“Yes,” Seshat answered after a brief pause. “When ArchAngel displays her teeth in adversarial situations.”
Just as I expected, Anne thought to herself. “Do you think the teeth improve your image?” Anne crossed her fingers—she hoped she wasn’t pushing Seshat’s capability for independent observation too hard. Anne watched as the avatar morphed from fangs to no fangs several times.
“I like the teeth,” Jinx inserted into the conversation, opening her mouth to display her own impressive canines.
“From an aesthetic point of view, I don’t think the teeth are an improvement,” Seshat finally concluded. “However, as previously noted, the presence of fangs does assist in obtaining a beneficial outcome in certain scenarios, both in terms of ArchAngel’s communications and looking at human responses to dogs displaying their canine teeth.”
“Why don’t you use that as your guideline, then?” Anne suggested. “If you encounter a situation where displaying vampire fangs would be advantageous, then by all means show a set of teeth like ArchAngel’s.”
Chapter Four
Jinx felt bad about being bored. Anne was working to solve the energy transfer issue, but it was difficult to stay engaged. They’d spent the last three days doing the same things: school, training, homework, supper, test samples.
Jinx was losing the fight to keep her eyes open.
Anne had developed a system. When new samples arrived from Cheryl Lynn, Anne would move them from the shipping box to a plastic storage container. She would take a sample from the storage container, list what it was for the recording Seshat was making, then trickle Etheric energy into it. Seshat would note the reaction, usually a warming of the material, and Anne would repack the sample in the shipping box. Before they had begun Anne had said, ‘I think we’re looking for a sample with no reaction, because that would mean the energy is going somewhere’.
Jinx managed to suppress a sigh as she stretched and closed her eyes. Maybe she could get away with a short nap. Her feet were twitching as she dreamt of running the obstacle course. She only had to clear the last barrier, and she’d manage a perfect score. She turned the corner…
“Shit!”
The shout and Anne’s subsequent frantic movements penetrated Jinx’ dream. She was awake and on her feet, her hackles up, before the sound of Anne’s cry had faded.
Jinx bared her teeth as she looked for a threat. Anne scrambled from the floor onto the couch and came to a stop almost sitting on the back. Not seeing an immediate threat to her person, Jinx scanned the room. Her gaze was quickly caught by a red glow emanating from a hole in the floor. Only after noticing the glare did she register the heat, along with a hissing and spitting noise. The glare died suddenly and the hissing with it, and within seconds the heat faded also.
What happened? Jinx demanded.
“We had an unexpected reaction,” Anne told her as she climbed off the couch and pushed the coffee table out of the way to reveal the hole in the floor.
As Jinx joined Anne she saw a hole in the table, right about the place Anne had been setting her samples while testing.
It burned through the table?
“You are correct.” Seshat’s voice came from the speakers. “Watch the monitor.”
Jinx looked at the monitor that normally displayed Seshat’s avatar while the EI was interacting with them. She saw Anne place a sample back in the shipping box, then take a sample from the plastic storage container. Anne placed a red item on the coffee table and said, “Ruby, synthetic industrial.” Anne was still for a couple seconds, then she jumped up as the ruby suddenly flared to bright red and burned through the table. The camera continued to record the ruby as it started burning a hole in the rock floor. Jinx watched Anne climb on the couch in the background, shock clear in her expression.
You all right? Jinx asked her person.
“Ya, just startled. I wasn’t expecting anything like that,” Anne admitted.
They looked at the small hole in the floor.
Is it still in there? Jinx wondered.
“It should be,” was Anne’s response, “unless it melted somehow.”
“How do we get it back out?” Jinx asked.
Anne looked at the hole, rubbed an eyebrow, and pushed her hair out of her face. “No idea.” She shrugged.
“Do you have any dowels?” Seshat asked.
“No idea what that is, so probably not,” Anne replied.
“Wire coat hanger?” was Seshat’s next suggestion.
