The McKenzie Files Book 2 - penumbrapublishing.com

TThhee MMccKKeennzziiee FFiilleess BBooookk 22

Barry K. Nelson

The three captured and reprogrammedBrelac ReploidshaveprovedtheirworthtotheProtectorateinafiercebattleagainstthepowerfulcyberneticweaponSuccubus,developedbytraitorousDr.Fenlow.TheReploids,commissionedtoformaspecialunitknownastheSilencersunderthejurisdictionofthe military’s Central Intelligence Division, are back onMaseklosPrime,workingatmenialjobswhiletheCIDkeepsacloseeyeon them.That changeswhenPresidentDrennan isalmostkilledinabizarreassassinationattempt.

Colin McKenzie and his team are ordered to uncoverwhoever’s behind the assassination attempt and to find anddestroythe frighteningweaponsresponsible for thehorribledeath and destruction at the President’s last electioncampaign address. After the first attempt on the President’slife,it’scertainmorearesuretofollow.

Meanwhile, Colin remains curious and wary about hisdark past as a Vendetta operative formerlyworking againsttheProtectorate.Themorehe learnsabouthisprevious life,the lesshe likes it.Evenmoreworrisome is theodddreamshe’sbeenhaving.

AsColin,Diane,andKellychaseleadsintheircase,theyrealize they may be up against unstoppable weapons – buttheyaretheProtectorate’sonlyhope.

ASSASSINATIONANXIETYTheMcKenzieFiles

Book2by

BarryK.Nelson

LicensedandProducedthroughPenumbraPublishing

www.PenumbraPublishing.com

PRINTEDINUSAISBN/EAN‐13:978‐1‐935563‐67‐9Copyright2011BarryK.Nelson

Allrightsreserved

AlsoavailableEBOOKISBN/EAN13:978‐1‐935563‐66‐2

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, andincidents are theproduct of the author’s imaginationor areusedfictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, isentirelycoincidental.

Penumbra

Publishing

TThhee MMccKKeennzziiee FFiilleess BBooookk 22

Barry K. Nelson

1

Chapter 1

Sharp pain stabbed through Jim Norton’s lower back as hesquirmedinthehard,uncomfortableseat.Beingforcedtositinthesmall confines of this ship’s cockpit with his knees jammed upagainst the bottom of the control panel so far that they brushedagainsthishandsasheclutchedtheship’stwincontrolstickswasbadenough.But the fact thathe couldactually feelhowhard theseat was through the slim padding of his gray space suit madethingsalltheworse.Thepaddingontheinsideofhisspacehelmetwashardanduncomfortable,aswell.Hewouldhavepreferrednottowearit,butthismissionrequiredthatheandtheothermembersof this team be prepared for immediate deployment once theyreached their target destination. He diverted his gaze from thelargepanoramicviewscreenbeforehimtolookdownattheship’sinstrument panel. Two small monitors emitted a blue glow, andbelow them a row of keys and buttons on a long touchpad alsoglowed blue. Several of them flickered on and off when theyweren’tsupposedto.

Command has a bug up their ass about how important thismissionis,yettheycan’tbebotheredtoprovideuswithadecentshipto fly,orcomfortable suits?He shookhisheadasbesthe could inthesmallconfinesofthecockpit,thenturnedstiffly,glancingbackathispassengerssittingintherearcompartmentbehindthepilotseat.

Sealed up in his space suit, technician John Baylor wassecurely strapped to ametal bench‐style seat,with a shinymetalbriefcase clutched inhis lap. Sitting toBaylor’s leftwithhis armsfolded against his chest was Mike Jamison, another technician.

The McKenzie Files Book 2 Barry K. Nelson

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Neitherofthemhadwantedtobeawakeneduntiltheshipreachedits destination, butwhile Jamison’s helmet visor showedhis eyeswereclosed,Baylorappearedwideawake.

The two security agentswearingdarkblue space suits, PaulMoyerandBradWardell,satonthebenchacrossfromBaylorandJamison,bothholdingtheirAR‐20laserassaultriflesontheirlaps.Whatkindoftroublearetheyexpecting,iftheythinkweneedthesetwoguysalong?

Baylor turned his head, looking back at Jim, and his helmetspeakerbarked,“Howmuchfurtherdowehavetogo?”

Jim lookedat themonitoron the left, showinga small blacktriangle representing their ship as it drew closer to several smallblack squares at the top. The column of numbers to the rightcounteddown.HeturnedbacktoBaylor.“ETAthreeminutes.”

Themonitorontherightshowedalongblacktrajectorylineacrossthebluebackground,withthreeblackcirclesgrowingeverlargeras theyapproached. Jimglancedat the forwardviewscreenand saw the field of large metallic debris free‐floating in space.Many of the huge chunks of jaggedmisshapenmetalwere largerthanthefragilejet‐styledshipthatheandtheothersweretravelingin. He maneuvered the ship with care between the debris. Acollision with one of the metallic giants would instantly destroytheirsmallercraft.

Onemassofdebrisdrewhisattention.The large triangular‐shapedhulkwithagapingjagged‐edgedholeinitssidespunslowlycounterclockwise.Jimpulledbackonthecontrolsticks,slowingtheship’sforwardmomentumuntilitcametoastop.Hepressedfourkeysontheship’sinstrumentpanel.“We’rehere,”heshoutedbacktotheothers.

Baylor unstrappedhimself fromhis seat andheaded for thecockpit. He leaned over Jim’s right shoulder to look through theforwardviewscreen.“Isthesignalstillcomingthrough?”heasked.

Jim glimpsed at the monitor on the right. The three circleswere still moving across the line, still growing larger as theytraveled.“Signal’sstillcominginstrong.”

“Canwego in?Thatopening looksbigenough forourship,”

Barry K. Nelson Assassination Anxiety

3

saidBaylor.“You can see that the fragment is spinning. It wouldn’t be

safe,”Jimtoldhim.“We’regoingtohavetostayinsidetheshipandsendthedronesintolocatetheobject.”

“Thedrones?This isadelicateoperation.Youcan’tsendthedronesintohandlethiswithoutoursupervision,”Baylorprotested.

“It’stoodangerousforhumans,”Jiminsisted.“Therecouldbefree‐floatingdebris insidethat thing.Thedronesareexpendable.”He pressed a key on the panel. “Opening cargo bay hatch.” Hepressed three more keys. “Robotic drones are activated anddeployedtoretrievethetarget.”

Throughtheforwardviewscreen,Jimandtherestofthecrewmemberswatchedasfourspider‐shapedrobotsflewoutfromtheirship. Each drone’s eight long legswere folded up under its oval‐shaped body. The drones emitted a white glow from the end oftheirtwincylindricaltopthrustersastheywerepropelledthroughspace toward the spinning metallic mass. Maneuvering withmechanicallyprecisecare, thedronesenteredthemass’sopening.Forseveralminutes,thecrewwatchedandwaited.

“Ihopetheobjectisstillreasonablyintact,”saidJamison.“It’sprobablybeenthroughhell.”

“It should be,” Baylor said. “Considering the strength of thesignal.”

“That’s not what has me worried,” Jim said. “It’s the otherthinginthere.”Heglancedbackatthegun‐totingsecurityofficers.“That’swhyMoyerandWardellarehere.”

