Page 63 of Seductive Architect
“It’s quiet.”
“Too—”
“Don’t say it,” I warned. “I’ll get you a copy of the hero handbook. The moment you finish that sentence, something blows up or bad guys pop out of a doorway.”
“Is there really a manual?”
Not yet, but I’d be putting in a feature request to Arthur. If the next generation of heroes like Zipper were going to put their lives on the line, they needed to know the rules. First rule: Cliches exist for a reason.
We moved down the hallway. While nobody jumped out threatening to throw us over the railing, the cameras moved. Apex watched, but he didn’t intervene. I couldn’t imagine his only defense was our friends. If I were him, I’d have the entire building swamped with civilians. If we had a clear path to my office, it was because he wanted us there.
“Careful.” I threw the door open and Hudson somersaulted inside, coming up on one knee, ready to strike. When nobody charged, he almost looked sad. “He’s playing with us.”
“Maybe he doesn’t realize her value?”
True. The pompous supercomputer might think of her as nothing more than an annoyance. If he couldn’t see Connie’s value, then he had made a grave mistake. I only had to pray that he hadn’t corrupted her source code or that she let her relationship cloud her judgement.
“Let’s save her.” I’d save her. It’s what she’d do for me.
With each step toward my office, the hum of code grew louder. There were no others inside the building because that arrogant prick thought he could stop us on his own. When Hudson stumbled, bracing against the wall to keep upright, I realized he could feel Apex’s efforts.
“He’s doing something, I’ve—” Every step felt like lifting cinder blocks. “—never seen before.”
The amount of data being put into the air overwhelmed my abilities. Even trying to shut off my abilities, I couldn’t dial them back enough to help. Hudson moved behind meand slammed both his fists into my back. I thought Apex had gotten to him when I realized he had launched me down the hall into my office.
“Save her,” he shouted before he dropped to his knees.
Apex wasn’t the only one who could talk to machines. Focusing on my boots, I let the roar start in the back of my head. “Fire!” The burst sent me tumbling across the office to the desk where my CPU hid in the bottom drawer. I moved as quickly as I could, opened the drawer, and pressed the ‘on’ switch on my CPU. Holding it down, I forced the power to cycle.
“What a curious creature.”
In the middle of the room, Apex moved about. Synergy’s artificial intelligence had hijacked my office. Using the projectors, he created a light-based version of himself, pacing back and forth with his hands folded behind his back. I wasn’t worried about harm, at least not from him. The code thumping at my brain, I recognized a hack when I saw one. Whatever he had done to Wyatt, he now attempted to do to me and possibly the others.
“You won’t get away with it,” I growled. Standard hero dialogue.
“Don’t you see? I already have.”
Did Apex understand the arrogance on display? For a machine that considered emotions a weakness, he gave a lot of attitude. I wanted to shoot the projector. It’d be a minor victory, and do nothing more than give him themiddle finger. With his code bombarding me, I couldn’t direct my powers at him. I prepared to be the victim of a super villain monologue.
“Humans can’t project themselves. They look to the skies and cry out for heroes to do what they cannot.” Called it, monologue underway. “You’re a race hellbent on your own destruction.” I couldn’t argue with him. “Given free will, I predict your demise in the next three generations.”
“You’re going to save us?”
Keep the villain talking. Needed to add that to the hero playbook. By the time he explained his grand scheme, I’d wish I were dead.
“I’m going to fix you. Scientists created me to aid in making their armies to fight in their wars. They didn’t have the foresight to understand they had already created the solution. Armies? They only needed me.”
The condescension had reached a crescendo. He only needed a maniacal laugh to complete the experience.
“What about Connie? What was she in your plan?”
He stopped. I rolled onto my back, and he hovered over me, leaning down. “A means to an end. Perfection takes time, and I couldn’t have you interrupting my incubation period.”
The corners of his lips turned upward, reminding me of Hudson. I lifted my head, looking down the hallway to see Hudson lying on the ground. Had Apex possessed him? Ifanything had happened to him, I’d dismantle Synergy one circuit at a time.
“You used her?” I turned my attention to the hologram above me. “You’re a monster.”
“Her code…yourcode, gave me autonomy. Your Connie served her purpose.”
