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“Let’s step back here a moment,” says Allison, spreading a liberal amount of cream cheese over her everything bagel. “What are we trying to do here, exactly?”

“We’re trying to stop an out-of-control cyborg from harming anyone.”

“Butishe harming anyone?”

“He talked about causing a distraction.”

“Did he say what kind of distraction?”

“No, but I got a sense he was going to mess with the sewer system or traffic lights.”

“Messing with traffic lights could cause some serious problems.”

“Exactly.”

“And why would he do that again? I feel like I’m a little slow on the uptake.”

“Because we’re used to fighting demons and devils, and not something that can attack us through the power grid, whatever the heck that means.”

She nods. “We’re out of our element.”

“Well, we damn well better make it our element.”

“So, why is he doing all this again? To be a jerk?”

“I’m not sure computers can be jerks. But he seems to think it will distract local officials from finding him and shutting him off.”

“Except we’ve already found him.”

“Right. And I’m pretty sure he’s out there right now tracking down some silver-tipped arrows. Or making the damn things himself.”

“Acting swiftly behooves us.”

“I think so, yes.”

“But... what do we do when we find him?” Allie asks. “Capture him? Cuff him?”

“Not sure. Andrew mentioned the necessity of an immediate surgery to remove the implant from his head.”

“Except the AI might not go down without a fight.”

I nod. “And unfortunately for Norman, he’s not immortal, no matter how much he may act like a dark master.”

“Yeah, this AI could get him killed. But do we even know if Norman wants to be free of it? I mean… was it something he agreed to from the start?”

“He wanted help, yes—something to regulate his memory and brain function. What he didn’t sign up for was having the AI take over his entire mind.” I crack my next bagel. “Whether he wants this AI in his head or not, isn’t my concern. My concern is helping him survive this ordeal, and having it removed seems to be the best plan for him.”

“So, the challenge is getting him to the operating room?”

“I believe so, yes—without getting us killed along the way—and keeping him away from a computer.”

“According to Andrew, he can access the internet with his mind.”

“Like a walking, talking Bluetooth?”

“Exactly.”

“He sounds kind of scary.”