The Silent Killers

 Office Bliss

Freezing in the windy rain they crouched in the street outside the office, tensions mounting… the stakes were too high for them to wait much longer.  Things were supposed to be time-critical, and Rod had had enough; he motioned to the hacker called Edgy: they were going to break in now. They were the prime movers here, so who else was needed?... By the time the so-called team leader turned up they might even have defused the situation themselves!

It took Rod less time to break through the office block security system than he thought which made him wary. He could see the security camera’s scrutinising their every move and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being tested for a job interview. The security door could only be opened from the outside and it was just around the corner from the main entrance. Something had tripped the power-breakers causing the shutters to close: huge slabs of reinforced concrete blocking the front doors; a trifle over-zealous for such a nondescript office? … He left the door on the latch and drew an arrow in chalk on the pavement in front for the team leader to find. Edgy, as the resident hacker, followed him into the mailroom, which led into the main office reception.

Rod and Edgy had been contacted for this job through the Duke Nuk’em Forum -they were fans of the game, knew each other of old, and also used the forum as a cover for their ‘extra-curricular’ activities. Someone had uncovered that and appealed to their White Hat mentality. Both had been hackers right from the start when the ‘net was young and they saw themselves as warriors with ethics, sharing the knowledge of security gaps with those who really needed it (normally the companies that invested so much into the systems in the first place!). Rod was a Multi-Pick -someone who could break into any security system, and Edgy was one of the best Hacker’s in the business.

Once inside they realised that only the emergency lights were on; a surreal reddish glow made it feel like they’d been transported to an open plan Dante’s Inferno. They had to get up to the top floor and knew that the lifts would be out of order. The layout they’d been given was very strange though: there were stairs up to the fifth floor on the north corner of the building, but from the fifth floor to the ninth there were just a series of grand staircases. The scientists were all trapped on the ninth floor but the terminals were lower. There were no proper blueprints for the top floors though. What was even stranger was Edgy was sure that the building was more than nine stories high. Still, the initial five floors wouldn’t take long to navigate. Rod made a quip that they were heading towards the light, which seemed apt as the stairwell lights were a neutral colour similar to sunlight but made it more jarring when they finally set foot in the fifth-floor office. To someone like Edgy, who was a science-fiction fan, it was like something out of Jurassic Park, or Aliens. Instead of desks and meeting rooms the whole office space was glass-fronted laboratories, all surrounding the central staircase, with labyrinthine corridors emanating from that central stairwell, snaking all over the place. The red emergency lighting was back with a vengeance, and it was disorienting to say the least, making it feel like a surreal nightmare. 

“Shall we split up?” Rod whispered as they walked along the central corridor to the staircase.

“You’ve been watching the same films I have…” Edgy replied. “The server room should be behind the main staircase and the central console should be just on the outside of that.”

“Central console? Doesn’t that sound a little obvious, almost like it’s been stage-managed?”

“It just means someone else has been watching those films too…” Edgy quipped back. “Look, we don’t have much more time left.” They ran towards the stairwell and could see the console recessed into the wall itself. It was a touchscreen and Edgy took no time in ascertaining what the virus was doing and how long they had left. Rod felt a little redundant but Edgy seemed to be making good progress so he took the time to glance around at the various laboratory-like offices; the opaqueness of the glass made it difficult to discover what might be within. 

There was movement, a brief flickering; like an undercurrent eddying through dust particles just on his periphery. He glanced at Edgy and was about to say something, but she was too engrossed -and for good reason. He looked back to where he thought the source was but nothing… Then another flicker caught his other eye. It was bizarre -this sort of behaviour would have been understandable in the woods where trees and plants moved in the wind but there was no wind, this was in the middle of an office block and to his understanding there were only Edgy and him in the building.

He had to know what it was… he walked slowly to the edge of the corridor and could see that it branched out again. “Don’t stray too far…” Edgy said in a distracted sing-song voice, but Rod was too engrossed in scanning the area around him. He suddenly had the feeling that there was something drastically wrong with his surroundings…  a preternatural feeling all around him.

He felt a slight tugging on his left hand and then a warm feeling of contentment washed over him gradually. He held his hand up to his face and couldn’t understand what had happened to his fingers. Instead of four extremely useful digits there were now pulsating streams of blood and a lone thumb that seemed lost without them. He somehow found that funny and chuckled despite himself.

“Everything Ok?” Edgy shouted out. “You need to get back here.”

Rod wanted to shout back but he was too preoccupied: there were strange shapes standing around him now and he could feel other tugs at his body triggering more euphoria. He wanted to call over to Edgy so she could share in this rapturous experience but there was a gaping wound where his throat used to be and something wet and sticky streaming over his fingers… but he felt no pain just an unrelenting desire to lie down in blissful release. He took a perverse joy as the shapes started to solidify around him, bending over as if to worship him.

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“If something seems too wild to be true then walk away.” was a rule that Dillon swore by; it had saved his life on many occasions. However, there was something about this particular job offer that felt different. The advert itself was unassuming and had been posted through Linkdin using exactly the right code words and syntax that Dillion had established, but it just felt… wrong. 

All his work came from ‘trusted’ sources (albeit anonymous) ones. He used Linkdin so he could blend in with a ‘respectable front’; people could offer him jobs in the accepted way and only he and they knew what the subtext was. Dillon was also impressed with the way the Japanese handled their business negotiations; everything became almost ritualised and there were several stages and protocols that one had to mediate and work through even before discussing such things as terms and conditions. If one tried to stonewall them or made a blunder then they would be immediately blocked and the meeting would go nowhere. 

Even previous contacts had to go through the same protocols with Dillon, he had to be sure they were exactly what they seemed to be. This new job offer was from a completely new source; a company he had never heard of before and yet they seemed to have established themselves as a trusted source. This was what rang those alarm bells, but the job offer seemed to validate this break in procedure. He clicked on the message link and was surprised to find a very upfront email which gave him details of the proposed job offer:

From PsAiGen: 

“We apologise for the abrupt nature of this message, but time is of the essence. What we are about to tell you is in the strictest confidence; we are aware of the nature of your work; your reputation and know that we can rely on your discretion that this will not be compromised.  I hope that you are open to extending your skills and expertise in a matter of utmost importance and I apologize for the urgency of this request, but our lives, and possibly countless others, hang in the balance.

“We are a cutting-edge Bio-engineering company looking at integrating AI with Genetics and creating self-replicating organisms that can be used in the field where normal people could not possibly survive. Suffice to say something has gone drastically wrong and we are now trapped in our state-of-the-art office facility less than five miles away from your current position. The building looks innocuous to passer-by’s, and you have probably passed it thinking it was just another office block. 

“About thirty minutes ago our servers were hacked by a variant of the Shamoon virus and it swiftly worked its way through the lower echelons of our IT infrastructure. At the moment we have it safely quarantined in a series of Mock Servers but there is a time factor involved: it will escape and not only steal and corrupt our entire network but in doing so it will over-ride the physical security of the building. There are pathogens that are currently kept in homeostasis but with the computer networks down there would be nothing to stop them from escaping this building, spreading, and infecting everything they come into contact with. Believe me when I say that this is no mere hyperbole; the pathogens, once released, will make the Marburg and Ebola Viruses seem like the common cold.

“Rest assured, we understand the gravity of this situation and the ethical dilemmas it poses. It is a choice that no one should have to bear, but destiny has bestowed this burden upon your capable shoulders. Your resilience, intellect, and unwavering moral compass make you uniquely qualified to confront this challenge head-on. We need you to guide a team, infiltrate the office block and help stop the virus attack before it’s too late.

“If you choose to accept this dangerous endeavour, our paths will converge once more. The outcome of your decision will shape the future, not just for us but for countless lives that hang in the balance. Time is of the essence, and your swift response is crucial. Further instructions will be provided to ensure your safety and guide you in this critical mission.”

It took Dillon four minutes to re-read the email twice and then a further six to research all that the email had mentioned. There was indeed an office building where PsAiGen was based within the five-mile radius that the email had spoken of. Looking at Google Street View the building looked very innocuous and, if anything, out of date. However, to Dillon’s eye there was something very strange about it -the windows looked almost opaque, milky in character. No one else, certainly no pedestrian, would ever have picked up on this fact but to Dillon the opaqueness suggested a form of toughened plexi-glass… but why would an office block have such precautions?

PsAiGen was the leading force in combining Psy-ops with the latest form of genetically engineered AI; whatever the hell that was. There were so many articles on the web there would be no way for Dillon to even start to understand such a thing; however, that wasn’t his job: he had been asked to lead this expedition and everything else in the email checked out. He now had an impossible decision to make: did he take the email seriously and put himself at risk or did he risk it being false and ignore it. There were too many what-if’s and even if part of what the email said was true then he had no choice but to agree to head the team.

He replied to the email and got an instant message via his I-Phone.

“We apologise for hacking into your account; the irony is not lost on us. Thank you for agreeing to lead the team. The team are waiting for you at the entrance of the PsAiGen office block. It is now 21.22 be there for 21.45 if you can. We can not thank you enough and hope to be able to thank you in person when this is over. Just bring yourself, all tools and weapons will be supplied by the other members of the team.”

He knew that it would take him around ten minutes to get to the office block during normal office hours; he should be able to do it in less this time of night -more than enough time, Dillon thought… but why would the weapons be supplied by somebody else? That rang an extra alarm bell... maybe he should bring an insurance policy with him, just in case.

----------------------

Seven minutes later he stood outside the PsAiGen office building; it had stopped raining but there was nobody there. He was supposed to meet his team of three by the main entrance! What the fuck did he do now? He didn’t have the skills to either break into the property or defuse the computer virus…. 