Moyermoved incloser. “Youdon’thave toworryabout thatoversized tin solder. If there’s any problem, we’re equipped tohandleit.”Moyerpattedthesideofhislaserrifle.

An oversized tin soldier? That’s not what I’ve heard, Jimthought.Butyouguysknowwhatyou’redoing.Ijustgetpaidtofly.

Jamisonthrusthisfingerouttowardtheviewscreen.“There!”heshouted.“They’recomingback.”

The four robots emerged from the opening in the fragment.Two of themwere attached to the left and right sides of a large,shiny metal object, while the other two held onto the top and


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bottomportionsoftheobject.Thedrones’longlegswerewrappedaroundtheobjectastheyflewbacktotheship,partiallyobscuringitsothatJimcouldn’tquitemakeout itsexactshape.Theteamofrobotsmovedoutofviewastheyflewbeneaththeshiptoenterthecargobay.

“There you go. Target retrieved,” Jim confirmed, as thesensorsreportedtherobotshadclearedthebayhatch.Hepressedabuttononthecontrolpaneltoclosethecargobay.

“Justlikethat?”Wardellobjected.“Ididn’texpectthejobtobethiseasy.”

“Easy is how command wanted it,” Jim replied as heunstrapped himself from his seat and rose to faceWardell. “Youitchingtouseyourhardware?”

“As long as there’s no trouble, we’re happy,” Moyer added.“Wedon’tneedanywildshootingspreetoendangertheunit.Let’sgetdowntothecargobayandtakealook.”

BaylorandJamisonturnedandheadedawayfromthecockpitwithJimandtheothersfollowing.Theydescendedashortflightofmetal stepsandentereda small,darkcorridorwithseveralpipesandcableszigzaggingacrosstheceiling.Thegroupstoppedinfrontoftheheavyblackmetaldoortothecargobay.Jimpressedawhiteglowingbuttonon thewall to the rightof thedoor, and thedoorrosewithaloudhum.BaylorandJamisonduckedinsidethecargobay,notwaitingforthedoortofullyopen.

These guys are practically tripping over themselves to get tothis thing, Jim thought, laughing to himself. Bet they’d really pissthemselves if this thing isn’t reallyworking theway they thought.Doesn’tmattertome.Eitherway,CarpTechnologiesispayingmeaheftyfeefortheflight.

In the cargo bay, Jim and the others gathered around thecenter of attention. The four robots surrounded the object they’dretrieved from the space debris. They backed away at Baylor’scommand.A largehumanoid robotat least seven feet long layonthe floor, its silvery body marred by black scorch marks. Therobot’s reverse‐jointed legs and three‐toed feet seemed to havesuffered the worst, as they were completely blackened from


5

exposure to some form of extreme heat. The same heat damageapparently had affected the large triangular‐shaped wingsmountedon therobot’sback. Its scorched leftwingwith the longcylindrical thrustermounted on the tipwas still intact,while therightwingwasmissingentirely.

Therobot’slargeovoidheadfacedupward,withathin,blackhorizontallenseyeslashedperfectlyacrosstheupperportion.Jimimaginedthatthetwolong,sharphornsonthesidesoftherobot’sheadwereheavyenoughtomakemovingitdifficultduringacloserexamination. The two accordion hoses beneath its lens eye randown to a four‐foot metal cylinder the robot hugged against itschestwithitslarge,threeclawedlefthand.Jimwasrelievedtoseethattherobot’srightarmplasmaweapon,thelongbarrelwiththefourhorizontalandvertical fins,remainedinactiveas itrestedonthefloor.Butheturnedhisattentionbacktothecylinderthattherobotwasholding.Itborelargepatchesofblackscorchmarks.Onthe bottom of the cylinder were four thick cables that looked asthoughtheywereseveredwithacleanstroke.

MoyerandWardellbothstoodbackfromtherobotandaimedtheirweaponsasiftofireatasecond’snotice.Baylormadeaslowapproachtotheinertrobotandkneltdowntoinspectit.

“Well?”Wardellasked,raisinghisriflehighertoeyelevel.“Isitdead?”

“It’sclearlydead,”Baylorassuredhim.“Ashame,too.”Heranhishandalongthefrontoftherobot’sface,almostreverently.“Onlythree Deltans were made, and this one was the only one thatsurvived. The other two were destroyed during the battle ofMaseklosPrimetwomonthsago.”Hesighed.“Butit’stheotherunitthatweshouldbeworriedabout.”

Jamisonstepped incloser. “AmazinghowtheDeltanrescuedthe central processing unit. It appears to have protected it fromharmduringthebattle.Thatexplainshowitgotdamaged.”

“Okay, sowe got it,” saidWardell. “What the hell dowe donow?”

“Weneedtorunafulldiagnosticontheunittoseeifit’sstillintact,”Baylorreplied.“Commandwantstomakesurethattheunit


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isstillabletofunctionafterallit’sbeenthrough.”Jim Norton’s attention was still focused on the Deltan

clutchingthecylinder. “That’safterweprytheunit loose fromitsbigbrotherhere.”

Baylorstoodup.“Thatshouldn’tbeaproblemwiththeDeltandeactivated.”

Moyer lowered his weapon to his chest. “All this troublemaking us come all the way out here to get a piece of junk offanotherpieceofjunk.Whynotjustbuildanewone?”

Baylorlaughed.“Becausethisunitisunique.Andtheguywhobuilt it is dead. So, it’s one of a kind. That’swhy Command is soanxious toget itback intact.”Baylorgave theDeltan’s legaslighttapwithhis foot. “Getting thebigguyhere too isabonus. I couldspend days in the lab going over these two. This is amazingtechnology.”

Jim imagined gleeful boyish grins on Baylor and Jamison’sfacesbehindtheirhelmetvisors.Twosciencegeeksintechheavenastheyworkedovertheprizeofalifetime.HeturnedtoMoyerandWardell, stillholding theirrifles inanticipationofa firefight. “Areyouguysgonnastanddown,orwhat?It’sjustapileofjunknow,”hesaid,pointingafingerattheDeltan.

Baylor turned to face him. “This pile of junk, as you call it,oncehadthefirepowertobringdownafullyshieldedbattlecruiserwithasingleshot.It’saremarkablepieceofmachinery.Justlikeitslittlebrotherhere.”

“AllIknowis,ifthebiguglyonegivesusanyshit,weshootit,”Wardellresponded.“Butfornow,I’lltakeyourwordthatit’sdead.”

Wardell lowered his rifle, pointing the barrel to the floor.Moyeralsoloweredhisgun.

JimsteppedclosertotheDeltan,hisattentionfocusedonthecylinderitcradledinitsarms.“So,what’sthestory?Youthinkthisthingisokay?”

“It appears to be,” Baylor replied. “Wewon’t know for sureuntil we run our diagnostic on its systems. But if it’s able totransmit a long ranged distress signal across space, then I’d saythatit’singoodshape.”Baylorkneltdownagainandranhishand


7

alongashinycablerunningfromthebottomofthecylindertotheDeltan’schest.“Iwonderwhatthisisfor.”

“If the unit is still functioning, then maybe we can try tocommunicatewithit,”Jamisonsuggested.

“Communicatewithitallyouwant,”Jimsaid,headingforthecargobaydoor.“Nowthatwe’vegotthisthingloadedonboard,I’vegottotransmitmyreporttoCommand.Thenwe’reoutofhere.”Heheadedforthedoor.

