“I don’t know what to tell you, boss,” Lucas said. “That sealing kit you gave us was some next level shit. It looked like a present wrapping at first, but after we applied it over the car it started to change. Took about fifteen minutes, then it looked like that.” He pointed his thumb at the vehicle.

Nori circled the Hummer, taking in its new features with great interest. “It’s incredible. The lowered center of mass will give it better traction and stability—and look at those hydraulics.” She pointed at a big tube connected to the wheels’ axis. “It looks like it can absorb some serious impact. Perfect for driving on the moon.”

“That shit looks like the Batmobile on steroids,” D’Angelo said. “I’d’ve been king of my old hood if I was driving this bad motherfucker.”

“Watch your language, man,” Bulco said. “There are ladies here.”

“He’s right,” Nori said distractedly, moving her fingers across the smooth surface. “It’s offensive to compare this baby to the Batmobile.” She opened the door and entered the driver’s seat.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Bulco demanded.

She flashed him a crooked smile. “I’m taking this bad motherfucker for a test drive!”

The large Engineer barely managed to jump into the passenger seat before Nori fired up the light console and pushed the pedal to the floor. The Hummer’s wheels sprayed a shower of gravel behind them, and then they were off.

Nori expertly maneuvered the heavy vehicle between piles of debris and wrecked cars as they sped through the broken streets.

“Holy shit, kid, are you trying to get us killed?” the large man demanded, his fingers locked on the door grip.

“It’s better to make sure it can withstand local conditions before taking it out into space,” Nori answered philosophically as she steered onto a short ramp of discarded debris. The engine roared and the car flew over the ramp and into the air, covering more than twenty meters before landing flawlessly into a tight turn, surprising a level four Warped in the process.

The heavy vehicle rammed into and over the barbed-tailed monster, flattening and crushing its body beneath its giant wheels. Nori hit the brakes and the Hummer came to a screeching halt. The man and woman exchanged glances, then turned to look through the back window. The mangled form of the Warped remained unmoving, flattened against the broken road.

“It’s not healing,” Nori pointed out after a few moments.

Bulco nodded. “I think I know why.” He opened a second light console in front of him and punched the keys. “That’s what I thought. The sealing kit did a whole lot more than just make the car spaceworthy. The alien technology meshed with our own, giving it the most efficient design it could.”

“So the Warped …” Nori frowned.