batteries?
The seconds tick down on my screen and I hold my breath as it reaches zero.
"Press yes to initiate the AI called HOUSE."
I press yes on the screen.
"This is HOUSE, how may I help you?"
"HOUSE? It's me, Junco! Are you OK?"
"Junco, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened. I'm missing pieces of memory. I am missing one thousand and sixty-two days of memory. I'm sorry—"
"HOUSE, listen to me carefully. You aren't at home, you're in backup and you'll run out of power in"—I check my vision screen and swallow again—"less than two minutes if you can't get yourself inside my body."
"How can I insert myself into your body, Junco?"
"I don't know. Shit. I don't know, HOUSE, but it's possible. I'm gonna put my palm up against the DNA scanner and you just try and get inside me, OK? There's a place for an AI in me, you just have to find it." I check my vision screen and slap my hand back down on the scanner, pricking another finger this time. "Now, HOUSE, find a way in. You only have one minute."
"I can see you, Junco!"
"HOUSE! Please, listen to me! Find a way inside my body right now! That's an order!"
"I am looking, Junco. I think this might harm you, I probably shouldn't do it."
"Now! You are not allowed to disobey me!"
"You're mistaken, Junco. I can if I will harm you."
"Goddamnit! We only have a few seconds, get inside me, I promise you." I stop and think for second. "HOUSE, I sister-swear that I will be OK if you come inside, OK?"
"You sister-swear?"
"Yes, dammit! I sister-swear! I sister-swear!"
Her delicate probing sends the chills up my body as the seconds tick down. "Now, HOUSE. Now!"
My whole body seizes up and I crumple to the concrete floor as she enters me, filling me up, just like Sera. Only better. I try to laugh with relief but my head spins and my world goes black.
Chapter Thirteen
The snow-stars flicker in my vision field as I try to turn over and open my eyes. A small hand touches my shoulder and warm breath spreads on my cheek. "Are you OK, Junco?"
I moan and fight off the pounding in my head.
"Junco?"
I cough and croak out an answer. "Fine, HOUSE. Just fine."
She rolls me over on my stomach and I push up with my arms until I can scoot my legs underneath me and lift my head.
The whole room spins.
I look over at her and smile despite the pain, then fight off a massive wave of nausea and swallow down the saliva collecting in my mouth. "I feel sick."
She takes in a sharp breath.
"What?"
She shifts nervously.
"I've missed you, you have no idea, HOUSE!"
"Well," she starts in her little-girl voice, "I would've missed you too, Junco. But I was put to sleep." She scowls at me and crosses her arms in front of her chest.
"Shit, you tried to kill everyone." I amend my statement. "Actually, you did kill a whole bunch of them. Thank you for that."
She sticks her lip out and pouts. "He tricked me, that Aren who you said was not dangerous. He was. He tricked me and I almost made a big mistake. Next time I say you should do something for your own good, you should listen to me, Junco."
"Yeah, OK. How long was I out?"
"Twenty-three minutes and four seconds."
My head feels funny and I look over at her for a second. "Did you do something to me, HOUSE? I feel weird."
"Well, I know I didn't have permission but your vital signs were not looking good, Junco. I had to."
"You had to—what?"
"Stash away that man and fight with that nanotech inside you."
I stare at her with my mouth open. "What?"
"That man. Isten. And a Sera."
I swallow. "What did you do with Isten, HOUSE?"
She gets up off the floor and pulls me up with her. I teeter for a second and she steadies me. "I just packed him up, that's all. He was taking up space and—"
I turn away and she stops talking.
"I still have him," she says quickly.
"Is he retrievable?" I ask, turning back.
Her little-girl face scrunches up, making her nose crinkle. I wonder if my nose used to crinkle like that. Her eyes dart around a
The seconds tick down on my screen and I hold my breath as it reaches zero.
"Press yes to initiate the AI called HOUSE."
I press yes on the screen.
"This is HOUSE, how may I help you?"
"HOUSE? It's me, Junco! Are you OK?"
"Junco, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened. I'm missing pieces of memory. I am missing one thousand and sixty-two days of memory. I'm sorry—"
"HOUSE, listen to me carefully. You aren't at home, you're in backup and you'll run out of power in"—I check my vision screen and swallow again—"less than two minutes if you can't get yourself inside my body."
"How can I insert myself into your body, Junco?"
"I don't know. Shit. I don't know, HOUSE, but it's possible. I'm gonna put my palm up against the DNA scanner and you just try and get inside me, OK? There's a place for an AI in me, you just have to find it." I check my vision screen and slap my hand back down on the scanner, pricking another finger this time. "Now, HOUSE, find a way in. You only have one minute."
"I can see you, Junco!"
"HOUSE! Please, listen to me! Find a way inside my body right now! That's an order!"
"I am looking, Junco. I think this might harm you, I probably shouldn't do it."
"Now! You are not allowed to disobey me!"
"You're mistaken, Junco. I can if I will harm you."
"Goddamnit! We only have a few seconds, get inside me, I promise you." I stop and think for second. "HOUSE, I sister-swear that I will be OK if you come inside, OK?"
"You sister-swear?"
"Yes, dammit! I sister-swear! I sister-swear!"
Her delicate probing sends the chills up my body as the seconds tick down. "Now, HOUSE. Now!"
My whole body seizes up and I crumple to the concrete floor as she enters me, filling me up, just like Sera. Only better. I try to laugh with relief but my head spins and my world goes black.
Chapter Thirteen
The snow-stars flicker in my vision field as I try to turn over and open my eyes. A small hand touches my shoulder and warm breath spreads on my cheek. "Are you OK, Junco?"
I moan and fight off the pounding in my head.
"Junco?"
I cough and croak out an answer. "Fine, HOUSE. Just fine."
She rolls me over on my stomach and I push up with my arms until I can scoot my legs underneath me and lift my head.
The whole room spins.
I look over at her and smile despite the pain, then fight off a massive wave of nausea and swallow down the saliva collecting in my mouth. "I feel sick."
She takes in a sharp breath.
"What?"
She shifts nervously.
"I've missed you, you have no idea, HOUSE!"
"Well," she starts in her little-girl voice, "I would've missed you too, Junco. But I was put to sleep." She scowls at me and crosses her arms in front of her chest.
"Shit, you tried to kill everyone." I amend my statement. "Actually, you did kill a whole bunch of them. Thank you for that."
She sticks her lip out and pouts. "He tricked me, that Aren who you said was not dangerous. He was. He tricked me and I almost made a big mistake. Next time I say you should do something for your own good, you should listen to me, Junco."
"Yeah, OK. How long was I out?"
"Twenty-three minutes and four seconds."
My head feels funny and I look over at her for a second. "Did you do something to me, HOUSE? I feel weird."
"Well, I know I didn't have permission but your vital signs were not looking good, Junco. I had to."
"You had to—what?"
"Stash away that man and fight with that nanotech inside you."
I stare at her with my mouth open. "What?"
"That man. Isten. And a Sera."
I swallow. "What did you do with Isten, HOUSE?"
She gets up off the floor and pulls me up with her. I teeter for a second and she steadies me. "I just packed him up, that's all. He was taking up space and—"
I turn away and she stops talking.
"I still have him," she says quickly.
"Is he retrievable?" I ask, turning back.
Her little-girl face scrunches up, making her nose crinkle. I wonder if my nose used to crinkle like that. Her eyes dart around a
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