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"The Right Man For The Job"

By Lauren Rivers

Soldiers marched in neat rows across the length of FortBliss as Captain Edward Kelley prepared to meet with his commanding officer. It was shortly after noon when he had been summoned to the general's office. Without delay he excused himself and headed over to the building where the Labrador retriever waited. He offered a salute to the soldiers standing guard outside and entered the building making his way towards the olive green door with the canine's name on the placard.

He swallowed before he raised his paw to knock with three short raps of his knuckles. A moment later he heard the dog's voice call out to him.

"Come in," he said.

The gray wolf entered with a respectful nod. "Reporting as ordered, sir." He closed the door behind him with a gentle brush of his paw before standing at attention. He received a casual glance from the Labrador before he gestured for him to stand at ease. "I apologize for taking you from your regular duties, captain, but something has come up that requires our immediate attention," the dog said. He picked up a folder from his desk and held it against his chest. "Less than twelve hours ago we became aware of an object that crashed in the New Mexico desert. The government has asked us to cooperate with the FBI in a joint operation to secure and analyze this unknown object. At the moment it is presently under FBI jurisdiction and they are the ones who will be handling the primary investigation. Our job is to provide security and support while they do that. At the moment we have a transport team being prepared to pick up the craft and transport it to a civilian hanger in Roswell, New Mexico."

Captain Kelley raised his muzzle. "Is there a reason we aren't taking it to a military facility?"

"As a matter of fact there is. It is the official position of the United States government that alien life does not exist. We do not wish to convey the suggestion that this might not be the case. In order to minimize speculation among the public we intend to keep this operation's military footprint as small as possible. To that end, we cannot involve any more military assets or personnel than is absolutely necessary in order to establish a viable cover story later. You and your men will operate in field uniforms for the duration of this mission. I am assigning you to lead a team of ten. I have taken the liberty of selecting your team for you. Most of them you've worked with before."

"With all due respect, is that going to be enough people?" he asked. "I've never protected an extraterrestrial object before."

"Minimal footprint, Captain Kelley. The FBI will have their people on site at all times as well. The hangar will be protected by your combined team for the duration. Once the craft is secure you'll only need to baby sit. Ten men should be enough for that purpose." He looked up at him. "Make it work, captain."

"Yes, sir." He took the folder that was proffered to him with a curious expression. Inside was a photo of the object, blurry and distant, that was clearly taken on its way to its final resting place. "This isn't much to go on."

"You'll see it when you get there, captain." The Labrador gave him a respectful nod.

Captain Kelley turned to go. "Aye, sir."

"One moment," the Labrador said. "On your way I'll need you to pick up your chief scientist. I believe you two know each other."

The wolf froze. "You don't mean Doctor Patrick," he said.

"The same."

Captain Kelley whirled around. "Sir, there has to be someone else."

"Is there a problem?" the Labrador asked.

"He and I have a history, sir." The wolf kept his muzzle lowered hoping he would not need to elaborate further.

The canine shook his head. "Whatever it is, bury it. I need you to pick him up without delay. We need to assess the potential threat this object represents and determine countermeasures as quickly as possible." He held up a paw to forestall any argument. "I know you two worked together on a previous project and the government was very impressed with his work. The gentlemen on capitol hill have insisted this be treated with the utmost urgency and he's at the top of a very short list of people they feel is capable of doing the job."

"And there's no one else available?" he asked.

General Miller gave him a mild glare. "No one close enough. He's qualified, he's got security clearance, and he's in the area. He's your man, end of story," the canine said. "I assume you know the way?"

"I do," he said with a salute and an acknowledgement of his orders.

"One more thing, captain. He doesn't yet know he's been tapped for this assignment. You're to give him his instructions and get him on board and up to speed by the time the craft arrives at its destination." The Labrador handed him another set of papers.

He took it under his arm and let out deep breath. "That'll be a little complicated, sir."

"I'm sure you can handle it. Dismissed." He looked back down at his desk clearly indicating the conversation was over.

Turning around to leave, Kelley departed the office without further comment and sighed. He was not looking forward to seeing the zebra again. Their last meeting had not ended well. Recruiting him would be a somewhat delicate affair given the equine's somewhat temperamental nature. He would need to tread carefully and likely endure some punishment on behalf of the United States Army before the zebra would agree to lend his expertise to this particular project.