“Where are you coming up with this stuff?” Anne was curious how the EI was getting her information.
“I ran a search on retrieving small items in restricted spaces,” was Seshat’s answer. “It shows numerous videos of people with thin objects placing some sort of adhesive on one end and then sticking that to the object to be retrieved.”
“What about those metal sticks that had the cooked meat on them that we got from the mess last week?” Jinx almost licked her lips at the thought of the chunks of meat they’d had for their supper that night.
“Skewers?” Seshat asked, the image of metal kabob skewers appearing on her monitor.
“Them,” Jinx agreed.
“That’s easy. Let’s head down to the mess and see if we can get one,” Anne offered. She stood from where she’d been kneeling next to the hole in the floor.
“You’re here late tonight,” Sergeant Thomas Wendville remarked as he saw Anne enter the mess.
“Here to ask a favor.” Anne nodded to the man. “Something fell in a crack that I’m trying to get back out.” Anne didn’t like lying to him, but she knew that telling him the truth in this situation wouldn’t be a good idea. “I was wondering if I could get one of the longest, skinniest skewers you have.”
The sergeant wiped his hands on his apron. “I don’t see why not. Hang tight and I’ll see what I’ve got that will work.”
Since they weren’t at the mess for food Jinx decided not to enter, so Anne dragged a chair over to the doorway and sat with her friend while they waited for the cook.
“I dug through the pile and found one that’s not in the best condition.” The cook held up a long skewer that was discolored in places. “You don’t need to bring it back.”
“Thanks!” Anne felt even guiltier about having lied to the man when he was being so helpful. Despite the discoloration, the skewer came to a sharp point. Anne’s forehead furrowed as she inspected it.
“Problems?”
“Just trying to figure out how to deal with the point. Should I try to cut it off?” Anne asked the man.
“What are you trying to get?” he asked.
“A small gold stud.” Anne pointed to her ear, implying a lost earring.
The sergeant stood quietly for a moment, then held up a finger. “I’ll be right back.”
He returned from the kitchen area three minutes later with a small condiment container. “There’s a little bit of flour in here. Add an equal amount of water and mix it up well. It will make a type of paste. Wrap a little strip of paper around the end and tape it in place so it forms a tube past the point. Stick the paper in the paste, then try to get your earring to stick to it.” The cook gave her a big smile and offered a thumbs-up.
Anne stood and gave the sergeant a hug. “You’re the best. Thanks!” she told the now-embarrassed man.
“Ahh, it’s nothing,” he said, stepping back as he pulled his paper hat from his head. “Just had more years to learn to deal with life’s little bumps.”
“Well, thanks. You’ve been a great help.” She smiled at the man. “Have a great night.” Anne exited the mess and Jinx joined her as they headed home.
After a few failed attempts Seshat said, “I’ve been researching the type of adhesive you are using. It appears to need time to become effective. I recommend leaving it in contact with the ruby overnight. You can check if it has cured in the morning.”
Anne sighed as she stood and arched her back to relieve her cramped muscles. “I’m t
ired enough that calling it quits now sounds really good, regardless of whether the paste sticks or not.”
The next morning Anne woke to a strange sensation. Jinx wasn’t in her normal spot against her back.
“Jinx?” Anne called.
Common room, came Jinx’ reply. And don’t worry, Seshat ran the simulations and convinced me that I have a very small chance of success pulling the gem from the hole.
>>A ten-point-three-two-percent chance of success, to be exact.<<
“How did you come up with that?” Anne asked her.
>>I have an image of a canine skeleton in my database. I calculated the depth of the hole and then animated the skeleton to calculate the probability of that structure succeeding in pulling the skewer straight up for the required distance.<<
Anne had wandered from the bedroom to the common room while Seshat answered her question. Seeing Jinx lying on the floor with her nose just inches from the skewer sticking out of the hole, Anne jerked to a stop.
