Spears of Uu'kata

Chapter 65 - Cosmo Oasis Sierra

Vasquez sipped a cup of shitty coffee and sat back on the bench outside the COS security headquarters. People passed him, rushing to work or back home to celebrate Christmas with their families. Oblivious to the fact that their lives were about to change. And how could they?

There were no signs, other than the coms going down, which he was hearing plenty of complaining about.

Charlotte walked up and sat on a bench on the other side, ignoring him, and adjusted the pack over her shoulder.

He tapped his com and said, "Pika-pika is in position. Delta, com check," and one after the other, their voices sounded in his ear.

"Anerudo."

"Erickson," Charlotte said without moving her lips.

"Tasha."

"Joktoth."

"Copy, Delta. Kiddo one, status," he said.

"Kiddo one is green,"

"Copy Kiddo one, Kiddo two?"

"Kiddo two is green."

Vasquez verified the rest of the teams were in place and took another sip of his coffee--he was pretty sure it was made out of mushrooms. He took a moment to look up and down the wide corridor. At the Christmas decorations, the festive music, the people... poor bastards.

"Pika-pika, you're a go," he said softly.

Across the corridor, Charlotte stood, adjusted the case on her back, and walked into the security station.

The doors were plexiglass, so he watched as she strode in and leaned on the counter. The bored-looking security officer seated on the other side looked up, and straightened. Even with her freaky new eyes, Charlotte was a knockout. A scary knockout, but still a knockout.

He watched as she told the officer a made-up story about being robbed. The man stood and motioned for her to follow him.

"All teams, stand by," Vasquez said.

She got behind the desk, following him toward the middle of the open floorplan where officers worked at desks and conversed around a coffee pot.

The air behind Charlotte formed into a shimmering creature so fast that if he hadn't known to look he wouldn't have seen it.

Then she was gone.

One officer holding a cup of coffee flinched and dropped his cup. Everyone looked. The man leading Charlotte into the precinct spun around, then looked around in confusion. The one who dropped his cup was pointing, saying something.

Charlotte reappeared flanked by a big-ass Uu'k'asht on one side and that terrifying tentacle monster on the other.

Through a crowded corridor and two-inch thick ballistic glass, Vasquez heard a scream as the precinct exploded into action.

"All teams go! All teams go!" Vasquez said, getting to his feet and triggering the ballistic shields around the precinct to slam into place, cutting it off completely before too many people outside could take notice.

"Wh-what the fuck was that?" A lanky pale-faced man in a jumpsuit asked, staring wide-eyed at the now-encased security precinct.

"Did you see that?"

He tried to access his terminal but it responded with no network.

"What-the-fuck, what-the-fuck," he mumbled, voice pitching higher as he panicked.

He looked at Vasquez, his pupils terrified pinpricks in his eyes.

"Did you see that?" he demanded. "What the fuck was that? What's going on?"