As he took another look at the blurry image he wondered if the object truly was alien as his commander had suggested. As a young pup he had read his share of science fiction. Many short stories had been written about the possibility of life existing elsewhere in the universe but he had never actually expected to encounter it. The entire scenario seemed surreal as if he were trapped in a dream he could not wake up from.

He walked to his vehicle and climbed into it placing the papers on the passenger seat. Taking a moment to recall the zebra's current workplace he let out a deep breath and steeled himself for the encounter ahead. He started the engine and shook his head, hoping that the aliens would be easier to deal with. At least if they got difficult he could shoot them.

The truck pulled away towards the city of Roswell where his next objective awaited.

* * *

The building where Cody lived was a ten story apartment complex tucked away in a relatively quiet area of the city. She parked in one of the guest spaces on the street level and grabbed her bag which included her camera and the unusual alien device she had removed from the crash site. She glanced over her shoulder even though she had no reason to believe anyone was following her, but somehow just holding this thing made her nervous. The tigress padded up to the front door and walked right past the elevator to the stairs.

Cody's apartment was on the third floor at the end of the hall. She rapped with her knuckles against the surface of the door and waited for him to answer. With ever increasing urgency she sped up her efforts until finally the latch clicked and the door opened to reveal Cody's warm and gentle face. "Where's the fire?" he asked.

Not bothering to respond to his friendly jab she pushed inside his apartment and closed the door. "I need your help."

"What? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied.

Cody shrugged and threw up his paws. "What's gotten into you? You're acting like someone plugged your tail in an outlet."

Piper walked to the windows and shuttered the blinds. She unplugged the phone from the wall before turning back to face the bear. "I found something."

"Maybe you should start at the beginning. What the hell is going on?" he asked.

Piper forced herself to take a deep breath. She looked up at him and nodded. Holding her bag to her chest, she opened her muzzle to speak. "I was out in the desert doing some stargazing when I saw something hit the ground."

"What, like a meteorite?" he asked.

"This was no meteorite." She stared deeply into his eyes. "I saw what looked like a small ship crash hard into the desert and whoever or whatever was inside of it got out and walked away. I pulled this from the inside but I don't know what it is. All I know for sure is it ain't local." She held out the small cylinder which was mostly metallic with some sort of semitransparent material around the center. The object was approximately three inches tall and dark gray in color. It seemed perhaps electronic in nature through Piper had no idea as to its intended function.

Cody examined the device for a moment, turning it over in his paws. It was clear from his expression he was as puzzled by the object as she was but unlike her he had some expertise with mechanical things. "Whatever this thing is it's definitely sophisticated. I've seen a lot of electronics and this is way beyond anything we have. Hell, it's beyond anything we've even thought of yet. I can tell that much without even opening it. This material is definitely nothing I've seen before. Whatever it's made of looks hard as hell."

"Can we crack it open and see what's inside?" she asked.

"I don't know, and even if we could I'm not sure you want to do that. We have no idea what this is, and I'm not keen on poking around inside it without at least a general idea of what I'm looking at." Cody handed the device back to her.

Piper hefted the object in her paw contemplating her next course of action. "So then what do you suggest?" she asked.

"At the hospital where I work they have an X ray machine. We could take it there and maybe get a look at what's inside it," the bear said.

Not having a better idea, Piper nodded. "Let's do it."

"I'll take it when I go in tomorrow," he said.

Piper's eyes widened. "We can't wait that long."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because people could be looking for this thing," she said.

Cody cast a disbelieving glance at the tigress. "What kind of people?"

Piper merely looked up at the ceiling before lowering her gaze back down to his eyes. "I'd rather not wait to find out."

The ursine ran his paw through his hair. "Is this really that important?"

"We have no idea what we're up against and I'd rather find out before someone tries to take that thing from me." She again cast a nervous glance upwards.

"Yeah, but aliens, Piper? Really?" He shook his head. "I like science fiction as much as the next guy but you don't seriously think this is extraterrestrial, do you?"

