Family, page 11
The random declaration of love had her fighting back tears. They'd been out of the lovey-dovey toddler phase for a while and had been in the I-don't-need-mom stage, being able to shift into animals had just made it worse. So this felt all the more precious for it being spontaneous.
~I love you both very much. Promise me to always be careful. Losing you, any of you, would kill me.~ Part of her expected the normal kid reaction of exasperation and embarrassment. But they both looked at her, green eyes serious.
~Yes, Mom. All of us. We've talked about it. We can't fight, we aren't big enough. We'll be good. But Jamie and I want to learn portals. If we can do that, we could always be safe.~
~Huh?~ Her super intelligent response, linked with the look that must have been on her face had Jessi giggling. The sudden acceleration pushed her back into the seat giving her a minute to come up with a more coherent response. ~What do you mean by create portals? We aren't Drakyn.~ She didn't mention how much it called to her; she hadn't told anyone that.
~Jamie can feel them. All he's done is talk about them since we went through. Nam says you can too, but she and Charley don't feel portals, at least not like Jaime. He's been writing more math in his notebook.~ This time she dodged the elbow her brother threw her way. ~It’s full of letters and squiggles and doesn't look like math, but he swears it is. But if we learn this, we would always be safe. Can we mom? Please?~
The mixture of begging and a whine made her smile. That at least was normal.
~Let me think about it. It isn't a no,~ she said quickly, before anymore wheedling could occur. ~But I need to talk to Rarz. There are things you don't know. Things I don't know if I'm ready to tell you.~
Jessi frowned at her and Jamie pinged with a curious sound.
~Just stay kids a bit longer, please?~ She begged, and was rewarded with a look of exasperation on Jessi's face, but they sat back and she could tell Jessi dove into conversation with the other kids.
Toni sat there as the plane leveled out, a thought pinging through her mind. ~Wefor?~ She was pretty sure she could talk to the AI without the others listening in, well Rarz might be able to, but she really didn't care if he did.
[Yes, Toni.]
~How old are my children? They are seven in Earth years. They should be worrying about toys and birthdays and squabbling over who is loved more. They respond and act like adults.~ She didn't bother to keep the stress out of her voice.
A feeling like a sigh brushed across her. [The shifting and bonding at an early age, added with the training that they were pulled into has aged them past what limited data suggested. Few children are infected, so the data had more holes in it than expected.]
The AI fell silent. ~Which means what? Wefor, what aren't you telling me?~
[From the development and logical processing of their language, reaction, and abstract concept comprehension they have exhibited, they are in their mid-teens. The scores for children between 12-14 are most accurate. Charley is a bit more advanced at 14-15, while Nam is still young, having been exposed for a much shorter time, but already she is pushing the 8-10 range in mental processes.]
The information didn't surprise her. Part of her wished it did. At the rate they were going by the time they were twelve they would be adults in everything except body and the odds were if they wanted to, they could get their bodies to mature faster. That thought gave her a sudden spurt of fear.
~They aren't going through puberty early, are they? That’s traumatic enough, they don't need to do it now.~
Again a pause, which from the AI made her very nervous. [Not at this time. Their bodies are only aging at a slightly faster rate, though they are processing nutrients more effectively. While puberty could be rushed, the nanobots are programmed to avoid triggering any hormonal changes that are not beneficial. Currently their bodies are not ready for that surge. Another two to three years and the situation might change.]
While it didn't make her happy, she felt like she'd dodged the immediate bullet. She'd take what she could get.
~Okay, next question. Are they right? Can they learn to create portals? ~
The AI didn't respond for a few eternal seconds. [There is no reason they can't. But there is not enough information in the databases for me to answer that. Elao or the Drakyn may be a better choice for you on this topic.]
~Okay.~ But Toni didn't want to ask them. Not right now. They had another two hours or so in the air, and a nap sounded good. Anything to pretend for a while that their life was normal. And maybe visit a place with two moons in a lavender colored sky.
