The woman, or rather the girl, was around seventeen years old. Her black hair was tied into a clean ponytail. The voyager uniform showed her curves. She had a nice innocent smile on her face that would make anyone that came close to her relax and trust her.

She was looking through a shelf in the same store.

Jean paused a short distance away and touched her earpiece. “Butler, is there any restriction of interaction between voyagers?”

“It is decided by the Supreme One that physical conflict between voyagers is forbidden within the Hub. If you have a grudge with another voyager, you can settle the score by challenging him or her in a duel. If the other voyager agrees, you two can duel in a fight till death in the Training Division. Those that break this rule will be punished by a fine.”

“Not that type of interaction. The type that’s a bit...warmer.”

“You mean sexual intercourse.” The Butler understood instantly. “It is allowed as long as both sides give consent.”

“Well, in that case…”

Jean approached the girl from behind with a smirk and, without any warning, hugged her.

She could feel the body in her arms shake in surprise before pushing her back.

“What are you doing?” The girl, turning back to face Jean, wasn’t too happy. If it was a man she would be drawing her weapon already, but another girl was a different story. Jean’s sex was the only reason the girl was still talking.

Without a word, Jean grabbed onto the girl’s right hand and slid a red crystal to her. Her fingernail sliding across her skin in the process.

The girl’s expression changed before tapping something on her own watch. It was an invitation to her place, and it was sent to Jean, who returned a satisfied smile. The two disappeared a second later.

As soon as the two appeared in the girl’s room, they were getting on top of each other. The situation got very hot for a few minutes.

“Wait a sec. I do not want to be watched.” Jean suddenly pushed back the girl’s hands that were reaching for the belt of her suit. She tapped her watch and pulled out the Butler. “I’ll turn you off for a while.” She said hurriedly with a blush on her face and, without a reply from the Butler, turned the AI off.

The other girl, as if reminded, did the same to her AI. As soon as the AIs were down, the lust in the two girls eyes completely disappeared. Both of them sprang into action. Jean’s voyager blade was next to the girl’s neck. The girl’s voyager rifle was pointing at Jean’s chest.

“Hello, sister.” Jean said coldly, now completely getting rid of her cover. The girl that spent her money shopping was nowhere to be seen. Once again, she was the cold calculating killer that ended the life of millions with a single order.

The girl replied with equal coldness. The innocent smile was gone, replaced by infinite coldness. “How did you find me?”

“I saw the look in your eyes. I know it. I see it everytime I look into a mirror.”

“You might be wrong.”

“Then I hugged you from behind.”

“I was surprised. I shook.”

“You were a one third of a second later than a normal person. I sensed it.”

“I might have sensed you. That’s why I’m not surprised.”

“It is unlikely. You match every characteristic of a lurker. You are a young female with a pretty face. You are nice and innocent. Everything about you is designed according to the lurker criteria. Plus, if you are not a lurker, you will just feel insulted by the crystal I gave you and walk away instead of recognize the symbol I drew in your palm.” When Jean handed the girl the red crystal, her fingernails slid by her palm and drew a shape that only meant something for people like her.

“Agreed. Your excuse to turn off your AI is clever.” The girl nodded and stepped back and put her rifle away. Jean did a similar thing with her blade. “I am Lurker Sara West. If you are looking for me, you must have gained access to the memories sealed in your mind. It is odd that I have never seen you before. How many missions have you completed?”

“One.”

“Sealed memories are designed to make sure lower level lurkers don’t get captured and get our secret extracted out of her. Only lurkers of a certain power level can access these memories. You accessed them after one mission?” There was no surprise in her question.

“Yes. I was extremely successful in my mission. I am Lurker Jean Turner.”

“Why did you come for me?”

“To ask for advice.”

“About what?”

“About how to complete our mission. I have seen the technologies here. We need more power.”

“We are lurkers. We don’t need to engage the Hub directly. There is a reason we are designed as beautiful girls.” Sara explained explicitly, ignoring her messy suit. “Everything about us is modified to make it easier for us to infiltrate the Hub. Our sex. Our look. Our brains are modified to function much faster than that of a normal person. Even our emotions are taken away so we can do everything we can to complete our mission without breaking into the open.”

“There is a reason we are sent into the Hub. The Hub provides us with not only danger but also an opportunity.” Sara continued.

“I understand. Lay low and use the missions assigned to us and the dimensions we can go to to gain power.”

“Not only so.”

“Explain.”

“There is a function in the watch called Team Making. Voyagers can form teams and participate in missions as a team. Use this structure to gain support from other voyagers. Use your body to manipulate them into helping you. When the time comes, every lurker will represent several voyager combatants.”

Jean thought about it. “It’s risky.”

“Explain.”

“Team leaders are scarce and important. The Supreme One will focus his attention on them. It increases our chance of getting noticed.”

“You have a plan.”

“Yes. If we can find someone else, someone not a lurker, and make him or her the team leader, we will be able to control the team through him or her without risking drawing attention to ourselves.”

“Clever.”

“Anything else?”

“There is another function in the watch called Friends. It allows communication between voyagers. Add my account.”

“It is likely under surveillance.”

“We can use covert messages.”

“Explain.”

“We can pose as lovers and only use the watch to arrange meetings. Nothing important.”

“Agreed.”

Jean glanced at her watch and then looked back up at Sara. “How much control over your body does your power structure provide?”

“Explain.”

“Can you fake the evidence of sexual intercourse?” Jean raised her watch. “We both need to fool our AIs.”

Sara tilted her head.