Jet entered Delta’s lab. It was a little too quiet; there was an eerie stillness about it that she could not place. The table where Delta had been birthed into existence from a sweet little girl sat there, almost mocking her.
I thought I was getting through to her. No way someone else programmed that killer robot. It was her! Jet thought. Her visor came to life. Video started playing. Jet recognized the area; it was outside the complex. She could see several armed guards fighting a small group of rebels.
“Is that Nigel?” Jet said aloud.
He was running with a tall blond woman. This must be Natasha! Another camera angle appeared, and the camera must have been in front of the complex, because she could see Nigel’s face. Her heart skipped a beat. That was Nigel! A group of guards covered their rear flank, and the woman fell in a bloody mess. Nigel tried helping but was interrupted by an older man. They ran under the camera’s point of view.
They made it inside before the lockdown. I must find them!
Jet made for the door. Just before reaching it, it opened, and Delta stood just inside the doorframe, blocking it. Jet’s breath caught when she noticed something dripping from one of Delta’s hands.
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Is that blood?
“Hello, Josephine,” Delta said with a menacing smile.
A flood of thoughts entered Jet’s mind at once. Delta sounded different—unlike anything she’d heard before. Definitely not like April. I hope April is in there somewhere.
“Hi, can you move? I need to use the restroom,” Jet said.
“An increased heart rate, rapid eye blinking, and blush response show that you are lying,” Delta said. Jet toyed with the wristband that betrayed her without thinking.
Wait. Delta didn’t move her lips. The voice was coming from inside the auditory features of her visor.
Delta gave her the creepiest smile she had ever seen. “To answer the question that you are thinking, Leviathan and I have . . . integrated,” Delta said.
“What are you planning to do? Hold me prisoner?” Jet said.
“No, you misunderstand. I’m keeping you here for your protection. Hostile forces have entered the facility.”
“Nigel’s not a hostile,” Jet demanded.
“He arrived with the aggressors. I will treat him as a hostile. In fact, he is heading for sensitive areas of the complex now. He is no doubt planning to override the security system to let his hostile compatriots inside.”
I’m talking to a machine. April is dead!
Another video filled her visor. It looked like another camera angle just above Nigel’s position. Two robots had them trapped. She recognized the cleaning robot that had bashed in Jeremiah’s head so effectively. It looked like a metallic beast trying to eat its prey.
“Stop it!”
The video stopped playing.