prints," Uncle Virge
said reluctantly. "There are also finger marks from two different
Jantris, three Parprins—"
He broke off. "Three Parprins and . . .?" Jack prompted.
"Two different Brummgas," Uncle Virge finished, sounding intrigued.
Jack looked at Draycos. The dragon was looking back at him.
"Brummgas," he echoed.
"That's right," Uncle Virge confirmed. "Well, well. Small
universe, isn't it?"
"Are Brummgas not common among your worlds?" Draycos asked.
"They're common enough," Jack told him, determined not to jump to
any conclusions here. "They specialize in low-voltage muscle."
"Pardon?"
"Strong backs, weak minds," Jack explained. "Mercenaries, guards,
heavy lifting—that sort of thing. There's no reason to make a
connection with the Brummga we ran into on the Havenseeker ."
"I understand," Draycos said. But he nevertheless sounded
thoughtful.
"Can we get on with this?" Uncle Virge suggested.
"Right," Jack said, looking around. Even after hours, someone was
bound to wander this direction sooner or later. "We'll do the floor
around the locker now."
"You're joking," Uncle Virge protested. "What in the name of
buttered toast do you expect to find there? That whole army will have walked by, too, you know."
"Scanning now," Jack said, leaning over and holding the scanner a
few inches off the floor. "Start recording."
This time, though, Uncle Virge was right. They found nothing
interesting, or at least nothing that didn't belong in a spaceport. A
whole army had apparently walked past the locker.
"At least we've got the fingerprints," Jack said, putting the EvGa
away and pulling out his multitool. "Now for the door, I guess. You
said there was another way to get in, Draycos?"
"To look in," Draycos corrected. Crouching down, he bounded at
Jack's chest and melted onto his skin. "Will you stand with your back
pressed against the door?" he added from Jack's shoulder.
Jack frowned sideways down at him. "Tell me first what you've got
in mind," he said warily. "You've already torn one of my shirts and
nearly broken my wrist."
"There will be no damage," Draycos assured him. "Do you recall my
picture of how the K'da can seem to become two-dimensional?"
"That data reader thing you showed me on the Havenseeker? "
Jack asked. "Sure. Not that I really understand it."
"It is not an easy concept," Draycos conceded. "But think back to
that picture now. This time, imagine that the data reader can bend."
"Hold it," Jack said. "You lost me."
"Use your hand," Draycos suggested. "Hold it flat against your
arm."
"Okay," Jack said, holding up his right arm and laying his left
hand flat along the forearm. "That's two-dimensional." He angled the
hand like a drawbridge going up, leaving the heel of his hand against
the arm. "And now it's one-dimensional. Right?"
"Correct," Draycos said, the top of his head poking up off Jack's
shoulder again. "Now leave your hand up, but curl your fingers back
down to touch your arm."
" Uh-huh, " Jack said as he did so. "So if there was
something between the fingers and the palm—"
"Such as a wall," Uncle Virge put in.
"—such as a wall," Jack agreed, "you'd be leaning over it."
"I'll be dipped in butter and rolled in bread crumbs," Uncle Virge
murmured. "You can see through walls."
"Provided the barrier is narrow enough," Draycos said. "Though
Jack is correct; we refer to it as seeing 'over' a barrier."
"You can call it orange marmalade if you want to," Uncle Virge
said, sounding genuinely enthusiastic for the first time since they'd
met Draycos. "Well, well. Now that 's a talent worth exploring."
"Uncle Virge," Jack warned.
"I know, I know—you're reformed," Uncle Virge soothed him. "But if
you weren't , imagine the kind of team you two would make."
"We do not use our abilities to steal," Draycos said, sounding
offended by the very suggestion.
"Maybe you don't," Uncle Virge said. "But I'll bet plenty
of your people have. Or are all K'da so lily-pure that the thought of
doing
said reluctantly. "There are also finger marks from two different
Jantris, three Parprins—"
He broke off. "Three Parprins and . . .?" Jack prompted.
"Two different Brummgas," Uncle Virge finished, sounding intrigued.
Jack looked at Draycos. The dragon was looking back at him.
"Brummgas," he echoed.
"That's right," Uncle Virge confirmed. "Well, well. Small
universe, isn't it?"
"Are Brummgas not common among your worlds?" Draycos asked.
"They're common enough," Jack told him, determined not to jump to
any conclusions here. "They specialize in low-voltage muscle."
"Pardon?"
"Strong backs, weak minds," Jack explained. "Mercenaries, guards,
heavy lifting—that sort of thing. There's no reason to make a
connection with the Brummga we ran into on the Havenseeker ."
"I understand," Draycos said. But he nevertheless sounded
thoughtful.
"Can we get on with this?" Uncle Virge suggested.
"Right," Jack said, looking around. Even after hours, someone was
bound to wander this direction sooner or later. "We'll do the floor
around the locker now."
"You're joking," Uncle Virge protested. "What in the name of
buttered toast do you expect to find there? That whole army will have walked by, too, you know."
"Scanning now," Jack said, leaning over and holding the scanner a
few inches off the floor. "Start recording."
This time, though, Uncle Virge was right. They found nothing
interesting, or at least nothing that didn't belong in a spaceport. A
whole army had apparently walked past the locker.
"At least we've got the fingerprints," Jack said, putting the EvGa
away and pulling out his multitool. "Now for the door, I guess. You
said there was another way to get in, Draycos?"
"To look in," Draycos corrected. Crouching down, he bounded at
Jack's chest and melted onto his skin. "Will you stand with your back
pressed against the door?" he added from Jack's shoulder.
Jack frowned sideways down at him. "Tell me first what you've got
in mind," he said warily. "You've already torn one of my shirts and
nearly broken my wrist."
"There will be no damage," Draycos assured him. "Do you recall my
picture of how the K'da can seem to become two-dimensional?"
"That data reader thing you showed me on the Havenseeker? "
Jack asked. "Sure. Not that I really understand it."
"It is not an easy concept," Draycos conceded. "But think back to
that picture now. This time, imagine that the data reader can bend."
"Hold it," Jack said. "You lost me."
"Use your hand," Draycos suggested. "Hold it flat against your
arm."
"Okay," Jack said, holding up his right arm and laying his left
hand flat along the forearm. "That's two-dimensional." He angled the
hand like a drawbridge going up, leaving the heel of his hand against
the arm. "And now it's one-dimensional. Right?"
"Correct," Draycos said, the top of his head poking up off Jack's
shoulder again. "Now leave your hand up, but curl your fingers back
down to touch your arm."
" Uh-huh, " Jack said as he did so. "So if there was
something between the fingers and the palm—"
"Such as a wall," Uncle Virge put in.
"—such as a wall," Jack agreed, "you'd be leaning over it."
"I'll be dipped in butter and rolled in bread crumbs," Uncle Virge
murmured. "You can see through walls."
"Provided the barrier is narrow enough," Draycos said. "Though
Jack is correct; we refer to it as seeing 'over' a barrier."
"You can call it orange marmalade if you want to," Uncle Virge
said, sounding genuinely enthusiastic for the first time since they'd
met Draycos. "Well, well. Now that 's a talent worth exploring."
"Uncle Virge," Jack warned.
"I know, I know—you're reformed," Uncle Virge soothed him. "But if
you weren't , imagine the kind of team you two would make."
"We do not use our abilities to steal," Draycos said, sounding
offended by the very suggestion.
"Maybe you don't," Uncle Virge said. "But I'll bet plenty
of your people have. Or are all K'da so lily-pure that the thought of
doing
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