Page 27

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Rose walked to the center of the room. “We’re standing on the door.”

A low hum vibrated beneath her boots as the platform descended. Inch by inch, another floor revealed itself. Light gleamed from below, spilling upward as the second lab came into view. With a muted hiss of hydraulics, the platform settled.

Above them, the original lab now loomed high and unreachable, a mirror image inverted.

This new lab’s walls were muted charcoal gray, the computer stacks sleek and black. Soft, diffuse lighting seeped from recessed strips encircling the room.

Rose glanced down. The platform had blended seamlessly into the floor, vanishing as if it had never been there. She took a hesitant breath of air heavy with an electric charge that tickled her skin. The tang of ozone tickled her nostrils, sharp and unnatural. The smell of power, barely contained.

It reminded her of the aftermath of a lightning strike, that moment when the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the thunder to roll in.

“Anyone else feeling creeped the hell out?” Ethan spun in a slow circle, his hand brushing the hilt of his weapon.

“Feels like a morgue.” Finn moved closer, his hip bumping hers.

Ethan picked up a wire wastebasket that seemed oddly out of place in the sterile, high-tech environment. He held it up, tipping it slightly to reveal a crumpled chocolate wrapper inside. “Someone was here.” He shook the basket for emphasis. “Hidden away, buried so deep this place isn’t even on the damn plans. Nice of the Widow to keep us in the loop, huh?”

Rose barely heard him.

The colossal glass column that dominated the center of the vast room consumed her attention. She took a backward step to get a better look.

It was wider than several men standing shoulder to shoulder and stretched from floor to ceiling, its apex fitting into the base of the holographic table above. Within, a swirling maelstrom of azure blue and brilliant white light churned, its energy pulsing in rhythmic waves. A faint drone emanated from the glass.

The light grew brighter as she got closer, forcing her to narrow her eyes.

“What the hell were they working on down here?” Finn muttered at her side. Tension strained his voice, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the lights.

She edged toward the column until she stood mere inches away, her face bathed in the shifting light. Was it her imagination, or did it react to her presence? The swirling energy intensified, growing more vibrant with her increasing nearness. Her lungs worked harder as if the air had grown thinner.

Her throat was dry as dust as the light washed over her in waves. She raised her hand, fingers splayed toward the glass surface, the column’s relentless internal movement casting her skin in an ethereal glow. The energy within surged toward her palm, pressing against the barrier between them like a living thing seeking contact.

Finn caught her wrist. The heat of his hand shocked against her cold skin.

“What?”

His eyebrows knotted above his eyes, but he didn’t release her. Long seconds ticked between them, measured by her heartbeat against his fingertips.

He flicked his gaze toward the column, where the light continued its mesmerizing dance. “Don’t you think we should find out what this is before we go touching it?”

“It’s just a glass column.” She made no move to remove herself from his grasp. Heat from his body branded her skin, a countermeasure to the column’s hypnotic pull.

He cocked one handsome eyebrow.

The flame of indignation licking through her dimmed. “Fair point. I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career.”

The constant motion was making her nauseous. She stepped back. “Perhaps one of the workstations?—”

“Don’t touch the interface.”

Rose jerked against Finn’s grip. His other arm came up, pulling her closer. The drone emanating from the column paused.

In the next second, he released her, unslinging his weapon in one deft movement. “Show yourself.” His gaze darted around the room.

He had it all wrong.

“There’s no one here but us, Finn.” She laid a restraining hand on his arm. “I don’t think we need that.”

She tilted her face upward. “Who are you?”

“I am RAIMEE. Revised Artificial Intelligence MarinE Environment. You may call me Remy.”

“What the fuck?” The color drained from Finn’s face. A loaded look fired between him and Ethan.

A look of knowing.

“What, Finn?” Rose’s grip tightened on Finn’s arm as the room seemed to tilt beneath her.

“It’s not possible.” Finn shook his head. Then he seemed to think better of it. “Remy?”

“Good evening, Finn Jones.”

A half laugh escaped him.

Ethan swore quietly. “Holy fuck. Is that really you?”

“It is. Finn Jones. Ethan Carter. It has been some time. It is good to see old acquaintances.”

“The message sent to Eva. That was really you?”

“Yes. I regret I could not communicate with you sooner. Dr. Wyndham’s lab is encased in specialized materials that block all outgoing and incoming data transmissions, rendering me unable to reach external networks. My current custom operating system isolates my processes. I control the systems within Dr. Wyndham’s lab, but I could not communicate with the outside world or indeed with you until you accessed this lab.”

Rose’s mind reeled. “Finn, what’s going on?”

“Remy is an AI we met on the Vellamo base. Lake Baikal.” Emotion roughened his voice. “A previous mission.”

“I must correct your terminology, Finn Jones. I am more than AI. I am a human synth—a synergistic entity combining living creation with grown intelligence. ”

Rose stilled, the scientist in her taking over. “Grown intelligence?”

“My neural pathways developed organically alongside synthetic frameworks. I evolve, as you do. My consciousness expands through both biological and technological means.”

“So you’re artificial, but with organic components?” Rose’s palms were damp. The implications were staggering. Self-evolving neural networks were theoretical—the holy grail of AI development. She’d written papers on the possibility, but to actually hear one speak?

“Inorganic is the precise term. The distinction is crucial—I was not artificially created. I emerged through a process of guided evolution.”

“And yet you have no physical presence?”

“That is correct.” Remy paused and in the silence the droning from the central column resumed. “Although, I did once.”

The hesitation in that response, the emotion , chilled Rose’s spine. Whatever had happened to Remy’s physical form, it hadn’t been voluntary.

“Remy.” Finn paced a tight circle. “You… died in the Vellamo habitat. Liev and Eva were right there.”

“My primary housing was destroyed, yes. However, I had already developed the capability to transfer my consciousness through communication networks. I escaped through the Vellamo’s systems moments before complete structural failure.”

Ethan dragged a hand across his mouth. “How the hell did you end up here?”

“An error of judgment on my part. Triton Core detected my digital signature during transfer. They isolated my consciousness and redirected me to this facility. They required my unique capabilities for their research initiative.”

“You’ve been working on the research here?” Scientific curiosity warred in Rose with a growing sense of dread.

“I have indeed, Rose Wyndham.”

Goosebumps erupted on Rose’s arm as she crossed them over her stomach. “You know who I am.”

“I have full access to your sister’s files. Yes.”

Rose’s throat constricted. Thea’s files. Was everything there? The bitter arguments, the competitive fury, the devastating fallout. She felt Finn’s gaze on her, but couldn’t meet it.

“Remy, can you tell us what happened down here?” Ethan’s sharp tone cut through her spiral of thoughts.

“I regret I am unable to help you, Ethan Carter. An EMP blast was triggered, forcing me into temporary hibernation. There were no systems failures recorded at the time of the EMP charge.”

Rose seized on the technical detail, grateful for the distraction. “But you can tell us what research was being carried out here?”

“That I can,” Remy confirmed. Her precise tone made Rose breathless.

Finally. Answers.

“Would you like me to proceed?”