“The visitor must have dropped this when you cut its hand off,” Tanner said. He stashed his pistol and upgraded to the new accelerator. “Let’s get to the trees.”

  They headed up to the rim of the scorched crater of loose earth that surrounded the ship. When they reached the top, they slipped away into the cool green gloom of the trees. Once they were under the trees Malena immediately felt better.

  “Can you walk and talk at the same time?” Tanner asked her.

  She gave him a questioning look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Call headquarters. I want you to try to report in, but we have to keep moving.”

  “I’ll try to do both,” she said. She used the headset to reach out with her mind. She felt the urge to close her eyes—but didn’t. She unfocussed them and stumbled a bit, but kept walking, following Tanner. Trying to do both at the same time was difficult and distracting. She walked more slowly and looked at the ground, staring at nothing. It was rather like texting while walking down the street. She bumped into low-hanging branches and almost tripped over uneven ground.

  “This is agent Marin, requesting contact,” she said aloud, activating her headset.

  Her temples throbbed a tiny bit, then she heard a voice in her mind. It was uncanny, how the voice seemed as if it was a sound in her environment, but she knew it wasn’t. She supposed that all sounds were really input from her nerves anyway—but it was still strange.

  “Agent Marin, this is Chief Ostlund. Why have you missed your regular reports?”

  The voice sounded annoyed and exasperated. It was all Malena could do to not shout back at him. She took a breath, wiped the fresh sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, and answered in a measured way.

  “Agent Tanner and I have just exited the alien ship. Due to the hull of the vessel, we’ve been unable to communicate. We’ve had several engagements, and have been under heavy fire. We have only minor injuries.”

  “That is incorrect, Marin. The barrier projected by the visitors stopped communications with the outside world, not the ship itself. Now that the barrier is down, we’ve been expectantly awaiting your call. We’ve been disappointed for forty-seven minutes.”

  Malena stopped and turned to Tanner. “We can get out,” she said excitedly. “The barrier went down an hour ago... We must have done it when we dropped that X out of its compartment. The barrier lost power about then.”

  “Negative, Marin. I’m rescinding all promises and countermanding any extraction order you’ve gotten from Burke. You will proceed back into the visiting ship. You will locate the source of X you found and retrieve it. Backup will arrive shortly to expedite its return to headquarters. Do I make myself clear, Marin?”

  Malena was alarmed to realize that when she was in contact with the communications people back home in Florida, they were able to hear whatever she said, whether she’d meant to direct the comments toward them or not. She would have to be careful in the future.

  Tanner was looking at her oddly, so she quickly relayed the new orders to him. He didn’t seem any happier about them than she was.

  “That’s bullshit,” he said. “We can’t get the X with a team of two. We’ve barely managed to stay alive this long.”

  “Sir,” she said, addressing Ostlund. “I don’t think you understand the situation. When we disconnected the X and dropped it from its connection point, we released at least some of the alien population. They were in some kind of frozen stasis, but now they’ve been activated. It was probably an automated reaction to the loss of power.”

  “Psi-agent Marin, did you take the oath of allegiance when you were inducted into XCU?”

  “Yes, sir, of course. It’s required for the contract to be valid.”

  “Well then, I believe you understand the situation fully. This is a matter of the gravest national security. Your personal wants, beliefs and concerns must be subordinate to those of the U. S. Government. Is that perfectly clear?”

  Malena hesitated.

  “Is he reading you the contract?” Tanner asked. “He does that sometimes.”

  She turned away from Tanner. “Yes sir,” she said to Ostlund. “I read you loud and clear.”

  “You have your instructions. Be aware that other governments have assets in play. This is a time-critical mission.”

  “Agent Marin out.”

  She turned back to Tanner. “Can he hear you when you talk to me?”

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Not unless you can give him a visual—let him see out of your eyes. Can you do that?”

  “No.”

