Cath

The Cradle

Freyr nearly tripped over a low wall between two industrial sheds before stopping to let the two soldiers catch up. When they did, Osman ordered the private to give his chest mounted torch to Freyr, leaving him with just the light at the end of his gun. They carried on running, Osman trying her comms again to no avail. After a couple of minutes, they saw lights flickering in the gloom and headed for them.

They found most of the CraSec search teams covering a warehouse a few plots down from the office buildings. They hunkered down behind a parked corporate buggy while Osman got a sitrep. “There are some really strange noises coming from inside, sir!” The sergeant hissed. True to his word, a mixture of scrapes interrupted the otherwise ominous quiet from inside the shed. “We’re surrounding the place now.” Osman nodded. “If it’s one of the things that abducted the Skinners, we should proceed with extreme caution. Rowe is turning the power back on, and then we’ll call for backup. Box this thing in ti- Freyr! Where are you going!” Freyr was quietly but quickly crossing the distance between the CraSec perimeter and the warehouse. “Fuck! Hold position until I give the signal!” Osman growled before setting off after the scientist.

---

A wet, gravelly crunching replaced the ticking noise in the creature's throat. It's anguished facial expression slipped away to nothing, replaced by a dead stare. When it spoke again, Its voice was no longer that of a little girl, but of something...older. "I remember so little of what I was. But I do remember you. I have seen you, crawling from the ocean to the rocks. How you've grown. I think i have a use for you after all…” The creature’s teeth rattled as it smiled widely and began inching across the intervening space between them.

---

Freyr just knew she needed to face what was inside. If it was one of those creatures, and she could communicate with it, she may learn if David was inside, or whether it had bastardised his features for some other purpose. Who knew what it was doing in this warehouse - it could be digging its way out, in which case waiting for backup would let it get away. She crept over to one of the staff entrances and tried the door; it opened. She slipped inside and turned her torch on but kept her hand firmly clamped over the end to stop it giving her away. She took it off for half a second, and saw she was in a small staff room, with sofas and a kitchenette. There was a door at the opposite end, which she quickly tiptoed over to.

The mesh window of this door didn’t give much away; Freyr could only make out a few faint lights and sparks coming off some kind of machinery. She gave the door an experimental push and it cracked open. Poking her head through, she could hear echoey talking in what sounded like a cavernous space. Her heart was pounding, and her breath came out as ragged gasps. Slowly and with shaking hands, Freyr raised her torch and uncovered her hand in the direction of the talking.

One of the creatures from the video lit up in the torchlight, as did a tall scaled being Freyr didn’t recognise. The creature briefly recoiled from the light before shrieking. It charged forward on it’s spidey legs and almost unbelievably, even to herself, Freyr stepped out from the doorway with her hands up. “I’m just here to talk!” She shouted over the sound of screaming, her torch pointing at the floor in front of her. After a couple of seconds, David’s familiar face appeared from the gloom, barely two metres away. Freyr couldn’t breathe.

The Cradle

The office building’s lift was offline, presumably like everything else in the compound, so they all carefully made their way downstairs by the light of Osman’s torch. The Major’s comms set squawked occasionally but for the most part it was unresponsive; there must be some kind of interference nearby.

They found four helmeted soldiers guarding the lobby, assault weapons at the ready. Freyr realised as one of them turned to greet them that it was Major Rowe. “Sitrep, Lieutenant!” Osman barked. “Comms are down sir, I can't make contact with our teams sweeping the compound. They are likely following your last order.” Osman nodded. “Take one of your men and see how we can get the power back on. You, escort these civilians back to the trucks and keep them sa- hey! Where are you going?” Osman called to Freyr as she jogged out of the front doors. Freyr stopped and turned.

“If this disturbance is in any way connected to the abductions, I need to be there.” Osman was impressed by Freyr’s resolve; the teary mess of a few minutes ago had transformed into a grim-faced desperado. She nodded “Copy that, I'm coming with you.” Osman gestured to the last unassigned soldier. “You - with me. Lets go!” Freyr turned and resumed running, with the Major and a CraSec grunt in hot pursuit.

