I recognised the photograph that had been used for the display screen. It was the same one that was mounted on the wall in the entrance hall to the laboratory in which I worked.

Or rather, where I used to work. It was probably safe to assume at this point that my services were no longer required.

"They must have traced the pregnancies back to the leaking pipe that we sabotaged," I surmised, although realistically I suspected that that part was bound to happen at some point. "I guess Saul remembered Tobi's number and gave it to the Andekas. And since I'm registered as his custodian..."

"...it means you can't go back home," Peter finished. "They must have tried to find you there this morning, and only publicised your picture when you weren't there. I bet your place will be guarded like a fortress now."

"We can't stay here either," I assured him. "It's hardly a secret that I'm good friends with you. It may not be long until they'll find that out from someone and descend on this house, too."

I dug out the keys to my house and handed them over to Seren.

"Here," I asserted, as I tried to gather my wits and pull myself together. "Since it appears I'm a traitor, I won't be needing these anymore. Tiger will wonder what's going on. If you get a safe opportunity, see if you can find her and make sure she's all right. Also, in the bottom drawer of the dresser in my bedroom there's a hidden compartment. It's not obvious if you don't know to look for it, but if you know it's there, you should be able to find it if you're persistent. Inside there's a journal and a sample of Dominic's hair. If all this palaver diminishes at some point, please could you get the journal to my father? I think it contains enough evidence that if he reads it, he might be willing to consider the possibility that the Andekas family are corrupt."

"What about you?" asked Seren, clearly concerned, but taking the keys I'd given her. "Where will you go?"

"The only place we can go," I replied. "The fort to the north of Rannik. We need to lay low for a while. Maybe indefinitely," I added, looking anxiously back at the screen before turning to face my friends again. "Please take care of each other. I hope we might see you again one day, but if we don't, please know I love you both."

Tobi and I both hugged each of them in turn.

"Thank you for everything," I heard Tobi mumble as he hugged Seren.

"Of course," she said kindly as they released each other. "You're part of our family now."

The couple followed us as we hurried out of their back door to the rear of the house where our bikes lay waiting. I was pleased we were wearing tops with hoods today, so that we could pull them over our heads to reduce the chance of us being spotted as we fled.

"Please keep yourselves safe," I implored as I mounted my bicycle.

"We're not going to stop fighting them, if that's what you mean," Seren assured me. "They took Amanda under false pretences and now they're forcing you away too."

"Do it covertly, at least," I pleaded, knowing how tenacious my friend could be when she wanted to be. "Don't put yourselves in danger."

I watched in despair as a tear escaped down Seren's cheek.

"We'll do what we need to do," she declared staunchly.

"Go," Peter instructed before I had a chance to respond. "We've got your back."

I nodded once, a tight knot forming in my stomach as Tobi and I commenced our hasty departure.

Taking the winding country roads to Rannik meant that we avoided the main transport routes where we knew we were more likely to be spotted and stopped. It made for a longer overall journey but was a more sensible avenue of escape than the alternative faster method.

On the way I cursed to myself. I'd assumed that Saul wouldn't continue to remember Tobi's Katki number three months after the wedding ring stunt had taken place. I'd hoped it would be a long enough timeframe that even if he remembered the incident, the specifics might be hazier. And now, because of that supposition, the Andekas had a trail of evidence that led straight to us.

I wondered what would happen to Tiger. Seren knew how much the cat meant to me, and I had to trust that my friend would find a way to retrieve the tabby and ensure her safety.

Eventually we turned off onto the familiar rugged, uphill path to the north of Rannik that led towards our sanctuary. After traversing the gravelly coastal cliff trail, we arrived at the fort and parked our bikes in a small recess in the brickwork that Tobi had become accustomed to using on his trips here.

"Tobi!" a high-pitched voice called out as we started walking towards the reconstructed dining hall.

"Hi Lillian," Tobi smiled at a small girl, who he scooped up easily as she ran into his open arms. She was around six years old with dark skin, black ringlets, and a stunning depth to her gorgeous brown eyes.

"Come and see my pea plant!" the child gurgled excitedly as she wrapped her legs round his waist and her arms around his neck for stability. "It's grown really big!"

"I bet it has," Tobi grinned and tapped the girl affectionately on the nose with his finger. "Soon it will probably be bigger than you! Listen, I'm going to be around for a little while longer, and I have some things I need to right do, but I'll come and see it later, all right?"

"Promise?" replied Lillian, giving him a big squeeze around his neck as he set her back on the ground again.

"You know how much I love your pea plant," he replied with an overly serious tone which made her giggle before she turned and skipped back through the pathways the led through the ruined brickwork.

"I see you've been making friends," I observed lightly, pleased he'd been making good use of the time he'd spent here.

