. A hand gently shook him awake. For a moment, it felt like Sandra was waking him for work, but afternoon light came in through the windows that had been shuttered when he crawled in after breakfast, in a cabin that was not even in the same world as the woman who was no longer his wife. Turning his head, …

. He was traveling through the underbrush, as if he were doing an infantry crawl, but at a speed he had never have accomplished in the Army. Except, at times he had the sensation of running on four feet, and at others he seemed to merely be along for the ride. He felt as if he were the one making …

. She sat on her mattress, watching the local news from St. Louis. Again. Without anything resembling an internet connection, she had only this television link for news from Earth, but the forty-eight hour news cycle was reaching its end on the warehouse fire and the failed abduction. The window was closing on her chance to learn what happened to …

. When he returned with Simkit to the camp in the morning light, he made a quick visit to the latrine, then took a few minutes to try to make his trousers and uniform blouse look alright. No matter how difficult the circumstances, he had a lifetime in uniform that made him want to keep things in order. He then …

. The suburban home under her surveillance bore little resemblance to her usual workplaces. This was the first time they had clear knowledge of the slaver’s target, and thus the first time she was working in such an environment. It was not possible to blend into the background as an ordinary citizen. Her usual disguises had no value here. And …

. The woods were thick, but Jack only had to worry about ducking and being aware when Simkit pushed foliage out of the way, so it didn’t whack him in the face. Seated in the saddle, he rose only a little higher than her head, as  her human portion stood far taller than a horse’s head would have. Few branches …

. Thanks to working the night shift, his normal sleeping time for more than a year had been from late morning to late afternoon. Instead, he had woke that morning at the time he should have been getting off work and remained awake all day while running on insufficient sleep. His body was protesting it, and muscles he wasn’t aware …

. As she pulled her car out of the apartment parking lot, she stuck her phone in her ear and tapped the command button. “Call Cipolli.” Her partner picked up almost instantly. No surprise there; he’d been monitoring the conversation from his car. “Meeting?” “See you there,” she responded, and tapped the button again to hang up.Telephones were not for …

Payton “Yo,” She said. Roy frowned at her from his apartment door, which was only partly opened. “What?” Her eyebrow rose. “Can’t invite me in?” After hesitating for a moment, he leaned forward and said in a low voice, “Let me stall you for bit, okay? My girlfriend’s getting dressed.” She blinked. “You’re fully dressed though…” “Well, she…” He stopped, …

. Koursh declared, “We send two pairs out during the night, and a team of three during daylight. The night team will be one close, one ranging outside.” “Simkit and Jack outside,” Rogan said. “They have the best sensing range and they can work as a single unit. They won’t get ambushed, and they’ll be able to see it from …