A week had passed since the encounter in the tunnel. A week had passed without word from Violet that she had made it out successfully. Raith was at his wit’s end with worry. He should have never left her there, should have never agreed to her terms…but she had promised…After three days had passed, Raith had taken Askar and Madrick back to the scene under the guise of investigation. He had not told them about Violet’s involvement, but should they guess it along the way, the pair of young soldiers were the ones he trusted most with the knowledge.

It had been a painful venture. The nasty gouge he’d received in his side and another on his leg were barely healed enough to remain closed. That wasn’t to mention the myriad of cuts, scrapes, and bruises he’d come out with. He could only imagine the injuries Violet had suffered. After his rescue, he’d noticed the jagged rip in his armor that had been pressing into her side…

They had discovered that the tunnels were interconnected, had found the opening in the back side of the cavity he’d been trapped in. It was empty as he’d hoped, but there had been plenty of blood. Violet’s darker blood was easy to identify. Askar never questioned him, but he knew the Cassarian recognized what he was seeing. He even pointed out a light trail of the dark fluid down the dark tunnel before it stopped and all trace of her disappeared. Violet was nowhere to be found. They had returned to the city in near silence.

And now, a week later, Raith sat in his office alone, his mind churning over his conversation with Violet. It had plagued his thoughts, prevented him from getting any sleep. There had to be something in her words that would give him a clue, any clue no matter how vague, as to how to find her. She was here somewhere, here in the city, and he needed to find her.

A light knock sounded on the door, causing Raith to jump and blink in confusion. He shook himself out of his fatigue driven thoughts before straightening.

“Yes? Come in,” he called.

The door opened and Askar’s head appeared.

“Commander, sir, there’s someone here to see you.”

Raith arched a brow at Askar’s hesitance. “Well, show them in already.”

Askar stepped aside and opened the door. Raith’s eyes widened as a shy Finny scurried into the office. He quickly stood as Askar nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

“Finny? How did you get in here?”

The boy remained silent as he quickly ran to Raith’s side and lifted his hands toward him. Raith bent over and picked him up. He could sense Finny’s troubled mind.

“Finny, are you alright? Where are Sealee and Braunt? Are they ok?”

Finny simply nodded as he lowered his head to his shoulder. Raith slowly turned and lowered himself back into his chair. He would have to ask simple questions to lead the boy into conversation.

“Have you been having fun today?”

He felt Finny’s head lift and soon the big hazel eyes locked onto him. Finny nodded weakly and seemed unsure even about that.

“The older ones are not being mean to you again, are they?”

“No,” the boy finally replied quietly.

“So you wanted to have another adventure by yourself? What if you get lost again?” he asked.

A slight smile formed on Finny’s face.

“No lost anymore. Sarhea showed me how to not be lost.”

“Really? She did? Well, I suppose that is a good lesson,” he muttered.

He still was not so sure he liked Finny hanging around with Sarhea. He was still angry with her about how she handled that confrontation with Tsa…it didn’t matter if her unconventional methods had worked…

“Rafe no worry. Sarhea also telled me that have to find soldiers if I go out…let you know.”

Ah, so the Cassarian was covering her ass. Perhaps he would have to give this a chance. There was no way to stop Finny’s wandering, so it was best if he did know his way around and knowing to contact the soldiers was a very good lesson. He was finding it hard to fault Sarhea’s thinking on this situation, and she did truly seem to care a great deal about the boy.

“Ok. That does seem like a good plan. Now, why did you go on an adventure today?”

The hesitant look returned to Finny’s eyes.

“I…I followed the energy.”

Raith’s eyes widened as a quickening stabbed at his heart.

“The energy? You followed the energy? Where did it take you?”

“To the temple,” he whispered and looked away. “To my friend.”

Raith’s heart now began to race.

“Your friend…what friend is that? What’s your friend’s name?”

Finny kept his gaze diverted and his shy attitude intensified. An old sensation rose in him, a sensation he’d not felt in a very long time, that feeling that washed over him when he knew something important was at hand. In some small way, Raith even thought he felt a long forgotten prodding…

“Is your friend a woman?”

Finny’s hesitant gaze found him once more.

“Is your friend’s name Violet?”

Confusion now replaced the hesitance.

“Violet?” Finny repeated with cocked head. “What is violet mean?”

