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

arms and held his ground. “My name is Dan. What exactly are you planning to do with that?”

“It will let me access your processors and memory banks. Stop arguing and get over here. Authorization code: Alpha Alpha Charlie Echo.”

Dan didn’t move. “No. Your stupid authorization code isn’t going to work. I’m not your pet cyborg, I’m Dan, and I’m not going anywhere near that thing unless you guarantee you won’t do something stupid like wipe my memory banks when you’re done with them.”

“Standard procedure—”

“You can shove your standard procedure.” Dan took a step back. “I said no.”

Chris frowned and looked to Agent Smith.

“Let Viki do it,” Dan said. “I trust her.”

“She doesn’t have the training.”

“Then you can explain it step by step,” Agent Smith said. “Viki has a good grasp of computers. I’m sure she can handle it.”

Blood drained from my face. I didn’t know much about computers. Halle did. I said nothing though, simply stepped up to the interface. Dan hovered by my elbow, looking ready to turn and run if he had to.

Chris pressed a spot behind Dan’s ear, and a section of pseudoskin peeled back, revealing a metal plate with a port. I winced, but Dan didn’t seem to feel any pain. The cable’s end slid into place with a soft click, and Dan stiffened.

“All right, the connection’s been established. The program will access his memory banks and display the information on the screen.” The scientist was still speaking when a stream of data began to flow over the computer’s display.

“What next?” I asked, hands hovering over the keyboard, elbows cocked just enough to keep Chris from getting too close. If he made any moves toward the computer while Dan was connected, I was going to slam a sharp elbow into his ribs and then possibly an implant knee into some place more tender.

“Next, we want to isolate any parts of his memory banks that are blocked. This would be a lot easier if I was doing it myself—”

“I can do it.” And I did, following each of his orders carefully, always double-checking what the purpose of a command was. I wasn’t going to let him sneak an erase command in.

After about fifteen nerve-wracking minutes, he announced the procedure was complete and disconnected Dan from the computer.

Dan shook his head and stumbled a bit as he stepped forward. I moved to catch him if necessary, but he steadied himself. “Whoa.”

“Are you okay?” I asked him, frowning at Chris.

“I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy.” Dan cast a sidelong glance at the interface. “Not sure I’m a fan of people rifling through my brain.”

“I wouldn’t be, either,” I muttered, moving as Chris gestured me aside impatiently. “Did you find what you needed?”

“We’ll know in a moment,” he said, fingers flying across the keyboard so quickly they were almost a blur. Definitely augmented or upgraded.

His fingers stilled. “This is it.”

I clenched my teeth and leaned forward to see. The data was incomprehensible. “What does it say?”

“These are the instructions that were blocked off from the rest of his processors,” Chris replied. “There is nothing linking them to any other part of his memory, which is why he couldn’t access them—he literally couldn’t see them.”

“What do they tell us?” Agent Smith demanded.

“They are protected by an icewall meant to come down when it’s given the right trigger. I can break it, but it’s going to take a bit.”

“We don’t have a bit.” My voice shook as I spoke. “We need to know what that AI’s plans are, now.” Halle could have broken the icewall, I was sure if it. Had my friend known what the plan was after all? I straightened, wavering on my feet. Was that why Talbot had come after Halle? Why hadn’t Halle told me the truth?

“Viki. Viki!” Dan’s hands grabbed my shoulders. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about ready to faint.”

Agent Smith’s brow furrowed with concern. Chris was still bent over the computer.

I nodded. “I’m fine,” I tried to say, but the words caught in my throat.

“Maybe I could get through the icewall,” Dan offered. “I mean, I should have the ability to do so, right?”

“Given the right trigger, yes, but without knowing what that trigger is or what it would do to you, we aren’t going to risk that. There’s no way of knowing what might happen. Do you want to become a danger to those around you? I can still activate that EMP, you know.” Chris tapped away at the keyboard with a ferocity that came just short of pounding on the keys. “Please give me some space.”

“Living room,” Agent Smith said, ushering us out.

I sat on the couch with Dan, drumming my fingers on my thighs. “Halle would be able to break the code.”

“Halle’s not here,” Agent Smith snapped. “I have no doubt your friend would have contacted us if it were able to. Mostly like it has been—”

I covered my ears, not wanting to hear the last of that sentence, not wanting to admit to myself the possible truth about my friend’s fate.

Dan wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him, grateful for the comfort.

A crash came from the direction of the front door, followed by heavy footsteps in the hall. A man shouted, “Down on the floor! Anyone resisting arrest will be taken into custody by force!”

I was halfway across the living room before I realized what I was doing. The window lock was stuck. I grabbed the tray from the coffee table, ignoring the crash of mugs, teapot, and plates on the floor, and slammed the metal through the glass.

“Viki, what are you doing?” Dan demanded, grabbing my arm.

The tray had bent from the force of going through the window, but it held as I used