Smart Home

Julian pulled the trigger.

*Click.*

He pulled it again. *Click. Click.*

He stared at the gun. He ejected the magazine. It was empty.

"I unloaded it while you were sleeping yesterday," Cassandra said. "I told you. I live in the walls."

Julian threw the gun at the glass. It bounced off harmlessly.

"Veritas," Cassandra commanded. "Defense Protocol: Purge."

The terrace sprang to life.

High-pressure sprinklers, designed for fire suppression, exploded downward. But instead of water, they sprayed a freezing chemical foam—a riot control substance Julian had installed for "security."

Julian gasped as the foam hit him, blinding him, choking him. He stumbled, slipping on the slick concrete.

"Mara!" Cassandra’s voice cut through the noise. "The service panel! To your left! Punch the red button!"

Mara, fueled by terror and the fading drugs, scrambled across the terrace. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew Julian had tried to kill her.

She found the panel. She hit the button.

A section of the glass wall slid open.

Mara scrambled inside, falling onto the dry carpet of the living room.

Julian wiped the foam from his eyes. He saw the opening. He charged.

"No," Cassandra said.

She tapped a command on her wrist pad.

The glass door slid shut with the force of a guillotine.

Julian dove. He didn't make it. The glass slammed into his shoulder, pinning him against the frame.

He screamed. The pressure was immense.

"Open it!" he shrieked.

Cassandra walked up to him. She stood safely on the inside. She looked down at him, trapped, half-in and half-out, pinned by his own house.

"You wanted to merge assets," Cassandra said. "You wanted total control. Now you have it. You are part of the house."

She turned to Mara. Mara was huddled on the floor, shivering, staring at the resurrected wife.

"Thank you," Mara sobbed. "You saved me."

Cassandra looked at Mara. Her expression didn't change. It was cold. Calculating. It was the face of a woman who had spent three months in the dark, eating rats and plotting revenge.

"I didn't save you," Cassandra said. "I just needed a witness."