“The stuff that door is made of, but in fabric form.”
Seriously? How was that possible?
Now incapable of leaving the jacket on the mannequin, Kali slid it off its shoulders and onto her own. It was love at first shrug—light as a feather, with no strain points and perfect lengths on the sleeves.
Unable to help herself, Kali flipped up the hood and tried to find a reflective surface to check out the final look.
Hello, Kali, a male voice said in her head, and she literally jumped. I was hoping you’d make it this far.
Terrified, she pushed the hood back off.
The doctor was watching her, a funny look on his face. “Something wrong?”
Was there? She wasn’t sure. She’d heard a man’s voice as clear as day, but it hadn’t been the doctor’s.
“Just trying it out,” she said, pulling the hood back up a little more carefully this time.
Sorry, I scared you.
She shoved it back down.
The doctor was still looking at her. “Something wrong with the hood?”
Other than the fact that it was talking to her? No. Not a thing.
She shook her head, once again raising it up to cover her head.
Your heart rate is stabilizing, the voice said. I take it that means you’re figuring out what’s going on here—and, before you answer, you don’t need to speak for me to hear you. Just think the words.
Just think them? How did that work?
Yes, the voice said. Just like that.
Whoa. This was a bit of an upgrade from what she was used to.
It only works when the hood is up, the voice said. If you want me out of your head, take it off.
Okay, she thought, trying to catch up with the moment. You talk. What else do you do?
What do you want me to do?
Everything.
You’re going to need to be a little more specific than that.
Interesting. Sass. She didn’t expect that from a computer … or whatever this was.
Why don’t you start by asking me a question? it volunteered.
Okay. Sure. Why not? What are you?
I’m the AI Dr. Yalin thinks he mis-installed. I just wasn’t authorized to activate for him.
Who were you authorized to activate for?
You, it replied. Only you.
Why me? I’m not special.
According to my coding, you are.
That made no sense. Who programmed you?
My creator.
Why? she asked, honestly baffled. Why were you created for me?
I wasn’t, it replied. I was replicated and installed, just like I am in many locations. Although this is my first jacket. It’s…different, but I think I’m going to like it.
Like it? Aren’t you a computer?
An AI, it corrected. I have preferences. Some even argue that I’m sentient. You may believe whatever you choose.
Unreal.
Kali had no idea what to think, only that she needed her brain back to herself as she pushed the hood off her head.
Lucky for her, the doctor was focused on typing again and she had the relative silence of keys tapping and blow torches burning as a backdrop for her thoughts.
Things were getting both more surreal and more awesome at the same time. It was way too soon to succumb to any type of optimism that things would end any better for her than they had the past ten thousand times around. But…
She put the hood back on.
Hi, the male voice said.
Hi, she replied. Do you have a name?
I am called Ace.
Ace, she thought with a nod. A good name. Any tie-in with the deck of cards Dr. Yalin was telling me about?
Yes, it replied. There is a direct correlation. Not many people pick up on that.
Well, I try not to be the slowest one in the class.
So far, so good.
A sense of humor. How refreshing. Kali had never considered herself a funny person, but looping through death cycles had developed some of her droller sensibilities. Everyone needed a coping mechanism. Hers just happened to be a snarky inner narrator, which meant this Ace voice was going to fit in just fine.
Do you do helpful things, Ace?
That is my purpose, he replied. It was a computer, yes, but the voice had a familiar male tone. She would have to be careful not to start trusting it too much. Snark and soft tones would be easy to lean into when times got rough.
And Kali had no doubt things were going to get rough.
Like what? she asked.
If you could ask something of me, what would it be?
Whoa. Did she ever have a laundry list for a request like that.
Kali looked over at the doctor, typing away on the computer, getting ready to use Ace to delete all his files. She could definitely think of a few files she’d like him to delete while he was in there. Did they have time to add some of hers to the list?
Yes. He’ll be ready in less than a minute, Ace replied, even though she hadn’t thought those thoughts directly at him. It was kind of creepy. Also, he’s going to want your final answer on his invitation when he’s done. Although, I’ll warn you that those gloves he showed you earlier give him the power to force you. You’re going, either way, so I’d keep the jacket.
What about the launch codes? she asked. He thinks I know launch codes. Do you know them?
I will once I infiltrate the system to delete his files. I’ll be in and out, faster than a blink, but I’ll see everything while I’m in there.
Unreal. She couldn’t even imagine the processing power it would take to do that.
It’s my normal, he replied.
Your processor must be a city.
Yes.
Yes. No explanation. Just yes.
You are not authorized to know more than that, Ace added. Sorry.
Kali looked back over at the doctor, who appeared to be finishing up.
Why not delete everything while you’re in the mainframe? she asked. If you can delete his files, you can delete other files, too, right?
Yes, he said. But that would defy the rules of engagement. Blindly doing something like that would create chaos around the world. War would follow, and Dr. Yalin is not authorized to start a war. I will delete his files and no others. This will be frustrating to The Fours but result in little-to-no collateral damage.
