Things were going well for John. Maybe too well...

Being the World President wasn't really a problem any more. Maybe he didn't enjoy it as much as his role of being one half of the Chief Engineer; but it wasn't as stressful as it had been.

Of course, Sonia and Urni weren't going to let John rest on his laurels. If John was coping with meeting strangers now, maybe it was time for him to meet a few more?

Urni, in particular, seemed to have some big plans. Of course, she didn't need to share them with John just yet...

And then there was Sonia. She'd handed control of her Pet to Urni, but that didn't mean she couldn't throw a stick for him occasionally, did it?

If John was hoping for a boring run-up to Christmas, then it looked like he was probably out of luck...