"I was astonished, and not a little afraid, the first time I saw that apparition."
You spin around at the unexpected voice behind you. Another woman stands in the doorway through which you entered. She is tall, dark-skinned, elegantly dressed.
She gives you a warm smile and says, "Roman Halama .? Pleased to meet you. I am Zara Nalluri, CEO of MetaHuman Incorporated."
Mekk aims his rifle at her, and squeezes its trigger.
You reach out, shoving the rifle barrel upward. But Mekk is too fast: he fires, and a bullet slams into Zara's chest. You try to yank the rifle away from him, but he holds on to it. A trained fighter, he hooks his foot around your ankle and shoves you to the ground.
In knocking you down, Mekk has turned his back on Zara. Behind him, Zara grunts, and then—poking her finger and thumb inside her bullet wound—she removes the bullet from her chest. "The Surgeons' Enhancements are far more advanced than anything MetaHuman created in your era, Mr. ." she says, by way of explanation. Then she frowns down at the wide bloodstain on her clothes. "Damn. I liked this jacket."
Mekk shoulders his rifle to shoot her once again. Before he has the chance, however, you hear a high-pitched chittering noise. So faint that it seems you might be imagining it, you think you see a tall, spindly figure standing behind Mekk.
You focus on that spot and see no one. But then Mekk convulses, his chest thrusting forward. He falls to the ground, his rifle clattering across the floor.
"What's happening to him?" you demand, climbing to your feet.
"He's dying," answers Zara, matter-of-factly. "He's protected himself well against conversion into one of the Surgeons. They don't like to take the sick as hosts. So it's easier just to kill him. A poison is spreading through him. He'll die soon. Quite painfully, most likely."
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