Hyde and Seek Read Online Free PDF Page B

dinner.
    Keezik rubbed her shoulder, and she took the consolation for what it was. A friend trying to let her know she wasn’t a freak.
    “So, Wekiat, what plant are you working on?”
    “I am working on something called coffee. It is a plant that many of the incoming Terrans are mildly addicted to. Apparently, it helps them wake up in the mornings. They must be an odd species to only rise for a sharp dose of a strong stimulant.”
    Amly narrowed her eyes and went through the Terrans on the Sector Guard roster. There were quite a few, and they didn’t seem to be lacking performance due to an unfulfilled addiction.
    “Maybe they just like the taste? Star Breaker is a Terran, as is Pilot, and even Relay. None of them seem to be having a problem with the lack of a substitute.”
    Wekiat blinked. “They are?”
    “Yes. It is in the Sector Guard Morganti roster. There are also more at the other Citadels and Guard bases, not to mention those who are in the Guardian program in the Nyal Imperium.” Amly couldn’t stop herself. The endorphin rush that was hitting after the fight was running her mouth.
    Wekiat looked at her with wide eyes. “How do you know all that? How long have you been off Resicor?”
    She bit her lip. “Less than a week. I got a full update for my estimated work areas.”
    Wekiat chuckled. “I suppose that makes sense. I can get by with just a trowel and seeds. I don’t really need to know anything else.”
    Amly sighed, as it seemed that Wekiat wasn’t going to pursue the difference in their programs. They settled in to talk about home and the tension that was increasing with every passing day. The grip that the psychics had on the population of Resicor was tightening, but more and more talents were slipping free.
    It was so nice to see one of those who had escaped that time got away from them, and Keezik finally tapped her shoulder. “You will have to rise early for your appointment with Dr. Effin.”
    She looked at the darkness outside the window and the relatively unoccupied common room. “Oops. We will have to continue this chat later, Wekiat.”
    Wekiat grinned. “I look forward to it. I am here for a week and then I am off to parts unknown.”
    Amly got up and came around for a hug. “It was good to talk with you. It means a lot.”
    “For me, too. I know that others have escaped, but I haven’t run into any of them yet.”
    Keezik escorted her to her quarters. “You have to make sure you don’t blow your status as part of the espionage corps.”
    “I tried to recover, but I am not sure that she caught on.”
    “She caught on.” He was grim about it. “A minder will bump into her in a hallway and she will forget that little blip, as well as your physical abilities.”
    She rounded on him in her doorway, “What?”
    He pushed her into her room and closed the door. “Not all those who sought help off Resicor were legitimate. We have found three sleeper agents waiting for a signal. Wekiat is one of them. She is not to expand her clearances, and yet, she still turns up in highly secure areas. We believe that she is being ridden. The minder will remove a good portion of your conversation, but she will still know you.”
    Amly staggered back. “She isn’t…what does ridden mean?”
    “She is on a frequency that can be accessed by a telepath over a long range, and he or she can move Wekiat around.”
    Amly sat heavily on her bed. “Wekiat’s sister is in the government. She is a security scanner. It could be her. Does she know?”
    He shook his head. “No. We have sent minders into her vicinity, and she does not register anything untoward. She is just a good-hearted gardener and you need to treat her as such, but watch what you say. Someone is listening through her eyes and ears.”
    Amly felt tears well in her eyes. She fought them back, but they came anyway. “I thought that worrying about betrayal was a thing of the past.”
    “No. It has just changed direction. I wish I