Watchers

Chapter 38: Do Not Run

"Freeze," comes the robotic voice of one of the Watcher drones as it drops to eye-level. "Do not run or fines will accrue."

"What do we do?" Sasha whispers to Daniel from the corner of her mouth. It does no good, though, because Watcher drones of this caliber have excellent video cameras and microphones which allow the operator to pick up on the slightest sounds.

"Do not run or fines will accrue," it repeats as the other five drones all descend.

One drops down in front of the first and a pair of handcuffs hang from an open compartment on its front. It demands in an equally automated tone, "Daniel Moreland, you are being detained. Comply and you will not also be fined. Put these handcuffs on your wrists."

Daniel looks at Sasha, surprise and uncertainty in his eyes.

"Watcher drones don't have the power of arrest," he says to her. "They have to send the second tier Watchers in person for that."

"Comply," the drone demands, hovering closer to deliver the handcuffs for him to voluntarily shackle himself.

"What does that mean?" Sasha asks him. They watch as each one of the drones vies for the front of the line, cutting in front of each other to get to their prey.

"It means they're not government Watchers," he says. "They're private security, working for The Elimination Game."

Each one must be operated by a different Watcher moonlighting for the show, and all of them are no doubt salivating over the reward that catching the two run-aways will fetch.

"And?" Sasha demands.

He grabs her hand and says, "Run."

They're used to this by now, practically in sync with each other, and they're at least ten feet away before the Watchers even have a chance to react. Still, they need to make the most of their lead and find a place to hide because fatiguable human legs are no match against robotic drones.

They run up the street, eerily silent in the middle of the night, and then Daniel yanks Sasha down the first alley they come to. The sooner they can get off the street, the better.

The alley is slick with snow and ice and they slip several times as Daniel tries a few doors, but nothing opens. As they're rounding the corner at the other end, onto another empty street, one of the drones suddenly drops down in front of them and puts them off-balance on the slippery street.

Sasha's feet fly out from under her and despite his best efforts, Daniel can't keep her upright. She falls with a sharp pain and the drone backs Daniel up against the wall of the building.

"You are being detained," the drone says. "Failure to comply will result in bodily injury."

Sasha scrambles to her feet and joins him, and another one of the drones finds them and starts flying up the street to get a piece of the action. A long, mechanical arm extends from the first drone, a familiar pepper spray canister attached to its terminal end.

Daniel groans when he sees it and tucks Sasha's body protectively behind him. "Not again."

"We have orders to return you to your rightful place in the Elimination Game household," the drone announces. "Return immediately-"

Daniel makes a sudden move, swiping at the pepper spray wielding arm with his knife and managing to knock the drone momentarily to the ground. If this were a government Watcher's drone, he'd be hanged for it and Sasha lets out a gasp. The pepper spray goes off and she sees Daniel lifting his leg to kick the fallen drone. Then the wind is knocked out of her and her vision goes black, then starry.

"Sasha!" Daniel yells, catching her as she careens down toward the pavement.

She sees the second drone with some sort of weapon extended, and then a bright yellow beanbag round lying in the snow at her feet. Her chest hurts and she can't draw a full breath, and then Daniel is lifting her onto his back and running.

She doesn't remember anything for a few minutes, save for a few shaky glimpses up toward the starless night sky, and then they're in a residential neighborhood with cars lining the street. There's no mechanical whir of drones overhead, but Daniel's still running.

"Did we-?" she starts to ask, and Daniel interrupts to save her breath.

"We lost them," he says, "but I don't know for how long."

Sasha lifts her head to look at the neighborhood - not one that she recognizes, but it might as well be. When you live on the street for as long as she has, they all start to look the same.

"That one," she says, pointing at an ancient station wagon whose tires have lost a bit of air.

"What?"

"We'll hide there," she says, although it hurts to speak.

He gives a quick glancebackward but there are still no Watcher drones to be seen, so he puts her downand she clings to his neck while he tries the handle. It pops open and theyclimb into the back seat, throwing a blanket over themselves just in time asthey hear the distant whir of motors and the little army of Watcher dronesapproaching.