He rode off in the direction of the dirt road, and I went after him, staying at the level where the peaks and upper reaches of the trees provided some cover, but were far enough from one another that I could easily fly through the gaps and keep one eye on the biker.

He rode away from me like he knew where I was. Even though he was riding recklessly, he still needed to zig-zag, and I wasn’t sure he would have been any faster than me on a clear path. I could get ahead of him, above him.

He fired. I could hear the submachine gun fire one burst, then another. I could hear the bullets cutting through the air, but they didn’t touch the wretch or me.

I dove, wretch active, and when I cut through the leaves and found a large branch in my way, I let the wretch collide with it. He’d made enough noise with that gun, and I could make some by breaking the branch clean off the tree.

The bike roared as he kicked it into life, using it to get himself clear of the falling wood. Couldn’t get a bead on me, so he was running.

I was already moving, though. The moment I knew where he was going, I moved to intercept. In his haste to get going and find his balance, he’d laid the uzi against one of the handlebars. He wasn’t in a position to aim it at me.

I caught the weapon and the hand that gripped it. He tried to adjust, another wheelie with a spin as everything rested on the back wheel as a kind of forced stop or attempt to bring the bike around to collide with me. I hauled him back and away from the bike before he could finish the motion. He tumbled into moss, stones, and weeds, emtpy-handed.

Wretch out, uzi held firmly in my hand, I flew at the bike as it tumbled to the ground. I swung my hand, backhanded, and the wretch followed suit, demolishing it.

Bat-biker didn’t get up or do much except lie on his side, panting hard. The fall hadn’t been hard enough to incapacitate him.

A fear response? I didn’t even have my aura out.

I approached him and set one foot on his wrist, so it would be easier to keep an eye on the other. “I’m betting someone like you has other weapons. Tell me where, and don’t touch them unless you want me to treat you like I treated your bike.”

He went very still.

I pushed out with my aura, keeping it small. I didn’t want to tip anyone else off about my presence.

“Weapons. Now,” I said.