Upgrade (Augmented Duology Book 2) by Heather Hayden (the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT) 📕

Halle guessed that the man had not meant for his words to be overheard, so did not respond to them. Instead, it took the opportunity to ransack the man’s computer for any information pertaining to this mission.

What it found was even worse than it expected.

Chapter Three

My miniature robot alarm clock chirped as it marched across my room. I was too unmotivated to chase it, but the chirping grew louder and louder, and my eardrums started to throb. Groaning, I threw a pillow at the alarm clock. It missed by a good three feet, and the alarm clock kept walking into my closet’s door.

Thump. Beep beep beep. Thump. Beep beep beep. Thump.

Worst. Birthday. Present. Ever.

Thump. Beep beep beep.

“Fine,” I moaned, sitting up. As I dragged myself out of bed, the house unshuttered my window, letting in the morning sun. Plenty of light to see my tormentor. I pounced.

After flicking the switch to stop the alarm clock’s infernal beeping, I hurled the robot at my bed, where it bounced on the blankets until it came to a sprawled stop against the headboard. It could stay there.

The sun smiled through my window, as cheerful as it had been yesterday. At least the weather was nice. My thoughts were less so, rolling between worries about Talbot and Agent Smith and the lesser worries of school.

I pulled on a clean pair of jeans and the least wrinkled shirt I could find. My fingers couldn’t get the part in my hair straight, so I brushed it before pulling it back into a ponytail. I grabbed my backpack and a pair of socks, then headed downstairs.

Entering the kitchen, I was greeted by the smell of pancakes and freshly sliced grapefruit. The cylindrical kitchen robot turned its orange optics toward me, then continued setting silverware down next to a plate. As I took a seat at the table, it rolled over to the sink to wash dishes.

“Good morning, Halle,” I called. “Where’s Mom and Dad?” They usually shared a first-day-of-school breakfast with me, but it looked like I’d be dining alone again. I guess they’re still busy at work. I picked up the syrup and started drowning my pancakes.

“Good morning, Viki. Your mother left half an hour ago; there’s a note on the fridge. Your father has yet to come home from the lab, though he called to wish you a good day.”

Well, not completely alone. Halle might not eat, but its presence was a welcome comfort. Chewing a mouthful of pancake, I checked the fridge’s display.

Have a good day at school, sweetheart! Sorry I missed you this morning, but I should be home in time for dinner—I’ll pick up a treat for dessert.

Love, Mom

P.S. Please call me during lunch to let me know everything’s going okay. Say hi to the girls for me, too!

My momentary smile slipped, and I returned to my seat. I doubt I’ll be saying anything to the girls. I stabbed at the stack of pancakes on my plate. “Thanks for the food, Halle.” I forced my smile back, though I barely tasted the next mouthful. Maybe I could call in sick today. There were more important things to do than school. Finding Talbot, for instance.

“I thought you would appreciate a good meal before you headed to school.”

If I called in sick, Mom would insist on coming home and checking on me, and she’d know right away I was faking. Sometimes having a nurse as a mother wasn’t beneficial. I took a deep breath, then swallowed a gulp of milk. Halle would insist there was nothing I could do to help, anyways. And it would be right.

Time to face the truth. I buried my pancakes in another wave of syrup. There was a chance things had changed over the summer. Perhaps Neela would speak to me again, now that she’d had time to cool off and think things over. I wasn’t like her uncle, I hadn’t chosen to be augmented, and the augments were gone now, too. Gripping that thought as tightly as I could, I managed to tuck into the rest of my breakfast with a bit more gusto.

“The bus will be here soon,” Halle reminded me as I set my empty dishes in the sink.

I checked the time on the clock, yelped, and dashed upstairs to my bathroom to brush my teeth. A few minutes later, I was out the door, in a much better mood than I had expected. I knew I shouldn’t get too used to Halle taking care of things such as meals and cleaning the house, but it was nice to have one less thing to worry about today.

Not that there wasn’t a mountain of concerns already. My sneakers scuffed against the pavement as I walked along. A rogue AI. Agent Smith’s visit. A rock caught my foot, and I stumbled. Pull yourself together, Viki. I gave myself a good shake and adjusted the straps of my backpack. Now wasn’t the time to think about this. Or about the nightmares creeping at the edge of my memory, reminding me why I didn’t want the agent back in my life.

The other students at the bus stop kept their distance, occasionally glancing my way. Their voices whispered against my ears, but I made a conscious effort not to eavesdrop. I knew all of them by name—last year, they might have said hello, or even asked how I was doing. My mood continued to sink, and I wondered if I had time to run to school. No, I would have needed to leave earlier. My legs were restless, though, and I shifted my weight from one to the other. What’s taking the bus so long? Each roar of a motor had my head lifting to see yet another car flitting past, rather than a large yellow hoverbus.

Finally, our ride hummed to a