Nothing could have prepared Amber for what they would find in the aft section. When Darien had summoned them he'd given no information, not wanting to be on their unsecured radio channel for longer than he had to.

They moved as fast as possible, Blinking back to their point of entry using the partial floor plan they'd pieced together from the mappers. Once there the trio moved at a rapid scuttle through the bowels of the enemy ship, spurred on by the residual urgency in Darien's message. Not since their encounter with the Leviathan of Marianas had she heard the same chill in his voice. And there were unlikely to be any undersea behemoths hidden on this ship.

Following the conduits they soon reached the rear section of the vessel, and it wasn't long before they found the trail of their comrades. Amber swallowed hard when they stumbled across two dead guards, their bodies tucked away in a shadowed alcove, chests caved in by the unmistakable armour-piercing force of Compac fire. Not long after that they reached the airlock itself, and the site of a much more destructive battle.

Red smears and the scorch marks of weapon impacts pockmarked the walls around the airlock, and a few feet from the door lay the body of Tannis Brock. He was harmless now, dead and still seeping blood onto the decking from the horrific wound in his back. The acrid smell of gun-smoke mingled with the tang of death.

She exchanged a worried look with Hekket. The medic took a moment to examine the corpse then looked to the open airlock, clutching his Compac tightly.

"C'mon," Uther said quietly, leading them through the passage with his cannon raised. They slipped through the short, squat corridor and through the next aperture where the walls opened out into a cavernous space.

Amber scanned the room and instantly noticed the massive dynamos the power conduits fed into, their barrel-like structures filling the chamber with a low, resonating hum. Then she saw the three armoured forms of Darien, Idas and Niamh gathered at the far end of the room around...

She rubbed her eyes with one hand, making sure she wasn't imagining it. Beside her she heard Hekket curse under his breath. Then the three of them were pelting across the open space to join the others around the plinth. Amber had hoped that what she saw at a distance had been a distortion – an unfortunate trick of the light.

No such luck.

Her heart thudded sickeningly against her chest as she looked at Indigo Farrier's body, floating there in the embrace of dozens of metal plugs and wires. For a moment all she could do was stare, unable to fully analyse what she was seeing. Then her mind clicked into gear. She'd been right about the purpose of the ship's antennae. Someway, somehow, the builders of this hellish vessel had managed to invade and amplify the innate ability to Blink present in this girl. The experiments they'd stumbled across earlier now made chilling sense.

"Space..." Hekket breathed. "So this is how they did it."

"We can talk about how wrong this is later," Darien said, though she could hear him fighting to keep his voice level. "But right now all I want you to do is get her out of there. Can you do it?"

"I'm sure as hell going to try," Hekket replied, stepping over to the tank's control panel without hesitation.

With a conscious effort Amber dragged her eyes from the sight and tried to examine the layout of the room, to understand what was happening. The power conduits fed out from the tank into the dynamos, from there amplifying the signal of Farrier's Blink capacity, but that was far from the only thing going on. Tapping into the gift was one thing, but the ship builders had also managed to direct it, able to make their ship appear and disappear at will.

Other lines snaked away to disappear inside the plating above the tank; others vanished into the deck plating, down to link with the ship's main engines, she guessed. The upper wires...there had to be a control point, perhaps linked to the bridge that allowed the operators to direct her impulses, to somehow manipulate her brain to transport the ship instead of just herself. Amber shuddered to think at the invasive procedures that would have been necessary to gain that level of control.

"I guess this explains that lab," Uther said, staring grimly at the tank.

"Lab?" Darien rounded on them.

"We found a lab on one of the starboard decks," Amber explained. "We found logs, notes on experiments. We think they were testing the kids they took."

"For what?"

She glanced up at the tank. "To see if their bodies could withstand the strain of...this." Darien's whole body seemed to tense at that and she almost took a step away from him, half-expecting him to lash out at anyone or anything nearby.

"Did you find anything else?" he asked after a long, uncomfortable moment.

