Sophie reached down to cover Jamie’s eyes. She struggled to see what was happening and pulled free of Sophie’s grasp. Jamie screamed, watching Luke flop around on the rocky floor like a fish fighting to get back into water.

Sophie grabbed Jamie and forced the girl’s face against her side. “What did you do, Sergeant?” she yelled.

Finley rushed into the room, his rifle drawn. “Holy shit!”

The brilliant afternoon sun reflected off Finley’s silver visor. Overton tinted his own visor and took to his stomach to survey the area with his scope. The box on his HUD blinked free of contacts, and with a quick motion of his hand, the team advanced up the hill. Hitting the tree line, they fanned out, with Finley taking point and Bouma hugging their six.

Sophie stumbled on a loose rock and felt Jamie’s grip tighten around her armored neck.

“Go back to sleep,” Sophie whispered.

Jamie responded by squeezing her even tighter. The meds Overton had given her were sedatives meant for adults. They had slipped one in a glass of water moments before they left Luke’s bunker. In only a few minutes the pill took effect, just the right amount of time for Sophie and Bouma to retrieve the magnetic device from its hardened case on the roof. Now the meds were wearing off, and Sophie didn’t know how much longer the girl would stay drowsy and quiet.

Sophie craned her neck to see Bouma struggling to keep up. He had hastily tied several cords together and fastened the device to his back. It was clearly weighing him down. By the time they reached the top of the ridgeline he was bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

“You’re going to have to slow down. This thing weighs a ton,” he said between breaths.

Overton blinked and pulled up the red clock in the corner of his HUD. It was 4:45 p.m. They still had several hours of daylight left, and had so far gone undetected. But they were, according to his projections, at least another five miles from the Biosphere. He blinked again and gazed upon the mountains in the distance with clear, focused eyes. Cheyenne Mountain was blanketed in pine trees. It looked so far away, an impossible distance to cover without being spotted by the Organics—especially with a girl and a hundred-pound magnet in tow.

He cursed and rubbed his throbbing arm. The gel Sophie had applied was wearing off, and the pain was slowly coming back.

Just my luck.

“Pack it up. We have a hump to travel,” Overton said into his com.

“Roger,” Finley responded, disappearing down the hill, a cloud of dust trailing him.