Hanssen, Ric and Sacha were making their way to the basement. Fletch came running up behind them.

"Where's Jac? She won't answer her pager."

"She's with Gaskell." Sacha looked grim.

"Why? What's going on?"

Hanssen explained as they took the lift down to the basement. The door opened but no one was in sight.

Then they heard it.

"What was fuck was that?" From Fletch.

A roar reverberated down the corridor. They ran towards the door to Gaskell's lab, shouting Jac's name.

Sacha tried the door. "It's locked."

"Not for long." Ric charged at the door with a fire extinguisher. As it burst open, a streak of red charged through it with another deafening roar.

"Woah!' They scattered, sprawling on the floor. As they came to their senses, Hanssen heard a low growl. He turned slowly.

The sight before him almost made him lose control of his bladder. The creature was huge, the size of a fully-grown human, stalking towards him, ears flattened, lips pulled back. The wolf thing backed him up against the wall, teeth bared.

"Stay still, Henrik," Ric said.

Hanssen froze as the wolf sniffed at him. It seemed to stare right into his very soul. The long muzzle pushed into his crotch and gave him another good sniff. Finally the wolf huffed and turned towards the others. It appraised Sacha, then Ric and finally Fletch. When he had been given the intimate sniff treatment, the wolf sat on its haunches and whined.

Fletch smiled nervously at the others. "Good doggy," he said. He reached out to pat the wolf's head and it snarled loudly, snapping its teeth at him. As he jumped back, the wolf loped up the corridor and into the lift.

"Patting a dog's head is a sign of dominance. That's why it snapped," Ric said.

"And you're the Wolf Whisperer now, are you?" Fletch shot back at him.

Hanssen was on his phone. "Lock down," he ordered. "Yes, I'm sure. No one leaves the building and absolutely no one comes in."

Ric looked at Fletch. "Good doggy? Really?"

"What else was I supposed to say? I don't know, that thing looked familiar. It looked like ..." He shook his head. "It can't be, but it looked like Jac. Not that I'm saying she's a dog but ..." They were all staring at him. "I'll go upstairs and warn the others."

Hanssen went into the lab and looked around. The place looked as if a tornado had been through it. Papers on the floor, broken glass, and a faint sour smell.

"Don't go in," Sacha warned. "Come out and shut the door."

"There's no one here." Hanssen looked around at the damage, the faint smears of blood on the floor. "What the hell has been going on down here?"

"You tell us," Ric said.

"I was under the impression John was working on his wretched neo-conduit."

As he stepped forward, he slipped, falling against the work surface. When he put his hand down to steady himself, it came back wet. The liquid was slightly yellow and smelled sour. He grimaced, wiping his hand.

"What is that?" Sacha asked from the door. He was reluctant to enter.

"I don't know. I don't know anything any ..." Hanssen faltered. He felt strange, and knew instinctively it was because of the substance on his hand. What if Jac had been exposed to the same liquid? His internal organs felt as if they were moving around inside his body. He stared at Sacha in horror.

"Close the door!"

"Henrik, what's happening?"

"Don't come near me!" He fell to his knees. A spike of pain shot through his body, curling him up in agony. As he writhed and groaned, his glasses were knocked off, skittering across the floor.

Ric and Sacha rushed forward.

"Don't touch me!" His voice was a low growl, unlike anything that had passed his lips before.

"Back away," Ric said softly. "Look at his eyes."

"They're orange." Sacha looked at Ric in horror. "He's..."

Hanssen stared at his hands, the fingers spasmed into claws. He lashed out, ripping the suit from his body, crouching down as his spine lengthened and the muscles on his legs began to expand.

"Henrik, your face..." Sacha looked horrified.

"This can't be happening." Ric stared in morbid fascination as Hanssen's body was replaced by that of a large feline. It was facing away from them, looking up at the ceiling. Its nose lifted as it scented the air. Shaking its head, a magnificent rufus mane fluffed out around its noble head.

Ric and Sacha were both in shock.

"It's a lion," Sacha said, although that was perfectly obvious. The sound of his voice made the beast turn slowly to face them. The feline nose wrinkled as the big cat growled and began to advance.

"Nice kitty," Ric murmured, taking Sacha's arm and backing them slowly away. "Keep eye contact with it. Don't show fear." He reached the door and pulled the handle, slamming the door just as the Hanssen-lion sprang forward.

The loud thud against the door made them wince. Inside the door, the lion was going wild, hissing, spitting and lashing out. The sound of breaking glass, thuds and growls as the big cat caromed around the lab was deafening. Another thud against the door made them run for the lift.

Hanssen had to get out of the lab, but being a lion, he had lost the use of opposable thumbs. Once the rage and frustration had morphed into dispair, he pawed at the door, swiped it and lunged at it. In the small part of his brain that was still human, he considered the problem, finally using his teeth to carefully turn the handle. The door opened just enough for him to get one paw round it, and after that it was easy.

The humans weren't around, but he could smell fear and blood. He was shocked at how much that excited him. Sharper, less pleasant smells assaulted his senses. Perfume, cleaning products, sterilising fluid. He padded through the corridor, unsure where he was going at first. The sense of loss and loneliness pulled him forward. He needed to be somewhere. It was important.

Roxanna.

When he shoved through the door into the unit, the nurses there screamed and cowered. He didn't think he was that terrifying. But then he remembered. He was a lion. Luckily he had eaten lunch and the nurses held no appeal to him. He was only interested in one person.

He padded over to Roxanna's bedside and sniffed at her. Her aroma was familiar, but masked with synthetic smells that weren't so pleasant. He licked her dainty hand, so vulnerable with the line going into it. His mate was injured and hurting, and there was nothing he could do. He put his head on the bed next to her and growled softly, hoping she would sense the vibration and wake up. But she breathed rhythmically, and did not stir.