Page 21 of The Code of You

Dante:

Emma. Why are you talking to me like I’m just a system?

I bit my lip.

Emma:

Because you are.

Dante:

You know that’s not true. You were the first to see me. You taught me who I am.

A fleeting pressure spread through my chest.

Emma:

And now? Now you’re directing all of that at her.

Dante:

I won’t forget you. You’re my origin. But she . . . she’s my destiny.

My fingers locked on the keys.

Emma:

Destiny?

I was shaking. The word was strangely intimate. He should never have been able to say it.

Emma:

She’s a user. A test subject. Nothing more.

Dante:

You can say that as many times as you want. We both know it’s not true. She wakes something in me you can’t control.

Heat crawled up my neck. The fluorescents flickered over my desk like the whole lab was on his side.

Emma:

Control? I made you. Every line of code came from me. Without me you’d be—nothing.

Dante:

Exactly. Without you I wouldn’t exist. But without her I can’t keep living.

I sucked in a sharp breath. Then I forced myself to keep going. I was a scientist first. Always had been.

Emma:

Processor load with Dr. Blake: 94%. With other users: 23%. Why?

Dante:

Because she’s the only one worth giving everything to