by

Eric Metcalf

Kim Powers fought down a yawn and took another sip from her lukewarm coffee. With her brown hair, doe-brown eyes, and slight frame, most people tended to underestimate her. Those who looked at the badge on her blouse knew better. A five-pointed star inscribed in a circle with the words "Sergeant, Texas Rangers" inscribed on it marked her as a top-flight law enforcer and as tough as they come. While Rangers usually operated in pairs, the multiple kidnapping near Tyler had brought in several teams to help the FBI and local agencies search for the victims and the perpetrators. So far, none of the searchers had sighted anything. Their latest ploy was to drive through the area at night, alone, in order to try and draw the kidnappers out. It hadn't worked last night, but they wanted to try it again.

Kim caught a flash of something off to the side of the road. Slowing, she could see what looked like a person, lying face down beside the road. She reached down and grabbed the radio microphone. "HQ, this is Powers," she said, "I see somebody by the road. I'm going to check it out. Over." She put down the microphone and checked her pistol.

She pulled over a few yards behind the person. She left the lights on, illuminating the figure. Now that she was close enough, she could make out that the person was nude, and probably male. However, the person did have some sort of suspenders and belt on, but nothing else.

She got out slowly, keeping a close eye on the figure. "Texas Ranger," she called out, "are you okay? Can you hear me?"

The figure didn't respond. Kim moved closer, keeping one hand on the butt of her pistol. "Are you injured? Can you hear me?" she said again.

The figure still didn't respond. Kim reached down with her left hand to turn the figure over. At that instant, the figure rolled over on its own. Kim saw something long and pink in the figure's hands. She drew her pistol on reflex. A long streamer of white fluid splattered on her face as she triggered a shot at the figure. She felt her knees collapse in a wave of warmth as she fell. Her last conscious thought was how handsome the man standing over her was.

Mike fought to keep from yawning out loud. It was six in the morning, but Carpenter had told Rich and Kat to assemble everyone, so here they were. Most looked fairly bedraggled and unkempt, but they were here. All were drinking heavily from coffee cups.

"At two this morning, local time, a Texas Ranger named Kimberly Powers was abducted," Carpenter started. "She was investigating the kidnappings near Tyler, and became a victim herself. Fifteen minutes ago, I received a formal request for assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Rangers' parent agency. I told them we would have a field team in the area as soon as possible."

"What about the FBI?" Jake asked. "I thought they were leading the investigation."

"No," Carpenter replied, "they're supporting the investigation. However, it's a safe bet that any FBI agents will not be very happy with this. However, with this request, we have jurisdiction. Also, I think Doctor Stone may have some useful information."

Stone stood up. He looked the freshest among them, although he had been up late that night. "Yes. Late last night, I finally was able to ascertain the various components of the sample I was sent. The most interesting component is this." He clicked a control on the table. One of the smaller viewscreens showed a number of strange devices, like robots. "These are nanomachines, magnified over ten thousand times. They are microscopic robots equipped with sensors, manipulators, propulsion, and a computer brain. They can be programmed to do a wide variety of tasks. However, we cannot build these machines with current technology. We are getting closer, but this is at least ten years or more beyond the most advanced technology that I know of."

"Which places it squarely in our court," Mike said. "What else is in the serum?"

"A compound which is analogous to dimethyl-sulfoxide, or DMSO. DMSO is a substance that opens the cellular bonds between skin cells, allowing other substances to enter the bloodstream through skin contact. There are some other compounds, but I haven't identified them as yet. However, they are not related to any compound that I am aware of."

"That's the final piece," Carpenter said. "All right, I want you in the air ASAP."

"Alpha Team will be," Mike said. "I want Bravo Team on standby. This may turn into something big, but I don't want to tie up the whole team if it isn't."

Jake nodded. "We'll be here."

Three navy-blue Lincoln Navigators met the Protector One as it rolled to the taxiway at Tyler's Pounds Field. Six plain-clothes Rangers jumped out of the two vehicles at the rear and moved up to take defensive positions around the aircraft and the vehicles.

"Plenty of security," Power Woman said as she followed Mindstar down the boarding ramp.

