An object the size of a large building, hovered overhead. It was festooned with all manner of antennas, satellite dishes and boxes that resembled air conditioners. Mr. Tage pointed at the object, which was square and resembled an enormous pizza box. “Oh, my...this is bad.”

“This is the beginning of the apocalypse,” Dr. Ash said.

“What is that?” Treeka said, scanning the area outside of the bar.

Intense flashes of light emitted from the flying box. A noxious odor of burning rubber and human flesh filled the air.

“Don’t look directly at it,” Dr. Ash said.

Treeka was too late to obey Dr. Ash’s orders. A memory stirred inside her. She was tied to a table, connected to another cyborg that was sucking the life force from her. It was both terrifying and liberating. A compulsion had beckoned her to become one with Enyo, but a much louder voice told her that she must break free.

Treeka blinked. Mr. Tage was looking up at the flying box, wearing a gas mask and dark goggles, and Dr. Ash was curled into a ball on the sidewalk.

This madness must stop!

Treeka found the service ladder, then went to the roof. Moments later, the flying pizza box flashed lights onto the area below.

It’s just above the rooftop. I can almost reach it.

Treeka brought up her cybernetic interface. She tapped the boost controls and then ran toward the edge of the rooftop. Soon she was flying toward the strange object in the sky. She slammed against its side, then slid across its surface. She caught herself on some cables. A horn blasted; it sounded like a gigantic tuba. Suddenly the pizza box drone began to move toward the city; Treeka held on as tight as she could. Condensation made the cables slick, and she lost her grip. She grabbed on to a compressor and steadied herself on it. The low hum of air conditioning units and exhaust filled her nostrils. A thudding sound came from the craft, then plumes of green smoke covered her view. She caught a glimpse of downtown Boston as the craft banked in a giant circle.

This must be one of the delivery vehicles, Treeka thought.

It was the strangest vehicle she’d ever seen. Massive engines rotated periodically to keep the enormous craft in the air. She leaped to another part of the craft. She saw gears, pulleys, and many other moving parts she didn’t recognize. As Treeka explored the craft, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was being watched.

Time to see if my AI is home.

“Eliza, are you there?”

Where is she?

When she didn’t get a response, she checked her AI’s status page of her cybernetic interface—it was offline.

“Dammit!”

As Treeka moved across the surface of the craft, something caught her eye. A hatch! It was several feet away, and she jumped toward it. The craft lurched violently, and Treeka grasped something that was protruding from the device. Another horn blast reverberated throughout the area. Treeka’s cybernetic interface compensated for the deafening blast of the horn. The craft stopped moving, and the green smoke cleared. Treeka could see the tops of skyscrapers with people atop them. Some held makeshift signs. It was almost as if they were trying to greet their new alien overlords. Treeka leaped toward the hatch. It didn’t have any hand holds, but she was able to grasp a wiring harness to maintain her position. The horn blasted again. Treeka checked her environmental statistics. The decibel measurement was 130; enough to damage a normal human eardrum. Treeka pulled herself toward the hatch and took a closer look. It was smooth and had no handles or buttons. The only variation in the smooth metal was a shiny rectangle. She laid a hand atop it and it illuminated. A message overlaid that read “access denied.”

I should be able to hack into this thing. I wish my AI was online—or is it?

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She checked her hibernation settings, and all controls were off. She ran a virtual hand across her interface and turned on each control. A message appeared in red over her heads-up display.

System Message: Not enough reserve power. Please replenish the power source.

Treeka lifted her shirt with her free hand, exposing the metal on her left torso, ejected the used cartridge, then replaced it. Her system came back online.

System Message: All systems at 100% capacity.

“Hello, Treeka!” Eliza said cheerily.

Treeka hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her AI and had taken her for granted. She promised herself not to make that mistake again.

“I missed you.”

“Why, I missed you, too. How can I help you today?”

Treeka chuckled to herself.

I’m just hanging on to a flying pizza box with no apparent way into the damned thing.

“I’m trying to figure out how to get into this portal, and hacking isn’t my strong suit. Can you help?”

