"What's the key mean? That's not worth nothing on what Clevus is going to get off the rest of that stuff."

"But this key is one I..."

The ground beneath them rumbled as the missile attempted to launch out of closed silo doors. Thunder drowned out Hurk's screams when the earth began bucking, waves of dust plastering them into bushes and evaporating swamp water ponds. Only luck saw them land in thick mud as the ground behind them collapsed back down, like a balloon being squeezed.

For minutes, then hours, neither of them moved. Dav mostly thought about death and if he was dead, or if he'd been dead for a while, or if Hurk was some kind of curse put on him. Hurk thought about the look on Clevus's face when the bomb had run out. He smiled, then realised that the sudden thrust of the world had been connected to the bomb. It was the bomb.

"That was the bomb, wasn't it, Dav?"

"Oh, I have no doubt in my mind that what we just experienced was a very old bomb going off, because you turned a key without talking to me first."

"I tried," Hurk said. "You were busy."

Dav sighed. He knew Hurk was right. Hurk was more right than wrong these days, getting smarter every day too, taking in the wisdom Dav chose to impart upon his apprentice.

"What now?" asked Dav.

"I was hoping you would know," said Hurk.

"Whatever it is, I reckon it shouldn't be involving the use or opening of too many doors."

"Sounds fine to me, Dav," Hurk said. He tucked the key in his pocket and smiled. The taste of blood lurked in his teeth. He'd almost burst his brain today.

But today had been a good day.

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