marc in the meantime, continues his quest for mental man, but realises that the metapsychic rebellion is too near for mental man to be present to ensure victory. cyndia discovers marc's plans, is horrified, and decides to remove all available sources of the new mental man. she acquires a sonic apparatus that will render marc sterile, and triggers it by a telepathic command. however, marc detects this impulse, realises what the device has done, and kills cyndia by reflex. he mourns more because of his sterility than the loss of the wife he once loved greatly.