by Linn Schwab
“That’s the plan,” Andrew told him. “Supposedly it’s already been preprogrammed. All we have to do is set it up and fire it off.”
Dylan walked along one side of the crate, examining the entire length of the missile. “What’s this symbol?” he asked, pointing to the nose cone. “I’ve never seen a warning like this before.”
“Yeah, neither have I,” Nick said. “Gives me the creeps just lookin’ at the thing.”
“It’s a biological hazard symbol,” Andrew explained. “That means it’s something we don’t want to mess around with. So let’s be careful we don’t crack it open.”
Dylan looked down at the side of the crate and noticed a partially obscured shipping label. “The tag says this came from Practical Solutions. Last I heard, they went out of business.”
“Six months ago,” Andrew confirmed. “But those news reports came to us by rabbit. This crate was shipped straight from Alpha platform, which means it took more than two years to get here. Ergo, the missile was shipped out to us before Practical Solutions went belly up.
“Come on, let’s get this thing ready to go. The sooner we send it on its way, the better.”
“I don’t know,” Dylan said, shaking his head. “Something about this just doesn’t seem right. Don’t you think we ought to check with someone first?”
“We’re gonna need a launch tube,” Andrew told him, ignoring his suggestion. “Go see if you can track one down while Nick and I get this thing unpacked.”
Dylan looked at him in shock, and said, “Doesn’t the thought of this bother you at all? If that symbol is what you say it is, this could be some kind of biological weapon!”
“Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. I don’t see how it matters either way. It’s not our decision to make, Dylan. Our job is just to follow orders.”
3
The Sentinels saga will conclude in Shield Maidens.