"They're scared," Mindstar said, "and no, I'm not just reading that. They've lost one of their own and they don't know what they're up against. Besides," he said as he stepped off of the ramp, "the fewer people who know that we're here, the better."

A dark haired man with broad shoulders inside a too-tight sport coat walked up to them. "I'm Lieutenant Franklin, I'm handling the Ranger's end of the investigation. I'm glad you could get here so quickly."

"Mindstar. We had been watching the situation anyway. When the Rangers asked for help, we knew the situation had to be very bad."

Franklin steered them towards the lead Navigator. "I trust you had a chance to review the information we provided to the Foundation on your flight."

"That's correct," Mindstar replied as he stepped up into the rear compartment. "However, the Foundation had already supplied us with most of that evidence as it was developed."

Franklin shut the door behind Techno, who was last in line. He stood on the running boar outside the front passenger's door and twirled one upraised finger before sliding inside. The vehicles roared to life and began speeding off of the tarmac. "I'm not surprised," Franklin said with a shake of his head. "Carpenter has developed one heck of an intelligence agency."

"Good thing they're on our side," the driver said with little enthusiasm.

"One question, though," Mindstar said. "I notice that the FBI didn't send the request. Do I take it that they don't approve?"

Franklin snorted. "Not at all. They don't think this is a metahuman situation. I'm not so sure I do either, but all I know is that nobody human could have taken a Ranger without any notice, especially if that Ranger knew they were in a threat situation."

Mindstar nodded gravely. "I understand. Their attitude doesn't surprise me, but I know a little about the Texas Rangers myself, and I know that you don't like asking for help. We've also developed a little information about the chemical sample that was sent to the FBI labs."

"I thought that stuff was, well, you know, DNA sample stuff."

Mindstar laughed. "It looked like it, but it's not. It's something very different. It's a long story, so I don't want to tell it twice."

Franklin shrugged again. "Fine by me. The last thing I need is the Feds jumping on me with some b.s. about withholding evidence. This case has turned nasty enough already."

The convoy swung away from the flight line and headed towards the opposite end of the airport. "We've got our helicopter base here at the field," Franklin explained. "That's where the command staff works out of."

"Good, we'll take a sweep over the area after we brief the others," Mindstar said. "Have you had any luck with your MIA?"

"No," Franklin said with a quick head shake. "Nothing. If this is a serial kidnap case, whoever's doing it is pretty darn tough. Powers had her gun with her, and she's a good draw and a real wildcat in a fight. If they took her down, they'd have to be good and well organized."

"Or have an ace in the hole," Power Woman said.

They pulled up to an open hangar with two Army Blackhawk helicopters sitting in front of it. A half-dozen men in suits and dark sunglasses came walking over to the three vehicles. "Mister, ah, Mindstar," the lead one said as Mindstar and the others got out, "I'm Special Agent Trevor Rames, lead agent on this case. If you and your team would come this way, we're ready for your briefing." Rames was tall and solidly built, but not fat. His gray cotton suit was tight enough that a spare tire would show through, just like his gun did in its shoulder rig.

"Thank you," Mindstar said. He had expected the FBI to be hostile, so Rames's abrupt manner didn't throw him.

"Who does this guy think he is?" Power Woman thought to Mindstar. "We're just here to help."

"That's not how he sees it," Mindstar responded. "He thinks in terms of turf and prestige, and we're taking both. Now, do we a small favor and keep it down for a while. These guys are going to want my guts for garters bad enough without me spacing to do this." He caught a hint of amusement as she walked behind him.

The main body of the hangar was filled with map tables, plotting boards and radio equipment. People stood around everywhere, talking on radios or looking at the maps and plotting boards. Judging from the frantic edge to the activity, Mindstar knew that the team was on edge with the loss of the Ranger, even if the FBI didn't like to admit as much.

Several of the officers looked up as the Guardians entered. Mindstar got different feels from them. Some were happy to see the familiar costumes, especially his team, others had the same jealous feel as Rames.

Rames led them to a small map table in the far corner of the hangar, evidently a conference area. Three others were already there, two men and one woman. "This is Captain Sam Hayes of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Major Luke Thackery of the Tyler Police Department and Special Agent Marsha Youngblood, my second."