"Bodies," Uther interjected to her immense relief. "A dozen kids; test subjects. All dead."

"Murdering freaks," Niamh spat.

"They were testing them for neural load capacity, pushing their nervous system to breaking point. I guess they were trying to figure out how to safely pull this off without killing the subject."

"And they failed."

All eyes turned to Hekket who had kept silently working away at the tank's console. He looked up at them, gnawing on his lower lip in worry.

"What is it?"

"This machine, it's killing her," he told them simply. "They've wired into every piece of her anatomy, every nerve cluster, and linked it to the ship through these conduits. It's like they've made her a part of the ship and it's burning her out, piece by piece."

Idas frowned. "But why?"

"Because that's how Blink works!" Hekket exclaimed, slamming a clenched fist against the side of the console in frustration. "You have to know your mass, know your dimensions, know where you are trying to go and the space you are transporting into. You have to feel it. A machine can't do that. Only a human can."

Amber felt her jaw tighten as the implications sunk in. While she didn't have real medical training, she knew enough. If what he was saying was true, then the bindings that held Indigo Farrier in place would be immensely complex. There would be no easy way to get her loose.

"How long does she have?" Darien asked.

"At this level of strain, a few days – maybe a week. But if they make the ship Blink again the neural load will spike. A handful of those and..." his voice trailed off and he turned back to the display, an expression of horror stamped on his features. "That's why they're still taking people! No human body can withstand this kind of load on the nervous system for long. The strongest could probably handle...six, seven Blinks, maximum." He placed is hands on the console to steady himself, lowering his head. "They're taking people because they need replacements. Whatever they're working toward they need a steady supply of Blink candidates to power this hulk."

"Space me." Uther shook his head angrily and a simmering silence fell over the operatives. Amber fought down the anger that was building inside her, forcing her mind to stay with the facts, on how they could get Indigo Farrier out of the tank. She moved up alongside Hekket and placed a gentle hand on his arm. She could feel him trembling.

"Hekket," she whispered. "Just clear your mind of it. Focus on the details, nothing less, nothing more. How do we get her out?"

"I'm not sure yet." He looked at her desperately. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Nor has anyone else."

She took her hand away and looked at the display searching for details, for any clue that might help extricate the girl. She could see the power load monitor with the spiking red bars lined up next two a glowing skeletal depiction of a human body. Narrowing her eyes, she looked for the highest loads, to see where it corresponded to readings on the body.

After a moment she reached out, pointing. "Start there; the base of the spine."

"Why?"

"It's bearing the heaviest power load."

Hekket cocked his head to one side, leaning closer. "They've dug right into that big nerve bundle."

"How?"

"It looks like there are strings of nanoscopic clamps up and down the conduits," he murmured as he fiddled with the console display. "They latch on, replacing what she would normally feel with the sensations; the mass of the ship. She will literally feel like she is the size and shape of this thing."

"Can we unlink them?" she asked.

Hekket's jaw tightened. "There must be a way but...I don't know the sequence. If we unhook her in the wrong order I don't know what will happen." He keyed in a command, scrolling through the consol's directory. "It's like if you turn off a computer in the middle of working on something, it can corrupt the data. If we just start pulling out plugs we could corrupt her nervous system. She won't be able to tell what's her and what's not. It'll cripple her. It could kill her."

"There must be something we can do," Amber replied, leaning in beside him.

"If I had the time I might be able to sit with this and eventually work it out." He gave her a fatalistic shake of the head. "But I doubt..." His voice trailed off for a moment and a strange, almost suspicious expression flashed across his face. Then suddenly his eyes lit up and he stood rigid as though he'd been electrocuted. "Wait, that lab! The scientist!"

She recoiled slightly, taken aback by the burst of energy. "What about it?"

"They were testing – experimenting – to do this! The information's all there. And even if it's not...well maybe we can convince that woman to tell us."

The coldness in his tone sent a shiver through her. Part of her agreed wholeheartedly, but another part blanched at the thought of what might happen if the scientist refused to help them. How far would Hekket go to get the information they needed. How far would she be willing to go? She took a deep breath.

