Page 34 of Enthraller

She let them scan the space.

There.

She angled her body, her eyes focusing in on a tiny wink of light.

She walked over to the corner and snatched up a scuttling creeper.

It was a miniature lens on eight legs, all black, including the glossy lens face.

Her nanos tasted it through the skin of her fingers.

She knew tasted wasn’t the right word, but it felt right. They probed it.

They had gotten her to pick up numerous pieces of technology since Ytla, and she had walked through numerous tech stores in both Demeter and Nanganya since, picking up items and holding them while her nanos learned the tech of the new world they found themselves in.

Sudden, sharp pain bit at her, and she threw the bug, swearing.

An electric shock, her nanos told her. They would know better next time.

She hunted for the device, found it tucked between a chair and wall in the corner of the room.

It darted away, and a long, thin silver spike shot from her fingertip and impaled it.

Bemused, a little freaked out, she stood, staring at it, and at the silver extension of her finger.

The door opened and she turned.

“Bailey found some more,” Ed said, then he stopped dead.

The silver spike retracted, and she cupped her other hand, let the creeper drop onto her palm. “So did I.”

14

“I say we confront the bastards.”Hatch glared at the creeper on the table. “There were listening devices in our rooms, and in the control room, but if they’re using creepers . . .”

Ed knew if they were using creepers, the team could scan for electronic ears all they liked, someone just had to drop another creeper down, and let it scuttle inside their living quarters.

“I’ve got a way to disrupt creeper signals.” Wren was focused on the creeper as well. “I only have one device that can do it, but I’ll spend some time tonight making more and we can have one in each room.”

“Serious?” Hatch lifted his gaze, frowning. “What tech is that?”

“Secret tech,” she said.

Nano tech, Ed guessed. And probably learned in the last ten minutes.

Not that he was complaining.

“What equipment do you need?” he asked. “There’s some stuff in the maintenance room you could probably use, if I remember from the last time I was up here.”

She gave a nod. “Let’s go see.”

“What about me?” Hatch asked.

“Get some rest,” Ed told him. “You’re walking out on the line again tomorrow.”

“So are you,” Hatch pointed out.

“One of us might as well be rested,” Ed said, and Hatch gave a shrug, shot another hard look at the burned out creeper, and followed them out.

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