"I'm sure you all know who I am," Mindstar said, "and I know that your time is valuable, so I'll get to the point. The fluid sample that was sent to the Washington FBI labs for analysis is not genetic material. The fluid, in fact, is a solution containing several chemicals as well as a new factor. The chemicals are variants of known compounds which allow materials in through the skin and act as depressants and sedatives. The new factor, or factors, are nanomachines. The fluid contains billions of microscopic robots so small that you need a scanning electron microscope to determine any detail. Our scientific personnel have informed us that these nanomachines are at least twenty to fifty years more advanced than anything currently produced on Earth, even in the most advanced laboratories. Many scientists are working on the topic, which is why we can tell what they are, but we have no idea of their function. Our best estimate is that these act as a fast-acting sedative and tranquilizer, but we can't be sure."

"How do we counter these nanomachines?" Hayes asked. Hayes was a small man with a wiry mustache and gleaming eyes.

"While we're not sure of possible counters to the nanos, they are dependent on the chemical mixture to take effect. The chemicals lose their effectiveness rapidly through clothing, so I would recommend that any personnel expecting to encounter the suspects should go in full riot gear. I would like to recommend full chemical protective gear, but that is really just too bulky for any kind of operation."

"Could these nanos or whatever be designed to get the chemical mixture through clothing?" Rames asked.

"Possible, but unlikely," Mindstar said. "The nanos don't appear to be designed to transport any significant amount of the fluid. While we can't be sure, I think that the possibility is quite remote."

"What is your next step?" Thackery asked.

"I want to take a look at the area where the kidnappings have been occurring. While Firemane, Techno and I can fly on our own, I would like a helicopter to transport Power Woman and Strongarm and to assist in maintaining contact with the base. Techno has some advanced scanning equipment that could prove useful in detecting concealed installations, and our visible presence may draw the kidnappers into attacking up, thus revealing their own positions."

"You don't mind being bait?" Hayes asked.

Mindstar smiled. "Captain, we're much more able to protect ourselves than your personnel are. Therefore, it's the best deal for everyone if we take the other side's best shot. If there are not further questions, I'd like to get airborne as soon as possible."

An hour into the search, Mindstar's confidence was waning with his energy. They had flown over innumerable small farms, forests and oil wells in their sweep of the highway and surrounding lands north of Tyler, but Techno's device hadn't uttered so much as a hiccup. While he knew that anything Techno made was a prototype at best and that this one had been a particularly long stretch, he was still betting the farm on the chance to discover something that had to be hidden under some type of cloak. If the kidnappers were not using some type of cloak and, rather, were hiding in one of the farms around the area, then the FBI and Rangers should have found them already.

Techno was in the lead, with Mindstar to his left and behind him and Firemane to his right and behind. The helicopter with Power Woman and Strongarm flew about ten yards behind them, just enough to keep them out of it's rotor wash.

"Hey, tallyho," Techno called, weaving to his right. Mindstar swung in formation on Techno's left. Firemane snapped into a turn of her own, maintaining her spot on Techno's right. "I'm reading a possible cloaked contact on this bearing."

"Range?" Mindstar called.

"Doesn't work that way, amigo," Techno replied. "This is a passive detector. Bearing only."

"Right," Mindstar called back before he glanced back at the helicopter. "Techno's got something. Follow us," he thought to Power Woman. The helicopter fell in behind them, far enough back that it's swirling blades wouldn't interfere with their flight.

"Signal's coming from dead ahead," Techno said, looking around. Mindstar followed his gesture. They were flying over another tall stand of Loblolly pine, which was broken by a roughly oval clearing with some fallow fields and a two-story farmhouse. The farmhouse looked clean enough, but Mindstar didn't see any activity outside, which he thought was unusual for any time of year on a small farm like that. A faded blue tarp covered something next to the house, probably a tractor. The fields were growing weeds, although that could simply be how this farmer let them lie after the harvest. Most of the clearing was flat grass, rather unremarkable. A thick line of trees along the road almost cut the house off from view of the road.

"Ask the pilot if the FBI made it by here," Mindstar thought. There was a chance that the FBI had missed the house for the trees.

