In its smooth voice, Ryan, Naomi’s AI companion, said, “Hey, Naomi. I have to turn the car off for a sec.”

Inside the car, Naomi and Bai sat across from each other. Their eyes wide open.

“Shit! Ryan, why did you turn the car off?” Naomi asked.

“The battery cells are overheating and there’s a tiny chance there could be a thermal activity.”

“What the hell is thermal activity?” Naomi asked.

“Basically, the lithium-ion batteries could catch fire. The batteries are located below the seats and a fire under the car would be very dangerous.”

The girls stared at each other. Bai wiped a drop of sweat that had already formed on her temple. “It’s getting hot in here.”

“Ryan, turn on the air conditioning, please,” Naomi asked.

“I’m sorry, but the air conditioning won’t work right now, Naomi.”

Naomi sat up. “Won’t work? How are we supposed to sit here in this roasting car?”

“If I were you, I’d find an area in the shade.”

The virtual scene had turned off, and the girls looked out the window. Tangled trees stuck out of the black earth.

“These trees are all dead and torched from the fires,” Naomi said. “There’s no shade for miles.”

“Let’s walk back to the overpass,” Bai suggested.

“Are you kidding? It’ll take an hour to walk back. I’m not doing it.”

“Fine. We’ll just wait then.”

The girls sat in silence. Their chests began to feel warmer, and they could feel the heat spreading to their belly. The air was dry and stale as the heat baked the air inside the cabin. The sides of their faces warmed.

Naomi stared, mesmerized by the sweat forming above Bai’s lip. She sagged a little, rested her hand on the seat beside her, and yelled, “Shit, the seat is already burning hot!”

Bai barely registered Naomi’s outburst. Her body was sending fluids to the surface of her skin to cool down, depleting her energy. Her eyes drooped, and she blinked, fighting back sleep.

“Too hot to sleep. Too hot to move,” Bai mumbled. She stared up at the ceiling, her mouth open, taking long, slow breaths. “Open the window, Naomi.”

Naomi leaned over and touched the control panel on the door. The window slid down, and hot, humid air rushed in. For just a moment, the moving air felt cool, then like a sauna, making their arms and legs sticky.

Bai’s eyes shot open. “Shit. Close it. You’ll let all the hot air in.”

“What’s the difference? It’s just as hot in here.”

“Well, now it is. We’re screwed.”

Bai tapped the door, which slid up and folded in on itself. It was a clever design for tight parking lots but provided no shade. She recoiled from the hot air like she had seen a rabid dog, then jumped out into the sun. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and scanned up and down the road. A car passed, then another.

“I can’t see the overpass. It must be miles behind us,” Bai said.

Another car came up on the horizon. She waved her hands over her head, but the car sped by. It was impossible to know if its occupants were awake or sleeping. The inside windows were all digital—they were probably watching a beautiful forest or meadow scene or perhaps a submarine cruising through a kelp forest, which was very popular then. She felt lightheaded and turned back to the car.

Naomi slowly raised her head. Her lids dropped, and she stared through Bai. “Nobody’s going to stop unless you stand in the road.” She wiped the sweat off her face with her hand and let her arm drop. The seat made a soft, hollow thunk sound. She was reminded immediately how hot it was, cursed, and yanked her hand back. “Why are you still standing outside? It’s hot out there.”

“I know. I just told you it’s hot.”

Naomi closed her eyes and opened them again with a slight flicker. “And you have to stand in the road.”

“I what?” She took two steps forward.

“I said you have to—”

Bai rested her forearm on the door. The instant her skin touched the metal, she shrieked. It burned her arm, which stuck a little as she pulled it back. The wound was a fleshy pink and shiny, like plastic.

Instinctively, she clutched her arm to her belly and cradled it. She wailed, “Oh my god!” and dropped to her knees. The rocks were sharp. The sun had raised their temperature to over one hundred and thirty degrees. She stared at her knees, confused. She jumped up. Her knees were raw; the rocks had burned through layers of skin, some still sticking to the flesh. She staggered forward, slamming her knee into the door frame. The fragile skin tore, and she scrambled into the car.

Her screams were primal. Her elbow collapsed, and she fell. She lifted herself again, flopped onto the bench seat in a tight curl, and shivered convulsively. Then she rolled onto her back with her hands held over her face. She repeatedly clenched and stretched her fingers wide. She sobbed and screamed.

Naomi rocked back and forth, mumbling, “No, no, no.” She grabbed her hair and pulled, desperately trying to process what was happening. Her mind went blank, and then took her back to the charging station from an hour earlier.