He walked back up the steps and returned to the cockpit.Sitting sat down at the instrument panel, he activated thecommunications system and said, “This is pilot Jim Norton,reportingtoCommand.Wehavelocatedandretrievedthecentralprocessing module from the debris field, along with the inactiveDeltan unit. The Deltan was no threat. Technicians Baylor andJamisonareplanningtorundiagnostictestsontheunittoconfirmthatthemoduleit’sstill intact.Afterthey’veconcludedtheirtests,I’mreturningtheshiptobase.Nortonout.”

OnceBaylorand Jamison to finish running theirpreliminarydiagnostic tests on the unit, they could return to the Vendettastarbase,wherea teamof scientists and techniciansemployedbyCarpTechnologieswouldtakepossessionoftheirprize.AndBaylorand Jamison could play all kinds of geek games with their newDeltantoyandthecentralprocessingunit.

Jim checked the ship’s status and noticed the cargo doorindicatorflashing.Whythehellaretheyclosingthedoor?Heleftthecockpit,descendedbackdownthesteps,andapproachedthecargobaydoor,whichwasnowshut.Hepressedthebuttonattherightsideofthedoor.Nothinghappened.Hepresseditagain.Therewasstillnoreactionfromthedoor.Whatthehell’sgoingon?Hetriedamore basic approach – pounding his fist three times against thedoor’s metal surface. “What the hell’s going on?” he shouted,hopingthatthemenontheothersidewouldhear.“Thedoorwon’topen.”

Hepoundedthreemoretimesagainstthedoor,thenpressedthebuttonagain–stillwithnoreaction.Systemmalfunction,hetoldhimself.Hewas no technician likeBaylor and Jamison.He hoped


8

one of them would be able to find some way to override thecontrolsfromtheirsideandgetthedooropen.Otherwisewithoutbeing strapped into seats, the four men were going to have abumpyridebacktothestarbase.

Jimwasabouttoturnawaywhenthecargobaydoorbegantoopenwithitsusualnoisyhum.HeexpectedtofaceBaylorandtheother threemen in thecargobay,butwas insteadgreetedby theDeltan, now standing instead of lying inactive on the cargo bayfloor.TheDeltan’s lefthandwasstill clutched thecontrolmodulecylinder. Its thin lens eye, formerly black and dead, now glowedbright red. The same red glow radiated from the barrel of itsplasmagunarmrisingtomeetJimNorton’sface.

Shockedatthesightofthismonsterstandingbeforehim,Jimstaggered back as his heart flutteredwith panic.What thehell isthis?Theysaidthisthingwasdead.Wherethehellaretheothers?

Loud thuds came from theDeltan’s feet as it took two stepstoward him. The tip of its plasma weapon hovered inches awayfromJim’sfaceasheheardadeep,gravellyvoiceorder,“Stop!”

The Deltan did notmove, but kept its plasma gun aimed atJim’sface.Jimwastoofrozenwithfeartoeventhinkaboutlookingforthesourceofthemysteriousvoice.

Thevoiceboomedoutagain,“Wehaveneedofthisone.”The Deltan lowered its plasma gun and took a step back.

Lookingpastthemechanicalmonster,JimsawthebodiesofBaylor,Jamison,MoyerandWardell lyingonthecargobay floor.Streamsof black smoke rose from large holes that were burned thoughMoyerandWardell’shelmets.

Thevoiceblaredoutagain,thistimeaddressingJim.“Youwillnot bother to return to your base. I’m giving you a newdestination.”

Jim’s first theory was that the voice was coming from theDeltan.Thenhe realized that its sourcewas the cylinder that theDeltanwascarrying.

The cylinder continued to speak. “Your currentmission hasreacheditsconclusion.NowI’mgivingyouanewone–toaidmeinthefinaldestructionoftheUnitedProtectorate.”

9

Chapter 2

Standing on the wooden stage plastered with postersdisplaying her smiling face and that of her running mate, VicePresident Paul Zona, United Protectorate President SandraDrennanstoodbefore thepodium,givinghercampaignspeech toresidentsofKendridgeontheplanetTacomaThree.VicePresident,PaulZona,ayouthful lookingmanwithblondhair, smiledbehindDrennanasshespokeintothetwintubularmicrophonesontopofthepodium,hercrispvoiceboomingfromthesix‐foot‐tallspeakersat either side of the stage. She gripped the podium withauthoritativeenergy,herreddressbrightagainst thebackdropofthe requisitedark suits and shadeswornbySecret ServiceAgentMikeSteversandfiveothersscanningthemultitudeoffacesinthecrowd.

In addition to the Secret Service team, Drennan hadprotection from a kinetic repulse shield generated by four flatcables on the stage floor. The protective energy configurationresembledacubeofthickblueglass.Theshieldwouldprovideherwithalargedegreeofprotectionagainstsmallarmsfireandwouldhave limited strength against explosives. In spite of this addedsecurity measure, Agent Mike Stevers felt that this was a badlocationtoholdacampaignspeech–attheedgeofapark,acrossthestreetfromafederalcourthouse.Drennanwascompletelyoutintheopenwithonlyafewtreesbehindher.Thecourthouseandarowofotherbuildingsprovidedatemptingsniperperch.Still,theytriedtocoverallthebases.

EarbudsallowedMikeandtheotheragentstokeep intouchwitheachotherandreceivesecuritystatusupdates.Smallremote


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keypads on their belts enabled them to switch channels andcommunicatewithdifferentparties.Mikewatchedthehugecrowd,observingtheircheersandapplausetoDrennan’saddress.Hefeltconfident no one here would present a threat to the President’ssecurity.Everyoneattendingthisrallywaswalkedthroughatightsecurity checkpoint. Everyone underwent a full physical scan forany weapons, as well as chemical and biological agents. All bagsand accessories were searched. Electronics were scanned todetermine if they could be disguised weapons. Both sides of thestreet leading to this area were blocked off by the police. TheairspaceovertheentirecitywasrestrictedduringDrennan’svisit,and patrolled by police assault shuttles. Mike watched as one ofthese shuttles made a slow pass several feet overhead, its longblacktubularbodyendinginasharppoint.Thecylindricalenginesmountedonthesideshadbroadtriangularwingsattachedtothem.Mountedunderneatheachwingwasa long‐barreled lasercannonandalargerectangularlauncherthatcarriedsixHellstrikemissiles.Protectedby thick armor and adeflective energy shield, thiswasoneof fivepolice shuttles thatpatrolled theairspacewhileat thesame time keeping a close watch on the ground with theirscanners.

Police andSecret Service agents strolled through the crowd,on guard for anything that appeared to be suspicious. ThePresident’s security was so tight that Mike had joked she wouldneedatracheotomytobreathe.Whatkindoffoolwouldeventhinkabout challenging these security measures to try to threaten thePresident?

A femalevoiceaddressedhimthroughhisearbuds. “Stevers,SectorZero.What’syourstatus?”

SectorZerowashisassignedareawherethePresidentstood.He pressed a button on his keypad and responded via themicrophonebuilt intotheearbuds.“Stevers,SectorZeroallclear.”He listened briefly to the background chatter of status reportscominginfromagentshandlingtheothersectors.Sofar,allclear.

