Maya spread her modified analysis equipment across the bed of her separate motel room, carefully examining each component. The portable system was a fraction of the size of her lab equipment but represented weeks of refinement. Her fingers traced the custom-built interface she'd designed specifically for tomorrow's operation.
"Come on," she whispered to herself, making the final calibrations to the handheld visualizer. The device needed to be sensitive enough to detect Verne's sonic patterns through ambient noise while remaining inconspicuous. She'd disguised it as a standard tablet in a conference-branded case, with specialized sensors embedded in what appeared to be an ordinary stylus.
The motel room's harsh fluorescent lighting made her eyes strain as she worked. Maya had deliberately
