Alien Mine Ch. 15

Sandy was feeding them the images from the drones deployed looking into the room with the hostages. Two more men came into the room carrying rifles. That makes it twelve; how the hell did they get in? She thought, feeling helpless, wishing she was with Rhys and the girls. "Three of the terrorists left the room."

"Lost them," said Kiania, "there must be something in the other room; perhaps we still haven't seen all of them yet."

"What are they doing," Amancia said, "they can't get out."

"They don't plan on leaving; I've seen it before," Rhys said grimly, thinking about his own time in the Middle East. "This is a suicide team, strictly a one-way assignment. They are killing the hostages and sending it out over the internet. They want the Israelis to storm the building so they can blow themselves and the soldiers up; killing the rest of the hostages is just a plus."

"Do you think they know they have Mika? She is part of the Cabinet."

"I'm sure, They will want to broadcast her death, but these bastards have a surprise coming. I will assign targets at the last second before we jump." Rhys allowed himself to slip into combat mode, his muscles becoming relaxed, the world slowing as his brain sped up, processing at probably twice its normal speed Thea had estimated. Kiania, Amancia/Leslie as well. Rhys could sense the difference in them. Before, they were soldiers, now they were a team of predators ready to attack their prey. Looking at them, he could see the difference, small precise movements as if choreographed, but muscles tensed, like runners at the starting blocks in a race.

Kiania paced in front of the window like the way a jungle cat might prowl, deadly ready to attack. Leslie and Amancia were different now, their minds as one. Something was changing in them, but they were poised to strike for now. Rhys did as he always did before battle, imagining himself as a dragon, invulnerable, cunning, and ferocious. The girls seemed to feel it and looked at him, hunger in their eyes. Sandy felt the same thing as the others even up in the shuttle. "Dragon," she breathed, and looking around, she could see the shift in the girls in the shuttle, even sitting at their stations. Bao even licked her lips, staring even though her symbiont was not mature yet. He is growing stronger, Sandy thought to herself. Amancia and Leslie felt the change in Rhys, and it triggered their own, the two of them merging to become one.

Sandy wrenched her attention back to the ship, watching for incoming missiles or any other kind of attack by the Om. "God Damn it, Rhys, they have grabbed Mika," Sandy said, watching the feed from the drones.

They had executed another, one of her colleagues. Mika couldn't watch and screamed involuntarily when she heard the shot. How much longer, she wondered. Mika knew the procedures, knew the police and swat teams would be there already. Looking around, she saw the desperation and terror in the eyes of her fellow captives. They knew how this would end; they had all seen it before. Mika expected to die; even if the police broke into the room, there were explosives. She preferred that death to a public execution like the other two that had been killed.

One of the terrorists looked outside through a hole in the coverings over the window. Apparently, he liked what he saw; laughing grimly, he turned and stood in front of the camera. He started making demands again; Mika had heard it all before and knew none of them would be met. Then she heard her name. One of the men came for her. Mika tried to move away, but she was grabbed and jerked to her feet. Mika screamed and rammed her arm into his throat hard enough that he let her go. Two more jumped for her, and she kicked one but went down under them. One of them grabbed her by the hair, and the other hit her in the stomach hard enough to make her want to throw up. Gagging, coughing, and trying to get her breath, she was dragged in front of the camera. Mika knew what was about to happen, and she struggled harder until she felt the barrel pressed against her head. She jerked as she heard an explosion and shooting begin. Something wet hit her in the face, and there was blood everywhere, covering her face and arms. Then she felt arms around her just seconds before she passed out.

Rhys watched as one of the men walked over to Mika, reached down, and roughly pulled her to her feet. He slapped her hard when she resisted but was surprised when Mika hit him in the throat. Rhys could feel the cold anger in all of them, the almost physical need to kill. Mika was one of them now, and that made it more than personal. They couldn't wait any longer, and Rhys felt the world slow even more as the links strengthened, feeling the other girls in his head as his beast surged to the forefront, anxious to kill.

