U-10

The moment Frost was yanked into the strange hole in the air, the swirling aperture snapped shut. No one moved or uttered a sound until the last paper, floating in the disturbed air, drifted to the floor.

“What in God’s name was that?” Colonel Travis asked.

“I don’t know, but Frost is gone,” Thann said as she waved her arm through the space where the phenomenon had appeared.

“The guy who grabbed her said something about needing her at SEED Headquarters,” Turner said.

“She acted like she recognized him,” Thann declared as her eyes narrowed.

“The guy was Lieutenant Ty Lavender,” Colonel Travis said. “He’s one of the best field operatives under the command of Colonel Roy Hubert.”

“I just saw this Lavender character appear out of thin air and take a SEED Agent hostage. Until I know more, he is to be considered a fugitive working for unknown powers,” Turner growled.

“I need to re-establish a communication link with my Base, Colonel,” Thann said. “Director Cruneval needs to know what happened here.”

Communicator in hand, Thann entered the sequence of numbers giving her direct access to Cruneval’s private line. Turner walked over and put his ear near the receiver so he could hear. There was a click and pause as the connection was established and the line encrypted.

“What is going on there, Agent Thann?” Cruneval yelled. “Hand the receiver to Frost. Don’t ever hang up on me again.”

“Frost is no longer here,” Thann replied. “Some kind of alien tech materialized a gateway where we are. She was taken.”

“What do you mean taken? Where is she?” Cruneval demanded.

“Sir,” Thann said, trying to calm him. “Some kind of portal opened. A man identified as Lieutenant Ty Lavender told her she was needed at SEED Headquarters. He pulled her into the portal, and it disappeared.”

Instead of responding, Cruneval went silent. The silence lasted so long, Thann raised an eyebrow at Turner.

At last, Cruneval said, “Interesting. Did she try to avoid capture?”

Thann considered her answer and was about to speak when Turner said, “Sir, this is Agent Turner with Agent Thann. Based on my observation, Frost went of her own free will.”

Cruneval again was slow in responding. Thann and Turner thought they heard some murmuring on the other end but weren’t able to understand what was said.

At last Cruneval ordered, “Commandeer a jet and return to headquarters. The alien craft is here. Cruneval out.”

The line went dead, and Thann shook her head, “He wants us back at headquarters. Something’s not right.”

“Cruneval ordered us home. We need to leave now,” Turner said.

“I’ve got a transport headed to the States. It leaves in about an hour,” Travis said. Thann got the impression he was being too accommodating and frowned.

“Other than Agent Frost, this Akhund character is the only person who had direct contact with the alien and the spacecraft. We need to talk to him.”

“I’ve had experience with Insurgents like that guy,” Travis said. “They are next to impossible to interrogate.”

Smiling, Turner responded, “That weasel will talk by the time I’m done with him.”

Alarmed at the nonchalant way Turner implied mistreating a captured combatant, Travis said, “We have strict procedures handed down from the Pentagon about interrogating prisoners. You will abide by them, SEED agent or not.”

Turner drew his sidearm and flipped off its safety. His eyes took on a dull luster, and his face turned expressionless.

“Ordinary Pentagon rules do not apply to SEED operatives. You can contact your superiors for confirmation of my authority but don’t try to interfere with us again. Do I make myself clear?” Turner said with undisguised menace.

“You’ve not experienced real interference yet,” Travis responded without a hint of fear. “You do anything out of the ordinary with that prisoner, and I’ll personally teach you the meaning of the word.”

With a sneer, Turner holstered his weapon and slammed the door on his way out. Thann saw the tense set of Travis’ jawline and knew the waters needed to be calmed. Turner had the etiquette and sensitivity of a Tasmanian devil.

“He’s all talk, Commander. That’s why I outrank him. Rest assured, I’ll control his hot-headed nature.”

Regarding her with less stiffness in his jaw, Travis said, “Good.”