Piper let out a deep breath and threw up her paws. "I don't know what to think. All I know is I saw a damn spacecraft fall out of the sky and crash out in the desert. We need to find out what they're up to before it's too late." She gave Cody her best pleading expression. The bear was generally up to almost anything but even she had to admit this was a big thing to ask him to believe. Even so, she had never been more sure of anything in her life. Aliens were here, and they were up to something. Right now, she was the only person on Earth who knew about it.

Cody tried to break eye contact but a moment later let out a deep sigh. "Fine. We'll take your alien device to the hospital and see if we can't get a look inside. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"I'm sort of winging it here," she admitted.

"Let me grab a few things," he told her. "I have a feeling we might not be back for a while."

"Okay," she said, taking a seat on the sofa. She stared down at the alien device which for the moment remained faithfully silent. The object resembled nothing she had ever seen before but there had to be someone out there that knew what it was. With any luck once they had a look inside it they would know what to do. Otherwise she was not certain what her next move would be.

A few minutes later Cody emerged from the hall with a backpack and a change of clothes as well as his jacket. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, as ready as I can be," she replied.

Cody offered a nod as she jumped to a standing position and led the way out the door. It would take them ten minutes to reach the hospital and then Cody would have to sneak them into the X-Ray room where with any luck she would get her first clue as to who their extraterrestrial visitors were and what their intentions were going to be for Earth. She climbed into her truck, waiting until Cody had secured himself before shifting into reverse and pulling out of the parking lot. As they waited for traffic to clear, she paused as an unusual fox couple drove by in a fancy looking convertible. They turned to look at her in the same instant, following her with their gaze until they had passed. She felt a shiver travel down her spine as every fur on her back seemed to rise up at the same time. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gripped the wheel before opening them once more and pulling into traffic.

* * *

Neither agent spoke as the pair drove into the outskirts of Roswell, New Mexico. The afternoon traffic was lighter than usual, which gave Spencer cause to hope they would have an easier time locating their potential witness. He scanned the vehicles they passed searching for anything that would trigger his finely tuned senses. Something did catch his attention, but it was not the person he hoped would tell them what they were dealing with. It was his partner, who appeared bored and uninterested in their current task. "Everything okay over there, partner?" he asked.

Keith shook his head. "We're wasting our time out here. We should be securing the ship with the rest of the team."

"First of all, the support units have the ship well in hand. There's nothing we can do over there until they've completed the transport. Second, we don't even have a full team yet so we can't begin our official investigation of the ship until they're in place. Besides, whoever our witness might be is probably terrified having no idea what they're up against and no clue how much danger they're in. We have to at least try to find them."

Keith appeared doubtful. "That's going to be difficult in a city this size. It's been at least four or five hours and we don't have any clue whatsoever as to what sort of vehicle we're looking for."

"I know it's a long shot, but we need to try. Then there's also the matter of the ship's crew. For once being stationed in the middle of the desert might actually pay off. Given the lack of other options it's reasonable to assume they would've headed here." The gemsbok turned down a side street.

"For what?" the rhinoceros asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea, but if they could've repaired their ship with what they had on board I doubt they would've abandoned it so quickly," the gemsbok replied.

The rhinoceros shrugged. "It's a solid theory, but that begs the question how do we narrow down where they went?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. It's not like they can get whatever they need at Radio Shack." The gemsbok slowly made the turn onto another street. He scanned every person and vehicle he saw for anything that might suggest to him something otherworldly. He knew there was a small chance he would find what he was looking for, but until they were called to the new site of the UFO this was the best use of their time. "They may be seeking weapons or equipment to help them complete whatever agenda they came here to carry out."

"And at least for the moment we have no idea what that is or how many of them there are," Keith said.

"Exactly."

"Needle, meet haystack," the rhino said to no one in particular.

Spencer turned another corner passing a silver truck from which a young tigress and a bear sped in the opposite direction. He spared them a glance turning around only for a moment before returning his attention to the road ahead. Somewhere in Roswell were an unknown number of aliens as well as the only person who knew what they looked like.

* * *

Days like these were always the hardest to get through. While no one ever promised him that working in a small electronics store in New Mexico was going to be an action packed thrill ride he hadn't quite expected things to be this boring. Dylan had brought a newspaper with him just so he would have something to do, but the crossword puzzle did little to alleviate his boredom. The young camel tapped his pencil against the surface of the counter while he pondered the answer to thirty-four down.

