Will leapt off the first floor, arms flailing. As he fell, he grabbed one of the banners hanging off the sides of the atrium. His fingers slipped off the synthetic material, but it slowed him down enough to see Remy doing the same on the other side of the banner. Rebecca came flying next and made a grab for the swaying banner but missed. She grabbed Will instead, and the banner began to rip under their combined weight. It tore from the side, and they were soon falling once more.

Remy whooped, and Rebecca screamed as they were in freefall. Will tucked and rolled, breaking the fall. Rebecca, on the other hand, landed with a heavy thud and twisted her ankles. She gave a muffled grunt as she hobbled in place.

A shadow fell over them as the torn banner fluttered above their heads. Will looked up, and through the banner, he saw a red glow gathering in strength. He tackled Rebecca out of the way, and a red laser punched straight through the banner, where she had been moments ago.

More laser light rained down, and the trio ran out of the atrium under the cover of the large banner.

Will dragged Rebecca along with him, who was slowly gaining her footing. "It's okay," she said in a pained whisper. "I can still run."

She forced herself to put her full weight on her leg and ran alongside Will and Remy without nary a complaint.

There was a buzz in the coms, and their helmet screens flickered back on. Will breathed a sigh of relief as the map was displayed once again. He felt the strain on his channels lessen as the suit's field came back online.

"Finally," said Remy through the coms. "I've hardened the system. They won't be able to get in without a proper handshake."

Two loud metallic thuds came from behind them, followed by the roar of an engine and excited chittering. The bots were back on their tail.

Will gritted his teeth. "Keep moving."

The trio followed the path on the map. Shops and cafes whizzed by, and everything was an adrenaline-filled blur. Laser light flew, nearly clipping them, and they were forced to make a detour. The suits quickly recalculated and offered an alternate route, but that too was cut off by another laser. They were forced to change paths again.

The number of paths they could take was falling by the second. They kept getting blocked. The bots worked in tandem, always one step ahead.

"We are being herded," gasped Rebecca.

Will glanced at the paths. The bots were slowly guiding them to the center of the complex, away from any possible exits.

"We need to slow them down," yelled Remy. "Break out."

Will's eyes darted through the map and found a narrow section with little room to maneuver. "Head here. Grab whatever you can and block the opening."

The trio ran through the narrow passage into a high-end lounge. Rebecca tossed a chair, and Remy kicked a table towards the opening. Will grabbed the guest list and scattered the papers into the air. The paper fluttered and landed on the floor in a mess.

The bots came rushing in after them. They blasted the furniture aside, but the paper took them by surprise. They slipped and crashed into the decor. A sculpture slammed down on the coyote and the spiderling scrambled wildly, trying to get its footing on the loose sheets of paper.

The trio didn't stop to watch. They broke out of the net the bots had been casting and made their way out of the center of the mall. They ran through electronic stores and food courts. The kitchens went by in a blur, and soon they were running through the outskirts of the mall.

Will's breathing was labored. His spine tingled, and his leg itched. Eyes blurred, he fought himself from going under. He had to hold on. Just a little bit more, and they were home free.

"The next left!" yelled Remy. Will forced himself to keep running. Hope reignited in him as he saw the end of the route. They were close. A straight sprint for a hundred feet, and the exit was to the right.

The shops around him went by in a blur. Will watched as he closed in on the exit, the map updating with every step.

30 feet.

15 feet.

10, 9, 8...

5, 4, 3...

A searing red light had them scrambling to the side as a whole section of the roof caved in, blocking the exit.

"NO!"

Will froze, seeing their last route being closed to them. Red light bloomed in the corner of his eye. Laser fire came for him, and Remy tackled him out of the way. The three stumbled into the nearby furniture shop for cover, but that might as well be a death sentence.

Red lights blinked in their HUDs as they strayed off the path. The shop was a dead end with only one exit. As soon as they rushed into the shop, the bots barricaded the front entrance and began firing indiscriminately.

Chairs and tables exploded into splinters as the trio scrambled deeper into the store. They ran towards the kitchen displays.

"Get behind the countertops!" yelled Will. He dove behind the marble kitchen island, and Remy followed. Rebecca soon collapsed on top of them, clutching her leg.

