At the Ministry, the sting team leader, aka "Lucky," is assembling his teams. There is Team Alpha that will be on the Hill, ostensibly to record the appearance of the circle. And there is another team, Team Beta. This team is unknown to Freddy. They have been training to make the circle. They have also been instructed, should any other would-be circle makers appear on the scene, to quietly ensure they did not interfere.

Lucky has been secretly recording the sessions at the pub, especially Freddy's more controversial remarks about the government, which he sometimes makes in response to Lucky's leading questions. Lucky is a little disappointed (actually ragingly so) that nothing Mr. Green said the night before had registered on his recorder. But that is a small matter. Lucky already has all the ammunition he needs, and is on the verge of making his indictment. He wants just one more bit, his coupe de grace, which is to get Freddy to proclaim the circle to be of "extraterrestrial" origin. Lucky will of course be able to prove that it is man-made.

Early that evening Dema and Cern went back to the Green Man pub. Freddy was there, and as soon as they entered he said to Dema, "I'm glad you're here. There's someone I want you to meet."

He led her over to a table where Dema recognized some of his friends from the night before. The new friend was a not-quite-young but still quite attractive blond woman.

"Dema, this is Edith Moore. She's the one who first perceived that a circle will appear tonight. Edith, Dema and Cern are the Americans I've been telling you about, they've been investigating Cern's roots and it led them here."

Edith offered her hand, and when Dema took it she felt an instant connection. She was relieved, because she had feared the person who "predicted" the circle might be a "plant" working for Lucky. She knew Edith felt the connection too. "Are you a Wiccan?" Edith asked.

"Nothing so formal," Dema replied. "But there are some similar traditions in my family. Tell me, do you often know when a circle is coming?"

"Not often. The perceptions usually come in dreams, and they are not always clear. But some of them are particularly strong. Last night I saw a finger drawing the vesica piscis in a repeating pattern, and I remember it clearly."

"That would have been Mr. Green," said Cern, impressed. Edith looked puzzled and turned to Freddy. 

Freddy answered in a tone of awe, "He was here last night, and drew the pattern on a table top, in beer."

Dema said, "Vesica piscis? That's what that circle pattern is called?"

Edith said, "It's the name of the intersection of two circles the same size through their centers. But the pattern can be repeated indefinitely, and has been used for a long time. In that form it is sometimes called the Flower of Life."

At that moment Lucky arrived. Dema saw him frown in Edith's direction as he was telling Freddy that he had sent his team on to the Hill to set up their equipment. 

Lucky was very insistent that everyone should join the group on the Hill, rather than wait closer to where the circle would appear. This, he said, was in order to get a clear record of the appearance of the circle, with no human presence nearby to contaminate the evidence. 

Dema was close enough to sense that he was hiding something. She put her hand on his arm and said to him, "Lucky, it's really quite wonderful that you are doing this. I'm sure it will go a long way toward legitimizing Freddy's research."

Through the physical contact she was able to sense quite clearly that his real intention was quite the opposite, and also that he had a second covert team waiting for full darkness to go in and make the circle unseen.

Soon all were gathered on the hill. Lucky's team there reported to him that the equipment was all set up and working. This included several big light stands that flooded the hilltop with light, ensuring no ones eyes would be dark-adapted enough to get a good look at the field below from there. 

Lucky looked around at the people on the hill rather smugly. His plan was working without a hitch. Even now the equipment on the hill would be recording the team below in the process of making the circle. 

But the display screens that could display the image remained dark. Team Alpha's instructions were to not turn on the display until the circle was done and Team Beta below had cleared out. 

A short while later, the team leader called Lucky over. "The circle has appeared." He had turned on a screen display that showed the circle clearly in an infrared image. It was indeed the same vesica piscis pattern Mr. Green had drawn at the pub the night before, the one Edith had predicted. Everyone was ecstatic and crowded around to get a look at the display. Then a mad rush began as everyone scrambled to get down the hill and closer to the circle.