"We've got the floor layout from the mappers now. We could Blink back to that lab."

"Tell me you've got a plan," Darien interrupted, striding over to them.

Amber nodded. "I think there's a way."

"When we broke into that lab we had to knock out one of the scientists on the way in," Hekket elaborated. "I shot her full of a sedative – she'll still be there. If anyone knows how we can get this girl free, it's her."

"There's no way you can do it yourself?"

"Not quickly, or safely. We need someone who knows how this thing works."

Darien nodded his understanding, his eyes wandering to the trapped teenager. "Then go. Do what you've got to do. We'll keep this room secure."

Amber hadn't expected him to agree quite so quickly. She glanced at Hekket. The medic caught her eye; nodded once. They didn't have a lot of options. She steeled herself, gripping the Compac tightly and visualising the corridors they'd passed through, running through the memorised read out from the mappers in her mind's eye. Without the utmost precision, intra-ship Blinking was risky business.

She met Hekket's gaze again. "You ready?"

"Five meter spread?"

"Let's do this."

*

Amber materialised back in the main room of the lab, her body folded into as small a shape as she could manage. She unfurled, scanning left and right with her cannon, but the chamber remained mercifully empty. A warm twinge in the base of her skull signalled Hekket's arrival. She glanced to her right to see him straighten up, Compac held across his chest. Then they both turned to look at the shadowed alcove where they had previously bundled the unconscious doctor's body.

To her immense relief the woman still lay where they'd left her, crumpled in a heap between two of the largest consoles.

"Cover the door," Hekket whispered. "I'm going to look through those experiment logs."

She nodded, rotating to keep her cannon trained on the entrance. Licking dry lips, she tucked herself into cover next to a smaller satellite console as her companion set to work. Resisting the urge to join him she listened as his fingers padded faintly against the controls.

Minutes ticked by. Twice she glanced over to see Hekket working furiously. Sweat beaded on his temple and she could see his movements growing faster and sharper. She could almost feel his frustration.

"It's no good," Hekket growled eventually, stepping back from the console in disgust. "I could spend a week trawling through this archive before I stumble across the procedure we need. If we had more time I might be able to piece the information together and make an educated guess, but..."

"But we don't have time," Amber finished for him. He nodded grimly. Their eyes shifted to the unconscious doctor.

"I guess it's time for plan B."

Hekket stepped forward, motioning her to follow. They approached slowly and Amber rotated to watch the door as they moved, half-expecting a platoon of guards to come crashing through the aperture at any moment.

Together they crouched down beside the scientist, though Amber kept her cannon pointed at the door. She shuffled back and glanced down at the woman's motionless, almost placid features. Up close she got a good look – the sharp hook of a nose, skin so smooth it looked like it had been sanded flat.

"You were right," she said quietly. "Out like a light."

Hekket reached into his medical kit, shooting her a mischievous look. "Not for long."

Reaching forward he injected another hypo into the side of the woman's neck. It hissed for a moment as it released its contents. Several seconds passed, then with a sudden, huge intake of breath the scientist's body arched and her eyes snapped open. Amber pivoted on the spot and pointed the barrel of her cannon straight at the woman's head.

For a moment their captive looked wildly around, opened her mouth, and then she noticed the gun and closed it again. Her eyes widened in fear. They widened more when Hekket also took aim.

"Make a move," Hekket whispered harshly. "And you're dead. Understand?"

She nodded.

"Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer, alright?""

Amber saw the woman's face contort with unease. She leaned closer until the muzzle of the Compac was just inches away. "Answer him."

Eventually the scientist gave another stiff nod.

"We know about your experiments. You've wired a girl into your damned engine room," Hekket hissed. "Now you're going to tell me how to get her out."

"I can't." The woman shook her head.

Hekket bared his gritted teeth. "Can't or won't?"

"How did you...you're Blink operatives aren't you?"