---

The creature tilted its head menacingly to one side as it apparently listened to what Vreta had to say. It revealed rows of long, sharp teeth and made that same fast ticking, cracking sound from its throat. When it replied, it had the voice of a little girl, perhaps nine or ten. “Will you help me find my toys? I miss them so much. I lost them a very very long way away. Hidden and alone...asleep. We-” The creature stopped, looked up slightly and loudly sniffed the air; its teeth gnashed together in its mouth. It looked at Vreta again. “Would you like to meet my parents? I will take you to them.” It shuffled forward slightly on it’s spidery legs, the violet appendages dangling above the Rothian's head.

The Cradle

This industrial warehouse was being used to test cutting edge interplanetary communications systems. The main feature was a tall, complex-looking comms array pointing to the ceiling, with banks of consoles sat around it. A creature very similar to the ones that had kidnapped the Skinners was perched halfway up this array. It’s thin, faintly glowing tendrils were stuck inside various control panels on this machine. It was obviously at full power, because a faint humming reverberated around the warehouse.

When the creature heard Vreta shout, it craned its stubby neck until the pale human face was starting right at him. After a split second, it screamed in an in-human voice that started shrill and ended in a guttural roar. At the same time, all of its tendrils exploded from their anchorages inside the comms array, sending a huge shower of sparks out into the Warehouse. The lights inside flickered and died, leaving a almost-total darkness, punctuated only by the effervescent glow of these appendages, reflecting off it’s glistening face.

It jumped down and skittered across the intervening space, until its face hung in front of Vreta, just out of arm’s reach. It’s tendrils waved gently in the air between them. It’s mouth moved, unsure at first, as though unpracticed. Just a wet ticking sound emerged at first, but gradually hoarse words followed. “Who....are…you?” It edged a little closer.

Halo: Aegis Team

Tar 'Mdalak

The ship was alive with activity, even to Tar, who was a relatively late arrival. Sailors dashed between sections, making last minute checks to the cruiser's status. Excited soldiers moved from their barracks to an armoury, before heading fully laden to the hangar bays and air locks. Tar would normally make way for them, but she was now dying to find out what was in store for her and her fellow Commandos.

She breezed through a security checkpoint and a set of blast doors to the Special Operations Control opened in front of her. It was a smart set of rooms that included barracks, a mess hall, an armoury, training facilities and a variety of meeting rooms.

It was from one of the meeting rooms that a Human female Tar didn't recognise emerged. She guessed she was probably a high ranking ONI officer, utterly anonymous in her dress and expression. She gave Tar a polite nod as they passed each other.

She barely had time to wonder why ONI was present in person on a Sangheili ship, when she heard the familiar voice of Commander Skell calling to her from the meeting room.

"Ah, Tar! Just who I needed to see. Come in here and close the door."

Tar obeyed, sloping into the long, tall meeting room and closing the door behind her.

Skell sat at the head of an imposing circular table with a holo unit embedded into the centre. He was an experienced soldier, with one of his mandibles missing and scars all over his exposed hands and arms. Tar had heard lurid tales of his savagery during the war, and felt them incongruous with his jovial attitude. This made it hard for her to trust him completely, but so far he’d proven to be a wise and strategic commander.

“We don’t have much time, so i’ll be brief.” Skell began from his seated position. “The shipmaster…” He motioned to the holo. “has informed me of a risky mission. There are three Jiralhanae ships on the other side of Sarcophagus, holding position over a den of rebels. Our battle group will take care of the Brutes, but there is a team on the ground that aims to capture the leader of the rebels. The plan is to insert this team into the very heart of the base while reinforcements assault the base from the outside. This mission will require a skilled pilot, so you will take a phantom, pick up this ground team, and drop them into the base. If you have questions, then hurry, because you have one minute.” Skell explained quickly. His usual, relaxed attitude had been replaced by one that was uncharacteristically straightforward, so their time constraints were easy to believe.

