Viral Spark by Martin McConnell

Author:Martin McConnell [McConnell, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gecko Print Publishing
Published: 2017-12-13T18:30:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

Back in the apartment, I try to unwind by brewing some tea. Amanda hasn’t arrived yet, but I wait patiently with the tablet beside me on the counter, chirping away.

“Why don’t you try singing or something. The cricket noises are getting annoying.”

The device goes silent. I tap the counter and check the time. It’s only a few minutes after 1700, but my heart beats with anticipation. What if she changes her mind? What if Mike finds out? No matter how calming the chai normally is, it isn’t working this afternoon. My fingers drum at the counter as I speculate the possible reactions to sending her a private message.

A chime alerts me. I take one step, and then hesitate. One of two possible people are behind that door. Apprehension floods into my gut. If it’s Amanda, will I win her over? Or will I screw up?

If it’s Mike, I wonder if I’ll survive the encounter.

There’s only one way to find out. I step toward the door, close my eyes, take a deep breath, and hope for the best. When I move in front of the threshold, it slides open. Amanda is standing there, by herself, and smiling.

“What’s up with making me wait out here in the hall?”

“I’m a little jumpy today. Sorry. Come in.”

“Jumpy about what?”

“I don’t know. I’m kind of stressed out. I’m trying to track this virus so that I can make the higher-ups in the main office take note of me. And to be honest, I’m a little worried about Mike showing up.”

“If Mike shows up here, just call the police. He was talking a bunch of trash about you last night. Making all these claims about how I’m cheating on him and this and that. Stupid gorilla.”

I catch myself chewing on my bottom lip, and interrupt the nervous tick with, “want some tea?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Darn, I thought you were just using the tea as an excuse to see me.” My attempt at levity backfires, and my internal voice criticizes me for the stupid comment. My muscles seize up, making control of Amanda’s tea cup difficult. The infuser shakes in my hand as I swirl it in the hot water haphazardly.

“Maybe I was,” she says.

Everything goes numb. Everything except for my throat, which swallows itself dry. “What?”

“Or maybe I’m just finding a safe haven from––”

“What,” chirps the device in a mechanically feminine voice.

“What the hell is that?” asks Amanda.

“What, What.”

My body is encased in solid glass, like one of those stupid decorations at the antiques shop. I’m aware of what’s going on, but petrified. My cheeks turn to ice, and I stop breathing. The throbbing of my head is the only movement.

Amanda’s voice changes to a very soft and cautious tone. “What’s that tablet doing?”

“What, what, what.”

My head snaps toward the device. The display hasn’t changed, but if this isn’t proof of intelligence, then I’m not sure what is.

“Bee?”

“What, what.”

“Holy crap.”

“What’s going on?” asks Amanda.

“It’s learning how to speak.”

“What do you mean?”

“What, what. What, what.”

“The virus. It’s trying to communicate.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.