It was a bizarre question for the boy to ask.

“Violet…it’s a name,” Raith started but paused at Finny’s continued questioning gaze. He quickly spotted a violet pencil in a holder on the corner of his desk. He quickly retrieved it. “It is also a color, like this pencil. Some also call it purple.”

A knowing smile soon replaced the confusion.

“She does like purple. Purple energy is round her lots.”

“Finny! Are you telling me you have seen Violet?”

The boy seemed unsure how to respond, but finally nodded weakly. Raith drew him into a sudden strong hug as his heart leapt into his throat. He finally released him when Finny began to squirm and pulled him out to look him in the eyes.

“Finny, is Violet ok? Is she hurt?”

Finny’s hesitance returned. “No hurt, not no more. She sad. Sad she broke a promise.”

Raith raised a brow in shock. Broke a promise? Surely the boy was not talking about the promise Violet had made to him. But that was the only promise he knew of.

“No, she did not break her promise to me. It took longer than it should have, but she was supposed to let me know she was ok so I wouldn’t worry. You did that for her just now.”

Finny brightened. “You not mad?”

Raith pulled him back close. “No, I’m not mad. I’m glad to finally know that she is ok. Finny, how do you know Violet?”

“She fell, remember? When playing…”

“But you didn’t speak to her…or did you? Is that what you were doing when we were all looking for you?”

Finny suddenly became shy again.

“Oh Finny. I’m not mad. But…why? Why didn’t you tell me? I really need to find her.”

“She no want to be found.”

“You found her.”

A weak smile returned to his lips. “Energy showed me.”

Raith sighed heavily as he tussled the boy’s mop of brown hair. “If you find her again, please let her know that I wish to speak to her.”

“Ok,” he said and began to wiggle about, trying to get down.

“Are you leaving already?” Raith asked and allowed Finny to slide off his lap.

“Time to eat. I sit with Aleena and Sarhea again. They no yell at me to hurry like Braunt. He no fun anymore.”

Raith smiled at the boy’s scowling face as he stood. “Alright. You do that. And Finny, remember if you get lost, tell one of the soldiers so they can help.”

“Ok,” he replied as he hurried to the door. His little hand barely reached the handle, but he persisted and finally opened it. He quickly toddled out. Askar reappeared in the open doorway.

“What was that about?”

“I’m not entirely certain. Askar, how did Finny get in here?”

“We’re not sure. Darius claims the boy did not get past him. Finny seemed to just appear out of nowhere.”

“Hmm. Well, can you do me a favor?”

Askar quickly nodded. “Anything, sir.”

“Keep an eye on him. He claims he’s headed to lunch.”

Askar’s eyes widened. “Really? Finny’s out on his own?”

Raith sighed and shook his head as he turned back to his chair. “Not so sure I like the situation, but I’ll give him a chance, since we all know he will just keep doing this. Just watch him and see what he does.”

Askar came to attention. “Alright. I’ll let you know,” he replied and left the office.

Once the quiet had returned, Raith found himself alone with his thoughts again. He felt relief to know that Violet was alright, but why hadn’t she contacted him herself? And why had she pulled young Finnick into this strange situation? She had claimed to be unpredictable and dangerous, yet she was involving an innocent child in her secretive world. It just made no sense to him. Why Finnick?

Raith sighed quietly and tried to set the issue aside before his anger was able to kindle. He could not afford to be angry at the one creature who knew what the hell she was doing when it came to the drones, and the fact of the matter still stood-he needed her help, needed to know the information she held about their enemy. She claimed she was unwilling to help, that it was all foolishness to try, but he was not giving up. Eventually, he’d find a way to persuade her to help them.

There was truth in the boy’s words…Violet did not wish to be found. Raith quietly settled into his chair to finish his last tasks before lunch. He had considered that she may try and go to the Temple. If she was what Sarsan and Madrick thought she was, then a temple dedicated to the Guardians would be the prime place to find her. He’d half considered placing someone on watch there, but the idea had quickly been abandoned. They didn’t have the spare personnel for such trivial details and he was fairly certain Violet would have expected him to do that.

