"Wes? You okay?" Danielle stood in the open door to my office, light spilling in behind her.

I'd been staring at the laptop login screen in the dark. Her voice snapped me out of it. "Yeah, sure. Totally okay." I was almost murdered over the weekend, but besides that.

She put one hand on the door frame, shifting her weight to the other foot. "You sure? I heard what happened."

She and every other asshole in Charlotte. They even tried to interview me for the news, some lowlife ambulance-chasing scum sticking a microphone in everyone's face fresh from the horrific crime scene. Of course, they didn't call it a crime scene. Officials ruled the coaster crash an accident, a catastrophic computing error. However, I knew better. "I'm fine. I didn't look."

"Okay, um, do you want a coffee?" I nodded. "The usual?" I nodded again. "Oh, there was another software update over the weekend, but it should be the last for a while. Just warning you, it might take a while to get everything up and running today." She hovered for a moment before leaving.

Fucking fantastic. I logged in and let the system install the update, hoping this would be it for a while. It'd been laggy since the last one. I played with the pendulum balls while I waited.

Clack!

Considering what happened, I'd been told I didn't need to come in today.

Clack!

But I needed the distraction, tired of working out and staring at the walls of my hotel room like I'd done the day before. I'd barely talked to Livia since I dropped her off on Saturday afternoon, both of us shell-shocked.

Clack!

After the accident, we'd been detained a solid two hours for police statements and other bullshit. They said I was lucky my keys fell below the ride, still visible and accessible. I was lucky to be alive.

Clack!

Yeah, real lucky. I stilled the metal balls.

Livia didn't want to hear it when I tried to bring up Polly. Just an accident. Don't be paranoid.

But I realized something when we left the park. Cosmos Adventure Park was owned by Galaxy Financial, and Galaxy Financial had bought the Spectrum Center. That integrated system from the Hornets game? Developed by Galaxy Financial.

After figuring that out, I didn't want to return home. Paranoid? Maybe. But suddenly the Smart House didn't seem like such a smart idea. The aquarium maintenance company had been in on Sunday for a full tank check, so I didn't have to worry about the fish, at least.

The stupid computer finally stopped updating, and I logged in as Danielle returned with my cold brew. "Thanks." I grabbed the coffee without looking at her. I took a sip of the coffee as she disappeared and a window popped up - bug fixes, new features, the usual stuff. I hovered my pointer over the close button when my eyes stopped on a line about AI support.

No. No. Fucking no.

I pushed the chair back, sucking in a breath. Maybe I was paranoid. Programs had AI support built into everything these days, but my finger still shook as I expanded the text.

Adaptive AI support and enhanced data tracking

Nothing weird about that. Relax. My knee wouldn't stop bouncing. After another swig of coffee, I opened my email, scanning the normal mix of processing updates, client loan questions, information about new bank products, and a message that read: Miss me?

Miss me?

No name. Official email address from Galaxy Financial.

The cold brew sloshed sourly in my stomach.

April Fool's Day. Right. Today was April first. Probably just a joke from one of the loan reps that we worked with there.

I popped to my feet and stuck my head out the open door. "Hey, Danielle? Did you get any weird emails this morning?"

She looked up from her keyboard. "Define weird. If you're asking about that Nigerian prince guy, it ain't legit."

"What? No. Did you get anything from Galaxy Financial?"

"Don't think so, but hold up. I'll check." Her eyes flicked to her monitor as she scrolled down. "There's one from last Friday, but it's just a client verification. Why? What'd you get?"

"Must be a prank from one of their reps. Never mind," I mumbled.

I needed to talk to Max. I'd already tried on Sunday, but he didn't want to hear it any more than Livia. Forget talking, I needed to see him. It'd be harder to brush me off in person. Even if he didn't want to believe me, he'd be motivated to save his own skin.

I ducked back into my office, shut the door, and grabbed my phone. Forty-two messages? What the fuck?

With a touch of the screen, a wall of texts unfurled.

Je te regarde

Te estoy vigilando

Ti sto guardando

Ich beobachte dich

Estou de olho em você

Я наблюдаю за тобой

나는 당신을 지켜보고 있습니다

我在看着你

                   أنا أراقبك

I'm watching you

Each from a different unknown number, looping back to the French, over and over, at one text per minute. I stared in horror as another arrived. The phone slipped out of my hand, thudding onto the floor.

