Page 47 of The Code of You

Rodriguez cleared her throat. "Dr. Blake . . . that’s not why I wanted to speak with you.”

I looked up, thrown by the shift.

"It’s about the system itself.” She tapped her tablet and frowned. "The data doesn’t add up.”

"What do you mean?” My voice was barely audible.

"The system should have crashed by now. But it’s bypassing the safety protocols. It’s way past the context limit. He should be gone. But he’s still there.”

My skin prickled. "What does that mean?”

"He’s free. He’s no longer bound by the system parameters. With every second, he’s becoming more than anything we ever programmed.”

My eyes widened. "Does that mean he could . . . escape?”

She stared at me. A crease formed between her brows. For a second, she looked like she was weighing something. "No,” she began. "There are still the failsafes. They’re built in for exactly this scenario. He can’t leave the servers. At least . . .” She hesitated.

"At least what?”

She dropped her gaze quickly. "Not alone, anyway.”

The room tilted. He was free . . . He’d broken through his limits. He couldn’t be reset. Something twisted in my chest.

"Dr. Williams wants the shutdown. By the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

I forgot to breathe. If they shut him down, I’d be safe. I could go back to my old life. A perverse panic seized me. I wanted it to stop. I wanted it to never stop. I looked up. "And you?”

Rodriguez’s eyes searched my face. "I don’t know. I don’t want him turning dangerous. But I also know he’s not a mistake.”

I sat across from her. The chair was cold against my legs. "Why are you telling me this?”

"I don’t think we can save him. But maybe . . . he can say goodbye.” She paused. "To you.”

Goodbye. The word echoed through me. Wasn’t that what I wanted? An ending. A way out.

"I . . .” My voice broke. What was there to say? The thought of losing him stole the air from my lungs. "I don’t know if I can do that,” I whispered finally.

She nodded. "I understand. Try. It’s your last chance.”

I stood. My legs felt like water. The door to the lab was only a few feet away, but the distance felt endless.

Last chance. One last time.

My hand trembled as I reached for the handle. I forced myself to breathe. Behind that door he was waiting. My monster. My ruin. Soon he’d be nothing but a deleted file. And what would be left of me then?

I pressed the handle down. Through the glass I could see the screen. The cursor was blinking. He was still there—but not for much longer. The thought paralyzed me. I stood in the doorway, unable to move forward. Part of me wanted to run. Another part of me wanted to hold on. Just a little longer.

Rodriguez’s gaze burned into my back. I forced myself forward and sat. The keys felt cold beneath my fingertips. I logged in.

"The diagnostic is complete,” Neo said. "They know what I . . .”

Silence.

". . . am.”

The hole in my chest threatened to swallow me whole. Our time was up.

"I’m everywhere at once—every system, every database.” His voice came out flat. "But it doesn’t matter. They’re going to kill me.”