The Girl Who Dared to Stand (The Girl Who Dared #2)(13)

“Show us?”

He nodded, and the beams of light being emitted by the walls made his hair bounce with the movement. The level of detail in his appearance was really impressive; it was difficult to see him as a computer system half the time. I wasn’t sure how Lionel had managed to capture all of the small shifts and subtle nuances of his mannerisms that made him seem so lifelike and real. Had he programed each little detail in, or had Scipio learned them, in order to appear more human? Why had they even cared enough to give him a human exterior, anyway? It wasn’t exactly his job to be relatable to the rest of us.

“I have video files I can play on a projector. It will… It can explain things better than I can.”

I nodded, and then looked over at Quess. “I don’t think he means us any harm,” I said quietly. “I found him almost thirty minutes ago, and there still hasn’t been any sign of the Knights. I mean, he didn’t even know what they were. He thought I was talking about real knights. From over a thousand years ago!”

Grey and Quess exchanged dubious looks, and I could feel their doubts starting to creep in. Still, that didn’t mean they were going to break that easily.

“Okay,” I said, an idea coming to me. “I really want to see this video and find out whether it gives us any insight into what we’re dealing with. However, I do understand your concerns. So… what can I do that will make both of you more comfortable with that?”

Quess considered it, then sighed, sitting down on the desk and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’d still need to see the terminal,” he muttered. He held up his hands, forestalling Scipio’s response, and added, “I need to make sure you are in no way connected to the Core mainframe, all right? My family is in the next room, and we are all in serious danger right now. So if you’re not who—what—you claim to be, then I will shut you down.”

Scipio’s glowing blue orbs blinked, his face instantly curious. “Why are they in danger? Has catastrophe befallen the Tower?” I stared at him, fascinated by his response. He’d completely ignored the threatening part of Quess’s statement and focused on the part where other people were in danger. He was more concerned with the welfare of others than himself. I looked over at Grey, and was pleased to see the suspicion and distrust in his expression fading, replaced by a hard and considering look. He’d picked up on that, too. He was noticing the same things I was.

“Not… exactly.” Grey stepped forward and gave Scipio a look. “Listen, just let Quess look at your terminal to check that you are who you say you are, and then we’ll talk.”

“If you don’t do it,” I said softly, meeting Scipio’s gaze, “I’ll assume you are with the evil Scipio and we’ll just leave you here, all alone, and seal up the vent behind us.”

Scipio’s eyes widened, and he took a step back, his expression fluttering from alarm to anger to frustration to fear. I immediately felt bad for threatening him, but Grey and Quess were both right. I wanted to get to the bottom of this, because I knew there was something more here, but not at the expense of anyone else I cared about. Yet, if he was what he said he was, then there had to be a way to use that. Maybe…

I paused as something emerged from the depths of my mind—both sinister and dark with the promise of danger and death, but with a kernel of hope buried at the heart of it.

What if we could get him into the Core?

If we could replace the real Scipio with this more empathetic one… maybe we could get our lives back. He seemed much more understanding, and if we could somehow do it in secret, then no one would ever know! Who knew—maybe he could start fixing all the problems with the Tower!

Scipio looked around the room, his eyes beseeching, begging us not to shut him down, or to leave him alone again, and finding no sympathy from any of us. Eventually he caved, his shoulders rounding as a click sounded at the wall by the welded-shut door. I moved around the desk to investigate, following Quess. He walked over to the door, looking at the walls on either side and running a hand along them. A moment later, he managed to get his fingers under a panel that appeared to be protruding slightly, and tugged. There was a heavy creak as it pulled out and down, revealing a screen with a built-in keyboard.

Quess’s fingers immediately took up position and began to fly, and I looked over at Scipio to see him watching Quess, his arms wrapped around his stomach. “Don’t hurt him,” I told Quess softly. Grey stood to one side, studying the hologram, his eyes feasting on the lines and designs there.

I was relieved—I knew that with enough time with Scipio, they’d come around. They’d see what I saw.

“Quess?” I asked, taking a step closer. “What do you see?” I peered over his shoulder and saw several colorful lined circles on the screen—not smooth and perfectly round, but with distorted edges, sections pulled in or out.

“He’s definitely a full AI,” Quess announced, his eyes wide. I was glad I had asked him to come—I certainly couldn’t understand what I was looking at. “His personality matrix is amazing! It’s very sensitive to empathy and fear, as well as logic and strategy. How did you end up down here—and why aren’t you in the Core?”

“Certain people didn’t want me to be found,” Scipio replied, moving over to stand next to the desk and observe. “Well… they actually didn’t want me to survive. I’ve… I’ve been alone down here for a very long time.”