Evolved(52)

Chapter Twelve





By the time I swiped my security key at my door and went inside, I was exhausted. My mind had run in circles all day and I’d not slept well the night before, and Jae’s warning had sent my adrenaline into overdrive. All I wanted to do was fall into Shaun’s arms and not move for the rest of the night.

I went inside expecting his smiling face, but he didn’t meet me at the door like he normally did, which was strange. I slid my messenger bag onto the sofa. “Shaun?”

No answer.

Fear struck me in the chest. “Shaun?”

Silence.

I checked the kitchen, the bedrooms, bathrooms. “Shaun!”

Nothing. He was gone.

Images of SATinc coming and taking him played through my mind and set my feet in motion. I raced out my front door, down the hall, and hit the lift button for the lobby.

God, what if they’ve taken him?

What if they’ve hurt him or reset him? Or decommissioned him already? What if I never saw him again? I was about to have a panic attack in the elevator.

The lift doors opened and I burst into the lobby. I didn’t know where I was going. Or what I hoped to find. Maybe the android at reception could tell me if Shaun had used his key at all or if SATinc people had been here…

What I saw at the reception desk stopped me cold.

Shaun was there, talking to the android and to a woman who lived in the building. She laughed at something Shaun said and thanked him before walking to the front doors. It was only then that Shaun saw me.

He stood and smiled, an immediate reaction, but then frowned. “Oh, I didn’t realise the time.”

My breath left me in a whoosh, and I had to put my hands on my knees and try to get some air into my lungs. Shaun was quickly beside me. “Lloyd? Are you unwell?”

I stood up straight and let out an almighty breath. “I’m fine. You weren’t home when I got there and I panicked.”

He took my hand but looked honestly sorry. “I do apologise. I lost track of time.”

I glanced back at the android at reception, then looked to Shaun. “You were talking to an android?”

Shaun looked down to the floor like he was ashamed or embarrassed. “I was lonely.”

Oh. My. God.

I felt like my world tilted, like my reality was skewed, forever changed.

I wanted to hold him and kiss him, soothe him, and tell him it was okay, but I certainly couldn’t do that in the lobby. And Jesus, we needed to talk about what this SATinc development could possibly mean.

“I think we should go upstairs,” I said quietly.

“Okay,” he agreed. Then he turned to the reception android. “Good evening, B-Class.”

The android turned to us and replied robotically. “Good evening, Mr Salter. And Mr Salter.”

Shaun grinned, and when we were in the privacy of the lift, he said, “Mr Salter. He called me Mr Salter.”

I tried to smile at his excitement but couldn’t quite pull it off. “Yes, he did.”

“What’s wrong?” Shaun asked, his head slightly tilted. “Are you mad that I wasn’t home when you arrived?”

I shook my head. “Not mad, no. I was scared.”

The elevator doors opened and Shaun frowned as we stepped out into the empty hallway. “I did not mean to cause you concern or fear.”

“I know,” I replied as we walked down the hall. I opened my front door, waited for him to follow me in, and no sooner had I closed the door behind us then I pulled him against me. I couldn’t even speak, I couldn’t do anything but hold him tighter. Shaun understood because he held me just as tight, and when he pulled back and started to speak, I put my finger to his lips. “Shhh.”

I took a step back and a deep breath, then walked over to the home hub. I activated the holographic screen, selected the Settings option, scrolled down, and hit the Off button. I confirmed, then confirmed again, and then everything in the apartment went quiet. There was no electrical current hum, no white noise. No anything.

I hadn’t realised how much background noise that electrical connection emitted. This was a new kind of silence, even for me. I turned to face Shaun. “How do you feel?”

“I am fine.”

“Good.”

“Are we free to talk now?” Shaun asked, looking from me to the now defunct home hub and back again.

“Yes. I shut down the internet. I turned off the home hub.” I let out a slow breath. “Nothing will work without it, but I don’t care.” Actually, I wasn’t sure if anything or anyone had been without internet connectivity since the mid 20s but I wasn’t risking it. I went to the front door and checked it still opened, which it did, and then I locked it. “We can live without the TV or the phone or the internet for a while. It’s not worth it.”

“What’s not worth it?”

“SATinc knowing about you. Jae said there’s been talk of a security breach at SATinc and some kind of prototype technology being misplaced.”

Shaun’s eyes went wide. “Prototype?”

I nodded. “It’s only rumours at the moment but it can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

He frowned; his voice was quiet. “It wouldn’t seem likely.”

I went to him and pulled him against me, relieved he was okay. “I feel better with the internet off. For now, anyway.”