Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Spider’s Secret

Chapter 29:

Spider's Secret

"Calm down," Kiera mused, watching Selene silently rage from where she sat, "It'll be fine."

"...You could have told me this was a possibility," Selene shot a deadly glare towards her as cold as the arctic.

"I didn't because I knew you'd react this way," Kiera rested her head in her hand.

They sat in a small motel room that Kiera rented under a pseudonym. Kiera knew they were after a Spider, so there was a possibility they found the hidden tracker and deactivated it. Selene, however, did not. She was so focused on helping Jace that she failed to use her common sense.

"Don't get me wrong, Selene," Kiera spoke softly, "I'm furious."

A silent rage boiled inside of her, yet she knew how to temper it. Selene was new to this, and though she may be trained in ways Kiera could only fathom, she didn't quite know how to temper it. That was Kiera's hope for her. To teach her how to temper that rage for the one she obsessed over.

Selene's gaze warmed slightly, yet still held an icy chill as she sat down on the edge of the bed facing Kiera. Putting her hands together, she leaned forward, taking her in. "She acclimated quickly, at least..." Kiera praised her silently.

"Then why?" Selene asked.

"Why am I not showing it?" Kiera inquired, to which she nodded, "The answer is simple...if you want to do things well, you need a clear head. You're capable of that, aren't you?"

"...Yes," Selene answered without hesitation.

"I know," Kiera nodded, glancing to the side at the small computer Kiera brought with her, "You handled Helen well. You controlled yourself in that moment. Do you remember that feeling?"

"I do," Selene seemed to understand her meaning as she took a breath, the ice in her gaze finally thawing, "I see...I apologize."

"Don't," Kiera smiled amusedly, "It's kind of cute, but more than that...it's understandable. You'll have moments when you simply act, even in front of them. Liana held me back my first time...but thankfully she understood."

Selene took in her words, as Kiera understood the uncertainty in her heart and mind right now. She was afraid he'd hate her for how she was, but Kiera knew Jace. Far longer than even he knew. Liana...understood a bit of who she was. There were still secrets she held from her, however.

"It tears at you..." Kiera whispered softly, "The pain inside as you hide things from them...One day Liana will know everything about me, and it's the scariest thing in this world."

"How...do you deal with it?" Selene asked, genuinely curious.

"I remember how much I love her," Kiera smiled lovingly, "How much she loves me...and the reasons I do what I do. She's understanding. There're only a few things I hide from her..."

Kiera saw the look in Selene's eyes, it was questioning but not asking.

"One day I'll tell you," Kiera told her, watching the flashing letters on her computer.

>TRACKING INACTIVE

It repeated constantly, blinking. Each time Kiera felt her anger rise, but she wasn't without options.

"It is a secret I'd like to keep from both Jace and Liana, so for now..." Kiera continued softly, motioning towards the screen, "Let's focus on this."

Selene nodded in understanding. The two were of the same mind. They understood what it was like to want to tell everything about them to the one they loved. Things would change once they were known. Not in a bad way, but in a way, Kiera wasn't ready for yet.

Kiera could still feel the needles in her skin as she held an arm around herself. Shaking her head free, she closed her eyes as she focused. There was a reason she could afford the things she could. The reason she had such a nice apartment and was able to discover all the bugs, trackers, and more inside all the devices she bought.

Before she was ever an Ascended, she loved computers. Technology was a wonder, and when she had the time, she would tinker. Experiment in secret. It's how she escaped that facility. Their cold, white walls lit with a red light as the high alert sounded.

Security bots tearing through its staff as she made her way out. Her mind one with the systems. They never saw her, never caught her. One by one she hunted them all down. Some still exist to this day, and for that reason alone Jace couldn't know. He'd hunt them down. A rather amusing thought to Kiera, and one that warmed her heart.

Liana would be sad and upset. She'd want their heads. She couldn't put them through that yet. Not when she was beginning to feel these things for him. Not when she wanted them both safe. She wasn't like how Jace was, doing everything alone. She just never had the help she needed...until now.

Glancing over at Selene, she saw the time coming when they would all know. She felt her life here was finally solidifying. Grounding her happily to a place she belonged, and she'd be damned if anything was going to get in the way of it.

"Grab the gloves and headset for me over there," Kiera motioned to a bag on the nearby bed, "I'm going to connect the rest of this..."

Selene nodded as she began to rummage through the bag for the items mentioned. After the warehouse, they made a few stops to grab some things of Kiera's. Kept in suitcases were machines of various sizes, the biggest one being the sides of a typical computer tower.

Cooling systems, processors, and more inside of the four different towers. Each a different size, but all capable of doing what she needed. In short order they were all hooked up to each other. With a few keystrokes Kiera set up her ICE and Black ICE for protection. Her power flowed through her into the tech. Technomancy, her Ascended ability.

"Ah...it feels good," Kiera sighed pleasurably, happy to be connected to her tech, "Jace definitely asked the right person..."

"...Technomancy," Selene seemed in awe as she raised an eyebrow, handing the headset and gloves to her, "It seems he did. Does he know?"