AsDrennanspoke,thecrowdrespondedwithroaringcheerstoherwordsofdefianceagainsttheBrelacandvictoryinthewar


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thattheywagedagainsthumanity.Shespokeofhervisiontobringgreater prosperity to the United Protectorate as it expanded tocolonize new worlds. Mike caught few of Drennan’s words. Hisfocuswason thediversityof faceswithin the crowd.MikewouldliketothinkthatamajorityofthepeoplehereweregoodandloyalcitizensoftheProtectorate.ButthemandateoftheSecretServicedictated that he and the other agents be aware of any potentialthreat to the President’s safety. Lurking among this boisterouscrowdofsupporterscouldbeoneormoreVendettaagentswaitingforachancetostrike.

Looking to the sky again, Mike watched the police assaultshuttlemakeaslowpasshighabovetheheadsofthecrowd.Thenit banked to the left and flew over the roof of a gray brickapartmentbuilding.ThentoMike’ssurprise,therearsectionoftheshuttle exploded. Mike froze, helpless as he watched the nowflaming craft spinoutof control on itsdescent toward the street.Screaming people on the ground fled the area before the shuttleslammedintoaparkedsilvercar.Theflamingexplosionshatteredwindows of a nearby building and momentarily drowned thecrowd’spanickedscreamsthatrangthroughMike’sears.

What the hell’s going on? What could have taken out thatarmored, shielded shuttlewith such ease? The once peaceful rallyturned into a chaotic mob of screaming people scurrying indifferent directions to escape the area. The state of disorderbecame even clearer toMike as he listened to the round ofmaleand femalevoices throughhisearbuds. “Johnson,SectorThree, toSectorTwo.Doyouseeanything?”

“Mitchell, Sector Two, reporting.We didn’t see any shooter.We’restilllooking.”

“Romans,SectorFive, reporting.Noshooter in sight.Repeat,noshooterinsight.Everybodystaysharp.”

A stern male voice addressed Mike over his earbuds.“CommandtoSectorZero.PrepareforthePresident’sevac.Repeat:prepare for thePresident’s evac. SectorsOne andTwoare fallingbacktoyourpositiontogetthePresidenttoherlimo.”

AsMikeexpected,Commandwastakingnochances.“Stevers,


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Sector Zero. Understood. We’re standing by.” At the first sign oftrouble, the President was to be driven out of the area with anarmedescort.ItwasthejobofMikeandfellowagentshereinthissecurity sector to keep everyone back until the agents in SectorsOneandTwoarrivedand formedanarmedhumanshieldaroundthePresidentwhile they escortedher to her limousineparked atthesideofthestreet,justafewyardstotheleftofthestage.Alongwiththefiveotheragents,MikedrewouthisTempest9laserpistolandfocusedhisattentiononthecrowd.He listenedtotheexcitedvoicesoverhisearbuds.

“Donegan, Sector Six. I’mmoving through the crowd. I don’tseeanything–toomanypeople.”

“Ortez,SectorSeven.Iseealight.”Asecondlater,Mikeheardaman’svoicescreaminginagony.“ThisisDonegan.Whatisthat?Getthosepeopleoutofhere!”

Several other agents joined the chatter, shouting orders orquestions.SectorSeven,whereOrtezhadreportedseeingastrangelight,waslocatedtoMike’sright,furtherdownthestreetandpastthecourthouse.It’sgottobeaweapon,Mikethought.Mightbewhattookdownthepoliceshuttle.

While shoving panicked people away from the stage area,Mike looked to his right and sawdozens of people running awayfrom a bright red light. The light seemed to grow in size andintensity. Cars parked at the side of the street caught fire andexploded within the light’s aura. Horrified, he watched peoplecaughtwithinthelightburstintoflames.Therewasnothingthathecoulddotohelpthem,ashisdutywasclear–remainathispositionwithhis fellowagentsat all costs, andprotectPresidentDrennanwithhislife.

Mike receivedamessageoverhis earbuds. “SectorZero.GetreadyforthePresident’sevac.Repeat:getreadyforherevac.”

Mikewas relieved to see a groupof tenmenandwomen inblacksuitsrushingtowardhisposition.TheagentsofSector’sOneandTwohadarrived,eachtotingalaserpistol.Mikelookedbacktothe stage and saw Drennan, still encased within the protectiveenergy cube, crouched down behind the podium as she watched


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thechaos.Miketookasmallremotekeypadoutofhissuitpocket.He pointed it at Drennan and pressed a key. The energy cubesurrounding her faded away just as the group of agents stormedover the stage. “Move! Go! Go!”Mike shouted, pointing to his lefttowardthewaitinglimousine.

The agents surrounded Drennan and escorted her off thestage.Justthen,thebuildinginfrontofthepoliceshuttlecrashsiteexploded.Hugechunksofflyingmasonryandbrokenmetalbeamshammeredthearea.Mikeandthe fiveotheragentsduckeddown,raising their arms to protect their heads against airborne brickfragments.Mike caught the sight of a largemetallic sphere beinghurledintotheairbytheblast. Itwasheadingforthestage.Mikedovedownasthespherehitthegroundwithaloudthudneartheleftsideofthestage.Mikejumpedbacktohisfeet.Inthedistance,hecouldseethegroupofagentsrunningwiththePresidentastheyreachedherlimousine.Tworedpolicecarswithwhitesidestripes,parked in front of the limousine, headed offwith their light barsflashing. In the air above them, three of the police shuttlesconvergedhoveredinatriangularformation.

Mike turned his attention back to the thing thatwas hurledoutfromtheexplosion.“Stevers,SectorZero.We’vegotsomethinghere.”Hemovedpast theother agents to get a closer look at theobject that had embedded itself halfway into the ground as itlanded. It appeared to be a large ball of metallic debris. Long,pointed shards of shiny metal covered the object. Mike roughestimatewasthat theobjectwas five feet indiameter.And italsoappeared to be moving. Mike jumped back when he saw a bluestream of energy burst from the object. His heart racing, he sawseveralmorestreamsofenergyshootoutfromthethinglikesmallelectricarcs.Thewordbombflashedthroughhismind.“Getdown!”heshoutedtotheotheragents.

He ran and dove to the ground. A second later, a deafeningblastwentoffnear the stage. Sharppain stabbedhis left side.Hewasunabletomovehisleftleg.Heglanceddownandsawseveralmetal shards from the object embedded in his leg, back, and leftarm.Hegroaned, feelinghisbloodsoakinghisclothes.Wearilyhe


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pusheduponhisgoodarmandlookedabouttoseethattheotheragentsintheareawerestillontheground.Tohisfarlefthesawamangledbodypenetratedwithshrapnel.

A report came in through his earbuds. “We’ve got thePresidentaboard.We’reheadingout.”Heheardmorescreams,anda woman’s voice cried out, “It’s coming! Look out! Shoot it! It’scoming!” Looking to his left, Mike saw the flashing blue and redlights of the two police cars leading the President’s motorcadedown thestreet, away fromthearea.As theblack limoand threeblack utility vehicles carrying Secret Service agents sped away,threepoliceshuttlesflewoverheadtodealwiththreatsintheairorontheground.Mikeshudderedaspainchargedthroughhisbody.AtleastthePresidentissafe.