“Scanning… the lock is a simple biometric handprint reader. It’s made by Collective Systems, and has a vulnerability. If you can find a small piece of thin metal, I can show you how to get in.”

Treeka scanned her surroundings and noticed a loose piece of metal on the side of the craft. She yanked it off and held it up to her face.

“Got it,” Eliza said. “Now take the metal and slide it into the seam next to the rectangle. Push it inward, then upward.”

Treeka followed Eliza’s instructions. The hatch slowly began to open. She carefully made her way inside the craft, taking note of her surroundings. The interior was filled with strange technology she had never seen before. She moved toward what appeared to be a control panel and began to examine it. As she did, she heard a voice behind her.

“Welcome, Treeka,” the voice said.

Treeka whirled around to see a tall figure standing in front of her. He was dressed in a dark suit, and wore a fedora on his head. His face was obscured by shadows, but Treeka recognized him immediately. It was Doc Chop. Treeka was speechless. All she could do was stare at the massive craft they were in. Several people in full VR immersion gear were manning workstations. Six people were positioned in a circular shape, while a seventh was in the middle, apparently driving. Each person seemed to have a different job.

“What is this thing?”

“What do you think of my latest invention?”

“How do you keep it up in the air?”

“Magnetism, or so my engineers tell me. Propulsion systems are not my specialty, but the plans, and many of these operators, originate from MIT.”

Treeka was so overwhelmed with the technological marvel she was riding in that she momentarily forgot all about killing Doc Chop.

“Is this how you’re dispersing your neurotoxin?” Treeka asked.

“Until I got this vehicle up and running, I used drones and the infected to distribute the enhancer. Early trials failed because I had to perform surgery on the subjects quickly. There was no possible way I could get to them all.”

Treeka frowned.

“I don’t get it. Doesn’t this big ship do the same, but on a more massive scale?”

“It’s true that my enhancer will be distributed faster with this vehicle. It allows me to control my subjects through sound. And thanks to my new business partner, the control chips are introduced through energy drinks. Soon they will be in the city’s water supply. Then I will have every man, woman, and child under my control,” Doc Chop said, laughing.

Treeka felt a chill run through her spine at the realization of how advanced her enemy was.

This man is unhinged, He needs to be stopped, Eliza said through Treeka’s cybernetic interface.

I need to find a way to stop this, Treeka replied.

“That’s insane, it would take an army to…” Treeka trailed off.

It all made sense now. Doc Chop had been planning this for years. She had played right into his hands. Setting off the EMP device disabled all traditional electronic equipment, but it didn’t stop all of Doc Chop’s enhanced. It hurt her people more than his! She had to get some help from the outside. Nigel was the only person she trusted. If there was anyone who could put a stop to the doctor’s plans, it was him.

Eliza, is there a way to get a message to Nigel Watson?

I can try to relay something across the radio spectrum. If he has access to a radio, he might get it, her AI replied.

Aren’t radios used for voice communications? How are you going to transmit a voice message? Treeka asked.

She remembered Nigel talking about one of his friends who was interested in radios. His name was Milo. Treeka made correlations between all the information she knew about Nigel and his known associates. She instructed Eliza to relay the message. Treeka felt something poking her in the back. She turned to see Anya, Doc Chop’s daughter, holding a curved sword.

“What’s she doing here?” Anya asked.

“I don’t know; she popped in. But we might be able to use her,” Doc Chop said.

“What do you mean, Father?”

“Nigel trusts her. We can use that to our advantage.”

Another horn blared from the hovercraft. It was louder than ever.

Your message was sent, Eliza said.

Treeka said a silent thank you to the AI before the lights went out.

System Message: You have experienced a high energy surge capable of harming your cybernetic implants. Commencing shutdown in T-minus ten seconds.

Treeka shot a glance toward the well of pain forming at the base of her neck. Anya was holding a live wire with a gloved hand. A maniacal grin appeared on her face.

“Say hello to your sister for me,” Anya said, as Treeka’s lights dimmed.