Some of the Avoiders had started to pick through the cars, looking for any supplies. They shuffled through dry rotted suitcases and struggled to open rusted doors. It was a better use for everyone's time than just sitting around on their hands. At least, that was how Vida put it.

Alex decided she would be of some use too, even if she hadn't been on the receiving end of Vida's lecture. She walked over to an abandoned car tucked in a corner not yet picked over and curiously peered in. The seats were rotten and falling apart. Alex leaned over further to look through the busted passenger window and fell backwards when something jumped out at her.

Guns clicked as everyone aimed their weapons in her direction. Alex stifled a scream and shuffled across the asphalt, hands burning as they scraped over broken glass.

A black cat launched over her boots and darted further down the garage, leaving her in an embarrassed heap on the ground.

Cicero materialized beside her, his steps as light as they had been swift. "Are you alright?" Cicero asked worriedly. He bent down and helped Alex to her feet.

Alex dusted off her pants and examined an array of cuts on the palms of her hands. "Well, it doesn't look like the city is completely abandoned," she grumbled.

Taking her hands in his, Cicero looked over the scratches as if they were gaping wounds. Cicero plucked a piece of glass from her finger. The injuries were only minor, but he still poured water over them to wash out any other debris.

Alex bit her lip, hands feeling like they were on fire.

Vida walked over to them, but her gaze was in the direction the cat went. She looked annoyed and shifted the rifle around in her grip.

"You don't like cats?" Ace joked. "I'm more of a dog person myself."

A frown tugged at the edges of Vida's lips. "I don't like well-fed cats. It means there's something here for it to eat."

 "Maybe a stash of perma-preserves?" Rollo suggested. She looked around uneasily. "Let's hope, at least."

Vida whistled and spun a finger in the air. Within minutes, the Avoiders had set up a perimeter around the parking garage. A few drove vehicles down to the level below, and more to the upper levels. The remaining set up lookouts on the edges of the railing.

It impressed Alex how disciplined they were. Back at the compound, they were more carefree. Incompetent.

"Let's all stay on guard, yeah?" Vida looked between the Avoiders still on the level with them. "We made a mistake not setting up a perimeter right away. I won't do it again."

"General." The Avoiders said in unison.

Alex hadn't heard them all address her before, either. To be fair, she'd only heard them talking around her at the compound.

This is real. This is how they act under her command.

A couple of hours passed before the storm showed any sign of letting up. The rain had flooded sections of the road below, and part of the flood water settled at the exit of the parking garage. The water had stranded them.

Edric and Vida walked back and forth, mumbling and gesturing wildly at one another. They were clearly trying to figure out what to do next. Alex didn't envy the decision they would have to make.

Curiosity pulled Alex to the edge of the parking garage. Since the rain had dissipated, she could truly appreciate the city. There were enough Avoiders on watch that she could steal a peek outside.

Vines and swooping vegetation spilled down from the taller buildings. Where bits of concrete and asphalt split, life grew.

Enchanting colors were vibrant. Purple and white flowers bloomed, covering signs and cars like blankets. They sprouted even greener from the storm. The air was heavy with moisture, almost like someone had put a hot towel around her shoulders. Sweat already dotted the edges of her forehead.

She inhaled deeply, eyes closing. Alex leaned forward slightly over the railing. The rain settled on the foliage was sweet, but the flowers were even sweeter. A heady smell that hung over Alex's senses the deeper she breathed it in. Lavender might have been her favorite scent, but Alex wanted to wrap herself in the smell of the city.

"Hey, come check this out."

Alex's eyes flitted open. Turning her head, she saw Ace approaching her with a wide grin on his face.

"What is it?" Alex questioned.

"You'll just have to come and see," Ace replied cryptically. A smug look washed over his face and he turned around slowly, taking an exaggerated step in the other direction.

She followed him with a groan. Alex hated guessing games, but she also wanted to see what piqued his interest so much. A childlike gleam of wonder had appeared in his eyes.

They shuffled up the parking garage another level, passing a handful of Avoiders that were keeping watch.

Rotting cars dotted the rows of parking stalls. Someone had rummaged through a few, but most were untouched.

"I wasn't feeling a calf workout today," Alex said, trying to hide the fact she was already winded. The steep incline and humid air made her feel exhausted.

"Ah, we're almost there." Ace jumped ahead, rushing toward a vehicle covered with a tarp.

Even though everything else looked decayed, the material covering the sleek outline of a car was immaculate. It was as if time had no effect on it.

Stopping just before the car, Ace turned with his arms out beside him. "Worth it?" He slapped a hand on the white covering, dust billowing out around them.

They both coughed and waved away the dust from their faces.

"Definitely," Alex said suspiciously.

Alex took a step closer to the vehicle. She ran her hand over the cover. It was soft as silk, but sturdy. The movement caused a ray of sunlight breaking through to reflect an emblem printed on the surface. A circle with a line behind it, repeated over and over.

She sucked in so much air, she had another coughing fit. "Do you know what this is?" Alex managed out between gasps of air.

There was a nod from the man, and Ace gave another huge grin before ripping the material off a perfectly preserved Cruiser. The deep shade of black drew in all the light around them, and a shiver ran up Alex's spine.

"Is this recent?" Alex questioned, drawing her fingers across the hood. It was cold to the touch, even in the dry air.

Ace shrugged. "I don't think so, there's no sign any cars have been moving around in here recently." He gestured to the trash and debris littering the ground, void of any tire tracks.

"These things can travel off the ground."

"Hmm, you're right." Ace scratched his head and looked around, seemingly for any other clues to support his assumption.

