Across the break room table,Connor stared. His head tilted ever so slightly to the side, a sign he was studying me as I chewed my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Only beinghumanfor the last six months, he tried to mimic humanity. In this case, he wasn’t as successful.
“You’re staring.”
“You chew weirdly.”
“Rude.”
“I’m stating a fact. Compared to 72% of?—”
“How are you getting on?”
I couldn’t imagine the idea of not having a body my entire life and then suddenly having extra senses to deal with. At one point, Connor had been Orion’s A.I. and best friend, almost inseparable, and now it was almost as if theyled different lives. I suppose that was good for both of them, but I marveled at their independence.
“It’s been an adjustment, but good,” he said with a slight nod. It still amazed me how much he looked like Orion’s boyfriend, as if they could be brothers. “Janet made me start dating.”
“Oh?” Barely two months since acquiring a body, and already doing better than me in that department. “How’s that going?”
“Lots of dick,” he said. My jaw dropped. “And the ladies… have you ever had a?—”
“I get the picture.”
Connor wasted no time going from artificial intelligence to indulging in the human experience. Did I have to ask for tips from a computer? Janet might be a bad influence, but if there were anybody at Secret Identities that knew how to live, it’d be her.
“How are you processing social interactions? Wyatt still struggles with those.” That’s who should give Connor tips. Wyatt hadn’t been great at navigating the nuances of human relationships. He still struggled to understand all theEarthcustoms at play. Now that I thought about it, all of us had our awkward moments.
“Emotions,” he said. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “You’re governed by emotions. Fine. I can comprehend this, but out of nowhere, humans become illogical.”
My eyes narrowed, suspicious that he might have knowledge about what happened last night. His eyes narrowed in response. I couldn’t tell if he was making an accusation or an observation.
Connor had worked for us since hiscreation. Despite seeing him in the office, I could count on one hand how many times we had talked one-on-one. But after last night, he might be the perfect person to ask a question that continued to plague me.
“Do you experience emotions?”
“Not like you, but I do in my own way.”
“Can I ask you a question?” His left eyebrow lifted. “What do you do when they get overwhelming?”
“Reset my system.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks.”
He leaned forward, lips pursed as his eyes darted back and forth. “Drew.” He was not amused. “I’m not a computer anymore. I can’t turn myself off and on. Reset. Find something you enjoy. Return to your normal parameters and then process.”
Oh. That was more insightful than I anticipated.
“Drew!” Before I could follow up, Orion came charging into the break room. As soon as he sat down, he opened his hand. A screen projected from the metal band on his ring finger… wait… I’d have to ask if he had news to share about him and Hudson.
“Synergy is holding a press conference.”
The screen formed like a translucent television screen. I got up, standing behind him. I recognized the lobby of the building and Ms. Keyes. She stood at the podium they used during big events. I had to wonder what warranted dozens of reporters congregating in the lobby.
“You’re famous,” he said.
“Let me repeat myself,” she said. “Thanks to our partnership with the government and an independent agent, we have uncovered a leak in the Synergy family. We are deeply committed to ensuring our work improves Vanguard and the superhero community. Synergy and I would like to thank those involved. We will be following up with the District Attorney to ensure justice is served and that Vanguard can sleep a little safer tonight. Now, I’ll be happy to answer questions…”
“Parties involved!” Janet said from the doorway. “You’re practically a hero!”
The slap on the shoulder made me cringe. The wounds were healing, but it’d be some time until I was back to normal. I hid the hiss in a cough. Booker would have discovered the culprit without me. I couldn’t take credit for the discovery. However, without me, I don’t know if Booker would have lived to deliver the report. If I hadn’t intervened… I pushed the thought out of my head.
