Another volley of plasma rounds tore through the darkness, but the drone dove hard to the left. Sophie risked a glance over her shoulder, frantically scanning the vehicle for something, anything she could use. And then she saw it—the tip of the missile launcher Overton had used to save her life.

She slammed her boot down on the brakes, and the Jeep fishtailed, stopping a mere inches from the side of another truck. Throwing the Jeep into park, she spun around, retrieved the missile launcher from under the backseat, and jumped out onto the street.

The drone released another high-frequency sound wave, bringing Overton to his knees. Sophie watched the girl tumble onto the concrete. But this time her own ears were prepared, and the medicated aids Alexia had given her mitigated some of the noise.

She took to one knee and examined the launcher. Without any formal training, firing the weapon was going to be dangerous, but she had to try. Raising it to her shoulder, she looked through the scope and watched the crosshairs link up with her HUD through the wireless connection.

Simple enough, she thought, steadying the weapon.

In the middle of her display, the red targeting system emerged. The craft zigzagged across the sky, making it difficult for her to get a shot. She waited patiently, stilling her breathing and massaging the trigger. When the display lit up with a blinking lock symbol, she clicked off the safety, pulled the hard metal of the trigger, and braced herself as the rocket exploded out of the tube. She watched it streak across the dark sky before bursting into a green static across her display.

Blinking, she staggered, the brightness momentarily blinding her. By the time she regained vision, Overton was standing in front of her, holding the young girl in his arms once more.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s get the fuck out of here!” he yelled.

Sophie paused to look at the liquid seeping out of his shoulder. She didn’t need to turn off her night vision to know it was blood.

“Take shotgun; I’m driving,” she said, glancing behind her to make sure the craft was gone. Nothing but the dark skyline of Colorado Springs showed up on her HUD. Relieved, she sucked in some filtered air, jumped in the front seat, and punched the gas with a swift kick from her armored boot.

But to her dismay, the tires didn’t squeal out. The engine didn’t groan to life. The truck was dead. She quickly looked around at the graveyard of other vehicles for another ride and remembered the empty gas tanks. They were stranded. And on the horizon was another pair of drones that had come to avenge their friend.

Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

ENTRY 0064

DESIGNEE: AI ALEXIA MODEL 11