‘Who took her?’

‘Cillian!’

Marcus frowned.

‘Cillian! The same guy who tried to get her last time! When you were bringing us here! And now he’s got her and he’s taken her somewhere into the tunnels. And that’s why we need your help, to—’

‘But I do not need yours to look,’ said Marcus calmly.

Albert could feel everyone’s eyes on him, angry and reproachful. Everybody’s, that was, except Marcus’s—he was still studying the rock wall behind him. What he was finding so interesting about it, Albert had no clue.

‘But—but—we risked everything to come here! You were our last hope!’

‘I did not ask you to,’ said Marcus, turning around and flicking his reptilian eyes over them.

‘But we have to find—’

‘Do it, Geoffrey!’ screamed Abel suddenly.

There was a blur of movement, from several parts of the room all happening at once. The guard called Abel swung his elbow at his captor, Geoffrey darted for the rope, and Colby, Kieran and Joe started together towards Marcus. And, in the meanwhile, Marcus moved too, bringing his blaster up in one fluid, frighteningly fast motion that was so quick it didn’t seem to happen at all. Geoffrey toppled over backwards, eyes staring sightlessly upwards, one hand still on the rope, the crack of the report drowned out almost as it appeared in a loud ringing drone overhead that seemed to reverberate through the rock itself. Joe and Kieran froze momentarily and glanced at each other, before continuing towards Marcus, who seemed not to have noticed. Even before Geoffrey hit the floor, he had swung the butt of his blaster across Abel’s head, knocking him to his knees, before swinging the blaster up again, pointing it straight at the middle of Colby’s chest, bringing him to a sliding halt just feet away.

‘Nobody move,’ said Marcus.

Kieran and Joe froze where they stood. Overhead, the screeching sound continued.

‘You can’t get away,’ said Colby. ‘There’s no way out.’

‘I am leaving. Perhaps you should, too, if you still can.’

‘No, we can’t, and neither can you!’ shouted Colby angrily, glaring at him with a mixture of disapproval and disbelief. Marcus shook his head. He didn’t really seem to be listening.

‘If you can’t, then it was foolish of you to come,’ said Marcus. He had answered Colby, but he was still looking at Albert. He turned back to the wall behind him and then, almost as an afterthought, turned back, to Albert. ‘Do you wish for a hostage?’

Why is he only talking to me, wondered Albert.

‘No!’ shouted Colby. ‘Just listen now!’