"I like gardening, and Lillian wanted to learn how to make plants grow bigger," he replied, still smiling from their interaction. "She's a sweet kid."

"I can see that," I agreed as we continued walking, turning the corner that would take us to the central hub.

Just as we did, a slightly older child appeared from inside what was likely to have been a bastion at some point in the distant past. The freckled boy flung his arm around Tobi's waist and stood behind him with an anxious look plastered on his chubby face.

"Tobi, stay still," the youth implored intently. "I need a shield. Aaron's after me again."

"Not today, Harry," Tobi smiled and ruffled Harry's ginger hair. "Matty and I have some..."

Just then, Harry shrieked, and bolted in the opposite direction. I heard him giggle loudly as a second boy, this one slightly taller with tawny hair and hazel eyes, sprinted round the corner. This boy, who I assumed was Aaron, gave chase until both boys had vanished behind one of the outer walls.

I realised then that all those supply runs that Tobi had been making over the last few months had enabled the inhabitants of the fort to view him as familiar and safe. I hadn't considered the social implications of his deliveries until that moment, but it made sense that he would have formed friendship bonds through his recurring visits, and that insight assisted me into a more relaxed view of the transition into our possible new life.

I was about to open the door that led to the main dining room, when we spotted Patience, evidently returning from a walk with Joseph in her arms.

"Matty!" she exclaimed, hugging me briefly and loosely with a free arm, after she'd shifted Joseph into the other. Given that I'd told her my name was Matthew on our initial encounter, I assumed she was now used to using my familiar name due to Tobi talking about me, which made me smile. "It's good to see you again. You don't normally do the supply runs. What brings you up here?"

"Well, we're not actually on a supply run," I confessed. "We need somewhere safe to lay low."

"You certainly do," a familiar voice agreed from somewhere behind me. I turned to see Elizabeth approaching from the same direction we'd just come from. "Looks like your notoriety precedes you."

The redhead joined our small gathering, hugging both me and Tobi in turn.

"You saw me on the screens?" I presumed.

"You were quite hard to miss," she quipped. "I figured this is the place you'd probably aim for and so I came as fast as I could. I heard about the pregnancies outside the Kinnisvara. Do you think they traced it back to you?"

"I suspect so," I acknowledged. "I didn't expect the security guard to remember Tobi's Katki number three months after the event, but I can't see any other explanation."

"Well, whatever is it you've done to rile them up, you've certainly gone out with a bang," she grinned. "Shall we get you both settled in?"

The remainder of the afternoon was spent doing exactly that. Elizabeth helped us to find a space we could sleep in and some blankets we could use. We took a trip to the river to assist with fetching water, we fed the chickens, and of course, made sure we gave some attention to Lillian and her pea plant. It was instantly clear the little girl adored Tobi and hung on his every word for advice about her precious seedling.

In the evening, we returned to the dining hall for a little food before we slept, talking to some of the other inhabitants as we ate. By the end, most of them knew we were a couple through the resulting conversations. Inevitably I'd been questioned on why I felt this attraction when I wasn't Katki and, as I had with Seren, I told them I believed I was a borderline case.

Although our day had taken an unexpectedly traumatic turn for the worse, as the moon appeared over the fort, Tobi and I climbed under our blankets into each other's arms, and I silently counted our blessings. Despite the rapid and distressing turn of events, we'd ended up surrounded by friends, with food to eat and a safe place to sleep. More importantly, we still had each other.

"Matty?" Tobi asked just before I drifted into unconsciousness.

"Hmmm?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry," he said sadly.

"Sorry?" I mumbled, confused. "What for?"

"Your entire life has been disrupted because of my idea to get us into the Kinnisvara," he replied, and I felt his head shift slightly so that he was looking up at my face. "You've been forced to leave your home. You might not be able to ever return to it, and for that I'm sorry."

That woke me up.

"Listen," I responded firmly. "You might have had the initial idea to go in as a compliant Katki, but we worked on the details of that plan together. We agreed to carry it out together. I took you home from the Mart that day because I wanted to offer you, and ultimately all Katki, a better life if I could, and I have no regrets. We may not have always taken the best course of action, but I'm still glad we tried to do something." Shifting my head so that I looked directly into his sky-blue eyes, I cupped his chin and kissed him gently on the lips. "There's nothing for you to feel guilty about, understand? I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered with a weak smile, before letting his head nuzzle into the crook of my neck. "So, you don't think we took it too far?"

"I don't know," I admitted, stroking his hair softly. "Maybe. But I believe that the people deserve to know the truth."

Feeling Tobi nod into my shoulder, I closed my eyes and relaxed, with the echo of my own words playing prominently over and over in my mind as I slipped into oblivion.

The people deserve to know the truth.