Raise the Field Higher

Lois Lane had climbed atop the garbage bin. She could just see the top of the field, flickering gently. Backing herself up until her heels were at the far edge of the garbage bin, the reporter estimated that she had a three-foot leap to make and about two strides to do it in. One deep breath...and the cold weight on her chest, where the nanotech infection continued to spread...and Lois launched herself forward.

Just like getting over the wall, Lois told herself, remembering the obstacle course during her teen years. Her father, the General, had made his daughters run it with him several times. Wanted his girls to know what it was like for the men and women that joined up in the Army, the hardships they went through as part of boot camp. The wooden wall had been one of the more difficult obstacles...and Lois had seen many women slam tit-first into those hard wooden planks. Had done it herself a few times, until she'd learned the trick of it. To jump high enough...

She leaped, legs tucking up, arms spread as she sought to clear the edge of the forcefield. Utterly unaware of the drones monitoring her remotely. Of a silver finger resting on a button. Pressing it while she was in mid-air, unable to halt her flight or correct her course.

There was a crackle as the invisible field extended upwards six feet. Lois Lane's eyes widened at the last moment, barely having time to realize what had happened.

Then she hit it.

Electricity surged through the reporter's system. Every muscle in her body convulsed and seized up. The itch in her chest turned into a burning as super-charged nanites capitalized on the power boost, consuming and converting her tissues faster than before. Lois couldn't even scream as she seemed to float against the field for an eternity, though it couldn't have been more than a fraction of a second.

There was a crash as the limp reporter bounced back off the field. The air was knocked out of her as she struck the lip of the garbage bin and fell like a crash-test dummy back into the wet floor of the alleyway. A sucking wheeze came from her mouth as her lungs refilled themselves, but Lois Lane twitched. An icy coldness seemed to be creeping into her heart, the regular pulse of it faltering...sputtering out like a candle at the end of its wick...the infection had spread deep in her chest now, and the reporter spasmed and shook, unable to control herself as the vital pumping organ was torn apart and rebuilt.

Unable to resist as the drones came to collect her.