Maggie’s skull snapped back as if they’d slapped her. “What the hell?”

Why are you here? the voice asked again.

She clamped her hands over her ears and started shaking her head. “Get out, damn you!” she snarled, as all thoughts of their mission disappeared. A quick glance at the others told a frightening tale; they’d also heard the voice and were just as helpless against it.

TELL ME, the voice insisted, hammering away at her psyche.

“NO!” Maggie shouted.

A telepathic fist of raw energy smashed into her, driving her to the floor. TELL ME, the voice demanded, or I will rip it from your mind and leave you a hollow shell.

“...fuck…you,” she gasped, as she struggled to push herself up, the sweat beading on her brow.

So be it, the voice replied.

Maggie screamed as they shredded her brain into a thousand pieces, before blessed unconsciousness took her at last.

“...this has been a most productive meeting,” the head Chell informed her. “We look forward to our next encounter.”

Maggie blinked before nodding in return. “Yes, very...informative,” she struggled to get out. Damn, why was she so foggy today? Get it together, girl!

Their hosts rose to their feet...four of them, this time. “We will escort you to the airlock,” the leader said. “Please, be certain to contact us again soon...when your mission is complete.”

Glancing back to her companions, she gave them both a nod. “We look forward to it,” she smiled, as the group began making its way back down the corridor. The Chell had been gracious hosts, an actual change of pace from the way most species treated humans. Hard to believe they’d earned such a fearsome rep now that she’d met them.

Exchanging bows one last time, the trio departed, returning to Gyrfalcon via the same walkway they’d arrived from. When the hatch was sealed behind them, Maggie let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God things went smooth for once,” she told the others.

“Other species aren’t automatically our enemy,” Genvass reminded her, “though I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised.”

The Tinker glanced over at Samara. “What about you? What’s your take on the Chell?”

The Protean took a moment to consider her answer. “Not what I was expecting either,” she said at last.

“Captain Hadad will want a full debrief when we get back, I reckon,” she shrugged. “Nothin’ for it.”

“I hope we can make it short,” the Dharmist replied. “That little jaunt has left me exhausted.”

“I still ain’t caught up from my EVA,” she reminded them both. “I can hear my bunk callin’ to me.”

“I’m certain the captain will make it as painless as possible,” Samara assured them, as they arrived at the outer airlock. Maggie pressed the cycle button, stepping inside as the hatch slid open.

In less than a minute the airlock completed its sequence, opening the interior door. Remi Hadad, Blye, and Sergeant Kai were waiting for them as they set foot on Gyrfalcon. “Well?” the captain asked.

“Went better than I thought,” Maggie told him.

“So they bought it then?” he pressed her.

“Seem to have,” she agreed. “Really didn’t need to say much.”

The Corsair glanced at the others. “And you? What was your impression?”

“The Chell were most gracious hosts,” Genvass smiled.

Remi raised an eyebrow before turning to Samara. “I’m curious to hear what you think.”

“I’d like to take some time to go over my impressions first,” she told him. “There may be a detail or two my mind glossed over on the first pass.”

“Very well,” he said after a moment. “Once that ship retracts the walkway and departs, we’ll adjust course. I’m thinking a less direct route to Earth might be the smart way to go.”

“Whatever,” Maggie replied, waving her hand. “I need some rest. Gonna go hit my bunk.”

“I as well,” Genvass agreed, as they both headed back to their respective cabins.

She was looking forward to her mattress as she made her way through the ship, when their return was brought to an abrupt halt as Rúna stepped into the corridor and blocked their path. “Hold up for a second,” she told them, her palm held out.

“Look, I’m beat,” Maggie groaned. “Whatever it is, it can wait till later.”

“It can’t, I’m afraid,” the Valkyrie said by way of an apology. “I just need you both to stand by for a second.”

“Why?” Genvass asked.

“I...can’t say,” the redhead fidgeted. “Just trust me, okay?”

“I don’t have time for this,” the Tinker growled, shouldering her way past...only to be brought to a halt as Rúna whipped out her sidearm and trained it on her.

“Don’t move, Maggie. I’m warning you,” she told her.

Her jaw dropped. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she shouted. “Put that away before you hurt somebody!”

The young corporal was about to respond when the hatch slid open, and Diggs entered the corridor. His eyes went wide at the drawn weapon, his head whipping back and forth between the two women as he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. It took him several heartbeats to decide, but then he began moving towards Maggie almost by instinct...only to have Rúna reach out with her free hand and pull him away, both of them taking a couple steps back. “Stay clear, Diggs. She’s not herself.” The boy could only stare in shock as she spoke into her wrist com. “I’ve got them. Passenger Corridor.”

“We’re on our way,” Sergeant Kai’s voice responded.

