I nodded, then said to Charlene, “Who have you got out in the field right now? Male.”

“Uh … Larry Brauer and Neil Hall, that I can think of.”

“Good enough. Sheldon, got images?”

“Affirmative. One moment … They are shorter than you and taller than Patrick, so try not to interact with your environment.”

I felt the momentary tingle as the cloak activated, and Charlene drew back in shock as we magically changed into her colleagues. The camera operator, true to her profession, didn’t even twitch.

“If they come in here, you do all the talking,” I said.

We maneuvered ourselves around so that we were sitting with Charlene. The camera operator casually placed her equipment on the table in such a way that the camera was covering the room, and the battery pack shielded the red-blinking recording light from view.

We didn’t have long to wait. The door burst open and two fully kitted-up cops stepped in, weapons up and scanning the room. “Names!” one of them barked.

“What the hell is this?” Charlene exclaimed, doing a good job of acting surprised. “You can’t just—”

“Names. Last chance.” The cop activated a laser sight and the red dot appeared on Charlene’s chest.

“Uh, Charlene, er, Makita.”

“Larry Brauer,” said my necklace.

“Neil Hall,” said Patrick’s image.

“Marianne Lapierre,” said the camera operator.

“Stay put,” one of the cops said. “Your building is in lockdown. Try to leave and you will be considered to be fleeing the scene. We are authorized to use deadly force, and being reporters won’t protect you.” They backed out of the room and slammed the door closed behind them.

“Sheldon?” I subvocalized.

“I am several miles away at the moment,” he replied. “If there is a Lorannic ship attending, it will be scanning for ships with cloaking fields in the immediate area. And unlike me, it will have weaponry. I have deployed a drone, however, to keep an eye on things.”

“So what’s happening?”

“They sent a surprisingly small squad, considering what they are attempting. Perhaps a dozen individuals, for so many floors to cover. I suspect their commander is an insider, which means he may have a military-class cloaking-field detector. Those aren’t small. Watch for anyone carrying what looks like a suitcase and holding a wand. If you see one, the jig is up.”

I glanced at Patrick, who nodded. He’d gotten the same info. We both reached into our pockets and pulled out the disruptors. I showed the weapon to Charlene. “If we start zapping people, hit the dirt.” Then to Patrick, “Do we wait, or try to make our way out?”

“We’re cornered here, Jack. Let’s try the invisible way out.” Patrick reached down to his belt and disappeared.