Page 33 of Seductive Architect (Grunts of Vanguard #2)

“We won,” I mumbled. Hollow as it sounded, the bastard was gone.

I closed my eyes, and for a second, I let it hurt… let myself feel. I embraced my humanity. Connie would have demanded it.

“Thanks, partner,” I whispered .

I wouldn’t shut it off. Not this time.

I blinked in disbelief. “We won.”

The words felt hollow, the price far greater than I could have imagined.

I let my cheek rest on the cold tile, the chill anchoring me as I clenched my eyes shut.

The non-stop hum of Apex had ended. There was no more killer artificial intelligence infecting others with its code. I prayed the others were safe.

I need to collect my friends, ensure there were nothing more than scrapes and bruises. Once I confirmed they were okay, I’d give myself time to mourn. Right now, I needed to?—

Glass shattered.

It had been too easy. I turned to find one of the tubes destroyed. The man inside stepped out as the contents washed along the floor. If the sound of code didn’t give him away, the sneer did.

“Why won’t you give up?” Seriously. This fight had dragged on for way too long. That had been a speedy fight, even if it hadn’t gone our way.

“I won’t stop until I achieve my primary objective.”

“Enslave mankind, yeah, yeah. You’re like a broken record.” Closing my eyes confirmed a suspicion. Our robotic friend had downloaded himself into the body to avoid being corrupted by the virus before his code came and went, it was transmitted between computers and people.

“You’re trapped.” It was my turn to smile. “How’s it feel being bound to a body?”

He held up his hands, inspecting them. While he studied his newfound body, I rebooted my suit. I wanted to drive my knuckles into that chiseled jaw. I wanted to hear him scream while I avenged Connie.

“Primitive,” he said. “But it’ll do for now.”

His fists clenched tightly at his side. I had seen Hudson fight. Apex would have skill, but I think I stood a chance. The newness of his body might give me the upper hand. Almost rebooted… he stopped?

Hudson lunged across the tile, planting himself squarely between us.

His fists were drawn as he crouched, ready to lunge at his creator.

I wanted to be the leader of this operation, but I still needed the help of my teammates.

I couldn’t deny the surge in my chest at having a personal bodyguard. Apex could never stop us both.

“The failed creation,” he said.

“Evolved,” Hudson spat back. “Somebody’s jealous that their programming has become stagnant.”

“You could have been the perfect soldier,” Apex said. I prepared for another monologue. At least it’d give me time for my suit to reboot. “You were the first. Too bad you were my first failure. ”

Even if Apex wasn’t his father in the traditional sense, that had to sting. I wouldn’t stand for him demeaning Hudson. “What you see as a failure is a victory,” I growled. “Give up, Apex.”

Hudson scoffed. “I didn’t meet your expectations? Then maybe you should have set the bar higher.” His foot dug in, ready to send him skyrocketing forward. “You won’t make that mistake again.”

“I can hear your every thought,” Apex said. “Perhaps you’re right. Let’s see how much of a soldier you are.”

What did Apex have hidden up his sleeve? I didn’t have time to speculate. Hudson’s muscles went slack, his posture turning robotic. The tension in his muscles vanished.

“You’re still mine,” Apex hissed. He took a step closer, and Hudson did nothing.

No fists flying, no hurling Apex through a window.

When Apex’s hand touched his cheek, I could hear the exchange.

I couldn’t tell the difference between their code.

Apex had given Hudson an order, and it seemed he couldn’t resist.

“Don’t touch him!”

“Fulfill your programming,” he whispered.

Again, Hudson’s fingers rolled into fists. I prepared a victory cheer for when he sent Apex flying with an uppercut. It caught in my throat as Hudson turned around, eyes void of emotion. Apex had reduced him to another mindless soldier. My Hudson was gone.

The suit finished its reboot just in time to catch Hudson’s fist. Even with it, he pushed me back. The rocket on my backpack fired, holding me in place. I knew he was strong, but I didn’t realize he could give Wyatt a run for his money.

He yanked my wrist, dragging me in as his knee slammed my gut, knocking the wind from my lungs. I struggled to pull free. I blocked his palm to the chest. Stumbling backward, the wall prevented me from falling. Throwing up a shield, I drained the last of the suit’s battery.

“I won’t fight you, Hudson,” I whispered, voice cracking. “I can’t.”

“You have no choice.” He could think of himself as a machine. The slight cackle in his voice said otherwise.

Hudson’s fists slammed down, sending out ripples of purple light. I dropped the visor, scanning through the weapons. I had come prepared to tussle with Apex. There weren’t many in the way of?—

The shield shattered. The cannon on my shoulder transformed and fired a subsonic blast. Hudson covered his ears, growling, but he didn’t retreat. When he charged, I threw up my arms to block his fist. Instead, he drove a knee into my defenseless gut. I buckled, unable to breathe.

He grabbed the color of my suit and pulled at the helmet.

I clenched my eyes shut as sparks flew. Metal sheared as he pulled it free, tossing it aside like scrap.

Unless I was willing to set my suit to explode, I had lost this fight.

