“Wha… in what way?”

“The creature didn’t attack me, Lessi. It snagged my ankle and tripped me over, but it wasn’t dangerous. It was Jen who pulled my helmet off.”

Alessicka was silent.

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of her, in case it panicked her and she tried to hurt you, too… but I think she wanted me to die out there. She pulled the faulty helmet off and left me to suffocate. I guess she thought the plant would be a very convenient explanation.”

There was a thin sound; Jen thought it must be Alessicka trying not to cry.

“I’m so sorry, Lessi.” Carly’s voice was low and anxious. “I don’t know what to do. She’s locked me in here to divide us. Quarantine is just an excuse. Why would I need quarantining, anyway? I’m not hurt, and I’m not sick.”

Alessicka mumbled something Jen couldn’t make out.

“No. The creature was harmless. It was Jen all along. She doesn’t want me working here. She wanted to get rid of me. I can prove it to you; she left a bruise on my neck—come in, and I’ll show you.”

Alessicka mumbled again. It was a wonder Carly had been able to understand her.

“No, it’s okay. Just come in, and I’ll show you. Then we can figure out what to do. We’ll find a way to help Jen, I promise, but we’ll need to work together. We’ll need to be able to trust each other. You do trust me, don’t you, Lessi?”

The squeak of a chair being vacated was followed by the slick whoosh of doors being opened, silence for a moment, then the loud bang that had broken through Jen’s sleep. She heard a whimper, followed by another bang and a dragging sound. Then footsteps—her footsteps—raced into the console room.

Jen turned off the recording. She’d been so engrossed in it that she hadn’t noticed Alessicka and Carly had moved. They stood in front of the window, equally calm faces holding tranquil eyes that stared down at her. Carly raised her hand and rapped on the plexiglass. Knowing what she wanted, Jen turned on the intercom with trembling fingers.

“You don’t remember, do you, Jen?” Carly asked.

“What?” her mouth was dry. Their stares were almost hypnotic.

“You don’t remember attacking me.”

“Because I didn’t! The plant—”

“The plant was harmless. It tangled around my legs, and while I was trying to pull myself free, you grabbed me from behind. I screamed, and you pulled my helmet off, disconnecting the audio so I couldn’t get any word back to Lessi.”

“No!” Jen shouted, launching herself out of the chair to face them. “That’s a lie!”

“You’ve been acting strange for weeks,” Alessicka murmured. “I confronted you about it yesterday. Don’t you remember? You’ve been mumbling in your sleep and refusing to talk to us.”

“That’s… not true,” Jen stammered.

Alessicka’s gaze held her, mesmerising her.

“It is true,” Carly continued. “We’ve been so worried about you, Jen. It’s this place. This station. It’s too small and too remote for someone as strong as you. You’ve been gradually losing your mind for months.”