The music cut out abruptly. I kicked out a leg, using the laundry hamper as an anchor to stop my spinning. “Halle?”
Its coat darkened to a muddy brown. “You…have a message.”
I frowned, wondering why my friend seemed reluctant to pass it on. “James didn’t yell at you about something, did he?” Ever since learning about Halle’s existence, my family had accepted its presence to various degrees. James treated it like having another sibling. Unfortunately, he sometimes clashed with Halle regarding its know-it-all tendencies. There had been more than one shouting match between my brother and the house’s speakers.
“No. It is not from James.”
“Who is it, then?” I couldn’t help but let my hopes rise a little. If another AI could exist out there in the Cloud, then anything was possible. Even Neela calling to apologize. Maybe she’s finally ready to—
“It is from Agent Smith.”
My hopes crumbled and fell with me as I slumped against my desk. That was a name I never wanted to hear again. I licked my lips and swallowed, fingers tapping on the desk’s surface. “What does he want?”
“Let me play the message.”
There was a soft click, then a voice from my nightmares came over the speakers. Calm, professional, and straight to the point. “Hello, Viki. This is Agent Smith. I need to speak with you today about a matter of utmost importance. Please be at your residence at 2 PM.”
“I do not like this.” Halle’s voice shook a little bit. Unsurprising, given that the last time we crossed paths with the government agent, both of us almost died.
I don’t like it either. I stared at the screen. “You don’t think…it’s about you?”
“I do not know.” The cat’s fur darkened to black and it huddled in the middle of the screen. “If he has somehow discovered I still exist, the Government may already be hunting me again.”
Old fear crashed down, pinning me in my chair. “Could Talbot have led them here somehow?” But then how could Agent Smith have tracked it so fast? My nails dug into my thighs. Maybe the other AI isn’t as good as Halle is at hiding its tracks. “Have you noticed any search codes? Icewalls? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“No.” Halle twitched its tail. “The message arrived moments after Talbot left. It cannot be the reason.”
He must be after Halle. I shoved away from the desk, sitting up in my chair. “I won’t let him discover you. What time is it?” Even as I spoke, my eyes landed on the clock in the corner of my computer’s screen. 1:58 PM. No time to prepare. Not that it mattered. “I’ll tell him to go away and leave me alone.”
As if hearing my words, the doorbell rang, its loud foghorn drone cutting through the last threads of control I had. I drew up my knees, arms wrapped around my legs. Despite the warmth of my room, goosebumps rose on my skin. If I refused to see him, what would he do? What could he do? As far as he knew, Halle was dead. Unless Talbot was in fact a Government trick. I clenched my teeth. The Government would not hesitate to threaten my family, of that I had no doubt. Not after they used me as bait to capture the scientists who had created me.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s see what he has to say.”
***
Agent Smith strode in like he always did, as if he owned the place. He had his ever-present clipboard tucked under one arm and his black fedora perched on his head. The sight of him brought back a lot of memories, none of them good. The fire, the hospital room, Halle’s near-death. My heart rate increased, as though I were sprinting from a nightmare. I wanted to turn and run out the back door. Instead, I straightened my shoulders and folded my arms.
“My parents won’t be happy if they find you here,” I snapped. “So make this fast.”
He stopped in the foyer and removed his sunglasses, revealing somber, light brown eyes that scrutinized the hall. “Is the AI here?”
He doesn’t know about Halle. Good. I steeled my expression. “You destroyed Halle, remember? Is that why you’re here? Why can’t you just leave me alone? I want you to leave. Now.”
Agent Smith nudged the door shut with his foot, then leaned against it. “Actually, my partner has been going over some data from the time of the AI’s supposed death and found some irregularities that suggest it might not have been destroyed after all. As you know, harboring a fugitive AI is a serious crime.”
“Halle is dead,” I retorted, channeling all my rage into tears that burned down my cheeks. It’s been months. Why come here at all? Just leave us in peace.
He released a sigh and tucked his sunglasses into his pocket. “I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. Be that as it may, my superiors believe I am meeting you, not it, so I must request your assistance.”
“You want my help?” I took a step back, shaking my head. He can’t be serious. “No way. Never.”
“There is a rogue AI on the loose,” Agent Smith said, flipping through notes on his clipboard. “We have reason to believe it means harm, and I was hoping that your AI friend might be useful in tracking it down before something happens.”
I scowled. “You thought the same thing about Halle, and it never threatened anyone.”
Agent Smith narrowed his eyes. “Actually, when you were dying on that hospital bed, your AI friend all but told me there would be hell to pay if you died.”
Halle had said that? The thought made my heart clench. Poor Halle. “It would never hurt someone on purpose. It was just scared and upset.”
“Perhaps.” His
