Masgard ushered her up one more floor to the roof pad. Four of the police officers guarding the hallway peeled off to escort them. Before they exited out onto the exposed top of the building, Masgard handed her a thin headband. “It’s a scrambler, to hide your identity from the media.” he explained. “Wait, the media are outside?” Freyr asked dumbly. “Yeah, they’ve waited outside your block all night to catch a glimpse.” Freyr took the headband and slipped it on. A field encapsulated her head and neck, before becoming invisible again. “Nice. Now remember, this doesn’t mask your voice. So if you want to say something just open a comm-link with me, Ok?” Masgard grinned, then motioned for the police to lead them out onto the roof.

It was a cold but sunny day in Babylon. Looking out over the parapet, Freyr could see a thin sheet of frost clinging to blades of grass in Boycott Park, far below. One large crime scene tent had been erected on the path a couple of hundred metres away from her front door, and another in the cobbled market area behind.

Freyr heard a low buzzing noise growing louder and looked back out across the rooftop to find half a dozen media drones hovering above their heads. As she watched, one of the drones came down to eye level and trained it’s primary lens squarely on her. To them, Freyr’s facial features would’ve been obscured by a constantly evolving pixel pattern. That didn’t deter them though, and more of the drones fell to eye level, taking in her clothes and personal effects to gain clues as to her identity. Robotic voices began emanating from them as the police tried to shoo them away.

[i]“What is your name?”

“Where are you going?”

“Were the Skinners Guild behind this attack? Is it true you were their target?”

“Was a Rothian citizen hurt in the attack?” 

“Will you give us a statement for the record?”[/i]

Masgard gently guided her across the roof and into the back of a sleek black flyer sitting on the pad. He got in after her and closed the door so the flyer could promptly take off. “Good job.” He said, strapping himself in. “The windows are completely tinted, so you can take that off if you like.” Freyr peeled the headband off and secured her own seatbelt. “We have about twenty minutes until we’re at the embassy, so I wanted to run a spot of admin past you…” Masgard handed Freyr a holo-pad. “This is your new contract and pay grade as head of division, all standard stuff. Please sign here aaand... here to confirm the promotion.

“This is an obscene pay rise. Karos and I did similar jobs; I know for a fact he didn’t make this much.”

“He didn’t. But unfortunately, Dr Childermass is gone now and we need you to transform the division from the ground up. I hope this raise goes some way to remedying that fact.”

“It doesn’t, but okay.” Freyr signed on the dotted lines projected into the air above the holo-pad.

“Next, your team. There have been [i]quite a few[/i] changes in your absence.” A tiled wall of people’s names, faces and roles appeared on the flyer’s dividing wall. Some of them, Freyr recognised immediately. Many of them were brand new to her. “Wow, the team has grown a lot.” Masgard nodded. “After the first incident, the one involving you and your family...there was a bit of a hiring spree. The administration felt quite strongly that more investment was needed to understand and control the Cradle’s...emergent behaviours.” Freyr was already going into a few of the new arrivals’ biographies, noting their skill sets and prior experience. A lot were inexperienced, straight from university. 

“Do you have a new deputy head of division in mind?” Masgard asked after a minute or so. Freyr pulled two pictures out of the wall and brought them to the fore. “Doctors Kamau and Uchida; they’ve both been in the department longer than I. Please contact them and ask each for a status report to bring me up to date. I’ll choose a deputy later.” Masgard smiled broadly. “Astute choices! I think I can do you one better than a status report…” Freyr looked at him, confused, but didn’t have the energy to question the lawyer any more. 

The rest of the flight passed in a flash. Freyr immersed herself in as many members of the team as she could, learning about their lines of inquiry and experiments. As Karos had mentioned back in the Cradle, a lot of the new recruits’ research was focussed on new terraforming capabilities and weapons systems. But Freyr could already see a lack of work to actually understand the Cradle from a biological point of view. She made a mental note to correct that balance.

She felt the flyer descending, and looked out of the window. They were right in the centre of Babylon, dropping into a square just off Outremer Avenue, Babylon’s primary artery. Freyr spotted a pretty, old building below, with a tasteful garden outside. There were other similar flyers outside, and a few people milling around. “It may be wise to put the headband back on, until we’re inside. Just in case the drones followed us here.” Masgard urged. Freyr sighed, but obliged.

As soon as they landed, four police officers jogged over and opened both passenger doors for her and Masgard to get out. They were escorted quickly to the grand front doors of the establishment, where Rothian guards escorted them to a reception area. Freyr gladly took her muffler headband off again. A gaggle of people were at one end of the finely furnished room, and as they moved closer she realised she knew most of them. 

First to notice them was Major Osman, who came over and shook Freyr’s hand vigorously. “I’m glad to see you made it out alive, Doctor.” She said solemnly. Freyr thought perhaps Osman was still a bit annoyed at her for rushing in and forcing her to take on the creature alone. “I’m glad to see you as well. I’m sorry for endangering your life like that, in the Cradle I mean.” Osman nodded, and smiled. “Thank you. I’d have loved it if i hadn’t been so terrified.” She bowed slightly to Masgard before stepping aside to let the next person come forward.

Freyr’s stomach clenched when she saw that it was the man with the curious eye augmentations behind Osman. He gave her a wry smile and spoke cheerfully. “Good morning , Dr Lang! How are you holding up? Has Mr Xandrus been keeping things off your plate?” Freyr nodded awkwardly. She had not expected to see him here. Somehow, she’d imagined him being a full time resident of the Cradle. The man wore the same anonymous black uniform as before, and kept his hands firmly clasped behind his back. That is, until gestured to one side. “Please allow me to introduce Under-Secretary of the Outremer Diplomatic Service, João Sequeira.” Freyr shook the finely dressed man’s well tanned hand. “Pleased to meet you, Dr Lang. I’ve heard a lot about you!” He boomed.

“And finally, I believe you already know these two very well.” Blue Eye Guy turned and gestured two tall figures forward. Freyr recognised them immediately; she’d just been considering both of them to be her division deputy. “Yuma! Wallace!” Freyr found herself really happy to see them, and was glad at least one of them looked as happy as she felt. Yuma laughed in her familiar, musical voice and rushed over to embrace Freyr. “It’s so good to see you both!” Freyr gushed over Yuma’s shoulder. Wallace Kamau came a little closer and waved woodenly, a half smile on his face.

“I’m sorry to cut this short, but I believe the Rothian delegation is waiting for us in the next room. Shall we begin?” The Under-Secretary asked loudly. “Please João, lead the way.” Blue Eye Guy beamed, ushering the diplomat forward with both arms. At that point, Freyr felt a comm-link open between her and the mysterious man. He glanced at her. [i]“Let Mr Xandrus & I cover the politics, ok? Lets see their terms before we give anything away.”[/i] He sent. Freyr set her jaw and didn’t reply, falling in behind him as they all filed into the meeting room.