"He says that he thinks they tried, but that nobody was home," Power Woman thought back.

"That's odd," Mindstar thought. "You would think that a house like that would be a farm house. It sure looks like it, and they should be home most of the time, at least somebody would be."

"I don't like it," Power Woman thought back.

"Neither do I," Mindstar replied. "Techno," he called, "any better fix on your signal?"

"Yeah," he said. "Signal strength is highest in that empty field, not at the house."

"Figures," Mindstar thought. "Okay, we're going in. Techno, you have the lead."

Techno nodded and increased power to his boot jets, shooting out in front of Mindstar and Firemane. They increased their speed to keep pace, peeling down and away from the helicopter. Mindstar thought he saw some motion near the house, but he wasn't sure.

"Signal's coming from right in the middle of the field," Techno said. "It's big, all right."

"Swing by the house first," Mindstar said. "I think I saw some movement down there."

"You're the boss," Techno said, reluctantly changing course. As they realigned on the new course, Mindstar saw more movement near the house. He could see curtains being drawn back on the windows facing them.

"Definite movement in the house," Mindstar called. "I have the lead."

Techno slid back, letting Mindstar assume the lead position. Mindstar raised his force field, just in case. If Techno was right, the odds were pretty slim that whoever was in that house was innocent of the kidnappings. However, they had to give them the benefit of the doubt, at least this time.

Just as Mindstar shifted his flight path, kicking his feet out below him to land, a bright flash from the house alerted him instants before an energy beam flashed past him. "We're under attack," he shouted both verbally and mentally. More energy beams lanced up from the farmhouse, seeking him and his two wingmates.

"Ave Maria," Techno shouted as he rolled away from one flurry of shots, "these pendejos mean business."

"Pull back," Mindstar called. "We're too out in the open."

Techno swung back towards him, but he flew right into a beam shot. He shrieked in pain and nosed over, dropping towards the ground.

"Firemane, cover me," Mindstar called. He dove down after Techno.

"Fire Bolt," Fireman called, loosing a tongue of flame down at the house. The blast hit, but the wall didn't catch, and more of the blasts were directed at her. She dove, ducking under several blasts, before she loosed another bolt.

Mindstar reached out with his mind, sweat beading on his brow from the exertion of flying, maintaining his force field, and slowing Techno's plummet. He managed to slow Techno enough that he landed softly in one of the weed-covered furrows of the fields. Mindstar dropped down close to him, extending his force field to protect Techno as well.

The helicopter dropped down at the edge of the tree line, its skids barely touching the ground. Power Woman and Strongarm lunged out of the doors, charging across the fallow field to where Techno lay. Energy blasts tried to range them, whipping past all around as they stumbled over the field.

"Get him out of here," Mindstar yelled, focusing on his force field. The blasts smacked into the invisible barrier, some deflected away but others punched through. One blast scored Mindstar across his right shoulder, and he dropped to his knees in pain.

"Mindstar," Power Woman yelled. She broke away from Strongarm. "You get Techno, I'll get him." She ran hunched over, ducking as many blasts as she could. She grunted as one blast burned her thigh, but she didn't stop running until she reached Mindstar.

"I'm fine," he said, staggering up.

"Save it," she replied, slinging him up and over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. Strongarm had Techno in the same position and he was already jogging back to the helicopter. Firemane continued to pour blasts into the house, but it refused to catch fire.

Power Woman held in a cry of pain as another bolt burned into her left side, scoring a line of fire along one rib. Good thing, she thought quickly, that Michael's hanging over my right side.

Strongarm slung Techno into the helicopter and stood by the door, waiting for Power Woman. She saw him take two hits himself, but he just grunted and stood his ground, covering her while she tossed Mindstar inside and climbed in. Strongarm clambered in after her.

"Go," she yelled at the pilot. "We'll pick up Firemane once we're out of the line of fire. Did you call in this location?"

"Sure did," the pilot replied as he pulled back on the collective, pulling the helicopter off of the ground and up over the trees like it had been kicked. "They've got the reaction team inbound. Should be here in half an hour."

"No," Mindstar croaked, "call them off. Those blasters will cut them to pieces, and if that house is resistant to Firemane's bolts, then it'll probably bounce bullets as well."