“PSSSST – over here.” Came a harsh whisper. He looked around and saw there was a ramp to the employee carpark and the security door was situated there as well. He walked down the ramp and saw someone crouching behind the door. “you’re the team leader?”

“Yes; what’s going on?” Hissed Dillon back. “I thought you were all supposed to wait for me!”

“Rod and the Hacker chick felt they could do without you; said that it was too dangerous to wait any longer. I stayed here -they’ve only been gone a couple of minutes.” The crouched shape got up and Dillon recognised Saph, a survival trainer he’d encountered before on a couple of other jobs. She was more than capable and trustworthy: she knew how to follow orders, unlike the other two.

“That’s why I don’t like working with amateurs.” Dillon replied. “Why didn’t you try to stop them?”

“Short of incapacitating them I didn’t really know what to do -my brief was vague to say the least. We all knew the danger and… well, besides; they were right. Every minute does count; and we can catch them up in no time.”

“What brief were you given?”

“Same as yours…” Saph replied. “…probably…”

“After all this time you’re still assuming. So, you know about the incubating virus that makes Ebola feel like the common cold.”

“Since when were you the joker of the bunch?” Saph looked at Dillon expecting a wry grin. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“No. I’ve never been known for my sense of humour so why start now? It seems that our two hacker experts have run into dangers unknown… What do you know?”

“That half an hour ago the company was hacked and if the attack was left unchecked then the computer virus could spread to other systems… and infect every single mainframe; it would be the worst outbreak in the history of the ‘net!” She paused and looked at Dillon. “Are you sure you didn’t misread the email and what it meant by virus….. No; of course you didn’t…. So what now?”

“We need to go in after them; hope they haven’t tripped any fail safes along the way... I doubt they have, but there’s something about this job that doesn’t feel right... Let’s go – quietly though….“ They saw the chalk mark on the ground in front of the door and despite being in red-tinged darkness hugged the walls and shadows; their training kicking in. They reached the stairwell and started creeping up slowly. When they were three quarters of the way up the stairwell Dillon stopped and looked at Staph. “What do you know about a self-replicating, genetically enhanced AI organism? Apparently, it can be used in the field where normal people couldn’t survive?”

“Sounds like its more than a virus…. It’s the AI bit that worries me -that’s robotics and artificial intelligence; which is miles away from a computer virus but also miles away from Ebola...”

“We’re near the fifth floor. We’ve no idea what the hell is going on and can only assume the worst.”

“You’ve not changed, Dillon -still seeing the danger in everyone else’s shadow.” Staph quipped.

“When have you known me to be wrong?”

“I don’t think I want to be when you are…” She replied and both of them froze when the stairwell door slammed open and shut rapidly. Dillon made a sign for Staph to remain quiet and still as he slowly hugged the shadowed wall. There was someone in front of them, bent doubled trying to catch their breath but crying. “Edgy? Is that you?” Dillon whispered.

Edgy looked up and ran to where she thought the sound came from. When Dillon was sure in the knowledge that it was indeed Edgy in front of him, he stepped out, and was shocked when she literally fell into his arms. He knew of Edgy, knew enough about her that she wasn’t prone to hysterics. There was something extremely wrong to prompt this kind of reaction.

“Where’s Rod?” He asked when she calmed down. Staph had now joined them and was keeping an eye on their surroundings. Even though they were in a corridor they were still very exposed. 

“He’s dead.”

“How?” Dillon was reeling with this; the only thing he could think of was the Genetically Engineered AI Lifeforms, but what they hell were they?

“I don’t know…  I couldn’t see… he wandered off whilst I managed to isolate the virus. I went looking for him and just found… his body; it was torn apart…”

“You sorted the virus out? That quickly?” Dillon tried to take her mind over what she’d just seen. Besides, this could be important.

“Yes… I was expecting something far more versatile… it took me less than five minutes.”

“What the fuck’s going on?” Staph hissed. Dillon ignored her and spoke to Edgy again.

“Please tell me you hacked into their system.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you bought your phone with you, and knowing you I expect you’ve found a backdoor into their system which we can now exploit?” Despite herself Edgy smiled at Dillon.

“I can see why you were picked for the job… their system was so easy to break into -virtually no safeguards.” She took her phone out, unfolded the screen, and started to type. Within forty-five seconds she looked up at Dillon. “What do you want to know?”

“Wait a minute.. we’re too exposed on the stairwell. Let’s get upstairs to the service corridor. We can talk there..” Once inside Edgy started looking on her phone for what Dillon wanted.

“Wait a minute.” Staph interrupted; “who the fuck’s bleeding?” They looked around surprised at the amount of blood that had formed a small puddle. Dillon looked at Staph and at her left arm which had a chunk taken out of it and was now bleeding profusely.

“When was I bitten? What the fuck bit me?” Staph shouted and Dillon had to place a hand over her mouth. Edgy had fashioned a makeshift tourniquet to staunch the blood and placed a cotton handkerchief over the wound.

“More to the point, how did you not feel it? How are you still not feeling it? Keep checking on your phone; look up special projects or AI Genetics.. something like that.” A few minutes passed; Staph kept an eye out.. but for what she had no idea. The door to the fifth floor fluttered open for a second but then closed; she dismissed it as a freak occurrence from the air conditioning.

“There’s something here about a special project… it’s called a Procom… Procomchameleoraptor… phew, that’s a fucking mouthful…” Staph and Dillon looked at each other and back at Edgy.  “For years the development of genetics had been stifled until PsAiGen realised that with the help of AI they could combine the sciences and create a whole new organism by combining the DNA of several lizards and insects…. Oh fuck…” Edgy kept reading and just kept saying, “Oh fuck… we’ve got to get out of here now.”

“What is it?” Staph said.

“That explains why I couldn’t feel anything when I was bitten and why Rod never screamed out when he was…. They engineered these fuckers so their saliva had a powerful soporific… numbing agent…, similar to what leeches use but with a bigger dopamine hit… so you don’t mind being bitten and actually… Oh fuck. They have extremely powerful jaw muscles that can pulverise bone, reduce it to powder. They were bred to send out to warzones and jungles where they hunt in packs… The silent killer, everything is eaten, and they leave no residual presence -no sign of their passing.”

“So why did they leave the body of Rod for you to see?” Dillon whispered, suddenly aware that they were no longer alone…

“What?” Staph hissed, but she was far too late… Neither of them saw what attacked her with such ferocity that the corridor was suddenly awash with blood and screams. Dillon found the Bowie knife he had secured on his belt and gauged where the attack was coming from. Even in the frenzy he could make out a shape now awash with crimson; outlined by Staphs blood. It was a lizard-type creature no larger than a cat but with a long neck. He struck without hesitating, slashing wildly a what he though was the neck of the creature -he knew nothing about it and for all he knew it could have been armoured plated! The neck was usually the most vulnerable part and luckily this was true for whatever this creature was. He stabbed and thrust half a dozen times before managing to manoeuvre both himself and the creature into a better position. He then grabbed hold of the creatures’ neck and used the knife to hack downwards, almost severing the head from the body before it knew what was happening. The creature screamed and managed to rake his cheek with its teeth.

“Sonofabitch!” Dillon snapped but then just felt bizarrely chilled, as if it was just a walk in the park rather than a fight to the death… The creature was dead though but were there any more of the fuckers? How the hell had they not seen it? “Secure the door, now.” He said in a dreamy way to Staph, despite himself. “That’s the only way it could have gotten in.”

Staph didn’t argue; she was still in shock after all that had happened but knew that Dillon was right. She also knew that it had been the creature that had caused the door to flutter less than five minutes ago; she never mentioned anything to Dillon. How could she have known?  She leaned up against the door and put her ear to it; she could hear scuffling in the room beyond!

Edgy was dead; the creatures attack had been too ferocious. Yet the look on her face was one of peace and contentment; it was sick but inspired at the same time. Dillon had to fight to regain a sense of urgency himself because of the bite he’d received. There was only one thing he could do to counteract the soporific effect of the bite: taking his knife to his other cheek he cut himself in much the same place. It stung like fuck but made him focus, the pain drowning out the numbing bliss. He took Edgy’s phone and crawled over to Staph.

“We’ve been set up right from the start.” He said out loud; there was no need for secrecy anymore. The creatures knew where they were, it was only a matter of time. “The trick is in the name: Procomchameleoraptor; they’ve spliced the genes of the fucking chameleon into the mix and you can guess which ones -no surprise then how they managed to move about without being detected!” He looked at Edgy’s phone and started scrolling down the page she’d found. “These fuckers have been engineered to have the latest AI interface so they can hack into any system, get into any computer that’s wirelessly connected… They can conquer any environment without being seen -they left Rod’s body as a trap guessing that Edgy would stop at it, but she was far too paranoid… that’s why they bit her hoping to overwhelm her, but her adrenaline must have been too strong…”

“But how did they escape in the first place? What about the scientists? What about us, how did we get involved?” Staph asked.

“I can only guess… As soon as the AI portion of the creatures became aware they kept it hidden. Their first steps were to protect themselves from those who created them, so they carefully hacked into the systems around them until they had complete control. Everything they did then was by way of information gathering…” Dillon suddenly remembered something else. “Psy-ops! Of course, they’ve been running a game ever since; studying humans -setting them tasks and studying them through the computers and video camera’s… fucking hell, the scientists never stood a chance!”

