2
Pathogen Laboratory
Pioneer 3 Dome
Martian Federation
4142.6.18 Galactic
Nick Justice adjusted the optical scanner knob on the side of his helmet, then checked the charge on his blaster rifle. Satisfied the weapon still had a hundred percent charge—since ten minutes ago, when he checked it last—he snuck a peek around the wall his back was pressed against. He'd been slowly moving through the facility, careful to be quiet and hopefully not seen until it was too late for the target to react.
The target was now six meters from his position, its attention on the safe where Pioneer Labs stored their most dangerous pathogens. He slipped back behind the wall, out of sight until the next phase of the operation. The lab used to be sterile, but that was in the past.
Somehow the alien had ope
