Page 68 of Seductive Architect
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Eyes flickering open,I couldn’t help but smile. I stood in the lobby of Synergy. A perfect replica, right down to the dented beam from Prism’s tantrum. It hummed with energy. Bending to a knee, hands pressed against the tile, the space glowed. When I closed my eyes, I could see the code flowing through the space. Talking to machines had become a nifty by-product of my gift. However, with a push, I could step into their world.
My mind had entered Apex’s servers.
“You’re going to die,” I growled.
My entire body glowed a dark crimson. Pooling it in my hands, I shoved it into the floor. I manipulated the code, introducing it like a virus, creeping along the floor and up one of the columns. Untreated, the infection would corrupt Apex’s servers until it wiped his code. If he thought he’d beable to hide, he had another thing coming. I would dismantle every algorithm if it meant avenging Connie.
“Unexpected.”
One word. It translated into, “I didn’t have any clue you could do this.” I heard fear in his voice. His features were more human than before, but no hint of Hudson’s smirk.
“You have no idea who you’re messing with.” I climbed to my feet.
“Orion, thanks to your illogical bond with Connie, I know everything about you.”
My suit appeared out of thin air, hugging my body. Here, I didn’t need nanites. In this digital construct, thought reigned supreme. As fast as I could imagine it, my powers translated it into code. Thought and action were one and the same. Perfect example, the cannon on my shoulder.
“The name’s Failsafe.”
He flinched. The cannon blasted through Apex, slicing him in half. Hardly an inconvenience. It fired again, and Apex raised his hands, deflecting the beam. The laser blew through the coffee carafes, spilling the contents along the floor. Everything the laser touched glowed red, now infected by the disruptor. Apex could deflect all he wanted. I’d tear through the code one blow at a time.
“I underestimated?—”
The jet pack fired, launching me into the air. Reaching to my holsters, I pulled free two red rectangles. Theyextended into blades. Apex threw up his forearm as I brought the blades down, stopping as if they struck metal.
“Nice try.”
“Thanks.” Cutting him into small pieces wasn’t the goal. The red glow of the blades spread along his skin. He glanced at the infection. He might have gained sentience, but he was still powered by technology. Here, I acted like a computer virus. Each strike rewriting Apex’s code.
“Human arrogance.” The red creeping along his arms all but vanished. “Did you believe you’d be able to write code faster than me?”
I leaned in, our faces dangerously close.
“You should never have touched her. All of them.” Every weapon in my suit stood ready. “Bad move, Apex.”
He called me arrogant. He wasn’t wrong. However, he lacked the self-awareness to realize that we shared the trait. I spun about, slicing along his torso. As fast as I moved, the suit responded. Compartments popped up on my forearms, firing lasers. Missiles shot from the jetpack, smashing about him, releasing a red gas. He hardly moved, thinking himself impervious.
“I grow tired of—” His hand shot out like he had with Connie, fingers clutching into the metal around my neck. “Your foolish persistence.”
He no longer had a neutral face. His eyes had narrowed and his lips pulled back in a sneer. Apex believed himself superior to humans, their better in every way. Not so longago, I would have agreed. They were chaotic bundles of unpredictable code.
“Your suit won’t save you.”
His arm flared green, and I could feel the code seeping into the metal. He wanted to assimilate me like he had done with Connie. I charged every weapon. The suit vibrated with energy.
“We’ll see about that.” The back opened, and I slid out. The explosion sent me rolling, obliterating Apex. Fire turned the lobby red. The virus had taken hold.
I wouldn’t back down, not after what he did to Connie. For a second, I considered trapping him, trying to separate them. I didn’t want to let go, not of the one person… onefriendwho had been with me my whole life. She’d kick my ass if I didn’t stop Apex. It’d be her telling me to finish what I started.
“This is for you.”
I slammed my fists against the floor, trying to speed up the infection. I could almost hear her cheering. Friends beat up their friends’ exes.
“This is for you.”
The hand shot up from the tile, knuckles catching the underside of my jaw. This might be all in my mind, but the blow hurt. In the lab, my physical body probably jerked in response. I flipped backward, landing with a thud, head smacking against the floor.