“Seshat, please tell me you have video of this,” Anne asked, then bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at her friend.
“What?” Jinx chuffed. She jumped to her feet, then shook vigorously.
“You… You looked like a cat guarding a mouse hole.” Anne needed two attempts to answer because she wasn’t completely able to hide her mirth. She took a deep breath to calm her giggles. “Come on. I’m not going to attempt this until I get a cup of tea.”
“You’re addicted to that stuff,” Jinx exclaimed.
“Two words. ‘Chewy Bones,’” Anne responded.
Jinx looked around the room and saw three different toys that she’d chewed on. “Forget I said anything,” she grumbled.
>>Are you two always like this?<<
“Like what?” Anne wasn’t focused on Seshat’s question at first. “Oh, you mean us teasing each other?”
“Is that how you define the behavior?” Seshat replied aloud.
“Pretty much,” Anne set her tablet on a stand so she could see the screen while she worked in the kitchen. “You can tap into that tablet, right, Seshat?”
The tablet flickered once, then Seshat’s avatar looked into the kitchen. “Easily,” the EI confirmed.
“Good.” Anne smiled, then turned to finish putting some water on to boil. Remembering how young Seshat was, Anne hoped she could come up with a good answer. “As for your question, when people live together—or maybe I should say when biologicals share living space—they sometimes don’t understand certain behaviors. My morning cup of tea, for instance. Jinx doesn’t understand my enjoyment of tea, or how the caffeine affects my body. Likewise, I can’t relate to her need to chew on something from time to time. I can understand it from an intellectual standpoint, but I can’t relate to it. So, on occasion we’ll make comments about each other’s behavior in a non-offensive way.”
“That was not arguing then?”
“No, arguing usually includes a lot more negativity from one or both parties,” Anne explained.
“I think I understand,” Seshat responded. “I’ll research the differences between teasing and arguing.”
“Just make sure you use valid sources,” Anne told the EI.
“Explain, please.”
“There have been stories, or possibly rumors would be a better word, about TOM’s early days with Bethany Anne. Apparently he could hear entertainment vids that Bethany Anne’s crew were watching. Entertainment vids are not known for factual accuracy.” Anne chuckled at this point. “The story has it that this led to some misunderstandings between TOM and Bethany Anne.”
Anne had made her tea while talking with Seshat, so she lifted her cup and followed an impatient Jinx back to the common room.
“Did it work?” Jinx asked.
Anne ended up slurping some of her tea because it was still too hot to drink politely, then knelt at the skewer. “Let’s see, shall we? Fast or slow, Seshat?”
“Considering I cannot find any hard statistics on the adhesive you used, my models indicate that a slow pull has a higher probability of success.”
Anne took several deep breaths. “Let’s do this, then.” She carefully put her finger in the loop of the skewer and slowly lifted as straight as she was able. Both she and Jinx gave sighs of relief when the skewer cleared the hole with the ruby stuck to the end.
Jinx yipped her delight, then sat and looked at Anne. “Do we need to see if you can repeat the effect?”
“Probably not a bad idea,” Anne acknowledged. “But just now we need to get ready for school, so it’s going to have to wait until we get home this afternoon.”
Anne and Jinx didn’t get home until suppertime. Mid-morning Anne’s tablet had received a message reminding her that she and Jinx were expected for training after school. Anne wasn’t happy about it, but since her work for Bethany Anne was supposed to be secret she couldn’t beg off by saying she had an experiment to conduct.
A limping Anne followed a limping Jinx into their apartment. They had become such a good combat team that they had held off two Guardian Marine teams. When Peter sent a third team at them, Anne had put together a plan that allowed her and Jinx to break through the perimeter the Guardians had established. Getting out so they weren’t surrounded hadn’t come without hits. It had been worth it, however, when they’d made their way to a corner of the room and proceeded to eliminate all nine of their opponents.