"We should tell the others," Alex stated, taking a step back from the Cruiser.

Ace jumped ahead of her, blocking Alex from her attempt to head back down to the level below them. "Not yet. Aren't you curious to know more about it?"

"And how do you suppose we do that? Cruisers are impossible to break into." Alex folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"Unless you have the key, of course."

Ace waved his hand in front of Alex's face, palm forward. It was empty at first, but the second time it flashed in front of her face, there was a small object within his grasp.

"How did you-" Alex reached for the small, black object in Ace's hand, but he ripped it away.

A thumb jutted over his shoulder, and she peered around him to see a lump of black on the ground. It was a Patrolman's suit with a rotting body locked away inside. A helmet sat beside the remnants of a destroyed skull.

"Those annoying Keeper ears can hear us anyway, so I'm sure we'd have a very concerned Cicero running our way if we made any really poor choices," Ace said.

"Every choice you make is a poor one," Alex sneered. She watched closely as Ace walked to the driver's door of the Cruiser.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "So if this was any worse than my normal decisions-" Ace stopped himself and motioned to the empty ramp they had climbed up.

No one was attempting to stop them.

I can't believe it, but Ace is right. Cicero always has an ear on me. He would be running up here if he thought we were getting into trouble.

"Ok, ok," she finally agreed. "Open that sucker up."

Ace wasted no time in waving the key over the Cruiser's door, where the handle would have been, but nothing happened. A frown replaced his grin.

Chuckling, Alex walked around the car to join him. "You don't know how to open it, do you?"

"Well, it's not like there's a manual on how a Cruiser works."

"Actually, there are a lot of manuals and adverts on Achilles' machinery. You'd be surprised at what they have to say. I'm pretty sure they're all made to scare citizens. I saw that Cruisers have anti-theft cannons on them," Alex said.

"Really?" He looked down at the Cruiser and cautiously stepped away.

"No, of course not."

Alex grabbed the key from him and pressed it against the window. A blue light emitted from the key's glassy surface, and a similar light appeared on the vehicle's door.

The Cruiser hummed to life. Both of them stepped away from the door as it raised above them, inviting a stale scent of leather. Blue lights outlined all of the controls, and the inside of the windshield flashed with a small image in the center.

"That's odd," Alex observed.

Ace leaned in past her. "What is it?" he asked.

"There's a video recording paused on the windshield." Alex reached forward and pressed a button on the steering wheel.

The video expanded to take up the entire glass and played.

They both squatted at the door and watched the video with wide eyes.

A camera from the dashboard gave a steady view of the entire street as the Cruiser drove through the bustling city. Holographic images danced off the windows of immaculate buildings. Shops and restaurants parading their businesses, enticing the gullible passersby to buy something.

People lining the sidewalks stopped what they were doing to watch the car drive by with visible curiosity. Another black shape appeared at the edge of the camera, and a second Cruiser pulled ahead.

Alex pressed another button on the steering wheel, and the image sped up. She quickly returned it to normal speed when the scenes became of interest. Her thumb rolled over a toggle button, and the volume increased.

"This city is under orders to be evacuated. Did you not receive the previous warnings?" A Patrolman walked to the front of the Cruiser, toward a small group of men and women.

Their pale blue uniform shirts were tucked into black pants. Hats were pulled down over their eyes, and cautious hands drifted over firearms at their hips.

"And whose orders are those exactly? Last time I checked, we were still under a democracy." An older gentleman had stepped forward, graying beard and hair sticking out from under the cover of his hat.

"The Achilles has found this place a suitable location to keep troops. Or did you forget there's a war going on?" The Patrolman continued. His monotone voice was lacking in empathy.

Gazes drifted from within the group of men and women.

"The Achilles has no business taking over an entire city. They supply soldiers and weapons to the war effort, and that's it. We'll leave the city when I have a direct order from the President herself," the older man said.

"We are the direct order. There is no President anymore, no democracy or politics. You must surrender the city or you will force us to take it."

There was a scoff from the older man before he drew his weapon and fired. Gunfire was exchanged between the group and the Patrolmen.

The video skipped ahead.

Explosions shook the street as the Cruiser sped down the road. People were running and taking cover. Bodies dropped all around as Patrolmen cleared block after block. Returning fire and anti-aircraft cannons were picking off Cruisers and Patrolmen.

"There's been an incident. The citizens did not cooperate, and they required us to take the city by force," a Patrolman said from within the Cruiser.

"Casualties?" a voice crackled. By the quality of the sound, the voice was coming through the speakers.

"The city is being eradicated."

Indecipherable mumbling sounded, followed by a moment of silence. "There can be no trace of our embarrassing mistake in the city."

"Sir?" The Patrolman turned the vehicle into a parking garage, the road ahead too full of debris and other Cruisers to pass by.

"There can be no sign of us having been there. If anyone finds out we had involvement in a massacre like that... dammit!" The mysterious voice sounded furious. "Were you leading the mission on this one, Officer?"

A long pause followed between the question and its response. "Yes, Sir."

"Do me a favor and don't come back. Your death at my hands will be much worse." The radio shut off just as the Cruiser pulled into its spot in the parking garage.

For a few minutes, the Cruiser hummed before finally shutting off. The camera shook slightly as the door opened and closed. Diligently, the Patrolman unfolded a sheet from where he stood just in front of the vehicle's hood. He carefully draped it over the Cruiser.

Another moment passed, and then the faint sound of a gunshot echoed.

An error message appeared in the corner of the video screen. 'RECORDING PAUSED, NO INPUT SOURCE DETECTED'.