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The eyes are blank, no glimmer of intelligence or thought or awareness behind them.
And suddenly I realize that I was right in my glib answer to Dr. Holyfield. I want my creation to see me.
For that, I will have to give Adam a brain.
– 18 –
SOLO
My phone goes off at 2:14 A.M.
I roll out of bed, stand up, realize the phone is still ringing, turn around, try to remember where the hell the phone is and what the hell it would be doing ringing. I find it and fumble with it and hold it the wrong way to my head.
I don’t wake up well at two in the morning.
“Solo.”
My eyes widen. It’s Terror her own self. At 2:14 in the morning. And suddenly I am acutely aware of the fact that I am not dressed, not at all, and without meaning to I glance toward where the security camera is.
I don’t worry about walking around naked. First, ninety-nine percent of security footage is never seen by anyone. It just goes straight into the servers. And second, on those rare occasions when camera footage is played, it’s for a bored security guy.
Anyway, I just don’t have much of a modesty thing.
Unless it’s Herself, the Mighty One, the Evil Queen herself, calling me in the middle of the night.
“Yeah?” I say, because it’s all I can come up with.
“I need you. Be at the south elevator, Level Two.”
“When?”
“Now.”
“Now?”
“Am I stuttering? Now.”
I hesitate, trying to get the processors up to speed.
“I’ve already called two other employees, both of whom were unable or unwilling to respond. Both of whom are now former employees.”
“I’m on my way,” I say.
Click.
“What the hell?” I ask my room. I feel perfectly and completely awake and yet I manage to pull my jeans on backward anyway. And where did I leave my shirt? Does it smell? Are there clean ones in my closet? Yes, there’s one.
Find the front of the shirt. Okay. Good. Shoes.
I’m more or less dressed and I barrel out into the hallway, bleary, hair all over the place, no socks, underwear, or belt. My left eye has apparently been glued shut, but I am on the move.
I reach the elevator and ride it down to the second floor, which is the main reception area. Elevators coming from the parking garage come here first. It’s an amazingly impressive, intimidating space, a soaring four-story-tall atrium with a massive double helix floating in the air, all glowing colors and soft pulsations.
The lights are down, with soft spots on the elevator doors and the sweep of the reception desk. There’s a security guy sitting there, surprised to see me. He’s just thinking of asking me why I’m there when we hear the click-click of Terra’s high heels.
The guard quickly straightens his tie, shoots me a look, and stands up as Terra sweeps in.
Honestly, how does she manage to be that put-together at this hour? Sure, Eve mentioned she was at a spa all day, but it’s two-something in the morning and the woman looks like she just stepped off the cover of Hot ’N’ Scary Moms magazine.
