Page 29 of Human Reform
He moved to stand next to my chair, his proximity both comforting and distracting.I caught a whiff of his scent—something clean with an undertone of spice I couldn’t identify.My body swayed toward him instinctively before I caught myself.
“Those diagnostic traps you set earlier,” Daxon said, pointing at my center screen.“Did they detect anything?”
I blinked, refocusing on work.“Let’s check.”
I swiveled my chair and leaned in closer to my workstation, my fingers dancing across the holographic interface.Lines of code scrolled across all three monitors in an elegant dance of algorithms.When I spotted it, my breath caught.
“Daxon, look.”I pointed to an anomaly highlighted in red.“There’s another layer embedded in the failsafe code to make it fail if activated.”
He leaned forward, his breath warm against my neck.“The failsafe was supposed to be untouchable.”
“This modification is new.Recent,” I whispered.
The failsafe code was supposed to be their last line of defense—code embedded in their reprogramming to ensure safety protocols if their neural frameworks encountered catastrophic failure.It was essentially life support for their minds.If the failsafe code failed when activated, it was not only dangerous but most likely game over for the cyborgs.
“Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing,” I said, my voice hardening as I parsed through the modification.“This isn’t amateur work.This is surgical.”
Daxon’s fist clenched beside me.“Can you trace the coder’s signature?”
“It’s encrypted,” I muttered, my fingers flying across the interface.“I can’t get a ping on its location or source.”
I ran a secondary check, pulling up split screens showing both my original wartime code and the modified failsafe code.Side by side, the corruption was subtle but unmistakable.
“Could it be the same person who modified your original code?”Daxon asked, his voice tight.
“Maybe.Or they’re working together.”I felt anger rising in my chest, hot and fierce.“Someone, or multiple people, are targeting your kind here on Planet Alpha, Daxon.”
His hand came to rest on my shoulder, a solid anchor.“We’ll find them.”
“Oh, we’ll do more than find them,” I growled.My hands curled into fists.“These bastards picked the wrong person to mess with.”
The rage I felt surprised me with its intensity.Three days ago, I was hiding in my mountain cabin, determinedly not caring about anything or anyone.Now, the thought of someone deliberately harming these cyborgs—harming Daxon—made me want to tear the universe apart.
“Nobody messes with my code,” I said through clenched teeth.“And nobody hurts innocent people trying to build something beautiful.”
Daxon’s eyes flashed violet again as he squeezed my shoulder.“I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Get used to it.Nobody sabotages my work and gets away with it.”I turned back to the monitors, determination fueling every cell in my body.“I’m going to hunt these people down, and they’re going to regret ever touching a single line of my code.”
“Our vengeance will be efficient and thorough,” Daxon agreed, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine.
I glanced up at him, surprised to see a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“What?”I asked.
“Nothing.I just…” He hesitated, looking almost shy.“I like seeing this side of you.”
TWELVE
DAXON
I felta wave of shyness wash over me that I couldn’t explain.The fierce determination in Alora’s eyes softened for just a moment.Her lips curved into a bright smile that hit me with the force of a tactical explosive.My heart stuttered in my chest, performing some strange skipping rhythm I’d never experienced before.
This woman—beautiful, brilliant, and fierce—made me want to lift her straight out of that office chair and kiss her until neither of us could breathe.I wanted to taste the fire on her lips and feel that passion directed at me.I wanted her body pressed against mine, her hands in my hair, her?—
I inhaled sharply, forcing my thoughts back into order.Commander Helix’s words echoed in my mind.Emotionally compromised.If she knew the extent of it, she’d pull me off this mission without hesitation.
“You need sustenance,” I said, my voice coming out rough.“You haven’t eaten today.”
