Free Siege by Mark Alpert Page A

would’ve died if you hadn’t gone into her control unit and helped her set up her memory files. But what about the second time?”
    Fear chokes me again. My first impulse is to ask, “How did you find out there was a second time?” but I don’t say it out loud.
    The Diamond Girl steps closer to me, so we’re almost touching. “Don’t deny it, Adam. Jenny went to your room at the old headquarters and said she needed more help with her memory files. So you jumped into her control unit. Why didn’t you tell me about that part?”
    Her synthesized voice is quiet but furious. And I don’t blame her. She has every right to be angry. I feel a sting of regret that cuts right through my wires. I should’ve told her. Why didn’t I tell her? But I already know the answer: because I knew Shannon would be upset that I’d messed around with Jenny.
    â€œI-I’m sorry.”
    â€œJenny didn’t really need help, did she? She just wanted to be close to you. And once you were sharing circuits, you saw what she really wanted. You could’ve transferred out of her control unit then, but instead you stayed. Isn’t that how it happened?”
    I wait a few milliseconds, still afraid to admit the truth. Then I nod my Quarter-bot’s head. Jenny created a virtual-reality landscape within her circuits, a gorgeous digital simulation of the Virginia countryside where she grew up. When I jumped into her control unit, I entered the simulation. It felt entirely real: I could see rolling green hills on the horizon and hear the virtual birds chirping in the simulated trees. The VR landscape also included two human figures, a tall, blond girl and a short, dark-haired boy. They were simulations of Jenny and me, our lost human bodies.
    I have no idea how Shannon could’ve learned about this. It happened just two days before our battle with Sigma. The AI deleted Jenny and all her memories before she would’ve had the chance to tell anyone about it. But Shannon somehow figured it out, and now I have to assume she knows everything: how the simulated Jenny lay on the virtual grass and asked if I wanted to kiss her. How her question literally electrified me, because I’d never kissed a girl before I became a Pioneer and never thought it would be possible afterward. And how the simulation allowed me to feel Jenny’s lips against mine, and how wonderful the sensation was, even though it was only virtual.
    â€œI’m sorry, Shannon,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.” I don’t know what else to say. “I shouldn’t have done it.”
    She steps backward very abruptly, as if she’s repelled by my words. “You’re missing the point. You weren’t my boyfriend back then. You had no obligation to me. Yes, I would’ve been jealous if you’d told me what happened between you and Jenny, but I would’ve gotten over it.” She shakes her Diamond Girl’s head. “But instead you hid it. You hid the truth for months and months. When we had that talk about sharing circuits, I asked you to tell me everything. But you lied, Adam. You lied by not mentioning it.”
    I have no defense. All I can do is continue to apologize. “You’re right. It was a really stupid thing to do.”
    â€œIt was worse than stupid. It makes me wonder about everything you’ve told me. What else have you lied about?”
    â€œThat’s the only thing, I swear!” The volume of my voice synthesizer rises. “I haven’t lied about anything else!”
    My words echo against the walls of Shannon’s room, but her Diamond Girl just stands there, unmoved. Her armor glitters in the silence.
    Desperate, I stride toward her, extending my Quarter-bot’s arms. “I can prove it to you! Jump into my circuits and you’ll see! Everything else I’ve said is true!”
    She takes another step backward, dodging me.