Haley raised an eyebrow. “But for real, who are they?”
Crossing her arms across her chest, Stephanie said, “They really are in the Marketing Departnt. Zola’s a graphic designer except she also writes—which ans she writes a lot of internal mos from managent to the masses. She’s not a bad person. She’s artsy—likes to talk about different periods in graphic design. I went out with her to a few bars when she worked in the lab. I haven’t seen her much lately. She’s been busy with work and learning to use her powers, I guess.
“Now, Art… I don’t know him as well. He worked in the lab too, but I avoided him. He’s the kind of 40 year old guy who’s always chatting up the 20 sothing won in the company? A little creepy. He didn’t ever do anything that could get him fired, but I stayed out of his way after the first couple tis and he seed to get the ssage. He used to do programming and analysis in the lab. Now he designs reports for managent and so stuff for marketing too. I’m not sure what. Our company’s so small managent and marketing are basically one team.”
Giving a shrug, she added, “And that’s pretty much all I know about them. I can tell you a couple stories about going drinking with Zola, but you’re not going to learn anything except that she has too much sotis.”
Haley gave a short laugh. “Not anymore. It sounds like they gave her the sa powers I got—which ans getting drunk is going to be a lot harder.”
Stephanie’s brow furrowed and then her mouth twisted. “That’s for the best. She threw up in my car once. It took weeks before the sll was completely gone.”
That gave the opening I needed. “Tara, what did you an when you said, ‘they’re not the only ones’?”
She turned, her eyes eting mine instead of so unknown point in the distance, and her mouth no longer a thin line. “I don’t know. I an, I know that I ant that they obviously modified other people, but I don’t know who. And I don’t know how I know it.”
She interrupted before I could ask why.
“Sotis when I think I put together chains of facts that were too unrelated to notice normally, but sotis I read between the lines without knowing how I did it. Right now, I know that Art and Zola aren’t the only ones they modified, but I don’t know who the other ones are or what they can do.”
In a tone that was all hers and not even Emmy’s, Tara said, “Sorry,” ending the word on a breathy, high pitched whisper.
Stephanie looked from Tara over to Haley. “Great. I guess we’ll find out what the other modified people can do later, but for now, how would I fool you into thinking what I want you to think?”
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Haley bit her lower lip. “Um… I get most of my information on your emotions from your sll. Perfus help mask scents especially if they’re perfus that sll like human odors. So a musky sll might help. I’ve learned how to tell the difference, but Art and Zola might not be able to. I can also hear your heartbeat. If it becos faster, I know you’re nervous or excited. I don’t know what to tell you to do about that. Think calm thoughts?”
Stephanie frowned for a mont, but then she smiled. “I think I can handle it. All I need to do is hack my own brain. I’ll make a symbol that keeps calm but keeps alert. It won’t be the first ti I’ve made stuff like that. What are you going to do?”
I stared into the distance between Tara’s and Haley’s heads, thinking about my options. “I’m thinking that I’ll use my implant. While we were off-planet, we had the thing substitute the standard language for the Alliance in when we were talking. We didn’t even have to think about it. It translated our intended words into words in a completely different language—which ans it’s got so serious hooks into my body, maybe even into things I can’t normally control.”
With a thought, I told the implant to give blush. In seconds, I felt heat in my cheeks.
As Stephanie said, “That’s pretty good,” I told the implant to let my blush fade.
Even as I did, Haley added, “Can you make your heart speed up? It does that sotis when you’re attracted to soone.”
“I guess,” I began.
“And sotis,” Tara said, “you don’t make eye contact with them if you’re feeling really nervous.”
Stephanie grinned. “It sounds like the three of you are going to figure this out. I’m going to drive ho. I’ve got so work to do.”
She gave us a wave as she walked out the door of the lab.
“You do,” Tara said.
She wasn’t wrong. “I guess,” I tried to rember the first ti I’d t her. Had I done that or had she noticed that from other examples? Either way it was a little depressing.
We worked on it a little while longer until we had an approach that would work. Tara left alone with Haley and the two of us talked together in the lab, holding hands as we sat next to each other.
“In a way,” Haley told , “I feel sorry for Art and Zola. Everything they were talking about, I’ve felt too—maybe not in exactly the sa way, but I have. Unlike them, I had my grandfather to teach how to use my powers, and Travis and I could always talk about them with each other. So I knew I wasn’t the first person to feel this and I knew that I was more than my instincts.”
She looked up at . “I wish I could talk to them—or at least to Zola because it sounds like it bothers her. Maybe after everything is over.”
“Maybe. I just hope she doesn’t go off the deep end before then.” Zola seed to vary between worried about controlling herself, angry, and nice. At least she’d seed nice. Overall, it didn’t seem like a good combination.
“Nick?” Haley’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“Sorry. I was thinking about all of this.” I looked at her face. From the way she looked up at , she seed concerned, not angry.
“I should go. I still have howork to finish.” She leaned toward and we kissed.
“That’s okay. So do I and I should also show the video to Vaughn in case he needs to know too.” I let go of her hand and she went to the locker room to strip out of her costu and shower.
We did see each other before she left, but it was while Vaughn was watching the video.
“Stay safe,” she said, poking her head into the lab, and I waved to her while Vaughn said, “Oh, man. This just gets worse.”
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