Michael's rearview mirror lit up with a blinding bluish light. A message appeared on his HUD.

Warning

Vehicle being locked on

"What the hell is that!" Michelle shouted.

Michael checked his HUD. 3 arrows were following them in some sort of formation. They were some kind of car, but their headlights were so bright Michael couldn't see what they were.

EMP AQUIREING TARGET LOCK

EVASIVE MANEUVERS RECOMMENDED

Michael slammed on the brakes, and Michelle flew past him along with three matte black vehicles.

Michael hit the gas and tried to catch up.

He could make out the vehicles more clearly now, they were some kind of sports car.

They appeared to have been wrapped completely black, the taillights and windows being painted over, so they appeared to be a single black mass.

Michael noticed they appeared to be flickering on the minimap, their icons dissapearing and re-appearing.

"What the hell are those things!" Michelle shouted.

Michael stayed silent.

Up ahead, Michelle drifted the BRZ around a tight corner, aiming to get out of the city.

Suddenly, one by one the mysterious vehicles broke formation and drifted in perfect tandem, mimicking Michelle's line, steering angle and breaking point, taking the corner at incredible speed.

"What the hell!" She shouted.

Michael braked hard and took the corner traditionally, gaining some ground.

Michelle was really pushing now, and Michael was finding it difficult to keep up. The mysterious vehicles mimicked her every move, swerving single file, matching her racing line.

She took another corner, arc drifting in a wide line on purpose, getting the rear bumper of the BRZ as close to the curb as possible.

"Let's see you copy this!" She shouted as her car straightened out.

The matte vehicles copied her perfectly, drifting in perfect tandem, narrowly missing the curb by millimeters.

Michael followed, closing in on one of the matte vehicles.

"I don't understand! They've locked on to me! Why aren't they firing!"

Michael began to catch up to the rear bumper of one of the vehicles.

He could make out it's shape better, it reminded him of a Lotus Elise, but a little more modern looking.

They must have been electric, because he couldn't hear any engine noise over the roar of the Foxbody's V8.

Michelle turned another corner, this time braking hard and turning traditionally.

Two of the vehicles mimicked her technique, but the 3rd one attempted to drift the way Michelle usually did.

Instead of copying a line, it attempted to counter steer, but it failed miserably, and it smashed into a light post, it's painted windows shattering...

... Revealing that it had no driver...

"Michelle! These are AutoCabs!" Michael blurted out.

"What? Autocabs can't move like that!"

Michelle swerved back and forth on the straight, the vehicles swerving in tandem with her car's movements.

Michael hit the gas, catching up to the rearmost of the remaining vehicles, attempted to slam the front bash bar into it's rear corner and cause it to spin or crash, but the vehicle suddenly braked hard, swerving out of Michael's way and getting behind him.

Warning

Vehicle locked on

"Shit!" Michael shouted.

Michelle led them around another corner, this time she purposely juked the BRZ in a different direction before turning in a hope to perhaps trick one of the vehicles on to crashing, but it copied her movements perfectly.

Michael turned in traditionally, trying to out pace the scary drone like vehicles. The second vehicle copied him perfectly.

"They're like predators... Michael... I'm scared!"

Michael hit the brakes again and the vehicle passed him again.

"Brake early for the next corner!" Michael shouted.

Michelle slammed on the brakes right in the center of an intersection, and Michael hit the gas, aiming for the vehicle that just passed him, slamming the front bash bar of the Mustang into it's rear bumper under braking.

The vehicle lost it's footing and spun, slamming into a nearby storefront.

The force of the impact forced Michael forward, the blow echoing with a sickening metallic crunch. He slowed the car to a near halt, and ripped the handbrake, sliding the Foxbody around the corner.

Michelle and the final third vehicle were pulling away down the straight.

He tried to catch up, revving the Mustang to redline in each gear as the BRZs taillights shrank into small pinpricks ahead.

"SHI-" Michael heard in the headset, and Michelle's taillights went out.

The machine had waited until they had thought they had a chance to escape, then while they were split up, fired its EMP.

It had taken out his sister.

Michael was pissed.

He put the Mustang in 5th gear, accelerating past 120 miles per hour, as he was suddenly blinded by bright headlights.

The vehicle had turned around.

It was aiming for him.

Michael hit the gas.

It was a game of chicken now.

Michael squinted through the light as it grew brighter and brighter, his heart pounding.

Just as he could make out it's black shape, through the blinding light, he swerved left...

Just as the Mustang and his HUD instantly shut off. Michael hit the clutch and held the brakes, the G force shoving him forward as the Mustang ground to a halt inches from the silhouette of Michelle's BRZ

It had got him.

The unmanned vehicle flew past him.

Blue and red light filled the street as police AutoCabs streamed out of the alleyways and side streets boxing them in.

Michael tried in vain to start the Mustang, but all he got was a message on his helmet's HUD.

EMP DETECTED

VEHICLE ELECTRONICS DISABLED FOR SAFETY PURPOSES

"Well! Well! Well... Look what our brand new toys dragged in!" Michael heard a familiar voice over a PA system.

The AutoCabs parted, and a black and white Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera fitted with police lights creeped forward.

Agent Shifter stepped out, grinning.

"I must admit, for what they lack in thinking for themselves, they can copy anyone else's driving style perfectly..." He said happily as he sauntered over to the the drivers window of Michael's Foxbody.

"They learn from every driver they take on... If the learn to drive like the Asphalt Knight, nothing will be able to stop them!" Shifter bragged as he reached for Michael's door handle, but stopped abruptly.

Michael heard the roar of engines.

Shifter looked away, visibly agitated, and turned back to Michael.

"Oh, I'm not letting you get away from me this time."

CRASH!!!

A large orange Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 smashed through two of the parked police AutoCabs, followed by a familiar orange Dodge Viper ACR which slid to a halt behind it.

Shifter ran and ducked behind a his Gallardo.

Michael took the opportunity to turn the key in his ignition, and the Mustang fired up.

Michelle's BRZ screamed to life a second later.

"Follow us if you want to live." Quinn's voice said through his helmet's communication system.

Michael and Michelle didn't hesitate.