  “Didn’t think so. You would have registered as a com agent when we first interviewed you if you could do that. Let’s see if I get the story: the barrier is down, but Ostlund doesn’t want us to leave. He wants that big ball of X, doesn’t he?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, our course is clear then,” he walked several steps westward, to a position that allowed them to see through the tree canopy to the sky. “The sun is going down. Before it reaches the ocean, Ostlund’s shift will be over. The moment he’s offline, we’ll contact Burke and try to get new orders.”

  Malena looked at him in surprise and they both smiled. “What do we do in the meantime?”

  Tanner lifted his hands to his cheek, touching the gash there. “I think I need some first aid. I bet you could use a little yourself. And food—how long has it been since you’ve had a decent meal?”

  “A day or two,” she admitted.

  “Remind me to take you to the best seafood place in the Keys when we get back home.”

  “I will.”

  “While we’re waiting, let’s forage for some supplies. Keep an eye out for angry crab-machines and one-armed visitors.”

  “I don’t sense any sources of X nearby right now,” she said.

  They walked away from the ship. Every minute or so, Malena found herself looking back over her shoulder at it. What was going on inside there, now that they’d disconnected that big power source?

  -22-

  It was Tanner who sighted the next obstacle in their path. He pulled Malena aside and they crouched in the brush under a towering group of three palms. The driest brown fronds rustled overhead in the coastal winds.

  “What is it?” Malena whispered.

  “Someone’s up there. On that rock.”

  She peered out between leafy branches. She pulled out a small pair of binoculars and zoomed in.

  “He’s just sitting up there,” she said. “Looks like he’s got a bad leg.”

  “Let me see.”

  She handed him the binoculars and he stared into them for about ten seconds.

  “It’s Haak,” he said finally. “Let’s keep moving. We can circle him easily.”

  Malena frowned at Tanner. “He looks hurt. Did you see how he’s got his leg stretched out straight in front of him? Looks like he can’t walk.”

  Tanner shook his head. “Screw Haak. Didn’t you hear Ostlund? Other governments have forces in play. Well, he’s from one of those other governments.”

  “I thought you guys were all on one side. The side of Earth, of humanity.”

  He chuckled at the idea. “We are, usually. But not really. We cooperate until someone doesn’t feel like helping anymore. Have you ever watched the world get involved in a regional war? Some countries go in big, sending troops. Some will only send supplies and ships—useless token forces like minesweepers and rescue vessels. That way they can pretend to help. Others will sit it out and protest.”

  “Doesn’t sound very organized,” she admitted.

  “It’s worse when X is involved. Under the best of circumstances, the other national services resent American power. We never cooperate fully, and every crash is different. That’s what Ostlund meant. The other forces are getting ideas. They might have realized how much X is here. Maybe they aren’t in the sharing mood anymore. Maybe they’ve decided to take everything they can get.”

  Tanner started to move away, but she didn’t follow. She lifted her binoculars again and stared. “He’s definitely hurt. He’ll be dinner for any alien or machine that happens along.”

  “That’s his problem. He’s got a Dutch team in play out here. May I remind you we have our orders and we need to get going.”

  “Our orders are to go back into the ship,” she said, checking her watch. “Ostlund is off shift now. I suggest we report in as planned and tell Burke about it. Maybe we can change our orders to help Haak.”

  “I don’t like Haak.”

  “So you’ve said. But helping him is better than going back into the ship, isn’t it?”

  Tanner considered it for a second then nodded. Darkness had been closing in around them as they argued. The swamp seemed even less pleasant at night.

  “Make the call,” he said.

  “Agent Marin calling base. Anyone listening?”

  There was a delay of several long seconds before a voice came in faintly, as if from a distance. The voice slowly grew stronger until she could make out the words. The effect was an odd one, almost as if someone was shouting at her and coming closer at the same time.

  “…requesting acknowledgement. Are you reading me? Again—”

  “I can hear you now.”

