Free Brain Storm (US Edition) by Nicola Lawson

fingerprints and also take her pulse. The base of the other tray was covered in holes. From random points under her hand needles came up and extracted DNA samples. The combined system prevented access being granted to an operative who had been killed and had their hands removed to provide the needed DNA or fingerprints. In theory the machine which measured the pulse could tell the difference between an agent just wanting access and one who was being forced  into getting the door open for somebody else.
    Sara passed the checkpoint and stepped inside. There was no need for her to wipe the gel off her hand as it slipped away as if it had never been there when she took her hand out of the tray. Her first stop as always upon returning from an operation would be the same as her last before she left. To the quartermaster. She handed each item back accounting for any damage. She had to give details on why she was returning less sedative doses and bullets. Those details would be compared to her proper debrief to compare them for discrepancies. When she was finished handing back all of her kit, except for the black body stocking, she couldn't wander around naked, she had to sign and endless number of form. Copies of those forms would be stored along with the forms she had had to sign when checking the equipment out. Those forms would then be compared to check she wasn't siphoning any off to sell for her own profit. The forms would also be gathered together and assessed annually comparing them with the amount of equipment used by other agents on similar operations to make sure she wasn't being unduly wasteful of resources. As Ash was fond of telling her the organization worked on a budget. Because this part of ECSIS didn't exist its funding had to be provided surreptitiously. As wastage from other agencies or profits from 'private' organizations like the law firm they ran.
    When she was through with the quartermaster Sara headed directly to her own small office deep under the ground. However quickly they wanted her to give this debrief she needed to shower and change. The organization understood that agents acting in the capacity that Sara did would require a place in their office to clean up after some of their operations and provided for them accordingly. In the back of Sara's small office, only large enough for a desk and a computer terminal with a couple of chairs, agents like her weren't supposed to spend great lengths of time cooped up in offices, was another small room. It was basically just a cubicle with a shower drier unit and a tiny cupboard for a spare set of clothes. There wasn't even room to change in the cubicle.
    Sara locked the door to her office from inside and stripped out of the body stocking. Her sweat had caused the garment to cling to her skin and when she peeled it away and the air-conditioned atmosphere touched her exposed flesh she was tempted just to stand there and let her skin tingle. But she had to get on with the debrief sooner or later. Dumping her body stocking on one of the chairs she stepped inside the cubicle and waited for the cycle to begin.
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    Carla had finally discovered something that was effective at keeping her mind from wondering who had taken her and for what purpose. All it took was a painful hunger. Carla didn't know how long it was since she had last eaten but that last meal had left her the wrong way a long time ago. She felt even more light-headed now than she had when she first came to in this place and had had to throw up because of it.
    She stood at the door pounding with her fists and yelling for somebody to come and fetch her something to eat. So far her anger and confusion had kept her from tears. She had always recognized the desperate position that she was in but hadn't given in to feelings of despair. Now she was hungry, she was tired, and she was scared out of her mind. She was desperate for something to happen because she was going crazy with the