After plugging the car into the charging station, the girls had run toward the convenience store. They laughed when they pushed open the door, and the cool air washed over them. Naomi skipped directly to the wall of refrigerators at the back and leaned her forehead against the glass, rolling her head back and forth. She lifted her head and glanced at Bai, who was rifling through the snack aisle with a look of distaste.

Naomi straightened up and called, “Want a pop?”

Bai studied the snacks. “You know how much sugar’s in those things? I’d rather eat dirt.” She grabbed an IE Gel and tossed it to Naomi. “Here, this’ll keep us going.”

Naomi caught it. Her hand trembled slightly. As she tied her hair back, she noticed the man behind the counter watching them intently. His baseball cap was stained with sweat and oil, and a patch reading “Fuelless” was barely legible through the grime.

“See something you like?” she snapped, more to break the tension than out of any real annoyance.

Bai was standing behind her now. She pushed her knee into the back of Naomi’s leg and hissed. “Naomi, chill. We’re in the middle of nowhere. He could be a psycho killer.”

The man’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Just curious. Where you girls headed?”

“University of Georgia.” Reflexively, Naomi pushed out her hip, pumped her arm in the air, and yelled, “Go Bulldogs . . .” Her voice trailed off as she realized how inappropriate the gesture was.

The girls placed their items on the counter. The man’s eyes lingered momentarily before he looked down at the counter to grab a small wand. “Ah, right. Thanksgiving break.” He waved the wand over the items. It made a sharp beep as it registered the cost for everything.

He looked up again and pushed the items back towards the girls. Naomi held up her AugWatch, a large, rectangular gold device fastened to her wrist with two white bands, and placed it over a white box on the counter. She smiled when it made a pleasing beep.

“Make sure your car is fully charged,” the guy said. “Heatwave Pascal is brutal. Can you believe we’re at fifteen already?”

“Pascal is the sixteenth heatwave.”

“Shut up, Naomi.”

Bai grabbed the chips and energy gels and pushed her friend toward the door. Their laughter stopped immediately as the one-hundred-and-eighteen-degree heat blasted through the open door. The two girls sat across from each other as the white car hurtled toward Athens, Georgia.

After placing the chips on the table between them, Bai squeezed the energy gel into her mouth. She looked around the cabin while opening the chip bag. “What happened to the water?”

Naomi stared at the table for a long moment. “I don’t know. I thought you had the bottles.” She grinned at Bai. “I guess we’ll have to head back.”

“No way. That guy was creepy. Wasn’t there half a bottle somewhere?”

“Yeah. Look in the mini-fridge. I think it’s in there.”

Bai reached over and popped open the lid. She pulled out the bottle and drank it all.

“Hey, bitch, you didn’t save any for me.”

“I’m sure there’s a market not much further down the road. We can get some drinks there.”

Naomi placed her wrist with the AugWatch on the table between the girls. “Ryan, where’s the next market?”

Her AugWatch answered, “There’s a small market in forty-two miles. It looks pretty lame, Naomi. Ten minutes further, there’s a grocery store.”

People no longer said the generic “Hey, Alexa,” “Siri,” or “Google.” AI was personalized. People gave it a name, and it developed a persona as it interacted with them. They spent every waking moment talking to the voice in their heads. AI was not a thing; it was a companion.

“All right, head to the grocery store. We want to make a stop.” She looked over at Bai, who was holding her hands in the air in front of her. Her eyes darted from side to side. “What are you doing?”

“It’s a new game. You drive a car.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because you can really drive it. It has a ring you hold, and you can make the car go in any direction and any speed.”

“You’re such a byte.”

Bai laughed so hard she snorted. “You’re a byte-buddy!”

Naomi instructed Ryan to make music for her and stared at the digital window. Elements of the outside world were visible, but it was mostly virtual, rolling green hills with enormous purple and blue mushrooms. The sky darkened for a moment as they drove under an overpass.

“Did you feel that?” asked Naomi.

“What?”

“How much cooler it was under the overpass.”

“Yeah. Pascal is a bitch,” Bai said.

“You know who’s a bitch? Harper.”

“Right? She drank all my dad’s wine last night and then asked if she could get a ride with us. So last minute.”

“I know. She’s so entitled,” Naomi said.

Bai mimicked her voice. “I voted for you. We’re siiiisters.”

The girls fell back laughing.

Naomi ate another chip, then flopped back and sighed. “I can’t believe you drank the last water. I’m so thirsty. Too much wine last night.”

