Specimen

“There will be incidents, Sten. Keep sharp.”

“Acknowledged.” Before I get the entire word out, movement at the top of a three-story building catches my attention.

“Pike. One-thirty.”

“Verified.”

“Count?”

“Four.”

“Two left,” Isaac says. “Nine o’clock.”

We barely have to speak to one another. One word utterances convey more information than others would be able to convey in sentences. With a glance, I can determine which of the targets is in Pike’s sites and who the next target will be.

Shots are fired, and we dodge in unison before returning fire.

“Targets one, four, five—eliminated,” Riley says. “Two is on the move.”

“Got him.”

“That was all of them. Nice job, Sten!”

I grin slightly at her praise and see a similar expression on Isaac’s face. Pike is scowling, and I wonder what Dr. McCall has said to him.

I focus forward. There’s a fork in the road ahead, and as we approach, I see a large group of soldiers lining the sides of the streets.

“We can take them,” Pike says.

“We could,” I agree, “but we’re not going to. Avoid contact when necessary. Alter course.”

A vibration runs through my head. It’s a tremor, like a feedback loop. My gaze meets Pike’s. He doesn’t like my decision, and I realize the sensation is his silent disapproval.

“Status.”

“Rerouting. New estimated time to objective, twenty-seven minutes.”

“Dr. McCall is questioning your choice of direction. She says you can handle the targets, and the new route will slow you down.”

“No need to engage a large group when there are other alternatives. ETA increased by three-point-six minutes. Sixteen potential complications, including civilian distractions would add six to eight minutes to the time line.”

“Solid. Good work.”

Isaac nods at me, but Pike has already turned his focus to the new trajectory. We head to the right, away from the large group.

“One-seven percent.” The brief message is enough for my two companions to increase their speed to match mine. If McCall is concerned about our time, this should make up for it.

Several civilians stop and watch as we run by, keeping close to buildings. We have to dodge a couple of them, but none seem surprised to see us. Most of them move out of our way as we approach. Some even wave at us.

I wonder exactly what they think we are and if they understand our purpose.

We start down a long street with structures lining both sides. I’m on alert. This is a good place for an attack, and I’m not surprised when shots ring out. Pike is nearly hit as he jumps sideways and ducks into a doorway. Isaac and I take up similar positions.

I watch the angle of the shots, and based on the shots fired, identify seven soldiers. I hear Isaac confirm the number as we begin to return fire. Within thirty seconds, we’ve eliminated them all and continue on our way. As we pass the “dead” men, they sit on the ground with their hands up in the air. The boxes on their chests blink green.

We encounter four other groups with similar results. The numbers aren’t high, and it’s relatively easy to dodge their blows. I look up at the rooftops as we move along the street.

“We’re close.” Pike and Isaac nod at me, and Pike points out the best way to go. There are only a half-dozen blocks left. I follow Pike to the south, down an alley. We all slow our pace as we approach the building where our objective is to be found.