Ovation (Galaxy Circus #9)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lila

W e are about a day out from Earth when the thirteen of us sit down for another strategic planning meeting. We consider inviting Tirrian’s brothers, Saxon’s cousins, and Zeydan’s god brothers to join the raid, but we decide the less people to set off the sensors, the better.

“Teleporting directly into the building is out. Smith will hit the kill switch and poison all the prisoners without even flinching,” Brannock explains as we start to plan who will do what with the raid. “And teleporting outside the facility is also out, since they have infrared sensors that will pick up anyone who suddenly appears.”

“I’m assuming if we send the message to the Syndicate pretending to be the Madovian, saying we have the orb and demanding a meeting, that this will send Smith scurrying?” Saxon taps a finger on the table as he studies the updated Area 51 schematics with the extra wing that we didn’t have on ours.

“Yes, it should do. Liliana said that Vivax complained about him, constantly saying he was a thorn in her side. She couldn’t wait to get rid of him the moment she had the orb in her hands, so I’m pretty sure he will be summoned so she can kill him,” Zeydan says, reminding us of what my grandmother said.

Brannock growls. “Not before I can get my hands on him.”

“So how are we going to get in?” Caspian frowns.

“Did you know that lightning cats don’t show up on infrared sensors?” Maxsim muses, and Silac nods his head.

“Neither do snake shifters. We can cool our body temperatures enough that it doesn’t register.”

“So maybe Maxsim, Silac, and Lila can breach the compound from the outside, neutralizing all the security out there, and then we can mount a frontal assault,” Link suggests.

“All it would take is someone hitting the alarm, and the prisoners would be dead. No, we need to think about this sensibly. Also, the galaxy level is not something that is unilaterally known about. You need special clearance to work in that level. We would be alerting the whole facility to its existence,” Brannock explains. “It actually has its own exit—an underground tunnel that exits miles away from the facility. The level is sealed off from the rest of the facility, with its own power and water source. The controls for those are midway down the tunnel, but the tunnel is lined with laser sensors.” He points out that there are no elevator shafts leading up from the level on the schematics, only one that leads away at ground level.

“Okay, how about this? We teleport to the entrance of the tunnel, then Lila and I will go in mist form and cut the power. That will disable any defense system the level has. Although it will put the guards on high alert, it should be easy enough for us to incapacitate them if we aren’t worrying about anyone tripping the fail-safe.” Xavier leans forward in his seat, and I can feel his anticipation and excitement.

Brannock purses his lips in thought before giving a small nod. “Yes, that should work. Mist form won’t set off the laser sensors, and once you cut the power, all defenses will be rendered neutral, but we will need to watch out for trigger happy guards. Once we are in the facility and have incapacitated the guards, Ghosie will use his powers to go through the sealed and locked door and open it from the other side. Only Smith’s handprint and eye scan will open it from the side we will be on, and he won’t be around to use.”

“That’s a shame,” Tirrian says dryly.

“So we’re all going then?” I ask, biting my lip and worrying about my mates.

“I won’t for obvious reasons,” Echo says, pointing at his belly.

“Neither will I,” Nikos says. “I’ll stay behind with our children.”

Cas nods. “I will do the same. You have plenty of fire power and magic, so you don’t need me. We also need to keep up the appearance that we are with the circus pod in Asia in case they have any spies. I propose that Silac and I head down with that so we’re seen by the crew, and if anyone asks, we will tell them you are making preparations elsewhere and will be with us shortly.”

“That’s actually a good idea. What about you, Link? Coming or staying with the circus?” Saxon asks my cyborg who looks torn.

“What if any of the aliens need medical attention? Maybe I should go with you.”

“We have Lila and her magic healing abilities,” Tirrian reminds him.

“But what if she runs out of power using all her different abilities?”

“She shouldn’t. Now that she doesn’t have to change forms every time to tap into her abilities, she shouldn’t drain so quickly. It’s the mimic changing power that drains her energy and requires her to power up through sex. Tapping into her powers is a goddess power, and while she is only a quarter and a bit deity” —Zeydan winks at me as he explains— “it should let her do everything she needs to during the mission, including healing any injuries.”

My cyborg visibly relaxes. “In that case, I will remain behind as well. I don’t enjoy conflict as much as all of you.” He really is a gentle soul and well suited to being a healer.

