Or maybe I’m just jealous. Not because Sam hooked up with Six, but more because the love of my life is miles away. Of course, there’s no way I’m expressing any of that in front of Nine, or Walker and the silent FBI-guy driving the car. Yeah, let’s focus on the mission.

We’re driving up I-95, from Washington to New York. Malcolm stayed behind at Ashwood Estates to finish going through the Mogadorian archives, hoping to turn up something else that might be useful. The vast majority of Walker’s renegade agents stayed back, too. They’re holding down the fort, using it as a base of operations to coordinate their efforts to undermine MogPro. I still don’t entirely trust Walker’s people, and I probably won’t ever reach that level after everything the government put us through, so I left behind our five remaining Chimærae with orders to protect Malcolm at all costs.

Besides Walker and our driver, there’s another SUV filled with agents following along behind us. That makes a grand total of six agents, plus me, Nine and Sam. Not much of an army. But then, the war hasn’t started yet. Maybe, if everything goes according to my plan, it won’t start at all.

‘Secretary of Defense Sanderson is staying at a hotel in midtown Manhattan, close to the UN,’ Walker says. She glances down at her phone, which she’s been typing away on all morning. ‘I had a mole on his security team, but …’

‘But what?’

‘They were pulled this morning,’ Walker replies. ‘All his bodyguards, replaced by a new team. Pale guys in dark trench coats. Sound familiar?’

‘Mogadorians,’ Nine says, grinding his fist into his palm. ‘Keeping their pet politician safe before his big sellout speech.’

‘I think it actually works to our advantage,’ Walker says, looking at me. ‘My people weren’t looking forward to fighting through their own on the way to Sanderson. I mean, some of these guys are just doing their jobs.’

‘Yeah, we aren’t in the habit of fighting humans either,’ I say, giving Walker a pointed look. ‘Unless they make us.’

‘So, that’s the whole plan?’ Sam asks, skeptical. ‘We go to his hotel, fight our way through a bunch of Mogs and then kill this Sanderson guy?’

‘Yes,’ Walker answers.

‘No,’ I say.

Everyone looks at me. Even our stoic driver is staring at me in the rearview mirror.

‘What do you mean, no?’ Walker asks, her eyebrows raised. ‘I thought we were clear on this.’

‘We’re not killing Sanderson,’ I say. ‘We don’t fight humans. We sure as hell don’t kill them.’

‘Kid, I’ll pull the trigger if you get me in front of him,’ Walker replies.

‘You can arrest him, if you want,’ I say. ‘Charge him with treason.’

‘The penalty for treason is death,’ Walker exclaims, sounding exasperated. ‘Anyway, his MogPro cronies won’t let an arrest go through. And you think anything in the courts is going to matter once Setrákus Ra is here?’

‘You said it,’ I reply. ‘Setrákus Ra is who’s important.’

‘Right. Instead of Sanderson, it’ll be you guys there to greet him at the UN. We’ll show the world the difference between good aliens and bad aliens. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, my people will dismantle MogPro.’ Walker rubs her temples. ‘I’ve got other agents already in position. Around the time we take out Sanderson, a dozen other MogPro traitors will –’

I cut her off. ‘If you’re about to tell me about more assassinations, I don’t want to know.’

Nine raises his hand. ‘I want to know.’

‘That’s not what we do, Walker,’ I continue. ‘It’s not what we’re about.’

‘Kid, you want to get the word out about the Mogs, sooner or later you’re gonna have to get your hands dirty.’

‘And what if Sanderson gets the word out for us?’

Walker squints at me. ‘What’re you talking about?’

‘He’s giving a speech at the UN, right? Going to talk up Setrákus Ra, tell humanity how it’s safe to welcome the Mogadorian fleet.’ I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant about this, confident in my plan. ‘Maybe he gives a different speech. Maybe he delivers a warning.’

‘You’re talking about turning him?’ Walker exclaims. ‘This late in the game? You’re out of your mind.’

‘I don’t think so,’ I reply, glancing left and right at Nine and Sam. ‘My friends and I are pretty persuasive.’

‘Yeah,’ Nine jumps in, grinning fiercely at Walker. ‘I’m convincing as all hell.’

Walker stares at me for a long moment, then turns around and goes back to typing coded messages into her phone. ‘I didn’t realize I was teaming up with some hippy-dippy peacenik aliens,’ she sighs. ‘Fine. If you can talk Sanderson into flipping sides in front of the UN, go for it. But if I’m not convinced, I’m shooting him.’

‘Sure,’ I reply to Walker. ‘You’re in charge.’

We stop at a gas station in New Jersey to fill up the SUVs. Since I’ve got a few minutes alone, I decide it’s a good time to check in with Sarah. I take out my phone and wander across the parking lot. As I do, I can feel Walker’s eyes boring into my back.

‘Where are you going?’ she calls after me.