"But sir!" Tar objected, moving forward a pace. "If there are Brutes to kill I would much rather be with my brothers than ferrying operators around. Can't you get one of the regular pilots to 'volunteer'?" Tar couldn't shake the feeling that a clue to her father's whereabouts lay in one of those ships. If there was any chance she could be part of a boarding party, she was going to take it.
Skell was quick to snap back in a firm voice, giving no ground literally or figuratively. “That was not a question, that was a complaint, and I did not give you permission to complain. The mission requires a skilled pilot who can deal with ground fire, and that is you. If you survive the insertion, you can support your brothers from the sky.”

Tar wilted a little, but recovered quickly. She had been given an important job, which she did find quite flattering. "Yes sir." She saluted.

Skell brought his fist to his chest and slightly bowed his head. “Good, then get to your phantom.” He said, though has he started to approach Tar, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave the Sangheili equivalent to a grin. “And you need not be too upset. The heavy plasma cannon of a phantom will rip apart a Brute just as well as your blade. Now hurry, we go to a standby position in 5 minutes.”
Tar leapt into action; 5 minutes was not a lot of time in Sangheili military speak. Nodding eagerly, she turned and ran from the room. There was no time to equip in the armoury, so she exited via the blast doors and headed for the closest hangar. Special operations maintained several enhanced Phantoms near SpecOpsCon, and Tar knew they carried a small personal weapons arsenal onboard. That would have to do for this mission.

Skell got in contact via her helmet comms as she passed impatiently back through a hangar airlock. “I’ve found you a co-pilot; he's waiting for you in Lot 51. The team you’re picking up are Callsign Aegis. Good luck."

"Understood. Thank you sir." Tar replied, stepping from the airlock into a crowded hangar. Ground crews flitted between rows of parked Phantoms like insects feeding on ripe fruit. She found Lot 51 by checking signs suspended from the ceiling and began picking her way toward it. Halfway there, she stopped to grab a weapon strap and two fire grenades from a passing cargo platform.

"Commander!" A hoarse voice called to her. Tar looked up to find a short, stocky Sangheili waving to her from underneath her Phantom. She jogged the remaining distance, saluted to and then took the extended arm of the Male. "You must be my co-pilot?" She asked. "Prax Vol, at your service!" The Sangheili half said, half yelled as dozens of Phantom engines started at once. Let's get you in the hot seat, Sister!" Tar nodded, gesturing for Vol to lead the way.

They headed up the grav lift to the Phantom's interior. Tar quickly checked the vehicle's armoury in a locker next to the cockpit. There was a decent, if slightly lackluster selection of assault weapons and sidearms along with two fuel rod cannons. She pulled a Storm rifle from the rack and clipped it onto the strap she’d collected earlier.

Pushing on into the cockpit, Tar found Vol conducting pre-flight checks in the co-pilot’s seat. He turned at beamed at her. “We’re ready to leave, commander.”

“Call me Tar. Good.” She slung her Storm rifle over the back of her seat before settling in and strapping down. The interface above the viewing window showed a countdown to jump.

27...26...25…

“So, where are we headed?” Vol asked.

“Paxopolis surface. We need to pick up a team who're going after a human rebel leader.”

“Ah. I smell ONI treachery.”

“I think you’re right.”

The countdown reached zero, and the whole hangar became eerily quiet. The whole fleet was now waiting for a signal from the surface. Tar counted three extra minutes in her head - Prax checked the instruments over and over again.

Suddenly, the whole hangar bay began rumbling. The slipspace jump had started; They watched it’s progress on their instrument dashboard. As soon as the energy signature died down, lights began flashing and Phantoms lifted off from their lots as one. As their vehicle was up against the wall, they had to wait for most of the others to leave before they had room to maneuver.

Tar and Vol deftly spun the Phantom round and followed the taxi path to the hangar doors. “Prostrate Disciple leaving the nest.” Vol announced over comms. “Acknowledged. Good hunting, Five One.” Hangar Control responded.

Gunning the engines, they pushed through the hangar’s forcefield and into the atmosphere above the surface of Sarcophagus. A beacon called to them from the sphere’s surface; Tar adjusted their course to head for it. After a hard descent, they leveled out within a hundred feet of the arid landscape below. Keeping close to the ground would make them harder to detect by any forward units.

