Page 41 of Stalker

Six levels down, three sectors over, I finally slow my pace. My heart hammers against my ribs, but not from exertion. The reality of what just happened crashes over me.

My hand brushes my opposite wrist - and finds bare skin where my glove should be.

Ice floods my veins. The glove. I left it in Daniels' bedroom.

CHAPTER 16

MARYSE

Ivisit my father at the Admin building, trying not to prejudge him. Maybe there’s a good reason he’s banned access to the flies on Rakura IV.

The plush carpet of his office muffles my footsteps as I march up to his desk. The familiar scent of his coffee and cologne fills the air.

"Dad, what's going on with these redacted files about Rakura IV?"

"Redacted files?" He looks up from his datapad, brow furrowed. "Oh, those old reports. Must be the automated system flagging keywords again."

"But why would they need to be flagged in the first place?"

"Military operations sometimes trigger content filters." He sets down his datapad. "Nothing sinister about it. I'll have someone in IT unlock them tomorrow."

His casual attitude deflates my suspicions. The tension drains from my shoulders. Of course there's a logical explanation. I'm being silly.

"Thanks, Dad. Sorry to burst in like this-"

The door whooshes open. Jenkins, Dad's aide, rushes in clutching a tablet.

"Sir, we've got a hit on the DNA analysis from that assassin."

My blood turns to ice. "What assassin?"

Dad's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "The one who broke into my quarters last night. Left behind a glove. Sloppy work, really."

The room spins. I grip the edge of his desk to steady myself.

"Someone tried to kill you?"

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Security's handling it." He pats my hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to attend to this."

"What happens next?" My voice quavers despite my attempt to sound casual. "With the DNA, I mean."

"We'll run it through the new bio-imaging system." Dad taps his datapad. "Creates a perfect visual reconstruction of the subject based on genetic markers. Amazing tech, really."

The collar at my neck feels heavy. My fingers twitch toward it before I catch myself.

"How accurate is it?"

"Ninety-nine percent." Dad's eyes gleam with pride. "Even shows recent scarring and modifications. No one can hide from this system."

My heart pounds against my ribs. I wet my lips. "That sounds fascinating. Would you mind if I... observed the process? For my engineering studies?"

"Of course, sweetheart." He stands, straightening his uniform. "Always happy to encourage your academic interests. Jenkins, have the lab techs prep the system."

"Right away, sir." Jenkins hurries out.

"Shall we?" Dad gestures toward the door.

I force a smile. "Lead the way."

---