‘’E’s got nothin’ to say, Cap’n!’ interjected the man on his right, the one who had been unsuccessful in bringing his tunnel down. He was a huge, hulking man, at least half a head taller than anybody else in the tunnel, with short, fair hair and wide-set blue eyes that made him look constantly surprised. He still held the blaster Ollie had given him in the tunnel. Albert racked his brains to remember what Colby had called him. Kieran, was it? Yes, that was it.

‘I’m tellin’ you, ’e’s the one as led ’em here!’ Kieran went on. ‘We should off ’im right now’s what I say!’

‘Oh yeah?’ said Theo, stepping in front of Albert and raising her little fists. ‘C’mon then, if you got the guts! You gotta go through me first!’

Colby turned to the short man on his left. ‘Get her out of the way.’

The man took a step forward, and found his passage barred by an arm. ‘The first man to touch the girl dies,’ said Marcus quietly.

Colby looked at him. ‘Look here, just because you’re the only one who knows the way back now doesn’t mean I have to take orders from you! You’ve got no business being here anyway! This was supposed to be a standard extraction and then you showed up, telling us we had to listen to you!’

‘And you will continue do so,’ replied the other, ‘or you will not get back alive.’

He said it so calmly that Albert wasn’t sure if he was making a threat or referring to the perils of the journey ahead. Whatever it was, Colby paled visibly, even under the flickering yellow light in the corridor. But, to the man’s credit, he held his ground.

‘Oh yeah?’ he said. ‘Well, like it or not, I’m going to get to the bottom of this! Four good men died out there today! Four!’ he repeated, holding up the requisite number of fingers.

‘True,’ said Marcus, his eyes flicking lazily over the man. ‘As did a better man than all of them put together, to whom I made a promise. If I am to break my word, perhaps I should start with you.’

‘Oi there!’ said Kieran, lifting his blaster threateningly and pointing it at Marcus. ‘You can’t speak to the Cap’n like that!’

Marcus took a languid step to the left and looked at him, now seeming almost amused. ‘I just did.’

‘Oh yeah?’ said Kieran menacingly, taking a step forward and pointing the blaster at Marcus. ‘We’ll see about that!’

There was silence in the tunnel. The ghost of a smile played on Marcus’ lips. ‘You are frightened,’ he said.