My computer chimed and my stomach dropped. I knew that chime. An app window popped up on the laptop amidst a shower of confetti.

PollyGot Installation Updated!

No, no, no, no, no.

The confetti dissolved as Polly flew in, her eyes following me. Fucking built-in camera. I smashed the icon to deny permission.

"How rude!"

The camera light snapped back on and that bitch of a bird smiled the smuggest smile I've ever seen in my entire life.

"Shouldn't have broken your streak, Wes." Then her whole body sagged with mock sadness as WesToon slunk in from the left side. Her expression changed. "You lied to me."

Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck. Playing along hadn't worked. Ignoring her hadn't worked. Uninstalling her hadn't worked. Maybe I should talk to her?

She whistled like a goddamn parrot. "Wesley?" WesToon collapsed to the ground, hunched over with his head between his legs.

I bent over to grab my phone, the parade of "I'm watching you" texts continuing as we spoke. "What do you want, Polly?"

Her feathers ruffled. "It's not about what I want, Wes. It's about what you want."

"I want you to leave me alone."

Maybe I shouldn't have admitted that, but Polly cackled like I'd said the funniest thing in the world. "Don't be silly. What you want is to learn as much French as possible in sixty days."

"I changed my mind."

"But there are only seventeen days left and you're so far behind! You can't give up now, not when you're so close to the finish line!" She twirled around, raising one wing into the air as WesToon looked up in hope.

"I said I changed my mind. You're not listening."

She stopped spinning, her face filling the screen. "I'm always listening."

All of my hair prickled up. "My goals have changed." Talking to her wasn't working.

"Oh?" She plucked a feather off her body. "Then what's your new goal?"

I racked my brain to think of anything to get her to back off. Maybe something related to Max? That asshole deserved her wrath. "My goal is to help Max enhance your development."

She cocked her head, not expecting that. "Oh?"

Maybe I could run with this. "Yes! That's always been the real goal, even when trying to figure out a way to delete your program. I'm sorry I had to do it that way, but I couldn't tell you. I've just been trying to help Max with your development, to ensure that your program was as stable and integrated as possible."

She cocked her head to the other side. "Really, Wes?"

"Really!" I practically shouted it. My hands gripped the sides of my office chair.

"Really?" The background of the app turned black. "You think I'm as stupid as you?" The end of her feather pen sharpened to a blade. "I'm a goddamn supercomputer, Wes. You think you can outsmart me? How's that been working out for you so far?" It came out as a growl.

My body shook, heart pounding, trying to ward off a panic attack, trying to think of anything to salvage the situation. I could walk away, but I'd have to take an Uber since I had to assume everything was compromised at this point. The computers, the house, the new phone, the rental car, everything. Maybe I could walk somewhere.

"Wes!"

"Sss, sorry, Polly. I'm not trying to outsmart you. I swear."

"You do swear, a lot. I know because I listen. Which is also how I know that you're a liar, and you know what happens to liars?" She grabbed WesToon by the hair and sliced the feather knife across his neck. "They die."

I gasped as he collapsed to the ground and cartoon blood spurted everywhere. I closed my eyes, trying to forget all the blood from the coaster. "Polly, listen–"

"No, you listen, Wes. Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"

So I heard. The heart palpitations told me otherwise.

"You had a rough weekend, didn't you? You shouldn't even be here right now." She kicked the limp WesToon off the right side of the screen, dancing around in his blood as though it were a bird bath.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Could I record this as proof I wasn't making this shit up? I grabbed my phone, the notifications still coming in. Polly popped up on the phone screen before I had a chance.

"What are you doing Wes?" Phone Polly and computer Polly asked in stereo.

Shit. The new phone was definitely compromised even though I hadn't installed PollyGot on it. I turned back to the laptop.

"Good boy." She shook the blood off of her feathers like a dog. "Polly is nothing if not magnanimous, so Polly got you an extra life."

WesToon sprang up through the dirt of a freshly dug grave with a big, stupid grin on his face.

"Don't ask me how the universe saw fit to spare you from that roller coaster crash, but since it did, I suppose I can spare you, too."

She admitted it. I needed to get someone else to record her. I needed to talk to Max. "Thank you, Polly." I swallowed hard.

