Jim is thoroughly confused but no less alert, watching the other with a cautious intensity, struggling to make the pieces fit into something that makes more sense. This time of year, just the thought of something going wrong in the Nexus makes his mouth run dry. They should probably be drinking something a lot stronger than coffee, even if only one of them’d get the benefit of it.

Please don’t let this be another tailor-made nightmare in the making. It shouldn’t be, but... There’s a small tremor in his hands, and he clasps them together to hide it. “Who?”