We entered a small room with porous steel walls that exuded an electromagnetic current that caused my hair to dance away from my scalp. Two chairs sporting wrist and ankle couplings were bolted to the white tile floor, facing dark glass that spanned most of the front wall.

Colonel Vacendak directed me to occupy the chair on the left, Susan the one on the right. I sat upright, wincing as my limbs were secured in place.

“My apologies, but this pre-flight pep talk could get emotional. Captain, are you carrying a firearm?”

The senior security guard nodded.

“I’m going to ask Dr. Wallace five questions. At the first wrong answer or his refusal to respond, you will shoot Ms. McWhite in the head.”

The guard methodically removed his gun from its holster, coldly chambered a round, and then pressed the barrel to Susan’s left temple.

I felt a wave of hot blood rushing to my face. “What’s your problem, arse? Weren’t you hugged as a child?”

“Question one: Dr. Wallace, is Susan McWhite able to communicate telepathically with you?”

I glanced at Susan, who was staring intently at the dark glass. “Yes.”

A green light flashed on from behind the glass for just a blink.

Colonel Vacendak nodded. “So far, so good. Question two: Is Susan McWhite a Nordic?”

I felt myself shaking. “How the fuck would I know a Nordic from a human?”

A long moment passed before the green light flashed again.

“Your answer is deceptive, but accepted. Question three: Can I trust Susan McWhite once our team has gained access to the interdimensional portal?”

I stared at our reflections, registering a strange sensation inside my head that felt like icy fingers probing the crevices of my brain. I hesitated, knowing a truthful answer would condemn Susan as much as a lie.

And then another thought occurred to me, one that altered my interpretation of the question. Maybe the bitch is setting me up again.

I looked at Susan. “Yes, you can trust her.”

The light flashed green.

Susan exhaled.

Colonel Vacendak’s eyebrows raised. “Question four: Can I trust you once we’re in Lake Vostok?”

I turned to face him. “No.”

I didn’t bother looking for the light.

“So far, you’ve been truthful, confirming things I already knew. And, by telling me that I can trust Susan, you’ve told me that you don’t trust Susan. By now, you must have considered her role in the theft of the Vostok units from your warehouse safe?”

I closed my eyes. “I trusted you, Susan. I loved you! How could you set me up like that?”

“I’m sorry, Zach. But there are things in play that you can’t see. If it means anything, I do care about you.”

“Stay out of my head!”