The Fall of the Absolute

by Karen Page

Chapter 30

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Chapter 30

Alone in her ship, she took the Direct Tunnel Device from her rucksack and connected direct to Earth. Once the link was established, she rang Overwatch.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm back on the Station. The Reginaddes are back stable. Twenty Yvestigans made an appearance on the Reginadde home world. Trposin was one of them. They were detained. What is the status of the Yvestigans and Earth?"

"Nothing has been reported, but there has been no sign of Yvestigans planet-side. Earth Fist were going to attempt to attack the EarthGov main building when the Yvestigans appeared. Either the Yvestigans haven't arrived, or were caught, we don't know. So, Earth Fist haven't done anything that they can be arrested for. If Sofia is on the Station, you might want to warn her that she is a hero."

"One last thing. I was with the council on the Reginadde home world. I am presuming I was filmed."

"Good to know, but you operate in the light, so it might not be unexpected. Let me know if there are any repercussions."

Hanging up, she thought about ringing her parents. But she was tired and wanted her bed, but she knew she needed to get a doctor to check her wound.

Getting to her feet, she felt a wave of tiredness crash over her. She'd been running on adrenaline for hours, and with the action over, she felt drained and slightly shaky. A headache was already beginning to form. She usually got one after an adrenaline crash.

"Hey Station," Jennifer said. "How are you doing?"

"No worse," it replied. "How was your trip?"

"The Reginadde situation might be resolved. And Trudy is in no shape to try and take over the Rohastin. I'm worried about you though. You aren't better."

"Kelly and Hope are planning to unhook things tomorrow after some sleep."

"Sensible. Humans can easily make bad mistakes when too tired."

The Station stayed quiet about that, and Jennifer wondered if there was more to the story.

"Do you know if the human Sofia Hopscotch is on the station?"

"She is. Do you want me to guide you to her room?"

"No, it can wait until tomorrow. I'm tired too. Today has been too long and far too exciting," Jennifer said, stifling a yawn. "Sorry Station, it hasn't been a nice day for you. My human phrasing made it sound like I was pleased. Far from it."

"Theo is approaching."

"Oh, thank you. That is a perfect thing to hear."

Theo's arrival was just the ticket. As soon as he was through the door to their apartment, she breathed easier. His eyes were full of unshed tears, and he rushed to the settee and sat beside her.

"Are you okay? Some of the ambassadors looked a bit shaken. Is that a wound?"

"I got caught in laser fire. I was told I should see the doctors, but I just wanted to see you and go to bed."

"It's been a long day. Let's get your wound looked at, and then we can get some sleep."

Jennifer gave him her best sexy look, but he wasn't having any of it. "Doctors."

As they walked to the Transport Hub, she said, "When I got back, I contacted Earth. No sign of the Yvestigans. Earth Fist are awaiting them before making any move. The intel was attributed to Sofia."

Theo chuckled. "She is going to love us."

For a Station with a hundred thousand people, the medical area wasn't that large. There were two medical floors open to anybody. There was also the small medical team based on the Ambassador floor, the elite doctors who didn't just treat the ambassadors but were on call for strange issues the normal doctors had trouble dealing with.

Jennifer didn't need to say much. When they saw the temporary medical shield, they ushered her into a room. "The Scotutr ambassador said you needed medical treatment. We were about to check on you, so it's good you came here. Let's get you fixed up."

"No nanites," Jennifer reminded them.

"No nanites. It was the first thing that came up when you arrived. Not many have that warning. It's also the second time you've been in for wounds like this. Let me see the wound."

He removed the protective shield and the wound seal.

"I think the one on my back was bigger. I don't think they were aiming at me. It's nice the ambassador warned you."

"It was. There isn't much we can do tonight. We will reapply the wound seal with something that will last until then. We should have regrown tissue to repair you by then."

"Do I have to spend the night?"

"No. As you said, it isn't that deep. The amount of repair is minor. Your body could probably repair it by itself, but our way you don't get a scar."

"That's great," Theo said, before Jennifer could make a smart remark about scars being trophies. "Thank you for seeing us so quickly."

"It's been a quiet night. For once nothing seems to have happened on the Station."

"I got this off station," Jennifer said. "So hopefully it doesn't count against your quiet night on the Station."

