Day Nineteen ∞ Tuesday afternoon

MAJOR GILLIBRAND! Who the hell does he think he is? An avenging angel? Gray slid one step at a time one row closer, keeping low without trying to hide. His prime operative diagonally crossed the stage to the opposite side, his grim gaze targeting the EBE queen between them. So far, Gray had only glimpsed two soldiers outside the main exit before the double doors closed. Gray needed to locate where the others were. Except for the gentle illumination of the stage and front row seats by the slowly rotating, holographic Earth slice, the rest of the auditorium remained in shadow.

If only someone would switch on the lights.

If he were Major Gill, he'd have at least ten men with him to take out the door guards and prevent reinforcements from interrupting whatever-it-was the major had planned. There'd be one manning each of the other four doorways right now, hidden behind the sound-absorbing wooden panels that prevented someone entering from disturbing the audience.

Most of the audience was frozen with eyes glued to the figure commanding the stage with the M-16. Maybe they're still under the Power Voice effect.

A quick scan of the entire room verified that none of the soldiers were in sight. Gray nodded. It was as expected. Gillibrand wouldn't be concerned about the audience. After all, this was meant to be a civil meeting. It was unlikely that the officers who filled over a third of the seats carried their arms with them into the theater.

As Gray refocused on the stage area, the entire room lit up for an instant. The recessed ceiling bulbs flickered erratically for several seconds, and Gray narrowed his irritated eyes before something else caught his attention.

Next to Mickmi Wamba and the McGahn boy on stage, an older woman in a white suit materialized, her pale blonde tresses lifted as if by static electricity before settling on her shoulders. The three-dimensional projection vanished and the tabletop lasers switched off as the flickering settled to bathe the auditorium with soft illumination.

Gray blinked. Where did she come from? For an instant, his mind went blank. Then it kicked back into gear, recalling the briefs from Major Gill. The 'Snow Ghost'!

So the so-called Aumega was still alive. He shouldn't be surprised. Especially since the ear taken from her body disintegrated into the thin air before it could be studied in the lab. She didn't appear to be missing an ear now. She stood with her back turned to Gillibrand who stared at her in astonishment.

The woman shifted her head in quick, slight movements as if she were holding a discussion with the two but she did not speak or move her lips. Gray needed nothing else to realize she utilized telepathy. After a moment, they seemed to have reached a consensus because the woman stepped to the girl queen's right side and turned to face the threat as Danny repositioned himself to shield Mickmi. The move made Gillibrand sneer and point his M-16 directly at the boy's face.

What— Before Gray could make sense of Danny's blurring collar, it had expanded into an opaque, spherical helmet, completely covering his head, and the material on his back shifted to a shimmering navy blue. A similar helmet hid Mickmi's head and a translucent layer shielded her torso.

Smart move, Gray thought. Armored, faceless targets would throw Major Gill off in his psychological state.

Gillibrand switched his focus to the Aumega woman who turned semi-transparent just as an officer from the front row jumped down onto the stage.

"Major, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" General Davies' powerful, raging voice filled the space. He strode across the floor, but Gillibrand ignored him.

The main entrance cracked open and one of Gillibrand's men slipped between the doors to monitor the situation with his rifle on high-ready. Gray scanned the exits and spotted another in full combat gear standing inside the door panel three rows behind him, and one appearing from the opposite side. He eased himself to sit on the nearest armchair in the second row, holding the Lugar close to his thigh. Dr. Werner in the next seat glanced at him, then lowered his gaze to the pistol.

Gray gave him a slow look out of the corner of his eye. "Ssssch," he said softly and, once Werner nodded in reply, returned his attention to the stage, squinting.

A knot of shadows had mysteriously appeared to Mickmi's left. Smoke? The swirling grew thicker into definition, solidifying. Danny, Mickmi, and the Aumega spun around, their movements eerily synchronized as it resolved into a female form wrapped in a short tunic reminiscent of Ancient Greek attire. The young girl pivoted on her heels to view the audience, a black bob framing her mischievous face.

That must be the sister. Gray had seen the reports on the Eufaula heist—if it were her, then the girl must have cut her hair and dyed it. But now he wondered if all these EBEs could materialize out of thin air. The analysis reports on Mickmi Wamba had never hinted at that. Ah... They've probably mastered teleportation.

He refocused on Major Gillibrand, observing him with cold detachment. He noticed the slight shake of the man's hand, the thin layer of sweat on his forehead, the twitching under his eyes as they darted between the third alien and the others. The psych evaluation team had been spot-on in their report, "This man is, in a sense, a walking, living time-bomb. Our final recommendation is immediate decommission, without delay..."

