or lightly. Tarris really wanted to be invisible to those around her.
“Can I ask you something?” Asher waited for a nod before proceeding. “Why do you hide yourself? The others make no effort to blend in. In fact, they seem to take pride in who they are.”
“They are also arrogant, self-absorbed pricks, but that’s just my opinion.” Tarris chuckled. Her definition didn’t fit Corman anymore. His arrogance was so immense that he needed the entire planet just to house it.
“I don’t understand.” Asher looked at her quizzically. “Why aren’t you like them?”
“I don’t know. Maybe my legs remind me I’m human like everyone else.”
“But you’re not like everyone else. You should know that.”
“Yeah… yeah, I do.” Tarris picked up her cup and drank the hot beverage. She used the action to end the conversation.
Asher reached into her pocket and took out the small device Tarris had given her. She activated it and scanned the room, noting the signal emanating from Tarris.
Asher stood and wandered around the apartment. “Nice place you have here.” With some amusement, Tarris watched her scan the room. She would find nothing. “A bed in the living room. Interesting choice.”
“I think so. It’s been very comfortable for me, and I have good access. The spare bedroom is too small.”
The light on the box flashed. “Honey,” Asher said, “do you want to show me around?”
“Wha…” A small hand quickly covered Tarris’s mouth and stopped her from muttering anything more. Slowly, Asher’s hand moved to her lips to show silence.
“What?” Tarris whispered. Asher showed the box to Tarris and let go as it was snatched away.
Tarris checked the settings and re-scanned the area. No, the first reading was correct. That couldn’t be. She scanned her apartment regularly with the device from Derille. Not sure what she would find, Tarris moved along the wall and narrowed down her search with the aid of the device. Sure enough, she found a small hole in the wall, just above an abstract painting that hung there. Slowly she approached it, sliding along the wall to keep out of sight. She saw the reflection of a lens. She was being watched. Anger burned within her. She. Was. Being. Watched. First there was the betrayal of purposely damaging her spine, and now this.
A tap on her shoulder nearly sent her into action. Only her mental checking of herself stopped Tarris from slamming Asher against the wall. “What’s going on?” Asher mouthed the words. Tarris wanted to hit something, and bad.
She motioned Asher toward the door and indicated she should keep to the walls as she did so. When they reached the hall, only then did Tarris speak in a low murmur. “I’m being watched. How the hell did I miss that? I can’t believe it.” She paced up and down the narrow corridor, agitated to the point of wanting to lash out. “All this time I’ve been watched. I just want to—”
“It could be a recent thing,” Asher said.
“Maybe. But why didn’t my own detector pick it up?” Now Tarris’s suspicious mind began to see more conspiracies and betrayals.
“It could be faulty.”
“It could be. It could also be deliberately meant not to work.” Had Derille played her all along? What did he want from her? Had she jumped to conclusions? Whether it was all in her head or everyone was out to get her, life had just gotten infinitely more dangerous and complicated.
“So what do we do now?”
Indeed, what should they do? They? Tarris never had to consider anyone’s actions but her own before. “Maybe you should go home. The rules of this particular game have just changed. I can’t allow you to be hurt in this.”
“I think that would be my decision not yours, Trooper.”
“No, I forbid this.”
“You forbid? Just who the hell do you think you are? My mother?”
Did Asher know whom she was speaking to?
“In this matter, yes,” Tarris said. “I’m not going to be responsible for
“Can I ask you something?” Asher waited for a nod before proceeding. “Why do you hide yourself? The others make no effort to blend in. In fact, they seem to take pride in who they are.”
“They are also arrogant, self-absorbed pricks, but that’s just my opinion.” Tarris chuckled. Her definition didn’t fit Corman anymore. His arrogance was so immense that he needed the entire planet just to house it.
“I don’t understand.” Asher looked at her quizzically. “Why aren’t you like them?”
“I don’t know. Maybe my legs remind me I’m human like everyone else.”
“But you’re not like everyone else. You should know that.”
“Yeah… yeah, I do.” Tarris picked up her cup and drank the hot beverage. She used the action to end the conversation.
Asher reached into her pocket and took out the small device Tarris had given her. She activated it and scanned the room, noting the signal emanating from Tarris.
Asher stood and wandered around the apartment. “Nice place you have here.” With some amusement, Tarris watched her scan the room. She would find nothing. “A bed in the living room. Interesting choice.”
“I think so. It’s been very comfortable for me, and I have good access. The spare bedroom is too small.”
The light on the box flashed. “Honey,” Asher said, “do you want to show me around?”
“Wha…” A small hand quickly covered Tarris’s mouth and stopped her from muttering anything more. Slowly, Asher’s hand moved to her lips to show silence.
“What?” Tarris whispered. Asher showed the box to Tarris and let go as it was snatched away.
Tarris checked the settings and re-scanned the area. No, the first reading was correct. That couldn’t be. She scanned her apartment regularly with the device from Derille. Not sure what she would find, Tarris moved along the wall and narrowed down her search with the aid of the device. Sure enough, she found a small hole in the wall, just above an abstract painting that hung there. Slowly she approached it, sliding along the wall to keep out of sight. She saw the reflection of a lens. She was being watched. Anger burned within her. She. Was. Being. Watched. First there was the betrayal of purposely damaging her spine, and now this.
A tap on her shoulder nearly sent her into action. Only her mental checking of herself stopped Tarris from slamming Asher against the wall. “What’s going on?” Asher mouthed the words. Tarris wanted to hit something, and bad.
She motioned Asher toward the door and indicated she should keep to the walls as she did so. When they reached the hall, only then did Tarris speak in a low murmur. “I’m being watched. How the hell did I miss that? I can’t believe it.” She paced up and down the narrow corridor, agitated to the point of wanting to lash out. “All this time I’ve been watched. I just want to—”
“It could be a recent thing,” Asher said.
“Maybe. But why didn’t my own detector pick it up?” Now Tarris’s suspicious mind began to see more conspiracies and betrayals.
“It could be faulty.”
“It could be. It could also be deliberately meant not to work.” Had Derille played her all along? What did he want from her? Had she jumped to conclusions? Whether it was all in her head or everyone was out to get her, life had just gotten infinitely more dangerous and complicated.
“So what do we do now?”
Indeed, what should they do? They? Tarris never had to consider anyone’s actions but her own before. “Maybe you should go home. The rules of this particular game have just changed. I can’t allow you to be hurt in this.”
“I think that would be my decision not yours, Trooper.”
“No, I forbid this.”
“You forbid? Just who the hell do you think you are? My mother?”
Did Asher know whom she was speaking to?
“In this matter, yes,” Tarris said. “I’m not going to be responsible for
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