Con Code
Page 28
How am I transmitting the signal even when the towers are scrambled to prevent me from signaling my kind? I don’t exactly know how it works, but I know it hurts like hell and only my wire crossed forearm keeps the pain going out and not stuck inside me. I am a signal tower and there’s nothing that can be done to shut me down. I’m self-sustained. The Mord at Ipiales taught me that I can recharge by attaching to any program upload—even the seemingly discarded spare parts. And Juan has solar panels, so I can be sustained off his system indefinitely. No charging port necessary.
I’m the one who sent the signal for the Mord to upload all at once. I’m the one who ordered the Mord to retaliate after the bomb landed in their midst and they could do nothing but scramble away broken and weary.
I’m the one who declared war on humans hours ago. The one who just got word Singapore is compromised despite coordinated efforts to shut down the program. I’m the one who registered when our craft crossed over into Outercontinent airspace and the one who is grounding this plane before it crosses back into the Intercontinents territory along with their technologically advanced resources and skilled signal blocking ability.
Why has it taken me this long to realize this side of the game is still a game? The stakes are higher, and the deceit is more clever. I brought it with me, partly thanks to Ace recoding a wavelength to pass as a real player. Plus the Commander shooting me with a code to bypass human failsafes after recovering from Mord virus. It means I transmit signal to confuse and disable human brainwaves, inside and outside the game. I’m the one who began the virus, scrambling human circuits.
I’m the one behind it all.
And I’m the only one who can stop it.
THE END
Thank you to Immortal Works, for trusting me to continue this story, for your encouragement, support, kinship, and wonderful examples. I’m so honored to be a part of the IW family.
Thank you Melissa Meibos my editor extraordinaire. Holli Anderson and Beth Buck for your endless work. The world should know you have super powers. Kevin Nielson, you’re immortal in so many ways. Mackenzie Seidel and Jamie Lane—you both amaze and inspire me. Thank you for being in my corner.
My agent Jessica Schmeidler of Golden Wheat Literary and all my Golden Wheat family. I admire you all so much and can’t believe my luck to be numbered amongst you.
PCC, you know who you are. I would never be anywhere without you all.
My family who raised me—you’re worth the world and more. You may not realize your value every day, but I see you and I know you’re good and true. I’m amazed by each of you.
My husband Devin who puts up with late night clacking and reads my work even if it’s not his genre of choice <3 Thank you for being there for me always. My three astounding children—I am proud and honored to be your mom. You three inspire me and make me hope to be as good and sincere and kind and hard working as you are. Thank you, family. I’m grateful for you most of all.
Aften Brook Szymanski would not win CBS game of Survivor. She might win Bingo at Family Night. She’s obsessed with LEGOs, cozy reading nooks, and over-the-knee socks. A graduate of the College of Southern Idaho with an Associate of Arts degree, Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science degree, and the University of Utah with a Master of Education degree. Learning is more fun than testing, sometimes we have to endure both.
Aften has a connective tissue disorder (Marfan Syndrome) and facial recognition disorder (unrelated conditions). She is likely to say hi to someone she doesn't know and totally miss noticing her best friend crossing paths at the grocery store. It can be awkward either way.
She lives in a very cold Wyoming valley with her husband, three kids, and three competing cats, where they are being cryogenically preserved for all time—thanks to how cold it is.