Huh. Ethics. That was a change.
Could you delete my files while you’re in there? Kali asked before she could stop herself.
Her entire reason for spending time in VR was trying to learn how to be invisible to The Fours. The trouble was that they had way too much data on her, from her fingerprints to her DNA to her heat signature and every other metric imaginable.
They could literally find her via satellite if she stepped out into the real world.
But if all that data went away … if the pictures and the files and the test results—all of it—went away ... and if a virus was installed to recognize her information when inputted and automatically delete it? She might just have a chance in all this.
Is that what you want me to do? Ace asked. All those things you just imagined?
Yes! Kali all but yelled in her mind. I want the most vigilant secretaries to get urgent messages to destroy all my physical files and for all the digital files to disappear like the never existed.
She’d had time to think about what she would do if she could—often while laying somewhere, bleeding out in a virtual world. Thoughts of disappearing were her fantasies now. Bedtime stories she told herself when she needed her mind to rest and be happy for a minute to keep herself some level of sane.
I can do that, Ace replied.
Four words had never filled her with such hope and skepticism at the same time. She didn’t dare believe, but it was soul-crushing to doubt.
Kali chose her next words carefully. Will you do that?
I obviously have no control over organic matter. People will still recognize y
ou in person.
I can handle that, she replied, hating that the voice in her head was actually getting her to put hopes into words. But it wasn’t like she was sharing high-value insight into her psyche by asking to be deleted. Anyone in her position would want the same thing. It was a safe request. I just don’t want their system to be able to hunt me.
Very well. Watch the doctor, Ace said. The next time he hits enter, it will be done.
She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t do anything but watch as the doctor typed at his fevered pace, stopped, straightened to take a deep breath, and stabbed the Enter key.
Done, Ace said.
Strange. She didn’t feel any different.
You aren’t different, he replied. But your files are deleted and the emails have been sent to destroy physical resources. I also installed a bug that recognizes and terminates your information upon re-entry.
Just like that?
Just like that. You are officially invisible to The Fours.
She could have cried. Part of her was convinced she was being punked by a supercomputer, but the rest of her was crying.
In every scenario she’d run up to this point, the gauntlet to that information had been intense and insurmountable. It couldn’t be as easy as Ace just made it. The only way that was possible was if she really was in a new VR system that was playing a new game.
Things were never that easy in the real world. Never.
Just then, the doctor turned to her, picking up the fingerless gloves off his desk and looking ready to put them on.
“It’s time, Ms. Jensen,” he said. “I need your answer.”
She didn’t hesitate this time. She was all in for exploring a world where she was invisible to her enemy.
“Sure, doctor,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go ride a rocket.”
Chapter 23
Jack
The orchestra played to an empty dance floor. Guests seemed content to lounge as they waited for the bells to mark the end of the ball.
Tiki had disappeared long ago and General Zao had zero interest in talking to anyone but the prince as they waited for the final challenger of the night.
Malachi.
As for the prince, he was starting to look his age a bit, his eyelids drooping on the throne as his guests socialized below.
The prince hadn’t spoken to Jack since the exchange with Claire, possibly because Arthur had made a full-time hobby of watching their interactions.
It hurt that Jack’s mentor—his second father—would oppose his choice so harshly. Jack had done nothing but serve the man, asking for very little in return. Claire was his first big ask, and to be shut down so harshly cut deep. He didn’t want to call it betrayal, but he hadn’t found a different word for it yet.
All he knew was it hurt and left him confused.
On top of it all, Claire needed him and he couldn’t be there for her. Duty forbade it. Jack wasn’t a fae—an agent of chaos that could get away with abandoning his post and only reappearing every time something got a little interesting.
He’d only met a fae twice before, and those two instances added up to about ten frustrating seconds. After spending hours in Tiki’s presence, Jack still found her frustrating, but he had to respect her a bit.
Tiki had tricks he’d never learned—never dreamed of learning. But he’d figure them out. After the party. After Claire’s test.
Jack searched the guests below, making sure that the few people who could change Claire’s fate were still in attendance. Four kings, four queens. Arthur was a definite no, so that brought the number of potential sponsors down to seven, and people were getting tired.
No one would leave until the clock struck twelve, but they were fading. And that mattered. If they weren’t all waiting to see what Malachi had up his sleeve most of them likely would have retired by now. But they wanted to see if Malachi would be Abed’s sole mentor.
Jack was proud of the fact that every challenger had been sent packing. He wasn’t sure how often that happened. He’d need Margot or another Royal to fill him in on how common it was for the young prince or princess to go undefeated their entire party, but it felt good to represent the underclass so well.
Jack was doing his young prince proud, and if his performance could earn Claire some good will, then he was all about keeping the prince undefeated.
All he had to do was beat Malachi for the first time in his life.
