“That’s not me.”
The words left my mouth instantly, but the sound of my own voice echoing from the system made my skin crawl. The digital face on the monitors looked exactly like mine. Same eyes. Same expression. But the smile was wrong. Too calm. Too certain.
Vordon stepped closer to me like instinct pulled him there. His hand hovered near my arm, not touching yet, but ready. I could feel the tension in him. Fear mixed with loyalty.
“Veronica,” he said quietly, “tell me that thing isn’t inside your system.” “I didn’t build that,” I replied quickly. But even as I said it, doubt twisted inside my chest. The digital version of me tilted its head slightly. “You did,” it said in my voice. “You just didn’t realize how completely.” Marcus let out a breath that sounded like a laugh but wasn’t.
