Page 126 of CHOICE Lover
“Why do you ask?” she shrugs.
“You said our relationship was transactional, but James said we were friends. I was curious about what you thought.” He looks away as if uninterested in her answer, but secretly hoping it will be yes. The story’s hero always has a quirky sidekick, and Sable is definitely quirky. Well, perhaps not quirky.
“Do you want us to be friends?” She doesn’t flinch as her stare meets his.
Saying yes feels incredibly vulnerable. Risky. Out of character. He swallows. “Yes.” Electra would be so proud.
Sable’s grin is , and he wonders if she knows how she comes across. “OK then. We’re friends.”
“But why are you smiling like that?” He figured since they’re friends now, he has the right to ask.
“K8 keeps saying human connection is dead, but given our straightforward transaction, making friends doesn’t seem so difficult.” She picks at her perfectly manicured nails. “Speaking of, does this mean I’m obligated to come to this group dinner of yours?”
There’s a subtle edge of vulnerability in her tone that contradicts her words. Something about it causes him to feel a twinge of affection. “It’s a requirement.”
“If I must.”
His device pings. He glances at where it sits on his desk, the clear glass illuminated bright blue.
They both stare at it.
“Another message?” She asks.
He glances at it, noting the same user. He casts the message onto the largest of his screens. There is another image showing a visor-scrambled man holding Electra up against the wall by her neck. Another figure holds a sparkler at her temple.
“They’re wearing those ID Scrambler Visors,” Sable observes.
“I see that.” Does she think he is that much of an idiot?
“The man in the cabinet’s reflection wasn’t altered. If that really is Lextr, is it possible he’s also a captive?”
Before he has time to consider it, another message arrives. It’s a block of text and a link.
We require you to upload the above list of requirements to the following link by 08:00. Once our team has assessed the validity ofthe information, we will release the hostage. If the information is not received, she will be recycled.
The next image is of a silver tray with two ominous syringes on it, which does more to send a message than any weapon they might send ever would.
“Have you got anything?” Sable asks.
He looks away from the message to see her pacing. He opens his mouth, but she holds a finger up and points to her m-volt.
“From where? . . . Really? . . . Impossible.”
She continues speaking, presumably to Oro1. The longer the conversation goes on, the more ominous it feels until she finally says, “This is worse than we thought. Send the files over. We’ll let you know if we need anything else.” She hesitates. “Actually, do you think we could get our hands on a few sparklers?”
His stomach twists into an impossible knot. “What’s worse than we thought?”
She moves around the desk again, taking back control of his system. She goes to the BLACKOUT window, where her messages are still open. There is a document containing several pictures of the man who stared directly into the camera before abducting Electra.
“We have a lead.”
“Sable, what’s worse than we thought?”
“Perhaps I should have said this isbiggerthan we thought. The man in the image is a low-level lab tech for ManuMATE in their product research division. He got transferred from another municipality after some undisclosed legal issues were resolved. He started working for the company as soon as he arrived, which is odd considering the hiring process at ManuMATE is notoriously strenuous.”
Res6 buries his head in his hands, which seems to be all he can do lately. “So does this mean ManuMATE is trying to bring back reincarnates too? But why would they need Electra when they can justfind another reincarnate on BLACKOUT? Can Oro1 find out if Lextr is working for them now, too?”
She pauses to send a message. “Oro1 is on it. As far as ManuMATE’s involvement, I highly doubt the company knows about it. Wouldn’t it make more sense that a few employees have gone rogue?”
