When Zack gets to the other car, he reaches for the man in the passenger seat. He's worried, because he can't pick up any mental signals from the guy. The man's wallet falls out of his jacket onto his lap; Zack opens the wallet to search for the man's ID, and sees a shield with the words united nations special task force engraved over a symbol of the globe. He takes a deep breath, wondering what to do.
With a shaking hand, Zack tries to find the agent's pulse in his neck — just as the man turns his head and they make eye contact. "Zack," the agent says, in an odd mix of what sounds like bemusement and triumph.
Zack is confused. How does the agent know who he is? He searches the agent's mind for answers. What he uncovers shocks him: the men are after Amy! They think she's an alien! He shakes his head in disbelief. What on Earth is happening here? Is Amy an Azhalian too?
Unexpectedly, the agent grabs Zack's hand. Zack tries to pull away, but the agent won't let go. The man reaches for the gun holstered at his shoulder with his free hand. Zack's survival instincts take over, and he unleashes a fierce blast of energy at the agent, smashing him back into the seat with such force that bones crack.
He tries to read the agent's thoughts again, and realizes that the man is well and truly dead this time. Zack killed him.
He stares in disbelief as tears start forming in his eyes — until he suddenly realizes that the other agent is no longer in the driver's seat. Zack panics. The agents know who he is. If the UNSTF agent gets away, Zack's life, and the lives of his family, will be over.
He looks up and sees the agent running toward the forest alongside the road. "This is Agent Bradley," the man shouts into his watch. "Badge Number 662674, requesting immediate backup. Agent down! An alien has attacked us. The attacker is Z …"
❖❖❖
"Roger, sir. The SWAT team is fifteen minutes away, and we'll have a drone there in five."
"Play that last message again," Helms says as he monitors the footage being recorded by their drones.
"Yes, sir."
"Must be the work of EIRF again," Helms says after another listen. "Ginn, get me Franklin on a secure line; we have to secure Harper now."
"Sir, I have SA Franklin," Agent Ginn responds second later.
"Franklin, initiate Operation Blitz," Helms says. He waves over one of his other agents. "I need you to get me Bradley's coordinates," he says to the eager young man. "We'll need to release the Cheetahs into that area, because the sky drones won't be very effective in a forest environment. Get on it."
The young agent runs to his computer, pulls up the coordinates corresponding to the agent's last call, and enters the information on a second screen to mobilize the Cheetahs.
In the room adjacent to UN Special Task Force command, things start to come to life. Four metal Cheetahs, their software updated with the new target coordinates, undock themselves from their charging stations and line up on the outer edge of the hangar, like the soldiers they are. After a moment, their green eyes turn red and they sprint toward their destination.
Helms watches the Cheetahs advance on the large screen in front of him. He orders Ginn to start the search-and-rescue operation. The Cheetahs spread out, looking to apprehend or kill whoever attacked Agents Bradley and Finch.
❖❖❖
Zack leans against a tree, struggling to catch his breath as he looks for the wayward UNSTF agent. He has no idea what to do next, though he knows the only logical thing to do is to find the agent and neutralize him. After a moment, he climbs the tree to get a better view, and spots four shadows moving swiftly on the ground. The dense foliage prevents him from making out what they are, but they' re obviously not running around the forest for his entertainment. Once he reaches a better vantage point, he sees a man hurrying across a shallow creek.
He knows he'll have to make this quick: Get to the creek, capture the agent, and make a getaway. Zack jumps down from the tree and dashes toward the creek.
He hears something in the near distance gaining ground on him.
❖❖❖
"Do we have facial recognition on the suspect yet?" Helms asks from the Port Jervis command center where he's monitoring the chase.
"No sir, not yet," Agent Ginn replies.
"Send a surrender message to the suspect," Helms demands.
"This is Agent Ginn of the UN Special Task Force," a voice echoes from the Cheetah drone. "I order you to surrender at once. I repeat, I order you to surrender."
Zack glances back to ascertain who or what is chasing him. He's horrified by the sight of a large catlike mech bounding his way. Helms and the other task force agents watch in amazement from afar.
"Did we get facial recognition?" Helms asks.
"No sir, his movements are too fast for the facial program to identify." Ginn thumps his fist on his desk. "How is this possible? The kid's outrunning the Cheetah!" he shouts in frustration.
❖❖❖
Zack tries to shake off the mech by making sharp turns every chance he gets, but the Cheetah is relentless in its pursuit. Recognizing that he's tiring and losing speed, Zack decides that he'd better try something definitive soon, or he'll be captured. He opens both hands wide and gathers all the energy he can muster from himself and his surroundings. As the air chills and frost crackles in the underbrush, he fires a blast with his right hand in the direction of a tree a couple of feet in front of him. Sensing that the Cheetah
