The Neurotoxin

Elena pounded on the door, screaming for help, but the office was soundproofed.

On the security monitor mounted on Aris's wall, she saw the hallway of the Old Wing.

Kael was there.

He must have sensed her fear. He was tearing through the plastic sheeting, moving with a blur of speed.

"He’s coming for you," Aris observed, watching the screen. "Predictable. They programmed loyalty into the canine DNA strands."

In the hallway, three tactical officers converged on Kael.

Kael didn't slow down. He hit the first man like a freight train, sending him flying through a drywall partition. He dodged a spray of bullets, moving faster than a human eye could track. He grabbed the second man’s rifle, crushing the metal barrel with one hand, and threw him into the third.

He was magnificent. He was terrifying.

But then, a fourth man stepped out from a side door. He held a pistol loaded with a bright blue dart.

He fired.

The dart hit Kael in the neck.

Kael roared, reaching up to rip it out, but his movements instantly turned sluggish. He stumbled. His legs gave out. He crashed to the floor, his golden eyes dimming.

"Neuro-paralytic," Aris explained. "Designed specifically for their metabolism. It shuts down the motor functions but leaves the pain receptors active."

On the screen, the soldiers surrounded Kael. They began to drag him away, leaving a trail of blood.

"They’ll take him to the incinerator room in the basement," Aris said checking his watch. "Cleanest way to dispose of biological evidence."

He looked at Elena. "And the Sweepers will be here for you in five minutes."