Ava Savanus watched the scene unfold from the living room of the lab. She hadn’t sat back down on the couch.

Biomech patrols were spreading out to contain the block. There were roughly sixty individuals accounted for, most of which were clustered in the parking garage. Ava’s mechs scanned heat signatures, noting any anomalies, and then used facial recognition on closer targets. So far, the lab’s algorithms were proving their potential.

Between the Summit’s registration databases, and the lab’s location tracking, comms monitoring, and facial recognition, no villain would be able to hide.

She sent neural commands to the patrols. Their primary objective was finding the cyborg and capturing it. Other unregistered supers would be contained, and if they put up a struggle, taken into custody.

Reconnaissance and security units were fastest and were the first to converge on the parking garage. Ava watched through their lenses as the first squatters were corralled. Some of them tried to run, but no regular human got more than a few steps before they were netted and tased.

The hidden supers were a nuisance, however. There were eight such targets spread out across the block. There were also two vampires, given away by their pheromone trails.

Ava frowned. Three reconnaissance units and two security units were already disabled. That would soon change. Each biomech had different weapon loadouts, and some would be better suited to certain supers than others. As soon as supers displayed their powers, her mechs were already swapping targets.

She watched the feeds intently as one heavy mech fired a woven-steel net at an air elementalist—they weren’t fast enough to dodge or strong enough to escape it. Two reconnaissance units sprayed silicone webbing material to contain a super with acid breath and skin. Electrical charged shotgun pellets took down the duplicating super while super-grade paralytic gas took out another that had super strength. One of the vampires went down with a Gnosis-hacked tranquilizer.

Half down.

There were two supers in the street—a vampire and a super with rudimentary barrier powers. The super managed to block most of the nonlethal rounds from the oncoming patrol, but clearly, they were outmatched. They were running away, heading for the parking garage—

Make that three supers. One super from the parking garage had leapt down to the street in a misjudged attempt to help them. The new super fired blasts of energy from their palms, which were capable of stunning the smaller biomechs.

Ava sighed. People should know when they’re beaten.

There were two more supers in the parking garage. They were trying to escape down one of the side stairwells. They both clearly had super strength and enhanced speed as well. They’d used a steel door to crush a lone security unit before it could retaliate and before it could ID them.

If the cyborg was here, it was one of those two supers. It was avoiding using its enhancements—probably hoping to blend in and escape.

Ava wasn’t worried in the slightest. There were more than enough mechs waiting for them on the ground floor.

“Communication intercepted from the Summit of Heroes. Additional supers dispatched to Eastside disturbance.”

Ava groaned. “That was quicker than usual. What’s their ETA?”

The computer overlaid a map of Belport. Two capes had been dispatched from the closest station to the South. Two more from a neighboring station. They would reach the block in approximately four minutes.

That wasn’t Ava’s primary concern.

There was another cape signal. This one had been outside the northern city limits and was now approaching Belport at just under the speed of sound.

Golden Boy would be there in under a minute.

“Goddamnit,” Ava muttered. She sent a neural reminder to her biomechs to be gentle with all civilians and combatants.

Golden Boy was a Summit trueblood. A true believer in the organization. He had been one of the loudest voices against the Summit’s partnership with the Brotherhood. He could not be bought or bribed. If this whole engagement went sideways, he would likely turn against Ava’s forces

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

He was an utter pain in the ass.

“Computer, open a line of communication to Golden Boy.”

A second later, a waveform indicator appeared on the screen. Even though the algorithms were supposed to isolate conversations and filter out noise, there was still an unmistakable roar of wind.

“Savanus, you better have a good explanation for this.”

“I do, in fact. The lab’s systems were hacked, and I’ve traced the origin of the signal to part of the abandoned sector in Belport. I believe it’s Dr. Venture’s protégés. Your help is greatly appreciated.”

Golden Boy hesitated before replying, “...I’ll see what I can do.”

~ ~

Athena and Lucy skidded to a halt near the parking garage. A super had leapt from the second story and landed near them. The man glared in their direction, his face half-hidden by a scraggly beard and hoodie. Both Athena and Lucy had been on guard, but the super fired energy blasts at the mechs chasing them.

He appeared to be an ally—

And also stupid.

The super fired more blasts from their hands. “Come on, we can take them!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Athena said. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him back toward the parking garage. “We need to get out of here!”

As if on cue, a heavy biomech lumbered into view at the end of the street. A tank-like weapons platform sat atop two thickly armored legs. It stood almost twenty feet tall, and its head and weapons swiveled down the street with a bird-like quickness.

The new super struggled against Athena but finally started running—probably because the heavy mech started running after them. The ground shuddered beneath each of its steps. Athena had seen plenty of war machines across the millennia, but seeing something so large and inhuman moving so quickly sent a flood of primal terror through her.

Guns whirred to life, and Athena threw up shields behind them as they ran, but she didn’t feel any impacts.

Gas grenades sailed overhead and into the parking garage. In seconds, the upper floors of the parking garage were engulfed in white smoke. On instinct, Athena widened her barrier, trying to catch any grenades targeting the first floor, and was just barely successful. She felt the grenade bounce off her barrier and ricochet back into the street.

That bought them a few more seconds, but the gas was heavier than air and already sinking to the lower floors. Athena quickly covered her own mouth with the collar of her shirt and shouted for the others to do the same. Lucy would probably be fine either way, but the other super probably wouldn’t.

Gunfire erupted on the ground floor—casting flashes and harsh shadows ahead of the group. Athena could just make out the inhuman shapes of smaller biomechs.

The stairs were somewhere beyond them. Athena readied herself and together, they sprinted into the first floor of the parking garage. She threw up more shields while her eyes adjusted.

Whatever battle had been going on moments before was already over. Spider-like rec units and human-like sec units lay in pieces around the garage. Oil and other fluid drained out onto the concrete alongside rubber bullets and casings. One sec unit had been torn completely in half.

Two supers wearing nondescript clothes turned to face them. Even with the weak lights in the parking garage, some of their faces should’ve been visible beneath their hoods. Their nanite disguises were almost as good as magic.

Mod, the taller of the two, had his hands buried in the last biomech, and tore it in half with his bare hands. The metal gave way with a screech and both pieces skidded across the ground.

Mod noticed the new arrivals staring at him. “These guys are resilient.”

But Athena didn’t have time to marvel. “Good job. Now let’s go!”

Mod waved them toward the back of the parking garage where a separate stairwell was located. He shouldered his way through the double doors. The stairs descended beneath the garage and into the Belport underground.

Athena put up a barrier behind them to block the doorway. It would slow them down, but she couldn’t keep it up forever. The farther away they got, the harder it would be to keep it up.

The group dashed down the stairs. The sound of boots on concrete echoed through the stairwell as they ran, the echo building and stumbling over itself.

Mod dropped smoke pellets and sonics down the stairwell. Athena was about to protest, but then he threw down the hall of each landing. Athena felt a pang of pride at the strategy—hopefully the distractions would lead the biomechs astray.

The stairs went down several levels, but their group got off on the third floor. The corridor stretched on and branched off into other maintenance paths, like the concrete innards of the city.

TINA’s voice came through their earpieces. “Summit signals are approaching. One is moving at near supersonic speeds.”

Mod glanced back at Athena as they ran. “How long can you hold that forcefield?”

Athena shook her head. “I’m almost at the end of my range.”

TINA interrupted, and there was a calm but unmistakable urgency in her voice.

“You should run faster.”

~ ~ ~