Culture Shock by M G Herron

Author:M G Herron [Herron, M G]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2020-04-06T22:00:00+00:00

14

I slammed down the metal lid of the lockbox in the back of my pickup, and latched it. It never felt so good to have cold steel at my back.

We’d spent the rest of the afternoon gathering supplies for the stakeout—food and water, weapons and ammunition. Kilos complained the whole time, but as long as Dyna was cool with it, he went along.

Dyna insisted that Elekatch would wait until after dark to strike, because Pharsei were nocturnal. That fit with what I’d seen, and it gave me more time to clean up and shower, so I didn’t argue the point. Now, with the sun going down again, almost exactly twenty-four hours after I’d first learned about Cameron Kovak and his DWI, we were at the armory, a five by five storage unit where I kept my extra guns. I closed the padlock at the bottom of the sliding door, sealing the unit.

“You won’t be able to maneuver if you’re carrying that many weapons,” Dyna said, looking pointedly at the lockbox where I’d just stowed my pistol, an automatic rifle, and a few other goodies. “Your lack of agility was your downfall on the rooftop during your last encounter with Elekatch.”

“What do you mean, downfall? How was I supposed to know he would eat two XREP rounds for dinner?”

“As I tried to explain this afternoon, Pharsei consume raw electricity and transform it into energy in their bodies. Additionally, Elekatch is an order of magnitude stronger and faster than you or me, so it would be unwise to encumber yourself with heavy weaponry. Only Kilos, with his enhanced genetics, is a physical match for the Pharsei.”

“I won’t be shooting stun rounds this time,” I said.

“What will you do if he corners you and you’re out of ammunition?” Kilos asked.

I glared at the big albino. “I’ll use my knife. Get in the car.”

Kilos rolled his eyes in an all-too-human fashion. “Finally,” he responded, climbing into the truck and stretching out, catlike, in the back seat.

Dyna sat ramrod straight in the passenger bucket as I started the engine and drove out of the storage facility, headed for the highway onramp.

As I drove, I could feel my heart thundering in my chest. I realized that, without conscious direction, my mind was replaying the rooftop scene in my head on a loop. My mouth went dry, and I squeezed my F-150’s worn steering wheel.

The big guy in the back closed his eyes and relaxed as we merged onto the highway. Dyna, however, proceeded to vivisect me with her flat gaze.

“Will you stop staring at me like that?”

“You need to relax. I can feel your fear.”

“Fear seems like a useful emotion right about now,” I countered. “It’s kept me alive on more than one occasion.”

“A Peacekeeper must practice control over his emotions even in the most difficult situations. Acknowledge the fear as the powerful energy that it is, and then try to channel it.”

I wanted to say something smart in response, but I could tell she was trying to be helpful in her odd way.

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