"Well, whatever you were doing with the ambassador, be more careful. Getting shot at isn't good for your health."

"Yes, sir," Jennifer responded automatically.

He finished cleaning and sealing the wound. "Get some sleep and come down sometime tomorrow. One of the doctors on duty will finish the repair."

Nowhere on the Station was far away. They were soon back in their apartment and getting into bed.

"I saw Reggie earlier," Jennifer said as they snuggled.

"Oh?"

"I don't know what happened, but she and another Reginadde from intelligence had got there to save everyone. The chamber was sealed. When we were let into the chamber, she was stood protecting the Law Bearer."

"You went into the chamber of the Signatories?" Theo asked, shocked. "No other species has ever set foot in there."

Jennifer yawned, her eyes closing. "Yeah, it was pretty special."

* * *

The next morning the alarm went off at the usual time. Jennifer groaned. She would be the only one in the shop. There wouldn't have been any deliveries, as the Station still wasn't able to communicate via an interdimensional tunnel. They were still isolated.

"Theo?" she said, as she willed herself up.

"Yeah?" he mumbled.

"Why is Sofia on the Station? There isn't a race or anything happening."

He got up and padded towards the shower. "I've no idea. Perhaps she's trying to do her other job more."

Jennifer shrugged and followed him. She didn't have time to continue the thoughts. The shop wouldn't open itself.

When she got there, her thoughts drifted to Reggie. The shop didn't have the same feel without her. After placing her backpack in the storeroom where it was secure but in easy reach, she opened up.

When the morning rush had died down, she wanted to get an update from Overwatch. She would also attempt to contact Reggie, though that might be difficult. A message might be the best she could do. There was also the time difference. She wasn't sure what time it was where Reggie was.

Kelly and Hope were the first there, arriving just as the shop opened.

"How are you?" Kelly asked, enveloping her friend in a hug.

Jennifer gave a small smile. "I'm okay. I've got to get my arm repaired later. I took a laser shot."

Kelly blinked a few times. "This I've got to hear at some point, but we're going back to look at the Station. We came just in case we needed to mind the store."

"You two are great. Oh, any idea why Sofia is on the Station? You aren't scheduled for any meetings, are you?"

"No, but that doesn't mean there isn't team stuff we aren't aware of. Did you see Reggie?"

"Yes. She got there in time and saved the Signatories. Watch yourself. I'm not convinced we have everyone involved."

"But Trudy is dead," Hope said. "Do you think she hid other people and the Station is still bound to keep them hidden?"

Jennifer nodded but could say no more as other customers started to arrive to collect food from Earth. Kelly and Hope left to see if they could repair the Station, leaving her to break the news to her customers that they'd have to wait for any food orders. By this time most of the residents knew that communication was down, just not why. The Reginaddes, who were used to being connected back to their home systems, were struggling, but they did have local data, so they weren't suffering withdrawals like the scientists in the Zone of Silence.

The clothes requests were as usual. What was slightly different was that some of the pupils from the primary school came in with a teacher to request different styles of clothing. It was a task for one of the classes. A different style each day so they could see how different species clothes felt. That school really was special. Perhaps not as special as Hayfield, but still special in its own way.

It was after the third contact from the doctors informing her that the tissue was ready that she gave up trying to keep the shop open. With only clothes being done, there was less of a trade. She hadn't realised what a high percentage of her trade was food and beverages.

Just before she went, she shut the shop, switched on her DTD and rang Earth. The time was acceptable for America. It was answered without her hearing a ring, which threw her a bit.

"Confirm coded status." It was Matilda, but whatever she had to tell her, she was not giving anything. "Wishful Desert."

"Banana Cheesecake." It meant she was clear. If she'd said Cheesy Chocolate Pie, then she would have someone near or she was compromised.

"Confirmed. We have an update from an unreachable source. There is or has been an Earth Fist agent onboard the Rohastin Station. Their mission is to destroy the station and all occupants."

Jennifer swallowed hard. That was some situation. "Do you have any further details? Are they Human? Any known gender or race?"

"The only thing said was you'd have the key code to stop it, but the other three items have to be done within ten seconds of a successful code entry. That was the limit to their ability to influence the situation. What that means, I don't know. There is a suggestion to let the Human Ambassador know if it doesn't compromise your situation."

