She turned back to the briefing and explained, “Right, if that little verbal voyeurism is over, there is a vid going out this evening that is a thank you from Susa. I need to make sure that you all act as if it is a truth.”
Dr. Miliken stood up. “The file is queued up.”
Zera caught the video and saw her sliding into the sitting body of Susa. She grimaced. “I told you not to use internal cameras for this.”
Dr. Miliken blushed. “I will have them disabled.”
Zera gritted her teeth as she puppeted Susa to say what she needed to. The drone footage was next up. It was a repeat with a better angle.
She slowly turned back to the people gathered. She sighed. “So, that is my activation, and now, you know that the name Hopper does not involve me skipping in and out of beds.”
The team members were standing and staring at her. Naima whispered, “You made her talk.”
“No, I was talking. My cells were mingled with her cells. When she sat up, that was me sitting up. I phase in and then can either ride along or take over. Then I hop out.” She sighed. “At the point she recorded that message, she weighed nearly one hundred and twenty-five kilos.”
The team was staring at her. Hron looked at her, down to his com, and then up again with a slight smile.
She felt the haptic pulse through her com and glanced down. If she was amenable, she had a three-hour date for that evening. She scowled and pressed accept. Details of what she should wear would be forwarded to her. There was an online collection to choose from.
She sighed and turned. “So, this is the security camera footage from the surrounding area.” She watched the man blur into the screen, set her down, and kiss her temple with tears tracking down his cheek. “And that is Delvis. He isn’t going to be my way in, but he is an ally once I get there.”
He arranged her carefully into the seated position and disappeared. The next image was Zera rolling up and taking her into her arms, wailing. To Zera’s surprise, the ground shook around her and Susa while she rocked and waited for the peacekeepers.
Astel leaned forward. “You called everyone before you arrived?”
“Before I left the house. When I got up, instead of being ready for a run, I found this in her room.”
Susara’s voice rang out, slurring and giggling. “Zera, today’s the day. Delvis said he was going to tell the boss that we are in love. It has been so long, and I am so tired, but I am sure about Delvis. I know that he wants to take care of me and doesn’t have loyalty to the boss. When he touches me... Hopper, it isn’t like anyone else I have ever touched.” There was another drunken giggle. “So, I know this is going to freak you out, but I will be home soon, and then, you can yell at me for going out without an escort. Love you, Zera.”
Zera inhaled and exhaled slowly. “So, that was the last thing Dainty sent me. I activated all trackers and the isotope reader and sent emergency services. I honestly hoped that she was beaten nearly to death, but that wasn’t the case.”
That shocked the law enforcement in the room, but the researchers nodded. Dr. Miliken sighed. “We can heal physical damage.”
Understanding dawned.
“So, I propose that we find the doll maker, find Mentor, and remove both of their heads for research purposes.” She smiled brightly. “Any questions?”
The men and women looked at each other uneasily. One of the peacekeepers asked, “How can you say that so cheerfully?”
Hron smiled, his eyes glowing icy blue. “Because she is Researcher Zera. She tackles one problem at a time, and now, these men have become a problem, so she is going to solve it.”
Her cheeks got a little pink when she saw Torun’s gaze looking at her through Hron’s eyes. She checked her com when it pulsed and saw that the empress outfit had been requested. Torun was on his way to town.
She looked at Hron and asked, “How long have you been in there, Torun?”
Her friend’s slow smile was wicked. “Long enough.”
The room turned to stare at Hron and the star-bright eyes.
The captain asked, “Torun, what do you think of her plan?”
He smiled. “I think she is going to do it regardless of what we say or do. So, if we want her to come out of this alive—and we do—it is up to us to simply ask the question.” He leaned forward on his elbows. “Zera, what do you need from us?”
Part of her soul melted. He always knew just what to say. “I will need the researchers to continue on their end of the project.”
They nodded.
“I will need the peacekeepers to be willing to work with me for the final investigation, and if I call the team, I would like them to arrive without a barrage of questions.” She straightened. “I will be appearing primarily as Susa over the next week. Mentor always watches the challenges and testing. He considers it recruitment advertising.”
Astel frowned. “You are going to wear her body for the testing?”
“I am. I will request confidential testing, which will also give us a trail when Mentor tries to break into Susa’s file.”
Torun laughed. “You are leading him along.”
“His need to solve puzzles is incredible. He has to be smarter than anyone else in the room, or he has them killed, and he is going to be hunting doll maker the moment that I am seen at the testing grounds. Since Susa will obviously be alive and pass the challenges, everyone will be watching her. I will need the research team to be there on testing day. I am only two candidates behind her, so I will need someone to take her somewhere safe after I step out.”
The research team nodded. “We will be there
