Zoe placed her hand on the dashboard and instructed the vehicle to give her the satellite map of the area around her. Her mind slipped into her mindscape, her Talent allowing her to just read the data of the map and translate it without the use of her eyes. Reading over the data, she saw that the major bridges over the harbour were not an option, but further inland were areas she could cross.

"So Avi, directly north is out, we need to go further inland to find a crossing, or hope for a big enough boat for you."

"My link into the satellite imagery did not indicate a vessel that met that criteria."

"Figured. Ok, well, we may as well look at heading southwest. I'll talk to Delta and see if they're coming this way or going over the mountains. Let's see about this pair who are stronger than I am. I wonder how strong their Talents are."

"The assessment from The Seeker would indicate the pair may be A class."

"For heavens sake Avi, her name is Mini. Just because she seeks people with her Talent, doesn't mean that's her name. You don't call me Technomancer. Regardless, let's look for that pair."

Spotting a few different signs of activity in the satellite maps, Zoe decided that the larger signs wouldn't likely be where the Talented were, unless they were in hiding or in charge. Either way, she didn't think they would likely be in a larger community.

Transferring what parts of the map she needed to the storage in her visor, she checked over Avi's systems herself, double checking the damage report the AI had given her earlier. Everything seemed to be in order, other than the superficial damage to the buggy.

"Deploy the roof solar panels Avi, may as well soak up as much sunlight as possible."

"Affirmative," the vehicle replied before some panels at the back of the vehicle slid up and onto the roof, a thin layer of solar cells creating a roof for Zoe to sit under.

Climbing into the buggy, she took the controls, instructing the twin electric engines to give her all the power she needed to claw their way out of the park and to the main road. Following the satellite map, she easily found a highway heading mostly in the direction she wanted.

Zoe travelled barely ten minutes before she came across the first small group, five people armed with various knives and a bow. They stared at her in wonder from the safety of a dilapidated house as she eased her buggy past them and further down the road.

Not a pair of Talented, she thought to herself. Especially not a strong pair. Every strong Talented I've met has been able to look after themselves relatively well.

As Zoe travelled, she rounded a corner, coming across a fierce battle. A pair of slim, almost identical people fought with swords against a larger group, all wearing blood red arm bands. A quick piece of information flickered on her visor. ~ Red arm bands. Bloodless Pact. Intolerant of Talented. Known to be in India, China and Japan. ~

Barely reading past the second line, Zoe slammed the brakes. Closing her eyes, her mind rapidly ploughed through the computer programs she needed to engage. Tight radar, drone defense, buggy turret, personal sidearms.

As she engaged the programming, a feeling of relief washed over her before a mental tug pulled her towards the combat. Ignoring the odd emotions, she opened her eyes again and picked up a pair of pistols that became visible in the area where the glove compartment would have been. At the same time, Avi retracted part of its bonnet, releasing a small swarm of drones before a small turret rose out of the same hole. Both Zoe's weapons and the turret started crackling with charged energy. Regardless of how lethal everything looked, Zoe tried to avoid violence and preferred non-lethal force. The turret and the pistols were all stunning weapons, designed to overload a person's nervous system and knock them out, no more. Even so, she still felt a mental tug towards the combat that she couldn't explain, other than because of who were fighting.

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Zoe hopped out of the buggy. "Avi, follow, drones defend against ranged, turret targets within four meters. Engage programming." As soon as Zoe finished rattling off the instructions, the drones formed a loose dome around the pair, mostly towards the front where the battle was happening. "Hope I don't regret this."

Raising her pistols and walking forward, Zoe took potshots at the closest of the ruffians, hitting him between the shoulders. This, of course, drew the attention of the nearest batch, who all turned their attention to the woman.

One drew a pistol and fired it, only for the bullet to be intercepted by a drone, downing the drone, but saving Zoe from injury. In return, Zoe fired a shot, only for the gunner to manage to dodge out of the way in time. Cursing her aim, Zoe kept firing as often as possible as the others enemies closed in. As soon as the closest crossed the invisible line for the turret, Avi opened up, downing the enemy instantly.

To your left, a male voice wafted through Zoe's thoughts. In confusion, she turned to her left to see a large man with a metal bar in each fist closing on her, well within the target range of the buggy. Firing a shot into him seemed to do nothing and she backed up. A shot from the turret sizzled past her cheek and caught the man in the head, dropping him. Glancing behind herself, she realized that the turret was on the exact opposite side of her from where the man was.

The battle ended rapidly from there, the big man seeming to be one of the leaders. Men and women wearing red armbands fled in every direction, several bleeding out around the pair, who Zoe was already mentally calling the Twins.

The pair were slightly bigger than she was, black hair in cornrows, piercing blue eyes staring at her for a few moments before they broke from their battle stance and started cleaning their swords, barely sparing her a glance.

Turning from the pair, Zoe took the couple of steps to her buggy. Touching the console, she commanded the drones and the turret to stand down before she turned her attention back to the pair. It was only now that she noticed that they were both injured, the woman on her left arm, the man on his right leg. Without second guessing herself, she grabbed a med kit from behind a seat and trotted towards the pair.

The woman raised her sword towards her for a moment before glancing at her brother and lowering the weapon.

"My name is Zoe. I mean you no harm, in fact, if you let me, I wish to help. I have a med kit, stocked with some stuff that will help you to not get those cuts infected."

"I'm Tyson, this is my sister Maddison." The man, who Zoe guessed was about her age, sat on the gutter on the side of the street, stretching out his leg and pulling up the bottom of his pants so Zoe could get to the wound, even as she started thinking about asking him to do so. With a huff directed at her brother, Maddison also sat down on the gutter, next to him, rolling up her sleeve.

Zoe quickly sprayed an antiseptic on Tyson's leg before padding it and wrapping the leg in a bandage. Mentally cursing her lack of medical knowledge, she moved to Maddison's arm, which to her, looked like it needed stitches.

"It probably does," Tyson replied to Zoe.

"What?" Zoe said, pausing in her treatment of Maddison. She frowned and stared at the man.

"Yes, I'm psychic. Sorry, your thoughts are clear and unmuddled, you are projecting quite loudly."

"Ah, sorry?" Zoe stuttered as she turned her attention to Maddison.

"He's like that, he can't help it," Maddison said as Zoe wrapped her arm.

"I'm friends with a psychic who needs to maintain physical contact to read. I'm a technomancer, I can affect technology, but I need to maintain physical contact to do so."

"She's here to recruit us," Tyson said as he lay back on the grass, answering both Maddison's unasked questions and jumping ahead in the conversation for Zoe. "She is part of an inclusive community that is looking to dissolve alliances like the Bloodless Pact and to create a utopian like society. I can't sense deception in her, either."

Zoe found herself quite lost for words, turning her complete attention to Maddison's arm.

"He has that affect too," Maddison said to Zoe, punching her brother in his uninjured leg.

"How did the Bloodless Pact get you into combat if he can read from a distance?" Zoe asked as she finished with the bandage.

"Numbers. Leaders projecting other thoughts loudly, minions counting numbers and acting depending on numbers," Tyson answered with a sigh. "We've been dismantling their operations here, so they know a bit about us." He rolled towards them and propped himself up on his elbow. "You help us take down their base west of here, we'll join you."

Maddison's head whipped around and she glared at her brother. "Don't keep making decisions for us, Ty."