When there were only four Tasins still pursuing, none of them bulls, the creatures lost heart and gave up the chase.
Rhea exhaled in relief as the bioweapons receded and pulled herself back into the SUV.
“Well, that was fun,” Will said.
Rhea nodded, her gaze intent on the distant smudge of the semi ahead. It was fast approaching the northernmost hills of the highlands.
“I sense sarcasm in your voice,” Horatio commented. “But I must admit, I particularly enjoyed it. There’s something satisfying about terminating a biological abomination.”
“Just like there’s something satisfying about terminating machine abominations?” Miles hinted.
Horatio looked at him with that expressionless face.
“Don’t give me that look,” Miles said.
“What look?” Brinks said. “He’s got no expression.”
“My point exactly,” Miles said. “Hey Tin Bucket, stop looking at me.”
Horatio didn’t comply. The unblinking gray visor that served as the robot’s eyes bored into him.
“Horatio, calm down brother,” Will said. “He’s only human.”
The robot nodded at that and looked away. “Only human. I can’t blame him for that.”
“You’re lucky I’m sitting between you two,” Brinks told Miles. “I don’t think the robot likes you.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Miles replied.
Rhea felt the need to interject. “I’m part robot. Ninety percent.”
“Yes,” Miles agreed. “But you have a human brain. And that makes all the difference. Because of that, I’d argue you were actually ninety percent human, and only ten percent robot.”
Rhea couldn’t disagree with that. “My point is… try to be nice. We’re all on the same team here.”
Miles nodded. “I got you, Warden.”
The convoy was gaining on the semi; however, the target was still well out of range of any meaningful plasma fire, so Rhea could only watch helplessly as it reached the outskirts of the highlands and vanished behind a hill. However, Gizmo, pursuing far above, continued to track their prey, ensuring the convoy wouldn’t lose Veil.
“This is where the drone we sent north vanished,” Will said.
“I know,” Rhea said. “Has Gizmo spotted anything out of the ordinary among the hills?”
“Not yet,” Will said. “But if there are men here, or weapons, they’re likely camouflaged.”
As they neared the hill beyond which the semi had vanished, the ground unfolded, and a wicked quad-pronged turret emerged. Multiple energy bolts erupted from it.
The vehicles in the convoy automatically activated their evasion algorithms. Will took control of the SUV, and turned far to the left, then right, zigzagging.
The plasma cannons bolted to the truck beds had mostly cooled down by then, and across the convoy those weapons opened fire. In seconds the opposing turret was reduced to so much slag.
“Well, I guess now we know what eliminated the drone we sent north!” Will commented.
“I want the technicals to take the lead,” Rhea said.
“Still using machines as cannon fodder…” Horatio commented as the pickup trucks pulled ahead.
“If they were men, I’d do the same,” Rhea said. “Because we’re only losing one entity if those technicals are hit, versus the five who reside in each SUV.”
When the vehicle passed by the wreckage of the turret, she commented: “A good little defense against bioweapons and other intruders.”
“Yeah,” Will agreed. “But you know, the last time I visited a Black Hands outpost in the Outlands, it was surrounded by sonic maskers to prevent bioweapons from ferreting them out. Guess they’ve updated their defenses since.”
“I’m sure there are sonic maskers here if we look closely enough,” Horatio said. “It’s better to be preventive, when it comes to bioweapons, than reactive.”
“Speaking of which, what’s the point of having a drone scouting ahead if it can’t detect enemy turrets!” Miles said.
“In case you haven’t noticed, Veil’s turrets are fairly well hidden,” Will said.
“It’s quite the setup our friend Veil has for herself here,” Miles said. “Whenever Aradne security forces come knocking, her minions merely hide in their caves, and the turrets disappear underground.”
The convoy passed between two of the hills and officially entered the northern highlands. Space became tight, as the slopes on either side were far too rocky to drive upon, and soon there was only enough room for the vehicles to travel two abreast. Rhea gave the order to advance in single file, so that the vehicles would have space to maneuver if an attack came.
“Will, I want you to cede control of the vehicle to the AI,” Rhea said.
“But I don’t trust it,” Will told her. “I’d rather have my life in my own hands.”
“I know you would,” Rhea said. “But if a turret emerges nearby, and targets us first, you won’t necessarily know what direction the bolts are coming from. You might turn directly into the attack. This route is too cramped. Even if you keep watch from Gizmo’s perspective, there’s still a good chance you could mess up. It’s better this way.”
Will sighed, and reluctantly ceded control of the vehicle to the AI core.
“All right, but if the machine kills me, I’m blaming you,” he quipped.
She smiled indulgently.
Unsurprisingly, more turrets unfolded from the ground ahead, usually farther up the slopes. They often targeted the SUVs; the AIs always swerved them out of the way, sometimes only just in time. Meanwhile, the remaining members of the convoy shot down the attack platforms.
One of the lead technicals was taken out by a surprise turret that emerged almost directly in front of it. After the attack platform was eliminated, the following technicals were forced to slam into the wreckage of the broken pickup truck, scattering its broken pieces out of the way.
“Gizmo is reporting a cave entrance of some kind, not far ahead,” Will said. “The semi is pulling up in front of it.”
Rhea nodded.
No further attack platforms emerged to molest them. Rhea didn’t really find that reassuring. For all she knew, some of the turrets were remaining hidden, perhaps intending to spring upon the team during the retreat. If the convoy was being pursued
