Change is in the Air

“What happened?” the commander asked the squad leader. “How was your entire squad wiped out while trying to kill one man? Is he bulletproof?”

“No, commander. None of the bullets reached him.”

“Why were you firing at him out of range?”

“We were well within range, sir. Just a few yards away. We could see the whites of his eyes.” The commander’s cheeks blossomed red.

“What kind of weapon did he use to inflict such a lethal attack on your squad?” The squad leader gulped.

“None, sir. He was unarmed.”

“Why are fifteen men dead from bullet wounds if he was unarmed? Did you kill them?”

“Sir, no sir! As squad leader, I never drew my weapon. I simply issued the command to shoot to kill once I recognized and confirmed the target.” The commander’s eyes narrowed.

“And you’re the only survivor of this firefight where ballistics say army munitions were used?”

“Sir, yes sir.”

“Do you realize the value of the target you failed to eliminate?”

“Sir, no sir. I just follow orders, sir.”

“The details are well above your pay grade, but he was a scientist working on one of the most destructive weapons ever developed. If it were used, it would change life as we know it. For this reason, we bombed the testing facility white he was inside, but somehow he survived. The weapon system was confirmed as destroyed, but he has the knowledge to replicate it. That can never happen.”

“Sir. Understood, sir.”

“In the explosion, he was exposed to a synthetic radioactive element called Tachynium. This means that we can track him and if we can track him, we can kill him. I didn’t call you here to Drone Command to browbeat you, sergeant. I know you lost a lot of friends in the attack on your squad. I thought you might appreciate a nice sweet slice of vengeance.”

“Sir, yes sir!”

The squad leader followed the commander down to the command center. They stopped behind a set of three drone pilots who were tracking the scientist through his unique radiation signature. As the commander and squad leader watched, they triangulated on the target from above and descended.

“I’ve got target locked and within range,” said one of them into his headset. “Firing now.” Two seconds after firing, his screen went blank.

“You got hit!” said the pilot next to him. “I see your wreckage in my video feed. “I’m coming in with the kill shot.” He fired and two seconds later, his video feed disappeared.

“I see your wreckage,” said the third pilot before firing on the target only to have his video feed disappear as well. A few minutes later, it reappeared. A bespectacled face filled the screen.

“Can we get audio?”

“My apologies,” said the scientist. “An unexpected consequence of the Tachynium is a physical effect where an object’s energy and momentum is returned to its source. The only way to avoid getting hit is to avoid firing at me. Thanks.”