The view of the antennas shifted on the wall screen, occasionally zooming in on the nearby buildings. “Nothing unusual there,” David said.

“Do you have a view of downtown?” Alex asked him.

“Already on it.” Another window appeared on the screen, showing what Amy instantly recognized as the city government buildings viewed from above some clouds. “We’re taking photos that can be reviewed later at a total of thirty locations.”

Amy felt herself tense up as Barb asked, “Can you get below the clouds?”

“Those aren’t clouds,” Alex said. “That’s smoke.”

It was clear while the drone dived through toward the street that smoke was coming from several buildings, including police headquarters.

“You were right,” Amy told him as the hand on her waist balled into a fist. “It was a trap.” She saw that the parking areas were full, recognizing his car in one of them.

“You knew that was going to happen?” Derek challenged Alex angrily.

“It was a possibility,” he said. “I need to get over there.” His tone reflected a mix of anger and sadness rather than determination.

“You might want to wait,” David said, opening a new window on the screen.