***

The building intercom buzzed just as Turner, on the phone, said, “Sir, this is Agent Turner with Agent Thann. Based on my observation, Frost went of her own free will.”

Cruneval muffled the phone receiver and nodded at Muriak to answer the intercom. Muriak walked to the wall panel and pressed the receive button.

“Director Cruneval, this is Agent Lincoln Frost. I’m here in the building with Lieutenant Lavender. He wants to parley with me as the go-between. Based upon what I have learned about the alien tech he controls, it’s my recommendation you deal with him.”

Cruneval paused. “Agent Frost? I was just talking to you in Afghanistan. How are you here in this building?”

“It’s a long story, Sir. We have an opportunity here for access to technology far beyond our past experiences. Problem is it’s in the hands of an unpredictable trouble-maker who keeps wasting it. I think I can persuade him to stand down, but he wants to parley face-to-face.”

Careful not to touch the ‘Transmit’ button on the intercom, Muriak said, “I sense Agent Frost’s loyalties are compromised. I don’t trust her.”

Keeping the phone receiver covered, Cruneval said, “Somehow, Lavender spirited Agent Frost here from Afghanistan. I must get my hands on whatever alien technology he is using. The false promise of a parley will separate them from their comrades and put them at ease.”

“We have them contained. Why give them any opportunity to escape?” Muriak asked.

“You say they’re contained? Use what brain you have. They just transported Agent Frost from halfway around the world to here. What makes you think they couldn’t go anywhere they want?” Cruneval fumed.

Realizing he still had Agent Thann on the line, Cruneval ordered, “Commandeer a jet and return to headquarters. The alien craft is here. Cruneval out.”

Slamming the receiver down, he nodded for Muriak to activate the intercom.

“I agree to a parley on one condition,” Cruneval said. “Just Lavender and you, unarmed. No one else. If I see any sign of treachery, the truce is off. I’ll order the guards to let you through.”

“Agreed,” Frost responded. The intercom clicked off.

Tell your men to let them pass,” Cruneval ordered. “As soon as they get here, have the guards prepare to storm the interrogation room. When I give the signal, they are free to engage. Tell them to preserve as much of the alien tech as possible. All of it if they can.”

“Yes, Sir. What about you?”

Opening a desk drawer and pulling out a 357 Magnum, Cruneval smiled, “I’ll be fine.”

***

The moment Lincoln ended her call to Cruneval, Ty turned to Hashtag and said, “Check the fly-cam. See if there’s any change in the guards.”

“The monitor shows them backing away from that door,” Hashtag said, pointing to his left.

“I want two of you on each door and two with Koritt monitoring the fly-cam,” Ty said. “Is everyone’s suit comm still working? I don’t want to be incommunicado.”

Tests confirmed the built-in comm units still functioned. Thin, clear filaments, no thicker than a human hair, ran from the blue collars up and around the ear to a receiver fitted in the ear canal. The filament picked up throat vibrations as well. Only a close inspection would reveal the devices.

“I need to do one more thing before you leave,” Koritt said as he took the fly-cam controller from Hashtag.

Working fast, Koritt touched the orange-colored icons located in their room. Green rectangles outlined each one as he touched them. Tapping the trackball to activate the menu, he touched the seventh selection on the drop-down list.

Handing the device back to Hashtag and noting the questioning look on his face, Koritt said, “Green means those entities are protected.”

“Protected from what?” Roadkill asked.

“From the drones,” Koritt answered, astonished by the question.

“Are we good to go?” Ty asked.

Koritt mimicked a gesture he observed the Humans make when they agreed about something. His alien claws didn’t move the way Human fingers did, so instead of a thumbs up, it looked like a middle finger salute. From the laughs, he was sure his body language was correct.

Ty let Lincoln open the door, reasoning the guards would recognize her and let them pass. Sure enough, they lowered their weapons. Ty was surprised by the type gear the men wore. They looked like they were prepared to storm an enemy bunker. Each man had bulletproof armor head-to-toe and carried weapons designed for SEAL team assaults.