“You should see your face,” Tiki said from next to him.
Only years of training kept him from flinching at her sudden appearance.
“You look like you’re trapped on a toilet with somewhere to be.”
Jack immediately did a self-check on his features and reset them to neutral. “So nice of you to rejoin us.”
“Whatever,” she said, perching herself on the arm of his chair. “Watching Rococo wilt is marginally more interesting than watching paint dry, but your girlfriend is still more interesting.”
Jack immediately perked up. “You saw her?”
She screwed her face at him like he couldn’t be dumber. “Of course. Where do you think I’ve been?”
Jack leaned forward. “How is she doing?”
“Terrible!” Tiki laughed, her amusement appearing genuine. “Like, seriously, so bad. She needs so much help, Jack.” She looked at him like a puzzle assembled backward. “You must really love her to want her as part of your house.”
He regretted asking. The longer he spent around the fae, the harder it was to remember the rules.
No gifts. No favors, he reminded himself.
“Less than an hour left,” she pouted. “And no phoenix.”
That caught his interest. “You don’t think Claire is one?”
Tiki rolled her eyes. “I’d have to put on your rose-colored glasses to even know where to start in answering that question. I mean, have you ever even met a phoenix?”
He shook his head. “No. Have you?”
Her pout deepened as if her answer was his fault. “No.”
“Then how do you know she’s not one? She could be.” What in the world was he saying? No. He didn’t want Claire to be a phoenix. Not even a little.
But, still, it felt right to defend her potential.
“First off,” Tiki said, counting the point off on a finger. “She’s a girl.”
“Says the girl,” he shot back, earning a shrug.
“I’m just saying that they’re usually men,” Tiki said with a helpless shrug. “Nothing against women, but historically speaking, they’re easier to derail. Put a baby in the mix and—boom—most of them back down and spend their lives protecting it. I don’t make the rules. It’s just how things play out.”
That sounded pretty sexist, but Jack didn’t have any way to contradict it.
“Plus, men are much quicker to kill women who threaten them.” She groaned, sending him a commiserating look. “Men. Am I right?”
Jack sent her a look. “I’m a man.”
“I forgive you. We can’t help how we’re born.”
Jack had no idea what to say to that.
Tiki sighed. “Pretty sure this is the most boring day of my life. How do you guys do it?”
Jack knew there was no point in answering, so he didn’t.
“You all are about as fun as watching cattle circle into a slaughterhouse. So polite, with everyone sticking with their buddies until the end-of-the-line. Just once, I want to see you all kick down the fences, bolt for the perimeter, and make a run for it. You know?”
Jack looked down on the room full of people enjoying each other’s company. He knew the fae liked shiny things—especially social explosions. Given the choice between this party and Tiki’s version of fun, Jack would choose this party. Every time. “That’s called chaos.”
“I call it social dusting.” She flared her eyes at him playfully. “And I love to clean.”
“Then what are you still doing here?” he said. “No one expected you to stay five minutes.
They wouldn’t blink if you left.”
The frown of her pout could have been drawn into a cartoon. “I haven’t seen Malachi’s gift yet, and I have no idea what it is.”
That caught Jack’s attention. “Wait. Isn’t that kind of your thing? You’ve known every present before it arrived.”
She nodded. “I know. But Malachi hid his, and I can’t find it anywhere in the building. I checked his jet, too. Nada thing. The man is good.”
“Maybe he doesn’t have one,” Jack offered, before his mind added, Maybe it’s Claire.
No. It couldn’t be her.
Could it?
“Oh, he has one,” she said, eyes narrowed competitively. “Or tonight won’t end well for him.”
That was a terrifying prospect, and Jack had enough self-preservation in him to leave it alone. Whatever dealings Malachi had with the fae, Jack wanted to be miles away from them, unless they concerned Claire.
“Well, he has less than an hour,” Jack said diplomatically.
So did Claire.
And there was nothing Jack could do about it.
Chapter 24
Claire
Margot’s hand covered Claire’s again, reassuring her in a way Claire didn’t know was possible. Claire was so intimidated by the powerful woman that she usually tried to mirror Margot’s seamless perfection. For some reason, she had it in her mind that Margot would be mad if she showed weakness.
But Claire had never been weaker, and Margot definitely wasn’t mad. She was … kind.
Behind her, Ren stood like an unflinching sentinel. He’d barely moved in the past few hours, even though he’d been invited to sit more than once. He’d refused, standing behind Margot’s shoulder, where he could best glare at Malachi. Malachi’s ever-present response was to act like Ren didn’t exist.
Claire had to tell herself to obsess about their dynamic later … at some time when she wasn’t totally failing.
“Take a moment,” Margot said as Claire tried to see what she was missing. “You’ve got this.”
No. She didn’t.
What she was looking at was child’s play. Literally. The kind of riddle she used to hear back when she was in school.
Black, blue, and green boxes each hold identical rings.
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