Old Dogs, Older Tricks, page 22
part #2 of Junkyard Pirate Series
"What do you want?" John asked, returning to his previously near-hysteric state.
AJ sighed. "Galactic peace. But I'd settle for a good cup of coffee. John, help your wife to the kitchen. Don't do anything stupid. Jason, help your dad."
"This isn't over," Jason growled.
"Jason. Don't," his father ordered.
"Cops will be here soon," Jason argued.
Sharg shuffled down the stairs, watching the Korgul slug as it dropped over the edge of the second-floor landing and onto the tile of the entry hall. "I will find something to restrain the Korgul."
"Look in the kitchen," AJ called after her. "They'll have plastic food containers or bags. They seem to work pretty well."
"BB, could you tell Jayne to park in the driveway and bring a first aid kit in?" AJ instructed. "Tell her we have a gunshot wound, but it doesn't look too bad."
"What do you want from us?" John asked, his voice level, clearly trying to avoid antagonizing AJ.
"We'll get to that," AJ said. "Let me ask you something. Have you noticed strange behavior from your wife lately? Last few months, but could have been longer."
"Strange?"
"Oh, John! I was trapped," Candy blurted out. "I couldn't talk. There was something making me do things, say things. I didn't mean all those horrible things I said. I love you."
John looked at his wife, blinking in confusion.
"It's okay, sweetheart. We'll work it out," he said, bracing her with an arm around her back.
"No, it's not okay. That thing," Candy pointed over the railing toward the bottom of the stairs. Sharg was inelegantly using a cottage cheese container, which she'd unceremoniously emptied, to capture the wily Korgul. "That thing was inside me. It made me do things, talk to people I didn't know and do horrible things."
"Shh," John said. "Don't talk. It'll be okay."
"Are you guys going crazy?" Jason asked. "This guy breaks into our house and shoots Mom and now … now I don't know what's going on."
"Still got the gun, kid," AJ said, lifting his shirt. "Everybody into the kitchen."
John stopped the little progress they'd made down the stairs. "You said you weren't going to hurt us."
"Keep the kid in line," AJ growled.
"Jason, don't make this worse," John said and continued to help Candy forward.
AJ backed down the stairs, keeping a wary eye on both Jason and his father. He didn't find it overly surprising when about halfway down, Jason lunged again, throwing himself in an attempt to grapple with AJ. Having expected the move, AJ swiveled and grabbed the young man, unwilling to let the boy land full force. He grimaced as the kid's momentum pulled him down hard. With clarity and speed only possible from a fresh hit of adrenaline, AJ surged up, subduing the kid at the bottom of the steps.
"AJ, what are you doing?" Jayne demanded. "What's going on in here?"
He ignored her and pulled Jason's arm behind his back, pushing his wrist up. "Are you done?"
"Jason, stop," John said. "Please don't hurt him."
"AJ, let him go," Jayne said. "We're not here to hurt these people."
AJ sat with his legs straddled over the young man, holding his arm in place. "Things went a little sideways."
"I have it," Sharg announced, holding the cottage cheese container out triumphantly.
"I see that," Jayne said. "Who's hurt?"
AJ gestured with his head to the stairway. "Jackie's mother took a through and through to the side. She was carrying the Korgul Sharg just snagged. John's being reasonable. Kid's a bit of a hothead. I was right. He needs to join up. Army needs his piss and vinegar."
"Screw off," Jason said, pulling his head up defiantly.
"See?" AJ asked.
"Mr. and Mrs. Baird, I'm so sorry," Jayne said, stepping over their fallen son. "This is not how our first contact should have gone at all. We're not here to hurt you."
"Could've fooled me," Jason interrupted, making AJ chuckle.
"You broke into our home," John said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. Something about Jayne's manner made him comfortable enough to turn his wife over to her. "Shot my wife."
"On a scale of one to ten, how badly does it hurt?" Jayne asked, lifting the woman's bloody pajama shirt enough to locate the wound.
"It burns. Six, maybe?" Candy said, searching Jayne's eyes for a glimmer of hope.
