‘Yeah! I didn’ hear nothing today, nor two nights back when you came last, or any of them other times, never!’

Ollie’s smile broadened. ‘I see,’ he said softly.

‘Yeah, you see! I never heard nothing ever and—’ He stopped, gulping back a sob.

Albert felt like he had to say something. ‘Look, maybe he’s telling the truth. Perhaps—’

‘Course I’m tellin’ the truth!’ yelled the bum. ‘What you think I—’

He broke off, eyes widening in panic, his slack mouth falling further open. ‘Look out!’ he shouted, pointing straight behind Ollie.

Together they turned, and Albert felt a hand push him roughly so he staggered against Ollie and saw Theo, also pushed so she went sprawling against Marcus, and the bum who, having broken free, was flying fast across the clearing, faster than Albert would have believed possible.

Ollie clucked impatiently, then chuckled. ‘Oldest trick in the book, and he goes and takes me in! Just shows I’m getting old.’

He narrowed his eyes, looking at the rapidly vanishing figure of the junkie who was by now almost invisible against the mounds of debris and rubble on the horizon.

‘Although,’ he said slowly, ‘one must admit it does solve the problem of what to do about him.’

He shifted his gaze towards Marcus. Wordlessly, Marcus took a step back into the nearest pipe, a second later, he had melted into the shadows.

Albert turned to Ollie. ‘What’s going on? Where’s he gone?’

‘Ah well,’ said the fat man, ‘these tunnels come up in all sorts of funny places, they do, where you’d least expect ’em to, too. Hey! That rhymed! And there’s no one knows the tunnels better’n Marcus.’ His voice went very soft, with not a trace of humour left in it. ‘I wouldn’t want to be that guy, now.’

June was still frowning. ‘We can’t wait for Marcus.’

‘Oh, we won’t,’ said Ollie. ‘Time for tearful farewells, folks! It’s been fun and—’

NOBODY WILL MOVE! YOU ARE ALL DETAINED!

‘Ah’ said Ollie pleasantly. ‘Larry’s here.’

10

Almost as one, they spun around in the direction the sound had come from. The first thing they saw was lawbots—dozens and dozens of lawbots.

They were all across the landscape, moving out from behind the mounds and dunes of rubble that had been concealing them. The sun, now well clear of the clouds that had imprisoned it, ricocheted violently off their metal hides, giving each individual bot the aspect of being bathed in its own photon aura, so it dazzled the eye to look at them. Like malevolent beings of light they advanced, dozens of them abreast.

REPEAT, DO NOT MOVE! SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY OR YOU WILL BE DELETED!

Ollie turned towards one of the Outliers. ‘I thought Marcus said you’d scanned the area,’ he said pleasantly.

‘We did! They must have been holding back! Or—’