Genvass looked like a fish pulled from the water, sputtering and unable to speak, but Maggie had no such qualms. “Damn it woman, have you lost your fucking mind?”

“No Maggie,” Rúna said gently, keeping a firm grip on both Diggs and her sidearm, “but I’m afraid you just might have.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she snapped, when the sound of running feet behind preempted the corporal’s response. Maggie spun around on her heel to see Blye, Remi, Samara, Kai, and most of Gyrfalcon’s crew rushing to join them. They came to a halt a few paces away, as the Chevalier stepped forward.

“Maggie, Genvass, I need you both to come with me,” she told them. “It’s important.”

“Go to hell!” she shouted. “I ain’t goin’ anywhere with anybody till someone starts talkin’!”

The shapeshifter appeared beside her. “What can you recall about our time on the Tu’udh’hizh’ak ship?” she asked.

The query threw her. “...what? What the hell does that gotta do with anythin’?”

“Just answer the question,” Samara insisted. “What do you remember?”

Maggie stared at her like she was a lunatic. “You were there,” she snorted. “It was pretty dull, truth be told. Just some talkin’, then we came back.”

The Protean turned to Genvass. “Does that sound correct to you as well?”

“It does,” he nodded. “What’s the meaning of all this?”

Remi and Samara shared a look. “Do you remember the water?” she asked.

“Water? What water?” she fired back. “You’re talkin’ crazy...” She froze, as she recalled an odd smell...like rotting vegetation. Maggie shook her head, trying to find clarity.

“What about the voice?” Samara pressed her. “Do you remember that?”

…tell me…

Her fists went to her temples as a spike of pain stabbed her. “Stop it!” she screamed, falling to her knees as Genvass collapsed on the deck beside her, flecks of foam appearing on his lips.

“Holy Mother Terra,” Blye whispered, rushing to her side. Maggie reeled, the sudden agony driving her mad as the young Knight pressed a hypo against her neck….and then she felt nothing at all.

Ghostly images haunted vision, as Maggie wandered through the empty ship. It felt strange, unreal, all the shapes and proportions out of kilter. There was no sound coming from Engineering, and that wasn’t right, for if there was no power how could she see and breathe? Nothing made sense, fore was aft and down was up. She staggered through the corridor, her fingertips brushing across a plate of raised metal. Maggie paused, turning towards the bulkhead, her eyes widening as she read the words inscribed on the tarnished brass plaque...

...CCS Katabasis.

“NO!” she shrieked, backing away in horror.

“Welcome aboard, Maggie,” Captain Ngô chuckled as he appeared from the mist behind her. “We’ve been expecting you.”

She shook her head, whipping it back and forth. “You’re not real!” she shouted. “You’re dead!”

“Yes...I am,” he laughed, his skull showing through the rotting flesh, as other figures emerged. He spread his arms wide, claiming them all. “We all are.”

“We’ve been waiting for you, Maggie,” another voice spoke. She spun around to spot Master Schnoebelen, his skeletal hand reaching out for her. “We’ve been waiting so very, very long…”

“NO!” she screamed again as she fell to her knees, her hands covering her ears. “Leave me alone!”

“It’s all your fault, Maggie,” as yet another ghost...Chikere, the Protean...took up the thread. “You killed us. You murdered us.”

“...and she’s about to do it again,” a new spirit laughed...Sergeant Wong, her flesh discolored and bloated. The Valkyrie’s shade faced the others. “New crew, for the Ship of the Damned!”

“New Crew! New Crew! New Crew!” they chanted, as her old Master stepped forward...only this time he wasn’t alone. A small figure stood beside him, his eyes gone white in death.

“He’ll make a fine addition,” Master Schnoebelen chortled, as Diggs stared up at her. He raised a finger, pointing at her, blaming her, a low moan escaping his lips, as his flesh fell away from his bones.

“NOOOOOO!”

“...No!” Maggie shouted, thrashing about on the narrow cot...only to discover her wrists and ankles were restrained. “Let me go!”

“...she’s awake,” Prash told the others, rising to his feet and stepping back. Moments later Blye appeared, with a hypo in her hand, as Remi and Samara stood on either side.

“Maggie, do you know who I am?” she asked the Tinker.

Her eyes narrowed. “Fuck you, Blye!” she snarled. “Untie me!”

The Chevalier sighed in relief. “...that’s an excellent sign,” she told the others, before turning her attention back to her patient. “Maggie, I need you to listen to me. I can’t release you just yet, not until we’re sure it’s safe.”

“How can we be sure?” the Corsair asked.

“See how much she remembers and gauge her reaction,” the young Knight explained, “but if you’re looking for a guarantee...I can’t give you one.”

“Hey! I’m right here!” she shouted, “and I want some damn answers right fucking now!”

