It was Odeon who answered. "Something your . . . patron . . . wanted me to do. You don't remember that you were there when he . . . made it possible for me, but you'll remember once it's done. It won't hurt at all, and it'll only take a few seconds, as Colonel Cortin said. It'd be easier on me if you make eye contact, but that isn't really necessary." Although Blackfeather normally had no interest in making anything easy for an Enforcement killer, there was something in Odeon's expression that made her waver; she stared into his pale blue eyes. The promised seconds later, she collapsed in shock, to be caught by strong arms. Larry was Shayan, and he'd had her under compulsions to do things she never would have dreamed of on her own, and he'd done things to her body that were horrible, and she'd enjoyed them and what he'd done with his changes, and oh dear God the horror he'd done to the man who'd helped her in spite of what had been done to him and-- "Sis!" she heard Cortin snap. "I am here, Colonel," a soft voice said. "Miss Blackfeather?" A pause. "Miss Blackfeather?" "Go 'way." "I am a medic. With your permission, I can give you something for shock. Otherwise, I can treat you only with warmth and quiet." Drugs were bad . . . but the horror of these sudden disclosures was worse. "Do what you think best," she managed. An immediate needleprick startled her; the quick blackness that followed came as a distinct relief. Cortin watched Pritchett carry the reporter out, Chang accompanying them, then she turned to Odeon. He looked tired and a little shaken, but nowhere near as bad as he had after Shayan's "lesson". "Are you all right, Mike?" "I will be, after a nap." Odeon rubbed his temples. "He said the operation would be nothing compared to the lesson, and he was right--but it was rough enough. I don't have the kind of strength he does." "You're a human, not a fallen angel," Cortin said drily. "I was thinking about emotionally, though--you don't look quite as wound up as you have been." "Not quite," Odeon admitted. "I do feel a bit more human, now I've made some constructive use of what he put me through. My studies are helping, too, but . . ." He shook his head. "I'm not back to normal, no." "Close enough for unity? I'm still convinced that's what you need." Odeon thought for a moment, then shook his head again. "No, I don't think so. I'd like it, but I'm still afraid of touching you. Give me another day or two of Tangerine and studies, though, and I think I'll be okay." Cortin looked at him curiously. "Really? A kitten and studying the place our ancestors fled from seem like odd therapy. On the other hand, I'm not about to argue with anything that works."