Page 64 of Brutal Savior

She laughs. “Sort of. Not as all-knowing as her, though. And we call ourselves CIs—cybernetic intelligence. I don’t like to think of myself as artificial.”

“Of course not. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” She lowers her voice. “Do you like video games?”

“Shit, yes. I spend way too much time on them. Well, I did before he kidnapped me.”

Every time I say it, it loses a little of its sting. Candice’s face creases in sympathy. “Has he let you play since you got here?”

“No.”

It comes out sullen, and Jacob glances over. “What, and have you tell everyone in the game you’ve been taken captive?”

“I have a secure server. I’m not allowed to play outside either,” Candice says, “She won’t be able to contact anyone. Can she play with me, please? Hadrian never will.”

She flicks her gaze to the man. He’s tall, on the skinny side, and probably Jacob’s age but a lot more beaten-down looking, though his eyes are sharp as he looks from Candice to me.

“I don’t care for games. But she’s right, Jacob. Your Ward could play securely without any chance of outside contact. Working as a team with a human would be very good practice for Candice.”

Jacob’s brow creases, but he nods. “If it’ll make you happy, love.”

Candice beams. “Wow. He’s sweeter than I thought he’d be.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you’d seen him twenty minutes ago,” I say without really thinking, and Candice’s eyes open wide, scandalized.

“You can tell me all about it later, when we can talk without the boys.”

Her excitement is infectious, and I grin. “Promise I will. Now what can we play?”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jacob

Soon, Quinn has headphoneson and is grinning from ear to ear as she plays a game with Candice. There are zombies in it, and every few minutes, I twitch as she lets out a shriek.

Hadrian watches the screen where Candice hovers in the top corner, chatting soundlessly to Quinn. Quinn chats back, and it seems like she’s forgotten where she is and all about her predicament.

“I’ve never seen someone so relaxed with one of my creations. It’s amazing.” Hadrian’s lips curve into a brief smile. Two in two days. He’s positively cheerful.

His voice is full of enthusiasm. “If it wouldn’t interrupt your training protocols too much, could she visit again? I’d love for her to get to know some of the others. Candice is the most advanced by far, but together, they could bring the others along quickly. Only if it won’t cause you trouble, though. I know you have the ceremony to prepare for.”

Shit. I haven't even thought about the ceremony or explained it to Quinn. Another mistake. I’m making much more than usual. I’ve got a few months, but they’ll disappear fast. I’ll have to talk to her about it soon.

She bursts into laughter. “Suck on that!”

Her hand flies up to punch the air. I’m at risk of turning into putty if she keeps smiling like that. Finally, something in this place she seems to enjoy. “Course she can come. It’ll stop her pestering me for a few hours a day. I might actually get some work done.”

“That’s wonderful. Whenever suits you. We’re here all day long.”

What a boring existence. I tear my eyes away from Quinn and back to Hadrian. “I was hoping you’d take me through some of the data you collected. See if something jumps out.”

More of the screens flicker to life as Hadrian’s fingers fly over his keyboard. He points out repeated phrases, indicators of age, location, and sex in the language. It all flows over me in a confusing mass until one phrase snags on the edge of something. “Hang on. Go back. The one about the ears.”

Hadrian flicks back through the posts. “This one? Jug-eared wanker?”

It sounds ridiculous in his very proper American accent, but I hold off from making fun. I don’t know him well enough yet.

“Yeah.” Quinn’s comment about my ears rings in my head. She thought I’d had them pinned because they don’t look oversized anymore, like they did when I was a kid.

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