Remy clenched his fist and banged it against the island. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Will peeked at the bots who were blasting each other with abandon. Their truce had been broken the instant they calculated that their quarry had nowhere to run. There is no need to cooperate when their prey had no more cards to play.

The realization came thick and heavy. They were trapped here with no way out. Regardless of which bot won, they lost.

"Will," Rebecca turned to him for answers. "What do we do?"

"I..." began Will but choked on the words. He had nothing. They were stuck here, and he had led them here. Remy was going to die. Rebecca was going to die. He was going to die. And it was he who was responsible. He led them to their deaths. It was all on him.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Will," he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Will gazed up to see Remy looking determined. "There is another way out."

"What?"

"We were following the map, but there is one thing a map doesn't show." Remy jerked his thumb behind him. "An alternate exit."

Will blinked and looked past Remy. In the back of the shop, he saw something, partially hidden behind a large cupboard and scant few pieces of furniture.

Will gasped. "I'm an utter moron."

Rebecca laughed in relief.

At the end of the shop was a frosted window overlooking the snowy ghost city. Will chuckled too. He was so fixated on the map that he didn't pause to consider that the outer shop would have windows, display showcases overlooking the city street. He missed that, and so had the drones. Not so smart after all.

"That's our ticket. We are going to make our way out," said Remy.

Rebecca nodded and started to get up but was pinged by a laser immediately, and she had to duck down. Heat washed over them as the laser light passed over them.

"All right, we got our exit, but there are still the drones," said Will. "They plan to keep us pinned till only one of them is left."

"No," Remy shook his head. "You feel that?"

The whole building was shaking slightly, and Will could hear the sound of distant gunfire.

"Shit..."

"Yeah," said Remy. "The mechs will be here first."

"Guys, ideas?" asked Will. "Anything will do? How do we get out of here?"

They fell silent as they considered. Remy bit his gloved hand, and Rebecca had her head bent deep in thought. Will's hands twitched. He was still fixated on the mystery behind the bots.

"I got nothing," said Remy, and Rebecca shook her head.

Will grunted. "I keep coming back to the bots. There is something wrong with those drones. It makes no damn sense."

"They are too smart," said Rebecca.

"I noticed that too," said Remy. "How the hell are they so quick?"

"They are too small," muttered Will.

"A LAARS system," said Remy. "There is no way a cubit with proper shielding would fit in that. You have seen the engine size and the weapon loadouts. There is no more space left."

"Maybe it's..." mused Will as he brought out his sensor data on his HUD. He ran through the data and froze. "Remy."

"What?"

"Check the signal data. There is heavy outgoing data traffic from the bots."

"Yeah, I noticed that. It's encrypted. There is no way we will be able to crack that open."

"Forget that," said Will. "Just look at the amount."

Remy stared at the readings. "That... is a lot of data."

"And who do you think they are sending it to?" asked Will.

Remy went still as the truth slowly dawned on him. "Oh shit, of course! Darn it! So, that's how they were doing it!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Rebecca.

Will turned to her. "If the drones are sending out data, then who is receiving it?"

Rebecca tilted her head. "The mechs?"

"Yes. The drones are piggybacking its processing through the mechs. That explains how they are adjusting their tactics on the fly. They've had help."

"So, what do we do about that?" asked Rebecca.

"We cut them off," said Will. "Interfere with the signal coverage."

"We will literally make them dumber," Remy grinned.

"That's the plan," finished Will.

Rebecca looked past the countertop. "Work faster then. The bots are making their way here."

Will peeked at the bots, and they were slowly advancing into the store. It looked like they were dissatisfied with their stalemate with the mech's arrival. They had to wrap up their mission and gain a clear advantage before their masters get here.

Will gritted his teeth, and Rebecca clutched her leg.

"So, signal disruption," began Remy.

"Leave that to me," said Will.

"And next?"

"VDoS," said Will.

"How?"

Will pointed at the display atop next to the shop's lighting fixtures.

"Let's hope they are still intact." Remy let out a breath and cracked his knuckles. "Scout, I'm going to need your help powering it, buddy."

Will pointed at Remy's pocket. "Before you go, give me the etherite in your pocket."

