Sophie unfastened her helmet. She grabbed a water bottle from her duffel bag and forced down several gulps. Feeling around in the bag, she retrieved two energy bars and tore them open. She chewed and listened to the reassuring groan of the diesel engine, and started to relax.

She closed her eyes, sinking into the seat. An image of Jamie and Owen sitting next to Holly at the mess hall table crept into her thoughts. If the children could survive the Organics without weapons, food, or a super-magnet, then surely she stood a chance.

Crumpling the wrapper into a ball, she threw it back into the bag and looked at the RVM one more time. The hunk of metal glistened in the dim light. It was hard to imagine that the box not only housed the smartest artificial intelligence on the planet, but also harnessed an electromagnetic wave that could confuse alien invaders. Science never ceased to amaze her; even when all seemed lost, it had a way of giving her hope.

The silhouette of Denver’s destroyed skyline appeared in the distance, the once great skyscrapers nothing more than artifacts from a dead civilization, like the Great Wall of China or the pyramids in Egypt.

Sophie thought of the young pilot who had flown her to the Biosphere just weeks before. He had mentioned his girlfriend’s family was from Denver. She hoped he had somehow managed to escape from the Organics, but she didn’t really believe it. With a lurch, Sophie realized that she’d never bothered to learn the pilot’s name.

She pushed the concern from her mind, squeezing her eyebrows together and blinking. The optics built into her display enhanced, allowing her to scan the interstate for any signs of life. Deep down she knew there wouldn’t be any. The city had been evacuated years before, when the edge of the CME had torched the city and turned it into a radioactive nightlight.

The emptiness was eerie, but oddly soothing at the same time. Strategically, the location worked out in their favor. Without human life to prey upon, the Organics would have no reason to be anywhere near the city. And with the surface water already gone, Sophie figured they wouldn’t run into any further resistance until they got to the White Sands Missile Range.

Ruined buildings and the abandoned cars of people who had tried to escape the doomed city filled her display. The scene reminded her of an old post-apocalyptic movie poster she’d had hanging in her college dorm room—a scene she never thought she’d see with her own eyes.

In the distance the triangular rooftops of the airport emerged. There were only a few of the pyramids left fully intact, but as they approached it was clear the architects had designed the roof to look like the Rocky Mountains.