“Follow me,” a man with a nametag, Serge, said.

An uneasy feeling tightened Ty’s neck muscles when, just as they turned a corner in the corridor, four more commandos passed him and joined the guards waiting at the door leading to his friends.

“Something’s fishy,” Ty mumbled through his suit comm. “Be prepared for a blitz.”

“Will do,” Wraith responded, and then added after a moment’s hesitation. “Please be careful.”

***

Akhund stumbled into the room, almost losing his balance from the force of Turner’s shove.

The woman looked familiar. She had a pleasant appearance but something about her eyes reminded Akhund of the sharp-tongued devil-wife he had spurned a year ago.

He was musing about the color of the woman’s eyes, when the thuggish infidel, who dragged him to the office, jerked him by the collar and sat him in an uncomfortable wooden chair.

He wanted to strike his tormentor, but his hands were tied and throbbed with pain unless he kept them still. Instead, Akhund glared like a dog ready to bite the next hand that touched him.

“You don’t like being at the mercy of infidels,” the woman purred in broken Farsi.

Akhund almost laughed at her attempt to speak his language, but swallowed his contempt when his hands throbbed in rhythm to his heartbeat.

“What do you want from me?” he muttered.

“Only some minor details,” the woman replied. “Unimportant to you but vital to your continued well-being.”

“Do what you will,” Akhund growled. “I will go to heaven and reap the rewards of a martyr.”

Akhund was curling his lips into a sneer when a hand grabbed his hair, jerked his head back and a sharp blade sliced a line on his throat. Sure death was imminent, Akhund’s eyes rolled white. Sudden yelling broke the tension and the pressure of the blade on his throat eased.

Leveling his gaze, Akhund saw a man come around the desk yelling at the top of his voice. Whatever was said made the man behind Akhund remove the knife and release his hair.

Frightened by the real threat of death, eyes watering and feeling a growing itch around the cut on his neck, Akhund looked at the woman and blurted, “What do you want to know? Don’t slaughter me like a festival goat.”

“A promising change of attitude,” the woman said. “My name is Thann. If you want better treatment, tell me of the flying machine commanded by the American soldiers.”

“It was a strange thing - odd smells,” Akhund replied. “I didn’t know how bizarre until I saw the insect.”

“Describe it,” Thann demanded.

“My hands hurt,” Akhund whined. “They are turning a bad color. My stomach is upset.”

“Cut him loose and give him some water. You said insect.”

“Tall. Dark. Standing like a man but with the body of a cockroach. It chittered when the soldiers talked to it. Disgusting.”

“The woman with short, dark hair. Remember her?”

“Yes,” Akhund mumbled as he gulped a cup of water Turner handed him.

“She’s been kidnapped by the leader of the soldiers on the flying machine.”

With the throbbing pain in his hands easing, Akhund’s mind edged into weasel mode. The dark-haired woman wasn’t here to contradict him.

“I was working for her,” Akhund lied. “She needed someone local to keep the Insurgent forces away from the area where something crashed the other night. She said she didn’t want any interference. I was in a position to redirect Insurgent activities.”

“You were a prisoner on the Osprey when we commandeered it.”

“Yes,” Akhund agreed, thinking fast. “The Insurgent commander, Wakil Amed Ghaffar, learned of my cooperation with the Americans. He was taking me to be interrogated and then executed. Your attack saved my life.”

“You’re telling me that the guy in the bad suit was the Insurgent commander?” Turner asked.

“Yes, but since you didn’t throw me out of the plane when you left, he will be convinced I am working with infidels. If he ever finds me, my death is assured.

“If you’re telling the truth, you might have some value,” Thann mumbled.

Akhund started to relax until he studied the woman’s facial expression. The sly look in her eyes and the half-smile confirmed his suspicions. The accursed infidel didn’t believe his story.