“You want one of these?” Anne asked Jinx after she’d gone to the medicine cabinet to get a bottle of painkillers.
“That would be great,” Jinx confirmed.
“Let’s see what we have to cover it with,” Anne said as she checked the refrigerator. Anne was pleased she didn’t have to try and trick Jinx into taking a pill the way people did with Earth dogs, but that didn’t change the fact Jinx wasn’t well equipped to swallow pills. They had found it easier to wrap pills in something Jinx could swallow whole. Anne cut a piece of what was considered cheese on Yoll and held it to Jinx to smell.
“This work for you?”
Jinx took a quick sniff. It wasn’t her favorite thing to eat, but it tasted a lot better than the pill would if it got stuck in her mouth or throat while she tried to swallow it dry. “It’s a lot better than nothing,” she admitted.
Anne molded the cheese around the pill, making sure it was completely covered, then offered it to Jinx. Jinx accepted the blob, and threw her head back and swallowed.
Thanks, it went down, she gratefully informed Anne.
You’re welcome, Anne responded as she used some water to swallow two of the analgesics herself.
“Can we see if you can get the ruby to burn through the table again?” Jinx asked once the two of them were settled in the common room.
Anne stifled a yawn. “Sure, but let’s see if I can stop it from burning a hole in the floor this time.”
Anne set the ruby on the table and confirmed that Seshat was capturing video of the experiment. She started to feed Etheric energy into the ruby, but at a lesser rate than she had used the previous day. It took longer this time, so both Jinx and Anne were somewhat startled when the ruby suddenly flared red and started burning through the table. Anne stopped the energy flow immediately, and she was surprised when the ruby glow died without cutting all the way through the table.
“Can you activate it again without actually looking at it?” Jinx wondered.
“Dunno, let me see,” Anne replied, then focused on mentally sending Etheric energy to the gem. Another red flare, followed by a ping as the ruby hit the floor. Anne had cut the energy as soon as she saw the ruby flare, so it was inert by the time it fell through the table to the floor.
“Now what do we do with it?” Anne pondered aloud.
“What about the gun and armor lady?” Jinx offered. “Didn’t my dad’s person say you could go to her for help?”
Anne reached under the table to pick up the now-cold ruby. “Jean Dukes.” She identified the person in question and gave Jinx a hug. �
�You’re right, Bethany Anne did tell us to go to Jean for help if we needed it.”
Anne and Jinx took their sample to Jean Dukes’ workshop.
“If you’ll just make yourselves comfortable, I’ll inform Jean that you’re here,” the young man who led them into an office informed them.
They only had to wait five or six minutes before a no-nonsense-looking woman marched into the office. “Jean Dukes,” she said, offering Anne her hand.
Anne had gotten to her feet quickly when the door opened, and she took the proffered hand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am. I’m Anne, and this is my partner Jinx.”
Jinx came up beside Anne and wagged her tail in pleasure as Jean went to one knee and held out a hand in greeting. Jinx sniffed Jean’s hand briefly, then pushed her head against the hand. “You can scratch behind my ears,” Jinx told the woman.
Jean Dukes put one hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh. “You sound like you’re part cat.” She snorted, failing to fully contain her mirth.
Jinx growled faintly and moved away from Jean’s hand. “See if I offer stress relief again,” Jinx chuffed indignantly.
“What?” Jean didn’t know what Jinx was talking about.
“It’s a proven fact that petting a dog reduces stress in a human,” Jinx haughtily informed Jean.
After a few seconds Jean got her expression under control. “How does she know stuff like that?” she asked Anne.
“Probably from talking with Matrix,” Anne suggested.
Jinx chuffed her agreement.
“All right. All joking aside, what can I do for you ladies?” Jean inquired.
“Do you have a secure location with a hard surface?” Anne asked.
“How hard are we talking about?” Jean’s face wore a puzzled expression.
“As hard as you have, but it needs to be something that won’t matter if it’s damaged,” Anne told her.
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