"Calm down," Valdis hissed, "The more you react to things, the harder it becomes to keep control."

His negative emotions were merging with the other feelings in the room, and her own horror wasn't helping either. She took a deep breath, trying to find her inner calm, before continuing.

"If I'm not the only one to come to this conclusion," she said, "then yes, it is."

Maybe the enemy really had won.