yellow, which is the reason everyone calls him Hedgehog. Mischief sparks in his amber eyes, but he inserts his tangs and says, “Let’s go.”
I worm through a few layers, easing into the gaps without causing ripples that would alert others. It’s easier than I remember. And the intricacies of the Q-net are sharper, brighter, and bigger. Odd. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t entangled with the Q-net in twenty days. I’ve accessed it at least once every day since my sensors were implanted when I was ten A-years old.
Beau stays close to me as I navigate. A pang vibrates in my chest. It’s just like old times, when we worked together plugging DES’s security holes. I missed it. Who knew?
Taking the video file, I drag it down to my Q-cluster. It’s hard to explain—nothing is anyone’s in the Q-net. As long as you have the proper clearance, you can go as deep as the star roads. But this particular cluster responds to me. I know, sounds crazy and I did have a concussion when I discovered it. Time to see if it still recognizes me.
I’ve woven a tight security net around it and it appears intact. Once inside, I stretch the video like taffy around me, pulling it until each second is visible. The effect is similar to a panorama photo. The entire sequence of events can now be seen.
“Damn, girl,” Beau whispers.
Pride swells. It’s hard to impress him. Focusing on the task at hand, I concentrate on one shadow-blob at the beginning of the clip and think about outlining it. The Q-net follows my instructions and a shape forms. Still a blob. Then I move to the next second and repeat. It’s tedious. And perhaps stretching the time into sixty seconds wasn’t my best idea. I finally finish and start on blob two.
Except after I outline the second one, the Q-net takes over and does the remaining fifty-nine seconds.
“Stars, girl,” Beau says. “What the fu—”
“This cluster likes me,” I say.
I pick out number three and whoosh. Same with four and five. Both finished in a blink of an eye. Astonished, I’m speechless.
Beau gapes at me. “Was that real? Did I just see that?”
“Yeah.” My voice is rough.
“See what?” Morgan demands.
I turn toward her. “The Q-net…” Still overwhelmed, words fail me.
“The Q-net,” she prompts.
“Recognized the shadow-blobs.”
Two
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Morgan grabs my shoulder and turns my swivel chair toward her. “Recognized as in…?”
I draw in a deep breath and clasp my hands together to stop the tremors. “As in, the Q-net can see the shadow-blobs.”
“See how?”
“I don’t know. Maybe there’s a visual element on the video that only the Q-net can sense. Does it matter? Think about the implications.”
Beau straightens in his chair. “We can use the Q-net to pinpoint their locations.”
“Exactly.” We grin at each other.
He flashes his teeth, which seem bright compared to his bronze skin. Handsome and he knows it, he enjoys goading Niall, making him jealous.
Bertie taps the screen. “Can you have the Q-net scan for other wavelengths besides visible light?”
“You think they’re emitting X-rays or microwaves or something?” I ask.
“Nice to know your education included physics,” Bertie says. “Yes. And if they do, then we can learn more about them. Since there are no terminals in the pits, it would also make it easier for us to develop a way to see them without having to rely on the Q-net.”
“And invent a weapon to kill them?” Morgan asks.
“One thing at a time, Officer,” Yenay says. “Ara, can you do the scan?”
I consider the problem, but then realize why it won’t work.
“Wait,” Bertie says, figuring it out at the same time. “It’s a video feed. The camera only records visible light.”
“Then we need to get a sensor in the pits to record the full electromagnetic spectrum,” Yenay says.
Both astrophysicists turn to Morgan.
“Too dangerous,” she says.
“We can provide hand-held lasers to the security team,” Bertie says. “If the HoLFs…poof…when the flashlight’s beam hits them straight on, then the amplified light of a laser should work as well. And with a laser, the beam goes much further than a flashlight’s and that should keep them away from us long enough to install a sensor.”
“We can use floodlights as well,” Beau says. “Plus we don’t have to go in far. Pit 1 is right across from the archeology lab. I’ll volunteer for the mission.”
And I’d have to go as well to spot the shadow-blobs or I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to Beau or the scientists. “Me, too.”
Morgan shakes