Trying toget agripon the situation,he lookedback towardwhatwas left of the stage ripped apart by the blast. Thick blacksmoke rose in the air from the shattered remains. Behind thedebris,hesawsomethingmoving–long,dark,andsquirming,likeasnake or a tail. He glanced at the exploded building partiallyobscured by a cloud of dust and smoke. Metal and stone debrislitteredthearea.Throughthedustcloudhesawsomethingmove,something that looked like a large person – very large, close toeight feet tall, wearing some sort of long flowing cape or a robe.The figure emerged from the dust cloud, brandishing thick,muscular arms with hands balled into massive fists. Behind it, alongtailthrashedfromsidetoside.

A tail? Instantly Mike recalled the other tail‐like appendagehe’dspottednearthewreckageofthestage.“Brelac!”hecriedout.He repeated that word into his microphone. “Brelac! We’ve gotBrelacinthearea!”

Mike’s instinct was to open fire at this alien threat, but hishandswereempty.He’ddroppedhisgun.Quicklyhesearchedthegroundandfounditlyingafootinfrontofhim.Hereachedforitasashrill,continuousscreamtorightcaughthisattention.Heturnedandsawamanengulfedinflamesrunningtowardhim.Alreadyinpain, Mike yelped, horrified as theman collapsed just a few feetaway.Theheatandgreasy‐sweetstenchofburning fleshsoclose


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bymadehimwanttovomit,butthatreactionquicklypassedashelooked past the burning body and saw that strange red light.Another vehicle near the light exploded into flames. A policeassaultshuttlesoaredinandhoveredoverthearea.Thetwinlasercannonsonitswingsfiredcrimsonboltsdownonthevicinityofthelight,butthelightkeptmovingtowardMike.Lyinghelplessontheground, he could do nothing except screamout in pain under anintenseheatas thesickeningodorofburning fleshcame fromhisownbody.

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Chapter 3

Colin ran through the street littered with loose bricks andtwisted metal beams that had fallen from the bombed‐outbuildings. The thundering booms of explosions behind himdrownedouttherapidcrunchingofhisblackknee‐highbootsasheranthroughdebris.Cooldraftsfannedthroughtheholestorninthekneesandrightshoulderofhisgreencamouflagefatigues.

An explosion went off to his right, hurling large chunks ofrocksanddirtintotheair.Heduckedbutkeptrunningtowardhistargetupahead–afour‐foot‐tallroughtriangularremnantofwhatusedtobeagraybrickwallsittingamongapileofstonerubble.Itwastheonlysemblanceofcover,andhidingtheremightgranthimafewmoresecondsofsurvival.

Reachingthewall,Colinmadeasharprightturnandskiddedtohisknees,slidingonhisbackashefellinbehindit.Instantlyhesaw he wasn’t alone. Diane Christy crouched behind the wall,wearingknee‐highblackbootsandgreencamouflagefatigues likehis, only without the holes torn in the shoulder and knees. Shebrandished a large laser rifle, its two‐foot‐long barrel pointedskyward.Astronggustofwindblewacloudofdustpasther,liftingher long black hair in billowing tendrils. Colin found himselfmomentarilymesmerizedbythesightofheruntilaloudexplosionnearby shook the ground beneath him. He flinched, but Dianeremainedsteady.

“Gladyoucouldmakeit,Sarge,”shesaid,smiling.“Iwouldn’twanttotakeontheentireBrelacarmybymyself.”

ColinsaidnothingashelookedintoDiane’seyes.ShereachedoutandgrabbedholdofColin’sshirt,pullinghimclose,withtheir


17

faces just inches apart. Colin watched, entranced, as Diane’s lipsparted. “One last kiss before we die,” she rasped, closing thedistancebetweenthem.Theirlipstouched.

*****

Colinyelpedandsatup,startledawakeinneartotaldarkness.

Ittookhimasecondtorealizehewasonhiscotinhisquartersandnotbackthere...withher.

Breathing heavily, he swiped at the dampness on his browandgrumbled,“Anotheroneofthosecrazydreams.”

Asasergeant,Colinwasgiventheprivilegeofbeingassignedaprivatesix‐by‐tenroominthebackofthebarracksbuildingatthemilitary installation onMaseklosPrime. Therewerenowindows,andevenkeepingthedoorwideopenprovidednoadditionallight.But lightwouldshednoilluminationonhispersonaldilemma.Hesatinthedarkness,stewingaboutthedreamthathadshockedhimawake. I haven’t seenDiane in about twomonths, now here I am,dreamingabouther.Romantically.Again.Sofar,thiswasthethirdtimethisweekhe’ddreamedabouther.Hewasbeginningtolongfor the nights when his dreams would be reruns of his day’sactivities. This new pattern was disturbing. Maybe hissubconsciouswastryingtomakeupforherabsenceinhislife.Butdidheactuallydidhaveasubconsciousmindlikeanormalhuman?Did he have a true mind at all? As a Reploid, his entire thoughtprocesswas a part of a complex computer program – a programthatwasstillahugemystery tohim. Itwasalreadyclear that theprogramwasdesignedtorerunimagesofhispastactivitieswhilehe slept – the Reploid’s equivalent to dreaming. But now theprogram and its dream sequences were starting to becomecreative.Toocreative.Thiswasaproblem.

Colin considered trying to go back to sleep, but knew hischancesofsuccesswereslim,becausehewasnowwideawake.Heturnedtohisrightandglancedatthesmallclocksittinginfrontofthelamponhisnightstand.Itwassodark,hecouldn’tseethelamporthenightstand.Allhecouldseewasthenumbersonthefaceof


18

theclockglowingbrightred,declaringitwas4:47inthemorning,twohoursbeforehehadtoreportforworkasassistantsupervisoratthemilitarysupplywarehouse.

Hereachedoutandclumsilyfeltalongthethinmetalstemofhis lamp to find the switch, figuring hemight aswell get up, getdressed, and have breakfast early before he headed off to thewarehouse.Beforehecouldtouchthelightswitch,apowerfularmwrappedfirmlyaroundhisneck.

Startled, Colin started to create a jolt of electric current toincapacitatehisassailant,butfeltasharppaininhisneck.Suddenlyovercome with grogginess, he barely realized his attacker’s holdaround his neck had grown stronger. Dizzy and unable toconcentrate enough to create an electric surge to defend himself,Colinfelllimpandfadedtounconsciousness.

*****

Colinawoketosomethinghardandcoldpressingagainstthe

rightsideofhisface.Heopenedhiseyesandliftedhishead,buthedidn’tfeelsogood.Whatthehellhappened?Dazed,heslowlysatupandlookedaroundtofindhewasnolongeronhiscot inhisdarkquartersbutnowsatinachairatadarkroundtable.Hemovedhishands, resting in his lap, and realizedheworehis typical civilianattire – blue jeans, black tee‐shirt, soft cotton socks, andcomfortablewhitesneakers.

HowdidIgethere?Feelingdizzy,heforcedhismindbacktothe last thing he remembered ... being in his room, awakeningsuddenly,andthen–

Iwasdrugged.Kidnapped!Fearcharged throughhimasheglaredstraightaheadat the

black wall and blackmetal door of what appeared to be a smallrectangularroom.Aholdingcell?Interrogationroom?Helookedupatthefourbrightcircularlightsshiningabovehishead,butquicklydivertedhisgazefromtheirintensity.

