The retort of a small caliber weapon rang out, and I turned to see Zeke firing at the SUV. His third shot blew out a tire and the vehicle careened off course. The driver tried to compensate, but the security detail took a page from Zeke’s actions and shot out the tires.
I had to give the angel credit for trying because he tried to drive on just the rims but couldn’t control the SUV, and it crashed into a tree. The men and women who’d come with us cautiously approached the stopped vehicle, but the leader ordered everyone to retreat, shouting “energy overload!”
I used my body to shield Zeke just before the explosion. Pieces of shrapnel blanketed the area. I felt several pieces collide with my shield, but thankfully none of them made it through.
“What the fuck were you doing?” Zeke pushed me off. “You made yourself a bigger target. You could’ve been killed.”
I held up my hands. “Calm down. By covering you, I merged our shields and created a double barrier. We probably would’ve been fine with one, but I thought this was safer.”
“And because it happened so fast, there wasn’t time to explain,” he said. “Thank you, Ori. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
I pulled him into a hug. His heart was hammering against his sternum. “You were scared. And I’ve been a soldier a long time and I trained for that possibility.”
Scanning the yard, only a few security officers hadn’t been able to double up. Thankfully, only one was injured and that didn’t look serious.
“We should go see what’s left of the machines,” Zeke said.
I wanted to go home and hold him, but he was right. We were almost finished but not quite. The sooner we assessed things, the sooner we could go home.
“Let’s go.”
Zeke
Iled Ori and the security team through the wreckage to the back of the barn where I’d seen the machines. My heart still raced from the earlier confrontation. I’d never seen death like that up close, and I never wanted to again.
The distinctive odor of burnt Drevlin energy crystals assaulted my nostrils. The polaron wave had done its job, reducing most of Lael’s tech to useless scrap. A few crystals still survived.
“Be careful,” I warned, stepping over the wreckage of the energy generator. “Some of the crystals didn’t burn out.”
Orion might not understand the significance of my words, but the security team did. Gabriel had picked agents who understood how the weapons worked. One of them pulled a pair of tongs from her kit, while another took a containment box from his pack.
I left the collection to the crew and moved deeper into the barn. Orion stuck close, stopping me once to check around the corner. I appreciated his concern, but I was a big boy. This wasn’t my first dangerous assignment.
The whole mission left me off-kilter. I was proud of my work but couldn’t stop feeling this was all a waste. Lael andhis accomplices had poured so much effort into this misguided venture based on false information. Not only was their work a pile of useless junk, but they’d also lost their lives for nothing.
“Over here,” Orion called, gesturing toward what had once been the communications array. “This looks different.”
I joined Orion and immediately understood why he’d called me over. The damage was too extensive, too deliberate.
“This wasn’t us.” I crouched down to get a better look. “The polaron wave wouldn’t have caused this kind of destruction. This was an explosive. Lael or one of his people must’ve done this.”
“Why would they do that?”
I could think of several reasons, but they all had the same origin. “They didn’t want anyone to see what they were doing. There was probably a self-destruct program tied to Lael or one of the others. If they died, the machines would be destroyed beyond repair.”
“Sir!” one of the security officers called out. “I found a tablet. It seems mostly intact.”
She dusted it off and I accepted the device, grateful for small mercies. I tapped my watch and held it close to the screen. My luck held. Their security was as outdated as their other tech and the screen unlocked.
I stood there for a moment, looking at the wallpaper of the tablet. None of this made sense. Even if Lael didn’t have the expertise to understand the antiquated nature of his technology, the person building it must’ve known. Why would they help him build something so useless?
And who paid for all this? Whoever it was, they made sure Lael couldn’t tell us their identity.
“Are you okay?” Orion asked.
“I’m fine, but something’s wrong. We’re still missing an important piece of evidence.” I explained my concerns, the list of which grew as I spoke.
“Lael never showed an aptitude for science,” Orion said. “Maybe he immersed himself in this area over the last few decades?”
