Page 81 of GlitchBorn Heart

Kael runs after me and grabs both of my arms. He’s calmer this time. Of course he is. It’s not his brother upstairs. “Stop! Someone could see you, report you to Vikktor or his goons.” He brushes a rogue hair from my eyes. My image stutters at his touch.

“Where? Where are you going to go? He only gave us cryptic directions.”

Instead of the hush of static, screens erupt. Neon melts into crimson, then magenta, then molten gold. My emotions spill everywhere, uncontrolled, alive. Images of fire raining down on the city fill the screens. This is exactly what he warned me about. I’m no longer hiding my signature.

ANAMOLY DETECTED

CODE ERROR

DATA CORRUPTION

LINK’s stale voice spills into the hallway from the monitors inside the lab. Kael sighs, stepping closer, just close enough for me to feel the rage building inside him. He’s probably even more furious with me now.

“No, Little Taiyō.” I hear the plea instead. “You’re compromising me, tearing down my system. Don’t do this to me...to us.”

I freeze in place. “You just called me by my nickname. I thought you were still angry with me.” Tears fill my eyes, threatening to spill, so much emotion unleashed at once.

“You,” he says with a crooked smile, “my little sun. Bright, stubborn as hell...and completely reckless. You’re killing me.” He leads me back toward the lab, his arm around me this time. Ash is leaning on the door frame, shaking his head. The warnings from LINK continue to fill the lab.

My cheeks flush as I glare at him, the realization hitting me that I just compromised myself, again, compromised him, his system, maybe even Eli. “Obviously I’m not that bright.” I try to joke with him, my fingers dragging along the walls, warping the screens as we walk.

He leads me to the middle of the lab and motions for me to have a seat up on the console. I slide up, as shame sinks to my feet. “Sure you are.” He leans closer, parting my legs. He steps between them, dangerously close. Those honed, dark eyes are playful, not even angry with me for almost burning it all to the ground again. I don’t fully understand. His stare, it’s hypnotizing, all-consuming. He takes my chin between his thumb and knuckle, lips practically touching.

“And that’s exactly why I can’t leave you alone.” His tone is harsh this time. It’s a threat. I’m going to be watched by him 24/7 now. I deserve it.

He spins away from me abruptly. “LINK—no anomaly detected, abort.” He walks into his office, leaving me alone with Ash.

A shiver runs down my back as sparks from my magic paint streaks of amber across the monitors, and for a moment, the world feels dangerously small and lonely again.

So much for freedom.

31

CorpConfrontation

Playlist: The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails

Kael

I need space from her.

I can’t believe I’m thinking that.

I encouraged her to return to DreamNet to rest and reset. Ash bolted the minute I mentioned the word food. He can eat his weight in ramen. I shut the door to my office, so I can clean up any code that Lyra corrupted with her outbursts. After Eli broke through the feeds, he lived up to his VoidChanneler label and deleted half my protocols and systems that were supposed to release in TheKast this evening. I’ll need to fix them by two a.m.

I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Which may be soon if Lyra doesn’t stop.

“LINK—send all the feeds to my penthouse. I’ll be working from home for the evening.” I grab my jacket off the chair.

AS YOU WISH DR. RYUDON

“Oh, and LINK—the anomaly inside the grid is called Lyra. A special project I’m working on.” I slip my arms through the sleeves of the cold leather. “Don’t fuck with Lyra again, or I’ll rewrite your program.” And with that I slam the door to my office.

No response.

The lab door slides open with a whir, and standing in front of me is Vikktor. “Kael, just the man I came to see.” He pushes me back in the door, the tips of his spindly fingers touching my chest. “Have a seat.” It’s not an invitation.

He strolls toward the center console, the dim blue light of the night screens highlighting his square jaw and silver hair with an eerie glow.