As thebright spots cleared fromhis vision,he looked tohisleftandsawthathewasnotalone.KellyLytton,anotherReploidhe


19

hadn’t seen in quite a while, sat nearby at the table with him.Dressedinanoversizedblueshirtandblackpants,hewasslumpedoverthetable,facedown–justasColinhimselfhadbeenmomentsago. Standing next to Kelly was General Verne Larkin, anotherpersonhehadn’tseeninawhile.Inthatdarkblueuniformwiththebandofmedalsonhis left lapel,hisnarrowedeyesshadedbythedarkblueofficer’shatwiththegoldeagleemblem,Larkingaveoffanimposingaura.ColinspottedalargebrownenvelopeinLarkin’shandandstarted to rise tohis feetandstandatattention,buthewasstillfeelingdizzy.

Larkinraisedhishand.“Remainseated,sergeant.You’vebeenthroughalot.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Colin raised his right hand to thesideofhishead,givingLarkinasalute.“Whathappened?HowdidIgethere?”

“Webroughtyouhere,”afemalevoiceansweredfrombehind.Thatvoicesoundsfamiliar.Colinturnedtoseeawomanwith

short red hair, dressed in black knee‐high boots and a graycamouflagefatigueuniform.“You...”Colinsaid,surprised.

Captain Melony Carter of the CID – Central IntelligenceDivision – took a step forward. “I can’t exactly say that I haven’tseen you in a while, Sergeant McKenzie,” Captain Carter said.“ConsideringthefactthatIpracticallyseeyoueveryday.”

“Youseemeeveryday?”Colinasked. “I suppose thatmeansyouandtheCIDarestillkeepingmeundersurveillance.”

Captain Carter smiled. “Of course. And not just you. Don’tforgetyourtwopals,ChristyandLytton.Youcertainlydidn’tthinkweweregoingtoallowthethreeofyoutorunaroundwithoutanykindofaleash,didyou?”

General Larkin stepped forward and raised his hand. “Thatsituation could change,which is the reasonwhy the three of youweresummonedhere.AndIapologizeforcovertandharshmannerin which you were brought here.” Larkin frowned as he glancedover at Captain Carter. “Iwould have preferred that youweren’tdrugged and dragged here in the middle of the night. That doesseemlikeoverkill.”


20

“We needed to keep the situation under the radar, sir,”CaptainCarterreplied. “Weusedthequickestandquietestmeanstosecureourthreesubjectswithlittleornooutsideattention.”

Securing us as quickly and quietly as possible? That doesn’tmakemefeelanybetterwhenyousendsomethugtonearlystrangleme and jabmewith aneedle.Andwho dressedme? Colin quicklydiscardedthatlastthought.“Couldn’tyouguyshavejustsentmeanemail? Itprobablywouldhavebeen less trouble.Especiallywhenyou’redealingwithDiane.”

Diane.Colinimmediatelyheatedatthethoughtofherandhislatestdreaminvolvingher.Iwonderwhyshe’snothere.

Asifoncue,heheardaloudcommotionoutsidetheroomandcouldmakeoutthevoicesoftwomalesandonefemale.Thefemalevoicesoundedfamiliar.Diane?Ithastobe.

A loud boom accompanied the heavy impact striking themetaldoor from theother side.Thedoorbuckled.CaptainCartermoved to thedoor, then steppedback just in time to avoidbeingstruckbythedoorasitflewfromthewallwithanotherloudboomand sailed over the table, barely missing Kelly. General Larkindodged back in alarm, but Colin knew the black boot that kickedthe door off its hinges belonged to Diane Christy. Dressed in hergray camouflage fatigueuniform, she barged into the roomwhiledraggingtwomeninblackmasksanduniformsbythebackoftheirnecks.Shehoistedbothmenintotheairandtossedthemoverthetabletojointhemangled.Theirbodiesbouncedoffthewallwithaloudthud,thendroppedtothefloor.

NobodycanmakeanentrancequitelikeDiane,Colinobserved,grinningbroadly.

AfaintmoancamefromKellyasheraisedhisheadfromthetable.Hesatupandblinkedhiseyesrapidlyas if tryingtoregainhisbearings.Helookedabouttheroom,thenturnedtoColin.“Whathappened?WhereamI?”

Diane, upon seeing General Larkin, stood at rigid attentionand raised her right hand in a military‐precise salute. “GeneralLarkin, sir. I didn’t see you here. I had to deal with these twoclowns.Oneminute,I’minmybedinmyquarters.Thenextminute,


21

theseguysaretryingtomolestme.”“That’snotwhattheyhadinmind,”saidCaptainCarter.Dianeglared.“Theytoldmetobringthemhere.What’sgoing

on?”Carter walked over and stood next to Larkin. The twomen

Diane had ‘delivered’ groaned in pain as they rose to their feet.“Theirordersweretohaveyousecuredanddressedappropriatelyfor your meeting with the general and myself, and deliver youwithoutincident.”

“A stupid way to ask somebody to a meeting,” Dianegrumbled. Quickly she added, “No offense intended, GeneralLarkin.”

“But it was effective,” Captain Carter returned. “You’re allhere.”

KellyglaredatCarterinwide‐eyedpanic.“Why?Whatdoyouwant?Areweintrouble?”

GeneralLarkinsteppedforward.“Nobodyisintrouble.AndIapologize for theuseof suchdrasticmeasures tobring youhere.But the point is, that you’re all here, and we have some veryimportantmatterstodiscuss.CaptainChristy,pleasetakeaseat.”

Diane walked over and sat in the chair next to Colin. Colinsmiledbriefly, thenturnedhisattention toLarkin,willinghimselfnottothinkaboutthedetailsofhisveryembarrassingdream.

Larkin waved his hand at the twomaskedmen.With slow,stiffmovementstheybothexitedtheroom.Larkincontinued.“Thethreeofyouhavebeenbroughttothisroominasub‐levelbeneathCID headquarters here in Navarone.Wewish to inform you thatyou’rebeingreactivated.”

Colinwasconfused.“Reactivated?”“Silencers.Yourgroupisbeingreactivatedandputback into

service.” Larkin opened the envelope that he was holding andbrought out a white paper document. “Here is your copy of theexecutive order signed by President Drennan, officially puttingSilencers back into service. The President is fully aware of yourefforts to save not only her, but the entire city of Navarone onMaseklosPrimeduringtheincidentinvolvingDoctorFenlow.Your


22

governmentismostgrateful.”Larkin placed the document on the table in front of Colin.

Diane raised her hand. “In all due respect, sir. If everyone’s sograteful for what we did, then couldn’t they have showed ussooner,ratherthanhaveusrotintheselousyjobs?”

“Regrettably,ittookawhileforustosortthingsout,”Larkinexplained.“Afterall,thethreeofyouareunique.”

“Unique is putting it mildly,” Captain Carter added. “Nooffense,butwefound itdifficult to imaginethethreeofyou,withyour unusual abilities and backgrounds, being successfullyintegratedamongtheregulartroops.Tobeblunt,weneedyouandyour abilities to do things that regular humans can’t. So, thequestionwas,what to dowith you? The solution to the problemcametousafewdaysago.”