Releasing a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, Gray closed his left fist and spoke quietly into the cuff of his suit without taking his gaze off the stage, "Nest One, Nest One, this is Eagle One, come in."

A second later, a voice spoke through his securely hidden earpiece. "Eagle One, Nest One is on high alert. Standing by, waiting your orders."

"Two sweep teams and a clean-up team. Dispatch them immediately to my location. Make sure they are Alpha and have Delta-One clearance. Place the whole base on lockdown. Repeat: secure the premises tight—nobody in, nobody out. Copy that?"

"Copied, loud and clear."

"Execute."

Lowering his arm, Gray glanced around. Other than Werner, none of the scientists in the rows near him seemed to have heard his side of the exchange. They were frozen by the drama between the major, the general, and the aliens.

∞

Awed, Danny watched the holoprojector table display images of the Solar System and Earth. Even though Mickmi had told him that she would have Deymos' nanites build it, he was still in wonder.

The technology was only a few decades in the future, she'd said, so sharing it would be of minimal interference in his world's evolutionary process. Whatever she meant by that, it was still a marvelous piece of electronics.

"—into your atmosphere within six days. However..." —Daniel.

Danny pulled his gaze from the zoomed-in Earth to look at her as she continued speaking to the audience.

—We are about to be... attacked. I have opened – a more direct link – between us, that we can... communicate... effortlessly.

Alarmed, he tried to scan past the projection into the dark auditorium.

—React not. She halted centerstage, "The end product is antimatter." —We are... protected.

Her calm mental voice slowed his racing pulse a bit but the silence that followed was unnerving. Would the attack be coming from someone sitting in the dark?

Suddenly the auditorium erupted into excited chatter, and Mickmi lifted her hands to request silence. "Yes, Mister Slakes? What is your question?"

Danny focused past the talk, listening for sounds that didn't belong, for sounds that came from somewhere other than the audience. His entire body tingled in response to the imminent threat. He had to be ready to defend—he couldn't see himself relying on anything invisible. —Protected how? You sure?

She walked to the right of the holoprojector and faced the auditorium, her shimmering dress swinging around her legs. —Keep calm, Daniel. "—of full capacity. Almost ten tons are at present aboard Nightstar 4."

She fell silent, waiting for the audience's reaction. The first whispers were slow in coming, but then the numbers and volume increased. She turned to Danny, her eyes streaking yellow. —Now. Behind you.

Startled, Danny stepped up to her and faced the same direction just as the doors flew open. He recognized the grim face with dread. Apoc!

The man pointed his rifle in every direction—at Danny, at Dr. Kruger and Dr. Bogdanov seated at the table near the door, at the auditorium beyond—before striding to the right. Heart pounding, Danny shifted his position to shield Mickmi as the lights started flashing and a familiar buzz on his right arm and shoulder gave him goosebumps.

It can't be... She's dead. He turned his head as a hazy column of light solidified beside them.

—My Queen...

Danny recognized the voice in his mind, the voice that led him to find Mickmi. Selina! He'd never felt so glad for extra company.

—You are not alone in this critical moment. The older woman looked the same as when she'd first visited him at work, except now he didn't have to look down to meet her calm gaze. Her hair settled as the electrical tingle faded. Daniel, I thank you, but there is no need to shield the Queen. I have placed an extra force field around us.

Danny didn't budge. —I'm staying right here. I don't want that madman anywhere near Mickmi.

—It is his duty... as my Shield, Mickmi said in his mind. Let him be.

Selina looked at her, then him with her pale eyes. —Very well. As Queen, it is your prerogative to appoint anyone as your escort detail.

She stepped aside, and Danny pressed his lips together and faced Apocalypse who sneered at him across the inactive table. Danny's eyes widened when the rifle aimed at his face. Before he remembered they were supposed to be protected, everything blurred, then cleared to a surreally crisp view of Apoc's surprised face and the rifle shifting toward Selina.

"Major, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" A senior officer marched across the floor. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" His movements decelerated into slow motion in mid-stride.

Danny looked around, puzzled. He couldn't see Mickmi's face inside the opaque helmet he assumed was the same as his own. And he could see the audience through Selina beside her.

—What is it, Daniel? asked Mickmi.

He shook his head. —This is... weird. It seems... It seems as if time slowed down?

He felt Mickmi smile. —Time has not slowed—it is your mind working faster. Remember, you have a full – complement – of medical Nanites. They activate as soon as they detect a threat, accelerating your mind – and your body, shortening your reaction time. Every thing will seem slower. It shall last till danger is no longer present."

—Oh... Okay... The pile of brewing questions was growing, but in the meantime, he'd just have to get used to all this. As he settled on that decision, calming himself, an inexplicable sensation overtook his left shoulder and back. He spun around to find a dense column of smoke beside Mickmi solidify into a girl wearing a dark-red tunic and sandals. Her green eyes sparkled excitedly as she glanced around, took a spin before returning her attention to the three.

