James didn’t have time to be frightened before the robot’s hand thrust into the open back of a mid-sized U-Haul truck and dropped him, none too gently. Then the door slammed down, cutting off the light, and the truck started to move.

James staggered to his feet, feeling himself over for injuries. Apart from a bump on his head the size of a goose egg and some road rash on his left arm, he seemed to be all right. At least Sera hadn’t rolled over on him this time. But he was pretty sure a moving van didn’t represent Aegis rescue.

He staggered to his feet and made his way to the door at the back, trying the inside door handle. It was locked—big surprise. But James discovered he still had his sidearm. Perhaps it had been too small for them to notice—or perhaps they had let him keep it because they didn’t think it could harm them, which was quite a cheerful thought.

As James considered his options, he became aware of a rustling sound behind him and slowly realized he was not alone in the truck.