Page 18 of Dreikx

I start transferring his map into my control. “We are terribly inefficient.”

“How so? I mapped the entire thing. All we need are your calculations and we’re done.”

“We should be able to replicate and sync, or better yet, develop tech that can handle all this for us.”

“I wouldn’t allow a computer to transport anyone.”

“It would not be a computer. It would be an artificial intelligence.”

“All the same to me.”

“Indeed.” My control lights up, heating my palm.

“How’s Tamey?” He chuckles.

“Fine.”

“Only fine?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Raven’s with her, no?”

I snap my head up. “Is there a point to the conversation, or are you trying to distract me from this very important work that could save humanity?”

My com unit pings, and I open the line.

“Lucky for me, you’ve dragged your sorry ass to work today,” Seer says by way of greeting.

“I had a complication. I apologize for being late. Any updates on your position? Namely, I want to know if you ignored my request or if you’ve been swimming all this time.”

“I swam.”

“And?”

“And I got a male.”

“Excellent.” I leave and climb into my pod, stretch my sensors as far as the pod can scan. Several fires register on my radar. Clusters of firefighters around them tell me they’re being handled.

“Did you set the fires?” I ask.

“No. Come pick up the male before I have to drag him back to San Diego. I don’t think he’ll make it.”

“Why won’t he make it?”

“I may have gotten carried away.”

I lift off, then pause. Back to San Diego, he said. “Where are you?”

“Los Angeles, I think.”

“You swam to LA?”

“Yeah, that’s where the shark went.”

“I need thirty minutes.”

“Negative. You have three.”

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