Something crunched and he realized one of the two Psy had stepped on the broken holo-frames scattered in Tally's living room.
"Careful," the male hissed. "We don't want someone calling Enforcement."
"I thought you had Councilor LeBon's support. Surely he can stifle any Enforcement action."
A pause. "It seems Ashaya has used my absence to convince him that my results are worthless. I need Jonquil Duchslaya to prove her wrong - and Talin McKade is certain to know his present whereabouts. The human will serve the dual purpose of providing me with a new access point into Shine's databases."
"You think Councilor LeBon will allow you to continue your experiments?"
"Yes, of course, once I'm able to return and show him the real results."
"Why continue?"
"Are you questioning my judgment?"
"Your findings indicate beyond any doubt that the brains of the Forgotten are different from ours. They can't be utilized as test subjects."
"It's not about using them as test subjects." The man's voice held a superior tone, as if he was deigning to share a secret. "It's about finding out what they've become, eliminating the possible threat to the Psy."
"That's an illogical presumption," the female said. "They are no threat, their powers have mutated, weakened - "
"Mutated but not necessarily weakened." Shuffling, rustling sounds that Clay identified as that of paper. "Where is she hiding? According to our research, she hasn't returned to her adopted family and she has no close friends."
"Your approach makes little sense." The woman stood her ground, a point in her favor - if she really was loyal to Ashaya, she'd walk out of this alive. "Talin McKade isn't high enough up in Shine to give us the information we need."
"She has access to their computers. That's all we need. Once we break open her natural shields and implant a control link, we can direct her to search for what we want. The situation will be more draining on your powers than if she was a cooperative subject, but it'll work."
"My powers?"
"I need to be fully functional for the experiments."
Silence and then the sounds of the female finally moving about. Ten minutes later, the pair left the apartment.
"Dorian?"
"I've got them," Dorian said, tone cool and focused. "They just passed the seventh-floor window, took the stairs."
"Figures," Lucas murmured. "They wouldn't want to be captured on the elevator surveillance."
They were all moving into intercept positions as they spoke.
"Luc," Clay said, "can you get the girl away from the male?"
"Dorian, split them up," Lucas ordered.
"They're at the exit," Dorian noted. "Shot coming up. Silenced."
A short feminine scream followed soon afterward and then the sound of someone running away from Clay's location, heavier male steps in pursuit. Lucas had taken the girl.
"Judd - we need to find out what she knows," Clay said as Larsen ran past the alley where he stood cloaked in shadow.
"I'm on it."
Satisfied the two men would control the female, Clay went after the monster who had killed so many children. In a test of physical strength and speed, a changeling would always win over a Psy. He caught up within seconds, close enough to verify that the Psy fit the description Jon had given them.
"Judd - chances he's sending telepathically?" he asked as he tracked the man out of the residential streets and toward a quieter area full of warehouses closed up for the night. Fog curled up around his feet, muddied the air, but the leopard had excellent vision and a nose trained to track prey.
"If we're lucky, he might be too agitated to send. That won't last."