23

Two more days pass in final preparations. Control keeps in regular contact with Dr. Sabbatine as she completes her work.

"We will not send the entire Specular back at once," she informs you. "Instead we will expand and modify the rift sufficiently to allow passage of a single person." A controller glances meaningfully at you.

Alexius appears beside you, thoughtfully studying the controllers and their work. "It's not going to be an easy goodbye," Alexius says. "You're all right, Crowchar."

Before you speak, you feel a tug at the back of your mind: the False Icon. You can speak freely now, but when the time comes, who will make the final decision? You push the thought from your mind for now.