Page 12 of Consume
Chapter Four
Moon Dragon heaveda breathy sigh over the cheap, pre-paid phones we both had. “Sometimes I wish I’d been more specific on my college roommate request form. I thought normal roommates weren’t supposed to shower and forget to take their meds, not ask how to break into a house.”
Desperate times, I texted her since it was so much more reliable than speaking.
Moon’s mom worked for a biosecurity company. Maybe if Moon asked nicely, her mom would offer up all the tricks of her trade to a wanted murderer and suspected bioterrorist. Honestly, I didn’t see why not.
If we could just get into the Byrians’ house, I could deal with the ghosts. Not invite them inside me but seal them up in glass jars until I knew what to do with them.
I’ll fill out your roommate transfer request for you if you do this for me... But I keep Jezebel.
“Wrong,” she said. “Jezebel stays with me because you’re a bad influence with your kinky bondage stuff.”
I flitted my gaze around the gurney table, so thankful Moon wasn’t on speaker. Josh, Pop, Crispin, and Captain Glenn shifted nervously while they waited, and Poh was back to being Poh. Pop had been successful at removing her force-inserted Mind-I, and the ugly bruise swelling half her face had healed some.
What aboutyourkinky bondage stuff?I texted Moon.
“Fair point. Okay. Mom answered me back.”
What did she say?
“She says, ‘Too easy to manipulate. Tell him to get BioWaves.’”
I jotted that down with actual pen and paper to show everyone. Secrecy and my inability to speak properly required us to go old-school.
Captain Glenn had used a camera zoom on a keypad next to the Byrians’ front door close enough to make out the brand—BioHound, not BioWaves. We’d learned a bit more about BioHound and discovered it was a terrible brand for our mission. It included a thermal scanner, thumbprint scanner, earlobe geometry detection, and monitored voice wave patterns. Thumbs and earlobes could easily be sliced off, but not heat or people’s voices. So, Moon had then texted her mom an innocent question:Is BioHound a good brand? Asking for Franco’s dad.
Ask how it’s too easy to manipulate, I texted. Maybe this would be easier than all of us had thought.
“This will likely spark all kinds of questions and a call to Franco’s dad, who isn’t looking for a security upgrade by the way.” Moon sighed. “Okay. I asked.” Three seconds later, she said, “Mom says BioHound’s thermal scanners are constantly going out, so it can’t read body heat. BioWaves, on the other hand, always get the job done. She also says we’re having fried turnal for dinner and that I should invite Franco’s dad. Great, Absidy!” Her voice pitched to near hysterical.
I winced as I wrote down everything she’d just said, then texted,On the plus side, fried turnal.
“On the downside, it’s my freaking mother.”
I love you, Moon. So much.
“Yeah, yeah. I love you, too. Tell your sister and your kinky bondage-loving boyfriend hi for me when you rescue them.”
I will.
“And Absidy? Keep you and your babysafe.” Her voice shook as it always did when we were about to say goodbye, since lately we didn’t know if it would be our final one or not.
I will, I texted and squeezed the phone to my mouth to cover the wobble there.
Captain Glenn slid the paper from under my yellow claws across the gurney. “Thermal scanners always go out...” he read.
Poh vigorously polished one of her knives with a small cloth. “That will certainly help.”
“And if a room requires a certain voice to enter?” Josh asked.
Poh held up her newly polished knife, her yellow eyes following the gleam along the surface. “I’m pretty good at making people squeal after I’ve ripped away some of their more dangly body parts.”
Crispin half grimaced. “You must be a delight at parties.”
Josh gazed at me with raised eyebrows. He hiked his thumb at Poh. “Where did you find this one?”
