‘The official line is that the accident at the university laboratories released some kind of toxin into the local area. However, it has been stressed that the accident was completely unrelated to the groundbreaking work that XGen have been undertaking in Straybridge. As soon as the area has been confirmed to be safe, the SMARTtown project will continue as planned.’

‘And have they recaptured the missing test subject that also escaped in the explosion?’

‘There’s been no word on that specifically, but we 306 have received full assurances that Straybridge will be re-opened in a few days, and will be one hundred per cent safe.’

There’s a knock on the door, and I jump up to open it. I’d usually still be in my pyjamas this early in the morning, but today we have plans, so I’m dressed in the new stuff Mum got me for Christmas and looking alright, apart from the scabby cuts on my cheek and chin.

‘Merry Christmas!’ Kat hugs me. She looks so much better, even with the rainbow of bruises on her face. For a few days after the battle at the Cake, we all struggled to sleep. You can’t just shake off that worry that if you close your eyes, everything will change. But eventually we were so tired that we had to sleep, and now it’s a bit easier, although I’m not sure it will ever be totally normal again.

I stand back so she can walk into our room, which is actually more like a whole house. Everyone in Straybridge was sent to nearby hotels while they remove all the ‘contaminants’ from town, and we lucked out with the poshest suites.

‘Happy Christmas, Lance.’ Ade follows after Kat. She looks more like the old Ade now, 307 although she kept a few of the changes. They suit her, though, and she seems happier than I’ve seen her for months. It turns out that Kat used one of Ade’s massive gold hoop earrings to stab Digger in the eye, so they played their part, even if they did make her look like a pirate.

‘Mate.’ Mak bumps knuckles with me. Luckily his earring seems to be gone forever, and he hasn’t been moping about Georgia-Rae at all. Actually, he’s been spending lots of time with Ade, which Kat is way excited about.

‘Any news on the annex?’ I say.

‘They finally persuaded Trent to come out of the bunker.’ Mak laughs. ‘Apparently Madison was so mad that he left her behind that she logged onto his Xbox, sold all his skins and messed up his stats. He’s fuming. We’ll have to look out for him next time we play squads because I still wanna kill him.’

‘Madison is my new hero,’ I say.