “It actually has its own exit—an underground tunnel that exits miles away from the facility. The level is sealed off from the rest of the facility, with its own power and water source. The controls for those are midway down the tunnel, but the tunnel is lined with laser sensors.” He points out that there are no elevator shafts leading up from the level on the schematics, only one that leads away at ground level.
“Okay, how about this? We teleport to the entrance of the tunnel, then Lila and I will go in mist form and cut the power. That will disable any defense system the level has. Although it will put the guards on high alert, it should be easy enough for us to incapacitate them if we aren’t worrying about anyone tripping the fail-safe.” Xavier leans forward in his seat, and I can feel his anticipation and excitement.
Brannock purses his lips in thought before giving a small nod. “Yes, that should work. Mist form won’t set off the lasersensors, and once you cut the power, all defenses will be rendered neutral, but we will need to watch out for trigger happy guards. Once we are in the facility and have incapacitated the guards, Ghosie will use his powers to go through the sealed and locked door and open it from the other side. Only Smith’s handprint and eye scan will open it from the side we will be on, and he won’t be around to use.”
“That’s a shame,” Tirrian says dryly.
“So we’re all going then?” I ask, biting my lip and worrying about my mates.
“I won’t for obvious reasons,” Echo says, pointing at his belly.
“Neither will I,” Nikos says. “I’ll stay behind with our children.”
Cas nods. “I will do the same. You have plenty of fire power and magic, so you don’t need me. We also need to keep up the appearance that we are with the circus pod in Asia in case they have any spies. I propose that Silac and I head down with that so we’re seen by the crew, and if anyone asks, we will tell them you are making preparations elsewhere and will be with us shortly.”
“That’s actually a good idea. What about you, Link? Coming or staying with the circus?” Saxon asks my cyborg who looks torn.
“What if any of the aliens need medical attention? Maybe I should go with you.”
“We have Lila and her magic healing abilities,” Tirrian reminds him.
“But what if she runs out of power using all her different abilities?”
“She shouldn’t. Now that she doesn’t have to change forms every time to tap into her abilities, she shouldn’t drain so quickly. It’s the mimic changing power that drains her energy and requires her to power up through sex. Tapping into her powers is a goddess power, and while she is only a quarter anda bit deity” —Zeydan winks at me as he explains— “it should let her do everything she needs to during the mission, including healing any injuries.”
My cyborg visibly relaxes. “In that case, I will remain behind as well. I don’t enjoy conflict as much as all of you.” He really is a gentle soul and well suited to being a healer.
“And if we have any problems, we can have Mark and Aarin on standby to beam down and assist us with healing,” Brannock suggests. “We know neither of them are moles for the Syndicate.”
“Good point,” I agree and make a note to speak to them. “So who does that leave then? Brannock, Saxon, Ghosie, Xavier, Tirrian, Zeydan, and I. What about you, Maxsim? In or out?”
My alpha cat is torn. His need to protect Echo is warring with his need to protect me. We keep doing this to him, and it isn’t fair. Hopefully this will be the last time he has to make this choice.
Before he can reply, Saxon claps him on the shoulder. “You stay and help protect the children. We will make sure nothing happens to Lila.” The tension drains out of the big male as he quickly agrees. Saxon deciding for him was the right move, and he can be guilt free now if anything goes wrong during the incursion—not that it’s going to.
“Okay, I say we allow the hologram program to run in Singapore, and the circus pod leaves before we breach the compound. That will ensure most of the crew is on the surface, leaving only a skeleton crew on the ship, which will make it easier for us to transport to Nevada without being seen,” Brannock decides. He’s been the main planner for this, as we all know he is ready to bust heads and get his daughter back. It has kept him focused.
“And we should send that message to the Syndicate as soon as we hit Earth’s orbit, which will give Smith time to leave before we invade,” Xavier adds.
“We need to monitor how he leaves. Aura assured me that it is easy enough to cloak a small shuttle vessel and hide behind the galaxy ship. That’s how they get illegals on and off the planet,” Saxon explains, and I frown.
“Why hasn’t the bridge ever picked up ships in the vicinity when they’ve done their scans?” I question.
“We’ve never noticed because we never scanned for other ships. None were supposed to be in the vicinity.” Saxon looks as skeptical as I feel.
