“It’s clear,” Torran’s voice whispered in my head.

“Room is clear,” I relayed. “I’m going down. Follow like we practiced.”

I wrapped my legs in the rope, got a good grip, and then swung into space. Once my head cleared the floor, the night vision adjusted and I could see the floor, twelve meters down. I loosened my legs and slid down the rope, thankful for the gloves that covered my hands.

Once I was on the ground, I moved away and pulled my rifle up into a low ready position. The room was small and roughly square, with a single door I could see. So far, this was exactly what we’d expected.

Eli was the last one down. As soon as his boots hit the ground, Torran led us to the door. It was weird, following someone else’s lead after leading my own squad for so long, but it absolutely made sense for Torran to go first. Not only could he incapacitate the enemy with just his mind, he could protect the rest of us as well.

The door was hinged rather than sliding and had a manual doorknob. On Torran’s signal, I swung it open and he swept into the corridor. I followed on his heels, my rifle covering the left half of the hallway. Nothing moved and it was still and dark.

We cleared the short hall and came to a second doorway that opened into the main part of the bunker. I tapped Torran’s shoulder. “Can you sense anyone?”

“No.”

I moved to the door control panel. This one slid open and as soon as it did, we wouldn’t have any cover. “Ready when you are,” I said.

Torran glanced behind us, then returned his attention to the door. A flat, black disk about a half meter across lifted from its attachment point on his back and moved around to hover in front of him. I hadn’t noticed it against the black of his armor, and he hadn’t had it in training. I flinched at the sight.

The solid, armored disk was part shield and part weapon, and in the hands of a telekinetic, it was lethal as either. The spiked edges had been sharpened into deadly points, and the thick metal body could block plas pulses.

I’d wondered at his lack of weapons—he carried only a plas pistol and blade—but now I knew why. The disk was plenty. I’d only ever seen it wielded in a training video, but the horror had stuck with me.

“Are you okay?” Torran asked, concern in his mental voice. My emotions must have bled through our connection.

I swallowed. “I didn’t expect the . . .” I trailed off and waved at the disk.

“The nimtowiadwu? It is the traditional weapon of telekinetics.”