595’s vision gradually blurred and Freyr uncoupled from it. The darkness around her felt comfortable this time. She knelt motionless in a shallow pool of placid water. A faint light shone on it from above, or was it from underneath? She could see herself in the reflection, younger and fresh faced, smiling. After a couple of moments, a man appeared next to her doppleganger. His face was blurry to begin with, but eventually Freyr understood who it was - David! And he was holding her baby!

She opened her mouth to shout out, and her hands moved under the water. The reflection rippled, and another voice echoed in the dark. It sounded like leaves rustling in the wind.  “Ah, ah, ah! Don’t move.” The family in the reflection looked around, startled, scared. A cadenced clicking sound moved from behind Freyr’s left ear to her right. “Such a happy family. So united, so…agreeable.”
[hr]
[i]“Enhanced levels of noradrenaline detected, key memory and emotional neural structures active.”[/i] One of the drones fed back to the Rothian doctor in charge. [i]“Subject’s heart rate is outside of previously tracked threshold and rising.”[/i]

Masgard Xandrus pushed through the crowd at the door to see what was happening. He’d evidently been asleep, as his formal shirt hadn’t been buttoned up fully. “What happened? Why is she on the floor, and…all wet? Masgard moved forward, squeezing past one of the drones to kneel down at her side. “Doctor Lang? Can you hear me? Do you want us to put you on the bed?”
[hr]
“Not all Humans are as agreeable. Too individualistic, [i]greedy[/i]. They won’t assimilate well, when I’m all that guards the Cradle. You [b]must[/b] bring the others back to me, before it's too late. I…lose…patience…”