Override (Glitch) by Heather Anastasiu
He looked down, his smile dimming slightly. “I forgot about it for a while when I was training so hard to become a Rez operative. But you brought it back to me. It’s how I felt when I met you too, you know.”
“Like what?”
“First when I had visions of you, and then after I met you in person, I felt it even stronger: I thought—here is a soul that calls out to my soul.”
I felt a deep, singing happiness at his words. He slipped behind me and tucked his hands around my waist, pulling my back into his chest. His chin nuzzled my neck as we looked out together. The colors shifted as each minute passed and, right when I’d think it couldn’t get any more beautiful, another shaft of light would break through and light up the earth with a new color. I was so swept up in the color and sharing it with Adrien that the moment felt magical. Unearthly. Incredibly fiery purple-gold rays shone from the edge of the horizon right as the sun finally dipped down behind the mountains.
“What changed?” I turned to look up at Adrien. I bit my lip hesitantly. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but I couldn’t help asking. “You seem different now. Did you have a new vision? Something good?”
“I have had some visions,” he said slowly. “They don’t always make sense. Some visions seem to contradict others.” He stared out at the dimming light. “Then there are things I’ve seen that have to happen if there’s any hope for us at all, even if they’re bad. I used to worry about it constantly, trying to follow the threads that connect the whole chain of events together. I spent countless sleepless nights trying to understand which visions I might be able to change and which ones I shouldn’t and which ones I would make happen by trying to stop them. It was making me sick.” He was quiet a moment. “But I had some long talks with the Professor and he’s helped remind me of some things I’d lost sight of.”
I swallowed. “Like what?”
“Like that the world is far bigger than just me.” His face was barely visible in the twilight, his strong cheekbones cutting a sharp shadow. “And I think I’m finally getting it in my head that having visions doesn’t make me personally responsible for everything that happens. I’ll still try to change what I can, and make happen the visions that need to come true. But I can see that I was spending so much time worrying about the future, I was losing out on the moments I have now.”
He looked at me, his voice soft. “Time is more precious than ever. And I want to spend every moment I have with the people I love. I want to spend it with you.” He pulled me close, wrapping his arms tightly around me and burying his face at the nape of my neck. “All I want is you,” he whispered. His body was so warm against mine, like he’d soaked up the sun and was reflecting it back to me. “All I want is you.” He repeated, his voice a low rasp.
Darkness fell around us, and it suddenly wasn’t enough to feel the pressure of his arms around me. I wanted to be able to touch him.
As if reading my mind, he pulled away and laced his fingers through mine. He tugged me back through the transport bay to the elevator. We didn’t say anything during the ride down. His words—All I want is you—kept pinging around my head. A flush crept up my neck. When I glanced up at him, he was watching me with a heart-thumping intensity. Something in the air had shifted. We were still just holding hands, but even through my glove, the touch felt electric.
The elevator pinged as we arrived back at the Foundation level. Adrien stepped out and gestured to the wash-down rooms. “You go first.” His voice was a little higher pitched than normal.
After moving quickly through the wash-down chambers, I hurried into the changing rooms and pulled on a fresh tunic set. I toweled off my hair and let it hang long and damp down my back.
Adrien emerged from the shower right as I came out of the changing room. He’d wrapped a towel around his waist. His chest was sturdy and wide, with the lightest tufting of hair.
He paused, watching me watch him.
The temperature of the room seemed to burn ten degrees hotter. He crossed the space between us and dipped his lips roughly to mine. He cupped my jaw and pulled me in closer.
I became aware of how little cloth was between us. I kissed him deeper and felt the buzzing explode in my ears, but I managed to keep the power inside me. I felt another burst of heat as I realized what that meant. With my newfound control, my power wasn’t a barrier between us anymore. We could finally get as close as we wanted to, with nothing to stop us.