“Why are you nervous?” Thann asked with a knowing smile. “If he ever tries to kill you, we’ll stop him.”

Akhund wiped his lips, his eyes unblinking like those of a feral cat.

“Ghaffar is slippery. He will wait for the opportune moment to strike me down.”

“It would be a shame to lose a valuable asset,” Turner smirked and cuffed the back of Akhund’s head.

“You laugh now but not after you experience the wonders of the magic pouch,” Akhund warned.

Thann’s smile faded.

“What’s he talking about?” Colonel Travis asked. “My Farsi is good enough to understand what he just said. Magic pouch – Magic bag?”

Akhund could tell he’d struck a nerve. Thann’s pale face and the suspicious tone of the American leader confirmed it. Pressing his advantage, Akhund said, “You are wise not to tell this man anything. If he knew how easily the devices conjured by the pouch defeated my Insurgents and your soldiers, he would lock this facility down and contact his superiors.”

Thann’s eyes shifted back and forth. Akhund embellished, “At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. Simple pieces of paper inserted into the bag produced wondrous things out of thin air. Dangerous things if my memory serves me.”

“Shut up,” Thann warned.

“What’s he talking about?” Travis asked. “He said bag again, and you told him to shut up.”

Akhund knew he’d hit pay dirt. He didn’t know any English, but he could read body language, and angry voices had plagued him the last couple of days. Only this time, the anger wasn’t directed at him. Stifling a grin, he waited.

“Calm down, Colonel,” Turner cautioned.

“I just told him to stop his gibberish,” Thann replied with a glare.

Coming around his desk, Travis confronted Thann close enough for her to see he hadn’t shaved that day.

“I know what SEED does - what it collects. I’m going to ask you one last time. What is this magic bag he’s talking about? Is it a danger to my Base?”

“Colonel Travis, get out of my face or my next phone call will be to have you relieved of command,” Thann growled.

Turner stepped closer to Thann to protect her. Travis pointed his finger and began shouting.

As their argument escalated, Akhund leaped for the open window and dove through it. Crashing through the plastic mesh window screen, he landed in a flower bed. Taking a second to wonder why the American soldiers would plant flowers on a military base, he scampered for the nearest truck. Grabbing the startled driver and throwing him to the ground, Akhund jumped into the driver’s seat and ground the gears as he revved the engine.

Turner ran to the window, saw Akhund commandeer the truck and emptied his sidearm at it as it sped away. Ducking his head as gunfire tracked him, Akhund headed toward the gates.

No other soldier fired at him because he was driving a US Army vehicle. Since it was too soon for Travis to sound the general alarm, Akhund drove to the nearest gate, crashed through it and sped toward the nearest town. For the first time in days, luck was on his side. He began humming his favorite tune.

As he careened down the dust covered asphalt, a rocket propelled grenade shot out of a gap in a pile of distant boulders. Akhund caught the movement in his peripheral vision and jerked the steering wheel away from the path of the projectile. Too late. It flew through the passenger window and exploded in a fiery blast.

Akhund’s last thought was truncated by the explosion.

“Damned, untrained goat-herders!”

***

Ty was lost in the maze of corridors leading from the interrogation room to Cruneval’s office. His only comfort came from spotting a few drones lurking in ceiling corners as they marched toward the office.

Lincoln was unfazed by the circuitous route after years spent memorizing the building. In fact, she found it humorous Cruneval thought the labyrinth would confuse her. She tried to give silent, moral support to Ty by brushing her shoulder against his on occasion. She didn’t know if he understood her subtle reassurances but had to admit she enjoyed the touches. She was almost disappointed the walk wasn’t longer when they approached Cruneval’s office door at last.

Not waiting for Serge, she grabbed the doorknob and entered the room as if she was going to present a full report on her latest alien contact. Ty followed her, surprised when Serge remained outside and closed the door.

