“I’ve got your bzzz zz zzz.” Shade Darby was morphing in mid-speech, vibrating in place like a hyperactive greyhound on a short leash.

Malik opened the front door and stepped out just as a dozen people in tactical gear, helmets and assault rifles at the ready, came storming up.

“Please stop. I don’t want to hurt you,” Malik said, but the SWAT team was not used to listening to protests from the people they were arresting.

“Hands in the air! Hands in the air!” They rushed him, guns leveled. There was a burst of wind, a blur, and the first three SWAT members suddenly had no guns.

“Take him down!” the special agent in charge yelled into a bullhorn, but a split second later the bullhorn was gone, and the special agent in charge was no longer in charge of anything, but had been physically dragged thirty feet to be propped up in front of Malik like a human shield.

“No one shoot! Safe your weapons!” the SAIC yelled, seeing sense now that he was in the line of fire.

Hero, Chapter 10