He shook his head as her words once again started playing in his head. This time, he made himself focus on the parts about the energy. The more he recalled what she’d said, the more her words just made no sense. He was beginning to wish for the days when he thought her a creature none of them could understand. He was also beginning to feel that she had no clue just what she was capable of and was scared of her abilities. Why else would she claim to have no control of them? But if this was the case, how could she possibly be a Dalmarian, Children of the Light, or, as Madrick had called her, a Light Bringer? The Guardians only placed their energy in the hands of those worthy of it; someone who could not control it was not worthy of it.

Raith sighed in frustration as he leaned back in the chair. There was no point in trying to complete his tasks; his mind refused to focus on anything other than Violet. An open message under an assortment of open applications caught his attention. He turned to the computer and brought up the file. It was from Tobin. Raith had searched every avenue that he had available for any mention of a species or race called Damiri-he’d found no trace and had turned to Tobin’s expertise. The historian had also never heard of such a species. That left only two options- either Violet came from a very primitive world that was unknown to civilized places or she had lied to him. He chose to believe the former…

The pangs of hunger began twisting at his stomach and were joined by angry rumblings. He would have to mentally shelf this maddening quest and pick it up later. At the very least, he found a small measure of comfort knowing she had survived and she’d made it back to the city. Raith sighed quietly as he stood, collected his jacket, and left the office. He couldn’t ignore his hunger any longer.

The main dining hall was busier than normal. Raith recognized many citizens normally found on other levels as he stood in the food line. His gaze instinctively settled on the large platform at the front of the large cavern, but there were no signs that an announcement was to be made today. Raith could have picked his food up at a private station, avoiding the crowds, but this was his way of staying connected to those he was sworn to protect. It was also a great way to learn the latest gossip. Today, there were whispers of a new outbreak affecting both the young and elderly citizens. He’d not heard anything about it yet, so figured, if true, was a recent development. He found himself scanning the crowds looking for Aleena. She was in a position to know of such things.

It did not take him long to spot the Kalatian’s sleek black hair. Aleena was sitting at a different section today near one of the exits where the younger crowds normally gathered. He soon also spotted Finny’s large ears next to whom he could only assume was Sarhea, both of whose backs were to him. Raith hesitated briefly before heading their way. He still was unsure how to feel about the Cassarian’s performance two weeks ago when she’d so brazenly rebuked and belittled both him and Tsa in front of the entire force, but at the same time, when he’d confronted her afterwards, he’d seen the brilliance in her motives. When she’d hinted at purposely drawing their anger away from each other and toward her, he’d been left stunned, standing there like a fool whose simple mind could only slowly put the pieces together. Her tactics had worked, and like it or not, his military’s current cooperation with the Rigon forces was solely her doing. She’d followed through with her word, even if it had not been what he was expecting.

Raith collected his food tray and slowly made his way through the crowds. He had to pause quite often to speak to random citizens who asked questions or simply to greet those who offered their greetings. As he drew closer to his targets, he began to find Finny’s actions quite odd. The toddler was usually quite animated, but today, he clung to Sarhea’s side, almost as if he were comforting her.

Aleena raised a brow when she finally noticed his approach. A quick glance was tossed to Sarhea, and the Cassarian noticeably wilted. Something was definitely going on, and the closer he came to them, the more a strange sensation began stirring in his gut. Finny finally turned in his seat and smiled innocently up at him once he arrived.

“Hi Rafe!” he called, his hazel eyes as big as the overly innocent grin on his little face.

The child was definitely hiding something.

“Finny, I see you made it to lunch just fine. Good afternoon, Aleena…Sarhea.”

Aleena’s smile was noticeably forced.

“Commander Raith, what a pleasant surprise. I’m not used to seeing you at lunch. To what do we owe this honor?”

He scowled lightly at her pretense, but held back his rising questions. Lunch crowds were no place for such potential confrontations.

“Actually, I have some questions for you, questions about some rumors I’ve been hearing.”

Aleena’s somewhat suspicious behavior quickly faded into curiosity. Her rounded ears perked forward as she motioned him to sit.

Raith was suddenly grateful they were sitting near the younger crowd. The groups around them were engrossed in their own conversations and were much less likely to try and eavesdrop on his. Finny scooted closer to Sarhea’s side and made plenty of room for him to sit. He noticed Sarhea’s ears swivel back and lower slightly as he sat his tray on the table. She never looked at him, and the odd vibes he received from her direction were vaguely familiar. He quickly tried to place when and where he’d noticed the similarities as he sat.