Clearing a dusty cliff face, they finally made visual contact with the rebel base. The other drop ships from the Repentant Proselyte and the rest of the fleet were swarming around the outside of Forerunner facility, drawing plenty of small arms fire. “There’s Aegis team!” Prax pointed. Their waypoint led to a mesa overlooking the base, where a small collection of life forms waited. Tar flicked on the comm channel associated with the waypoint. “Aegis team, this is the Phantom Prostrate Disciple, approaching for pickup. Please climb aboard.”

Tar brought them in for a fast, controlled final descent onto the mesa, sending sheets of dust into the air. Vol kept the side doors closed to improve protection for the passengers but activated the grav lift so Aegis team could board.

The Cradle

“Freyr, i’m so sorry! I never wanted any of this, but now do you see how much we need you?” Karos soothed over Freyr’s howling. He knelt down next to her on the floor as she sobbed into her hands and placed a reassuring arm around her. “What is happening, why is she crying like this?” Osman demanded. “As I suspected, those creatures have the face of Dr Lang’s husband, who was abducted months ago.” Karos replied, looking up at her.

Osman grabbed him by the arm, pulled him back to his feet and moved him away from Freyr. “Are you out of your fucking mind? What kind of sicko brings a grieving woman to identify their husband as the face of a giant insect?” Osman hissed. “That grieving woman is also one of the most brilliant xenobiologists on the planet!” Karos hissed back, pointing to Freyr. “She may be the only person on Outremer who can figure out what’s going on. I had to try!”

“That’s exactly what it is.” Freyr said. Both of them turned to look at her. “What is?” Karos finally asked. “An insect. An ant, to be precise.” Freyr continued. “Human settlers throughout the ages have inadvertently brought them all the way from Earth, hidden in food or raw materials. And when we first entered the Cradle via the underground vault, we brought them into the Cradle.” Freyr got up, an idea tugging at a thread in her mind. She wiped tears from her eyes and rewound the recording to the first few frames where the creature was visible - she hid the face behind the second human man.

“In some of the first records about life in the Cradle, they noted the Cradle responding differently to smaller lifeforms like ants. As they strayed into the uncontrolled zone, it would hijack them, sort of like other well known parasites. Control the body and add extraneous features.” Freyr was searching through a database of scientific reports at this point, seeking to back up her hypothesis. There was something comforting about delving into information from the distant past to distract from the present.

“Here we are.” She said, pulling up pictures from three hundred and forty years previously, in the first years of the Cradle. It showed a common type of ant standing in a petri dish, with tiny purple stems sprouting from its body. “It’s pretty similar to our friends on the video.” Karos remarked. “Exactly.” Freyr confirmed, turning to them. “So, what are you saying, Dr Lang?” Osman asked. “Well, based on the evidence available, i’d say most of the genetic makeup for these creatures didn’t come from inside the Cradle. It may not have the means or the imagination to design it from scratch, so it’s hi-jacking our fauna, making it bigger, adding those appendages and that...face.” She exhaled deeply again.

“This is progress!” Karos beamed. A beam which folded into a guilty grimace in the face of Freyr’s obvious distress. “Listen, Freyr, I am so sorry again to bring you here. But this is exactly the kind of info we can use! I couldn’t tell you about it beforehand, as it would’ve coloured your judgement. I needed to see if you recognised that face without any-” The comm set on the table chirruped, and a voice called from it. “Major, there’s some kind of disturbance in one of these testing sheds, what would you like us to do?” Osman quickly picked up the handset and raised it to her mouth. “Establish a perimeter, we’re-” Suddenly, every light, screen and piece of equipment went dead.

They were plunged into darkness, until Osman’s suit torch clicked on. “Lieutenant, come in!” the Major quickly moved out of the atrium into the main office area to look out of the windows. When she came back, she had drawn her sidearm. “Everything is dark. Follow me.”

The Cradle

The camera covering the incident was located in the same atrium they were in. Freyr looked up and over her shoulder to locate it behind her. The initial view was quite far from the action, but she could zoom and enhance it with little trouble. It was also a bit gloomy, as only the emergency lights were on. The timestamp at the start of the video was the dead of night in Babylon terms, so Freyr guessed everyone had long gone home.