14
Consequences
Locals are up in arms as a resident of Baltimore has been charged manslaughter, and two others with accidental manslaughter, while the woman who attacked them faces no charges. The name of the dead woman is noted as Carina Watkins, and while she wasn’t a Shifter, she was often seen in the presence of McKenna Largo. People are outraged that such blatant political weight is being brought to protect people that are why so many have died. ~Local Baltimore News
* * *
The landing and drive home held nothing unusual, outside of the strange remoteness from Rarz. But while Toni noted it, all of them were too tired, too full of grief to follow up on it. He hung outside talking to Christopher while everyone else headed in.
Toni had managed to change her clothes and had come back downstairs to figure out what they needed to do now. The urgency of the last few weeks had disappeared, and it felt odd to have free time; it felt wrong. The kids had changed, grabbed snacks and were outside, probably plotting world domination. At this point nothing they came up with would surprise her. She stopped.
~Wefor?~
[Yes, Toni?]
~If the kids start summoning or creating portals. Please let an adult know.~
[Ah, yes. That might be prudent. Monitoring for that will commence.]
She didn't even feel guilty, parental safety measures and all that. She found the others in the living room, looking as lost as she was. Rarz wasn't there, but she could vaguely hear him still outside talking to Christopher. McKenna looked up as she walked in.
"You doing okay?"
Toni shrugged. "Not insane, so I'll accept it as tolerable."
McKenna pulled her into a one-armed hug and Toni leaned there for a minute, enjoying it. Another bad part about the weirdness was the kids, much fewer child hugs. It sucked.
A phone rang and broke the silent, almost sad atmosphere. Everyone looked around as most of them didn't have their phones set to accept many calls. JD finally found his phone on the table by the door and frowned.
With everyone watching him, he answered it on speaker.
"Hey Anne. I've got you on speaker. Pretty much all the adults are here, but the kids are outside."
"Thanks." She sounded tired and something else. Something that had all of them leaning forward a little bit. "I just got the news today. Alisa and Sarah Buroky were killed two days ago in a mugging gone wrong. Their apartment was trashed and everything of value taken."
Toni frowned, the names didn't mean anything to her, but she looked up and saw JD had gone pale, circles almost appearing under his eyes as she watched.
"Any leads?" His voice came out as a harsh croak and Cass grabbed his hand, worry clear on her face.
"No. No leads, no clues, no witnesses. Even their surveillance system had been completely wiped and their phones were taken also."
"Anne, I'm sorry. I swear I never thought-"
"Stop it!" Her voice came out like a whip crack even if distorted through the speaker. "You didn't do this any more than you caused the aliens to attack. People are fucking idiots and all of this is just proving it more than usual." Both JD and McKenna flinched back, and Toni kept looking back and forth between them. Perc wrapped his arm around McKenna as they listened. "You have both been released from your contracts with the appropriate severance pay. All Shifters have been released and the department is adopting a very strict, don't ask, don't tell policy. The social media campaign to make Shifters the Nazis of the new age is working. I still don't know what you asked Alisa to do, but if she was silenced because of it, it is important. But…" Anne trailed off and the heavy sigh that followed made Toni hurt. "It might not matter. JD your home was completely trashed during the invasion or right after. McKenna I've kept up patrols by your house. Other than some graffiti you seem to be safe. For some reason that address was never entered into your HR records." A hint of smugness brought her to life for a minute, but then it faded.
"You both still have friends on the force, but the sheer amount of pressure to change how you think is damn overwhelming and with all the chaos going on, no one has time to think logically. You two are too recognizable and I don't know how to help that. But know what’s going on out there. You can't think you'll be able to come back to your old lives. Those lives don't exist anymore." There was the sound of liquid pouring into a glass. "I don't know that I or Kirk can do much, or even anything, for you. But if you come back to Rossville, let us know. And guys?" There was a strange pause and everyone leaned forward slightly. "Thank you. I have a damn good idea of what you did for us, for the world. And that never happens without paying a price. So, thank you." Before anyone could say anything, Anne disconnected with a beep and the phone went quiet.