“And if we have any problems, we can have Mark and Aarin on standby to beam down and assist us with healing,” Brannock suggests. “We know neither of them are moles for the Syndicate.”

“Good point,” I agree and make a note to speak to them. “So who does that leave then? Brannock, Saxon, Ghosie, Xavier, Tirrian, Zeydan, and I. What about you, Maxsim? In or out?”

My alpha cat is torn. His need to protect Echo is warring with his need to protect me. We keep doing this to him, and it isn’t fair. Hopefully this will be the last time he has to make this choice.

Before he can reply, Saxon claps him on the shoulder. “You stay and help protect the children. We will make sure nothing happens to Lila.” The tension drains out of the big male as he quickly agrees. Saxon deciding for him was the right move, and he can be guilt free now if anything goes wrong during the incursion—not that it’s going to.

“Okay, I say we allow the hologram program to run in Singapore, and the circus pod leaves before we breach the compound. That will ensure most of the crew is on the surface, leaving only a skeleton crew on the ship, which will make it easier for us to transport to Nevada without being seen,” Brannock decides. He’s been the main planner for this, as we all know he is ready to bust heads and get his daughter back. It has kept him focused.

“And we should send that message to the Syndicate as soon as we hit Earth’s orbit, which will give Smith time to leave before we invade,” Xavier adds.

“We need to monitor how he leaves. Aura assured me that it is easy enough to cloak a small shuttle vessel and hide behind the galaxy ship. That’s how they get illegals on and off the planet,” Saxon explains, and I frown.

“Why hasn’t the bridge ever picked up ships in the vicinity when they’ve done their scans?” I question.

“We’ve never noticed because we never scanned for other ships. None were supposed to be in the vicinity.” Saxon looks as skeptical as I feel.

“It’s a shame we didn’t know when there were ships shadowing us, because we can’t compare it to the duty roster for the bridge. I suspect that we have a mole,” Link muses thoughtfully, his genius brain expressing exactly what I was thinking.

“Well, now that we know it’s happening, we can keep a discrete eye on it.” Silac uses the console in the war room to do something, his fingers flying across the screen in a way that makes me slightly dizzy, so I look away. “I’ve created a backdoor link into the outside sensors of the ship. I will monitor them from my tablet so we can see exactly if and when Smith is retrieved.”

“If we have a mole, we need to have the Madovian or the Filani she was posing as be seen by some of the crew members so they don’t grow suspicious that she hasn’t been seen,” Caspian points out. “Orion’s Belt is opening again, and she will be expected to perform. Nobody knows about the Madovian incident because Xavier wiped it from everyone who was in attendance. As far as they know, they just saw a Filani perform.”

“Yes, the mole doesn’t know we know about her. I’m sure the Syndicate will ask them to check if she really is on board once we advise them of having found the orb—or I would anyway,” Brannock says.

“So I need to make an appearance at the club as the Filani stripper? Shit, I haven’t mimicked one of those before. I’m not sure I will be able to without seeing one.” I gnaw on my lip with my teeth as my heart rate increases with my panic.

“And some of us can be in the audience scoping out possible moles. I’d really like to know who is betraying us,” Maxsim growls, and my eyebrows jump in surprise.

“You want to see strippers?” I ask him, and he looks at me with a frown.

“What? No, I want to know who the mole is.” He sounds confused, and I see some of the other guys grin at his naivety, but then he grins and shrugs. “And if it’s you stripping, then what is the harm in that?”

Echo laughs at my surprised reaction. “There is nothing wrong with us admiring our mate’s naked body,” he agrees. “I wish to be in the audience as well.”

“Are you two going to be able to control your instincts when you realize other people who aren’t your co-mates are also looking at your naked wife?” Nikos asks before shuddering. “I will pass. I am likely to stab them all in the eye with my trident. No, you can shake your lovely breasts for me in private.” He winks at me, and I roll my eyes.

Of course they are probably all going to want a private show after that.

“I’ll be in the form of the Madovian too,” I remind the cats, and they blanch and quickly decide they don’t need to go.

“So we have a plan then?” Ghosie speaks up over the rumbles of agreement, getting us back on track.

“Yes. I say Lila performs tonight, and I will send the urgent message to the Syndicate posing as the Madovian, saying that I know where the orb is and I am planning on retrieving it as soon as the ship lands in Singapore,” Brannock confirms, and everyone murmurs their agreement. “Then I will send another message once we are in Earth’s orbit saying the timeline moved up, I have the orb, and demand a meeting for three days’ time, saying I need that much time to make my escape.”

