I flew through the half-remembered passage as quickly as I could. I had realised quickly that Razor must have taken control of Sam and planned to exploit that damn familial bond loophole. See, this is why I had been grateful my family was all gone, there was less chance that one of the most dangerous beings in existence would be accidentally released to walk the Earth.

Oh, well. No use crying over spilt milk and all that.

My main priority right now was stopping the bastard from killing my sister, or worse. My one hope was that he would be too busy gloating over his freedom to do anything except talk at her just yet. That was one of the main defects of the Hell spawn, no matter how devious or evil they were, they tended to try to shove your face in their achievements instead of taking advantage of them.

Gloating bastards.

It was at this point that I felt my body hit something invisible and sent me bowling backwards to sprawl on the floor. This both surprised me and hurt like a sonofabitch. I must have built my traps and barriers far better than I thought I had. For a moment, I felt smug then noted the irony of doing what I had accused the Hell spawn of being guilty of.

Gloating bastard.

OK, moving on, I had to get into my armoury. Damn it, there would be nothing there I could even pick up in my present condition and, as far as I remembered, nothing that could bring me fully back into the world.

I needed to think, not just react.

Well, I suppose I could always use an escaped extra-dimensional being who was probably distracted now. There was a slight possibility that I could siphon some of his energy off and restore myself. There was only one small, tiny, little issue. If he noticed, he could quite easily destroy me and Sam in a fit of pique and, left unchecked, could go on a destructive rampage that could destroy everything.

Not very appealing, if I’m honest.

My only other option would be to confront him and hopefully make a deal. I wasn’t really in the best bargaining position and I had a sneaking suspicion that he may be holding a bit of a grudge against me for holding him captive for as long as I had, but I guess it would be worth a shot, given the alternative.

“A bit of help would be good.” I muttered under my breath. I was just generally bitching, so it came as a shock when something answered.

What help do you require, Professor?

My ears rang strangely as the voice echoed in my head. What the Hell?

“Gah! Er…Hello?” I looked around me, but couldn’t see anyone nearby.

Good afternoon, Professor. What assistance do you require?

“Hi, yeah. Um. Where and who are you?”

I am Joydon. I am the Artificial Intelligence responsible for the security and maintenance of your holdings.

“Ah. Right, yeah. I think I recall. Your voice, it’s in my head, isn’t it? Are you communicating directly with my mind?”

Yes, Professor. I have undergone an upgrade since your last visit. I was able to successfully incorporate the neural link technology you supplied. This has increased my operating efficiency exponentially.

“OK, great. So, to be clear, am I still your boss? Will you follow my commands? I only ask because of my current…condition.”

Of course, Professor. You are my creator. You have programmed me with safeguards that will deactivate me if I cause or allow harm to befall you. Although you currently appear to be incorporeal, I must still follow your commands.

Yay for my forward thinking and paranoia! I was a little worried for a second there. That would be all I needed, a telepathic AI running amok.

“Right, good. Can you access all security systems and bring them online please, Joydon? Let’s see what Razor is up to and put a stop to it.”

Of course. Security systems coming online, Professor. The entity is currently in the Artefacts Room. He appears to be communicating with a female Enhanced human. Would you like to view them?

“Yes please, Joydon.”

An image of the room with the strange objects where Razor had been imprisoned appeared in front of me. The clarity and detail of the image were amazing. It didn’t even appear to be dark. It seemed I could see everything. It took a second before I realised that it wasn’t a physical image at all, but was being projected directly into my mind.

“Wow, that’s fantastic Joydon. What else can you do?”

Would you like a complete revised systems operation manual, Professor?

“I’m not really able to hold a manual right now Joydon, but I appreciate the thought.”

Your present physical condition is not relevant, Professor. I can transfer the details directly to your mind using the neural link. I project an 97% probability that there will not be any lasting damage caused to your cerebellum. This is within acceptable parameters.

Damn, this AI was going to be useful. I felt time ticking away as I watched Razor looming over Sam but realised that it would be foolish to not know what I had access to before I went off and got both me and Sam killed. I was a bit concerned at the 3% chance of frying my brain but needs must and all that.

“Go for it, Joydon.”

Very well, Professor. Terminating view. Initiating download now.

The scene of Razor and Sam disappeared from my view. I felt an itch at the back of my mind. Suddenly, I knew all Joydon’s capabilities. I also had an awful headache.

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“Ow!” I shook my head to try to relieve some of the pressure. It abated enough that I could think clearly.

“OK, first things first. Is there a guest onsite by the name of Penny Dwindle?”

Yes, Professor.

I felt a huge sense of relief that we had come to the right place.

“Are we here in ti…is she OK?”

Sensors indicate that she is physically well, Professor.

“Great! Alright Joydon, deactivate the room she’s being kept in and flush it. I want her completely safe and secure. Once that’s been done, send a drone to administer a memory suppressor and escort her to the nearest hospital.”

As you wish, Professor.