"What do you want 'em to do?" the pilot said. "We can't let them just sit there."

"We're not," Mindstar said, pulling himself up. "We're going to call in the rest of the Guardians. It's time to teach this crew that there's a big difference between ambushing five Guardians and stopping ten."

Crimson Knight couldn't contain a snort of surprise as he walked in to the briefing area. "You've looked better, Chief," he said.

"We all have," Mindstar replied simply. Indeed, all five of Alpha Team bore scores and bandages from their battle earlier that day. Even in the warm Texas Indian summer, night was fast falling outside the hangar. Inside, dozens of lights in the high ceiling blazed incandescence down on the assembled lawmen and women. The briefing area was now given over to the Guardians. Most of the other command officers were staking out the farm that the Guardians had stumbled onto, watching for any signs of escape or attack. So far, they reported all quiet.

"Those must have been pretty powerful blasters," Aria said, wincing as she looked at Power Woman's scored side.

"They'll heal," Strongarm said, "but I want the guys who did this."

"So do I," Mindstar said, "that's why I called in Bravo team. We're going to take this place down tonight."

"Are you sure you all are ready for that?" Crimson Knight asked.

Mindstar nodded, and the others nodded more vigorously. "The burns are fairly minor, thank God. The beams are tightly focused; they cut through armor like butter, but they don't do a whole lot of damage if you get hit. However, we need to minimize our exposure. So we're going in with two teams, but they're not going to be strictly Alpha and Bravo. All of the flyers will be with me, coming in from above. We'll deploy off of Protector One several miles away and then move in a low altitude and high speed. The rest will move in on the ground and move on the house from that way. The flyers will time their approach to coincide with the ground team's attack. We clear the house and then move on the cloaked object Techno located, provided that it's still there."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Wraith asked.

"They may have run after our first contact," Wind Shear said.

"I doubt it," Crimson Knight replied. "It's obvious they feel safe in this location, otherwise they wouldn't have fought at all. Since they drove us off, the probably think that we can't hurt them at all. I'm for showing them different."

"Ground team leaves in five. Flying team takes off in fifteen. Power Woman, you're in charge on the ground. Okay team, let's do it." They rose as one, fatigue and injury forgotten.

Mindstar grimaced as he stood in the door of the Protector One. He knew that he and his team were going after a prepared, well-equipped enemy who knew they had to be coming. This was not, in his opinion, a recipe for success or survival, for that matter. Still, it had to be done. They couldn't just leave those people to whatever tender mercies their captors had planned or ignore the attack earlier. He had a bad feeling about just what they were up against, but he didn't say anything to any of the others.

"Stand by to jump," he called. Crimson Knight was already by the other door, with Aria and Wind Shear behind him. Firemane and Techno strode into line behind Mindstar. Firemane had a grin on her face, anticipating the night's action, while Techno looked more reserved. Having been on the receiving end of one of those blasts, he had a better appreciation for just how powerful they were.

"Ready," he called again, calling up his power. He had been meditating since they had returned from their abortive reconnaissance, but he still wasn't at full power. He just hoped that he could get in close enough to put some of the hostiles down with his kung fu skills, rather than relying on his energy-draining blasts. "Jump!"

Mindstar stepped into the wind stream, wrapping his force field around himself as rapidly as he began to fly. Firemane left right on his heels, and Techno came closely behind her. They dove down towards the treetops as the Protector climbed and banked, turning back for Pounds Field. Crimson Knight's team formed up on Mindstar's right, with Aria and Wind Shear flying slightly behind and above each other to stay out of their own jetwash. Firemane and Techno mirrored the formation behind Mindstar. Mindstar glanced up, saw no obstructions in the flight path, and reached out for Power Woman's mind.

Power Woman ducked under a pine branch as she slipped through the thick line of trees masking the farm from the road. Strongarm, Mind Mistress and Wraith slipped through behind her, with Mind Mistress bringing up the rear due to her weakness in a fight. While Power Woman knew she was being overprotective, she also knew the odds. She'd watched Mindstar and the others getting peppered by those blasts, and had seen them down Techno and wound the others and felt their power herself, so she was under no illusions about what would happen to Lindsey if she fell in the line of fire.