I pulled my tunic over my head, leaving only a thin camisole beneath. Adrien paused, eyes widening for a moment before he pulled me back in tight. I kissed him harder, wanting to draw him as close to me as possible now that I could.
Sensation pulsed through my stomach like a sound wave. The intensity of it grew the longer I kissed him. His hands slid down my back, moving slowly from my shoulder blades down to my waist. I pressed my chest to his, letting out a low moan as he kissed from my neck down to my collar bone. I grabbed his head and forced his lips back to mine.
The pulsing heat sizzled inside me, building up and up—
But then suddenly both of our arm coms buzzed loudly at the same time. Adrien pulled away, breathing heavily, and I looked down at my wrist.
I swallowed hard as I read the words on the small readout screen, the moment shattered.
Ginni confirms that Chancellor Bright has left the site. Mission commences in one hour.
Chapter 15
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, our team was poised at the back docking station of the Chancellor’s glitcher compound. We’d taken two air transports and then switched into a supply vehicle that the Rez had hijacked. After so much waiting, it was surreal how fast everything was suddenly happening.
Taylor ordered us all to be silent and focus on our role in the mission. I shifted uncomfortably on the bench in the back of the truck. The air transport had been smooth, but this older vehicle still used wheels and it jostled constantly. The whir of oxygen circulating in my face mask seemed unduly loud in the silence.
The vehicle stopped suddenly and I was thrown into City’s shoulder. She didn’t even give me a glare. She looked as tense as I felt. No one said a word or looked at me, but I could feel the pressure mounting.
We all jumped down from the back of the vehicle onto the docking station. Adrien hurried over to the door and attached a small box. A small console screen projected from the door panel and he started clicking through complicated code.
“Zoel,” the General said, touching her earpiece. “Ginni says there are five Regs on the other side of that wall, and five more throughout the compound. Can you sense them?”
I breathed in and out like I’d trained and let the telek buzzing rise in time with my heartbeat. I felt myself expand outward, beyond the wall. Yes, there were the Regulators stationed at intervals in the hallways. Two of them began moving toward us. They must have been alerted to the supply van’s arrival.
Anxiety rose up and panicked thoughts tumbled over one another. What if I couldn’t do this when it counted? I thought about their metal reinforced hands crushing Milton’s head like an overripe fruit.
I needed to empty my mind, not let these frantic thoughts clog my head. I breathed in and out, focusing on the sound of my breath. The telek expanded outward again. The Regs were moving closer, but I didn’t allow myself to worry about what would happen if I failed. I just closed my eyes and let the energy surround each of the ten Regs throughout the compound. I squeezed my eyes tighter as I yanked the vertebrae apart, snapping their spines right at the C2.
The Regs all collapsed where they stood.
I nodded at Adrien. He’d been flicking through pages of code and hacking further and further into the security feed. At my nod, he tapped a few last times. The door slid open sideways with a hiss.
The General motioned forward with one arm. We crossed the threshold and then we were inside. The lights were bright after the heavy cloak of darkness. We all squinted as we piled into the narrow loading dock room while Adrien went to work on th
City paced in a circle by huge crates stacked to the ceiling. She dug her fingers into her palms. She had boasted so often about going on missions before, but I got the feeling those missions had been nothing compared to what we were attempting now, directly attacking a Comm Corp building.
I looked around at everyone else. Half a dozen Rez fighters had joined us when we’d switched transports. They stood still beside the four ex-Regs. Rand rubbed his hands together. A slight tendril of smoke came out from between his fingers.
“Hold it in until you get to the glitcher cells,” Taylor snapped.
“Sorry,” Rand said, and put his hands at his sides.
“Got it.” Adrien motioned forward as the door slid open, revealing a hallway that led in both directions. The hallways were sleek, with smooth, cream-colored walls and black tile on the ground. Halfway down the right fork, I could see two Regs laying on the ground where I’d dropped them.
“Just like we discussed during the debrief,” Taylor said. “Detachment A, you head left to release the glitchers. Detachment B, follow me.”