"We are asking the questions," Hekket snarled angrily. Although she managed to contain her surprise, Amber had never heard the viciousness in his voice that she did now. She felt herself tense as he continued. "Do you know how to free a person from that...chamber, or not?" He accented the question by letting the barrel of his Compac drop and leaning closer to her.

Indecision twisted the scientist's features until she forced out a reluctant, "Yes."

"Then you're going to tell us right now."

"Why would I do that?" she snapped. "I don't need to be a genius to know why you're here. You're going to destroy all this!"

"We are here for the kids you've been butchering."

"The steps we had to take have been...regrettable, but necessary."

Amber's eyes widened. "Regrettable? That's what you call this? There are bodies in that room!"

"And they helped us understand."

"That's plenty," Hekket spat. "I'm not here to debate your ethics. Tell us how to free the girl in that cage or I will kill you." He raised his Compac again and shoved the barrel forward right between her eyes.

She swallowed hard, but her eyes remained defiant. "If you kill me you'll never get the information you need."

Amber glanced at her companion. The scientist was right about that. Hekket cocked his head to one side as though weighing up his options, then he shifted his aim. He moved the cannon away from her face and jammed it against her shoulder joint.

"Well, you're right about that," he said, his voice surprisingly calm. "So how about I just start blowing your limbs off one by one until you tell us what we want to know?"

Amber looked at him sharply but he didn't even flinch, staring at their captive, his Compac locked in place. She had no idea if he really planned to follow through on the threat, but with the explosive force of the cannon he was certainly capable of it. The scientist seemed to be making the same calculation as she stared into the medic's hard, unyielding eyes.

And self-preservation finally overrode her desire to keep secrets.

"You can't do it from the Blink chamber," the woman blurted out, recoiling against the wall. "Most of the links are harmless and can be uncoupled safely but...the connection to the navigation matrix needs to be severed first."

"The what?"

"On the bridge, the console they use to direct the Blink characteristic! If you disconnect the subject from the cage without disengaging the matrix her brain will be destroyed by the neural feedback."

Amber's heart sank as the implications became clear. There would be no releasing Indigo Farrier while the ship remained in enemy hands. She couldn't contain a defeated sigh.

"So you're saying we have to take the bridge if we want to release her?"

"Yes."

Hekket closed his eyes for a moment, fighting down his anger. "There's no other way?"
"Any other course risks damaging the subject permanently." The scientist glared at them. "It doesn't matter. You'll never make it there."

"She's a human being, not a subject," Amber said shaking her head in disbelief. "What is wrong with you people?"

Fire flashed in the scientist's eyes and she straightened up. "Nothing is wrong with us, little girl. We are advancing the human race because others lack the courage to do so!"

"You call this courage?" Hekket laughed bitterly.

Amber couldn't even look at the woman anymore, her mind racing as she tried to think. They had never planned on taking the ship in a full frontal assault. There were too many unknowns – no way to gauge how many people remained on this ship to oppose them. But now it looked like the small team of young men and woman had been left with no choice.

Then her comm crackled with a loud, frantic burst.

"Amber, this is Darien – come in!" shouted the squad leader, and she could hear the crackle of gunfire behind his words.

"Amber here," she babbled. "What's going on?!"

"It's safe to say they know we're here," he replied. "You and Hekket need to get back here right now. All hands on deck!"

"Copy that, we're on our way." She turned to Hekket. "We gotta go."

His whole body tensed as he hauled in a long breath. Then, before she could react he lashed out wildly, cracking the butt of the Compac hard against the scientist's head. The woman yelped once then slumped motionless against the ground, a bloodied bruise of impact on her temple.

"Hekket!" she gasped.

He trembled as he stood. Biting his lip he forced himself to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry...I just couldn't..."

Amber stepped over to him. After a split-second of hesitation she reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, take a breath."

"She wasn't even sorry, about all those dead kids." He lowered his head. "I just want to help that girl."

"I know," she told him. "And we will, but right now we've got to go."