Ghost in the Machine

Stealing & Hiding

With his broken leg, Kai relied on Echo's support, and she half helped half carried the boy along. Staying to the cover of the trees and dense brush, the trio made their way from the foothills and into the crumbling ruins of the city. It had been a thriving metropolis before the war, but little effort had been made to rebuild in the last few centuries. Only the major hubs of communication and transportation had been concentrated on. Crouched at the edge of a dry waterway that had once been a rushing river, Greer carefully scanned the area before them.

Brick buildings remained standing, but at sagging angles, the glass windows broken out long ago. Concrete streets and roads had eroded, cracking in large seams, broken by the growth of quaking aspen, cottonwood, and weeds. Slowly, the earth was reclaiming the once vibrant cities, swallowing them beneath time and soil. Light poles dotted the car littered streets, though none had illuminated their sections for many decades.

"It is safe to proceed, Greer," Echo murmured, her attention fixed on the crumbled city before them. "There are no signs of human life within a three-mile radius."

"No use wasting time then," glancing at his son, Rhaner met his eyes. "Are you ready?"

"Ham," (yes)

"Good boy," sparing Kai a warm smile, Greer rose, staying crouched, and made a fast dash for the far side of the riverbed. Scrambling up the bank, he reached the outer edge of what had once been part of a huge college campus, pausing to peer around the corner. Although he trusted to Echo's sensors, relying on himself was a deeply ingrained habit.

As soon as the two were next to him, Rhaner sprinted across the once clean bike path and into the shade of the building. Easing Kai into the shadows, Echo knelt at his side.

"You should not be moving, Kai. Your bones must knit in order to heal properly."

"I'm fine."

Studying his pale features, the android nodded once before moving up to Rhaner's side.

"He cannot go on."

"I know." Greer's gaze did not waver from the ruins in front of them. "I'm aiming to steal that."

Vibrant blue irises shifted, and Echo tilted her head slightly. It resembled an all-terrain vehicle with a roll rack, fat, off-road tires, with the storage area packed with crates and large containers of fuel.

"That will work."

"Want to help?" His sideways glance caught her nod. "Trouble is, we've been spotted."

"There are no human-"

"I'm talking about video feeds." Greer did not point them out, did not look away from the target of his desire. "Scavengers set out bait like that to lure in victims. They're watching us right now, waiting until we step into the trap."

"I am unfamiliar with military and terrorist tactics of this time period, Greer."

"I know."

"However, I can get to that vehicle unharmed."

"Can you drive that rig?"

"It is very likely." Her eyes shifted to the distance. "Human life is closing in. They were approaching from all directions, inside three miles."

"We're running out of time." Rubbing a hand across his mouth, Rhaner squatted low. "Without transportation, we'll never make it to the nearest data control center."

"Stay here, protect your son." Facing him, Echo put a warm hand on his shoulder, looking directly into Greer's eyes. "I will obtain the vehicle for us."