Training kicked in, sending me to check the downed alien. I gave the drone and remaining two dogs a wide berth, shielding my vision from the harsh flashes of light coming from the little black orb.
The Vorsook was still breathing, lying on its side, curled up, green blood pooling on the floor under it. Its huge, black featureless eyes locked onto me as I circled to it, Glock muzzle leading the way. It studied me, laboring to draw air into its tiny mouth.
With one foot, I carefully moved the dangerous weapon rod further away from the little shaking form. Fan’s knife quivered in its shoulder with each wracking breath, but the movements were getting smaller and smaller. Suddenly the knife stopped moving altogether as did the small, underdeveloped-looking chest. The fathomless black eyes changed color, fading from jet black to a dull charcoal and a final breath rattled in whatever it used for lungs.
“All life signs have ceased,” Omega announced from the little drone that was still industriously burning dog to ash.
I realized that my hearing was still ringing from all the gunshots, even through the electronic hearing protectors we all wore. I hadn’t heard the alien’s heart stop.
Convinced it was dead, I turned to help my team. Fan was applying a tourniquet to Mitch’s arm stump and Jay had dragged herself to Alice’s body. I rushed to her side.
“She’s dead,” Jay said, face bleak. I ignored her, turning Alice on her back and opening her body armor. Then I started chest compressions.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs and Chana was suddenly at our sides. Seeing I had the CPR in hand, she started emergency aid to Agent Jay’s gunshot leg. After applying a trauma pad to the wound and holding it in place, she glanced around the basement, eyes squinting against the continuing blasts of the drone.
“What the hell happened?”
I kept silent, counting my compressions. After a second, Jay spoke up, her tone bleak, voice cracking with grief. “Cyborg dogs attacked us. Mitch was infected with the alien tech. His hand. Shot my leg. Alice tackled him and then got shot by the alien. Its weapon knocked her across the room and killed her despite her armor plates.”
“It stopped her heart with her armor—the plates actually,” I said, ceasing my CPR and holding up one hand for silence. My hearing was coming back, thanks to my nano tech, and I strained to hear. Nothing—then a bump, just a little thump, barely a beat. Followed by another. And another, this one louder, the beat erratic at first, then settling down to a blessed steady drum. Alice took a sudden breath.
“She’s alive. The blast crushed her back plate and compressed her chest hard enough to stop her heart. There might be fractures,” I said, looking up at Jay and Chana. The black Omega drone was hovering just a few feet behind them. I don’t think they knew it was there.
“Ambulance and EMTs are two minutes out,” the drone said, the two agents not even twitching at this interuption. “Agent Harwood will meet them and lead them down. The Vorsook is deceased. All alien nano tech is destroyed, including Agent Allen’s infected arm. Agents Jay and Allen are stable, but both are beginning to show signs of shock. Agent Barrows’ heartbeat is stable, but I concur with Caeco—there are likely multiple rib fractures, a possible spinal injury, and a bruised sternum.”
I glanced at Fan, who was crouched by Mitch’s side, one hand keeping the big agent from moving around, the other holding the tourniquet binding. “Did you live up to your name when you escaped SAC Richards?”
He studied me for a second, then gave a little shake of his head. “Entirely unnecessary. Removing myself from his custody was not difficult, as I believe Agent Jay already knew,” he said.
Lois was looking pale and was clearly in some pain, yet her expression showed new life as she looked at a clearly breathing, unconscious Alice. Then she glanced around the room. “Thank you, Agent Fan, for your assistance.”
“My pleasure, Special Agent-in-Charge Lois Jay,” he said, his head and upper body making the tiniest bow in her direction. “Although Agent Jensen seemed to have it in hand.” His eyes found mine.
“Nope. That knife throw was the best sight I’ve ever seen,” I said, looking right back at him.
“Ohh, sparks,” Mitch said, voice almost a whisper, a stupid grin on his ghost-white face. Outside, I heard sirens screaming closer. I noticed Fan’s head tilt at exactly the same moment I heard them.
“EMTs are almost here,” I said. “Omega, what happened to the neighbors?”
“They have all returned to awareness and are universally expressing confusion and bewilderment. Three of them have minor bruises from falls sustained when I activated the battle drone. The alien’s influence ceased when you shot it.”
The emergency response vehicles got close enough for the others to hear. Agent Jay turned to me. “Caeco, secure that alien weapon. Do not release it to anyone until I give you authority, clear?”
“Clear as crystal, ma’am,” I said, crossing the basement floor, stepping over piles of ash and small, hardened pools of metal. The alien body was untouched, the weapon a good six feet away from it. A soft whir told me that the drone had accompanied me. “Can I just pick it up?”
The little black ball with the power to burn bodies to powder floated over the rod and a laser light flickered out to scan it. “Inert. No actual controls apparent on its surface. Possibly requires mental stimulation to fire. You should be able to pick it up and handle it without danger. However, if your nano senses pick up anything unusual, I would advise caution.”
I held my right hand over the rod, but my personal suite of nano tech reported nothing—nothing at all.
It was lighter than it looked, the metal having an odd feel, like it was wood instead of metal. I couldn’t detect any electromagnetic signature, nor did my nanites sense anything radioactive either. Just a straight, cylindrical rod of an unknown, ultralight metal slightly less than a foot in length. After moving it around, keeping the end pointed at the back wall of the cellar, I simply tucked it into the baton pocket of my body armor vest, moving the baton to an empty magazine pouch.
Voices outside announced the first responders just before Seth led them down the stairs. The little drone ball suddenly illuminated the room, producing light from its top and bouncing it off the ceiling. Then EMTs were putting down medical bags and shoving their way to the sides of the injured. Light steps on the stairs brought my attention to them in time to see Nathan Stewart’s assistant Adine arrive on the scene. She spoke a single word, “Clear,” and then a cane and two feet started down from above. Nathan himself descended, eyes bright with interest as he took in everything. He bent down and spoke to Agent Jay, his smile for her as warm as hers was wary. Then he headed my way, Adine moving gracefully by his side.
“It was my thought that if anyone could capture a Vorsook alive, it was you, Caeco, but there is only so much one can do when facing an enemy combatant as prepared as this one. So I will instead congratulate you for surviving your encounter and ensuring your team survived as well,” he said.
“Three wounded, one of whom was clinically dead for at least several minutes,” I said, frowning.
“Yet she’s not dead now,” he said, his white mustache wiggling as he smiled. “ And Agent Allen, while grievously injured, is not, apparently, infected with alien nano technology. The enemy has been neutralized, which is, ultimately, the mission. So again, congratulations. I would make another attempt to entice you to come work for Oracle, but President Polner has forbidden me from poaching you. He seems to want you right where you are, my dear.”
“Okay, well, thanks. But Agent Fan deserves credit as well. He, ah, released himself from custody and came here to help, arriving at an extremely timely moment, sir,” I said. I looked around. Fan was gone.
“The president would like you to update him, and myself, immediately. We have a secure comm outside,” he said, still smiling. “I, myself, look forward to hearing exactly what happened.”
“Yes sir,” I said. With a nod, he waved a hand toward the stairs. I took one last look around the scene of the crime, so to speak. At least seven people were working on my teammates, Seth and Chana standing back. Agent Jay met my eyes and gave me a nod. Meanwhile, a half dozen individuals wearing Oracle patches on their shoulders were moving into the already crowded basement, their eyes locked on the alien body. Each of them acknowledged their boss as they moved in a beeline for the dead Vorsook. I watched them surround it, talking with clear, professional excitement among themselves. Then I looked up to find Nathan and Adine waiting patiently for me. He again waved me toward the stairs and I finally headed up and out.