Remy paused and fished out the crystal that he had salvaged out of the car. He handed the crystal to Will and said, "Don't overdo it."

Will nodded. "Let's get to work."

Remy snuck his way towards the wall, and Will held out the irradiated etherite crystal. It was a rough oval, and slightly translucent. Stars twinkled in its depths, but something was wrong with it. Instead of their slow flares and dips, the tiny sparks were erratic in their flashes.

Will was sweating in his suit. He felt for the crystal's psion signature and found it misshapen and warped. It burned against his fingers. Will fished out his core tuner, and with slow, delicate movements, he attached it to the crystal.

Numbers flashed in his HUD, but Will was going by feel. The theory of tuning was sound, but he had learned to trust his hand. What he was doing right now was the very opposite of tuning. The weave jumped like a live wire, and he resonated with it, sending pulses deep within its structure.

The pulse built up a steady rhythm, which was getting stronger by the minute. Will gritted his teeth as he held on. A loud crash came from behind the counter as the bots came closer. More booms followed, and in the distance came the heavy footfalls of the mechs.

Will held onto the crystal as it pulsed in his hand. His palms were filled with sweat, and his right knee itched. The etherite continued its pulse, and it was reaching its limit. It was primed and ready. He didn't think he could hold it any longer.

"Remy," he called out.

Scout and Remy made quick work with the lights, and they slammed the control cover shut. "Ready!"

Will glanced at the bots and threw the crystal back like a grenade. The etherite arched over their heads; the bots followed it with their robot eyes. Red light charged in their mouths, but it was too late. A massive field tore through the store, sending chairs and tables flying as the crystal went into a resonance cascade.

It slammed into everything, and the sudden field sent the bots reeling. The psion field phased through them, and the drones' comms went dead. The heavy data traffic was cut off, and Will slammed his fist into the floor. "Now!"

Remy sent the command, and display lights flashed violently. The drones began shaking as they stared dumbly into the chaotic flashes. Their limbs flailed, and they began convulsing.

Machine gunfire came from outside the shop, and heavy footfalls rocked the floor. The mechs were closing in.

"Come on!" yelled Will. "Move, move, move!"

The trio scrambled to their feet and ran to the back of the shop. Remy kicked a metal cupboard and tipped it over. It crashed into the window, and it cracked into a thousand pieces, sending glass shards everywhere. Nothing was left of the windows, and the trio jumped through their newly created exit.

Will landed awkwardly onto the snow-covered sidewalk. Rebecca stumbled after him, and Remy followed suit. They raced away from the mall. A loud groan came from behind them, and Will saw the shop roof cave in. Cracks ran through the walls as the building beams failed.

Machine gunfire came from inside the shop as the mechs rampaged in its interior. The outer wall burst open, and the two mechs came tumbling out. The red spider mech slammed into the military one, repeatedly stabbing its short sword into its guts. They crashed into a nearby building with a loud boom. The building sagged under the strain, and its foundation crumbled. The whole section leaned forward and tilted towards the trio.

"Oh shit!"

The twenty-two-story structure was about to bury them.

"Come on! Move, move!"

They ran towards the subway shaft, stumbling through the snow. Giant chunks of rebar and concrete fell around them. Snow sprayed on their faces as they dodged the debris.

The subway grate was right in front of them. Remy pushed Rebecca down the chute, and he followed after.

A giant rock brushed Will on the side, and his suit tore open.

"Warning! Containment breach! Containment breach!"

"Fuck!"

"Come on!" yelled Remy.

Will gritted his teeth and jumped in after him. He was halfway down the hole when he realized that they had missed someone. Where was Scout?

Rocks tumbled around him, and Will saw the little bot struggling in the snow, dragging itself towards them.

"Scout!"

The shadow of the falling skyscraper blocked the sun as the whole building came crashing down.

"Will! That's enough!" Remy grabbed his legs and dragged him down with him. The building came down with a boom, and the three of them fell down the shaft. The tunnel shook but held strong while the rumble outside continued.

Someone brought Will to his feet. He looked numbly up the shaft, but Remy dragged him away and made him climb the bike.

"Containment breach! Containment breach!"

The suit warning still ringing in his ears, Will rode off down the tunnel.