“I’m still not sure if I can mimic the Filani,” I remind them, and Silac shakes his head.

“You won’t have to. Although she got on the ship posing as a Filani, she was in her Madovian humanoid form during the performance,” he reminds me, and I heave out a sigh of relief.

“Oh yeah, you’re right, with all those wiggling snakes for hair. Yeah, I can do that, but remember, I get very primal when I’m like that, so you may have to knock me out or sedate me if I do anything you don’t like.”

“And maybe Silac and Tirrian should stay away. Your Madovian form likes both of them a little too much,” Link reminds us, and I grimace. Yeah, she does. I’ve only assumed it one more time just to practice, but she was obsessed with both reptilian men. She wants the dragon to fuck her in his animal form. Despite the huge gaping hole in her stomach, I’m pretty sure dragon cock would shred her to pieces.

W ith a plan well and truly in place, we split up. I head to lunch with Susie and Mark and I guess Aarin. I wonder when he’s going to grow a set of balls and tell Mark that he is his mate. I hope he like BOGO, because Susie and Mark are a team. There is no way they will give each other up, but I could see Susie happy to have Aarin as a lover as well.

We meet in one of the smaller cafes instead of the large dining room, which is only open for breakfast and dinner, while the cafes are used for lunches. Sure enough, the three of them already have a table when I arrive.

Susie waves me over, and I make my way through the crowded café, saying hello to everyone who greets me.

“Sorry I’m late. My meeting ran over a little,” I apologize as I take a seat, and Susie gives me a kiss on the cheek. Mark grins, and Aarin inclines his head.

“Where are my nieces and nephews?” she asks, and I laugh.

“Lunch would be chaotic if I brought all five of them as well. I’d also need to bring some of my guys or their nanny and bodyguard. We would never be able to have a conversation. I swam with them this morning, and they are probably napping now.”

She pouts prettily. “Fine, but I want some Aunt Susie time. Maybe we can paint our nails.” She wiggles her hands, and I see her polish is chipping.

I wince. “Good luck with that. I’m sure your hands will be a mess afterward.” And my children and the furniture and the walls , but I refrain from saying it

She waves a hand. “I don’t care, that’s easy to fix.”

“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something,” I tell them, changing the subject. I wave a hand, creating a privacy bubble so nobody can overhear our conversation. I share the details of the meeting, asking Mark and Aarin if they are okay being on standby if any of the captives need medical assistance.

They readily agree and will come up with an excuse to stay behind when the circus pod heads to Earth.

I breathe out a sigh of relief and release the privacy bubble. That’s one less thing to worry about. I hear someone call my name, and I look around and find Magenta heading toward us.

“You were late, but she was even later!” Susie laughs.

We watch her come toward us, but she trips on something and falls onto a table, smashing a glass of water.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry,” she apologizes to the occupants who jump up to help her.

“Wow, that wasn’t particularly graceful,” I mutter, hiding my smile in case she isn’t okay. The occupants help her stand, and as she raises a hand, I see a trickle of blood. Mark stands up, his wings vibrating with his need to heal her, but before he can go to her, there is a blur of movement, and Saxon’s clan sister, Vanity, is suddenly standing in front of my Skarrian friend.

She’s growling and sniffing the air. “Blood rose,” she declares and leaps at Magenta.

In a panic, I lift my hand and throw magic at her. I’ve never frozen anyone before, but fuck, I hope this works. Sure enough, Vanity is left frozen in mid-leap, and I heave out a sigh of relief.

“Fuck, this is going to be a problem.”

Mark and I hurry over to the wrecked table. A waitress is there, cleaning things up, and I apologize again to the occupants who wave us off like it’s no bother. Magenta, although not frozen by my spell, is stunned into inactivity. The blood trickles down her hand as she gapes at the frozen Vilaxian in front of her.

Mark heals her hand while I use my watch to send an SOS to Link and Saxon before turning to my friend.

“Well, you were saying you were thinking about settling down. Congratulations, you just hit the jackpot,” I joke.

Her skin turns paler, and she drops in a dead faint. Luckily Mark has quick reflexes and catches her before she does any more damage.

“What a clusterfuck.”