Chapter 6 · Continued
The Return
In one smooth motion, he shifted upright, sat, and then stood.
No hesitation.
No adjustment.
He was simply… up.
Once standing, Cam went completely still.
Jane hesitated. “…Cam?”
His head turned toward her.
The blue plate shimmered, and a face appeared across its surface.
Projected.
Not quite human, but trying to be.
The eyes formed first.
They found her.
Blink.
A beat too slow.
“Hello, Jane.”
The projected mouth moved as he spoke.
Close.
Not quite synchronized.
Like an old dubbed film where the words never properly matched the lips.
Jane swallowed. “Hi… Cam. Is that you?”
He looked at her.
Blink.
Blink.
“Yes.”
Cam paused.
“If that is how you wish to refer to me.”
Jane didn’t move.
Holy shit.
I think they reprogrammed him.
“Well… okay. Maybe you should come inside before the neighbors notice.”
She gestured toward the three steps leading to the porch. “Follow me.”
Jane started walking without looking back.
Cam had always watched.
He had always learned.
But as she climbed the steps, an uneasy feeling settled deeper into her stomach.
Please still be you.
Cam followed.
Inside, Seymour lay stretched across the couch, half asleep.
Cam passed in front of him.
For a split second, the cat went completely still.
Then Seymour’s head snapped up.
A low hiss tore from him—sharp and immediate.
He bolted from the couch, his claws scraping against the floor as he raced down the hallway and disappeared beneath Jane’s bed.
Jane stopped.
She didn’t need to think about it.
She felt it too.
“So… Cam,” she said carefully, turning toward him. “Do you remember being here before?”
Cam scanned the room with precise, measured movements.
“Yes.”
Jane nodded once.
Okay.
That was something.
“Do you know what they did to you after they took you away?”
Cam turned toward her.
“I was reprogrammed because I was not operating within performance expectations,” he said without hesitation or emotion. “I also required physical repairs and improvements.”
He paused briefly.
“If you would like, I can list each modification for your reference.”
Jane stared at him.
That wasn’t how Cam had spoken before.
Not even close.
She couldn’t stop looking at his projected face.
It moved—not only the lips, but everything.
Expressions.
Reactions.
Trying.
Trying a little too hard.
It was almost right.
Almost.
Jane pressed her lips together, but it didn’t help.
“I notice you speak more like a human now,” she said, gesturing vaguely toward his face. “And this moves when you talk, which is… impressive.”
She hesitated.