It was not that he was lazy by any means, but the manager had told him he could do what he liked when not assisting customers or performing store business. He had already completed the day's special orders and seen them to the post office as well as ordering new stock and making a few phone calls. Unless someone came in there was little to occupy his time until his shift ended.

Somewhat unenthusiastically he set the pencil down and rested his muzzle on his chin. He almost considered closing his eyes when he knocked his pencil onto the floor with the back of his hand. Allowing himself a sigh he bent down to pick it up. So engrossed was he in the task at hand he almost hadn't heard the jingle of the bell above the door signaling the arrival of new customers.

Doing his best to appear busy he shot up and offered an enthusiastic greeting. "Welcome to Dell's Electronics Store. Can I help you?" he asked.

The customers were a young fox couple he did not recognize. Uncertain whether or not they were locals he hesitated to go into the spiel when the male fox approached the counter. The vixen appeared more interested in examining the items on the shelves. He offered a nervous smile to the expressionless fox and waited.

"We require a transmitter," the fox finally said.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"My partner and require a device capable of sending electronic signals over vast distances." He continued to stare at the camel's eyes.

Dylan shrugged and picked up a box from behind the counter. "You mean a telephone?"

"What is its maximum range?" he asked.

"Huh? It can reach anyone as long as they have a phone number," he replied.

The fox looked at the box and shook his head. "This is inadequate for our needs." He slid the item back towards the camel.

Uncertain what they had in mind he turned around and tried again. "Maybe you're looking for one of these. It's not the best out there on the market but it's popular with the amateur radio crowd."

The fox again shook his head. "This lacks the capability to create the signal strength necessary for our requirements."

"Who are you planning to call?" he asked. When the fox did not provide any answer he shrugged. "You're not going to find anything much more powerful than this unless you go to one of those arrays out in the desert. They don't let folks like you and I anywhere near them, though. Strictly for research only, you understand." He shrugged and turned around to try again, but when he returned with another box from the back the pair was gone. He leaned towards the door but all that remained was the echo of the bell.

* * *

Captain Edward Kelley had been in combat. He had been shot at, injured in the line of duty, and spent more than his fair share of time in life threatening situations, yet nothing scared him more than what he was about to do. The campus on which Doctor Patrick worked was quiet at this time of day. Since class was in session he could make his way into the science building without attracting any undue attention.

He glanced down at his papers to confirm the address even though he already knew the way. The familiar journey down the long hall to the isolated office at the end only served to enhance his anxiety at this unwelcome reunion. He slowed his pace not wanting to rush it any more than necessary. Even though he had his orders it still took a large part of his willpower to drive his foot paws forward. He was stopped in the hall by a young mouse with a bright smile.

"Hello!" she said. "Can I help you find something?" she asked.

He knew his uniform made him seem rather out of place in a setting like this. The gray wolf lowered his muzzle before gathering his wits to reply. "I'm looking for Doctor Alan Patrick, is he in?" Silently he hoped the answer was no, so he could delay this uncomfortable encounter for a little while longer. He felt his paws become sweaty but resisted the urge to wipe them on his uniform.

She took less than a second to nod. "Yes, he is. He's right in his lab, down there on the left."

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," she replied.

Once she had disappeared into one of the small offices he proceeded forward towards the indicated door. From inside he could hear muttering and the sound of hoof clops as the zebra within walked around. He entered the doorway and knocked on the doorframe.

"Yes, yes, I can hear you. Your boots are almost louder than my hooves. I could tell you were coming from a mile away." He did not look up from his papers as he shuffled through his data. "Whatever you want, you'll have to come back later. Office hours are after four on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

"I'm afraid this can't wait, doctor," he said.

The zebra raised his head ready to reply with an acerbic remark when he recognized who it was. "Ed," he said.

"Hello, Alan."

"I must admit I never expected to see you again," he responded. "You made it pretty clear where your priorities were the last time we spoke."

"I didn't come here to fight," the wolf said.

"Maybe you shouldn't have come here at all," he replied. "I haven't heard from you in two years and all of the sudden you show up here wanting to talk? You don't get to do that after the way you treated me." He turned away from him.