  “Agent Marin? This is Burke. What’s your situation?”

  Malena gave her a brief report. She ended by describing Haak out on his rock. They could no longer see him without the aid of infrared. In the green light, he looked smaller and more helpless than ever. She could see him looking in every direction at once. He had his automatic rifle unslung and ready. Had he heard something in the brush?

  “It’s my opinion Haak is in danger,” she said. “He’s exposed in the middle of a clearing, and appears to be injured. Request permission to render assistance.”

  She heard what sounded like the mental equivalent of a sigh. Sometimes, she thought she could almost feel the emotions of whoever she was talking to when using the headset. This was one of those times: indecision and irritation. Those impressions were both strong.

  “All right,” Burke said at last. “I’m leaving this up to your discretion. Go pick him up and move him toward the coast if you feel it necessary. The second Dutch team out of Aruba should be on the scene by this time. Hand him over and get back to your mission.”

  “We’re down to two personnel ourselves. Bravo Team is barely functional. When will our relief arrive?”

  “That’s about sixteen hours out. I’d pull you two out of there if I could, I swear, but that just isn’t an option. We need you to gather some X and retreat. There’s a whole, huge ship lying there. Surely you can find something worth retrieving?”

  Exasperation, Malena could read that emotion loud and clear.

  Her own mind was churning. Burke wanted X, and she wanted it badly. After losing almost two entire teams, she looked like a fool. If her final report read as a total loss—a score of dead and no significant results—she would probably be fired for incompetence. Someone’s head had to roll.

  “We’ll help Haak then head back in to grab whatever we can. Agent Marin out.”

  Tanner was grinning at her in the half-dark when she finished. “You got us a ticket out of here, didn’t you?”

  “Almost. At least, I’ve negotiated a delay.”

  Together, they moved in on Haak’s position. They couldn’t stay under cover every step of the way, but they tried to.

  When they were about two hundred yards out, a familiar whirring sound began. Even before she heard it, Malena sensed the approaching predator machine with her headset.

  “East, three hundred yards. Make that two-fifty and closing fast.”

  Tanner and she took cover behind a cluster of boulders. The machine passed their position, and they both opened fire as it whirled by, metallic appendages dragging in the reeds.

  Blue bolts lit up the entire clearing with deafening reports. With two accelerators firing together, the machine was hit and smoking in seconds. It swung around in an arcing turn, heading toward their position. They fired repeatedly, and brought it down in a smoldering pile of slag a dozen paces from their position.

  The machine smoked and sparked at their feet. There was no open flame, but a dozen scored spots glowed like fiery coals where their bolts had struck it and gouged the metal skin open.

  Malena circled the machine. One stabbing limb was still moving, lifting and lowering itself with the whine and rattle of broken machinery. She raised her weapon and aimed at the heart of it, in between those thrashing limbs. These bastards just didn’t die easily.

  “Hold your fire!” called a voice.

  She stepped back and looked all around. Then she saw a figure in a bush hat. It was a familiar shape. Haak had joined them at the kill. A cigarette lit up his face with an orange glow.

  “See?” Tanner said. “He can walk.”

  “Why not destroy it?” Malena asked. She still had her weapon aimed at the thrashing machine.

  “You might hit a sensitive spot. I’ve been working these things for a couple of days now. Let me show you something.”

  Haak walked around behind the machine. He put his boot on its metal skin and grunted as he heaved his weight against a lever. Malena walked around behind him and saw what he was doing. There was one of those L-shaped latches back there. It looked just like the doors back aboard the ship, but smaller. He opened it and dug inside the steaming guts of the crippled machine.

  “There we go,” he said, and lifted something out into the open. It was a black, pearl-sized object. “A little X for a hard-working soldier. There’ll be a bonus check waiting when I get home.”

  Malena watched him, frowning. He didn’t appear to need assistance of any kind.

  “You’ve been doing this? Baiting machines and killing them for a marble of X?”

