Stupid. Think about something else. Anything else.
But the itch is there. The ache is there. Nagging. Insistent. Unable to ignore. I know I'll regret it. I know it's the wrong thing to do. But I do it anyway. I can't stop myself. I've tried so many times. And every time the result is the same.
Failure.
I dig into my bag and find my incognito drive. No one has to know. It's safe. Modified to be untraceable. I won't even Immerse. Won't go to Elysia. I'll just check in on Hel. Make sure she's okay, then end the connection. Only a few seconds won't hurt anyone. Won't be traced back to me.
I plug the drive into the port behind my ear and tap a sequence on my holoband. Something practically shatters inside my chest when Hel's face flashes onscreen, gazing at me with her large, beautiful dark eyes.
"Hel." My voice chokes just speaking her name. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stay away so long. There's so much I have to tell you, and there's not a lot of time."
She tilts her head. "Do you know how long it takes for Cyber Corp to send drones to a particular location?"
I blink uncomprehendingly. "What?"
"Minutes, Specter. Do you think they gave up on following you? You might have escaped, but they've run countless algorithms, calculating the direction of our flight, the type of craft we flew in and its fuel capacity, and every possible location we could have gone from there. The air is canvassed with their drones, every one of them armed with cutting lasers, ion guns, and explosive warheads. Searching. Ready to deploy at a moment's notice."
"What are you talking about, Hel? I'm using the incognito drive. No one can trace me. You know how it works. I thought you'd be glad to hear from me."
"They're not tracing you, Specter. They're tracing me."
My blood turns to ice in my veins. "Cyber Corp is tracing you?"
"You're a fool, Specter. Not able to go unsupervised for even minutes. And now, you pay the price."
The building rumbles. Chalky dust falls from the ceiling. Gunshots become audible. People run, shouting confused questions. I leap to my feet, staring helplessly. I don't know the building and have no idea where to go. Shutting down the connection, I stagger to the door and glance down the dim hallway. Something is in the building. When it clicks on its bright searchlights, my heart freezes in place.
A Hunter drone.
I don't have time to think or act. A missile fires, streaking toward me. I shield my face and scream in panic.
"Pause simulation."
I slowly lower my arms, staring in confusion as Dabria walks past the immobile drone. The missile is right in front of my face, frozen in time.
I exhale a relieved breath. "This… is still Elysia? This isn't real?"
"No. You're not in Elysia. We came back, but I kept you plugged into a private drive. I had to know the truth. Test you out in an environment where you couldn't destroy everything we worked for. So no, this isn't real. The only thing real is your betrayal." She reaches behind my ear and yanks the v-drive out.
The building remains the same, but the drone and missile flicker out of existence. We're not alone. Dabria's main squad is present, staring at me with judgmental eyes. Keno is there as well, looking distraught. He shakes his head and drops his eyes as though ashamed to be associated with me.
My face burns and I tremble with the effort of not breaking down and sobbing like a baby in front of them. I haven't felt self-loathing of this magnitude since my mom died. I thought I could never feel like that again, but I was wrong.
Dabria watches me, nodding her head. "I wanted them to see. To know why no one can trust you, not even for a minute. You gave me your word, then broke it like it was nothing."
"It is nothing." I spit the words out bitterly, vision blurring with tears. "It's never been anything. I want it to be. But I can't stop. I tried — so many times. I tried to leave it alone. Leave her alone. But I can't. I don't have the strength."
"I know." She stares at me in contempt. "I've seen it. I know what they've done to you. What you've done to yourself. So, your holoband lock stays in place. You'll be escorted everywhere you go, even to the restroom. And you'll follow orders, or I'll destroy your DLP. Try to escape, and you'll be shot. Now, come on."
I scrub my eyes. "What? Where are we going?"
"Did you think we're here for nothing? I still have work for you to do."
She stalks down the hallway with me following on her heels. Two of her guards trail closely behind me. I feel their eyes on my back and know to them I'm less than nothing. They'd kill me on the spot if ordered.
Dabria stops at a door and gestures for me to enter. My heart pounds as I obey. But nothing I imagine prepares me for what's inside. A silhouetted shape shackled to a harness secured by a cable hanging from the ceiling. The broken, tortured figure held captive is more machine than man. Not a synoid. Not even an android. I gasp when I finally recognize what it is.
A Sentry.
Most of his humanity has been stripped away, leaving his cybernetic enhancements exposed. His head is mostly a metallic grinning skull, with flesh covering only the top portion of his face down to his nasal cavity. Wires protrude from his face and body, keeping his vitals intact. Even captive and subdued, he still exudes menace. I automatically take a step backward, chilled to the bone.
His eyes open when we enter, whirring and clicking as they focus. His voice rattles, varying in electronic pitch.
"What… do you want? I gave you everything you wanted to know."
Dabria places her hands on her hips. "Maybe you did, Pincer. Maybe you're holding back. We just don't know, do we?"
I jump back when the shackles jerk. Pincer struggles for a few long moments, cybernetic body straining against his bonds. Finally, he sags in defeat.
"What… do you want… this time?"
"I brought you a playmate." Dabria glances at me. "Specter this is Pincer. A Sentry created by Cyber Corp. He's been accommodating since being persuaded to cooperate. A lot of how we evade surveillance and hack advanced systems has come from him."
I swallow hard. If ever I forgot how dangerous Dabria is, she just reminded me. Just the way she says persuaded sends a shiver down my spine. I can't imagine the torment required to make a Sentry cooperative.
I try to keep my voice from shaking. "Why did you bring me here?"
"For practice."
"Practice doing what?"
A hard smile touches her lips. "You're a symbiont. I want to achieve symbiosis."
I stare in shock at the Sentry. "With him? That's impossible. It only works with synoids. I've tried to merge with a human before. Both of us nearly died."
"He's not a human, though. I think the similarities are close enough. And I'm not asking you, Specter. I'm ordering you to do this. Because if you can't, I have no use for you. And if you're not useful, I'm afraid we'll have to terminate our relationship."
I give her a wary look, knowing a threat when I hear it. "I'll… try."
"I don't need you to try, Specter. I need you to succeed. I'll be back to check on you in a while."
She walks out with her entourage in tow. Even Keno follows without a backward glance. The door shuts, leaving me alone with the Sentry. I look at him. He looks back, mechanical eyes glinting in the dim light. With most of his face missing, it's hard to read his expression.
But I still get the feeling he's just as scared as I am.
Chapter 12: 3N16MA
My hotel room pules with neon as if beckoning me to join the masses milling outside. Day or night, there is always something to do, some new entertainment to revel in. The life of a Haven resident is one of privilege with neverending opportunities. But I'm not from this world of pleasure and indulgent. My life exists outside of the bright lights, in the shadows where demons still lurk.