“Meaning it’s too late,” Jaspar murmured, looking grave.
“Perhaps not. I have formulated a plan,” Beta stated.
A plan that came with a slim probability of success, with failure being almost certain death.
Despite that bleak warning, the warriors didn’t hesitate to agree. After all, they swore to serve, and if their planet required them to sacrifice their lives, then so be it.
“Tell us what we must do.”
16
Colette followed the rapidly walking doctor, not to her office, as expected, but toward the elevators. “Where are we going?”
A nervous Dr. Ouellet glanced over her shoulder before whispering, “I’ll explain in a moment.”
Explain what? They got in the elevator, and the doctor pressed the button marked Main before she slumped against a wall. “There’s no one listening or watching, so here’s to hoping we don’t get noticed.”
“Noticed by whom?”
“Everyone,” the doctor’s wry reply.
“You didn’t remove me from the cell for tests, did you?”
“It was the only excuse I could use to get you out of there,” the doctor admitted.
“What’s going on?”
“The general’s been compromised.”
“By who?”
“The Krampus aliens.” A grim tight-lipped reply.
“What? How?”
The doctor didn’t have a chance to answer, as the elevator dinged and the door opened, revealing the loading dock area that led to the outside. The doctor put a finger to her lips and tilted her head, a signal to be quiet lest they be overheard.
They exited the concrete structure, and for the first time in days, Colette managed a breath of fresh air and got a glimpse of a cloud-covered sky.
The doctor took off at a brisk pace, leading Colette around the building to an area with stacked containers. She slid into a space created by the neat rows before whispering, “So those aliens your friend warned us about are here.” A grimly spoken announcement. “You can’t see them right now because of the incoming storm, but their ship is visible in orbit. A giant red ball.”
“What’s the general doing about it?”
“Nothing.”
“You can’t be serious? What of Jaspar’s warning?” Colette exclaimed.
“It was passed on to the bureaucrats in Washington, but she’s been getting the runaround as to how to deal with them.”
“Seems simple. They’re gonna start taking kids. We need to act.”
“The general did try telling the higher-ups of your blue alien’s concerns, but being the government, they immediately began arguing, with some saying we need to hold off before we do anything, as the Xamian might be lying. It doesn’t help the Krampusonians actually replied to our broadcast message and claimed the Xamian are the ones who actually steal children.”
“That’s bullshit. How could they believe that considering these Krampus dicks literally are the spitting image of the monsters that steal kids on Christmas?”
“We actually haven’t seen them yet. They’re claiming their video technology isn’t compatible with ours. They’ve only been communicating via typed correspondence.”
“All of this is interesting but doesn’t explain why you went through the trouble to smuggle me outside.”
