I stepped out of the store, glancing around. As the cubes danced through the streams and waves of people, some were eliminated, cutting up the caterpillars.

“That answers one question and leaves me with so many more. These things see inside people?”

“They can,” Kenzie said. “There isn’t much point though. There is a point when I’m looking for tinkertech portal bombs.”

“If we identify any of our targets, do you think we could get a look inside them?”

“You just want to see their underwear, I bet. So gross.”

There was a pause. I could imagine Chris sighing. I wasn’t close enough to hear, and my attention was focused elsewhere.

“What are you looking for, Chris?” Byron asked.

“The way people are put together is interesting,” Chris said. “I’ll know it when I see it.”

“Can you do that, Kenz?” I asked. “Give us a view of their insides?”

“Sure. I guess. We’ll try it when this part is done. The resolution might suck for things that aren’t normally visible, and I have to concentrate it on one area.”

“While you’re at it,” Chris said. “Can you draw a line through everyone? Keep the… however many images of people you want. But show the paths they traveled by giving each person a certain color of line that runs through their hearts or whatever?”

“Belt buckle, maybe. People don’t change belts that often and they’re nice and unique, yeah, I can,” Kenzie said. She motioned for Byron to put her down, and then went to get her computer out. She was wholly focused on what she was doing, now.

“You’re surprising me with how into this you are,” Byron said, to Chris. Byron rubbed at his own shoulders, where Kenzie had been sitting.

“It’s interesting. This is neat,” Chris said. Kenzie made a pleased sound, and Chris said. “Don’t go getting a big head just because I gave you a compliment.”

“It’s neat that you think it’s neat,” Kenzie said.

“Why the focus on the way they’re put together and where they are, Chris?” Sveta asked. “Are you looking for a shapeshifter or someone in disguise?”

“Nah,” Chris said, as he walked toward us, studying the security guy in passing. “I’m thinking outside the box, plus she shuts up when she’s working hard on stuff.”

Kenzie snorted.

As the images started reducing down to a small enough number that people could walk between them without being blinded by the projections in their faces, the others stepped down from their vantage points, getting a look at our players in this scene.

“How are you these days, By?” Sveta asked.