DATE: 24TH JUNE, 2179 TIME- 00:11

In the small examination room where she usually had her annual physical, Anne sat on the floor with her children huddled on either side of her. They burrowed against her and she held them tightly, whispering to them that it would be all right now, though even six-year-old Newt had to know that was a lie. Their father was dead, cold and bloody and already turning blue in the lab only twenty feet down the hall, where Dr Reese had evicted Theodora Komiskey from her own med lab.

'Hey,' a gentle voice said.

Anne looked up to see Dr Komiskey standing in the open doorway. She'd been talking to several people, and arguing with Dr Mori, but this was the first time the doctor had come in to speak with her.

'Theodora,' she managed to say, and then her tears came.

She forced herself to cry quietly, and not to tremble too much, hoping to hide her tears from her children. Newt had fallen asleep against her, exhausted by grief, but Tim looked up at her face, his eyes red but his expression hard and grim. She hated seeing that look on his face—that look that said his world had broken in half, but he expected things to get even worse.

'Can I do anything for you?' the doctor asked.

'Have they found…it?'

'Not yet,' Dr Komiskey said. 'But they will. You know what, never mind,' she said. 'You shouldn't be hearing this. You should take the kids and go back to your place. I'll update you myself if we learn anything.'

She stopped and glanced at Tim, saw the way his mouth had tightened into a white line as he forced himself not to cry.

'I'm on my own,' whispered Anne 'and I'm going to keep these kids safe. That means I want to be where the investigation is taking place. I want to know what you know, when you know it.'

Anne hugged her children close, and looked up at Theodora, her eyes brokering no argument.

'What are they, Theodora?' she asked, not really expecting an answer. 'What the hell have we stumbled upon here? I mean, the company sent us out there, gave us specific coordinates and everything. Did they know what we would find?'

From the haunted look in the doctor's eyes, Anne knew she had been wondering the same thing.

'I wish I knew,' Dr Komiskey said. 'But even if we did—'

'What, it wouldn't help?' Anne snapped, disturbing Newt. 'If they know anything that we don't, I think it's time they clued us in. Don't you?'

The doctor exhaled.

'Whatever I learn, I'll share.'

The door to the clinic opened and Simpson, Lydecker and Brackett were all just about to squeeze in. Simpson cast a quick look at the other two men before speaking.

'We feel that, for the moment at least, it would be in the interest of the colony if the tragic events of the last 24 hours were kept as quiet as possible' Simpson held up a hand to cut off Anne's objection and carried on. 'We will continue to look for the creature but as quietly as possible to stop the spread of any panic which would cause far more damage. We feel that due to its small size it shouldn't present any real danger to anyone and that its first reaction will be flight not fight.'

Anne stood up, incredulous. 'You mean to cover this up'

'That is simply not true Anne' said Lydecker, 'its hard enough living here in the first place, without having to look twice into every dark corner just to be sure. This place would turn into a madhouse within hours.'

'One more thing.' Simpson said watching them closely. 'I take comfort in the daily routine here. So do you. There's a great deal of reassurance to be found in codified monotony. I'm not going to let it be broken. Systematic repetition of familiar tasks is the best and safest narcotic. I'm not going to allow the colonists to become agitated. Not by a creature, not by rumours. Not by any of you. Are we all clear on this?'

'Fine' Anne replied frostily, 'but you'd better find this damned thing and find it fast'.

Simpson nodded turned and left, the others filing out after him leaving Anne alone with what was left of her entire family.