JD reached out a hand that shook slightly and picked up his phone, slipping it into his pocket. Cass took his hand as he settled back down.
Everyone just looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do. Toni knew she had no idea and was very glad that other than a few parents, almost no one knew she changed. Suddenly the rapid growth in her children might be a good thing. With the right ID they could pass as third graders, go to a new school and be in the same class as Charley. No one would connect kids that were years older with her.
Before she could go any further down that path the door opened and Rarz walked in. His presence seemed to break the odd tableau of silence. His look, though, had Toni standing up, not springing but standing and moving over to him.
"Is everything okay? You have a funny look on your face?"
"The emotion I am feeling is confusion. Does my expression reflect that?"
Toni looked at his face, the drawn brows, slight frown, and muted colors swirling in his eyes.
I guess I shouldn't tell him he looks constipated?
"Close enough."
"Ah. I must think on what Christopher relayed to me. The way your world does things is convoluted and makes little to no sense."
"Oh?" Cass perked up, looking at him and Toni could tell everyone would be interested in anything that distracted them from the little drama of their lives.
"Yes, tell us. Kinda nice to know everyone is as confused as we are." McKenna had a wry tone to her voice, but she waved to the chair next to where Toni had been sitting. Rarz moved through the area slowly, as if he was trying to make sure his tail didn't hit anything, even if he was in human form.
Settling his bulk into the chair, he closed his eyes. "Excuse me, I am trying to order my thoughts. The human approach to things makes little sense."
Toni wanted to laugh at that and could see McKenna and JD's lips twitching a little bit.
"The ship we landed."
Toni choked at that.
Landed? If that’s what he calls landed, I'd hate to see crashed.
"It is a significant windfall of technology and science advancement, correct?" He looked around, as if to verify. Cass bobbed her head making Toni wonder how many papers she could write with what had been loaded into her brain. "Then why are they making all the information and the site itself a 'restricted military area' and preventing access to all but those people they have verified as allowed. Why are they not asking other nations, other scientists to come and learn what the Elentrin had in their databases? Why are they preventing the information from spreading? The Elentrin will come back. Should they not be doing everything possible to make sure when they return you have a way to defend your planet?"
There was a collective sigh and McKenna leaned back. "In one word: power. If they control the information, they have power. It’s a power play to make the other countries come to them. They’ll share eventually and build ships, but right now it’s all about power and controlling the information."
"That makes no sense and wastes time you may not have." He didn't sound mad, just confused.
"Humans are not logical and never have been. Expecting it will just make it worse for you," Perc said, his tone wry. "But at the same time you'll be surprised as how fast they can move with the proper motivation, and trust me, right now humans are very, very, motivated."
Rarz nodded slowly. "If you say. But they are asking me to not use portals anymore, something I did not agree to. Portals are normal for me. I can not imagine not using them and they have no control over my actions." A flash of a smile on his face. "Though I do not think they understood my answer."
Toni grinned. "Something like, 'I understand your concern' but not that you're going to do it."
"Very similar, yes," Rarz said, nodding at her. "Though I think Christopher understood that I did not agree." He flexed his shoulders as if trying to stretch his wings.
They all fell silent until McKenna stood and started to pace. Toni wanted to smile as her friend did that. It was her signal she needed to think.
"Basically the government has cut us loose. Doug did say the house was paid up through the year, so we don't need to worry about it for a few more months. But they can't afford to be associated with us. They need to keep Rarz controlled and are locking down the biggest scientific treasure haul ever. The question is, what do we do now? Do we do anything? Or do we just do what everyone is telling us to do? Keep our heads down, pretend we aren't who we are?"
The questions fell like bodies into the silence. Full of weight and risk that they didn't know how to address.