  “Believe it,” he said.

  “Bullshit,” Tanner said suddenly, joining them. He shined a light in Haak’s face. “You couldn’t put down these machines by yourself. You don’t even have an accelerator.”

  Haak’s face was brightly lit by Tanner’s beam. He seemed undisturbed by the attention. Malena couldn’t help staring at the strange stones that covered Haak’s eyes. This was the best look at him she’d ever gotten.

  The black stones were smooth and had adhered directly to the surface of his upper eyelids. He couldn’t have opened his eyes if he’d wanted to. It was such an odd-looking piece of equipment. The stones made him look inhuman.

  “I have to hand it to you two,” Haak said, looking from one to the other. “You’re the real deal. American heroes. Truth!”

  “More bullshit,” Tanner complained.

  “You had a mission,” Haak continued. “It was an impossible mission. Whole teams had died doing less. You marched right into the enemy ship and switched off the barrier. I thought it was a fool’s errand. You two are excellent, really. I can’t praise you enough.”

  “Thanks,” Malena said, “I guess.”

  “It makes me feel bad about this next bit. It truly does. But we all have our masters.”

  Tanner kept the flashlight beam in Haak’s face. “What next bit?”

  “I want you to understand the situation,” Haak said. “The stakes here are incredibly high. That changes all the rules. I’m sure your government would pull your strings just as hard if the situation were reversed.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Haak?” Tanner demanded angrily.

  “I want you to meet my friends. Team Omega, we’re known as when times are good. Now, they are just a squad from Aruba.”

  Haak pointed out into the darkness that now surrounded the three of them. Tanner shined his light in the indicated direction. Another soldier in jungle gear stepped out. He was a large man with a large weapon cradled in his arms.

  “This is Johan,” Haak was saying. “He’s really good with that RPG-32. It’s Russian-made, and can burn right through a tank—or a flying alien crab-machine, as the case may require.”

  “Then there’s Sofie,” Haak said, pointing over their shoulders.

  A woman in fatigues walked into Tanner’s beam. She had reddish hair coming out from under her combat helmet and an automatic weapon gripped tightly. Her face was wary and intense.

  Haak continued to introduce the rest of the Aruba team. They were hard-eyed commandos. They also completely surrounded them.

  “Now we come to it,” Haak said.

  “We’ve got no X for you to steal,” Tanner interrupted.

  Haak shook his head and laughed. He was the only one of the tense ring of people who was smiling.

  “You misunderstand. We’re not here to rob you. We’re here to rob that ship!”

  Haak pointed toward the east where the big ship was still visible as a black hulk in the starlight.

  Tanner shrugged. “Go to it then. We’re not stopping you.”

  “But you can help us. You will be our guides.”

  Malena and Tanner looked at one another. Tanner turned back to Haak.

  “I don’t think so. I take my orders from XCU. My last orders were to come here and render assistance, you piece of shit. I can now see you’re fine. Your leg is undamaged, and you can walk where you want to. We’re leaving for the coast.”

  “Not so fast,” Haak said, lifting his rifle a fraction.

  Everyone tensed. All around them, the Aruba team tightened their grip on their weapons. No one aimed directly at anyone else, but in a split-second, that could change.

  “Look now,” Haak said, lifting an open hand. His other hand remained wrapped around the grip and trigger of his carbine. “There’s no need for unpleasantness. We need your guidance, that’s all. If there are some small bits of X along the way, I’ll even give them to you. I just want the big chunk you found.”

  “What makes you think we found anything?” Malena demanded.

  Haak turned to her. “I can read you, you know. I’m a psi agent myself. But that’s of small consequence. Simple logic dictates there is a large source of X in that ship, and that you have located it. To power this monstrous force shield, the ship has to be capable of generating trillions of watts of power. Enough to power a continent from a single source. That’s simple math. In order to have shut it off, you must have found it. That is an inescapable deduction.”