After a few seconds, four dark shapes appeared from the stairway in the corner of the frame. Freyr guessed these were the Skinners. They didn’t look out of place, as they wore the standard issue Cradle newbie jumpsuit, however from the footage they were clearly on edge. The one in front brandished a pistol to ensure the office area was clear before motioning his colleagues forward. Two of the other activists were carrying bulky briefcases, which they laid down on two of the free tables. Once they’d been opened, Freyr paused the video and zoomed in. One of them was a laptop and one of them was clearly some kind of bomb.

“How the fuck did they get a bomb into the Cradle?” Freyr asked. Major Osman shrugged. “We’re looking into it now - they may have had help. Keep going, it gets better.” Freyr hit play again.

One of the activists armed the bomb, another connected their laptop to one of the consoles and then began typing manically. The other two checked out of the windows and generally looked nervous. “What was that?” Freyr asked, pointing to a section of the screen covered by the big side windows. “Just wait.” Karos murmured. One of the guys standing guard seemed to notice it as well, as he stuck his face to the glass and peered in that direction. He turned around, shouted, and the other person rushed over as well. Freyr turned the sound on.

“I didn’t see what it was… i think it’s below us!”
“Ok. We need to wrap this up now!” How long until it's armed and the data is ours?”
“Two minutes.”
“I need five.”
“We don’t have five fucking minutes, we need to get out of here right now.”
“Wait...did you hear that?”
“Yeah - get the scrambler armed and then we’re leaving. I’m gonna check downst-”

A loud crash made Freyr jump in her seat. In the blink of an eye, the activist standing by the window had just disappeared out of it. The man who’d just turned away to go downstairs whirled around, as did the two others on the opposite side of the space. The leader raised his pistol, but clearly hesitated when he saw what came through the window. Freyr leaned in til her face was almost touching the glass, not quite able to grasp what she was seeing.

It had six insectoid legs, shiny black, and a compact, armoured carapace. But quite unlike anything Freyr had seen before, the carapace and abdomen behind that were punctured by at least a dozen violet tendrils. They worked as appendages to heave the creature through the gap and also held the immobile man it’d captured like a limp doll. The thing had a short neck and a face… Freyr’s breath caught the moment she saw it. It was a human male’s face, pale and contrasting with the sheer black of the body and legs. The eyes were bulging and completely black, but she recognised the face nonetheless. Her mouth dropped open and a silent scream shook her body as her eyes filled with tears.

The creature had David’s face.

The rest of the abduction was very brief. Screams rang out on the recording as the leader fired his handgun at the creature. But when another of the things crashed through a window behind him, they were quickly overrun. The creatures held all four of them aloft like broken playthings and scooped up the unarmed briefcase bomb before exiting via the same windows they entered.

But the only thing Freyr saw was her husband’s visage through streams of tears as she howled in anguish at the screen.

The Cradle

The rest of the journey to the compound was uneventful. Freyr could feel palpable tension in the soldiers; several times it appeared Lieutenant Rowe spotted something, as he quickly looked into the sight of his assault weapon. Each time, after a few moments he slowly lowered it and exchanged looks with the driver. Within ten minutes of driving at very fast speeds, they approached the compound gates. Two more CraSec soldiers there motioned for them to stop, scanned the vehicle and then waved them through.

This new corporate development was a grid of ugly, cavernous testing sheds at one end, and a small assortment of basic office buildings at the other. Freyr had seen various corporate enclaves like this appearing since the rules on private sector Cradle investment were relaxed a decade ago. It had made their work at the government R&D department more difficult, as these places were often situated where the Cradle’s energy was most accessible. A phenomena that her team were trying to recreate, which often meant negotiating access to restricted areas.

They drove to the front of the most aesthetically pleasing of the office buildings and parked. An assortment of CraSec and civilian buildings were already there, as well as a full squadron of security personnel. They stood at attention while being debriefed by a senior officer Freyr didn’t recognise. She had never seen so many soldiers in one place during her time in the Cradle. Before she’d been put on leave, it was rare to see more than two of them at once outside of a barracks.

