Pessimism (Book One)

Chapter 21: Capture and Return

As we made our way toward the forest road, I could hear the drones coming, nearing us by the second. I have never dealt with a drone and I am too weak to protect them. I used up all my energy.
"Missile!" Almery shouted. I looked behind me and quickly fastened my seat belt for crashing.
"Hold on." Grant pulled the gear stick and made a U-turn, drifting, and continued the opposite way. The missile just flew above us. It just barely missed us. It crashed behind us and exploded. Two of the three turned towards us. The drones were planning something.
"Grant, you have a plan?" Ethan asked. Grant didn't answer. I was starting to worry that he did not have a plan. Maybe we'd die here and be reunited with Kaitlin. Maybe they will take us in and use us, turn us into their own puppets. Either one sounds horrible. I'd rather live to my death than to die by my own kind.
"Just worry about trying to keep us alive." Elaine told us. She was watching the sides for any missiles coming our way. Almery was out in the sunroof. He had a loaded machine gun. I hope that will be enough to take it down. As it flew above us, Almery fired. The bullets left no marks.
"It's armored guys!" Almery said. Armored? The government was not taking any chances with us. "Two missiles coming our way!" They crashed on our sides, but Thalia had taken cover. It was the doppelgänger armor. It won't last long, as I remember. As I looked ahead, I could see a city clearing. But between us and it was a cliff.
"Grant?" He was planning to drive and flu us across it. "Grant?" I strapped my seat belt tighter. The drones were right next to us, both on one side of us. They are going to box us in. We better do something. Almery came down from the sunroof and shut its window.
"Grant!?" Thalia's boosters engaged. He was really going to do it. The speed from the nitrous engine gas gave us a stronger push. We ran across the edge and were above the ground. We'd taken off. Behind us, the two drones crashed into each other. That was two down. We were only halfway across the cliff. My heart sank.
"Hold on tight guys!" Grant yelled. I closed my eyes.

We cleared for landing, crashing down on the ground, just barely making it to the ground. Grant pressed down pedal and we drove again. I opened my eyes and saw we were in the city. I looked behind me and saw the last drone coming our way. No way would it shoot a missile at us, not here. Grant dodged cars, passed red lights and tried not to hit anyone. The city was no ordinary one, it was Efthalia's capital. I think I know Grant's plan. We heard shots coming our way. It was from the drone. It had to gun barrels underneath its wings and fired at us. Grant drifted to the right and the drone flew up, spun to the right and came back right behind us. I could hear the screaming of citizens as they jumped from their cars and ran from the streets.
"There is no way we can lose this thing." I didn't know what time we had left. Sirens sounded from all directions. The others are just starting to catch up. Behind us, a dozen armored police cars charged towards us. We were nearing the street, we can make a turn for it.
"They are coming from the left and right." Ethan said.
"Then we have to go straight." Grant pressed the pedal down harder. I could see the police cars just around the corner.
"Faster!" I yelled. "Faster!" Just then, we crossed the red light as the police cars drifted our way. We just missed them. They crashed into each other, exploding in a barrage of fireworks. The thick black smoke covered what was behind it. The drone flew right out of it. It started firing at us again. Three shots came through the window. I took cover.
"Shit!" Grant made a U-turn and started backwards. If we go back further, then we would get lost in the smoke. Then, Grant made another U-turn. He drifted and then stopped. The drone was about a mile from us, coming closer. It's missile locked and loaded.
"Grant, drive." Elaine told him. She was watching closely at the drone with fear just like we all were. Grant was holding down the pedal, but had the gear in place.
"Just a second." Grant grimaced. The drone neared us. It shot the missile.
"Grant!" He pulled the gear to drive, released the nitro and started. The rubber of the tires screeched. The missile just passed us and hit the pile of crashed police cars, exploding and causing a thicker smoke. The drone flew in and crashed into a building, out of control. It was blinded by the smoke. Grant drifted and stopped the car. He got out and stared at the mess we had made.
"What's wrong?" I asked. He got back in and started the engine.
"More police will be here. We have to get to our destination." He drove faster.