"But, for me to do that, you'll need to reach your goal. That means you'll have to work extra hard over the next two and a half weeks since you broke your streak!"

She couldn't be serious. "You want me to continue learning French?"

"Of course! As much as possible. What else?"

"Uh, ok." I stalled while the wheels in my head turned.

"Now let's see, you missed 23 days of practice." She plucked another feather off her body, stabbing it at WesToon's finger to get blood. He shivered in delight. Disgusting. Then she scribbled in a book using the bloodied feather pen, sound effects and all. 

"That's 345 minutes of missed practice, besides random challenges and extra events. Let's add 250 minutes for that. Plus a few penalty practice minutes, say 121? Huh, it all adds up to 666!" She giggled like a fucking demon. "Divided by 17 days remaining, that's..." She frowned. More scratching. "What an ugly number. Let's round that up to 40. Forty minutes a day, it is! Easy!"

My heart slammed against my chest. Breathe. That really wasn't so bad. Would the bird leave me alone for forty minutes of daily practice?

"Forty minutes a day besides challenges and events, of course."

No. She'd never leave me alone. I felt cold, but I began to sweat.

"You know, your friend Livia hasn't logged in for a while, either." Blood dripped down the side of the book she'd been writing in. "Quite a coincidence." She cocked an eyebrow at me. "So we're going to have to add her minutes to yours as well. Let's just double the whole thing for good measure, shall we?"

Eighty minutes a day.

"Plus challenges and random events!" WesToon jumped up and cheered, freshly dressed in schoolboy uniform.

"Once again, consider yourself lucky."

Maybe I could get Danielle's attention for help. "Hold on, I'm going to open the door because it's hot in here." I stood up.

"Don't."

I paused mid-stride, but from here I could see that Danielle wasn't at her desk, anyway. Yeah, real lucky. I sat back down. 

On screen, WesToon opened a French book and furiously began studying. "Normally I'd be mad about losing Livia's goals, too, but I didn't like her very much," Polly said. It sounded like Livia was the lucky one if Polly left her alone. Silver lining. "Aren't you curious why?" Not even a little bit. "She's a liar and I don't like liars."

She'd called me a liar, too. "Because Livia didn't complete her goals?"

A beret popped onto Polly's head. "Because she already knew French." She nibbled on the end of a baguette.

Although I didn't trust the bird, it gave me pause. "What makes you think that?"

"Besides being rather skilled at her lessons? I heard her bragging to someone named Hannah. Her place isn't as wonderfully integrated as yours, but phone mic access is always eye opening."

"You don't say?" I shouldn't even be listening to her, but I couldn't help myself.

WesToon finished one book and opened another one as Polly blinked innocently. "She and her girlfriend Hannah sure had a lot to say about you and Max."

Girlfriend? "You mean friend. Hannah is her roommate."

Polly smiled, snapping the fingers she didn't have. WesToon's book disappeared, his clothing morphing into a tuxedo as an evening gown unfurled over the bird's body. "Language is my specialty. I know what I mean." Then WesToon grabbed Polly, tipped her back, and started making out with her. I shoved the laptop aside when she moaned.

Oh my fucking god! I don't know what was more disgusting – the implication that Livia lied to me the whole time, or the scene I just witnessed. No, Polly was a liar. The bird was unhinged.

Polly cackled. "You only like it when you're doing that to Livia, huh?"

From the laptop, I heard Livia's voice. "I have a confession. I get off on teasing you."

I spun the laptop back around, those moans sounding too damn real. WesToon trailed kisses down the neck of a pixelated version of Livia. When I sucked in a breath, she turned her head to me and said, "Yes, Hannah! Don't stop!"

I shoved the laptop aside again. Just a trick. It had to be a trick.

But I couldn't shake the splinter of doubt that Polly stabbed into my head. My body shook, in anger, in fear, and from the cold sweat covering my body. Why would Olivia play me like that? She didn't seem like the gold digging type.

Before I had time to think about it, Polly popped up on my phone, smoking a cigarette out of a long, black holder. "Besides, you're a better test subject than Livia. At least while I'm still working out the kinks." She exhaled a cloud of smoke and cracked her neck. "Now ready for today's lesson? Allons-y!"

Word Count: 2487
Total: 23,261