As they got out of their buggy, the squadron saluted and began dispersing towards the warehouse grid. The senior officer looked their way. “Let me do the talking.” Karos whispered urgently to Freyr as the woman walked over. “Welcome back, Doctor. Who is this?” she asked. “Good morning, Major! This is Dr Lang, my second. I’m hoping her unique perspective will help with the investigation.” Karos replied cheerfully. “Freyr, this is Major Osman, she’s overseeing this operation.” Freyr shook Major Osman’s hand. “I’m glad to hear it. At this point we need all the help we can get.” Osman smiled grimly. “It happened on the top floor of this building - follow me.”

Osman took them briskly into the lobby of the building and up in the lift to the fifth floor. When the lift doors opened, a hive of activity greeted them. The atrium had been repurposed as a command centre, with civilian investigators hunched consoles and other equipment arrayed on trestle tables. Through a large arch in front of them, was a large open space full of office equipment. Near the middle, Freyr could see some of the tables had been overturned and a large portion of the window had been smashed in clear signs of a struggle.

“Would you get Dr Lang set up with the video footage please?” Osman tapped one of the operators on the shoulder. He quickly punched up the start of a recording and vacated his chair for Freyr to sit down. Osman and Karos crowded round her to see the screen as well. Taking a deep breath, Freyr hit ‘Play’.

uh hi

Mmmmm, ramen

Welcome to the guild! If you have any questions or need help please don't hesitate to ask. :)

The Cradle

They both got comfortable in their respective seats. Freyr laid her head back against the top of the sofa and stared at the ceiling. Closing her eyes, she activated her quick access module. "Taking us in." She heard Karos calling in the distance. Pins and needles spread through her arms and legs. Freyr involuntarily arched her back and gasped out loud, unused to the procedure after so long away. After a few moments, all physical signals faded away. When she finally opened her eyes she was inside the Cradle.

They stood in a transit station Freyr didn’t recognise - it must have been built recently for this new development. It appeared as a spacious, square, high ceilinged lobby with a large metal receptionist’s desk and some comfy seats for furniture. Two walls featured works of art, the other two sides were composed entirely of windows and doors to the outside. She heard the doors behind her swoosh open and sharp footsteps approaching. She turned to find a young CraSec officer in full battle dress, save the helmet, striding toward them. He cradled an assault rifle in his arms.

“Doctors Childermass and Lang? I’m Lieutenant Rowe. Come with me please.” They followed him out of the see-through sliding doors he’d just emerged from, out into the open.

As was always the case with the Cradle, it was dark outside. The only natural light came from the faintly glowing network of purple arteries embedded in the sky above and the Border off to their right, which Freyr noted was worryingly close by. She’d spent many hours staring at those arteries, looking for clues as to their purpose.

The land (as far as it could be called that) immediately surrounding the transit station was so far untouched, leaving an ocean of blackness between them and a glittering oasis of light some way off in the distance. That, Freyr assumed, was the new corporate development Karos had been talking about.

Just outside the exit, three more CraSec soldiers waited by an enclosed buggy. They snapped smartly to attention as they approached. “Four guards? Is this strictly necessary?” Freyr asked. “It’s for own your protection, Doctor.” Rowe replied, motioning for her and Karos to get into the backseats before he and his second hopped in the front. The two other grunts hitched onto the outside of the buggy on either side of Freyr and Karos using the running boards.

As soon as the buggy purred into life, bright floodlights blinked on all around the transit station. Rows of similar buggies sat together nearby, along with numerous crates and terraforming equipment. The whole place seemed deserted apart from them. Freyr could see the station was in fact situated on a roundabout, with one wide metal road stretching out directly in front of them. It wound through the undulating landscape, all the way to the corporate development a few miles away. They set off down that road at high speed, before they’d even had a chance to fasten their seatbelts.

“As I mentioned, Freyr, conditions have changed substantially inside the Cradle since you’ve been gone.” Karos began once they were strapped in. “Our department’s budget has been expanded, as has that of our friends at CraSec here.”

