Martin turned to face me. He was shaking and white with rage. He lashed out and caught me hard with his fist on the left side of my jaw. I was thrown back into the wall, then collapsed onto the bunk. There was something loose in my mouth. I spit it into my hand: two molars. The taste of blood was thick in my mouth, and I wondered if my jaw was broken.

Kat! Kat! She’s rousing! She’ll kill him!

I looked inward and could sense the rapidly building storm. Can we contain her, Val? Martin and Kseniya are still our best option.

I don’t think so but we need to try.

“Martin, take Kseniya and get as far from this compartment as you can. Now!”

“Don’t you dare try to order me about, girl,” he spat out.

Val and I struggled to keep contain her rage. A spike of pure chaos reached toward where Martin’s mind should have been. His eyes widened in horror. In seconds, he broke down the bathroom door, pulled Kseniya out and into the corridor and away at speed.

She howled and her attention found the Polkovnik.