Standing under the oddly angled canopy, Ellie filled up her canteen with runoff. She dropped two tablets in, closed the canteen and stowed it.

Rain never lasted long in New Deaver City. Minutes later she was back where her half track sat. She checked the chain at both her vehicle and the weird wheeled heptahedron.

She towed it for a mile before her truck jerked to halt. No amount of gas would budge it: the heptahedron had inexplicably retracted its wheels.

She pulled out her radio. “Hey, Lu, I got another paper weight. Bring the lift?”

“Sure thing,” he answered.

Chapter 29

Chapter 31