“Shut up!” he shouted at everyone yelling around him.

To his surprise, they quieted down instantly. He glanced angrily at them as he drove, eyes searching. “If you want to do something helpful, look for the others,” he ordered. “See if you can spot anyone in this muck!”

He slowed the vehicle, crawling ahead cautiously, and they all began searching the haze. Fixit rolled down their windows so they could hear better, maybe catch a hint of what was happening outside. Nothing. No weapons fire, no shouts, no sounds at all. Just the low rumble of the AV. He tried to think what else he could do.

“Over there,” River said suddenly, pointing left.

Fixit saw two shadowy figures making their way through the haze at a rapid pace, not quite running, but almost. They were slight of build, kids like himself. He swung the AV toward them, reaching down to snap the safety off the stun charges. He wanted to be ready, just in case.

“That’s Panther,” Owl said quickly.

The two figures heard them coming and stopped to wait. It was indeed Panther and, with him, Catalya. They were breathing hard as the AV rolled up to them, and they came over to peer inside.

“What’s happened to the others?” Panther demanded. “Where’s Bird-Man and Bear and Cheney?”

Fixit shook his head. “We got lost. We don’t know where they are. We were lucky to find you!”

“Well, you have to find them, too. Stump-head militia’s looking for them, somewhere back there.” He pointed in the direction from which they had come. His dark face glowered. “Don’t know where, exactly. Can’t see anything in this stuff.”

Catalya looked worried, unusual for her. “I thought I saw something else back there. Something big.”

The others stared at her. “Something big?” Panther repeated. “I didn’t see nuthin’.”

“If they’re behind us, maybe they can catch up if we just wait,” River suggested.

“Don’t think waiting around is a good idea,” Panther said at once. He glanced in at the control panel.

“Hey, Fixit, you got a way of tracking movement on that thing? You know, finding anything else that’s moving around out there?”

Fixit frowned. “I don’t know. That wasn’t something Logan Tom taught me to do. He didn’t trust the loran. So I just use it to find directions. I haven’t tried using it to track anyone.”

“Well, try now.”

Fixit bent to the loran, fiddling with the switches and buttons, attempting to decipher what they would do. There were menus and choices of all sorts, and many of the words were unfamiliar to the boy.

“Wait,” Owl said suddenly from the backseat. “Ask Sparrow if she’s seen anything!”

“Sparrow?” Panther asked in confusion.

“She’s on the roof,” Owl explained, thinking even as she said so, Why is she so quiet? “Sparrow!” she called.