Colorado, the tactical simulation range at Star Fire HQ.
Two blurred shapes crossed back and forth at frantic speed. The combat knife in Sherry's hand struck like a serpent darting from its hole, every strike aimed at a joint or a vital point. Becky, across from her, handled it with much more composure. She hadn't even drawn the tactical knife at her waist. She was dissolving Sherry's entire offense with nothing but her own footwork and evasion.
Spotting an opening, Becky extended two fingers like a blade and lightly tapped Sherry's chest. It didn't look like she'd put any power into it, but the force released in that split second still sent Sherry staggering back three steps before she caught her balance.
This was Becky's combat evaluation after receiving her injection of the first-generation "Dawn" enhancement serum.
"Reaction speed up by 47%. Neural transmission delay is almost negligible." Ryan watched the live data scrolling beside the screen, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. "Luis really is a genius. The boost is modest, but a no-side-effect serum is the right way to go."
"They've been training hard." Jill had slipped up behind him at some point, now in a sharp-cut casual suit that gave her a striking, commanding look. "So you've decided to give them a vacation?"
"Let them have a little fun." Ryan shut off the screen, the corner of his mouth curving with amusement. "Besides, it's been a while since I last saw Leon."
A few days later...
Harvardville Airport, Colorado.
Sunlight poured through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the terminal, bright and serene. Ryan sat in the sofa of the VIP lounge in a black cashmere trench coat, an untouched black coffee in his hand.
Outside, a crowd was packed thick, chanting slogans that rose and fell in waves. Environmental groups led by TerraSave had raised enormous banners denouncing WilPharma for illegal human experimentation in India.
"Becky, what do you think Ashley will bring us as a gift?" Sherry had pulled her hair into a neat ponytail today and was tugging Becky's hand with excitement. Becky was more reserved by comparison, but the anticipation in her eyes was just as obvious.
"I don't know. And why'd we have to meet in Harvardville?" Becky asked quietly.
"Because Ashley said today was the only opening in her White House schedule, and Harvardville is halfway between her and us." Sherry shrugged. "Plus she said there's a new mall that just opened here, and she wants to drag us shopping."
Jill closed the tactical tablet in her hands, glancing over at Ryan and lowering her voice. "There's a significant number of protesters on the perimeter. The rumors about WilPharma's human experiments in India have gotten loud, and TerraSave has their teeth in them this time."
"TerraSave? The group Claire joined?" Sherry poked her head over, curious.
"Mm." Jill nodded. "She's been running humanitarian relief for victims of bioterror attacks for years. She came to Harvardville herself this time. Word is WilPharma has a lab here that specifically processes the 'experimental waste' shipped back from India."
Ryan gave a noncommittal smile. "WilPharma? That pack of clowns who treat the reject data Star Fire tossed out as treasure? They won't be around much longer."
He paused, sipped his coffee, and his gaze turned distant. "Still... since we've crossed paths, might as well handle it on the way. Annette's short a batch of control samples, and WilPharma's research results would make decent recycled material."
"You're going to move on WilPharma?" Jill raised an eyebrow. "There are several old families standing behind them. Pull on one and the rest come down with it."
"So?" Ryan fired back.
Jill blinked, then laughed, resigned. "So you'll want evidence. What a pain."
The words had barely left her when the VIP corridor door swung open.
"Oh! My dear Uncle Ryan! Jill! And Sherry, Becky, it's been forever!"
Ashley came bounding in wearing a fashionable knit sweater, arms thrown wide as she launched herself at Sherry. "I was going out of my mind at the White House. Dad's in meetings all day. Being with you guys is way more fun!"
"Sherry, Becky! Did you miss me?"
The three girls piled into a hug instantly, their chattering filling the entire lounge.
Behind Ashley came a man in a perfectly pressed suit with not a hair out of place, yet wearing an expression that clearly read I'd like to resign. He was hauling three massive suitcases with weary patience.
"Ryan, Jill, long time no see." Leon lifted a hand in greeting, propped the suitcases against the wall, and collapsed into the sofa like a deflated balloon. "The President asked me to send his regards. And... he's hoping this trip actually counts as 'vacation' for me."
"Rough day, Parts." Ryan stood up and nodded at him, eyes catching the exhaustion under his gaze. "Heavy workload lately?"
"Heavy enough I want to quit." Leon rubbed his brow. "Europe's still a mess, and now a new cult's popped up in South America handing out bioweapons like party favors. Brass keeps saying I'm slow, that the White House budget's tight, and I should 'handle it flexibly'."
"Handle it flexibly?" Jill let out a laugh. "Translation: 'do the job, no money, you eat it if things go south'?"
"Nailed it." Leon gave her a thumbs-up.
"And they let you out for this trip?" Ryan asked.
"Ashley requested me personally." Leon cast a helpless look at the girl now showing Sherry her new nail polish. "The President said 'escorting the princess on her travels' also falls under agent duties, and I should take the chance to relax."
As the two men traded pleasantries and the girls clustered together babbling about where to go, Ryan picked up something wrong.
His enhanced senses caught a ripple of disturbance that didn't belong here.
He walked to the window and looked out into the main hall.
Not far away, a familiar figure came into view. Claire was across the barrier, her face tight with worry as she argued with airport security. The terminal had already dissolved into chaos.
Farther out in the sky, a Boeing passenger jet that should have been making a stable landing was tracing a disturbing path. It wasn't lining up with the runway. It was coming down at a nearly suicidal dive angle, aimed straight at the terminal.
What was stranger was that the plane's engines had already cut out, and a dim red glow bled through the cabin windows, carrying an unmistakable aura of death.
Ryan watched, his pupils narrowing slightly, an old memory flashing up from somewhere deep.
...This scene is damn familiar.
"Ryan? What is it?" Jill had caught the shift in his expression instantly.
"Get down! Everyone find cover!"
Ryan spun around, one hand to each shoulder, seizing Becky and Sherry and yanking them backward.
Leon's reflexes were just as fast. Almost the instant Ryan shouted, he was already lunging toward Ashley on the other side, shielding her behind the sofa with his body.
The next second.
BOOM!!!
The tremendous impact ripped through the airport's calm in a heartbeat.
The hundred-ton wing of the airliner sliced through the terminal's reinforced outer wall like a massive blade. Glass shattered in sheets of rain. A wave of searing flame and the reek of aviation fuel filled the entire space at once.
Screams, alarms, and explosions wove together into a death symphony.
In the billowing smoke, Ryan stood at the heart of the wreckage, letting the heat wave toss his black hair. He flicked a bit of dust off his lapel without hurry, watching the plane embedded deep in the hall as its cabin door slowly creaked open, and murmured:
"Welcome to Harvardville, Leon. Your vacation just got cut short."
Leon lifted his head from behind the sofa, and at the sight of the apocalyptic scene in front of him, the weariness on his face was instantly replaced by the sharp focus of a career agent.
"I knew it..." He gritted his teeth and drew the sidearm at his hip. "I knew meeting up with you was going to blow up in my face!"
"My fault?" Ryan didn't even turn around. "You're the one who came along."
The cabin door ground open the rest of the way with a shriek of metal.
Through the smoke, a few staggering shapes could just be made out, stepping slowly from the warped fuselage. Their movements were stiff and wrong, every step like a mechanical loop they couldn't control.
Ryan's eyes went cold as he watched them.
"Here they come."