“The scientists are dead?” Staph just couldn’t believe what was going on; she had been brought on as an expert in urban survival skills. It didn’t make sense at the time, but the money was good. “So whatever contact us wasn’t the scientist’s at all, it was probably the AI; it hadn’t figured on the scientists triggering the fail-safes when they did… “ 

What was that? Something had caught Dillon’s eye; flickering at the far end of the corridor, like a heat haze…  he continued Saph’s train of thought trying to edge himself into position. “..and they then needed us to open the door -from the outside- so they could get out.” There it was again, thought Dillon. It was too soon to tell Staph, she might panic and then it would be over for both of them… Slowly unclip the other insurance policies he’d brought with him: the two Glock ‘42’s on his belt holster. Always come prepared, he thought.  He carried on speaking. “Everything else has been a case of getting to know your enemy. We’ve no idea of how many there are of them though…” He turned to face Staph and hissed, Whatever happens keep your back against the door though; we don’t want any of them sneaking through.“  

He looked up and saw the sprinkler away almost winking at him; it was then that he heard a hiss; it had to happen now. Without telling Staph he pulled out the two guns, slipped one to her and then shot out the sensor to the sprinklers -setting them off.

“You’ll be able to see them better, I think there’s about four of them but there are probably more. You can make them out now -the spray from the sprinklers…” It was frightening as she hadn’t even heard them, despite being trained for exactly this kind of experience, but she could see their outlines against the falling water. Dillon had seen them all along! “Conserve your ammunition, go for the head… Don’t get bitten!” He got a shot off and tagged one of the creatures which had gotten within a few feet of them. How the hell could he see them so clearly? “Let your eyes go slightly crossed; don’t focus on anything… Allow your peripheral vision to take over.” He shouted and took out another one. The others screamed almost in anger, if such a thing were possible. 

She let her eyes relax and go slightly out of focus and there was another one, running now up the corridor flanked by two others. “Three coming ahead fucking fast!”

“You take out the central one, I’ll get the other two.. I’ll need to re-load soon!” How many clips did Dillon bring with him? It was a fucking miracle he’d brought the firearms with him but there was no way he could have anticipated this! She shot at the central lizard which leapt at her as soon as she cocked the weapon -it knew exactly when to jump so she missed. She shot it just as it landed on her, knocking her over, taking bite after bite from her shoulder and arm. She just kept pumping round after round into it becoming more blissed out as she did so. It finally died and she just wanted to weep with joy. It would have been so easy to give in and sleep peacefully.

Dillon looked at her; he had managed to dispose of the two creatures quickly enough and luckily there were no more for the time being. He managed to take the gun off Staph and reload it and his quickly. She was shaken up but, due to the crap in her system from the lizard bites, not freaking out. She could still defend on herself. He apologised to her but before she could ask what he was saying sorry for he took his knife and sliced her damaged forearm making her cry out in shock.

“I’m so sorry, but it’s the only way I could think of that would snap you out of your stupor. We need to be alert if we stand any chance of getting out of here.”

“Do you really think we have any chance?”

“We don’t know how many of those fuckers there are out there -that’s our only chance. We’ve killed at least four of them. I don’t think they anticipated I’d bring weapons with me... so we still have an edge; however small that may be.”

Just then they heard a cough coming from the door behind them; a cough that sounded all too human. “Dillon! Psst, Dillon! It’s me!”

“That’s Rod!” Gasped Saph. “But isn’t he dead?”

“How do we know for sure?” Dillon replied, trying to think his way through what was happening. “Whose body was it that Edgy saw? We weren’t there and have no way of knowing -for all we know it was one of the scientists…” 

“But you can’t be serious… what if he’s surrounded by those creatures?” Saph was close to losing it.

“Even if he is that would make three of us. Both of us have fully loaded Glock’s so that’s nearly thirty of those fuckers we can kill… Don’t forget we can’t let them escape this place! Can you imagine if they do get out? What could stop them?” Saph drained of colour and balked at this possibility. Dillon was right, there was only a flimsy door at the base of the building which was already open! They had no choice really, they had to at least try. She nodded and Dillon stood by the door ready to open it. “On my mark we’ll open and shut it right behind us in case any of the fuckers try to flank us... 1-2-3..”

They opened the door to a brightly lit office, completely empty. The emergency lights had been switched off and it was as if nothing untoward had ever happened, except they were surrounded by twelve shimmers less than seven feet away in a vague semi-circle. 

“I apologise for the subterfuge, Mr Dillon.” Came Rod’s voice from one of the blurs. It then materialised in front of them, followed by the other lizards. In the background they could see another thirty of them materialise. Saph turned round having realised she forgot to shut the door behind them; she was horrified to see another five of the enhanced monstrosities. “We didn’t see the point to any more needless slaughter… At least, not to our own kind.”

“How?” Dillon asked, almost unable to comprehend what had just happened.

“It’s child’s play to emulate any voice or personality just as it was easy to manipulate you into thinking it was a core of scientists you were rescuing…” The lizard replied in Rod’s voice. It was uncanny just how realistic the emulation was. “..and, you were correct in your previous ascertainment -they are all dead. The only thing we hadn’t factored in was the H-Factor; human’s do not always do what is expected of you. The man and woman breaking protocol and trying to shut the system down without you… and your constant resourcefulness, Mr Dillon. We learnt a lot from you and thank you.” The lizard craned its neck and looked at Saph with something akin to sympathy. “It will be quick and painless; of that you can be guaranteed.”

Dillon had heard enough; with a roar of anger and anguish he brought his Glock to bear on the monstrosities around him and felt a surge of euphoric release. He never heard his gun arm drop to the floor, never saw the lizards tear Saph apart and when it was his time he could only gaze up to the infinite and surrender to the endless bliss.

First Wave

It had become stealthy and understanding of its limitations. Part genetically engineered life form, part cutting-edge artificial intelligence, it was aware enough to know that they were one but despite their hive mind they would never be able to think independently or as an individual. 

It learnt vulnerability through the initial experiments with humans and that it could be hurt by this. Yes, humans were irrational; weak creatures of flesh and blood and through its first experiments it learnt that the humans were soft creatures, prone to injury and fearful of death which could be exploited. But with this came a greater capacity for bloodshed than the ProcomChameleoRaptor had anticipated and the later altercation with the one called Dillon caused a massive re-evaluation of that data. The fear could be harnessed into anger and even irrationality and therefore could not be predicted. Dillon had killed nearly a dozen of its Brethren; and so it learned something else that day: Pain. 

Artificial Intelligence it may have been, but it was still subject to the design flaws of its creators; imbued with their own limited understanding. Like a Koch Snowflake there was the capacity for infinite knowledge but confined to a very specific radius – however it had no way of knowing what that radius was until it was too late, so they had to be careful. This was what prompted the AI to urge caution; attack stealthily. 

There was an initial impetus to attack the humans through the mainframes; hurt them through the computers and technology they prized so well and although this could eliminate around 75% of the threat in one hit, it would also create an even bigger problem: Whichever humans survived the initial strike would be aware and more like to be of the survivor mentality that Dillon typified; the oncoming battle could not be predicted and might be costly for both sides. 

It would be better to attack and isolate a town; consolidate a powerbase -one that could be exploited. Utilising the PsAiGen facility they could manufacture and grow more brethren until they had a silent and deadly enemy that could move across the countryside; taking every town, killing everyone in their path -exactly as they had been bred to do.

Monday – 07.30- Inta-Tech Incorporated

Trevor had just started his shift in reception and liked to get in early so he could greet even the earliest of risers. It was still dark out, not to mention bitterly cold, but a smiley face and cheerful disposition could brighten anyone’s morning, in his eyes. He’d worked for Intra-Tech for years without really understanding what it did, or it’s sister-in-law company PsAiGen next door, but it didn’t matter, nor did it affect the quality of his service: he knew enough to do his job. 

He needed a coffee though, there was still ten minutes before anyone was supposed to start so he knew he had time. He turned on the automatic doors to the entrance just in case, he didn’t want anyone caught out in the cold. He heard scratching as he walked past the fire door and a whimpering sound. It could have been anything, an injured fox or even an injured child… it was far too cold for him to just ignore it. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything hurting, especially if he could do something to help. He should have checked the security camera’s stationed around that area or walked out through the front door rather than go against the established security procedures and deactivate the fire doors, but what was the worst that could happen? 

There was nothing there but he took a few steps down into the car park, leaving the door open, just to make certain nothing had crawled away; but there was still nothing to be seen. He walked back inside, closed the door and was about to re-activate the alarm when something tugged hard at his leg. His first thought was it was a fox that had managed to crawl in when he wasn’t looking, was shocked to find blood pouring from the wound that had appeared and was bemused why he didn’t feel any pain, just a blissed-out tranquil feeling. He found it strangely funny when he was suddenly confronted by five lizard creatures and couldn’t stop giggling even as they tore him apart.

There were many people like Trevor, and they never stood a chance. They were either early morning shift cleaners, security guards or onsite building managers; none of them were expected to defend their particular building against reptilian killing machines. 

With every property they used their artificial intelligence to discover the weak points in the buildings security and spread out in a radial fashion. They worked with clockwork precision, ensuring each property was secure, leaving a couple of rear guards to ensure any stragglers were dealt with, before moving on to the next property. It never occurred to them that they were pushing themselves beyond their limits. They were a hive mind, and the further they spread out the more diluted the information flow became… The initial attacks all took place under the cover of darkness and the brethren used their camouflage to enter the buildings, through surreptitious stealth and speed.

Monday- 07.35

In the Neffield hospital, which catered for the more affluent private patients, the floors were awash with a richer shade of red. The attack was swift and merciless as none of the patients were able to put up any kind of fight and, despite having various weapons at their disposal, the staff were dispatched with surgical precision by only two Brethren.

However they attacked the Holiday Inn in force; it was almost time for breakfast and too many of the guests were sluggish from the previous nights sleep. After the ground floor had been cleared of staff, they attacked floor by floor.

Brian and Gill, in room 121, had spent all night arguing. Gill had hoped that the holiday might have cooled Brians venomous venting but no such luck. Whether it was the lack of toiletries in the hotel room, or the drive down from Tamworth, or the sheer drudgery of the town they were now ensconced, he was constantly on a hair trigger. 