"Understood. We are now Code Black."

Jennifer ended the call. She took a few deep breaths. Her birth mother had taught her to remain calm in a crisis. Panic clouded decision making. She'd reacted calmly when mercenaries had invaded the factory when she was only seven and again when she was kidnapped aged eight. And that was before she'd even got to Hayfield.

She slipped her things back into the rucksack and connected to the other three via her Device. "We are Code Black. Repeat, Code Black. Earth Fist have, or have had, someone on the Station with the aim of destroying it and all its occupants. Species unknown. Gender unknown. Theo, please advise Georgina, and then any suggestions would be gratefully received."

"The only strange thing we've seen is this box," Kelly said. "I've got past the outer layer. Hope is watching my back. The design is strange. You also said that just because Trudy is gone, others might still be hidden. Or the action of others. For instance, the Station hasn't been able to tell us who put in these devices. Trudy might have had a deep understanding of the Station, but would she have had the skill to add these devices? They don't look like Reginadde design. They look like a mixture of Human and Yvestigan."

"Have you had your arm fixed?" Theo asked.

"Not yet," Jennifer responded, a bit sheepish. "This is more important."

"Get that done first before you start running around," Theo said. "It won't take them long to fix you. Look how long it took last time and that was a big burn into your upper back. You want to be at full strength when dealing with the unknown."

Jennifer rolled her eyes but said nothing.

"Stop rolling your eyes," Kelly said, knowing her best friend so well. "Theo is right and you know it. You'd say the same to any of us. If anything happens, we will let you know. Remember, we are a team."

Jennifer sighed. "Fine. I'll go and get my arm fixed. Hope and Kelly, be careful with that unknown thing. Theo, let me know if there are any complications. Vers'am is head of the Rohastin Council; the Station might tell him things it can't tell us."

Theo said, "I've had a few requests by aides to use Astraea communications. Are you okay with that?"

"Just Ambassadors and their aides," Jennifer agreed. "But you'll have to supervise."

A Reginadde doctor met her when she walked into the medical area, her medical file coming up as she walked through the doors.

"You've made it," he said. "You had several calls to tell you the tissue was ready."

"Yes, and I came as soon as I could close my shop. My colleague's still on your home world."

"Let's get you fixed. It shouldn't take too long."

He escorted her to one of the rooms and she sat on the medical bed. As he removed the medical forcefield Jennifer asked, "How are you coping with the link to the Reginadde system being down?"

He seemed surprised that someone would ask. "It's strange. The Reginadde Ambassador updated us all, saying it was an issue with the Station communication and wasn't caused by the Urattr. At least we have some communication via the Station computer. Having some connection stops us going mad."

"I hope they fix it quickly. My colleague can't return until it is."

"I've been in your shop," he said with a smile. "She works hard there. With travel down, I take it there's no chocolate coming through?"

"No. I hope you don't get withdrawal symptoms," Jennifer quipped, trying not to think about what he was doing.

"Reginadde don't get addicted like some species," he said, as he worked on her arm.

Jennifer didn't know if that was arrogance, pride or just a fact. She didn't respond and let him work on her.

"Okay, you're done," he said eventually. "Please be more careful where you go and what company you keep. A wound like that could only have come from a laser."

Jennifer stopped herself from wincing at his recognition. "Thank you. If I told you where I'd been shot, you'd never believe me. I'm sure you'll find out once the communications are back."

"How does it feel?"

Jennifer moved her arm a bit. "Like new."

"You're good to go."

"Thank you," she said, hopping off the bed.

As Jennifer made her way out, she pondered where to go. She could reopen the shop, but she wasn't sure it would help. There was Sofia and also what Kelly and Hope had found.

"Please connect me to Theo," Jennifer asked her Device.

He answered and she felt his love transmitted. It was such an honest thing. "Hi. I've spoken with Georgina and Vers'am. They are taking the warning seriously, but he can't find any more from the Station. What happened is still hidden."

Vers'am's authority over the Station was a dead end. She needed answers, but all she had were questions and the only witness was unable to help. I'd have the key to stop it. What did that mean? She didn't know who the investigator inside Earth Fist was, and at that moment she didn't care. Well, she did a bit. If she knew them, she might know what the key was. Not that she knew where to use it.

"Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too," he responded. "Oh, before you go, there was a request from the Reginadde Ambassador. Reggie wants to help the search."

"Really? At a time like this?" Jennifer sounded exasperated, but she was also frightened for her friend. She was putting herself in danger.

"It will only take a few ticks for you to get her. She is on the way to the hopperport. Where you landed yesterday is clear. The Reginadde Ambassador will accompany you for your protection, though he doubts there will be any issues. You are a Reginadde hero."

Jennifer wanted to snort. She didn't feel like a hero. And she certainly didn't want to be more famous than she already was.

"But she's putting herself in danger," Jennifer said hoarsely.

"Jen, she knows. We don't want to be controlling and telling others how to live, do we?"

Jennifer sighed. "Fine. I'm on my way."

The Reginadde Ambassador was stood by Astraea waiting for her. "How are you liking your freedom now Trudy is gone?"

"It's great. I don't have to sneak out or ask permission. Living on one floor wasn't fun."

"Does your granddaughter know what she's getting into?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes. I can't say I'm pleased, but I am proud. She really has turned out like The Oracle said she would."

Jennifer choked a bit in surprise. "Him again! He has far too much to say about things."

"It's his calling. He gave me the sealed prophecy just after your visit with Kantu. He'd had this vision before she was born. From what he could work out talking with Kantu, it was roughly the same time as Kantu drew the images he showed."

As they were getting into Astraea, Jennifer asked, "Where do these visions come from? How was Kantu able to hear the Urattr from Earth?"

"These are mysteries of the universe we've yet to understand. If we understood everything, where would the adventure be?"

Jennifer laughed politely as she shut Astraea's door. She chose the destination and the ship calculated the relative position. Within a few ticks they'd set off and landed on the Reginadde home world.

The Ambassador opened the door, and Reggie was waiting. There were some officials who seemed to stand straighter when they saw the Ambassador.

"A welcoming committee?" Jennifer asked.

"Just respect," Reggie said, climbing aboard. "When they heard you were coming, they wanted to be here to see Astraea and potentially you. Grandfather, are you getting off?"

"No. At a time like this, my position is on the Station." He crossed his hands at his wrists and moved his head slightly, a polite sign of goodbye, and shut the door.

"Let's go," Reggie said, not bothering to sit down.

Jennifer nodded and returned them to the Station.

"What can I do to help?" Reggie said as her grandfather stalked off to go back to his post with the Rohastin Council.

"At the moment, I need to find Sofia. She is on the Station when I wouldn't expect her to be. Kelly and Hope are working on an unexplained device, and we suspect it is a gift from Earth Fist to destroy the Station."

"I'll contact Kelly or Hope then," Reggie stated. "See if I can help them. My cover is blown, so I can no longer do my intelligence job."

"The Signatories know as do the Ambassadors. That is it. You can still work in the shop and feedback information. And speak with Hope, not Kelly. Kelly is pulling the thing to bits."

"Where is Sofia?" Jennifer asked the Station, as Reggie went off to help Hope.

"Sofia isn't on the Station."

That didn't make sense. Well, ships could leave, but where would she have gone? What hopper would she have taken? None were coming in, so no taxi anywhere.

"She was here earlier," Jennifer said. "Do you remember our conversation when I got up?"

"Yes, but she isn't here now."

"Could she have turned off her device?"

"That is possible, but unknown people are then looked after other ways."

That was something new for Jennifer, and she stored that away. "Does Sofia have modes to protect her? Does she have discreet or privacy mode?"

"No."

"Would you be able to tell me if she did?"

"Yes. I made sure you had high enough privileges to protect me or save me if I was compromised. Jennifer, Theo, Kelly, Hope and Reggie are my fail-safe. Your details are stored in four secure, immutable locations. The only information I can't give is the actions of the Rohastin Council. The head of the Rohastin Council has ultimate authority."

That stunned her. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she processed what she'd been informed. She could have been told Elvis was living on the Station and it would have been easier to believe.

"Where did you last see Sofia?"

"By a maintenance door. An area you sometimes disappear near Hangar Five."

Jennifer smiled and started moving again. Things made more sense now. "Do you know you have some blind spots?"

"Yes."

Oh, and back to cryptic responses, Jennifer mused to herself.

"You said the head of the Rohastin Council has ultimate authority. Do they get to see what the previous head of the council did?"

