After we passed the fumarole skylights, we went a quarter mile in the dark; the only sound was dripping condensation. The guide lagged until the cavern roof sloped down low; then he brushed past and held up a warding hand into Alyx’s flashlight beam. He got down and crawled ahead, dragging the toad bag.

We waited a good ten minutes.

When he came back, the bag was empty. “Go on. He won’t bite.”

I’d like to tell you how the meeting went. Alyx is still buzzing.

But that would be against the rules.