Regenesis

Hicks, in fact, would find his own door locked, as people would be locked in rooms all up and down the corridors. He might have found a weapon. But that was all right. They had non‑lethals to take care of that.

“You’re no longer working for Director Hicks. My name is Ariane Emory. These are AlphaSec perso

The man moved, and AlphaSec moved him to a chair and put him into it as Catlin assumed the desk and appropriated the keyboard.

“Gas masks,” Rafael said, and Ari put her mask on, as everyone did, including Catlin, hardly missing a keystroke. The reception area door suffered, as AlphaSec didn’t even wait for the niceties of the keyboard, or the chance of a lethal guarding that access on a mechanical trigger. They got past that door and set down two bots, which raced back inside at ankle level, very fast.

The masks didn’t even hint of the smell of smoke, or gas, but they were stifling, all the same, both an inconvenience and a protective anonymity. Ari pressed hers close to her face, kept out of the way and let AlphaSec do what they knew how to do, with systems they knew far better, while Florian and Catlin, armed with lethals, stayed right by her. She could see a little ways down the inside hall, and saw two of her teams stopped at an intersection of halls, braced and ready to fire. Where the bots were, she couldn’t tell.

The general com stream was scary. Beta and gamma azi wouldn’t give up a fight, not by their nature. They needed to be taken down, and that went on. Occasionally there was a burst of fire, and the quieter hiss‑thump of non‑lethals. Wes was their best medic, but Wes wasn’t here. Jay was qualified, and Jay was up there in the halls somewhere, with two calls on his attention, two of their own down, how bad wasn’t apparent. None of the opposition needed Jay’s intervention, which meant her people were doing exactly what they were supposed to do, and taking people down, fast.

Director Hicks wasn’t the most essential target. She’d decided that. Kyle AK‑36 was; and Base One said Kyle was in the offices this morning, and so was Hicks. Kyle AK was smart, he was independent‑thinking, and as the attack came down he would probably take command back there, if he hadn’t delegated and scrambled for an exit. All these years. Hicks might have thought he was Kyle’s utmost priority. But he wasn’t. Right now, she’d bet, in contrast to the way she had Florian and Catlin with her, Hicks was sitting in his office with the door locked and immoveable, finding himself all alone, and nobody defending him. Base Two and Three, Ya

They’d had schematics of ReseuneSec. Knew exactly where the emergency‑exits were, and whore they led. They knew where the switches were. If there was any doubt, Marco and Wes ran ops from Alpha Wing, with the schematic in front of them, and the eye‑screen Rafael had on a contact lens showed him where he was in a completely schematic view, a kind of split‑level awareness Florian likewise had, and Catlin, so they knew where their people were.

Standard. Florian had said, before they left the apartment, that ReseuneSec was supposed to have some stuff to try to scramble that, but it wasn’t going to work without Base Two.

“ Live capture, beta target,” came over the com stream, and Ari let go a long, long breath, but she didn’t let up watching and listening. They’d just arrested Hicks, meaning his office door was open by now. A second later they heard, “ Exit A! Coming your way!”

A mass of people flooded into the corridor she could see–Ari wasn’t ready for it. Florian flattened her to the carpet, made her hit her head so stars exploded in her eyes and things went black for a second; and fire banged out, and the hiss‑thump of non‑lethals simultaneous with it, right over their heads. Florian’s weight went off her as if he’d levitated, and she twisted around to see Catlin come over the desk and two others of her men hurl themselves at a man who was already through the door, but down and not fighting. One of hers was on the floor, trying to hold the man down, with blood pouring down his own arm.

“Easy!” Florian yelled, falling on the now inert target, and was after something in his sleeve‑pocket. Florian used something with a stab downward, ‘after which the man convulsed, twitching uncontrollably, and Catlin got a bracelet on him, nasty thing. He convulsed a second time. Tried to get up. Catlin flattened him with a second pulse from the bracelet.

Ari supposed it was safe then. She sat up where she was. Florian had gotten up off the man, then diverted himself to get their own wounded flat onto the floor, and to get at another item in his jacket pocket. “Get Jay,” she heard as Florian applied a tourniquet. “Bad one.”

Things were quieting elsewhere, however. Quiet prevailed in the hall. Jay came ru

“Suicide by non‑lethals.”Catlin’s voice came simultaneously from her and from the com in Ari’s ear. “Rarely works. We got Kyle AK, Alpha Leader. We need a team to wrap him up and keep him from going null on us. We won’t leave sera. We need some help here.”

It was no time for her to be sitting on the floor watching, Ari decided. She ignored her headache and swung a knee around, got it under her and got up, using the reception desk for leverage.

She sucked in a breath, went around the desk to the console, and found the switch‑set for A, B, C, and Master. A maze of switches. Blinked. Her eyes were hazing, blurring and watering.

Hell with that. She took out her mini, keyed Voice, and said, “Base One, access: Admin One: access: public address. On. This is Ariane Emory.” She heard her voice echo through the halls beyond, as it would everywhere else in Reseune. “Alpha Leader, I confirm Catlin’s order, at your immediate convenience.” Damn, her head hurt. It wasn’t quite the way she’d pla

Florian got eye contact and held up four fingers.

“We have four casualties in need of ambulance transport,” she said.

Catlin was talking on the com, and it made a jumble in her hearing. Catlin was requesting something of Marco and Wes, but it was coded and she didn’t follow it.

“All Wings except Admin, Wing One, and Alpha Wing may proceed about routine business,” she said. “ReseuneSec requests all persons currently in Admin, One, and Alpha remain where you are and do not make private calls. We estimate this condition will remain for about an hour. Wait for an all‑clear before venturing into the halls. Thank you.”