The Coded World by A.R. Knight

The Coded World by A.R. Knight

Author:A.R. Knight
Format: epub


TWENTY-FOUR

COLD BLOOD

Delta didn’t so much lead us as carve a path. With Beta’s blades backing her up, the vessel leapt down the stairs several at a time, bisecting the haphazard flexi-mechs, couriers, and a couple more hulks remaining in our way. I stayed back with Fang, both of us choosing the occasional moment to snipe a perfect shot. For once I felt our progress inexorable, the outcome already certain.

Alpha’s flexi-mech army had disappeared, scattered to the Fabrication Lines, to elsewhere on Starship, or, as a glow down and to our right revealed, the outside. Alpha re-opened Starship’s exit with the dawn and natural light spread across the Conduit.

“Think he’ll run?” Kaydee asked as we hit the next level, only a couple away from our goal, the Bridge.

“If he’s smart,” I said. “So no, probably not.”

“He’s lived this long,” Kaydee countered.

“Narrow escapes add up, right?” I replied. “He won’t get away every time.”

I felt a hand on my shoulder, saw Fang looking at me close again.

“Talking to your mind?” She asked, more concern in those words than I expected.

As if she thought I had some grave illness.

“Discussing plans,” I said.

We stepped through some sparking remnants, a flexi-mech’s feeble parts marking our path. The spastic metal on metal cutting sounds guided us too, punctuated here and there by a knife’s ringing impact.

“Plans for what?” Fang continued.

“Alpha.”

She nodded, “Good. So long as it stays that way.”

“Focused on the objective?”

“Focused on what we need you to do.”

Another strange statement. Another human putting mechs in their lower-than-thou place. I wrote it off, just as I had with Val. After Alpha, we’d leave Fang and their little group behind.

“Made that decision already, huh?” Kaydee said.

Made it after meeting Pravda. The man had ego to burn, salved it by blaming us. Not even Val would go that far. My programming pushed me to help the humans, but it didn’t specify which ones.

I’d choose the group treating me better than dirt.

“Not that they did at the start,” Kaydee muttered. “Guess they learned, though.”

After I’d earned their respect, sure. I just didn’t care to try earning Fang’s.

We hit the Bridge’s level alive. The half-moon platform extended out from Starship’s bow, serving as a welcome to Starship’s most important room. A clean welcome too: the cherry red barriers leading to the Bridge itself weren’t even up.

Only Alpha, alone on the platform, facing us. Un-armed.

“My favorite friends coming back for more?” Alpha asked as our quartet spread around him. “I thought I left you outside?”

Delta glanced at me, gave a short nod. The code exception worked: she had no blocks. Now the only choice was whether we sliced Alpha up or asked him a few questions first.

“You left holes,” I said. “What are—”

The shot canceled my voice, its bright blip blinding me for a moment. The energy traveled, struck Alpha right in the chest. A second and a third followed, each one blasting into Alpha until he collapsed, smoking, to the ground. Fang peppered the vessel twice more until I wrestled the pistol away.



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