Ava was awakened by the distinct, obnoxiously familiar sound of fingers snapping directly in front of her face.
"Up, Beauty."
Lucas stood over her, already dressed, hair damp from a cold rinse, and holding a sealed silver packet in one hand like an offering from a corporate cult.
"Eat." He tossed it at her chest.
The energy bar hit her ribcage and dropped onto her lap with a soft thud. She sat up with a groan, catching the second one he tossed before it smacked her in the face.
"You ever heard of a gentle wake-up?" she mumbled.
"Gentle wakes are for rich people, or lovers." Lucas replied, pulling his jacket on over his biosuit. "We're neither. Eat faster."
Ava tore open the bar with her teeth, chewing mechanically while her system booted up. The interface glowed against her cornea, dim but clear:
[SYNC LINK STABLE – LUCAS BAI 88.6%]
[MOTION TRACKING: CASSI VEHICLE APPROACHING – ETA 00:03:17]
She blinked the data away and swallowed. "You already called her?"