“Right, now I can stop worrying about that problem. Show me Razor and Sam from when they began speaking.”

Affirmative.

The image once again appeared before my eyes. “Sound, please Joydon.” Razor’s sibilant voice was suddenly audible as he spoke to Sam where she was lying on the floor at his feet.

At least he’d stopped using mine. That had been creepy.

“… are my Keeper’s sissster, yessss? Oh, we are going to have such fun, my dear. I have so much to show you.”

She looked up at him defiantly. “Say what you want, beast. You think you scare me? I’ve seen things that make you look like a cuddly little bunny.”

I felt a fierce pride in my tough little sister as I watched her face down one of the most terrible beings in the cosmos. She probably wasn’t aware of the depths he was capable of sinking to, but still, I was impressed.

Razor laughed, the sound grating like knives dragging through the soul. “I have no wish to ssscare you, my dear. Not yet. No, you misssunderstand. I believe that with your Enhancementsss, we can do great thingsss together.”

Sam had a confused expression on her face. “I, I don’t know what you mean. Great things? I’d never ally myself with something like you. Ugh. I feel like I need a shower just hearing you speak.”

“Don’t be so provincial. Good and Evil have alwayssss allied when it’s necessssary. You think fighting a war isss all about good guyssss and bad guyssss? That’s a very naïve viewpoint. Good people have alwayssss had to make choicessss that tarnish their soulssss. All you have to do issss agree to do a small favour for me and I will releassse you.”

“A ‘small favour?’ Do I look that stupid?”

“I could perssssuade you, my dear. You may not like my methodsss at firsssst but I guarantee that eventually, you will come to crave them.”

“Ugh, you’re a creepy fuck, you know that? Another thing, can’t you put some pants on? I’m sick of seeing that thing waving about.”

Razor peered down at his member where it pulsed against his abdomen and slowly smiled at her, running his red eyes over her body where she lay on the floor. It was not a smile designed to reassure. His long, forked tongue flickered out and caressed his lips.

“I will cover it my dear, but not in coarsssse cloth. I have something much more…ssssilky…in mind. I can ssssee that your Enhancementssss should make you lessss fragile than normal human femalesss. They tend to break ssso easssily when we copulate. That’ssss a shame, I do sssso enjoy their screams. I ssssuppose I will ssssimply have to make do.”

I felt a cold and icy dread wash through as he spoke so casually about violating Sam. I couldn’t, wouldn’t allow this to happen.

I spoke urgently, “Joydon, freeze the view. When did this conversation take place?”

Approximately five minutes ago, Professor.

Oh no.

“Joydon, is there anything available on the base that can stop Razor?”

There are several weapons available but they may cause the Enhanced human to sustain damage. I may be able to psionically incapacitate the entity, Professor. Would you like me to attempt the process?

“Yes! Now, Joydon! Sedate Sam too, please.”

Affirmative. Aerosol released. Initiating psionic attempt.

I waited tensely for the outcome. I just hoped that it was in time and that the bastard hadn’t just gone straight in for the kill, so to speak.

The attempt was successful and the entity has been rendered unconscious, Professor. I cannot provide an accurate estimate of the length of time the entity will remain so. I would recommend removing the sedated Enhanced human from the vicinity immediately.

I sagged in relief. At least she wasn’t in danger right now.

“Good idea, Joydon. Dispatch a Level 4 drone to the area immediately, relocate her to the guest room and make her comfortable.”

Affirmative, Professor. Drone dispatched. Estimated time before relocation is approximately fifteen seconds. Would you like me to secure the entity?

“If it’s possible, definitely. The main priority right now is to make sure that Sam is OK. As soon as she’s been delivered, I want a full physical scan performed.”

Affirmative, Professor. Dispatching Level 7 security drone to apprehend the entity. The Enhanced human has been delivered. Initiating scan. There appears to be no indication of physical trauma, however, due to her Enhancements, it is difficult to perform an accurate assessment of her physical well-being.

I had thought that would be the case. I was worried. I knew she was more than capable of looking after herself, but this was a demon. I waited impatiently for the next report. I knew that the chances of successfully containing Razor were slim but … one never knew.

Joydon’s voice echoed in my mind. Warning! Level 7 drone has been forced off-line. Initiating containment procedure Alpha 1.

Damn. I knew it. I searched my knowledge of the manual for the Alpha containment procedures. Oh. OK, they were a bit scary, even for me.

Alpha 1 procedure unsuccessful. Initiating Alpha 2 procedure.

Alpha 1 was unsuccessful? Damn, Razor must be more pissed than I realised. I’ve known that procedure to take down Godzilla sized monsters.

Alpha 2 procedures unsuccessful.

What? OK, I was getting worried now. If the next strategy didn’t work, I was going to have to do some serious thinking.

Initiating Termination procedure.

Here we go. See you in Hell, Razor. I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure.

Termination procedure unsuccessful. The entity has escaped the facility and has moved beyond the range of my sensors.

Ah. We’re all fucked.