Page 67 of Seductive Architect
“Sorry to ruin your plan.”
“Ruin? Oh, no, it is going exactly as I anticipated.”
I saw the disruption to his code when Connie beat the snot out of him. Ego. Yet another human attribute. I listened, hoping that his arrogance would reveal something that would give us the upper hand.
“You anticipated Janet beating Mr. Supreme? Hudson taking out PrismandAlloy? Seems you’re getting your ass handed to you.”
“Acceptable losses.” I believed him. What were organic beings compared to him? We were expendable as long as he accomplished his goal. “I’ve run the calculations, and your chances of winning are negligible.”
“Asshole,” Connie grumbled.
Connie stepped out of my suit as if a ghost exited my body. She balled her fists, ready to pummel the man who broke her heart. Apex flinched. Something about his better half gave him pause. If I were him, I’d be downloading myself onto a thumb drive and hoping Connie never found him.
“I wanted to say thank you for?—”
She wound up and kicked. When her foot struck his groin, I cringed, my legs crossing. To my surprise, hestaggered backward. I had arrived here ready to obliterate Apex, but it wouldn’t happen with missiles. For all I knew, he had stored his code on every computer at Synergy.
I could already feel Apex turning up the intensity on his code. The constant hum turned into the rush of a river. While she wrapped a hand around his neck, the weight on my shoulders returned. Without Connie in the driver’s seat, my suit buckled, and he forced me to my knees. Unless I leveled the entire building, this wouldn’t be a fight fought with fists, at least not physical ones.
“Think it’s okay to strip code without asking?”
Connie sucker punched Apex, and he took another step back. She might be able to strike his construct made of light. I don’t think she did him any actual harm. When I caught him smiling that stupid grin, I realized we had walked into another trap. He wanted my only defense against his intrusions occupied with her rage.
“Your attempts are futile.”
Antagonizing your ex-girlfriend proved that even artificial intelligence didn’t understand women. Who’d have thought? It was oddly gratifying watching her beat the snot out of him. Every few jabs, the hologram dimmed before returning to normal. With each blow, she dismantled chunks of code. At this rate, Connie might be the hero we?—
“Enough.”
Apex’s hand shot out, snatching Connie by the throat.Between blinks, I could see the code he used to infect the people in the building. Except, it turned inward, pulsing down his arm and rushing along Connie’s skin. She struggled, trying to kick him, but he proved unmovable.
“Stop!” My voice cracked. “Please. Take me instead. Just let her go.”
I’d sacrifice everybody if it meant saving her. Forcing a foot under me, I tried to get my suit upright. I’d let the nanites go nuclear and blow up the entire lab if it meant she could escape back to the server in my office. We needed time to reconcile, to talk through what happened between us. Our friendship had seen me through the darkest times, and I never said thank you.
No.
Her voice echoed through my head. She locked my suit, making it impossible to stand. My suit locked down around me. The HUD went black except for the visor. It hit me—she did this. She wanted me to watch. Apex didn’t want to kill her; he wanted to assimilate her very essence.
I thrashed against the metal prison she’d built for me. My fingers cramped in the gloves. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't save her. All I could do was beg like a child. “Connie, please! Don’t do this!”
His light bled through her body. Her form fractured into lines of light, and with each strand that vanished, the hum in my head went duller, emptier. Connie didn’t fight. Her body hung limp as her color changed. The computer… woman who pushed me to get a job… joined me on lonely nights… I watched as she vanished, one string of code at a time. It turned blurry as the tears streamed down my cheeks.
“You’re my hero,” I whispered.
I know.
Her voice was steady, but the code behind it trembled. “Orion… be a dear and kill him.” She spoke with absolution. I hated her for it. I loved her for it.
Much like Apex, her smile had a sinister quality, except her’s came with a hint of humor. She was the only person who knew the extent of my abilities. Before we could communicate through audio, I had used my powers to enter her world. Without another word, I knew what I had to do.
Apex released his grip, and Connie faded from sight. I couldn’t destroy his program without leveling the entire building. She knew this. It was time to square off against Apex in the last place he’d expect.
She wasn’t lines of code. She wasn’t a tool. She was my friend.
Collapsing, my cheek settling on the cold tile.
I hoped Apex could feel pain. I wanted to hear the monster scream.
