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“It would have, except Giselle Cartier, the physician aboard the Star Cross, who now works with the LOP to combat trafficking, slipped me a blocker to take before they injected me.”
“If she works for the LOP, why would she do that?”
“Because she’s human and believes the information needs to come out. The first step to protect our planet is to inform people what’s been happening.”
“Warn people not to accept any spaceship flights from strange aliens?”
“You think this is a joke?” I leaped to my feet and leaned over his desk. “You think this is funny?”
He raised his hands. “No, no. I apologize.”
With a huff, I sank into the chair and glowered. “My word ought to be enough for at least a fair hearing! You and I have worked together since the president’s first term. You know I’m not prone to wild ideas or conspiracy theories. I’m a straight shooter.”
In more ways than one. I could have killed the intruder if I’d intended to. I would never want to kill anyone, but the warning shot had left him able to return. Since he hadn’t gotten what he’d come for, I figured it would be safe to assume he’d try again. As soon as I’d collected myself, I’d grabbed the device and raced to the office to talk to Garrison.
I’d laid out how the space cruise had been a ruse by a galactic cartel to lure humans off New Terra, but the trafficking problem was much bigger than that. Humans had been disappearing for a long time, and the LOP could do little to stop it because its own rules and regulations prohibited contact with our planet.
“You are one of the most level headed people I know,” Garrison said, “and I respect you tremendously, which is why I’m being honest about my skepticism. People can’t vanish off the planet. Their relatives would report them as missing. There have been no spikes in missing person reports.”
“That you know about,” I pointed out. “MIAs would be reported to local police.”
“Eventually the data would funnel up to the planetary level,” he said.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a homeland security bureau to monitor those sorts of things. We hadn’t realized we needed one.
“What I am concerned about is the breach of security,” Garrison said. “You live in the Haley Building, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“This never should have happened there.”
“It shouldn’t have happened anywhere.”
“Of course not. But most buildings don’t have the security the Haley does.”
“You believe me about the break-in and attempted robbery but not the abduction.”
He shot me a look. “Without alarming the residents, I’m going to have security guards patrol your building.”
“And that won’t alarm them? They’ll wonder what’s up. But let’s not tell them about the real threat! You are unbelievable!” I couldn’t keep the derision out of my voice.
Garrison’s gaze sharpened. “Watch yourself, Jessie. I’ve allowed you the latitude to speak your mind, but I won’t tolerate insubordination.”
The rebuke infuriated me, but if I’d learned anything working for the governmental bureau responsible for diplomacy it was…diplomacy. One did not allow emotion to cause one to lose sight of the goal.
Clamping down on my temper, I said in an even voice, “Doesn’t the fact that the intruder demanded an alien communication device support my assertion?” I gestured to the unit on his desk.
“Nothing on the device you’ve shown me proves alien abduction. Proof of the existence of intelligent alien life, yes. But we already knew that. Someone spotted you with a high-tech, interesting device and tried to steal it.”
“Okay, you don’t believe me. Let’s see what the president says.”
“No. Absolutely not.” His voice turned to steel. “I won’t have you bothering her with this craz—unfounded, unproven story. You are not to speak to her at all, do you understand?”
“Do you at least believe that I was abducted?”
He sighed. “I believe you went into outer space—”
“People are disappearing off the planet, dammit!”
