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cutting the connection.
    ‘Does anyone ever actually fall for that?’ she asked him.
    He grinned up at her. ‘A surprising amount of people,’ he told her. ‘People are gullible, ’specially when you tell them what they want to hear. My name’s Tony Rackham, and you must be Tamar.’ he held out a hand.
    ‘Tony,’ acknowledged Tamar coldly ignoring the proffered hand. ‘If that’s your real name.’ And, just for a second, Tamar saw his poise slip and a worried look creep into his eyes. However, he masked it quickly with a glib compliment and Tamar allowed herself to smile.
    ‘Pretty slick aren’t you?’ she said.
    The girl in the lab coat hurried forward and held out a hand. ‘Hi, I’m Melissa Cuthbert, my real name,’ she grinned nervously. ‘It’s a great pleasure to meet you.’
    A people pleaser, thought Tamar, shaking hands absently.
    ‘I was just running some tests on …’ Melissa stopped and glanced at The Director uncertainly as he coughed abruptly. ‘Oh,’ she faltered. ‘But I thought …’
    ‘Miss Black has not yet agreed to join us,’ said The Director firmly. The girl’s face reddened and she blinked rapidly. ‘Oh, but you will , won’t you?’ she asked earnestly. Tamar gave her a noncommittal smile.
    ‘This is Ray Evans,’ Melissa said, showing Tamar a scruffy looking man in his thirties with long reddish hair and an emaciated appearance, as if he were a zoo exhibit. ‘He’s a genius with computers.’
    Ray, Tamar noticed immediately blanked the screen on his computer as she approached.  He turned faded blue eyes on her for a split second and gave a disinterested shrug before turning away again. Tamar was fascinated by his skin, which looked parched and yellow, the colour of old newspaper. 
    ‘And this is David Collins,’ continued Melissa. ‘He’s computers too,’ she added but did not explain further.
    Exhibit B was younger and tidier, thought Tamar, than Exhibit A.  And at least he smiled when he was introduced. But it was an empty smile, and there was no warmth in the dark brown, almost black eyes looking out warily from under a thick shock of dark brown hair that fell almost to his nose in an elaborately dishevelled style. 
    Tamar disliked him immediately too. ‘I’m doing well,’ she thought ironically.
    ‘And this is Valerie Byrnehil,’ finished Melissa. Introducing a stark, severe looking woman, with smooth pale skin and light blonde hair, and who would have been quite pretty had her face had more life in it. She turned sea coloured eyes on Tamar and gazed serenely at her as if she wanted to penetrate her soul.  ‘Good luck with that,’ thought Tamar who was not at all sure that she even had one.
    ‘Valerie coordinates the team when we’re in the field,’ explained Melissa. 
    ‘Ah,’ thought Tamar. ‘The Boss. No wonder she doesn’t look happy to see me .’ 
    At that moment, they were interrupted by a loud droning sound followed by a lot of cursing. Tamar turned to see what appeared to be a bumblebee the size of her fist making a noise like a road drill, followed by a man chasing it with a net. ‘Damn the bloody thing, how the hell they keep getting out I’ll never know,’ he said apologetically. 
    ‘They’re Fons,’ said Tamar. ‘You’ll never contain them,’
    The man looked interested. ‘They’re what?’ he said.
    ‘Fons,’ said Tamar. ‘And it isn’t an insect whatever it may look like.’
    ‘We thought it was some sort of genetically engineered …’
    ‘No, no,’ Tamar laughed. ‘Fons are mystical creatures, perfectly harmless and not at all interesting. Sometimes the babies are mistaken for queen bees, but they don’t sting and aren’t at all interested in flowers.  I’d let them go if I were you. The rest of the tribe will be coming for them, and you don’t want that believe me.’
    ‘We believe we have the whole – er tribe, did you say?’
    ‘I doubt it,’ said Tamar. ‘How many have you