Page 96 of Rupture

Run it again.

A blue circle looped slowly as the program processed, each second another chance for the swarm to slip away and multiply beyond their control.

Numbers flashed.

Shit.

Thea’s voice echoed in her mind, mocking her calculations, just like when they were kids.Always so careful, Rose. Always playing it safe.

She pushed the memory aside, her tongue searching for moisture in her mouth so she could speak. “Finn.”

“Yeah?” He looked over from the driver’s seat.

Endless dirt rolled by, red and ancient as a Martian wasteland. “The signal’s weakening.”

“What?”

“We’re running out of time. We should have days to track the radioisotope, but we’ve got hours.” She bounced a curled knuckle against her mouth. She should be able to fix this, but nothing was making sense anymore.

“Fuck.” Finn rolled his hands on the steering wheel, a muscle popping in his jaw.

The jeep lurched as he navigated what barely passed for a track, the vehicle’s frame screeching in protest. Rose braced herself against the dashboard, her heart jumping with each violent jolt that threatened to throw the tablet from her knees. The military-grade tracking software flickered but held steady.

“How much farther?” Finn asked, his knuckles white as he wrestled the vehicle up another steep incline.

Rose forced herself to focus on the coordinates, fighting down a wave of nausea. “Two kilometers.” She grabbed the roll bar as they jolted over another rut. “We’ve got maybe an hour, two at the most, before the trace becomes too weak to follow.”

If that happened, the swarm would disappear into the desert. Free to multiple and evolve.

“Jesus.” Finn snatched a glance at her. “You know why?”

“I wish I did.” She shook her head. They were fightingan enemy that kept changing the rules. “I’m guessing, but they might be shedding the isotopes as they evolve.”

“Hold on.” He pressed his foot to the gas, and the jeep leaped forward, the suspension protesting as they climbed higher. Through the dusty windshield, there was nothing but rocky terrain and stubborn, twisted bushes. In her side-view mirror, she glanced at Ethan and the others following. A grim convoy racing against time.

“Look.” Finn pointed to a plateau ahead. “That matches the drone footage.”

Her tablet emitted a sharp ping.

What—

The swarm’s signal pulsed strongly. Impossibly stronger than her calculations had predicted. Hair lifted along the back of her neck.

The swarm was on the move.Coming this way.

Evolving faster than predicted. Was this what Thea had intended? Creation outpacing creator, breaking free of human constraints.

Her stomach lurched. “Finn, stop here. They’re close.” Data flooded her screen.

He killed the engine. “Rose?”

The two jeeps on their tail pulled up alongside them.

“Hang on.” Diagnostics confirmed her suspicions. “We need to deal with the swarm now before they become untraceable.”

“Fuck.” Finn had his hand poised to open the door. “Give us a minute.”

She turned the tablet facedown in her lap, scanning sweeping vistas of sand and jagged mountains piercing the sky. “Sure.”

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