"Spy Glass" by Maria Snyder

[tirepanted3]

Back in my cell, I waited. It occurred to me that most of the time needed to carry out a mission involved waiting. And the inactivity wore on my nerves. Finally, after confirming the LT’s departure for the evening and listening for the midnight check to finish, I prepared for my foray into the SMU. Even though I had lost the tools and weapons in my clothes, I still had a few tricks up my sleeve. Well… Not quite my sleeve.

I pulled my jumpsuit down and dug my fingernails into the skin on the outside of my right thigh, peeling away the strange putty Valek used to cover the lock picks glued there. He had matched my coloring so well, two strip searches hadn’t discovered it.

On my left thigh, I uncovered a few other surprises. Once all my goodies were in their proper places, I lay on the bed, or rather the metal shelf covered with a thin mat, and sang one of my favorite songs off-key. Happy my voice didn’t warble with the nervous fear humming in my blood, I belted out the lyrics.

“All right, songbird, quit the concert,” the CO ordered through the bars.

“No.” I started the second verse.

She grumbled something about teaching the new girl as she unlocked the door and entered my cell. “Stand up.”

I noticed she kept her distance. The Black Sergeant must have told her about my use of the pressure points in the yard. I stood and faced her.

She gestured to the back wall. “Secured position. Now.”

“No.”

The officer’s foot kicked toward my ribs, but I dodged to the side and trapped her leg. I jabbed a dart into her calf and depressed the little plunger, squirting liquid into her body.

She yelped and jerked her leg free, staring at me in horror. “What the…?” Her confusion softened.

She staggered and I caught her before she hit the floor. I dragged the now-sleeping woman over to the bed and undressed her. Pulling clothes off an unresponsive body was harder than I imagined. I tugged and swore under my breath, wasting precious time. The next check would be in an hour.

Once I finished, I changed into her uniform, smoothed my hair and locked the CO in my cell. I stopped at her desk, rummaging for a piece of paper. Folding it in half, I used the CO’s keys to access the stairs and headed down to the SMU.



Full story: https://www.you-books.com/book/M-V-Snyder/Spy-Glass