"I don't know you or Sun very well," Jerry said, "but if she wanted to be here, I doubt very much you could have done anything to stop her."

Andy let his head drop. "If she dies..."

Jerry placed a hand on Andy's back and made him flinch. He did not enjoy the contact, but he did not move away.

"Things will be alright, man. Sun is really strong. She'll be back and ready to kick arse in no time."

Andy hoped that was true. Because if it wasn't...

Then what?

Then I dedicate my life to wiping Bub off the face of the earth.

Dr. Gornman approached, her face revealing nothing. Andy stared, expectant.

"We stopped the bleeding and stitched up the wound. She needed four pints of blood, and was very close to hypovolemic shock."

"Is she okay?"

"She's tough. I think she'll pull through."

"I want to see her."

"Of course. The nurses are just making her comfortable in one of the suites. Head inside and take the door on your left."

Andy hurried into the operating theatre. It led into a wide corridor with several rooms running off it. He saw through the room's windows that Sun was inside one of them along with two nurses. He barged through the door and moved beside his wife's bedside.

The two nurses left.

"How you feeling?"

"Numb. Lidocaine and morphine. It'll be a while before I play racquetball again."

Andy choked up. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Me? Over that little scratch? You know I'm tougher than that."

Andy gave her a gentle hug, like he was holding a baby bird. "We're getting out of here," he said. "Soon as you've rested. Let them deal with Bub. It's not our problem."

Sun eased him away, staring hard. "Is Bub in the cell with Lucas?"

"Yes."

"Are they talking?"

"I don't know. Bub was in pretty bad shape. He's going to take a while to heal himself. There are cameras on them."

Andy saw how his wife's usually olive skin was now pale.

"We need to see this thing through to the end."

"You almost died, Sun. You need to heal. And this isn't a good place for it."

"I have to stay, Andy."

"Sun..."

"Andy, I have to stay." She raised her left hand, and Andy saw her wrist was cuffed to the bedrail.

"What the hell is that?" Andy demanded. "That's insane! They can't keep you here!"

"Andy..."

"I'm going right to Kane and telling him-"

"Andy! I told them to cuff me."

"What are you..." Andy's voice trailed off as the realization hit him.

No.

Not that.

Anything but that.

"You think Bub... infected you?" Andy whispered.

"He clawed me. You know he's got those stingers in his palms. You know he can manipulate DNA."

"Were you stung?"

"I don't know. I bled a lot. If he tried to inject me with his mutator serum, maybe none of it got into my system. But if it did..."

"How do you feel?"

Sun chuckled. "You mean, do I feel like I'm changing into a demon? That my cells are mutating? That I'm becoming possessed?"

Andy didn't answer.

"I feel fine, Andy. But if I'm not... I... I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Is there any way to find out?"

"Other than waiting? Gornman is scheduling some tests. I guess we'll know when we know."

Andy hugged her again. She hugged him back.

"I also need you to do something for me," she said into his neck.

"Anything."

"If I do... change... this is where I need to be. If there's any chance of a cure, it's here. They've got all the Samhain data, and Gornman may be a bit of a bitch but she knows her stuff. But if it looks like they can't cure me..."

"Sun, don't talk like that."

"If they can't... Andy, I don't want to be one of Bub's minions. I don't want to be controlled by him. I can't think of anything worse. If it looks like I can't be cured... I want you to put me out of my misery."

"Jesus, Sun. That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard."

"Promise me."

"I can't promise that."

"If you ever want to get laid again, you'll promise me."

Andy felt himself tear up. "Okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

There was a knock at the door.

Andy turned as Jerry poked his head through the door with an anxious look on his face.

"What is it, Jerry?"

"Sorry, just checking on you."

"You can come in," Sun told him.

Jerry slunk into the room like he was about to be scolded by his mother. "So you, ah, doing alright?"

"For the moment."

"Good. I'm glad." He nodded at Andy, and Sun. Then his gaze turned to a chair in the corner of the room, where Sun's things were stacked. Her purse. Some clothing. The blue disc that accessed the doors.

"You can sit if you want to, Jerry," Sun said.

Jerry nodded but stayed standing. "Nessie is in the library. We found that batling thing in some old books. People used to worship it."

"Sometimes there isn't a difference between religion and a totalitarianism," Andy said. "Ruling by fear is the same whether it's fascism, communism, dictatorship, or the church. We know Bub preyed on early mankind's superstition and powerlessness. He's been around long enough to be an archetype."

"Is he really the devil?" Jerry asked.

"He's a devil. I don't know if that means he literally came from hell, or if he's some psychotic life form from another world. But he doesn't have our best interests in mind."

Jerry rubbed his chin. "I don't know if I believe in God. There's too much shit in the world, you know? I mean, if God exists, he's like a deadbeat dad who abandons his kids. Either that, or he's a sadist who likes watching people suffer. Do you believe?"

"We're atheists," Andy said. "But we try to keep our minds open. That's the point of science. You change your mind as new evidence comes in."

"So what about this whole Deus Manus set-up? You think they really are keeping evil from the world?"

"I think they think they're keeping evil from the world," Andy said. "And some of the creatures they have here don't look like they love humanity any more than Bub does. But I've found that, throughout history, a lot of people have done a lot of harm while claiming to do God's work."

"Uhhhh," Sun groaned.

Andy's head whipped toward her so fast he practically gave himself whiplash. "You okay, babe?"

"Starting to feel the pain now."

"Should I get Dr. Gornman?"

Sun shook her head, reaching for him. "No. Stay with me."

Andy turned to Jerry. "Do you mind?"

"I'll, ah, be in the library with Nessie. I hope you feel better, Sun."

Andy didn't watch the kid leave. His eyes were locked onto his wife.

Chapter Twenty.

Jerry headed for the conference room. From there he could make it into the dormitory wing and back to his suite. He was knackered after studying in the library for so long.

The small blue disk in Jerry's pocket was burning a hole. He touched its rubbery surface and felt his stomach churn. What would happen when Sun realised he had stolen it from her bedside table? And why had he even stolen it in the first place?

Because I don't want to be a prisoner like the things they have in these cells. I want to leave and get a million miles away from this place. I'll happily give myself up to the police back home rather than stay here until they decide to 'dispose' of me.

Jerry passed through the heated atmosphere of the conference room, the space filled with the sound of computer exhausts humming out hot air.

Jerry stepped towards the door that led to the living quarters, but took pause.

If I'm going to get the hell out of here. I should do it now, while everyone is distracted with what's just happened. I could make it to the lift and take it to the top. Sun's fob should let me access the controls.

Jerry changed direction and headed out into the cellblock. The first cell now contained both the batling and Lucas, separated by a mesh of steel.

The batling was stooped over on the floor, its wings wrapped around itself. It was obviously healing after being fired upon. The Manx man stared down at the creature silently, but glanced upwards when he noticed Jerry.

"You off then, lad?"