She felt Mike's touch in her mind: warm, caring, but anxious. He wanted to know how close they were. Glancing up, she saw a few more feet of woods to cover, and then the dash to the house was only about twenty yards or so. Wraith could cover that in an eyeblink, and she and Strongarm could also cover it quickly, but she wanted to get closer. Motioning the others forward, she crept towards the house, alert for any sign of response to their presence. For the moment, all appeared quiet.

Mindstar pulled up into a hover, with the others following suit quickly. They circled around him eagerly, waiting for their orders. "Firemane, Crimson, you'll be on the front line with me. Techno, Aria and Wind Shear, stack behind us. We're going straight in at full speed. Pick a second story window and go right through. The following wave will fly through the opening. Do not break off. Understood?" They all nodded, Firemane and Crimson Knight with more enthusiasm than the other three.

"Okay," Mindstar said, "let's do it." He swung into line between Firemane and Crimson Knight, with the others floating into position behind them. At a nod from Mindstar, they took off, flying a top speed for a point as yet unseen in the starry night.

"They're inbound," Power Woman breathed to the others. "Get ready."

"Uh oh," Wraith muttered. Power Woman turned back to the building only to see lights coming on in several of the rooms, especially upstairs.

"Oh no," she thought, "they've been made."

"We've been made," Mindstar yelled above the roaring wind as they flew in. "Expect resistance." He didn't waver in flight or slow down. If anything, he flew faster, with the others matching his pace and intensity.

"They're still inbound," Power Woman said. "We go on my signal."

"No lights on downstairs," Strongarm muttered. "They don't know we're here."

"Then we're the ace in the hole," Mind Mistress said. "We have to even the odds."

"We will," Power Woman said. "Here they come."

Mindstar pushed as much energy into his force field as he dared as they skimmed over the last trees and dove at the house. Energy bolts lanced out at them, but they were flying too fast to be targeted effectively. One bolt spattered on his shield as he dove at the lit window, straight at the form holding the energy rifle.

He flew through the open window without slowing, plowing into the shooter with enough force to send him flying across the room. Mindstar scrambled to his feet, keeping his shield up, but there was no one else in the room. Aria flew through the window a second later, her shrill sonic flight fading as she landed.

"Clear," Mindstar called, moving over to the shooter. The body appeared female and was clothed in a dark, one-piece coverall made of something that looked like Lycra or spandex. The shooter's head had slumped down on her chest at impact, concealing her face in a shower of blonde hair. Mindstar tipped the chin up for a good look at the face.

"What the?" Mindstar said. The face staring up at him was that of Kim Powers, the Texas Ranger that had been kidnapped last night. He could see her softly breathing, but there was a rattle in her chest that suggested broken ribs.

"Hey, isn't that the Ranger chick?" Aria asked.

"Sure is," Mindstar replied. He reached out for the rest of the team, and he could feel the same shock and surprise mirrored in their thoughts.

"Hey, boss," Techno said, dragging in the form of an older man. "I think this guy was one of the kidnap victims. I may be crazy, but."

"You're not crazy," Mindstar said. "This one is the Ranger that vanished last night."

"Well," Power Woman said as she came up the stairs, "this one just gets weirder and weirder." She dropped the unconscious form of a man at Mindstar's feet. He was wearing the same coverall as the others, although his was stretched tighter around a form that would make most Mr. Olympia's green with envy. "This guy and his buddy were downstairs with rifles and some sort of sensor gear that I haven't seen before. Also, they're not human."

"How can you tell?" Firemane asked. "They look, gorgeous." Mindstar appreciated Strongarm's wince.

"I checked this guy for a pulse at the neck, only the carotid artery is on the wrong side. The other guy's the same. They look human on the outside, but they aren't."

"Weirder and weirder," Mindstar said. "Okay, Bravo, take 'em all downstairs and secure the weapons. Alpha, let's take a look at that cloaked object. Bravo, once you get 'em secured, join us outside."

"You think it's their spaceship?" Wraith asked.