Adrien and I headed after Taylor, half the Rez fighters and three ex-Regs following right behind. I looked back once and watched the other team head the opposite direction. Anxiety bubbled up in my chest.
This was it. I’d already accomplished half my job. I tried to feel confident, but my heart still thumped wildly.
We stepped over the two immobile Regs, and I couldn’t resist a quick glance down. Their eyes were moving rapidly, but the rest of their bodies were completely still. For a moment I imagined what it must be like for them, their minds still receiving commands in bodies that would no longer respond. I shuddered a little, but then raised my eyes ahead and kept walking. At least they were alive.
The hallway ended at an elevator tube. As we came to it, Adrien swung his bag around and pulled out a slim card. He swiped it in front of the reader and the tube door slid open.
“Half of you stay to keep watch,” Taylor gestured to the Rez fighters, “And Tavid.” She indicated the tallest ex-Reg. “The rest come with me.”
We stepped into the elevator pod, everyone pressing closely together to fit. I looked around and wondered again what exactly we were retrieving.
We dropped swiftly, and the elevator opened again to a narrow entryway space leading to the thick metal door I was supposed to open. Two more Regs lay prone on the ground. I looked down at them, ready to see the blinking eyes, but while one of the Reg’s eyes twitched frantically, the other one was completely still. His eyes stared lifelessly ahead. His mouth was open and a line of spittle trailed down his chin. I dropped down and put a hand to his chest, trying to feel if there was a heartbeat or any movement of breath, but there was nothing.
He was dead.
I gasped, feeling a dizzy swirl of emotion. I couldn’t stop staring. I’d killed someone. He’d been alive one moment, and gone the next. Because of me. I felt like I was going to be sick.
Taylor stepped out of the elevator behind me and hauled me to my feet. “Focus on the mission.” She pointed ahead. “This is the first of the doors you have to open.”
When I didn’t reply right away, Taylor grabbed my shoulders and pushed my back up against the wall. “You have to focus.”
“Hey, stop it,” Adrien shouted, putting a hand on Taylor’s arm, but she easily pushed him back.
“The survival of the Rez itself depends on what is behind that wall,” she said. “Conscience, fear, regret, and any other thought in your head can wait until after this mission is through. Got it?”
I nodded and she let go. I knew she was right. I had to swallow the guilt for now. She and everyone else were depending on me.
She put her arms on my shoulders again. “Open these doors, and then we’re out of here. Can you do it?”
I nodded again and closed my eyes. For a second it was hard to grasp my telek. I couldn’t feel it anywhere. My thoughts were scattered. I could hear Taylor’s impatient huffing and felt Adrien pacing tensely in the background. He was angry at Taylor. I wasn’t. I couldn’t blame her for expecting me to do my part. The others stood silently.
I breathed. In and out. In and out. No distractions. I could do this. I would do this. I opened my eyes and looked at the thick door. I remembered back to my practice and thought about all the times I’d lifted equal weight with ease. I could not let myself fear. Fear would cripple my control.
Adrien came up beside me and took my hand. It was the anchor I needed. I stopped thinking. A high-pitched whine filled my ears, finally settling into the familiar buzz. My telek was back and at the ready.
I cast it outward and poured myself entirely in.
There. I finally felt the room in my head and with it came a sense of power and control.
Mentally, I lassoed a web around the door and tugged it. With a screeching grind of steel, the door lifted upward on its tracks.
I glimpsed the next metal door as Adrien went rigid beside me. He was having a vision, but there wasn’t time to wait for him to finish. Taylor had said this first door would set off an alarm. I had to keep going so we could get out of here as fast as possible. I cast my telek toward the second door.
But then Adrien shouted, “Oh God, it’s a trap!”
Chapter 16
IT WAS ONLY because my telek was already active that I sensed the laser barrels drop from the ceiling in front of the metal door.
