Harmony Norberg awoke to excruciating pain, dozens of knives piercing her lower back, pelvis, and legs. This had been the first sensation she registered every morning for most of her life. The pain had in no way dulled or diminished over the years as her doctors had hoped; if anything, it seemed to be getting … Continue reading Interlude – The Other Half (part 1)

If I was going to try to unravel Kimberly's cover story, the easiest thread to start pulling on was Starsword. Her claim was that she had ended a three-year relationship with him while they went to school together at Duke, and that he vanished after saving fellow students in a car crash. It took very … Continue reading Chapter 30 – Deep dive

It was a difficult call, but I finally decided to leave out the potatoes. I scraped the wedges into tupperware and made a note to fry them up later in the week. In their place I added more broccoli stalks, two whipped eggs, and an extra half-cup of mozzarella. I had the casserole in the … Continue reading Chapter 29 – In Our Genes

Fitz worked fast. By the time I had a couple of bags of frozen veggies thawing in the sink and managed to collect myself enough to log on, he had five audio pickups and two omicron sensors deployed about the Norberg Mansion. Even better, Hamony's private server - the one hosting her suit's control software … Continue reading Chapter 28 – Resistance Meeting

It took me a full ten seconds, after waking up, to remember that I shouldn't have expected to wake up alone. I had already forced myself out of bed and towards the bathroom when this occurred to me. Kimberly had come over last night. Once I knew to look for it, I found signs of … Continue reading Chapter 27 – Awakening

I didn't know the name of my entree. Some sort of odd twisty shell with alternating fillings of cheese and sauce. I think different shells were supposed to be different cheeses based solely on variations in color; the flavors were muted compared to the pockets of sauce and I couldn't really distinguish them. Still, it … Continue reading Chapter 26 – Opening up

My beautiful date didn't miss a beat when I opened the passenger door to her, managing a peck on the cheek before climbing in. As I got in on the driver's side and started the engine, I noticed an amused smirk on her face. Those so far had tended to be at my expense, although … Continue reading Chapter 25 – Dinner at Vine’s