“What?”
“I have been creating a pocket scanner, so I want to test it out on you.There’s a bonus for it again.”
“If this is like the remote blender, the bonus had better be four figures.”
Keska chuckled.“Sure.It depends on how tolerant you are to mild radiation.”
“Oh.Let’s find out.”She rubbed her hands together.Hemma was always up for an experiment.
They went into the workroom at the far end of the main hall, and Keska took a disk and held it in her hand with small items in her other hand.
Hemma sighed.“You are making a scanner just for me.”
“Shush.”
Three minutes later, Keska opened her eyes.“Got it.You have to be naked for this, though.”
Khytten closed the door, and Hemma lifted her head.“Salat!Out!”
A shadow formed into Salat, and he shrugged.“Can’t blame me for trying.”
“Yes, I can.”
He left, and Khytten smacked his butt as he went through the door.He shot her a look promising reciprocation, and when the door latched, Hemma quickly got out of her comfortable clothing.The main disk was dropped at her feet, and Keska told her to tap it with her toe.As soon as she did, a swarm of small bots ran around her, creating a light cage that pulsed through different wavelengths, getting closer to her skin with every pulse.
Keska was checking a tablet and chuckled.“This is going to go beyond sending Kessie to college; this thing will send her to the moon.”
The diagnostic bees finished their work and took their positions in the main unit, which was about four inches wide.Hemma got dressed.“Hive diagnostics.”
Keska grinned.“I knew you would think of a catchy name.”
Hemma finished pulling everything on and stepping into her running shoes.“That’s just the product of a lot of reading.Zera will give her left tit if you let her make that unit.”
Keska laughed.“That’s an image.Speaking of images.Holy hells, Hemma.They took you apart and put you back together.”
“Don’t tell Ekbert.”
“He doesn’t know?”
“It was done before he activated.They didn’t know I would be useful.They kept me with the dangerous actives, and that is how I met Zephyr and Chaos.When Chaos killed her husband, the cells had a party.She was thrown back in, and Zephyr got her out.At that point, people forgot about her.”
Hemma looked at the images of her gills and all the connections that had been severed.“Well, that’s what it feels like.”
Khytten looked at it and shuddered.“I really want to shoot someone.”
“Apparently, Chaos has been playing in that vein.”
Keska looked at her.“Do you know where she is?”
“Precisely?No.Zephyr has a better idea of what is what.Don’t you have to go and get ready to travel?”
Keska sighed.“I don’t like to leave you like this.”
“I have Zephyr and Ekbert to keep an eye on me.Go have your family day.You need to sit and have Sorooth bring you cool fruity drinks while Kessie meets her cousins and plays in the surf.”
Keska sighed.“You make a good point.What will you be doing while we’re gone?”
“Deep cleaning, starting at the nest and working my way up.Then, replenishing food and, after that, watching a movie.”
