I detect no glitch in my systems, so I rely on the data. Knowing the lifeforms aren’t Tilly, it could be another roving group about to raid our camp. Without hesitation, I initiate Tilly’s shield out of precaution, then send a quick message to her bracelet.
Me: There are strangers approaching from south of camp. Stay inside until I get back.
“Jareth Averon,” a low, male voice drawls. “My, my, how lucky I am.”
Ensuring my personal shielding is at maximum charge, I turn to the voice and raise my hand, preparing to electrocute him on the spot.
A flash of light flares above my head with a concussive boom.
Power surges through my circuits, crawling into my muscles, spiking along my nerves until I crumble to the ground, clutching my chest from the pain.
What...how...?
My last thought is of Tilly, how I’ve left her and my unborn son alone and unprotected, their presence only four hundred meters away.
