Cairo had made a one-time exception to let key members of the Resistance Leadership join her in the "quiet room". I hope I don't live to regret this decision. Everyone around her knew that the stakes were high. Her Troop was about to face an existential threat from a non-biological entity and there was very little Cairo could do to help them. As concerned as she was for their well-being, she still had to remain vigilant about monitoring the "mental state" of their immediate surroundings. Doing so required her to keep close tabs on all 20 members as she simultaneously scanned radially outward for potential threats from extraterrestrial biological forces. Thanks to the Troop's mission parameters, Cairo was always well within active and passive TP range. To help calm herself, as well as the individual Troop members, she asked each of them to provide brief, periodic mental "check-ins" that she would monitor from afar. Cairo's concern ran deep but she was especially worried about Jake, who was in the process of completing a nearly unspeakable task. It was an event that she knew was likely to scar him for the rest of his life. The mere thought of what he had to do disturbed Cairo deeply.

Despite the downside of potentially cluttering the mental airwaves around her, she was thankful that Resistance Leadership was with her during this trying time. Quintavius, who, for all intents and purposes was her surrogate Father, understood her situation better than anyone else and instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand.

"We can help him," he comforted her telepathically. "There are effective coping and memory techniques that go far beyond the psychotherapy Humans are familiar with."

Cairo, without saying a word, looked at Quin with tears in her eyes and gripped his hand tightly.

General Asoban, who had been watching Cairo from across the room could sense her thoughts despite having no TP abilities to draw from.

"He is a trained soldier and a good one at that," he told her. "He can compartmentalize. He has to...the fate of 20 people are riding on his ability to do so. You have a good man, Cairo. Don't worry, just remember to tell him that the next time you see him. I'm confident your strength will help him through this."

Without delving into the gruesome details, the General and Quintavius were referencing the fact that Jake has just finished removing the scattered remains of Zyniche from the clearing where she had been killed. Cairo couldn't be more specific than that because she wasn't there and Jake, at least for the time being, had remained remarkably mentally quiet throughout the horrifically grisly task he was forced to complete. Somehow, Jake had found a way to keep his composure through it all. Cairo knew that any blood, tissue, brain matter, or bone fragments that remained would be detected by the flying AI monsters. Most terrifying of all, these stupid robots kept getting smarter and never made the same mistake twice. Cairo exhaled deeply as she acknowledged her oxymoronic description of the treacherous machines. The fact that she had no way to use her talents to see them coming or know what they were thinking frustrated her beyond words...and thoughts.

"Jake is the situation fully secure? You're running out of time." Cairo sent her message to Xaio telepathically, who, in turn, communicated verbally with Jake who stood a few meters away from her.

Xiao reported back to Cairo that Jake was still meticulously sterilizing the area in a last-minute effort to make sure he didn't miss anything. Over a five-minute period, he had managed to neutralize the grounds and collect all of the visible organic material he could find from the scene. Cairo communicated these additional details to Resistance Leadership. She remained nervous, knowing that the smallest bit of DNA could end up killing them all. She was also worried about the emotional stress Jake was under. He had all the medical and chemical tools he would need to complete the horrific endeavor but could he handle the emotional trauma of "cleaning up" a lost friend? She knew it had to be disturbingly difficult for him to endure.

"Tell her I'm done, Xaio," Jake said calmly. "Also tell her that I can hear the machines and that they'll be here in a few minutes. You and I need to take cover immediately, Xiao. We have no time to waste."

After updating Resistance Leadership of the current situation, Cairo began monitoring the mental state of all 20 Troop members, including Jake's especially difficult situation. For the 15 who did not have TP capabilities, the process was problematic since they were isolated, making it impossible for her to actively communicate. Given this practical limitation, Cairo began concentrating her communication efforts with the five TP-capable Runners. Even here, however, it was tough for her to get actionable intelligence since the Runners were also physically shielded from the outside world as they lay still in their IR chambers.

Given her inability to obtain real-time situational awareness, Cairo found herself on the receiving end of rapid-fire requests from the Runners. Cairo did her best to respond but tempers quickly flared as it became painfully evident that neither side could obtain meaningful intelligence due to the combined effects of Troop isolation and a lack of ET biological sensory input that Cairo could track and observe. As this reality began to sink in at the RCC, a sense of quiet resignation slowly began to take hold. Ironically, the mental silence that accompanied this feeling of despair and frustration is what allowed Cairo to hone in on a solution.

Jake! she thought with a smile.

"I've decided that I'm going to focus all my efforts on Jake's mind," she told the group around her. "Jake, once he secures his position, is likely to have the drones nearby. Concentrating on his experience will give us our best chance of a clear window into the operation."

Within seconds, the chatter in the room ramped up to such a degree that her telepathic connection with Jake's mind was severed.

"Enough people! Quiet...please!" she yelled.

The room instantly went silent.

Cairo maintained the tension in the room with an irritated look that didn't melt away.

