Forever Until Tomorrow (War Eternal Book 5) by M. R. Forbes Page B

in the car said.
    Reggie looked down at the man, who had fallen still to avoid injury. The man looked back at Reggie, clearly afraid he was going to die.
    "Destination," the voice repeated.
    "Where are you going?" Reggie said.
    "Uh. Fourth and Main."
    "Fourth and Main," Reggie said.
    "The fare will be fifteen dollars. Approximate travel time is four minutes. Do you accept?"
    "Yes."
    The car started to accelerate.
    "Who are you?" the man said timidly. "What do you want?"
    "I'm sorry," Reggie said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I need money. I have to get to New York."
    "What? Money?"
    "Yes. To buy things. Like clothes." He pulled at his hand-me-down rags.  
    "I don't know where you're from, but you're wasting your time with me."
    "I don't want to hurt you."
    "I can't give you anything, even if I wanted to. Did you just crawl out from under a rock or escape from a mental hospital? We stopped using physical cash fifteen years ago. Everything is electronic. Digital. Secure. Even if you killed me, you can't get what you want."
    Reggie stared at him. No wonder the man let himself be so distracted. He leaned off him, pushing himself into the corner of the car. "How can I get to New York?"
    "Get a job. Earn it." The man sat up, straightening his suit.  
    "I don't have time."
    "That isn't my problem, or anyone else's but yours."
    The man's eyes flicked beneath the glasses. Reggie watched curiously. He was doing something with them. He seemed way too calm considering he had just been assaulted.
    "What is that?" he asked.
    "You don't know what AR glasses are?"
    Reggie stared at them. In his mind, he caught a flash of a grid over his eyes. There were shapes in it, and they vanished one by one. Death. Destruction.  
    "Communications," he said, the tense memory turning into understanding. "Information. Augmented reality." He shook his head, trying to dislodge more of what he had forgotten.  
    It was gone as quickly as it had come.
    "Yes. I sent an emergency alert to the police."
      Reggie felt a heavy mix of anger and fear. He looked up and out the windows of the car. Another vehicle was already behind them. It had a bank of lights on top of it, and official markings over the hood. A second slid neatly in front of their car a moment later, and the automated vehicle started slowing and moving to the side of the road.
    "That's why you aren't afraid of me?"
    The man shrugged. "I don't know who you are, but believe me when I say I think this is for your safety as much as mine. You're clearly troubled, sir, and I suggest you get the help that you need."
    Reggie stared at the man as the car came to a stop.  
    "St. Louis authorities have requested compliance during this intervention," the car's computer said. "Please depart slowly, with your hands exposed."
    The doors swung open on both sides. The man slid out of his side, keeping his hands out and up. Reggie continued to sit in the car. If the police took him, they would probably bring him back to St. Mary's, only this time he wouldn't have the option to walk back out.  
    He couldn't afford the delay. He needed to get to New York to find Major Katherine Asher.  
    He needed a way out.

12

    Reggie kept his head turned, trying to watch the police in front and behind the car. The doors opened slowly, and two officers exited each vehicle. He could see the guns on their hips. They hadn't come out with them drawn, which was good. They didn't think he was a threat and weren't expecting any resistance.
    One of the officers stopped the man in the suit. They spoke for a moment, and he pointed back at the car. Reggie could read his lips, and saw that the man was telling her what he had done. She looked almost sympathetic as she and the other officers approached.
    He needed to think of something, fast. He would go out the left side, where the woman was. No matter how trained she might be, she wouldn't be as strong. The police cruisers didn't look automated. If he could take one, he could at least get a