the %$#@ was that thing up on fifteen!?”
“ I don't know!” the scientist shouted back, quaking at having a gun pointed at him.
Jonny grabbed the front of his shirt and pinned him to the wall with his forearm. He shoved the gun's barrel against his throat, right below his jawbone. “It killed one of my men!”
Michaela, meanwhile, pulled her knife out of Burton, and wiped the blood off on his sleeve. She tucked it back into its sheath and walked over to Nightingale, and touched her shoulder. “It is over, little one.”
Nightingale looked at Michaela over her shoulder, and then at the two dead men on the floor. “You killed them?” she asked as she stood.
“I cannot take all the credit,” she answered. “Jonny helped a little.”
“ I work on this floor, floor twelve!” the scientist shouted. “I think floor fifteen is mostly nanobot research, I don't know! I don't know what they have up there!”
“ Who leads the research!?”
“ I don't know, I don't—” Jonny cocked the gun's hammer back with his thumb and pressed the hot barrel harder against his throat. “Oh, $#!%, I think his name's Phellman!”
Jonny took a step back, putting his arm's length between the scientist and himself. The scientist relaxed when he was let go, but then immediately dropped dead when Jonny put a bullet in his forehead. He uncocked the gun and tossed it to Michaela, then pulled the flap away from the touch-screen on his forearm. He began swiping through the Lab's personnel files, looking for Phellman.
“Jonny,” Michaela said after she caught and holstered her gun. He wasn't paying attention, though. “Jonny, we must keep moving.”
“ I need to find out what was going on up there,” Jonny replied. “I need to know what killed Theo.”
“ No, Jonny, you need to get us out of this building.” Michaela shut the door to provide them a little more security, and she picked up Jonny's rifle. She walked over and held it out for him. “Take your gun, and we will leave.”
Jonny snatched his rifle away from Michaela, but instead he just placed it on the heavy oak desk in front of him. “I need to know why Theo died!”
“Theo died so we could live!” Michaela immediately rebutted.
When Jonny tried to access the screen labeled Personnel Files , red block lettering appeared to tell him he no longer had permission to view them. Tommy must have met up with another squad and radioed Command to cut off their access.
Jonny gritted his teeth, and his lips turned up in an intense snarl. He grabbed the edge of the desk and shouted, heaving it off the ground and turning it on its side in an impressive display of unadulterated strength and rage. Nightingale began to back away, suddenly frightened when she saw the expression on his face. She kept Michaela between herself and Jonny, and soon bumped into a tall bookshelf that took up nearly the entire wall of the office.
“Jonny, calm yourself,” Michaela said. She touched his shoulder, but he shook her off.
Something wiggling on the ground caught Nightingale's attention, then, and she jumped with alarm when she saw one of the thin metal tubes that had been inside the creature. She looked all over the room, worried that it had followed them, but of course it was nowhere to be seen. She doubted it would be able to hide in the sparsely furnished office, so she relaxed and knelt to inspect it.
“Was it stuck to someone's shoe or something?” Nightingale asked, looking at the bird on her shoulder. It just chirped and cocked its head to the side as if in a shrug, and Nightingale shrugged in response. It didn't seem to have any of that flesh on it, so she reached out to pick it up.
“ Don't touch that,” Jonny said firmly when he noticed Nightingale.
He was a second too late. The instant Nightingale's fingertips touched the thin tube, she gasped and her eyes clenched shut against her will.
She saw Phellman—she recognized him from earlier—staring at her in Doctor
“ I don't know!” the scientist shouted back, quaking at having a gun pointed at him.
Jonny grabbed the front of his shirt and pinned him to the wall with his forearm. He shoved the gun's barrel against his throat, right below his jawbone. “It killed one of my men!”
Michaela, meanwhile, pulled her knife out of Burton, and wiped the blood off on his sleeve. She tucked it back into its sheath and walked over to Nightingale, and touched her shoulder. “It is over, little one.”
Nightingale looked at Michaela over her shoulder, and then at the two dead men on the floor. “You killed them?” she asked as she stood.
“I cannot take all the credit,” she answered. “Jonny helped a little.”
“ I work on this floor, floor twelve!” the scientist shouted. “I think floor fifteen is mostly nanobot research, I don't know! I don't know what they have up there!”
“ Who leads the research!?”
“ I don't know, I don't—” Jonny cocked the gun's hammer back with his thumb and pressed the hot barrel harder against his throat. “Oh, $#!%, I think his name's Phellman!”
Jonny took a step back, putting his arm's length between the scientist and himself. The scientist relaxed when he was let go, but then immediately dropped dead when Jonny put a bullet in his forehead. He uncocked the gun and tossed it to Michaela, then pulled the flap away from the touch-screen on his forearm. He began swiping through the Lab's personnel files, looking for Phellman.
“Jonny,” Michaela said after she caught and holstered her gun. He wasn't paying attention, though. “Jonny, we must keep moving.”
“ I need to find out what was going on up there,” Jonny replied. “I need to know what killed Theo.”
“ No, Jonny, you need to get us out of this building.” Michaela shut the door to provide them a little more security, and she picked up Jonny's rifle. She walked over and held it out for him. “Take your gun, and we will leave.”
Jonny snatched his rifle away from Michaela, but instead he just placed it on the heavy oak desk in front of him. “I need to know why Theo died!”
“Theo died so we could live!” Michaela immediately rebutted.
When Jonny tried to access the screen labeled Personnel Files , red block lettering appeared to tell him he no longer had permission to view them. Tommy must have met up with another squad and radioed Command to cut off their access.
Jonny gritted his teeth, and his lips turned up in an intense snarl. He grabbed the edge of the desk and shouted, heaving it off the ground and turning it on its side in an impressive display of unadulterated strength and rage. Nightingale began to back away, suddenly frightened when she saw the expression on his face. She kept Michaela between herself and Jonny, and soon bumped into a tall bookshelf that took up nearly the entire wall of the office.
“Jonny, calm yourself,” Michaela said. She touched his shoulder, but he shook her off.
Something wiggling on the ground caught Nightingale's attention, then, and she jumped with alarm when she saw one of the thin metal tubes that had been inside the creature. She looked all over the room, worried that it had followed them, but of course it was nowhere to be seen. She doubted it would be able to hide in the sparsely furnished office, so she relaxed and knelt to inspect it.
“Was it stuck to someone's shoe or something?” Nightingale asked, looking at the bird on her shoulder. It just chirped and cocked its head to the side as if in a shrug, and Nightingale shrugged in response. It didn't seem to have any of that flesh on it, so she reached out to pick it up.
“ Don't touch that,” Jonny said firmly when he noticed Nightingale.
He was a second too late. The instant Nightingale's fingertips touched the thin tube, she gasped and her eyes clenched shut against her will.
She saw Phellman—she recognized him from earlier—staring at her in Doctor
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