82 FRIENDLY FIRE



Saturday November 3rd

The guard shoved Kade against one wall of the kitchen. The second guard moved in to put the Nexus jammer around his neck.

NO!

[activate: bruce_lee full_auto]

Targeting circles appeared and he dragged one to the Nexus jammer in the guard’s hands, struggling as he did, then forced the mental buttons down, mashed them again and again.

His body twisted and for an instant he was free.

[Bruce_Lee: Escape Succeeded!]

His foot lashed out at the second guard and the man smacked it aside in annoyance.

[Bruce_Lee: Attack Failed L]

Kade’s good left hand used the cover of his kick, lashed out at the guard’s hand and the Nexus jammer in it. He struck the device, sent it flying across the room, into the far wall.

[Bruce_Lee: Attack Succeeded!]

The guard struck him in return. The two of them pushed him up against the wall, pinned him there as Bruce Lee tried vainly to free him.

[Bruce_Lee: Block Failed L]

[Bruce_Lee: Escape Failed L]

Then a sound like thunder filled his senses as something exploded through the apartment. A giant force smashed through the guards in front of him, smashed him back against the wall. Searing heat struck him. And he was falling, falling, falling…

Feng heard the explosion. Too close! Too close! That had struck the building!

“Missiles off course!” Nakamura whispered over their laser link, his voice urgent.

“What?” Feng shot back. Then something dawned on him.

No, no! So stupid! Not to capture Kade. To kill Kade.

All warfare is based on deception, Sun Tzu had written. The CIA man had deceived him.

Feng pointed his assault rifle towards Nakamura.

Sam screamed as the mind invaded hers, screamed in absolute horror. No sound escaped her lips. The invading mind had ruthless control of her body, absolute control. She reached out to issue the command to turn off her Nexus reception, found herself blocked. She tried to wave, to kick away from the wall, to move her eyes to choose a signal from the menu provided by her goggles.

No good.

She felt Sarai and the children recoil in horror, and she knew what mind this was. Shiva’s mind. Shiva who had these children here. Shiva who had her now.

He rifled through her thoughts with brutal efficiency and she was unable to resist. He summoned thoughts of the plan, the assault, and she gave him everything.

She felt his mind jolt in surprise. Only three of them? Here to take away the children, to take away Lane? The rest, a diversion?

She wanted to lie, wanted to misdirect, wanted to protect Kevin and Feng and Kade and the children, but it was impossible. Kade had built this back door too well. Shiva pressed on her mind and she gave him everything.

Then she felt him smile, smile in satisfaction.

Kill them, he sent her. And her will bent beneath his.

Sam turned, and there, first in her line of fire, was Kevin Nakamura.

Nakamura tensed as Feng raised the gun. His eyes flicked over the menus in his mind’s eye, found the remote disable for the weapon, clicked it.

“You,” Feng whispered over their laser link. “You killed him.”

Nakamura backed away, away from Feng, away from the wall of the house, towards the railing, moving slowly, placatingly. Feng couldn’t shoot him now. Nakamura could take the Confucian Fist, capture him, bring him back to Langley. But he had a charade to play. For Sam. For her sake.

He whispered back over their laser link. “The missiles went off course. Countermeasures. We have to get up there, find Kade!”

He turned towards Sam, wishing he could see her face, see how she was reacting.

He found her with her assault rifle raised to her shoulder, pointed squarely at his face.

“Sam!” he yelled.

His eyes flicked towards the menu that would disable her gun.

Sam fired before he got there.

Sam moaned in despair as she turned, found Kevin, raised the gun to her shoulder. He turned, spoke her name. Time froze in an endless moment of horror. She threw herself at the mental hold Shiva had over her, threw herself with all her might, wailed at it, ripped at it with thoughts like claws, with every ounce of her being, with every bit of fury she could summon. This couldn’t happen! This wasn’t happening!

Kill them, Shiva whispered to her.

And she obeyed.

Her first burst took Nakamura in the face. The graphene foam impregnating his skull held, stopping the bullets. The momentum of it snapped his head back, the acceleration punishing his brain. He staggered backwards against the railing. His upper half pivoted out past it and over empty space.

Sam tried to stop, tried to pull her finger from the trigger, tried to close her eyes and make it go away!

Kill them.

Her second burst struck his chest. The bullets punched into him, pushed his upper body back, flipped him head first over the railing. His head and chest flew out into space and then he was cartwheeling backwards, his legs rising as he spun end over end. Then he was gone, out into the night, plunging down the cliff face to the rocks below.

“Sam!” Feng yelled.

Sam wept inside as she turned and pulled the trigger once again.

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