His Reboot Girl (Emerald City #3) by Sofia Grey Page B

standing there. Like me, he wore a hooded top and dark pants. Adele was similarly dressed too, I noted. They were brother and sister? Her skin was pale, and her hair looked a natural blonde, while he looked Middle Eastern.
    “Come on, Donny. We need to help Scott inside.”
    “No, I’m good.” With one hand on the side of the van, I stood slowly, every joint and muscle complaining. “Do you think being here will jog my memory?” I spoke slowly, groping for the words.
    Adele slid her arm around my waist. “I’m thinking of something more scientific, actually.”
    Now I was upright, a wave of dizziness crashed over me. I sucked in a breath as I tried to stay straight. I remembered a snippet of conversation between the doctor and someone earlier. I didn’t see who he’d spoken to. Retrograde amnesia. Diffuse axonal injury, resulting from severe head trauma.
    I knew what that meant. There’d been a period of rapid acceleration when my brain had been moving, and it had come to a sudden stop. The soft tissues in my head had been rattled around inside my skull. That would explain the splitting headache. How did I know this?
    Donny clasped his hands around my arms, and together he and Adele helped me climb down to the ground. It was dark, nighttime, and I shivered. We’d parked outside a low building with an ornate curved glass front. With a sudden flash of memory, I recalled the elegant linked towers that were home to CyGes, the most advanced tech company of our time. “This isn’t CyGes.” Every time I remembered something, no matter how small, I’d hold onto it.
    “No, baby.” Adele nudged me with her hip, and I took a step forward. “This is the LindenCore subsidiary.”
    Nothing. It was just another anonymous corporate office.
    “Hoods up, faces down.” Donny’s gruff voice was low in the darkness. He hoisted a bag over his shoulder, before setting the lock on the van. Adele pulled up her hood and then mine. Unease trickled down my spine. This felt wrong, though I was unable to articulate why.
    “Wait a moment,” she whispered. “Donny’s going to take care of the lights.”
    As I watched, he set a small box on the ground and flicked a switch. A low hum started, and the exterior lights all fizzled out. A pulse jammer . And how did I know that?
    “Let’s go.” Adele dragged me by the arm. “Hurry.”
    Hurrying wasn’t an option. My feet were leaden, and every step jolted my already banging head. I needed painkillers before I could even think of functioning. And a drink. My mouth felt as dry as if I’d lined it with sand. One lurching step followed another, and Adele guided me to a security panel set beside the door.
    “It needs your authentication,” she whispered, her arm still tucked through mine. I was glad of her hold. Without it, I might have face-planted the floor.
    Without thinking, I pressed my palm to the flat, black plate, and then turned my face up to the optical scanner.
    A heartbeat later the lock released, and Adele pushed the door. “We’re in.”

Chapter Three
    Motion-activated lights flickered on, as we headed down a long corridor. Donny led the way, striding with clear purpose in every step. I hobbled behind, with Adele glued to my side. Nothing was familiar, yet my authentication had let us in. Did I work here? Passing a clock, I noted the time. Almost three in the morning. That would explain why the place was deserted.
    “Here.” Donny waited at a door, and gestured to the security panel. “Do your stuff.”
    The door was black, like all the others we’d passed, and the only marking was a number etched across the top. 420-1. What was different about this one? Again I placed my palm to the panel, and listened as the lock released.
    Donny shoved the door open, and we followed. The lights were bright, and I winced, dropping my gaze for a second. This was a laboratory. Computer screens and keyboards littered long desks, and the walls were covered with densely packed shelves.