“What are these rumors you’ve been hearing?” Aleena’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned his attention to her.

“I’ve been hearing rumors of illness, but nothing has been reported to me. Is there any truth to this?”

Aleena’s brows knitted as her head tilted slightly to the side. “There has been a slight rush at the hospital this morning, but it has only been the young and older citizens who have refused to stay current with their vaccines coming in. So far, it has not been an issue to concern you with. If more refuse their boosters and the problem persists or spreads, then I’ll be the first to inform you. Healthy citizens who’ve stayed up-to-date are not being affected.”

Raith sighed in relief. “That is good to know. It’s rather unnerving to see how quickly the rumors get started and blown out of proportion. We may have to consider sending out an announcement before they spread any further…”

He hesitated when he caught a quick sideways glance from Sarhea. It was fleeting, but in that brief moment, he noticed that she looked terrible.

“Speaking of illness…Are you alright?”

Sarhea sighed, but before she could answer, Aleena quickly cut in.

“She’s fine. I’ve checked her out myself.”

Aleena’s tone was almost defensive, even protective. It matched the way Finny continued to cling to the woman’s side.

“I am fine. Just a little tired, is all,” came Sarhea’s quiet voice.

Raith had the strongest desire to question her further, but pleading glances from both Finny and Aleena stopped him short. He would follow up on this later.

“I see,” he muttered quietly. “Aleena, thank you again for the information. Finny, perhaps you should rejoin your siblings,” he added as he stood with his tray.

“No,” the toddler suddenly spouted defiantly and nuzzled closer into Sarhea’s side. The boy’s outburst surprised him.

“Please, let him stay. I promise that I’m ok. Finny’s presence…he brings me comfort,” came Sarhea’s quiet plea. Her gaze finally found him, and the same plea was seen in her tired eyes.

Raith hesitated as an odd prodding in the back of his mind urged him to let the small group be.

“Do not worry, Commander. I will make sure Finny makes it home safely,” her weary voice continued.

He’d only seen the Cassarian like this one other time. She had claimed to be recovering from something, which Aleena had quickly arrived to confirm. He finally sighed quietly. He knew from past experience he’d get nothing from any of them.

“Very well,” he replied coolly as he turned and left the group in peace.

Raith headed toward the front of the cavern where he knew he would find the rest of his team.

---

Raith sat furiously combing through hundreds, perhaps thousands, of medical records from the past two years. He would most likely have some explaining to do for the way he’d left Nakyla and Bud at lunch. As he’d sat in thought while only half-heartedly listening to the conversation, a memory had come crashing to the front of his thoughts. Violet had mentioned that the city’s hospitals and medical offerings were of no use to her, that they only made her ill. How could she possibly know that unless she had once been treated? Any adverse reactions to any treatment would have been documented. Both Sarsan and Mouser had mentioned that Violet could look like any species; the fact had to be true if a blood sample had been taken without question…

The vague search query of female patients with reaction histories had given him a nearly overwhelming list of potential cases to grind through. If it took him months, then so be it. It was a long shot, but it was the only clue he had to work with, and he was determined to find her, no matter what.

He had no idea what time it was when a quiet knock sounded on his office door.

“Raith? Are you in there? Can I come in?”

It was Mouser’s voice.

“Yes, come in,” he called.

Mouser opened the door and slowly entered the dimly lit office. The older doctor wore a questioning gaze as he slowly approached the desk.

“Mouser, this is a surprise. What brings you to this neck of the city at this hour?”

“Ah, well, you see, I was tired and went to shut the mainframe down for maintenance and noticed that you were logged in. Seems you have quite the unusual list of data to go through, and I came to see if I could offer any assistance.”

Raith shot the old man a critical smirk. Mouser never could resist a medical mystery. Perhaps he could use the doctor’s help. If anyone knew of any extraordinary reaction cases, it would be him. He motioned for Mouser to take a seat, which the elder doctor did with a grateful sigh.

“Actually, I was hoping you could remember any of your old cases that dealt with patient reactions to medications of any kind, vaccinations, even nanite injections.”

Mouser arched a brow. “This is strange research for you. What interest do you have in this?”

“Just something I heard that I want to check up on.”

Mouser eyed him critically before sighing. “Hmm…how far back are you searching?”

“For now, just two years.”