"The bullet was a .22 caliber," Jayne said, leading the woman toward the kitchen. "There's an exit wound on your back. You're lucky AJ is such a good shot. Think of it like someone stuck you with a knitting needle but took it out."
"Is that bad?"
"No funny stuff, John," AJ said, as the lawyer gave Sharg a concerned onceover.
"Will it hurt me?"
"She," AJ said. "Her name is Sharg. It's a long story, but she came to Earth because she wants to start a family. Despite her size, she's a pacifist."
"I do not understand why my size is relevant," Sharg said.
"Is she talking to you?" John asked. "Is she intelligent?
"We’ll get to all that," AJ said. "Right now, I need you to help me with your son. It's important he doesn't do anything stupid. The thing is, he's young, dumb, and has a hero complex. Turns out, I respect most of that. I need you to take the electrical cord off that lamp there and bring it to me. Make sure you unplug it first."
"You're not going to hurt him?"
"Nope. Just need to reduce the chaos."
John nodded and after a few attempts, pulled the cord from the lamp.
"Traitor," Jason growled in defeat, as AJ secured his hands behind his back.
With the unruly kid restrained, AJ helped Jason to his feet, nudging him toward the kitchen, nodding at John to lead the way.
"Where is it?" Candy's eyes bored into AJ's as he entered the kitchen.
"Sharg, I need the container." He kicked a stool away from the kitchen island and pushed Jason onto it. "And you. I need you to settle down and listen."
AJ accepted the cottage cheese container and opened it, holding it in front of the rumpled realtor after verifying its contents. "Was that really inside me?" she asked.
"This is crazy," John offered.
"I believe you know it was," Jayne said, taping a piece of gauze over the wound on Candy's back. "You saw it, didn't you?"
"It's not crazy, John," Candy said. "They're telling the truth. That – you called it Korgul? It was in my head. I thought it was just a horrible dream, but then I knew it really wasn't. I thought I'd lost my mind."
Tears streamed down her face and Jayne stopped working long enough to embrace the woman. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Baird. I know how horrible it must have felt."
"I'm having trouble with all this," John said, reaching for the container and tipping it so he could look inside. "That thing? That's what we're talking about?"
"How did you get it out?" Candy asked, her chest shuddering against her sobs.
"The only way I could, under the circumstances," AJ said. "The bullets are doped with a vaccine. Makes you immune to Korgul. It can never get back inside. None of them can."
"Why are you here?" she asked. "There are so many of them. You're not just here to rescue me. It's about Jackie, isn't it?"
"Why do you say that, Mrs. Baird?" Jayne asked.
"They talk about her. They think she's bad. She wears a face mask when she sleeps. They can't get under it. They tried. They made me release free Korgul in her room when she was home."
"You wouldn't," John said, scandalized. "She's our daughter."
She spun toward her husband. "I had no choice, John. I couldn't stop my body."
"But it's Jackie."
"Shit, it's always Jackie," Jason grumbled. "Perfect Jackie. Never does anything wrong, Jackie."
"Dr. Jackie," AJ offered unhelpfully. Jason glanced up at him and nodded in wry agreement.
"Yes," Jayne said. "We need to get a message to her. We believe she's part of the US resistance against Korgul."
"We're not giving Jackie to you," John said, firmly.
"Get my phone, John," Candy said.
"No. How do I know this isn't some elaborate trick?"
"Let Jackie decide," AJ said. "All you need to do is take a picture of me and send it to her with a single message. She's the one in Military Intelligence. She’s likely better informed than you and could make a better decision."
"It's next to the bed on my nightstand, right side," Candy said.
"I'll get it," Jayne said, standing from where she'd been kneeling by Candy.
"No," John said, stepping in Jayne's way as she moved to leave the kitchen.
"John," AJ said. "I'll take a selfie with me and Sharg in your kitchen. Message will read, Didn't get much of a chance to talk with Heckard at Area-51. Breakfast?"
"Who's Heckard?" John asked.
"Your daughter's boss."
"No," John said, shaking his head. "It's a woman. I've met her."
"That was probably Sandra Dittany."
"How do you know all this?" John asked, allowing Jayne to pass.
"Has anyone told you, you're exhausting?"
