Four figures moved through the shadows on the rooftops of the mostly abandoned buildings. After a hundred years, the city was a crumbling mass of empty buildings and huddled masses of desperate people.

Katherine Wade led her team over the rooftops. It was quieter tonight than usual. She glanced back to make certain the rest of her patrol was keeping pace with her. There was a sudden crackle of static as her earpiece came to life.

She slapped a hand over her ear with a cruse and flicked the volume down a couple of notches before she spoke. "Dammit, Ratter, that almost busted my eardrum."

"Sorry, babycakes, but you need to move quickly and do it now. I spotted a trio moving quickly toward the perimeter fence to the east near you and they have Shadow Bots hot on their asses."

The tone of his voice told her that there was no time to argue about whether they needed to intervene. "Right, got it. We are moving." She turned to her crew. "We have three heading for the fence with Bots on their butts. Let's move."

She reached over her shoulder and yanked one of the two staffs free from where it rested. A simple flick of her thumb over the small panel on the surface caused the staff to extend to its full length of nearly six feet. She took off running full out toward the edge of the building, planted the metal-tipped staff, used it to vault from one roof to the next, and landed in a crouch. There was no pause when she landed, she sprang up immediately, and headed for the opposite side of the rooftop to repeat the process once more. There was no worry about her team following her, they were well-trained and would follow her without question.

The earpiece crackled to life again as she landed in a graceful crouch atop another building. "Babe, you have incoming Bots. I don't know if you've been spotted or if they're coming to reinforce the ones chasing the trio, but I think it's time for you to hit the ground.

So, move that pretty little backside of yours before you're spotted."

The snort she responded with was a clear enough answer for him that she had heard him, but she replied anyway. "Sure thing, basement demon."

"Ooo, basement demon. I like that."

No one who knew them would ever question their method of communication. Their constant snipping at one another was never meant to hurt or belittle the other. Their verbal swipes were meant in fun. It was a method they used to relieve the stress of missions like this. They cherished one another as a good friend and counted on each other for direction in situations like this. They were loyal to a fault and neither would ever harm the other.

As she ran toward the edge of the roof, she brushed her thumb over the panel again and the staff shortened to half-length. When she reached the edge, she bent and rammed the metal tip into the soft tar of the roof. Without a thought about the consequences, Katie flipped her body over the edge of the roof.

The staff ripped free of the metal point and a cable was released to allow her to rappel down the side of the building. Once her feet hit the ground, another touch of the panel retracted the cord and pulled the metal tip free of the rooftop. She trusted her equipment. It had never once failed to do its job. Ratter was their resident Mech and Tech and he had built the equipment to perform, and it did each and every time they used it. Her team landed on the ground beside her and she gave them a nod.

"Come on, babe, haul ass those bots are gaining on your position and our three new friends are nearly to the fence," Ratter spoke urgently.

She spun and took off running with a muttered curse. She and her team dodged through the twisting alleys of the city until they hit the sidewalk in front of the deserted buildings. Being out in the open could put them in the direct path of the Shadow Bots and the Enforcer patrols, but they had little choice.

The alleys would take them longer to reach the fence and they didn't have time for that.

If the trio of runners made it to the fence and tried to make the jump over it to freedom it would be a disaster. If the Bots caught them it would be an even bigger disaster.

"They've cleared the buildings. The only thing keeping them from jumping the border is the Bots," Ratter informed her.

"I hear you, now shut the hell up and let us concentrate." The earpiece went silent.

The final building at the end of the block was up ahead. She slowed as she neared the corner of the building to creep to a stop. If they came barreling around the corner the Bots would fry them before they could render assistance. She assessed the scene quickly when she peered around the corner before she turned to her team.

"We have three humans about twenty or so feet out from the border fence. A male, and two females hiding behind him.

He's armed with a length of pipe. We have six Shadow Bots to deal with. Are you ready?"

Her second in command sent her a cocky grin. "Always ready. Let's go kick some metal ass."

