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She refused to think.

The light blinked over the opposing door, and another automated voice told her to step through for the physical exam.

She went in, stood on the center mark, stared straight ahead while the lights blinked and hummed and her body was checked for flaws.

The physical was quick, painless. When she was cleared, she tugged on the blue jumpsuit provided, followed the directions into the adjoining room for the brain scan.

She lay flat on the padded bench, ignoring the faces behind the glass walls, letting her eyes drift closed as the helmet was lowered onto her head.

Just what game would they play? she wondered, bracing herself as the bench glided silently up until she was sitting.

The VR session plunged her into the dark, disorienting her so that she gripped the sides of the bench to keep her balance.

She was attacked from behind. Huge hands shot out of the dark, hauled her off her feet, and tossed her high. She hit the hard floor of what she saw now was an alley, skidded on something slimy. Her bones jarred, her skin burned as it was scraped away. She sprang up fast, one hand reaching for her weapon.

Before she could free it from its holster, he was charging. She pivoted, breath grunting out, as she spun into a back kick to catch him center body.

“Police, you stupid son of a bitch. Freeze.”

She crouched, her weapon in both hands, prepared to shoot out a stunning blast, when the program shoved her into brilliant sunlight. Her weapon was still out, her finger twitching on the trigger. But now it pointed at a woman holding a screaming child.

Heart pistoning in her chest, she jerked the weapon up. She could hear her own ragged pants as she lowered it.

They were on a rooftop. The sun was blinding, the heat enormous. And the woman stood swaying on a narrow ledge. She looked at Eve with eyes that seemed already dead. And the child struggled and shrieked.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Okay. Look, look, I’m putting it away. Watch.” Keeping her movement slow, Eve holstered her weapon. “I just want to talk to you. What’s your name?”

“You can’t stop me.”

“No, I can’t.” Where the hell was her backup? Where was the jumper team, the shrinks? Name of God. “What’s the kid’s name?”

“I can’t take care of him anymore. I’m tired.”

“He’s scared.” Sweat rolled down her back as she eased a step closer. It was brutally hot, heat bouncing off the sticky tar of the roof in shimmering waves. “And he’s hot. So are you. Why don’t we go back there in the shade for a minute?”

“He cries all the damn time. All night. I never get any sleep. I can’t stand it.”

“Maybe you should give him to me. He’s heavy. What’s his name?”

“Pete.” Sweat poured off the woman’s face, had her short, dark hair sticking in ringlets to her cheeks. “He’s sick. We’re both sick, so what’s the point?”

The child was screaming, one shrieking wail after another. The sound of it sliced her head, her heart. “I know some people who can help.”

“You’re just a fucking cop. You can’t do shit.”

“If you jump, nobody can. Jesus, it’s hot out here. Let’s go inside, figure this out.”

The woman let out a weary sigh. “Go to hell.”

Eve made the leap, caught the boy around the waist as the woman leaned forward. His screams were like razors scraping over her brain as she made one desperate grab. She hooked the woman under the armpit, dug in desperately while her muscles trembled and threatened to rip. The toes of her boots slapped hard into the wall of the ledge to keep the weight from sending them all to the sidewalk below.

“Hold on. Goddamn it.” Sweat poured into her eyes, stinging, blinding while she struggled for better purchase. The boy was wiggling like a wet fish. “Grab onto me!” she shouted as the woman stared up at her with eyes already empty.

“Sometimes you’re better off dead. You should know, Dallas.” The woman smiled as she said Eve’s name. And she laughed as Eve’s grip began to slip.

Then she was in another alley, shivering, curled into a ball of pain and numb shock.

And she