"Mom? Dad?" Chaos rose again as the sound of a panicked woman filled the house. The front door slammed, and Greybeard barked wildly.
"In the kitchen," Candy called, sipping her coffee.
Captain Jackie Baird burst into the kitchen, a small pistol gripped in her hand, pointed down. While waiting for her arrival, AJ had allowed the family to change clothing and even freed Jason from his chair, although he'd required the young man to stay seated at the table.
"What are you doing in my home?" Dr. Baird demanded, raising her weapon at AJ, her hands shaking.
AJ flipped the final pancake on the griddle, looked over and smiled. "No need for guns. Do you go by Captain Baird or Dr. Baird? Are you hungry?"
"I asked you a question." Her eyes strayed in the direction of Sharg, who'd found comfort on a backless bench. "What in the hell?"
"Jason, show her the cottage cheese," AJ said.
"'Sup, Sis?" Jason said, tipping his head back coolly. "It's pretty badass. Almost got me convinced." He had spent the last ninety minutes opening and closing the cottage cheese container as he inspected the trapped Korgul. "Are you really MI? I thought you were part of some sort of think tank."
Jackie Baird was a trim woman with short black hair and a tanned complexion common with runners. Her bright blue eyes were like lasers as they locked onto AJ. "My family is off limits," she growled, tightening her grip on the weapon.
"Your mother had a Korgul in her," AJ responded casually. "You get enough cakes, Sharg?"
"I am satisfied," Sharg answered. "I believe the human is in distress. It is possible she will activate her projectile weapon and damage you."
"Did that just talk?" Jackie asked.
"Sharg. She. Be nice." AJ flipped the small stack of pancakes onto a plate and moved to the kitchen table. While he'd served pancakes to everyone, he'd been disappointed no one had eaten much. "Did you hear me about your mother?"
"I can't trust you."
AJ reached for his pocket, but Jackie saw the motion and swung her gun back at him threateningly. "Careful, Captain, I'm going to pull a device about the size of a ballpoint pen cap from my pocket. It's an alien device. It'll let you talk with Sharg and BB."
"Who's BB?" Jackie asked.
"How much of this do you want your family to know?" AJ asked. "I assume you recognized my picture from Area-51?"
"How'd you know about Heckard?"
"If you let me hand you the device, this'll be a lot easier," AJ said. "I'll go slow."
"You don't want to see the Korgul?" Jason asked.
"I'm not familiar with that term," Jackie said.
"I can't recall what you guys called 'em – the snotty, robin's-egg-looking aliens. Gets in behind your eyes," AJ said. "I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about."
Jackie carefully walked to the table and tipped her head up as Jason held the cottage cheese container over to her. "Shit," Jackie said and glanced at her mom while keeping the gun trained on AJ.
"It was in me. It was horrible, Jackie," Candy said.
"If that's true, you shouldn't be able to remember anything."
"That's how it works when you shock it out of someone," AJ agreed, talking around the pancake in his mouth. "We took a slightly different approach. Are you sure you want your entire family to hear all this?"
"What do you want?"
"Send that picture to Heckard," AJ said. "Tell him anything you like, but I want a meeting."
"You need to put your hands on the table," Jackie said, calmly. "All of you. Even you, Mom and Dad. A team is about to breach this house. Standard protocol is that they'll take everyone into custody. Jason, don't mess around. These guys mean business."
AJ stood with his hands up. "We surrender. Take the pistol out of my waistband. In my right pocket are those neural enhancers I was telling you about – for communication. Don't let them get damaged. We have more equipment in the car. It needs to come with us."
"Don’t try anything," Jackie said. "Dad, take his gun."
John withdrew the pistol and turned it on AJ. "Now you're on the other side. How does it feel, asshole?"
"Get the items from my right pocket," AJ said and was surprised when John did as he was told. "Jayne, Sharg, we need to lie on the ground, face down. Heavily armed people will be coming through that door any minute."
"Dad, put the pistol down," Jackie said.
"I'm helping you."
A bright flash and a loud explosion announced the arrival of the tactical team. John didn't get a chance to lower the weapon as two feathered darts appeared in his chest. He looked at them and then sent his daughter a look of surprise as he crumpled.
