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use to me, but you might be able to get it reinitialised and pawn it, if you need ready cash. It’s fitting that my grandfather saved a man’s life and was given this as thanks. It’s an appropriate gift for someone who has given me back mine. Thank you. Mirella Quist’.
    Reinitialising the capsule would cause the contents to be shifted irrevocably into one of the miniscule rolled-up dimensions of the universe; it could then accept a new set of valuables. Quantum capsules were prized because they were impregnable.
    Anneke made her way through the streets of Lykis Integer, her nerves jangling as odd bits and pieces leapt out at her, screaming familiarity: a face in a crowd; the corner facade of a building; a long vista glimpsed between two colonnaded structures; yellow and black auto-cabs with their dizzying whine …
    And the smells .
    After an hour of happy wandering, she stopped outside the imposing edifice of RIM headquarters. Behind the enormous building was a lava lake, its glow reflected off the atmosphere shield that sat high in the sky like the surface of a pond seen from below.
    Anneke hesitated, then took a deep breath and went in. There was a preliminary security check for members of the public, then she found herself in a vast marbled lobby, built from a grand ancient Roman design, with strong influences from the Old Empire.
    She saw a slender young man heading towards a security post and accosted him. He looked startled, but before he could speak, Anneke said, ‘Excuse me, could I speak to someone in charge?’
    Later, as they headed towards Maximus’ office – she gathered that was his name from the ID badge on his lapel – she almost bumped into him as he suddenly stopped outside the open door of another office.
    Anneke read his shock from his body language. She peered over his shoulder, seeing two men seated in the room. The one with his back to her was large, almost a giant. It was Lob Lotang, Quesada’s former CEO. He turned and stared at Maximus, smiling icily. He barely caught sight of Anneke and she did not recognise him.
    Back in his office, Maximus locked the door and sat down, visibly affected by the man in the other room. Anneke wondered if the man was a rival, but it wasn’t her business so she put it out of her mind.
    A short time later, after they had spoken of her recent experiences, came a knock on the door. She was trying to read documents on Maximus’ desk, upside down, while he was at the door. Then she heard a scuffle and suddenly Maximus hissed, ‘Watch out! He’s got a gun!’
    She turned just in time to see the man’s gun go flying, his eyes widening as they locked onto hers. Then Maximus’ gun went off and the young agent doubled over with a cry.
    Afterwards, Anneke watched Maximus drag the would-be assassin into a side room and shut the door. She did not know what was going on, but she had the feeling that the murdered man knew her.
    Later, in the safe house, she was still undecided about Maximus. Her gut said not to trust him, but it wasn’t necessary to admire – or even like – one’s boss. And he knew a lot about her.
    Too much, in fact.
    But she was beginning to learn things about him too. His reaction for instance, to the word, ‘Tormat’.
    He looked like he’d seen a ghost. Or was about to become one.
    ‘Are you all right?’ she asked.
    He managed to nod. He got a glass of water and drank it in one gulp, then sat down again, staring at her.
    ‘You were on Tormat?’ His eyes were dark and staring.
    ‘Yes. Why? You know the place?’ She acted dumb, which he no doubt saw through, but obviously he knew the place and it had some profound, dark significance for him.
    He nodded. ‘A long time ago.’ He took a breath, calming himself. ‘What happened there?’
    ‘I was sold as a slave.’
    Maximus reacted as if struck. ‘They still have slavery?’
    The tone of his question convinced Anneke he was talking of an older, more barbaric form of the institution.