"David, take it down a notch."

He cleared his throat, rolled his shoulders, and cleared the grin from his face. He gave a curt nod once he was able to back off the excess energy racing through his body. "Ready, boss lady."

She returned his nod. He was all business now. She sent the other members of her team, Kay, and Ray, a nod as well. She jerked her second staff free and extended it. A second swipe of her thumb over both staffs shifted the tips from simple metal points to sharper-edged points, making them deadly weapons. She peered around the corner and tracked the Bots, noting their current locations.

Micah's attention was drawn beyond the Shadow Bots when a group of soldiers appeared from around the corner and charged toward them.

"Great, just what we need," he muttered.

It took him a moment to realize they weren't a group of the city's Enforcers, the all-black uniforms they wore declared them to be part of the Rebellion army that was in opposition to the man who called himself President.

A blast from the Shadow Bot that hovered in front of him struck the pipe he held and sizzled along its length to his hand and refocused his attention back to the Bot. His jaw clenched but he held the pipe firmly and sent the hunk of junk a challenging glare.

The metallic, robotic voice repeated its message, "Surrender or die, traitor."

He knew sending the hovering security bot a glare was useless but he did it again anyway. The things had an array of sensors that allowed them to track people but no eyes or understanding beyond their programming.

They were simple mechanical beings programmed for a single purpose, to hunt down the humans they were sent after.

Micah was in no mood to get into a fight with a hunk of metal no bigger than a stray tomcat, but the things were persistent. The small, slightly oval-shaped robots had been dubbed Shadow Bots because of the flat, black color they were painted. They zipped through the city in search of anyone who broke a law and they were ruthless when dishing out punishment.

"I am not a traitor, you useless hunk of scrap metal!" he shouted at the Bot.

The Bot's response was another white-hot blast that connected with the pipe.

He grimaced but didn't release the pipe. If he had any sort of significant feeling left in his hands he'd probably be screaming in pain. What little feeling he had left told him all he needed to know about the amount of pain that blast would have caused. As it was, he did feel it as it moved through his body and it took everything he had not to collapse to the ground and scream like a child.

His gaze swept over the Rebel soldiers as they engaged the rest of the Shadow Bots several feet from where he stood with his sister and her best friend. One of the women appeared to be in charge, she occasionally shouted orders but she remained mostly focused on the Bots. She planted one of her staffs in the ground and used it as an anchor. One hand held fast to the shaft of the staff while she launched herself off the ground and swung her legs into the air. She successfully kicked one of the Bots out of the air. It hit the ground at the same time she did. In a swift, practiced move, she pulled the staff free of the ground, twisted around, and impaled the Bot, effectively killing it.

She fought with impressive skill despite her smaller stature. He was a little over six feet tall, she couldn't be taller than five two. To pull off a move like that she had to have amazing upper-body strength. He watched her spin around, twirl the staff and knock a second Bot out of the air. She quickly stabbed the thing. The lights flickered and went dark. He wondered how she managed to see through the curtain of her deep blond hair as it whipped around her. He found himself wondering what color her eyes were.

The Bot that still hovered before him took advantage of his distraction.

"Micah, look out!" his sister Kasey called.

The warning was nearly too late to be effective. He twisted and raised the pipe to catch the blast the Bot aimed at his heart. It streaked down the pipe into his nearly useless hand. The breath hissed out between his teeth and he locked his jaw against the pain. That's what he got for watching the pretty girl instead of covering his ass.

One of the men hopped forward and stabbed the Bot with his staff. He grinned cheekily at Micah. "That was pretty impressive. Never seen anyone take a shot like that from a Bot and remain standing. Much less take more than one. Either you are a badass or a masochist, maybe a little of both." He thrust out a hand. "David Simm."

Micah's eyes pinged between the hand that David held out and the other three Rebel soldiers as they crowded around them now that the Bots had been taken care of.