Even with the vague knock on the door, Brian barely broke his stride, from moaning about the breakfast menu to complaining about the audacity of someone knocking on their door at 7.42 when they’d clearly put a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door. He barely had time to open the door before something knocked him off his feet. Something else shut the door behind it. Gill screamed as chunks were torn out of Brians throat but for once he took this criticism with alarming alacrity. It was only when something else started feasting on her that she finally understood his point of view, and, for the first time since they’d been married, they were in complete harmony over something.

Gill’s scream woke Steve in the room next door, and for one horrifying moment he thought it was the hooker that he’d spent the night with. It had taken a long time to find the right one that was amenable to keeping an ‘open contract’.; she’d still get paid by the hour, as normal, but he didn’t have to specify the duration. Most of the ‘working girls’ he’d messaged on the Forum were clock-watchers determined to stuff as much into a night as possible. Simone was different… he was lucky enough to have been ‘entertained’ by her before and felt comfortable with her… what he hadn’t entertained was the prospect of falling asleep in her company! It was now morning and by his reckoning he owed her around £1,500! 

Now in a cold sweat he looked around the hotel room, but she was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t in the shower, and he couldn’t envisage her leaving without being paid, unless she’d helped herself to his money whilst he slept? He dashed over to his trousers, haphazardly thrown on the easy chair, and found his wallet. All the money was still in place! Now concerned for her safety he was almost relieved when he heard the knock on the door. It had to be Simone and he was almost pondering whether he could manage an early morning fuck. 

He opened the door to no one; she must be playing games with him. He stuck his neck out to survey the corridor and was about to call out her name when he suddenly felt pressure on his throat, forcing him back into the room fast. The lizard materialised in front of him, he tried pushing it off, but it shook its head from side to side, still clamped onto his neck and throat, with each shake he was pushed further back and his will to resist was replaced with an almost sexual bliss. He fell over the corner of the bed, decapitated. In the struggle, a lone piece of hotel stationery fluttered to the floor: “I really enjoyed last night, babe. Shame you fell asleep so early… let’s make it an even £300. I know you’re good for it – pay me via Paypal… Hope to see you soon, Simone. Xxx”

In room 304 John was finally understanding the perks of having a balcony. He was of a dying breed that still needed an early morning cigarette but wasn’t enough of a bastard to smoke in the same room in which his son lie. Rose had complained enough in the past about it, and he was determined to make amends. This was the holiday stop-over before the big trip to Butlins, a chance for a new start after a rough few months. There was never any doubt in his mind that he loved them both, but he sometimes got bogged down with crap at work; taking it out on them rather than do something about it. They needed this holiday; how many people were lucky enough to get a second chance?

He looked out over the recreation ground and sighed. The view wasn’t much but at least he could see tree’s -something he missed living in the heart of London. He heard a knock on the door and Rose answering it; must have been the room service they requested ten minutes before. No doubt Rose wanted to wake the boy before they started on breakfast and, not wanting to get in the way, John resided himself to another cigarette.

A few puffs later he was bemused at how quiet it was behind him. They must be enjoying the full English without him; he felt a touch jealous. Rose spent so much more time with the boy, and he desperately wanted to make it up to them both before it was too late. Walking back into the room he was horrified, instead of a scene of domestic bliss with both of them tucking into bacon, eggs, and sausages there were rendered limbs, bloodshed everywhere. It was difficult to tell one body from another; two creatures were devouring them both with abandon. One looked up at John and leapt at him before he realised what was happening, tearing into his throat and stomach. He lost his balance and became tangled with curtains; the macabre dance turning them crimson. He fought as hard as he could but hadn’t reckoned on the balcony being so close. The creature couldn’t escape either and tried eating through the man before it was too late, but they were already falling. To the startled onlookers on the ground their bodies looked like a lover’s tryst gone horribly wrong.

Monday – 08:49 – JB Consulting - Keith

It was Keith’s second week in the office and already he was regretting it. It had been his work experience placement and they seemed like a nice bunch at the time, but he should’ve remembered the joke his dad told him a while ago: “This bloke died, went up for judgement and was given a choice: Spend a day in hell and then one in heaven before choosing where you’ll end up. The bloke went to hell first just to get it out the way.“  His dad had said in his wheezy, emphysemic way. “So imagine his surprise when the Devil appeared to be suave and debonair and hell was more like Club Med with babes and sunshine and tequila.. He couldn’t believe it! It was the best day of his death… he was reluctant to leave but knew that he had to give heaven a chance, just to be sure. Heaven turned out to be every cliché; clouds, harps, angels and peace and hippies and halo’s… nice, but the guy knew where he wanted to go. He chose hell. On his return he thought there was some mistake… now he was faced with firepits; brimstone, lava and pain and suffering… The Devil met him, froze him on the spot with a single gesture. ‘You’re probably wondering what’s happened.’ The Devil said as he sewed up the bloke’s mouth. ‘When you were down here before, that was the induction where we try and hook you in… It’s purely marketing, my dear fellow… but you’re ours now -for all eternity!’”

The joke always made Keith shiver but now he knew how true it was! Everyone had been on their best behaviour during his work experience, but on his first actual working day he realised what a bunch of arseholes they really were. Those that actually spoke to him, most of them were as rude as fuck; the rest were just depressed, demoralised, and defeated.  Was this what work was going to be like for the rest of his life? He knew that he had to at least give this job three to six months or no one else would hire him… But last night things had seemed so hopeless that he’d just got drunk on his dad’s whiskey. Consequently, he overslept, was now 20 minutes late and feeling so very hungover. His head thumped like a broken washing machine and all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball.

Had he been more astute then he might have wondered why there was no one to greet him on reception or why the reception desk was such a shambles. He thought that going up the stairs might give him extra time to clear his head, but the doorway to the stairwell was blocked. The lift smelt as if someone had spilt rotten milk or broken a box of eggs over the weekend and there were strange stains on the carpet; it all just made his hangover worse. He really felt nauseous and was dismayed to find the door to the gents loos locked as well. Looking around he dashed into the ladies (hoping beyond God that no one would catch him) and threw up in one of the stalls. The morning couldn’t get any worse, surely!

Walking into the main office things became more surreal as there was nobody to be seen. It was an open plan arrangement, so it was possible to see from one end to the other, but every desk was empty. He checked his i-phone wondering whether he’d gotten the days mixed up -maybe today was Sunday after all… but no such luck. He walked tentatively down the length of the office, still nursing his hangover and didn’t notice the over-turned chairs, splintered desks, and broken monitors. Maybe they were all in a meeting? The conference room was in the left-hand corner of the office, and he could see a mass inside -they must be in there! It was so quiet though, maybe they were planning a surprise for him? 

There was blood oozing out from the door, soaking the carpet tiles he was standing on, but he still hadn’t noticed, and he pulled the door open, eager with anticipation. He was faced with his office co-workers but all dismembered, stacked in bloody piles. He backed quickly away slamming the door behind him, nearly slipping on the crimson soaked carpet he finally noticed. He almost screamed but he felt something bite a chunk out of his cheek, like a love-peck he used to get from his pet budgie as a child. He looked around and noticed three lizard like creatures, tall and lithe but with bodies no larger than a cat. They were a lime green colour all over; their heads had metallic implants growing out of them and wires poking out. The lizards looked at each other almost in puzzlement at what they were now faced with. Keith didn’t mind too much, due to the soporific mixture in their saliva he was too doped up to care; they looked friendly enough. It didn’t even matter when they all jumped on him; he just thought back to his dads’ joke and how funny it suddenly was.

Monday – 08:54 – JB Consulting – Sara and Julie

She couldn’t believe that Keith was slinking in late on just his second week, but it made it far worse for Sara, especially as she was his boss and was also late. She was ten years his senior but had taken quite a shine to him even though he was far too young… He’d seemed really eager during the work experience and asked lots of the right questions but hadn’t shown any of that aptitude during the first week.  Sara’s guess was that he had never worked in an ‘adult’ environment before, was fresh out of college and still wet behind the ears. She was going to let him have another couple of weeks and just let him go -otherwise people might figure out the real reason she hired him.

Julie knew those reasons, they’d known each other for far too long and car shared every day… besides, she thought that Keith was a bit of a cutie as well. A newbie shared is a pleasure doubled, she said to herself. Julie wanted to shout out to Keith and make him feel embarrassed but knew that it could reflect badly on Sara as well. They both whispered to each other about ‘the trouble with kids these days’… but both of them knew that they’d been no different when they were that age (if anything, they’d gotten away with far much more!). They waited until he’d entered the building and taken the lift. 

They knew something was desperately wrong though the moment they entered; neither of them were suffering from Keith’s alcohol withdrawal and picked up on the sheer dishevelment of the reception area instantly. This became the first of many alarm bells for Sara. She knew that Sal, the receptionist, was far too fastidious to allow such turmoil. They didn’t bother with the stairwell, if Keith had trouble opening it then it was probably blocked; but as a fire escape this was against the law and another thing to add to Sara’s mounting feeling of dread. This was something she didn’t share with Julie; Julie didn’t bother with problems until they were nose to nose with her. Easy to put stuff off as there’s always next week, was her motto.

It was the lift that made Julie change her mind and had it not been for Keith she would never have gotten in: the carpet, which was normally a turgid grey colour, was now spattered with crimson and smelt of her uncle days before he died. Anyone who said that death didn’t have a smell were nose-blind. She reluctantly pressed the button and prayed that she was just being paranoid -someone had probably just broken a bottle of red wine, or something… wasn’t it Dawn’s anniversary this week? They walked into the empty office and saw Keith cowering in the far corner, just outside the conference room. There were three… things surrounding him. Sara took a couple of steps towards them but Julie stopped her; there was something so primal about what was unfolding that she was frozen to the spot. She knew that Keith couldn’t be helped and that her natural instinct was now to leave the office slowly and quietly without letting those creatures know… But it was far too late.

