Page 32 of Grumpy Alien Boss

My chest tightens at the thought of Olivia facing those monsters, even as part of a ruse. But when I look at her face, I see only determination and that familiar spark of defiance.

"When do we start?" she asks.

"We'll use Hurst Popenga," Pyke says.

My scales ripple with displeasure. That basement-dwelling conspiracy theorist?

"The 'who are the reds' guy?" Olivia's nose wrinkles. "That guy's a crackpot lunatic."

"Yes." Pyke's scarred face shows grim amusement. "But he's got the Grolgath's attention. They haven't made contact with him yet, but they are monitoring him in case he comes up with a real lead. You're going to go on his podcast and give him that lead by saying your boss might be an alien."

"Captain, this is madness." My claws dig into the armrests. "We can't risk-"

"I'll do it." Olivia's voice carries that steel I've come to both love and fear.

"No." I stand, towering over Pyke's desk. "Find another way."

"You wanted to bring her in, Dar." Pyke's good eye fixes on me. "Now she's in. Too late to do anything about it now."

"Darwin." Olivia's hand finds mine. "I'll be fine. This guy's harmless - he probably lives in his mother's basement."

My chest constricts. She doesn't understand. One wrong move, one slip-up, and the Grolgath will...

"Trust me." She squeezes my hand. "I can handle this."

But I've seen what the Grolgath do to humans who get in their way. The memory of shredded flesh and splintered bone haunts me still.

"If she's going in, she needs equipment," I say. "Real equipment."

Pyke nods. "Follow me to R&D."

The labs sprawl beneath the ocean floor, a maze of chrome and glass. Dr. Krix, our lead scientist, bounces on his feet when he sees us coming. His frill quivers with excitement.

"Oh good, a new field agent to outfit! I have just the things."

He presents Olivia with a pair of sapphire earrings. "Communications devices. Tap twice to activate, once to deactivate."

"Pretty." Olivia puts them on.

"This nail polish becomes plastic explosive when it dries." Krix hands her a bottle of blood-red lacquer. "Just scratch the surface to detonate."

My scales prickle. Explosives? She could blow her hands off.

"And this..." Krix injects something under her index fingernail. "Will give any Grolgath you scratch a nasty allergic reaction. Their shape-shifting abilities will glitch for hours."

"She needs a tracker," I say. "One of the subdermal implants."

"Absolutely not." Pyke's voice cuts through the lab. "The Grolgath scan for those now. It would compromise her immediately."

My claws dig into my palms. "Then how do we protect her? How do we find her if something goes wrong?"

"Darwin." Olivia takes my hand. "I've got this. These gadgets are more than enough."

But they're not. Not against creatures who can become anyone, anything. Who can tear a human apart with casual ease.

"Trust me," she says.

I do trust her. It's the Grolgath I don't trust. But I can't tell her about the bodies I've found, about the screams that still echo in my nightmares. I can't burden her with that knowledge, not when she needs to focus on staying alive.

---