Captain Carter took a small black remote out of her pocketand pressed a button. On the wall straight ahead a large, bluesquareappeared.Carterpressedanotherbuttonontheremote,andavidimageappeared,accompaniedbysound,showingthechaoticsceneofamobofscreamingpeoplerunningindifferentdirections.Inthebackground,threecarsburned.Thesceneshiftedtotherightandshowedalargegroupofpeoplerunningfromabrightredlight.Severalofthepeopleseemedtospontaneouslyburstintoflamesasthe red light approached. The sound of their agonized screamsfilled the room. The scene panned left and showed a buildingexploding.Theimagefroze.

CaptainCarterclearedherthroattogeteveryone’sattention.“This vid was taken of President Drennan’s campaign rally twodaysagointhecityofKendridgeontheplanetTacomaThree.Therallywasattackedbyassailantsofunknownoriginanddescription.We’reassuming that thepurposeof theattackwas toassassinatethePresident.”

“Unknown description?” asked Colin. “Nobody saw theseassailants?”

“Fromwhatweunderstand,nobodygotthechancetotakeagood look at them. At least, nobody who lived.” Captain Carterpressed a button on the remote again. The vid returned to the


23

scenewiththeredglow.“Thatbrightredlightyouseeappearstobeanenergyburstof extremeheat.Generatedbywhat,wedon’tknow. But anybody or anything caughtwithin the vicinity of thislightinstantlyburstintoflames.”

CaptainCarterengagedtheremotebuttonagain.Theimagesof charred human bodies littered the scene. Several blackenedskeletal remains were almost camouflaged, lying on the blackscorchedground.CaptainCarterpressedtheremotebuttonagain.Adifferentsceneappeared,showingthreeheapsofblackenedashlying in rough human form. Mingled among the ash were blackfragmentsofbone.

“Judging from the extreme damage to these bodies,” Cartersaid, “we’reassuming that these individualswereat groundzero,right in the path of whatever it was that generated this lethalpower.Theywereliterallyburnedtoash.”

Colinstudiedtheimagesofthehumanremains.“Couldsomesortofweaponhavecausedthis?”

“We’re not sure,” said Captain Carter. “Before all thishappened,apoliceassaultshuttleexplodedinmid‐airandcrashed.We thought that some sort of thermal cannon might have beenresponsible. But there was no evidence of any sort of beam orprojectileweapon.Thiswasjustanauraofextremeheat.”

Diane leanedforwardto lookoveratKelly.“Anauraofheat.Thatsoundslikeapowersimilartoyours,kid.”

“Maybe,”saidKelly.“ButI’veneverusedmypoweronpeople.Thissoundslikesomethingthat’sbeyondmycapabilities.”

“We do have one clue,” said Larkin. He turned to CaptainCarter.“Showthem.”

Usingtheremote,CaptainCarterswitchedtheimagefromtheburned remains to a grassy field with a close‐up view of whatappeared to be a trail of blackened three‐toed footprints burnedintothegrass.Asthefootprintsprogressedtowardthestreet,theyfaded into an expanding black area that burned away the greengrass.

“Tracks,” said Larkin. “We’re assuming that whatever madethem was responsible for the burning deaths. But there’s no


24

descriptionofthethingthatmadethem.Aswe’vealreadytoldyou,nobody was able get close enough to get a good look at it andsurvive.Butnotallthevictimswereburnedtodeath.Therewereafewotherstrangedeaths.”

With that, Captain Carter pressed the remote once again. Anewimageappearedofamaninablacksuitlyingfacedownonagrassysurface.Severalshardsofmetalhadpiercedtheman’sbackand legs like long, shiny swords. Captain Carter explained, “Thisman was Secret Service Agent Robert Smith. He died of severelacerationscausedby thesemetallic fragments.Whenwewent tothe scene to investigate, we found these fragments all over theplace. One of the survivors, Secret Service Agent Mike Stevers,reported that these fragments were hurled by a round metallicobjectthatflewoutfromanexplodingbuildingandlandednearthestage where President Drennan was speaking. Four people diedfromtheshrapnel,andtenwereseverelyinjured.Thesethingsarerazorsharp,designedforkilling.”

CaptainCarterpressedtheremotetosummontheimageofawooden stage. The left half of the stage was torn apart by theaftermathofapowerfulexplosion.“Nowhere’swhereitgetsreallyweird.”AgainCarterpressedtheremote.Thenext imagewasofasilvery metal table. On top of the table was a metal object. Itappeared to be three feet long, one footwide. Half of itwas flat,ending in a sharp point. The other half of the objectwas twistedinto a corkscrew shape and ended in a jagged edge. “This objectwastakenfromthebodyofAgentRoberts,”Cartersaid.“Look.”

Everyone watched as a man wearing a white lab coat andthick,blackglovespickeduptheobjectandturneditover.Thevidview zoomed closer to the metal object. On the flattened end, acolumnofraisedlettersread‘BlackIce,’followedbyalargeletterSsetwithinadiamondsymbol.

“Whatarewelookingat?”askedDiane.“This,” Captain Carter replied. She summoned the image of

three cars parked along a city street – a blue delivery vehicle, asmall black sporty job, and a white utilitarian passenger carrier.Thedifferent typesofvehiclesallhadone thing in common: they


25

weremissinglongstripsofmetalfromtheirhoods,sides,androofs.Thevidviewmovedinclosertothesportsvehicle,andCartersaid,“ThisautomodelisaSierraBlackIce.Asyoucansee,it’sbeentornapart like the other vehicles here. That metal object you sawpreviouslyhadthewordsBlackIceembeddedonitsside.Thesamewords and logo were on the sides of this car. We suspect thatsomehowthepieceofshrapnelwiththewordsandlogoweretakenfrom the vehicle you seehere.All of these vehicleshave sufferedthesamedamage–stripsofmetalremovedfromtheirbodies.Butthe metal wasn’t torn or burned off. It was all removed cleanly,withoutleavingjaggededgesorburnmarks.”

Kellyraisedhishand.“Thoseshrapnelpiecesthatyoufound.Didyourunanytestsonthem?”

CaptainCarterexplained, “Weranseveralextensivescanstotrytofindtracesofexplosives,DNA,chemicals,energysignatures.Wefoundnothing.”

“Sevencarswerealldamagedinthesameway,”Larkinadded.“This happened within the security zone during the President’sspeech. Three Secret Service agentswhowere supposed to be inthat area were found dead in an alley a few streets away. Andapparently even they died under strange circumstances. Anautopsyrevealedthattheyalldiedfromrespiratoryfailurecausedbyexposuretoapostsynapticneurotoxin.”

“Aneurotoxin?”Colinasked.Larkinnodded,andCaptainCartersummoneduptheimageof

awhitemalecadaverlyingfacedownonametaltable.Aclose‐upviewofthebodyrevealedalargepuncturewoundinthemiddleofareddened,swollenlumpontheleftsideoftheman’sback.

CaptainCarterexplained, “Thisman, like theother two,wasinjected with powerful venom, a postsynaptic neurotoxin that’schemicallysimilartothevenomfoundintheMeridanSeddrax.”

Aseddrax?Colinconjuredtheimageofthesmalleight‐leggedinsectwitha largemobiletailwithastingerontheend.NativetotheplanetMeridan,theseddrax’sstingcouldbelethal.

“Each victim had enough venom to kill at least ten people,”Carter said. “Given the size of the puncture wounds, we’re


26

assumingtheywereeitherinjectedwiththevenombysomesortofweapon,ortheywerestungbysomethingbig.”

