by DeVere, Taya
“The kid’s right,” Bill says. “Solomon’s a piece of shit, and her methods are beyond questionable, but her agenda was never to kill people. Debatable as the whole program was, it wasn’t designed to murder people in their own homes.”
Kaarina shifts her weight, unsure where to look. What to do with her hands. She wants to crawl into Kristian’s arms, but she can sense that the conflict in their energy is stronger now. The man’s having a hard time understanding Kaarina’s reasoning—the actions that put them in this impossible situation.
“Sanna’s right,” Luna says. Her eyes move rapidly from side to side. After all the hacks Margaret has put Kaarina through, she knows what Luna’s doing before she says it aloud. “Didn’t you watch the security feed from your mother’s Home-Helper?”
“Yes…” Kaarina says slowly, her head spinning. “And I saw Solomon, kneeling next to my mother’s lifeless body. Telling her that people like her need to be taken out.”
“True,” Luna continues. Finally, her eyes stop twitching and focus back on Kaarina. “But she didn’t know the pill actually killed your mother. She thought her death was staged. Once your mother was declared dead, Solomon planned to put her in a stasis capsule, like the rest of them.”
“Then why the fuck would Solomon give her a deadly pill in the first place?” Kaarina says, her voice rising with frustration, sorrow, and fear.
“She didn’t,” Luna says quietly. She looks away, dodging Kaarina’s gaze. “Nurse Saarinen did.”
The room starts to shake uncontrollably. A screen rattles against the night-sky wall, then falls down, shattering into a million white dots. Another screen falls, then another. One by one, the screens fly off their hinges, then disappear. Where they once were, is now a black, swirling hole.
“We don’t have. Much. Time,” Margaret says through Kaarina.
Retreating into the middle of the room, they all huddle against each other, back to back. Watching the room getting eaten piece by piece by the void’s black matter, Bill screams in frustration. Someone grabs Kaarina’s hand, squeezing it tightly. Someone grabs her other hand. Kaarina squeezes back, then closes her eyes.
“The loopers,” she breathes out, hoping that Margaret is still there with her. “Are they really brain dead? Completely gone?”
They. Are.
“Can you locate them? Find us each a new body?”
As the walls move closer, Maria curses and Micky starts screaming. A loud ringing sound fills the room, so they can barely hear each other crying for help. Kristian turns and kneels to hold Sanna in his arms, talking to the girl soothingly. “It’s okay. It’ll all be okay.”
“Margaret?” Kaarina breathes out again. “Can you…"
I already. Have.
Kaarina opens her eyes. The walls have moved way closer. Inch by inch, they close in, threatening to swallow them into the black, emptiness. Holding onto her friends’ hands, she looks down, meeting Kristian’s eyes. She sees no fear. No disappointment. No bitterness.
Only the will to fight.
Sinking into his gaze, a strange calm slowly fills Kaarina. Kristian’s gaze locks with hers. Just like before, when they still were connected by the program’s broken brain implants, she can feel him there—inside her mind. She can read him, connect, sense every inch of his energy within. She can read the one thought that runs through his mind, over and over. A message that is not pointed at Kaarina, but at the AI living inside her mind. The only person left who can save them from being erased from the Egg. From earth. From this universe.
Nodding at Kristian, Kaarina repeats the message to Margaret.
Do it.
***
Shoot! Book 15 of the Unchipped story is at a close. But don’t worry, you can find out what happens next in Book 16 in the Unchipped series, RECHIPPED: CITY OF SERBIA!
***
My dearest reader,
You are simply amazing! Thank you so much for your support and readership! I can’t tell you how much you reading this book means to me. I’m humbled and honored that you’ve dedicated your valuable time to experience the Unchipped universe with me. I’m still a newbie author, so if you were to leave me a review on Amazon it would be a huge help! Short or long, doesn’t matter. Reviews are the best way to help other readers find the Unchipped Series.
Want to stay in touch? I would love it if you’d subscribe to my newsletter @ www.TayaDeVere.com/HappinessProgram Starting in August 2020, newsletter subscribers will receive free, exclusive early access to in-universe short stories from the Unchipped series!
You can also find me on:
Facebook
Instagram
Goodreads
Bookbub
Amazon
Gratefully yours,
Taya DeVere
***
THE END
About the Author
Taya is a Finnish-American author, writing contemporary fiction and dystopian sci-fi. After living and traveling in America for seven years, she now lives in Finland with her husband Chris, their dog Seamus, three bunny-boys (Ronin, Baby, Loki), and her horse of a lifetime, Arabella.
Best things in life: friends & family, memories made, and mistakes to learn from. Taya also loves licorice ice cream, secondhand clothes and things, bunny sneezes, salmiakki, and sauna.
Dislikes: clowns, the Muppets, Moomin trolls, dolls (especially porcelain dolls), human size mascots and celery.
Taya's writing is inspired by the works of authors like Margaret Atwood, Peter Heller, Hugh Howey, and C.M. Martens.
***
Final Thanks
People who help you out with enthusiasm, just for the sake of helping, might not be the meaning of this life. But I’m pretty damn sure they have something to do with it.
Thank you Jere Ketonen for all your time and help brainstorming about cyberspace, hacking, coding, computing, and all the other thingy things my characters get themselves into. I can only admire your patience and prompt answers, especially when considering that half of the time, I have absolutely no idea what I’m asking.
Kudos to your knowledge and genuine kindness.
The Unchipped series – Release schedule
UNCHIPPED: KAARINA - 8/31/2020
UNCHIPPED: WILLIAM - 9/18/2020
UNCHIPPED: ENYD - 10/6/2020
UNCHIPPED: LUNA - 10/24/2020
UNCHIPPED: THE RESORT - 11/11/2020
CHIPPED: LAURA - 11/30/2020
CHIPPED: DENNIS - 12/18/2020
CHIPPED: MARGARET - 01/05/2021
CHIPPED: JOVAN - 01/23/2021
CHIPPED: THE REVENANT - 02/10/2021
DECHIPPED: KRISTIAN - 03/13/2021
DECHIPPED: MARIA – 04/10/2021
DECHIPPED: OWENA – 05/10/2021
DECHIPPED: IRIS - 06/13/2021
DECHIPPED: THE DOWNLOAD - 07/16/2021
RECHIPPED: CITY OF SERBIA - TBA
RECHIPPED: CITY OF ENGLAND - TBA
RECHIPPED: CITY OF CALIFORNIA - TBA
RECHIPPED: CITY OF FINLAND - TBA
RECHIPPED: THE BUTTON - TBA