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The hatch creaked when he opened it, and in a move they had practised many times in drills before today, Cathcart and his Technician ducked, and rolled away from the opening hatch, allowing Security to step forward and aim their weapons into the Vehicle.
We wouldn't have got that sort of coordinated action for Anderson's Idiots. As it was, one of them got in the way and caused Cathcart to roll into him, knocking the guard off his feet, and Cathcart to come up arm swinging.
The guard didn't stand a chance. We were all on high alert, none more so than Simon Cathcart, who now had a near-destroyed Orion Vehicle crash-landed in the middle of his hangar. All manner of thoughts would be tumbling through his mind. Number one being, was this a technical error? Was this caused by his division's mistake?
I didn't blame him for taking out the black-clad goon for getting in his way, but there would be consequences for his knee-jerk reaction, too. We were racking up the consequences today.
I turned my attention back to the opening of Orion 2b, willing Mouse to poke her head out and say something irreverent to Security. But neither Mouse nor Bryan emerged.
"I'm going in," Sanders declared. "Two on my six. The rest stand back and cover us."
A series of acknowledgements came from his team, and then Sanders pressed his rifle's stock to his shoulder, rested the rifle itself against his cheek, and advanced. One purposeful step after another, until he'd eaten up the distance between the remainder of his men and the Vehicle.
A slight pause, and then he was up the steps in a couple of bounds and into the module. His two support guards followed him. The rest tightened their semi-circle, every single one of them on full alert.
A few tense moments later, Sanders poked his head out of the Orion.
"We need medics in here!" he shouted. And then his eyes found mine. "You better see this, Jack."
I took a step forward, my heart in my throat, my hands fisted. And then a nasal voice shouted out from the other side of the hangar.
"Stand down, Dr Evans," Anderson ordered. "I'll take it from here if you please."
