Page 66 of Seductive Architect
The jetpack exploded, throwing me through walls. The slicing pain stopped, replaced by an ache throughout my entire body. I smashed into a desk somewhere deep inside Synergy’s labs. The dollar signs continued to grow as the collateral damage shot up.
“Damage report,” I groaned.
“Suit is 67% operational. Weapons offline. Flight capabilities gone. Orion, you’re a hot mess.” When I laughed, my ribs hurt. The display in my helmet had returned. As I sat up, the entire floor had been blown apart. A light mist sprayed from the ceiling, putting out fires in several labs. It had gone from an insurance claim to millions in research destroyed.
“Ricardo is going to be pissed,” I mumbled.
In the mist, I spotted a bulky outline. I breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t have been good for our relationship if I accidentally killed Hudson. I sat upright, groaning. There were broken ribs, most likely a concussion.
“You should ask him.”
“Who… Oh.”
A man made of silver stepped out of the mist. I thought it was great that so many superheroes worked in a single building. While Ricardo didn’t take to the streets like the rest of us, I always appreciated knowing a super oversaw a lab dedicated to researching our abilities. My opinion had changed—a lot.
His hands extended, replaced by long metallic blades. He had never registered with the HeroApp™, but I had seen enough of him in the janitor's closet to get the gist. Liquid metal and the ability to reshape his body made him a deadly puddle.
“Great,” I mumbled.
Another shadow emerged. Hudson’s arm hookedaround Ricardo’s waist, whipping him about and smashing him into a cement column. For the second time, he came to my rescue. At this point, we’d have to reconsider who was the sidekick in this relationship. Ricardo reformed, swinging the blades, trying to eviscerate Hudson—step, lean, retreat, spin, block. Hudson predicted every move, staying one step ahead of Ricardo. If it hadn’t been a fight for his life, I’d have called it a beautiful dance between them.
Watching him move, it wasn’t just Hudson anymore. This was the synthetic person. Did that mean he was still Hudson? We’d have to figure that out after we won.
“I’ve got him,” he shouted.
“I’m not leaving you.” Climbing to my feet, the suit did its best to repair itself. At this point, my tech was anything but useful.
“Go.”
Go.
The barrier between Hudson and his programming had vanished. As he blocked Ricardo’s arm, pivoting and flipping him over his shoulder, I could see the programming at work. Ricardo hit the floor, his body deforming. Hudson didn’t slow, his fingers digging into a metal cabinet.
Raising it over his head, I held up a hand. “Ricardo’s a good guy.”
It didn’t stop Ricardo from reforming, his arm elongating, snatching Hudson’s ankles. As he tumbled, he broughtthe cabinet down on Ricardo’s head. Arthur’s boyfriend wouldn’t stop until he killed us. Hudson couldn’t pull his punches if he wanted to survive. There was only one way to stop this insanity.
“Don’t die,” Connie said.
I ran down the hall, heading toward our real opponent. At the center of the web, Apex waited. If we could stop the puppet master, then we would have a chance. Leaving Hudson behind was the hardest choice. But I trusted him. He could handle Ricardo. It didn’t make the decision any easier.
“Stop the AI. Save the city.”
“Ahem,” Connie interjected. “Evil AI, mister.”
23
The doors opened.Classic overconfident supervillain mood.
“He knows we’re coming.”
“Good,” Connie growled. “I’m going to wipe his hard drive.”
As we entered Apex’s lab, the lights dimmed. The three bodies still hovered inside their tubes. At least he hadn’t solved the super-soldier program. I guess it didn’t make sense to continue when he learned to enslave people. Other than the extra layer of security, it could have been any lab at Synergy. They really need to give their workspaces a little personality.
“You made it.”
Apex stepped out of the ether. He reminded me of the Oscar statue. A vague human figure with no definingfeatures, but he still gave himself abs. It bordered on comical. Whether or not he knew it, he had picked up more than one human emotion. Knowing Connie’s love of ripped men, I knew exactly where he got it from.