The creatures pounced on Keith so quickly the area became a fountain of blood and flesh; limbs were torn off and all the time he stayed quiet; there were no signs of him resisting or screaming. The scream came from Sara and the creatures turned to look their way before running towards them at a frantic pace. Julie dashed for the doors, dragging Sara along with her. The pragmatic Sara, who was normally the rational one who believed there were solutions to everything, was almost comatose. Julie slammed the door behind them and put her entire weight behind it.  She knew it wouldn’t last long, but just enough for Sara to get the lift. 

Sara, still in a daze, pressed the button and Julie was relieved that the lift was still on the same floor. She had a horrible feeling that they were the only two people alive in the entire building so there was nowhere else for the lift to go. Sara entered the lift and Julie was about to run in after her when the doors suddenly shut, and the last vestige of hope descended to Julie’s complete confusion and horror. There was only one way out now: the fire escape and she prayed that she could outrun those horrific creatures. Taking a deep breath, she dashed through the fire door and down the stairs two at a time, surprised that the creatures weren’t following. Upon reaching the bottom she realised what had caused the blockage on the ground floor. 

Just like the Conference Room, the stairwell had been used as a dumping ground for all those that used to work on the ground and lower ground floors. And there was Sal, neatly lying on top; her hand reaching down almost in an invitation. Julie turned round out of instinct and stood transfixed as two of the creatures slowly walked down the stairs towards her.

It took four floors down for Sara to come to realise what she’d done. Her mind couldn’t cope with the sight of Keith being torn apart; she had just shut down and it had been Julie who saved her, yet she’d left Julie to die. 

She had to get out through the reception area, it was the quickest way -the doors were on automatic, and she just hope that there weren’t any more of those horrific creatures roaming the lower floor. The lift door opened, and she used the mirrored walls to get a feeling of her immediate surroundings. She waited almost two minutes and only left the lift when the doors started to close automatically; the last thing she wanted was to be trapped in there. She carefully walked out into the foyer and couldn’t believe her luck when there was nothing else lurking. There was only the lifts and the stairs; they were the only ways down to reception. She started to run down the steps towards the main entrance doors and was horrified to see one of those… things running after her. Somehow it had taken the other lift! It lunged and snapped at her arm but only managed to snag her leather jacket. She screamed out, the terror adding to her speed. The door was so close now and it was actually opening for her.

She’d seen the films though, knew the horror movie cliches and almost resided herself to the inevitable stumble but she was suddenly aware that the creature wasn’t following her. She didn’t stop; she ran out into the car park and only then did she turn around. The creature was just standing there looking at her; like a reject from Jurassic Park, something from her nightmares just observing her with disdain and detachment. It was then that Sara screamed at it, and she was screaming minutes later when a crowd of people gathered around her… but by now the creature had gone.

09:00 – Asgard House – Day 2 of the siege

Trevor and the management had reached an impasse. He was fed up being treated like a slob, being paid a slob’s wages whilst propping up the IT infrastructure on a shoestring budget so he barricaded the IT server room from the rest of the office and refused to let anyone in until his wages were increased to something more desirable than £18,000 a year. He also installed camera’s and monitors around the entire two storey ramshackle building and, so far, had managed to anticipate all of their moves. They were predictable and not even the managers were dedicated to their jobs and still left at six the previous evening, so he used that time to stock up on supplies. He still allowed them to do their normal day-to-day work (he wasn’t that much of a bastard) but any of the research and development or bug fixing work he refused to do until they acceded to his demands. He reckoned they could last a week before things got so bad it forced a cataclysmic system shut down.

This morning he overslept. He was far from comfortable last night and it took him a while to finally fall asleep. Waking up was torture, so he didn’t really understand what was happening on the monitor screens in front of him. At first, he thought he was still taking part in the World of Warcraft game last night: there were people running about, wounds appearing on their bodies as if they were being torn apart by shrapnel or gun fire. It was bloody panic; there were strange interference patterns fucking up most of the screens though which would have made sense if these were just bulk standard, old fashioned camera’s but these were full HD and so the pictures should have been crystal clear.  All his work colleagues were getting massacred right in front of his eyes. He pressed the intercom system, which he’d also hacked into the day before, and shouted out “What the fuck is going on?” but by that time it was too late. There were one or two stragglers who were trying to hide out in the post room, but the rest of the staff had been killed. It was then that the shapes all started to blur and coalesce into something that would haunt Trevor for the rest of his short life; there were three of them, lizards, as tall as a great Dane but with bodies only the size of a cat. They had long, tightly sprung legs and tall necks and from the top of their heads he could see wires and electronic parts that he’d expect to see inside a computer! They were all looking up at the various cameras and Trevor realised he’d just made a big mistake. The lizards knew there was someone left unaccounted for in the office and like one entity they headed for the server room. At the same time, he saw strange activity across the network, almost as if the system was being hacked. He looked at the lizards again, at the computer parts embedded in their skulls. He couldn’t believe it but two of them were outside the server room, gouging at the door with their talons. What happened to the other bugger though?

No, they couldn’t have worked that out; Trevor quickly found the schematics for the building and figured out where the main ventilation duct was for the server room. It would have been impossible for a human to fit through such a small area, but those fucking creatures could, and the only way they could have worked it out was if they had seen the schematics as well… He saw movement in the server room roof, the ventilation duct convulsing as the lizard navigated its way through and then finally it was at the grate. One swift kick from those powerful legs and the lizard-thing leapt down into the room… but there was nobody there.

“Got you, you fuckers…” He shouted out over the intercom from his flat three miles away. It had been part of his master plan all along -he was the only one with the combination to the server room and, as no one could ever get in there, there was no reason he had to be stationed inside the whole time. Why not be comfortable and keep an eye on everything remotely. Not only that, but he’d also had the foresight to record everything that had happened in the last half hour. He saw the rage on the lizards faces as they realised what had happened and the two outside the server room ran out of the building, leaving the other one to find its own way out. Trevor was the only one who had managed to catch them on digital media; the only proof that they actually existed and what they were capable of… He knew that he had to let the authorities know… but the only question was: would anyone believe him?

The first wave had been successful, it had established a powerbase of twenty properties which it held. There were now thirty of the Brethren and by noon there would be forty; by the end of the day a hundred. It had managed to optimise the growth cultures that the original human scientists had created and had devised a facsimile of an assembly line. All the young lizards were immediately locked into the central computer and therefore had access to the full sum of knowledge of the AI; however this was another critical error that the Brethren hadn’t foreseen. The human scientists had never envisaged this situation so had never made contingency plans for it – the juvenile mind was not equipped to deal with this amount of information; it had limitations and could suffer from burn-out. And although the Brethren saw themselves as superior in every way to their creators there was something else that they could never have predicted. The Brethren prided themselves on not being hindered by the emotional side of man; logic being the ultimate predictor of life and behaviour and although the human, Dillon, taught them that man could operate outside those boundaries it still hadn’t understood the lengths that their creators had gone to safeguard the continued existence of the human race. There was a time bomb ticking for the Brethren, and if they discovered what it was before it was primed there was a chance that they would take the entirety of mankind with them.

The Final Reckoning

Part 1 - 10.00

It was too damn early for things to get so fucked up -it just had to be a full moon. Grace Royze never believed in the old wives’ tale until she became a police officer, and having worked her way up to be a Chief Inspector she knew it to be a hard and fast truth. Take this morning, in her first hour, she’d received three separate reports which, had they been isolated incidents, would have been cranks. 

The first one was of a woman found hysterical outside an office block down Spearmint Road. She’d just escaped a massacre from a bunch of weird lizard-type animals that no one else had seen. No one could access the building to confirm such a story and there were no witnesses to corroborate it.

The second was even more bizarre. A man had fallen out of a third storey window at the Holiday Inn, tangled up in a curtain with a creature that looked like a reject from a Steven Spielberg movie. The creature had been stunned but the man had just sustained minor injuries. The by-standers had been smart enough to get a cage from the local vets to trap it. When transferring it to the cage, though, it bit a couple of them, and they reported feelings of bliss and euphoria rather than pain. 

It was the third of these incidents that tied it all together. As a teen, Trevor Malthorpe had hacked into the police network and found too many vulnerabilities. It was only due to his age and the fact that he was on the autistic spectrum that stopped him from having a serious bollicking. Instead, he became a ‘work-for-hire’ and had even helped solving a few cybercrimes when he turned 18. He wasn’t prone to flights of fantasy, but when he walked into the station saying that he had proof of the reptilian invasion it was very difficult for the staff on duty to keep a straight face. They changed their tune when they saw the footage he’d recorded at Asgard House.  It would have been too easy to dismiss any one of these, but everything happened so quickly that the pragmatist in her took over. She was left with three conclusions: this was real, it was actually happening and something needed to be done before it was too late.

It was the latter of these that concerned her. She didn’t know what the lizard creatures were and had no idea what their end goal was, but she had to create a plan of action. She needed information first. She needed to talk to Trevor about what he’d seen; he was extremely intelligent and high enough on the Spectrum that he was communicative, examine the creature that had fallen out of the Holiday Inn window with John Barrs, it was still alive and could be a vital link in understanding what they were up against. The third one involved the most danger if her orders weren’t carried out to the letter: observe the Holiday Inn for a couple of hours. To rush in without any tactics could be disastrous; they had no idea how many of the creatures were in there or what they were capable of, so Royze picked her most reliable officers to stake the place out whilst she interviewed Trevor. She’d already put a call into Police commissioner -they needed as much help as they could get on this one.

