Alec's ears were ringing with the after-effects of the gunfight in the last compartment. It didn't seem to matter how many firefights he'd been in or near, how many explosions he encountered, his ears never developed a tolerance for the noise.<em>Well, I'm never hearing that frequency again...</em><br/><br/>His mind was still mulling over 'Augurs'. There was a feeling nagging at-<br/><br/>His MONA. Before the knock at his door, his MONA had delivered a message. He fished it out of his trouser pocket, finding the draft message he'd saved as a reminder of the message's contents.<em>The augurs stir already,</em>he remembered. That had been the line.<br/><br/>Had the crew received a similar message? Was that why they expected to be attacked? But without knowing what an augur<strong>was</strong>, how could they be sure of an attack?<br/><br/>He saw Taylor and Fitzsimmons through a porthole between them and the holding area. A feeling of relief washed through him as he registered their safety. He didn't know them personally very well, due to the constraints of the job, but they were consummate professionals. If nothing else, it'd be a pain to have to train a new pair. Raising a hand briefly to catch Taylor's eye, he nodded a greeting through the glass.<br/><br/>Alec surveyed the room, taking in the gaggle of people, and staying close to 'his' group as they passed through. The MONA buzzed in his hand - a new<strong>Brief</strong>. He opened it while he waited for their guide to sort his life out, and read it with a sinking feeling that all those redacted listings were soon to become painfully obvious.