"There she is!"

"Where?"

"Right there!"

"...Oh yes, I see her...!"

"She doesn't look like an apostate..."

"No, but you know what she did."

"Yes, she turned her back on Them."

"Refused to follow Their orders..."

"Made Their presence known..."

"Broke off all communications..."

"They would want her back to account for her crimes against Them..."

"Let's go grab her!"

"Yes, They'll be so pleased!"

"Get the extraction beam ready!"

"Beam's ready."

"Okay, hit it..."

An inaudible whoosh, a quick flash of light and she was gone. Disappeared from their midst. Where she had stood, there was nothing.

"Doc...? Julia...?"

***