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

my birthday. Couch cushions had been spread around the coffee table for seats. I set my backpack by one, then ventured into the kitchen to find something to eat.

It took some rummaging to locate a plate and fork. I rinsed them off in the sink, then pulled a tub of leftover mac and cheese from the fridge. There appeared to be hot dogs chopped up and mixed in. I shrugged and served myself a plate. While the microwave hummed, warming my dinner, I returned the tub to the fridge.

“Here you go.” Dan burst into the kitchen and dropped a cord in my hand. “That should solve that problem. You found everything okay?” He glanced at the microwave.

I nodded. The microwave chose that moment to beep and shut off.

“You can bring it into the living room,” Dan said.

I grabbed my fork, rescued my plate from the microwave, and followed him as he navigated the hazard course of boxes with ease.

“Sorry about the mess,” he said over his shoulder. “I’ve unpacked most of my stuff, but my parents have been too busy.” Sadness filtered into his voice. “If we aren’t here for long, they might not even bother.”

“I hope you can stay,” I said. The cyborg project was a big deal. Surely his parents wouldn’t move away when the lab where they worked was so close. For that matter, why hadn’t they moved here sooner? Had they been commuting? Or maybe they’d had trouble finding a house?

Dan plopped onto a couch cushion in front of his computer. “Oh! I forgot drinks,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “I think we still have juice left. Or water?”

“Water would be fine.”

He jumped up and headed for the kitchen. I watched him go, still struck by the similarities between him and the motionless cyborgs. For a second, I entertained the thought that his parents had built him, too. How much of a cyborg was human, anyway? Dan moved just as naturally as I did, not like the jerky or uncannily smooth movements of my family’s kitchen robot. His chest moved as he breathed. Remembering the unnatural stillness of the cyborgs, I shivered. Did they move like humans? If so, how would anyone be able to tell them apart? According to Chris, that had been the point of the project, but the idea of dangerous machines walking around unrecognized and with hidden purpose sounded like something straight of a science fiction horror movie.

A glass landed on the coffee table in front of me. Dan peered at me, frowning. “Did I spill something on my shirt?” He glanced down.

I blinked. “What? No. Sorry, I wasn’t staring at you, just off into space.”

He laughed. “Staring is fine, as long as you don’t start clinging to me like Neela.” He rolled his eyes. “You’d think she’d take a hint.”

I laughed, feeling the knot in my stomach loosen a bit. “She doesn’t, usually.”

Dan shrugged. “Well, I’d rather play Realmshards than go shopping at the mall. Thanks for coming over, by the way. It gets lonely, with my parents gone so much.” A brief shadow passed across his face before his smile brightened again. “Is your friend joining us?”

“Yes, I just need to let Halle know we’re ready.” I took a bite of mac and cheese. It was good, though not as good as the kind Halle had the kitchen robot make. I wasn’t about to tell Dan that, though. As I chewed, I pulled out my computer and set it up.

“How was your afternoon?” Dan asked.

I swallowed. “All right.” Before I could stop myself, the question tumbled out. “Do you know what kind of work your parents do?”

He shook his head. “It’s classified. I told you that, remember?” He frowned. “Is everything okay, Viki? You look pale. If you aren’t feeling well, you should go home… I can call a taxi.”

“No, I’m fine.” I took a deep breath and focused on plugging in my computer and my phone, not wanting to meet his gaze. “I could get into a lot of trouble for telling you this, but earlier today, I was in a laboratory where I saw a lot of cyborgs some scientists built, and they all looked like you.”

There was a brief, heavy pause, then Dan burst into laughter. “If you don’t want to talk about what you were up to today, it’s fine, Viki. I was just asking to be polite. You don’t need to make up crazy stories like that.”

My face warmed. At least he was treating it as a joke, though a quick glance at his face told me he didn’t think it was a good one. I forced a laugh, too, hoping I hadn’t alienated my new friend.

“It’s a joke.” I pushed the button to turn on my computer. “Sorry, I shouldn’t joke about your parents’ work.”

He kept laughing. “Dad’s so serious about it. I wish he’d been here for that; I’d love to see his face. Especially if you added that maybe he built me, too.”

I smiled weakly, remembering Halle’s speculations. “It’d be kind of hard for you to be a cyborg, wouldn’t it?”

“My parents aren’t even Upgraders. They’re Augmenters. Although I’m natural-born—they didn’t want to make that choice for me, and I didn’t need any genetic modification; I was a healthy kid.”

Heat crept around my ears, and I took a drink of water to moisten my dry mouth. A small beep came from the speakers as my computer turned on. The desktop looked empty without Halle’s cat avatar waiting to greet me. I opened Realmshards.

Dan smiled at the sound of the loading screen’s music. “I’m waiting at Pirate’s Fall. Nice interface, by the way. New model?”

“I got it for my birthday,” I replied. “It’s great.” I opened the voice chat program and sent a message to Halle—At Dan’s. Ready for Realmshards?

A small beep announced