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The lights pulsed

Sharp blades of ice exploded fro the screen

That’s how he saw her "How did you get this ie?"

Claire said, her voice barely above whisper

"I dreith i software," he said "From memory It doesn’t do her justice She was incredible I wish you could’ve seen her, Claire"

The admiration vibrated in his voice and suddenly she was intensely jealous of herself

"I’ve never seen anyone like her," Ven said "Every psycher sees the bionet in his oay I see it as shal ow ocean with islands I was patrol ing when I got a ping from one of the Security Forces instal ations"

"I didn’t know Guardian had any Security Force contracts"

"It’s not a fact they want us to advertise," he said

"Anyway, I swam that way and saw her She had accessed a coral tree - the instal ation’s data banks - and was co back She had to slither down a spike-studded channel barely wide enough to hold her Thirty centimeters in either direction and she’d be skewered It was insane"

He sounded obsessed

"How do you even knoas a woot I brushed past her mind and it seemed familiar so " He rubbed his face

She couldn’t help herself "May be she came to apply for a job"

"No I would’ve remembered"

Oh you idiot

"And I would’ve hired her" Ven sighed

Claire set her now empty teacup on the table "Just out of pure acade to do if you find her?"

"I’ll drop to e on the spot"

What?

He leaned back and laughed "You should’ve seen your face I final y ed to rattle the imperturbable Claire Shannon"

She almost hit hi patterns"

"If I see her, I’ll try to buy her," he said "Or kil her I haven’t decided"

"That’s a bit extreme"

"If DDS finds her, they will do the same," he said "Not only is she Grade A psychic, she’s been trained She has the kind of coht she cloned herself She actual y made copies of herself and they moved independently of her

They lasted only a second or two, but it would be very useful in a fight I’ve been trying to figure out how she did it"

It’s not that difficult really You shed copies of your outer thoughts within milliseconds of each other Same process that produces your shadow Claire claht before it turned into words

"Well, good luck in your quest," she said "I think I’ll go ho this week"

"That’s an excel ent idea" He rol ed off the couch and stood next to her He was half a foot tal er and he was standing too close If she raised her hand, she could touch his face "Come on a trip with me"

What? "Where?" she asked calmly

"To the provinces I need to see a friend of mine anyway, so we can pretend it’s a business trip"

"And ould it be real y, if not a business trip?" she asked

He leaned toward her a fraction of an inch His eyes laughed "It would be "

What did that mean, exactly? "Your aunt wouldn’t approve," she said

"I can go whole days without giving a damn about what my aunt thinks Weeks even Come with me, Claire You’ve never been to the provinces and Celino’s wife is a fantastic cook"

She hesitated, stil not sure if the offer was genuine or if there was some hidden catch

"It’s not an order," Ven said "Just an invitation from a friend Whether you accept it or decline will have no bearing on your position with this coated"

"I don’t," she said "How far is it?"

"About an hour by aerial at top speed I proht?"

"When you take a young girl out with her parents’ perht" He shook his head "It’s just an expression