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The rest of the apartment was empty. The men wiped off their sweat and turned off the eyeshields\u2019 cameras. As Karim checked his helmet, Yamamoto turned on the lights and issued marching orders. Wood went downstairs to confirm the kill and manage the scene. Connor stepped outside to guard the scene.<\/p>\n
That left Karim alone with the team leader in the living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cRookie, you okay?\u201d Yamamoto asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cA hundred percent,\u201d Karim replied. \u201cClaws didn\u2019t penetrate the facial armor.\u201d<\/p>\n
They had, however, left fine scratches across the visor. After the night was through, Karim would have to replace it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got lucky there,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cWas that your first Class B Husk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Previously, Karim had encountered his fair share of Husks\u2014but usually he was cleaning up after them, or investigating their crimes. In ESWAT he had hunted down a few Class Cs, but those Husks were little more than run-of-the-mill bad guys with paranormal powers. Not psychotic man-eating shapeshifting horrors that refused to die.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a far cry from training sims, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Yamamoto remarked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo kidding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karim had fought more than his fair share of Husks in Selection & Training, but they were all computer-generated monsters in virtual reality training simulations or Elect instructors who carefully modulated their powers in force-on-force scenarios. There was no way to fully prepare for the sheer violence and brutality a Husk could bring to bear.<\/p>\n
\u201cClass Bs and higher are extremely hard to kill,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cNever assume it\u2019s dead until you\u2019ve checked the vitals and insides. When in doubt, always shoot. You\u2019re not paid to bring ammo home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yamamoto\u2019s tone was studiously neutral, yet every word carried the force of a thunderbolt.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot it,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n
Yamamoto stood over the shrunken remains of the frog-squid thing, pressed his hands together, and bowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re praying for the dead?\u201d Karim asked.<\/p>\n
Yamamoto said nothing for a moment. Then he righted himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was human once,\u201d Yamamoto said, \u201cand no matter what form he took, he was a sentient being. We must not forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karim blinked. From he\u2019d heard of the man, he\u2019d expected a stone cold killer. Not this.<\/p>\n
Yamamoto continued speaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to secure the apartment for the unis and search for evidence. I want diaries, drugs, maps, plans, anything and everything that explains why he did what he did.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoger.\u201d Karim hesitated. \u201cUh, I\u2019ve got a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShoot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you engage the tentacles with blades?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the projects. Low-cost housing, low-cost materials. The tentacles are small and fast-moving, and even if we hit them, our bullets will blast right through them and the walls and kill poor little Suzy next door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe own every round, rookie. Sometimes that means knowing when to use another weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWord of advice: the moment you get a chance, invest in a knife. A fixed fighting blade, not that utility folder you\u2019ve got in your pocket. You want to stay in STS, you\u2019ll need it. Especially if someone tries to pounce on you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGot it. Is that why you carry a sword?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot a sword. An o-tanto.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA tanto is a traditional Japanese war knife. An o-tanto is a larger version of a tanto. This one has a nine-inch blade.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJapanese?\u201d Karim asked. \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yamamoto opened his jaw. Worked it for a few moments. Knitted his thick black brows. Closed his jaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ancestors of Daiwa,\u201d Yamamoto said, finally. \u201cBut don\u2019t worry about that. We have a job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karim checked the bedroom the husk had attempted to escape from. A long blood trail stretched from the doorway to the open window. Looking out the window, he saw a black form smashed against the distant sidewalk, illuminated by a lonely streetlamp.<\/p>\n
The Husk must have worn the frog-body like a shell, hiding inside it until the operators had declared the room was clear. Or maybe the Husk had cannibalized its still-living flesh to craft a new body to house its consciousness in a final bid to escape.<\/p>\n
His instructors had repeatedly stressed the importance of shooting a target to the ground, then shooting it again. They\u2019d talked about how Husks were more resilient than humans, but until today, it was only something he\u2019d experienced in lectures and training sims.<\/p>\n
No more second chances, he vowed. No more complacency. If it was hostile, it was worth filling with holes.<\/p>\n
He pulled open the drawers and searched the closet, finding shirts and pants and underwear and socks. A wallet held an identification card in the name of Samuel Hogg. Hogg was tall but skinny, yet there was a desperate emptiness in his eyes that seemed familiar. Was he the Husk?<\/p>\n
Forensics could confirm the DNA later. He had a job to do.<\/p>\n
Opening a drawer, he found a clear plastic zipper bag. Inside it was a handful of strange fruits. Each specimen was the size of his palm, plump like a tomato, with thick rough ridges running down the length of its body.<\/p>\n
And its bright green coat\u00a0glowed<\/em>.<\/p>\n Karim turned off the lights. The strange fruit emitted an otherworldly green light, bright and vivid, and in the corners of his eyes he saw hints of stranger hues his brain could barely comprehend.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve found something!\u201d Karim called.<\/p>\n Yamamoto entered the room, his footsteps completely silent, and stared at the glowing fruit.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything like that,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n \u201cMe neither,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely eldritch. Log it for forensics. But first, look into the Aether and tell me what you see.\u201d<\/p>\n Karim closed his eyes.<\/p>\n Galen, I wish to borrow your eyes again, to more clearly see the Aether.<\/p>\n Electricity surged up Karim\u2019s spine and concentrated around his eyes. Opening them, he saw the underlying fabric of reality. Bright, clear immaterial rivers of multicolored hues floated in mid-air, retracing everybody\u2019s paths.<\/p>\n These were their energy signatures, the imprint their souls left behind in space-time. The closest stream, deep purple overlaid with Galen\u2019s blazing white, was his. Yamamoto was gold and silver and blue, unusually bright and powerful. Connor was a deep red and black, while Wood left a trail of green and brown and sparks of yellow.<\/p>\n A thick, choking stream of filthy energies cut across the room. The Husk. Once the former human\u2019s aura might have been emerald mixed with chocolate, but a Dark Power had wormed its way into his soul and weaved its own essence into his consciousness, leaving behind something something warped and twisted and ugly.<\/p>\n He looked through the walls, retracing everyone\u2019s footsteps, checking for\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cYa Allah<\/em>!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d Yamamoto demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are three more Husks.\u201d<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Previous part:\u00a01<\/a>,\u00a02<\/a><\/p>\n If you like stories that blend sci fi, fantasy, horror and authentic combat, check out my latest novel\u00a0HAMMER OF THE WITCHES<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/cdn.steemitimages.com\/DQmcSX4MiYdPvqUChc7eBRiaSvNLAb2vT71wFubG75cArg8\/Cheah%20Git%20San%20Red.jpg\")
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