FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Shit." Ben's box was as invisible as ever, but the security panel's lights indicated more than just belt buckles and zippers in the duffel.

"I'm sorry, Luke, we're going to have to empty your bag. There's something in there that shouldn't be."

"Huh?"

"Bugs, Luke, and I don't mean fleas. Let me get a wand."

There were three of them, buried in the seams of his pants.

"Do you mind if I cut them out? I won't cut the cloth, just the thread. They should be easy to sew up again." They were just above the cuff.

"Get them out. I sure don't want them."

They weren't much larger than rfid chips, but with fine wires sticking out. Nathan carefully wrapped them in aluminum foil so they couldn't transmit.

Luke was fascinated, of course, and changed his mind when he saw them. "Could I have one? I'd like to take it apart." Like the good student of engineering that he was.

Nathan handed him the foil packets.

"Of course. They were in your clothes. That makes them yours, doesn't it? You can do whatever you want. I'd just rather you didn't open them here, though. And I'd like to send one of them to ONI, if you don't mind."

"ONI? You think they had something to do with this?" So Luke recognized the acronym. Not surprising.

Nathan had intended to call and accuse them of getting Luke evicted, but then had thought better of it. He was sure they'd have denied everything, anyhow. Now he thought the strange interview, including that crack about his adequate security, might actually have been intended as a warning. The rfid addon for the security panel should arrive in the morning.

"I doubt it. They'd just need a warrant to track your phone. Maybe not even that. Where'd you get the pants?"

"The fosters. I dunno where they got them. Online maybe. You think they could be microphones? Could they hear anything covered up like that?"

"I dunno. I'd guess they're just locator beacons. But you tell me. You're the one studying to be an engineer." Nathan grinned at Luke. "Maybe you can reverse engineer one for extra credit. Or maybe we can cheat and find them online." He got serious again. "I really hope they're not mikes. How much have you been talking to Ben? Could they have overheard anything they shouldn't?"

Luke looked a little embarrassed. "I've been talking to Ben ever since I got him. I don't think I said anything much different this past week. Why don't we ask him?"

"That's a good idea. Hmmm. I wonder if he or Sasha could actually analyze one of those things for us."

Unfortunately, Ben didn't respond when they took him out of his box in the living room. "He was out of it for a long time when I took him home last Sunday, too," Luke said. "Maybe the box does something that knocks him out, something more than just recharging."

"This could be a real problem. I wonder if it's because we took him out before he was fully charged. Sasha, do you know?"

The husky thrust her nose under one of Ben's limp paws and let it drop. She shook her head and went back to her favorite chair.

"Did you hear us talking in the entryway? Do you think you could analyze one of these bugs?"

She snarled silently and shook her head again.

"Like you said before, we probably shouldn't open them here, anyhow," Luke pointed out. "If it has some visual sensor, that would be a disaster. A web search is the next thing to try, I guess."

"That can wait, though. Luke, I keep getting distracted from what I wanted to tell you: an ONI operative paid me a visit last night. She said they don't like where you've been living, that it's too insecure."

"Huh. Well if they don't like it, maybe they could help do something about it. It's no palace, but it's what I can afford. But why'd they bother you with that?"

"That's not all. She knew you spent the night here last weekend, too. Apparently they keep a pretty close eye on you, closer than I expected." No privacy at all.

"I said they did, remember? Before I came here they told me that they'd be around sometimes, but they couldn't really do anything for me. Useless nosies." He sounded bitter. But he had reason.

"I wonder if they really are just tracking your phone location. That'd be cheap enough. The operative implied they couldn't afford to have many field agents." Just enough to scare people, maybe.

"That makes sense. Like you said, they probably don't even need a warrant for that. Some national security excuse, I bet. Like I might build a death ray or something." He smirked. After all, that's what he was doing. After a fashion. When it didn't work right.

"Or something." Nathan grinned, too. "But I thought you should know. Now, what about getting you moved in? Would the front bedroom be OK? You'll have a bathroom to yourself that way." Not that Nathan would mind sharing. Not at all.