"Tradition is before they relinquish control, they also relinquish the memory. Trudy relinquished control without relinquishing the memory. If she'd died without relinquishing control, the memories would have been automatically unlocked."

Jennifer winced. "That's my fault. If I'd not egged her into relinquishing control, we might have been in a better position."

"You didn't know that her guard was going to kill her. You could have been killed instead, and everyone would have been in a worse position."

"Why is that area a blind spot? You seemed to understand what it was."

"It caused some interference with the communication gateway when it was added. It isn't far from there."

"And how far away are Kelly and Hope?"

"They are in a different area," the Station stated and then after a few ticks continued. "I am a collection of distributed systems that keep the station running. The central system for control and purpose is where they are. It is the system that makes me, me. They understand where they are and are being very careful."

When she got to the Transport Hub, she asked the Station to take her to the floor where the entrance to the blind area was. She was surprised when she appeared by the maintenance door instead of the Transport Hub on that floor.

"I thought closer might be better," the Station said, sounding rather proud of itself. "I've not transported anybody like that for a long time."

"Was it fun?" Jennifer asked, smiling.

"Actually, I think it was."

Thinking it wouldn't be polite to roll her eyes at the Station, she resisted the urge. She remembered reading it was a bad habit and not polite. Perhaps she needed to grow up.

Jennifer had just gone through the maintenance hatch when she spotted Sofia coming the other way.

"Are you spying on me?" she asked.

"No, but I was trying to find you. I have some important things to share."

"Oh? You weren't very sharing the other day."

"You drugged us, Sofia," Jennifer said flatly. "Anyway, I thought you should know I received some intel yesterday evening that Earth Fist and the Yvestigans were going to try and take out EarthGov."

Sofia blinked a few times, but to her credit, soon recovered. "Communications appear to be down. We need to find a way to warn Earth."

"Already done. I hope you don't mind, but the report was in your name."

She was shocked. "Why did you do that?"

Jennifer was confused. "You didn't think I should have warned Earth?"

"No, you silly. Why did you use my name?"

"It might have escaped your memory, but I don't work for EarthGov. I don't have credibility. Your name carries weight."

"Oh, you have credibility. You aren't an unknown. Your family gave us this future by discovering the interdimensional tunnel. Your friend has a father in intelligence. She has an aunt who still scares half the intelligence operatives on the planet, and she's been retired for over a decade. Intelligence know you work here; they just don't know what you are doing. An intelligent young woman who suddenly decides to run a clothes shop makes some people ask questions."

Jennifer nodded. "They can ask. You've seen where I work. You know I work there."

"And if you keep saying it, some might believe."

"Look, I didn't come to fight. I came to update you, so you weren't blindsided. But I have a few questions. Let's get a snack from the café."

Sofia wanted to tell this young woman where to go. Jennifer was barely out of school but seemed to think she could boss her around.

"Okay. But why now?" Sofia tailed off and said quietly. "The station isn't open again. I've not seen Kelly in training. Something else is happening, isn't it? It isn't over, is it?"

"No, but I don't know if I can trust you. Hence why we are going to get this snack. You might have noticed, in the café and restaurants the tables have a small shield around them blocking sound. We are in public, but we have privacy."

She pursed her lips and gave a curt nod. "Let's go. The café near your shop?"

It wasn't as if they'd been standing still. They'd been walking towards the Transport Hub.

Jennifer said, "Actually, there is a place on mall-1. It will give a nice backdrop for this discussion. There is a human chef who sometimes works there, if you want something closer to home."

"I've not been there. But I'm starting to get used to some of the other foods. I've not had lunch yet. As you said, the beds are so comfortable."

With a temporary truce in place, they hopped to mall-1 and Jennifer guided them to the restaurant.

"Jennifer, good to see you again," said the waiter. Spying Sofia he asked, "Inside or outside?"

Sofia looked puzzled. Outside? It was a space station. Outside was for maintenance only. She was there to eat, not put on a spacesuit.

"We'll try outside. If Sofia is too unsettled, we'll move inside."

They went through the inside part of the restaurant, and through a door at the end. There was the outside part of the restaurant. Not physically outside, but the far wall was huge floor to ceiling windows showing the planet they orbited.

