LifeShield

Walking Out

She walks behind the lieutenant, weariness struggling to overtake her euphoria. It understands, at least a little. It'd been her loadstone through all of this, how to communicate with a truly alien mind. She'd fallen back on the thing that had pulled humanity through more than a few scrapes. Common struggle. What could happen next, she had no idea. But maybe for the first time in her life, she was looking forward to finding out.

Ghosts. Begone!

At the door, the lieutenant shouts, "Wait," to the two men standing there. Fiona never blinks as the secret service men rush her. Their LifeShields flash as they get close, and they sprawl, trapped under crimson energy nets. She steps between then on the path their contorted bodies make.

Outside, she squints in the bright morning light. Even before she can see, she can hear the churn of a crowd milling on the other side of police barricades. A patter of applause ripples out, building to a crescendo that roars down the street. Fiona picks out the half-familiar figure on the other side.

Fiona walks closer, "Candace, right? The reporter?"

Her eyes light up. "Indeed. We've been watching. That was...something. Are you okay?"

"For today at least. You still want that interview?"

"Hell, yeah, I do."