The rain was a constant background hiss, coming both from the headphones that plugged Soo-hyun’s ears, and from outside. The water had swept across from the canal, washing away chairs, cooking pots, and other detritus, and shorting out solar batteries that sat on the ground beside light poles. Most of the commune’s residents had relocated to the school’s main structure, built on a slight elevation, but Kali’s inner circle and Red’s little army were packed tight into the workshop, risking the flood for a chance to play with the dogs.
The water continued to rise, creeping up the sides of the commune’s lower buildings, and climbing the steps to the workshop. They had half a step to go until the water flooded in beneath the door. Soo-hyun tried to put the power cables that crisscrossed the workshop out of their mind, and instead focus on the chase.
The WRX slid through the streets, the vehicle trapped within the square brackets of the dog’s targeting reticle but growing smaller.
Soo-hyun cursed under their breath and brought up the GPS-tagged map of the area. They selected two dogs three blocks ahead, and after a blur of pixels and the sharp spike of glitching audio, the battle chair made connection, the two machines slaved to one set of controls.
Their screen split down the middle, Soo-hyun charged the dogs forward at full throttle, glancing aside for the map of the streets, the WRX still tagged thanks to Red’s losing chase.
The two dogs were on opposite sides of the street, running in parallel on the empty sidewalks, racing past cars parked or abandoned.
The dogs’ views rocked wildly as they sprinted ahead, internals functioning at the edge of potential, their two points on the map rushing for an intercept. They burst out of the side street. The left-most drone missed the car, rushed through its wake. The other dog slammed into the front quarter panel at full speed. The crunch of impact cracked through the headphones, and the connection cut as the robot died. Behind Soo-hyun the crowd cheered.
Soo-hyun wheeled the other dog around, watched the car slide sideways and slam into traffic, two wheels lifting out of the water before the vehicle crashed back down against the road, throwing a massive column of water into the air.
The white sphere of an exploded airbag filled the driver’s side window, and the woman at the wheel hit the airbag again and again to get it to deflate. Soo-hyun smiled and pushed the dog closer, skirting around to the other side of the car, climbing on a parked minivan for a better vantage.
The driver exited the vehicle and drew a pistol. Soo-hyun’s hands twitched at the controls, but they paused when the rear door opened. It was JD.
The noise of the crowd and the sound coming from the dog’s audio sensors faded as Soo-hyun stared. They dropped the controller into their lap.
“What is it, Soo-hyun?” Kali asked.
They hadn’t realized she was watching.
The controller clattered to the ground as Soo-hyun stood. They wandered away from the battle chair with Kali trailing, and went outside. They stood beneath the awning, hearing the hiss and splash from all around. They inhaled and smelled the sweet rot of garbage or sewer runoff somewhere in the rising waters.
“Soo-hyun,” Kali said.
“You never said we were chasing JD. I could have fucking killed him.”
Kali was silent for a moment. “I didn’t tell you because I thought you knew. This is more important than your brother, Soo-hyun. He has betrayed us. I won’t kill him, but I refuse to let him stand in the way of my plans.”
“I’m done,” Soo-hyun said.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I’m done.”
“I’ll give you time to think about this, but for now I have to go back inside. Why don’t you go to my building and wait?”
Soo-hyun shook their head, but they walked out into the rain and the rising waters, ignoring the cold clinging filth that stuck to their legs.
* * *
Enda swore and bashed the airbag with her fist, forcing it down. Her ears rang and her head throbbed. She checked the mirrors and saw more dogs approaching—the navy blue shapes slowing now that the WRX had stopped.
They were caught in an intersection, floodwaters turning it into an impromptu car park. Enda saw the other vehicles around them in the brief moments of clarity provided by the windscreen wipers. The water was deeper here, car wheels mostly obscured by the rising murk. The left side of