He opened his mouth as two things happened. First, a flat gray security drone with police markings flew into the room from the hallway. Xavi turned in one effortless motion, shotgun raised. Its boom was deafening, and the machine shattered apart in a cloud of sparks and bitter smoke. As Alice turned toward it, a second drone burst through a small exterior window and fired a taser dart into her neck. The electrical charge threw her to the floor, head and ears ringing.