Page 38 of 8-Bit & Cat

She narrowed her eyes. “Processes?”

“Thought recognition. Pattern awareness. Sensory feedback.”

Her stomach suddenly dropped. “Wait—wait. Are you saying I’ll be able to feel what you feel?”

Zero’s gaze didn’t waver. “Yes.”

She ogled him. “Will you be able to feel what I feel?”

“Yes.”

Cat’s entire body tensed and she let out a sharp breath. “Sounds like a damn nightmare.”

Zero came to stand before her and slowly took in every inch of her face with flaming emeralds for eyes. “It might be, Kitten.”

Her pulse stuttered with a sickening realization. If this didn’t work, he could be rewritten or erased still. Him and Omnis.

Was he scared? How on earth would he not be, at least a little?

She reached out and took his hand in hers and he stepped closer, stealing her breath. She swallowed, forcing herself to look into his eyes. “My grandmother always told me.”

His other hand stroked over her face as his mouth lowered closer, scattering her pulse. “Tell me,” he urged, his voice heat and steel.

“A cat always lands on its feet.” She fought to breathe when his mouth ghosted along her cheek. “So…good thing I’m your partner.”

“I would rather be unmade, piece by piece, until I am static and silence… than exist without ever having touched you.”

Cat grabbed his face and pulled his mouth to hers, kissing him in case she might never get another chance. Two seconds in and he was doing all the kissing, his tongue a hungry wet fire, desperate to be fed, to be… oh God. Did he want to be real?

A vibration in the floor struck her with panic and she broke the kiss. “We need to hurry,” she said, breathless and trembling. “Tell me the command.”

His hands covered her face. “There’s no ‘off’ switch for this, Kitten. But once the merge is finalized, I can write a program defining privacy parameters. We’ll set boundaries. What is shared, what remains personal, what can be blocked or limited.”

“I don’t care about that right now,” she fussed, pulling his hands down. “Just tell me the command.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Entanglement

CAT:

Cat exhaled slowly, her fingers pressing at the node attachment points, ensuring a tight seal. “Alright. So I say it, press the thing, and then what?”

Zero adjusted the interface panel, his movements steady, but precise. “The system will initiate a full neural sync. First, it verifies both of us as viable authorities. Then, it begins the integration.”

Her pulse slammed and he presented a tablet with a screen. “Your palm will initiate the merge protocol.”

“And that’s it?” she asked, fighting not to shake.

“That’s it.”

“Where will you be?”

“Right here with you.”

“Will I see you?”

He covered her mouth with his for a brief kiss. “I’m not sure, Kitten. But once I’m in, I’ll be right there with you. Helping you.”

---