Karr was hyper alert from that point forward, only briefly feeling guilty for the slightly brisk pace he was setting.  Every second they spent on the bridge was a second they were exposed and in danger, and Edison<span style="font-style: italic">had</span>instructed him to watch out for Lillith.  This was the only way he knew how to do that.  They walked in relative silence for several hours.  Only when Lillith's steps began to drag did he reluctantly pick out the relative shelter of an abandoned car and sit them down for a meal. If it could even be called such.  They scarfed down their meager rations and took several gulps each from their dwindling water supply.<br/><br/>Karr could tell Lillith wanted to sit for a bit longer, but again, he was forced to brutally squash any lingering compassion and offering a hand, he hauled her to her feet.  They continued walking, and now the silence came more for exhaustion and lethargy then caution.  Karr hadn't let his baton out of his hand, and he found himself getting jumpier and jumpier as the sky overhead dimmed, visible only by the darkening glow of the fog, and the sounds of the night began to creep up around them.  Now and again a sharp echo would howl through the mist, residual noise from some crumbling building or crying bird, and it would cause every hair on his body to stand on end.  He hoped his nerves weren't as apparent to Lillith, and he determined to man up.  They couldn't be far now, though it felt like they had been traveling for ages.<br/><br/>He'd traveled the bridge a dozen times, and he knew every shape and structure that dotted it.  Still, when an over-turned semi, long ago stranded, loomed up in his field of view, it felt like he'd been plunged into ice water.  His heartbeat returned to normal as soon as he identified it, and he was forced to admit just how jumpy he really was.<br/><br/>No sooner had he finished mentally scolding himself for his anxiety then his ears caught the long, sharp, and distinctly metallic creak of something mechanical moving in the mist.<br/><br/>Freezing, Karr's free hand shot out to clutch at Lillith's sleeve, bringing her to a halt with him.  The sound came again; something was moving in the fog, and it was close.  The sound came with every other beat, accompanied by a softer thud like a footstep on pavement.<br/><br/>Heart in his throat, Karr pulled Lillith with him and made a beeline for the shadow of the overturned truck.  They reached it without being killed, miraculously, and pressed up against the metal frame they crouched, hardly daring to breathe.  Karr could hear his blood roaring in his ears, almost drowning out the footsteps that were drawing nearer by the moment.<br/><br/>Urging Lillith to follow his lead, Karr crept silently around the edge of the container, finding the back open from the last survivors who had pillaged its contents.  They slipped inside, taking care not to make any noise.  He hoped the extra insulation would shield them from being detected via electrical impulses, but he couldn't have sworn it.  And if they made even the slightest sound louder than breathingâ€”they really would be done for.<br/><br/>Closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself, Karr adjusted his sweaty grip on his baton and tried to convince himself that he would indeed have the guts to take on a cyborg if it came down to that.  He hoped Lillith didn't know that despite his bravado, he'd actually only used the baton on a guard onceâ€”one hard hit from behind to stun the thing, and then he'd run like hell.  At the time, he'd been too terrified to dare any more than that.  He had no idea how effective it would be if he really came toe-to-toe with one of the machines.<br/><br/>As the sounds grew closer, Karr could make out two distinct sets of footsteps:  Probably one human guard and one cyborg from the mechanical creak.  His heart sank, and he prayed again that the pair would just move on by some miracle, missing their presence.<br/><br/>A muffled human voice confirmed his suspicions on the identity of at least one of the two, and he tried desperately to come up with some kind of a plan that would get them out of there alive.  He'd go down swinging if he had to, but Lillith<span style="font-style: italic">would</span>survive.  He would make sure of that.<br/><br/>The sounds of movement were drawing alarmingly close to their position, and Karr suddenly realized that it had indeed been too much to hope for that the intruders would simply pass them by in the mist.  The bridge was so wide that it hadn't seemed like such a distant hope, but now it sounded as if they were headed straight for he and Lillith.<br/><br/>Tightening his grip on his only weapon until his hand ached with the pain of it, Karr held his breath, mentally judging distance until seemed the sounds were within feet of them.  Steeling himself for certain death, Karr raised his baton, charged from his hiding place, and swung.<br/><br/>â€œWhoa!â€  The human voice sounded so surprised as the figure just barely dodged his attack that, for a brief moment, Karr was forced to reconsider his strategy.  As he stumbled forward with the force of his momentum, he spun, preparing for another try.<br/><br/>â€œCory?â€  He croaked weakly as he processed the faces of his opponents, adrenaline leaving him in a heady rush that left him dizzy.  â€œD?â€<br/><br/>â€œKarr?â€  Looking a bit more prepared, Cory had a massive rifle leveled at the younger boy, just now lowering it as he realized who had attacked him, â€œGeez, kid, you could have killed me.â€<br/><br/>Feeling weak in the knees, Karr gracelessly dropped to sit on the ground, head spinning wildly.  He tried to breathe out deeply; it came out as a relieved laugh.  â€œThat was the idea.  I was totally ready to beat one of you to death, you know that?â€<br/><br/>â€œDon't be so hostile, brat.â€<br/><br/>Karr didn't both pointing out that Cory wasn't anywhere near old enough to be calling<span style="font-style: italic">him</span>a brat.<br/><br/>Cory grinned, kicking at his boot.  â€œAnd look before you swing next time, eh?  We just finished patching up D after our last fiasco.â€<br/><br/>The cyborg, long since fallen into a state of disrepair that left sections of psuedo skin missing to reveal mechanical paneling beneath, offered a robotic grin.  He'd been an early version; it wasn't necessarily his fault that he acted a bit less than human at times.  â€œIt is good to encounter you once again, Karpenter Miles Jennings.  Your vital signs appear elevated, but I judge that you are in good health.â€<br/><br/>â€œHey, D.â€  Karr sighed, standing.  He felt extremely foolish, but also relieved.  He couldn't imagine how the situation would have ended if it had been anyone else... namely, anyone less friendly.<br/><br/>â€œLillith.â€  He called weakly, still feeling shaky as he fully realized that maybe he wasn't really going to die today, â€œYou can come out.  It's safe.â€