"Now," he and the four of them jumped together, their biopolymer muscles and bio-metallic bones contracting for a microsecond before releasing their energy, hurling them quickly across the distance. The reinforced windows exploded outward as they jumped, glass falling unnoticed to the ground. As they soared over the street, Rhys assigned targets, then an explosive crash into the room, the windows shattering and scattering glass over everyone. The man holding Mika paused, looking up in surprise, and Rhys killed him with a single shot to the head, spraying blood and brains over those near him, including Mika. More were shots fired immediately after his and hit the body several times, blowing it apart. Weapons designed to fight Trangrods would cause terrible damage to a frail human body, even on low power.

Kiania killed the woman holding the explosive trigger with three rounds to her neck and chest almost the same instant. She noted that Mika was still alive, and another terrorist was between them. Instead of using her rifle, she brought her left hand up in a backhanded swing, the new blade extending from her hand. In a choreographed dance, Kiania's body flowed into the swing, and the edge struck the man at the base of the neck, separating his head from the body. Blood gushed from the headless corpse as it dropped to the floor.

Amancia/Leslie had been ready at Rhys' command, the interlace tightly locking their minds together. Visual fields from two bodies were processed into one, and a winged black panther of enormous size manifested in their and Rhys' mind. Time slowed even more than expected for them, the interlaced minds processing input at a massively increased rate. The slightest micro-motion seemed to be performed in slow motion, and two sets of muscles tensed and compressed, flinging them across the street and into the room filled with targets. Two rifles raised and fired first at the man Rhys had killed, the body twitching and jerking as their rounds found him. Then a turn to the others in the room, weapons firing as if on automatic. The two were operating in a hyper-alert state, and six men were down with shots to the head and throat. Leslie's body turned toward the lone survivor in time to see Kiania, with a flick of her wrist, decapitate the man.

With a command from Rhys, Leslie and Amancia slithered through the other doorway. Two pairs of legs carried them over the still-writhing bodies into the adjoining room; There were three new targets, one of which was just bringing his weapon up, but it made no difference. To the binary intelligence, he seemed to be moving in slow motion. The two bodies fired three shots, each to the head of a terrorist, then turned and ran back through the room and leaped through the window immediately behind Rhys and Kiania.

Rhys took another half-second to check on Mika before they leaped for the window. He heard the door blow as the swat team rushed in. They jumped back the way they had come, through the windows into the other building. Up the stairs, at speeds no ordinary human could hope to match, then up into the shuttle.

"Let's go home," Rhys commanded.

The Swat and hostage rescue teams were confused when they rushed in and found all the terrorists dead. When it looked as if they were going to execute a senior government member, they blew the door, started up the stairs, and repelled down the roof. There were only dead terrorists and scared screaming hostages when they arrived, but no one else.

Rhys watched as the police swarmed into the rooms. Mika and the other hostages were alive, though Mika looked as though she was in shock, not surprising after what happened. "I thought I was shooting the one holding her," said Rhys looking at the picture of the dismembered body of the terrorist who had been about to shoot her.

"We thought you might need help," Leslie/Amancia replied together, looking grimly at the scene.

"Those weapons are brutal against unarmored personnel," noted Kiania, "but I think he took yours to the head, then several more to the torso and from the looks of it to the crotch as well."

"Sucks to be him," said Amancia and Leslie together, their voices cold as Ice.

Rhys felt Bob's concern flow through him. The link between Amancia and Leslie was becoming stronger, or perhaps they were just adjusting to each other's personalities. Still, it concerned him; neither Bob nor the AI understood the link between them, nor what the final outcome would be. However, one thing was clear; they were deadly, deadlier than anything Rhys had ever seen. Six shots, each a kill shot in less than half a second. Rhys had taken for granted that he was the best combat soldier, but that was no longer true.

"You're worried also?" Sandy asked as they flew back to the base.

"Yes, though I don't know what else I can do. I am going to separate them for a while. Amancia is going to spend time in Israel, and Leslie is going to Russia to take care of Yaneta."

