Sara was humming to herself inside the van, simultaneously working on a hand-size rectangular object and watching the screens around her. Ri had hacked into various surveillance cameras in the area for her and these images were showing on a few of the displays, allowing her to keep an eye on everyone. The other monitors were hooked up to her own gadgets, which showed her a radar-like image of all sky, surface and underground movement in a one mile radius. So far nothing interesting had entered the area. Nothing they hadn’t seen before at least.

The object in her hand gave an audible beep and she looked down at it, frowning around a ratchet screwdriver she had wedged between her teeth. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Snatching a wrench up off the floor, she gave a few bolts a twist and waited. When the device remained silent she smiled. Much better. She slapped the rear panel back on and admired her handy work. The device looked somewhat similar to a small television remote, but with a wide grey screen across its top. She would need Ri to program it for her but, once they found out what they were actually hunting, the device should be able to track the monster down. Or at least narrow the search down a bit. The only problem was they would need some sample DNA. Sara was hoping Seth and Noelle would provide on that front.

She carefully set the tracking device aside and watched the screens, swinging back and forth on the van’s swivel chair. She was bored. She often got that way when she wasn’t tinkering with something. She’d been around machines since a very young age and, for some reason, they clicked with her. She saw them as puzzles. Every piece had a place and if all the pieces weren’t in their right spots, nothing would fit properly. Some kids were maths geniuses, some kids could hack Wall Street. She could pull a car apart and put it back together in one afternoon by the time she was twelve. When she’d been approached by the Agency, some had argued she was too young and immature, and in some ways she was, but she was one of the best at what she did and she was very serious about her job.

‘Well Stanley,’ she spoke the wrench in her hand, ‘all seems quite on the western front.’ She glanced at each of the screens in turn. ‘And every other front, for that matter.’ One of the displays caught her attention. On a rooftop across from the shelter, stood a familiar figure. She pressed a button linking her to the ear pieces of each of the team. ‘Heads up guys and gals, Nicky’s back in town. Oh, and Kiwi and Mandarin, you’ve got security headed your way.’

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