Page 70 of Stars in Umbra
Delegates still buzzed over the recent panel, but she had other orders to follow, ones that couldn’t wait for pleasantries or protocol.
Inside a secured working office two levels above the central hall, she keyed in her clearance and activated the room’s comms console.
The screens flickered to life, casting a pale light across her sharp features as she pulled up the encrypted line to Mirage.
‘I need your help, please,’ Rina said without preamble.
Mirage’s face appeared in a holographic projection, her hair secured back, eyes flitting over unseen data.
‘I’m so sorry, Colonel, but I’m busy,’ Mirage said, not unkindly. ‘I’m running point on airspace, transport layers, and security protocols for over two hundred dignitaries right now. Can you tap into our private network, SableNet? I can give you access.’
Rina frowned but nodded. ‘I’ll appreciate it.’
With clearance to the Rider’s matrix on her terminal, she pinged her Military Police Investigations Team in Dunia.
They worked at the military’s central HQ and were among the brilliant minds in the Peace Corps.
Within minutes, her squad responded. One of them, a young analyst named Viri Sonamhi, joined the live holo call.
‘We’ve got something, Colonel,’ Viri said. ‘It’s raw footage from a satellite drone that was passing above the Allorian corridor, picked up a burst transmission near Vesk Tyran’s location during the assassination window.’
Rina leaned in. The screen blinked, loading the grainy clip. It displayed a sweep of dense forest.
Then, Rina jolted at a pixel onscreen.
‘There,’ Rina pointed. ‘Back it up. Frame by frame.’
They did.
A figure flickered into view, half-shrouded by tree canopy, sprinting through the trees with preternatural speed.
It was humanoid. Agile. Almost a blur.
For just a split second, an angle, a movement, a hint about them snagged at Rina’s memory.
Her brows drew together. ‘Pause. Zoom in.’
The image pixelated more than it revealed. She squinted at the vague outline.
A sloped shoulder. A glint of something metallic at the wrist.
The grain made it impossible to identify any features.
‘I’ve seen that gait before,’ she murmured to herself. ‘But I can’t place it.’
She opened a holo-call to her team. Three faces appeared in the air around her: Viri, Captain Toma, and intel expert Sean.
‘You’ve seen it?’ Rina asked.
They assented as they studied the footage in silence.
‘They’re fast,’ Sean said. ‘Too rapid for normal military conditioning, they must be enhanced.’
‘Hard to tell who, though,’ Toma added. ‘Might be anyone with access to accelerant mods or augment runes.’
Viri nodded. ‘It’s not enough for confirmation, Colonel. We can’t even ID if it’s male or female. Just freakin’ speedy. Moving like a projectile.’
Rina exhaled, her gaze fixed on the monitor. Particulars about the figure gnawed at her, but for the life of her, she couldn’t nail it.