"We are going to do this my way," she informed them. 'If that's unacceptable, you'll need to exit the quiet room immediately. Jake is likely too close to the drones once they arrive. I plan to listen to his thoughts and emotions, even though I will be unable to do anything to help him. And yes, as you might imagine this will not be easy for me. So I ask you, please, be quiet, both audibly and mentally. I'll let you know exactly what's going on as the situation evolves. Again...this will be a one way, "receive-only" transmission. Please keep that in mind...

The room remained dead quiet. General Asoban was looking directly at her with a look of mild admiration on his face.

Cairo closed her eyes and focused all of her attention on Jake's inner-most thoughts. Even with the distance between them, she could feel his emotional state...vividly. The unexpected clarity she was experiencing made her even more uncomfortable. I 've got to keep it together. With her eyes still shut, Cairo concentrated intently...

After a moment, she communicated with the group.

"The drones are a few hundred meters away," she said. "Jake thinks that there are four, maybe five machines. He can hear them individually and they're moving closer. Their collective sound is increasing and I can tell that his anxiety is growing."

Cairo paused as she took a deep breath and bit her lower lip.

"His heart is racing. It is hard for me to "hear" anything else at the moment..."

Thankfully, the room remained pin-drop silent. Cairo "listened" for another several seconds before speaking again...

"Jake thinks the drones must have discovered some traces of organic material from Zy–..."

Oh god no...pleeeease hold it together, she demanded of herself. If Jake can hold it together in the real word, I have no excuse whatsoever!

After taking another deep breath, she continued.

"Jake is now noticing a change in some of the drones. He thinks a few of them are starting to peel off and disperse, perhaps to scout the larger surrounding area...? He thinks they may be looking for... evidence... of casualties. One of the drones, however, is not joining them. This one is quickly approaching Jake's specific location. His heart is racing again. He thinks they're going to find him," she reported. God no!

She knew this was taking a heavy emotional toll on her. I need air! she exclaimed to no one. Cairo stood up and walked away from the people who had been surrounding her.

Quintavous "heard" her cry for help. "We are with you, my dear. Please, come back to us..."

Looking over her shoulder, Cairo saw his gentle smile. Her heart still racing, she walked back towards the group and re-engaged with Jake's mind.

As the rogue drone approached him, she sensed Jake's heartbeat and breathing accelerating. Cairo knew he was beginning to fear for his life. Jake was also beginning to expose his thoughts for her! No Jake, don't do this to me! she pleaded. He loved her and didn't want his life to end like this...without her.

All of this was too much for Cairo. As she sat back down, tears rolled down both sides of her face as she put her head in her hands. As her grief continued to unfold, Quintavius moved to her side and grabbed her hand. Channel his inner peace, my dear, he told her telepathically. It was a skill Cairo had tried to master for years...unsuccessfully

Heeding his direction, she tried again.

Within seconds, Cairo felt a deep warmth building inside as a sense of calm washed over her inner being. Suddenly, she was able to focus on Jake's mind in a way that was previously unavailable to her.

The level of detail she could now sense was incredible. It's as if I'm there! She looked over at Quin who met her gaze with a knowing smile. Cairo could sense that the drone was now inches above the shrubbery that hid Jake's IR encasement. Her senses were overwhelmed by his fear of being detected. He had stopped breathing as a way to minimize his motion. This continued for 20-30 seconds but seemed like an eternity to Cairo, who, in sympathy, had stopped breathing as well.

Finally, after minutes of silence, Cairo resumed communication with the group.

"At this very moment, a drone is inches above him. Jake remains motionless and is praying..."

Cairo continued as a single tear rolled down her left cheek.

"His fists are clenched and his heart is racing," she added as she closed her eyes and bit her lip again.

Several seconds of silence passed as everyone nervously fixated on Cairo's face, hoping to discern a facial twitch or some other non-verbal informative cue.

Suddenly, Cairo opened her eyes wide.

"The drone lifted!" she declared with an enormous smile and undeniable air of hope and excitement.

"Jake hopes that it is retreating...It's now moving backwards...possibly into a clearing," she told the group that had now encroached nearly on top her. "Jake can also hear the other drones returning from their surveillance mission....They're converging...perhaps near the original land mine location?...Yes...By the sound it, Jake is sure that's where they are...

"Jake's fear is receding. He thinks he may have made it! And he's crying... Wait...none of you can mention that when you see him! If you do you'll have hell to pay from me!" she added with a beaming smile and tears of her own.

As Cairo wiped her eyes, her smile suddenly receded. Looking skyward in thought, she temporarily disconnected with Jake to see if everyone else on site was ok...

For several seconds, Cairo listened intently but didn't sense anything...No news is good news, she thought.

Satisfied, she returned her thoughts back to Jake.

Meanwhile, Cairo's sudden silence and shifting emotional display was simply too much for Gus to handle.

"What the heck is happening?!" he blurted out.

Expecting a negative response from a wide-eyed Cairo, Gus instinctively, almost apologetically, cocked his head and nervously winced back at her.

Cairo returned his look of concern with a huge, unambiguous smile from ear-to-ear.

"They're gone! The drones have left the area and everyone is ok!" she declared victoriously at the top of her lungs.