Asbigasahumanbeing?“Idon’tthinkI’dwanttorunintoaseddraxlargeenoughtomakeawoundlikethat,”Colinsaid.“Butifsome sort of weird giant insect creatures were running around,didn’tanybodymanagetogetalookatone?”

“Noonewholivedtotellaboutit,”Larkinrepliedgrimly.“Thetotal casualty figures are twenty‐two civilians dead, twelvewounded.InadditiontothosenumbersarethirteenSecretServiceagentsdead,sixwounded.Whoeverorwhateverstagedthisattackmoved fast and struck hard. And their power was described asawesome. Right now, the best witness that we have is SecretServiceAgentMikeStevers.HewasstationedatSectorZerowherethe President was standing. He saw everything that took placebeforehewaswoundedbyseveralpiecesof theshrapnel thatweshowedyou.Healsosufferedseriousburnscausedbythestrangelight.SteversalsostatedinhisreportthathesawaBrelac.”

“ABrelac?”saidDiane.“Werethereanyothersspotted?”“No. Stevers claimed that he just saw the one, although he

didn’tgetaverygoodlookatit.Hecouldjustmakeitoutthroughthe smoke and dust of a nearby building that exploded. Hedescribed it as a reptilian creature around eight feet tall, with alongthrashingtailandwearingwhathedescribedasalongcapeoracloakofsomekind.”

“A cape?” said Kelly. “That doesn’t make sense. The Brelacaren’tverybigonfashion.”

“AndtheBrelacallcomeinastandardsize.Sixfeettall,”Colinadded.“Unlessthey’vestartedtocrankoutversionsofthemselvesthatarebigger.ButthisAgentSteversclaimedthatheonlysawtheone? Seems to me that if the Brelac were trying to kill thePresident,theywouldsendawholebattalionoutintheopentogetthejobdone.”

Larkinnodded.“Iagreewithyourdoubts,butSteverssworequite vehemently that this is what he saw. Whether it was oneBrelac or one hundred, they demonstrated a show of power thatwasfarbeyondwhatthePresident’ssecurityforcecouldstandup


27

to.Thisentire incident is strangebeyondmeasure.And that’s thereason why the three of you are here. President Drennan wantsSilencerstobecomeaspecialtaskforcetoinvestigateanddealwiththreats that are paranormal in nature and above the ability ofnormalforcestohandle.”

Colin pondered this idea. “Hold on. Doesn’t the CID have acovertsectiontodealwithparanormalcases?”

“Wehave.SectionBlue,”CaptainCarterreplied.“Ourso‐calledsecretparanormal investigationand researchdivision that’sbeenfeaturedinmorenewsreportsandmacronetwebsitesthanIcaretomention.SectionBluedoeshavetheabilitytoinvestigatestrangecases like this assassination attempt on the President. But theyhavetheirlimitswhenitcomestodealingwiththreatslikethis.”

“Silencerswillbeworkingunderthe jurisdictionoftheCID,”Larkin added. “You will also be affiliated with Section Blue andhave full access to their resources when needed. And I’d like topoint out that this is a probationary program. A trial run for thethreeofyou.Yourperformanceinthiscasewilldeterminewhetherthiswillbepermanentinthelongrun.”

“Putting it bluntly, don’t screw up,” said Captain Carter,almostpleading.

“There is one other thing that we’d like to show you,” saidLarkin. “It’s unrelated to this case, but you might find itinteresting.”

With that, Captain Carter used the remote to summon theimage of a silvery table that held a large black laser rifle with acylindricalbarrel thatappeared tobeabout two feet long.On thetopoftheweaponwasafoot‐long,rectangularscope.Onthesideofthe weapon was a metal disk with a black cable inserted in themiddle.

Larkinexplained,“Whatyou’relookingatisanewinnovationbroughttousbytheBrelac.Thisgunwascapturedthreeweeksagoon the planet Margolis. A team of commandos staged an assaultagainstaBrelacheavyartillerybase.TwoBrelacs that theykilledwerecarryingtheseweapons.Itwasreportedthathalftheteamoftwentymenwerecutdownby thisweapon. It’spowerfulbeyond


28

measure,andtheBrelachavebeenputtingmoreofsuchweaponsinto the field. Our technicians took it apart piece by piece andcouldn’tfindabatterypackorotherpowersource.Wesuspectthattheseweaponsaresomehowpoweredbyaformofpsionicenergy.ThecableonthesideofthegunwasconnectedattheotherendtothesideoftheBrelacsoldier’shead.”

Colin studied the image of this strange Brelac weapon.“Psionic energy. That’s the basis of our powers. It looks like theBrelac are trying to come up with their own super‐poweredsoldiers.”

Larkinnodded.“Yes.Butnotquiteonthelevelofyouthree.Atleast not yet. Our troops in the field have called these thingspsycho‐guns,andtheBrelacswhousethempsycho‐gunners.It’sawell deserved name. This weapon is powerful enough to single‐handedlytakedownafullyshieldedbattlecruiser.IftheBrelacareemployingmore of them in the field, or even larger variations ofthisweaponstechnology,thenwe’reintrouble.Thiswarisalreadygoingbadlyforourside.ButiftheBrelacaresendingmoreofthesepsycho‐gunnersatus,oranarmyofsupertrooperslikeyourselves,orevenmoreshipsliketheViperhawk,thenthere’snowaywecansurvive.Andthispsionicweapons technology iscurrentlybeyondourabilitytoreproduce.”

Colin turned his eyes back to Larkin. “Especially withoutDoctorFenlow’shelp.ButwhataboutDoctorTrevors?”

CaptainCartersteppedforward.“Stillmissing.Wethinkthathe’sholedupinsomeVendettasafehouseonsomeouterplanetormoon.Orahiddenstarbase.WeknowthatCarpTechnologieshasafew.We’restilllookingforhim,assumingthathe’sevenstillalive.”

Colinponderedthedetailsofeverythinghehadheardsofar.AnassassinationattemptonthePresident,newBrelacweapons,andthemissingDoctorTrevors,whoworkedcloselywithFenlow.Howdoweevenbegintodealwiththeseproblems?“Soundslikewe’llhavealot to keep us busy. I suppose the best thing to do first is tointerviewthisAgentStevers.”

“Iwasabout tosuggest that,”saidLarkin. “You’ll findhimintheFirstVeteran’sHospitalhereinNavarone.Butfirstwehaveto


29

take the three of you upstairs to get processed for the properidentification.”

Dianeraisedherhandtospeak.“We’llbecarryingbadges?”“Correct,”saidLarkin.“Asgovernmentagents,you’regoingto

needthem.Youwillalsobegivenyourownofficespace.”Dianeraisedherhandagain.“Areyougoingtogiveusaship?Kelly raised his handwhile looking over at Diane. “Are you

goingtogiveusapilottoo?”The cheerful banter betweenDiane and Kelly, Colin thought.

SomethingIhaven’tmissed.Larkinhesitatedbeforereplying.“Let’sjusttakethisonestep

atatime.”Colin picked up and read over the presidential order that

Larkinhadplacedbeforehim.Silencers.He,Diane,andKellywerenowaspecialinvestigativeandresponseunit.Andofallthepeoplein thegalaxy, thePresidentherself isdependingonus.Thatnotionalone was overwhelming. He felt a knot tighten in his stomach.ThenhelookedupatLarkin.“Let’sgetstarted.”

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