"Hmm, any idea how that will affect them, being that far apart?"

"Not a clue as usual, but that is where I need them. If it doesn't work out, then we will have to just adjust."

"Bob worries they might become too strong; Leslie fought your dominance. If her personality takes over both of them, that could be a problem."

"I agree, but we don't know how this will play out, and I don't think Amancia is that weak."

"She is strong, and her need to be submissive is great, as you know, but that need is focused on you and me to a lesser extent. So you need to spend some time with them together, and remember, making Leslie more submissive has always been my position, even more so now."

Rhys nodded as he considered the problem. Not enough information; everything was new with humans and an uncontrolled symbiont. Well, he could only solve one problem at a time, and for now, Yaneta was next on the list.

The Major and the Captain were quiet on the way back. Jack was still trying to come to grips with everything, and now he had seen them in action. Unbelievable was the only adjective he could think of. Rhys and the others had swatted the terrorists like they were flys and hardly worth the bother.

"Good job with the killing power of these rounds," Rhys told Thea, "probably don't even need a kill shot; they do so much damage."

"That's the idea, she said, maximum impact and damage, minimum effort; I am glad to see them put to such good use. I wish I had been there to try them out, she said vengefully. I would have shot them all in the crotch and let them die a little slower."

Rhys was surprised at her vehemence, but the other girls seemed to share her attitude, and the emotions coming off them were full of anger; protecting their own, he thought, is an excellent trait to have. With these women, the results of someone threatening or hurting one of the others would be swift and deadly retribution. Rhys decided he liked that, not that he could do much about it.

Mika was trying to come to grips with still being alive; she had been sure death was imminent when they were taken hostage, and the shock of still being alive had not worn off. When she was dragged in front of the camera, Mika had fought as hard as possible, but to no avail. Someone had held her tightly by the hair and put a gun to her head. Mika prayed, waiting for the gun shot but instead heard glass breaking. There was a sudden rattling of gunfire, and Mika screamed when she was splashed with blood and other things. She remembered a brief sight of bodies standing there with guns, someone catching her as she fell, and then they were gone, replaced by other soldiers shouting at them to get down.

Mika stayed on the floor where she had been dropped as the new arrivals shouted orders while searching the rooms. "Clear here," she heard over and over as the soldiers rushed around searching for live terrorists. Then the medics were surprised she was alive, considering how much blood she was covered in.

There had been mass confusion, but they were finally evacuated, and she was able to get the blood off. She was alive but shaken, nearly dying would do that, she supposed, and when she got into the shower and felt the water hit her, it was the best shower of her life.

All the hostages had to undergo a critical interrogation that night, but none of them could shed much light on the confused rescue; they were just glad to be alive. Others had seen shadows of armored figures crash through the window, but none could describe them. Mika was confused by the questions about her rescuers, the detailed questions as to precisely what she saw or heard. Mika could add little; she had been struggling, waiting for a bullet, terrified out of her mind. They were the ones who rescued them; why did they think she saw anything special, she wondered. Finally, they let her go. The medics said she was ok, a few bruises but otherwise unhurt physically. Mentally was another question. Surprisingly she felt better than she should and calmer than most others. Mental trauma might be a problem later, but for now, she was coping.

Checking her phone, she saw numerous messages were waiting for her; several were from Rhys. She called him first, even before her family, breaking down in tears finally as she relived what had happened. Rhys listened patiently, promising to visit her the day after tomorrow. Mika felt immediately better as soon as she heard his voice; it just did something to her. The tears were tears of relief, happy that she was still alive and that Rhys was there to talk to even by phone. "Come as soon as you can," she asked, not at all embarrassed about her need to see him. Rhys had promised. After the phone call, Mika felt even better, centered, glad to be alive, and the terror was almost muted. Talking to Rhys and knowing he would be there in a few days suddenly made life worth living. She actually smiled to herself.