“Our ranks have doubled in the last three months.” Rowe offered helpfully, his head constantly swiveling to watch the darkness either side of the road. Karos nodded. “So have our objectives. The emphasis has changed from reverse engineering Cradle tech to strengthening our terraforming infrastructure and developing systems to combat any further...threat...from beyond the Border. A lot of the team are finding it a tough transition, which is why I desperately need your experienced hand on this.” Freyr stared at him. “It sounds like we’re preparing for war Karos. A war we can’t possibly win.” Karos looked grave. “Perhaps you’re right.” He looked away, across the darkness toward the Border. “I’m hoping it’ll make sense once you see the video.”

The Cradle

Freyr spent the next ten minutes clearing up mess strewn around her apartment. Demeter silently opened the rest of the blinds, letting in views of Boycott Park and rain pattering against the window. Freyr could also smell perfumed air being pumped in to replace the stale odor of her living area. Once the debris was stuffed out of sight, Freyr quickly changed into warm, casual trousers and a jumper before sitting nervously on the sofa.

Either she had been permanently let go from the department, or they had an update on her family. Those were only two reasons Freyr could think of for Karos to personally visit. The horrific events of that day threatened to consume her every time she closed her eyes. She could see it even now; her husband and child being carried away by those…things. Freyr forced back the tears as Demeter announced. “Excuse me, Dr Lang. Dr Childermass is in the lobby. Shall i send him up?” Freyr sniffled loudly and nodded.

A minute later, there was a knock at the door. Demeter opened it and Freyr’s boss walked in; she stood up to greet him. Karos was exactly as she remembered. The stocky frame, the longish grey hair and stubble, even the same old fashioned clothes. He smiled broadly when he saw Freyr, and they hugged for a long moment.

“I’m sorry i never stopped by in person, Freyr, work has been nonstop and I-”
“It’s ok, i understand. You’re here now. What’s happened?” Karos hesitated, smiling awkwardly. “How about we sit down first, hmm?” Freyr nodded, quickly sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed. Karos perched on the edge of a small armchair which sat at a right angle to the sofa. He took a few agonising moments to collect his thoughts before speaking, as was usual for him.

“I’m sorry Freyr, but i don’t have a direct update on David and Amy’s whereabouts.” Freyr exhaled deeply, blinking a few times to compose herself. Karos went on “What i’m here to tell you is that there’s been a disturbing incident in the Cradle. About forty hours ago, four suspected members of the Skinners Guild.” “Wait…” Freyr blurted out “You mean those anti-Cradle terrorists? How did they get in?” Karos spread his hands. “We don’t know yet. Somehow, they got access codes that allowed them to enter one of the new corporate developments near the Border.”

This was not the direction Freyr thought they’d be taking with this conversation. “Sorry Karos, i’m confused now. What does this have to do with me?” Her boss took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. “They were all taken by those creatures from beyond the Border, just like your family. It was caught on camera this time. Just before, the Skinners looked to be interfacing with the Border, just like you were when...” He tailed off, running his hands through his hair. “I really didn’t want to involve you like this, but things are bad in the Cradle Frey. I need your help. If we don’t get this under control...we could lose the whole thing. Will you come back to the Cradle with me, check the tapes, and tell me if anything sticks out?” It was now that Karos’ facade slipped. Freyr noticed the huge black bags under his eyes, and the yellowy skin tone of someone relying on advanced stimulants.

Freyr didn’t hesitate. She knew that any chance of finding her family was worth it, even if she risked opening old wounds before they’d healed. If this new abduction held any clues to their whereabouts, she had to know.

“Let's do it. Right now, let's enter from my apartment.” Freyr pleaded. Karos pursed his lips, nodded slowly. “Okay. Are you sure?” Freyr nodded strenuously. Karos pulled a secure datapad from his pocket and flicked a line of data through the air towards her. It hovered in front of her eyes; a long string of numbers, letters and symbols. The periphery of Freyr’s vision flashed as her Cradle quick access module absorbed the new code. “That’s it. Your access is renewed. Let’s do this.”