Two men occupied the room. Ty assumed the one with an unhealthy pallor, sitting behind the desk, was Director Cruneval. A stifling odor of lilac was nauseating. The other man had to be the guy Frost called Muriak. Ty’s eyes dropped to the large pistol in Muriak’s belt holster. Spotting some drones in the ceiling corners at the back of the room, Ty tried to relax as Frost stepped to the front of the desk and saluted.

“At least my people will be able to monitor the meeting.”

“Director, this is Lieutenant Ty Lavender. He’s a Special Forces grunt who happened to be on a mission close to where the alien ship crashed. Dumb luck put his team on-site at least 30 minutes before I arrived.”

“Did he take anything of interest from the crash site? I know his bodysuit isn’t standard Army issue.”

“I didn’t think so at first,” Frost replied. “But my instincts led me to believe otherwise after I finished my examination of the wreck. I followed and confronted him. That’s when things began happening.”

“What things?” Cruneval asked in a voice laced with curiosity and suspicion.

“Mass killings. Alien encounters. A second alien ship. More mass killings. I’m sure about one thing. Lavender’s dangerous and out of control.”

Ty was shaken by the tone in Frost’s voice and what she was saying. It sounded like she was reverting back to her SEED Agent persona.

“How did you get here from Bagram?” Cruneval asked.

“Lavender used some kind of alien device to kidnap me, Sir.”

“And why would he choose you?” Cruneval asked. “Most curious.”

“Sir, I can’t explain the thought processes of an egotistical maniac. I can only guess he thinks using me will save his miserable life.”

The more she talked, the more puzzled Ty became. Why was she saying these things? Wraith’s message buzzing in his ear didn’t help.

“SEED guards are massing at the doors. They have battering rams. I don’t know how long it will be before they start using them.”

Feeling like the meeting was spiraling out of control, Ty mumbled, “Tell Koritt to activate the drones’ offensive capabilities.”

“Working on it,” Wraith responded.

“The point of this parley is to avoid bloodshed,” Ty said aloud.

“Parley implies near equal power between the opposing sides. You have no power here,” Cruneval replied.

Ty’s hand shifted toward his belt. His trained reflexes forgot he left his weapon in the interrogation room as part of the parley deal. Seeing Lavender’s hand twitch, Muriak drew his pistol.

“Put the weapon away, Muriak,” Frost growled. “Lavender’s unarmed.”

“How can we be sure?” Cruneval asked. “He has demonstrated familiarity with unknown, powerful alien tech. He wore that blue bodysuit for a reason. For all I know, he could have a death ray device hidden somewhere.”

Muriak began walking toward Ty, and Frost blocked him.

“Stop. Like the Director said. I can’t guarantee he doesn’t have something that will fry you the moment you touch him.”

Muriak stopped, but his eyes narrowed. “Why should I believe you? I think you’re working with him. What better way for a traitor to try and worm her way back into Director Cruneval’s good graces than to act like she’s still a loyal SEED Agent?”

“When did you take up the activity of thinking?” Frost replied with an acid-laced tongue.

“He’s following my orders,” Cruneval said. “Something you should have learned to do a long time ago.”

Frost’s eyes widened as Muriak’s grin appeared. Ty decided to intervene before the meeting deteriorated further.

“I came to offer you a truce. Now I’m told you’ve ordered an attack on my people,” Ty said. “Call off your dogs.”

Cruneval sneered as he touched a button under the lip of his desktop. “Now why would I do that?”

The guy named Serge who had escorted Ty and Lincoln opened the office door and pointed his weapon at Ty.

Seeing a nod from Cruneval, Serge touched his throat mike and said, “All teams. Initiate Operation Take-Down.”

Muriak shoved past Frost, menacing Ty with his pistol.

As he slowly raised his arms in surrender, Ty said aloud, “Wraith, ask Koritt to demonstrate our offensive capabilities.”

“With pleasure,” Wraith replied.

