I stood in the center of the dark garage, the .45 heavy in my hands. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, aided only by the moonlight filtering through the shattered window. Every shadow seemed to mimick the monsters. Outside, tires on gravel announced their arrival. I crept to the edge of the large bay door, peering through a rusted crack in the metal. Three black transport trucks, the kind used for hauling livestock or heavy machinery, rolled into the lot. Behind them followed two tactical SUVs with the Aegis Zenith logo embossed on the doors. In the bed of the lead truck, I saw the source of our nightmare. It was a sleek pillar of brushed steel, pulsating with a rhythmic, violet light. It looked like a piece of high-tech sculpture, but the way the air shimmered around it told a differ

