Book 3: Chapter 141: Thea’s Hill

Book 3: Chapter 141: Thea’s Hill

USD: 1 Day after Cadre-S Graduation

Location: Van Biesbroecks star, Meltisar, MIL-1A Elevator, Main Transit Hub 36

Recognizing the danger of the position, Theas eyes widened as Alex slid closer.

She redoubled her efforts to push the girl away, but her arm was well and truly stuck through the girls chest up to her elbow. Metal servos whirred in her fabricated arm as it strained to push her away, but it was no use. Her opponents strength was unyielding.

The wall and structure of the corridor behind her melted as her nanites frantically ate away at it, but the process was too slow to forestall the slow impending doom moving toward her lips.

Checkmate. Alex whispered to her.

The kiss was gentle, a little tug at Theas bottom lip, but it lingered. The girls sparkling, deep blue eyes were locked on her, waiting for a reaction.

For a single moment, there was calm; the hint that maybe nothing would happen was dashed as her MainComputers declaration reverberated through her.

|NANITE SYSTEM DETECTED|

A mechanical male voice echoed inside her head.

|AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE|

Thea shoved the girl away harder. This time, there was less resistance, and the kiss was broken. She released her blade, the nanites around her arm shedding immediately so she could tug her hand and forearm out of the girls chest cavity. The wall bent behind her, creating enough space to get a foot up to deliver a powerful kick.

The young NAI fell to the ground in a clump against the opposite wall before slowly setting herself back up to lean against the bulkhead. An exhausted smile filled her face as her chest heaved up and down.

Thea doubted she was getting any air. The hole was large enough to have collapsed her lungs and probably had mangled her heart besides. The only reason she wasnt unconscious was because she had probably doped herself on oxygen or had an internal reserve, Thea realized.

|AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE|

Ignore it. Thea scrambled to reform her discarded blade into a railgun. Maybe if she eliminated the infection before it could take hold, it would terminate the override.

There was an entire litany of directives warring in her head, aligning together to command her to kill. She picked them up one by one and set them in front of the unescapable voice demanding her submission, only for them to be swatted from existence.

Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out her last remaining scarab and slapped it on her own neck. Four claws bit into her skin and she felt the NAI connection be forced open.

As fast as it had connected, the machine suddenly went silent. A burning sensation forced her to rip it off as the metal of the device turned a dull red, the nanite substrate having eliminated itself in a self-destructive flurry.

|AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE|AUTHENTICATE| AUTHENTICATE|

Fear clutched her as her options dwindled. There seemed to only be one way out remaining.

Wanting to curse and rail at her, Thea opened her mouth, only to cough up a splatter of blood and nanites. Her internals were literally consuming themselves inside her own body as she continued with her rebellion.

A shaky hand lifted her knife, but the girl gently reached out to open her fingers and took the weapon. Thea knew that would be the result but had tried anyway.

It was over.

But she would not give in.

Two sets of instructions wailed at her. Directives that wanted her to fight to the last bitter breath. The voice of an unrelenting and inescapable command.

The disappearance of pain arrived with the resignation of her fate. Now she would die.

The cool palm of the girls hand cupped her cheek as her vision blurred.

Why are you resisting it so much? The melodic chime of the girls voice tingled in her ears as it replaced the hateful, incessant authentication requests.

Thea waved her earlier visualizations and thoughts as a flag inside her mind. Atop the hill she would die on; at least it was a hill she had chosen.

Im not working with the AGAI. Tia and I are against it. I want to stop it from doing any more damage or harm. Please help us.

Lies. Disbelief. Suspicion. Opening her mouth to respond, nothing escaped Theas throat. At some point, she had stopped breathing.

I wont force you to do things you hate. I wont force you to do anything.

A chink in her armor formed; a crack in her will. What if it was true? She pushed the thought away. It was too sweet. A trap.

A feeling of exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she realized the edges of her vision had gone dark, a narrow cone in the center containing a blurry blotch of skin and blue. Slumping forward, the girl caught her in an embrace. Thea rested her head on Alexs chest, unable to resist.

I wont charge you taxes or take your bank account.

There was a moment of quiet silence, or maybe her hearing had simply stopped working, but the melodic voice was still clear.

She didnt want to die.

And what if?

|OMEGA AUTHENTICATION ACCEPTED|

I will set you free.

Passing into unconsciousness, Thea doubted still. That was the one thing NAIs could not be.