Something chirped like a smoke alarm warning, and a black speck dove at Serge. The fly-sized object avoided the man’s swat and flew straight into one of his nostrils. His eyes bulged, and he started snorting and coughing. Digging at his nose with a finger, he shrieked in pain.

Two more fly-sized specks darted at Muriak and crawled into his ear canals. He started groaning and digging at his ears with his fingers. Shaking his head like a tormented horse, eyes wild, Muriak dropped his pistol and fell to the floor screaming.

Serge seized stiff as a board and fell to the floor. Muriak’s screams muted, and his body stopped shaking. As Ty watched, fly objects exited his ears and became inert.

Multiple screams echoed outside the office. Ty activated his suit invisibility function and disappeared. He reappeared moments later holding Muriak’s pistol. It was pointing at Cruneval.

Eyes bulging and sweat beginning to drip down his forehead, Cruneval moved his hand away from the drawer where his 357 Magnum was hidden. Lincoln walked behind Cruneval’s desk, opened the drawer, took his Magnum and returned to Ty’s side.

Muriak staggered to his feet, thin rivulets of blood trickling from his ears. Eyes wide and glazed with fear, Muriak raked the drones that had attacked him off the side of his head. Stomping on the black specks, he did his best to insure they were dead.

“Thank you, Wraith. I think we made our point,” Ty said. “Stand down.”

“That was fun. I want some of these for my birthday,” Wraith replied. “All the darn things deactivate once any of them are used to end a life. Don’t count on them anymore.”

Lincoln thumbed the revolver’s cylinder release and dumped the cartridges into her palm. Frowning after a brief examination, she reloaded.

“Hollow-points filled with a wax. Fast-acting gel nerve agent is my guess,” she said, pointing the weapon at Cruneval.

Ty smiled at the sweating Director. “You’re more valuable to me alive than dead but don’t push your luck. All your guards are either disabled or. . .”

“We can come to some kind of arrangement,” Cruneval interrupted.

“To quote you, parley implies near equal power between the opposing sides. You have no power here,” Ty replied.

Without warning, a gunshot shattered the silence. Lincoln sucked in a breath and collapsed. Ty whipped around to find Muriak pointing the smoking end of a small revolver at her. It must have been hidden in an ankle holster.

Ty’s combat-honed reflexes took over, and he dove toward Cruneval’s desk as another bullet struck the wall behind him. In the short silence following the second shot, the blast of the 357 thundered. Ty peered around the corner of the desk. Muriak was looking at his left arm. His sleeve was torn and bloodied where a bullet had grazed him. Noticing Ty looking at him, he fired a defensive shot at Frost and whipped the tiny revolver toward Ty. Ty dodged behind the desk as the bullet hit next to his head, showering him with splinters. Seconds later, Muriak shuddered and stumbled. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t suck air into his lungs. At last, his body convulsed and stiffened. The nerve agent in the wax-tipped bullet had done its work. The pistol dropped from his lifeless hand, and he thumped to the floor.

Ty scrabbled to Lincoln’s side and looked for injuries. Blood seeped from a sucking chest wound. The second slug had ripped through her right side near her liver. She moaned as he shifted her to a prone position. Her hand still clutched the 357.

Thinking fast, Ty activated his suit comm, “Wraith, have Koritt find a healing card. Frost is hurt - bad. I’m on my way.”

“Just leave her. She’s with friends,” Wraith pleaded.

“Not any more. You have your orders,” Ty growled.

Motioning to Cruneval, Ty said, “Pick her up and guide me back to the interrogation room. Now.”

“I can’t carry her,” Cruneval whined.

“Then you’re of no use to me,” Ty said. Taking the 357 from Lincoln’s limp hand, he cocked it.

“Okay, okay,” Cruneval said as his attention riveted on the gun barrel pointed at his chest.

Lincoln groaned and coughed blood. Her wounds needed serious medical attention soon, or she would die. Cruneval scooped her off the floor and headed toward the interrogation room.