My Crazy Hot Interstellar Affair

24. Area Woman Naked in Crowd Discovers She's Not Asleep

A cornucopia-shaped wormlike object undulated beneath the 50-foot ceiling on the far side of the room. Blue electricity crackled inside its maw. If Jabba the Hut and the Planet Eater in the Doomsday Machine episode of Star Trek had a child, this was what it would look like. Andie wanted to be as far away from it as possible, but she was pretty sure it was the Priority One. Mostly because the words "Priority One" were carved into its segmented hide. She swallowed hard, then took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Sure, it had now rearranged itself so it aimed the opening at her. And yeah, it made a loud smacking sound. But that didn't mean it planned on eating her.

Right?

She either had to Wormhole out of the War Room or make a dash for the mouth of the "planet eater." But there was really no choice; she had to get to the ship.

Andie tried to stand, but her leg muscles locked. Even though her brain had decided she should run, her body wasn't so sure. She gritted her teeth to try again. Before she could convince her muscles to cooperate, ten bursts of smog-colored smoke materialized in a circle around her. From the smoke emerged ten supermodel guards, wearing skimpy straps of leather and shiny stilettoed thigh-high black boots. Being next to the six-foot tall, long-legged, perfectly proportioned objects of female perfection made Andie even more aware of her nudity. The glamazons glared down at her. Painful sparks of blue electricity seeped from Andie's fingertips, as if someone were shoving needles under her nails.

One guard grabbed Andie's shoulders and lifted her to her feet, shaking her like a rag doll. Andie's teeth chattered and her skull maybe also chattered. "Hey, cut it out."

"What are you doing here?" bellowed a supermodel. Andie recognized her as the glamazon Oliver had summoned to his office the day Talia tried to blast Andie into oblivion. The one who looked like the "after" picture in an Andie Bank makeover. The one who had winked at Talia like they were best friends and scowled at Andie, as if she was space scum. Ixis was her name.

Some Amu working in the front of the room stood to get a better view of the unfolding drama.

Ixis whirled on them. "Get back to work!"

The Amu spun their chairs in unison and returned to their tasks, presumably helping advance a large-scale invasion of earth. Using television? And celebrities?

"What are you really doing on earth? What's going on?"

Ixis lifted a perfect eyebrow. "You tell me what is going on."

"I asked first," said Andie, still dangling, her feet and hands prickling. "Put me down!" She kicked out at Ixis but the guard easily stepped out of the way.

"I have the gun." Ixis wiggled something menacingly, not a Cannon, but something like a prop from a B movie.

Andie twisted so hard, her captor lost her grip. For the second time, Andie crumpled to the floor. But this time, she sprang up, folded her arms across her breasts, and pasted on her most intimidating accounting scowl. She knew it must seem funny to afford a look of confidence and superiority while naked and a good six inches shorter than the super-scoundrels, but hey, she had to try. Perhaps she might fashion an article of clothing out of something in the room, but everything was smooth, metallic and bolted down. "Yeah, I see you have the gun, Ixis." Ixis frowned, seemingly surprised Andie knew her name. Andie smiled at her tiny victory. "But I need to get to the Starship Magnificent right away. Confidential accounting business."

Ixis chuckled. "I do not think you will be going to the ship. At least not in one piece." She had a smirk that convinced Andie that, given the chance, she would like to make Andie suffer a little before killing her.