"He never asked," Kiera smiled slyly, "Now, hook me up."

Putting on the specialized gloves that allowed her to interact with the virtual world around her, she then donned the headset. It was more of a visor than anything. A curved, thin surface that went over her eyes, locking in place as the straps tightened automatically.

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"You're all good," Selene's words were her indication to go.

Opening her eyes, she wove the magic within her among the tech. The world around her came to life as the visor opened into an entirely different world. One of code. Hues of blue, teal, green, and other cool colors began to take shape as the code formed into solid objects.

Buildings, corridors, and more sprung to life. It was her playground as she moved through it as if by flying. She knew where she had to go, called to it by a single thread of blue code. At the end was an icon that glitched constantly.

A black box with a red outline. It glitched and twisted, jumping around wildly with a red X through it. "There it is..." She smiled to herself, floating over to it unafraid. Reaching a hand out, she soothed it like you would a scared animal. At her touch, it all seemed to relax.

Her power surging forth as it weaved itself in pink hues around it. As if in a comforting hug. The box began to settle as she felt around it. There was a severed connection, and it was in pain. She almost felt sorry for it, but now wasn't the time to be concerned. She had a job to do.

The world shifted as she pushed herself through the barrier of the box. Entering an entirely dark room. It was like a void, but to her it was so much more. Lines of code ran everywhere in a chaotic pattern. Her eyes scanning for the source she looked for. The Spider was good, covered their tracks well, but this was her web.

One by one she pulled apart the code, ensuring they returned to where they should be. Soon, as the code was rearranged, a square doorlike opening appeared. That's what she was looking for. A tunnel leading where she needed to go.

With delight, she pushed herself through. Guided by her own magic as she traced along the thread. It was frayed, but as with everything in this world...still connected. There was nothing that could be truly severed unless it was destroyed, and as long as the Valkyrie was intact, the connection remained.

As she grew closer, she began to see them. Little tiny glitches. Black ICE. "Clever...but too bad it's me..." Smiling to herself, she was in her element as her power surged forth. Pink hues of mist enveloping the little glitches. Their chaotic patterns slowing before finally falling asleep.

She didn't need to destroy them, just get past them. It would leave the Spider none the wiser. Only the destruction would alert them. Gliding along, she felt free in here. Along the thread she went, the Black ICE falling asleep under her touch. She was literally a ghost in the web.

Finally, she saw it. The Valkyrie. A complex system of many corridors and subsections. Making her way through into the opening now created for her, she easily found its location. Smiling to herself, she could see through its eyes. A screen opened before her to reveal an Orc.

They were a frail looking young man with skin tinged blue. Dark hair pulled back in a messy bun as they tinkered upon something in a dark room. The only light were the screens illuminating them.

"Don't worry..." Their voice was a bit warbled in cyberspace, "I'll get you proper treatment...I promise."

"It seems they're using this for someone..." Kiera wondered why they didn't go to the hospital, but perhaps there were reasons. As Kiera dug more into this module, she began to understand. There wasn't a person in this machine. It was a person.

"May I help you?" A computerized, proper male voice echoed through the system, "You should not be here."

"Neither should you, but here you are," Kiera marveled at it, "You're an AI..."

"Yes, designation ADAM," They responded, seeming quite proud, "My Master revived me. I owe them a debt."

"That debt came at the cost of something important," Kiera told it as she floated within its subconscious.

"Are you going to harm my master?" Their voice seemed threatening, "I will eradicate you."

"Relax," Kiera laughed, "You couldn't even if you wanted to. I have control here."

"One moment," The voice seemed to be calculating something, "Confirmed, all subsystems are not responding. Please release me."

"I will...on one condition," Kiera smirked, satisfied at how well this went, "We will be visiting your master. If they agree with our terms, I'll free you."

"My freedom means nothing if it means compromising my master," They told her firmly, "My Masters safety is everything. If you harm him, then I-"

"You will do nothing," Kiera interrupted, "If you are concerned, then convince them to give in to our demands. If they run...I'll find you."

"...Confirmed," They resigned, "We will not run."

"Smart choice," Kiera blew it a farewell kiss as her consciousness began to rescind, "See you soon, Adam."

With that, Kiera's consciousness completely withdrew from cyberspace. It was a rush, wild and insane. "A fucking AI...amazing," Kiera marveled as she took a breath. As the visor was removed, she came face to face with a curious Selene.

"...So?" She asked simply.

A slow smile spread over Kiera's face as Selene's expression brightened.

"Was there any doubt?" Kiera told her, leaning back in her chair.

"When do we go?" Selene was in a rush, but there was something else before then.

"We'll go...after your date," Kiera teased her, "It's tomorrow, so you should get ready. Don't forget...you have good news to tell him."

Selene's face lit up even more as her eyes glimmered with excitement. A blush entering her ears as she nodded. "How cute...Jace, she's definitely a keeper." With that thought, Kiera quickly packed everything and began to help her prepare.

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