<p>'He wants to talk to you again,' the girl winced. 'I want to bust his nose,' I muttered, making the girl laugh. I hefted the tray up and carried it to his table. 'I had to wait two clicks to get in here.' 'I told you to call ahead,' I said, settling the tray on a stand and handing off his noodle bowl, followed by the plate of ox-roast. 'I thought you were making that up.' 'I never lie about food,' I said. 'Is there anything else?' I swept the tray off the stand. 'Ex-ASD?' 'That&#39;s what the Director said. And he&#39;s not high on my list, unless it&#39;s the list of people I never want to see again.' 'What&#39;s the problem with Director Keef?' 'Where do you want me to start?' 'Start with the most recent.' 'My dead daughter,' I snapped and walked away. After Reah&#39;s brush with death, she is understandably distrustful of most of her mates. Striking out on her own, she is determined to investigate a rash of child disappearances across the universes, in and outside the Alliances. The evil she discovers in the course of her investigations could bring all worlds to their knees if Reah doesn&#39;t find a way to destroy it.</p>