"No!" Candy screamed as the cottage cheese container was tipped over. In a last, desperate move, she stabbed ineffectively at the fleeing Korgul with a fork, just as darts appeared on her chest. She crumpled.
"That's my mother! Stand down!" Jackie yelled.
"Act like it knocks you out, Sharg," AJ called as twin pricks struck his back.
AJ awoke in a featureless white room that had exactly one mirrored glass panel. Jayne lay on the floor next to him, but there was no sign of Sharg or Greybeard.
"Tell General Heckard I'm awake," AJ called, scraping himself off the floor. He gently dragged Jayne with him as he sat back down against the wall. "BB, you there?"
Beverly appeared in front of him, wearing loose-fitting, black-and-white-striped clothing, a metal ball chained to her ankle. "We're in the slammer, AJ. It's a well-shielded room. I cannot establish communication with Seamus or Sharg. No one has visited since you were deposited here over six hours ago."
"Explains why I gotta pee so bad," he said. "Hope they went easy on Sharg."
"The chemicals they used to restrain you would have had a similar effect on her, perhaps even longer-lasting due to her slower circulatory system," Beverly explained.
"Hope they're treating her right."
"Treating who right?"
AJ looked around. The man's voice had come from a speaker near the two-way mirror. He'd heard the voice before.
"Sharg, the Vred that came with us," AJ said. "I know it's you, General. We met a few months back. I doubt you've forgotten already."
"How am I to believe you're not an enemy agent? I hear you speaking to someone. No doubt there is an alien within you."
"I assume this is a secure conversation."
"That's right."
"Did you retrieve the Korgul from the Baird's house?"
"We did not."
AJ rolled his eyes. "You've got to be shitting me! That Korgul knows everything that went down. Could you be any more ham-handed?"
"I didn't like you much last time. You got Dittany killed."
"Major Dittany sacrificed herself so we could complete our mission," AJ said. "She died a hero."
"We lost Area-51 in that battle. Our team was all but nullified after that attack."
"I'm sorry to hear that McAlistair didn't make it."
"Why's that?"
"We came back with tech. That alien, Sharg? She's Vred, a highly intelligent species. She's looking to make some trades. You could put your program back together with help from her."
"I suppose you want me to let you go. To trust you and this alien Vred." Heckard’s skepticism was clear.
"No," AJ said. "I want you to make us part of the team."
"Why would I do that?"
"I can think of exactly two reasons. The first is that I know why the Korgul are here. I bet, even with all the time and effort you've put into this, you have no idea why they're here or what they want."
"It's not hard to imagine," Heckard answered. "They want our planet."
"Not exactly."
"Then why? Exactly."
"There are two elements humanity hasn’t discovered yet. First one is Fantastium. The other is Blastorium. Basically, one is go-go juice for spaceships. The other powers weapons. Don’t give me crap about the names. An alien provided the translations so I could remember what each was used for."
"That's all you have? They want our resources?" Heckard said. "No shit. The Chinese and the Russians want our resources. It's an old story, Sergeant Jenkins. I hardly need your help for that."
"I said two reasons," AJ said. "Are you sure you don't want to hear the second?"
"Sure. Blow me away."
"We've got a vaccine that makes humans incompatible with Korgul. We've got the cure."
21
Inside Job
"The hell you say!" General Norman Heckard barged into the room where AJ sat on the floor holding Jayne in his lap.
AJ smiled, but his answer was cut off by a nervous-looking man wearing a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard. "General, you can't go in there. Albert Jenkins is infested by an alien parasite!"
"Shut up, Clark." While General Norman Heckard wasn't a large man, an aura of command presence radiated off his five-foot-ten, graying frame. His steely blue eyes locked onto AJ's as he squared off. "Listen, son, your last stunt cost me twenty-five of the finest soldiers ever to don the uniform and our resistance to these shit-heel aliens was nearly destroyed. I don't trust you farther than I can throw you. Now you say you've got a cure? You've got thirty seconds to prove it or so help me God, I'll put a bullet between your eyes so fast you won't see it coming."