“Two years? That is quite a lot to recall!”

“I’m only interested in the most unusual cases. The minor ones I can read up on my own.”

Mouser shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. “Ok, let me see…”

Over the next hour, Mouser began to recall his most perplexing cases. Most of them were easily eliminated as possibilities by simply scanning the patients’ profiles. Mouser was quite exhausted when a puzzled look came over his face.

“Mouser, what is it? I recognize that look.”

“Its…well,” he started as he quickly stood and began to come around the corner of the desk. “I’ve just remembered something I’ve not thought about in many months.”

Raith quickly moved aside and let Mouser have the computer controls.

“It was during the last influx of refugees before the Rigons arrived. There were several hundred survivors, as I recall.”

“Yes, I remember. The group that fled from Kratos; twenty-one ships arrived, one of which is the ship my team currently uses.”

“Well, there was one ship with only three survivors…”

Raith quickly sat up as a chill raced down his spine. “The one that crashed?”

“Yes! They were two children and a woman. The children were easy to treat, all things considering, but the woman…oh my…”

Raith was tense with anticipation as Mouser scrolled and clicked through several different files and screens. The doctor scowled in frustration before suddenly flinching to a halt, an enlightened expression falling over his features. The hesitance and frustration fled as he quickly went back to the computer with renewed vigor. He landed on a directory Raith had not even known existed labeled ironically as ‘Unsolved’. He clicked on the directory and navigated to the file he wanted.

When it opened, Raith’s eyes widened. The patient was labeled vaguely as “unknown Cassarian female, age roughly early twenties.”

“This…I can’t believe this was never completed. This woman…she did not hold down anything we gave her, even after trying multiple delivery formats. She was unconscious and severely dehydrated, and it was most likely due to this that our treatments were rejected. So we set her up on an IV to rehydrate and figured we’d try again when she regained consciousness. We barely got the nanites into her. We tried three times before I finally got frustrated and injected them directly into her carotid artery. It’s not a method I particularly like using, but I was frustrated,” the doctor grumbled.

Raith felt his pulse quickening. He’d never seen Mouser so flustered when recalling a case, and something about this struck a chord in him.

“What happened? Why is this file incomplete?”

‘She disappeared. Just up and vanished without a trace.”

This had to be it; it sounded so much like something Violet would do. But Cassarian? If she looked Cassarian, she could be anywhere. The species was one of Refuge City’s most abundant. Another memory suddenly came flooding back. He’d taken his team to that damaged ship shortly after it was brought into the hangar. Kaden had mentioned a disappearing Cassarian woman, and…His eyes widened. A mysterious figure had snuck into and out of that ship. He’d tried to pursue, but the individual had slipped away.

“Raith, what is it? Do you know who this is? If you do, please share; this file needs to be completed.”

“I’m…I’m not sure. Mouser, do you remember what the woman looked like?”

Mouser scowled as he thought. “No, she was extremely dirty, caked in thick mud, as were the two children. I can only imagine it happened during their escape from Kratos. Everyone on that ship was in roughly the same shape. You may ask Aleena. She was going to try and clean the woman up a little before she up and vanished.”

Aleena. His old friend’s name arising in this situation opened a new flood of questions and disturbing possibilities. Something just did not add up…

“I’ll check with her and if I discover anything, I’ll let you know,” he muttered as he stared at the file. He finally turned back to the doctor. “Thank you for your assistance, Mouser. It’s late and I know you are tired. I’ll be logging out here shortly so it is safe to shut the system down. I can do it if you so wish.”

“No, I can finish this one task,” he replied with a curious scowl. “I’m not sure what you are working on, Raith, but you need to take a break.” He paused and shot him a critical scowl. “You have been unusually distant this week. Rest already, before I have to force you to.”

Raith allowed a wiry grin as Mouser stood and slowly moved toward the door.

“Yes, doctor,” he finally replied with a mischievous smirk.

Mouser’s bushy white brows furrrowed as his graying face scrunched into a fierce scowl before he turned with a frustrated sigh.

“Good night, Raith,” he said wearily as he opened the door and left the office.

