Chapter 1: The Corpse of Steel(24)

I attach the cable to the kid's backpack and blink once more, making his pulsing visage disappear. Instead my grey eyes now see what little I can of his true form. It's a human shaped blob in dull grey with large optical lenses on the face and the bulbous blocky midsection that keeps his air clean. Making sure that he's securely attached to the cable, I drift him over to the ladder.
"You try to run again and I will end you," I lie while releasing him. In truth he wouldn't be hard to catch. The paperwork associated with a human casualty would be more effort than chasing him down though, so best to avoid that. It's a long drive back to HQ and the report itself is already going to put me into overtime.