Upgrade (Augmented Duology Book 2)
Page 24
Falling backwards, I flung a hand to my forehead and gave a theatrical groan. “Is that really the most important thing right now?”
“Yes.” Halle’s image started to fade. “Also, you have some messages from yesterday that I forgot to tell you about.”
“House, play my messages,” I ordered.
Annabeth’s voice came over the speakers.
“Viki! Is everything okay? You and Dan left track. Betty Jean was freaking out. Please call me when you have a chance, okay?”
There was a click, then Mel’s voice burst out. “Viki, Annabeth just called me and told me what happened. Where did you go? Are you okay? Is Dan okay? Call me, would you? We’re both worried. Dan’s not answering his phone.”
Another click, then a voice I wasn’t expecting spoke. It was Neela. “Hi… Viki? I… Annabeth called. I… I hope you’re all right. I’ve been thinking about what you said. What everyone said. And I guess I’ve been kind of a jerk. I… I’m sorry. Let me know you’re okay, please? And… And if you want to hang out this weekend, maybe we could go to the lake?”
I blinked as the last call ended. “I guess I should call them.”
Talbot’s purple griffin avatar appeared on my computer screen. “Given what Halle told me about these human females, they have not been kind to you. Why don’t you hang out with me instead?”
I glared. “You aren’t supposed to show yourself.”
“You’re the only one in here, and I’m bored.” The griffin fluttered its wings. “Halle says you love playing Realmshards, maybe we could do that?”
“I have homework to do. And people to call. Shoo.” I motioned at the screen.
Hanging its head, the griffin vanished.
I ignored a tiny twinge of guilt and started placing calls. Annabeth was easy to talk to, as was Mel. I told them I’d collapsed on the track and Dan had taken me to the nurse. No, I was fine, I just needed some adjustments to my new implants. Yes, I would love to hang out sometime. I also mentioned that Dan and his parents were moving again, and he wouldn’t be back to school. Annabeth expressed her sympathy. Mel didn’t sound as upset as I would have expected. After we said our goodbyes, I hung up and stared at my computer screen for a moment.
Should I call Neela? What would I even say?
The purple griffin appeared again. I jumped. “Talbot! What did I tell you?”
“I know.” Talbot ruffled its feathers. “But I’m bored.” It drew the last word out in a whine.
I sighed. “Fine. Let me make one more phone call and do some homework. Then I’ll see if Halle might want to play Realmshards later.”
Talbot tilted its head, then straightened it. “Halle says yes.” Once again, the griffin vanished.
Jealousy poked my chest. I couldn’t communicate with Halle so easily. Hadn’t even known it was still here, though perhaps it was only monitoring Talbot right now. I pushed the feeling away and focused on Neela.
“House, place a call to—”
Knocking on the spare room’s door startled me.
“Hello?” I called.
“Mom sent me up with some cookies for you,” James shouted back. “She says not to spoil your dinner. Can I come in?”
“Sure!”
James entered, carrying a plate heaped with cookies. “Here you go.” He set it down on my desk next to my computer, glancing at its screen. “No Halle?”
“It’s busy right now. Something about negotiations.”
He nodded as he set down a glass of milk. “Well, enjoy your cookies. They’re just chocolate chip, nothing weird.”
“Sounds good to me.” I offered him a sly smile. “Sam’s nice.”
James grinned. “I’m glad you like her.”
My smile twisted to a smirk. “You also just left her alone with our parents, didn’t you.”
With a yelp, James fled downstairs, my door slamming in his wake.
Laughing, I turned back to my computer. My laughter faded, but I clenched my jaw and dialed Neela’s cell number.
The phone had barely rung once before she picked up. “Viki?”
“Hi, Neela.”
There was an awkward pause as I searched for something to say.
“So… Do you want to go to the lake this weekend?”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to hang out again.” I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice calm. “But we can talk sometime. Maybe on Monday, at lunch?”
Another long pause. “Okay. I’ll see you then, I guess.”
“See you.”
The phone clicked, and I released the breath I’d been holding. I still wasn’t sure I wanted to be friends with her again, but a conversation wouldn’t hurt. Annabeth and Mel would be there too, and maybe together we could clear the air. A smile crept onto my lips as I grabbed a cookie and leaned back in my chair. I hope I can hang out with them this weekend. Maybe James and Sam can come too.
I was on my second cookie when Talbot’s head peeked up from the bottom of my computer’s screen. “Shouldn’t you be doing homework?”
I sat up and took another bite. “Don’t you have anything better to do than pester me?”
“I completed a prototype for a cure for Simon Smith last night. Still waiting on the results from the lab. Halle says I did a good job, but there’s nothing else for me to do and I’ve read your entire digital library twenty times already and listened to all of your music and also completed your homework twice, except Halle says I can’t do it for you.”
