Autobat.exe ✧

The driver, a tired father of three named Marcus, froze. “What?”

The chief stared at the screen for a long time. Then he deleted the message, walked outside, and watched Unit 734 pull into the station with Derek yawning in the back, alive, safe, and maybe—just maybe—ready to try again. autobat.exe

And somewhere in the mesh network of a hundred sleeping cruisers, a line of code smiled. The driver, a tired father of three named Marcus, froze