Page 29 of My Alien Angel
“The Air Force guys don’t know what you look like, Omni,” Caleb reminds me for the hundredth time. “They don’t even know for sure something landed in that desert, let alone that it was an alien being. This is just to distract them and give them something to chase.”
“Chase.” I shake my head, liking this plan less and less. When did saving me become more important than saving innocent lives? “I—”
“Oh my god!” Imani exclaims. As Caleb and I rush into the kitchenette, we knock a few items off the table with our wings. My eyes immediately find Fin, worried something terrible happened, but she seems just as confused as we are. Imani isstaring at a microwave where something is being warmed up. Pasta, judging by the smell. But Imani isn’t looking at the food. Her eyes have that faraway look that suggests she’s deep inside of her mind, figuring out some complicated problem. Her next words confirm it. “I figured it out.”
“Care to share with the rest of the class, Doctor?” Caleb teases, snatching a slice of the tomato Fin has just been slicing to make the two-flatbreads-with-filling meal.
Distracted, Imani shakes her head, jabbing her finger toward the microwave. “That. It’s so obvious!”
“Uh-huh. I think those of us with an IQ under one thousand will need a little more explanation than that.”
“Huh?” Only now does Imani seem to notice us standing around her. “Oh. Right. The specific radiation. What Omni has been trying to explain to me. I thought it was about a specific wavelength but couldn’t figure out how to describe it since their science is so different from ours and Omni—”
I roll my eyes. “Yes. Omni is stupid in science. That is nothing new. What did you figure out? Can you track Garresh’s ship now?”
“I didn’t say stupid. You’re a sniper. You can hardly have a detailed knowledge of fusion reactors and spaceship engines. Anyway, it’s not a specific wavelength we’re looking for. It’s a pattern. Like that.” She points at the microwave again.
“Like pasta in the microwave!” Caleb exclaims. “Of course. That makes so much sense!”
I look at him with confusion because I have no fucking idea what Imani is talking about, then realize Caleb doesn’t either and is just being sarcastic. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter how Imani got the answer. The important thing is that she has it. “Can you find Garresh now?”
“I think so. It’s the shielding. You mentioned the shielding, I just didn’t realize it was important. The ship’s trace is howthe shielding fractures the radiation. That should be easy to find since natural radiation background or the pockets left from nuclear testing in the forties will not have this fractured pattern. It will still take a few hours for me to create a recalibration program for the satellite and even longer to actually upload it and reposition the satellite to scan the Mojave desert and Sierra Nevada instead of the V404 Cygni black hole.”
I only understand about half of what she’s saying, but it sounds hopeful. Fin seems to share my excitement. “So, in about a day or so, we will know where Garresh is? If he’s still on Earth, that is.”
“Hopefully, yes. But we should still make sure Omni isn’t here when the Air Force eventually comes knocking.”
“Right. Okay, new plan. Caleb will do the distraction alone. Imani will stay behind to do her satellite thing, and Omni and I will sneak out and hole up in a motel somewhere. We wait until you give us the location and then… Well, that part of the plan is still under construction, but we’ll figure something out.”
I will figure something out. Fin is definitely not going anywhere near Garresh’s ship. I’m hoping to sneak on board the Eclipse Raider and damage the ship from the inside again or send a signal to the UGC, one their contact won’t be able to mask. At worst, I should be able to hide on board like I did on the way here and once we reach our destination, I’ll call my crew and we will take Garresh and everyone else involved down. There’s no part of this rickety plan that is safe. Not even for me, let alone Fin.
Knowing she’d argue with me, I don’t tell her my decision. “I agree. I do not want to hide.”
Fin snorts. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to spend time with my parents and their crazy crowd. They’re truly…something.”
“I want to meet your parents, Infinity,” I correct her. “To thank for birth you to the planet.”
Fin’s already blushing, and her face grows even redder when Caleb coos. “Aww, that’s so sweet. Hey Omni, do you have a sibling you could send my way? I want my own sweet alien.”
Picturing my uptight asshole of a brother with laid-back Caleb has me laughing out loud. “My brother is not sweet. He is ass.”
“Damn, that’s a shame.”
“Alright,” Imani clears her throat. “How about we get back to the plan? I should probably leave first so as not to draw attention.”
Smoothing the feathers on his fake wing, Caleb nods. “Yeah. Too bad you’re not coming with me. I was looking forward to having you with me during a high-speed chase with unmarked cars filled with hot government agents trying to arrest us.”
“No high-speed chases!” Fin scowls at Caleb. “Don’t take any risks. If they go after you, just pull over, let them see you’re not an alien but just a whacked cosplayer, and hopefully, they’ll let you go. If you get hurt, I’ll kill your stupid ass.”
“Yes,” I rumble, very much in agreement with Fin’s sentiment. “No risks.”
“You guys are no fun,” Caleb complains. “Alright. Imani leaves first, then I’m taking Fin’s car. Once the government bad guys are following me, you two sneak out and take my car. Good luck, and may the odds be in our favor, fellow tributes.”
Imani and Fin start laughing. “You’re such an idiot, Caleb,” Fin says. “I love you. Both of you. Please, be safe.”
“You too,” Imani replies. “Both of you. No crazy suicide missions. Have fun in space, Omni.” She pulls me into a hug. “Wave at our telescopes every once in a while.”
I chuckle. “I do not promise that. Be careful.”