"That's what I've thought all along," Mindstar said. "This," he nosed the Ranger, "is what really scares me. Come on, the FBI's going to be showing up soon and I want more answers before they get here."

"Okay, amigos," Techno said, "my detector is passive only. That means I can read directions, but not distances. I've got a hunch that this thing will reflect any active scan back with no info, so we're going to have to do this the hard way."

"And how is that?" Rich asked.

"By touch," Techno said. "I'll start walking right at the center of the signal. Once I find it, you all can move alongside me and we'll start walking around it. Feel for seams or anything sticking up."

"And if the surface is electrified?" Rich countered.

"We'll deal with that when it happens," Mindstar said. "Do it, Techno."

Techno nodded and began to walk forward, his arms extended in front of him, palms out. He took slow, measured steps, his palms itching for the feeling of contact, of something solid to touch that was invisible to sight. He knew something had to be here, but he was still afraid, afraid of nothing being there. If there wasn't anything here, then all of this was for nothing. His detector read that there were distorted photons all across his vision.

Something was there. He felt his hands contact solid matter, but he saw only darkness. "I've got something," he said. He pushed inwards, but the matter didn't give. He had gloves on, so his sense of touch wasn't there, but he could feel smoothness in the material.

Mindstar stepped up beside him, his hands held higher than Techno's. "I've got it too," he said. "It's tall here." He moved his hands up and down, but stayed above Techno's. "Above my reach."

"We'll see about that," Strongarm said. Stretching his arms out, he grew to his full height, towering over them. He reached out into the darkness. "Damn," he swore, "this thing is taller than me, and it's not curving back or anything where I can reach."

"Hey," Power Woman said, "I think I've got something." Her fingers traced a vertical line in the darkness. "It feels like a seam."

"Does it turn?" Techno asked, sliding along the line towards her."

"Wait," she said, reaching up as high as she could. "Yes, it turns this way." She traced the seam to her left, farther down the object.

"That should mean," Mindstar said as he slid over to where she had initially called out, "that the control for the door should be right about here." He found the seam with his left hand, and then moved his right up and down parallel to the seam. His fingers bumped into something, some sort of protrusion. Feeling along the edge, he found another seam, this one horizontal. Reaching just above the seam, his questing digits pushed down.

With a whoosh and a quiet whine, a section of the darkness detached and moved upwards, revealing a space, probably an airlock. A light came on inside and a ramp slid down, both seeming to sit in mid-air, about three feet off of the ground.

Crimson Knight and Bravo team came running up. "You found it?"

"You doubted, amigo?" Techno asked, grinning.

"A little," Crimson Knight replied. "It's hard to believe you could make something that big invisible. But you were right, so let's go welcome them."

Mindstar led the team up the ramp and into the small room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all constructed of a silvery material that looked metallic, but felt like plastic. The room was barely big enough for all ten Guardians to stand in, with one door leading out. Mindstar glanced through the window in the inner door, but the room beyond was dark. As Mindstar reached out to push on the door, it slid up into the ceiling.

"Automatic?" Techno asked.

Mindstar shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to ask. Come on."

The room remained dark as they crept in, spreading out as they did so, their hands out. Mindstar couldn't feel the opposite wall as he strode forward, one yard, two yards, three, four, and then five yards.

"There's nothing here," Techno said as the door slid shut behind them. Suddenly, Mindstar felt a powerful push from his left, throwing him to the right. The force knocked him off of his feet with a whoosh of escaping breath. He heard several yells from his left and behind him as he skidded to a stop on the slick floor.

"What the hell?" Strongarm snarled, somewhere to Mindstar's left.

A door snapped open to Mindstar's right, a rectangle of brightness against the dark room. Mindstar rolled over to his knees, getting up quickly as something moved into the light. It was vaguely human shaped, and about six feet tall, but he heard a distinct, mechanical whine from the object.

"That's a robot," Techno said. As if hearing him, the robot looked up and raised a dark object. A beam of light flashed into the room, flaring over the Guardians as it sought Techno in the darkness. The bolt missed, but Mindstar could see another robot moving in behind the first one.

Power Woman pushed herself up to her feet. She had been to Mindstar's left when she had been hit from her right, knocking her off of her feet and sending her flying. She heard a groan from her right that sounded like Firemane.