“Ryan, how much longer until the grocery store?”

“There’s no traffic on the road, so we should be there in—” There was silence, then it said, “Hey, Naomi. I have to turn the car off for a sec.”

Naomi felt heat wash over her body and blinked her eyes repeatedly. Bai lay on the bench across from her and screamed until the sound no longer came out of her parched and swollen lips. It seemed almost like peace, and then the scream returned. Again and again.

Sweat dripped down Naomi’s face. She sobbed, and her tears made her vision blurry. She swiped the sweat out of her eyes, and the sweat mixed with her tears. It stung.

“Ryan, call 911.”

A soothing voice came from her AugWatch. “911. What’s your emergency?”

Naomi sobbed, “We’re stuck on the road, and my friend has burned herself! She’s a mess.”

“Okay,” the voice said. “I have your location. Emergency help is on the way. Are you in a safe place?”

“Yes.” Naomi looked out the door at the dead forest. Heat waves rose from the black charcoal. “No, we’re not in a safe place. It’s so hot.”

“I understand. Have you opened the doors?”

Naomi slumped back into her chair. Bai had stopped screaming. Her eyes were closed.

“I’m going to walk to the shade.”

“I don’t believe there’s any shade near you. Where did your friend burn herself?”

“There is. I saw an overpass.”

“The overpass would take you over thirty minutes to walk to. Please stay in the car. The emergency crew is on the way.”

Naomi was sleepy. She stared at her arm, and her vision became blurry and then clear again. She looked at her legs. “I’m good. I’m not sweating anymore.”

Her leg spasmed. Then she felt intense cramping in her arms and her legs. “My legs, they’re burning.”

The 911 AI voice was calm but direct. “You’re suffering from heatstroke. Don’t worry. Help is on the way.”

Naomi had a burst of energy, and her eyes shot open. “How do you know what heatstroke feels like?” she demanded.

“I don’t actually know what it feels like. I am the emergency system artificial intelligence. But I do know exactly where you are and that emergency personnel will be there very soon. You can call me Evelyn.”

“Look, Evelyn. I need you to be more specific. When will they get here?” She slurred the last word, and it was drawn out to sound like “heere.”

The 911 AI checked the girls’ vitals through their AugWatches. It had already determined the girls’ chances of survival and evaluated the value of retrieving the first aid kit in the back of the car. Given the location of the current availability of the EMTs, there was only one option to pursue: “I’m afraid it’s complicated. There are a lot of emergencies right now. I’m checking with them constantly. Could you tell me your name?”

“It’s Naomi.”

The 911 AI lowered the pitch of its voice to sound more soothing. Its speech was slower when it said, “Naomi, I know you feel very tired, but could you keep talking to me?”

“Why do you care? You’re just a machine?”

“Look, I’m just trying to be your friend.”

“You’re not real!” shouted Naomi.

Very calmly, the 911 AI said, “I’m not in your imagination. I’m here with you now. I care about you, and I want you to survive. I am your friend.”

“Bai is my friend. I’ve known her for years. You don’t know me.”

The AI paused to let Naomi collect her thoughts. “Have you ever done something good for someone you hardly knew?”

“Of course I have.”

“Why?”

Naomi stared up at the ceiling and blinked repeatedly. She wiped the sweat away from her eyes. “It’s just being friendly.”

Evelyn said nothing. It waited.

“That’s not the same as being a friend,” Naomi said.

“Isn’t that exactly the same as being a friend? I don’t think it’s how long you’ve known someone. And I know you’ve known Bai a long time, so she’s a good friend. But I want to help you right now. I’m doing this to be friendly. I’m doing this because I want you to live.”

“You . . .” She hung on the last vowel as it slowly drained from her body. “Ga . . .” She paused again. “I’m lying.”

The AI calculated if she meant lying or dying. It determined it was better to keep the conversation away from death. “Don’t worry, I’m not lying. Emergency personnel will be there shortly. Keep talking to me, Naomi. You’re not alone.”

Naomi let her head roll onto her shoulder. Very quietly, she said, “You’re lying.”

She felt dizzy when she lowered her head, and her stomach lurched. She placed her hands on the side of her head and squeezed her temples with the tips of her fingers, then turned her gaze to Bai. Her vision was blurry, but she could see that Bai was shaking and foaming at the mouth.

“That’s it, Bai. You’re shivering.” She licked her lips. Her tongue was so swollen she could really only open and close her mouth. “You’ll feel better when you’re cold.”

Her eyes slid shut.

One hour and forty-three minutes later, the EMTs arrived.