To Rescue a Villain

Chapter 14

It was easy to not think about that kiss as I walked toward our new apartment because Derek had insisted on letting me handle all the luggage while he and Ace went ahead to "scout out" the place. That meant I carried all the weight and he twiddled his thumbs like a child. I don't know what I ever saw in the jerk.

I had to admit, though, that as I walked up the steps of the tall, arched, steel building with its long windows and actually clean sidewalks, excitement started to rise in my chest. Long gone were the days where we'd have to hide in blankets because the thin walls did nothing to stop the cold. Gone was the smell of burnt toast that lingered anytime we attempted to make breakfast.

But not gone was the sharing of a bed. The only difference would be that this one was bigger.

"What do you think?" Derek asked proudly as he held one of the side doors open for me, blatantly ignoring the three heavy suitcases I was attempting to lug behind me. "Feeling impressed yet?"

"By the building, yes," I retorted, grunting as I shoved one of the bags through the doorway. "By you? No."

The jerk just giggled as I stepped into the long, carpeted hallway. A series of numbered doors lined the hall and I immediately started searching for ours: #9. The sooner I got in there the sooner I could drop these stupid bags.

"It's a pity Ace lives on the other side of the building," Derek pouted as he produced one of our three card keys and slid it into the number nine slot. Despite being mad at my "husband", who had officially become my "spouse" yesterday when we signed the papers, I couldn't help but jump up and down in anticipation of our new home.

When Derek noticed my excitement, he smiled and threw the door open for me, then he grabbed the heaviest suitcase and carried it inside.

"Oh. So now that I've carried it all the way here, you decide to be a gentleman," I muttered playfully before running inside with a childish screech of joy.

It was a little bit smaller than our previous establishment and, other than the bathroom, didn't have any doors to separate the rooms but it was clean and fresh and that was all that mattered to me.

The front door led straight into the quaint kitchen, its counters a coral pink and the pearl walls covered with hanging stainless steel pans. The stove actually looked usable unlike our old, rusty stove, which had looked ready to collapse if we put anything on top of it. There was also no scent of burning food. My nose felt so thankful.

Our only bedroom was off to the left of the kitchen and consisted of a queen sized bed with sky blue covers, dressers on both sides of the bed, and a small window overlooking an empty field of grass. I would get to be woken up by the sun rising instead of waking in pitch blackness.

"I love it," I told Derek as I ran through the apartment to make sure there was nothing else I'd missed. Other than the bathroom, which was white and plain, and a tiny closet for hanging our clothes, there was nothing else to discover but I didn't care.

The villain started to smile again but looked away before I could see it, yawning to make it seem like nothing had happened. "Let's start unpacking," he told me seriously, thinking he could fool me. He couldn't. I knew he was just as thrilled about this as I was.

◑○★☆●◐

"Derek is having a nap," I sang to myself as I crept down the halls, the key to his new office clutched in my hand. "So I'm gonna steal his...trap...That doesn't make sense." I shrugged. Oh well. It was a good thing making rhymes was not my job.

Derek hadn't told me how to get to his office but since I'd caught a glimpse of it in the show, I knew exactly where to go. Luckily for me, work hours were over so very few people were around to spot me sneaking about.

It took twenty minutes of wandering the halls and looking for something familiar but I finally managed to discover his new workspace and easily let myself in, a cheeky smirk on my face. I'd get to see it before he did.

The office was tiny, barely the size of our bedroom, but that didn't make it any less interesting. A wall of glass ran between the main desk and the door, which seemed a bit odd, and there was a small bathroom off to the right. If only all offices came with miniature bathrooms.

Since there was nothing else to look at other than the desk, which didn't even have any drawers, I sat down on the rolling chair and scooched forward so I could have a look at the huge, clear computer screen. As soon as I reached out to touch it, the screen turned on and started to hum softly.

My heart was starting to beat wildly with excitement when a purple face made of words and numbers appeared on the screen, making me slide back against the wall in surprise. I hadn't been expecting someone to be in there.

"You must be Derek Hacket's wife," the face said in a soothing but somewhat robotic voice, her purple eyes scanning my face to memorize it. "What is your full name?"

I hesitated, trying to recall seeing a female computer in the series but not remembering anything. Maybe she'd been in the books but hadn't played a major roll. "I'm Mary. And what's your name?"

The computer hesitated, as though unsure how to answer. "My creator called me DIHAN," she answered. As she said the letters one at a time, long strands of hair began to protrude from the back of her head and swirl around her face, giving the impression that she was underwater. "But I'm sure my new owner will give me a new name."

"Derek?"

"Yes. Each new Hikarius employee is given their own personal AI to monitor and assist in their work."

"Hmm." I started to smile. She was interesting and it was a pity I couldn't remember her from the show. "Do you like the name Dihan? I could call you Di instead. It's a bit easier to remember." I pronounced the name Dee and thought it sounded somewhat pretty.

The AI paused, calculated, then nodded. "Very well. Di is satisfactory. But if Mr. Hacket does not approve then I shall change it."

"I'll tell him your name so he can't," I offered, though it was more of a statement than a suggestion. Moving closer to her again, I found myself growing more comfortable. "Are you a self-aware AI?"

"I have been programmed to give the appearance of self-awareness and adjustment but do not feel human emotions. I can pretend to if you wish."

"That's okay. I'm not a fan of pretending." I smiled, then suddenly felt a lightbulb go off in my head. "Wait! Di, are you good with technology?"

The AI calculated again, then frowned. "I do not underst—"

"See," I reached down into one of my back pockets and, as though holding my most prized possession, showed her the dead phone I'd brought with me. "I have this phone and it's not working for some reason. It's got some ...files on it that I need to see. Do you think you'll be able to fix it?"

She examined the device in confusion, likely not recognizing its make or model, then shook her head. "I cannot fix it but may be able to extract the information for you."

"Really?" I'm sure she was just simplifying her words to make it easier to for me to understand. "That'd be great. It's got some really important stuff on here that I can't afford to lose." Super important! Like, future telling important.

"If you insert it in here..." A compartment in the nearby wall opened, allowing just enough space for me to slip the useless phone inside. "...Then I'll see what I can do."

"Awesome!" I turned to leave, sure that Derek was close to waking up by now. Before I could exit, though, I remembered something and stopped. "Oh! And Di?"

"Yes, Mary?"

"Don't tell Derek about anything you find on there, okay?"

"Very well."

"Thanks!" I waved and ran off, allowing the door to shut behind me. This day just kept getting better and better.