"There is also the offer I made. Moving to one of the planets we have buildings on is still an option. Or even my home planet. I would be honored to show the Largo clan our worlds."
That took the breath away even more deeply than what McKenna had said and the area vibrated with possibilities.
A sound from downstairs pulled Toni's attention away and she shook her head. "Right now, I don't know. Moving to another world is a huge decision, one that would take months of planning. But those kids are going to need food and I need to spend more time with them. For now I'm going to make dinner for everyone and try to pretend this isn't a form of a prison camp, one formed by other people. I'm starting to think they aren't protecting us as much as trying to make sure we don't get hurt on their watch and they get blamed for it. I need to think and decide what I want to do, and what’s best for my kids. They are my priority. My family comes first."
Toni turned away in the sudden silence, wanting to focus on something that could be accomplished. Dinner she could handle. More life-altering decisions made her want to run away.
She didn't turn back at the murmured conversation behind her, nor did she even try to listen in. Losing herself in the mundane and feeling the loss of Carina sharply across her soul, she tried to be a normal mom with a house full of people.
For days after the funeral, Rarz looked concerned and spent much of his time with people in DC, though never in his warrior form. He didn't say much about it, and they didn't ask. But the concerns Blair had brought to them came into sharp relief for all of them. They rarely left the house alone and all of them were even more wary as their faces were known. Toni once again felt like a prisoner and just wanted to go home.
Someday everything will go back to normal, right?
15
Home?
China has reopened its borders for the first time since the attack. The US is sending an aid mission to assess the damage. While it is not known who among China's leadership survived, there are rumors of a new purge going on. Anyone with prior positive comments about Shifters or the aliens has not been seen since. The current leader, a man referred to as Jin Lau Zhou, is a newcomer on the political scene. The last violent upheaval to China resulted in the communist rule. Everyone is watching to see where China goes now, and the existence of aliens that resemble some of their most revered mythical creatures remains to be seen. ~TNN Aftermath
* * *
In the days that followed the funeral and the surprise attack by reporters, Toni focused more on the children, all four of them, than anyone else. The children were quiet and depressed, missing the woman that had been such a fixture in their lives. Nam was affected the least of all of them, but even she seemed to pick up on the sorrow. But in a very real way she was the one that provided the greatest amount of comfort. Nam cuddled with all of them, and when in tiger form, only in the privacy of the house, she draped across whichever child had the bleakest look and soon enough they were petting her orange fur.
Toni couldn't shake the grief, anger, and guilt as easily. Every time she turned around looking for Carina a new wave of emotions would hit her and make her long for the ease of being drunk, or screaming, or something. Instead, she tamped it down and tried to keep busy, which wasn't easy.
She felt the worried glances the others sent her way, but she didn't care. She was done with all of this. Being a political pawn had been annoying from the start, now it ate at her. The idea of a new world called to her, but for now she wanted her bed, her home. With the government not needing their assistance, her world had narrowed even further. After the incident involving Carina, none of them were willing to leave the house alone, not even to go to the park which increased her discontent with everything.
Standing in her bedroom after a shower, Toni glared at her clothes. She'd worn everything they'd packed in that rush to get out of there at least ten times. She had come to dread getting dressed. She'd never been a clothes horse, but she'd enjoyed variety. At this point she'd worn everything too many times to count and she hated every item of clothing at this point. Add in the fact that it had started to cool down which meant the shorts she had grabbed from California were not as warm as she would have preferred. Besides, Maryland got colder sooner than California did. There were stains on half her shirts, and most of what she owned still hung on her. The need to go shopping and get new clothes that fit called to her also, but she didn’t want to be in public, around strangers. She was still putting on weight, but since none of them were gorging, it was taking a while. The only ones that shifted regularly were the kids. You never knew what form they would be in at any given point. Half the time they even slept in animal forms, in a cuddled pile of adorableness.
