Page 85 of Over the Edge

“Copy that,” I said, checking the rifle’s magazine. “We’re in pursuit.”

The passage opened into a steep, natural canyon that cut through the island’s limestone core. Carved steps descended through the ravine toward the distant glimmer of water. Moreau and his guards were already halfway down, moving with purpose toward his yacht, visible at the private dock below.

“There he is,” Lyric hissed, raising her weapon.

“Wait,” I caught her arm. “Too far for a clean shot. We need to get closer.”

We started down the steps, using the canyon walls for cover. My leg was finally regaining sensation, pins and needles replacing the deadening numbness. We’d closed half the distance to Moreau when a familiar mechanical whir echoed off the canyon walls.

“Incoming!” I shouted, pulling Lyric behind a rocky outcropping as three drones shot into the ravine behind us.

The sleek machines paused at the canyon entrance, sensors rotating as they scanned for targets. Unlike the arena drones, these were equipped with what appeared to be actual firearms—compact, high-velocity weapons designed for maximum lethality.

“Moreau’s done playing games,” Lyric muttered, peering around our cover.

The drones split formation, one hovering directly above while the others flanked us from both sides. No more neurodarts or chemical agents. These were programmed to kill.

“We’re pinned,” I growled, frustration building as I watched Moreau continue his descent toward freedom.

“Oz,” Lyric said into her comm, “we’re pinned down in the canyon. Any luck tapping into the drone controls?”

Ozzy’s voice came through, oddly distorted by what sounded like rapid typing in the background. “Working on it. Their encryption is not exactly something I can crack while eating a sandwich.”

“Work faster,” I suggested, earning a growl from the other end of the line.

“Brilliant advice, Shepherd. I’ll get right on that.”

I risked a quick look around our cover, tracking the drones’ positions. They’d spread out in a semicircle, covering all possible exit routes from our position. Smart. Whatever AI was controlling them had adapted to the chaotic environment without missing a beat.

The first drone opened fire without warning, a burst of high-velocity rounds chewing into the rock inches from my head. Stone fragments peppered my face as I ducked lower.

“Down!” I shouted, pulling Lyric tighter against me as a second drone strafed our position from the opposite angle.

Lyric returned fire, her stolen sidearm barking three times before the slide locked back empty. One round glanced off the nearest drone’s housing, barely scratching its matte surface.

“Bullets aren’t penetrating their armor,” she hissed, ejecting the spent magazine and slapping in her last one.

I leaned out and squeezed off a controlled burst from the guard’s rifle. The rounds sparked harmlessly against the drone’s exterior, confirming what we already knew—conventional ammunition wasn’t going to cut it.

“We need to move,” I said, scanning the ravine for any possible escape route. “On my mark, break for that outcropping ten yards down.”

Lyric nodded, tensing beside me like a coiled spring. I counted down silently, my fingers ticking against the rifle stock.

Three. Two. One.

“Now!”

We bolted from cover simultaneously, zigzagging across the exposed ground as all three drones opened fire. The air filled with the whine of bullets and the sharp crack of stone as rounds impacted all around us. I felt something tug at my sleeve—a near miss that sent adrenaline surging through my system.

Lyric reached the outcropping first, diving behind it and immediately returning fire to cover me. I was three strides away when my leg, still not fully recovered from the neurodart, betrayed me. My knee buckled, sending me sprawling across the rocky ground.

Exposed. Vulnerable.

One of the drones locked onto me instantly, its weapon swiveling with mechanical precision. I rolled desperately, seeking any cover, but there was nothing between me and certain death.

“Flynn!” Lyric’s scream tore through the canyon as she broke cover, firing her last rounds at the drone targeting me.

The bullets still didn’t penetrate, but her desperate attack distracted it just long enough for me to scramble the final distance to safety, my heart hammering against my ribs.

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