‘Good afternoon,’ the mayor says. ‘We have some urgent information to pass on, so I’ll get straight to the point.’ He clears his throat. ‘This morning, an incident occurred in the research department of the university, which led to an explosion on a significant scale. Fortunately, there appear to have been no injuries or casualties resulting from this explosion. However, it caused severe damage to the Cake building, and the laboratories within.’ He swallows. ‘Straybridge University is home to one of the leading scientific research departments in the country – something that we are extremely proud of, and that led to us being awarded the first major grant in the SMARTtown initiative. There is always a variety of 23 research projects taking place within the laboratories, and some of these involve living test subjects.’ He shuffles behind the wooden stand and I see a trickle of sweat slide down his forehead. ‘It appears that one of the test subjects is currently unaccounted for, and we believe that it has fled through the damaged building and into the community.’

Mum gasps.

‘We are in the process of conducting a search and retrieve operation across the town so that we can secure the creature in question as a matter of urgency. In order to prevent the creature from fleeing further, we have created a temporary perimeter around Straybridge. Nobody may enter or leave the town until the test subject has been apprehended. According to my scientific advisor, the test subject will hide during daylight hours, and only be active at night, so residents of Straybridge may go about their daily business without concern. However, though we are confident that the creature does not pose much of a threat, we are introducing a curfew to the entire town, starting immediately. All residents must be inside their homes before sunset, and remain there throughout the night for 24 their own safety. Straybridge police will be patrolling the streets to ensure the curfew is respected, and of course to look for the test subject.’

The chief of police lifts her chin, and gives a small nod. This is probably the most action she’s had in her life.

‘I’ll now hand over to Carol Barnes, head of Straybridge Police, who will give you some more details about the new security arrangements.’

He steps back from the stand, and swaps places with Carol.