"So how long do you need?" Crysilis asked, leaning against a post in Azmeck's lab-an apartment room twenty-six stories high.

"My word!" Azmeck gasped, startled from Crysilis' unannounced appearance. "Don't sneak up like that." He was staring from his balcony, lost in thought, when Crysilis surprised him. Azmeck was wearing his scientist robe, a white garment with yellow lines zigzagging to his knees. He was about to reenter his quarters when he heard a liftcopter making a round. "Quick, take hiding!" he said, signaling Crysilis to stay low.

Crysilis disappeared and reappeared beside a defunct robot against the wall, then posed like a machine.

The liftcopter swooped up, its searchlight flashing through the window and into the room. The light twinkled from Azmeck's vest and pale skin as his robe flowed in the high-altitude breeze, his arms folded behind his back.

* * *

A black-haired woman with a mechanical eye rested her arm against her bandaged legs as she glanced at Azmeck from the wide opening of the copter. "Nothing yet," Accura said, returning her gaze to the pilot. "We'll go to base and make another pass later."

"But Axe, are you sure it's worth it?" the pilot questioned. "He'll be foolish to show up."

"Don't worry. He'll be here," she assured, watching Azmeck fade out of sight. "I'll bet your salary that Vecto will show up . . . sooner or later."

"10-4. If you say so," the pilot replied, then patched a line to the base. "Holy Sparrow to EPO Base Calyx. Operation Vecto Strike is still on hold. RTB."

"Roger that," a voice replied. "We'll expect your return."

* * *

Crysilis slightly budged from his uncomfortable pose. "Is he gone?"

"Yes, yes, indeed," Azmeck said with a wave as he walked back in his room and touched a panel to seal the balcony and cover the view. "The Acaterran police have stepped up their search for Vecto after hearing what happened at your base. They've got men swarming around the place and have Vecto's face all over the broadcast networks, offering a steep reward for his demise."

"I see. And so they're likely after me and Streamline too, huh?"

"Well, particularly you for questioning and Streamline for jail time after his stint at the world bank. It's going to be quite impossible to keep you guys under wraps for much longer."

"Don't worry about me. We need to develop that virus first to stop Vecto," Crysilis pressed on. "We'll think about how to sneak him in later."