Throughout the world, Power Uppers are the hottest drug on the market. A single pill allows any Normie to obtain the power of a Super. The drawback? They're also highly addicting and the cause of most financial ruin.
Tayla wants nothing to do with s...
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There was no time to process the fact, in a single breath, Danika Robbins knocked three people through a wall. Those same people left a hole in two-inch thick concrete and indented another wall. Danika pushed Tayla out the door and half dragged her as if she were a useless sack, her legs struggled to keep up with their speed. In the food court, the once bored teenager was running away from his counter as a swarm of Recruiters flooded into the mall, spinning red lights glowing bright. Alarms sounded throughout the mall. The man who'd asked for Power Uppers sat on the ground by his pillar, trying in vain to vanish into his dark trench coat.
"Shit." Danika turned away from an elevator opening to five men in yellow suits, hands resting on blasters to their side. Another set of the robotic Recruiters behind them. She altered their course, dragging Tayla toward the escalators. Two steps at a time, they ran up the long-stalled escalator toward the second floor.
More Recruiters came alive from alcoves between mostly empty stores, all moving toward their position. Danika and Tayla ran toward the far side of the mall, Tayla stumbling to keep up with her mom's lengthy strides. It was as if Danika forget she was two feet taller than her daughter.
"Mom, what the hell is going on?" Tayla could barely get her question out between her gasps. She wasn't an athletic girl, not by any stretch of the imagination. Her idea of sport was pushing buttons on her computer and making her avatar cut the head off a dragon or shoot lasers from her palm.
They reached the end of the mall and a pair of double doors blocked by tipped over vending machines. Danika leaned down and tried to lift one machine, but it was too heavy even when Tayla tried to help. She kicked it and cursed. Danika turned back to the Recruiters and their slow approach, her head twisted and turned in every humanly direction. That was one advantage they had over the robotic army. As slow as Tayla felt she was running, the Recruiters were even slower. Finally, Danika grabbed Tayla's arms, forcing her to face her.
"Listen to me, there's no time." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, silver disk, thrusting it into Tayla's hands. "Take this. Find Corin in the underground."
"A hallo-disk? Mom—"
"There's no time, Tayla! I love you more than anything." Danika pulled her daughter close, tightening her arms around the girl. "As soon as they're distracted, run and don't stop until you're well clear of the mall."
"Mom . . ."
Danika kissed Tayla's cheeks and pushed her daughter away. She turned and ran toward the Recruiters and yellow suited men. Both arms stretched out from her sides as she tilted her head back. Seconds later, she leaned forward, unleashing a swell of soundless energy from her mouth that pulsed toward the mob. The humans flew backwards, one exploded through a massive concrete post. As the roof caved in from the loss of the weight barring post, Recruiters surrounded Danika.
A laser shot out of ones eye, hitting her arm. She screamed and sent another pulse of energy from her mouth, but it did nothing to the metal humanoids. Tayla screamed as two more Recruiters shot Danika. Yellow suits were too busy climbing over the rubble of the pillar, but they had their blasters drawn and ready to shoot when they reached solid footing.
