“ That will be fine,” Lathiel said as he quickly wiped the blood off the knife and hid it back within his coveralls, before exiting the taxi, and walking along the periphery of the institute, trying to fathom some way inside.
An E.D. F soldier was just coming into view around the side of the building on his security patrol, one hand on his pulse rifle and casting an eye over the nearby streets and tall buildings with their ancient teal coloured domes and tall ornate spires.
Lathiel made sure he attracted the guards attention, doing his utmost to make out that he was lost.
The guard approached him, “this area has been sealed off, you shouldn’t be here.”
Lathiel had checked for witnesses on the guards approach, there were none.
“ Are you lost?” the guard asked.
“ Yes I appear to be, I’m looking for a freight terminal, I’m due to pick up a delivery very soon, and I don’t suppose you could point the way?”
The guard hesitated, thinking for a moment, “There is the…”
With a flash, Lathiel whipped out a knife and plunged it deep into the soldier’s throat.
The man toppled backwards, gurgling, gasping and clutching at his ruin of a throat, blood spurted out from the wound, splattering to the pavement below.
Lathiel relieved the doomed soldier of his weapon, and opened fire at point blank range, ending the man’s misery before dragging the body into a shadowed recess. Once he had dumped the body behind some bins he activated his crodes gland, once again acute pain ravaged his body, hopefully for the last time, he thought, as he gradually took on the form of the now deceased soldier.
Looking around this recessed area, he spied what appeared to be a fire exit. Using one of his knives, he managed, with a little effort, to push back the latch and open the door. Quietly he entered the institute, gently closing the door behind him.
Michael, Dalvosh, Vargev, Kinraid, Eldathar and the ten commandoes accompanying them, exited the Liberty and sprinted across the park towards the gigantic glass fronted building that was the institute of quantum mechanics, time was running out, they had to get to the assassin before he got to the president.
They each pulled out their new scanners as they approached, donated by some of the Solarian crewmembers onboard the Liberty. They were especially grateful, as it would be down to these things to help catch that killing machine.
Half a dozen E.D. F troops were stationed on guard at the main entrance as they approached.
“ Halt!” Shouted a young stern sergeant, as the group raced towards him, the guards un-slung and readied their weapons.
“ This is a secure area,” he said as he looked upon the towering onrushing form of Dalvosh with hate-filled eyes.
“ Look, the presidents life is in danger, we need to get in there, it’s an emergency!” Michael shouted back.
“ This is a secure area!” The sergeant repeated, louder this time.
Vargev came forward, together with his accompanying squad of commandoes. “Oh for gods sake, just let me through! You know who I am.”
The young sergeant, full of bravado and machismo as he was, would not dare take on an E.D. F commando, as he knew full well their reputation. “Okay let them through,” he said rather embarrassingly.
Vargev and the rest of the group simply elbowed their way past the guards, as he did so Vargev whispered vehemently to the sergeant. “If that president dies because you have held us up, I promise that no penal facility, no injury will come close to what I will do to you.”
“ err, yes sir,” the sergeant said, his machismo evaporated.
The rest of the group all passed their new scanners over the guards, “they’re all human,” Eldathar said.
“ Where is the president now?” Michael asked.
“ In the main viewing area about to give his speech,” the sergeant replied.
Michael turned to Kinraid, “You and Dalvosh inform the president, and watch out, this Lathiel is dangerous, he could be anyone.”
“ You sure that’s wise?” Kinraid asked, “Dalvosh here isn’t exactly te’ most liked person on the planet right now.”
Dalvosh nodded his agreement with Kinraid.
Michael knew the risk, however he also knew that, a Krenaran on earth, helping to save the life of the president himself might go someway to alleviate the intense mistrust and hatred humanity had of the Krenarans. “Yes I’m sure; go,” he replied.
As they entered the main lobby of the building, Vargev turned to his accompanying squad of commandoes. “Okay I want you to split up; groups of two, I want a floor by floor search.
The commandoes all nodded their understanding, and began to fan out throughout the building, their heavy armschlagers ready, looking for the slightest hint of suspicious activity.
Vargev readied his own armschlager and Michael charged his pulse rifle. Eldathar took the lead as the three of them crossed the lobby and entered a narrow corridor. Along its length various types of laboratories split off from the corridor itself, a small party of scientists passed by the group.
“ All human,” Eldathar said as he scanned them. They continued on their search.
Lathiel made his way up a long steep flight of stairs, coming across a gantry above what appeared to be a series of gigantic magnets for an experiment of some kind.
A soldier on patrol casually walked towards him. “Hi” The man said as he calmly walked past the disguised killer.
“ hi there,” Lathiel replied as he continued walking across the gantry, this opened out into another corridor, as the assassin continued down it he came to a door that opened into a wide, yet small foyer.
Kinraid and Dalvosh had managed to make their way into the heavily crowded main viewing hall, they could see a large stage with a stand already prepared for the president.
The crowd gradually turned to look upon the towering form of the Krenaran that had come amongst them, and already the anger building in the room to this icon of hate was palpable. Dalvosh however ignored the insults and abuse hurled at him.
“ There must be nearly five hundred people in here,” Kinraid said.
“ The perfect place for someone like Lathiel to hide,” Dalvosh replied looking down at the Liberty first officer.
Cameras and equipment lined the periphery of the room, reporters spoke into them, no doubt capturing the big occasion for the various news services, some of the cameras swung in the direction of the giant Krenaran, standing head and shoulders above even the tallest people in the crowd. He stuck out like a sore thumb.
The two of them continued to force their way through the now hate filled crowd, the occasional bottle and other pieces of detritus was flung in the Krenarans general direction.
“ I am not here to harm you, I am here to help!” Dalvosh shouted to the throng.
Shouts of, “tell it to the poor bastards you killed!” came flying back at him.
Eldathar, Michael and Vargev continued their search through the facility.
“ Wait a second,” Eldathar stopped looking at his scanner. “I’m picking up a Krenaran lifesign.”
Vargev and Michael checked theirs too, “So are we, a Krenaran bio-sign seventy metres ahead and heading this way.”
“ You sure we are not picking up Dalvosh?” Vargev asked.
“ No, this bio-sign is above us, Dalvosh is on the floor below.”
“ That’s our man!” Michael shouted as the three of them sprinted towards the nearest flight of stairs.
Lathiel made his way through the foyer, and into a small, dark viewing room. There was a long floor to ceiling glass facade which ran the length of the room and offered a perfect view into the assembled crowd of the main viewing hall far below.
He un-slung his weapon and prepared the sight. The stage was empty right now, soon his target would take to the stage and when he did, the president of E.O.C. A would be no more. The Krenaran empire would have finally won this war, he would go back to his people a hero.