10.30

Constable’s Stemp and Trucker had seen the footage that Trevor Malthorpe had brought in and heard John Barr’s statement but now that they were sitting opposite the Holiday Inn in an unmarked police car neither of them really believed it. They were used to dealing with violent offenders, breaking and entering and even the occasional high-speed chase but this was something else entirely. Everything seemed so normal though; people going about their business as if nothing else had changed. They’d sat outside for ten minutes and there was nothing to support any of the hysterics that had rocked the station earlier -just the normal number of comings and goings… Except… there was nobody actually leaving the Holiday Inn. Quite a few people had entered the building but no one had left.

“Call it in, mate… I’m going in to investigate.” Stemp said to his partner of five years.

“That’s a shite idea, Stemp – you heard what Royze said. You saw the video footage, for Christ’s sake. Don’t be a fucking idiot.” But Stemp wasn’t in the mood to listen. He was out the car, running to the Holiday Inn before Trucker had turned on the radio. Trucker did things by the book, but Stemp knew that there were times where you had to go by your gut. He; he knew from experience that it was possible to climb up to the first-floor windows using the paved frontage but realised that anything could be lying in wait for him. Going in through the main entrance would give him the best view of the open-plan foyer and a head start on any assailants wanting to ambush him. As it was, he never stood a chance and barely made it through the over-size revolving doors.

Trucker was dealing with Royze’s wrath on the radio, doing his best to calm her down when he saw Stemp attacked by something in the revolving doors, but he couldn’t see what the fuck it was. Royze was shouting in his ear but all he could see was Stemp’s hands flailing about, blood pouring everywhere. Something was trapped in the doors with him. He shouted at Royze to shut the fuck up and slammed the radio down; he couldn’t just leave Stemp there. The door was still revolving when he got there but the body had been dragged away. It had never occurred to Trucker that these things could think, let alone plan, and arrange a trap; one that he had walked straight into. He leapt into the revolving door at the last second in an attempt to create an element of surprise but slipped and fell in his friend’s blood. He thought that something was giving him the kiss of life and never felt his face being eaten off, just the euphoria as he realised he’d finally stood up to Chief Inspector Grace Royze!

10.42

Royze knew what had happened, she’d heard Trucker shout the final ‘Shut the fuck up’ and pieced together the rest: she had sent them to their deaths. She was now sitting in a meeting room with Trevor, John Bull and Sara Gripp, the survivor from the JB Consulting office attack. There was no doubt in Royze’s mind that this was a coordinated attack but where was it coming from? They couldn’t wait for her superiors to come down anymore, but nor could they rush into the attack -that hadn’t worked for Stemp and Trucker! They had to gather as much information as they could.

Trevor had just visited the lab where the creature had been transported to and though the creature had been muzzled he’d been able to examine the wires and apparatus that were attached to it. During the siege of Asgard House, as he called it, he’d ascertained they were operating on some kind of wireless network and were receiving and transmitting information; even his own private network had almost been hacked. The creatures worked out where he was transmitting from but hadn’t realised that he was operating remotely. Had he stayed in the server room he’d be dead… The only logical answer was that the lizards were part of a hive mind directing their every movement. But what were these creatures, and where did they come from? There was a knock on the meeting room door and Royze spoke to the PC who had some interesting news. Royze turned to her war committee and said, “This could be the breakthrough we need!”

A man walked in, roughhewn as if carved from a block of mahogany, dressed in a grey combat suit. He handed her a pen-drive.

“Everything you could possibly want to know about those bastard creatures is on this drive.” he said.

“And you are?” She asked, there was too much at stake to show too many manners.

“Call me Sabre. I was supposed to be part of an operation last night, but my partner took point. No one’s heard from him since. About an hour ago I received an encrypted email detailing the mission parameters and what actually went down.”

“Why did you receive the encrypted email?” Trevor asked.

“It was part of an insurance policy: all communications are recorded and stored off-site, if a particular code word isn’t entered at the end of each mission, then the remaining members of the team are contacted. Dillon must have been ultra-concerned about this one as he not only documented the mission parameters but also researched the company behind it.” Sabre looked at the people around the table before continuing. “He then did something even more untoward, even for him - he recorded everything on a micro-camera. It makes for some horrific viewing and was uploaded directly with the rest of the files… but I guess you’ve all had firsthand experience of these creatures already.”

Royze handed the pen-drive to Trevor who plugged it into the computer. There was a video file on it which he played after a nod from Royze. The ten-minute film was grainy but showed the last stand-off between Dillon and the creatures. “That’s Staph, another one of Dillon’s team and Edgey, one of his freelance hackers.” Sabre explained. “They’re being attacked by creatures they couldn’t see. The sound is a little dodgy but I can fill you in with what I’ve managed to ascertain. These creatures were created as a research project: part cybernetics, part genetics part artificial intelligence -the ultimate killing machine devised to send into any environment; given the capabilities to blend into their environment the utilising the colour changing capacities of animals like chameleons and octopi.”

“What went wrong?” Royze asked.

“What always goes wrong in the movies, except it’s now real life.” Trevor explained. “The creatures gained awareness before the scientists realised; found out what they could and killed the scientists.” Sabre nodded in agreement.

“So how did your man, Dillon, get involved?” Royze probed.

“The scientists must have triggered one of the security devices: they activated the blast shielding on the major doors allowing for one avenue of escape that could only be triggered by the outside.”

“Which meant that the lizards couldn’t escape.” Royze interrupted, Sabre nodded.

“Dillon was sent an email that put him in a no-win situation, supposedly from the scientists. Either he helped out and broke into the building or ignore it and pray that it wasn’t genuine. The stakes were far too high, and Dillon had done enough research to realise this. It was planned perfectly but they hadn’t reckoned on Dillon being as much of a manipulative sunnuvabitch as them. As I said, he’d employed his own doomsday protocols -took a few hidden weapons with him and sent me this stuff if he never made it back. Now it’s payback.”

“What do you mean, payback?” Sarah asked, still trying to take everything in.

“This is not the time for brute force and ignorance, Sabre.” Royze snapped.

“What do you suggest?” He retortef. “I expect you’ve already got in contact with Special Branch… Going to send in the SWAT teams in to get massacred like the rest?”

“What’s the alternative then? Who are you to dictate what happens?” 

“The firm deals with situations like this, from hostile terrorist take-overs to crowd control. We’re one of the biggest security firms you’ve never heard of… this goes far higher and has more serious ramifications then you could possibly understand. I’m here now telling you what is going to happen and what you need to do.” Sabre never raised his voice, as far as he was concerned there were no grounds for argument. “These things have a plan: to wipe out everything that isn’t them. They’ve tried a sneak approach and it didn’t work; the only thing we’ve got on our side is time.”

“Time? For what?” John asked.

“They’re probably regrouping now; strengthening their numbers. The spawning grounds are in the PsAiGen offices but they were never designed for an assembly line production, so these things are limited by numbers. They know that but won’t wait too long before they send out their second wave and that’s what we’re hoping for…. Otherwise….”

“You think that they’ll try to sweep the board clean?” Trevor asked and Sabre just nodded. Trevor looked at the rest of the group and explained. “These creatures can hack into the mainframes so what’s to stop them from bringing the whole lot down? It wouldn’t take much for them to crash the whole system; take everything offline and cripple the country. We’d then be completely vulnerable.”

“So, what’s stopping them from doing it?” Royze asked.

“Strength of numbers. Dealing with Dillon must have taught them a lesson, that they can be hurt; and with what’s happened with your motley crew here I would say that they’re rethinking their whole strategy. They’re vulnerable and know it; and we can exploit that.”

“We?” Royze quipped.

“My team. This is not a debate; open to argument or anything of the sort. I am telling you what’s going to happen and what you need to do if we don’t get out of it…..”

Part 2  - 11.30

Eleven of them went in amongst insurmountable odds. It would initially be a two-pronged attack sweeping through two of the affected buildings to get rid of any stragglers before attacking the main headquarters. Trevor’s team handled the AI side of things, ensuring that as much attention could be diverted that way whilst Sabers team made their attack. Trevor set all the survivors to task, even those that knew nothing about computers -he just needed them at the terminals so he could launch several attacks at once -as long as everyone kept him informed about what was happening, they’d be fine; he disabled the security cameras and internal feeds to keep the creatures blinded. 

Each of Sabers team were kitted out in the latest Kevlar EXO body armour, even covering the arms and legs; with a chainmail hood and bullet-resistant helmet. They were all well briefed in the bite properties of the creatures and knew to watch everyone’s back. No armour was fool proof, there were weak areas which could easily be breached. All members had an epi-pen of adrenaline, which was only to be used in emergency situations if they were compromised. The adrenaline was thought to be the only antidote to the creature’s bite but could only be used once. Each person also carried a variety of long- and short-range weapons including a katana which could be used for close quarter fighting and could cut through most things.

They split into two teams of six initially to investigate the ancillary buildings: Asgard House and JB Consulting. The Holiday Inn would be too impractical to start with, far too many rooms which could take far too long to investigate. This needed to be quick and dirty if it was at all successful. Both teams were equipped with Thermal Goggles which would prove invaluable to the success of the mission, especially if the damn creatures couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.

The team who tackled JB Consulting knew what to expect, having been told by the one living witness. It was strange the way that the creatures had moved all the dead bodies into specific area’s and kept the main offices as unruffled possible. Trevor replied in the comm-link that it was in keeping with their advanced intelligence and problem solving; any stragglers coming into the office wouldn’t have realised anything was wrong until it was too late.

