RONAN I hobbled past the fresh sandbags. Men and women were still piling them up, setting squad weapons behind the barrier. Two of the launcher units spun in a continuous, whining rhythm. They sent their small, destructive pucks arcing into the sky one after another. Soldiers ran in every direction, carrying more bags, more crates of ammunition. A small, warm feeling started in my chest. They were getting it together. They were forming a real defense. Seeing all the weapons, and the set, focused looks on the faces around me, made me think maybe I could stay right here. We could actually beat back the drone assault. I could ride this out. Then a warning shout cut the air.I looked to my right. A cluster of those portable buildings sat there. They looked identical to the secure information facility I’d seen outside The Fort. Soldiers were pouring out of one, running. The men closest to me dropped flat to the ground. I didn’t wait. I dove into the dirt beside them. The building did not just explode. It came apart from the inside out. A flash of fire, then a rolling cloud of smoke and debris. A dark column rose up, twisting like an ugly mushroom. The fire consumed the structure completely. It consumed the ultra-secret QEC device I knew was inside. It also burned away that little bit of hope I had been holding onto just seconds before. Quantum Entangled Communicators were priceless. Irreplaceable. You only destroyed them if you were absolutely certain the enemy was about to take them. I turned my head and looked back at the defensive line. It looked different now. It didn’t look like a shield. It looked like a delay. I pushed myself up. My legs carried me toward the main command building. The soldiers at the door didn't even glance at me as I barreled through. The smell inside was immediate. Smoke. Copper. Blood. The light was low, but my contacts adjusted, sharpening the scene. A battle had ended here minutes ago. The furniture was overturned. Computer consoles were smashed on the floor. The walls were dotted with bullet holes and dark, wet stains. Several drones lay in broken, smoking pieces among the bodies. Dozens of them. The command staff. Only one of the dead had a tarp pulled over them. A handful of soldiers remained at a bank of working screens. They spoke in rapid, tense voices into their comms. I scanned them and locked onto Nguyen. My breath came a little easier seeing him. He was alive. He was barking a string of numbers and letters into a handheld pad, his voice cutting through the din. A fuzzy voice replied, asking for verification. "Goddamn it, there is no one left to verify! Execute the fire mission now or you're next on their list!" He slammed the pad onto the table. "Everyone out! We hold these defenses to give the civilian convoy a chance to get clear!" He spun and saw me. "Ashcroft. Go. Get to the road and find a truck. Now." He shoved past me, grabbing his rifle. The others abandoned their stations, following him. The panic was a cold hand around my throat."What did you do?" "I called in artillery on our own coordinates. The heavy shells will be here in minutes." I tried to speak. No sound came. He was already at the door, waving the last soldier through. I forced the words out. "You'll die here." He paused. "If we all run, the convoy dies. Someone has to stay, Ashcroft." He took two steps back toward me, his face grim. "You get out. Make your meeting. Then you find the people responsible for all of this. For your family. For mine." I took an involuntary step forward. I don't know why. He didn't wait. He turned and jogged out into the noise. I stood alone in the wrecked room. The reality of it swamped me. Then a woman's scream, sharp and terrified, pierced the wall. It jolted me into motion.I bolted for the door. The sunlight was a physical slap. I stumbled down the steps. The gunfire was a solid wall of sound now. A heavy machine gun had joined the fight, its deep thudding rhythm pounding against the sharper cracks of rifles. A line of drones was sprinting toward our position, moving with terrifying, mechanical speed. I caught a glimpse of Nguyen. He was wedged against a sandbag wall, firing over it, his rifle bucking against his shoulder. To my left, a soldier jerked. His neck erupted in a red mist. He fell. In that same instant, I became aware of new sounds. The zip of rounds past my ear. The thud of bullets biting into the dirt near my feet. The spang of metal hitting the command building's wall behind me. My lenses focused without me telling them to.One of the closer drones was halted, braced. It held a rifle snug against its frame, aiming. Firing. At us. I turned and ran. I put the corner of the building between me and the killing ground. I ran as fast as I could, straight toward the distant road.