Once the scan was complete, Top and Bunny were told to wait near the guard shack. No one bothered to check the scanner housing, and even if they had, they might not have noticed anything odd. Only a very close examination would reveal a very small dot of plastic stuck to the underside of the machine. The dot had been on the pad of Top’s left forefinger, and when he touched it to the device while bending over to frown and cuss at the machine, the reactive chemicals scanned and mimicked the exact color of the housing. When he held on to the scanner while finally placing his thumb in the right place, Top transferred the chameleon scanner to the housing. It was a bit of sleight of hand he’d done many times before. The scanner was a marvel of design, developed years ago by Dr. Hu and updated by techs working for Doc Holliday and Bug.

Within six seconds, the microcircuitry in the wafer-thin dot was opening a door to allow MindReader to waltz in. The super-intrusion software around which MindReader was built instantly picked all the encryption locks built into the Blue Diamond security system. At the same time, it rewrote the target software to erase all traces of the intrusion and its lingering presence. No one at the camp would raise an alarm because nothing within the security system recognized the intrusion.

While they waited, Top and Bunny glanced briefly around. The camp looked rustic, but their security was not. The guards wore a slightly different uniform from the ones they’d seen in Texas. Camo with a slightly darker color scheme, appropriate for the denser woodlands here in Washington State. No insignias except for small blue diamond-shaped patches on the shoulders. The cut was better, suggesting individual tailoring rather than off the rack, and these men had sharper eyes and unsmiling mouths. Observant professionals. And yet Top’s tomfoolery with the scanner had tricked them. That suggested a bit of arrogance over the professionalism. Top and Bunny both thought it was useful to know.

Colonel Ledger had a theory about that. Or, perhaps, an observation. He called it the “arrogance of power”—when the strong and abusive assume the weaker potential prey were inarguably easy targets because they were weaker. It was the assumption used by so many rapists, child abusers, muggers, and similar predatory monsters. Gangs often made the same assumptions. And, in the absence of training, natural or acquired confidence, or preparedness, they were often right. But—just as the larger male lions learn to their peril when trying to bully the lionesses with cubs—underestimation can backfire quickly.

It also led to habits of inattention, and that’s what Top and Bunny both hoped would be at work here. This was, after all, an elite camp. Lots of testosterone, lots of predators thinking with their biceps, sidearms, and contempt.

Bunny caught Top’s eye, and they shared a tiny, knowing smile.