KATSANDRA

The scanner at Sandra Peterson’s home was a model Edwin had never seen before. It didn’t even bear a manufacturer’s logo, which was unusual. The wait for his card to be returned was longer than before but at last it popped out. They were met at the doorway and admitted into Sandra Peterson’s home by a catgirl who said her name was Katsandra. Edwin cringed internally when he heard it.

Miss Peterson, Edwin had inferred from his search results for her, was single and extremely independent. And she made a point, he’d noted, of insisting on the title “Miss” instead of the traditional “Ms” or the currently faddish “Xr.” Katsandra led them into what must have been a living room but in the corners it looked more like a classroom. Edwin sensed from Nicolle's reactions that this was the catgirl they sought.

"Please, make yourselves at home while I find Miss Peterson for you." That cinched it for Edwin, a normal catgirl wouldn’t be so confidently competent. The catgirl continued through the room, past a large couch, to another doorway but before she left the room, she paused at the doorway and looked back at Nicolle very intently.

Edwin settled onto the couch, which was, so to speak, bookended by twin tables stacked with books and faced the door through which they had entered. He looked over the scattered books on the table in front of the couch while Nicolle wandered about a bit, looking at book titles and papers and tools left out on corner tables.

Unnoticed by the two, Miss Peterson and Katsandra returned and stood quietly for a minute in the second doorway, observing Nicolle and glancing sidelong at each other. Then Miss Peterson stepped briskly into the room followed by Katsandra.

"Mr. Edwards, I presume? I'm Sandra Peterson, please call me Sandra. You've met Katsandra, here, and your kit's name is...?"

"This is Nicolle, and you may call me Edwin."

Edwin had stood when they entered and Sandra now indicated for him to be seated, taking a seat herself on the couch. She turned her body to face Edwin. "So, tell me, Edwin...." She paused until she had his gaze fully engaged. "Nicolle's quite... anomalous, isn't she?"

Edwin's blood froze. He looked quickly to Nicolle but she was completely absorbed in staring at Katsandra.

"Have you taught her to read?" Edwin's attention snapped back to Sandra. "Arithmetic?" she prodded. "Math? Science?" Sandra's face was impassive as a sphinx as she locked eyes again with Edwin. "Your secret is out, Sir."

To his horror, Nicolle quietly said, "I've begun basic algebra, Miss Peterson."

Edwin slumped back into the couch and shut his eyes, crushed by his failure, waiting for hidden officers to take him. Something clunked onto the table and his eyes snapped open again. A small, black needlegun lay on the table and Sandra was leaning back against her end of the couch. "Heavy tranquilizer crystals only" she said. "I wouldn’t have killed you unless it was absolutely necessary."

As the situation dawned on him, Sandra said, "We've much to discuss and I'm feeling hungry. Let's go out to the kitchen for a little something and then we'll put all our cards on the table, yes? Oh, and a little advice… never sit with your back to a doorway a stranger might enter through."

Sandra had been actively preparing to bolt with Katsandra if there had been any trouble about too-smart catgirls. But her plans had been purely defensive, to run and hide. She was enthused by Edwin's more direct approach, the plans to gather all the smart-cats and then initiate legal changes.

"There are hard-rock miners in my family's past and they left many an adit in the mountains. Back in the old Cold War years some of my ancestors converted a few into fallout shelters with disguised entrances. Katsandra and I rebuilt a small hunting cabin that sits on one. It's near a lake where people go for fishing and swimming so even infrared images will show nothing unusual in the area if we’re careful of how many are outside at once. It'll be a bit rustic and snug but we can shelter the kits there with a few humans to interface with anyone wandering in or asking questions. I should tell you, Katsandra is a very good shot, too."

Katsandra beamed and Nicolle looked envious.

Next: Part 11 / 25, “Sharona” & “Prim”