Sofia gasped. "Oh, outside please. This is such a rush."

"Some don't like it," Jennifer said, as they made their way to sit at a table closer to the windows. "This is where I came to eat the first time I visited the Station. It is where I first met Reggie."

They placed their order including drinks. Neither went for Ram'tror.

"You're being very patient," Jennifer said. "I'm sure you have a thousand questions."

"How did you know that Earth was in danger? Why are communications down?" Sofia said. "I have hundreds more, but those are the most pressing."

"Let me send you something." She connected to her Device and requested the memories from Trudy turning up to Trudy's death. It didn't include the conversation with Overwatch.

Sofia gasped when she received the memories to view. It was video, but it was much more immersive than regular video. It was like rewatching the event. She felt what Jennifer felt. And then it was gone. There was no replay. Sofia wouldn't be able to see it again or show someone else.

"Does that answer your two questions?"

Sofia looked at Jennifer with new eyes. That girl had been terrified but had deliberately not shown it. That was either some amazing natural ability, or she'd been through years of training.

"Have you managed to get word out to the Reginadde?" Sofia asked.

Now that showed she cared about the situation, not just Earth. She could be playing a line, but nobody with Earth Fist mentality would have cared. They would have seen a dead alien and be glad. The possibility of more dead would have made them even happier. Sofia seemed genuine but there was a way to go.

"Yes. Incoming ships aren't possible, but people can still leave if they have a hopper here. I have a question for you. Where did you learn about Ram'tror?"

She looked embarrassed. "It was part of my training. They've had scientists going through different foods and drinks. This was something they found and is shared with all agents just in case someone offers us the drink."

Jennifer frowned. It was possible, but there would be no way to verify it. Well, she could ring Kelly's dad, but that would cause too many questions.

"Why do you work here?" Sofia asked Jennifer as their food arrived.

Jennifer shrugged. "No matter where I go, I'm known or things happen. I went backpacking in Peru and simply showed a few people how the hoppers worked. Knowledge is like a virus. It spreads exponentially. I hear it destabilised the request hopper fleet."

Sofia laughed. She couldn't help herself. "That was you?"

"Theo was with me. Perhaps Earth is safer with me out here."

"So, what is the issue apart from communications?"

Jennifer shrugged and said quietly. "Earth Fist have an agent who plans to destroy the station and all its occupants."

Realisation spread across Sofia's face. "You wonder if that might be me?"

"Exactly."

Dryly, Sofia said, "Nice that you're finally cutting to the chase. And you still don't know if you can trust me."

Jennifer sighed. "It would make my life so much easier if I could."

Sofia closed her eyes, and her face contorted as if she was making a painful decision. "Ten years ago, my parents sent me on a summer camp. It wasn't as advertised. I was taken with nine others and transported to Türkiye to be a child prostitute run by Earth Fist. We were looked after by a lady who had been kidnapped too. I later found out she was your mum, Ashleigh."

Jennifer's stomach roiled at the mention of that event. She remembered those days that her mum was missing.

Sofia continued, not knowing how much Jennifer knew. "She teamed us up in pairs. Buddies. Someone we could share our pain with. When we were rescued, we weren't allowed back with our parents until they'd been investigated. My parents had sold me. They were jailed, and Antonia, my buddy, got her parents to take me in."

"I remember it," Jennifer said her voice raw. She reached out and put her hand over Sofia's. "I remember my ma and mum were both taken. Can you share your name?"

"I was called Eloise then. I asked Antonia's parents to give me a new name. That isn't important now. For this deployment, I'm Sofia." Sofia gave a small sigh. "Your mum taught us all Hytuna. Told us it was a language for our future. She gave us hope. She saved our lives. That's why I joined EarthGov security, to help stop others having to suffer what I went through. Who knew her actions back then would bring us together like this."

It sounded so plausible. Eloise was one of the children rescued along with her mum. But the names were public, if you knew where to look. Jennifer had read those reports trying to understand what her mum had been through. She'd not thought at the time about how she'd got them. She'd been struggling in one of her counselling sessions during her first few months at Hayfield. The subject had come up, and they'd suddenly appeared in her inbox. Once she'd read them, they disappeared.

Her mum had also discussed it. Not the gory details she read in the report, but some of the things that had happened. Trivial things that weren't in the report.

