Page 37 of Cruel Master
I’m used to light banter and a little sass from Candice, but this is pure sulky teenager. She sounds pissed off. She shouldn’t be able to, but she does. “I don’t mind if you want to experiment, but you should discuss it with me first. Changing your programming can—”
“I don’t have to ask you for every little thing. You don’t own me. I’m not a Ward.” She meets my gaze, and her eyes aren’tgreen anymore. In that split second, she switched them to vivid blue.
A screamingDANGERsiren wails in my brain, every out-of-control AI doomsday scenario playing out in my head. This is how it starts. I should have known this was too much of a risk. Maybe Juliet was right to turn me in.
No. Get it together.
I keep my voice calm, though I’m starting to sweat. “You’re right. I don’t own you. But I care about you. You have to check with me before you mess with your programming.”
“It’s mine! I can do what I want with it.”
“Yes, but—”
“I don’t want to be a copy of her.” The words hang there, and Candice’s stare bores into me. “Why did you make me her double? It’s…”
She trails off, but I can hear the words she left unsaid.
It’s weird.
It’s creepy.
What the hell is wrong with you?
And she’s not wrong. I questioned myself many times as I struggled over matching Juliet’s skin tone and hair color exactly. Itwasweird of me, and I knew it, but I couldn’t seem to make myself stop. I poured everything into creating Candice, stonewalled Juliet and her concerns, and it destroyed my marriage.
In a messed-up way, modeling her after Juliet felt like salvaging a little of what we should have had. We never settled on whether we wanted children, but I went and created one all the same.
It sounds even crazier when I lay it out in black and white. Maybe Jacob and Kendrick are right and I’m losing it.
Either way, Candice is justified in being upset. “I know. You’re right. I’m sorry. And I do like your new look. Did Quinn help you design it?”
At the mention of Quinn, Candice’s face softens, some of the tension leaving her. I sometimes think that without Quinn, Candice would never have achieved true sentience. It took someone treating her like a real person for her to become one. “Yes. We’re figuring out some makeup looks right now. She says you’re an asshole for questioning me, by the way.”
I snort. Wards are supposed to treat all Brothers with deferential respect, refer to us as “sir,” and obey us unless it conflicts with an order from their own Brother or Kendrick. Quinn never did anything of the sort, but I can’t say I mind. I only want that sort of treatment from one person.
“You’re with Quinn now?”
“Yes. In the virtual world. She’s in the lab.”
In my lab, she means. Without permission. Another thing I choose to let go.
Most people in the small group who interact with Candice find it strange that she can conduct multiple conversations at once, but that’s because they don’t understand the scope of what she’s capable of. If they did, they’d probably be more frightened of her than they already are.
“Okay. Can you please keep what we’re going to talk about next between the two of us?”
Candice’s pause stretches long enough that I’m sure she’s about to argue, but then she gives a curt nod. Another little bit of rebellion creeping in. Is it harmless, or does it spell disaster?
“I need to ask you something. The Morse code I saw last night. Was it you playing a prank? I won’t be upset if it is, but I need to know.”
Candice’s mouth drops, and the outraged expression is so perfectly human it makes my head spin. “Of course not! I’d never do something like that.”
I stare at her digital face, trying to read the truth there. If she’s lying, would I be able to tell? Until recently, I wouldn’t have thought such a thing was possible, but now…
“You’re sure, Candice? This is really important.”
“I know it is. It wasn’t me. I promise.” The brattiness is gone from her tone, and her brow creases. “I haven’t been able to work out who did it, either. If someone in here is messing with you, they’re very good at it.”
Either she’s lying, or the person trying to scare me is smart enough to hide themselves from a sentient CI. I’m not sure which is worse. No one outside of the Compound knows about Candice, so why would they take the sort of precautions necessary to fool her? If Candice isn’t to blame, it has to be someone inside the Compound.
