Page 49 of Rupture

Rose glanced down. The platform had blended seamlessly into the floor, vanishing as if it had never been there. She took a hesitant breath of air heavy with an electric charge that tickled her skin. The tang of ozone tickled her nostrils, sharp and unnatural. The smell of power, barely contained.

It reminded her of the aftermath of a lightning strike,that moment when the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the thunder to roll in.

“Anyone else feeling creeped the hell out?” Ethan spun in a slow circle, his hand brushing the hilt of his weapon.

“Feels like a morgue.” Finn moved closer, his hip bumping hers.

Ethan picked up a wire wastebasket that seemed oddly out of place in the sterile, high-tech environment. He held it up, tipping it slightly to reveal a crumpled chocolate wrapper inside. “Someone was here.” He shook the basket for emphasis. “Hidden away, buried so deep this place isn’t even on the damn plans. Nice of the Widow to keep us in the loop, huh?”

Rose barely heard him.

The colossal glass column that dominated the center of the vast room consumed her attention. She took a backward step to get a better look.

It was wider than several men standing shoulder to shoulder and stretched from floor to ceiling, its apex fitting into the base of the holographic table above. Within, a swirling maelstrom of azure blue and brilliant white light churned, its energy pulsing in rhythmic waves. A faint drone emanated from the glass.

The light grew brighter as she got closer, forcing her to narrow her eyes.

“What the hell were they working on down here?” Finn muttered at her side. Tension strained his voice, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the lights.

She edged toward the column until she stood mere inches away, her face bathed in the shifting light. Was it her imagination, or did it react to her presence? The swirling energy intensified, growing more vibrant with herincreasing nearness. Her lungs worked harder as if the air had grown thinner.

Her throat was dry as dust as the light washed over her in waves. She raised her hand, fingers splayed toward the glass surface, the column’s relentless internal movement casting her skin in an ethereal glow. The energy within surged toward her palm, pressing against the barrier between them like a living thing seeking contact.

Finn caught her wrist. The heat of his hand shocked against her cold skin.

“What?”

His eyebrows knotted above his eyes, but he didn’t release her. Long seconds ticked between them, measured by her heartbeat against his fingertips.

He flicked his gaze toward the column, where the light continued its mesmerizing dance. “Don’t you think we should find out what this is before we go touching it?”

“It’s just a glass column.” She made no move to remove herself from his grasp. Heat from his body branded her skin, a countermeasure to the column’s hypnotic pull.

He cocked one handsome eyebrow.

The flame of indignation licking through her dimmed. “Fair point. I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career.”

The constant motion was making her nauseous. She stepped back. “Perhaps one of the workstations?—”

“Don’t touch the interface.”

Rose jerked against Finn’s grip. His other arm came up, pulling her closer. The drone emanating from the column paused.

In the next second, he released her, unslinging his weapon in one deft movement. “Show yourself.” His gaze darted around the room.

He had it all wrong.

“There’s no one here but us, Finn.” She laid a restraining hand on his arm. “I don’t think we need that.”

She tilted her face upward. “Who are you?”

“I am RAIMEE. Revised Artificial Intelligence MarinE Environment. You may call me Remy.”

“What the fuck?” The color drained from Finn’s face. A loaded look fired between him and Ethan.

A look ofknowing.

“What, Finn?” Rose’s grip tightened on Finn’s arm as the room seemed to tilt beneath her.

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