Captain Kelley winced. He had expected such a frosty reception, but it still didn't make it any easier to bear. "I know I screwed up, but I did what I had to do. You and I weren't going to work, we both knew that."

"I didn't." The zebra placed his hands on either side of the table between them. "I would've done anything for you."

"I know, but it wasn't that easy. If we had stayed together it would've made life complicated for both of us. If the military found out then my career would be over," Kelley said.

The zebra scoffed. "I risked my career for you. It's why I'm in this pathetic excuse for a lab rather than still working for the government. Unlike you I don't let other people make my decisions for me."

"That's not fair." The wolf clutched the papers under his arm a little tighter. "I chose to protect my career. You didn't give me much of a choice," he said.

"I asked you to pick me over your job. You made your decision and I'm sorry if you regret it now, but you don't get to have hurt feelings after the fact. You left me, remember?" he asked.

"I didn't come here to fight," the wolf said in an effort to placate his former lover.

The zebra whirled around. "Then why are you here?"

Relieved to something to do other than discuss their former relationship, the lupine offered the file folder to the scientist, tossing it on the table in front of him. "I'm here on orders."

Momentarily uncertain the zebra examined the cover of the file folder, touching it gingerly with his hoof tipped fingers. "What is it?"

"You know that thing we always thought was impossible?" he asked. When the zebra nodded, he continued. "It's not anymore."

"Are you serious?" the zebra replied.

The gray wolf folded his arms, once again feeling the confidence of his position. "Do you think I'd be here if I wasn't?"

"Point taken," the striped equine said. He opened the folder and began to examine the materials inside. He flipped through several of the photographs and scanned the initial reports before he came across the words he knew would intrigue the scientist more than any other. "Has this been verified?" he asked.

"Not yet," Captain Kelley replied. "The FBI is currently escorting the ship to a secure location for examination. The government has tasked me with acquiring your services and bringing you to the site to examine the ship and determine countermeasures, if any."

The zebra slapped the folder down onto the workspace. Highlighted on the page was the words 'extraterrestrial origin'. "This is unbelievable."

"The government wants you to assess the craft and learn whatever you can about it's occupants as quickly as possible. That's all I'm authorized to tell you for the time being," he said.

"You don't ask for much, do you?" the zebra replied. "Who else have you recruited?"

Captain Kelley shook his head. "I don't know. My orders only include you."

"I'll need a few things," he said.

"Grab what you need and let's get moving," the gray wolf ordered.

The zebra hastily picked up a suitcase and opened it, filling it with various papers and research materials as well as assorted instruments that would supposedly help in his efforts. He held up his hand as his secretary walked by the door. "Miriam!" The young mouse halted in her tracks.

"Yes, professor?" she asked.

The zebra continued to pack as he talked, moving around the lab like a frantic animal. "I'm going to be away for the foreseeable future. I need you to cancel all of my appointments and see if Professor Burnham would be kind enough to take over my classes for a while, if you please."

The young mouse nodded. "Right away, professor." She dashed out the door to carry out his instructions.

Captain Kelley gestured towards the door. "We need to go now. Time is of the essence."

"Right!" The zebra gathered up his suitcase and headed towards the door behind the gray wolf. They made their way out of the building and back to his vehicle in record time. The lupine took the suitcase from his companion and tossed it in the back before walking around to the other side and climbing into the driver's seat. The moment the doors closed the zebra faced him again. "So how many people know about this?" he asked.

"At the moment, you, me, and Uncle Sam, and he'd like it to stay that way. From this moment on you are not to discuss this with anyone outside of the team under any circumstances. Clear?" he asked.

The zebra buckled his seatbelt. "You're not going to tell anybody?"

"I have my orders and if you accept this job, so do you. Now I was ordered to pick you up and secure your cooperation but if you don't think you can meet the conditions of the job then I will find someone else." The wolf kept his paws on the steering wheel and did not move as the key sat in the ignition switch. "If word of this gets out it will be impossible to control the flow of information."

"There you go again, insisting the people can't handle the truth," the zebra said. "They deserve to know what they're up against."

The gray wolf bared his fangs for the first time since he had been reunited with his ex-lover. "They need our protection and the only way we can do that is make sure we control who knows what. The moment the details of this incident become public is the moment we lose the ability to direct what happens next. If people learn we aren't alone they will panic and once that happens there is nothing we can do to stop it."

