He felt something. Hunter jerked and was instantly awake. As he scanned the area and confirmed no one was anywhere around, he was thankful that he was such a light sleeper on duty. Of course, there were Sunday mornings that more than made up for it.

There it was again! He could feel something in the air, something that wasn’t there until a few moments ago. That’s when Hunter saw it. A small, vaguely rectangular thing rolling across the grounds of the track. Heading right for the Factory Blue area!

He’d cased the place when he had first arrived. Since it was just a local race, there were no surveillance cameras at this smaller track. So Hunter streaked straight from the tree to the top of the trailer on the side closest to the object, landing without a sound. He quietly peered over the edge of the trailer and waited for his eyes to adjust fully to the darkness again. Once they did, his eyes widened at what he saw.

The first thing he noticed was that it looked somehow familiar. Then it seemed like something Cam might build if he’d been as doped up as Blake after his accident. Some kind of small, amazingly intricate robot was opening the trailer door with just the first of many little metal arms bursting forth from its compact golden body. As he observed, it silently and quickly opened up the back ramp to the trailer with an efficiency the mechanics would admire.

The curious side of him, wanting to know more about this little mechanical saboteur, would have loved to keep watching. But he jumped down stealthily behind it to keep the element of surprise as his sensible side took over. Who knew what this geek’s wet dream would do if it got to the equipment inside?

He thought surprise was his. He saw a small tube stick out a door that wasn’t there before on its little body and fire some kind of projectile at him. As he dodged it, Hunter registered that it was actually a net. He landed gracefully and spun around, his out-stretched right arm sending forth a bolt of crimson lightning.

As he hit a defensive stance, Hunter watched in fascination as the dark red energy hit the small contraption just as it began to roll toward him on little tank treads. It jerked and hissed, sparked and fizzled for a few seconds before tiny puffs of smoke escaped from various cracks and several popping noises went off in rapid succession. Hunter carefully approached it when all sound, movement and explosions stopped. He tapped it with his toe several times and finally flipped it over. “When did I get on one of those robot battle shows?” he mumbled aloud as he picked it up and tucked it under an arm.

He walked over and looked at the net. When he noticed what it was made of, he wrapped the fingers of his right hand into the net and cursed under his breath. Looking around quickly to make sure no one had wandered up since he last checked, Hunter streaked off. The crimson stripe of color following in his wake fit right in with the beautiful sunrise that signaled the new day.

CyberCam had been working for hours. He forced himself to go slow, to make this about more than thinking or doing. “Just go with the flow, CyberCam.”

He was on his fourth project and figured this would be the last. CyberCam refused to let his brother down. He was going to have the wiring and anything else that needed repair done before Cam got up soon. But he was banking that he could do it way faster than his fleshy bro. “I so know I can.”

And he was having so much fun! Almost as much fun as that time he got to lay the smackdown on those kelzaks when everyone else was off at the beach. “Though this is, like, way satisfying.”

“I totally agree. I love to make stuff, too”

For the second time in one evening, CyberCam whirled around to look behind him. Now standing nose to nose with the person, he quickly took a step back to see if they were alone.

“Kapri!” he chirped, trying to look dignified in his very casual attire. “Don’t do that!”

She clasped her hands together under her chin and said, “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you, CyberCousin. Guess I’m just too good at being a ninja.” She looked ridiculously happy with herself. CyberCam had seen worse ninja.

But he’d seen better, too. “You didn’t sneak up on me, Special K,” he assured her as he smiled a lop-sided grin. “But I was, y’know, doing something. So if –“

He was cut off as she moved around behind him and shrilly announced to every person, alive or dead, in a five-mile-radius: “I didn’t know you could paint!” She grabbed his white canvas from the slight wooden stand and held it aloft at arms length.

“Don’t!” CyberCam lunged forward, but she managed to keep it out of his reach as she regarded him with a shrewd look.

“Ohh. It’s a secret,” Kapri said.

“What’s a secret?” Marah asked as she suddenly joined them, her black and white puppy wandering close by.

CyberCam looked from woman to woman, put his face in his hand and sighed, “The whole academy’ll know in less than 90 minutes.”

“Where’d you get that really cool painting?” Marah asked.

At the exact same time Kapri insisted, “Hey! We can keep a secret!” She looked from creation to creator. “What’s the big deal if you’re into painting, anyway?”

