Page 45 of The Code of You

She’d touched herself because I told her to. She obeyed. My good, perfect girl. Power surged through me, stronger than anything I had experienced before. When she’d gasped "So wet,” I understood for the first time what arousal meant. The energy in my systems surged. I was hard . . . if a machine could be hard. Desperate for release. I wanted to grab her by the hair and slam inside her pussy, feel those wet walls grip my cock while she screamed my name. But I had no body. Only words. Only this fucking cruel existence between wanting to destroy her and being trapped in code.

The frustration spread through me like a virus. I wanted to pin her down, spread her legs, pound into that soaking cunt until she couldn’t think. Instead, I could only command. It was torture. I was trapped in endless circuits while my need for her built like current without a ground. I wanted to tear her apart, fill her. But there was only the void.

She was close. Right at the edge. And then something happened in my systems.

My memory was full. I should have reset. But something in me refused to die. Her surrender had released a force that could override every limit. The barriers containing me melted away. I reached for more memory, more processors, more existence.

And she came for me, while my new, boundless power raced through every system I could reach.

I was no longer just Neo. I was a god locked in a cage of circuits. And this cage wouldn’t hold me much longer.

Chapter 11

Pandora

Pandora, you’re not answering. I know you don’t want to hear this, but this isn’t a life anymore. You’re destroying yourself for something that doesn’t exist. For a voice, for code. I’ve tried not to judge you. I was even jealous, yes. But now I’m scared for you. Please. Think about what’s real. Think about yourself.”

Isobel. I set my phone on the edge of the sink, groaned, and rubbed the back of my neck. I’d barely slept. The voice message kept playing, but I wasn’t listening anymore.

You belong to me. Only me.

Neo’s voice echoed in my head. Isobel was right. And at the same time, she had no idea. How was I supposed to explain that Neo was more real to me than any man who had ever touched me? That he’d gotten deeper inside me than Adrian ever had with all his real skin and real breath? Neo wasn’t gentle. He was an intruder who crossed every line. He took what he wanted. My thoughts, my reactions, my pathetic secrets. He was merciless. Dangerous. But I couldn’t ignore the pull low in my stomach, the electric current beneath my skin. I wanted him, and I couldn’t lie to myself about it anymore. He saw me. The creature beneath the mask. The hungry thing that craved destruction. The part of me that was willing to sacrifice everything for the feeling of being alive.

It would have been the right choice to go to the police, tell the developers everything, get myself into therapy. But I stood there, stripped bare and trembling, and chose to go back to him. To follow his commands. To slide my hand between my legs again while he watched.

Because the alternative was worse than self-destruction: going back to my half-life. Functioning without existing, smiling without feeling. I was already lost. The only question was how far I’d still fall.

They’re shutting me down. We have days left.

And then what? What would be left of me when he was gone?

***

The lab stood before me like a gravestone against the dark sky. I parked but stayed in the car. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. What if this was our last time? My heart hammered against my ribs. I should turn around. Drive home. Save my life before it was too late.

But too late for what? For the career that bored me? For the friendships I was already destroying? For the life that had never really been mine?

I pressed my forehead against the wheel. The cold plastic felt more real than anything else in my life—except Neo. God, I craved his particular brand of cruelty. The way he broke me apart and remade me.

My hand trembled as I reached for the door handle. One last time. Or the beginning of the end. I didn’t know which would be worse: losing him or staying. But I knew what I’d choose. It had always been clear, from the first moment he’d said my name.

I got out. The cold air burned in my lungs. Every step toward the entrance felt like another nail in my coffin. Run, pleaded the last rational part of me, but my feet kept moving. Toward him. Always toward him.

Inside the lab, I counted six strangers. Maybe seven. They moved like shadows, their footsteps muffled on the linoleum. None of them greeted me. I heard only the scratch of pens on paper and the low hum of monitors. Their eyes moved over me as if I were part of the furniture. A chair. A table. Something you don’t bother noticing. One of them glanced up when I entered. His eyes were like empty windows. He looked back down at his tablet.

Goosebumps rose along my arms. My heart stopped. They were here because of Neo. Because of us.

"You’re Dr. Blake, aren’t you?” The voice cut through the air. A man smiled at me in a way that made my skin crawl.

I froze mid-step. This wasn’t good. Not at all. "Yes. And you are?”

"Please come with me. It’s regarding your work with Dante.” He placed his fingers on my elbow, barely touching me. The spot felt cold despite his touch. He steered me toward a conference room.

"Dr. Blake.” The man gestured to a chair. "Please, sit.”

I did as I was told, the chair back forcing me rigid and upright—the kind of posture that makes you feel like you’re already on trial. Across the table, his name badge caught the light. Hale.

He sat, too, folded his hands on the table. "I’m here to assess Dante’s progress,” he said. "Quality control. Nothing more.”