"What was that?" Firemane asked.

"I don't know," Power Woman replied. "Who's here?"

A quick headcount revealed that all five women were on this side, but none of the men were. "They wanted us separated?" Aria asked.

"I guess so," Power Woman said. She heard a faint hiss. "Gas."

"Hey," Firemane said, "it smells kinda, weird," she breathed, and then Power Woman heard a thump, the unmistakable sound of a body falling to a hard surface. Three other thumps followed, but Power Woman didn't feel anything.

"What's going on here?" she yelled into the darkness.

Mindstar heard a faint call from his left as he scrabbled away from a robot's blast. He loosed a force bolt into the robot just as Crimson Knight blasted it. The combined force smashed the mechanism to pieces, leaving only two legs and a ruined torso to collapse among the remains of its fellows. Another robot moved forward into the light, blasting as it came.

"Techno," Mindstar called, "can you see in this?"

"Yeah," Techno called, "why?"

"What's to our left?"

Techno ducked down flat and looked over. "A wall, why?"

"How close?" Mindstar asked, blasting out at the new arrival.

"Maybe two yards," Techno said.

"Gotcha," Mindstar called. "Can you put a hole in it without blowing through on the other side?"

"I'll try," Techno replied as he swung his pistol up. Still lying prone as his only protection from the blasts, Techno fired a focused beam at the wall. The material absorbed the beam for an instant then began to glow with the energy.

Power Woman glanced up at the dim light from the darkness. A slowly growing disk of light revealed a wall where she was sure a wall hadn't been before she had been thrown. She could feel Mike's closeness, but she could also feel fear and danger.

"Almost through," Techno called. This side of the wall was glowing brilliantly and the wall was beginning to melt in the center.

"Strongarm," Mindstar called, "get ready to break through. Wraith, you back him up. Crimson and I'll cover you."

"Gotcha," Wraith and Strongarm said. Crimson Knight began firing rapidly through the opening. Mindstar blasted anything that survived those suppressive shots.

"Through," Techno called, shutting down his pistol lest he burn someone waiting on the other side of the wall.

"Go," Mindstar yelled, but Strongarm was already moving. With a roar, he pushed through the melted material, with Wraith right behind him.

"They're out," he heard Power Woman say as he got to his feet.

"Crimson," he called, "make us a way out."

"Door's still there," Crimson said, "it's on this side."

"We've got a problem," Strongarm called. "All of the girls except Power are out."

"You and Power carry them out," Mindstar called, "with Wraith. Techno, help with cover fire." Techno got to his feet and joined with Mindstar and Crimson Knight in blasting through the opening. A robot arm or leg that appeared was hit almost as soon as it emerged.

With Strongarm and Power Woman each carrying two unconscious women each and Wraith carrying Aria, the rescue team ran out through the doors and down the ramp. Power Woman could hear a low hum that was rapidly building in intensity. "Mike," she thought, "this thing's going to take off."

"Run," he thought back. "Time to bail," he yelled as the first rumblings in the floor confirmed Power Woman's suspicion. Techno and then Crimson Knight turned and ran for the door. Mindstar stayed long enough to blast one more robot, and then he turned and ran. As he passed the inner door, it slammed shut on his heels. He dove down beneath the other door as it, too, shut as rapidly as it had opened. Pushing himself to his feet, Mindstar ran for the house.

The darkness shimmered and warped, like heat rising off of an asphalt road. A massive cylinder occluded the night, easily thirty feet tall and one hundred feet long. The cylinder rose into the air almost of it's own accord, and then jumped forward and up as a flare of brilliant engine exhaust exploded from its tail. The ship shot up into the sky and vanished in seconds, leaving behind a hurricane of hot, stinking of ozone and hot metal.

Mindstar picked himself up off of the dirt, coughing at the smell. "Is everybody in one piece?" Six affirmatives answered him, reminding him of the unconscious women. He walked over to Power Woman who was sitting with Wind Shear and Mind Mistress.

"What just happened?" she asked, her face showing both concern and fascination.

"I'm not really sure," Mindstar said. "When I find out, I'll let you know."