The smile the boy gave that person was too cruel, too hard, to be something a child would make.It made the hair on the back of Gus’s neck stand up.Idly, she wondered how these humans could be so calm.Did they not see the same thing she did?
“You assumed and I went along with it,” the boy drawled.
One of the humans frowned.“How do you know she didn’t lift a finger?”
“Look at them.Do you see any wounds?No.They were taken out by a fast-acting poison.They dropped where they stood.”The boy looked at Gus suddenly, flashing her an impish smile that made her want to flinch.“How’d I do?Did I get it right?”
“Correct on every point, Jin.”
If anything, he was a littletooon the nose.His accuracy making it seem like he had a crystal ball or a previously hidden security feed.
Gus twitched at that thought.It was possible.This was Jin.Master of the digital world.
Jin’s lips parted as something genuine crossed his face.“You recognize me?”
Of course, she did.He was impossible to miss.
“Your soul is quite loud, little brother.”
It was a little jarring, actually.
Jin scratched his cheek, suddenly acting a little shy.“You say the sweetest things.”
That hadn’t been Gus’s intention.She’d simply been stating a fact.
“What is going on?”a pirate demanded, sounding freaked out.
Jin no longer seemed quite so childlike as he cut an irritated look at the human.“What’s going on is that you’re not very bright.I mean—what kind of idiot doesn’t question the presence of a child wandering freely in a place like this?”
Privately, Gus was in agreement.If nothing else, that should have tipped them off to the fact that something was wrong.
“Never mind.Don’t answer that.”Jin waved his hand, losing patience.“I don’t care.I already got what I needed.I’m done with you.”
Gus jolted as dozens of shapes streamed out from under Jin’s clothes.The ravenous hoard of miniature drones fell on the pirates.It was all over in seconds, leaving Gus with her heart in her throat and the uncomfortable knowledge of how easily Jin could end her existence if he wanted to.
Even then, Jin wasn’t done giving her a near heart attack as he raised his voice to address someone Gus couldn’t see.“You can come out now.”
Brooks stepped from behind a cabinet with a careful expression.“I didn’t think I’d run into you again so soon.”
Jin glanced at Gus.“I take it he’s with you.”
“I guess you could say that,” Gus agreed, somewhat reluctantly.
If she thought anyone would believe her, she would have already denied all association with Brooks.Unfortunately, that ship had sailed.
“Alexander tells me you prefer to go by Gus,” Jin offered.
Gus tilted her head, her forehead wrinkling slightly.
“Is he wrong?”Jin asked.
“No, that’s correct.I do prefer Gus.I just hadn’t realized he possessed enough awareness of my existence to know anything about my preferences.”
It felt like Gus had just been tossed into an alternate universe.One where up was down and her siblings knew things about her.She liked being inconspicuous and the thought that her siblings were compiling a dossier on her made her want to crawl into the nearest hole.
“I didn’t do this, you know.I just want to make that clear,” Gus announced abruptly.
Jin looked around him with some disbelief.“Are you sure about that?”