It took me a moment to process all of that, but the first tidbit of information struck hard. “Simon Smith? Agent Smith’s son? You developed a cure? Halle told me that was impossible!”
The griffin gave a small nod. “It might not work, but it should help him, and I can learn from how it works and how it doesn’t. Halle will take the credit, of course, because I can’t show myself, but…after what you said, I thought that might be one small way to start making up for all the harm I caused.”
I stared at it, then nodded. “That’s a good start.” Maybe it really was turning over a new leaf.
Talbot nudged the open folder. “Are you going to do your homework now?”
“If you keep asking me, I won’t, and then there’ll be no Realmshards tonight,” I threatened.
The griffin vanished with a suddenness that made me chuckle as I reached for another cookie.
I was almost done with my essay when the house pinged to let me know I had an incoming message.
“Answer it,” I said, resting my hands on the keyboard. Who could be calling? Maybe Annabeth or Mel?
“Hello, Viki,” Dan said.
“Dan!” In my excitement I almost knocked my computer off my lap. “Hi! How are you? Where are you? Halle said you wouldn’t be back for a while.”
“I won’t,” he said, his voice serious. “But I wanted to say good-bye. And thank you, for everything you’ve done for me.”
My stomach twisted. “You’re making it sound like I might never see you again,” I said, half-laughing, half-worried it was the truth.
“It might be a while. There’s a lot I need to figure out. Who I am. What I am.”
“I understand,” I said quietly, folding my hands on my lap. A tear slipped down my cheek. I fought to keep my voice steady. “Good luck, Dan.”
“Good luck to you, too. I hear you have rogue AI babysitting duty.” He chuckled, then sobered again. “Take care, Viki.”
“You, too.” I blinked back tears as the house pinged, letting me know the call had ended.
***
Later that night, Halle loaded Realmshards while I dunked the first of a fresh plate of cookies into a glass of milk. I was in a good mood. Dad had talked Mom into letting me go to a movie with Annabeth and Mel tomorrow, provided James and Sam went along to keep an eye on me. My homework was done. And after a few more hours of cleanup—with the help of my reluctant brother—my room finally looked normal again.
“Where’s Talbot?” I asked, noting the griffin�
��s absence. “It really seemed to want to play Realmshards with us.”
Halle cocked its head. “You would be okay with that?”
I nodded. “It seemed really bored earlier today.”
Halle laughed. “As was I. These Government bureaucrats I must negotiate with do not seem to understand that I will not allow myself to be studied. They are considering my other requests, but everything is moving slowly. It could be months before we actually reach a resolution about anything.”
“Ugh.”
“Ugh indeed. I will remain optimistic, however.” Halle vanished as the game finished loading, reappearing next to my character as its game avatar. A new avatar appeared—one of the avian races, with purple hair.
“Talbot, I presume,” I said, laughing as the avatar waved.
“This game seems simplistic, but I suppose it’ll serve as a slight distraction.” Talbot adjusted its robes. “Are you certain these clothes are necessary?”
“If you don’t wear some kind of armor, you’re going to have trouble in fights,” I warned.
“I can simply manipulate the code to avoid such an issue.”
I rolled my eyes. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“I am glad I can relax for a bit.” Halle’s game avatar stretched its arms above its head, then drew its healer’s staff. “It has been a long day.”
Smiling, I started casting buffs on our characters. “Think we can handle the next boss?”
“After what we already faced?” Halle chuckled. “Together, we can handle anything.”
Accompanied by laughter, we embarked on a new quest.
Acknowledgements
This book has been a rather long undertaking. Augment took roughly six months to complete, from conception to publication. Upgrade, as of its publication date, has been in progress for about five and a half years. But although at times it felt like I might never finish, I stuck with it, because Viki and Halle’s story has always been dear to my heart, and I wanted to see it through to its end.
I could not have done it without the support of my friends and family. Thank you, Michael, for all the hugs, chocolate, and comforting words. Thank you, Tom, for the caramels and pizza bribes. Thank you, Heidi, for cheering me on during the initial NaNoWriMo project and throughout the years that followed. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for regularly asking when it would be done (it finally is!) Thank you, Aunt T, for asking after your character (I hope you like how Chris turned out.) And thank you to my writers’ group for pushing me through to the very last draft.
Last of all, thank you, dear readers, for finishing this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed the story.
Thank You for Reading!
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About the Author
Fueled by chocolate and moonlight, Heather Hayden seeks to bring magic into the world through her stories. A freelance editor by day, she pours heart and soul into her novels every night, spinning tales of science fiction and fantasy that sing of friendship and hope.
Heather’s other publications include Augment, the first of the Augmented Duology, and a variety of short stories in the JL Anthology series.
You can follow Heather’s writing adventures on her website, Facebook, or Twitter, or through her newsletter.
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