The woman took a step away from the alien.

  Good girl.

  Casey watched the creature follow the woman. Maybe the weapon he could see glinting in its hand had a limited range.

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  He ignored the noise as the new machine approached. He still had time to make the shot.

  Above the grunting motion of the heavier machine came the whine of a gun platform, the sound immediately recognizable to the sergeant. A quick thought about the alien repair crew intruded as he concentrated on the shot.

  The gun bucked in his hands.