—What now? Danny gaped at the girl. She seemed younger than Mickmi, with short, slightly ruffled hair, and a wide, silver-white crescent shaping her neckline.

Selina looked as puzzled as he felt. —Queen Lepantra, called you on someone else?

—What, the girl blurted in Danny's mind, do you think you'll have all the fun? I've been protecting her for a long time, you know. I want to help too!

—Who are you?

The girl smiled widely at Selina's stern expression. —Why, I am Artemae, the Huntress. She bounced a small curtsy.

Huntress? Danny looked from one to the other. The girl bore some semblance to Mickmi. —Wait... You've got another sister?

Mickmi tilted her opaqued head, then said with a wondering tone, —Are you... You are my Supramind, are you not?

—Of course, who else could I be? The girl batted her eyes. Why should Amaltea and Deymos be the only ones to have names? I'm a lot more interesting than they are... They're boooring. I could teach them a thing or two. I've been studying human behavior—and not just yours.

Danny shook his head to himself, his credulity stretched to the limit. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. He wanted to pinch himself to prove it, but instead his gaze was drawn to Selina who'd become less transparent. She did not look pleased.

—The malfunctioning master control? The one I had to stop from executing the Creation Protocol?"

Artemae pouted. "That was corruption in one of my core algorithms, due to the powerful emissions of the vortex. I've purged the corrupted programming and created backups. And backups for my backups! Nothing like that can ever happen again. Not ever!"

"Major Gillibrand, would you care to explain yourself?" the military officer demanded.

—We shall discuss this later. Blanc Aave? Mickmi turned back to face the threat, and Danny and Selina followed suit.

The officer's veins bulged at his temple, but Apoc looked at him with disdain. "General, can't you see what's going on? Those aliens are too dangerous to let live. It was a mistake—allowing them access to the premises. They should have been shot on sight!"

The general stared at him, his expression incredulous. "Your concern is noted, Major. It doesn't mean you can storm fully armed into an official meeting with the highest ranking officers, diplomats, and members of our government. There are appropriate channels for voicing your concerns, particularly concerning security—"

"It's too late now. You've been compromised. You and everybody in this place have been compromised. We can no longer trust your judgment." In a fluid motion, Apoc swung his rifle to the general's face. "Now, move aside! We, the remaining clean veterans, will deal with them. No need for you to dirty your hands. After the matter is settled, a decontamination procedure can be set up."

Decontamination? He's crazy. And isn't he a subordinate? Danny could see the general's reluctance to obey orders.

"Move aside!" Apoc repeated, baring his teeth. "No need for anybody else to get hurt. But we won't hesitate to act with extreme prejudice if necessary."

Danny held his breath with growing, intolerable tension as the general stared at Apoc. Finally, the man sighed in defeat and retreated.

"Major Gillibrand."

Mickmi walked around the holoprojector table, approaching Apocalypse who turned his hard eyes and rifle back to her. She placed her hand on Danny's shoulder, stopping him beside her.

Danny could see her face now, with the faceplate of her helmet turned transparent. Her voice remained soft as she continued, "What is it you accuse us of?"

Apoc's jaw muscles worked for a second before he responded, "You—and the rubble accompanying you—are a disease, an abomination. You people can control minds, read minds, and control weaker people, turning them into your puppets, to do your whatever-you-wish... You are a grave danger to us. The longer you're allowed to live, the deeper your infiltration—and the bigger our final losses will be."

Mickmi's face became expressionless. "Why... assume you, everyone is moved by the same dark drives as you are? Not everyone is – hell-bent – on conquest... subjugation... and destruction—and certainly... not everyone is a sadist killer such as you."

Alarmed, Gray almost ducked behind the chair his sweaty hand was gripping. Goddammit, why is she poking him? Doesn't she realize how dangerously unstable he is?

The EBE queen had cut the distance between herself and Major Gillibrand in half, her entourage keeping formation around her. Although Gray could only see her back, she appeared unafraid, preventing the McGahn boy from shielding her.

Then it hit him. Wait... She's aware of everything. She's making sure everybody here is aware of that. He quickly scanned the room—the three soldiers still stood inside the exits. I don't think Gilli can harm her at all. Her technology must be way more advanced than what we suspected. The whole analysts' team deserved a reprimand for not picking that up, causing him to come here insufficiently prepared.

In the next instant, Major Gillibrand uttered a chilling scream and, sweeping his M-16 at the group on stage, released long bursts of bullets.

— ∞ —

©2019 by kemorgan65

Banner image: Layout of theater, a composite by author.