The door closed behind them. She turned, startled by the sound, to see Sifra advancing towards her, wearing his nerve-induction gloves. He had obviously been waiting just out of sight behind the door itself.

Sifra grabbed hold of her before she had a chance to react. It was as if molten lava flooded across her skin. Her legs gave way and she hit the floor, a liquid warmth spreading round her groin.

She saw Bash lying unconscious nearby, and felt a depth of terror she hadnt experienced in many years.

Sifra deactivated his gloves, then, with Tarrants help, dragged her over and dumped her on another couch.

Get the inhibitor, said Tarrant.

She willed herself just to reach out and take hold of his throat, to wrap her lean, strong fingers around the neck of her former lover and squeeze, and yet her muscles refused to obey her. She watched helplessly as Sifra opened the silver case Tarrant had brought with him. He withdrew a device of some kind, pressing its muzzle against the base of her skull. There followed a sharp stab of pain that brought tears to her eyes.

Sifra stepped away from her, allowing Tarrant room to tug both her wrists behind her back and secure them with a plastic tie. All the while, she struggled feebly, but to no avail.

The two men stepped away and grabbed hold of Bash, dragging him up onto the couch that Tarrant had been sitting on when they entered.

You arent one half the man people think you are, she managed to gasp at Tarrant. Not one hundredth. And I hope I die and go to hell, just so I can be on the reception committee when you finally get there.

Nobodys dying, said Tarrant. In fact, the inhibitor I just injected you with is going to help keep you alive.

She twisted her head from side to side as if she could shake the damn thing loose. What the fuck is an inhibitor?

Something that should keep you safe from the Wanderer.

Keep me safe?

Tarrant gave the cord securing Bashs wrists an experimental tug, then nodded as if satisfied, before coming to stand before her with hands on hips. There are some other things we didnt tell you. When the Kelvin was here, the crew tried communicating with the Wanderer by conventional means. He shook his head. It didnt work. Sifra tried again, on our own approach, but he got the same results. But what you dont know, Megan, is that the Wanderer was somehow able to communicate with the Kelvins crew through their two machine-head pilots, but in a way we still dont really understand. Unfortunately, the two pilots didnt come too well out of the experience.

Megan felt a terrible sense of dread. What are you talking about?