Ayane's eyes never left the feed from the core room. She had been watching the ventilator duct like a hawk ever since Riku said he was going in.
On screen, two tube-like cylinders launched into the chamber. Gas poured out in a gray cloud. One by one, the researchers slumped like fallen leaves. The ventilation hatch popped open, and Riku dropped into the room.
"Captain, I've reached the location safely. Over and out," his voice came steady over the comm.
Meanwhile, Riku had been very nervous before the jump, though a thrill coursed through him as he emerged. Fortunately, his built-in masked helmet was doing its job. He saw the researchers lying on the ground.
He checked the pulse of one of them and discovered they were simply unconscious, which made him sigh in relief. Deep down, he didn't want to kill the technical guys who had worked hard to earn their degrees and had nothing to do with the larger politics.
