...by waiting for something directly threatening to happen rather than making their move now, when they'd be acting instead of reacting, and might well have the element of surprise on their side. Assuming Nick's right, the best and perhaps only chance of any other mage or scientist surviving may be for our core group here to have some sort of rescue mission set up -- either that or a way to neutralize the guards -- both of which would be more likely with advance outside help than by summoning one entity when they're already under attack.

We don't know which side Arterian Dark is on. It's tempting to suggest that he set this whole thing in motion by yielding so readily to Nick -- especially since we've been told that he's usually a much better negotiator -- and then doing nothing to repress him once Nick's blackmail threat dissipated. (It may even go back further: since Nick's name was on the door when he arrived, Dark was presumably after him for a reason.) There's also the whole question as to where his daughter fits in.

If Dark thinks he's now as dispensable to the Illusive One as the rest of them are -- I'm guessing he does, and that he's right -- he's probably doing his best to create a Plan B here that he can edge his way into when the time comes.

Of course, we don't know who or what the summoning is actually going to bring. David's dead on Earth; Cariss is now Aria, and despite the last chapter, we don't know at this point whether a Silver Key can actually exist in the same instance -- even on Earth -- as the Black Keys who are doing the summoning here. In any case, when the summoning looks for David, is Aria going to be the most similar entity available? (And is it relevant that (unless I'm mistaken) the Illusive One placed a Yin-Yang symbol in the summoning square on the diagram?)

Eric