Page 84 of Seer Prophet

When the physical lights of the elevator flickered, then suddenly rose, Loki and the others raised hands in reflex, squinting and blinking up.

Within seconds, the elevator began to move.

“Status?” Loki said through the link.

He was talking to Yumi, to the carrier.

Rex, Jax, Mika, Illeg, Holo, and Kalgi held their weapons up. Already split back into their two combat teams, with the exception of Anale and Ontari monitoring the panels, they faced the doors as the car rose.

Yumi’s voice came through indistinctly, likely due to interference from the shaft, the density of the organics, the swiftly moving elevator car.

“Four minutes before they breach the South Portico,” she said, her voice flickering in and out. “We count thirty infantry dressed as SWAT. They could be police, but Balidor says they have a military imprint. He’s guessing Navy SEALs, fromaleimicsignatures.”

Loki frowned, glancing at Rex.

Rex shrugged, smiling at him a little.

Loki had opened the channel so the others would hear Yumi, mainly to save time. When he saw the harder look forming in Rex’s eyes, he was strangely reassured. A lot of seers had a tendency to underestimate human-run military units.

Loki knew from experience it wasn’t a wise attitude to take.

“Engage or avoid?” Loki asked Yumi. “Or are we too late for that?”

“They’ve got seers,” Yumi repeated. “At least four. You won’t be able to push them. Balidor advises avoid. We can see you now, so we’ve got your coordinates synched. Assuming the elevator car maintains its current speed, and the door opens as it should, you have a thirty-two second window to get to the North Portico. We believe we can shield your trail for that long, based on our readings of their combat construct. They’re already trying to hack the illusions we’ve put up around you, so they know you’re there…”

Yumi’s voice continued in the same military cadence.

“…Balidor thinks it will take them at least three more minutes to make real progress, so you should be free of Barrier attacks until then. We’re in touch with Preela. She’s standing by. If we get cut off, she’ll wait for visual confirm. They have RPGs, so she won’t get close before then. She’s on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue?”

“Got it,” Loki said. “Received and understood.”

Next to him, Kalgi swore softly in Prexci.

Loki gave her a scarce glance.

“Confirm all tactical,” he told Yumi. “Taking recommendation in full. Tell Preela we’ll be at the North Portico in approximately…” He looked at the clock on his headset display, which he’d synched to Yumi’s map as she spoke, making minor adjustments based on blocked passageways and other impediments they’d encountered on the way in. “…Two minutes.”

“Will do,” Yumi said. “Walk with the gods, brother.”

He didn’t answer, but motioned Mika to cut all security protocols, now that they no longer had to worry about the alarms. She did, and all of them winced, feeling the silent alarm as a surge in energy through the organics.

The elevator car briefly shuddered.

It didn’t stop, which had been Loki’s only fear.

Rather, it began to accelerate slightly from the surge in additional power. It would no longer stop them at the top floor and scan them, either, prior to opening the doors.

That should buy them a few more seconds at least.

Even so, he felt the muttering going on in the minds of his team.

“Focus,” he cautioned them through the link. “We’ll have time.”

He felt their minds sharpen. They reinforced their grips on the guns they held, mouths firming as they faced the door. Ontari and Anale held their weapons now, too.

They reached the ground level.

He triggered the doors.

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