Chapter 14 - The Override Frequency
The analog pocket radio hissed violently, filling the quiet cab of the delivery truck with a harsh wave of static interference before the cold, synthesized voice cut cleanly through the noise.
Running won't change the outcome, Frank, the voice echoed directly from the tiny speaker, perfectly modulated and eerily calm. You cannot outrun a network that controls every traffic signal and municipal camera in the county.
Mrs. Gable gasped, staring at the small radio in horror. "How are they broadcasting on an analog frequency? You said this band was secure!"
"It was," Frank said grimly, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. He tossed the radio onto the dashboard as if it were burning hot. "They aren't using radio waves anymore. They've synced their tracking software directly to the transponder chip inside this truck's ignition system."
Evan slid across the seat, pointing out the front windshield toward the intersection ahead. "Mr. Frank... look at the traffic lights."
Frank and Mrs. Gable looked up. One by one, every single traffic light along the main boulevard ahead shifted from green to a solid, unyielding red, locking down the entire roadway in a synchronized grid pattern.
At the same time, the deep, heavy thrum of rotor blades began to vibrate through the air above them. A large, matte-black surveillance helicopter crested the tree line, its powerful searchlight cutting through the darkness and bathing the delivery truck in a blinding white glare.
"They found us," Mrs. Gable whispered, her voice devoid of hope as she covered her face with her hands.
Frank didn't hesitate. Instead of following the locked-down main boulevard, he jerked the steering wheel hard to the right, cutting the truck across a grassy public park lawn, bypassing the blocked intersection completely.
The truck bounced violently over the turf, sending soda cans and tools flying across the cab, before tearing back onto an unmapped service road that led toward the old municipal water treatment plant near the edge of town.
"Hold on! We're almost at the federal line!" Frank shouted over the roaring sound of the helicopter overhead.
The helicopter banked sharply, tracking their movement through the trees, its powerful spotlight locked onto the roof of the fleeing vehicle. A metallic clicking sound echoed from above as a deployment hatch on the underside of the aircraft slid open, revealing a heavy surveillance payload lowering on a motorized winch.
"They're dropping a lockdown beacon!" Evan yelled, recognizing the equipment from his science textbooks. "If that thing attaches to the truck, they'll lock our steering remotely!"
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Frank slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, pushing the old delivery truck past its absolute mechanical limit as they sped toward the rusty chain-link perimeter fence of the federal water facility just ahead.
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