Everyone except Lucky. At first he was simply astonished, because the circle had been completed well ahead of schedule. Then he became confused, because it was not the pattern he had asked for. Team Beta had some explaining to do. Things had gotten a little out of hand. And his Alpha team leader was signaling to him frantically that he wanted to tell him something privately. Lucky waved an impatient acknowledgement, but instead of going to see what was up, he pulled Freddy aside.

"Freddy, what do you think? Could this be our proof that extraterrestrials make the circles?"

Freddy, caught up like everyone else in the excitement of the moment, said "Your crew filmed it all, right? And the images are clear? Then it sure seems possible. Of course, we won't really be sure until we have a chance to see it in daylight, and rule out any evidence of a hoax."

Dema was nearby and witnessed the exchange, and it saddened her, because she knew what Lucky had done. He had recorded what Freddy said. Taken out of context, without his disclaimers of needing to check in daylight, it would be damning. Lucky was obviously gloating, but pretending it was about the success of their venture.

Finally Lucky went to talk to his Alpha team leader. They spoke quietly, but Dema remained nearby and was able to hear them.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Boss, we don't have any recording of Beta making the circle."

"That's impossible. Didn't you have the cameras on in time?"

"Boss, the cameras were running since before dark. Beta never did a thing."

"Then who made the circle?"

"You're not going to like this, but it just appeared. One moment there was nothing there, the next I had the complete image, just like you see it now." He pointed to the screen, which was beginning to show human figures moving around the fringes of the circle pattern.

Lucky fumed for a moment. Then he said, "Pack up your gear and get out of here. I'll see you back at the Ministry. No one gets any of your recordings but me, understand?"

"But boss..."

"No one. Got it?"

"Got it."

Lucky took off down the hill. Cern and Dema followed. When they arrived at the circle, they saw that Lucky was hanging back, trying to drift casually away from the rest of the group, into the adjoining field. Dema shifted into snake form to follow him. He appeared to be purposely following a tram line so his path would not be evident. Soon he approached a group of crouched figures, also on the tram line. This would be his Beta team, caught by surprise by the rush from the hilltop and not yet pulled out. The Beta leader was speaking quietly to Lucky. 

"No, we didn't make the circle. Someone else beat us to it." 

Another team member spoke up. "Boss, no one beat us to it. Their was no one else here."

"That's right," whispered another, awe in his voice. "The circle just appeared around us, before we even got started." 

"One second there was nothing, next second there was a little flash of noise in my night vision lenses, and when it cleared there were circles everywhere," said another. "I couldn't believe it. I had to take the goggles off and see for myself to make sure they weren't malfunctioning." 

In fury, Lucky said in a harsh whisper, "That's it then. We're done here. Clear out. And tell no one about tonight. No one!"

After his team was gone, Lucky turned to go back to the circle. As he walked toward her, Dema rose up in front of him, shifting to her Lamia aspect as she did, still half snake.

She knew he was already on the edge of believing Freddy's views, but must reject them to preserve his own concept of sanity. But now here before him was another bizarre reality. One he couldn't reject. Not when she got close enough to touch him, and enter his mind, and enthrall him to her shaman dream.

"Lucas Appleton," she hissed at him, "For how much longer will you deny the evidence of your senses? How much longer will you cling to your mistaken beliefs? How much longer will you deny yourself the truths that are evident to your fellow man?"

He turned to run from her, only to see that behind him to one side was the Green Man, appearing in his "natural" form, covered from head to toe in foliage. To the other side was Cern, appearing as the Stag-Horned Man, antlers in full display, bare-chested, wearing only his ancient torc and a buckskin kilt.

Lucky was lost. This alternate reality was too undeniable. With a whimper he surrendered his former sanity.

Back at the Ministry, still under thrall, Lucas Appleton revised his report, expunging the dramatic account he had already written detailing the success of his sting, and instead revealing the existence of the Snake Woman, the Green Man, and the Horned Man as major threats that must be investigated. Shortly after filing this report, Lucas Appleton was reassigned to the Foreign Office. His report was subsequently dead filed.