Zoe put two fingers up to her temple as a way to better focus her mind. It was certainly easier this morning when she only had Cassandra connected to her, but now that she had Luke, it required a bit more effort. She could only wonder how difficult it would be to keep straight even more people; maybe she’d get better at it with time. She focused on, thinking about Luke. Within a second, she could feel herself connected to his mind. She hadn’t fully transferred her consciousness to the body, more of just an open line of communication.

“My queen,” Luke thought, “How may I serve you?”

“Oh good, it worked,” Zoe thought. “The hostess at the front of the restaurant. What can you tell me about her?”

“Give me a moment to delve into the memories,” Luke thought. A little time passed before he responded to her. “Her name is Shelby Collingsworth. She’s 24 and started working here six months ago. She attends the nearby Seymour Community College. Based on inferences made, she appears to have a thing for myself and has done actions that would be interpreted as flirting. However, nothing has come out of it yet.”

Zoe nodded, then turned her attention to Cassandra. “Hey, so, I know that you said that you can’t create more Legion. But, if I were to give one of you a parasite, would you be able to put it on someone and take them over.” Cassandra nodded in response.

“Alright, Luke, I want you to come by the table. I’m going to hand you a parasite. Then, go to Shelby. What I need you to do is to seduce her, flirt with her, whatever. Just get her attention and bring her to a quiet part of the restaurant. I would join but the quiet area probably isn’t some place that I can go as a customer. Once you have her there, let me know and I’ll take over the rest. Understood?”

“Understood, my queen. I will stop by the table promptly.”

With that, she closed the connection to Luke. Having spent so many years directing her coworkers, Zoe was thankful that she developed the skills that would help her to manage a small hive mind. It didn’t take long for Luke to walk over to the table. Zoe coughed a little, spawning another Legion parasite from the back of her …