Diagnostic Test Ch. 02 - AI Era

"Renee?" I cried, panic overwhelming me. "Renee, shit, wake up!" She wasn't breathing. Wait, did she even need to breathe? I grabbed her head and turned her face to me. Her eyes were wide and staring, her features stiff and emotionless. She must have been turned off remotely. At least, that's what I hoped.

I got into a crouch and heaved her body up with a groan. She was a lot heavier than she looked, but the adrenaline gave me strength to stand up with her limp body draped over my shoulder. I staggered forward relentlessly, carrying us both towards the door, towards freedom. I was much slower than before, but every step I took got me that much closer.

I reached the door just as I felt like my body was about to give out. A young worker was frantically pushing the button to lower the door, but nothing was happening. He saw me and stepped forward.

"Sorry, you can't go through," he said nervously. "We have to-"

"MOVE!" I bellowed, and he nearly ran into the wall trying to get out of my way. I stepped out into the parking lot, the breeze cooling my overheated body slightly. There was a black, nondescript Hovtruck with its backdoor slightly ajar in one of the near parking spots. The sight gave me the last burst of energy I needed, and I trudged over to the spot. I kicked the door all the way open with my foot and caught a glimpse of Crick's bright red hair sticking out from under his beanie in the rearview mirror. I dumped Renee into the backseat with a grunt, then looked back at the warehouse. A group of security guards were talking with the young worker at the door, who then pointed to our car.

"What the hell happened?" Crick exclaimed. I pushed Renee's legs aside and climbed in.

"Drive!" I screamed, turning around to look out the back window. One of the security guards was running over to us. Crick kicked the truck into gear and engaged the hoverdrive. Just as he was about to hover, a hand gripped the door through the open window.

"Stop! Exit the vehicle!" The guard shouted. Crick made his cybernetic hand into a finger gun and pressed the tip to the guard's hand. He clenched his thumb, and the guard recoiled with a yelp of pain. Crick stomped his foot on the lift pedal and we hovered up, much higher than the legal height limit. He whipped the wheel around and the car lurched to the side, then we sped over the parking lot and out into the street. We shot down the near empty street and Crick gradually lowered the truck to a reasonable height. We made our way to the freeway, and soon we were just another car hidden in the mass of traffic.

Crick whooped happily, and I slumped back into the seat with a sigh. We'd made it. I'd gotten Renee out. We were safe.

For now.