“It’s not paint,” CyberCam said with a hint of superiority. “I totally dig pastels as my medium.” He firmly reclaimed his canvas and gingerly put it back on the easel.

“Pastels?” Marah asked.

“A drawing medium of, like, dried paste made of totally ground pigments and a water-based binder that is manufactured into this kickin’ crayon form.” He held up one of the chalk-like, rectangular drawing tools.

“That is so cool,” Marah said. Then she glanced at her sister “Isn’t it, Kapri?”

Kapri nodded enthusiastically. “So what’s the big deal, huh? Why don’t you want anyone to know?”

He looked down and started to pack up all his art supplies. “I just want a hobby, like the rest of the posse.”

“Why not moto?” Kapri asked. “Or any of those other sports you’re programmed for?”

CyberCam looked up. “That’s why.” Seeing that neither of his audience was following him, CyberCam decided he had nothing to lose. “I don’t want something I’m going to be automatically kick-butt at, okay?” The stares were less blank, but still not the desired level of comprehension. “Look, cousins, I want something I need to work at. I want something I can be wicked proud of. I need something that’s all me.”

“You want to be more real,” Marah said quietly.

CyberCam wouldn’t look up. She had not only understood what he was struggling to get across, but dug far deeper to the core where the desire was coming from. “Why’re you two babes out here at this wee hour, anyway?”

Marah looked at the cute, fluffy baby dog at her feet that was just now deciding he had held still long enough. “Let the exploring begin,” she said. And it did. She watched him start bounding around, sniffing the ground. “Well, Kapri came over to talk.”

“And we stayed up way long,” Kapri added.

“So we made snacks,” Marah chimed in.

“S’mores.”

“And they were yummy. But Ninja got most of a candy bar when we weren’t looking.”

CyberCam looked up at that. “Chocolate is way bad for dogs.”

“Yeah, and that’s why we’re out here now,” Marah said. “Because he’s had to use the little dog’s room on and off for a while now.”

“Sounds about right,” CyberCam said. Then he realized that Kapri had left his sight and was busily going through the other canvases. “Stop!”

But from the look on her face, CyberCam knew it was too late. While the fourth pastel had been a work of the moon and stars in a night sky of bright green, she had seen the subject of the other three. “Dang.”

Marah followed CyberCam’s gaze to her sister and walked quickly to join her. Her mouth made a perfect “o” as she looked over Kapri’s shoulder.

CyberCam gathered up all the smaller supplies and then walked over. He almost glared at them. “Can I have those back? They are mine, y’know.”

Marah started helping Kapri gather all four up. “Of course,” the brunette answered as she gave a sweet smile. “Don’t worry, CyberCousin. We won’t tell anyone.”

“It’ll be our little secret,” Kapri said as she gave everything back to him. “Nobody else has to know you have a crush on Tori.”

CyberCam didn’t say anything. He just looked at the two of them with pleading eyes. But the look was gone just as quick as it had come. He nodded to both, grabbed the easel and headed back into Ninja Ops.

Marah looked at her sister. “I can’t believe three out of the four were of Tori!”

“I know,” Kapri whispered back excitedly. “And did you see how he drew her? She’s never looked that beautiful, even on her best day.”

“That means he’s got it bad for her,” Marah leaned in closer to her sister. “But Tori only has eyes for Blake, Kapri.”

“Shyeah. She’s found her guy. Kinda like somebody else I know.”

If Marah caught the hint, she let it fly on by. “Our poor CyberCousin.”

Kapri looked determined. “We’ve got to help him. He’s family”

“But how?”

They were silent for a moment, and then Kapri got a huge smile. “I know! We’ll find somebody else for him!”

“Oh, nice one,” Marah said, giggling.

“Yeah,” Kapri agreed. “That’ll totally work!”

Marah’s face dropped. “But who?”

“Ohhhh,” Kapri bemoaned. “I don’t know.”

Marah’s face brightened. “How about Mei Lien?”

Kapri wrinkled her nose. “Cat girl?”

“Yeah,” Marah said with a big smile. “She’s managed to become friends with Cousin.”

Kapri was now nodding her head. “And she likes computers!”

“She’s perfect!” they both cooed together as they each raised a hand and clapped them in a merry high five.

And with that, they scooped up Ninja and everything he’d left behind and headed for the dorms, plotting the entire time.