"What was the first group activity you performed with my mum?"

Sofia smiled, almost sadly. "You still don't trust me, do you? We did the dishes. Washed up and put away. It was such a small kitchen, but she made us feel safe. She stood up for us where she could. She couldn't stop them taking us to see clients, but it was the small things. She asked for a clock, so we knew when to eat. It was so disorientating not to know if it was morning or afternoon."

"Now I believe you are who you say you are."

"But you still don't know if I'm an Earth Fist plant."

"Exactly." Jennifer paused, thinking about things. "Why were you behind a maintenance door?"

"Communication is down. It is close to where that type of equipment is, so I was seeing if there was anything strange. I found a hidden bar, but that was about it."

"How do you know where things are?"

"I've seen blueprints of the Station," Sofia said simply.

Jennifer frowned. "Try again. The Station computer is not on the blueprints."

"Not EarthGov documents. These were on the settee in my room a few days ago."

Jennifer gaped. She wondered if Sofia was naiver than Reggie. "And that wasn't at all suspicious? Nobody should have access to your apartment apart from the cleaning bots. It sounds like someone did. Did you report it?"

"No. I thought someone at the office had left it. It's only now that I realise..." Sofia tailed off. "I'm only supposed to be watching and listening. This is my first assignment."

For a fleeting moment, Jennifer thought about responding that it was her first assignment too, but the words bounced into her mind to never break cover.

"Can you show me?" Jennifer asked. "It might give us a clue."

"Okay," Sofia responded dubiously, wondering what Jennifer thought she would find.

The agent managed to leave a clue with overwatch that Jennifer understood the key. She thought this might be another clue. If it was an agent, why didn't they just say, 'this is the bad guys and this is how to fix it'? It would have made her life less filled with hassle.

They'd both finished their food. "Okay, let's go to your room and you can show me this blueprint. See if it gives us some clues."

Sofia stood, disappointed she'd not looked out of the windows more. "I'm not the neatest person."

Jennifer snorted. "I've seen untidy. I don't care. The gift you were left is more important."

Sofia was unsure why Jennifer thought it was a gift. An unwelcome gift, maybe. She hadn't realised that her room was supposed to be secure. Was there anything else amiss? She'd have to tidy up to see.

When Jennifer saw the blueprint, her eyes opened wide. On it were marked the junctions where the three boxes were. Further down was the interdimensional communications array, and finally, a diagram without a location being shown. It showed a box, and next to it 'Beyond 87192943'.

"Human digits and words," Jennifer said. That number seemed to look familiar, but she didn't know where.

"Hi Station, can you connect me to Hope? You can listen in as it is about you," Jennifer said.

"Hi," Hope responded. "What's up?"

"I have something to share with you, but I didn't want to disturb Kelly."

"Good thinking. She is staring at wires. I told her to just cut the red wire, but she wants to see what it does."

Jennifer laughed out loud and Sofia looked questioning at her. "I'm on the phone," she explained in English.

Sofia wondered who Jennifer was talking with but knew that it was pointless to ask.

"Okay, share my eyes," Jennifer instructed her Device. "Is this where you are?"

"Yes," Hope gasped. "Where did you get that?"

"Hang on. There is one more." Jennifer shared the ones showing the connectors.

"Anything else?" Hope asked.

"No."

"Phew. I was worried there would be more surprises. Well, that number was in human format."

"Any idea what it means?"

Hope said, "Not all of it, but look at the number backwards."

"Oh! That I recognise. And we were shown what was beyond," Jennifer said, her eyes wide with realisation. It was the code at the Farm for the door to the instruments. "Do you have a keypad?"

Hope hesitated and shared her eyes. There was a keypad hanging loose, a maze of wires and other things beyond.

"Is it a bomb?" Jennifer gasped in horror.

"We didn't think so. Now we think it might be, but we can't see any explosives. We are trying to understand its relationship to the other three devices. We've only got this far this morning. If we'd known what it was, we'd have not gone near it. Reggie is having a look at connection seven. See if there is anything she recognises as Reginadde."

"Good thinking. I could hop to Earth and get a bomb disposal expert here."

Jennifer suddenly saw Kelly flinch.

Hope said with fear evident in her voice, "There's no time for that now. We've triggered a self-defence protocol. A countdown clock is ticking."