eighty percent. For the future, please check with me before you share information.”
“Even with Niall? Talking to him is what sparked the idea for this and for how to motivate the techs.”
“Yes, even with Niall.” He holds up a hand. “However, I trust him to be discreet.”
Nice save. “Can I set up the alarm now? I’ll use the guest terminal in your office.”
“I thought you said your brain was fried,” Niall says.
“It won’t take long and I’ll sleep better once it’s done.”
“Officer Dorey isn’t available,” Radcliff says.
“He can’t help in this case.” Which Radcliff should know.
The tight set of his shoulders say he’s not happy, but he doesn’t have a legitimate excuse to force the issue. “All right. Please keep Officer Morgan in the loop. She’s on duty.”
“Yes, sir.”
Niall follows me out to the hallway. Once the door closes, I say, “You don’t have to come along. That full night of sleep is waiting for you.”
“It can wait some more. I’m curious how the Q-net can see invisible creatures.”
We go to Radcliff’s office. Morgan is working on the terminal at the desk. She disentangles as soon as we approach. Her expression is guarded. “Something wrong?”
I explain about setting the alarm.
She grunts, but inclines her head to the other terminal. “Knock yourself out. But keep the screen on.”
Ah. Seems trust is a hard thing to get lately. Funny, they trusted me when I rescued them from detention—actually, at the time, Morgan wanted to lock me in detention—guess I should redact that snide comment.
I sit at the terminal and insert my tangs. Niall pulls over an extra chair and follows me into the Q-net. Worming into the cameras in the archeology lab, I create a link to my Q-cluster. Then I access the cluster and immediately spot the tunnel where Beau wormed through. A couple hours to break in, eh? I plan to fix it right after this job. Pulling up the video of me in the pits the first time I saw the shadow-blobs, I check that it’s the one marked with the outlines.
Huh, Niall says, sounding surprised.
I play the video for him. Why not show him how the blobs move and hide? The rest of the team should view this as well. Yet another unwelcome idea. Too bad. I’m Ara Lawrence, Refuses to be Ignored. I’ll make all the suggestions I think are necessary.
For now, I ask the Q-net to watch for shadow-blobs through the camera feed and sound an alarm in the lab if one escapes the pits. Then I fix the hole in my security, setting a trap. No way Beau can worm into my cluster now. Who are you calling petty?
Nice, Niall thinks. Of course, it won’t help with his jealousy.
I’m not going to stop so he’ll just have to get over it.
Good luck with that.
We disentangle. Pain throbs in my head, but it’s not as bad as earlier.
Morgan is standing behind us. “Are you willing to outline the HoLFs on the rest of the video from the pits?” she asks me.
“Yes, but I’m sure you’ll have to get Officer Radcliff’s permission.”
“How much time will you need?” she asks. “It’s seven days’ worth for four pits.”
I consider. Do I be honest? Will that make them uneasy? Once everything’s set up, my Q-cluster can do it in ten to twenty minutes. “An hour.”
Silence.
Finally Morgan says, “I’ll talk to Radcliff.”
On the way back to my unit, Niall doesn’t say a word until we’re at the door. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why didn’t you tell me about what happened when you…died?” His voice catches on the d-word.
“First I thought it was just a delusion due to dying. I’m not a big believer in the afterlife, but if there’s a heaven, flying through the Q-net would be my own personal version.”
Niall huffs. “By yourself?”
Ah the fragile male ego. “You were still alive.”
He crosses his arms. “Delusions don’t have to be logical, you know.”
“I do, but then when I finally was able to access the Q-net after I died, it felt different. Which made me suspect it might not be a delusion.”
“Except you weren’t entangled at that time.”
“I know, but it’s the only explanation for my improved worming abilities.”
Niall relaxes. “Maybe the energy from the weapon affected the sensors in your brain.”
That’s not a lovely thought. As if in response, the pain in my head intensifies. I rub my temples. “Does it really matter why? Do you think having a reason will make everyone more comfortable?” Including you, but I’m