*****
Washington's voice came angrily over the squad's radios. "Status report! Who the hell started firing?"
Palin checked the hallway, looking for any hostiles that might have been around when they had blasted into the building. "No one fired, sir. There isn't anyone here. The place is completely deserted."
"Damn. If that wasn't you firing then ... squad one! Move! We have hostiles here in the building. Engage at will. Be careful of the students; do not engage any of them. Squad two is breaching now. Move!"
Palin started moving up the hallway, Beck, Nixon, and Wilson in tow. They silently stepped down the hall, checked their corners, and started moving again. They needed to find who was shooting.
Palin threw up her fist and gave the other three directions to move out. A flicker caught her eye. The slightest of disturbances in the hall directly ahead of them floated in the air. Not so much a movement, but a shimmer of light across her vision.
"Palin, we have to move."
"Shut your can, Wilson. Something is wrong--"
An unnatural glow materialized. A blade made of pure light came out of nowhere. Nixon was sliced clean in half.
"Waste it!" yelled Palin. She and her men opened fire.