Chapter 50
Near Dupont Circle
Washington DC
It was the last call JJ ever expected. Or wanted.
"Are you still working with the aliens?" Will asked.
Now here she was, in the middle of what could only be called a shit show.
It looked like they had called out every SWAT team in the DC metro area. There were dozens of cops, just as many reporters, a team from the zoo? She managed to navigate it all and pull up right next to Will's car. She already had her body armor on when she got out, and added her windbreaker with the big FBI letters on the back, just to be on the safe side. "What happened? Have you called the consulate?"
"I have." Will replied. "The Ambassador is in a meeting across town and her husband is in New York. I think I was talking to a cat of some kind. And that is what happened." He pointed down an alley.
"Mrr'tani." JJ replied automatically as she looked. "Oh my god."
There was a thing down the alley.
It was about the size of the triceratops in the National Museum of Natural History, and about that build. A massive, solid thing, covered in mottled grey scales. It was standing in the alley, with it's focus on something in a back corner. It shuffled a little and let out an ear splitting growl, but did not turn around.
Will's parter Lisa joined them. "According to witnesses that thing appeared out of nowhere in front of Kramer books, ran through the streets and into the alley. Caused five fender benders, three elderly people to fall and one woman to start having labor pains."
"Think they have transporters?" Will asked. "Like Star Trek?"
"They do not have transporters." JJ said. A dull sensation of horror was curling in her stomach. "Kramerbooks you said?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Tell everyone to stand back." JJ kept her hand on her weapon, in case she was wrong, and entered the alley. "Diana?" She called.
An all too familiar head popped up from behind a dumpster. "JJ?"
"Crap." JJ muttered just loud enough for her husband to hear. "Tell everyone to stand down, SWAT, the zoo, all the rest of them. Situation is under control. Just keep some officers around to help."
"This is under control?" Lisa asked.
In the meantime Diana was making her way out to meet them. "Kris! It's all right, JJ and Will are here. Kris! Oh shove over." She whapped the giant monster in the rump with her purse, causing it to turn and hiss at her, revealing an enormous mouth lined with teeth. "You can shift back, JJ and Will are here."
"What the hell?" Will asked.
The giant monster moved, it's steps making audible thumping sounds. When it stepped out of the way it revealed two men huddled in the doorway. "FBI!" JJ called out. "You two! Out here! Hands where I can see them!"
"It's gonna eat us!" One of them called out.
"No it's not! Get out here!" JJ turned to Will. "Put a couple of officers on them until we talk to Diana?"
"You got it." Will replied. He got on his radio.
Once the men moved passed the monster Will and JJ got them up against the wall and cuffed. Both men were armed, both with primaries and backups. A couple of officers from DC Metro were stationed to watch them. Once that was done the couple turned back to Diana and he monster.
As they watched, the monster started to change.
It was a shimmer that went on a while, lines of energy moving off into what looked like nowhere. When it was done a fit, middle-aged woman was standing there in a sleek blue-green bodysuit.
"Oh my god." Will said.
"Yeah, I know." JJ replied.
"Those two men tried to take Diana." Kris said as she came toward them.
"Don't say any more." JJ said. "We need to talk to you separately."
For being more familiar JJ and a female officer from DC Metro talked to Diana. "I took Kris to Kramerbooks for lunch and some shopping." Diana said. "She wanted some books in English. As we were going to meet the Uber these two men grabbed me and started pulling me toward a van at the curb. I had no idea what was happening so I screamed. The next thing I knew Kris had shifted and they were running so I ran after them."
"So it wasn't a ramdom rampage?' The officer asked.
"No!" Diana replied. "Kris doesn't have that kind of temper."
"Why didn't you call?" JJ asked.
"I did. I called Spencer." Diana blinked. "Ohhhh, I forgot. He's off planet. I'm sorry."
"It's all right."
In the meantime Will and another officer were talking to Kris. Thankfully her English was good enough, even with the accent. "I wanted to go shopping, and the local info network said this was a good place for books and a meal." She explained. "We had a lovely time, but as we were leaving to meet our transport these two men grabbed Dina and tried to force her into another transport. I shifted to chase the transport if needed but the two men let go and ran into the side area. I decided to keep them there until the local enforcement arrived to deal with them."
"So you weren't planning on eating them?" Will asked.
"No, I would never!" Kris almost seemed offended.
"What was that thing?" The other officer asked.
"A Celestian warthog." She replied. "The scales repel most weapons."
"Good to know". Will said.
Lisa went and collected the security video from the businesses along the route. The one from Kramerbooks was the most revealing. Sure enough, Kris and Diana came out with their books and were waiting on the curb when a van pulled up, two men stepped out of the crowd, knocked Kris down, grabbed Diana and started pushing her toward it. As Diana struggled Kris immediately started shifting. A moment later a Celestian Warthog let out a roar, the two men took off running, the van sped away, and Diana chased after them. "I put a BOLO out on the van." Lisa said. "I guess the rampage was self defense."
"Thanks." Will said. "I guess. Let's go find out why those two tried to kidnap Diana."
"You're not going to believe this." One of the locals said as Will and JJ approached the two would-be kidnappers.
"Don't say that." Will replied. "It's already been a day."
"What won't we believe?" JJ asked. In reply the local officer held up a badge. ICE. "Do you have a warrant to go with that?"
"They're illegal aliens." The first would-be kidnapper replied. "We were detaining them."
"No they aren't." She replied. "One has a visa, the other has a green card. I watched State fill it out."
"Besides, you didn't go for both of them." Will said. "You only went for one. Now try again."
The second would-be kidnapper flicked his eyes from Will's face to the badge on his belt. "Didn't think DC Metro were a bunch of traitors like the FBI."
"What?"
"You took an oath of loyalty to your president…". The first would-be kidnapper said.
"No I didn't." Will interrupted him. "I took an oath to the Constitution and the rule of law. Same as you."
"No." JJ said. "These two didn't take that oath." The looks on the would-be kidnapper's faces said that she was right.
"Okay, you two are under arrest. Attempted kidnapping…". Will went off listing charges and reciting the Miranda warning while the two would-be kidnapper's were cuffed and put in the back of a squad car. He stood next to his wife as they drove off. "What the hell is happening to this country?" He asked.
"I don't know." JJ replied. "I just hope Spence and the other get back soon and start working on it." She looked around as a car pulled up. "Let's go tell the Commander she needs to put more security on Diana. Just in case."
