Hali recognized the special Natali area outship from Behavioral and noted a number of red dots through the projection. Brulagi from Medical leaned forward with her thick arms on her legs and stared at the three-dimensional map. Andrit appeared agitated by it. Usija merely nodded.

“What are the red markers?” Hali asked.

“Each dot represents a stricken child,” Ferry said. “If you connect them, they form a spiral and you’ll note that they increase in density as they reach the spiral’s center.”

“A vortex,” Murdoch said.

Waela peered closely at the schematic. She caught her breath and glanced up to catch a look of unguarded fury on Andrit’s face. He was clenching and unclenching his fists. She saw the heavy muscles of his forearms knotting under his singlesuit.

Ferry pulled some papers from the ledge beside his keyboard and shuffled through them while he spoke: “For the sake of those who might not know, ahh, where is your cubby, Waela?”

Andrit leaned forward, almost falling from the couch as he glared at Waela. She saw Murdoch repress a smile. What amused him?

“You all know where I sleep, Doctor. My cubby’s at the center of the spiral.”

Andrit lunged as quickly as anyone Waela had ever seen shipside. But even though she felt heavily pregnant, Pandora had conditioned her reflexes to blurring speed. When Andrit hit the space where Waela had been sitting, she no longer was there. Before he could recover, Waela felled him with a blow to his carotid—every move automatic.

She felt strength flowing through her. It gushed from the fetus within her and out through every fiber of her body.

Hali, out of her chair by this time, looked from Andrit sprawled unconscious on the deck to Waela who stood poised and breathing easily in front of them. The sudden exertion had fanned the reddish glow under her skin to a blaze. As she turned slowly on one heel to see if there would be more attack, she was an awesome sight.

Dazed, Hali asked: “Why did he do that?”

Waela confronted Ferry. “Why?” She stood balanced on the balls of her feet. Andrit had threatened not her but her unborn child! Let any of them try to harm her child!

Murdoch chose to answer, an odd glint in his eyes. He appeared to be enjoying this.

“He was . . . personally upset, you understand? One of the stricken children is his son.”

“What do those red dots really mean?” Hali demanded.

“Ahh, there have been some energy problems, we believe,” Murdoch said. “We saw a similar thing in Lab One.”

Waela took a step toward Ferry. “I want to hear it from you. Oakes left you in charge here. What’s going on?”

“I, uhh, don’t really know much about it.” Ferry licked his lips, shot a glance over his shoulder at Murdoch.