"Yuh-huh," grunted Coop, and—nuzzling the tip of the injector under her feathers—pulled the trigger.

There was a sharp hiss, and small valve within the jet injector released, allowed the contents of a cylinder of compressed gas to expand, which, in turn, forced its way rapidly up into the cartridge of midazolam. The dose of noxious chemicals, propelled by the air under hideous pressure, raced forward. Compressed to a single, high-powered stream of particles, it was sprayed at an appreciable fraction of the speed of sound, and perforated Ember's skin, forming a pool of powerful sedative just under the base of her skull.

It took about one second.

It took a few more seconds before Ember would very gently drift off to sleep again.