Elias had barely taken a dozen steps before he heard it.
A low, mechanical hum, almost swallowed by the wind.
He froze, every nerve in his body going rigid. Slowly, he turned his head toward the sound.
A drone.
It hovered several feet above the cracked pavement, its metal plating once sleek and polished, now scorched and pitted with age. Jagged scorch marks ran along its frame, as if it had survived something just as catastrophic as he had. A single red lens flickered to life at its center, sweeping over him in an eerie, methodical scan.
Not just a drone. A security drone.
Elias's throat went dry. Military? Corporate? Research lab? Too many possibilities, and none of them good.
He raised his hands slightly, playing it cool. "Athena? That you, sweetheart?" he called, half-joking. "You look great, by the way. Love what you've done with the place."
The drone did not respond.
Instead, it emitted a sharp, shrill beep.
Elias barely had time to curse before the drone fired.
A bolt of plasma hissed through the air, scorching the pavement where he had just stood. The heat singed his exposed skin, the acrid smell of burned concrete filling his nostrils.
"OH, COME ON!"
He dove behind a rusted-out car just as another shot streaked past, searing the metal with a sizzle. He hit the ground hard, gravel biting into his palms.
Heart hammering, he pressed his back against the corroded frame, chest heaving. Think. THINK.
His eyes darted to the drone's chassis—scuffed, dented, missing a stabilizer. Old. Damaged. But still dangerous.
"First day out, and I'm already getting shot at. Love this for me."
The drone whirred again, recalibrating. It hovered higher, trying to angle its shot over his cover.
Elias didn't wait for round two.
He bolted.
The drone tracked him instantly, another burst of plasma cutting through the air behind him. Too close. He sprinted toward the remains of an overturned bus, lungs burning, legs screaming in protest. He dove, rolling beneath the wreckage just as another shot slammed into the side, sending a shower of molten metal raining down.
Gotta lose it. Fast.
His mind raced. If this thing was automated, it was following a simple set of directives: Identify. Eliminate. No critical thinking. No adaptability.
Which meant he could outsmart it.
Elias forced himself to move, staying low as he weaved between broken vehicles, keeping as much debris between himself and the drone as possible. If he could just—
The hum grew louder.
A shadow passed overhead.
His gut twisted. It's predicting my movement.
He skidded to a stop, pivoted hard, and dashed toward a collapsed overpass, sprinting into the tangle of steel beams and crumbling concrete.
The drone hesitated. Lost line of sight.
Elias grinned through ragged breaths. "That's what I thought."
Then, without warning—
The drone dove into the wreckage after him.
His eyes widened. Shit.