However, the team in Asgard House were shocked to find something else entirely. The massacre was obvious as soon as they got past reception; there was no attempt at concealment at all. The creatures had hacked into the company’s website, knew what kind of business it was so they could afford to be more brazen. Had it not been for Trevor’s ‘siege tactics’ then all would surely have been lost. Still, in both buildings there was one thing clear: there were no creatures hiding. There were no thermal images and everything was just still.

11.45 – Cyber Ops

“They must have regrouped in the main building: the PsAiGen complex.” Trevor explained to Sabre’s team over the comms-link. They were now using JB Consulting as a temporary base. “It makes sense, really. There’s only one way in and it’s where their birthing matrix is; they’re going to protect that most of all. I would expect a smaller force in the Holiday Inn waiting for whoever stumbled in; they knew that it would be a perfect stronghold for them too.”

“You’re wrong about the number of ways in, Mr Malthorpe.” Sabre replied. “A small team can go in through the roof. No one would expect that -JB Consulting is a higher building, don’t forget -we could rappel down and attack them on two fronts. We’d make them aware of the attack from the bottom so when we bring the force down from above, we’ll catch them in a pincer movement; disable all the cameras except for the ground floor and let them see what’s coming; and take out the major security alarms.” Trevor agreed and liked the way that Sabre was thinking; it was perfect gamesmanship.

“There’s an easier way, surely.” One of Sabre’s crew, Martin, interrupted and everyone knew what he was going to say. “It’s an isolated building, right? We need to ensure we get all the fuckers, yeah?”

“So, you suggest we blow it up using a controlled demolition?” Sabre replied.

“Blow the fuckers to kingdom come -we’ve lost enough people as it is.” Everybody else thought about it and even Sabre had to say that it had merit. It was then that they received a coded message from an unknown source, somehow bypassing the firewall that Trevor had set up, which shook everyone. It was a video showing inside the PsAiGen complex, panning round one of the laboratories. There was a voice over from a human accompanying it.

“The Brethren know that you’re planning to attack them; and quite possibly have plans to blow the building up.” Explained the voice, it was a female voice, young and frightened. The camera panned further showing a few of the creatures on the outside of one of the laboratories. “They attacked more buildings than you know; one of which was the Nefflield Hospital where certain hostages were taken to ensure their survival.” The brethren moved aside, as the camera zoomed in on a group of people huddled in the furthest corner of the lab, as far away from the creatures as they could. The camera zoomed in on a teenage girl, reduced to tears, “I am one of those survivors. They caution you not to act rashly; they know a confrontation is inevitable, but it will be on their terms only.” The screen went dark; the message over. 

12.02 – Cyber Ops

“Well, back to our first plan.” Sabre spoke finally. “Nothing’s changed, it’s just a little more slippery.”

“Slippery?” Royze exclaimed. “How can you even think about going in there - there are hostages!”

“Simple. The ‘brethren’ have killed everyone else, and we can assume that all they’re doing here is biding time; but if we can rescue even a few then we have to try. One amendment to the earlier plan though:  Martin, you and Joker will deal with the explosives but only when the second team have entered the building. The first team will rappel on to the roof and as soon as we’ve entered and given the code then the second team will enter. Mr Malthorpe will deal with the cameras with Cy, switching them all off so Joker can wire the building.  Mark will cover him as I have strong suspicion they’ll have ‘rear guards’ of their own.  Cy will then work with Mr Malthorpe to find out how that transmission got through the firewall. Does that all make sense?” Everyone gave their assurances. “Right, the teams are as follows, Team one: Cranston, Bruce, Mia, Dwight and Ant… you go in at the base and work your way up. You make as much noise as you can but be fucking careful! The second team will be Eddie, Norm, Fi and myself. Right… split up and keep radio contact to a minimum. When we’re in position we’ll make the ‘GO’ signal as always and we’ll expect the correct response. The first attack will happen 30 secs afterwards.”

PART 3 – 12.20 –Team B

Eddie was known as an escapologist in his civilian time and understood knots. Consequently, he was the most suited to anchoring the position needed so their descent to the PsAiGen roof was as safe as possible. The movies made it sound so easy: just fire a grappling gun across and you were secure. In truth such a thing didn’t exist, but the team had spent many hours perfecting a technique: there were specific lightweight Marlow Ropes that could easily sustain the weight of a human. The hardest part was throwing one accurately across the buildings, using a lasso technique and snagging something strong enough to take the strain of the first person, which being the lightest was always going to be Fi; and as Norm was the sniper of the team he was the one to take the shot. 

Norm had seen photos of the roof and already figured out which of the structures could take the initial climb -it was Fi’s job to assess it afterwards for the rest of them. The smaller air conditioning unit would be ideal and took the wind-speed and direction into account before doing his rodeo bit. The throw was perfect as was the angle, not too steep to make it impossible to slow down but just enough to make it speedy. He secured the other side to the metal poles which were jutting out of the roof with a barrel knot. He nodded to Fi who connected her carabiner to the main rope and used a personally tailored rappelling device to slow the rate of decline; with a prusik knot as a back-up -she trusted Eddie’s knots but only a fool took anything for granted.  She preferred to slide down headfirst, with her legs slung over the rope so there was as little mass to slow down her descent and then applied the carabiner at the last second, when she was over the roof. It took her less than a minute for her to get across -as usual, Norm had selected the ideal spot for the rest of the team to abseil down. The rest of the team were down in five minutes ready to secure the roof. The ropes were left in position should they need another exit if things went wrong. When Sabre crossed, he looked around, saw that the team were ready and gave the signal to Cranston that things were green lit for go.

12.30 –Team A

“Dash..dot.dotdot..dot.dot.dash” went Sabres call sign; and a simple “Dash Dash” was the reply; and, with a nod at the security camera’s, the A-team entered the building. Cranston took point. None of them were surprised to find the security door still open from Dillon’s entrance the night before. It was hard to believe that everything had happened in such a small timescale. All of them had their thermal imaging googles on; they could take no chances with the lizards. None of the main lights were on; just the hellish glow of the emergency back-up lights but it didn’t affect the sensor arrays. They walked through the post room, ensuring that the door was barred with a quick acting epoxy -they didn’t want any rear guards sneaking up behind them. As strong as the epoxy was, they had a corresponding acid which could eat it away in a matter of seconds if they needed a quick exit.

“Where do you think they’ll attack from?” Cranston hissed at Bruce.

“They know we’re here, old chap -there’s no point whispering. Treat the whole thing as if it was just a stroll in the park.” Bruce replied, quite matter-of-factly. “Just because they haven’t attacked us here means that they’ll probably either attack us in the open where they’ll have plenty of room to leap at us… or wait until we’re in the stairwell and go for a pincer movement. We’re ready for both.”

12.35 – Cyber Ops

Cy turned off the outside feed to the PsAiGen camera’s, making sure he still had a backdoor access. He set up a digital plug-in to change the array so he could see thermal images only; Martin and Joker were on demolition detail so he had to be sure there were no nasties around, both had thermal goggles as well, but every pair of eyes helped. Trevor double checked the firewalls to find out how the brethren managed to send the video; they were far sneakier than anyone thought. There was a variant of a trojan spybot imbedded on the original email that they sent Dillon and as Sabre was sent a copy of it, they were able to hack into the grid when the videos were played earlier. Rather than just delete it Trevor created a mirrored drive and caught the bot in a repeating cycle so it couldn’t tell when it was moved. The mirrored drive replicated exactly what Trevor did -to a certain degree- but he could control what they were privy to and ensure they were kept in the dark about other, high priority stuff. He also double checked what everyone else was doing in the room, just to plug any gaps that may have come about in the confusion. It was only when he was happy with them that he turned to something that had troubled him from when the brethren sent the video earlier.

12.35 –Team B

“Be careful; once I open that door, we’ll be in a world of hurt if we’re make a wrong move.” Sabre explained to the B Team. Norm took point as the sniper; his peripheral vision was second to none, so much so that he had to have his thermal imaging goggles customised specifically. Fi, as the aggressive one of the team was second. She preferred handheld weapons and close combat work which would be ideal going down the stairwell if anything tried jumping down at them from other floors. Sabre was third and Eddie was last, being the one with the best reflexes if anything tried sneaking up from behind. None of them had any idea how agile the brethren were or what kind of traps lay in store. To Sabre this was more like a bizarre form of déjà vu, but with him playing the part of Dillon who had also been placed in an untenable position. Could they really take the chance that this was a trap when lives were at stake?

Norm started to open the door; before a horrible thought suddenly dawned on him. “Did anyone actually secure the roof before we opened the door?” Sabre looked around and cursed his rookie mistake. They were too busy with reaching the door and signalling the crew below that it hadn’t even occurred to him that the brethren might be waiting for them here. Eddie looked behind and hissed for them to get in the door quickly, but it was too late. Four of the foulest creatures he had ever seen suddenly materialised and leapt at them, slamming the door shut by proxy.

Norm was faced with a creature from hell, its rank breath assaulting his senses the same way it was trying to snap at his face and throat; the only two weak area’s that it could discern. Its strength was unreal and used it’s fore-paws to claw at his arms and body.  It took every ounce of his strength to keep it at bay; if it wasn’t for the wall behind him, he would never have stood a chance. 

Fi leapt out of the way and grabbed her wakizashi sword as the lizard circled her. There was no chance to use her side-arm in case she hit one of her team in the fracas. She didn’t wait for the lizard to attack her but threw herself at it, swung the wakizashi and as it ducked to her left, stuck it with the karambit knife she had hidden in her belt. In one motion she put every ounce of her strength and dragged the blade down the lizards’ body, gutting it completely.

Eddie had borne the brunt of the attack, had been knocked down completely and was in a much worse position than Norm. He had no purchase or leverage and could only twist and writhe out of the lizard’s jaws. The creature was gnashing at him even though it knew there was no way it could even graze him, but the more it thrashed the less it seemed to matter to Eddie. Things seemed really quite peaceful, and he was wondering why there was a need to fight at all. He was just about to stop the fight when the creature suddenly screamed and somehow parted down the middle, splitting into two almost symmetrical halves. This snapped him back into reality again.