Once Raith knew he was alone again, he returned to his chair and stared at the file still open on his screen. This unknown woman had to be Violet. He tried to think back to when their first sightings of the mysterious drone hunting creature. Yes, the first encounter had been shortly after the arrival of the refugees from Kratos. He recalled wondering how anyone could have survived the conditions aboard that ship. It shouldn’t have been possible, but Violet was one incredibly tough woman. He honestly did not know how she could still be out there destroying drones after the brutal hits he’d seen her take. He was beginning to think she was damn near invincible. Seemed by her own confession, her only weakness was Mouser’s drugs. The notes on the woman’s incomplete file attested to the difficulties the medical team encountered while trying to treat her.

Raith’s critical gaze settled on the woman’s classification. Cassarian…the notes mentioned that positive species identification could not be confirmed due to the patient’s physical condition, but that she strongly resembled a Cassarian in her early twenties. Positive id was pending the results of blood analysis. Blood analysis…Raith’s first thought was of Mouser’s unlabeled blood sample, the sample that first shed light on the creature’s existence. It was true that chaos reigned during the arrival of those refugees, but how could someone have not labeled a vial of blood? Someone had seriously screwed up and allowed something very important slip through their fingers…

There was no attending physician or nurse listed on the file, but Raith quickly recalled Mouser mentioning Aleena’s name. Just how was the Kalatian involved in all of this? If anyone had gotten a good look at the woman, it had been her. But if Violet looked like a Cassarian, would she have even known what she was dealing with? Surely, Aleena had not been the one to let the woman slip away…

Raith closed his eyes with a scowl and shook his head. No, surely Aleena wouldn’t have done that. The two of them had their issues, but Aleena took her job quite seriously and was very good at it. She wouldn’t risk everything by lying to him, to Mouser…would she? No, he didn’t want to think Aleena capable of such deception. Surely she’d learned her lesson the first time…But his old friend was different these days. She was bolder, more willing to stand up to him, though that could just be due to the company she was keeping…

Raith’s eyes flew open as his breath abruptly caught in his chest. He could only stare at the screen as a crash of furious, fragmented thoughts bombarded him all at once. Sarhea…The image of Aleena, and now Finny, watching over her so intently, protectively, formed in his mind. Surely the brazen woman who’d been such a thorn in his side did not have anything to do with this. Several quick thoughts screamed for his attention. When did he first notice her presence? Where had she been all week? Did any of her oddities coincide with the creature’s movements or the drone activity?

Raith shoved himself to his feet. Mouser was right; he was beginning to lose his mind. There was no way that Sarhea and Violet were the same creature. True, his interactions with Sarhea had been more…amiable at best, but he could still sense a strong disdain from her toward him. There was no way it was her out there risking her life for him and his team. But the revelation of Violet’s true feelings on the drones bore similar tones he’d recognized in Sarhea’s blunt and often defiant mannerisms. And he knew for a fact that she was capable of lying…

Raith found himself pacing around his office. He paused to shake his head again. No, it was not possible. Violet was a secretive creature that dwelled in the safety of shadows. She did not wish to be known. Sarhea, while surrounded by plenty of her own mystery, was not one living in the shadows. She’d made a name for herself among his troops, claimed to be friends with several in high places. She was anything but hidden, nor was she trying to be. But what better place to hide than out in the open…

A piecing headache brought on by stress and fatigue pounded in his temples. This job, the events of the past few months…it was finally all catching up to him, making him irrational. He needed to get out of here, clear his thoughts. One final idea suddenly came to him. He recalled Sarhea’s incomplete profile. He’d originally found it odd, but her story was rather plausible, considering existing issues in certain communities. He’d been trying not to jump to accusing conclusions, had allowed her to take care of the discrepancies without hounding her. All he needed to do was confirm that she’d done as she said she would-this whole maddening business could be put behind him and he could chalk it up to momentary, fatigue driven insanity.

He quickly moved back to his desk and sat. All he needed to do was pull up her profile. As soon as he navigated to the appropriate database, the monitor went black, a message of system downtime flashing on the screen. A snarl of frustration erupted from him as he brought a balled fist down on the desktop. What convenient timing! The system would be down until tomorrow morning and without the database, there would be no finding closure on this issue.

Raith shut his computer down in a fit of spite and shoved himself to his feet. If he stayed here any longer, he was liable to lose control of his anger and break something. He snatched his jacket off its hook near the door, shut off the lights, and stormed from the room. He no choice but to delay this investigation until tomorrow.