Even if I put up a fight, Hudson’s speed and strength would make him a worthy opponent.

“I won’t fight you,” I shouted.

“Where’s that survival instinct?”

Apex didn’t have a clue. I could have struggled. There were plenty of weapons that could get me to safety. Focusing on Hudson’s eyes, I couldn’t imagine hurting him, not to save myself.

“Hudson, I know you’re in there,” I whispered.

“Hudson?” Over Hudson’s shoulder, Apex came into view. “Soldier Prime. Fulfill your objective. Terminate this obstacle.”

I’m sorry .

Hudson whispered in the back of my head.

Two words gave me hope he remained somewhere beneath Apex’s command.

If I focused, I might be able to sort through code, but not before he finished his task…

finished me. There wasn’t enough time to have a conversation from machine to machine. I changed tactics.

“Awkward hello. Burrito.” My voice trembled with every memory I tried to push through to him.

Hudson’s fist tightened on my collar. His other fist drew back, knuckles posed, ready to complete his mission.

“Our first kiss. Remember?”

His eyes flickered. For a heartbeat, Hudson was there.

“Green slime. The arcade. Gay bar. First time you remembered your past. ”

“Your attempts to bypass his?—”

“Orion,” Hudson whispered. His eyes glanced down at his curled fist. “I can’t stop him.”

Apex roared. “Kill him!”

I rested a hand on Hudson’s chest. Because of his humanity, Apex had deemed him a failure. The same thing I loved about him had made him an inefficient soldier. I wanted him to choose autonomy, not to save me, but to save the man he could someday become.

“You’re so much more than your programming.” He flinched as if the words struck him in the chest. “I didn’t fall for you because you’re a machine. I fell for all the ways you’re not.”

The smirk. I felt the tension in his arms switch. My Hudson.

Thanks .

He let go of my suit and turned. The A.I.

reeled, his sneer faltering as Hudson turned on him.

When Hudson took a step toward his creator, Apex stepped back.

This continued until Hudson had him pinned against the remaining tubes.

I would have joined and tag-teamed the bad guy, but my suit had all but shut down.

The first punch hit hard enough that the air in the lab shook.

Before Apex could spit blood, Hudson slammed a fist into his stomach.

As he buckled over, Hudson grabbed the back of his head, slamming his knee into Apex’s face.

For a moment, I thought he might kill Apex.

That had been my goal, to avenge Connie, but I didn’t want Hudson to live with the guilt.

“He’s finished. Let the police deal with him.” Trapped in flesh and blood, it was about the cruelest thing we could do to Apex. For him, death would have been a mercy. Hudson’s fist hovered in the air. “You’re not a killer. You’re better than him.”

“I’m done being your puppet.” He threw Apex’s unconscious body to the floor. “I’ll always choose him.”

My chest tightened at his declaration. Hudson staggered back until he hit the wall next to me. We both slid down, breathless. He’d have to carry me from the lab if my suit didn’t turn on. Tonight, I’d be okay with being the damsel in distress, especially if this beefy man served as my white knight.

“Are you okay?” We’d be asking this question a lot in the future.

He nodded. “My dad’s a dick.”

I snorted. “No family reunions?”

“Maybe with yours.”

“My mom is going to feed you so much pie.”

His head leaned back against the metal. “I’ve never had pie.”

I struggled to raise the arm of the suit. Hudson reached over, intertwining his fingers. My brand-new super-soldier boyfriend and I had just saved Vanguard from a homicidal A.I. Mom would want all the details while she packed leftover pie for Hudson to take home.

“You’re pretty amazing,” I said.

“Are you trapped in your suit?”

I glanced down. “Maybe?”

“Good.” He leaned over, holding my cheek as he planted his lips on mine.

If this were the reward for defeating a bad guy, I’d be scouring the city more often.

Unlike our first kiss, this one teetered on perfection.

He pulled away, leaving me wanting more.

My boyfriend had mastered kissing and moved on to teasing.

I’m not sure I liked this newfound playfulness. I wanted more kissing.

“I can hear the police scanners. They’re on their way.”

“Well, aren’t you both lucky?” Janet huffed and puffed at the entrance to the lab. “Wyatt went down easy enough, but Arthur—” She held up her arm. “That bastard bit me.”

We did it. Our B-rate team of heroes had saved the city from disaster.

“You two get out of here.”

“But—”

Janet frowned. “As the Lord Imperial of Synergy’s Superhero Division, it’s my job to fill out incident reports. Besides, you two are hardly ready to give an interview to Channel Seven.” She had extended her role to taking over Ricardo’s company. That checked out.

“Thanks, Janet.” I meant it. From the start, she had been in my corner. She might be the queen of chaos, but from now on, I’d always think of her as a friend.

“I better see this in my review bonus.”

Hudson got up, lifting me in his arms. He carried me like a blushing bride. If somebody outside caught a photo, it’d be all over the HeroApp?. I’m not sure I minded. Let the tabloids tell the story about a boy who fell in love with a machine. Plot twist, I fell in love with the man in the machine.

“Let’s go home.”

With him, anywhere would feel like home.