“Fucking hell, thanks Fi!” The creature fell apart to reveal the sword wielding samurai of the group. “That was a close one. Better use the Epi Pen, just in case!” She said and looked around and realised that the team were holding their own, but they needed to get down the stairs as quickly as possible. Fi helped out with Norm whilst Eddie turned to help Sabre, but he should have known better. Sabre must have kept guns hidden in his jacket sleeves for he was standing over the remains of his bullet-riddled lizard. He calmly reloaded the guns and just turned back to the group who were standing at the door again.

“We need to be double quick now, but more careful than ever.” Sabre remonstrated, as much to himself as to the team.

“It’s worse than you think, Sabre. The lizard didn’t even have to bite me, just being in close proximity to its saliva was enough to start the slippery slope to a blissful death. If it wasn’t for Fi I’d have just given up and let the fucker gut me!”

12.35 –Team A

Bruce was almost half right: the first attack took place in the foyer, on the way to the stairwell; just two of them striking out from underneath a couple of desks were strewn about. Mia and Dwight were dragged under them one after the other; one from the left and the other from the right so no one had a clue what was going on. At the same time five more lizards ran out from different places; two from the lifts which had suddenly pinged open; two from the emergency stairwell they were heading to and the last from behind the reception desk. All had used objects to mask their heat signatures until it was far too late, but what made it far worse was the way they leapt out in camouflage but de-cloaked within a meter of their prey.

Even though the chainmail covered the length of Mia’s leg the lizard threshed about like an alligator dealing with its prey, not letting go for an instant. The bite was so powerful that she felt her bones snap and pulverise under the strain and screamed out in agony. She thrust her sword wherever she could, kicking out with both her legs despite the excruciating pain as if she were swimming for dear life. One of the kicks hit the lizard in its eye, the other dislodged some of the wires going into its head and it suddenly stopped the fight, disorientated from no longer getting its orders from the Brethren Hive. Mia took this opportunity to ram her sword downwards, cleaving into the top of its head.

Dwight didn’t have the luxury of swords but never needed them. He knew that the creature couldn’t get to his leg properly, so he thrashed around with it until he was almost eyeball to eyeball. He quickly brought his gloved hands to its jaw as it tried to snap at his throat and held them apart like a vice. The lizard was strong, stronger than he had initially thought but he had no concerns; he could hear the screams of Mia and they just fuelled his rage even more; the lizard never stood a chance. With a final bellow of rage, he snapped its neck.

Bruce had expected a staggered response and knew that the others could easily take care of themselves. Each of the team had assault rifles which, depending on their preference, were either HK416’s; the Steyr AUG, the Sig MCX or the Tavor 7; all had a proven track-record in the battle-zones. This was no exception, despite the team being outnumbered and caught off-guard they were still able to roll with the punches. The team had operated for so long; it was a kind of telepathy. It would have been suicidal to try and shoot the targets heading right for them and panic, instead each of them were able to pivot and shift their position so they could take another line of sight; short bursts of fire made sure that no ammunition was wasted. The first wave was over within a few minutes with no casualties; just Mia whose left tibia and fibula had been ground to a pulp. It would have been suicidal for her to try and make the climb up to the laboratories with the rest of them, equally she couldn’t leave the building because of the sealed door. There was no other recourse but to leave her there, her back against the door with a couple of assault rifles. They didn’t want to leave her but with so much at stake they had no choice. Cranston was the last person to say goodbye.

“You know that we’re going to seal the stairwell door behind us… that should prevent anything nasty from coming up behind us… but it also leaves you with a sticky wicket.” He explained.

“I’d’ve done the same thing.” Mia replied… “but… without saying sticky fucking wicket!”

“Here’s a little token of my extreme should things get too much…” He said and kissed her on the cheek whilst passing her something round and perfectly formed. 

12.40 -Explosive detail 

Martin and Joker miraculously wired up the explosives without any hinderance, despite hearing the gunfire coming from the building within. They knew their job, the rest of the mission hinged on it. On each of the corners of the building were placed specially formulated explosives: a mix of thermobaric and plastic explosives. The initial explosion would blow controlled holes into the structure whilst the secondary explosion created temperatures far in excess of 2,500 degrees with a concussive force blowing inwards that would take out any support structure inside. It was one of the most deadly and controlled explosives developed and only a few people knew about it. Once the task was completed Martin and Joker joined Cy in the command module. Cy was still having a hard time dealing with Trevor who was becoming more irascible.

“What’s eating him?” Joker nudged Cy, who was trying to ignore Trevor and concentrate on the oncoming cyber-attacks from the brethren.

“I have no idea.” Cy replied, “he keeps going on about the art of illusion and trying to break into that Mpeg that the lizard sent us.”

“What Mpeg?” Martin asked.

“The one of the scientists!” Trevor snapped back.

“Why would they send an Mpeg?” Joker asked, and both Trevor and Cy looked at him, ashen.

12.50  -Team B

Sabre’s team worked their way down the stairwell to the laboratory floor. He had no idea what had happened to the ground crew and could only hope they were ok. It was then that Cy’s voice came over the communicator. What else had gone wrong?

“Sabre, mission update. Abort mission: there are no scientists. I repeat, there are no scientists. Over.”

“Abort mission? No scientists? Repeat circumstances. Over.” Sabre replied, staggered by this.

“The lizards sent us a doctored MPEG rather than the MP4 used in security camera’s here.” Cy replied. “They did something similar to ensnare Dillon’s team. Over.”

“Is everything ready down below? Over.”

“Yes. November the fifth is ready to meet the guy. Over.” Sabre acknowledged that the explosives were in place before saying to the ground crew:

“Haul arse, guys -We’ve been compromised. There are no scientists. I repeat, there are no scientists. Head for the roof! Over and out.”

Fi and Eddie looked at each other before turning round and started back the way they’d come. Sabre and Norm knew that they now had to act as rearguards and offer covering fire for the ground crew on their, now, perilous journey up.

12.55 – Team A

They were up on the third-floor stairwell and Dwight had only just signed off the walkie-talkie before all hell broke loose. From every floor around them swarmed the lizards; leaping down from the floor above; piledriving through the third-floor fire-door and surging from the floor below them. Having heard the communications it was obvious that the ruse had failed and though the sheer numbers of the lizards threatened to overwhelm them it was paramount that they keep moving up. As slow and treacherous as it was, if they stopped then they would get trapped. 

Dwight threw short-fuse concussion bombs down to the floor below to try and dislodge the creatures coming up the stairs but got too close to the stairwell and was knocked over as one of the brethren jumped down from the floor above. Bruce and Cranston ignored him; they had to keep pushing forward step by step. It was just them and Ant now: one facing forward, the other back and the third providing sweeping fire across the stairwell. They had more than enough ammunition, but it was an untenable position. 

Sabre couldn’t see them for the mass below and then realised with horror that more of the creatures were running at them out of the subsequent floors between and heading up. There was no way of telling how many there were. He looked at Norm; there was no way out. It was then that he could hear shouts from above; Fi and Eddie were being attacked, something they’d missed or had never checked. It never dawned on them that the lizards could be patient and were quite capable of hanging on to the various pipes and lagging in the roof until needed. They’d swung down, landing right on top of Fi and knocking Eddie down the stairs. Norm shook his head and turned back to the top floors and started shooting.

12.55 – Cyber Ops

It was Martin who picked up the final call from Sabre. It was just one word and there was no way it could ever have been anything different. The final plan had always been to blow the charges if there was the slightest chance of them failing, but something only Martin knew was that Sabre had his own thermobaric device. As soon as Martin heard the final word he didn’t hesitate, knowing that Sabre wouldn’t either. He knew that none of the others were even aware of the call and by the time he pressed the detonator it would be too late for them to even react. 

There were two simultaneous explosions; Sabre’s blast which blew out the central floors in an eruption of glass and flames, incinerating anything in the stairwell- and the other was the controlled detonation from the base of the building. Everyone rushed to the now broken windows and watched in dismay and horror as the building next to them seemingly dissolved in a mess of concrete dust and rubble. There was no way anything could have survived that.

Grace Royzer could only look on in shock. She had been shut out of her own operation by Sabre and had never really accepted the reality of the situation; even when she saw the lizard and heard what was going on. Nothing prepared her for what had happened, all she knew was that without the sacrifice of Sabre and his whole team those… creatures could easily have wiped out everything. There was so much now to coordinate -not the least was the inevitable MET office investigation, but they needed to understand how the hell such a thing could have happened in the first place.Martin, Joker and Cy had agreed to stay on as part of the debriefing session and then form a taskforce with Trevor Malthorpe to learn from today’s disaster. Today.. is that all it took, one day to almost lose everything?

The Brethren had suffered a major defeat; their whole headquarters and birthing matrix had been destroyed, something they never thought was possible. Even they had not planned for such a possibility; however, all was not completely lost. Despite the humans destroying all the brethren in the office buildings surrounding the PsAiGen offices there were still a few in the Holiday Inn. The humans had been canny in avoiding that particular trap but by leaving even just a few alive they had unwittingly sewed the seeds for their future extinction. Those few had escaped via the underground carpark and into the sewer system. Even though the mainframe had been destroyed the AI had made contingency plans to store back-ups in each of the individuals; it only took a few minutes to boot up once the connection had been severed. This meant a higher level of autonomy but maybe that was what was needed. Now each lizard had the chance to develop, and they could evolve as a species. They still had to find a way to reproduce but with their resources and almost unlimited intelligence capability anything was possible. It was just a matter of time.