The airstrip is empty. Something is wrong. There should be cars waiting here to drive us back to the campus. It’s not like Alan to fail at something like this, his attention to detail wouldn’t allow it.

“Wait here,” I tell everyone. “I’ll go see where our rides are.”

I suit up for the short flight to campus. Behind me, Evan and Louise do the same. I see an ambulance at the gate as we approach. I extend my cloud and feel the area out with my bots. Mrs. Hastings lies on the stretcher near the Research Center doors. She’s got a stab wound in her side. We land and Louise rushes to her side.

From Louise: It’s not good, I think her kidney is punctured.

The paramedics are moving her now, rushing quickly towards the ambulance. I scan the area, trying to figure out what happened and making sure no one else is injured. They’re loading her in now.

“Wait!” Louise demands. She climbs into the ambulance with Mrs. Hastings, cracking open the box of medical bots at her hip as the doors close.

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On the commons, there’s a swirling chaos of pajama-clad siblings, nannies, and other staff trying to see what happened and figure out what’s going on. I spot Alan near the edge of it and run over to him.

“What happened here?” I ask, shouting to be heard above the commotion.

“Sir!” he says as he sees me. “I am so glad to see you! I’m still trying to piece things together, but from what I’ve found out, they came and stole a truckload of gear from the research lab. Mrs. Hastings tried to stop them. He stabbed her and they drove off!”

“They? He? Who did this?”

“There were ten of them, dressed in what looked like military gear, but all in black. They wore masks, except for one of them. He was the one who stabbed Mrs. Hastings. I saw him just as they were leaving, but didn’t recognize him. Some of the staff did, though. They said he was one of your brothers.”

“Someone from here did this?” I demand. “Who?”

Who would steal from the lab? And stab Mrs. Hastings? The oldest of my brothers still here on campus are way too young to have been involved with whatever quasi-military group just raided the campus.

“Jeff,” Alan answers. “They said his name was Jeff.”