I screamed in terror and felt the energy leave me without my control. Adrien threw his weight into me, knocking me behind one of the ex-Regs as my power ripped the weapons apart.
“We’ve got to get everyone out!” Adrien shouted, scrambling off me and pulling me to my feet. The ex-Reg we dove behind had some shrapnel from the laser barrels lodged in his chest, but he moved as if it didn’t bother him.
I looked back at the second barrier doors. “But we’re so close.” Taylor had said the object was vital to the Resistance’s survival. “Should we still try to get it?” I turned to General Taylor for orders, but just as I did, she crumpled to the ground.
A blooming red stain spread at her stomach. She gasped as she looked down at it.
A sharp hand-sized piece of metal was lodged in her left side, right below her rib cage. I’d been so clumsy with my telek, I hadn’t had time or thought to direct each piece of shrapnel safely away from us.
“Today?” Taylor whispered, looking back up at Adrien. Then she slumped sideways, unconscious.
“Adrien!” I screeched. I dropped down and reached to pull the chunk of metal out of her, but Adrien caught my hand.
“Don’t! She’ll bleed out for sure if you pull it out.”
I clicked my wrist com frantically. “Detachment A, are you there? Taylor’s down. We’ve got to abort. Now.”
I waited a second, but the only response was silence with an occasional clicking static.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“Grab Taylor,” Adrien said to Cole. The bulky ex-Reg boy picked Taylor up as Adrien swiped the card in front of the elevator tube.
Nothing happened.
“No!” Adrien yelled, slamming the wall. “Power to the elevator must have shut down.”
Adrenaline pulsed through me. I turned back to the elevator and pushed the door open the same way I’d done with the security doors.
“Get in!” I yelled, trying not to think in case I lost any of my momentum. The two ex-Regs and the other soldiers piled in, with Adrien and me right behind. I spared one last glance at the metal hatch behind us.
“If they knew we were coming, they’d have moved whatever was there anyway,” Adrien said, seeing where I looked. “Get us out of here.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. My telek was sharp. I could feel the shape of the tube tunnel above us and our elevator car lodged at the bottom.
I shook my head to get rid of my mounting fear. “No gravity,” I whispered, and suddenly the elevator’s brake gear had snapped and we were shooting up the tube.
I exited last and then slipped and fell to my knees.
The floor was slick with blood. I barely held back a scream as I saw the Rez fighters we’d left at the top of the elevator were dead, torn apart by laser fire.
“Oh my God,” Adrien said.
Tavid was dead, too. Cole let out a strangled noise when he saw him. He handed Taylor off to one of the Rez fighters who’d come up the elevator with us.
The laser barrels clicked to life above our heads. They must be motion sensitive. I’d been barely able to hold the elevator. I didn’t know if I could split my focus enough to disable them. But before I could even rally my telek to try, Cole leapt up, his hydraulic legs hissing as he launched himself toward the weapons. He ripped them off the ceiling before they could fire.
I couldn’t stop staring at the dead soldiers. My breath stopped in my chest. This was all wrong. None of this was supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission. No one was supposed to die.
A Rez fighter ran down the hall toward us from the entrance. “Someone’s trying to remote hack the transport. We need the techer right now.”
“Go.” I pushed Adrien ahead. “We’ll get the others.”
He hesitated.
“There’s no time. If they hack the transport, none of us are getting out of here.”
He nodded and ran after the Rez fighter.
I clicked my wrist com, but still there was no answer from the other group. “Why aren’t they answering?” I didn’t dare voice my real fear: What if they were already dead?
“Take Taylor back to the transport,” I said to the Rez fighters with us, before turning to the ex-Regs. “You two come with me, we’ve got to help the other group get out.”
They nodded and we ran down the hallway. I couldn’t hear anything from the other end. No laser fire, no screams. What was happening down there? My legs pumped fast even though I was exhausted from using my telek so much. I’d never done anything as energy-intensive as raising that elevator.