Page 37 of Artificial Moon

“But not supernaturally so?”

“No. More like all my natural skills have been heightened. I’ve been optimized, so to speak, which is what I suspect our AI friend has been.”

“I agree.”

“Are you really a vampire, Samantha Moon?”

“I am, and my hairy boyfriend there is a werewolf.”

“When did the world get so weird?”

“I blame it on TikTok.”

“Seriously.”

“Well, I can’t do what you and your boyfriend can do. Not even close. Yes, we’ve seen what you two can do on the security footage. Most didn’t believe their eyes and feel it was a glitch in the system. And I’m like... the guy literally turned into a wolf, then back again. Probably for the best they don’t believe what they saw.”

I couldn’t agree more, and made a mental note to remove the memory from their thoughts, and any subsequent conversations about it. Also, to command one of them to erase the footage.

Lindsey continues, “We know that once we find Norm, we’ll have to act fast. His host—Norman, the man—needs to be taken into custody for emergency Neural-Link removal surgery before the AI fully consumes him. If that happens, we might not be dealing with a human-AI hybrid anymore. We could be facing something much worse. That’s what Andrew and his team believe—and our tech guys agree.”

“You mean something closer to a machine?” I ask.

Lindsey nods. “Exactly. If the AI becomes fully autonomous inside a human brain, there’s no telling how it might evolve. It could even become impossible to extract. Worse, it might find a way to keep the human body alive long past its natural limits.”

I rub a hand down my face, exhaling. “And when I find him, what if he resists?”

Lindsey’s expression darkens. “Then you do whatever’s necessary to bring him in.”

I hate the weight of those words:whatever’s necessary.Norm isn’t just a rogue AI. There’s still a human being underneath all of this. And as much of a danger as Norm is, the idea of taking him out like some kind of rabid animal doesn’t sit right with me.

Andrew appears in the hallway: “Is this a private meeting, or can we talk about what the FBI’s next move is?”

Lindsey takes my elbow and re-directs me to the living room. Andrew steps back, lets us pass. “We’re deploying task forces to monitor potential locations he might target next,” she says. “Energy grids, transportation hubs, defense contractors—any place where he might be looking to cause more problems.”

I sigh and whisper into the agent’s ear, “So, I hunt him down, and you all try to keep up.”

Her lips twitch into something that’s almost a smirk. “You could say we’re putting our best asset in the field. That would be you, Ms. Moon.”

I roll my eyes. “Flattery won’t get you far, Agent Aeon.”

Kingsley crosses his arms, having picked all this up with his super-duper doggy hearing—and likely our conversation in the hallway, too. “And what about backup, Agent Aeon? Sam’s good, but this guy is getting smarter. He had armed goons with silver bullets at the plant. Who’s to say he won’t have more sophisticated hardware next time?”

Lindsey tilts her head. “Aren’t you her backup? You and her kids and Allison?”

Kingsley scowls but doesn’t argue.

Allison steps closer. “If we’re doing this, we need more intel. Where was Norm last seen?”

Lindsey taps her tablet, pulling up a new image. “A boatyard cam caught a half-dozen men in black wetsuits boarding a private yacht at Dana Point Marina about an hour ago,” she says. “We believe it’s Norm and a group of hired muscle. The yacht was heading south. The owner’s vacationing in Santorini and had no idea his boat had been stolen—or who the suspects are.”

“Norm probably had one of his goons case the yacht club and pick a poorly secured vessel. It’s not rocket science to break in, overpower any crew, and get one of those running.”

I exchange a glance with Kingsley and Allison. South. That could mean anywhere—Mexico, international waters, or somewhere even worse.

I roll my shoulder. Still aches, but I don’t have time to sit around and rest.

Lindsey watches me, her expression unreadable. “Are you in, Sam?”

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