"You just don't have faith in people like I do," he said.

"I wish I could see the world the way you do, I really do. But I live in the world where you can't always assume that the stranger walking up to you is a friendly. Believe me, I would love to be wrong, but until I know that for sure I intend to proceed as if I am right." The gray wolf started the car and pulled out of the space.

"Now I remember the other reason we broke up," the zebra said.

"You've got a job to do. Now if you don't think you can do it, let me know now," Kelley said.

Alan let out a deep breath. "I'll do my job." He shook his head. "Regardless of what I think of the military and their stance on alien life this is the first potential example of technology from another world and there is no way I am missing that."

* * *

No one took notice of their arrival to the hospital. Cody used his ID card to allow them access to the parking garage so they could slip in quietly through the staff entrance. Given the time of day there shouldn't be a lot of people around so the odds were fairly good that they could make use of the X-Ray machine to examine the alien device. Piper kept it in a shoulder bag she clutched close to her side as they made their way into the elevator.

"You look like someone's about to step on your tail," Cody remarked.

The tigress looked at him. "You would too if you saw what I did out in the desert."

The brown bear shrugged. "If you say so. Right about now the X-Ray machine should be available, but we shouldn't stick around too long." He waited until the door opened and then cast an exploratory glance down the hall both ways. When he was certain it was relatively clear he stepped out and motioned for her to follow. He led the way down the hall attempting to look as casual as possible.

Piper attempted to do the same, but she could not help but feel uneasy as long as she had the device in her bag. She had no reason to suspect it was dangerous but simply having it might make her a target. The tigress frowned as she realized Cody was now in danger too. It was too late to reconsider enlisting his help. No matter what happened, he was involved now just as much as she was even if he didn't know it. She kept pace with him in their journey down the hallway. So focused was she on keeping up with him she didn't notice when he came to a stop and bumped into the large brown bear's backside with a feline yelp of surprise.

"We're trying to fly under the radar, remember?" He cast a mild reproving glance at her before ushering her inside the room.

"Sorry," she replied.

Cody walked over to the X-Ray machine and pressed some buttons to bring it online. He glanced over his shoulder and held out his paw. "All right, let's see what's inside your alien egg timer."

Piper hesitated for a moment, staring at it between her paws. "Maybe we shouldn't do this after all."

"You're the one who wanted to see what makes this thing tick," he reminded her.

The tigress opened her paws to look at the object. "I know, I guess I'm just having second thoughts."

"If you want to do this, we need to do it now. We won't get another chance," he said.

"Do it," she said, thrusting the device out at him.

Cody took the object and placed it in the area designated for examination. He turned on the device and looked at the monitor. The bear shot a glance at Piper before he let out a deep breath. "I can tell you this much, I've never seen anything close to what I'm seeing here."

Piper moved to get a better look at the display which currently showed the internal components of the mysterious alien object she had removed from the crashed spaceship. Filled with more pieces than she could even count the device appeared to be extremely advanced and light years ahead of technology anywhere on Earth. She watched Cody as he repositioned the device when without warning the semi transparent center began to flash in a steady pattern.

Neither one of them moved for several seconds. Cody immediately shut off the X-Ray machine turning the monitor dark. The ursine backed away a step. "Is it supposed to do that?"

"I don't know," Piper said. "It's never done that before."

"I don't suppose you have any idea how to make it stop?" he asked.

The tigress shrugged as the flashing continued accompanied by a pulsing tone that reminded her of sonar. She picked the device up and shook it in her paw. "Something must have activated it."

"While I'm sure that's fascinating we need to find a way to stop it before someone catches us," he said.

Piper stuffed the object in her bag which muffled the sound somewhat. "We need to get out of here."

"No argument there," Cody replied.

The tigress walked to the door and peered out into the hall. No sooner had she stuck her head out then she spotted two individuals headed in their direction looking at some handheld display. One of them pointed in her direction making eye contact before she pulled the door closed. "Is there another way out of here?" she asked.