She did make several more calls before she found her way to the bar in her apartment. As she sat in her bedroom, drink in hand, without realizing it, she had poured herself bourbon, Rhys' drink Mika had bought for him; she did not think she had ever tried it before. Thinking about Rhys brought a warm feeling to her, and as she drank, she pictured herself in his arms, and Sandy was there as well.

Mika stood taking off her clothes, looking at herself in the mirror. Not bad, she mused; my breasts look fuller, she thought. She put a hand to her left breast and was surprised at the sensitivity, her nipple immediately becoming hard. Damn, that felt good, she thought, wishing the hand belonged to Rhys. Turning sideways, she examined herself; losing weight, she thought, thighs look good. Turning farther, she could see part of her bottom. It must be her imagination, but it looked firmer. She ran her hand down over her buttocks and sighed at how good it had felt when it was Rhys' hand. Given what had happened to her today, she couldn't understand how she could be aroused, but she was; at least he would be here soon.

Mika did not know she was putting on a show. Leslie had been monitoring her and had shared the images with everyone.

***

Joseph watched the video for the umpteenth time. Their own grainy feed that they captured from the small camera had shown most of the room. He had also gone through every news camera and video surveillance camera they could get their hands on. Joseph and his team had been up all night analyzing the film and soundtrack but were still no closer to figuring out who shot the terrorists or why, or how they got in and out with no one seeing them.

The terrorists were easy; they were all identified from fingerprints or DNA samples, but who killed them was impossible to determine so far. It was clear that they had come from the building across the street, but unfortunately, all the surveillance cameras in that building were blank or showed nothing. Their own cameras captured little. However, he could tell where they had broken down the doors, though perhaps smashed was a better description. That suggested they were in a hurry, indicating they did not know of the attack ahead of time. That was even more impressive if true because that meant they had organized a successful rescue effort far quicker than their own and more successful, he thought ruefully.

The office door opened, and others began filing in. "Any luck," Ido asked Joseph, who was heading up the investigation.

"Some, boss, but whoever this was covered their tracks. There is very little to see, and somehow they either fooled all the cameras in the area or were wearing some kind of active camouflage. I have spent hours going over the video, and all I can tell you is that it was one man and three women, which is unusual in itself. And that they move very fast. Impossibly fast."

"What does that mean," Ido asked. "No, wait, let's go to the conference room; the PM is there and wants a briefing.

"Mika will be there?" Joseph asked, "Is she going to want to see this?"

"Up to her, but I think so; she is pretty tough. Also, we need to see her reaction to all this."

"Do you think she knows something?" He asked suspiciously.

"I don't know, but they burst in just as they were going to kill her. So perhaps it was just luck, but let's see how she reacts."

Mika made herself watch as the briefing took place, though it was not as traumatic as she expected. There were no panic attacks, as the grainy video showed the terrorist dragging her by the hair to the camera. However, Mika's hands did clench on the chair as she watched herself break away from one of them. It took three men to subdue her and drag her fighting over to the camera. Good, Mika thought, watching herself; she had fought as hard as she could, the first man surprised when she got in the blow to his throat. It had taken two more to subdue her. She flinched as she watched one of them hit her in the stomach; it hurt just remembering it. But he was the one who was shot so many times. He was dead, all of them were dead, and she felt not the slightest remorse. Her only regret was that she had not been the one to kill them.

She forced herself to keep her eyes open and watch the screen as the man brought the gun to her head. She jumped, almost reliving the moment when the windows exploded, and terrorists suddenly died, including the one about to kill her. It felt strange watching herself on camera, knowing she was about to be killed, but instead, it was the terrorist. She saw the man holding the gun jerk as his head seemed to explode, blowing blood and brains all over her. She felt a little sick at the sight but continued watching as he was hit by several more shots. The armrests on her chair cracked as she gripped them as tight as she could as she saw the man just explode.

She was focused on that when she heard the briefer say, "five-tenths of a second after they crashed through the windows, all the terrorists are dead or incapacitated."

"Impossible," muttered a SWAT leader, "no one can shoot that fast."