The drone gained altitude and was hovering over Robson Square, some twenty feet above a broad pedestrian walkway that connected the western portion of the square to the eastern wall of the courthouse. At the same moment, the sniper on the Four Seasons balcony fired two shots into the upper eastern glass wall of the foyer. The glass plates that remained intact after the explosion were shattered, leaving multiple openings sufficiently wide enough for the drone to traverse.
Both cameras on the drone were functioning perfectly, and Tyra eased the craft through the opening. She moved it another twenty feet skyward, so it was level with the terraced northern entrance to Courtroom 401. She kept the drone hovering in that position, with one camera, and the grenade launcher pointed toward the courtroom door.
Back in Courtroom 401, a bewildered Kumar looked at Richard and Zak.
“What’s happening?”
“We don’t know,” said Zak. “It’s an attack of some sort. Stay with us.” The courtroom emptied rapidly, but the three stayed by counsel table. One of the sheriffs saw them and shook his head. “We need to follow the proper procedures, gentlemen. Especially when some kind of explosive device has gone off in the foyer. The three of you, get up here and muster with everyone else.”
“We think the attack is meant for us,” said Richard. “They want to prevent Kumar from testifying.”
The young sheriff was a protocol-bound officer and was unable to think outside the box. “There will be other sheriffs there to protect you. Now evacuate the courtroom.”
“You guys are no match for what’s out there,” Zak replied. “It’s probably the CIA.”
The sheriff chuckled. “The CIA, huh? My vote is on aliens escaping from Area 51. Now get up here.” He drew his gun. “I mean now.”
“Psst, Rich,” whispered Zak. “Look how he’s holding the gun. When you walk past him, take it from him. We need weapons.” “Hooyah,” Richard whispered.
The three of them slowly walked up the aisle with the sheriff pointing his gun. Richard could see that it was a Sig Sauer .40. Nine bullets. Probably hollow point. The gun was definitely too much for the sheriff. The three filed by, first Zak, then Kumar, then Richard. As Zak approached the double doors, he intuitively crafted a little diversion. “Jesus Christ,” he swore. “Just take a look out there.” He pointed, the sheriff looked, Richard grabbed the sheriff’s gun by the barrel, and with a slight wrist rotation, twisted the gun out of his hand. Before the sheriff could react, Zak turned around and slipped the sheriff’s headset and mouthpiece off and pushed him down the aisle.
“Stay there and don’t move,” Richard ordered. “They are after Kumar, and we need a gun or two.”
The sheriff didn’t respond and sheepishly sat there as the three peeked out the double doors. There was nothing suspicious. People were flowing out of the building through the eastern and western exits.
At 10:14, Richard peeked out into the foyer and saw the heavily armed M17 Sentry drone. “Zak, back!” he yelled. “Sentry drone, carrying a grenade launcher, looks like an M32.” He twisted his body in an effort to move both Zak and Kumar out of the line of fire, but he was a split second too late.
In the van, Tyra, who had memorized the faces of Richard and the rest, instantly identified him. She touched a red icon on the iPad. At the same moment, one of the sheriffs, standing on the terrace outside the courtroom, pulled his gun. He wasn’t certain what exactly he was looking at, but it wasn’t a friendly craft. He aimed and took a shot at the Sentry. The bullet grazed but did not damage the center pod of the drone. It did, however, cause it to wobble, pitch, and yaw at the instant Tyra touched the “fire” icon. The grenade was launched skyward, hit the glass ceiling, and detonated, taking hundreds of square feet of glass and steel with it. The glass shards showered onto the foyer and terraces below, causing multiple injuries.
“Damn,” Tyra swore. She didn’t wait for the courtroom door to open again. She fired a second grenade that tore the door and a portion of the northern courtroom wall apart. From the vantage point of the camera attached to the drone, she could see directly into Courtroom 401. She fired two more grenades through the destroyed wall, directly into the courtroom itself.
Richard and Zak dragged Kumar into the courtroom and pressed him down between two rows of gallery seats. “Stay down you guys,” said Richard. “There’s more coming.”
An instant later, Tyra’s second shot tore apart the northern wall of the courthouse. Because of the downward slope of the large public gallery, and because of the position of the three of them squeezed between two rows of seats, no shrapnel cut them, although the blast wave temporarily robbed all three of their hearing. Kumar was struggling to get up and run, but Richard and Zak kept him down. Tyra’s next two shots flew through the courtroom and took out its southern wall. Again Richard, Zak, and Kumar were spared. Richard looked up and saw the Sentry drone fly into the courtroom. He saw the camera rotate and fix on them. The barrel of the M32 moved toward them.
Richard took out the Sig Sauer that he’d taken from the sheriff and fired several shots at the drone. Two shots connected with the central body of the device, and it wobbled and crashed. Richard fired four more shots into it, and all of the lights and engines on it died. It was 10:15.
As the smoke and noise receded, Zak cautiously stood up. “Jesus, that was close, Rich.”
“I don’t think it’s over, Zak.