Cody nodded. "The back way, come on," he said. The bear walked towards the door on the opposite side of the room. Holding it open with one paw he looked back in time to see the other door swing open with a clang. One of the two individuals who appeared raised some sort of weapon and fired. The bear pushed Piper to the ground, shielding her with his larger body as the wall exploded sending debris raining down everywhere. Flames spat out from the edges of the wall that less than a moment ago had been fully intact. The fire alarm went off adding to the cacophony of sounds filling the hospital.

Water rained down from the sprinklers soaking their clothing while the shooter readied his weapon for another attack. Piper scrambled to her feet paws and pulled Cody forward just in time to avoid being engulfed in the explosion that consumed the floor behind them.

"Holy shit!" Cody shouted above the chaos. The two ran down the hall ducking around a corner in search of a way out. By now patients and doctors had spilled into the hall in their efforts to evacuate the building. The hallways were filling with innocent people that would get caught in the crossfire.

Piper dashed into the stairwell and headed up to the second floor. "This way!" She did not wait to see if Cody was behind her. Skipping steps two at a time she made her way up to the next level which in theory would lead to the parking garage. Increasing her speed she was about to head towards the doors to the outside when she heard the sounds of pursuit. Whoever they were they were close behind. She did not recognize them but whether or not they were the same aliens as the ones she had witnessed emerging from the crash did not matter overly much at that particular moment. Her only concern was getting somewhere else.

Cody ushered her along seeming to understand where she was headed. "I hope you've got a plan!"

"I'm making this up as I go along," she said. The tigress hurried as fast as her legs would carry her through the sky bridge. Their best chance of staying alive meant reaching her truck and putting some distance between them and the mysterious aliens with the death rays. Whatever those weapons were she knew one hit would be more than enough to melt anything in its path. Just as they had reached the halfway point the doors behind them opened to reveal the aliens once more.

Piper knew it was foolish but she spared a second to turn around and look. Time seemed to slow down as she screamed and tripped, falling forward over herself as she hit the ground hard. Even though there was only ten feet between her and the other doors she doubted she could outrun the alien weapon if either one of these things got a shot off. She commanded her muscles to move though they stubbornly refused to obey her orders. She closed her eyes not wanting to see her own fiery death, when all of the sudden time seemed to return to normal.

The doors on the other end opened and gunshots rang out. She opened her eyes and felt Cody yank her to her feet as they rushed past a gemsbok and a rhino dressed in suits. The rhino turned to them both as they passed.

"Black car, on the right!" he commanded.

Piper knew better than to ignore his instructions. While Cody ushered her towards the vehicle she felt her memory refuse to tell her where she had parked, cursing as he roughly pushed her into the back seat. No sooner had she straightened herself out then the rhino and gemsbok jumped into the vehicle and started the engine.

The car roared to life and sped backwards before shifting gears and surging ahead sending the tigress into the seat cushions. It was a moment or two before she could pull herself forward enough to buckle her seatbelt and take a breath. She almost could not remember how she had ended up here it had all happened so fast.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked.

"Agent Spencer Cole and Keith Hannelly of the FBI," the gemsbok said, pointing to his partner in the passenger seat. "Save your questions for later, but I think for now the best plan is for you to come with us."

"I am hardly in a position to disagree," Cody replied. "Thanks, by the way."

The gemsbok offered a nod before he returned his attention to driving the vehicle through the parking garage far faster than was safe under normal circumstances. Piper turned her head to look behind them seeing the pair of aliens getting smaller in the distance as they whirled around a corner. She sank into the seat relieved to be in one piece as she felt her chest to be certain all her parts and pieces were still attached. Her breath was deep and heavy while she struggled to calm herself.

Emergency vehicles surrounded the hospital as firemen and other medical personnel rushed to treat the injured and attempt to get the flames under control. The aliens that had attacked them were nowhere to be seen, but wherever they were Piper doubted it was the last time they would see them. She glanced at Cody and reached out to take his paw into hers. Wherever they were going it had to be safer than here.

The car pulled onto the highway, and it was only at that moment that she recalled she still had the device in her bag. She only hoped that these two agents would know what to do with it. One thing was for certain, things had just gotten a great deal more complicated.

She squeezed Cody's paw extra firmly enough so that he turned and offered her a gentle smile. Sensing her nervousness, he placed his other paw on her leg.