"Thanks for the assist, we appreciate it. As much as I'd love to stick around and have a chat, we need to go before more Bots arrive or the Enforcers do." He gave David's hand a quick shake before he turned away and headed for the fence.

The border fence that surrounded the city and was supposedly for the safety of the citizens It was a twenty-foot tall, chain-link fence topped with razor wire. It was one of the few things that were properly maintained. Beyond the confines of the fence was a desert wasteland that connect the few sparsely populated cities that remained. It was a place that no one dared to go into on foot, mostly because no one who did ever returned. At least, not alive. The Enforcers were supposed to keep the peace for the government, they certainly weren't going to tell the truth about what lay out there. It would undermine their authority and they'd lose control of the people. If anyone believed they could escape this hell, they would.

What lay beyond the fence couldn't be worse than what was inside of it. Micah was willing to take his chances outside the fence if it would save his sisters. The leader's voice pulled him from his musings.

"Where do you think you're going?" she snapped.

He glanced back over his shoulder at her and didn't spare the sarcasm when he spoke to her. "Over the fence, genius. Where does it look like I'm going?" He had picked this section of the fence because he had no desire to get near the ocean at the opposite edge of the city or one of the gates that allowed travel out of the city. If the Enforcers caught them trying to leave without permission they'd end up in places he didn't want to contemplate.

When David snickered in response to his comment the leader shot him a glare. She bent, picked up a rock, and heaved it over the fence. Another display of her strength. The rock sailed over the fence and hit the ground. It rolled a foot or two but nothing happened.

He arched a brow at her. "Was that supposed to prove something?"

She grumbled and picked up another rock and tossed it over the fence. Her look turned to one of satisfaction when the rock hit something and exploded. "Still want to go over the fence, genius?" she asked.

He turned to stare at the small crater. "No, not really." He turned away from the barrier that had singled freedom only a few seconds ago. He pulled a hand over his face with a curse. Maybe he should have chosen the friggin' ocean instead. "Shit, I should have gone the other way."

She arched a brow at him. "Do you know how to drive a boat?"

He swallowed the curse he wanted to hurl at her. "No, but that doesn't mean I couldn't figure it out. I'm kinda handy that way." He wasn't about to tell her exactly how mechanically inclined he was.

She snorted. "And would you be able to get past the harbor patrol and what lurks outside the break wall that guards the harbor?"

He was certain he didn't want to know what was outside the harbor and yet, he found himself asking her anyway. "What exactly is outside the harbor?"

The corners of her lips kicked up into a half smile. "It's something delightfully similar to what is outside the fence, except they're under the water."

He glanced back at the fence to the crater the landmine had created. The cities were far apart across the desert. He had figured that going by land would be easier than by water. Now that he knew they were trapped inside the city unless they went out the gates, he felt a certain amount of depression. The Enforcers would never allow them out one of the gates. They didn't have permission to travel.

He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. The fence kept them effectively trapped inside the city. A city he couldn't even name. Very few could remember the names of the cities scattered across the planet. The only city anyone bothered to put a name to was the one they called the Capital because that was where the president resided. Why bother naming the city you lived in when you couldn't leave it? There was no one to tell about your home.

"Okay, so now what?" he asked the woman.

"You come with us before the Enforcers get here or you can go over the fence and die. It's your choice really." She stared at him while waiting for his decision as if she could care less what he decided.

He looked at Kasey and Kelsey. Both girls moved to stand on either side of him. It was a subtle signal that they would do whatever he decided. With a tiny muttered curse, he swept a hand out. "All right, lead on."

Katie turned away togive her team orders. "Raymond, Kaylyn, I need the two of you to stay at theback and cover us from behind. Dave, you're in the front with me." Her gazefell on the man and the two girls. "The three of you are in the middle. Anyonefalls behind we are not coming back for you." Her voice held a quick snap thattold them she meant business. She turned away and began running back toward thebuilding that housed the operations and home of the Rebellion.