“...allow me,” Samara told the others, stepping forward and pulling out a chair next to her cot. “Maggie, I know this all seems strange to you, but we’re trying to help. You have my word.”

“Your word? Ha!” The Tinker scoffed at her. “Your word ain’t worth spit. You’re a liar and a killer and God knows what else.”

“Perhaps, but today I’m on your side.” If she was offended by her outburst, she gave no sign of it. “What do you remember about our mission to the Tu’udh’hizh’ak ship?”

Maggie let her head slump back onto the pillow, rolling her eyes. “This again? I already told you.”

“Tell me once more,” she prompted her.

She glared at the Protean. “We crossed over on the walkway. The Chell met us at the airlock. We made small talk.”

Samara nodded. “Go on. What happened next?”

“Nothing! They took us to meet their Masters and…” The words died in her throat. “...what the hell?” she whispered.

Blye stepped forward, kneeling beside the cot. “Maggie, what can you tell us?”

The older woman’s face went pale. “There was a lake...inside the ship. There were these things...black, with triangle-shaped heads. And a voice...a voice in my brain.” She winced as the memory came flooding back, but the pain soon passed. “Blye...what the hell is wrong with me? Why am I just rememberin’ this now?”

“It turns out that the Tu’udh’hizh’ak are telepaths,” Remi informed her, nodding his head at the Protean. “Seems they tried to make you into a Sleeper agent. When the three of you got back, Samara here told us what happened.”

Maggie was struggling to keep up. “Wait just a second...if they were messin’ with our heads, how come you remembered?”

“One of my gifts,” the shapeshifter chuckled. “It leaves me resistant to most forms of compulsion...though I admit even I was struggling with what they threw at us.”

“...Genvass,” she said with a start. “What about him?”

“Still under sedation,” Blye said. “We wanted to see if the treatment worked with you first.”

The Tinker gave her an incredulous look. “How the hell do you treat someone who’s been mind-scrambled?”

“As it turns out? Ketamine. A rather high dose, I’m afraid. From the way you were thrashing about, I suspect the hallucinations were intense.”

“...you could say that,” Maggie whispered, repressing a shudder. “How did you know it would work?”

“We didn’t,” Blye admitted. “There’s no standard of treatment for Telepathic Coercion, but Ketamine works by blocking certain neurotransmitters. I hoped that if I hit you with enough of it, it might reverse whatever it was they did to you.”

Maggie went to rub her temple, only to be brought up short by the restraint. “What if it hadn’t?”

“There were other options...but if the Ketamine had no effect, the odds drop off sharply after that.”

She glanced over to the Corsair. “Somethin’ tells me if it hadn’t worked...we wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation.”

“But it did work,” Remi replied. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Fine by me.” Truth be told, thinking about “What If’s” sent her mind to places she’d rather not go. “So what happens now?”

“We keep you under observation, run more tests...and I’m afraid the restraints stay on for now,” Blye informed her. “We still aren’t sure what orders they programmed you to follow. For all we know they planned on making you into a Saboteur.”

Maggie grimaced at being kept tied up, but given the circumstances she couldn’t fault their caution. “When will you know?”

“If we don’t see any changes in the next twenty-four hours, I’ll be willing to consider releasing you,” she answered. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we need to check on our other patient.” The two Knights exited the compartment, leaving her alone with Remi and Samara.

“We gotta assume the Tu’udh’hizh’ak know everythin’ we do,” Maggie frowned. “Where is their ship now?”

“Took off right after you returned,” Remi said. “Why not? As far as they’re concerned, they just planted three spies on us. We have to assume they’ve got plans to scoop you back up after the mission and suck you dry.”

She had a sudden mental image of the amphibians carving open her skull and removing bloody chunks of brain, shuddering once more. “Explains why the Chell are so loyal...they’re programmed to be,” Maggie sneered. “Only now, we got ourselves an edge. We’re onto their game, and they don’t know that.”

“Not much of an advantage,” Samara shrugged. “What’s stopping them from going to Earth and retrieving the data themselves?”

“Nothin’,” the older woman conceded, “except they don’t strike me as the type to get their own hands dirty.”

“You think they’ll be content to let us conduct the mission as planned, and intercept us after,” Remi drawled.

“I do,” she agreed. “Samara, now that you know how they operate, think you could bluff ‘em?”

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “I won’t know unless I try.”

“Still one hell of a longshot,” the Corsair replied, shaking his head.

“So what else is new?” Maggie snorted. “Do me a favor...one of you go get Blye?”

“Are you all right?” he asked. “You feeling fuzzy?”

“...I gotta pee,” she sighed. “So unless you wanna…”

“I’m on my way,” Remi said in a rush, scurrying out after the Knights.